Chapter 361

Two Bombs is the 361st chapter of Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail.
With Natsu out of commission, Lucy and Wendy attempt to take out Jackal but find their attempts futile. Jackal leaves in pursuit of a fleeing Michello, but is caught up to by Lucy soon after. Seeing a chance to take advantage of his surroundings, Jackal takes Michello and a pregnant civilian hostage, forcing Lucy to choose which will survive. Before she has to make this sadistic choice though, Natsu returns and frees the two by attacking Jackal, having also learned a new method for dealing with Jackal's abilities.
==Summary==
With Natsu down for the count, Michello runs away from Jackal, who pursues him only to run into opposition from Lucy and Wendy. Wendy attempts to stop him with her Sky Dragon's Roar but Jackal uses his ability to create explosions to cancel out her technique. Lucy summons Scorpio who attacks with his Sand Buster but this attack is similarly defeated by Jackal's explosion. Jackal remarks that Tartaros doesn't use "Magic" but rather a "Curse," which is a power greater than Magic. Stating that Mages cannot beat them, Jackal uses his Exploding Spiral, which hits the two girls and sends them flying. With them down, Jackal leaves to go after Michello. Soon, the girls recuperate and seeing their current state, Michelia expresses her sadness that they were hurt over her grandfather's actions but Lucy claims that the battle was for their pride. As such, she leaves to pursue Jackal while leaving Wendy behind, telling her to take care of Natsu.
In the town, Michello frantically runs through the streets and asks the citizens to protect him but none are responsive to his pleas, even as he claims to have been a member of the Magic Council and thus deserves their protection for having ensured their own. Suddenly, Jackal appears, having successfully followed Michello, who promptly begs for his life, claiming he just wants to live peacefully with his granddaughter, which makes Jackal laugh due to the old man having abandoned his granddaughter while running away. As Lucy approaches, preparing to summon another Celestial Spirit, she is told not to move as Jackal reveals that she has been caught in his Landmine Curse, which will trigger if she moves and thus blow her up. As town residents approach, Lucy attempts to get them away but the crowd is unresponsive and instead focuses on her, having seen her before.
Seeing this crowd, Jackal gets an idea and brings up Michello from the river in which he dived and encases him in a round orb. Similarly, he picks up a random woman from the crowd and encases her in the same. Revealing that the two of them are now bombs, Jackal tells Lucy that one will die and she must decide which one will be set free and which one will be killed. The lady in the orb begs Lucy to save her, claiming to be pregnant while Michello does the same, telling her that she came to protect him in the first place. Lucy urges Jackal to let the two of them go and fight her fairly but the Dark Mage ignores her and urges her to choose. As the woman begins crying, Michello grows frantic, asking Lucy why she is hesitating when he is the more important person. 
As Lucy continues to hesitate and the two captives both grow more and more frightened, Jackal asks the Fairy Tail Mage which life she chooses. Before she is able to answer however, Natsu arrives and delivers an elbow to Jackal's face, knocking him away and thus freeing the captives. Wendy arrives as well while Lucy is happy that the bomb has been released. While the lady cries in happiness and Michello is happy about his survival, Natsu knocks out the latter, claiming he was annoying him. Rising up, Jackal tells Natsu that once again, he touched him and thus a bomb symbol appears on the latter's elbow. However, Natsu replies that he knows a trick now on how to deal with it and begins eating the explosion before it can be fully released. Though visually baked, Natsu remains standing while Jackal shows a shocked look on his face.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
==Battles & Events==
*Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia & Wendy Marvell vs. Jackal
==Magic, Curses, Spells, and Abilities used==
===Magic used===
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***Summoned the Scorpion, Scorpio
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===Curses used===
*Bomb Curse
===Spells used===
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*
*
*
*Capture Bomb
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===Abilities used===
*Hand-to-Hand Combat
===Items used===
*Celestial Spirit Gate Keys
**Gate of the Scorpion Key
==Navigation==