"Don't worry, partner. I'll carry your will forward!"
Ichiya solemnly placed the unconscious Nichiya on the ground, then turned a grave gaze toward the two members of Quatro Puppy.
Rocker immediately grew wary, while Bacchus looked somewhat unimpressed.
After all, Ichiya's appearance and general style were far too misleading.
No one would ever guess from looking at him that he was actually Blue Pegasus's ace mage.
But once Ichiya became somewhat serious, he quickly displayed a level of strength that shocked Bacchus.
He jammed two tubes of perfume into his nostrils, and his short, stout body, which had always looked wider than it was tall, suddenly began swelling.
In just a few seconds, he transformed into a muscular hunk with a body full of solid muscle.
Once he turned into a muscleman, Ichiya immediately began tearing through the field.
In just a few punches and kicks, he dealt with Rocker.
Bacchus, still not fully recovered from his old injuries, was soon suppressed by Ichiya's fierce assault as well.
After several exchanges, he was miserably defeated.
The gong signaling the end of the match rang out.
Ichiya raised Nichiya high into the air and shouted with excitement, "Did you see that, partner?! We won!"
The sight of Ichiya as a bare-chested muscleman was still hard on the eyes.
Up in the stands, Natsu pointed at him with a speechless expression and complained, "So that ape-looking guy was actually that strong?"
Erza nodded and sighed. "If not for his personality, Ichiya would definitely be the hardest person in Blue Pegasus to deal with."
"You really can't judge people by appearance…"
Although Ichiya's victory left the audience feeling rather awkward, fortunately, he soon left the stage.
Next to enter were Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale.
Lamia Scale sent out Lyon and Yuka, both quite powerful mages.
Mermaid Heel sent out their ace mage, Kagura, along with her apprentice Millianna!
Ankh, who understood both sides fairly well, had originally thought this would be an evenly matched fight.
But once the battle began, the situation on the field made his eyes light up.
After the opening, Kagura held the rear and allowed Millianna to fight alone, clearly intending to test her strength.
Using her special magic, Millianna managed to entangle Lyon and Yuka for a while.
But very soon, once Lyon grew serious, Millianna was beaten down until she could no longer fight back.
Only then did Kagura finally make her move.
And she suppressed both of them at the same time, all by herself.
Relying on her powerful Gravity Magic and her custom weapon, "Mute: Empty Domain," Kagura turned the arena into her own territory.
Space and gravity, two terrifying forms of magic, both possessed overwhelming destructive power and dominance.
The first time Kagura drew her sword, she slashed down at Lyon, and a blade mark as deep and dark as a black hole seemed to appear in space itself.
Mermaid Heel won.
With her own strength, Kagura instantly took out Yuka, then used her impressive magic control to suppress Lyon so completely that he could barely breathe.
"She's so strong…"
Wendy looked at Kagura, who sheathed her sword and left with an imposing air, with a little fear in her eyes, along with a trace of envy.
Mirajane teased with interest, "She's starting to feel more and more like Erza."
"Maybe Mermaid Heel is going to produce a queen of their own~"
Ankh looked at the weapon he had made being used so well, and his mood was quite good.
"Next… it should be Natsu and Gajeel's turn, right?"
Lucy, standing nearby, suddenly spoke with a bit of nervousness.
Hearing that, everyone could not help quieting down again.
Ankh looked toward Sting and Rogue, who were not far away and already eager to fight.
He sneered. "Finally, the head-on clash we've been waiting for."
Levy tightened her hold around Lily's neck, her voice half-worried and half-filled with trust as she said firmly.
"It'll be fine. They'll definitely win this match perfectly!"
Future Lucy looked at "herself," who seemed a little nervous.
Something moved in her heart.
She patted Lucy's back and was just about to say something, only to see Lucy already smiling brightly and looking straight at her.
"You don't need to tell me the result. I… believe in Natsu."
"From the very first day I joined this guild, I've always believed in him!"
Lucy gently touched the Fairy Tail mark on the back of her hand, her expression soft, as if she had returned once more to the day she first came to the guild.
That was the starting point of her pride and happiness.
It was also the opening chapter of her story with Natsu.
Lucy did not need to know the future.
As long as the one standing on the battlefield was him, that was enough for her to believe in the result.
Future Lucy stared in a daze at the bright young woman before her, and a line of clear tears slowly slid down her cheek.
'So… this was what I looked like back then.'
'Don't worry, Lucy…'
Future Lucy gazed from afar at the pink-haired young man standing proudly on the field.
Her lovely face, which had been shadowed for so long, finally revealed the energetic smile that had always belonged to her.
'He'll definitely win!'
…
"I can finally fight you, Natsu-san."
Sting spoke in a low, serious voice, his eyes never leaving Natsu for even a moment.
Rogue, standing beside him, was the same. His grave black eyes stared straight at Gajeel.
Gajeel wore a headband, and beneath it, his gaze was cold and completely unyielding as he glared back at Rogue.
"What're you looking at, brat?"
Natsu loosened the scarf around his neck.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a brilliant smile, and his voice was as bright as ever.
"Now I'm fired up!"
"Here it comes! Here it comes! A dream clash of four Dragon Slayers gathered together! The match is about to begin!"
Chapati's excited voice tugged at the hearts of countless spectators, making their blood boil along with him.
Would the Twin Dragons who had each shone brilliantly seven years ago remain at the peak?
Or would the black and white Twin Dragons who bloomed in the seven years after surpass them?
Clang!
The gong marking the start of the match was struck hard.
Almost at the same time, light flashed in Sting's and Rogue's eyes, and the Magic Power around them began to run wild.
"White Drive!"
"Shadow Drive!"
After several brief exchanges before this, Sabertooth's Twin Dragons had already understood one thing.
In their normal states, defeating Natsu and Gajeel was nothing more than a fool's dream.
So from the very start, the two of them activated their Magic Power amplification modes without the slightest hesitation.
These modes were lower-level substitutes the two had developed based on Dragon Force, and they could likewise greatly enhance their basic abilities.
Sting's entire body was enveloped in a dazzling white glow.
Without letting his guard down, he gathered his Magic Power and roared as he swung a fist toward Natsu's face.
"White Dragon's Light Fist!"
Rogue, meanwhile, emerged from Gajeel's shadow like a ghost. Darkness shifted around him as he drove a claw strike toward Gajeel with all his strength.
"Shadow Dragon's Slash!"
The fist wrapped in white light was like a laser.
The claw wreathed in shadow swept forward like a blade.
And yet Natsu and Gajeel's expressions did not change in the slightest.
As if by unspoken agreement, each of them raised one hand.
Bang!
A crisp impact rang out, one of flesh striking flesh and steel clashing against force.
Sting's and Rogue's pupils shrank violently.
Natsu and Gajeel had each stretched out one hand and caught their arms with effortless ease.
They had blocked them barehanded.
Then the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth heard two voices, nearly overlapping into one, sound beside their ears.
"You two…"
"Still have a long way to go!"
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