Chapter 153: The Dried-Up Lake
Under the scorching onslaught of cursed flames, every last ghost soldier turned to ash, dissipating into nothingness.
"More! Don't stop! This is the tastiest fire I've ever eaten!"
Natsu, exhilarated from his first Fiendfyre-enhanced roar, immediately opened his mouth wide for seconds.
"I'm gonna burn that moving fortress to cinders!"
"Don't worry, there's plenty where that came from."
George flicked his wand, and an endless stream of blue Fiendfyre poured into Natsu's waiting maw. With his inexhaustible magic reserves, George could theoretically flood the entire world with cursed flames—if only he could control them.
So as long as Natsu's body could handle it, George would keep feeding him, massively amplifying his next attack.
"Too much... can't... hold it...!"
Compared to the modest portion he'd absorbed earlier, Natsu had now ingested several times that amount. His body trembled at the brink of overload.
George immediately cut off the flow.
"Natsu! Now—Flare Blade!"
"Left hand's fire and right hand's fire—merge into one! Taste my ultimate Dragon Slayer magic: Fire Dragon's FLARE BLADE!"
Combining his red Dragon Slayer flames with the blue Fiendfyre, Natsu formed a colossal thirty-meter orb of swirling crimson and azure fire—then hurled it at the mobile fortress.
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
Inside the fortress, Jose, the remaining Element Three, Gajeel, and every Phantom Lord mage stared in horror at the approaching inferno.
None had imagined that Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer—with that cat's assistance—could unleash such devastation.
"You won't destroy my fortress!"
Switching to defense, Jose erupted with dark magic, conjuring a massive barrier. This fortress and its Jupiter Cannon represented decades of Phantom Lord's wealth—precisely why he'd schemed to ransom Lucy.
Losing them was unthinkable.
The Element Three and Gajeel abandoned cannon charging to reinforce the shield with everything they had.
BOOOOOM!
The collision between flare blade and dark barrier quaked all of Magnolia.
The shield shattered—but so did the enhanced flames. The fortress survived unscathed...
...while one-quarter of the lake vaporized instantly from the backlash.
"As expected of a Wizard Saint. Tough bastard."
George wasn't surprised. After witnessing Jose's battle with Makarov, he'd known one attack wouldn't suffice.
But that was fine. If one blast failed, they'd try twice. If twice failed—they'd drown him in fire.
"Natsu! Again!"
Another torrent of Fiendfyre. Another cataclysmic flare blade.
Half the lake vanished this time. Still, the fortress stood.
When a third superheated orb formed, Jose finally panicked. Blocking these consumed too much magic—they couldn't sustain this!
"How does that cat have infinite magic?!"
Even Fairy Tail gawked as George kept conjuring flames without breaking a sweat. A walking perpetual-motion magic engine. Against such an opponent, only overwhelming force could prevail—otherwise, you'd be outlasted to death.
"Enough! All units—attack on foot!"
As the fourth flare blade evaporated the entire lake, Jose abandoned the fortress. He led his forces charging toward Fairy Tail—their magic reserves depleted, their advantage lost.
"Finally drew them out."
George exhaled in relief. Natsu had reached his limit—his body shaking from magical overload. Had Jose held out longer, they'd have had to assault the fortress directly.
Now, while Natsu was spent, Phantom Lord had:
- Abandoned their artillery
- Wasted most magic on defense
- Brought fewer troops than expected
Jose himself—having shouldered the brunt of barrier upkeep—might be down to 30% strength.
Meanwhile, Fairy Tail stood fresh, prepared, and numerically superior.
"I'll handle Jose! Finish the rest quickly!"
Erza, in Black Wing Armor, engaged the weakened Wizard Saint.
Gray, at full power, 1v2'd Juvia and Totomaru.
Elfman and Cana gang-pounded Sol.
George blitzed Gajeel.
The strategy was simple: Crush all minor threats first, then swarm Jose together.
"You again?!"
Gajeel recoiled upon seeing George—PTSD from their last humiliating fight kicking in. He tried to retreat, but his body levitated helplessly.
"Stupefy ×100!"
George's wand became a blur. Within two minutes, Gajeel lay unconscious on the dried lakebed.
Without missing a beat, George pivoted toward Sol—already getting stomped by three angry Fairy Tail mages.
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(End of Chapter)