Dragon Slaying and God Slaying

Natsu was surrounded by a scattering of soldiers lying haphazardly on the ground.

He raised his head and let out a long roar.

"Not a single one who can fight!?"

The minions of the Grimoire Heart trembled and took a half-step back.

They could barely hold onto their weapons; the pink-haired Dragon Slayer in front of them was a monster, having taken down over twenty people without even breaking a sweat.

Zancrow swaggered over, mimicking Gao Qisheng's gait, his shoulders swaying, his chin held high, exuding an arrogant "I'm the best in the world" vibe.

"A bunch of useless trash, you can't even take down Dragon Slayer, get lost!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers felt as if they had been granted a pardon and retreated in a chaotic mass, wishing they had two more legs.

Finally, we don't have to fight this monster anymore. Let whoever wants to fight it do it.

I don't know which clueless scumbag muttered something during the retreat.

"Great! The mages from Fairy Tail are too strong; we can't beat them at all."

The sound wasn't loud, but Zancrow had very sharp ears.

He paused, his eyes sweeping across the area, his gaze fixed on the henchman like a knife.

What were you just talking about?

The soldiers trembled at that look and obediently repeated what they had just said, with an expression that seemed perfectly natural.

They didn't think it was anything shameful; Fairy Tail mages were indeed strong, and if they couldn't beat them, they simply couldn't beat them.

Zancrow's expression gradually darkened.

In his heart, Hades was the god of the present world, Grimoire Heart was the strongest guild in the world, without exception.

Now, his own underlings are actually praising another guild to his face?

This is even more painful than slapping him in the face.

"Ha?"

Zancrow flicked his right hand, and a ball of black flame shot out without warning.

The flames landed on the pile of soldiers and exploded instantly, black flames surging, and several soldiers were engulfed before they could even scream.

"You mere trash, yet you dare to fear a mere Dragon Slayer! What use are you!"

Natsu and Happy both widened their eyes in surprise.

Happy forgot to flap his wings and almost fell from mid-air.

Natsu's mouth was agape; he didn't immediately realize what he was seeing.

Wasn't that person who burned one of their own? Right? Not an enemy, right?

It took him a while to confirm this fact.

"What are you doing?! How could you treat your companion like this?!"

Natsu's voice was filled with genuine anger.

Zancrow turned around, his face full of disdain. He spread his hands, his tone full of arrogant self-righteousness.

"There is no stronger guild in the world than Grimoire Heart. Grimoire Heart has no place for the weak."

After saying that, he threw his head back and burst into laughter, the sharp, piercing sound echoing through the woods.

His mental state, how should I put it, was so beautiful that it made you want to stay away from him.

Natsu clenched his fists.

"We don't need the weak?"

"Yes, waste should be cleaned up."

"People like you..."

Natsu took a deep breath, sparks flying from his mouth.

He didn't want to waste his breath; reasoning with this kind of person was a complete waste of time.

"I'll let you talk all you want!"

He suddenly opened his mouth and unleashed a fiery roar.

"The Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A blazing pillar of fire tore through the air, the temperature so high that the surrounding vegetation instantly withered, and the orange-red flames surged and swept towards Zancrow.

Zancrow stood motionless.

The moment the flames reached him, he opened his mouth.

Like slurping noodles, it swallowed the entire ball of fire, enough to burn down a street, completely consuming it. Not a single wisp was left.

He licked his lips, a look of enjoyment on his face.

"It tastes good."

Natsu was taken aback.

This guy can eat fire?

"Feel the flames of a god, surpassing even dragons!"

Zancrow took a deep breath, his chest bulged, and a black light surged from deep within his throat.

[The Fire God's Bellow]

A jet-black pillar of fire, a full circle larger than Natsu's previous flames, carrying an oppressive, suffocating aura, hurtled towards Natsu.

Natsu smirked.

Eating fire? Anyone can do that.

He opened his mouth wide, aimed at the oncoming black flames, and took a bite.

However.

The moment the flame entered his mouth, Natsu's expression changed.

It's not hot.

