Boom!
A fire dragon was rampaging toward the city above.
Since the city wasn't moving, Natsu treated its tentacles like bridges—or rather, octopus arms—and thus wasn't affected by any abnormal states.
Squelch.
The ground suddenly softened, and Natsu sank into it.
"What is this?!" The more Natsu struggled, the deeper he sank.
Whirr.
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared beneath him, and the hardened earth launched Natsu high into the air.
"Natsu-san, keep moving forward," Jura said. "Time waits for no one."
"Then this place is in your hands," Ichiya and Erza replied.
With that, only Jura remained behind while the others pressed on.
"There's no need to hide. Come out, Hoteye," Jura called.
Only Hoteye could use magic that softened the soil like this.
Gurgle.
Hoteye emerged from the swamp, his entire body wrapped in bandages.
"You..." Jura looked utterly bewildered.
"No need for words. Let's fight," Hoteye said tersely. He didn't want to talk; he just wanted to finish quickly and lie down to rest.
He couldn't exactly admit that their group of seven had been thoroughly beaten by Jehfrit.
That would be too humiliating.
Jehfrit's hand-to-hand combat wasn't particularly impressive—after all, if Natsu had landed over a hundred punches, the members of Oración Seis and Jellal wouldn't even be debating whether they could stand anymore. They'd be wondering how many bone fragments were left to bury.
But the humiliation factor? Brutal.
They'd been beaten black and blue, their faces swollen and bruised beyond recognition.
Especially Jellal, who'd taken three hundred punches. His face was so swollen he looked like a pig!
"Indeed, Mr. Jehfrit is something else," Jura remarked with admiration.
Storming into the lair of the Oración Seis and still managing to beat someone as powerful as Hoteye? Even though they lost, it was an honorable defeat.
At least on par with a Wizard Saint.
"But," Jura continued, "I'm sorry. Since you're enemies, regardless of your condition, I won't hold back!"
Boom!
An intense battle erupted.
"Space Distortion!"
The attack came without warning.
Erza found herself bound by her own twisted armor, while Natsu writhed in agony within the distorted space.
"Powerful Fragrance!"
Ichiya whipped out a bottle of cologne and inhaled deeply. Instantly, his muscles bulged, transforming him into a hulking powerhouse.
Boom!
With one punch, he demolished a nearby building, revealing Midnight tied up inside like a mummy.
Midnight's spell broke under the assault.
Ichiya spoke gravely: "Erza, Natsu, go save your comrades. Leave this guy to me, men~"
"Be careful," Erza warned before she and Natsu moved forward.
"Old man... I'm furious!" Midnight growled through gritted teeth, attacking mercilessly.
After all, that person had explicitly said they could fight at full strength—even killing their opponents' allies would simply reflect their own lack of power.
So, the humiliation he endured from that person? He'd make this guy pay for it!
Bang!
A sudden black shadow struck Natsu, sending him flying.
Crash!
Natsu smashed through several buildings, buried under the rubble.
At the same time, a streak of light shot toward Erza, who raised her sword to block it.
"Jellal!" Erza glared angrily at the figure—but froze.
Bathed in golden light stood a warrior clad head-to-toe in heavy plate armor. Though his face and body were completely obscured, both Erza and Simon recognized that magical energy immediately.
"Jellal, how far must you break our hearts before you stop?" Simon roared, charging at Jellal.
"Hmph." Jellal countered with a single spell, blasting Simon away.
Boom!
From the wreckage, a pillar of fire erupted skyward.
"Bastard!" Natsu climbed out, glaring at the enemy ahead—a purple snake coiled beside them.
"Your scent..." Natsu furrowed his brow, sensing familiarity.
"This path is closed." Cobra lifted a finger, beckoning mockingly.
"You bastard!" Natsu charged forward.
"Your attacks are too predictable, not even—" Cobra dodged effortlessly, then drove his fist into Natsu's skull, slamming it into the ground. He sneered, "It's laughably easy to dodge your pathetic strikes."
"Damn it!" Flames erupted around Natsu as he pulled his head free and charged again.
