Natsu endured the intense pain, a resolute glint in his eyes, and turned to kick at the clone with the force of a thunderbolt.
With a 'crack,' the clone instantly transformed into a pile of gold sand, scattering across the ground.
But the attacks from the other three Marcus clones came one after another like a torrential downpour, the spiked club carrying the aura of death, striking at Natsu from all angles.
Natsu struggled to cope, new wounds constantly appearing on his body, his clothes stained red with blood.
Just then, Marcus's main body stopped, planted his spiked club into the ground, and clapped his hands together, a powerful magical fluctuation emanating from him.
The gold sand on the ground seemed to come alive, rapidly surging and intertwining, forming a giant Sand Cage.
The bars of the cage were thick and sturdy, gleaming with a cold light, trapping Natsu firmly within it.
Natsu struggled fiercely, his hands spewing forth blazing flames, which were incredibly hot, as if they could reduce everything to ashes.
The flames scorched the Sand Cage, emitting a 'sizzle' sound.
But the Sand Cage possessed a powerful self-repair ability; any burnt parts were instantly replenished with new gold sand, remaining incredibly sturdy.
Marcus and his clones outside the cage wore triumphant smiles, raising their hands and continuously increasing their magical output.
As magic was injected, the Sand Cage began to gradually shrink, its bars pressing inward, as if to crush Natsu.
Natsu took a deep breath, his chest rising high. The flames on his body instantly surged, and the temperature rose sharply.
Natsu was completely enveloped in a giant crimson fireball, like a red sun, emitting a light that was impossible to look at directly.
'Break!' Natsu let out an earth-shattering roar.
The red fireball exploded violently, and the powerful impact instantly shattered the Sand Cage.
gold sand splattered everywhere, streaking across the sky like meteors.
Natsu rushed out of the crater created by the explosion, the flames on his body somewhat dim, their light no longer as dazzling as before, but his gaze remained firm.
'Natsu, you really are tenacious!' Marcus said with a smile.
As he spoke, Marcus once again waved his hands, his movements elegant and fluid.
gold sand gathered before him, forming a giant sand wave, tens of meters high, surging powerfully, rushing towards Natsu with a fierce momentum.
Wherever the sand wave passed, deep ravines were carved into the ground, and rocks were pulverized into dust.
Natsu was panting, but his gaze remained firm and fiery, 'I won't lose to you!'
The magic within Natsu surged again, manifesting as crimson flames that burst forth from his body.
He clasped his hands together, and the flames gathered furiously in his hands, forming a giant fireball.
The fireball was incredibly hot, the surrounding space blurring due to the high temperature, as if about to melt.
'Marcus, take this!' Natsu roared, throwing the fireball with all his might.
'Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!'
The fireball, like a falling meteor, flew towards the oncoming sand wave with the power to destroy everything.
The fireball and the sand wave collided instantly, emitting an earth-shattering roar.
The entire battlefield trembled under this enormous impact, deep cracks appearing in the ground, spreading in all directions.
A powerful impact stirred up a strong gust of wind, sending sand and stones flying, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
The sand wave exploded into pieces upon contact with the fireball, golden grains of sand constantly scattering, as if a golden rain was falling.
Natsu and Marcus were tens of meters apart, Natsu panting heavily, while Marcus's expression was as usual.
Sweat continuously dripped down his cheeks, Natsu's clothes were tattered by the aftermath of the battle.
And while the Sand Armor on Marcus's body had many cracks, it was self-healing.
The two Sand Clones he had originally created had now all turned into fine flowing sand and were reabsorbed into Marcus's body, and even the spiked club on the ground was absorbed into his body along his leg.
After a round of exchanges, Marcus had roughly determined Natsu's combat power. While continuing to use Sand Clones for a siege could lead to a quick victory, Natsu would likely be severely injured.
Marcus gave Natsu a chance to catch his breath, and after waiting seven or eight seconds, he was the first to break the short silence, clasping his hands together again.
The surrounding gold sand rapidly gathered, making a 'rustling' sound, like a group of soldiers obeying commands.
In the blink of an eye, these gold sand formed a giant gold sand lion's head, several meters high, massive as a mountain.
It opened its gaping maw, its fangs sharp as knives, its eyes gleaming with an eerie light, and pounced towards Natsu.
Natsu showed no fear, he gritted his teeth, his eyes wide, and raised his hands again.
Instantly, the flames on his body shot up into the sky.
'Fire Dragon's Roar!'
Natsu cupped his hands around his mouth, and a crimson flame breath spewed forth, meeting the imposing sand beast.
'Boom!' The two collided fiercely, emitting an earth-shattering roar.
The powerful impact, like a bomb exploding, spread outwards from the point of collision.
The surrounding dust was stirred up and flew everywhere, forming a giant dust curtain that obscured the sky.
The ground trembled violently, and deep, bottomless cracks appeared, as if the earth had opened up a series of ferocious mouths.
The gold sand lion and the flame breath both dissipated in their collision.
But Marcus was not flustered; he immediately cast a spell, clapping his hands on the ground.
The gold sand on the ground seemed to come alive, surging endlessly towards Natsu like a tide, forming giant sand balls.
These sand balls, several meters in diameter, came whistling through the air, densely smashing towards Natsu.
Natsu moved agilely, like a nimble leopard, dodging and weaving through the gaps between the sand balls.
His gaze was focused and sharp, not missing any opportunity to dodge.
At the same time, his hands were wreathed in blazing flames.
Any sand balls that came close were struck away by him.
However, the prolonged battle and massive consumption of magic gradually slowed his movements, and his breathing became heavy.
Marcus seized the opportunity, pinching his fingers into a sword-like gesture and pointing sharply skyward, a triumphant smile appearing on his face.
'Sand Bind!' he shouted loudly.
Instantly, countless gold sand condensed into ropes, emerging from underground like spiritual snakes, making 'whooshing' sounds.
These gold sand ropes quickly wrapped around Natsu's limbs, binding him tightly with immense force, as if to crush his bones.
Natsu struggled desperately, his muscles taut, veins bulging, trying to break free from these restraints.
The flames on his body tried to burn through the ropes, but the gold sand ropes had self-repairing abilities; as soon as they cracked, they were filled in, and they tightened even more.
'Natsu, it's over!' Marcus roared, once again manipulating the gold sand, and sharply clapped his hands together.
The gold sand on the ground surged, condensing into a giant sand ball lying horizontally on the ground.
The sand ball was several meters thick, heavy and solid.
The sand ball, accompanied by a whistling sound, rushed directly towards Natsu.
A hint of unwillingness flashed in Natsu's eyes; his gaze was filled with a longing for victory, but at this moment, he was exhausted.
He exerted all his strength to mobilize the last of his magic, the flames on his body burning even more fiercely, attempting a final resistance.
'Bang!' The oncoming sand ball collided with Natsu's flames, emitting a dull sound.
For a moment, light radiated everywhere, illuminating the entire battlefield.
After a brief stalemate, Natsu's flames gradually extinguished, and the sand ball broke through his defense, striking him.
Natsu grunted, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
His body, like a kite with a broken string, flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.