Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 349: Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Gajeelʼs Flying Sword

”Who are you?”

Erza, clad in her fitted knightʼs armor, looked calmly at the black-haired youth who had blocked her path and asked indifferently.

”Guh-heh~”

”Iʼm the strongest mage of Phantom Lord, Iron Dragon Gajeel. You better remember that name!”

The black-haired youth grinned arrogantly, arms crossed in front of him as he proudly introduced himself.

”And then?”

But to Gajeelʼs surprise, Erza didnʼt react with fear or hostility. Her expression was calm and filled only with confusion.

”Huh? What do you mean, ʼand thenʼ?”

”Youʼre Erza, the younger sister of Evan, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, ʼFalling Star,ʼ right?”

He blinked in surprise, then asked to confirm her identity.

”Yes. Are you an acquaintance of my brother?”

Upon hearing Evanʼs name, Erzaʼs expression shifted slightly. She nodded gently and asked the black-haired youth, Gajeel, a question of her own.

”Of course not…”

”Iʼm here to beat you up!”

Gajeel smirked and lunged toward Erza in a flash, not seeming to take her seriously at all.

”Hmm?!”

Seeing Gajeel charge at her, Erza raised an eyebrow. Without hesitation, she drew the knightʼs sword at her waist and swung it directly at him.

Whoosh!

Her blade moved with blinding speed, faster than Gajeel himself. In the blink of an eye, Erzaʼs sword struck directly at Gajeelʼs chest.

”So fast!”

Gajeelʼs pupils contracted at the gleam of her blade. But instead of dodging, he grinned wickedly, and didnʼt even try to evade it.

He allowed her sword to slash across his torso.

”Huh?”

Erza frowned slightly, though she didnʼt think much of it. She even held back some of her strength, after all, even if he was asking for trouble, she had no intention of truly harming him.

Clang!

But to Erzaʼs surprise, the moment her blade struck Gajeel, a metallic clang rang out, the unmistakable sound of metal striking metal.

”It didnʼt feel right… itʼs like I didnʼt hit a human body, but something like steel…”

Even the feedback through her sword was off. It didnʼt feel like flesh, it felt like solid metal.

”What the hell are you?”

Alarmed, Erza stepped back several paces, gripping her sword with one hand as she watched Gajeel cautiously.

”Hahaha! You noticed, huh? Erza!”

”Thatʼs right, your sword canʼt even scratch me. My body is the nightmare of every weapon-wielding mage! Iʼm a Dragon Slayer of iron, a mage whose body can turn into steel! So you get it now, donʼt you? Thereʼs no way your puny iron sword can cut through me. Iron canʼt cut iron!”

Gajeel burst into laughter. As an Iron Dragon Slayer, unlike other Dragon Slayers, his entire body could transform into an indestructible steel form. His iron-hard physique made him a nightmare for mages who relied on physical weapons.

”Youʼre made of iron?”

Erza raised an eyebrow at that. She hadnʼt expected there to be a mage whose body was literally made of metal.

”Haha! You scared now? Thatʼs right, Iʼm an iron mage! Your weapons are useless against me!”

Gajeel mistook her reaction for fear and laughed even louder, hands on his hips.

”Pfft…”

But just then, Erza suddenly chuckled.

”Whatʼs so funny?!”

Gajeel scowled, clearly displeased by her unexpected laughter.

”Sorry. I wasnʼt laughing at you…”

Erza placed one hand on her flushed cheek and waved the other dismissively. As a mage of Fairy Tail, sheʼd been trained to respect her opponents during battle and never laugh at them, unless she couldnʼt help it.

”Youʼre totally laughing!”

”Youʼre mocking me, arenʼt you?”

”I said Iʼm made of iron, is that funny to you?!”

Gajeelʼs tiny eyes burned with confusion. This wasnʼt the usual cold smirk exchanged before a fight, it was like heʼd accidentally hit her funny bone, and now she couldnʼt stop laughing.

”Pfft…”

Despite trying to suppress it, Erza laughed again at the mention of him being made of iron.

”Haha..haha..ahahahaha…”

She clutched her stomach, tears forming in her eyes. She wasnʼt doing it on purpose, but she just couldnʼt hold it in anymore.

”...”

Gajeel fell silent.

”You brought this on yourself, donʼt blame me when I donʼt hold back!”

His face was iron-blue, literally glowing with a metallic sheen. In the next instant, his arms transformed into saw-like weapons, buzzing and rotating with mechanical snarls.

