When the first Frost Chestnut exploded in Natsu's hand, a shower of chestnuts fell in the guild.
The charred bits of shell hit the table, the wine glass, and Macao's hat. The innermost piece of chestnut meat lingered against the ceiling for a moment before falling into Wakaba's pipe with a soft thud.
The hall fell silent.
Natsu, still in his fire-breathing pose, said, "The fire's a bit too big."
Gray wiped the chestnut paste off his face. "You call this a little bit?"
"At least it's ripe!"
"The ceiling is the one that's cooked!"
The two women lunged at each other across the brazier. Elfman quickly protected the basket of chestnuts, while Lisanna retreated with the empty plate in her hand, her movements so practiced it was heartbreaking.
Mira grabbed the tablecloth and shook it, swirling all the flying shell fragments back into Natsu's face.
"Go outside and bake!"
"The president just said the same thing," Lin Yuan reminded him.
"So why is he still inside?"
Makarov sat at the bar, veins bulging on his forehead. His hand rapidly enlarged above Natsu and Gray's heads, slamming them both into the floor with a single blow.
"Because nobody listens!"
Ten minutes later, three braziers appeared in the open space behind the guild.
Lisanna used a knife to make a cross-shaped cut on the chestnut shells, while Elfman poured them into the iron pot. Natsu, deprived of his right to breathe fire directly, could only squat to the side and add firewood to the brazier.
"This is too slow," he complained.
"At least we can eat them." Mira turned the chestnuts over with a wooden spatula.
"Mine is edible too."
"Eat the one on the ceiling first."
Lin Yuan sat on the steps, peeling a roasted chestnut, but his gaze fell on Natsu.
The punch he received in the Frozen Rock Mountain still bothered him somewhat.
His attacks almost always require getting close to the target. Zero-Distance Crushing Fist can save the time of getting close, but it still requires positioning; it is very useful when breaking True Magic circles and destroying barriers, but it is not direct enough when facing enemies who are rushing in from different directions at the same time.
Natsu clearly doesn't have this problem.
He can use his fists, feet, and flames, and he can also exhale magic from his mouth in one breath. The difference seems to lie not in the magic itself, but in the way it is released.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Natsu asked warily, protecting the chestnut he had just picked up.
"Use your roar once."
"Now?"
Natsu glanced at the brazier, then at the guild wall behind him, and his eyes lit up. "So you finally want to fight me?"
"I want to see True Magic."
"You can see it more clearly when you're shooting!"
He kicked the firewood away, flames already engulfing his fists. Makarov's cane flew out of the window and struck him squarely on the back of the head.
"Let's go to the riverbank!"
Natsu covered his head, but laughed even harder, "Did you hear that? The guild master agreed!"
"He only agrees to you staying away from the guild," Gray said.
Finally, half the guild followed them to the riverbank.
No one wants to miss it.
Erza brought a bundle of warning rope and drove the onlookers upwind. Lisanna and Elfman originally wanted to come along, but she arranged for them to watch the brazier at the guild. Before leaving, Mira counted the chestnuts in the basket and placed a note on top that read, " Natsu is not allowed to steal any."
In early winter, the water level was low, and the exposed rocky beach stretched all the way to the opposite bank. Makarov chose a rock face away from the bridge and houses, and after confirming that there was no road behind him, he tapped the ground with his cane.
"Only hit that rock. Anyone who dares to change direction will have their entire month's mission reward deducted."
Natsu stood behind the white line and took a deep breath.
The flames did not appear immediately.
He inhaled the surrounding heat, his chest and abdomen rising and falling slightly with each breath. Then, crimson magic surged from his throat, gathering into a ball of increasingly bright flame before his lips.
"The fire dragon--"
The space in Lin Yuan's eyes then unfolded.
He saw more than just fire.
Natsu directed the magic power scattered throughout his body toward a single outlet, then used inhalation, posture, and a brief charge to control its direction. As the flames left his body, they rapidly expanded, transforming the power that had previously only covered his front into a torrent rushing into the distance.
"Roar!"
The pillar of fire roared across the riverbank and crashed head-on into the rocks.
Rock fragments and sparks shot into the air. Gray immediately erected an ice wall to block the remaining shockwaves heading towards the group. When the dust settled, only the charred base of the rock, which was taller than a person, remained.
Natsu turned around, flashing a smug grin. "How about that?"
"One more time."
"You think it doesn't require magic?"
I can buy you lunch.
"Make a deal!"
Natsu immediately ran behind the white line and stood back in position. This time, Lin Yuan didn't just look at the flames, but focused on the sequence of his breathing, charging up, and gathering of magic power.
The first time was when I saw the result.
The second time, he finally saw what happened.
Flames are merely a manifestation of Natsu's magic. What truly makes the roar real is concentrating all of Natsu's power into a single point and then releasing it in a fixed direction.
Natsu was able to do it because Dragon Slayer Magic inherently includes this type of application.
What about the God Slayer Magic?
Lin Yuan opened his palm. Black and silver magic flowed between his fingers, like a space crease that had been compressed to an extremely narrow width.
He can imbue his fists with magic, and also spread it along the ground and walls. Therefore, it should also be able to be released from another location.
In the distance, Natsu inhaled again, a flame flickering in front of his lips.
Lin Yuan stared at the gradually expanding flame and said softly:
"I probably will too."