"Such powerful freezing abilities..."
"Could he be like that guy I encountered in the Fiora Kingdom? Elemental?"
Kaizen's mind raced.
"If that's the case, then pure physical attacks won't work. But this time... there's a difference."
"Flames can counteract ice."
Natsu charged at the middle-aged man, his body engulfed in fire. As the flames approached, the frigid air around the opponent wavered.
"Fierce Claw!"
Natsu's dark red claws slashed at the man, who responded calmly, conjuring a blade of ice to parry the attack.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
A flurry of metallic clashes rang out.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A searing blaze erupted from Natsu's mouth, surging toward the middle-aged man.
"Not bad."
A glint of admiration flickered in the man's eyes. Instead of blocking, he sidestepped effortlessly, dodging the attack.
Just then, the shadowy form of the Killer Queen flickered behind him. However, the freezing aura slowed its approach, dulling its speed. The middle-aged man had already seen Kaizen eliminate the young fighter earlier. He wasn't about to let the Killer Queen get close.
Kaizen's sharp eyes glowed with thought.
"He has absolute confidence in his strength. Or maybe... he doesn't even consider me a real threat."
"He had several chances to attack, yet he didn't. Instead, he's baiting me, waiting for me to reveal all my abilities."
"If we compare overall strength, I'm not his match... but his arrogance may be my opportunity."
"My chance to win!"
The next moment—
"Libra's Gravity Shift!"
As Natsu continued his assault, an invisible force weighed down on the middle-aged man, gradually affecting his movements.
At first, it was subtle—
Half.
One-third.
A quarter.
One-sixth.
Then, one-eighth.
His body suddenly felt featherlight, disrupting his balance. Even an A-rank Nen user would take time to adjust to such a shift.
Meanwhile, the flames around Natsu burned hotter, the rising temperature making the battle field increasingly hostile for the ice user. Despite his superior strength, the elemental disadvantage was unavoidable.
"Rotting Knife!"
Kaizen seized the moment, swinging his weapon. A dark, eerie glow enveloped the middle-aged man.
Suddenly, clusters of strange eggs formed on his body.
A moment later, insects burst forth, skittering across his skin.
The middle-aged man scowled. "Disgusting."
A colder aura surged from him, slowing the insects but failing to stop them completely. They continued devouring his aura.
"Brat, how many abilities do you have? Use them all at once."
"I'm running out of patience."
Kaizen's blade glowed ominously as he prepared another strike.
At the same time—
Snap!
Raiken clapped his hands, switching places with Natsu.
Libra's Gravity Shift activated again.
The moment the middle-aged man was struck by Raiken's blade, his gravity flipped—from one-eighth reduced to twice the weight. The sudden sixteenfold shift made him stumble.
The Killer Queen appeared behind him, wielding a bat.
Boom!
The bat struck hard, just as Kaizen's dark energy slashed across the man's body, releasing even more insects.
"I am Frost."
The middle-aged man's voice was cold as his entire body transformed into ice.
Natsu leaped high, taking a deep breath.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A more intense, ferocious flame engulfed the area. Even in elemental form, the middle-aged man was affected. In fact, being in an ice state made things worse—
As a solid figure, only his body's surface would be burned. But in an elemental state, his entire form was exposed to the fire.
Realizing this, he abandoned his frost form, reverting to human form.
He glanced at himself, frowning slightly.
"You actually managed to put me in a tough spot. Not bad."
Even after witnessing Kaizen defeat the young fighter earlier, he hadn't taken him seriously. He had assumed Kaizen was no threat.
To him, this was just a test—a game to gauge Kaizen's abilities.
But now, he found himself in a position he hadn't expected.
An inconvenience.
"Alright, kid. I'll give you one last chance."
"Now it's my turn."
"Let me show you what real power is."
Kaizen locked eyes with the middle-aged man.
"Refinement!"
He tapped deeper into his aura, unleashing a powerful surge of energy.
Natsu's flames roared even brighter.
Simultaneously, the Killer Queen, Lantern Ghost, and Raiken lunged at their target.
"Dragon Horns!"
"Mist Shroud!"
"Cockroach Blitz!"
"Take this!"
Four simultaneous attacks converged on the ice user.
"Freeze!"
A thick layer of frost burst from the middle-aged man, engulfing the battlefield. Icy tendrils spread, slowing down his opponents.
But then—
Smash!
Natsu headbutted straight into his opponent's face.
A thick ice barrier formed in front of the middle-aged man.
"Share the Pain!"
His expression suddenly changed as he felt his aura drain—half of it vanishing in an instant.
Even though he had plenty left, losing that much at once was destabilizing.
His stance wavered.
His aura flickered.
Crack!
The ice barrier shattered.
Natsu tackled him directly, wrapping his arms around him.
"Fierce Claw!"
Dark red claws dug into his flesh, locking him in place.
The Killer Queen rushed in for the final blow—
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