"So strong!"
Natsu's hair stood on end, and intense flames burst from his head as he witnessed the destructive power of Takeshi's attack.
He was filled with shock and excitement, it was truly too powerful. The moment Takeshi unleashed that slash, he felt as if the sky itself had been torn open.
The previous characters Takeshi had taken on gave him different impressions.
Ulquiorra felt well-rounded, with extremely great overall abilities.
Yoriichi gave him a sense of danger. Every time he saw Yoriichi's eyes, he felt a chill run down his neck.
Toji was the character he had suffered the most from. In that form, Natsu felt like Takeshi was a humanoid Dragon.
Ace was his favorite. The wild flames were something he tasted once and could never forget.
And in the form of this old man, Natsu felt only two words could describe him.
Unrivaled power.
A single strike that split mountains and severed seas.
Without a doubt, this was the strongest character he had seen Takeshi embody so far.
Lucy and Happy were also stunned. They had thought Takeshi was already as strong as a monster when he took on the Tyrant form, but seeing him transform into Whitebeard, they realized he had an even stronger transformation.
Moreover, this transformation was terrifying. They couldn't even imagine such a powerful human existing.
Sherry and her two companions were now slumped on the ground. The previous attack wasn't aimed at them directly, they were only slightly affected by the aftermath. But after witnessing the terrifying destruction Takeshi caused, the three had long lost any will to fight.
They stared at Takeshi with terrified expressions. If the power gap wasn't too great, they might have tried to fight, but with the current disparity, any resistance would be meaningless.
While Takeshi and Sherry's group were in a standoff, Gray and Lyon were also fighting.
"Lyon, do you know what you're doing?! Ur sacrificed herself to seal Deliora. Yet you still want to destroy what Ur left behind." Gray angrily questioned Lyon.
Lyon took off his helmet, revealing his true face: a cool, handsome man with light blue hair.
"How did you lose your memory, Gray? I remember Ur was killed by you. How can you still live shamelessly? If you have any sense of shame, then don't get in my way. I'm going to revive Deliora."
"I won't let you succeed."
"Alright then, let's settle this."
Ice-Make: Great Eagle!
Lyon raised his hand, creating a large number of ice eagles that flew rapidly towards Gray.
Ice-Make: Ice Shield!
Gray quickly conjured a shield in front of him. The ice eagles swiftly bypassed the ice shield and struck him.
"Ughhhh!"
Gray let out a painful cry.
Lyon said calmly, "You specialize in static molding magic, and I specialize in dynamic molding magic. Did you forget that my magic moves?"
Ice-Make: Hammer!
Gray awkwardly burst out of the ice and quickly cast a spell.
A massive ice hammer formed above Lyon's head and smashed down towards him.
Lyon calmly raised a finger.
Ice-Make: Great Ape!
A giant ice ape appeared, raising its arms to block above Lyon's head.
Crack!
The ape's arms and the hammer shattered together.
Lyon said disdainfully, "Simply pathetic. You're still the same as before, casting magic with both hands."
Gray retorted, "Didn't Ur teach us? Single-handed molding makes it easy to lose balance."
"I'm different. My abilities have long surpassed Ur's."
"Don't be so conceited."
"I'll return the sentiment. Since we were kids, have you ever hit me once?"
"I'm not the same as before!"
Ice Geyser!
Gray placed his hands on the ground, and a large amount of ice surged upwards from beneath, like a spring.
Crack... Crack...
Lyon used the same magic with one hand, nullifying the magic Gray had used.
"It's the same. I'm your senior, I'm stronger than you. I can do single-handed molding, you can't. Nothing has changed. Although the paths we chose are different, it's as if time has frozen in the past."
Lyon raised his palm, and an ice dragon roared up from the ground, sending Gray flying.
"Ugh—!"
Gray fell heavily to the ground.
"Ur was my goal, surpassing her was my dream. But that dream was taken from me by you. I can no longer surpass Ur. So there's only one way. If I can defeat Deliora, whom even Ur couldn't defeat, then I will surpass her, and my dream will come true." Lyon's expression was now bordering on madness.
Gray listened to Lyon's words in disbelief. "Are you serious? Is that your true goal? You should know how terrifying Deliora is. Stop it, it's impossible."
Lyon's face contorted into a snarl as he listened to Gray's words.
Boom!
A large amount of ice rose from beneath Gray's feet.
"Ugh!"
"You tell me to stop, you say it's impossible?! We told you the same thing back then, you haven't forgotten, have you? It's because you wanted to challenge Deliora that Ur died. You have no right to say Ur's name. Disappear!"
Suddenly—
Rumble!
A violent sound erupted, catching Lyon's attention. He looked in the direction of the sound, and his pupils constricted. He witnessed an extremely shocking scene.
A huge mountain in the distance was split in half by a single strike, and the distant sea was torn open.
"Wh... what is this?"
This destructive power exceeded Lyon's understanding of magic.
Takeshi noticed the situation and walked over step by step. As he passed Lyon, Lyon's nerves instantly tensed. He felt as if a terrifying monster had walked past him. He had never experienced such a dangerous feeling before. He forced himself not to attack.
Takeshi came before Gray, a smile on his face. "Pathetic. Getting beaten so badly, yet you said cool things like 'I'm your opponent.' How long has it been since you were knocked down?"
"..."
Gray had nothing to say. He had indeed lost, and badly.
Then, Takeshi's tone shifted. "However! No matter how weak you are, you're a mage of Fairy Tail. I don't care how much I bully you, but I won't allow outsiders to bully you."