Chapter 26: Inferno of Flames!

"Soul Extinction!"

A massive surge of dark magic erupted from Mirajane's hands, enveloping Alex in a sea of darkness.

On the Fairy Tail ship at the shore, Makarov's magic crystal, used to observe the situation on the island, suddenly filled with static.

"Hmm? Is the magic interfering with the image collection?" Makarov mused, staring at the crystal.

"Huff… huff, did we get him?" Mirajane panted heavily, watching the smoke-filled scene before her.

Erza approached and said, "Even Alex should be hurt after being hit by such powerful magic."

"Who knows?" Mirajane shook her head. She hadn't seen Alex's full power, but even his physical strength alone was overwhelming.

"Where does he get that monstrous strength from?" Erza rubbed her wrist, still aching from their earlier clash.

In this world, few could achieve Alex's level of destructive power with just physical techniques. Otherwise, the world wouldn't be dominated by wizards; after all, wizards were a minority compared to ordinary people.

Ordinary people could only become stronger through physical training, like the mercenaries. But few mercenaries could truly rival wizards.

As the smoke cleared, Alex appeared, his clothes tattered but otherwise unharmed.

"No way! How is this possible? That was my full power," Mirajane stared at Alex in disbelief.

"Oh my, that really hurt, Mira!" Alex rubbed his face, which was swollen and red. Her attack had struck him squarely.

He looked down at his shredded shirt, the tattered fabric fluttering in the wind. "This shirt was expensive, Mira. You'll have to compensate me."

Mirajane's face flushed with anger. "Compensate my foot!"

"Want me to compensate for your pants too?" Erza bit her lip, her teeth gritted.

Alex suddenly felt a strange sensation wash over him. He looked around, puzzled. "Huh, where is this weird feeling coming from?"

Unable to figure it out, he decided to ignore it. Nearly an hour had passed, and by now, Erza and Mirajane had proven they were qualified to be S-Class wizards.

Even though Alex had been holding back, Makarov wouldn't mind. He had seen their performance.

But rules were rules. Alex wanted Erza and Mirajane to truly understand the harshness of the S-Class trials.

He tore off the remnants of his shirt, revealing a body with defined muscles and a perfect golden ratio. It was neither overly muscular nor skinny, just perfectly balanced.

"Mira, be careful. Alex seems to be getting serious," Erza warned as she saw Alex summon his Ryūjin Jakka again.

A powerful magic aura began to emanate from Alex, indicating he was ready to go all out.

Noticing the lack of response, Erza turned and saw Mirajane blushing, her usually wild expression softened as she glanced shyly at Alex.

Erza's face darkened. Even she wasn't in the mood to look, and yet Mirajane was ogling him?

Erza, increasingly annoyed with Mirajane, stepped in front of her, blocking her view. When Mirajane tried to look around, Erza grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously.

"Mira? What are you doing? Snap out of it!" Erza shook Mirajane hard.

"Stop, stop! What are you doing, you rigid woman?" Mirajane, disoriented, snapped back.

"What's wrong? Alex is the enemy right now. What are you thinking?" Erza shouted, pointing at Alex.

Alex, unable to hear their conversation from a distance, saw them bickering and sighed. "Can you stop arguing at a time like this?"

His shout interrupted their quarrel.

Mirajane glared at Erza. "Let's get through this first, then we'll talk."

Alex continued, "There are only a few minutes left in the 24-hour period. I'll make my final move. If you withstand it, congratulations, you pass."

Erza's expression grew serious. "Is it coming? The all-consuming flames."

"Mira, Alex is getting serious. Can you handle it?" Erza asked Mirajane.

Although they were rivals, they were also comrades. Because of their constant bickering and fighting, they knew each other better than anyone.

"Ah, I understand." Mirajane's expression gradually grew serious. The pressure emanating from Alex was overwhelming, leaving her with no thoughts for anything else at the moment.

Alex slowly drew his sword, and as the blade emerged, the surrounding temperature began to rise steadily.

