Chapter 12: S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial (4)
Laxus's lightning bolt flew toward Ciel.
Erza immediately tried to Requip into armor resistant to lightning.
At that very moment—
[It's not lightning. Switch to armor that resists illusions.]
Ciel's voice echoed in her mind.
She was baffled. A bolt of lightning was coming right at them—why switch to illusion-resistant armor?
She didn't understand, but right now, all she could do was trust her partner.
"Requip—Dancer of the Mist!"
Just as Erza completed her Requip, Ciel threw his body in front of Laxus's lightning and took the hit head-on.
Erza cried out his name at the incomprehensible action, but it was just needless worry.
"Ciel?!"
"Kufufufufu… I see now. So you're a mage who can manipulate lightning at will."
A spear of mist formed in Ciel's hand and clashed with the lightning, releasing a pale violet fog.
In an instant, the mist began to fill the entire cave.
As soon as the fog touched her skin, Erza understood why Ciel had told her to Requip into illusion-resistant armor.
The moment the mist came into contact, her mind grew hazy, and her body sluggish.
Even moving an arm felt like it would cause her to collapse—an inexplicable numbness washed over her.
It was Erza's first time experiencing Ciel's mist. And only now did she fully understand why he had chosen her as his partner.
Even she, wearing armor that resisted illusions, could barely stand in this fog.
If it had been Mirajane or any other mage instead...
They would've collapsed and never gotten back up.
This wasn't poison or paralysis turned into vapor.
It was something far more dangerous.
"You think I'll go down from this cheap clown show?!"
But from within the fog, Laxus resisted. He gathered a massive orb of thunder in his hand.
Even in this blinding mist, the ball of electricity gleamed brilliantly.
The thunder orb launched through the dense haze.
"Let's see if you can withstand this thunder sphere!"
"Ciel, that's too much! We can't block it—move!"
Erza cried out desperately through the mist.
But what she saw next stunned her.
Ciel was sitting calmly on a throne made of black jewels—who knew where he had pulled it from—watching the incoming thunder sphere as if it were nothing.
Then—
"Wh-What the…?!"
"Impossible…?!"
A massive pillar of fire burst from the ground before Ciel like a towering wall, effortlessly blocking Laxus's thunder sphere.
The fire devoured the sphere of magical energy and released even greater heat.
Watching the inferno of hellfire—flames that could reduce anything to ash—Ciel remained seated, unfazed.
Laxus moved through the mist, eyes locked on Ciel with deadly intent.
The pressure both of them exuded left Erza unable to speak.
They said that when Ten Wizard Saints fought, it was like a natural disaster.
And this magical clash unfolding before her now was a battle on par with one between Ten Wizard Saints members.
"Why so flustered? I haven't even cast the illusion spell yet."
Ciel casually lifted his hand from the armrest and propped his chin up.
He crossed one leg over the other and looked down at Laxus.
"If I'm a clown, then you're a snot-nosed child, aren't you? What was it you just told me to do? Oh, right—Sen-pai."
"UOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!CIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!!!"
Whether it was due to Ciel's words or his own fury, Laxus began to gather all of his magic into his mouth.
A secret no one knew about except Makarov.
The fact that this opponent pushed him enough to make him consider using it—meant he was truly angry.
Lightning magic crackled, compressing in Laxus's mouth.
Ciel frowned slightly but then gave a calm smile as he looked at Laxus and spoke.
"I'm sorry, but I'd rather not see this beautiful scenery ruined."
"Lightning Dragon's Roa—"
"That's far enough."
As Ciel snapped his fingers, vines erupted from beneath Laxus and quickly coiled around his body.
He wanted to resist, but the vines surged too fast—and with his mouth filled with gathered magic, he couldn't swallow it back. Helpless, Laxus was bound before he could even react.
Still, the magic amassed in his mouth was enough to hit Ciel.
Determined to blast that arrogant guy with the power of the Lightning Dragon, Laxus prepared to fire—
"Mmph...?!"
But the magic didn't release.
Instead, the magic in his mouth began to vanish.
His strength, too, was fading. Intense fatigue swept over him like a crashing wave.
Not knowing what was happening, Laxus glanced down at the vines wrapped around him.
"W-What the...?!"
"Kufufufufufu... How do you like it? The Heavenly Lotus, born from your very own power..."
"C-Ciel... You bastard...!"
"It blooms by draining the strength of its target and sapping their will to fight. Those who have lost their physical form and now wander paradise—this is the desire they hold toward those with bodies. That desire has manifested into this lotus. Laxus... I wonder—can you escape the falsehood hidden inside this truth I've created?"
Laxus struggled with all his might to move, but his body refused to respond.
And with every twitch, soft pink lotus flowers bloomed from the vines wrapping around him.
The more they bloomed, the more his mind scattered—his thoughts dulled, and a crushing sleepiness came over him.
The vines were now covered in blossoms.
"D-Damn it all…"
Those were his final words before Laxus lost consciousness and collapsed.
Ciel stood over the fallen Laxus with a smile, while Erza looked on in shock.
Cold sweat trickled down Erza's face.
Laxus had definitely been strong.
Magic worthy of an S-Class Mage.
