Chapter 23
Natsu watched the two mages with irritation on his face when Gray just started laughing, "you look like a drowned rat flame for brains!"
Natsu's eyes narrowed seeing Juvia's rain wasn't even touching Gray. He let out a low growl and walked towards them upping his body temp to steam off the down pour.
"This is not going to be like our battles," Erza murmurs getting to her feet with Wendy's assistance. "We need to move," the great titania and Gildarts share a nod before slowing making their way to the edge of the field.
"Those two idiots have no idea how to hold back," Gildarts shakes his head with a laugh.
"Not to mention what happens to anyone threatening her beloved Gray," Erza and Wendy shudder.
"Oh yea didn't Master mention something about her being an S-class wizard at one point?" Gildarts looks to she Erza's confirmation, "this is gonna be messy."
Without pause Gray froze the rain, turning the down pour into icy javelins. These didn't faze Natsu in the least, they simply turned to steam so Gray stepped it up. His Demon Slayer mark spread across his body and he changed not just the rain but everything in the field to Demon Slayer Ice.
The others watch in awe as Natsu slowed only for a moment to take in his new surroundings. "Are you challenging me to a test of power?" Natsu said with a smirk.
Juvia placed a hand on Gray's arm which seemed to calm him enough to not react. She smiled and him but turned a stony look on Natsu, "a challenge of power and tactic. For every hit Juvia and Gray-sama make you Natsu-san must return double to each of us. Whoever reaches 5 strikes or is the last one standing whichever comes first, wins."
Gray places his hand over Juvia's and turns to meet Natsu head on, "this way you can keep your promise to Wendy."
Natsu looked at the two of them then over to Wendy who nodded in agreement. Natsu grinned and his flames covered his body as he roared his challenge to the night sky. Everyone jumped as the other slayers joined their drake in roaring to the sky.
With a nod Gray let his mark cover half his body and he slammed his fists into the ground. Everything around them cracked and shifted, within moments the field now looked like ice glaciers with huge cliff sides and jagged peaks and valleys.
"Impressive," Gildarts called from the sidelines.
Gray shot him a smirk over his shoulder only to see Gildarts scanning over the new landscape, no doubt in search of Juvia. Gray straightened back to face his opponent and grinned at the sight of his slightly green face. "Oi still have that weak ass stomach Ash Breath."
Natsu shook himself and straightened, "that'll cost you."
Gray charged hopping across the rugged field all the while launching attack after attack. Natsu knocked each attack out of his way coming closer and closer to Gray. Steam came off him in rolling clouds making him look exactly like what he was a predator on the hunt.
The others watch as the two forces collide blow by blow when Wendy whispers, "Where's..." Erza covers her mouth and holds up her finger to her mouth in a shushing motion. Wendy nods in understanding then turns back to watch the fight only to pipe up a moment later, "how exactly are we suppose to keep track of how many hits each one has?"
Gildarts chuckles and writes in the dirt, "that was simply a distraction to force Natsu to pay close attention to whomever he was fighting in an effort to loose his heightened attention of his surroundings."
Wendy made a little "Oh," before smiling and turning her attention back to the fight. Then Natsu hit Gray particularly hard and sent him flying into a cliff side. That's when the ice began to shift and float. Natsu stumbled and started to turn green, "What the..."
Gray started chuckling with a few coughs thrown in here and there, "never thought about where all that steam was disappearing to did ya Lava Breath."
Juvia slowly rose from the lake she and Gray had carved into the ground and filled with Natsu's steam. "Gray-sama!" Gray waved her off telling her to focus.
Juvia bit her lip and nodded then turned back to Natsu with anger in her eyes, "this is for Gray-sama! Water Lock!"
Natsu looked almost bored within his watery prison then the water started to boil but he didn't move fast enough as Gray froze the water bubble, "Absolute Zero Cage!"
The seconds ticked by and there wasn't any movement from the block of ice rocking on the iceberg. Gildarts broke the silence and asked Wendy, "What happens if Natsu looses?"
Wendy chewed on her bottom lip before answering, "he'll go on a rampage until another dragon or dragon slayer can stop him."
Erza's eyes widened then she relaxed, "I see. Luckily that will not be the case here today."
Gildarts chuckled, "ya got that right. Natsu had this in the bag from the beginning."
The ground began to shake and steam started to thicken covering the field making it almost impossible to see. Gray started cursing as he'd lost sight of the frozen water lock. He and Juvia made their way over only to see the trap looked fine or at least from the front it did. on the back side there was a hole just big enough for a person to climb out.
"Dammit! I didn't think there's was anyway he could move," Gray snarled out.
"Gray-sama look!" Juvia points down at where their lake had been moments before.
Gray stopped his ti raid of cussing and swearing to look on in shock, "is that ...lava?" Gray and Juvia noticed while their lake was gone the lava wasn't doing much against their icebergs. "They are covered in my Demon Slaying Ice, it won't melt even for lava. Which makes me wonder just what Flame-for-Brains flames are made of."
Juvia looks at her Gray-sama in wonder, in order for this plan to work it strongly depended on him using a lot of his power. Juvia could not help but admire her partner.
In her admiration she didn't notice the change in temperature. If she had she'd have noticed the heat wasn't coming from the lava below but from something above her.