A blinding arcane light powerful enough to destroy half the arena came crashing down.
The dazzling white light completely swallowed Natsu's figure, and the entire arena trembled slightly.
Many spectators instinctively shut their eyes to avoid the piercing glare.
"Natsu!"
Lucy sat in the stands, crying out anxiously.
Rumble!
A deafening explosion rang through the entire venue.
As the white light slowly faded, the scene at the center of the arena came into view.
The entire arena instantly fell silent, everyone staring in disbelief.
Sting's Dragon Slayer secret technique, into which he had poured all his magic, was actually suspended in midair.
And Natsu had caught that lethal attack steadily with just one right hand.
He did not budge an inch, and the ground beneath his feet remained completely intact, without a single crack.
"Th-That's impossible!"
Everyone in Sabertooth's waiting area stood frozen in stunned silence.
Lector was drenched in cold sweat, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, unable to recover for a long while.
The people in Fairy Tail's stands also wore expressions of utter disbelief.
"He caught a Dragon Slayer secret technique with one hand?"
Gray gave a helpless laugh.
"Just how strong has that monster become?"
At the center of the arena, Natsu grinned at the terrified Sting.
"The power's decent, but you're too slow."
His right hand suddenly exerted force, and he drove a backhand punch viciously into Sting's abdomen.
The immense force blasted Sting back dozens of meters, plowing a deep trench into the ground.
At the same time, Rogue darted out of the shadows again, intending to circle around and ambush Gajeel from behind.
But Natsu reacted faster.
Without even turning around, he flashed forward and instantly blocked Rogue's path.
"Your opponent is me."
Natsu growled, his right hand forming sharp claws as