"Cough, cough, cough…"
Erik crawled out of the rubble, covered in dust and soot.
He stared in astonishment at Natsu, who was rampaging like a wild beast, and clicked his tongue.
"No way. Is this guy still holding a grudge because I beat him up before?"
"But he was the one who won in the end that time, wasn't he?"
Jellal pushed away the stones half-burying him and looked toward Ultear not far away.
"Where's Lucy?"
Ultear glanced at Lucy, whom she was shielding in her arms, and said helplessly, "She fainted. Her condition is terrible. Both her mind and body are extremely weak."
The moment that "Natsu" saw Lucy lying in Ultear's arms, he suddenly went berserk again.
With a roar, he charged straight at Ultear.
Boom!
He was like a walking engine of destruction.
Fortunately, Ultear dodged quickly. Otherwise, that punch from Natsu might have sent her flying.
This "Natsu" was far more terrifying than the Natsu Jellal and the others knew.
Jellal continuously released falling stars, finally managing to suppress Natsu for the moment.
"Everyone, stay focused! This Natsu is probably from the future too. Hold back. Knock him out and take him with us!"
"Speed Sense!"
Sawyer immediately activated two types of magic.
He dulled the others' perception of speed while using his Laser Magic to increase his own, turning his body into a blur as he kicked toward Natsu.
Natsu's pupils had already been completely swallowed by black flames. He suddenly spat out black fire, engulfing all of Jellal's attacks.
Then he ignored Sawyer's invisible barrage entirely and continued charging toward Ultear.
After punching and kicking him repeatedly at high speed, Sawyer felt as if all four of his limbs were about to swell up.
He cried out bitterly, "Come on! How am I supposed to hold back? I can't even break through his defense!"
"Leave it to me!"
Erik held his breath, then exhaled. Fine dragon scales began appearing across his body.
As Ankh's subordinate, he had naturally spent a long time training his Dragon Force with the Poison Dragon Crystal.
Surrounded by poisonous mist, Erik opened his slit pupils and pounced toward Natsu.
The two young dragons with monstrous physical strength grabbed each other's arms and immediately began struggling for dominance.
Only, it was clear that Erik fell into a disadvantage almost at once.
Natsu grabbed Erik's arm and forced him backward, body and all.
Even as Erik desperately resisted with all his strength, his feet carved deep trenches into the ground beneath him.
The dense poison mist around them was blocked by the black flames enveloping Natsu, unable to penetrate even a little.
Using Dragon Force in real combat for the first time, Erik did not even get a beginner's grace period. He was immediately overwhelmed.
Before long, he was seized by the rampaging Natsu's arm and thrown flying with brute, monstrous strength.
Macbeth stepped forward and used his Illusion Magic, trying to trap Natsu.
But the boy seemed to have no conscious inner world at all.
He had become a beast moving entirely on instinct, focused only on charging toward Ultear as she fled with Lucy in her arms.
But letting the out-of-control Natsu get close to Lucy did not necessarily seem like a good idea either.
One look at the black flames covering him made that obvious.
Macbeth, who had been touched by the black flames, could not extinguish them no matter what he did.
They clung to him like maggots in bone.
In the end, it was Sorano who used her purification ability to free him.
"Sorry about this, Natsu!"
Jellal gritted his teeth.
His body turned into a golden meteor as he placed himself directly in Natsu's path toward Ultear.
"To snap you out of it, I'll have to hit a little harder!"
Natsu roared and unleashed a black flame roar.
A vortex of black fire, hot enough to almost melt the ground itself, closed in right before Jellal's eyes.
Jellal extended both hands in sword-finger gestures, and golden light spiraled forward with a howl.
"Nine Thunder Stars!"
Nine magical stars instantly shattered the black dragon breath, then struck Natsu's body one after another, blasting the out-of-control monster away.
Jellal turned into a meteor. Starlight wrapped around his hand, isolating it from the black fire.
With a sudden burst of strength, he drove an uppercut into Natsu's jaw and roared, "Starburst!"
Golden light flashed across Natsu's face.
Dense Heavenly Body Magic erupted.
It was as if he had taken a small asteroid directly to the face, and Natsu, who had been unstoppable just moments ago, was instantly punched into the air.
Jellal, carefully controlling his strength, silently apologized in his heart.
Then he swung both arms down with force.
Dazzling beams of starlight bloomed from the sky above and then fell at tremendous speed, striking Natsu perfectly.
"Grand Chariot!"
Boom!
Natsu was battered by Jellal's combo without being able to fight back.
Pierced by Grand Chariot, he plummeted down and smashed a deep crater into the ground.
Amid the huge cloud of smoke, Jellal panted lightly.
Looking at Natsu lying motionless in the pit, he could not help feeling uneasy.
He had held back, yes, but…
Not by much.
Especially Grand Chariot. That was one of Jellal's usual finishing moves.
Although it did not look that terrifying when used against buildings, when it hit a person, it really was no different from having a meteor crash into their body.
However, what Jellal did not expect was that the rampaging Natsu only lay in the pit for a short while before quickly struggling back to his feet.
His entire body was covered in blood. Many old wounds from unknown origins seemed to have split open, making him look unbearably wretched.
And yet the black flames around Natsu did not weaken in the slightest.
His Magic Power and movements still followed instinct.
"He won't go down… Can't this guy use that willpower somewhere else?"
Looking at Natsu, who was madly squeezing every last drop from his Magic Power and stamina, Jellal could not help feeling bitter.
Natsu was practically tearing himself apart.
Jellal could not actually kill this puppet-like version of him, could he?
"What happened here?!"
Just as Jellal was struggling over how to take the rampaging Natsu away, a familiar shout suddenly came from behind him.
The normal hot-blooded version of Natsu rushed at the very front, waving at them excitedly.
"Are you guys fighting? Count me in!"
Behind him were the guild members who had turned back halfway on their way to the victory banquet.
Ankh felt the violent Magic Power scattered through the area, and his thoughts became even more certain.
'As expected, it's my divine power. But why is it here?'
The rampaging "Natsu" slowly crawled out of the deep pit.
The running guild members all stopped in unison, staring at the scene in utter shock.
Natsu's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
He pointed at himself in fright and shouted, "Me?"
The rampaging Natsu panted heavily.
Slowly, his heaving chest began to calm.
In the hollow, dark abyss of his consciousness, it was as if a familiar, warm current had begun to flow in.
"Lucy… Ankh… everyone…"
Through his blurred vision, "Natsu" looked at the guildmates walking toward him.
For some reason, the black flames at the center of his pupils quietly went out.
Tears filled his eyes in an instant.
Then, without making a sound, the terrifying flames around "Natsu" vanished at once.
His body went limp beyond his control, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
The moment he saw everyone from the guild, it seemed as though he had finally dropped all his defenses.
Only now did he dare to fully pass out.
Jellal: …
After all that trouble, if he had known this would wake him up, he would not have hit him so hard!
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