Chapter 31: Tremor Ball

The explosion at the guild meeting hall had blown away the entire front wall. Natsu and Gajeel's clash of Dragon Slayer roars had turned the banquet into a chaotic mess. Makarov stood with his mouth agape, completely stunned.

"Those two sure have a lot of energy," Nate commented casually as he continued eating. Ironically, the destruction that Eisenwald couldn't cause was easily achieved by the Dragon Slayers.

"Quick… someone stop those two!" Makarov's face darkened as he imagined the scolding he'd receive from the Magic Council.

"Understood, Master," Nate responded. He swallowed the last bite of food, wiped his hands with a napkin, and walked towards the destroyed wall.

Outside, Natsu and Gajeel were oblivious to the fact they had demolished the wall. After their dragon roars clashed, they continued fighting outside, fists and kicks flying as the battle grew more intense. They were both fully immersed in their brawl.

Gray, Lucy, and Happy stood at a distance, spectating the fight.

"Natsu, and you, the Phantom Lord member, can you stop for a moment?" Nate called out.

But the two seemed not to hear, their eyes locked only on each other as they traded blow after blow. The fight appeared evenly matched, although Gajeel seemed to have a slight upper hand.

"They're too into it to understand words," Nate muttered. Raising both hands, a soft white glow gathered in his palms, forming two spheres of tremor energy.

"Alright, that's enough!"

With a sudden motion, Nate threw the white spheres toward the combatants. Neither Natsu nor Gajeel noticed the incoming attack in time. By the time they realized something was approaching, it was too late.

"What the hell is that?" Gajeel caught sight of one of the spheres from the corner of his eye and instinctively tried to dodge. However, the sphere expanded rapidly, releasing compressed shockwaves that exploded on impact.

With a loud boom, both Natsu and Gajeel were engulfed by the intense tremors. The ground shook, and two large overlapping craters appeared in front of the guild hall, where moments earlier, the two Dragon Slayers had been fighting.

Makarov, along with several other guild masters, had followed Nate outside just in time to witness his magic in action.

Each of them was an experienced mage, even though many were no longer active in combat. Their eyes lit up with appreciation as they saw Nate's magic.

"Tremor Magic, huh?"

"Compressing the power of tremors into a magic sphere that explodes upon reaching the target…"

"Incredible control! That kind of magic requires immense skill."

The guild masters couldn't help but be impressed. While the magic looked simple, executing it without accidentally detonating the sphere in one's hand required a level of precision few could achieve.

"Makarov-chan, you've really found a treasure!" Bob, the Blue Pegasus guild master, remarked with envy. "Not only did Nate-chan create this groundbreaking internet magic, but he's also a prodigy in combat."

"You all better not be thinking about poaching him," Makarov snapped.

Nate walked up to the edge of the crater and looked down at the two fighters.

"Calmed down yet?"

Natsu, aching all over, managed to sit up. "Nate! What was that for? That hurt!"

"You two almost tore down the entire meeting hall, and you're asking me?" Nate replied, exasperated.

Natsu glanced around and finally noticed the damage they had caused. "Wait… I did that?"

'Who else could have?' Nate thought, rolling his eyes. 'No wonder Natsu is always broke, even though he works so hard.'

Gajeel, gritting his teeth, pushed himself to his feet. He grabbed his right arm with his left hand and stared at Nate.

"So… you're the one who created the internet magic?"

"Nice to meet you," Nate said with a smile. "Sorry about the rough treatment. I had to stop your brawl somehow."

"..." Gajeel was speechless for a moment, thinking, 'That wasn't just rough. If I were any weaker, I'd be dead by now.'

Gajeel spoke up, his tone serious. "I want to ask you about someone. I saw a post on your internet forum from someone named 'Voldemort.'"

Nate noticed the silver ring on Gajeel's finger, confirming that he had access to the internet. Of course, Nate wasn't about to reveal that 'he' was Voldemort.

"I'd like to know who that is too," Nate replied smoothly.

Gajeel frowned, skeptical. "You don't know? But aren't you the one who controls the internet?"

"I provided the rings, yes, but I don't know everyone's username. Just like how I don't know what your username is," Nate explained. "If you're curious about Voldemort, I assume it's because of the dragons, right? What he said was true. I've confirmed it with Natsu—the dragons are inside the Dragon Slayers."

Gajeel's eyes widened as he glanced at Natsu.

Natsu, still climbing out of the crater, called back, "Did your dragon disappear on July 7th, 777 too?"

"You too?" Gajeel asked, stunned.

"Yeah, Igneel's inside me somewhere. I haven't seen him yet, but I can feel him. And I trust Nate," Natsu said, reaching out a hand to Gajeel with a grin. "I bet it's the same for you!"

Gajeel snorted, too proud to take Natsu's hand. "We'll settle this later," he muttered, climbing out of the crater by himself.

As he stood, Gajeel noticed his guild master, Jose, standing nearby.

"Let's go, Gajeel," Jose said, giving Nate a sidelong glance. "You're welcome to visit Phantom Lord anytime, Nate."

"Maybe," Nate replied, thinking to himself, 'Not likely. Phantom Lord might not even exist by then.'

"Heh… until next time, then," Jose chuckled before turning to leave, with Gajeel following closely behind.

As they walked away from the hall, Gajeel couldn't help but ask, "Master, that guy…"

"He's a remarkable young mage," Jose said, reflecting on Nate's earlier display of power. "That Tremor Magic—likely a type of super magic—was incredibly potent. And his eyes… I've never seen magic like that before."

Jose had been watching Nate closely throughout the encounter. He had noticed how Nate anticipated the walls collapsing during the battle and how he had saved his meal from the destruction.

The young mage was incredibly sharp and skilled. 'I need to recruit him at any cost,' Jose thought. 'Makarov's old; he doesn't deserve to have someone this talented under him.'

…

Back at the meeting hall, Makarov stood before his guild members: Gray, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy.

Glancing at the ruined building, Makarov sighed. "The meeting ends tomorrow. Tonight, we'll find a place to stay in town."

'And hopefully, Natsu won't tear down the entire town,' he thought, casting a weary glance at his overeager Dragon Slayer.

"Don't worry, old man!" Natsu shouted, punching his fists together. "If anyone comes to attack, I'll take care of them!"

'That's exactly what I'm worried about,' Makarov thought, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Let's go, Nate," he said, leading the way.