"Don't jump to conclusions! You haven't tasted my flames yet!!"
Natsu bristled at Totomaru's words and puffed out his cheeks at him.
"Fire..."
"I told you, flames don't work on me."
Totomaru showed no concern as he watched Natsu.
"Spit!"
Natsu's sudden move caught Totomaru completely off guard.
"Hahahahaha!!" Natsu burst out laughing when his spit hit Totomaru squarely.
Chapter 52: Juvia
Totomaru fell silent for a moment, then erupted in anger. "You tricked me!! Orange fire!!"
"Fire magic is a piece of cake for me! Let's see what this one tastes like!!" Natsu watched the approaching orange flames with complete confidence, utterly unconcerned.
But a moment later, Natsu regretted it. Engulfed in the flames, he began streaming tears.
"What is this stuff?! Why does it stink so much?! My nose!!!!"
"Hahaha! These flames stink to high heaven! Enjoy your meal! Haha!" Seeing Natsu suffer put Totomaru in a wonderful mood.
"You'll pay for this!!" Natsu broke free of the flames and threw a punch at Totomaru.
"Giving up on magic and fighting hand to hand?" Totomaru dodged Natsu's fist and said calmly, "You think that'll work? Even without magic, I still have the advantage."
Totomaru drew the longsword from his back and fought Natsu. They traded blows, and although they seemed evenly matched, Totomaru gradually gained the upper hand thanks to his weapon.
Whoosh!! Natsu closed in on Totomaru again, fierce flames blazing around his right hand.
"You really are brainless!!" Totomaru mocked Natsu, then took control of the flames and turned them against him.
Boom! This time, however, Totomaru had miscalculated. Just as Natsu's blow turned toward himself, the flames suddenly swelled, engulfing Totomaru beside him in a deafening blast.
"This guy!!!"
Totomaru stared at Natsu angrily.
"Heh-heh." Natsu gave him a provocative grin.
Outside, the Magic Giant raised its claws and slowly traced characters in the air.
"What is that?"
"Writing?"
"A magic circle!! This giant is a Mage itself!!" Cana shouted.
"How is that possible?!"
Everyone was shocked by Cana's words. Lucy covered her mouth and said, "That magic circle... Purgatory Shatter... I've read about it. If it activates, it could destroy everything as far as Cardia Cathedral."
"Damn it!!"
"How long does it take to cast that spell?!"
"About ten minutes... We have to destroy its power source." Mira held a hand to her chest as she watched the Magic Giant draw its magic circle.
"Let's go, Elfman!!"
Hearing Mira's words, Gray called to Elfman beside him.
"A real man has to stop it!!"
Elfman followed Gray at once.
"Hey... Wait for me! I'm coming too!!" Seeing Gray and Elfman charge ahead, Lucy hurried after them.
"Lucy!" Everyone cried out when they saw her run forward.
"Lucy, you can't go."
The two Lisannas grabbed Lucy, refusing to let her take another step.
"Let me go! I want to fight with everyone! They're all risking their lives because of me!" Lucy shouted as she struggled to free herself.
"That's not true, Lucy." Mira walked up to Lucy and spoke gently. "None of us thinks that. We're doing this to protect our friends, our guild, and you. Everyone is proud of that."
"..."
"So you need to listen to me... Snap."
With that, Mira waved a hand in front of Lucy's face, sending her to sleep. Then she turned to Reedus. "Reedus, help me take Lucy somewhere safe."
"All right." Reedus quickly drew a carriage, then took Mira and Lucy away in it.
Boom!!
Flames blazed around Natsu's right hand again. This time, however, Totomaru had learned his lesson. Instead of approaching Natsu, he kept his distance.
"I won't fall for that again!!"
Totomaru shouted and reached out to control Natsu's flames, only to freeze in shock. He could no longer take control of them.
"These are my flames!! Keep your hands off them!!!" Natsu roared, hurling a punch at Totomaru.
"Fire Dragon's iron fist!!"
With a boom, Natsu's iron fist struck the stunned Totomaru squarely, sending him crashing into the wall and knocking him unconscious.
"Nice work, Natsu!"
Seeing Natsu finish the fight, Happy flew over and praised him.
"Now let's hurry and find Jose! We'll get revenge for the old man!"
"Aye!!"
Looking at the frozen claws, Xi Feng frowned. He hadn't expected his slash to fail to cut through the Magic Giant. It seemed he would still have to defeat the Element 4.
"But Natsu and the others should be able to handle the Element 4, so I'll go straight to Jose."
Xi Feng looked toward the Magic Giant's head, his gaze sharpening, and leaped upward.
Splash, splash, splash...
Just then, rain suddenly began falling from the sky.
"Hm?" Xi Feng paused briefly as he looked at the rain.
"Drip, drip... That's right. Juvia is the Rain Woman, one of the Element 4."
Xi Feng heard a woman's voice. Turning, he saw a woman with wavy blue hair dressed in blue, with a cute little sunshine doll on her chest.
Juvia? How did I end up running into her? Xi Feng looked at Juvia, feeling rather puzzled.
"..." Seeing Xi Feng staring at her, Juvia blushed slightly and turned away. "Then... J-Juvia... loses..."
"..." Xi Feng was speechless, unsure what to say.
Hah... What's happening to Juvia? Why is her heart pounding so fast? Juvia clutched her chest, her head growing hot.
No!! Juvia has to make him hers! At that thought, Juvia spun around and swept a hand toward Xi Feng, sending a stream of water rushing at him.
"Water lock!"
Crack...
But as the water approached Xi Feng, Hyōrinmaru's presence caused it to freeze solid.
He's incredible. He can release his magic power at any moment, and it's ice magic, too. This... This means he's Juvia's destined one. Juvia gazed at Xi Feng, her large, watery eyes sparkling.
"..." Seeing Juvia's expression, Xi Feng knew she was lovestruck. He shook his head. "I don't have time to waste with you. Freeze."
Without any warning, Juvia was frozen in an instant.
Juvia was defeated so easily. He's really amazing. But he's leaving. What a shame. Juvia watched Xi Feng dejectedly.
"Your sunshine doll is cute." Seemingly noticing Juvia's dejected expression, Xi Feng offered that quiet remark before turning to leave.
"You'll thaw out in an hour."
Thump... Hearing Xi Feng's words, Juvia felt her heart race.
"..." But after taking only a few steps, Xi Feng glanced up at the sky and raised Hyōrinmaru. Juvia watched him in confusion.
The next moment, Juvia saw something she had never seen in her entire life: blue skies, white clouds, and the sun.
"So this is a blue sky. It's beautiful..." Still encased in ice, Juvia gazed up at the sky as a tear slipped down her face.
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