BANG!
Locked within the confines of his basement cell, Natsu Dragneel slowly roused from his deep slumber.
CLACK!
He effortlessly snapped the heavy iron chains that bound him, his breathing stabilizing as he regained his senses.
He had allowed his emotions to get the better of him, and his concern for his friends had spiraled into a destructive, blind rampage.
Now, he finally understood the reality of his situation.
The belief that his companion, Lucy, had been killed was what had triggered his initial "Outburst."
It was that intense, agonizing desire for a miracle that had caused him to be selected and brought to this unfamiliar world.
"Happy isn't here either..."
He clutched his head, the memories of his actions beginning to surface.
He had caused a significant amount of trouble for the people who had summoned him.
He vaguely recalled someone trying to stop him, and his own response had been to practically tear the man apart.
He looked at the iron bars of his cell and reached out, his hand closing around them.
A sharp, repelling sensation coursed through the metal as the protective magical energy tried to force him back.
But fire erupted from his palms, and he simply twisted the bars aside, walking out into the hallway with effortless ease.
"What a strange-looking castle."
As he reached the upper floors, he found himself surrounded by a group of homunculi who had quickly converged on his position.
"Move. I don't want to hurt any of you."
Natsu surveyed the situation, but he had no intention of attacking the artificial beings.
'Your current condition is... anomalous.'
'Both the Dragon Seed and the Demon Seed have ceased their growth. It seems they've been suppressed by some sort of external influence... perhaps it's a side effect of your presence in this world.'
'For the time being, you won't be affected by either of them.'
Igneel's voice had resonated within the depths of his consciousness, offering that explanation.
"Caster?"
Fiore immediately arrived on the scene in her wheelchair, gesturing for the homunculi to lower their weapons and stand down.
Pushed by her brother, Caules, she looked at her Servant, whose eyes now carried the light of reason once more.
"Hmm..."
Natsu stared at her, his eyes wide as he scrutinized her appearance in a rather unusual manner.
"!"
He suddenly broke into a run, making straight for her.
"Wait!"
Caules tensed, instinctively trying to block the man's approach, but before he could react, Natsu had already reached them and placed his hands on the armrests of Fiore's wheelchair.
'He's fast...'
Even though he had seen the man fight before, the raw, explosive speed Natsu displayed even outside of combat was staggering. Caules couldn't help but feel a surge of instinctive fear.
"Why are you sitting in a chair with wheels on it?"
"Is it some kind of game? Is it fun?"
The sheer, unfiltered confusion in his voice left both Caules and Fiore momentarily speechless.
It wasn't that Natsu was trying to be "Insensitive"; it was simply that his senses told him her legs weren't actually injured.
So why was she allowing someone to push her around like this?
"No... this is..."
Fiore wasn't used to anyone getting that close without hesitation, and she felt a wave of discomfort as she struggled to find her words.
She had intended to engage in a serious, tactical discussion with her Servant, but instead, she found herself trapped in a bizarre, awkward conversation.
It seemed that even with his sanity restored, this Caster was... a bit eccentric.
"Please, step back."
"You're frightening my sister."
Caules stepped forward, placing his arm between Natsu and the wheelchair. He knew he couldn't physically move the man, but he still tried to maintain a firm, protective stance.
"Hmm?"
Natsu withdrew his hands and crossed them over his chest, tilting his head as he looked at Caules.
"You two don't look like each other at all."
"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT?!!!"
Caules nearly lost his composure. He had expected the man to say something profound or apologetic, but instead, he was making observations about their family resemblance.
"Right. Where's that guy I beat up earlier?"
"I hope he's still aliv,"
SWOOOSH!
BOOM!!!
Natsu was about to ask about the person who had tried to stop him, but his words were cut short by a sudden, violent impact.
He managed to raise his arms just in time to block a devastating flying kick.
But even then, the sheer force of the blow sent him hurtling backward.
The wall disintegrated upon impact, leaving a massive, jagged hole in its wake.
"Archer?"
Caules stared in shock as a figure with electrical arcs flickering around his legs materialized in the hallway.
"Sorry I'm late."
"I won't let it happen again. I'll restrain him this time."
"No! You've got it all wrong! Wait!"
As Genos charged after the flying Natsu, both Caules and Fiore felt a massive headache coming on.
Could these Servants not just listen to them for once?
Why were their focus and reactions always so... unpredictable?
"Not bad."
Natsu dug his heels into the floor, carving long, deep furrows into the stone before finally coming to a halt. He looked genuinely surprised.
Genos closed the distance in an instant, his fist trailing a streak of blue light as it slammed into Natsu's crossed forearms.
BANG!
A massive shockwave rippled through the air, and the floor beneath Natsu's feet erupted in a series of jagged cracks.
"I suppose my concern was unnecessary."
"You seem as energetic as ever."
Sensing a sudden, dangerous surge of heat, Genos cut his boosters and launched himself backward to create distance.
A massive pillar of fire erupted from Natsu's body, the intense heat vaporizing the nearby stones instantly.
Only then did Genos realize that the man's eyes were no longer clouded with madness.
***
"Doctor, that was incredible! If that kick had landed on a magus, they would have been killed instantly!"
"Roche?"
Hearing the voice from the balcony above, Fiore turned to see her companion standing beside Caster,Bulma.
"What a shame..."
"That's only as far as I could take him."
"If I were back in my home world, I could have made him significantly more powerful."
Despite the praise, Bulma's expression showed clear dissatisfaction.
If she'd had better resources, Genos would have been far more than just "Upgraded."
While her [Item Construction] combined with her advanced scientific knowledge gave her an almost limitless potential for creation, she was limited by the materials available and the "Subject" she was working on.
As long as she had sufficient mana, she could "Acquire" any technological component known to her home world.
Theoretically, she could have turned Genos into an unstoppable force, but a single, frustrating hurdle had capped his potential.
The Servant's [Saint Graph].
The [Saint Graph] was the very essence of a Heroic Spirit, their "Spirit Core."
And in Bulma's professional opinion, the capacity of Genos's [Saint Graph] was simply too small.
It couldn't handle the sheer intensity of the scientific modifications she wanted to implement.
Forcing the issue would have only caused his essence to collapse, resulting in his ultimate destruction.
Bulma wasn't willing to risk the young man's existence, so she had restricted her modifications to the absolute limit of what his [Saint Graph] could endure.
But even then, the increase in his combat potential was staggering.
"Hey! What are you all just standing there for?!"
"Go and stop them before they tear the whole place down!"
"Honestly, why is there always some kind of chaos in this place!"
Goredolf came running into the room, his large belly shaking as he stared at the mounting damage to the castle with a look of extreme distress.
The initial tremor had nearly sent him into a panic.
Why couldn't these two siblings just behave themselves? And why were the Servants they summoned so... unmanageable?
And of course, Darnic was just standing there with his usual calm, detached expression, seemingly indifferent to the destruction.
But then, a massive roar echoed from outside the castle walls.
BOOM!
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]