Natsu's determination was understood, even empathized with, by Rhode.
Indeed, a good-hearted person wouldn't want others to suffer the same fate after experiencing such things.
In that case, let's go all out and knock that unluckiest back to its original form.
By the time Hapi returned with two fish, Natsu and Rhode had already started sharing the barbecue.
Rhode took a couple of bites, but with so much on his mind, the food tasted bland to him.
To quickly restore his strength and magic power, he mechanically chewed and swallowed, and after feeling full, he meditated for a little while.
Once Hapi's fish was grilled, Rhode's magic power was almost fully restored. The three extinguished the fire and set off again.
After the Leopard Man escaped, even though he changed locations multiple times, Natsu had memorized his scent, making it not too difficult to find him.
Since Natsu was in charge of tracking, Rhode focused on sending the River Crab to scout the terrain.
He aimed to find a few places with low fire risks as potential battlegrounds.
"Found it!"
The three of them climbed over the second peak of Dendrobium Ridge before finally spotting the Leopard Man again.
"This guy sure can run." Rhode held onto his pendant, summoning a group of Shadow Wolves and a group of Beaked Birds.
The group of Shadow Wolves and Beaked Birds lost in the previous battle wouldn't recover until tomorrow.
The Stone Beetles were kept in reserve, and the two Magic Swamp Frogs couldn't be used recklessly due to the lack of antidote.
"Natsu, there's a nice open space 300 meters to the left of that grove, and another 200 meters ahead."
"Got it, try to lure him over there for the fight, right?" Natsu was quite perceptive, often not meaning to cause trouble intentionally.
Rhode recalled one River Crab, planning to let it carry Natsu into the charge, while he and Hapi found a suitable tree to watch the battle.
They needed a place that was both safe and convenient for Rhode to command his creatures on the fly.
"Charge!" Natsu leapt onto the River Crab's back, excitedly gripping its antennae to urge it forward.
The Leopard Man noticed Natsu, and his first reaction was to flee the area.
But as he turned to the right to escape, hundreds of feathers shot down from mid-air.
The Leopard Man took a few steps back to dodge the feathers, only to find three wolves blocking his path.
Unconcerned by the wolves but unwilling to waste time, he shifted his focus and sprinted to the left.
"Quick, quick, quick!" At Natsu's urging, the River Crab used its acceleration skill, leaving behind trails of afterimages.
Rhode wanted to name the River Crab's acceleration skill "Lingbo Weibu," but he kept agonizing over how the effect didn't match the name.
As the distance between the two quickly narrowed, Natsu couldn't hold back any longer and launched himself from the River Crab's back:
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Natsu's body spun around, surrounded by a whirlwind of flames, and rammed into the Leopard Man's back.
The Leopard Man stumbled forward, rolled over, landed on all fours, ran a few steps, and then continued fleeing, his speed even faster than before.
"Hey! Weren't you good at fighting just now? Why are you running this time?" Natsu stomped his feet in frustration and had to give chase.
The River Crab picked up Natsu again, while Rhode, Hapi, and the other creatures followed behind.
As the Leopard Man was about to break out of the Maple Forest and reach the target battlefield, Hapi proposed, "Rhode, throw me out."
"Alright." Rhode grabbed Hapi's body, mimicking the stance of a shot-put athlete, spun once, and hurled Hapi forward.
In mid-air, Hapi agilely adjusted his position, sprouted wings, increased speed, and remarkably caught up to the River Crab ahead.
"Natsu!" Hapi clutched Natsu's shoulders, "Maximum speed, MAX SPE~E~D!"
With Natsu in tow, Hapi's speed increased once more, overtaking the Leopard Man and releasing Natsu overhead.
"Great job, Hapi!" Natsu flipped in the air and kicked, "Fire Dragon's Claw!"
The Leopard Man had to stop, crossing his arms to block the kick from above, and his wrists were singed black by the flames on Natsu's feet.
"Respond to the call, Ancient Stone Beetle!"
Before the Leopard Man could turn around, a group of Stone Beetles blocked his path, while another group burrowed underground.
Soon after, Shadow Wolves and Beaked Birds blocked both sides.
With no way out, the Leopard Man chose to fight, targeting the Shadow Wolves first as they seemed easier to deal with.
The Shadow Wolves agilely dodged, and whenever possible, they lunged at the Leopard Man's wrist, testing bites.
Natsu wouldn't let the Shadow Wolves take a hit and rushed forward in a few steps: "Fight me, you bastard! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The Leopard Man was forced into battle.
Meanwhile, Hapi encountered a minor problem.
Before he could land, the wings on his back unexpectedly vanished, causing him to crash onto the grass, roll away, and come to a stop unable to move, his eyes spinning.
The intense acceleration had been taxing on Hapi.
Being someone with a sense of loyalty, Rhode 'risked greatly' to bypass the battlefield and picked up Hapi.
"So Hapi also has a special skill up his sleeve."
"Aye~~" Hapi replied faintly, disoriented.
Rhode wanted to tease Hapi—since he turned out this way, the escape plan he explained on the way here was for nothing.
But ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
"We'll handle the rest." Rhode looked at the battlefield; the Leopard Man was entangled by Natsu and the Shadow Wolves, unable to break free.
But whether by instinct or conscious choice, he kept looking for an opportunity to eliminate the weaker Shadow Wolves to make an escape.
Rhode seized the moment, flicking a finger upwards: "Ancient Stone Beetle!"
Crack! The Ancient Stone Beetle burst from the ground, clamping its hefty pincers onto the Leopard Man's lower back.
"Roar!!!" The Leopard Man grasped the pincers wedged at his waist with both hands, the muscles in his arms bulging thicker.
Under his immense strength, the Ancient Stone Beetle's grip seemed to be loosening.
Just then, Natsu leapt up and punched the Leopard Man in the cheek: "Snap out of it, you jerk!"
The Leopard Man's head whipped to the side from the blow, his cheek quivering.
Even from a distance, Rhode could sense the punch's strength, the form reminiscent of fights he'd seen in taverns.
For a split second, clarity appeared in the Leopard Man's eyes before they turned completely blood-red.
His limbs and neck swelled, muscles bulging, exuding power.
Then, the Leopard Man forcibly pried open the Ancient Stone Beetle's pincers.
He turned, interlocking his fingers above, and hammered down, shattering the Ancient Stone Beetle into two Stone Beetles.
Rhode frowned, "(Expletive), it really has a second phase!"
Natsu, however, was thrilled: "I knew it, hitting him really works!"
The second phase was anticipated and didn't affect Rhode's command:
"Shadow Wolves, retreat! Stone Beetles, bite his legs! Natsu!"
"Got it!" Natsu took a deep breath, seized the moment while the Leopard Man couldn't move, and bellowed forth searing flames,
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"