"Hey, Chase. I heard you can use God Slayer magic — magic that opposes gods, right?"
Laxus stepped forward. With a violent force, he instantly crushed the church floor beneath his feet.
Overwhelming, exploding golden arcs of electricity served as the most direct declaration of war. They kicked up roaring thunder winds, wildly fluttering Chase's dark blue cloak.
The phantom of Slifer the Sky Dragon that had appeared during his fight with Ice Flame Dragon NatsuGray had been witnessed by many guild members. It wasn't surprising Laxus had obtained that information.
Chase crossed his arms, standing still, maintaining his dark gold magic power to counter the thunderstorm.
Erza, who had stepped back, narrowed her eyes, her expression serious as she watched Chase's back.
Compared to the profound magic power clash between the two, she was more interested in that uniquely styled crab hairstyle.
It kept its shape even while crazy swaying in the hurricane. She would have to ask Chase what brand of hair gel he used!
Truly the Fairy Queen. Her way of thinking was indeed uniquely refined...
"What's the meaning of this?"
Watching Chase not only show no sign of activating his God Slayer state but suddenly withdraw all his magic power, Laxus raised an eyebrow and demanded coldly.
There was no doubt this was the perfect time to attack. He might even have been able to kill Chase in one blow.
But Laxus didn't do it.
What he wanted was to defeat Chase with absolute overwhelming force and claim the title of Fairy Tail's strongest!
"It's hard to fight freely in town. How about the outskirts?" Chase asked with a smile.
Even his earlier "fight" with Erza had caused that level of destruction, let alone an opponent like the crazed Laxus.
If they really fought, probably most of Magnolia would be reduced to rubble.
Moreover, there were still many tourists attracted by the Harvest Festival and the magical parade in Magnolia!
Real fighting meant being able to swing your fists at your opponent without restraint — not worrying and holding back!
"Every time you come back, you grandly trash the town. Yet like the old man, you care so much about the safety of the weak—"
Laxus immediately understood Chase's implication. His pale eyes were filled with anger. "This is what I hate most about you, Chase!"
"So, are you praising me or insulting me?" Chase spread his arms, a bit speechless.
"I mean, I reject your ridiculous and boring proposal!"
With that, Laxus had no more interest in continuing the conversation. Lightning burst from his body as he charged at Chase with incredible speed.
Chase didn't want to fight in town. So he would force him to do exactly that!
BOOM!!
Thunder exploded, tearing up the church's floor tiles and leaving twisted, scorched marks on the surrounding walls.
"Chase!" Erza shouted instinctively.
Looking up, she saw Laxus's fist hovering just millimeters from Chase's face.
"So scary."
Chase's expression didn't change. Slowly, right in front of Laxus, he raised his hand. "I surrender. You win, Laxus. From now on, you are Fairy Tail's strongest."
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!!"
Laxus was completely enraged. His roar was mixed with blinding lightning.
From start to finish, he had regarded Chase as his number one rival. He wanted Chase to submit to him but absolutely not like this!
If he couldn't completely beat this guy he couldn't stand, the title of "strongest" would be meaningless. Worse, to the arrogant Laxus, it would be an unbearable humiliation!
"Fine! Outskirts it is! I'll go!"
Seeing Chase completely unwilling to fight, Laxus's forehead veins bulged. He gritted his teeth and compromised. "I hope you won't find another ridiculous excuse to avoid fighting!"
"Haha. Instead of that, you should worry about how to protect your face later."
Chase curled his lips, extended his arm toward the church door, made a "please" gesture, and then led the way out of the church onto the street.
Laxus snorted coldly, full of annoyance, and closely followed.
As the two walked away side by side, the tension and killing aura in the cathedral dissipated.
Erza stood alone, stunned, blinking her beautiful eyes in disbelief. Wait — that Laxus actually followed so obediently?
Chase had been the one to raise his hand in surrender, but she inexplicably felt like Laxus was the one being completely manipulated.
"As expected of you..." Her confusion turned into a soft laugh.
With the battlefield moved to the outskirts, the crisis loomed over the entire town and guild could be considered over in advance.
"Next, I need to quickly find the injured and give them simple bandaging and treatment."
With that, Erza decisively changed into her nurse outfit and started searching the town for targets.
She trusted Chase and knew him well. Therefore, she had no intention of interfering in their showdown. If she tried, she'd probably be taken down by both of them first!
Magnolia's main street.
