Chapter 74: Who? Mira? S-Class?
Chapter 74: Who? Mira? S-Class?
Facing the Beast King, as described by the village chief, the monster's overwhelming magic power was laid bare, unhidden and unapologetic.
Natsu, feeling no pressure, instead cracked his knuckles with excitement:
"See, Rod, you were overthinking it. How can this guy be S-Class? He doesn't even come close to Erza."
From his perch in the tree, Rod nodded in agreement, holding Happy:
"That's true, hard to disagree."
Natsu continued his comparisons:
"And he doesn't even come close to Mira!"
"Wait, comparing him to Mira is a bit much, isn't it?"
Happy explained:
"Natsu is talking about the old Mira."
"Old... Mira was strong?"
"Yep! Mira used to be an S-Class Mage, always fighting with Erza."
"!" Rod's mind conjured the image of the gentle and kind Mira he knew, "Her? Fighting with Erza?"
This was a stretch for his imagination.
"Yep, back then, they were like Natsu and Gray are now."
"..." Rod's mind was a bit overwhelmed. He had wanted to ask about Mira's past after hearing about Lisanna yesterday.
But he didn't want to upset Happy, so he held back. Today...
"Roar~~~~"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Alright, he'd ask after the fight.
Natsu's fiery fist collided with the Beast King's paw, producing a dull thud.
Their sizes were vastly different, but when Natsu's fist was engulfed in flames, it matched the size of the Beast King's paw.
Despite the size difference, Natsu held his own.
They stood in a brief stalemate before each taking a step back.
The Beast King's paw was slightly charred, while Natsu left a shallow trail in the ground.
"Pretty good, you are," Natsu flexed his hand and charged again.
The Beast King seemed hesitant but quickly met Natsu's attack: "Roar~~~"
They exchanged punches and kicks, sometimes attacking and sometimes blocking.
The Beast King's strength was immense, each blow carrying an extraordinary force that would shatter an ordinary person's bones.
Natsu's attacks, on the other hand, were infused with flames, adding destructive power and explosive force. Even a successful block could leave a burn.
After a dozen exchanges, Natsu tried to use his smaller size to his advantage, aiming for more agile attacks.
But the Beast King's feline features were not for show; despite its size, it was quite agile.
"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"
A powerful elbow strike, enhanced by a burst of flame, forced the Beast King back a few steps. Natsu quickly flipped backward, creating some distance.
This was the agreed-upon moment to strike. Six birds, one large and five small, flew out from the surrounding pine trees.
The large bird flapped its wings, releasing hundreds of feather-like daggers.
The smaller birds each shot a feather to join in.
The Beast King raised its arms to protect its vital areas, and dozens of feathers embedded themselves in its arms, shoulders, and legs.
"Roar!" The Beast King roared, slamming into a nearby tree and breaking it. It then swung the tree to knock away the diving birds.
Two Ancient Stone Beetles burst from the ground, one crashing into the Beast King's back, causing it to lose balance, and the other clamping onto its waist with its mandibles.
The Beast King swung the tree in a half-circle, smashing the beetle behind it.
Then, with a mighty roar, its arms seemed to thicken as it hammered and elbowed the beetle clamped to its waist.
Natsu, who should have taken advantage of this moment, remained still.
The Beast King had already shattered the Ancient Stone Beetle into two smaller beetles.
"Stone Beetle, bind it!"
Rod had no idea what Natsu was thinking, but he had a backup plan. He could summon another group of Beaks to get the job done.
If that didn't work, he could take a risk and summon a Toad of the Abyss.
Rod gripped the pendant on the tree branch and whispered, "Answer my call..."
"Wait, Rod!" Natsu suddenly stopped him.
Rod frowned, asking urgently, "What is it? Now isn't the time for a one-on-one fight."
But in the time it took to ask, the Leopardman had already knocked away a Stone Beetle, leaped with a powerful push from his legs, and quickly fled into the trees.
Well, no need to rush now.
Happi brought Rod down, asking, "What was that about, Natsu? We were about to win."
Natsu muttered, "That guy isn't the Beast King."
Rod replied, "But all the characteristics match the Beast King exactly."
"Of course they do. Because the Beast King was completely 'possessed' by him," Natsu emphasized, "It's 'him,' not 'it.'"
"Possessed... you can't be serious?" Rod thought of a possibility, but it seemed too far-fetched.
Happi asked, "What do you mean?"
"That guy, despite the strong scent of wild beasts, also had a smell I recognized from the village chief's house."
Natsu believed it was the scent of Chita, who had been missing for eight days.
Judging by smell alone wasn't enough, Rod pointed out, "But Chita came up the mountain to hunt the Beast King. It's not strange for the Beast King to have his scent after a fight... And how do you know it's possession magic?"
Natsu replied earnestly, "During the fight, and when he used his arms to crush the Stone Beetle, the way he used magic was exactly like possession. I wouldn't make a mistake about that!"
"Why..." Rod wanted to ask why Natsu was so familiar with possession magic.
The sudden analysis almost made him suspect Natsu had been swapped.
"I trust Natsu," Happi's tone became serious, and he explained, "Because Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna all use possession magic. So, Natsu wouldn't be wrong!"
Rod fell silent, sitting cross-legged on the ground. He had heard too many shocking pieces of news in the past two days and needed to sort them out.
First, Mira had a sister named Lisanna, who tragically died last year.
Then, Mira was once an S-Class Mage, capable of matching Erza.
The Strauss siblings all used possession magic.
Lastly, from what Happi said, Lisanna and Natsu had a close relationship, which explained Natsu's familiarity with possession magic.
Given this familiarity, Natsu could deduce that the 'Leopardman Beast King' was actually Chita, who had been missing for eight days, using possession magic to take over the Beast King's body.
From what Rod understood, possession magic allowed one to take control of a target's body and use it as their own.
However, if the user wasn't strong enough, forcing the possession could lead to being influenced by the target's will, causing irrational and uncontrollable actions.
This matched the strange and aggressive behavior of the 'Beast King.'
But there was one thing that didn't add up.
"Can someone maintain possession magic for eight days straight?"
Rod said, "If it was possession magic, he should have exhausted himself and died, or collapsed from lack of magic power and reverted to his original form on the first day."
(End of Chapter)
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