Jose's thought projection only had about a third of his real body's strength. It wasn't much, but it was enough to stall for time!
"Kira, leave this guy to me. Get everyone out of here!" Makarov ordered.
"Got it!" Kira replied.
He turned to leave but paused halfway, thinking for a moment. Then he doubled back to slap some magic-sealing chains on the unconscious Aria, lying sprawled on the ground.
Before walking off, he couldn't resist a jab: "Heard you wear that eyepatch to suppress your magic? With this level of power? What, you think you're Kenpachi Zaraki from next door or something?"
Watching Kira' retreating figure, Makarov's short stature began to grow, his body expanding dramatically. "Alright, Jose! Let's see how much fight a thought projection's got in it!"
---
The clash between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord raged on. The makeshift tavern, thrown together overnight, was already in ruins, reduced to a scattering of wooden planks as proof it ever existed.
Amid the chaos, shouts filled the air as two high-level battles stood out above the rest.
Natsu was locked in combat with Gajeel, the Fire Dragon and Iron Dragon tearing into each other with reckless abandon, leaving destruction in their wake. On the other side, Gray faced off against Totomaru, Phantom Lord's Fire Wizard of the Element Four.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray called out.
"Crimson Flame!" Totomaru countered.
The collision of fire and ice was a familiar tune in Fairy Tail's everyday brawls, but today it was playing out on Phantom Lord's turf.
Totomaru's magic let him control fire in seven different colors, with Crimson Flame being the hottest of the bunch. But Gray wasn't fazed. I've probably fought more fire wizards than anyone else in the guild, he thought confidently.
"Orange Flame!" Totomaru unleashed.
A foul-smelling orange blaze swept across the battlefield, disrupting everyone nearby.
"Ugh, what's that stench?!" someone gagged.
"What is that smell?"
"It's Totomaru's Orange Flame! So gross!"
"What kind of magic is this?!"
Totomaru himself was unaffected, skillfully manipulating the flames to keep the stench away from him.
Natsu, catching sight of the situation, broke out in a cold sweat. "That kind of fire… if I ate it, I'd probably puke my guts out…"
"Hey! Where're you looking?!" Gajeel barked.
A swing of his iron club sent Natsu flying, crashing into a group of fighters.
"Oi, Gajeel! Watch where you're swinging!" one of them yelled.
"Shut it! If you don't wanna die, clear out! This is a dragon's battlefield!" Gajeel roared back.
While Gajeel was distracted by his own allies, Natsu sprang up and retaliated with a fiery claw strike, returning the sneak attack. "You were saying something pretty cocky just now, huh?"
"Damn you… you punk!" Gajeel growled.
"Iron Dragon Club!"
"Fire Dragon's Talon!"
"Iron Dragon Sword!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Iron Dragon Whip!"
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The two traded blows relentlessly, tearing through the battlefield from one end to the other, leaving devastation in their wake.
Fighting in a guild—especially one littered with debris like this—was a rare treat. No need to worry about Makarov chewing them out for the mess. Sure, this was about revenge, but every Fairy Tail member was savoring the chance to cut loose, brawl freely, and wreck everything in sight. Especially Natsu.
Fists flew, flames roared, and nothing was off-limits—wooden planks, stone pillars, spilled drinks, or smashed tables.
Fight! Burn! Destroy!
"Fire Dragon's…"
"Iron Dragon's…"
"ROAR!!!" they shouted in unison.
Their dragon-slaying magic mimicked the breath of dragons, their roars clashing in midair. Flames and steel melded into molten iron, splashing onto the recently rebuilt wooden floor.
"Those two are insane…" someone muttered.
"So awesome! That Fire Dragon's actually holding his own against Gajeel!"
"Huff… huff…" Natsu panted.
"Ha… ha…" Gajeel gasped.
The prolonged battle was wearing them both down, and they scanned the area for anything to restore their strength.
Their eyes locked onto their targets simultaneously, and they bolted.
Gajeel charged toward a pile of steel, devouring it like a feast at his own table. Natsu, meanwhile, sprinted straight for Gray and Totomaru's battlefield.
"Gray! Move! I'm eating his fire!" Natsu shouted.
"Natsu?!" Gray, mid-fight with Totomaru's flames, jumped at Natsu's sudden appearance. "What the hell are you doing? This is my fight!"
"Who cares about that? I'm starving!" Natsu shoved Gray aside and opened his mouth wide, gulping down the flames meant for Gray.
Blue Flame—Totomaru's freezing fire, so cold it could rival Gray's ice. He'd chosen it specifically to counter Gray's magic, but he hadn't counted on running into someone who could eat fire.
"It's freezing!" Natsu clutched his stomach, teeth chattering after swallowing the icy flames.
"What are you even doing?!" Gray snapped, kicking Natsu out of the way. "You ate your fill, now get lost! You're in the way!"
Totomaru, watching Natsu devour his flames, found it fascinating. He'd heard Dragon Slayers could consume their element, but seeing it in action was something else. "A Fire Dragon Slayer, huh? You can really eat fire… Let's see how you handle this!"
With a wave of his hand, he unleashed two more flames.
Purple Flame, sticky and viscous. Green Flame, laced with poison.
Seeing more "food," Natsu flipped back to his feet and swallowed both in one go!
Gray couldn't believe it. "Natsu! What are you doing?! Those flames look bad just from the color!"
"What's the problem?" Natsu mumbled through a mouthful of fire.
"You know you can eat fire to recharge, so why would the enemy just hand you free fuel?!"
"But…" Natsu started to argue, then clutched his stomach harder. "What's happening? My stomach's killing me…"
"You idiot! You're screwing up at the worst time!" Gray yelled.
At that moment, Gajeel, fully recharged from his steel feast, charged in. "Iron Dragon Club!"
The long, thick, powerful club slammed into Natsu, sending him flying.
"Argh!" Natsu groaned.
"Natsu!" Gray shouted, starting to chase after him, but more flames came from behind.
"Worry about yourself first! Yellow Flame!" Totomaru called.
The strange-smelling yellow fire didn't burn—it exploded right in front of Gray.
"Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray conjured just in time to block the blast, but it cost him the chance to help Natsu.
He wanted to go after him, but Totomaru wasn't an easy opponent. Now wreathed in cyan flames—his final color, which boosted his strength and magic—Totomaru blocked Gray's path.
In terms of close combat, Totomaru couldn't match Gray. But as an S-Class wizard of Phantom Lord, he had his own strengths. In the original story, he seemed weak because he was countered by Natsu, worn down in battle, and then ambushed. A traditional mage like him, who relied on ranged magic, struggled in a world where Fairy Tail's melee-focused wizards dominated.
Still, Totomaru's fire control and versatile magic had a high ceiling. Too bad Fairy Tail's world favored brawlers over traditional mages like him.
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