Natsu looked at the Great Summer Ape, who had completed its transformation and was radiating arrogance, not with fear in his eyes, but as if an even more fervent battle-fire had been ignited within him.
"Ah..." Natsu took a deep breath, and a crimson dragon-head magic circle once again spread beneath his feet. The ground shattered and cracked, and flames erupted from the fissures in the earth, carrying with them splashing rocks and soil.
Natsu stood in the flames, his aura rising again. "I'm all fired up!"
The flames beneath Natsu's feet exploded, and he charged towards the Great Summer Ape like a burning cannonball.
His agile figure flickered in and out of the firelight, moving so fast that he created a scorching gust of wind.
Seeing this, the Great Summer Ape swung its thick, pillar-like arms, enveloped in raging flames, and smashed them towards Natsu. The flames were like materialized giant pythons, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at Natsu.
Natsu's movements were nimble, and he easily dodged the thunderous blow by sidestepping.
Immediately after, his leg muscles tensed, and a fiery flying kick, carrying rolling heat waves, powerfully struck the Great Summer Ape's abdomen with an overwhelming force.
The Great Summer Ape cried out in pain, its massive body staggering backward a few steps, each step leaving deep, scorched footprints on the ground.
But it quickly regained its balance and lunged at Natsu again, baring its fangs and claws, letting out a deafening roar.
In an instant, the two were locked in an intense close-quarters battle, with fist winds howling and flames intertwining.
Each of Natsu's attacks was like a burning meteor, scorching and violent.
His fists carried scorching high temperatures, and each strike left a bright fiery trajectory in the air.
The two were at least eighty centimeters apart in height. Natsu, at fifteen years old, was only about 1.7 meters tall, yet he was like a humanoid young dragon, with primal and savage movements, his limbs wrapped in fiercely burning flames.
The Great Summer Ape was not to be outdone; the flames on its body became even more turbulent, transforming into layers of fire waves, attempting to suppress Natsu with high temperatures.
The surrounding air was warped and distorted by the scorching flames, as if space itself was about to be melted by the terrifying heat.
However, as a Fire Dragon Slayer Mage, Natsu had no fear of the Great Summer Ape's flame attacks.
But the height difference between the two was too great, and the Great Summer Ape's physical strength was greater than Natsu's. After exchanging blows, Natsu finally revealed a weakness.
The Great Summer Ape's eyes were ferocious, and its flame-wrapped fist heavily landed on Natsu's head from above.
With a loud "boom," Natsu's movements paused, his cherry-blossom colored hair was flattened, and his head was forced down by the Great Summer Ape's fist.
"Fall, brat!" the Great Summer Ape roared, pressing its fist down with force, crimson flames churning on its fist and spreading towards Natsu.
With immense force, Natsu's knees involuntarily bent slightly, but just as he was about to fall to the ground, he stubbornly held his ground.
The Great Summer Ape, continuously exerting force, changed its expression slightly. It noticed that its fist was being pushed by a brute force and couldn't be pressed down at all.
Natsu actually managed to lift his head, stubbornly enduring the Great Summer Ape's fist. Crimson blood dripped from his forehead, flowing down his cherry-blossom hair to his eyes, and slowly down his tear troughs, yet Natsu's expression was only one of excitement.
The flames on the Great Summer Ape's fist reflected Natsu's excited, almost crazed face, which made its expression extremely grim.
"This is exhilarating!" Natsu suddenly opened his mouth and inhaled deeply. The flames on the Great Summer Ape's fist actually transformed into streams of fire and were all sucked into his mouth.
The Great Summer Ape's eyes widened. "He ate the flames!"
Before it finished speaking, Natsu moved. Crimson flames erupted around him, the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and a crimson magic circle opened from the ground, shining brightly. Immediately after, crimson flames erupted from underground and shot straight into the sky, like an exploding volcano.
At such a close distance, the Great Summer Ape had no chance to dodge and was instantly carried into the sky by the flames.
"Thanks for the meal!" Natsu laughed wildly.
His laughter sounded exceptionally bold amidst the crackling of the flames.
The Great Summer Ape was thrown dozens of meters by the flames and landed far away on the ground, but fortunately, the blessing of its demonic beast bloodline gave it a flame resistance that ordinary people did not possess, and it stood up again.
The Great Summer Ape's eyes were wide with rage, and the anger in them materialized into rising flames, with flames erupting from its eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
"I'll kill you!" a deafening roar echoed through the night sky.
The Great Summer Ape raised its hands above its head, and the gushing flames converged in its palms. A huge fireball rapidly condensed in its palms, constantly spinning and emitting a heart-palpitating high temperature and energy fluctuations.
"Die, brat!" The Great Summer Ape's eyes widened, and it threw the almost house-sized fireball with all its might towards Natsu like a cannonball.
Natsu did not dodge or evade, but steadily caught the fireball with both hands. With a slight effort, he crushed it, and the originally huge fireball disintegrated into long, thin streams of fire, all of which he sucked into his mouth.
In an instant, the fire magic power within Natsu surged violently, his aura rising again. Crimson magic power erupted from him, shooting into the sky, and the faint roar of a giant dragon echoed around him.
At this moment, Yuumi swayed her body and emitted a brilliant white light from above Natsu's head. The light transformed into a shield that enveloped Natsu.
The shield was eggshell-shaped, with a shimmering white glow, providing him with a solid layer of protection.
And the wound on his forehead, which had just been struck by the Great Summer Ape, had healed at some unknown point.
Flames ignited on Natsu's feet, and he suddenly bent his knees. The next second, the ground abruptly shattered, and Natsu, transformed into a man of fire, charged straight towards the Great Summer Ape.
"Come on!" the Great Summer Ape roared, wildly pounding its chest twice with both fists, and then likewise burst into flames all over its body, its face ferocious as it charged towards Natsu.
Natsu and the Great Summer Ape, like two burning meteors, rapidly rushed towards each other, instantly colliding with an earth-shattering roar and a surging wave of flames.
Natsu's fists rained down on the Great Summer Ape's body, each blow carrying scorching high temperatures and immense power.
The Great Summer Ape was not to be outdone; it swung its huge fists, attempting to counterattack Natsu.
"Boom!" One of Natsu's straight punches heavily struck the Great Summer Ape's abdomen. The Great Summer Ape grunted, its eyes fierce, and it suddenly spewed a stream of flames from its mouth.
The flames came head-on, but Natsu did not retreat, instead launching another attack into the flames.
"Die!" the Great Summer Ape roared, grabbing Natsu's shoulders, wanting to throw him away.
Natsu, however, used the momentum to turn around, clamping his legs around the Great Summer Ape's neck, and twisting with force.
The Great Summer Ape cried out in pain, struggling desperately, the flames on its body becoming even more intense, trying to force Natsu back.
Natsu, however, held on tightly, his hands continuously attacking the Great Summer Ape's head.
At this moment, the Great Summer Ape suddenly exerted force and fiercely threw Natsu away.
Natsu did several somersaults in the air and landed steadily on the ground, the ground beneath his feet instantly scorched by the flames.
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