The sharp click of the wooden latch echoed through the crisp morning air as the cabin door swung open.
Perched atop a wide sea-facing boulder, Rudra slowly turned his head. His eyes were bloodshot, heavy dark circles undercut by a night of utter sleeplessness. Thanks to the agonizing groans, complaints, and endless writhing of the recovering group inside, he hadn't caught a single minute of rest. He let out a jaw-cracking yawn, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared back out toward the endless blue ocean horizon.
His quiet morning didn't last long.
One by one, the rest of the guild members scrambled out of the front doorway like prey fleeing a predator. Natsu, Gray, Happy, and even Wendy looked utterly petrified, their faces pale as they backed onto the grass.
Curious, he raised an eyebrow. Before he could ask what was going on, the cabin door shattered against the exterior wall. Erza stepped into the sunlight, radiating an aura so terrifying it seemed to darken the sky above her. In her hand, a magical communication lacrima was gripped so tightly that, with a sharp crunch, it burst into dozens of glowing shards, sparkling down onto the dirt.
A tired chuckle escaped him as he leaned his chin on his palm. "Yo, redhead. What's got you so worked up this early?"
Erza snapped her head toward him, her armor gleaming viciously, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated fury.
His smirk crept up slightly, mouth opening. "Don't tell me—"
"Finish that sentence," Erza cut in, her voice dangerously quiet, sharp enough to draw blood, "and prepare to die."
He held up his hands in easy surrender, though his smirk lingered. "Hey, calm down. I wasn't going to say the same thing I said last night. No need for all this hostility."
Erza huffed, turning her face away, though the tension radiating off her shoulders didn't recede in the slightest. She stood there, arms crossed tightly over her chest, breathing heavily through her nose like a dormant volcano waiting to blow.
Confused, he turned his gaze down toward Lucy, who was hiding behind a nearby bush alongside Levy and Wendy. "So... what's her deal?"
Lucy peeked out cautiously, letting out a nervous laugh. "Well... Master Makarov just reached out to us through the lacrima. He gave us instructions to head directly to Crocus, the capital, instead of heading back to the guild hall first."
He blinked. "Okay... I still don't see a reason to snap a lacrima in half over that."
"She's not angry about that part," Gray chimed in, crossing his arms and stepping forward, though keeping a safe distance from Erza. "Master also announced the official roster for the team participating in the Grand Magic Games."
"Oh?" He leaned back on his boulder, resting a wrist over his knee. "And who made the cut?"
Levy stepped out next to Lucy, checking off her fingers. "It's Erza, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, and Lucy."
His gaze drifted from Natsu's terrified face to Gray's uncharacteristically quiet demeanor, then back to the scowling Titania. "Still... why is she about to tear the forest down over that? Sounds like a solid lineup."
"Because Master didn't choose you," Erza spat out sharply.
She turned directly toward him, her crimson eyes locking onto his with absolute intensity. The sheer weight of her gaze would have made a lesser wizard faint on the spot.
He stared back at her for a second, then let out a flat, unimpressed sigh. "Are you stupid? You're getting this worked up over something that small?"
Inwardly, he shrugged the thought off. Knowing the old man's crafty nature, Makarov almost certainly had a backup contingency or a second team lined up. There was no way he was just sitting on his hands.
Erza took three hard strides forward, closing the distance until she was looking right up at him on the boulder. Her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles turned stark white.
"This is not a small matter, Rudra!" she declared, her voice ringing with fierce intensity. "You are clearly far stronger than most of the members in the guild right now. If Master wanted to maximize our chances of winning back Fairy Tail's honor, he should have chosen you without hesitation!"
"Yeah... honestly, she's got a point," Lucy murmured from the sidelines, nodding in agreement.
"I thought for sure Rudra-san would be on the main roster too," Wendy added softly, wringing her hands together nervously. "It feels strange that he isn't."
Rudra looked down at the fiery swordswoman standing right in front of him. Her jaw was set, her chest heaving with sharp, angry breaths—all out of sheer frustration on his behalf. Yet, despite the intimidating aura flaring around her, all he saw was someone stubbornly throwing a tantrum simply because things hadn't gone the way she believed they should.
With a long, unhurried sigh, he reached out.
Natsu and Gray froze on the spot, their eyes wide with sheer horror. Is he crazy?! Touching her while she's like this?!
Instead of getting his hand severed, Rudra simply rested his palm atop Erza's vibrant scarlet hair, giving her a slow, gentle headpat.
"Calm down, Erza," he said, his low voice cutting smoothly through the tension. "I'm sure the old man has some grand plan cooking up in that tiny head of his. Don't go burning down the countryside before we even reach the capital."
Erza stiffened instantly the second his hand touched her hair. The lethal magic power flaring around her abruptly faltered and died down. She blinked, the fiery intensity in her eyes softening as her gaze drifted toward the dirt. For a fleeting second, a faint, barely noticeable tint of pink dusted her cheeks before she snapped back to her senses.
Quickly pulling her head back from his hand, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest and turned her head away with a loud, flustered huff.
