"Did it work?"
After landing, Natsu looked at the entire field shrouded in smoke, frowning slightly.
Boom—
As if in response to Natsu's question, a violent crashing sound came from within the smoke.
The next moment, the smoke was torn apart by a tremendous force.
What unfolded before Natsu's eyes was a truly astonishing scene.
The torn smoke was swept up by a raging wind that spiraled around Lance, forming a violent storm comparable to a natural disaster.
Everything nearby was caught up in it.
Then, lightning began to form.
Arcs of electricity continuously crackled within the storm, and soon after, above the already terrifying vortex, a massive plasma sphere suddenly appeared over Lance.
Seeing this, Natsu stood somewhat dumbfounded.
A cold smirk appeared on Lance's otherwise indifferent face.
"Consider this a return gift for that earlier strike—Natsu Dragneel. Take it."
Boom—
The plasma sphere, wrapped in the violent air currents, came crashing toward Natsu with an overwhelming force that blotted out the sky.
Even before it hit, Natsu could already feel the stinging pain on his skin—clearly, the power behind this blow was terrifying.
Even a true dragon would probably be skinned alive by an attack like this.
Natsu swallowed hard.
With the speed granted by his flames, he could easily dodge the attack before it landed.
But judging by the sheer force of this strike, if he evaded it, the plasma sphere would continue flying straight into Crocus and tear the entire city apart.
The guild alliance members still fighting within Crocus would likely suffer devastating losses.
That was an outcome Natsu absolutely couldn't accept.
He had no choice—he had to take the hit head-on.
—Boom!
Natsu raised both hands and caught the incoming plasma sphere.
The overwhelming force pushed him back continuously, while the intense electric currents surging from the sphere made his entire body writhe in pain.
"Damn it, damn it—AAARGH!"
Natsu gritted his teeth, digging in his heels with all his strength.
Magic surged violently from his entire body as he poured everything he had into stopping the plasma's advance.
Watching him, Lance raised a hand and uttered a single word under his breath:
"Detonate."
BOOM!
The moment Lance spoke, the once-stable plasma sphere spiraled out of control and exploded.
Lightning burst forth in all directions.
With no time to react, Natsu—who had only been in partial contact with the sphere—was instantly engulfed by countless arcs of electricity.
A barrage of deafening explosions echoed throughout Crocus, and the violent tremors that followed were like an earthquake, shaking the entire city and nearly reducing its buildings to rubble.
As the plasma's energy gradually dissipated, Lance silently stared at Natsu, who stood at the very center of the blast, and spoke.
"Looks like you've reached your limit."
Natsu slowly stood up.
He was in a miserable state—his skin scorched black from the intense electricity, and his magic power noticeably weaker compared to its peak.
His heavy breathing and unsteady stance made it clear that his stamina was almost completely drained.
"You used the unique properties of Dragon Slayer magic to draw power from two others, and then fused it with divine energy to unleash a force beyond the imagination of ordinary humans."
Lance began walking toward Natsu, his voice calm and composed.
"But in the end, that power isn't truly your own. Borrowed strength will eventually run out. And although your body is exceptionally tough thanks to being a Dragon Slayer, which is why you were even able to withstand that kind of force, the rapid drain on your stamina is unavoidable. Right now, your energy, your strength—everything—is at its absolute limit, isn't it?"
He stopped walking, reached out his hand, and said indifferently,
"This is the end, Natsu Dragneel."
Smack— Lance's hand was caught by Natsu.
"So what?"
Natsu slowly lifted his head, his eyes burning with defiance.
"You're right... this power is borrowed. On my own, I could never reach this level—not even if I spent my entire life trying. Just using it has drained me completely. But so what... Even if I'm this weak, there's no way I'm losing to someone like you."
"I can see it... There's confusion in your eyes. Someone like you, who's lost even in understanding their own existence—I'll never lose to someone like that."
At Natsu's words, Lance's expression suddenly shifted.
It was as if a mask he'd been wearing shattered, revealing only a cold, frigid emptiness beneath.
Bang—
Without warning, Lance's other hand clenched into a fist and smashed into Natsu's cheek, slamming him hard into the ground.
Then, with a heavy stomp, he drove Natsu even deeper into the earth.
"What the hell do you know?"
Another violent stomp forced Natsu further down into the ground.
"What right do you have to judge my existence? For me, the entire meaning of life is to devote everything I have to Master's ideals. What is there to be confused about?"
Bang!
Lance's next step was caught by Natsu's hand.
"That's where you went wrong…"
Natsu slowly pushed himself up, golden-red flames surging around him, engulfing his entire body.
"Grafting someone else's ideals onto yourself, living for others—that's such a boring way to live. What difference is there between that and a puppet on strings? A guy with no sense of self is worse than an idiot. If you can't even understand something that simple, how could you ever hope to defeat me?!"
A powerful aura erupted from Natsu's body.
As he stood, he swung his fist without hesitation, landing a punch square on Lance's face and sending him flying.
Then, unleashing his full magical power, Natsu's fiery form began to shift and intensify, his golden-red flames carrying an overwhelming presence that seemed capable of burning everything to ash.
They transformed into a colossal Fire Dragon.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shiranui Style—Crimson Lotus Dragon Emperor's Blade!!"
Roar!
The Fire Dragon let out a silent roar, its terrifying presence enough to make even Lance feel an intense sense of danger.
And then, in an instant, the Fire Dragon moved—blazing flames that seemed capable of incinerating space itself surged forward toward Lance.
Nothing could halt the advance of this attack.
Lance barely had time to raise his arms before the Crimson Lotus Dragon Emperor's Blade was upon him.
Boom!
The blazing flames collided with Lance, producing a thunderous sound that shook the air.
The overwhelming force drove Lance backward, step by step.
Sweat had already begun to bead on his forehead, and the magic surging from his body had reached its absolute limit.
"Don't be ridiculous!!!! How could I possibly fall here?! I've transcended humanity!!"
"I will defeat you! Burn, my soul! Burn, my conviction! I'm betting everything—everything—on this one strike! Aaaahhhhhhh!!!"
Pshhh.
A faint sound rang out—so quiet, yet impossible to ignore.
It was the sound of Lance's magic being broken, the sound of his Control magic exceeding its limit.
The moment he heard it, Lance's pupils shrank in shock.
Whoosh!
Lance was swallowed by the Fire Dragon.
The intense magical flames didn't stop—they crashed into the ground with unrelenting force, like an indestructible blade piercing deep into the earth.
Everything the Fire Dragon touched was reduced to nothing, not even ashes remained.
The ground across the entire Dark Demon Castle collapsed under the might of the Fire Dragon's assault.
When the Fire Dragon's energy was finally spent, a massive crater had formed with the explosion's center as the origin, spanning several hundred meters in radius.
At the center of the pit, Natsu stood with difficulty.
"I... won," Natsu muttered, looking at the unconscious Lance lying across from him.
The corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a faint smile, and then his body, too, began to fall backward.
"With this... my fight is over... I'll leave the rest to you, Noel."
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