Chapter 109: Clash of the Twin Dragons
Natsu's physique is something else—or rather, the way the Fairy Tail world works is just plain weird. It's like his body can "save" every unique power-up state he's ever experienced.
In the original story, modes like Lightning Flame Dragon and Fire Dragon King were supposed to be one-time deals, yet they later became states he could tap into at will. Right now, Natsu can't freely use Dragon Force, but he's still way stronger than he was at this point in the original timeline. He's at least half a tier above Gajeel, easily capable of taking him down.
After a few minutes of raw, fist-to-fist, fist-to-iron brawling, Natsu and Gajeel finally unleashed their ultimate moves.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!!!" Natsu roared.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!!!" Gajeel countered.
Both poured every ounce of their magic into their attacks. Natsu's flames coalesced into a blazing blade, brimming with destructive power. Gajeel's iron forged a massive forty-meter sword that pierced toward the sky.
The ultimate moves of Dragon Slayers shook the earth, drawing every eye on the battlefield.
"Over there!" someone shouted.
"Looks like that Iron Dragon's not going down easy…"
"Let's go check it out!"
Gray sprinted toward the action, leading the charge.
The clash of fire and iron raged for a dozen seconds before fading, revealing two figures—one standing, one down.
Unlike the original story's dead-even draw, Natsu clearly had gas left in the tank, while Gajeel was too battered to keep fighting. Natsu had won.
As the dust settled, Natsu asked a question that had been nagging at him for a while. "Huff… Gajeel… who taught you your Dragon Slayer magic?"
The two started talking, word by word, about Dragon Slayer magic and the whereabouts of the dragons.
"You're saying you saw a dragon before?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah. Kira said its name was Acnologia," Gajeel replied.
Gajeel, being half-illiterate, had no clue what that name meant. "Never heard of it."
"It was strong. I couldn't even touch it," Natsu admitted.
"Is that so?"
Gajeel didn't boast something like, "If it was me, I'd take it down." After going all-out against Natsu, he knew how strong the Fire Dragon Slayer was. If even Natsu, with Dragon Force, couldn't beat it, Gajeel wasn't about to underestimate the creature.
Still, he couldn't let that show. "Doesn't matter. If it doesn't come looking for me, fine. If it does, Iron Dragon Gajeel ain't no pushover!"
When Gray arrived, he saw Natsu and Gajeel sharing a moment of mutual respect, and it ticked him off. "Natsu! What the hell are you doing?! Don't you know the guild's in trouble?"
"Oh, right! Happy mentioned something about that. What's going on with the guild?" Natsu asked.
"Jose's attacking with a magical cannon, and he's after Lucy!" Gray snapped.
"Lucy… what?!" Natsu grabbed Gajeel by the collar. "Why're you guys after Lucy?"
Gajeel turned his head away, silent.
Natsu socked him in the face. "Happy! We're heading back!"
"Aye!" Happy grabbed Natsu and zoomed toward Magnolia at full speed.
"That idiot!" Gray fumed. "We waited all this time, and he just flies off!"
Gray reported the situation to Kira, who was equally exasperated. "Whatever, forget him. Let's move!"
Magnolia was in the south of Fiore, while Oak Town was in the northeast—far apart. By the time they got back to the guild, it'd probably be dark.
"Take the airship! We'll catch up!" Kira ordered.
He pulled out his Fairy Airship Prototype No. 1, and everyone piled in. With a loud boom, the airship took off, racing toward Magnolia at top speed.
Watching the airship vanish into the sky, the Phantom Lord members felt a pang of despair. They knew that after this, their guild might be done for.
Gajeel lay on his back, staring at the sky, a mix of frustration and an odd sense of relief washing over him.
---
[Guild Showdown: Fairy Tail vs. Phantom Lord]
[Location: Phantom Lord Base]
[Combatants: Natsu vs. Gajeel]
[Winner: Natsu]
---
"Phantom Arrow!"
Thud!
Mistgun was in rough shape, his clothes torn to shreds, wounds littering his body. Yet his headscarf and mask stayed firmly in place, covering his face.
"Mistgun, is it? I've heard of you," Jose sneered, wiping sweat from his brow. "With magic and strength like that, you're wasted on Fairy Tail. You should join Phantom Lord—that's a stage worthy of your talents."
Mistgun didn't respond, simply raising his staff in defiance.
Rejected? Jose's face twisted with anger. "You'd throw your life away for a guildmate whose background you don't even know? Is it really worth it?"
Inside the guild tavern, everyone watched the scene from afar, itching to help but unable to.
It wasn't that they didn't want to jump in. Kira' Amaterasu Defense Magic formed a barrier that blocked both sides completely. No attacks could pass through from the outside or inside, and no one could cross the barrier.
"Even Mistgun can't beat him…" someone muttered.
"We can't do anything. This sucks!" another groaned.
"Why… why is everyone…" Lucy's voice trembled with guilt, sorrow, and overwhelming gratitude.
They were guildmates, sure, but she barely knew them—strangers, really. She couldn't understand why they'd go so far for her.
Mirajane, ever the empathetic big sister, saw right through Lucy's turmoil. "If Kira were here, he'd probably say something like, 'This isn't for you, so don't get a big head!'"
"Mirajane…" Lucy whispered.
"From the moment you joined Fairy Tail, we became family," Mirajane continued. "We trust each other, look out for each other, and when danger comes, we fight for each other with everything we've got. It's not about rules or some sense of duty. We're just doing what we want to do. So, Lucy, don't feel guilty. Just accept it. This is…"
"This is… the resolve that only Fairy Tail members have!" Mistgun declared, his words ringing with conviction. Perhaps because he, too, was someone whose past was a mystery yet was treated with kindness, he felt a strange connection to Lucy.
He knew that if he were ever in her shoes, this family would stand by him and fight just as fiercely.
Mistgun relied entirely on the magic stored in his staff, having no innate magic power of his own. So when Jose destroyed his staff, he lost his ability to fight with magic.
In hand-to-hand combat, he was only average—about on par with Kira.
"What a shame," Jose sneered, raising his right index finger, dark magic swirling at its tip. The sheer aura of the spell promised devastating power.
He aimed at Mistgun's head. "Time to say goodbye to this world!"
"Darkness Shot!"
"Triple Magic Circle: Mirror Water!"
The deadly magic was fully reflected, but Jose manipulated it, redirecting the attack from multiple angles toward Mistgun's blind spots, homing in on his head and heart!
In that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Was this the end?