The battle continued and Sting and Rogue began to dominate it. They became faster and stronger which started to overwhelm Natsu and Gajeel. Furthermore, the two had better teamwork than Natsu and Gajeel who bicker every day.
Gajeel can't even hit Rogue right now as he changed into a shadow. Natsu is also unable to land a hit on Sting who had become faster and stronger. Both of them are being played by Sting and Rogue who have noticeably become more powerful after using magic amplification.
The spectators noticed the increase in Sting and Rogue's power. Their White and Shadow Drives seemed to raise their level to the point that not even Natsu and Gajeel who were dominating the battle earlier can land a hit on them. It seems the battle will end with Sabertooth's victory.
Sometime later, Natsu suddenly couldn't move after Sting hit him in the stomach. He then noticed some kind of symbol on his stomach. Sting told him that it's a stigma activated by White Dragon Claw.
Elsewhere, Rogue suddenly appeared behind Gajeel in his shadow form. He threw a punch at Gajeel, but suddenly his fist was caught by Gajeel which surprised him and his guild mates. Gajeel then asked Rogue what he had been talking about since the beginning as it was unclear.
Ben smirked after seeing Gajeel catch Rogue's fist. It wasn't that difficult, he just needed to time it right to catch Rogue. As a shadow, Rogue can't hit his opponent, so he needed to materialize himself while attacking and Gajeel needed to use that time to his advantage.
Rogue is surprised by it and then Sting became surprised. Natsu can suddenly move again and he evaded Sting's attack before punching him in the face. Sting looked at Natsu's stomach and observed that the stigma placed on it had been burned away by Natsu's magic.
Gajeel also hit Rogue on the chin and sent him flying. Natsu proceeded to hit Sting once again and told him not to underestimate their opponents with that level of power. Natsu and Gajeel had faced stronger individuals than the Twin Dragons in the past.
"We've been beaten up by people that were a lot stronger than you. Compared to their hits, all your attacks felt like baby slaps." Gajeel grinned.
"Yeah, compared to the monsters we know, you guys are still lacking. Yet, those monsters never underestimate their opponents, no matter how weak they are." Natsu said.
Ben was interested in what they were saying.
"Hey, who are the monsters he's referring to? Can I meet those guys and fight them?" He asked his guild mates.
The Fairies look at Ben with expressions that ask if he's being serious right now. Then they remember that Ben likes to tease them, so they ignore him. Ben seemed to be disappointed that they weren't falling for his act.
Of course, he knew that they were talking about him, Gildarts, Mira, Laxus, Erza and maybe even Makarov. He just wanted to play with his guild mates a little. Their reactions weren't satisfying though, so he went back to watching the battle.
He saw Sting was becoming more serious and threw a strong punch coated in his magic at Natsu. It created a strong blast that engulfs Natsu and Sting was confident that it was enough. However, Natsu emerged unscathed and effortlessly caught Sting's fist.
The spectators and Sabertooth mages were surprised as well. Gajeel also handled Rogue quite easily which surprised them even more. Natsu and Gajeel then resume dominating the battle again without giving the Twin Dragons a chance to fight back.
After being pushed around for a few minutes, Sting and Rogue suddenly decide to use their full power. Ben grinned after hearing that because he knew what they wanted to do. Their magic power suddenly increased again and scales started to appear on some parts of their bodies.
"Dragon Force! As I though, they have that power in their bodies. I couldn't sense it well because it's the same as their magic power." Ben said excitedly.
"You know something about that, Ben?" Makarov asked.
"Yeah, I do. Those two are able to activate Dragon Force at will. You know someone else who is capable of that, don't you?" Ben asked back.
They think for a while before remembering it. "Laxus!?"
"That's right. Laxus has a dragon lacrima in his body. Those two also have dragon lacrima in their bodies. So other than the magic that they inherited from their dragon parents, they also have dragon lacrima which enhanced their magic." Ben grinned.
They were surprised by this because it was the first time they had seen Dragon Slayers like this. Then they resume watching the battle and see Sting move forward alone. He intended to fight Natsu and Gajeel by himself because he was extremely confident in his Dragon Force.
Sting was underestimating his opponents again, but he can back it up. He flashes towards Natsu and Gajeel, appearing in front of them in an instant. Then he punched Natsu in the face, sending him flying.
Gajeel tries to attack Sting, but it misses because Sting is very fast. Sting then hit Gajeel's stomach with a spell and sent him flying like Natsu. He dominates the two of them alone which surprised the spectators even more.
"Ho, he is quite fast, maybe almost as fast as Laxus." Ben commented calmly.
Sting then jumped high into the air and used White Dragon Holy Breath. It created a beam that was a lot bigger than White Dragon Roar that looked like a laser. The massive beam engulfed the arena, shattering it for the 2nd time this tournament following Ben's battle with Jura.
It wasn't over yet though as Natsu and Gajeel were still able to fight. The battle continued underground and the spectators watch it through some screens. They see Natsu and Gajeel fight Sting with various spells, but none of them work.
Gajeel even managed to hit Sting at point blank range with Iron Dragon Roar, but Sting was fine. He then generated a big sphere that fired multiple rays of light. Ben grinned after seeing it and immediately analyzes the spell.
The battle then became close combat and the 3 fighters use their hand to hand combat skills. Sting still overpowered them though and soon he knocked both Gajeel and Natsu down. He stood in front of them proudly while raising his arm.
The Sabertooth mages think it's over just like Sting and Rogue. The Fairies call out to Natsu and Gajeel, asking them to stand up again. Only Ben and Mavis seemed to be calm about the situation. Ben still had a grin on his face.
Then much to the surprise of the Sabertooth mages, Natsu and Gajeel stand up again. Ben was still grinning because he knew they were fine. They sparred against him many times and were beaten up a lot worse than this, so something like this wouldn't take them out.
Natsu and Gajeel don't even feel like they've been beaten up. They stretch their bodies while talking about Sting's attack patterns that they've predicted. Their difference in experience is clear now.
Natsu and Gajeel then start bickering again because of their difference in opinion. It's just how they perceive the angle of Sting's kick. They start brawling and then Natsu shoved Gajeel into a mining cart.
He then pulled the lever and sends Gajeel away. Gajeel can't get out due to his motion sickness and he fell down the hole. Natsu grinned widely and then challenged Sting and Rogue at the same time.
This pissed Sting and Rogue off.
"I have no business with you. Let me fight Gajeel!" He demanded.
"Wanna fight Gajeel. You have to beat me first." Natsu grinned.
Ben also grinned after hearing that. "Well, look at this guy. He really knows how to make things more exciting."