"So strong—!!"
Natsu's jaw hung open, the hair on his arms bristling as heat rushed through him in pure excitement.
His eyes were wide with shock. This wasn't just power—it was something else entirely. The moment Kael swung that blade, Natsu felt as if the world itself had been split apart.
He had seen Kael use many Take Over forms before, and each one left a different impression.
Ulquiorra felt balanced and cold, like a wall of absolute strength.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni radiated pure lethality; just looking at him made the back of Natsu's neck feel cold.
Toji Fushiguro was the one Natsu hated fighting the most—in that form, Kael felt less like a man and more like a human-shaped dragon.
Ace was his personal favorite, mostly because the "flavor" of those violent flames was something Natsu could never forget.
But this form? This "grandpa with the white mustache"? There was only one word for it: might.
It was unrivaled, raw physical power. One swing to split a mountain and part the sea. Without a doubt, this was the most terrifying transformation Natsu had ever witnessed.
Lucy and Happy were just as stunned. They had thought the "Tyrant" was as monstrous as it got, but "Whitebeard" was on an entirely different level. They couldn't even wrap their heads around a human being holding that much destructive force.
Sherry, Yuka, and Toby were frozen on the ground. The slash hadn't even been aimed at them—they had only felt the air tear past—but their will to fight evaporated instantly. They stared at Kael's massive back, trembling. If the gap in power had been small, they might have tried a desperate last stand. But this? This was like trying to fight a hurricane with a paper fan.
Meanwhile, a few dozen yards away, the clash between the two ice mages reached a breaking point.
"Lyon, do you even hear yourself?!" Gray roared, his voice cracking with emotion. "Ur gave her life to seal Deliora away! And now you're trying to destroy the only thing she left behind?!"
Lyon pulled off his horned helmet, revealing pale blue hair and cold, sharp features. He looked disturbingly composed despite the chaos nearby.
"Why is your memory so selective, Gray?" Lyon sneered. "Ur died because of you. To think you've spent all these years living without a shred of guilt... if you had any shame at all, you'd step aside. I'm resurrecting Deliora, and you won't stop me."
"I'm not letting that happen!"
"Fine. Let's settle this for good. Ice-Make: Eagle!"
Lyon raised his hand, and a flock of ice eagles took flight, diving at Gray with lethal speed.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
Gray slammed his hands down, conjuring a wall of ice to block them. But to his shock, the eagles didn't crash into the shield. They banked sharply in midair, circling around the defense and slamming into Gray's back.
"Argh!!" Gray was thrown forward, skidding across the stone floor.
"You've always been good at 'static' magic, Gray," Lyon said dismissively. "But I mastered 'dynamic' magic long ago. My creations have a life of their own. Did you forget they can move?"
"Ice-Make: Hammer!"
Gray scrambled to his feet, gasping as he conjured a massive hammer above Lyon's head.
Lyon didn't even flinch. He raised a single finger. "Ice-Make: Ape."
A giant ape made of ice materialized, catching the hammer in its massive palms and crushing it into snow.
"Pathetic," Lyon muttered. "You're still the same as you were as a kid—clinging to two-handed casting like a beginner."
"This is how Ur taught us!" Gray barked, wiping blood from his lip. "One-handed casting is unstable! You're throwing away the fundamentals!"
"I'm not throwing them away. I've surpassed them. I've surpassed her."
"Don't be so arrogant!"
"I could say the same to you." Lyon's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, Gray... since we were kids, have you ever landed a single hit on me?"
"I'm not that kid anymore! Ice Geyser!"
Gray slammed both palms onto the ground. The earth cracked as jagged spears of ice erupted toward Lyon like a frozen volcano. But with a casual wave, Lyon matched the spell perfectly, neutralizing the geyser before it could reach him.
"It's always the same," Lyon sighed. "I'm your senior, and I'm stronger. I use one hand; you need two. Nothing changes. While the world moves on, you're still stuck in the past."
Lyon thrust his palm forward, and a massive ice dragon surged from the ground, striking Gray in the chest and sending him tumbling backward.
"Ur was my goal," Lyon said, his voice dropping into an obsessed, feverish tone. "Surpassing her was my only dream. But you took that from me when you caused her death. Since she's gone, there's only one way left for me to prove I'm better than her. I'll defeat the one monster she couldn't: Deliora. Once I kill it, my dream will finally be real."
Gray stared at him, horrified. "Are you insane?! You know what Deliora is! You can't kill that thing! Stop this before you get everyone killed!"
Lyon's face twisted into a snarl. "Ice-Make: Spikes!"
"You tell me to stop? You tell me it's impossible?!" Lyon screamed as ice pillars erupted under Gray, tossing him into the air. "We told you that ten years ago! It was your arrogance that killed Ur! You have no right to even speak her name! Now, disappear!"
BOOM—!!
A thunderous crack echoed through the ruins, cutting Lyon off. He turned his head, and his heart lurched. In the distance, the mountain had been cleaved in half, and the sea itself had been split apart.
"What... what kind of magic is that?" Lyon whispered, his bravado fading.
Kael, still in the towering form of Whitebeard, began to walk toward them. Every step felt like a small earthquake. As he passed Lyon, the air grew heavy with suffocating pressure. Lyon went rigid, his instincts screaming at him to run. He had never felt danger this absolute. He didn't dare move a muscle.
Kael stopped in front of the battered Gray and looked down with a smirk. "Look at you. Getting beaten to a pulp after acting so cool. 'Your opponent is me,' was it? You didn't last very long, did you?"
"..." Gray looked away, grinding his teeth. He had no comeback. He'd been completely outclassed.
Then Kael's expression softened slightly, even as his voice remained deep and booming.
"But no matter how weak you're acting right now, you're still a wizard of Fairy Tail. It's one thing for me to mess with you... but I don't let outsiders lay a hand on my family."