"Speaking of which, I didn't expect those two to be the ones sent out. I thought they'd pick Mira and Erza, who performed so well yesterday."
Cana took a sip of her drink, looking at Natsu and Gajeel, who were already at odds with each other. "Can those two really fight together without problems?"
"There's no helping it. As substitutes, they're eligible to compete."
Gray, for once, didn't pile on Natsu. He smiled. "The audience probably wants to see a clash between four Dragon Slayers."
"Besides, if Mira-san and Erza-san went up, the match would be over in minutes!"
Lucy, wrapped head to toe in bandages, nodded firmly with conviction.
Given the organizers' track record, they definitely wouldn't schedule a match that lacks excitement.
Upon hearing that Natsu and Gajeel were fighting, she had shamelessly begged Future Porlyusica for permission to watch from the medical room.
"Lucy-san, are you feeling better?" Wendy asked with concern.
"Yes! Thanks to Wendy and Porlyusica's treatment, I'm fine now!"
To prove it, Lucy smiled and swung her arms around, but the motion was too wide and tweaked her back, making her hiss in pain.
To cover her embarrassment, she forced composure and quickly changed the subject. "S-Speaking of which, what's going on with Chase and the others over there?"
Following her gaze, Mirajane and Erza each had one of Chase's arms, glaring at each other with fierce expressions.
"It seems Erza collapsed into Chase's arms for too long after being scared by the two Ichiyas, and Mira got jealous," Cana explained with some exasperation.
"Ahhh~ Juvia wants to collapse into Gray-sama's arms too~~" The ever-proactive Juvia lunged straight at Gray.
Gray startled and dodged. "Stay away from me!"
"It's really not easy, is it... for Chase and Gray both..." Lucy forced an awkward laugh.
"Lucy-san, I think you might want to worry about your own happiness a little more."
Wendy's soft remark struck a nerve. "Don't say that! Let's just watch the match!"
On the arena floor.
Cold wind blew, stirring thin dust and the corners of the four competitors' clothes, carrying a tense pre-battle atmosphere.
"Hey, you two. Did you really kill dragons?" Natsu broke the silence first.
On the night they arrived in Crocus, he'd heard about Future Sting and Future Rogue's deeds.
"Not just killed. We killed them with these very hands, Natsu-san!" Future Sting raised his hand and answered coldly.
"Weren't they like parents to you?" Gajeel asked flatly.
Though he outwardly despised his foster father Metalicana, his feelings were no weaker than Natsu's for Igneel.
Based on that, he simply couldn't understand those two. He didn't believe they had the ability to kill a full-grown dragon!
"Gajeel-san, that's none of your concern."
Future Rogue spoke calmly, with no intention of answering.
DONG!!
Just then, the gong sounded. The match officially began!
"To be honest, ever since I heard you'd be participating in the Grand Magic Games, I've been looking forward to this. Especially now that I've seen Fairy Tail's true strength!"
Future Sting clenched his fists with immense excitement. His magic power surged wildly, wrapping around him in white streams.
BOOM!
A terrifying aura shook the entire arena. Amid the raging wind, his skin began to change, covered in dense dragon scales!
"Pointless probing is meaningless. Let us show you the power we gained from successfully slaying dragons!"
Future Rogue similarly activated Dragon Force without hesitation. His body was covered in black dragon scales, and his cold magic erupted like a volcano.
Perhaps influenced by Minerva's loss to the newcomer Lucy, the two didn't display the arrogance and confidence they'd had against Natsu and Gajeel in the original story. They went straight to their strongest form!
Black and white magic pillars shot skyward, drawing gasps from the entire audience.
Sabertooth Camp.
"Whoa, they're going all out from the start?"
Orga, the undefeated Lightning God Slayer, voiced his surprise.
"A scene never before seen in my memories."
Rufus dropped his usual show-off demeanor, his expression serious. "But against Fairy Tail, it's understandable."
"Fight hard, Sting-kun! Rogue-kun!"
Lector and Frosch waved their paws frantically, cheering them on.
Minerva, wrapped in bandages like Lucy, stood behind them, silent and tight-lipped.
Erza, Mira, Chase, Lucy...
What was the true reason these people were so strong? The Sabertooth princess was lost and desperately wanted to find the answer from Natsu and Gajeel.
"Kihi. Dragon Force, is it? Like nobody else has that."
Facing the White Shadow Twin Dragons in Dragon Force, Gajeel sneered. Then the Iron Dragon Slayer magic circle blazed beneath his feet.
Amid the surging tide of magic power, his body also grew steel-hard scales.
With his wild demeanor and fierce face, he looked every bit the villain!
"Right, Fire Dragon?"
"Th-That kind of thing, I don't need it!"
Natsu snapped, firing back in irritation. "You're the one using your full power so quickly. Are you scared?!"
This was his sore spot.
His strength was more than enough, but Gajeel had already been able to use Dragon Scale Mode back in Phantom Lord. Meanwhile, he still couldn't master it. He could only activate it briefly under the stimulation of massive external magic power!
What he didn't know yet was that the main reason for this wasn't his lack of skill. Inside his body, besides the "Dragon Seed," there was also the "Demon Seed" from his nature as an Etherious.
The human constitution and demon constitution had fundamental differences!
"Heh, this is just the most basic form."
Gajeel raised his iron-scaled arm in a showy display. "I suppose it's understandable that someone who can't even use Dragon Force wouldn't know~"
"You bastard, what did you say?!" Natsu was thoroughly pissed.
"I said you're too weak!"
THUD!
The crisp sound of foreheads colliding rang out. The two teammates had started brawling among themselves.
The audience was stunned speechless. Even Chapati didn't know how to comment.
Future Sting and Future Rogue, who had been ready to go all out: "... ..."
"What the hell are those two idiots doing?! We're in the middle of a battle!" Gray shouted.
"You're the last person who should be saying that!" Lucy shot back.
"Oh my, Gray. Your clothes."
"WHAT?! When did that happen?!"
***
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