Flames were about to engulf him, but the red-haired ape not only didn't dodge; he bravely stepped forward, crossing his thick arms over his chest in a defensive posture.
His ferocious face was filled with savagery.
Just as the flames were about to touch his body, the red fur on him suddenly glowed red, then burst into crimson flames.
The flames spread outwards along his body, forming a shield of fire.
That shield was like a solid entity, burning fiercely, blocking Natsu's aggressive Fire Breath attack.
The half-ape, bathed in fire, sneered amidst the flames, "I told you, you are absolutely no match for me! I have fused with the Fire Ape bloodline and been bestowed the title of Great Summer Ape by our leader, making me one of the Twenty-Four Generals! How dare a mere human like you dream of defeating me?"
"Utterly ridiculous!"
"Your companions heard my name and fled without looking back. You and those two little cats actually dared to stay behind; what foolish humans!"
The Great Summer Ape, bathed in the Fire Breath, sneered, but before he finished speaking, he felt an intense heat surge from his protective fire shield. The scorching heat actually penetrated the defensive fire shield and rapidly compressed and shrunk it.
The Great Summer Ape, with his sharp eyes, noticed that the opponent's Fire Breath had actually ignited his own protective fire shield.
"This is impossible! Your flames..." The Great Summer Ape's face turned grim. He dared not remain in a standoff with the Fire Breath any longer and sidestepped to evade it.
The Fire Breath, now unimpeded, crashed into the distant mountain forest. Dozens of towering trees were instantly engulfed by flames, and a massive fire erupted in the forest.
The crimson firelight illuminated the night sky, as well as the Great Summer Ape's grim face.
The Great Summer Ape turned his head to look at the raging forest fire behind him. In the bright flames, he detected a heat several times more intense than typical fire magic.
The Great Summer Ape withdrew his gaze and turned to stare intently at the cherry-haired young man in the distance, who had a fist-sized blue cat floating above his head. His human-ape-like face was unpredictable. "Fire magic of such power... Kid, who exactly are you?"
"You talk so much, I almost thought you'd actually dare not to dodge," Natsu scoffed, flames escaping from the corners of his mouth. Yuumi, who was in her attached state above his head, slowly floated to his shoulder, yawned, and didn't even glance at the ferocious Great Summer Ape opposite him.
Above Natsu's head, Happy circled in the sky, fanning his pair of small white wings while laughing and holding his belly.
"Aye, this idiot actually thinks Erza and the others would be scared of him, it's hilarious!"
Hearing Happy's laughter, Natsu also started to laugh. He looked at the Great Summer Ape's increasingly grim face opposite him and mercilessly retorted, "If Erza heard that, she'd probably cut you down with a single sword."
"The reason I'm here is because I need to fill my stomach with you right now."
Natsu took two steps forward, bringing his fists together. A crimson magic circle with a ferocious dragon head in its center flashed for an instant as his fists collided, then crimson flames ignited the young man's fists.
The crimson flames reflected on the cherry-haired young man's spirited face, and his white dragon scale scarf fluttered and rustled in the wind.
"Make sure you remember this clearly, you monsters who abandoned your humanity!"
"Your opponent is!"
"Fairy Tail!"
"Fire Dragon Slayer Mage!"
"Natsu Dragneel!"
A massive crimson dragon head magic circle spread open beneath Natsu's feet. The earth instantly cracked, and crimson flames erupted from underground.
Propelled by the flames, the cherry-haired young man arrived before the Great Summer Ape at an astonishing speed and unleashed a fierce punch.
The flame-wreathed fist grew larger and larger in the Great Summer Ape's astonished eyes.
"Boom!"
An earth-shattering roar sounded, and a shockwave radiated outwards the moment Natsu's flaming fist connected with the Great Summer Ape's face.
The Great Summer Ape's face twisted and deformed. He flew backward in a comical tumbling motion, crashing directly into the sea of fire that Natsu had created with his earlier roar.
"Fire Dragon's!" Natsu, having landed a successful blow, ignited flames beneath his feet and leaped into the air. He cupped his hands to his mouth again, took a deep breath, his chest rapidly expanding, "Roar!"
The crimson Fire Breath illuminated the night sky, carrying terrifying heat, and carved a straight path of flame into the burning forest.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Happy flapped his small white wings and flew a little higher, staring blankly at the spreading sea of fire. "Natsu, isn't that a bit too much!"
After the breath attack ended, Natsu descended from the air, baring a mouthful of white teeth, and gave Happy a thumbs-up from afar. "No problem, it's all barren mountains!"
Yuumi, floating beside Natsu, also raised her small paw and waved at Happy from a distance. "Don't worry, Big Brother Happy, we definitely won't have to pay for damages this time! Aye!"
"Oh, if we don't have to pay..." Happy subconsciously nodded, then reacted and angrily clawed at the two of them through the air. "Is it about paying for damages?! Natsu, you've corrupted Yuumi!"
"Small problem, small problem," Natsu chuckled.
As the two cats and one person spoke, a furious roar suddenly echoed from the forest fire, its sound shaking the sky.
Natsu's eyebrows twitched slightly, his body tensed, his eyes fixed on the direction of the sea of fire.
In the fiercely burning sea of fire, the scattered flames suddenly began to rotate and converge clockwise under the manipulation of some power.
Looking down from above, the sea of fire had been transformed into a swirling vortex of flames by some force. A burly figure, shirtless, haphazardly pounded his chest with both hands and roared up at the sky.
All of the Great Summer Ape's red fur was now burning wildly, and the surrounding flames rapidly intensified.
The Great Summer Ape spread his hands and let out a deafening roar. A fiery red energy shockwave emerged from his body and spread outwards towards the surrounding flames.
The surrounding flames were quickly extinguished by the red shockwave.
The bright night sky rapidly dimmed.
When the last of the flames was extinguished, fiery red light shone in the Great Summer Ape's eyes. Extreme killing intent surged within them, and a giant red ape phantom flashed around his body, looking at Natsu from afar before merging into the Great Summer Ape's body.
Immediately after, the Great Summer Ape's body rapidly expanded. His already burly figure grew to about two and a half meters almost instantly. Crimson fur covered his entire body, his face became even more ape-like, and four-finger-length canine teeth protruded from his lips.
If he weren't still standing on two feet, the Great Summer Ape at this moment would look exactly like a giant red ape.
"Kid..." The Great Summer Ape, having completed his transformation, twisted his neck, bared his large mouth, and flames erupted from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. A fierce aura assailed them.
"Again!" The Great Summer Ape roared, and his red monkey fur instantly ignited with a whoosh.
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