Fairy Tail Space Mage

"Pah! Pah! What can a sword made of fragile ice cut through?" Leo spat out the snow in his mouth and said disdainfully.

Of course, his disdain lasted only a second.

The next second, Gray made contact with the ice dragon, and the seemingly invincible ice dragon was instantly beheaded by Gray's Ice Demon Sword! The ice dragon collapsed as a result.

"How is this possible!" Leo was finally shocked.

"Unfortunately, everyone at Fairy Tail is a fighting maniac who loves close combat! If I don't learn fighting techniques and have a sufficiently sharp sword, I have no chance of gaining a foothold there!"

Gray didn't stop; gripping his sword, he continued charging towards Leo.

Although the several powerful spells he had just cast had drained a significant amount of his mana, leaving him with very little, his opponent, Leo, was in the same boat!

"No! Unless the nature of the magic has changed, it's impossible to condense that kind of tough ice! Your magic hasn't changed its nature. What's going on?!"

Leo remained bewildered, staring at the sword in Gray's hand, his brow furrowed in thought. Until the Ice Demon Sword pierced through his body, cleaving him in two.

Of course, while the Ice Demon Sword might be sharp, it couldn't actually cut Rio in two. What Gray severed was merely Rio's ice clone.

This is also one of the benefits of dynamic sculpting magic, allowing you to learn the "Ice Sculpting: Substitute" spell.

"I see... that's 'enchanting'. Adding magic to ice-shaped magic to increase its toughness and power! How did you even think of that, Gray!" Leo finally figured out the true secret of Gray's Ice Demon Sword.

Yes, Gray asked Sora for advice on "enchanting." However, because he had promised Aliya not to teach it to anyone, Sora only taught him a tiny bit of the basics.

Fortunately, Gray was a very intelligent man, and from just a few bits and pieces, he grasped the basics of "Enchanting." He also discovered that "Enchanting" and the "Ice Shape" spell were an excellent pair.

“Since you’ve already figured it out, then there’s no need for me to hide it anymore. Originally, this was what I planned to use to take Natsu by surprise…” Gray found Lyo’s location again, and then, in just an instant, Gray’s figure disappeared.

"Ice Shape, Needle Rat!" Leo urgently used a shaping spell, filling his back with sharp, hedgehog-like ice spikes! At the same time, he desperately crawled to the ground!

But he was still too late. Gray was already in front of him, the Ice Demon Sword flashing blue light, slashing towards Leo's chest.

Yes, Gray channeled all his remaining magic into his legs in one go. That's why he gained terrifying speed!

Chapter 167 Natsu vs. the Two

While Gray and Rio clashed using Ice Shape magic, showcasing their chosen paths, Natsu and the others caught up with the trio.

“Lucy, choose an opponent. I’ll take care of the other two,” Natsu announced.

“Alright, then, I’ll take care of that woman named Shirley and that big rat. Also, Happy should come and help out.”

Lucy glanced at the training clothes and dog ears, immediately determining they were agile warriors. These were Lucy's worst opponents; they could easily bypass the Protoss and attack her directly.

In comparison, Shirley, who seems to be not good at sports and is somewhat slender, may be more suited to her intellectual nature.

If we had to find another reason, it would be that Lucy didn't want to see Natsu beating a woman. That's Lucy's little secret.

"Alright, that woman is yours now. Happy, take good care of Lucy!" Natsu gave Happy his final instructions.

“Love!” Habby agreed.

Then, Lucy, who was being carried into the air by Happy, led Sherry, who was also being carried into the air by the big rat (Angelica), away, and the two headed towards the sea.

As for why the mouse can fly, you have to ask about its tail, which can serve as a helicopter propeller.

……

"Now that they're gone, it's my turn to deal with you."

Seeing that Lucy and Happy had left, Natsu clasped his hands to his chest, his fighting spirit ignited. He was completely unconcerned about the two-on-one situation before him.

