Natsu and Gray, force themselves to move despite their nearly depleted magic power, roared again and charged at Leomon.
However, without the enhancement of their magic, their punches and kicks, though still sharp, seemed weak and powerless before the mighty Leomon.
Seeing this, a flash of approval crossed Leomon's eyes, but it was more a sign of respect for the battle.
It let out a low growl, slid its Lion King Sword firmly into the scabbard on its back and prepared to face their final assault with pure physical strength and martial arts as well.
"Come on!" Leomon said in a deep voice, its majestic body crouching slightly into a battle stance.
Natsu's fist, burning with unyielding will and Gray's kick, gathering the last of his cold energy, struck almost simultaneously!
Leomon didn't dodge or evade.
It crossed its arms in front of its chest, muscles bulging, and blocked their storm-like assault!
Thud! Thud!
Natsu's fist and Gray's ankle slammed hard against Leomon's arms, but they failed to make its massive body even tremble slightly.
"The force is decent, but it's still far from enough!" Before Leomon's voice had even faded, it suddenly flung its crossed arms outward.
Natsu and Gray felt an irresistible power travel from their arms through their entire bodies.
With muffled groans, they were forcefully thrown back and stumbling.
Before they could regain their footing, Leomon had already transformed into a golden flash of lightning, closing the distance in an instant.
It clenched its massive, millstone-sized right fist and threw a seemingly simple straight punch, yet it contained a terrifying force that compressed the air, creating a piercing whistle.
BOOM!
Before the fist even arrived, the sheer pressure of the punch made it hard for the two to breathe.
They had no doubt that if this punch landed squarely, they would suffer at least a few broken bones!
"Dodge!" Natsu's and Gray's pupils contracted.
An intense sense of crisis made them roll to the sides, relying purely on their combat instincts to evade at the last possible moment.
The heavy fist grazed past their bodies and slammed into the ground where they had just been standing.
The ground shook violently, and rubble flew everywhere.
A clear, deep crater in the shape of a fist appeared on the spot.
However, dodging one punch didn't mean they were safe.
Leomon's combat experience was immense.
Though one strike missed, its attacks continued relentlessly like a tide!
It followed up with a swift side kick, its right leg a blur as it swept accurately toward Natsu, who had just regained his footing.
"Uwaah!" Natsu had no time to react and was kicked squarely in the side.
He flew backward, snapping a small tree before crashing to the ground, unable to get up for a moment.
After taking one down, Leomon didn't pause.
Its huge body displayed astonishing agility.
With a swift aerial spin, its left leg chopped down like a battle-axe toward Gray, who was preparing to cast a spell for defense.
Gray only had time to raise an ice-covered arm to block it.
Crack!
The ice armor he had hastily formed on his arm shattered instantly!
Gray was hit hard on the shoulder by the heavy downward kick.
As if struck by a giant hammer, his knees buckled, and he slammed onto one knee with a thud, causing spiderweb-like cracks to spread across the ground.
The rest of the fight became a one-sided "guidance session," or rather, a complete beatdown.
Leomon, with its absolute strength and speed, used the magic-depleted Natsu and Gray as the best training dummies.
Heavy punches, sharp kicks, clever throws... Leomon utilized all sorts of martial arts to their fullest extent, yet it always controlled its power to the level of "knocking down" rather than "severely injuring."
Natsu and Gray were like two leaves in a storm, knocked down again and again, only to climb back up with stubborn willpower, roaring as they charged forward, and then being put down even more cleanly.
Their faces were filled with unwillingness and anger, but more than that, a sense of powerlessness in the face of an insurmountable mountain.
Finally, when Natsu no longer had the strength to even stand and could only lie on the ground gasping for air, and Gray was leaning against a rock, finding it difficult to even lift an arm, Leomon finally stopped.
It stood majestically in the center of the field like picolo when he's aura farming.
"The match is decided," Leomon's deep voice announced the end of the battle.
Ace walked forward.
Looking at the two who were collapsed on the ground, battered and bruised but with flames still burning in their eyes, he felt a bit of admiration for their resilience.
He recalled the magic-depleted Leomon and said to Natsu and Gray, "Can you still move? Need a hand?"
