"The instincts of a beast… quite impressive."
Natsu didn't respond. Instead, he lunged forward once more with unrestrained ferocity.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Flames from the Fire Dragon enveloped his entire body as he transformed into a blazing comet, hurling himself headfirst toward Wes with terrifying momentum.
The air howled from the pressure of his charge, flames trailing behind him like a burning tail.
Wes raised his wand instantly and chanted, "Multiple Barriers."
Five invisible walls of magical energy materialized between them.
Natsu felt the air thicken, a sudden surge of resistance pressing against him. But he gritted his teeth and kept charging, roaring with effort.
He broke through the first, then the second, and finally the third barrier. But by the time he hit the fourth, his momentum faltered.
The overwhelming resistance stopped him midair, his fiery aura flickering as he struggled to push forward.
"Barrage of a Thousand Shots!" Wes seized the moment.
The rubble and broken stones scattered around the forest lifted into the air and transformed into deadly projectiles, all firing toward Natsu with thunderous force.
Natsu spun midair, smashing the smaller stones aside with fists and kicks. When larger chunks came his way, he blasted them apart with waves of fire, melting them mid-flight.
(The mages here are skilled in hand-to-hand combat… I should learn some of that too. Can't waste this enhanced body.)
But first, he needed to finish this fight.
The Dragon Slayer Magic was indeed powerful—but Natsu still couldn't bring out its full potential.
After several exchanges, Wes had already gauged his opponent's strength. And he had no intention of dragging the fight any longer.
"Gravity Press!"
At his command, a crushing force slammed down on Natsu's body. It felt like an invisible mountain had fallen on him.
The shattered stones from before rose again and rained down violently under Wes's control.
Natsu's movement slowed drastically under the immense gravity. He could no longer dodge as easily—chunks of rock slammed into his body, tearing through his clothes and cutting into his skin. Blood streaked across his torso.
(Damn it…! I can't move under this pressure…)
Panic flashed in Natsu's eyes. If he couldn't find a way to counter this spell soon, he'd be completely at Wes's mercy.
"Happy, what should we do?" Lucy's voice trembled as she watched Natsu struggle, her hands clutching the edge of her skirt.
"It's fine… these little cuts are nothing to Natsu," Happy said uncertainly, though even he didn't sound convinced.
"You said that guy only used fire magic! But look—how many types of magic has he used already?" Lucy shook Happy back and forth in frustration.
"Luuucy~" Happy groaned, his face turning green. "I'm gonna puke…"
"I don't care! Think of a way to help Natsu!" Lucy demanded, tears forming in her eyes.
"Bwaaah!" Happy's eyes spun like spirals before he finally gave in and vomited midair.
"Ugh, seriously?" Lucy jumped aside to dodge, but still shouted at him, "Hurry and think of something, Happy!"
"Luuucy~" Happy mumbled weakly, still dizzy.
"My name is Lucy!" she snapped furiously.
"Lucy," Happy said as he steadied himself, "you're a Fairy Tail mage too, aren't you? You can't just let your teammate fight alone."
Lucy froze for a second—then her expression firmed.
"You're right… I'm a mage of Fairy Tail now!" she said, clenching her fists as her determination ignited.
Lucy quickly pulled out a golden key — the key representing Taurus, the Golden Bull.
"Answer my call! Taurus!!" she shouted, thrusting the key into the air. Starlight burst forth as a towering humanoid bull appeared on the battlefield, a massive double-headed axe strapped to his back.
"Taurus of the Golden Bull is here!" his booming voice echoed like thunder as he swung his enormous axe, slicing the air with violent gusts.
The moment he appeared, his eyes gleamed lecherously at Lucy. "Long time no see, Lucy! Your figure is as stunning as ever!!"
"Taurus, help Natsu—now!" Lucy ignored the comment and gave a sharp command.
"As you wish!" Taurus instantly straightened up, his expression turning serious. Gripping his giant axe, he leapt into the air and swung it down at Wes Elwin with crushing force.
But Taurus's movement was too large, too obvious. Wes easily sidestepped it.
"A Celestial Spirit? Fascinating creatures," Wes said with a glint of curiosity. "If I had the chance, I'd love to capture one for research."
The intensity in his eyes made Taurus's skin crawl. "W-what kind of twisted mage is this guy? He's actually drooling over my perfect physique!"
Taurus's sudden attack forced Wes to pause his assault on Natsu, giving the fire mage a brief but valuable moment to recover.
Natsu wiped the blood from his face and moved to stand beside Taurus.
"Thanks, cow," Natsu said bluntly.
"You little punk! I'm Taurus of the Zodiac — not some ordinary cow!!"
Clearly, Taurus didn't have the same patience for men that he did for women.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just finish this fight," Natsu grumbled, checking his injuries. He was battered, but far from beaten.
"Be careful with this guy," he warned. "He knows a lot of different kinds of magic. You're strong — help me keep him busy."
"Brat! I'm not your spirit, don't give me ord—" Taurus started to retort, but before he could finish, Natsu was already launching another attack from Wes's left flank.
"Taurus, please listen to Natsu's plan!" Lucy clasped her hands together, pleading. "If you help beat that guy, I'll buy you the latest issue of Magic Girl Weekly!"
"Moo~~!" Taurus snorted twin puffs of steam from his nostrils and roared, "You've got a deal!!"
Planting his hooves firmly, he kicked off the ground, leaving a deep crater behind as he charged forward at blinding speed.
Taurus and Natsu moved in perfect sync, attacking Wes from two directions at once.
Wes, however, looked entirely unshaken—his wand danced through the air like a conductor's baton.
The ground beneath them heaved, and thick roots shot upward, twisting into massive whips that lashed at both Natsu and Taurus.
Natsu moved like an agile monkey, leaping nimbly between the roots, dodging each strike with precision and using every gap to plan a counterattack.
Taurus, on the other hand, was a brute force of nature. With every swing of his twin-bladed axe, the air trembled. Roots shattered, split, and fell to pieces before they could entangle him.
He was nothing like the goofy version often portrayed in the anime — this Taurus was a powerhouse.
"Taurus, behind you!" Natsu shouted as another thick root snaked toward the bull from the rear.
"Got it!" Taurus spun around and cleaved the root clean in half with a single blow. "These damn things are really getting on my nerves!"
Wes watched their teamwork with calm calculation. Despite their rough manner, the two were formidable in battle.
After all, this wasn't a anime world — this was reality. And in reality, one needed real strength to be chosen by the Celestial Spirit King as a member of the Zodiac Twelve.
°°°
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