"You're really confident. I bet you don't even know what kind of magic we're good at." The training uniform didn't seem bothered by Natsu's dismissive attitude. It was unclear whether it was because he was in a good mood or because he felt that taking a serious match with an opponent was too much effort.

"Woof woof!" Don't even think about getting dog ears. Communicating with him would be an extremely difficult task.

“I really don’t know. But isn’t that more interesting?” Natsu showed no worry, but rather was full of anticipation.

"I see. So you're the battle maniac type? You're really true to yourself."

His training clothes were positioned in an attack stance. However, unlike traditional fighting stances, he had one hand behind his back and the other outstretched, a starting position for facing an opponent in Eastern martial arts.

On the other side, the dog's ears arched, its center of gravity lowered, and it assumed a lunging posture. Its claws had become extremely sharp, even gleaming with a dangerous yellow-green light.

Not only did the two adopt a fighting stance, but they also moved to the left and right respectively, seemingly intending to surround Natsu in the middle. They seemed to be well-versed in the art of combined attacks in battle.

Natsu certainly wouldn't let them succeed so easily. However, his approach was anything but commendable. At the very least, Sora would definitely give him a piece of her mind if she saw him do that.

"Well then, let's start with a greeting... Fire Dragon's... Iron Fist!"

Natsu clearly loved this magic; it seemed to have become an essential spell for igniting his fighting spirit.

However, this magic, powerful enough to slightly alter the terrain, was not aimed at either of his two opponents by Natsu, but rather at his own feet!

"boom!!"

It was as if a landmine with an enormous explosive charge had detonated beneath Natsu's feet. Accompanied by a violent shaking of the ground, the flames and smoke from the explosion instantly engulfed the area.

The training clothes and dog ears only had time to show a look of surprise before they were engulfed by a shockwave mixed with flames and smoke.

"The fire dragon's... roar!"

Natsu was naturally unaffected by the flames and smoke. So, amidst the chaotic smoke, the first to be defeated and forced to retreat by Natsu's second spell was the poor dog-eared creature.

Indeed, dogs have extremely sensitive hearing and smell, and their bodies are also very flexible and agile.

But that's precisely why the information shock from the explosion was so intense for him!

Before it was even hit by Natsu's [Fire Dragon's Roar], its eyes were already filled with tears from the smoke and dust. Under these circumstances, it naturally couldn't dodge Natsu's roar attack!

Fire Dragon's double attack ended, and one of the two opponents had already fallen.

But Natsu's attacks didn't stop. The fire dragon's third attack was...

"The fire dragon's...wing attack!"

Natsu leaped high out of the smoke and found his opponent. Then, he swung his arm, sending two long whips of fire lashing down on the training clothes that had already left the smoke's range!

Strangely, Natsu simply waved his hand forward, and the long whip of flames he had created vanished.

This scene is somewhat similar to the shattering magic on an empty body.

However, there is a slight difference. The shattering of emptiness is instantaneous, immediately disintegrating.

The magic used on the training clothes, however, was relatively gentle. It seemed to be slowly eroding Natsu's magic.

Nevertheless, this magic surprised Natsu somewhat.

He landed in front of the training uniform. At the same time, the smoke and dust behind him had dissipated, revealing a huge crater and a dog's ears lying on the edge of the crater, charred black all over.

"What kind of magic is this?"

Natsu seems to be the kind of person who asks questions whenever he doesn't understand something.

"This is a martial arts magic that only I can learn. I can release a wave of neutralizing magic; within my wave's range, any magic will be rendered ineffective. You may not know this, but I used to be a member of a legitimate mage guild, and my job was to deal with other mages. In other words, I am the nemesis of all mages!"

She's the kind of person who likes to explain things to others.

Surprisingly, he, who usually seemed too sleepy to even speak, suddenly started talking at length. So much so that Natsu was starting to get a little impatient.

"So, magic doesn't work on you, right? That last part seems familiar... am I just imagining things...? Oh well, since magic is ineffective..."

