Chapter 92: Brute Force Breaking
Natsu laughed loudly. "Haha~! See, that's totally something Dino would say! Gramps! Don't worry about what Laxus said—everyone in the guild treats each other like family."
"But even families fight sometimes. Sure, we brawl all the time, but a real fight means not holding back on magic!" Natsu's grin widened as flames sparked around his fists. "You gotta prove you're stronger, make 'em respect your strength! So Laxus, quit with the sneaky crap and fight me head-on! Ahhhhh!! Dammit! Why can't I be there for something this fun?!"
Laxus's expression darkened as he glared at the communication lacrima. "You little punk…"
Makarov blinked in surprise, staring at Natsu. "Well, well… Natsu, I didn't know you had it in you to make that much sense!"
He's actually right, Makarov thought with a small sigh. I never expected to get schooled by this hot-headed brat. His initial panic had settled into resigned acceptance. Maybe Natsu had a point—he'd been too protective. Back when he and his generation were young, they'd beaten the snot out of each other regularly, and those fights had only strengthened their bonds.
Perhaps… this is what they need.
Throughout Magnolia, the Fairy Tail members who'd been brawling heard Dino's broadcast and immediately started cursing him out, shouting promises to make him pay right after they finished pounding Laxus into the dirt.
The stimulus from Laxus's challenge had cleared their heads somewhat, but none of them stopped fighting. They were too fired up now, determined to prove themselves.
Dino stood atop Magnolia's clock tower, one hand gripping the lightning rod as he surveyed the town below, deep in thought.
"Laxus definitely isn't hiding in some back alley somewhere," he muttered. "He wants everyone to see this spectacle, which means he'd pick the most visible landmark in town. And the biggest, flashiest building in Magnolia is…" His eyes fixed on the massive structure dominating the town center. "Kardia Cathedral. Yeah, that bastard's definitely there."
Dino wasn't fond of overthinking things—why waste brain cells when fists worked just fine?—but when the situation called for it, he could piece things together well enough.
With a grin, he leaped off the tower.
WHAM!
"GAH!" His face slammed into something invisible mid-air, and he tumbled down to the street below like a sack of potatoes.
"OW, OW, OW!" Dino clutched his nose, rolling on the ground. "Dammit, Freed! Setting traps in the freaking air?! That's just petty!"
Glowing purple runes materialized on the invisible barrier above him, forming words: "Those who enter here cannot leave for three hours!"
"Three hours? Trying to stall for time, huh?" Dino pushed himself up, rubbing his throbbing nose. "Nice try, Freed, but if you went through this much trouble… you're nearby, aren't you?"
As if answering his question, glowing letters began appearing in the air, swirling together and reconstructing themselves into a human form. Freed emerged from the magical script, his long green hair flowing, red coat billowing dramatically. With his sharp features and cool demeanor, he was easily one of the most handsome guys in Fairy Tail.
"So I was right." Dino cracked his knuckles. "But Freed, you seriously think this stuff can stop me?"
Freed's expression remained calm, almost resigned. "No. I don't."
He had complete faith in his jutsu-shiki runes under normal circumstances, but this wasn't a normal opponent. The man standing before him was a living, breathing force of destruction. Rules meant nothing to someone who could shatter reality itself with a punch.
No wonder Laxus sees him as his greatest rival.
Dino raised an eyebrow. "Then why bother with these useless tricks?"
"They may not stop you," Freed replied evenly, "but they'll slow you down. Waste your energy. Buy Laxus the time he needs."
"Ah, so that's it." Dino nodded. "Stall me out and wear me down before I reach Laxus."
Freed said nothing.
"Y'know, Freed, we've known each other for a while, but we've never really talked." Dino's tone shifted slightly. "Let me ask you something—how do you feel watching our guildmates beat the crap out of each other because of this whole mess?"
Silence.
"Using the quiet treatment to stall too? That's pretty lame." Dino sighed. "Whatever. Let me guess your answer: 'I am Laxus's loyal guardian' or some dramatic crap like that, right?"
Freed's eyes flickered. "…I am Laxus's Thunder Guard."
"Thunder Guard?!" Dino's eye twitched. "Man, I can't believe you said something that embarrassing with a straight face. You really are a fanboy, huh?" He rolled his shoulders. "Look, I'm crap at the whole 'talking people down' thing anyway, and there's no reasoning with obsessed fans. Besides…"
A white spherical aura formed around Dino's fist as he cocked his arm back.
"I don't have time to waste on you."
CRACK!
His punch didn't even need to connect—the shockwave from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit shattered Freed's rune barrier like glass, fragments of purple light scattering into nothing.
Freed's eyes went wide. "Impossible…! You broke through my jutsu-shiki with brute force that easily?!"
Dino kept walking toward Kardia Cathedral without breaking stride.
Another barrier materialized in his path.
SMASH!
One punch. The barrier exploded.
He took five more steps.
Another barrier appeared.
CRASH!
Gone.
Freed's carefully constructed network of magical traps was being demolished one after another, each barrier lasting less than a second against Dino's overwhelming power.
Freed's composed expression cracked, shock bleeding through. He'd known Dino would break through eventually, but this? The absolute rules encoded in his jutsu-shiki—magic that forced compliance with its conditions—were being ignored completely. Shattered before they could even take effect.
"Monster…" It was the word everyone used for Dino. Not an insult, but a term reserved for something that defied human comprehension.
Freed had always admired Laxus's strength, considered him a monster in his own right. But watching Dino casually obliterate magic that should have been unbreakable, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a fundamental gap between Laxus and this man.
"Hey, Freed." Dino called back without turning around. "You've been laying traps specifically along this route, getting more desperate each time. That pretty much confirms it—Laxus is holed up in Kardia Cathedral, right?"
He glanced over his shoulder with a sharp grin.
"I'm almost there. How many traps you got left?"
Freed's jaw tightened. How many traps? There ARE no more traps! Setting up jutsu-shiki barriers required intricate preparation, time, and massive amounts of magical energy. The last one Dino destroyed had been his final trap.
He'd spent hours preparing this defensive network, convinced it would at least slow Dino down significantly. Instead, the man had bulldozed through everything in minutes.
SHING!
Freed drew the rapier from his waist, pointing it at Dino with grim determination etched across his face.
"Dino Maxim… you're too dangerous. I won't let you get any closer to Laxus."