"Don't... don't look down on us..." Natsu struggled to get up but fell back down weakly.
"Hmph... Next time... I'll definitely win..." Gray gritted his teeth, managing to stand by leaning on the rock.
Ace smiled and said no more, turning to walk back toward the guild.
He knew that for these two, pity and help would be an insult.
Returning to the boisterous guild hall, Ace found a relatively quiet corner to sit down and let out a long sigh.
He had been fighting constantly lately.
Although it was mainly his Digimon doing the work, as a summoner, his mental and magic energy consumption was also significant.
He ordered a glass of juice, planning to rest for a bit.
Just then, the sound of soft footsteps approached, accompanied by a faint, sweet aroma like a mixture of freshly baked butter and honey.
A gentle voice spoke beside him, tinged with concern, "Ace, you're back? There was a huge commotion on the back mountain just now. Are you okay?"
Ace turned his head and saw that Lisanna had appeared beside him at some point.
She had a concerned smile on her face and was holding a plate of freshly baked cookies that gave off an enticing aroma.
Ace opened his eyes and saw that Lisanna was already standing at his table.
She wore a clean dress and a faint blush on her face, as if she had just come from the kitchen.
Her hands were behind her back, seemingly hiding something.
"Lisanna!" Ace quickly sat up straight. "I'm fine, just... had a little spar with Natsu and Gray."
"What spar? It was more like your big lion gave them a harsh lesson, wasn't it?" Lisanna chuckled, covering her mouth as she pushed the cookies in front of him.
"I just baked these. Want to try some? To replenish your energy."
The girl's smile was bright and warm, the concern in her eyes clear to see.
This scene was noticed by many observant people in the hall.
"Ooh~~~" Not far away, Wakaba, with a pipe in his mouth, nudged Macao beside him with his elbow and whispered with a suggestive grin.
"See that? Lisanna is quite concerned about our newcomer."
Macao took a swig of his drink and laughed heartily. "Hehe, isn't that normal? Ace is strong and most importantly, he has that calm demeanor, unlike the noisy idiots in this guild. It's normal for him to be popular with the girls!"
At another table, Cana, who was chugging from a barrel of booze, heard the discussion and glanced in Ace and Lisanna's direction.
A barely perceptible blush appeared on her face (whether from the alcohol or something else was unclear), and she muttered, "Hmph, Lisanna sure moves fast..."
But she quickly returned to her drinking contest, though the corner of her eye seemed to linger for a few extra seconds.
And in the darkest corner of the bar, Mirajane, dressed in a purple halter top that exposed her midriff and exuding a "stay away" delinquent aura, had her gaze fixed like a cold knife on Ace, who was chatting and laughing with Lisanna.
'That detestable guy...' Mirajane bit her lip, her mind uncontrollably replaying her crushing defeat not long ago.
The oppressive feeling from SkullGreymon and the formidable strength displayed by that werewolf later all made her feel a sense of powerlessness.
She knew very well that with her current strength, she was probably no match for this kid in a one-on-one fight.
Unless...
A thought flashed through her mind: unless she teamed up with Erza?
That bitch who always had a straight face, wore armor all the time, and acted so self-righteous?
"Tch!" Mirajane immediately shook the thought away in disgust, the glass in her hand creaking as if under immense pressure.
'What a joke! Even if i lose, I will never team up with that armor bitch!'
Asking for help from Erza, whom she had always disliked and competed with at every turn? That was even harder for her to accept than losing to Ace!
A wave of good-natured, hushed whispers and suggestive laughter immediately filled the guild.
"Tsk tsk, youth is wonderful."
"I told you, that kid Ace is just likable!"
"Looks like our guild is about to have another couple... ahem?"
"But speaking of which, Lisanna is gentle, and Cana is bold. They're different types, hehe..."
Ace felt a little embarrassed by everyone's teasing gazes and Lisanna's close proximity.
The tips of his ears turned slightly red as he quickly accepted the cookies.
"Th-thank you, Lisanna."
Lisanna also seemed to notice the atmosphere.
Blush appeared on her cheeks, but she didn't leave.
Instead, she took the seat next to Ace and began to chat with him softly about the day's missions.
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Ok please give a review, if its bad i will drop this, thankyou!