"Guild Master, I told you—leave this to me."
Rayne raised a hand, stopping Makarov before he could speak. His face still carried that same calm, confident smile.
Those words made Makarov freeze for a moment.
It was the same thing Rayne had said that night when he first joined the guild, back when the two of them had walked outside together.
"Sigh… Fine, it's your fight."
Shaking off the memory, Makarov sighed and stepped aside. His usually straight back seemed slightly hunched now, as if weighed down by something unseen.
"..."
Laxus watched his grandfather's retreating figure, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say something—but in the end, he stubbornly turned his gaze back to Rayne.
If I crush this guy, it'll prove I was right all along.
This guild only needs the strong!
"What the hell did you mean by that earlier?" Laxus growled.
Rayne met his glare without flinching. Beside him, Conann rested her tiny hands on the table, her head peeking over the edge as she stared at Laxus with an unreadable expression. Her usually blank face was slightly puffed up—even she was angry.
Though she mostly preferred staying close to Rayne, she hadn't forgotten the kindness Porlyusica, Makarov, and Caroline had shown her. Seeing Makarov upset because of Laxus made her furious.
The tension between the two had also caught the attention of the rest of the guild.
After all, they'd all bet on who'd win in a fight between Rayne and Laxus. Now that it was finally happening, they couldn't help but get excited.
As for whether things might go too far?
With both Gildarts and Makarov—the two strongest in the guild—present, nothing too crazy could happen.
So all they had to do now was enjoy the show!
Meanwhile, Gildarts—ever the ladies' man and thus more attuned to emotions—grabbed a drink and walked over to Makarov. (Not that he'd ever admit he was checking up on the old man.)
"If you win, I'll give you the 100,000 Jewels I owe you. That should be enough to cover your debt, right?"
Ignoring the crowd of onlookers, Laxus crossed his arms, his voice dripping with arrogance.
No matter how he really felt inside, he'd never let it show on the surface.
And as for the money?
Meant nothing to him.
Unlike Rayne, Laxus had completed plenty of jobs—he wasn't strapped for cash.
"Deal."
Rayne's eyes narrowed slightly, but he agreed without hesitation.
It wasn't about the money.
It was about settling this grudge once and for all.
Sure, 100,000 Jewels was nice, but more than that—he wanted to wipe that smug look off Laxus' face.
"You just got back from a job, so I won't take advantage. Let's do this tomorrow at noon."
Laxus' straightforward response caught Rayne off guard for a second, but he quickly recovered.
"No need. I didn't expend much energy yesterday. We can settle this now."
To everyone's surprise, Rayne rejected the offer outright.
"Tch. Fine. Don't cry when you lose!"
Feeling like he was being looked down on, Laxus' anger flared.
"The plains outside town."
Without bothering to acknowledge Laxus' temper, Rayne turned and walked out, Conann trailing behind him.
The guild's backyard was too small, and fighting in the streets would just wreck the town.
The last thing Rayne needed was more debt because of property damage.
The open field where he'd trained his Giant Magic was perfect—wide, empty, and nothing to break.
This time, Laxus didn't argue. He just strode after him.
Location didn't matter—as long as they fought.
"Hey… Did anyone notice they never said what happens if Rayne loses?"
Macao stroked his beard, looking puzzled.
As seasoned gamblers, this was the kind of detail they usually caught.
"You idiot, haven't you figured it out yet?" Wakaba rolled his eyes.
"Figured out what?"
"Laxus is scared."
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Wakaba's expression was unreadable.
"Quit standing around looking cool and go watch!"
Caroline's voice snapped them back to reality. She dashed out of the guild, leaving the two men behind.
When Wakaba turned, he realized—everyone else was already gone. Even the Guild Master and Gildarts had vanished.
The guild hall was empty.
"DAMN IT, MACAO!!! WAIT FOR ME!!!"
Slapping away the smoke, Wakaba bolted after them.
Outside the town, on the open plains.
Rayne and Laxus stood facing each other, a dozen meters apart.
Further up the slope, a crowd had gathered—not just Fairy Tail members, but even curious citizens of Magnolia who'd heard the rumors.
Conann, meanwhile, was being reluctantly cuddled by Caroline, who had a blissful smile on her face.
"You better go all out. I'd hate to win too easily—that'd just be boring."
Laxus smirked, electricity crackling around him as his magic surged.
The raw, volatile power of lightning coursed through him, burning away his earlier unease.
"Crack—"
Unlike Laxus' fiery energy, Rayne remained eerily calm.
He rolled his wrists, tilted his neck side to side—bones popping—then pulled the massive sword from his back and drove it into the ground.
He wasn't at the level where he could wield it effortlessly yet.
A single misplaced swing could bisect a man.
Even if Laxus' body could take the hit, it wasn't a risk worth taking.
"Laxus, the only time you ever stood a chance against me… was the day we first met."
As he spoke, Rayne's blood began to heat up, his lips curling into a fierce grin.
This wasn't taunting.
This wasn't arrogance.
It was the truth.
Back then, his magic had been drained—he couldn't even summon Conann.
But after forging the "Boosted Gear", even without her, he could've dragged Laxus down with him in a death match.
And now?
Now that his magic had fully recovered?
Laxus never stood a chance.
"So the one in the weakest position…"
A cool breeze swept across the plains, lifting Rayne's dark hair and revealing his sharp, gleaming eyes—
"Has always been you."
His voice was quiet, but it carried like thunder.
"ENOUGH TALK!!!"
Laxus' rage erupted. Lightning exploded around him as he blitzed forward, the ground shattering beneath his feet.
"BOOSTED GEAR."
Rayne's whisper was drowned out by the roar of an ancient dragon.
The Heavenly Dragon of Domination answered his call.