A bead of sweat dripped from Mirajane's smooth skin. She keenly observed everything around her—the leaves of trees withered and curled up before igniting in the intense heat, turning into ash that scattered into the air.

"The temperature around here is getting higher and higher," Mirajane remarked to Erza.

"This is Dawn's true magic, which he calls 'Ryūjin Jakka,'" Erza recalled with a solemn tone. "The Guild Master once commented that this is the most extreme flame in existence, akin to the power of the sun."

"If Alex wishes, he could turn Magnolia, a city as massive as this, into a fiery hell in a matter of minutes!"

"Causing millions to perish instantly in flames, and the Guild Master estimates that this power can even escalate to a level capable of destroying the world."

"This magic is strictly prohibited by the Guild Master, which is why Alex often studies other fire magics."

Upon hearing this, Mirajane's forehead began to bead with even more sweat, unsure if it was due to the intense heat or some other reason.

"Are you kidding me? Can human power really reach such an extent?" Mirajane asked earnestly.

Erza shook her head. "Strictly speaking, Dawn may not be considered human anymore, but a monster!"

As Ryūjin Jakka was fully unsheathed by Alex, the temperature in the surroundings had escalated to an unimaginable degree.

Space around them began to distort.

A butterfly fluttering freely in the distance ceased its wing movements. Under the extreme temperature, the butterfly lost its life and fell to the ground, engulfed in flames.

Soon, the flames reduced the butterfly to ashes, leaving only a pile of dust on the ground.

"Reduce All Creation to Ash, Ryūjin Jakka!"

"Boom!"

A massive surge of flames erupted violently from Alex's center, accompanied by a tremendous explosion. Everything around them ignited.

Mirajane had thought the temperature had already peaked, but now it was rapidly escalating.

"What… what exactly is this?" Mirajane exclaimed.

Far away, Laxus, who was idly walking around, looked up at the sky now dyed red once again by the familiar flames and extreme temperatures.

Laxus touched his chest, where there was a scar left by Alex from their last encounter. Despite having healed long ago, it now faintly throbbed.

"Heh, Alex, you've gotten even stronger. Looks like I'll have to work harder, or I might not even catch a glimpse of your back," Laxus resolved with a clenched fist, then left the area, heading towards the seaside.

He knew this place was about to become a fiery hell.

Arriving at the seaside, Makarov anxiously paced back and forth. He kept muttering, "Alex using this level of power won't accidentally kill Erza and Mirajane, will he?"

Beside him, Cana, who had already regained consciousness, stared dumbfoundedly at everything before her. "Hey hey hey, Guild Master, does Alex really want to destroy this island completely?"

Laxus chuckled, "You don't need to worry. Alex has a sense of measure." With that, he paid no further attention to the anxious pair, boarded the ship, found a place to lie down leisurely, but his mind was already contemplating how he could become stronger.

Although she knew Alex would never kill Erza and Mirajane, Cana couldn't act like nothing was happening in such a scene. What if he made a mistake?

In this inferno-like blaze, that was not impossible.

Cana forced herself to calm down, turning her head away. At this moment, she couldn't bear to look in the direction of the battle.

"Guild Master, Guild Master!" Cana reached out, pulling on Makarov's sleeve with wide eyes, pointing towards the sea. "The sea… the sea is boiling..."

Makarov turned to see the sea near the shore bubbling with hot bubbles, fish floating on the surface emitting a fragrant aroma.

"Has his power reached such a point? Even tens of thousands of meters away, his magic can boil the sea?" Makarov wondered aloud.

Erza's pupils were no longer able to see anything but red, everything was flames!

This was the first time she had felt Alex's power up close like this.

In the past, when faced with formidable opponents during missions, Dawn always kept her distance. This time, she finally confronted him directly, but this feeling...

It was like facing the sun!

Alex lightly swung Ryūjin Jakka, flames swirling all around them.

Wave after wave of heat washed over them.

"Ryūjin Jakka, Torch! (Taimatsu!)"

With Alex's words, a gigantic flaming tornado completely engulfed them, its flames reaching up into the sky.

It scattered the dark clouds in the sky, as if even the heavens could not stop it!