Chapter 24: Battle Master
"It's starting! It's starting!"
The guild members quickly backed away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Dino Maxim stood with his hands casually in his pockets, completely relaxed.
"Heh!" Natsu's fists and feet ignited with roaring flames. He grinned widely. "I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face! Here I come! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu charged forward at full speed, flames propelling him as he launched a blazing punch straight at Dino.
"Whoa!" Dino sidestepped effortlessly while Natsu pressed his attack relentlessly.
"Using flames to accelerate your movement and amplify your strike power—that's dragon slayer magic for you. The training naturally transforms your body, giving you dragon-like speed and strength. But Natsu, your attacks are way too straightforward. Against a skilled opponent, that creates openings they can exploit. Like this."
Mid-dodge, Dino suddenly extended his foot, hooking Natsu's advancing leg and tripping him cleanly.
"WHAM!" Natsu's face smashed into the ground, creating a small crater.
Lucy winced. "Ow! That's gotta hurt!"
"When you charge in recklessly and focus everything on offense, you leave yourself wide open. A good fighter keeps some power in reserve—never go all-in unless you're certain."
"Fire Dragon's Hook Claw!"
Natsu planted his hands on the ground, flames erupting from his feet as he swept them in a blazing arc toward Dino. Dino hopped over the attack smoothly. "You also need to learn to read your opponent's movements."
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu leaped up, both arms wreathed in intense flames as he brought them together like dragon wings slamming shut.
"There!" Before Natsu could close the pincer attack, Dino burst forward and drove a kick into Natsu's gut.
"Gah!" Natsu crashed into the ground, gouging another crater.
"Using big moves like that only works against amateurs!"
"Dammit! Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Whoosh!" Dino's body blurred through the air, appearing in front of Natsu in an instant. As Natsu tried to pivot and aim his roar, Dino shot upward and delivered a sharp uppercut to Natsu's chin. "Mmph—!" Natsu's cheeks puffed out as the attack cut off his breath.
"Fwoooosh!" He rocketed backward like a deflating balloon.
"CRASH!" A wall exploded into rubble. Makarov's face went pale as he began mentally calculating the repair costs.
After a moment, Natsu emerged from the debris pile, shaking it off. Dragon slayers possessed incredible vitality—their bodies transformed to match dragons themselves. An impact like that barely fazed him.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
"BOOM!" Natsu's entire body erupted in flames as he shot toward Dino like a blazing missile.
Dino stood his ground, raising his right hand. A pale white sphere of light formed around his palm, aimed directly at the charging Natsu.
"————!"
"VVVVT!" A powerful vibration wave pulsed from Dino's palm.
The flames coating Natsu shattered instantly. His forward momentum died completely. By the time he reached Dino, his attack had no force behind it—Dino's palm simply pressed against Natsu's forehead.
"WHAM!"
"Waah!" Natsu's body was blasted backward as if struck by a massive force.
"CRASH!" Another wall crumbled. Yet Natsu sprang to his feet almost immediately.
Makarov shouted in exasperation. "Hey! Show a little restraint, will ya?!"
Natsu wasn't discouraged—instead, his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Damn! You're strong! Really strong!"
"Listen up, Natsu. Dragon slayer magic produces emotional flames—their power flows from the user's feelings. But you also need to understand the fundamental properties of fire itself."
"Flames have two destructive aspects. First is 'heat'—pure temperature that increases destructive force. When flames reach extreme heat, even I wouldn't want to face them head-on. This improves naturally as you master dragon slayer magic."
"The second aspect is 'combustion'—explosive force. This has greater destructive potential and versatile applications. The flame boosters you attach to your limbs use this principle, but your control is too crude. If you truly master explosive combustion, you could achieve this level of speed."
"Whoosh!" Dino's body vanished and reappeared directly in front of Natsu.
Natsu's eyes widened. He threw a punch, but before his fist could connect, Dino's strike launched him backward.
"Tch!"
"Whoosh!" Dino materialized in Natsu's flight path and kicked him skyward.
"Gwaah!"
"WHAM!" Dino appeared in midair, clasping his hands together. Natsu barely opened his eyes before the double-fisted strike hammered into his stomach.
"GUOOHHH!!"
"SWOOSH—!"
Natsu plummeted like a meteor.
"BOOM!!!" The impact created a Natsu-shaped crater in the guild floor.
Happy held up a tiny white flag, sweatdropping. "K.O.!"
"Whoa! That was awesome!"
"That's Dino for you! Every movement was perfect!"
"So cool! Natsu couldn't even fight back!"
"He's incredible!"
Gray crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "Dammit, Natsu's so lucky! I should've challenged him first!"
"Huh?" Lucy stared at Gray in disbelief. "Why would you want that?! He got completely pummeled!"
Happy explained, "Because Dino's a combat master who knows practically every fighting style. When he's in the mood, he'll give people pointers that massively improve their strength. Lots of guild members who want to get stronger ask Dino for training."
"Natsu learned dragon slayer magic from his foster father, the Fire Dragon Igneel. But when it comes to pure combat technique, Dino's like a second teacher to him."
"Dino really is amazing!"
"Aye! He might be the strongest in the whole world!"
Happy was one of the few Fairy Tail members who'd witnessed Dino's true power. That was when Dino was only fifteen years old—no one knew how much stronger he'd become since then.
But even at fifteen, his strength was something most people could never reach in their entire lives. Happy had been one of the most confident believers that Natsu's challenge would end in defeat.