The matter between Ur and Erza was just a small interlude.
Once Erza confirmed that Ur was indeed Ur, her attention quickly shifted away from him, and she hurried off in the direction Natsu had gone. Ur, on the other hand, with a dizzy head, staggered back to the guild.
Forging a high-level magical weapon was extremely time-consuming. On top of that, the materials Ur brought for forging his weapon needed to be refined first. Master Dingley estimated that Ur's longsword would take at least half a month to complete.
Ur was not in a hurry.
Because of the severe imbalance between his magical power and mental energy, he couldn't even handle normal magical practice or reading during this period—let alone take on missions. Every time he relaxed even slightly, his magical power showed signs of going out of control.
The only thing Ur could do was meditate to stabilize himself temporarily.
And so, in a half-month of idleness, time quietly passed.
About a week earlier, Gildarts, the flamboyant uncle of the guild, had already left on an SS-rank mission. Judging by the situation, it would probably take months before he returned.
The rest of the guild members continued their usual carefree, silly, and happy lives.
Until one day, when Natsu and Erza returned, the calm atmosphere of the guild was suddenly shattered.
"So badly injured…"
"Hey, hey, hey… what the hell!"
"What happened to you two? Were you attacked?"
When Erza and Natsu returned to the guild, their bodies were wrapped in bandages, covered with wounds, and looking extremely miserable.
The guild members were shocked.
They all knew Erza and Natsu's power; injuring them this badly was not something ordinary people could accomplish.
Erza's face was grim. Since returning, she hadn't said a word.
"Damn it!" Natsu slammed his fist onto the counter. His face was equally grim, but unlike Erza, his expression clearly screamed, "I'm furious!"
Ur watched and chuckled.
Half a month wasn't a long time. Given the distance from the Hoglia Mountains to Magnolia, half a month was just enough for a round trip.
Meaning that if Natsu had actually gone to the Hogria Mountains, he might have stepped in, fought, and been back in less than half a day.
"What's wrong? Natsu, did you see the dragon?" Ur asked.
At this, Natsu's expression changed immediately; he grew extremely excited. Just as he was about to say something, Erza suddenly glared at him and shouted.
"Natsu!!!" Her shout was like a cold splash of water to the head, instantly cooling Natsu down.
He sulkily said, "I understand. I won't say anything."
Ur was momentarily taken aback.
What was going on? Was there some hidden truth here?
"Ur, is the guild master at the guild?" Erza suddenly asked.
"He's not. He went to the council for a meeting."
"That's good…" Erza seemed to relax slightly upon hearing this and slowly left.
Ur watched in surprise. This didn't look like Erza was leaving for a normal reason.
After she left, Natsu's expression began to change. Whatever he was thinking, his anger only grew stronger, like the feeling of "the more I hold back, the angrier I get."
Finally, Natsu exploded.
"Ur! Let's have a duel!" he shouted, charging at Ur.
Ur: "... Alright." Ur had instinctively wanted to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he decided to accept Natsu's challenge.
Natsu hadn't expected Ur to accept, so he first froze in surprise. Then he laughed excitedly, running out of the guild while shouting. "Wahaha! Amazing! Ur, let's start right now!"
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Outside the guild, Ur and Natsu's fight drew the attention of many guild members. After all, a duel between top-tier fighters was rare.
The two faced each other.
Natsu's expression was ecstatic. The thrill of a fight seemed to completely erase his earlier frustrations.
"Ur, here I come!" A roar erupted.
Flames immediately burst from Natsu's body, magical fire spreading layer upon layer, his aura surging and shocking the onlookers. The next moment, Natsu surged forward, legs propelling him like a released arrow, cloaked in flames, charging straight at Ur.
"Fire Dragon Iron…!"
Bang!
Natsu barely reached Ur before he was punched straight to the ground.
Ur immediately followed up, delivering a flurry of punches to the fallen Natsu. Within moments, Natsu's head was swollen with bumps, utterly incapacitated.
Onlookers: "Wha—??"
The battle ended almost instantly, shocking the spectators.
"Instant… knockout!"
"No way…"
"Ur is really that strong?"
The guild members were in disbelief. They had heard Ur was powerful, but they never imagined he was this strong.
That was Natsu!
And he had been utterly destroyed.
Even after the crowd dispersed, their faces still showed sheer disbelief.
Once everyone left, Ur picked up the still-dizzy Natsu and sat him down. Slowly, he asked, "Natsu, what exactly happened when you went out? How did you get these injuries?"
Natsu's mind cleared, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he finally said quietly. "It was… Raven Tail."
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Next Chapter: Clearing One's Head
Next Next Chapter: Hogria Mountains
Next Next Next Chapter: I Hope You'll Do Me a Favor