"Natsu! Gray! Are you both aiming for the title of S-Class Wizard?" Chen Fan asked as he looked at the two of them.
"You bet! I've always wanted to become an S-Class Wizard," Natsu declared.
"But not right now, isn't that right?" Chen Fan said calmly. "S-Class Wizards have a professional and strict assessment. You can't reach that level through petty tricks. It's still too early for you two.
S-Class isn't just a title; more importantly, you become a representative of the guild. If an S-Class Wizard is defeated by someone, it's not just their pride at stakeit damages the reputation of the entire guild."
He continued, "Besides, if an S-Class Wizard takes on an S-Rank mission, the risks are incredibly high. Their strength must be up to par. For the upcoming S-Class Wizard promotion trial, I intend to serve as the 'Gatekeeper' myself."
Natsu looked at him solemnly. "But if we miss this, I don't know when I'll get to fight you again. If we pass up this chance, another one might be hard to find."
"What! Are you about to die or something?"
"No... why would you think that?" The momentum Natsu had been building was instantly dissipated by Chen Fan's remark.
"Then why wouldn't there be a chance? I welcome your challenge anytime."
Natsu shook his head. "It's not the same."
"What's the difference?"
"Normally, it's just my own desire to fight you. But this time, I'm carrying everyone's hopes and my comrades' regrets. I will be the one to"
Chen Fan suddenly blurred forward, appearing beside Natsu and delivering a swift kick. "To hell with that! You guys make me sound like some ultimate villain. Am I really that bad?"
Natsu managed to block the strike just in time. Chen Fan wasn't in a hurry to end things because there weren't many people leftonly Erza remained. On the other hand, he wanted to see how much Natsu and Gray had improved.
"Come on! Try to beat me! Let me see how much you've grown."
"Ice-Make: Floor!" Gray pressed his hands against the ground. An icy chill swept across the earth, and the ground was instantly coated in a thick layer of ice, making it incredibly slippery.
"Gray, you're joining in too?"
"This is too good an opportunity to pass up! We know we can't beat you alone, and even together the odds are slim, but we just don't want to give up!" Gray shouted.
"Fine! Come at me together! Try to stop me!"
Natsu and Gray exchanged a look, their eyes shining with excitement. They nodded to each other and lunged at Chen Fan simultaneously.
"Ice-Make: Prison! Natsu, now!" Gray yelled.
"Got it! Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu roared, exhaling a massive storm of flames from his mouth.
"..."
Chen Fan had no intention of taking the hit head-on. His control over his ability was already formidable, backed by immense calculation power. However, prolonged high-intensity calculations were starting to make him feel a bit weary. If there was a simple solution, he didn't mind using it.
"Ice-Make: Ice Wall!" Gray shouted as several walls of ice shot up around Chen Fan, boxing him in. The top, however, remained open.
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu suddenly leaped above Chen Fan, shouting as an exceptionally large fireball appeared in his hands. The color of the flames was deep and dangerous.
"Ice-Make: Ice Impact!" Gray triggered the walls to shatter.
The Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame and the Ice Impact erupted almost simultaneously. Extreme cold met extreme heat, creating a terrifying magical zone where fire and ice intertwined.
After unleashing the spells, Natsu and Gray both panted heavily. These were new techniques they had recently mastered, and they consumed a massive amount of magic power. They had hoped to catch Chen Fan off guard.
"Did... did we get him?" Gray asked.
"I don't know. He must have wasted a lot of stamina earlier. His physical endurance is his weakness, but we already knew that," Natsu said, his strength spent.
"Yeah! Otherwise..."
Cr-crack!
From the center of the chaotic fire and ice, Chen Fan stepped out one foot at a time. He was still completely unscathed. With a light stomp on the ground, a high-intensity vibration instantly pulverized the ice prison. The ground was no longer smooth but became pitted and uneven as Chen Fan walked free.
"Why didn't you use your strongest moves from the beginning?"
Natsu and Gray slumped to the ground. "Hah... hah... our other attacks don't work on you at all! So we tried to go all out from the start. I guess even that wasn't enough!"
"No, you've grown a lot. At least your brains are working better, and you know how to cooperate. I'm actually touched. You finally managed to hurt me."
Hearing this, the duo perked up, their expressions turning excited. They quickly asked, "Where did we hurt you?"
"You hurt my heart! You two brats! You actually used your ultimate moves on me? Were you really trying to kill me? I'll finish you two ungrateful wolves off first! You jerks!" The ensuing scene was far too "bloody" for a live broadcast, and the Lacryma being used by Makarov and the others suddenly filled with static.
"Er... the antenna must be having a bad connection. It'll be back in a second!" Makarov said, breaking into a sweat.
He hadn't expected Natsu and Gray to make such progress. Anyone else probably would have been defeated, but the most terrifying part was Chen Fan. He had taken that level of attack without a scratch.
And that was after fighting multiple rounds. Well, it was better to count by rounds, as the actual fights usually ended in seconds. Almost no one could last more than a few moments against him, and the ones who lasted longest did so by talking.
Now, only one person was left: Erza. Chen Fan's stamina was indeed reaching its limit. The more subtle the manipulation, the greater the calculation required. Honestly, this battle had given him a much more comprehensive understanding of magic.
It was far more complex than he had imagined. His superpower was based on science, while magic was not a product of science. He was able to calculate the force and angle of their magic accurately because Natsu and the others hadn't mastered the fluidity of their power yet.
Furthermore, magic in this world tended to manifest as physical matter, which posed less of a threat to him. A Wizard was not the same as a Magician; the difference was vast. Wizards used magic power to augment themselves, whereas Magicians utilized ever-changing illusions.
Fortunately, Chen Fan wasn't Accelerator. Accelerator might have been superior in his mastery of Vector Control, but his breadth of knowledge was too narrow. Chen Fan, on the other hand, had spent over a decade immersed in the world of anime and manga.
Of course, if he were hit by something truly absurd like a "Polymorph" spell, even he might fall for it. Things beyond the scope of physical laws were difficult for him to calculate fully.
Chen Fan had a good grasp of his own capabilities. His kinetic energy conversion needed more work, and his physical stamina required training. After all, even the best computer can't run without a power source.
The essence of Vector Control was more about guiding force than generating it. His sources were the earth, gravity, and the planet's rotation. When Chen Fan could reach a level where he could slow the Earth's rotation by five minutes and convert that kinetic energy, like Accelerator, that would be true power.
No one in Fairy Tail had seen Chen Fan's most aggressive side yet. His greatest strength wasn't defense, but offense. As long as he could crush the enemy in an instant, even the strongest magic would be useless.
Even someone as powerful as Gildarts required a gradual build-up to use his magic; Chen Fan's ability did not. The power of an instantaneous burst was something even Chen Fan hadn't fully testedit was simply too dangerous.
Now, only one remained.
Clomp... clomp...
Heavy footsteps echoed. Chen Fan looked up toward the sound. A figure clad in Purgatory Armor and wielding a massive, bladeless sword was approaching. It was the S-Class Wizard of Fairy Tail, the Queen of Fairies, Erza Scarlet.
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