It had been over two months since he left the guild, and Laxus had been traveling all this time.
Perhaps it was inner guilt, or perhaps the hardships of his journey, but Laxus’s face looked leaner than before.
Natsu felt he hadn’t changed much, while Evergreen simply thought he looked thinner.
Gray, however, noticed something different, Laxus now carried a maturity he didn’t have in the past.
Compared to the arrogant, overbearing man who once stood in the guild, this Laxus seemed more dependable, even more striking.
Especially when he was cloaked in lightning, driving a fist into his enemy’s face.
"Thunder Dragon’s Crushing Fist!"
"Ugh!" Bluenote took the blow, his upper body jerking back sharply, but he immediately countered, landing a punch on Laxus’s chest.
Laxus didn’t get sent flying like Natsu and Elfman; he only slid back a short distance.
He casually patted his chest to smooth the wrinkles from his shirt, showing no contempt for his opponent. "Looks like you’re not some random minion to be taken down easily."
Bluenote’s eyes held a trace of respect. "You... can you fly?"
They moved almost at the same moment.
"Thunder Dragon’s Halberd!"
The ground within a three-meter radius under Laxus’s feet caved in from the crushing gravity. He bore the enormous pressure with bent legs, gritting his teeth.
The lightning-formed halberd shot out, piercing into Bluenote’s left shoulder.
If it were anyone else, the strike would have impaled them and pinned them to the ground, but Bluenote’s clothes only tore, his entire body jolted by the electric shock.
Even then, he maintained his gravity field on Laxus.
Laxus’s magic power flared, golden lightning engulfing his body. He burst from the pit like a meteor, driving an uppercut into Bluenote’s chin.
The impact sent Bluenote flying back. Laxus didn’t hesitate, clasping his hands together, he brought them crashing down in a devastating strike.
"Thunder Dragon’s Jaw!"
His fists slammed into Bluenote’s chest, and golden ripples of lightning exploded outward from the point of impact.
Bluenote hit the ground hard, the impact splitting the earth, lightning dancing in the cracks.
Wendy and Juvia couldn’t help but cry out, "So strong!"
Lisanna, remembering the Laxus from before, murmured, "He’s even stronger now."
Evergreen, brimming with pride, said, "Of course. Laxus is..." She caught herself, swallowing the words "the strongest," and instead finished, "Laxus was already very strong."
Lucy meekly suggested, "Don’t you think it would be better if we moved farther away?"
Before the others could answer, Bluenote had already leaped from the pit and punched Laxus in the abdomen just as he was about to pursue.
This powerful blow sent Laxus flying upward, but Bluenote gestured, and gravity pulled Laxus down, accelerating his fall and deepening the pit he had created.
Bluenote lifted his leg and brought it down in a crushing stomp.
Laxus transformed into a flash of lightning, darting out in an instant.
Bluenote’s stomp shattered the ground within a hundred-meter radius like a spiderweb. The earth trembled, rocks flew, and Laxus’s footing wavered. Even those watching from a distance felt the pressure.
Everyone began to realize Lucy might have been right.
Bluenote and Laxus charged each other, fists colliding, pulverizing the ground beneath their feet.
Lightning surged through Bluenote, while gravity pressed down on Laxus.
They separated briefly. Laxus became golden lightning, landing a left hook to Bluenote’s jaw and a swift kick to his lower back.
His extreme speed turned every strike into another wound for Bluenote.
But Bluenote suddenly expanded his gravity magic, pulling Laxus to the ground.
He hammered down a punch. The ground collapsed, and rubble buried Laxus.
"Laxus!" Natsu and Evergreen shouted together.
The others looked on, worried.
"He’s fine," Wendy assured them. "Mr. Laxus should be fine."
Everyone glanced at her, noticing the blue magic circle glowing under her feet.
"It’s a defensive magic, Arma," Wendy explained.
A glow shimmered within the rubble.
"Next is speed-boosting magic, Bania! And strength-boosting magic, Arms!" she added.
The rubble burst apart with a crash.
Laxus stood there, unharmed, wrapped in enchanted light. "I was going to say there’s no need for this... but at a time , I guess I should say..."
He paused, then said, "Thanks."
Wendy smiled sweetly. "I’m sorry, my magic won’t last much longer right now."
"You meddling trash!" Bluenote snarled, extending a hand toward her.
Laxus appeared in front of him in a blink, punching him square in the face. "Where are you looking!"
Lightning flashed as Bluenote was hurled backward, plowing a deep trench in the earth.
Laxus looked at his fist, flexing his fingers. "Fairy Tail has gained some incredible mages."
Seeing Bluenote rise again, Laxus ripped off his tattered cloak and took a deep breath. "Thunder Dragon’s... Roar!"
A golden torrent of lightning erupted, far larger than Natsu’s breath attack.
With Wendy’s enchantment amplifying it, the blast could surpass even the combined roars of Natsu and Gajeel.
Everyone thought for sure this attack would end it.
But Bluenote calmly tore off his white overcoat and dropped into a horse stance, hands together.
A small black sphere appeared before him.
It radiated an endless gravitational pull, like a bottomless black hole, swallowing everything nearby.
Rubble, gravel, dust, all vanished into it. The air itself twisted in a vortex.
Laxus’s lightning torrent shrank and thinned as it was dragged in, until the entire golden surge was consumed.
Then Laxus felt his own body being pulled forward against his will.
"This is an infinite gravity field that can swallow everything! No one can escape!" Bluenote roared. "Fly, Fairy! Fly for me!"
Read Chapters ahead @/Keepsmiling818