”Hahaha…”

”Made of iron… there really is a mage made of iron in this world…”

Erza didnʼt even register his transformation. Still crouched on the ground, holding her stomach, she couldnʼt stop laughing, repeating ”made of iron” like it was the funniest thing sheʼd ever heard.

”Iʼve had enough…”

”Die!! Iron Dragon Sword!!”

Gajeel had originally wanted to fight fair and square. But now? He didnʼt care anymore. All he wanted was to shut up this mocking woman.

He unleashed a surge of magic, flying toward her at blinding speed. His arm, transformed into a chainsaw-like sword, roared with power as it descended toward her like a guillotine, 

But just as his blade hovered over Erzaʼs crimson hair, 

It stopped.

No matter how hard he pushed, his arm refused to move even an inch forward.

”What?!”

Gajeelʼs expression shifted drastically. Cold sweat poured down his forehead. He had no idea what was happening, his body wasnʼt listening to him anymore.

It was like someone else had taken control of his limbs.

”Um, sorry! Let me reintroduce myself.”

”Iʼm Erza, Erza Belserion, an S-Class Mage of the Fairy Tail guild, and the younger sister of ʼFalling Starʼ Evan, one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Oh, and Iʼm also a Dragon Slayer of the electromagnetic attribute.”

”Gajeel, right? Nice to meet you, Iron Dragon Slayer. I hope we can get along~”

Erza smiled warmly at him as she revealed her magic.

”Electromagnetic?! What kind of joke is that?! Thereʼs no such bizarre attribute among Dragon Slayers!”

Gajeelʼs face turned from iron-blue to green.

He knew, magnetic magic was one of his biggest weaknesses.

He had previously relied on his strong body and magic to overpower magnet-type mages despite the elemental disadvantage.

But against another Dragon Slayer, one whose attribute was the natural counter to his own… there was nothing he could do.

”Itʼs not that strange, is it? Dragon attributes are limitless! Compared to things like ʼVirtuous Dragon,ʼ ʼSinful Holy Dragon,ʼ or ʼMoon Deity Dragonʼ, which all sound more like abstract concepts, Electromagnetic Dragon sounds pretty tame, donʼt you think?”

Erza looked at Gajeel and smiled slightly, speaking in a gentle voice.

”Ugh…”

As soon as Erza finished speaking, Gajeelʼs face changed again.

”Found them! Theyʼre over there!”

Just as Gajeel stood frozen with a gloomy expression, a group of Phantom Lord mages finally caught up, rushing toward where Gajeel and Erza were standing.

”Oh?”

Erza narrowed her eyes slightly as she saw the mages approaching. A glint of killing intent appeared in her sharp, beautiful eyes.

Using her Observation Haki, she could clearly sense the hostility these Phantom Lord mages held toward her.

”Gajeel, why havenʼt you taken her down yet?! Donʼt tell me youʼre going soft on a pretty face?”

The Phantom Lord mages saw Gajeel seemingly ”subdued” by Erza and looked at him angrily. From their perspective, it wasnʼt that Erza overpowered him, it was that Gajeel had just shown off his Iron Dragon Sword to intimidate her and hadnʼt actually attacked yet.

”Cut the crap! Get out of here! This woman isnʼt someone you can handle!”

Veins bulged on Gajeelʼs forehead. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldnʼt move. Erzaʼs magnetic control far exceeded anything he had imagined.

”Actually, because of my magic and Haki being so strong… Iʼve always needed a weapon that could never be destroyed. You seem like youʼd do quite nicely~”

As Gajeel roared at his guildmates, Erzaʼs whisper sounded beside his ear, making his body involuntarily tremble.

Oh no, Gajeel thought. Sheʼs turning me into a weapon!

”Gajeel! You trying to take all the credit for yourself?!”

”What a joke! Catching Erza is a team effort!”

Just as Gajeel felt things couldnʼt get worse, the other Phantom Lord mages began closing in, staffs in hand, surrounding both him and Erza.

”Bring it on.”

Erza remained calm, even as the enemy closed in. She raised her hand and issued a command to the floating Gajeel in front of her.

BZZZ~

A loud hum rang out, and under Erzaʼs magnetic control, Gajeel, wielding the Iron Dragon Sword, suddenly shot forward, charging toward the Phantom Lord mages.

”No! Get out of the way!”

