The two of them kept exchanging blows, replaying the same scene over and over again.
Fire Dragon's Hooked Claw, Fire Dragon's Wing Strike, Fire Dragon's Sword Horn...
Natsu unleashed his signature attack magic one after another, but Marcus easily obstructed all of them with Sand Magic.
Even when Natsu switched to fast-paced close combat, he didn't gain any advantage and instead got blown away by Marcus's Sand Tornado.
"Could it be..." Hapi watched Natsu struggle bitterly, unable to defeat Marcus?
Lucy exclaimed in surprise, "Is that Mr. Marcus really that strong?"
Gray's expression was grave, "If even that Marcus is this strong..."
Gajeel remained silent, knowing that although he often looked down on the Fire Dragon, he wasn't sure if he was actually stronger.
Has the 6-year gap been this significant?
Marcus's mouth twitched, thinking that his companions were all great except for being too blunt: "What's with calling me 'that Marcus'?"
He knew he used to be weak but didn't want to hear others say it.
"Come on, Natsu!" Hapi was anxious,
not because he bet 1000J on Natsu's win, but if Natsu couldn't beat Marcus, it would mean they've fallen behind the times, potentially making future high-difficulty tasks hard to handle.
Natsu, who fell down, energetically jumped back up from the ground: "Now it's just getting started!"
Even he didn't expect Marcus to have become this strong, realizing he'd lose if he didn't get serious.
Should he use the Dragon Slayer's Secret Art? No, maybe he should try that move...
Natsu's eyes turned fierce, and a burst of black flame appeared in his left hand, while a scarlet flame burst in his right hand.
Elfman was startled: "That kind of flame... is it from the Seven Dependents?"
Rhode was also a bit surprised. He was very familiar with the red flame in Natsu's right hand, though it was not exactly the same power as the Crimson Marked Tree Monster, it did have a bit of its traits.
"Hehe~ It's gonna work!" Natsu grinned mischievously, raising both hands over his head, merging the two flames into a massive black ball with red in it.
The temperature in the small courtyard suddenly rose, and onlookers felt a burning sensation on their skin.
The fireball's diameter grew to nearly 5 meters before stopping, and Natsu's face exhibited subtle dragon scale patterns with his fangs showing signs of sharpness.
Marcus hadn't noticed Natsu's transformation, but leaned back in astonishment: "Hey, is that power for real?"
Natsu slammed his raised hands forward, "Take this, Dragon God's Radiant Flame!"
"Sand Defense Wall!" Marcus gathered sand to form a wall for defense with all his strength.
But the sand wall exploded instantly, barely providing any defense.
Just when Marcus thought he'd have to endure the attack, a thin golden light curtain appeared in front of him.
The black and red flame spread outward, bypassing Marcus himself.
The intense heat forced those behind Marcus to take a step back, with Natsu still being as reckless as ever.
If not for the president stepping in... huh? That was a light magic, although the old man didn't seem to move, it must have been him, right?
Marcus evidently thought the same, raising a hand in acknowledgment, "I concede, thanks to the president."
"Thank me for what?" Makarov pointed behind him, "That's not my magic."
"What?" Marcus looked in that direction to see Rhode holding his right arm up with his palm facing upward, maintaining a magical posture.
When he lowered his arm, the golden light curtain simultaneously vanished.
"!" Not only Marcus, nearly everyone was shocked.
Wasn't Rhode using Summoning Magic and Receiving Magic? When did he learn Light Magic?
And it was so strong!
Makarov found nothing odd about it; the kid even learned the Fairy's Ball, picking up some Light Defense Magic along the way was normal.
Back then, his growth rate was astonishing, and who knew how much he'd improved in these 6 years.
Mira clung to Rhode's arm, pressing close to him, feeling even more pained.
The fact of Rhode training solo for six years had been mentioned once on Celestial Wolf Island, so Natsu instinctively ignored it, never considering that aspect.
He just stood with his hands on his hips, laughing triumphantly: "Ahahaha... who's next?"
He looked at Wolian, Nabu, Bigda, and others, curious if his other companions had also improved as much as Marcus.
The people Natsu glanced at frantically waved their hands; there was no way they could handle that kind of attack.
When Natsu was being suppressed, they had imagined that if Marcus reached that level, perhaps they could too.
With some bold thinking, if they performed well, they might even beat Rhode as well, retrieving the feeling of the past.
But after seeing that fireball and light curtain, they dismissed such thoughts.
A monster is still a monster.
To get beaten for a goal that couldn't be achieved and be noted by Mira was just not worth it.
"Since you all won't come, I'll challenge someone else!" Natsu looked into the crowd, pointing with a raised hand, "Laxus! Fight with me, as a welcome ceremony after returning to the Guild!"
Laxus initially wanted to refuse but was moved by the old man's encouraging gaze, so he took off his coat and smiled, "Since you said so, a little exercise wouldn't hurt."
Fried naturally took Laxus's coat, brimming with admiration as he looked at his back, "Go, Laxus!"
Ibarglin adjusted her glasses, proudly saying, "I think saying 'go easy on him' might be better."
Biguslo stuck his tongue out with a mischievous grin, "Natsu's gonna be in trouble."
A group of people joined in: "In trouble! In trouble!"
Laxus clenched his fist as golden arcs danced on his hand, nostalgically saying, "It's been a long time since I sparred seriously with you, Natsu."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Natsu asked, puzzled, "Didn't we just fight at the Harvest Festival?"
"That's not what I meant... you, this guy..." Laxus laughed, feeling a bit touched.
He meant that it had been a long time since they sparred properly as companions—especially during the rebellious years when Natsu was merely like an ignored fly.
Recalling those times, Laxus felt a wave of shame but knew that in Natsu's eyes, no matter how excessive he had been, they were always companions.
Laxus's gaze gradually became serious, knowing this, he decided to repay it and have a proper match!
"Come on, Natsu!"
Rumble...
The sky over Magnolia resounded with thunder.