Feeling the aura radiating from Mirajane, Natsu perked up, his eyes wide with excitement. "Whoa! That's the same vibe as that Ice Demon King we met in Zonia, the one that devoured a ton of demons!"
At his words, Mirajane, who'd been exuding a cool, commanding big-sister vibe, broke into a warm smile. The sudden shift sent the crowd into a frenzy, their hearts racing at the contrast.
"I heard all about that mission in Zonia," Mirajane said playfully. "If you're scared, you can always surrender now, you know!"
"No way!" Natsu clapped his fists together in front of his chest, grinning confidently. "That Zonia job was mine to begin with, which means this guy was always meant to be my opponent. Now's the perfect time to settle the score!"
"You sure about that?" Mirajane teased. "This Ice Demon King's soul is no weaker than Satan's, you know."
"Enough talk—here I come!" Natsu didn't waste another word, charging forward with a blazing punch. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Mirajane didn't counter with magic. Instead, she calmly stretched out her right hand, fingers spread, and effortlessly caught Natsu's powerful strike.
Down below, Lucy gasped in awe. "That's incredible! She blocked Natsu's attack so easily…"
Kira rolled his eyes silently. As if Natsu's fire punches haven't been caught before.
In the arena, Natsu unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, leaving afterimages in his wake. But Mirajane stood her ground, cool and composed, her hands moving like blurs to block every punch and sidestep every kick with ease.
There were no flashy illusions, just lightning-fast strikes and counters. Compared to the close-quarters battles they'd seen in the past few days, this fight had a unique, almost elegant beauty.
"So fast… I can't even see them…" one spectator muttered.
"My eyes are burning…" another groaned.
The random onlookers, just ordinary folks, couldn't keep up with the dynamic speed of the fight. Their eyes strained to follow the action, and some gave up, pretending they were nearsighted and seeing only blurry shapes.
The two fought for nearly ten minutes before Natsu suddenly leaped back, disengaging from the fight.
"What's wrong? Giving up already?" Mirajane asked, her voice carrying a chilling, regal authority, like an ice queen in a towering castle questioning a rebellious thief.
Natsu just grinned. "No way! Now's when I get serious!"
With that, small bursts of flame began to flicker along his arms and legs, spreading until his entire body was engulfed in roaring red fire.
"Flame Mode!" he declared.
Mirajane's eyes sparkled. "Looks like I can't hold back either!"
"That's Natsu's Flame Mode!" Erza observed from the sidelines, analyzing the fight. "His magic amplification boosts his combat power, but against Mirajane, his chances are still slim."
"That's Mira-san we're talking about," Gray said with a sour tone. "No way Natsu's beating her. Getting this far is already enough for him to brag about for a while."
Lucy chuckled nervously. "Don't say that! Who knows, maybe he's got a shot? No one expected him to make it this far anyway…"
"Well, it's not that surprising," Kira interjected, pulling out the tournament bracket from the prelims. He pointed to Natsu's side of the matchups. "Look here—Bisca, Natsu, Bigslow, Marcus, Mirajane, Wakaba, Elfman, Loki. This side barely has any heavy hitters!"
"Now look at our side," he continued. "Aside from Levy, who's a bit weaker, everyone's at least on the level of the Thunder God Tribe. Plus, we've got Erza and Mystogan. If either of them were on Natsu's side, he'd have been out in the quarterfinals. Luck plays a huge role!"
At that moment, Cana noticed something. "Wait, isn't this bracket based on prelim rankings?"
The group turned to her as she continued, "So, if you're the first to get eliminated in the prelims but contribute the most to your team, you've got a solid shot at the top four!"
The others froze, stunned by the realization.
"What are you saying?" Erza scolded. "Throwing the prelims just to aim for the top four? That's ridiculous!"
Cana mused, "Still, the team that ranked first in the prelims had three people with the same shot at this…"
Gray cut in, "The prelims pair you based on overall team strength. If you've got someone like Kira on your team, the other three are usually weaker by comparison. And typically, the strongest member carries the most weight."
"In other words," he added, "if Gajeel had been the top performer on the black team, he'd be the one up there fighting Mirajane for a spot in the finals!"
The group fell silent. Lucy and Cana turned away, avoiding Gray's gaze, but they all knew what he meant: If I'd been on the black team, I'd be the one up there now.
Juvia, oblivious to the tension, cheered from Gray's side. "Don't be sad, Gray-sama! Come cry it out in Juvia's arms~"
Kira sighed. "Lost the match but won the girl. Lucky you, Gray."
Gray: "…"
Back in the arena, Natsu and Mirajane resumed their intense clash, their attacks faster and fiercer than before. Even Mirajane was starting to feel the strain. Pop, pop, pop… boom, boom, boom… whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… bang, bang, bang…
"Fire Dragon's Talon!"
"Fire Dragon's Fang!"
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Natsu unleashed a three-hit combo, each strike stronger than the last. Mirajane blocked with three quick punches, but the final headbutt from Natsu sent her sliding back several meters, her feet carving tracks in the ground.
Yet Mirajane's expression remained unfazed. The Ice Demon King's soul had high defense, massive health, powerful magic and physical attacks, and fast recovery—but its mental strength was weak. After Mirajane took it over, that weakness was gone, making her far more formidable than the average boss.
Natsu's eyes narrowed as he charged at Mirajane again. "Fire Dragon's—"
"Torrent Surge!" Mirajane interrupted, raising her right hand. Her magic surged, and a water-based spell, fueled by demonic power, came to life. A jet of water erupted from the ground beneath Natsu, aimed straight at his face.
"Whoa!" Natsu dug his flip-flopped feet into the ground, barely halting his charge to dodge the bowl-sized water column. It grazed his face, slicing off a few strands of his pink hair as it shot upward.
"That was close…" he muttered.
"Sea Dragon's Vortex!" Mirajane pressed her attack, a blue magic circle flashing before her. A water-formed Eastern dragon burst forth, its presence commanding and lifelike. It spun in the air, transforming into a razor-sharp water blade that descended toward Natsu.
Natsu looked up, took a deep breath, and drew flames into his core, his stomach swelling with surging magic. Then he roared, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A massive pillar of fire erupted from his mouth, clashing with the water vortex. The two forces collided, canceling each other out at first, but Natsu's flames soon overpowered the water, evaporating the dragon and surging toward Mirajane.
Mirajane inhaled deeply, her magic amplifying her demonic power. "Frost Breath!"
Boom! The fiery roar and icy breath met in a deafening explosion, sending a whirlwind ripping through the arena.
Mirajane kept up the pressure, releasing pale clouds that formed head-sized cannonballs across the battlefield. "Mist Barrage!"
Natsu's eyes lit up, recalling his fight with the Cloud Demon Chloe. "That trick won't work on me twice!"
He clapped his hands together, merging the flames from both palms into a single, more powerful blaze. "Fire Dragon's… Brilliant Flame!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! The brilliant flame ignited the mist barrage, triggering a chain reaction that detonated every cannonball. The deafening blasts echoed through the air, and the resulting wind pressure swept dust across the arena, only stopping at the audience stands thanks to the protective barriers.
The crowd erupted in cheers, their blood pumping at the unexpected spectacle.
Flame Mode was draining, and after fighting Mirajane for so long and unleashing several big moves, Natsu's magic was nearly depleted. He decided to go all-in with one final attack.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…"
Hearing Natsu's words, Mirajane knew the end was near. Without hesitation, she unleashed nearly all her remaining magic for her strongest move in this form.
"Glacial Century!!"
"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!!"
---