It hurts.

The pain burned from my mouth all the way down my throat and then spread to my internal organs.

The black flames were not absorbed by him; instead, they rampaged through his body, scorching every inch of the surface they touched.

"Whoa!"

Natsu was blasted away by the black flames, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop.

He knelt on the ground, panting heavily, the remaining black flames on his body still sizzling.

This was the first time in a long time that Natsu had experienced the feeling of being burned by flames.

"I... I can't swallow this flame."

Happy flew to his side, waving his paws frantically.

Natsu! Are you alright?

"What kind of ghost fire is this...?"

Even Happy was surprised.

Having been with Natsu for so long, it had never seen any kind of flame that could harm Natsu.

Fire is food to Natsu; how can food turn around and bite?

Zancrow was overjoyed to see Natsu's disheveled state.

He strode closer with an air of indifference, looking down at Natsu was kneeling on the ground.

Are you curious?

He opened his palm, and a ball of black flame burned quietly in his hand.

"You Dragon Slayer can only devour the flames of dragons. But my flames are the flames of a god; they are black, completely unlike the garbage you've eaten before."

Zancrow played with the black flame in his palm, his tone full of smugness, and he deliberately emphasized the word "god" when he said it.

"I can absorb your dragon fire to become stronger, but you are powerless against my divine fire. There is an insurmountable gap between us!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes burning with a fanatical adoration for Hades.

"Lord Hades is the god of this world! This flame of mine is a power bestowed upon me by the god! Dragon Slayer? Haha, what are dragons before the god!"

Natsu got up from the ground, his eyes showing no fear, only an ever-growing fighting spirit.

What are you saying in gibberish!?

Flames reignited on Natsu's fists, and with a powerful leap, he transformed into a red blur, charging towards Zancrow in a single bound.

A fist wreathed in flames slammed into Zancrow's face with a whooshing sound.

Zancrow raised his arm and steadily blocked the punch.

Flames exploded on his arm, but he didn't even flinch.

[The Fire God's Exploding Flame]

He swung a backhand punch at Natsu's stomach.

Black flames exploded on his fist, the impact bending Natsu into a bent-over shape.

Natsu gritted his teeth, stubbornly refusing to let himself fly away, and instead gripped Zancrow's shoulder tightly.

[The Fire Dragon's Sword Horn]

He raised his leg, his knee engulfed in flames, and slammed it hard into Zancrow's abdomen.

Bang!

That hit him squarely.

But Zancrow showed no sign of pain; in fact, he even had a smile on his face, as if someone else had taken the knee.

"It's useless."

[The Fire God's Hammer]

He clasped his hands together, and black flames condensed wildly between his palms, instantly forming a huge black flame hammer.

The hammer was raised above his head and brought down with the force of Mount Tai crashing down.

Natsu had no time to dodge and was sent flying.

He tumbled several times in the air, crashed heavily to the ground, and rolled a long way away.

The black flames clung to him like maggots, impossible to shake off or extinguish, continuously burning his skin.

"Ouch!"

Natsu howled in pain, rolling around on the ground, trying to extinguish the black flames.

But the fire burned brighter and brighter, and the pain brought tears to his eyes.

Happy was pacing anxiously nearby.

"Natsu! Use water! Use soil! Anything will do!"

"No! I must swallow it!"

Natsu gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and opened his mouth again, swallowing the ball of black flame whole.

He refused to believe in such superstitions.

Fire is fire, why can't it be consumed?

However, problems arose after the black flames entered the body.

Natsu already possessed the fire of Fire Dragon within his body, and the two flames immediately began to clash upon contact.

Dragon flames and black flames clashed fiercely within his body, and the intense rejection reaction made Natsu feel as if he were being torn apart from the inside.

"Waaah..."

He clutched his stomach, veins bulging on his forehead, and large beads of sweat dripping down his face.

Just then...

A wisp of blue flame quietly appeared inside Natsu's body.

It wasn't as violent as Dragon Flame, nor as domineering as Divine Fire; it simply and quietly squeezed into the melee between the two flames.