Gajeelʼs face twisted in panic as he shouted to his comrades. But it was too late, under Erzaʼs electromagnetic boost, his speed had more than doubled, and in an instant, he had cleanly knocked down the mages in front of him.

”What?!”

”Gajeel, did you just attack us for that woman?!”

”You bastard! Donʼt tell me youʼre trying to hog all the credit!”

The mages who had surrounded Erza were stunned. Seeing Gajeel block their path, they started yelling in anger and disbelief.

”Idiots! Sheʼs not someone we can handle, just run!”

Even as he was being used like a puppet, Gajeel still tried to warn them to escape.

”Letʼs take him out together! Once we finish off Gajeel, weʼll catch Erza afterward!”

But the Phantom Lord mages werenʼt listening. They exchanged looks and decided to eliminate Gajeel first.

”Morons…”

Gajeel didnʼt even know what to say anymore. He had said everything he could, but these fools just wouldnʼt retreat.

WHIRRR!

And then, dozens of mages raised their staffs. One after another, brilliantly colored magic circles lit up in front of Gajeel.

”Damn it…”

Even with his steel-hard body, Gajeelʼs expression changed. Facing this much magic power at once would definitely hurt.

”Dragon Slayer Secret Art – Gajeel Flying Sword!”

Just as Gajeel braced for impact, Erza intensified her magnetic control.

With her magic surging, Gajeelʼs entire body began to glow, crackling with electric light as her electromagnetic force completely enveloped him.

Then Gajeel shot into the sky like a flying sword, suspended in midair, his body moving in perfect sync with Erzaʼs fingertips.

”What the hell?! Heʼs flying?!”

The Phantom Lord mages stared wide-eyed at the airborne Gajeel. None of them could believe it.

”AHHH!!”

Before they could even process what they were seeing, Gajeel flew toward them like a lightning bolt.

”Crap! Defense spells up!!”

The mages panicked, quickly casting their strongest defensive magic.

”Triple Magic Shield!”

Layer after layer of magical shields surrounded them. The mages finally sighed in relief.

The Triple Magic Shield was powerful enough to block even advanced magic. Only mages close to, or already at, S-Class could possibly break through it.

They didnʼt believe Gajeel could possibly shatter something this strong.

And yet…

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, the supposedly unbreakable shield shattered like glass, instantly obliterated by the magic-enhanced Gajeel.

”What?!”

Panic spread through the Phantom Lord mages as the explosion knocked them flying.

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, all of them were launched skyward by Erzaʼs weaponized Gajeel.

”Impressive… Iʼve never used a weapon with such high conductivity before.”

Erza, still manipulating Gajeel with her fingers, was clearly impressed with his performance as a living weapon.

Gajeel, meanwhile, had no words, ”...”

Once Erza was done mopping up the rest of the mages with her new flying sword, she stood alone on the wide road, with nothing but herself and a massive hunk of iron named Gajeel.

”Not bad~”

She was pleased. Who wouldʼve thought sheʼd gain such a great weapon on her way back from a mission?

”Gajeel, become my weapon!”

With all the enemies defeated, Erza released her magnetic grip and made her declaration.

”I refuse!!”

Without hesitation, Gajeel turned and fled. His eyes serious, he was determined to head back to the Phantom Lord guild and bring reinforcements.

”Sigh…”

Watching Gajeelʼs retreating figure, Erza sighed. She never liked to force people. If he didnʼt want to join Fairy Tail and become her teammate, then so be it. Sheʼd just have to find another iron-type mage to recruit.

But just a short distance away, 

A flash of white light erupted, and the fleeing Gajeel was suddenly transported right back in front of Erza. With him appeared a young man with short, reddish-brown hair.

”Brother Evan?!”

Erzaʼs eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of the boy.

”How did your mission go, Erza?”

It was indeed Evan, smiling as he looked at his sister.

”Mission complete!”

Erza gave a thumbs-up, proud of her success.

”Great work, Erza!” Evan smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately, praising her before turning to the Gajeel he had captured. ”Look what I caught, wild Iron Dragon Slayer, right on the road. I figured Iʼd bring him back to the guild and give you a new weapon! With Gajeel as your living sword, youʼll never have to worry about breaking another weapon again!”

”I knew it, Brother Evan, youʼre the best!”

Without another word, Erza leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly as she laughed with joy.

”As long as youʼre happy~”

Evan looked at the Erza in his arms with affection.

Gajeel, on the other hand, could only say, ”I…”