Chapter 237: Fire and Wind, a Fierce Battle!
"Scared? I'm not like those weaklings," Erigor sneered, floating slowly up from the ground. "I was hoping they'd at least wear you down a bit, but they couldn't even do that. Utterly useless. In the end, I have to do it myself. My power is on a completely different level than theirs."
"We'll see about that! Let's fight!"
Natsu was the first to snap. His fists ignited, and he charged at Erigor. Gray and Erza, seeing Natsu dash off, held back, wanting to gauge Erigor's strength and see if Natsu could win.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Erigor just swiped his left hand in the air and pointed. Natsu was struck by an invisible magic, and his forward momentum was instantly reversed, sending him flying backward.
"Gah! That hurt!"
At the same time, Erigor swiped his hand again. "Storm Wave!"
A powerful cyclone shot out and enveloped the airborne Natsu, spinning him dizzy. Erigor seized the opening, closed the distance instantly, and swung his scythe. "You lose."
But Natsu dodged the seemingly unavoidable blow. He blasted fire from his hands and feet, using the propulsion to twist in mid-air, avoid the scythe, and land safely.
"He used his flames to change direction?!" Erigor watched, stunned, as Natsu took a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's ROAR!"
A torrent of flame blasted at Erigor, forcing him to fly higher into the air to dodge.
"Dammit! He flew up! Get back down here, you coward!" Natsu yelled, furious. He had no way to fight him in the air.
'What is wrong with this guy? This is ridiculous. Is this a Fairy Tail wizard?' Erigor thought, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.
"Hey, Natsu, you done already?" Gray taunted from the sidelines. "If you can't handle him, I'll step in."
"Shut up! I can definitely beat him!" Natsu shot back. "I don't need help from you or Erza!"
Gray and Erza shrugged, happy to save their energy, and stepped to the side to watch.
Erigor's face darkened. This was bad. He was the only one fighting, while Kageyama was busy with the barrier. He was facing five opponents—one was fighting, two (Gray and Erza) were resting after their earlier fight, and two (Noah and Lucy) hadn't even moved. He had to finish this kid, and fast.
"It seems I underestimated you... Time to get serious," Erigor said. "I'll finish you, and then there are four more waiting."
"I'm all fired up!" Natsu grinned, sensing his opponent's shift in power.
"Storm Mail!"
Wind gathered around Erigor, wrapping him in a swirling vortex of air until his body was completely obscured.
"Whoa!" Natsu watched, amazed.
"I'm coming," Erigor's voice echoed from within the storm. He dropped from the sky, trying to stomp on Natsu. Natsu dodged and countered. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Erigor simply held up one hand and blocked the flaming punch. The swirling wind around his arm instantly smothered the flames.
"Huh?" Natsu watched, confused, as his fire was extinguished on contact.
"Dammit!" Natsu threw another punch with his other hand, but the same thing happened.
"Just as I thought. Without your flames, you're powerless," Erigor mocked from within the vortex.
"What's going on? My fire just disappeared!"
"My Storm Mail blows wind outward, you get it? Fire can't burn against the wind," Erigor explained, his voice full of confidence. "Fire cannot defeat wind."
"Ah, did he just raise a death flag? I think he did," Noah muttered, still studying the Lullaby flute. He wasn't particularly impressed by the 'Storm Mail,' so he didn't get the confidence. Still, when a villain said something that corny, they almost always lost.
He shook his head and went back to his analysis. Lullaby was fascinating. It was a "living magic," which gave him several new ideas for his own research, though he was wary of Anckseram's curse. He'd have to find a chance to see it in action later.
The battle resumed. The wind from Erigor's armor was intense.
"This is insane!" Lucy yelled.
"Of course! That's Natsu!" Happy said proudly.
"He's holding his own," Erza noted.
"Let's see how long the idiot can last," Gray said, his eyes glued to the fight.