Dark gold and golden magic power confronted each other, mutually crushing. The resulting electric arcs and storms left a mess in their wake wherever Chase and Laxus passed.
This was the warm-up and clash before the official battle, also a warning for non-combatants to stay away.
Magnolia's local residents had "Chase's Code" to guide them. They knew to stay away from Chase during dangerous times. But the tourists from out of town were another matter!
As for the bumps and bruises along the way? Chase's little treasury would cover it.
"Honestly, I still can't understand you. With this level of magic power, why do you still get along with those weaklings?"
Laxus spoke in a low voice, breaking the silence first.
Walking along, he had calmed down somewhat.
"Because the guild isn't a natural world with a cruel survival of the fittest. Everyone is a comrade you can entrust your life to."
Chase kept a steady pace, looking straight ahead. "Working together, laughing together, crying together — that's Fairy Tail."
"The same boring philosophy as the old man. Do you know how those outsiders say about us? 'How can Fairy Tail be so laughable?'"
"Don't misunderstand. I can't achieve the master's mentality of smiling even when being mocked to his face."
"To his face? Fairy Tail should be so strong that others don't even dare to gossip behind its back. That's my ideal perfect guild!"
"A guild built purely on paper strength is weak and fragile. Unbreakable bonds and conviction are the strongest manifestation of a collective."
"Heh. Against absolute power, that kind of thing is completely useless!"
"If you have a chance, go visit Guiltina or the Western Continent. Then you'll realize how ridiculous your words are."
"Don't worry. After I defeat you and take the master's position, I'll make Fairy Tail's name resound throughout the world!"
Seeing this, Chase shook his head and said no more.
Laxus, whose mind was currently full of "I'm the best under heaven," clearly couldn't be convinced with a few words.
And compared to talk-no-jutsu, Chase was better at using physics to convince people.
And so, under the evasive gazes of passersby, the two fell silent and continued walking until they reached the empty outskirts.
The biting cold wind kicked up yellow sand, making Chase's cloak and Laxus's leather pants flutter loudly.
"Come on. Hurry up and finish this. I still have the evening's magical parade to prepare for."
Chase reached back and tore off his cloak, revealing his muscular, well-proportioned upper body.
"I remember you have quite a few buff cards, don't you?"
At this point, the irritable Laxus was not in a hurry. A confident, arrogant smile hung on his lips. "I can give you time to prepare."
Chase stretched his neck and gave an even more arrogant smile. "To beat you, I don't need those cards."
"You bastard!!"
Laxus instantly lost his cool. His face dark, he roared.
Countless thunderbolts erupted, stacking inside him into a golden battle suit of jumping electric arcs. From a distance, the sight was terrifying.
Lightning Raiment: By concentrating magic power throughout the body to activate the muscles, it increases attack power, defense power, and speed, allowing for rapid overwhelming of an opponent in battle.
"Raging Volt!"
Bathed in golden light, Laxus made the first move. His power-packed right arm bent as he hurled golden lightning crackling with furious energy at Chase.
A magic circle lit up at Chase's fingertip. A card flipped. The spell "Cyclone," which could destroy an opponent's magic, activated.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH!
A dark tornado carries thunderstorm howled out, rolling up the oncoming furious current and annihilating it.
Almost simultaneously, a dazzling thunderbolt shot out from the side of the dark tornado, heading for Chase behind him at extreme speed.
Chase's eyes sharpened. He easily dodged the attack with a few clean backflips.
But the lightning seemed to have predicted his movements. It made a sharp-angle turn, violating the laws of physics, and reached directly above him in the blink of an eye.
Laxus's figure emerged from it, his raised right leg jumping wildly with electric arcs.
BOOM!
The thunderous kick stomped down heavily, instantly penetrating the fragile ground. Gravel and sand flew everywhere!
"Hm?" Laxus frowned.
The feedback didn't feel like hitting a human body at all. More like...
HUM.
Brilliant light dispelled the dust. Laxus looked down and saw that beneath his foot was indeed a magic circle activated by a Trap Card!
The card effect triggered. Golden light intertwined around his waist, forming a hexagram shape.
Just as Laxus curled his lip in disdain, preparing to burst magic power to forcibly break free, the ground behind him suddenly rumbled.
A massive shadow fell. Amid the rolling stones and dirt, the Rock Giant Soldier, its expression cold, slowly pulled two greatswords from its shoulders.
