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On the video screen, despair spread like a stain.
"It's over, Fairy Tail."
Hades' face was ice-cold. The pitch-black sphere of magic at his fingertips swelled rapidly, terrifying waves of power locking onto Natsu, who could no longer move.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bullets of darkness poured down like a storm. Natsu could only protect his vital spots on instinct as his body was blasted away again and again, slamming hard into the shattered walls of the ship's cabin. Blood soaked the deck. The once high-spirited boy now looked utterly battered.
"Natsu…"
Lucy and Wendy, collapsed nearby, cried out weakly, tears filling their eyes.
So this was the strength of the second guild master?
So this was the abyss?
Was there really… no hope left?
Just as Hades gathered his final strike, ready to end Natsu's life once and for all—
BOOOOM!
A deafening clap of thunder tore through the air, as if splitting heaven and earth apart.
A blinding golden bolt of lightning ignored the airship's defenses, punched straight through the ceiling, and slammed down between Natsu and Hades with world-ending force.
"What?!"For the first time, shock cracked Hades' normally unreadable expression.
As the golden lightning faded and the smoke cleared, a tall, powerfully built figure slowly emerged.
He wore a black fur-lined coat. His short blond hair stood on end, every strand alive with energy. Wild arcs of golden electricity wrapped around his body, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, carrying an untamed, domineering presence.
He stood in front of Natsu. Just his back alone felt like an unshakable mountain.
An S-Class Mage. A Lightning Dragon Slayer.Laxus Dreyar.
…
Across countless worlds, everything exploded into chaos once more.
One Piece World, Marineford.
"This form…"Fleet Admiral Sengoku yanked off his glasses, staring at the man on screen who seemed forged from lightning itself. "Elementalization of the body? And lightning at that? Is this the strongest Logia-type power, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"
"So scary~" Kizaru drawled, though the gaze behind his sunglasses was deadly serious. "Reaching that level of lightning control without relying on a Devil Fruit… This other world has monsters we shouldn't underestimate."
Naruto World, Kumogakure.
Bang!
The Fourth Raikage, A, smashed his fist into the desk, eyes wide. "Lightning Release Chakra Mode? No… that's not it! That man's body is lightning itself! Mabui, does that world have something like the Hozuki Clan's liquefaction technique?"
"I've never heard of anything like that, Raikage-sama," Mabui replied, equally stunned. "If someone can turn into lightning, then their speed and attack power would be…"
Akatsuki Hideout.
Kisame grinned, shark-like teeth flashing, but there was caution in his eyes. "A body made of lightning, huh? That's my natural enemy. If I ran into someone like that, my Water Style wouldn't even get a chance before I was fried."
A Certain Scientific Railgun World.
"Huh? What is this supposed to be?"Mikoto Misaka stared at the screen, veins popping on her forehead as sparks crackled from the coin in her fingers. "So flashy. Is he just showing off? My Railgun wouldn't lose to some musclehead like that!"
"Exactly!" Shirai Kuroko nodded furiously. "Onee-sama is the strongest Electromaster! This guy has zero aesthetic appeal!"
Fairy Tail World, present day.
"L-Laxus?!"Makarov stared at the screen, his staff trembling in his hands. "That brat… he actually… went to save Natsu?"
The entire guild was stunned. In their memories, Laxus was arrogant, disdainful of the weak, even willing to spark civil war to seize control of the guild.
Yet the Laxus on screen stood in front of that monster without hesitation, all for his comrades, all for Natsu.
"Is that really Laxus?" Mirajane covered her mouth, tears shimmering in her eyes. "So in the future… he finally understands what the guild means."
…
Back on the screen, the battle reignited.
"The old man entrusted the guild to you, not so you could destroy it!"
With a furious roar, Laxus transformed into a streak of golden lightning. He moved so fast not even an afterimage could be seen.
"Lightning Dragon… Crumbling Fist!!!"
Bang!
A lightning-wrapped punch smashed straight into Hades. Though Hades barely raised a defense, the sheer impact still sent him sliding back several meters, the entire airship shaking violently from the blow.
"I'm not done yet!"
Laxus pressed the attack, darting through the air at high speed. Every movement was accompanied by thunder that shook the heavens.
