Lock had formed this hypothesis long ago.
By fusing flame and lightning magic within himself, he could give birth to a higher state—Thunder Flame Dragon Mode.
The first time this idea surfaced was during the provisional license exam. From that moment until now, he had been experimenting, refining, and testing it over and over, finally arriving at a truly feasible method.
Yet there had always been a shackle.
The problem was the quality of the lightning element in his body.
On one side was Dragon Slayer flame—high-level, violent, and complete. Pairing it with low-tier lightning magic worked only as auxiliary reinforcement.
But Thunder Flame Dragon Mode wasn't a simple fusion.
It was a sublimated posture, a higher existence born from perfectly balanced flame and thunder.
To match Dragon Slayer fire, what he needed was the same level of power—
Dragon Slayer Thunder.
"System," Lock said, eyes burning with resolve, "exchange for Thunder Dragon Slayer Magic."
This was the moment to break the chains.
This would decide whether he could truly carve out a Dragon Slayer path of his own.
"Consume 3,000 Fame Points. Confirm?"
"Confirm!"
On the translucent interface at the edge of his vision, his remaining Fame Points dropped from over thirty-five thousand in an instant.
The next moment—
Lock felt something appear inside his body.
A crystal.
A magic crystal overflowing with dense, violent thunder-element magic.
"—Aaaah!"
His eyes flew open. His pupils were dyed a blazing bluish-white, lightning-like light flickering within them.
The sensation dragged an old memory to the surface.
Back before his reincarnation, when he had been electrocuted while fishing. The rod had touched a power line, and the current had surged through him in an instant. The pain had been so overwhelming that he'd lost consciousness on the spot.
That pain had been brief.
This—
Was not.
Now, the thunder magic crystal was continuously transforming his entire body, forcibly rewriting it with lightning-aspected magic.
The pain did not fade.
It continued.
Crack—crackle—!
The air around him erupted with sharp electric sounds.
Golden-yellow lightning coiled around his body, wrapping him as if he were wearing platinum armor inlaid with gold.
Then—
His consciousness plunged into darkness.
Another instant passed.
Or perhaps countless instants—accelerated tens of millions of times within the system space.
It felt like a switch being flipped inside his soul.
Lock's eyes snapped open.
He was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving violently. Even now, he could faintly hear the rumble of thunder echoing within his body.
"…I never want to experience that again."
He let out a bitter laugh. Being electrocuted was hell.
But the payoff—
Was immense.
"Thunder Flame Dragon Mode… complete."
Pure excitement surged through him.
Even without testing it, he was certain—he could now activate Thunder Flame Dragon Mode at will.
"And I found a way to save Fame Points."
Not only had he mastered Thunder Flame Dragon Mode, but he'd also uncovered a loophole in the exchange system.
Normally, a basic Dragon Slayer magic costs only 3,000 Fame Points.
But any Dragon Slayer Mode—a true transformationcostst no less than 30,000.
After all, the boost from a Dragon Slayer Mode was an outright leap in existence.
In Fairy Tail alone—
Natsu had defeated countless overwhelming enemies through Dragon Slayer modes.
Lightning Flame Dragon Mode.
Black Flame Dragon Mode.
Fire Dragon King Mode.
The first two cost 30,000 points.
The Fire Dragon King Mode required 100,000 Fame Points, on par with top-tier super magic.
And yet—
By spending only 3,000 Fame Points, Lock had now obtained a mode that should have cost 30,000.
A massive profit.
"Exit system space."
As the frozen Nomu returned to his sight, Lock felt only one thing—
I can crush him.
The world snapped back into motion.
Time flowed again.
Nomu, mid-charge, swung its massive arm down in another brutal punch.
Lock's expression was calm.
Cold.
Lightning surged within his eyes as he looked at Nomu—not as an enemy, but as a corpse.
"Thunder Dragon: Shattering Fist."
He stepped forward and punched.
This time—
Everyone heard it.
A sharp, violent crackle of thunder rang out.
Zi—zi—BOOM!
A storm far more terrifying than before exploded outward. Violent wind pressure mixed with stray arcs of lightning, blasting away the League's fodder villains instantly.
Some were merely crippled.
Those unlucky enough to be flung headfirst into the ground fared far worse.
Class 1-A was also blown backward—but Hero No. 13 immediately activated her Black Hole Quirk, pulling them back to safety without injury.
When the storm cleared—
A horrifying sight awaited them.
Nomu had been blasted away.
A massive section of its chest was caved in.
"Hiss—!"
Tomura Shigaraki and Kurogiri sucked in sharp breaths at the same time, shock written all over their faces.
"…So weak," Lock said lightly, curling his lips. "Though I'll admit—this tank-type Nomu makes a great punching bag."
The magic power inside his body had reached a critical point. It needed to be vented.
And he wanted to feel Thunder Flame Dragon Mode properly.
The previous punch had already incorporated lightning magic. That slight imbalance was enough to completely overturn the fight.
"Let me show you properly."
Lock shrugged off his clothes, revealing a lean but powerful upper body.
It wasn't intentional—just an aftereffect of inheriting Gray's habits.
Defined muscle lines overlapped cleanly, veins faintly glowing blue beneath his skin.
Coupled with his sharp features, lightning-lit pupils, and tall frame standing firm against the villains—
Several girls in Class 1-A unconsciously held their breath.
This was the reason a truly strong man never lacked attention.
Strength itself was an attraction.
"Thunder Flame Dragon Mode."
His magic power erupted.
Lightning and fire—two of the most violent forces in nature—intertwined and exploded outward.
Blinding brilliance flooded the USJ.
No one could open their eyes.
When they finally dared to look again—
They froze.
Stunned.
Reflected deep within their eyes was the illusion of a dragon wreathed in thunder and flame—so vivid it inspired instinctive terror.
The sky itself darkened, tinged crimson by dusk, thunder, and flame, like the afterglow of a catastrophic battlefield.
An apocalyptic scene.
And this apocalypse—
Was destined to belong to Nomu.
And to the League of Villains.
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