Facing this "dangerous situation," Laxus was not only unflustered, but a smug smile appeared on his lips. "Setting traps isn't a move only you can use..."
As his words fell, a slowly swirling lightning magic circle lit up beneath Chase, who had landed steadily across from him, firmly detaining him in place.
A lightning orb flickered above his head. A thunderbolt fell, synchronized with the Rock Giant Soldier's swinging swords.
BOOM!
The explosions from the shattering rock and the falling thunder happened simultaneously. Yellow sand rolled, then was immediately broken by two streaks of light.
Having broken free from their respective restraints, Chase and Laxus charged straight at each other.
BOOM!!
His fist hoarding electric arcs and Chase's dark gold Right Arm of the Forbidden One collided heavily, kicking up a powerful shockwave that spread outward.
Chase roared. The chains on his right wrist clanked. His deep magic power instantly burst, breaking through the lightning and forcibly pushing Laxus back!
The brief opening was fleeting. Taking advantage of his backward momentum, Laxus reached out his palm to gather magic power. "Lightning Orb!"
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH.
Several lightning orbs flew out one after another, blocking Chase's attempt to press the advantage, causing a series of explosions.
How is his physical strength so much stronger than before?
Laxus slid backward, carving two grooves in the ground, secretly alarmed. He hadn't expected Chase to have this level of explosive power even without using God Slayer magic.
His impression was still from their last encounter, when he had believed the greatest threat from fighting Chase was his cards, not his physical ability. As a result, he had suffered a small loss.
As he was still surprised, the wind from his arm swept away the dust.
Among the haphazardly scattered large and small craters, Chase stood completely unharmed. The earlier lightning orbs hadn't caused him any damage.
"Your card tricks are meaningless to me. The warm-up ends here."
Laxus clenched his fist. Lightning flickered around him. Dragon runes covered his arms. He once again entered his strongest Dragon Slayer form.
"Let me see what this so-called god-opposing magic can really do, Chase!"
"As you wish."
Chase took a deep breath. Dark gold magic power roared out, rapidly evolving into an even more oppressive crimson.
Dark red dragon scales began to appear on his cheeks, chest, and arms at his sides. His entire aura steadily rose.
The crimson magic power was surging and surging, gradually coalescing into the imposing phantom of Slifer the Sky Dragon.
Just the leaked energy was enough to cause the ground to continuously tremble!
The chaotic scene of flying sand and rocks, contrasting with the terrifying scene of thunder and lightning on the opposite side, made this area look like doomsday!
"Haha! This power — I was definitely right to consider you my strongest rival!"
Laxus sensed the strong sense of danger in Chase's suddenly transformed magic power.
This made the extremely battle-hungry man extremely excited. He spread his arms and let out a furious, mad laugh.
"Will the dragon's claws tear apart the god's body, or will the god's light pierce the dragon's wings? Let me find out!!"
With that, an electric arc flashed. Laxus suddenly disappeared.
When he reappeared, his right fist clenched, drawing countless lightning bolts, he was already before Chase!
Chase planted his feet. A split second before the lightning fist struck, he raised his left arm to block.
CRACKLE!!
The moment fist and arm collided, a terrifying shockwave bloomed, crushing the ground beneath Chase's feet inch by inch.
Massive thunder followed, exploding behind Chase, as if trying to completely crush the entire area!
Having forcibly withstood the attack, Chase clenched his Forbidden One right wrist. The claws of Slifer the Sky Dragon faintly appeared around his fist.
"Slifer the Sky Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The overbearing punch broke through the Lightning Raiment and precisely slammed into Laxus's abdomen, sinking deep into his solid abs.
SWOOSH!
Severely injured, Laxus turned into a speeding streak of light flying backward, crashing heavily into a mountain hundreds of meters away!
The next second, raging lightning ruthlessly tore through the falling rocks and smoke.
Laxus returned with even greater speed. His powerful stomp landed on Chase's crossed arms, kicking him back in the same manner.
Boosted by his lightning magic, with his super mobility, he could clearly do more.
For example, while Chase was flying backward, he could transform into lightning and pursue!
"Try blocking this, if you can."
Instantly appearing above Chase, Laxus raised both fists. Endless lightning emitted a heart-palpitating roar.
"Lightning Dragon's Jaw Strike!"
BOOM!!!
The heavy, powerful lightning strike smashed down, directly penetrating the ground and blasting out a massive, scorched crater!
***
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