"...Fine," she muttered, turning her head completely away from him. "Have it your way."
Just like that, the suffocating pressure hanging over the clearing evaporated into thin air.
A few feet away, Natsu and Gray stood completely frozen, their mouths hanging wide open in pure shock. They slowly turned their heads to look at each other, identical expressions of total disbelief plastered across their faces.
"Did... did he just tame the monster?" Natsu whispered out of the side of his mouth, not daring to move a muscle.
"Don't say a word," Gray hissed back beneath his breath, sweating nervously. "If you breathe too loud, she'll remember she's angry."
With a tired groan, he slid down from the boulder, stretching his arms high above his head until his joints popped. "Alright then. If we're going to Crocus, let's get moving. I need to find a real bed before I end up passing out on the trail."
"We can't leave just yet," Erza said, stepping forward as the anger from earlier fully dissolved into her usual commanding presence. "The train line won't be operational for another few hours. We have to wait for the morning schedule."
Rudra nodded, running a hand over his face. "So what are we supposed to do until then? Sit here and count trees?"
"Since we unlocked our Second Origin, how about we fight?!" Natsu shouted out of nowhere, slamming his fists together with a burst of heat. Fire flickered wildly around his knuckles as a grin split his face. "I'm itching to see how much stronger I got!"
"Are you completely out of your mind?!" Gray snapped back, shoving Natsu's shoulder. "We just barely recovered from Ultear's torture spell! You want to throw hands already, Flame Brain?"
Natsu whipped around, grabbing Gray by the front of his shirt. "What did you just call me, Ice Freak?!"
"You heard me, Pyromaniac!" Gray growled, grabbing Natsu's collar right back, their foreheads slamming together with sparks practically flying between them.
"That actually sounds like a splendid idea."
Erza's voice cut through their bickering. Both Natsu and Gray froze mid-shove. She looked at the two of them, her dark eyes gleaming with a terrifying, bloodthirsty eagerness that made the air in the clearing drop by ten degrees.
"Testing our growth before the tournament is a practical way to spend the morning," Erza continued, a small, terrifying smile touching her lips. "So... who wants to spar with me first?"
Natsu immediately let go of Gray's collar, taking a quick step back. "Me! I'll do it!"
"Very well," Erza said, her hand reaching toward her hilt. "Come at me with everything you've got, Natsu."
Natsu paused, scratching the back of his neck as his fired-up expression turned unusually serious. "Wait, Erza... I'm sorry, but I don't want to fight you right now."
Erza blinked, surprised. "Oh?"
Natsu turned his head slowly, his bright dragon-slayer eyes locking onto the tall guy leaning against the boulder. "I wanna fight Rudra."
Rudra paused mid-stretch, pointing a single finger at his own chest. "Me? You want to fight me?"
Natsu nodded solemnly, his playful demeanor completely gone. "Yeah."
Ever since his spar with Romeo, he thought, he'd wanted a shot at Rudra. Seeing how strong Romeo had gotten was one thing — but that Otsutsuki attack had sealed it.
Rudra let out another jaw-cracking yawn, tapping his chin thoughtfully before giving an idle shrug. "Sure. Why not? Might help wake me up."
The rest of the group quickly scrambled back to give them space. Lucy, Levy, and Wendy retreated to the safety of the tree line, while Gray crossed his arms, watching intently from a distance.
"Aye, sir! Go get him, Natsu!" Happy cheered from a high branch, waving his little white paws.
"Be careful, Natsu-san!" Wendy called out nervously.
In the center of the clearing, the contrast between the two combatants couldn't have been wider.
Natsu dropped into a low, aggressive stance. Wisps of intense, roaring orange flames began to coil around his arms and shoulders, setting the grass beneath his boots ablaze. His focus was absolute, his eyes sharp as a predator's.
On the other side, Rudra stood completely relaxed. He kept his left hand casually shoved deep into his pants pocket, while his right hand came up to cover his mouth as he let out yet another long, exhausted yawn.
"Whenever you're ready, kid," Rudra muttered, half-lidded eyes barely open. "Try not to take all day."
Natsu didn't hesitate. The moment the words left Rudra's mouth, he kicked off the ground with an explosive burst of speed, leaving a scorched crater in the dirt.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he roared, his right arm engulfed in a roaring inferno as he drove a devastating hook straight for Rudra's jaw.
Rudra didn't even shift his footing. Raising his free hand, he caught Natsu's flaming fist squarely in his open palm. The sheer impact kicked up a sharp shockwave of wind, yet Rudra's arm didn't yield an inch. Before Natsu could pull back for a follow-up, Rudra clamped his fingers tightly around the Dragon Slayer's wrist, spun on his heel, and casually hurled Natsu across the clearing like a ragdoll.
Airborne, Natsu flipped mid-flight, digging his boots hard into a thick oak trunk to kill his momentum. Pushing off the tree, his chest expanded rapidly. "Fire Dragon's... ROAR!"
A massive torrent of crimson flames erupted from his mouth, searing the air as it rocketed straight toward the center of the clearing.
