Natsu's Flames

"Why is this thing so hard to deal with? Roar of the Fire Dragon!" Deep within the forest, Natsu, Lisanna, and Elfman were battling a massive Tiger Beast.

"Roar!" The Demon Beast let out an angry howl and charged at Natsu.

"Animal Takeover—Flying Bird!" "Arm Takeover—Iron Bull!" Lisanna and Elfman attacked from either side, aiming for the Demon Beast's more vulnerable belly.

The next second, the Demon Beast abruptly stopped and stepped back, causing Lisanna and Elfman to crash into each other. While the two were still recovering, it spewed a massive fireball from its mouth.

"Watch out!" Natsu dashed forward and swallowed the entire fireball. "Wing Attack of the Fire Dragon!"

Natsu's flames struck the Demon Beast squarely, but failed to inflict any meaningful damage. Instead, the tickling attack only enraged it further.

Bang! The Demon Beast stomped hard on the ground, and a ring of fiery netting trapped them inside. Its entire body glowed red as it stared at Natsu and the others like an asura.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest.

Mira followed closely behind Feng Lan and asked worriedly, "Feng Lan, is it really okay for us not to look for Lisanna and the others?"

With his left hand resting on the Onikiri at his waist, Feng Lan answered Mira confidently, "Mm, don't worry! I secretly trained Natsu for a while. He's gotten stronger, so it's fine to let him lead Lisanna and Elfman."

Mira asked with a puzzled look, "Secret training? When was that, the day Gildarts came back?"

Feng Lan shook his head. "No. My home isn't far from Natsu's. Every night after dinner, I went over to train with him."

Mira looked at the serious Feng Lan and said nothing more. "All right, I'll trust you this once. But can you really find that Adou? I don't think a Dragon Slayer Mage's nose will be much use here."

Feng Lan touched the Onikiri at his waist and said, "Don't worry. Since that Demon Blade is with Mr. Adou, we just need to follow Onikiri's sensing and find that Demon Blade."

Mira looked at the blue-glowing Onikiri at Feng Lan's waist and still said incredulously, "A sword having its own consciousness... it's still hard to believe."

Feng Lan smiled. "Yeah, I didn't believe it at first either. But Onikiri told me so, which means it's true."

With that, the two headed deeper into the jungle once more.

Back with Natsu.

"Hey, you two, don't push yourselves!" Natsu shouted as he turned to Lisanna and Elfman, who were panting heavily.

Elfman clenched his fists and shouted, "I'm not going down that easily!"

Lisanna also assumed a fighting stance. "I can still fight."

At that moment, the Demon Beast raised its right paw and scratched itself, as though mocking Natsu and the others for their weakness and stupidity.

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Flames ignited around Natsu's right hand as he punched at the Demon Beast. The Demon Beast's left claw also burst into flames as it swiped at Natsu.

Natsu's small body could not withstand the Demon Beast's enormous claw, and he was sent flying in a single blow.

"Natsu!" Lisanna quickly used Flying Bird Takeover and caught him.

"Arm Takeover—Black Bear!" Elfman leaped high into the air and punched the Demon Beast in the head.

The Demon Beast did not budge from that punch. Elfman, on the other hand, clutched his fist and rolled around in pain.

Lisanna and Natsu landed safely on the ground. The three stared at the Demon Beast before them, their eyes tinged with despair.

Natsu muttered softly, "Damn it... If Big Brother Feng Lan were here, we wouldn't be afraid even if there were ten more Demon Beasts like this."

'Natsu, I can't stay by your side forever. There will come a day when I have to leave you, so don't depend on me. Learn to face difficulties on your own. The only one you can rely on is yourself.'

Feng Lan's old words resurfaced in Natsu's mind. The despair left his eyes, replaced by determination. "That's right. I can't keep relying on Big Brother anymore. I'm also a child of dragons, and a mage of Fairy Tail!"

The Demon Beast had clearly lost patience with the children. Dozens of fireballs formed around it and flew toward Natsu and the others all at once.

Natsu took a deep breath and rushed forward, devouring every one of the dozens of fireballs. Then dragon-mark-like cracks appeared on his face, lined with flaming patterns, and his gaze became incomparably cold.

Natsu pressed his palms together, forming an extremely tiny dark sphere between them. He then placed the sphere in his right hand and threw it at the Demon Beast.

Just as the Demon Beast was about to mock Natsu, he clenched his right hand into a fist and roared, "Dharma Flame!"

The dark sphere instantly exploded with scorching flames, tightly engulfing the Demon Beast.

"Roar!" After a miserable howl, the Demon Beast sprang painfully from the flames. It stared at Natsu in confusion, unable to understand how the weak and helpless brat from moments ago could suddenly unleash such powerful flames.

Then Natsu stepped back and clasped his hands tightly together. "Cursed Fire: Burial!"

Dark crimson flames erupted from both sides of the Demon Beast, swallowing it like the gaping jaws of an abyss.

Natsu leaped into the air and gathered an enormous, nearly pitch-black fireball above his head. It radiated an unsettling aura as he hurled it at the Demon Beast. "Demonic Karma Fire!"

The massive fireball burned the Demon Beast once more. When the flames dispersed, it stood there on its last legs, its eyes filled with disbelief and fear. Yet its last shred of pride drove it to charge at Natsu.

At that moment, Natsu's body paused, and his cold gaze softened. But as he watched the utterly weakened Demon Beast charge at him, he had no intention of sparing it. For some reason, though, Natsu's flames had returned to their vivid orange-red color.

"Flame Dragon Dance—First Form!" Natsu spun toward the Demon Beast, his whole body wreathed in flames. After colliding with it, both came to a stop.

"Second Form!" Natsu performed a backflip in midair, concentrating all the flames around his body into his leg before kicking the Demon Beast straight into the air.

"Third Form!" Immediately afterward, Natsu pressed both hands against the Demon Beast. Brilliant scarlet dragon-shaped flames burst from his palms and blasted it away.

This time, the Demon Beast lay on the ground, completely lifeless. Natsu staggered and fell to the ground as well.

Lisanna and Elfman finally came to their senses and hurried over to help Natsu up.

"Natsu, that was amazing!" Lisanna looked at Natsu with admiration.

"Yeah, Natsu has really left me far behind," Elfman said, praising Natsu in astonishment.

Natsu looked at the Demon Beast, its entire body burned and lying dead before him, and wondered in confusion, What was that just now? My consciousness was clearly hazy, yet I killed the Demon Beast... I could feel Igneel's dragon-flame magic, but there was another kind of magic mixed into it—an extremely strange magic.

Back with Feng Lan.

"Huh? Why did you stop walking?" Mira asked curiously as she watched Feng Lan suddenly halt.

Feng Lan smiled. "There's no need to keep going, because... we're already here."

The moment Feng Lan finished speaking, a tall figure stepped out from behind a tree. "How perceptive!"

Without wasting words, Feng Lan drew the Onikiri from his waist. "State your name! You're not Mr. Adou."

"Of course not. My name is Spider Sever, a Demon Blade that has been sealed for a hundred years." The man also drew a crimson blade from his waist and slashed at Feng Lan. "Take this!"

Feng Lan showed no sign of panic. Gripping his sword with both hands, he said softly, "Moon Chant Style—Water Wheel."