Rhodes understood Natsu's determination.
A kind person, after experiencing such an event, surely wouldn't want anyone else to suffer the sa misfortune.
So, they would give it their all to fight and bring that poor guy back to normal.
By the ti Happy returned with two fish, Natsu and Rhodes were already sharing the roasted at.
Rhodes took a couple of bites, but because he had too much on his mind, the food felt tasteless.
He chanically chewed and swallowed for the sake of quickly recovering his strength and magic. After filling his stomach, he ditated for a while.
By the ti Happy's fish was ready, Rhodes' magic was mostly restored. They put out the fire and set off again.
After escaping, the Leopard Man kept changing his location, but since Natsu had morized his scent, finding him wasn't difficult.
With Natsu responsible for tracking, Rhodes could focus on using his Scuttle crabs to scout the terrain.
He aid to find a few areas with low fire risk as backup battlegrounds.
"Found him!"
The three of them had just crossed the second peak of the Orchid Mountain Range when they finally spotted the Leopard Man again.
"That guy really knows how to run." Rhodes held his pendant, summoning a group of Murk Wolves and a group of Raptors.
The group of Murk Wolves and Raptors lost in the previous battle wouldn't recover until the next day.
Krugs were being kept in reserve, and the two Gromps couldn't be used recklessly without the antidote.
"Natsu, there's a good clearing 300 ters to the left of the maple grove ahead and another 200 ters forward."
"Got it, you want to lead him there for the fight, right?" Natsu could be quite sensible; most of the ti, the destruction he caused wasn't intentional.
Rhodes recalled a Scuttle crab, planning for it to carry Natsu forward in a charge while he and Happy found a suitable tall tree to watch the fight.
They needed a spot that was both safe and convenient for Rhodes to command his beasts in real-ti.
"Charge!" Natsu jumped onto the back of the Scuttle crab, gripping its antennae excitedly to urge it on.
The Leopard Man noticed Natsu, and his first reaction was to leave the area.
But just as he turned right to escape, hundreds of feathers rained down from above.
The Leopard Man took a few steps back to avoid the feathers, noticing three wolves now blocking his way.
He wasn't afraid of the wolves but didn't want to waste ti, so he moved his foot and changed direction to flee to the left.
"Faster, faster!" urged by Natsu, the scuttle crab used its skill, leaving afterimages behind as it sped up.
Rhodes had always wanted to na the Scuttle crab's speed skill "God Speed," but couldn't decide because the na didn't quite fit the effect.
With the distance between them quickly closing, Natsu couldn't hold back any longer, springing off the Scuttle crab's back:
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Natsu's body spun, enveloped by a vortex of flas, as he ramd into the Leopard Man's back.
The Leopard Man staggered forward, rolled forward on the ground, landed on all fours, ran a few steps, and then continued to flee even faster.
"Hey! Weren't you all tough earlier?! Why are you just running now?" Natsu fud, stomping his feet but having no choice but to chase after him.
The Scuttle crab carried Natsu once again, while Rhodes, Happy, and the other beasts followed behind.
Seeing the Leopard Man dash out of the maple grove and approach the designated battlefield, Happy suggested, "Rhodes, throw over."
"Alright." Rhodes grabbed Happy and, mimicking an athlete throwing a discus, spun once and flung Happy forward.
Happy nimbly twisted in midair, adjusted his posture, grew his wings, and sped up, even overtaking the Scuttle crab.
"Natsu!" Happy grabbed Natsu by the shoulders, "Maximum speed! MAX SPEED!"
With Happy gripping Natsu, the speed increased again, carrying Natsu over the Leopard Man's head before letting go.
"Great job, Happy!" Natsu twisted in midair and kicked, "Fire Dragon's Claw!"
The Leopard Man had no choice but to stop, crossing his arms to block the descending kick. His wrists were scorched by the flas on Natsu's feet.
"Answer my call, Krug."
Before the Leopard Man could turn around, a group of Krugs burst from the ground, with one blocking his retreat while another dug underground.
Then, Murk Wolves and Raptors moved in, cutting off his escape from both sides.
With no way out, the Leopard Man could only fight, and he chose the Murk Wolves as his target—they looked easier to handle.
The Murk Wolves evaded nimbly, and whenever they got a chance, they lunged at his wrists.
Natsu, of course, wasn't about to let the Murk Wolves take the blows. He rushed up in just a few steps: "Fight , you bastard! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The Leopard Man was forced to engage.
anwhile, Happy encountered a small problem.
Before he could land, his wings suddenly disappeared, causing him to crash into the grass and roll over, lying there seeing stars and unable to move.
The extre acceleration just now had been no small feat for Happy.
As a person of honor, Rhodes took the "great risk" of circling around the battlefield to pick up Happy.
"Turns out you have so real moves, Happy."
"Ai~~" Happy groaned, still feeling dazed.
Rhodes wanted to scold Happy, noting that with him in this state, the retreat plan he'd discussed on the way was useless now.
But in the end, he didn't have the heart to say it.
"We'll take care of the rest." Rhodes looked at the battlefield; the Leopard Man was tangled up with Natsu and the Murk Wolves, unable to break free.
But whether driven by instinct or because he had so awareness, he kept trying to eliminate the weaker Murk Wolves to make his escape easier.
Rhodes seized the opportunity, flicking his finger upward: "Krug!"
With a crack, a Krug burst from the ground, clamping its giant pincers around the Leopard Man's waist.
"Roar!!!" The Leopard Man gripped the pincers at his waist with both hands, his arm muscles bulging, looking even more robust.
Under his imnse strength, the Krug began to show signs of loosening its grip.
At this mont, Natsu jumped up, landing a punch on the Leopard Man's face, "Snap out of it, you bastard!"
The Leopard Man's head jerked to the side, his cheek trembling under the force of the blow.
Even from a distance, Rhodes could feel the power behind that punch—it looked eerily familiar, like the kind of punches he'd seen during bar fights.
The Leopard Man's eyes showed a brief mont of clarity before turning completely blood red.
His limbs, along with his neck, bulged with muscles, looking even more powerful.
The Leopard Man then forcibly pried open the pincers of the Krug.
He turned around, clasping his hands together, and delivered a heavy blow, shattering the Krug into two smaller ones.
Rhodes frowned, "Damn, he really has a second phase!"
Natsu, on the other hand, looked pleased, "I knew it! Beating him up is working!"
A second phase was anticipated, so it didn't affect Rhodes' command:
"Murk Wolves, retreat! Krug, grab his legs! Natsu!"
"Got it!" Natsu took a deep breath and, taking advantage of the Leopard Man's inability to move, unleashed searing flas:
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
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