Just as Cobra fell, Happy's magical energy ran dry. He and Natsu plummeted from the sky, landing not far from where Chen Fan's group stood.
"Damn it... I'm out of strength... and being on a moving vehicle... ugh!" Natsu sprawled on the ground, dry-heaving.
Suddenly, Cobra, looking battered and humiliated after being bested by Natsu's roar, staggered toward them. "I'll defeat you... even if I have to bet the honor of the Oración Seis on it!"
"Damn it... my body won't move..." Natsu struggled to push himself up, his limbs leaden.
"I can hear it... the end of your life," Cobra snarled, his scaled hand igniting with blood-red flames as he reached down toward Natsu's head. "Disappear, you Dragon Slayer of the old generation!"
Suddenly, a bolt of green magic struck Cobra squarely in the back. His attack was cut short. Already severely injured, the unexpected and undefended strike forced him to his knees.
"Enough! Cobra!" Brain's voice rang out.
Cobra turned his head, staring at Brain in disbelief. "Brain... what are you doing?"
Natsu, Wendy, and Carla were equally stunned by the betrayal.
Brain's lips curled into a cold smile. "You did well. Now, rest."
In his mind, however, his thoughts were far more venomous: 'Hmph! You're nothing but a fake Dragon Slayer in the end. I have no use for a member of the Six Generals who loses to a legal guild. You're worthless.'
Cobra, who could read minds, heard every word. His body began to tremble.
"Oh dear," Brain chuckled. "You heard that, didn't you?"
"Damn you! DAMN YOU!" Cobra roared in despair.
"Your Excellency Chen Fan, please forgive that unsightly display," Brain said, turning to Chen Fan. "This subordinate of mine was no longer worthy of the Oración Seis title. I've simply... cleared him away."
Chen Fan waved it off. "It's nothing. But you're quite ruthless, Brain. That's one less subordinate for you."
"You needn't worry about that. To me, subordinates are..."
Natsu slammed his fist against the ground, shouting, "Bastard! How can you laugh? Wasn't he your companion?"
"Companion? Such things can be produced as often as I wish once I have the power of Nirvana," Brain sneered.
"Those aren't companions! They're just puppets on strings!" Natsu countered.
"Don't be so pedantic," Brain said with a cold laugh. "I actually quite admire your strength. Do you understand what I mean? You shall become my very first puppet."
"Hey, Brain," Chen Fan interjected. "There's nothing wrong with being proud or arrogant. But being arrogant in front of me is a grave mistake. You're doing a fine job as a villain, but that guy is my companion. I can't exactly let you take him."
"Companion? How is that possible?" Brain's eyes narrowed. "For someone like you to have companions... it truly pains me. I always thought we were the same kind of person."
Chen Fan looked down, wagging two fingers back and forth. "No, no, no. There is a fundamental difference between us."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"I'm the good guy, and you're the bad guy."
Brain's eyes turned into slits. "I've wanted you to join me for a long time, but it seems we are walking different paths. In that case... don't blame me for being heartless."
"You were heartless long before this," Chen Fan replied.
"Go for it, Chen Fan! Take him down!" Natsu and Happy cheered. Carla and Wendy took advantage of the standoff to rush to Natsu's side and begin healing him.
"Quiet, you're being too loud," Chen Fan barked back at Natsu. "Where's the 'hot-blooded' spirit in this? Beating him will only take a few seconds."
"I have always wondered just how much power you hide, Chen Fan. This time, I shall experience it firsthand!" Brain roared. He raised his skull staff, and dark green magical energy began to gather rapidly at its tip.
"Dark Rondo!" Brain screamed. A blast of magic erupted from the skull's mouth.
The energy was a chaotic swirl of black and green, radiating a palpable sense of danger. Chen Fan simply stood his ground, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He didn't seem to care about the incoming attack at all.
However, at the last second, the magic didn't strike Chen Fan. Instead, it swerved sharply, hurtling toward the defenseless Natsu and Wendy.
Chen Fan's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected Brain to be quite this despicable. He stomped his foot heavily.
...!
The unique sound of his psychic power activating rippled through the air.
BOOM!
A wall of stone, looking like a miniature mountain, erupted from the ground in front of Natsu and the others, absorbing the impact. The stone wall shattered under the forceit was, after all, just common earthbut it had successfully blocked Brain's piercing magic.
Clap, clap!
Brain began to applaud, a wide grin on his face. "Truly marvelous magic! I have studied the arcane for decades, yet I can never grasp the essence of yours. Sometimes I wonder... is that even magic at all?"
"You guessed right," Chen Fan said coolly. "It isn't magic."
Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla all gasped. It was the first time they had ever heard Chen Fan admit that his power wasn't magical.
"Then what is it?"
"Why don't you guess?"
Brain's face darkened, feeling like he was being toyed with.
"Dark Capriccio!" Brain roared again. His skull staff spat out another bolt of magic, this one spinning with high-velocity torque as it flew toward Chen Fan.
Again, the spell swerved mid-flight, aiming for Natsu's group.
"Damn it!" Natsu cursed. He hated being a burden, a tether used to restrain Chen Fan. For someone with his pride, it was a stinging insult.
"Tch. Nothing but cheap tricks," Chen Fan said dismissively.
With a light step, Chen Fan vanished and reappeared instantly in front of his friends. He reached out his right hand.
...!
The moment the magic touched his palm, it was reflected back along its original path with even greater force.
Brain reacted instantly, his body blurring as he dove aside. BOOM! The reflected magic obliterated the spot where he had been standing. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he reached up to wipe it away.
Suddenly, his hand froze mid-air.
Chen Fan was already there, crouched low in front of him. His thumb and middle finger were cocked, held in a flicking position right before Brain's face.
...!
BOOM...
A series of thunderous explosions erupted in a straight line. Every building in the path of the shockwave collapsed instantly. Even beneath the structures that remained standing, a hollow, human-shaped void was carved into the very foundations of the city.
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