Internet Magic in Fairy Tail (Re-upload)

During the explosion, Charizard dove down from above, grabbing Gray by the shoulder with its claws and lifting him into the sky.

"The first stage allowed us to use Pokémon, and the second stage doesn't say it's prohibited, right, Nate?"

Gray's voice echoed from above as he narrowly avoided an attack.

"Correct," Nate replied loudly. "You're allowed to use Pokémon throughout the exam, but you can't use Magic Net Coins."

Without Magic Net Coins, they couldn't rely on the [Magic Net Bank].

And all Pokémon activities consumed their owner's magic power.

"But flying in the air just makes you a bigger target," Nate said.

Forming his right hand into the shape of a pistol, Nate locked onto Gray, who was moving rapidly in the sky, using his Six Eyes to pierce through the steam.

"Ice-Make: Pistol!"

With a loud thump, an icy bullet shot from Nate's fingertips.

The target wasn't Gray but Charizard.

The bullet struck Charizard's head, making it cry out in pain as it plummeted to the ground.

At that moment, the surrounding flames began to converge toward one point.

Natsu opened his mouth and inhaled all the fire, his belly inflating like a balloon before quickly returning to normal.

"Eat up, and the power surges right out! Heh, thanks for the treat!"

As he spoke, Natsu launched himself forward, flames propelling him like a sword slicing through the steam as he closed in on Nate.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The punch came from behind, but Nate easily dodged it.

Yet Natsu immediately followed with a relentless barrage of close-range attacks.

"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"

"Fire Dragon's Claw!"

Each move packed immense power after Natsu had replenished himself, creating an unending assault.

Nate used his Six Eyes to predict every move, dodging with precision.

But Natsu was determined to overwhelm him head-on, disregarding the depletion of his magic and stamina.

Amid the storm of attacks, Natsu's flames grew even fiercer.

Fire encircled his arms, forming two blazing swords. Twisting his body, he unleashed a fiery slash.

"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

A secret art?

Nate's eyes narrowed slightly as his Six Eyes caught Gray's movements.

After Charizard was struck down, Gray had immediately summoned a Blastoise.

Now, taking advantage of Nate being pressured by Natsu, Gray and Blastoise launched their own attack.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon!"

"Fusion Magic: Ice Cannon!"

Two powerful streams of water shot toward Nate.

At the same time, Gray combined his Ice-Make magic with the water, fusing it with ice-attribute magic.

In an instant, the Hydro Cannon's power multiplied several times over.

Nate now faced simultaneous ultimate moves: Natsu's Dragon Slayer Secret Art and Gray's Fusion Magic amplified by his Pokémon.

Dodging without using Flying Thunder God was no longer an option.

Not bad, Nate thought.

Although he could use both their types of magic, he lacked their level of technique and mastery.

As he considered his options, the two ultimate moves struck simultaneously.

BOOM!

The explosion created a massive sphere of magic, half ice and half fire.

The two forces intertwined, forming a breathtaking spectacle.

Gray kept his eyes locked on the scene.

"Did we win?"

"Even Nate couldn't possibly come out unscathed after taking those two hits head-on, right?"

Natsu, panting heavily, his face drenched in sweat, remained silent but hopeful.

Not far away, beneath the Tenrou Tree.

Mavis gently clapped her hands in praise. "Well done, Natsu and Gray. You managed to give the examiner a real challenge!"

But before her words settled, Nate's voice cut in abruptly.

"Don't make it sound like I lost…"

The sphere of interwoven ice and fire magic suddenly burst apart.

Nate stood with his arms outstretched to the sides, a milky-white magic shield shimmering around him.

"What?" Gray muttered in disbelief. "He's completely unharmed?"

From above, Happy yelled indignantly, "That's cheating, Nate! You used super magic!"

Nate sighed, exasperated.

"I never said I was limited to using only your magic."

Hearing this, the group realized he had a point. Nate had only promised to suppress his magic power to a five-star level…

"Hahaha! That just makes it more fun!" Natsu laughed, his fists igniting once again. "The real fight starts now, Nate!"

"No, this is enough."

Nate moved his hands in a circular motion, one above the other, and calmly said:

"Silencio."

Ding!

Natsu and Gray heard a faint hum, and the world fell silent.

All sound vanished.

Even the colors in their vision seemed to fade, turning into black and white.

What kind of magic is this?

Natsu opened his mouth to speak but couldn't produce a sound. He could only glare at Nate.

I can't move…!

Gray's pupils constricted as he realized his body was frozen in place, as if his brain had lost all control over his muscles.

Not far away, Mavis's eyes widened in astonishment, the tuft of hair on her head wobbling.

While Natsu and Gray couldn't comprehend this magic, Mavis could.

And because she understood it, she also grasped its terrifying power.

Nate calmly walked toward Natsu, explaining as he moved:

"Life is movement, and movement can be understood as tremor.

"Sound is tremor. Humans walk by creating friction, which is tremor.

"Even the contraction of your muscles relies on the tremoring of your cells."

By the time he finished speaking, he was standing in front of Natsu.

Nate flicked his finger against Natsu's forehead.

With a loud thud, Natsu was sent flying backward.

"NAATSUUUU!" Happy screamed, watching in horror as Natsu's body was engulfed in a faint golden glow before disappearing.

"He passed. I sent him to the third stage," Nate said casually. He glanced at Happy and, with a snap of his fingers, sent the Exceed away as well.

Then he turned to Gray and began walking toward him.

Gray, with immense willpower, managed to break through the suppression of Silencio, taking a single step back.

But that was all he could manage.

"Impressive," Nate said, surprised. "You can still move?"

The magic suddenly lifted, and Gray gasped for air, his chest heaving.

"Did I pass? But… you still have magic left."

"I'm the examiner. I decide who passes."

That's so arbitrary… Gray thought, too exhausted to argue.

"What was that magic just now?"

Nate pondered for a moment before answering, "For every type of magic, there's an opposite. Just as there's positive magic, there's reversal magic. Surface-level magic, and deeper magic.

"Like how there's Ice-Make Magic, but also Fire-Make Magic.

"There's no fundamental difference between them."

With that, Nate sent Gray to the third stage as well.

"You're such a liar, Fourth Master~" Mavis floated over with a teasing grin.

"I wasn't lying…" Nate rolled his eyes. "Reversal Magic is just the application of magic in reverse."

"You might fool others, but not me!" Mavis leaned in closer. "That magic wasn't just about tremors—it also involved—"

Suddenly, Mavis's expression darkened. Shadows covered her eyes, and a flicker of anger appeared in her gaze.

It was the first time Nate had seen her look so serious.

Even when she's mad, she's pretty cute, he thought, amused.

"What's wrong?"

"There's an intruder in the guild!" Mavis declared, her voice filled with fury.