Natsu listened intently to Cobra's words, then responded with a determined expression, "This has nothing to do with that."
Staring at Cobra with unwavering resolve, he declared, "I need to rescue my friends, and to do that, I have to defeat you. There's no way I can lose!"
Boom!
Natsu launched his attack once more.
So what if he was poisoned?
So what if his opponent was a Poison Dragon Slayer?
His resolve was unwavering. He had to defeat Cobra and rescue Everit and Wendy. Nothing else mattered!
The battle itself wasn't the priority!
What mattered was—
Saving his friends!
"Haha, mere belief. How do you expect to overcome such a vast difference in strength and defeat someone many times stronger than you?" Cobra sneered. "You're as naive as a fairy tale character."
[Simple yet full of quality, isn't it?]
In the dungeon, Everit smiled faintly. Magic is inherently driven by ideals, especially for Dragon Slayers.
Believing in common sense and theory would only make one an average wizard.
Only by daring to think beyond the ordinary can you achieve the extraordinary.
It is this very innocence that allows Natsu and everyone in Fairy Tail to constantly overcome formidable foes.
Boom Boom Boom
Natsu's strength was waning, yet his speed continued to increase.
Cobra simply withstood the attacks. If he couldn't hear Natsu's thoughts and dodge, then he wouldn't even try to evade.
After all, every strike Natsu landed would only subject him to the corrosive agony of the poisonous mist.
Belief?
Belief alone can't defeat his poison!
"Natsu, I can't fly anymore," Happy said wearily.
"Hiss—" Natsu's body was covered in toxins, his skin red and raw as if burned.
"It seems you've lost," Cobra said, rubbing his wrist. Despite Natsu's superior strength and speed, a life-and-death battle wasn't solely about physical power.
"Damn it!" Natsu's body began to collapse, and Happy could no longer hold on.
"Well, this is the end." Cobra's hands were enveloped in a menacing poisonous mist.
"Poison Dragon's Claws!"
Boom
The Poison Dragon's Claws slashed ferociously at Natsu!
Boom!
Happy was knocked away, and Natsu fell heavily to the ground.
"Natsu!" Lucy's heart tightened when she saw Cobra slowly descending from the sky.
She took out her key and was about to fight, but Cobra struck, sending both her and Carla flying. They crashed to the ground, and the poisonous mist seeped into her body, rendering her unable to get up.
"Faith?"
"Bond?"
"That's all?"
Cobra slowly walked towards Natsu, seeing him grasp his scarf and slowly pull it down, revealing a necklace around his neck.
It was an irregular fiery red pendant that contained a small flame.
"Heh," Natsu smiled weakly, picked up the necklace, and bit down on it hard.
Click!
The necklace shattered, and the small flame inside was sucked into Natsu's mouth.
"What use is such a small flame?" Cobra raised his hand, poisonous mist condensing in his palm.
Snap!
With the help of the small flame, Natsu recovered some of his magic power. He reluctantly climbed to his feet, saying, "I don't think too much about faith and bond. This necklace, this volcanic jade, is a gift from Igneel to me."
Boom
Flames appeared on Natsu's hands. He raised his head, looked at Cobra, and said word by word, "That guy - is waiting for me!"
Boom
Natsu charged towards Cobra.
"Hmph, futile!"
Cobra reached out to grab Natsu with one claw.
What use is the last little flame, only the size of a fist?
It will be offset by my poisonous mist.
Defeat is certain!
But what Cobra didn't expect was that just before Natsu's fire fist hit his poisonous palm, the flame on the fist actually went out!
Natsu even changed his fist to a palm and grabbed Cobra's hand.
He didn't need to use any magic power to resist the corrosion of the poisonous mist. The severe pain made Natsu's face distort with agony.
But in the end, a smug smile and a determined look suppressed all the pain.
Not good!
Cobra had already read Natsu's plan, but it was too late!
"The Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Natsu opened his mouth, unleashing all his magic power at point-blank range!
"Boom"
Cobra took the full force of the roar.
He's not as strong as Laxus, and even Laxus would have to be cautious against this attack.
Soon, the fire dissipated.
Cobra's face was covered in burns and scorch marks. His hair was gone, and he fell to the ground with his eyes rolled back.
[A miracle was born.]
In the dungeon, Everit felt relieved.
Magic is born from common sense and eventually transcends it.
It is not magic that creates miracles, but people——
At this moment, it's Natsu!
'Plop'
Natsu gave a smug smile before falling down as well.
"hiss--"
Cubellios wanted to act.
'Crash'
An ice-shaped magic sealed it.
'Buzz'
Gray arrived on his motorcycle.
He looked at the situation and frowned.
He had originally come on a motorcycle with Lyon, but halfway there, he saw Ichiya and Jura collapsed, so Lyon took the two for treatment while he came to support them.
The situation is not good now.
Natsu was down, and Lucy, Happy, and Carla had little magic power left and were all poisoned.
Simon was also injured and couldn't get up.
The winner between Erza and Jellal had not yet been decided.
Gray himself was covered in wounds, and most of his magic power was consumed. He was far from his peak condition.
The enemies now included the Oración Seis Guild Master Brain, Hoteye, Midnight, and the former Wizard Saint Jellal.
[It's really hard to fight.]
In the dungeon, Everit was thoughtful.
As expected of the leader of the Oración Seis, he truly is a veteran. Brain first teamed up with Midnight to defeat Ichiya, and then together with Midnight, launched a sneak attack on Jura.
This way, both strong fighters were taken out of the battle.
Now, only Erza and Gray remain to fight.
But there are still four enemies left.
If only Tiffany had joined the battle earlier, things would have been simpler.
However, it seems like we still need "Tiffany" now.