Whoosh———!
Flames surged wildly across Natsu's entire body.
Boom!
Fire blasted out from under his feet as he rocketed straight toward Totomaru.
Purple flames!
Totomaru quickly summoned fire to block the attack.
Bang!
But it had no effect on Natsu. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Totomaru.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
BOOM!!
"Ugh!!"
Totomaru felt himself struck by a terrifying force.
'What… what was that punch?! That wasn't the strength of a normal mage!'
'This is nothing like what the Guild Master told us! There's someone this strong in Fairy Tail?!'
Natsu inhaled deeply, gathering magic in his throat.
Totomaru immediately recognized the pose and knew exactly what Natsu was about to use. He quickly raised seven fingers, each one releasing a different colored flame.
The fusion of these seven flames formed Totomaru's ultimate spell.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!!"
A violent vortex of fire blasted from Natsu's mouth, roaring straight toward Totomaru.
"Seven-Colored Flame—My Ultimate Magic!!"
Totomaru countered with his rainbow firestorm.
The two waves of flame collided.
BOOM———!!
An immense shockwave erupted outward.
"Break through it!!!"
Natsu roared from within.
BOOM———!
The Fire Dragon's Roar shattered the rainbow flames and blasted into Totomaru's chest.
"Aaaaaghhhh!!"
Totomaru screamed in agony.
When the flames died down, he stood blackened and smoking.
"This… isn't what the Guild Master said at all…!"
THUD!
With that, Totomaru collapsed unconscious.
Natsu raised a flaming fist high into the air.
[The match is decided!!]
[Winner: Fairy Tail's Natsu!]
"YEAHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The entire arena erupted in cheers.
"That was incredible!"
"He can eat fire AND breathe fire?!"
"He was flailing at the start, but that magic at the end was amazing!" …
[Unbelievable! Absolutely stunning! So this is the true strength of a top-tier mage?! Turns out Natsu is the legendary Salamander of Fairy Tail!]
"Salamander!!"
The crowd finally made the connection—Natsu was the infamous Salamander.
He had become famous across Fiore, mostly due to the chaos he caused. The media loved covering his disasters. But being a troublemaker still meant you were strong—and Natsu had gained quite a fanbase because of it.
"Salamander!!"
"Salamander!!"
"Salamander!!"
As the chants echoed through the stadium, Natsu basked in the rush. He'd finally vented the rage he'd been holding back ever since Phantom Lord destroyed their guild.
And now, his confidence was surging.
"Who's next from Phantom Lord?! Bring it on!!"
Natsu raised a flaming middle finger.
Seeing how cocky Natsu was, the members of Phantom Lord fumed—but before they could shout anything back...
[Wait a moment?! Fairy Tail is making a substitution! Natsu will be stepping down!]
"What?!!"
Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief. He'd just gotten fired up, and now they wanted him to stop?
"I'm not leaving! I can still fight!"
He had no intention of stepping down—until he noticed Erza glaring at him with ice-cold eyes.
That shut him up immediately.
Reluctantly, he left the arena and returned to the contestant lounge.
"Kaien!! What gives?! I was just getting started! I could've taken five more!!"
Kaien chuckled. "I know you could. But I'm not here to just beat them. I want a massacre—a total domination. I want everyone to see how huge the gap is between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord."
Seeing Kaien's intense eyes, Natsu froze. He realized he wasn't the only one furious—Kaien was even more enraged. Phantom Lord had truly messed with the wrong guild.
Phantom Lord Contestant Lounge
"Useless! You couldn't even beat a brat from Fairy Tail?! Pathetic!!"
Jose, the Phantom Lord Guild Master, was livid. His carefully trained Element had just lost to someone who wasn't even an S-Class Mage.
Didn't that mean his Elements were weaker than Fairy Tail's top-tier mages?
"Eh, not much he could do. He had the bad luck of going up against the Salamander," Gajeel said casually, munching on a piece of iron.
Jose calmed slightly. That was true. The Salamander was the nemesis of all Fire Mages—fire couldn't harm him, and only made him stronger.
But the fact that that kid had adapted mid-battle and broken free of Totomaru's fire control… that kind of talent…
"Sol! You're up next! You're not allowed to lose! Smash those Fairy Tail bastards to pieces!!"
Jose sent in Sol, Phantom Lord's Element of Earth.
"Understood!"
[Ohhh! Phantom Lord has sent out another of the Elements—Sol of the Earth! Who will Fairy Tail send out?]
"I'll go!"
Seeing Natsu already had his turn, Gray couldn't sit still any longer.
"No. Elfman, you're up."
"Wait! No way! Kaien, you don't understand… Elfman can't fight! It'd be fine if the opponent were a regular mage—but he's going up against an Element!"
Kaien didn't reply. He simply turned to look at Elfman.
"I'll do it!!" Elfman stood up, his eyes burning with resolve.
[Fairy Tail has sent out the one known as Beast Arm—Elfman!]
"Hmph! Is Fairy Tail out of people? What's with these nobodies? They didn't send Gildarts, Laxus, or even Mystogan. How arrogant can they be?"
Gajeel sneered. Just as Fairy Tail understood Phantom Lord, they too knew Fairy Tail's S-Class lineup—especially Gildarts, who was known as the strongest mage in the guild.
"Whatever. Let them feel what it's like to be completely crushed."
"Greetings. I am Sol. You may address me as Gentleman Sol."
"Hmph! I don't care who you are! If you dare mess with Fairy Tail, you're my enemy!"
[Fairy Tail vs Phantom Lord—Round Two!]
[Begin———!]
DONG———!
"Beast Arm: Black Bull!"
Elfman transformed his right arm into the form of a Black Bull—a massive, powerful limb with overwhelming strength and defense.
"Ah? So the rumor is true? I know your story. In fact, I know everything about Fairy Tail."
"Quit babbling, will you?! You're so annoying!"