Chapter 77

Thank you very much to 'Ice·Moon Shadow', 'Blood·Dawn', 'Luo Shaoyu', '2D Our Dream', and 'Yun Qiqinggu' for your generous donations!

The battle began almost instantaneously amidst the tense atmosphere.

"Bang——!"

With a sound like an explosion, flames that were scorchingly hot rose from Natsu's body, which was crouched like a leopard, enveloping him entirely.

Without any warning, Natsu opened his mouth wide, and the flames around his body instantly flowed into his mouth like streams of air.

"Fire Dragon's——!"

In the next moment, Natsu suddenly opened his mouth toward Noah.

"Roar——!"

A shockwave composed entirely of flames erupted from Natsu's mouth, growing larger as it charged forward, carrying extreme heat that evaporated the air and shattered the ground, rushing toward Noah amidst the dust and turbulence.

The entire field of vision was filled with flames, and Noah's cheeks grew warm from the approaching inferno. However, Noah remained calm, a smile still on his lips.

Without any intention to dodge or use magic, Noah directly gripped the cloth bag containing the magic knight sword by its hilt and held it horizontally in front of him. When the raging flames reached him, he suddenly swung the bag to the side.

"Whoosh——!"

As if a sudden gust of wind had appeared in front of Noah, the scorching flame torrent followed Noah's movement, being driven by an invisible force, becoming chaotic and scattering into a shower of sparks.

Seeing this, everyone present drew a sharp breath.

Without using magic, without drawing his sword, and without even untying the cloth bag containing the magic knight sword, Noah had simply waved his hand, and Natsu's powerful flame breath was dismantled?

"Indeed..." Erza and Mira gazed at Noah, who was smiling.

"He has become stronger than us..."

"Big Brother Noah..." Lisanna seemed somewhat excited, as if the person displaying such power was herself.

"What's wrong?" Noah, lowering the cloth bag in his hand, looked directly at Natsu on the opposite side.

"If that's all you've got, you won't be able to defeat me, Natsu."

"This is just a greeting!" Natsu, far from being discouraged, laughed with enthusiasm.

"The real show is about to begin!"

As he spoke, a vast surge of magic power erupted from Natsu's body, causing flames to burn around him once again, even more fiercely and intensely than before.

This surge of magic power was almost overwhelmingly stronger than that of an average mage!

Even many of the veteran mages in the guild couldn't match it!

The sudden appearance of such formidable magic power caused the crowd nearby to fall silent, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief, all of them staring at Natsu, their expressions becoming increasingly intense.

"Is Natsu really this strong now?"

Looking at Natsu, whose cherry-colored hair fluttered in the dense flames, both the veteran mages of the guild and Natsu's childhood friends were filled with awe.

Although Natsu often talked about challenging others, in recent years, almost no one had seen him use his full strength, not even Gray, who fought with him daily.

Thus, in the entire Fairy Tail, no one knew that Natsu had become this strong without anyone noticing!

Believing that, apart from the S-class mages, there were probably no more than five people in Fairy Tail who could match Natsu!

"This guy has become this strong without us even knowing." Mira and Erza exchanged glances, a hint of amusement in their eyes.

"Tch." Gray clicked his tongue, but his eyes remained fixed on Natsu.

Clearly, this guy, who could be considered Natsu's arch-rival, was stirred by Natsu's strength.

"How about it?" In the center of the field, Natsu, surrounded by surging flames, smiled proudly.

"I've become stronger, haven't I?"

"Indeed, you have become stronger. I believe there are few in the guild who can surpass you, Natsu." Noah looked straight at Natsu and suddenly smiled.

"But if that's all you've got..."

Before he could finish, Noah's body suddenly trembled.

"——!"

Looking at Noah, who remained motionless on the opposite side, Natsu's expression suddenly changed. The flames around him vibrated, propelling him backward like a glider.

"Whoosh——!"

At the moment Natsu retreated, a black shadow suddenly appeared, the long cloth bag slicing through the air with a terrifying force and a sharp tearing sound, narrowly missing Natsu's face and striking the spot where Natsu had been.

Only then did Noah's figure begin to dissipate, reappearing to the side of where Natsu had been.

"Afterimage?!" In the crowd, Mira and Erza's eyes narrowed simultaneously.

"So fast!" Lisanna and the others covered their mouths in surprise.

"Fire Dragon's——!" Natsu, having dodged Noah's attack, stopped his retreat and leaped forward, extending his arm and clenching his fist. The flames on his body concentrated on his fist, creating a scorching wind as he aimed a punch at Noah's chest.

"Iron Fist——!"

The scorching wind hit Noah's face, making it gradually hotter.

However, facing Natsu's fierce attack, Noah remained calm, his wrist slightly bent. The long cloth bag in his hand spun rapidly, acting like a shield in front of him.

"Bang——!"

With a dull thud, Natsu's fierce punch struck the cloth bag, causing a dense shower of sparks and wind, but not even a single layer of the bag was burned.

The reason was simple.

Noah had already covered the entire cloth bag with his magic power.

Unless Natsu had the ability to dispel Noah's magic power covering the bag, Natsu, the mighty Dragon Slayer, couldn't even destroy the cloth bag used to carry the magic knight sword.

Natsu wasn't the smartest, but he could think on his feet during a fight and naturally understood what was happening.

At that moment, Natsu let out a roar like a dragon.

"It's not over yet——!"

As he roared, Natsu wildly swung his flaming fist, launching a barrage of scorching fire punches at Noah like a storm.

"Red Lotus Fire Dragon Fist——!"

The fire punches, like jets of flame, enveloped Noah from all directions, carrying scorching winds that covered every part of Noah's body, leaving no room for mercy.

Noah's eyebrows furrowed, a fierce look in his eyes. He lifted his foot, took a step, and moved his body with great agility to the left and right.

"Whoosh——Whoosh——Whoosh——Whoosh——Whoosh——Whoosh——!"

Natsu's storm of Red Lotus Fire Dragon Fists narrowly missed Noah's body, each punch landing in empty space, all of them dodged by Noah.

Occasionally, Noah would swing the cloth bag in his hand, deflecting some of the fire, the sparks illuminating his young face.

Thus, amidst the sea of flames, if one observed closely, it was clear to see.

Noah's gaze was fixed on one of the fire beams that were enveloping him.

Suddenly, Noah stopped dodging, his eyes shining brightly. The cloth bag in his hand, like a heavy sword, thrust forward, striking one of the fire beams.

"Thud——!"

A dull thud echoed slowly.

The sea of fire beams suddenly dissipated.

Only Natsu's fist and the cloth bag collided, creating a dense wave of wind.