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Chapter 123 - Chapter 123: Lesson

Gajeel couldn't understand his current state—he had no idea why just looking at the man in front of him gave him the urge to run.

Sometimes fear drives people to flee at all costs, but for others, fear is nothing more than shame.

Gajeel was the latter. There was no way he could tolerate such a weak emotion within himself.

With a furious roar, Gajeel charged at Charles, who stood there like a god of flames.

"Iron Dragon Sword!"

Fire Dragon Slayer Magic enhances a wizard's power and speed using flames, while Iron Dragon Slayer Magic transforms the caster's body into iron and allows them to manipulate it freely.

Gajeel's arm morphed into a broad blade lined with countless jagged spikes, slashing fiercely toward Charles.

Despite being called a sword, the Iron Dragon Sword's attack was more akin to a chainsaw—it was a savage, brute-force weapon.

But to Charles, Gajeel still looked far too green.

"Too wide, full of openings," Charles said calmly as he stepped forward and casually placed his hand on the blade.

Weapons like broadswords rely on sheer weight to deal damage—even if the edge isn't sharp, they can still be destructive.

But the sword's real force lies in its edge; the body of the blade is the weakest point and must never be allowed into the enemy's control.

In the world Charles came from, this was basic knowledge for anyone wielding a sword-based spiritual armament.

Yet Gajeel, with his headstrong frontal style, exposed every vulnerability to Charles—if Charles didn't take advantage of that, it would've been a waste of such an accommodating opponent.

Charles' hand barely touched the blade and then retracted. Gajeel staggered back with a grimace.

A scorched-red palm print now marked the Iron Dragon Sword, as if it had been seared with a branding iron.

As the sword returned to its arm form, the burn remained—a fresh injury. Gajeel glanced down at it and looked at Charles with wariness.

At the same level, fire and iron don't counter each other. But Charles' flames weren't normal—they were superheated, capable of melting steel.

What's more, Charles had exploited Gajeel's opening in an instant. His combat skills were clearly on another level.

Gajeel began to doubt whether Master Jose's decision to go to war with Fairy Tail had been too hasty.

But right now, Gajeel was more concerned about himself.

Seeing his hesitation, Charles said, "So you're not as thick-headed as you used to be. That's worth some praise. Since you've grown, I'll let you retreat. I won't stop you."

Charles recalled Gajeel as a child—raised by the Iron Dragon, he'd been incredibly stubborn.

Maybe it was a matter of clashing elements, but Gajeel never got along with Charles or Natsu back then.

Natsu and Gajeel had been evenly matched, but Charles had always been the one to properly teach him a lesson. Gajeel, never one to accept defeat, would always come back, snarling and challenging Charles again.

So to Charles, Gajeel had grown—he was at least starting to consider the difference in their strength.

But even if Gajeel had thought about retreating just now, Charles' words made that impossible. No way would he run after just a couple of exchanges and get laughed at.

"Cut the crap! I'm about to smash your face in!" Gajeel growled, his arm turning iron-gray.

Charles shook his head. "I just praised you, and here you go again. But fine—let's relive the old days, shall we?"

Gajeel charged, his arm transforming into a sharp iron lance.

"Enough with the weird talk!"

"Iron Dragon Spear!"

Charles twisted his body, dodging the thrust. Gajeel missed but quickly retracted the spear and spun, delivering a kick with a transformed iron leg.

The iron club struck Charles' raised arm, pushing him back a few steps.

Before Charles' flames could surge up, Gajeel had already pulled back and leveled his spear-formed arm at him again.

"Iron Dragon Spear Barrage!"

The spear fired through a magic circle, piercing the air with an explosive boom. Unlike a normal Iron Dragon Spear, this was a rapid-fire, high-speed attack.

The ground around Charles exploded in an instant—but he had already moved away.

Gajeel caught only a glimpse of fire bursting outward before Charles rocketed toward him like a missile.

Yet Gajeel didn't panic—he grinned.

Charles landed a punch that sent Gajeel flying.

Gajeel's feet dug trenches into the ground as he skidded back. His chest smoked slightly where the punch had landed.

But Gajeel simply brushed it off and stood back up, looking unharmed.

Charles flexed his fingers and said, "Tough one, huh?"

He wasn't complimenting Gajeel without reason—Gajeel had changed.

Now his entire body was covered in iron-gray dragon scales, even his face wrapped in a fine layer of them.

Dragon scales were among the hardest materials in existence—especially Iron Dragon scales.

With that defense, Gajeel's confidence returned. He charged through the flames toward Charles.

"Iron Dragon's Iron Fist!"

His scale-covered fists were heavy and brutal. Gajeel was ready to pound Charles' annoying face into the dirt.

CLANG!

Gajeel's fist slammed into something solid.

To his shock, Charles' arm was now encased in a uniquely designed gauntlet.

The name "Dragonslayer" came from the myth of Siegfried, who gained an indestructible body by bathing in dragon blood. This gauntlet was just as durable as Gajeel's dragon scales.

Gajeel didn't hesitate. He kept swinging, landing blow after blow.

Charles wasn't afraid in the slightest—he met every strike with equally fast punches, matching Gajeel one for one.

The sound of metal clashing echoed like a blacksmith's forge. Charles even thought he heard something strange—

"Ora ora ora ora…!"

"Muda muda muda muda…!"

Charles' moment of distraction didn't go unnoticed, but Gajeel found he couldn't exploit it—their intense exchange left no room to break rhythm.

That made it even harder for Gajeel to accept. In this clash, Charles had begun to overpower him.

Charles could feel the strength in Gajeel's fists waning. He knew Gajeel was reaching his limit.

After all, Gajeel was like a younger brother to him. A thorough beating was enough—he didn't need to go too far.

So Charles slowed his pace, allowing Gajeel to stagger back.

Gajeel looked down at his fists, now glowing red from the heat. The dragon scales were warped and twisted. Their clash had been more like forging metal—and his iron clearly couldn't withstand the process.

He realized even his Iron Dragon scales couldn't block Charles' flames. His strongest advantage—close combat—was now useless.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

As Charles approached, Gajeel unleashed a storm of metal.

The metallic cyclone spun toward Charles with the force to shred anything in its path.

Charles stopped and summoned his own magic circle.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The fiery tornado collided with the storm of steel. Sparks burst into the air—flame fragments and molten metal scattered across the battlefield.

Their roars ended quickly, but the blazing field lingered.

Charles could sense a dangerously powerful magical surge from his opponent.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art, huh? No holding back now."

Smiling, Charles calmly began forming his own technique.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" ×2

"Iron God Sword: Karma of the Demon!"

"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

Both launched their ultimate moves at once. A massive iron sword charged with dark magic cleaved through the sea of fire toward Charles.

But the flaming spiral rose up and blocked the blade completely—no matter how much power Gajeel poured into it, it couldn't break through.

Then, two seconds later, Charles' flames severed the Iron God Sword and blasted Gajeel into the air.

Charles withdrew his magic and dismissed his armament. That one move was enough to make Gajeel behave himself.

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