Natsu vs. Gildarts

The temperature inside the cave where Natsu was located gradually rose.

The air began to distort, and the water droplets on the stone wall evaporated into wisps of white mist.

His fighting spirit soared with the temperature, and a small flame ignited in his eyes, the orange-red light dancing in his pupils.

Happy squatted on a rock in the corner, panting heavily as he stuck out his tongue from the heat.

It looked down at its pants, grabbed the waistband with its two little paws, pulled them off, and tossed them aside.

It's all Riyao's fault! What kind of pants does a little cat like me need to wear? Seriously.

It's much cooler now.

Gildarts stood up. Sunlight streamed through the cave ceiling, casting a large shadow on his tall figure within the cavern.

He grinned, stretched his neck, and his joints cracked.

"The only way to get through here is to defeat me."

He stopped and beckoned to Natsu, the gesture as casual as calling a child over.

Happy exclaimed in surprise, covering his mouth with his little paws.

"That's too difficult, it can't possibly be possible no matter how you look at it. That's Gildarts, after all."

Natsu wouldn't think that far ahead.

All he knew was that it had caught fire.

Natsu consciously channeled his Dragon Force, magic surging within his body, and tiny dragon scales appeared on his cheeks, reflecting a dark red glow in the firelight.

The ground cracked.

He suddenly exerted force with his feet, his whole body enveloped in orange-red flames, transforming into a burning meteor that crashed straight into Gildarts.

Gildarts raised his hand to block.

The moment the palm collided with the flames, a shockwave exploded outwards, scattering rubble from the cave walls with a crackling sound.

Natsu's ferocious attack was blocked by him with one hand, and he didn't move an inch.

Boom!

Happy was thrown into the air by the huge shockwave, tumbling several times before crashing to the ground with a thud.

It got up, shook its head, and stared wide-eyed.

"Natsu has gotten stronger... This power is completely different from before."

Before his opponent could react, Natsu immediately unleashed a combo.

[Fire Dragon's Iron Fist]

He slammed his right fist down, the air crackling as it burned.

[Fire Dragon's Wing Attack]

He threw out both fists simultaneously, leaving two long trails of flame behind him.

[The Fire Dragon's Claw]

His heel, wreathed in flames, slammed down, creating a crater in the ground.

[The Fire Dragon's...]

Gildarts blocked every single one of these attacks with his bare hands.

He used only one hand, patting here and brushing there, looking incredibly relaxed.

"Hey, Natsu, if that's all you're capable of, you might as well go home and get some sleep."

"This is just a warm-up!"

Natsu bared his teeth, and the flames on his fist burned even brighter.

"That would be best!"

Gildarts yawned, his mouth wide open, deliberately drawing out the sound.

Natsu was so angry he yelled and screamed, and the veins on his forehead bulged out.

He puffed out his cheeks, his chest swelled, and he opened his mouth to Fire Dragon's Roar.

A torrent of orange-red flames swept towards Gildarts, instantly raising the temperature inside the cave by a significant margin.

A white magic circle appeared on Gildarts' right hand, its lines clear and radiating a soft light.

He smashed the flames.

The torrent of flames was broken into countless cubes, neatly splitting apart like cut tofu blocks, scattering across the ground with a clatter, and then extinguished.

"Aren't you going to unleash the cyan flames of the Riyao?"

Gildarts tilted his head, his tone tinged with curiosity.

"It's already been used, and the blue color has disappeared after complete digestion."

Natsu, panting heavily, raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, I see. You should just go home and sleep."

Gildarts shrugged, his face clearly saying, "That's it."

Such a crude tactic of provocation would normally not be effective.

But for Natsu, it works 100% of the time.

Natsu's attack density increased to another level, his fists becoming afterimages, flames smashing from all directions, the offensive so dense it was suffocating.

Gildarts used both hands, blocking here and defending there, his figure weaving through the flames with effortless ease.

He finally got annoyed and frowned.

One punch.

Just one punch.

Natsu was sent flying, crashing into the cave wall with a bang, leaving a spiderweb-like pattern on the stone.

"Ugh, this is so annoying! Are there any other interesting moves?"

Gildarts shook his hand, his tone slightly impatient.

