The flames dissipated.
Ken appeared in front of the members of Fairy Tail, his skin the color of steel, gray-black and indestructible.
It was clearly Ken's defensive measure after his shield had been shattered.
Unscathed.
Only then did everyone react.
"Is this... Gajeel's steel skin?"
"With eight attributes of dragon-slaying magic, Ken only used rock and steel."
"Look at Ken's current position. It seems like his feet haven't moved since just now?"
"In other words, Ken never moved his position or used any attack magic from the start. He just put up a shield and used it as a living target. Natsu was already sweating..."
"Did he eat Natsu's flames just now?"
"Probably not... I heard that dragon slayers' fire is special. Even if they have the same attribute, they can't eat each other."
"Come on, Ken! I bet you'll win in under five minutes, you can't lose!"
"Natsu, stop attacking. If you last two more minutes, I'll give you half of the winnings..."
"Just practice cooking more and forget about this later..."
As the atmosphere became more charged, Natsu's eyes, once full of excitement, now held a cautious calm.
Among the crowd, a guild member seemed to have bet that Natsu wouldn't last five minutes. Perhaps they feared Natsu would be defeated by the next blow.
Then, a burning torch was thrown directly in Natsu's direction.
"Natsu! Go on!"
"Thank you so much!"
Natsu's face lit up with joy. The flames would replenish his magic power.
He immediately jumped into the air to catch it, but his eyes suddenly darkened.
Looking closely, Ken had appeared right in front of him, leaping from nowhere.
Ken smiled apologetically.
Then, with a swift motion, he kicked Natsu back to where he had been, the torch falling neatly into his hands.
Natsu's face darkened with frustration, but he was helpless.
He could only watch as Ken placed the torch and its wooden handle into his mouth.
Ken didn't forget to wipe his mouth, grinning: "When you eat it, your strength will come out!"
"Don't steal my lines!"
Natsu stomped his feet in anger.
But the situation before him wouldn't give him a chance to express his frustration.
Ken, also a dragon slayer, had just eaten the fire and the wooden handle, boosting his magic power. His right fist flared with even hotter flames.
At last, he took the initiative to attack.
The moment Ken moved, Natsu raised his arms to defend, but then he heard a deep voice.
"I'm here to help you!!"
Natsu looked up to see a determined black figure standing in front of him, blocking Ken's attack.
"Boom!!"
The magic exploded.
After taking Ken's fiery punch, the figure wavered but stood strong, bending forward slightly to recover.
"Gajeel?"
Natsu recognized the figure and smiled knowingly. "So you're wondering about where the dragon who raised you has gone, right?"
"Hey, I'm not interested. I've been slacking off lately, just wanted to stretch my skills," Gajeel replied, wearing a disdainful expression as he turned to Ken.
"The skills of a fire dragon are inferior to those of humans. I'll be your opponent next. If I win, tell me about the dragon," Gajeel declared.
"Who do you think is inferior here? Iron Dragon!?" Ken replied, amused.
Looking at the eager Gajeel and the boisterous Natsu, Ken shrugged. "You two can team up. Just remember to pay me for one more year's rent."
The crowd wasn't too thrilled.
"If they team up, how will the time be calculated? Extend it to ten minutes?"
"Cana, refund our money!!"
"..."
A rare seriousness appeared on Gajeel's face.
He glanced at Natsu, his voice calm.
"Use the secret art directly."
"C'mon?"
"There's no chance if we go head-to-head. If we use our secret arts together, we might be able to break through his defense!"
Natsu hesitated but looked at Ken again. After several rounds with him, it was clear: Ken's defense was unbreakable.
Natsu gritted his teeth as flames burst from his body. "Okay!"
Seeing this, Gajeel ignored the arm that had just been injured by Ken and focused all the iron magic in his body.
The air around them crackled with the pressure of two powerful dragon slayers.
"The Secret of Dragon Slayer: Red Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!!"
"The Secret of Dragon Slayer: Karma Demonic Iron Divine Sword!!"
As Natsu and Gajeel unleashed their ultimate techniques, their magic surged wildly.
"Is this the final blow..."
Ken slowly began to suppress his magic power, watching the scene unfold.
"Fire, electricity, storm..."
"The Secret of Dragon Slaying: The Dragon's Eternal Roar!!"
Three completely different magical attributes blended together. Energy exploded as it surged down Ken's arms; dragon scales began to appear on his skin.
The Secret of the Three Dragons—Ken's strongest killing move.
But, because his opponents were Natsu and Gajeel, Ken deliberately held back.
He only used about 60% of his power, far from the level he had used against Jellal in the Tower of Paradise.
The explosive flame blade and the Iron God Sword clashed from both sides of Ken, but Ken calmly pushed his palms forward, releasing the power of the Three Dragons and controlling his speed.
The three-colored magic intertwined and buzzed with the sound of a faint explosion.
"Break it for me!" Ken shouted.
Natsu and Gajeel, not to be outdone, poured all their remaining strength into their secret techniques, desperately trying to overcome Ken's defenses.
"Have you given it your all..."
Ken knew they were eager to learn the truth about their dragon fathers.
They would give everything to find out.
In the clash of their dragon-slaying techniques, he could feel their full efforts.
Ken's thoughts were heavy: "Sorry, Natsu, you're not strong enough yet. It's not the right time to tell you the truth."
"One day, you'll discover that the Igneel you've been searching for is actually hidden inside you..."
On July 7, 777, the fire dragon Igneel and the iron dragon Medalikana didn't vanish. Instead, they were sealed within Natsu and Gajeel's bodies, respectively.
The so-called dragon slayer would eventually become the evil dragon.
If dragon-slaying magic was overused, the slayer would be assimilated into a dragon, no longer human.
And Igneel and Medalikana had secretly used magic to protect Natsu and Gajeel from transforming.
But neither of them knew.
Back in the battle, the ground cracked beneath them as their magic power surged. The air seemed to tear itself apart.
Many Fairy Tail members were affected, their senses overwhelmed.
"What's that sound? A dragon's roar?"
"My eardrums are going to burst..."
"I'm out. I'm afraid they won't finish before I'm shocked to death..."
Even though Ken wasn't using his full strength, the aftereffects of the previous battle had taken their toll on Natsu and Gajeel.
The light from their Exploding Flame Blade and Iron God Sword flickered, eventually swallowed by the power of the Three Dragons.
With no defense left, their bodies were hurled through the air and crashed into the nearby building.
"Clang!"
Cana pressed the countdown button.
00:01.
"The challenge is over! Final time: 4 minutes and 59 seconds. Ken wins!"
(Next Chapter: The Clash of Dragons)