Chapter 21: No Time to Lament Natsu's Defeat, Next Up is Laxus!
Hey! There's a fight going on outside?"
"Hahaha, excitement so early in the morning?"
"Front row seats, popcorn, and beer!"
Outside the Fairy Tail guild, a crowd of members had gathered to watch the show. It's safe to say that enjoying a good fight was ingrained in the bones of Fairy Tail members...
"Looks like Natsu's fighting someone?"
"That little girl fighting him is new to the guild, right?"
"Yeah, I think her name's Erza."
"Natsu's no slouch, though!"
The guild members seemed to favor Natsu. Despite his young age, Natsu's strength—alongside Gray's—was well-known, rivaling even the grown-up wizards in the guild...
"Alright, folks! No more small talk, let's open the bets!"
"Who do you think's gonna win this one?!"
With Master Makarov absent, Ian, the only S-class wizard in the guild, took over as the bookie. The ever-scheming Ian quietly manipulated the odds, always ensuring he'd come out on top.
"There's no way Natsu will lose!"
"Five thousand jewels on Natsu!"
"Come on, Natsu, don't embarrass us!"
"Ten thousand on Natsu!"
"Five thousand jewels on Natsu!"
"Three thousand on Natsu!"
"One more with ten thousand on Natsu!"
As soon as Ian spoke, the long-time gambling veterans of Fairy Tail quickly brought out their hard-earned cash, hoping for a big win with this bet.
"I'll put one hundred thousand on Erza!"
Cana, holding tarot cards in one hand and a divination chart in the other, made her bet after consulting the signs. Every reading pointed to Erza as the winner, so she went all in.
(Although the money she used was borrowed from Ian...)
"Cana, aren't you afraid of losing?"
"Looks like she's still too young..."
Macao and Wakaba, two of Fairy Tail's seasoned middle-tier wizards, shook their heads while puffing on cigars. Despite Cana's potential as a promising up-and-comer in the guild, when it came to gambling, she was still too green.
"Heh, just wait and see when you hand over all your mission earnings for me to buy drinks!" Cana smirked. She had been running low on alcohol money anyway.
As the bets were placed, the showdown between Natsu and Erza was just about to kick off.
Boom!
Outside the guild doors, Natsu's body was suddenly engulfed in a blazing inferno. The intense heat made Macao, who also used fire magic, raise an eyebrow. "As expected from a Dragon Slayer wizard, using the lost magic said to be developed by ancient humans specifically for battling dragons—Dragon Slayer Magic!"
"Dragon Slayer magic has the upper hand in its own element, no doubt about it. Even I'd struggle to produce flames of this magnitude, and Natsu's only around ten years old. His future potential is limitless. Looks like he's got this in the bag."
At that moment, Macao was confident, already imagining his upcoming victory and a hefty payout.
"You're a Dragon Slayer wizard?"
Erza looked at the flames Natsu had conjured, a flicker of realization crossing her face.
Natsu, catching Erza's reaction, grinned broadly, clearly misinterpreting her. "Hahaha, are you scared now? That's right, my Dragon Slayer magic was taught to me by my father, Igneel!"
"Igneel is a real fire dragon!"
"Fire Dragon King Igneel, huh?"
Ian crossed his arms, listening as Natsu mentioned Igneel's name. It reminded Ian of a certain "Flame God Dragon" Ignia, who was the biological son of Igneel—and someone Ian had personally tormented using his Dragon Manipulation Secret Art.
At this moment, Igneel resided quietly within Natsu, watching the world through his son's eyes, waiting for the right moment to gather strength for the ultimate battle with the Black Dragon, Acnologia.
"Hmph, Dragon Slayer magic, huh?"
"Too bad, I specialize in taking down Dragon Slayers..."
With a smirk, Erza shifted her stance. A brilliant scarlet magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
"Requip! Flame Empress Armor..."
In a dazzling display of magic, Erza changed her outfit. She now wore a deep red armor designed to counter intense fire attacks, and her once single ponytail had transformed into cute twin-tails.
"Oooooh!!"
The members of Fairy Tail gasped in awe, as Erza's display of power exceeded their expectations.
But that wasn't all...
"Enhance: Dragon Slayer!"
Erza infused her weapon with the essence of "Dragon Slayer," imbuing her sword with the power to hunt dragons. This was a skill that only high-level Enchantment wizards could pull off.
Now, the sword in Erza's hand burned with fire, but it wasn't ordinary fire—it was a weapon forged to slay dragons.
