Asta swallowed hard—he had a bad feeling he knew what kind of training Charles and Mereoleona were talking about.
Yami puffed on his cigarette. "No way... Is that kid really gonna fight that violent lioness?"
Though still wearing his usual calm expression, Yami was genuinely surprised. As someone who had been trained by Mereoleona himself, he knew better than anyone how terrifying she could be. He couldn't believe the kid was using actual combat with her as his training.
"Mereoleo big sis, please take care of me!" Charles said respectfully.
Under everyone's shocked gazes, the two collided.
"You talk too much, brat!"
Without a greeting or warning, Mereoleona threw a punch.
Charles crossed his arms to block it and launched a countering kick.
Her upraised arm blocked the kick, but the resulting explosion of flames blew lava high into the air.
Instead of separating, the two became fully entangled in hand-to-hand combat. Though they exchanged only simple strikes, each one carried the force of an earthquake.
They were serious.
Everyone watching felt it—this wasn't sparring. It was a brutal exchange, with each move aimed at taking the other down.
"Flame Magic: Scorching Arm!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
After over a dozen rounds of close combat, the two unleashed their magic at the same time.
Their magically-enhanced fists clashed, triggering a colossal explosion of fire.
The platform beneath Mereoleona shattered, forcing her to leap to another outcropping. She looked over at Charles, who had done the same, and smiled.
"Not bad! You've gotten a lot stronger in a short time."
Charles returned her smile. "Of course I have. Otherwise, how could I make you go all out?"
"You've learned how to talk back. But if that's all you've got, it's not enough for me!"
Flashing a sharp grin, she and Charles vanished from sight, only to reappear midair above the lava lake, clashing once more. The resulting explosion of fire displaced even the magma below, revealing the rocky bottom.
Asta gaped. "Did Charles piss off the new Crimson Lion captain or something? Why are they fighting like this?!"
Yami slapped the back of Asta's head. "Idiot. Can't you see they're both smiling?"
Asta looked again—sure enough, both fighters wore excited, delighted grins.
Yami exhaled. "Watch carefully, all of you. Not just Big Sis Leo, but Charles too. They're both mages beyond what you can imagine right now. Study their fight well.
Damn it... It's one thing for Leo to be that strong, but when did that brat Charles get so powerful?!"
While they spoke, Charles and Mereoleona exchanged countless more blows. She took a punch to the shoulder and returned one just as heavy, sending Charles flying.
"What's wrong? Weren't you gonna show me your new moves? Let's see them!"
Wiping a bit of blood from his mouth, Charles said, "Then I won't hold back!"
He activated his Dragon Blood Mode, bursting forward at incredible speed toward Mereoleona.
"That's more like it!"
Just as she finished speaking, Mereoleona suddenly pivoted and punched right at Charles—he had appeared in front of her mid-sentence.
Her reflexes were extraordinary—faster even than Vetto at full awakening, whose Beast Magic gave him reaction speeds dozens of times faster than a normal human.
Even Charles in Dragon Blood Mode couldn't move faster than she could react.
"Flame Magic: Scorching Arm!"
Both her arms ignited. Her left blocked Charles's strike, while her right lashed out with a fiery lion's claw.
Charles twisted out of the way.
Asta blinked. "Wait... he dodged? But can't Charles eat fire magic?"
Yami replied, "Of course he dodged. That's fire he can't eat."
He was right. Charles couldn't absorb Mereoleona's flame magic.
To him, normal fire magic was like drinking water—easy to consume. The flames of elite mages with refined mana were like chewy gelatin—manageable, if a bit difficult.
But Mereoleona's fire, honed to a metallic sharpness, was utterly indigestible. It burned.
For the first time since learning Dragon Slayer Magic, Charles felt the pain of being burned in battle.
As more flaming lion's claws chased him, Charles launched a relentless counterattack.
But despite the torrent of strikes, Mereoleona blocked them all with her Scorching Arm.
"This won't satisfy me at all!"
With a roar, she struck Charles with a full-power punch just as he lunged forward.
Charles spun through the air and slammed into a cliff wall. Coughing, he dragged himself free and returned to stand across from her.
Deactivating Dragon Blood Mode, he said, "Looks like there's no room for reservation with you, Big Sis. Time to use my strongest move!"
Mereoleona laughed. "You've got something stronger? How delightful! Then I won't hold back either—come at me with everything you've got!"
"Mana Zone!" ×2
They spoke in unison.
Their mana surged outward, clashing in the air.
From Charles's grimoire flew a spirit of flame.
"That's...?" Yami's eyes widened. "So Salamander's new master is that brat."
Asta looked at Yuno's wind spirit on his shoulder and turned green with envy.
Even Yuno tensed. He knew just how powerful spirit magic was.
Among the four elemental spirits, Salamander didn't communicate like Sylph or Undine, but its destructive power was unmatched.
Charles, already powerful, now had the might of a spirit behind him. Though it had only recently bonded with him, the sheer volume of Charles's mana had helped Salamander mature rapidly.
Maybe it was the influence of his dragon blood, but Salamander's new form closely resembled Igneel.
Charles said, "I'll call you Fal from now on. Let's go!"
As his Dragon's Nest clashed with Mereoleona's Mana Zone, Charles realized she had seized partial control of the mana in his own domain.
"As expected from the undefeated lioness—stealing prey right out of a dragon's jaws!"
He was amazed—no technique was invincible. It still came down to the user's power.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Salamander's Breath!"
Without delay, Charles launched his strongest attack. Above him, Fal spread his wings and attacked as well.
Their flames fused into a massive pillar that swept toward Mereoleona.
"Flame Magic: Scorching Arm—Flurry!"
She neither flinched nor dodged—instead, she charged head-on.
Dozens of fiery lion's claws flew out to meet the pillar of fire.
Her flames could burn even fire itself.
Mereoleona's magic repelled the fire pillar blow for blow.
Charles couldn't maintain that level of output for long. Soon, his flames died out. Mereoleona, having cast dozens of spells in return, was also nearing her limit.
Wiping sweat from her brow, she grinned. "You really are something else, kid. Let's keep going!"
Charles, panting, smiled bitterly. He had just thrown out his trump card. It looked like he was going to get beaten again.
As the flames reignited, Charles said, "But I won't give up. I'll break my limits right here!"
...
Leopold reached the mountaintop just in time to see his sister with a look of complete satisfaction—and Charles lying on the ground like a dead dog.
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