Upon hearing the mention of training clothes, Natsu felt a slight sense of déjà vu.

Actually, he had heard the Panish brothers say something similar just over a week ago at Duke Aibar's mansion, something about being a "magician's nemesis." Of course, he had almost forgotten about that trivial matter.

Natsu jumped backward several times, creating distance between himself and the training uniform. Of course, he avoided the large crater and didn't jump directly backward. His only goal was to create distance between himself and the training uniform. And then…

"What are you doing?" The student in the training uniform seemed a little uneasy.

“Acceleration, don’t you understand?” Natsu made no attempt to hide anything.

"Acceleration? What are you thinking? It can't be..."

"That's right. Since magic won't work, let's use physical strength. The fire dragon's... sword horn!"

Relying on the intense jets of swirling flames behind him, Natsu hurtled headlong toward the training uniform like a rocket.

"Impossible! Before you even hit me, the vortex of magic in the wave will engulf you..." Before the training uniform could finish speaking, Natsu rushed into the wave he had created, and with only slight resistance, Natsu passed through it and struck the training uniform in the abdomen.

The training clothes flew backward at high speed like a baseball being hit, then lost their balance, tumbled several times after falling to the ground, and slid a distance before collapsing to the ground, motionless.

Natsu, who forced his way through the ripples, only suffered minor injuries.

He didn't even unleash his dragon scales, yet his body withstood the tearing force of the magical vortex within his training clothes. It seems he really is a monster, just as Lucy said.

(From now on, all spells will be labeled like "Circle of the Sky" for easy identification.)

Chapter 168 Lucy and [Forced Door Opening]

"Alright, that's it for today. I wonder how Gray and Lucy are doing... I'm so hungry, let's go back to the village and wait for them."

Sure enough, after exercising and skipping two meals, Natsu's stomach is now acting up.

Natsu had no idea that what awaited him in the village was not a hot meal, but a terrifying being he absolutely did not want to see!

The other party is now holding a rope, waiting for him to walk into their trap... right there in the village where meals are prepared for outsiders.

……

“We’re at the beach… Happy, turn around and ram them! Let them know the difference in performance between a helicopter and a jet (what am I even saying?)!” Lucy, who was being carried to the beach by Happy, suddenly said to Happy above her.

"like!"

Happy, however, didn't question Lucy's words at all. After a 180-degree spin, Happy unleashed [Happy Headbutt] on the oncoming giant rat and Sherry!

"Huh? What are you doing! Wait... No! Ah!" And so, amidst Shirley's series of screams, a serious air traffic accident occurred.

"Huh? What's going on? Happy!" Surprisingly, Lucy also let out a scream.

Because of Angelica's hesitation and dodge, Happy's headbutt unfortunately hit Angelica's front teeth. Even with the protection of the [Enchanted] magic, Happy still knocked himself unconscious from the impact.

Therefore, Happy's [Wing] magic disappeared, and he crashed tragically to the ground along with Lucy and the equally out-of-control enemies!

Fortunately, there was a forest below. Both mages were lucky enough to recover and were unharmed. However, Angelica and the cat were both incapacitated.

"Oh! Poor Angelica... Look what you've done! You've been bullying Angelica before too! You Fairy Tail mage, unforgivable!... Puppet Show: Tree Doll!"

Seemingly very concerned about the large rat, Sherry, upon seeing the rat's condition, cried as she unleashed her magic to attack Lucy.

"Ouch... Happy, wake up! Oh no... I have no choice but to open the Taurus Gate, Talos!" Lucy, who had finally managed to get up while rubbing her bottom, could only summon the Celestials and hastily prepare for battle.

Lucy usually doesn't summon Taurus. The reason is that this celestial spirit is a bit lecherous. Every time she summons him, Lucy feels embarrassed.

Furthermore, expecting this Protoss to deal with female enemies is impossible.

That's why Lucy wanted to lure Sherry to the beach. As for summoning her now, it's only to deal with the tree puppet that the other party summoned.