"Fire, huh?"
"So you're also a fire wizard?"
At this point, Natsu still hadn't realized the danger he was in. Seeing Erza's armor emit flames, he chuckled, ready to devour the fire.
"Using fire against fire?"
"It's clear that this girl Erza is doomed to lose."
"Yeah, that's right!"
"Natsu's the natural enemy of all fire wizards."
The members of Fairy Tail were still confident, unaware of what was about to unfold. After all, everyone knew that Dragon Slayer magic had a natural advantage over its own element. It was common knowledge in the magical world.
"No... Natsu is done for..."
Suddenly, a voice emerged from the crowd, contradicting everyone's beliefs.
Accompanied by a soft crackling of thunder, a figure bathed in golden lightning stepped forward.
"Laxus, so you're here?"
The crowd turned to see Laxus, surprised to see him interested in the fight. Usually, he wasn't one for these kinds of scuffles.
"Can't you see it?"
"That red-haired girl and Natsu aren't on the same level."
"Natsu is going to get one-shotted."
Laxus approached Ian and tossed him ten thousand jewels. "I'm betting ten thousand that the redhead knocks out Natsu in one hit."
"Haha, Laxus, you've got a sharp eye~"
Ian grinned. He was glad to hear Laxus praise Erza, wanting everyone to shower her with compliments.
"I'm coming!"
Natsu yelled as he charged at Erza, his fists ablaze. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!!"
A red magic circle bearing the image of a dragon's head appeared, and flames surged toward Erza.
"One hit."
Erza calmly sheathed her flaming sword and closed her eyes. As Natsu drew near, she swiftly crouched and unsheathed her sword in a flash, striking him down.
Boom!
A red blur zipped across the battlefield, and Natsu lay on the ground, foaming at the mouth and rolling his eyes back in defeat.
"What just happened?"
"Looks like Natsu lost..."
The crowd stood stunned, unable to believe what had just occurred.
"My money! It's all gone!!"
The next sounds to be heard were the agonized cries of the losing gamblers.
The Fairy Tail Gambling Management Bureau reminds you: "Small bets for fun, big bets ruin lives! Going all-in will send you straight to the rooftop!"
"She switched to the blunt side of her sword as Natsu got close and knocked him out with sheer force..."
Laxus muttered to himself, having figured out the secret to Erza's victory.
The fire had nothing to do with it at all.
"Fath—"
"I mean, Uncle Ian, how did I do?"
"Wasn't I amazing?"
Erza approached Ian, her eyes gleaming with excitement, practically begging for praise.
"My little Erza is the best in the world! You were perfect..."
Ian ignored the flames covering Erza's body and gave her a big hug.
For Ian, a little fire didn't bother him at all.
"Laxus is already here, how about you give it a shot?"
Ian stood up, patting Laxus on the shoulder with a grin.
With Laxus's current strength, he was the closest member to becoming an S-class wizard in Fairy Tail. If he were in any other guild, he'd already be one...
"I was thinking the same thing!"
Laxus said as bolts of lightning sparked around him.
"Heh..."
"Another Dragon Slayer?"
Still riding high on Ian's praise, Erza turned her attention to Laxus. Her brow furrowed as she quickly analyzed the magical essence he'd been hiding.
"I specialize in slaying dragons!"
Erza smiled and shifted back into her usual knight attire.
No one understood how to deal with Dragon Slayer wizards better than Erza. After all, her own mother was the mother of all Dragon Slayers!
In that moment, a tense standoff formed between Erza and Laxus.
"For some reason..."
"That guy is really annoying."
Both Erza and Laxus furrowed their brows simultaneously, each feeling an odd premonition...
The person standing before them would become their biggest obstacle on future guild missions.
"Another fight's about to start!"
"And this time, it's Laxus!"
As the tension between Erza and Laxus grew, the crowd's excitement was reignited.
"No time to mourn Natsu's defeat..."
"Next up is the S-class hopeful, Laxus!"
"Place your bets, folks! Will it be Laxus or Erza who wins? It all comes down to this!"
Ian shouted, stirring the crowd into a frenzy once more.
"As if I'll lose again!"
"Laxus won't lose—if he does, this is rigged!"
"Seriously! I can't even imagine Laxus losing to a newcomer."
The excitement ramped up once more as the crowd eagerly placed their bets...
Meanwhile, Natsu lay on the ground, foaming at the mouth, ignored by everyone.
Thus, a world where only Natsu was hurt was born!
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