"It's useless. With such a simple mind, your attacks will always be straightforward. You'll never hit me," Cobra taunted, dodging with ease, his breathing steady.
"Grrr!" Natsu's fists grew faster and fiercer.
Cobra began to sweat. No wonder—this Dragon Slayer was terrifying. His speed and strength were monstrous, truly dragon-like! And worse, there seemed to be no limit to his growth!
Bang!
Seizing an opening, Cobra kicked Natsu away. "How about we play a little game?"
"What?" Natsu got up, unscathed.
"Let's see whose speed reaches its peak first!" Cobra grinned, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
Fighting Jehfrit had been a disaster—he hadn't even gotten warmed up before being utterly crushed. Now, facing another Dragon Slayer, and a famous one at that! After defeating Gajeel during Phantom Lord's attack, Natsu was widely considered the second-strongest Dragon Slayer alive.
First place went to Laxus, undisputedly. Rumors claimed that not even two Dragon Slayers combined could best him during Fairy Tail's S-Class trials.
So, let's test it.
Who's the stronger Dragon Slayer?
"Interesting." Flames ignited around Natsu's fists.
Boom!
Natsu attacked, and Cobra dodged, countering when opportunities arose. Natsu dodged what he could and tanked the rest.
Boom boom boom boom!
Fists collided, legs clashed, each blow landing with brutal force. The two exchanged blows in a frenzied flurry of punches and kicks.
Meanwhile...
Erza went all out right from the start. Her condition today was better than last time—fighting Ikuto had drained her magic and left her injured.
But now? She'd fought nothing but minor foes along the way, aside from brief skirmishes with Cobra and Racer. None of those battles had been life-or-death.
This time, however, Erza treated it as exactly that.
She had to defeat Jellal!
Even if it meant leaving him critically wounded!
Simon was right—they couldn't let Jellal continue down this path of destruction.
And thanks to their previous encounter at Tower of Heaven, they knew everything about Jellal's magic and abilities.
Add to that the fact that Jellal had recently been pummeled by Jehfrit. To cover his injuries, he wore heavy armor, making movement cumbersome.
For now, their battle remained evenly matched.
Buzz buzz.
In the forest, Gray and Racer raced motorcycles.
Racer commanded other bikes to ram into Gray. At these speeds, even Gray would sustain injuries upon impact.
But Gray's skills were sharp. When possible, he drifted or leapt into the air; otherwise, he used Ice-Make Magic to block collisions.
Gray wasn't passive either. He retaliated with spells, though Racer skillfully evaded every attempt.
The two sped along, climbing higher and higher up the city's massive leg-like structures.
Whoosh!
They passed Jura and Hoteye's battlefield, then Ichiya and Midnight's clash.
They even zipped past Natsu and Erza.
After circling the city, they descended back into the forest, continuing their motorcycle duel.
Lucy's Battlefield.
Seeing Angel visibly shaken, Lucy asked, "Was it Jehfrit who did this?"
"Definitely," Happy answered. "If it's an enemy, Jehfrit doesn't show mercy to anyone."
"Damn him! That bastard used bombs on me!" Angel shouted. "If I can't beat him, I'll crush his teammates instead!"
"!!!" Sweat poured down Lucy's face.
Such deep resentment!
But the priority now was gathering intel on Jehfrit.
"What happened to Jehfrit?" Lucy questioned.
After some analysis—
They concluded that despite Jehfrit's drastic personality change after being struck by Nirvana, his raw power remained unchanged.
Based on their understanding of Jehfrit, if he chose to flee, no one—not even the combined forces of Oración Seis and Jellal—could stop him.
And if he chose to fight, he could take out at least two of them.
Given Jehfrit's mindset at the time, retreat seemed unlikely.
Tiffany mentioned her magic could track Jehfrit 's location and determine if he was in mortal danger.
Later, she announced the battle had ended. Jehfrit wasn't in immediate peril, but his position remained near Oración Seis.
Which meant Jehfrit had been captured.