"This wind is nuts! It's like a hurricane!" Natsu yelled, shielding his face.
"Now your flames can't even reach me!" Erigor taunted. "Time to end this! Die!"
He unleashed a barrage of sharp wind blades. Natsu was forced to dodge frantically.
"Dammit!" Natsu roared, igniting his fists and feet and charging straight through the storm. But before he could even get close, the wind extinguished his flames and blasted him backward.
"Forget my flames... I can't even get near him!"
"This is it! My 'Emeraude Tsunami' will tear you to pieces!" Erigor declared.
"Emeraude Tsunami?!" Happy shrieked. "If that hits him, he'll be shredded!" Erza and Gray tensed, ready to jump in.
"Don't worry," Noah said, not looking up. "Natsu's body is tough. He'll be fine."
He knew from his data collection just how durable Natsu was. An attack that would kill a normal wizard would, at worst, just make Natsu angry.
"Die, you fire brat!" BOOM! The attack hit Natsu dead-on, kicking up a massive dust cloud.
"Natsu!" Happy cried out.
"Haha, he must be dead," Erigor sneered, turning away from the smoke. "Now for the rest of you. After I kill you, I'll send those old geezers to join you, with the song of Lullaby."
"Old geezers...?" Noah's head snapped up. "Clover... You're planning to attack the Guild Masters' regular meeting, aren't you?!"
"What?! You're going to attack the guild masters?!" Erza and Gray were horrified.
"Hahaha! So you finally figured it out! Don't worry, they'll be joining you soon," Erigor cackled.
"What... Lullaby... for..." Suddenly, Natsu's voice came from the dust cloud. Erigor spun around, shocked.
Natsu was standing there, his arms crossed in a block. He had used his own roar at the last second to weaken the wind attack, and his body had tanked the rest.
"If you want to take on the old man, you should challenge him head-on!" Natsu roared. "If you're too scared, then get lost! Stop with these dirty tricks!"
Noah just sighed. Natsu, that's the whole point of dirty tricks... because they can't win head-on.
"How?! How are you still alive?!" Erigor shrieked, his confidence broken.
Natsu charged again, but the wind from Storm Mail extinguished his flames.
"Hmph, you're a tough one," Erigor sneered, his confidence returning.
"Dammit! How am I supposed to get close?!" Natsu roared in frustration. His whole body burst into flames.
"What incredible magic... He's turning his emotions directly into fire?!" Erigor stared, shocked.
As Natsu's anger grew, the flames intensified, and the temperature skyrocketed. The wind... the wind began to flow toward Natsu. "What?! The wind... it's being pulled to him!"
"Perfect," Noah grinned. "Let's add some fuel to that fire." He called out, "Natsu, you're pathetic! You can't even beat this guy! Just give up and let Gray handle it!"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean—" Gray started, but Natsu's roar of pure indignation cut him off. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!!!"
Natsu's flames doubled in intensity. The air pressure changed, and the wind from Erigor's Storm Mail was literally being sucked away. "Impossible! My Storm Mail... it's being pulled apart!"
"I see!" Erza realized. "Natsu's super-heated flames are creating a massive updraft, which forms a low-pressure zone. The surrounding air—including Erigor's Storm Mail—is being sucked in to fill the vacuum! ... Noah, you did that on purpose!"
Noah just nodded. "Natsu's magic is fueled by his emotions. He just needed a little... motivation. And it worked, didn't it?"
"This heat... it's impossible!" Erigor panicked.
"I'm gonna smash you!" Natsu roared. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Natsu shot forward, his entire body a spear of flame, and slammed head-first into Erigor. Without his Storm Mail, Erigor had no defense. Natsu drove him backward, smashing him into Noah's barrier. BOOM!
The barrier rippled but held. Natsu landed, striking a pose. Erigor just slid down the barrier and collapsed, covered in burns.
Natsu turned to Noah, grinning. "How was THAT, Noah?!"
~~~
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