Rudra let out a tired sigh, finally dragging his left hand out of his pocket. Bringing his palms together with a sharp, resounding clack, he called out, "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A towering wave of water surged out of nowhere, colliding head-on with the roaring beam of fire. The clash detonated into a blinding storm of boiling water, white heat, and thick, suffocating steam that instantly blanketed the entire coastline.
Natsu touched down on the grass, his eyes darting frantically through the fog. "Dammit! The smell of burning steam is completely washing out his scent!" Swinging his arms, he unleashed a quick gust of Fire Dragon's Wing, blowing the dense mist away in a single sweep.
The clearing was entirely empty.
"What the...?" Natsu blinked, lowering his guard as he looked around in confusion. "Where'd he go?!"
"Natsu! Behind you!" Happy shrieked from a high branch, clutching his head with his blue paws in sheer panic.
Natsu spun on his heel, but the warning came too late.
Rudra was already crouched low right behind him. His hands were clasped firmly together, his index and middle fingers locked into a tiger seal, pointed straight at Natsu's broad open blind spot.
"Konoha Secret Finger Technique..." Rudra intoned, his voice dropping into a chilling, absolute seriousness. "...Thousand Years of Death!"
In that single microsecond, a wave of primal dread washed over Natsu—a cold, instinctual terror unlike anything he had ever felt before. Every single fiber of his Dragon Slayer instincts screamed at him that he was in grave, catastrophic danger.
THWACK!
Rudra jabbed both fingers upward with devastating, pinpoint precision.
"AGHHHHHHHHHH!"
Natsu let out a blood-curdling, high-pitched screech that rattled the leaves on the trees. Launched straight into the sky like a fired missile, he blasted past the treeline, trailing a faint streak of smoke behind him before plunging headfirst into the distant ocean waves with a towering SPLASH!
A deafening silence fell over the clearing.
Erza stood completely frozen in place, her hand still resting on her sword hilt. Gray's jaw was dropped so low it was practically digging into the dirt. Lucy hastily covered her face in utter disbelief, while Wendy simply stared at the ripple in the water, her eyes wide as saucers.
Rudra slowly straightened his back, lifting his hand to blow lightly on his fingertips as if cooling down a smoking barrel. Turning back to face the paralyzed crowd, he offered them a bright, perfectly relaxed grin.
"Looks like I win."
Before anyone could even process what had just happened, a furious scream ripped across the water.
"You are dead, you fucker!"
Natsu launched himself out of the ocean with a massive splash, one hand desperately clutching his bruised backside as he crashed back onto the shore. Pissed off and thoroughly humiliated, his chest ballooned outward as lightning began to crackle wildly through his roaring flames. Combining his dual elements, he took a deep breath and released a devastating, thunderous beam straight across the beach.
"Lightning Dragon's... ROAR!"
The combined storm of fire and electricity hurtled toward Rudra, tearing up the sand and threatening to incinerate everything in its path.
Rudra didn't so much as blink. He simply raised his right hand, exposing his palm to the incoming blast. The black, diamond-shaped Karma seal on his palm flared to life, spreading intricate dark lines across his skin. The moment Natsu's high-powered attack hit his outstretched hand, the roaring dragon breath was instantly dragged into a swirling vortex, completely absorbed into the seal without leaving behind so much as a singed blade of grass.
With a soft hum, the marks retracted, and Rudra deactivated the seal, shaking out his wrist.
"Like I was saying..." Rudra said smoothly, offering a lopsided grin. "I win."
Natsu stared at his own hands in absolute shock. Seeing his strongest attack get casually absorbed—just like the terrifying method the Ōtsutsuki had used back then—completely drained the fighting spirit out of him. With his jaw practically on the ground, Natsu slowly sank onto the sand, sitting down right where he stood, at a complete loss for words once more.
Rudra watched him for a second before turning to walk back toward his spot on the boulder. "Good match, though," he added, hopping up and settling back into a comfortable lean. "You've definitely gotten faster."
That was all it took to reignite Natsu's spirit. He snapped out of his daze, jumping to his feet and shaking his fist at the boulder. "Yeah, it was! But next time, I'm not going down that easily! You hear me?!"
"Sure, sure," Rudra waved off, closing his eyes to finally catch some rest.
Natsu huffed, trudging back over to where the rest of the group was gathered under the shade of the trees.
Lucy eyed him cautiously as he approached, wincing slightly. "Are you... uh... actually alright, Natsu?"
Natsu rubbed the back of his neck, a bright, toothy grin instantly breaking across his face as if he hadn't just been launched into the stratosphere. "Heh! Never better! That guy's crazy strong!"
"You're an idiot," Gray muttered, though he couldn't hide the relieved smirk on his face.
With the morning excitement finally settled, the group spent the next few hours recovering their energy, talking through their strategy, and relaxing in the warm sunlight. When the distant echo of a steam horn announced the arrival of the train line, they gathered their gear and made their way to the station, boarding the express taking them straight to the grand capital city of Crocus.