Happy wiped away his cold sweat; his little paws were trembling.

Natsu shouldn't be badly injured, probably.

Natsu broke free from the wall, and rubble rained down.

After he landed, flames erupted in his hands, which he clasped together, his magic compressing wildly in his palms.

[Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame]

A massive fireball took shape in his hand, larger than Natsu himself, its flames churning and radiating a scorching light.

Gildarts, facing the enormous fireball, still simply raised his hand and smashed it down.

The fireball shattered into pieces, splitting open from the middle, with flame fragments flying in all directions and scattering all over the ground.

But the moment he raised his hand to block the fireball, his vision was obstructed.

By the time he could see Natsu's figure clearly, the flames on Natsu's arms had turned crimson red, so intense it looked like they were about to drip blood.

[Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade]

Crimson flames, mixed with continuous explosions, transformed into a firestorm that crashed towards Gildarts.

Happy wiggled his short legs and ran behind a big rock to hide, his ears pressed tightly against his head.

"Don't let this affect me."

Gildarts's expression turned slightly serious.

He smiled slightly and took a deep breath.

"Since you're working so hard, I'll get a little serious too!"

[Complete Crushing]

The entire cave was trembling.

Cracks spread across the stone wall like a spider web, and loose stones fell from the cave ceiling.

Even the people in the other caves could feel the tremor and looked in the direction from which it came.

Happy hugged his head tightly, curling up into a ball, afraid of being caught in the crossfire and crushed into dust.

When the light faded, the flames had long since died out, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

A neat trench was shattered in front of Gildarts, stretching from his feet all the way into the depths of the cave, the cut surface as smooth as if it had been sliced by a knife.

Natsu was nowhere to be found either.

Happy opened his eyes wide, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

"You destroyed Natsu too?!"

Gildarts scratched his head, looked at his hand, and then at the furrow.

"It seems so."

A bunch of mini Natsus fell from the sky, landing on the ground with a clatter, densely packed, numbering at least several dozen.

After landing, Mini Natsu looked at each other.

There are many versions of me.

"Became smaller than Happy."

With so many of them, we'll have a better chance of defeating Gildarts!

The mini- Natsu's eyes lit up, and they all pounced on Gildarts.

"Charge! Defeat Gildarts!"

Each mini- Natsu unleashed Dragon Slayer Magic, sending small fireballs hurtling towards Gildarts from all directions.

There were also a few who were clinging to Gildarts's legs, nibbling and biting, their teeth grinding loudly.

Gildarts' temples throbbed, and his lips twitched.

With a flick of his cloak, magic swept through, restoring Natsu to his original state.

With a "poof," all the mini- Natsu merged into one, Natsu plopped down on the ground, completely disoriented.

Gildarts felt that was enough; it was time to bring this assessment to a close.

Natsu's strength is now sufficient to qualify him for S-Class; both his magical power and combat skills have reached that threshold.

The rest...

Gildarts's eyes sharpened, a glint of brilliance flashing in his pupils.

He no longer concealed his magic power, and an immense sense of oppression poured out, crushing towards Natsu as if it were a tangible force.

The air in the cave seemed to freeze instantly.

"This sense of pressure is exactly what you're lacking right now."

Gildarts' voice was deep and powerful, each word carrying weight.

"If you want to reach the pinnacle of magic, you must understand this. Admit defeat, Natsu."

Natsu was pinned to the ground, his hands braced on the floor, the muscles in his arms trembling.

He felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his back, making it difficult to breathe.

I felt as if I were in the deep sea, surrounded by endless darkness and water pressure, and every breath felt like a struggle.

This suffocating feeling—is this Gildarts' true power?

This is completely different from the usual carefree Gildarts.

Natsu gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but he was completely unable to move.

"I surrender..."

Gildarts' lips curled into a slight smile, and the oppressive aura instantly dissipated.

He stepped forward, reached out, and helped Natsu up from the ground.

"Fear is not a sin. Feeling fear is proof of recognizing one's own weakness."

"Only by recognizing one's own weaknesses can one become stronger and gentler."

"These are the essential qualifications to become an S-class mage. You have grasped this point; you are qualified."