Oración Seis and Jellal's strength was undeniable. Lucy couldn't fathom how they managed to capture Jehfrit, given his mastery of Deception Magic.
Now, Lucy feared what might happen to Jehfrit once captured—torture, beatings, anything was possible. These dark mages weren't known for kindness, especially not toward prisoners.
Mentioning Jehfrit's name sent Angel into a rage.
Yet, recalling his devilish grin as he spoke—"Perform well, Miss Angel. Otherwise, imagine the fishermen downstream finding a beautiful floating corpse tomorrow morning. Such a pity, wouldn't it be?"—still sent shivers down her spine.
"That guy?" Angel smirked arrogantly. "We've captured him, along with that little girl. Our leader is teaching them a lesson right now."
"Damn it!" Lucy panicked, pulling out a golden key.
Angel's celestial spirit was Gemini, capable of mimicking others' magic. Earlier, Lucy had realized Gemini could control her spirits, forcing Sagittarius to attack her.
Thus, only one option remained—the temperamental Aquarius, who would destroy friend and foe alike regardless of who controlled her.
"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer—Aquarius!"
The elegant mermaid spirit appeared, looking every bit the goddess... until she turned violently toward Lucy.
"I'm ready, Aquarius. Flood us both if you have to!" Lucy declared resolutely.
"That's the plan," Aquarius replied nonchalantly, raising her jug.
"Wait... seriously?" Lucy whimpered, tears welling up. She'd expected this outcome, yet hearing it aloud still stung.
Aquarius transformed into an irate older sister, ready to unleash a catastrophic flood.
"Is violence really necessary, Aquarius?" Angel smirked, holding up a key.
"Open, Gate of the Scorpion—Scorpio!"
"What?! Another Zodiac key?!" Lucy gasped. One Gemini was already trouble enough!
"Yo!" A trendy, stylish man appeared, striking a cool pose.
"Scorpio!" Aquarius instantly dropped her jug, morphing from enraged elder sister to love-struck maiden. She threw herself into Scorpio's arms, cooing, "Scorpio, it's been so long! I missed you~"
"Uh?" Lucy gawked in disbelief.
Could Scorpio, the Scorpio constellation, really be Aquarius's boyfriend?!
Aquarius often complained about being summoned, claiming Lucy interrupted her romantic moments with her lover.
But she never imagined they'd end up fighting together like this!
And now, Aquarius was utterly useless!
"Yes," Aquarius blushed coyly.
"Hmm?" Scorpio glanced at Lucy politely. "Nice to meet you, Aquarius's summoner, yeah~"
"Speaking of which, Aquarius's personality—" Lucy started to protest, but Aquarius cut her off.
Smack!
Aquarius grabbed Lucy by the collar, snarling, "Say one word about this in front of Scorpio, and it won't just be your fighting career that ends, understand?!"
"Y-Yes!" Lucy stammered.
"Darling, I know a great restaurant. Shall we grab dinner?"
"Of course."
Scorpio led Aquarius away.
"Hahaha!" Angel laughed heartily. "You don't even understand your spirits' relationships, do you, little girl?"
With that, she advanced on Lucy.
"Leo, it's all up to you. Don't let me down!"
Lucy prayed Leo, the strongest of the Zodiac spirits and the Lion, wouldn't fall under enemy control.
Flash!
"A beautiful princess need not worry. Her prince has arrived," Leo declared confidently. Aware that Gemini was in enemy hands, he remained certain he couldn't be controlled.
"Leo, huh? Then—" Angel raised another key.
"Come forth, Aries."
Hearing the name, Leo's confidence faltered. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at Angel.
Pop!
Soft, fluffy Aries materialized, wearing a snug white wool dress. The timid lamb-like spirit appeared delicate and harmless.
Yet, Leo took a step back.
"How can you summon Aries?!" Lucy exclaimed, realization dawning. Aries belonged to Leo's former master!
"Simple—I killed a foolish Celestial Spirit Mage and took the key," Angel gloated, patting Aries's head. "That woman tried to summon two gates despite her weak magic capacity. Predictably, she met her demise. What a fool."