Natsu and Happy, partners since Happy's birth, had been together for six years, their bond so tight it spoke for itself.
Most of the time, Natsu didn't even need to finish his sentence for Happy to know exactly what he was planning or about to do. Sometimes, words weren't even necessary—their almost telepathic understanding and unshakable trust in each other let them pull off moves that caught everyone off guard.
Their go-to strategy? Fake a fight to lower the enemy's guard, throw their thinking into chaos, then strike when they least expected it. They'd used this trick countless times, and it worked like a charm every single time.
Of course, they learned it from Kira, who always said it wasn't sneaky—it was tactical.
It's worth mentioning that while Kira taught the guild plenty, his most famous lesson was this: catch the enemy off guard, charge in, and hit them with your biggest move right off the bat!
So the moment Natsu opened his mouth, Happy knew exactly what was up. They played up their fake argument perfectly, waiting until Chloe stomped her foot in frustration. That's when Happy grabbed Natsu and zoomed into the air at top speed.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The familiar opening move, but this time it carried Natsu's burning rage. His fury fueled the flames in his fist, and with Happy's help, he landed a blazing strike on the girl in front of them in the blink of an eye.
Man, woman, young, old, human, or demon—didn't matter. If you attacked their friends, you'd face the wrath of Fairy Tail.
"Natsu! Happy!"
Lucy gasped, stunned that they went straight for the attack. Sure, the girl had struck first, but everything happened so fast—too fast for Lucy to process. From Natsu tackling her to the ground to him launching an attack on this mysterious girl, it all went down in less than thirty seconds.
Lucy trusted Natsu's strength, but jumping into a fight so recklessly still caught her off guard. Clearly, she had a lot to learn and some getting used to the guild's wild style.
Boom!
The flames exploded on a pile of wolf corpses, but Chloe didn't have a scratch on her.
Natsu's sudden attack definitely caught Chloe off guard—she had no time to dodge or prepare. But she was a demon, with a body unlike any human's and magic that was just as unique.
In the Fairy Tail world, almost every supernatural ability fell under the umbrella of magic, and most demons used magic too. The only exceptions were the demons created by Zeref, who wielded curses—a power drawn from negative emotions like hatred.
To Lucy's disbelief, the girl calling herself "Princess of the Clouds, Chloe" transformed her entire body into white clouds. Natsu's fiery fist passed right through her elemental form, sinking into the misty air without doing any damage.
…
While Natsu and Lucy faced off against Chloe, the other two teams ran into their own enemies.
On a snowy mountain, Erza and Gray stood on high alert, eyeing the voluptuous woman before them, not daring to let their guard down for a second.
Despite her beauty, the aura radiating from her made Gray uneasy in a way that stirred memories of his old nightmare—Deliora.
Noticing Gray's tension, Erza stepped forward, shielding him, and demanded, "Who are you?"
The woman chuckled. "I am Snoi, the queen of this snowy mountain. You've trespassed into my domain. If you don't want to die, leave now—or you'll never leave at all!"
If Snoi knew who she was dealing with, she wouldn't have bothered with threats. Intimidation never worked on Fairy Tail.
Sure enough, Erza didn't flinch at Snoi's words. If you had to describe her attitude, "calm and unshaken" would be the only way to put it.
"From what I know, Zonia belongs to the Kingdom of Fiore. It doesn't belong to some queen!"
In other words: I've read enough to know this land belongs to the kingdom, not you. I go where I want, and you can't stop me!
"Not a very reasonable child, are you?" Snoi's smile faded. "Looks like I'll have to drive you out by force. You'll perish peacefully in my embrace."
With that, she spread her arms, showing off a figure that made her proud, one that men coveted and women envied.
Normally, Gray might've blushed at the sight of her impressive "embrace," but right now, his mind was all caution.
"Be careful, Erza! This isn't an ordinary enemy!"
Erza's expression was grim as she nodded. "I know. The nature of her magic is unusual—it's almost inhuman!"
Inhuman? Gray's heart sank further.
"She's coming!"
Erza's shout snapped Gray out of his thoughts. The woman before them had transformed into a snow beast, blending into the mountain's snow and whipping up a ten-meter-high wave of snow that crashed toward them.
But Erza and Gray were no strangers to big battles, their experience kicking in fast. They were stunned for only a moment before reacting, their magic flaring to life.
Erza swapped her armor in an instant. "Requip: Snow Emperor Armor!"
The Snow Emperor Armor, designed by H-K and forged by Kira, was just like the Flame Emperor Armor, highly resistant to its corresponding element. Snow-based magic was drastically weakened against it, and it came equipped with the Snow Emperor Sword.
The armor, primarily white with intricate ice-blue patterns, gave Erza the look of a gallant general charging into battle—striking and majestic. Of course, like most of Erza's armors, it had plenty of… revealing gaps. Classic Hiro Mashima style.
Gray clapped his hands together, casting instantly. "Ice-Make: Shield!"
The ice shield, one of Gray's signature defensive moves, was thick, sturdy, and massive, forming in a flash with a shape like a blooming flower.
The snow wave crashed against the shield, its power completely nullified. But the magic within it stirred the remaining snow on the ground, and in seconds, it took control of the surrounding snow.
Gray scanned their surroundings, trying to predict where the next attack would come from. Suddenly, several snow pillars shot up from the ground beneath him, attacking from the left, right, front, and back!
The snow spikes were fast, but Gray's ice magic was faster.
With a wave of his hands, the spikes froze solid into ice pillars, halting just twenty centimeters from him, unable to move an inch closer.
"Watch out! She can blend into the snow and control it!" Erza shouted, slicing through similar snow spikes that appeared beneath her.
"I know. In that case…" Gray slammed his fist into his palm. "Ice-Make: Floor!"
In an instant, the snow within dozens of meters was covered in a layer of ice.
"Now you can't use the nearby snow, can you?"
But when Gray looked up, he saw dozens of snow wolves, each as tall as a person, stalking toward them, surrounding him and Erza completely.
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