And without a doubt, he still had other powerful spells up his sleeve.
Even just that lightning breath he was about to unleash earlier was enough proof.
But—he picked the wrong opponent.
Ciel, smiling silently with his back turned toward her, had crushed Laxus with overwhelming power before he even had a chance to truly fight.
It was clearly a battle between an adult and a child.
A natural order that could never be overturned.
Ciel wasn't arrogant—no, what he displayed was the natural authority that the strong held over the weak.
A few minutes later, the mist began to fade, and the lotuses wrapped around Laxus's body dissolved into the air like smoke.
Only then did the locked door behind Laxus finally open. Seeing this, Ciel rose from the jeweled throne with leisurely grace and called out to Erza in his usual tone.
"Well then, shall we move forward?"
"Uh... C-Ciel... I'm sorry, but... my legs gave out..."
Ciel noticed the trembling in her knees.
For the first time, the fierce warrior girl looked vulnerable.
Laxus would've scoffed at seeing Erza like this—but Ciel simply gave her a gentle smile...
...and carried her on his back.
"What… What are you doing?!"
"When you can't move, you need to travel like this. Besides, you and I are partners now."
"This is so embarrassing… I'm not a kid…!"
"There's no one around to see. And besides, from my perspective, you kind of are a kid—so don't worry too much."
"Are you mocking me?!"
"Not at all. In fact, I'm acknowledging you. One day, you'll surpass even Laxus."
Ciel once again praised Erza.
The mist illusion he had created would've made anyone who wasn't a fully developed mage like Laxus faint on contact.
Even though Erza wore illusion-resistant armor, she remained standing, keeping a clear mind in that dangerous haze.
She had faced overwhelming power that would've brought anyone else to their knees—and stood firm.
While it may have looked like Ciel was teasing her, he truly respected her deep down.
This girl will definitely grow stronger.
That's what he believed.
"If you don't put me down, I'll punch you in the face!"
"Feel free. It's the perfect chance to confirm whether I'm real or just an illusion."
"What?! You mean you might be a thought-projection?"
"Could be, or maybe not. If you're curious, go ahead and check."
"Ugh… I mean… dropping on the ground would be worse. As humiliating as this is, maybe it's the better option."
"I like obedient children."
"Tch…"
...
By the time Erza and I made it out of the cave, the sun was already setting.
Following the arrows outside, we walked toward the others—where Master and the rest of our guildmates, wrapped head-to-toe in bandages, greeted us.
"Ciel, welcome back."
"Yo! Your team made it through okay?"
"You guys look like a mess."
Freed, still able to speak, asked if we had passed.
"Yes. I believe the fact that we made it here in one piece says it all. Master, Laxus is unconscious inside the cave. I'll go retrieve him."
"What…?!"
Freed's eyes widened and he tried to stand, but groaned and collapsed again from his injuries.
The Master simply nodded, as if he had already anticipated it.
"No way… Laxus lost to Ciel…?!"
"Hmph… I expected it, but still…"
"There's no need for that~!"
"Gildarts?"
Just as we were talking, Gildarts appeared from the cave, carrying Laxus over his shoulder.
Laxus, now awake, was walking with Gildarts supporting him.
"So you're back on your feet, Laxus."
"Tch… Freakin' monster…"
"You're pretty monstrous yourself."
"It's my loss. But next time, I'll crush you."
"Did… did Laxus really lose…?"
Freed murmured in disbelief while Laxus shot a glare my way.
But then, with a softened expression, he reached out his hand.
I took it.
"So get stronger before I beat you into the ground next time. Otherwise, it won't be any fun."
"Gladly. I'll be waiting for you… from a higher place."
Laxus Dreyar.
He had power—complete and formidable. But because of that, he didn't know what it meant to face someone stronger.
But in this moment, a foundation for growth had been laid.
He had met his limit—and would now push forward.
Laxus was burning with determination.
He would temper his immaturity and become even stronger.
But for me, that wasn't unpleasant.
In fact, it felt oddly refreshing… as if something I had long forgotten was starting to return.
"To acknowledge both victory and defeat… That's a beautiful thing to see. Now then, I will announce the results of the first trial. The team that passed: Ciel and Erza. Only one team. That is all. The first stage of the exam is complete."
"Master… only Ciel and I passed? What happened to the others?"
Erza's eyes widened in disbelief.
Master gave her a nod and explained.
"First, Freed and Cana's team ran into Bickslow and Evergreen's team. They fought and both sides collapsed, ending in a draw. Macao and Wakaba's team ran into Gildarts and were immediately eliminated. That's why they're all in that state. The only ones who passed safely were you two—Ciel and Erza."
It seemed that this time, both strength and luck were on my side.
All the other candidates had failed… What kind of ridiculous outcome is that?
"But even with just one team left, the exam continues. It looks like we'll finish earlier than expected, maybe even today. So, without further delay, let's begin the second trial."
Master pointed at me, standing proud and commanding.
"The second exam is to find the tomb of the First Master, Mavis Vermillion, hidden somewhere on this island—Tenrou Island. You have until before the sun reaches its peak tomorrow morning! And with that, the trial begins now!!"
Just like that, with no time to rest at base camp, the second trial began under the Master's swift command.
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