"Lightning Dragon… Roar!!!"
BOOM—!!!
A massive pillar of golden lightning erupted from his mouth, like the lash of a god, instantly obliterating half the cabin.
That brutal onslaught actually suppressed the once-invincible Hades.
"So strong! He's even stronger than Natsu and the others were before!"Viewers across the worlds gasped in awe.
But experience still mattered.
Just as Laxus prepared his finishing blow and surged forward as living lightning, Hades' lips curled into a chilling smile.
"All power, yet no reverence for the abyss of magic."
"Trap Magic: Amaterasu, Twenty-Eight Forms!"
Without warning, several enormous purple magic circles appeared directly along Laxus' path, overlapping in an instant and forming a sealed death zone.
"What?!"
Moving far too fast to stop, Laxus crashed straight into the magic array.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted inside the formation. Laxus let out a muffled groan as his body was blasted blackened and scorched, crashing heavily to the ground, completely unable to fight.
"Laxus!" Natsu struggled toward him.
Hades sneered. "It's over. Fairy Tail is finished."
But the fallen Laxus suddenly reached out and grabbed Natsu by the wrist.
"Natsu…"
His voice was weak, yet unshakably firm.
"Take it… my magic… my lightning…"
"Along with my share… send this old bastard… flying!!!"
Crackle, crackle!
Golden lightning surged along Laxus' arm and poured wildly into Natsu's body. It was the power of the Lightning Dragon, carrying Laxus' will in its entirety.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
Natsu threw his head back and roared as pain and power twisted together inside him.
Flames burned.
Thunder roared.
The moment those two completely different forces fused within Natsu, an unprecedented, terrifying aura exploded from his body.
The smoke cleared.
Natsu slowly stood up.
Half his body blazed with scorching fire. The other half crackled with violent lightning. Flames and thunder intertwined around him, making him look like a demon god made flesh.
The fusion of fire and lightning.Thunder-Flame Dragon Mode, awakened!
…
Across the countless worlds, silence fell. Then everything erupted.
Fairy Tail World.
"N-No way…"Makarov's eyes were wide, his heart nearly stopping. "Two different Dragon Slayer magics… fused? Fire and lightning… that's impossible! The body should collapse!"
"Natsu…" Happy gaped. "He looks so cool!"
One Piece World.
"What kind of monster is that?!"Big Mom dropped the sweets in her hand. "Controlling two natural elements at once and fusing them? That power… that destruction… I want him! I want that boy as my son-in-law!"
"Worororo! Now that's a real powerhouse!" Kaido roared with excitement. "Stronger than just fire or lightning alone! That wild aura is incredible!"
On the screen—
After entering Thunder-Flame Dragon Mode, Natsu's presence had completely changed.
"I'm coming, Hades!"
Whoosh!
Before the words even finished, Natsu vanished from where he stood.
Too fast.
Several times faster than before!
A single flash of fire, and he was already in front of Hades. A fist wrapped in lightning and flames slammed straight into Hades' face.
BANG!!!
This time, Hades couldn't dodge. He didn't even have time to defend.
His entire body was sent flying, his aged face twisting grotesquely as fire and lightning scorched deep black marks into his skin.
"I'm not done!"
Natsu roared, spinning midair and bringing down a thunder-flame-charged kick.
Boom!
Hades was smashed into the floor. The entire airship let out a tortured groan.
"How is this possible… this kind of power…"Hades struggled to rise, disbelief filling his eyes. He couldn't understand how the boy who'd been nothing but an ant moments ago now stood far above him.
"This is… the power of Fairy Tail!!!"
Natsu crossed his hands before his mouth, chest swelling as the surrounding air was dragged violently inward.
Fire and lightning compressed madly inside him. Even space itself began to warp and crack.
"Thunder-Flame Dragon… ROAR!!!!!"
BOOOOM—!!!
A crimson pillar of fire streaked with golden lightning burst forth, carrying the force to annihilate everything in its path.
That wasn't just fire.
It was thunder's judgment.
The floor, the walls, defensive magic, even space itself was reduced to ash beneath that terrifying roar.
Hades' figure was instantly swallowed by the world-ending torrent of thunder and flame.
"....."