A surge of blazing flames erupted, shattering the already fragile door completely.
Natsu's unstoppable fist sent a whole group of Sabertooth members guarding the entrance flying.
"Where is your Guild Master?!"
Natsu's furious roar echoed through the hall.
Jiemma, already seething from his earlier humiliation and failed retaliation, shot to his feet upon hearing the voice and roared back at Natsu:
"Brat! Who the hell are you?!"
Scorching flames swept away the surrounding attackers.
Under the terrified gazes of everyone present, veins bulged on Natsu's forehead as he shouted coldly.
"I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail!"
"Expelling someone after just one failure—you've got some nerve."
Jiemma similarly tensed the muscles in his arms, unable to contain his fury as he bellowed.
"I see. You're just like those other bastards, daring to interfere with Sabertooth's internal affairs?"
"Taking that worthless trash away without permission—I haven't made her pay for her failure yet, you brat from that worthless guild!!"
A dangerous glint flashed in Natsu's eyes as his flames burned even more fiercely.
His entire body shot toward Jiemma like a cannonball, the Fire Dragon's Iron Fist striking out without restraint.
"Pay for your filthy mouth!!"
Though Jiemma had prepared himself, he never expected Natsu's charging speed to be even more terrifying than that unknown woman from before.
In the blink of an eye, the intimidating iron fist was already pressed against his face...
Once again, Jiemma's large body went flying.
Natsu showed no mercy, chasing after him and relentlessly continuing his combo attacks.
"If you dare make such rules, then you who lost to me should get the hell out of the guild too!!"
Flaming fists rained down on Jiemma like a stormy tide.
Natsu roared his curses, then delivered a final heavy punch that embedded Jiemma completely into the ground.
"Master!"
"Dammit! Fairy Tail!!"
Witnessing the powerfully magical Jiemma being beaten into helplessness by another combo attack, all the Sabertooth members finally reacted, charging toward Natsu in waves.
"Natsu-san!!"
"Dragneel!!"
With Sabertooth's strongest members Rufus and Orga previously knocked unconscious, Sting and Rogue now stepped forward without hesitation!
Easily dodging Sting's punch, Natsu turned and grabbed Rogue's shoulder, violently lifting and slamming him onto Sting.
The two reacted quickly, immediately adjusting their stance to launch another assault.
This time, they had shed the arrogance they'd shown during their first encounter on the capital's streets days before.
Black and white light began emanating from their bodies.
"White Drive."
"Shadow Drive."
Sting, enveloped in a white aura, grinned excitedly and shot forward like a beam of light.
Meanwhile, Rogue vanished from Natsu's sight like a bat disappearing into the night.
The two Dragon Slayers, now significantly stronger, intensified their assault with ferocious momentum.
Natsu, who had been recklessly charging forward, was momentarily forced back by their coordinated pressure.
Jiemma scrambled up from the ground, roaring in fury. "You brat! How dare you attack the strongest guild? Die!!"
A sinister purple-black Magic Power coalesced around Jiemma, its terrifying pressure cracking the ground beneath him as violet energy surged toward his fist.
Seeing this only fueled Natsu's fighting spirit.
Though he'd been pushed back by the Twin Dragons moments earlier, Jiemma's rabid demeanor made him abandon all restraint.
"Dragon Force!"
The scorching flames around Natsu intensified, with fiery dragon wings materializing behind him.
As temperatures rose through extreme compression, the burning flames transformed into flowing magma.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art—Revised!"
Natsu's eyes reflected the inferno as he roared, unleashing his ultimate technique enhanced by Dragon Force.
"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!!"
The flames condensed into searing magma, the dragon wings whipping up a fiery tornado that tore through the space toward Jiemma like a storm.
Sting exclaimed excitedly at the sight. "Dragon Force! I can do that too, let me—"
"Fool!"
Rogue's heart leaped to his throat watching the flaming vortex capable of obliterating the entire inn.
Seeing his partner preparing to confront it head-on, he grabbed Sting by the collar and yanked him aside.
They barely dodged the Secret Art, but apparently Sting wasn't the only stubborn one.
Jiemma madly threw his fully charged magic fist at the fiery maelstrom!
"Mere flames, watch how I—"
Before he could finish his boast, the vortex swallowed him whole.
Trapped in the scorching hell, Jiemma initially believed he could withstand it.
Within seconds, he changed his mind.
'This is dangerous!'
BOOM—
A deafening explosion erupted as Natsu's Secret Art tore through Jiemma, blasted through the inn's wall, and shot into the sky, painting the dark night in brilliant shades of orange and red.
The citizens of the royal capital would have yet another sleepless night...
Inside the damaged inn, Natsu stood panting slightly, calmly observing the unconscious Jiemma face-down on the floor and the stunned spectators before shifting his attention to the newly arrived woman.
She possessed a slender figure with straight purple-black hair reaching her waist.
Her fringe was parted in the middle, with side sections tied into buns.
Her makeup resembled a geisha's—dark lipstick, slanted eyes that evoked unease, elongated eyelashes, and spotted eyebrows.
Though naturally beautiful, her appearance became eerily terrifying combined with her cheongsam-style off-shoulder gown.
"Lady Minerva!"
The bewildered Sabertooth members exclaimed in unison, as if finding their pillar of support.
Jiemma's daughter, Minerva, stood with hands outstretched, swirling prismatic spheres of Magic Power floating above her palms.
Watching her father struggling to rise from the ground behind her, a flicker of regret passed through Minerva's eyes, mingled with astonishment at the previous attack.
Despite Minerva's attempt to redirect the Dragon Slayer Secret Art, she had only managed to divert part of it, leaving Jiemma severely injured.
Noticing the burnt holes in her white gloves, Minerva smiled and spoke in an unnervingly eerie tone.
"Natsu of Fairy Tail, could you grant me this favor? You've vented your anger—can we let this matter rest here?"
"Hah?"
Sensing the woman's Magic Power, Natsu warily raised his fists and snorted.
"But I haven't finished venting yet."
"Then, what if we add him to the equation?"
Minerva chuckled lightly, then with a slight ripple in the space around her hand, a blue cat appeared cradled in her arms.
"Happy!"
"Natsu, I'm sorry!" Happy wept, his voice choked with sobs.
Holding Happy and stroking his large head, Minerva smiled. "So, will you grant me this favor now?"
"Of course not."
Minerva's eyes widened in shock as she looked at her hands—the little cat had already vanished.
Natsu glanced toward the inn's entrance, where Ankh—who had arrived earlier and been observing from the shadows—now held the tearful Happy, cheerfully patting his head.
"Ankh!"
"The Wizard Saint!"
Natsu and Minerva exclaimed simultaneously, though the meanings behind their voices were clearly different.
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