"Laxus, I'm going to turn it up a notch!"
The sound of punches echoed like thunder. Noah and Laxus had exchanged well over a hundred blows. Laxus's punches were beginning to lose their impact, and the lightning coursing through his fists was flickering clearly weakening.
The moment Laxus heard Noah say he was going to increase his strength, he felt a sinking dread. His own stamina and magical reserves had taken a serious hit after trading so many powerful blows.
But Noah? He didn't show a single sign of slowing down.
If Laxus didn't step it up now if he didn't break free of the momentum Noah was controlling then he'd be dragged along helplessly, worn down bit by bit, and eventually lose the fight without a proper stand.
Even though he'd known from the start that it was nearly impossible to defeat Noah, he wasn't going to give in like this.
With a loud yell, Laxus threw a fierce punch that knocked Noah's fist back. It was enough to break Noah's flow for just a second, forcing him to take a step back to regain balance.
That single moment was all Laxus needed.
He took a deep breath, raised both hands above his head, and channeled a surge of thunderous magic between his palms. Lightning crackled wildly around him.
Then with a shout he slammed both glowing fists down toward Noah's head.
"Thunder Dragon's Jaw!"
Noah calmly lifted his left hand. A radiant gold light burst from his palm as he caught the full force of Laxus's two-handed strike.
The sheer impact caused the ground beneath Noah's feet to crack and cave in from the pressure. Both of them rose slightly into the air as shockwaves spread out from the collision.
Noah then lifted Laxus's hands upward with his single hand. Laxus, his arms locked together above his head, left his chest wide open.
Noah chuckled.
Laxus's expression shifted immediately. He knew what was coming, and it was too late to defend.
Golden magic surged into Noah's right leg.
He brought his foot forward in a burst of speed that bent the air.
"Lightspeed Kick!"
Whoosh!
Laxus was blasted away like a lightning bolt in reverse vanishing from sight and crashing down dozens of meters away. He hit the ground and tumbled again and again, rolling out the momentum before coming to a painful stop.
Noah slowly lowered his foot and landed back in the crater left by their earlier clash. Step by step, he calmly walked out of the pit, brushing a speck of dust from his shoulder.
Ulu, watching from the sidelines, let out a low whistle as she looked at where Laxus had landed.
"Noah… is brutal."
Makarov, standing beside her, didn't look the least bit worried. In fact, he was nodding with approval.
"Those two are close. Noah knows how to control his strength."
He looked out at the battlefield.
"Besides, it's better for the S-Class Exam to be strict. It keeps people from rising up before they're ready, and reminds everyone just how dangerous S-Class missions really are."
Laxus lay sprawled in the grass, bruised and battered. His breath came in short, sharp bursts as he pushed himself up on trembling arms.
Ten meters away, Noah came to a stop.
"Well? Want to keep going?"
Noah's tone wasn't mocking just calm, like a teacher giving his student one last chance to bow out.
Laxus straightened, chest heaving.
"Of course. I'm not giving up. I'm still gonna beat you one day."
Noah smirked, eyes gleaming.
Laxus stood tall again, magic power flaring. Lightning surged back to life around his body.
"That's the spirit," Noah said. "If you've still got fight in you bring it on."
After Noah finished speaking, he stood upright, calmly waiting for Laxus to make his move.
Laxus took a long, deep breath, drawing all the magic he had left into himself. He was already running low on both stamina and magical energy he had enough left for just one or two more powerful attacks.
He knew Noah might very well just take the hit like before, but he couldn't afford to assume anything. If his final spell missed and ended the match with him flailing... well, that would be more embarrassing than just losing outright.
"Ha!"
Laxus let out a fierce shout as he raised his arms high. A magic circle shimmered into existence above his head, gathering vast amounts of lightning that surged through his hands. The magic took form elongating, solidifying and finally became a golden Sky Halberd crackling with lightning.
"Thunder Dragon Sky Halberd!"
He hurled the glowing halberd forward. It shot toward Noah at a blinding speed, difficult even for trained eyes to follow.
But Noah had no intention of dodging. Calmly, he summoned golden light into his hand, stepped forward slightly, and slapped the halberd aside with his right palm.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art !"
Laxus roared, now channeling every last ounce of power into his right hand, compressing his lightning until it shone like molten gold. With an explosive step forward, he surged straight toward Noah.
Noah prepared to meet him head-on only to notice a lightning-infused magic circle appear beneath his feet. It was the same binding technique Laxus had used earlier to lock his movements.
Though this version was weaker than before, it was still enough to delay him.
Noah grinned.
"So that's how it is… Alright, then. Let's end this your way."
He canceled his forward motion and instead gathered even more magic in his hands. If Laxus wanted to clash with everything he had, Noah would let him.
At that moment, Laxus reached him. His lightning-wrapped fist swung upward with all the strength he had left.
"Bright Fang Thunder!"
BOOM!
Noah lifted his left hand, catching the punch mid-air. Lightning burst forth from Laxus's fist, tearing through the air and hammering down on Noah like a thunderstorm unleashed.
The explosion that followed engulfed the two in smoke and electric fury. For a few seconds, no one could see what had happened.
Then, a sudden gust of wind blew out from the center, scattering the smoke.
Noah stood there, perfectly upright, brushing the air away with a wave of his hand.
He was holding Laxus's fist in his left palm.
Laxus was trembling from exhaustion, legs wobbling. His knees nearly gave out, but Noah stepped forward quickly and caught him before he could collapse.
Laxus lifted his head weakly and glanced at Noah's completely unharmed expression. He managed a crooked smile.
"Seriously… You're a monster. I hit you with a Secret Dragon Slayer Technique and you're still standing like it was nothing…"
"You're wrong about that," Noah replied, his voice as light as ever.
He raised his right hand and pointed toward his shirt.
Laxus followed his gaze… and saw it.
A few tiny burn marks scorched the fabric on Noah's chest.
Laxus gave him a deadpan stare.
"…That's what you call being injured?"
"Of course."
Noah smiled, then opened his left hand the one that had caught Laxus's punch. His palm was faintly red and scorched.
"Look. Isn't this a real injury?"
Laxus rolled his eyes and muttered, "Don't think I don't know how insane your body and recovery rate are, you monster. A red palm doesn't count as an injury. Look, it's already healing."
Sure enough, the burn mark on Noah's palm was visibly fading, shrinking smaller by the second.
"All that magic I threw at you didn't do anything. You stood there and took it all head-on, and only the final Dragon Slayer move had any effect and even then, barely. It's honestly demoralizing."
Noah chuckled, lowering his hand. "You're being too hard on yourself. You've already surpassed the majority of mages out there. Plenty of S-Class wizards from other guilds wouldn't stand a chance against you."
He stepped back, giving Laxus room to breathe. "Besides, you've only been using Dragon Slayer Magic for, what, a year or two? You're still getting the hang of it. This is magic meant to fight dragons. You think something like that is supposed to be weak?"
Laxus clenched his fists, taking a moment to reflect. He was still catching his breath, his body sore and battered, but Noah's words struck a chord. Despite the frustration, there was truth in them.
"...Tch. Still doesn't feel great to get totally outclassed."
Noah shrugged. "Welcome to the club. Trust me, I've been on the receiving end too. Just ask Gildarts."
Laxus smirked faintly. "Yeah… but you probably learned something from that."
"Exactly," Noah said, nodding. "And you'll learn from this too."
....
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