The moment Ezreal's fist collided with Comet's, the entire cave seemed to be struck by an invisible giant hammer.
The shockwave spread in a ring, shaking purple crystals from the cave ceiling, which shattered into twinkling specks of light on the rocky ground.
Both retreated three steps, their boot soles plowing deep grooves into the ground.
"Interesting," Comet said, shaking his numb wrist, black smoke rising from his black robe's cuff, the twisted smoke resembling sharp claws, "To be able to match my normal strength."
Ezreal did not reply.
The golden gauntlet on his left hand suddenly burst forth with dazzling white light, the light flow gathering into a sphere in his palm like liquid metal.
The cave instantly became as bright as day, and the purple crystals even began to sizzle under the white light.
"Solar Flare!"
The moment the light sphere left his hand, Comet's right claw, wreathed in black mist as viscous as asphalt, lunged forward.
Dozens of painfully distorted human faces emerged from the black mist, their shrieks almost piercing eardrums.
But just as the claw was about to touch the light sphere, the white light suddenly exploded in mid-air, a blinding flash filling his vision.
"What--" Comet's pupils contracted sharply.
This was not an energy attack, but pure light pollution.
A stark white afterimage was instantly burned onto his retina, leaving only swirling light spots in his field of vision.
From within the blinding light came Ezreal's calm whisper: "Blue Buff."
A muffled rumble of the earth's crust shifting came from the altar. The rocky ground beneath the twelve unconscious children suddenly softened, gently swallowing them like quicksand.
Almost simultaneously, the rock wall behind Ezreal exploded, and an eight-meter-tall one-eyed Stone Man burst out of the ground.
Its grayish-white body was covered in ancient runes, its single eye glowed with an eerie blue light, and its thick arms lifted twelve children, encased in rock cocoons, from underground.
"Bastard!" Comet's black robe billowed without wind.
He closed his eyes and leaped back abruptly, dense black smoke erupting around him.
The smoke transformed into countless sharp spikes that shot in all directions, carving honeycomb-like holes in the rock walls.
Ezreal had already leaped onto the black cloud.
"Let's go!"
The Stone Man emitted a low hum, the earth beneath its feet cracked, and it sank into the ground with the children. When the rock layers closed, not even a crack was left.
The sound of tearing fabric came from the black smoke. Comet finally broke free from his blindness, and the star-shaped tattoo under his right eye glowed with an eerie red light.
He ripped off his black robe, revealing a body covered in stitch marks—short, stiff black hair rapidly grew on his pale skin.
"I'm going to turn your bones into—"
"New opponent," Ezreal interrupted his roar with a smile.
The black cloud carried him rapidly backward towards the cave entrance, and a strand of golden hair was severed and fell as his hair brushed past Comet's lunging claws.
A scorching wave of heat suddenly poured into the cave.
Natsu's figure brushed past Ezreal, his body engulfed in flames casting flickering shadows on the rock walls.
Happy flew nimbly along the cave ceiling, clutching a potion bottle labeled 'Magic Replenisher' in his claws and chugging it down.
"Fire Dragon's—" Natsu's fist, accompanied by a sonic boom, slammed towards Comet's face, his wide grin reflecting the firelight, "—Iron Fist!"
"So fast!" Comet's expression changed slightly, and in his haste, black mist erupted from his palm in an attempt to block, but it was scattered by a single punch.
Amidst the gushing flames, Comet was sent flying backward by Natsu's punch, barely steadying himself when he hit the edge of the altar.
Comet shook his numb hand and looked up to see Ezreal at the cave entrance, removing his goggles.
His blue eyes gleamed coldly in the shadows, and he silently mouthed a phrase:
[He is your opponent]
Comet staggered up from the edge of the altar, eerie black patterns appearing beneath his pale skin.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring at Natsu with the gaze of a beast eyeing its prey.
"Dragon Slayer Magic..." Comet's voice became hoarse, "I didn't expect to see the legendary Lost Magic here."
Natsu shook his fist, flames dancing between his fingers: "What? Scared?"
"Scared?" Comet suddenly burst into Laughing wildly, his laughter echoing through the cave, shaking purple crystals down, "I'm just thinking about what kind of sacrifice to make with your bones!"
Before he finished speaking, Comet's figure suddenly blurred.
Natsu's pupils contracted, and he instinctively dodged sideways—three dark claw marks grazed his cheek, leaving deep gouges in the rock wall.
"So fast!" Happy exclaimed in the air.
Comet's figure flickered through the cave; the dim cave was perfect for Comet, who possessed shadow magic, to fight, each appearance accompanied by a deadly claw strike.
The flames on Natsu's body were constantly torn apart, only to reignite instantly.
Amidst the flying sparks, Natsu's breathing became ragged, but the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even hotter.
"Fire Dragon's—"
Natsu suddenly spun around, his fist, wreathed in scorching flames, slamming behind him.
Comet's figure appeared there just as their attacks collided in mid-air.
"—Iron Fist!"
The blast of air overturned the runic stone slabs on the altar.
Comet was sent flying several meters by the punch, his clothes turning to ash in the flames, his body crashing against the cave wall.
However, when he landed, his body had undergone a terrifying transformation.
Comet stood up, hunched over, a chilling 'cackle' sound emanating from his throat.
His spine twisted and deformed like a broken branch, the crisp crackle of his bones particularly piercing in the enclosed space.
Happy immediately warned: "Natsu, stop him!"
"Too late..." Natsu narrowed his eyes, cautiously taking two steps back, bending his knees slightly to gather strength.
The opponent's transformation speed was very fast. Natsu saw the muscle fibers beneath the opponent's pale skin wriggle and swell like living things, his body rapidly growing.
A fierce and brutal beastly aura emanated from this tall, slender man.
"Roar—!"
Accompanied by a deafening wolf howl, Comet completed his transformation in the blink of an eye.
His figure swelled to over two meters, his entire body covered in steel-needle-like black fur.
His face twisted into that of a wolf, only the star-shaped tattoo below his right eye remained clearly visible.
Most terrifying were his crimson eyes—mad light flickered in his vertical pupils, like flames from hell.
Sharp fangs pierced his lips, and saliva mixed with blood dripped onto the ground, making a "hissing" corrosive sound.
The transformed Comet stood upright, a pious and solemn expression instead appearing on his ferocious wolf face as he looked at Natsu.
"When night swallows the last ray of dawn, the moon quietly appears."
"That is the face of the Moon Demon, hanging high in the endless firmament."
"We gather in the darkness, offering the sacrifice of souls, allowing the seeds of fear to grow wildly under the moonlight."
"Kid..." The transformed Comet's voice was low as thunder, "Offer your life to the Moon Demon!"
"What gibberish are you spouting!" Natsu tilted his head and licked his lips, the flames on his fists roared, and fire spewed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth simultaneously.
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