Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree branches, scattering across the forest floor. Natsu flew through the air, his eyes fixed on Boros, the werewolf, below.
The light wings on Natsu's back seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. He descended like a crimson meteor, engulfed in rolling heatwaves, diving towards the ground.
The surrounding air, under this terrifying heat, twisted into strange wavy patterns.
Seeing this, Boros plunged his front claws into the hard rock layer beneath his feet. As he moved, eerie green flames, like nimble poisonous snakes, seeped into the earth's veins through his claw gaps.
In the blink of an eye, the ground within a twenty-meter radius around him suddenly bulged. Sharp crystal clusters sprouted from the earth like mushrooms after rain, shimmering with a cold, eerie glow in the sunlight.
"Taste the magma!" The werewolf bared his pale fangs. He slammed his palms onto the ground, and the previously still crystal clusters instantly exploded like ignited gunpowder barrels.
Thousands of green fire crystals, like an enraged swarm of bees, swept back towards Natsu. Each crystal, as it flew, left trails of poisonous mist in the air, and a pungent, nauseating smell permeated the surroundings.
Natsu had intended to quickly close the distance for a close-quarters fight, but Boros's counter-attack forced him to stop.
The green fire crystals were incredibly fast.
Without time to think, he twisted his body at an impossible angle. His right leg instantly ignited with a roaring spiral of flames, sweeping across like a fierce whirlwind.
The flames generated by this kick formed a powerful fiery tornado, melting the incoming crystal fragments into a liquid, which splattered onto the ground as green puddles.
However, even with his rapid reaction, dozens of fragments broke through his defense, embedding deeply into his left thigh like hidden weapons. Blood instantly stained his pant leg.
"Heal!" Happy stood anxiously on Natsu's shoulder, pressing his two small paws onto Natsu's shoulder.
In an instant, the crystal fragments embedded in the wound were slowly pushed out by a mysterious white light.
As Natsu dove, he firmly grasped a vaporizing crystal fragment with one hand and, with a flick of his wrist, hurled it towards Boros's face.
Just as the werewolf dodged by tilting his head, Natsu's fist, wreathed in crimson flames and carrying immense force, slammed towards his temple.
Boros's wolf ears, like sensitive detectors, suddenly folded back.
Then, his entire body shifted half a meter sideways in a ghostly manner, completely defying the laws of physics.
Natsu's punch, carrying scorching heat, whistled past the tip of the werewolf's ear, instantly singeing his fur, and wisps of smoke curled upwards.
Before Natsu could change his move and strike again, Boros's wolf tail suddenly straightened, sweeping towards Natsu like a hard steel whip.
Natsu reacted quickly, immediately bending his knees and leaning back. The tip of the wolf tail, trailing green flames, grazed past the bridge of his nose, and the intense heat instantly carbonized the hair on his forehead.
The moment they landed, both pushed off the ground almost simultaneously. The powerful recoil caused spiderweb-like cracks to instantly appear in the ground.
Natsu's right hand formed a claw, thrusting forward fiercely. Five lines of fire, like lightning, tore through the air, shooting towards Boros.
Boros's left claw, meanwhile, was wreathed in a swirling vortex of green flames, meeting the attack head-on without fear.
The instant their claws collided, a crisp metallic clang erupted, and crimson and emerald sparks exploded in the air like fireworks, dazzling and brilliant.
"Good strength, but this level isn't enough!" Boros opened his gaping maw, and a conical green fire breath erupted from extremely close range towards Natsu.
"Hellfire!"
The scorching flames seemed capable of reducing everything to ashes.
Seeing this, Natsu quickly braced himself with his left hand on the ground and flipped backward. The Hellfire flashed past his abdomen, instantly turning his leather waist belt into ashes, disappearing without a trace.
While inverted, Natsu's legs suddenly ignited with crimson flames, which, as he swung his legs, merged into a fiery tornado. "Fire Dragon's Claw!"
Boros was knocked back over ten meters by the powerful force of the fire tornado. His wolf claws ploughed shocking, charred furrows in the ground.
"Good, good, again!" Boros sneered, suddenly tearing off a handful of black wolf fur from his chest and blowing on it.
As he did so, the black wolf fur flew straight towards Natsu.
"Hellfire Seeds!" Boros's voice was low and sinister. Hundreds of wolf hairs were suddenly ignited by green flames. Firefly-sized green flame particles, like released spirits, slowly drifted apart.
These particles appeared to fly slowly, but in reality, they blocked all of Natsu's evasion angles, leaving him nowhere to hide.
Natsu cupped his hands to his mouth, taking a deep breath, his chest puffing out.
"Fire Dragons Roar!"
In an instant, a conical flame breath surged out, attempting to burn away these dangerous fire seeds with even stronger fiery power.
However, these green flame particles seemed to have a mind of their own, scattering eerily to avoid the range of the Dragon's Roar, and then continuously flying towards Natsu.
"It's useless, this is tracking magic!" A look of derision appeared on Boros's wolf-like face.
"Is that so? In that case, I'll just eat them!" Natsu didn't dodge or evade. Facing the green flame particles that followed him like shadows, the pink-haired young man suddenly took a deep breath, inhaling the surrounding air along with the drifting green flame particles into his stomach.
Boros's expression changed slightly at this sight, and he said in disbelief, "Are you crazy?"
"It's a bit like hot sauce with lemon juice." Natsu raised a hand to wipe his mouth, while his other hand touched his stomach. He let out a soft burp, and a faint green smoke drifted from his mouth. "Although it's not that tasty..."
"But still, thanks for the meal." Natsu clapped his fists together. A red dragon magic circle flashed and disappeared the moment his fists collided. "The power surges out after eating them!"
The young man's pink hair moved as if in a wind, and intense crimson magic power erupted from his body, like a volcanic eruption.
"This is impossible!" Boros's face turned ugly, his emerald eyes wide. "How can you eat Hellfire?"
Natsu chuckled, not responding.
Happy, who was perched on Natsu's shoulder, stood up proudly. "A Dragon's lungs blow out fire."
"A Dragon's scales melt fire."
"A Dragon's claws grasp fire."
"This is ancient magic that transforms one's body into a Dragon's constitution."
"It's magic used to fight Dragons!"
"Dragon Slayer Magic!"
"It was taught to Natsu by his father, the Fire Dragon Igneel."
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