"I’m here, Lia."
Noel quietly gazed at Lia before him.
Before arriving here, countless chaotic thoughts had filled his mind.
But the moment he saw Lia, all those thoughts vanished without a trace.
His once restless heart became calm—so calm it surprised even Noel himself.
"Welcome, - Nord-niisama."
Lia extended her palm in a welcoming gesture.
Her posture and etiquette were flawless, leaving no room for criticism.
"Come with me and witness the end of this world—and the birth of a new one."
Noel lowered his head slightly, his long silver hair falling down and hiding his expression from Lia’s view.
"It might be a little late to say this now, but... I still have to say it—stop this, Lia."
Noel’s voice was slightly low and heavy.
"Stop? What do you mean, Niisama?"
Lia tilted her head, wearing a look that said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
"I really don’t understand."
"It’s been seven years. I haven’t spent that time doing nothing," Noel said softly.
"I don’t know everything in detail, but I’ve come to understand... your goal is to open the Forbidden Gate and use the power of the Origin to completely change the world, isn’t it?"
With a faint smile, Lia replied, "As expected of Nord-niisama. But it’s already too late! The ’Gate’ has been opened. Nothing can stop it now. Not even you, Niisama."
"I will stop you," Noel said firmly, a deep light flashing in his violet eyes.
"No matter what it takes, I will stop you."
"Hehe," Lia let out a bell-like soft laugh.
A few seconds later, the laughter slowly faded.
Staring at Noel’s face, she said calmly, "Then show me, Nord-niisama—show me your resolve."
Boom—
In the next instant, space was torn apart.
Explosive golden light and profound darkness engulfed the entire plaza.
At the boundary where the two forces met, a sound like shattering glass echoed through the air.
This wasn’t a spell or technique—there was no deliberate attack.
It was merely a side effect, an anomaly caused by the natural overflow and collision of energy from both Noel and Lia.
And yet, just this level of conflict was enough to plunge any mage into despair.
This was what it meant to be gods—beings beyond the limits of human imagination.
"We can’t fight at full strength here. Come, Nord-niisama, to the other side of the ’Gate.’ That’s where everything will be decided."
Lia spoke softly, her body slowly drifting toward the other side of the massive black-and-white gate.
Noel didn’t hesitate for a moment and followed her, stepping into the other side of the Gate.
..................
Boom!
The moment he finished speaking to Lance, Natsu charged at him without hesitation.
Flames burst violently from his fists, and as he closed in, he leapt into the air, his fire-cloaked fist aimed straight at Lance’s cheek.
Bang!
A soft impact rang out—yet Natsu was sent flying backwards at a speed even faster than his charge.
He crashed into the wall, leaving a massive crack in it from the force of the impact.
"Cough... cough."
Natsu coughed twice, then stood back up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His gaze was heavy as he stared at Lance, who remained perfectly unharmed.
In his mind, he kept replaying that instant, trying to figure out what had just happened.
It all happened in a split second.
At the moment when Natsu’s fist was almost touching Lance’s face, Lance still hadn’t moved—not a flinch.
His expression remained calm and unreadable.
He didn’t dodge, defend, or counterattack—he just watched.
And yet, Natsu’s body had suddenly felt a tremendous force crash into him.
It came without warning, and that overwhelming power was what had sent him flying through the air.
"What kind of magic is this...?"
Natsu frowned deeply.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out what Lance had done—or even what type of magic Lance used.
Looking at the hesitant Natsu, Lance said coolly, "Not coming at me? Then I’ll come to you."
The moment he finished speaking, Lance’s body suddenly vanished from Natsu’s field of vision.
Before Natsu could react, a sharp sonic boom echoed through the air—Lance was already right in front of him.
Natsu’s pupils contracted sharply.
Lance reached out his arm, extending his palm toward Natsu’s face.
It was an ordinary, almost casual movement—but it made every hair on Natsu’s body stand on end.
A sense of overwhelming danger wrapped around him completely.
It felt as if an invisible blade had been placed against his neck—and in the very next moment, he would be killed.
At that perilous moment, it was as if time itself slowed down.
The magic within Natsu erupted violently, and amidst the red flames, a streak of golden fire suddenly flared to life.
In the instant the golden flame appeared, Natsu’s movements became noticeably faster.
Just before Lance’s hand could reach him, a burst of fire exploded from Natsu’s palm, forcing Lance to slow down.
It only lasted for the briefest instant—just a blink of an eye—but for Natsu, that was enough.
Seizing the momentary delay, Natsu crouched down and rolled to the side.
Though his movement was a bit clumsy, he successfully evaded Lance’s deadly blow.
"That was close! I almost died just now..."
Getting back on his feet, Natsu wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Lance, who stood not far away.
If he hadn’t entered his "Fire Dragon God" state in time, there would’ve been no way to dodge that attack.
He would’ve been killed on the spot.
Even someone as thick-skinned as Natsu couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of fear.
Lance frowned as he glanced at his palm, clearly dissatisfied with his own performance.
He then turned his gaze back to Natsu and said softly,
"To think you actually dodged that. Interesting."
Natsu clenched his fists and muttered under his breath, "This is bad... At this rate, I really might die."
"You won’t dodge the next one so easily."
Lance’s voice was cold as he slowly walked toward Natsu.
"Guess I’ve got no choice but to go all out!"
A flicker of resolve flashed in Natsu’s eyes.
Boom!
Just as Lance was about to strike again, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the air, shooting past Natsu and straight toward Lance—only to be ripped apart by Lance on impact.
"What was that?"
Both Natsu and Lance turned their eyes toward the source of the attack.
"Hey, you’re putting on a pretty pathetic show, Salamander."
"Tch, how disgraceful of you, Natsu."
Two voices rang out simultaneously.
As Natsu saw who had arrived, a flash of joy lit up his face, and he shouted loudly,
"Laxus! Gajeel!!"
--------------
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