Natsu turned his head slowly, only to see Erza standing in the doorway, her eyes locked onto the empty cake plate in his hands.
Her precious treat—gone. And there, on the thief's face, was a smudge of white frosting. Erza stared, trembling with disbelief, her expression morphing into a blaze of fury.
"My… my limited-edition super-sweet fluffy cake…!" Her voice quaked with rage.
A surge of crimson magic erupted from her, spreading outward in a wave. The floor cracked beneath her, the entire guild hall shaking violently.
Erza's face darkened, terrifyingly so, as she advanced on Natsu step by step, each one splintering the floor further.
Feeling her crimson magic slicing at his face like knives, Natsu's body instinctively shuddered. He scrambled to explain, "It's not what it looks like! I-I was just—"
He'd eaten too fast, and in his panic, a loud burp escaped. Realizing the sound he'd made, Natsu slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Oh… you enjoyed that, did you?" Erza's voice was icy, her eyes burning with a fury so intense it seemed almost tangible.
Natsu shook his head frantically, his tongue tripping over itself from the lingering sweetness of the sugarbloom fruit and sheer terror. "No! It wasn't good! Too sweet!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he'd messed up. His face went pale.
In a flash, Erza was in front of him, her sword pressed against his throat, her eyes glinting with menace. "Not only did you eat my precious cake, which I was going to savor slowly… but now you're insulting it?"
"Are you ready to die?"
"Aye~!" The cold steel against his neck made Natsu's throat go dry, his lips trembling. "W-What if I said it was an accident, Erza? Would you believe me?"
"An accident?" Erza's eyes narrowed. "So, you did it on purpose."
She grabbed a fistful of his hair, dragging him toward the guild's exit, her sword scraping the floor with a chilling scrrrtch.
"You wanted to fight me, didn't you? Well, I'm granting your wish."
Natsu flailed, trying to escape her grip, but her hand was like an iron vice. He was dragged along like a helpless chick, his struggles futile. "Wait, Erza! It's a misunderstanding! It's not what you—"
A crimson magic circle appeared in midair, a sword emerging from it, its tip pressing against Natsu's chin, silencing him instantly. Cold sweat poured down his face, and his body froze.
Erza didn't say a word, just kept dragging him forward. The guild was dead silent—everyone, even Makarov, kept their heads down, trying not to draw her attention.
Outside, Erza flung Natsu forward, glaring down at him. "Since you challenged me, I'll accept. You have five seconds to prepare."
"Five."
A white light enveloped Erza, and a crimson magic circle flared before her. When the light faded, her hair was tied into twin tails, and she wore armor with a red base, adorned with orange and black patterns.
[Requip: Flame Empress Armor]
The Flame Empress Armor gleamed with fiery brilliance under the sunlight, a stark contrast to her icy glare.
Erza stepped forward.
Natsu's eyes widened. "Wait, isn't four after five?!"
He took a deep breath, flames igniting in his hands. "Forget it! If I can beat Erza in her rage mode, I'll definitely make S-Class!"
A blue greatsword appeared in Erza's hand, radiating a chilling blue aura. Snowflakes began to drift through the air.
Flames roared up Natsu's arms, twisting into thin, crimson blades as he spun.
[Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Explosive Flame Blade]
The crimson flame vortex clashed with Erza's massive ice-blue sword aura. It held for barely five seconds before the flames were swallowed whole. Natsu was engulfed by the icy energy, his body riddled with cuts and frozen solid in a block of clear ice.
"Hmph." Erza snorted, releasing her grip. The blue greatsword vanished into a crimson magic circle.
"Erza's actually fighting Natsu?!" Happy's shocked voice came from behind.
Erza turned to see him hovering in the air, holding three different cakes with his paws and tail.
"What's this?"
Happy set the cakes down, his wings vanishing with a pop. "Phew, so heavy. Natsu asked me to buy these cakes earlier. There was only one limited-edition left, so I got two other flavors too."
"He said they were for you, Erza, to apologize. I didn't even know he'd done something to tick you off!"
Erza's anger softened slightly at the sight of the cakes, though the loss of her limited-edition treat still stung. A white light flashed in her hand, and a red greatsword appeared. With a light swing, the ice around Natsu's head melted instantly.
She picked up the cakes and walked back into the guild. Happy tilted his head, confused by her retreating figure. "What just happened?"
Unable to figure it out, Happy approached Natsu, pulling a red potion from his knapsack and pouring it into Natsu's mouth. Natsu woke up, relief washing over him as he saw Happy.
"Last time I accidentally ruined Mira's cake, I was bedridden for three days," he said. "Learning my lesson, I asked you to buy those cakes as an apology in advance."
"Even with breathing holes, this ice is way colder than Gray's."
The remaining ice on his body radiated constant cold, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Happy shivered, stepping back instinctively, his voice laced with fear. "You didn't… steal Erza's cake, did you?!"
Natsu ignited flames across his body, trying to melt the ice, but it only produced a faint mist. "I had no choice! It was the only way to get Erza to fight me. That's why I asked you to get the cakes. Otherwise, I'd be strung up on the guild roof by now."
Happy: "=_= I don't know whether to call you smart or stupid."
Natsu's flames gradually shrank, their bright red hue deepening into a darker crimson. Steam rose from his body as the surrounding stone ground began to melt, turning dark brown.
"This ice is a pain to melt. Good thing I didn't mention I could crank up my flames' heat, or I'd be stuck living in this ice block today."
"Too bad I can't just pull out that move on command. Gotta keep training to boost my flame temperature."
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