A week passed quickly, and the training grounds behind the guild hall were already filled with guild members who had come to watch the exam.
The event hadn't even started, but the area was buzzing with laughter and chatter as if it were a festival. Picnic blankets were spread on the ground, laden with drinks and food. To an outsider, it might have looked like the Fairy Tail guild was holding a grand celebration rather than a serious examination.
"I'm really fed up with these guys. Are they here to watch the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam, or are they here to throw a party?" Statiw, standing beside Mirajane and Cana, said, looking at the cheerful, relaxed faces around them.
"I'm so envious," Natsu said, his face full of displeasure, the moment Statiw finished speaking.
"What's there to be envious of? If you want to join them, just go," Statiw said, rolling his eyes, assuming Natsu also wanted to partake in the festivities.
"I really want to participate in the S-Class Mage Exam too," Natsu continued, completely ignoring Statiw's comment.
"Oh, so you're envious of Mirajane and Cana," Statiw realized, understanding Natsu's true meaning.
"Yeah! I wish I could participate. I could challenge Erza and Laxus, and I'd have a chance to become an S-Class Mage. That would be great," Natsu said, his expression shifting from displeasure to one of pure envy. "But Master Makarov said I always cause too much collateral damage during missions and can't control my power precisely yet, so I'm not qualified. But I've been trying so hard to complete missions properly..."
Just as Natsu was about to continue his complaint, Master Makarov arrived at the center of the grounds and announced loudly, "Time's up! The S-Class Mage Promotion Exam begins now. First, Mirajane, Cana. You two come here to draw lots for your opponents."
With that, he produced two slips of paper from his pocket, one bearing Erza's name and the other Laxus's, and held them out in his closed fist.
Mirajane and Cana immediately walked up to Master Makarov and each drew a slip from his hand. Mirajane saw Erza's name written on her slip, and a confident, slightly vengeful smile spread across her face. "It's Erza? Just as I wished! This time, I'll definitely get my revenge for last time."
Hearing Mirajane's words, Cana gave a wry smile. Between Erza and Laxus, she was far more familiar with Erza's combat style. In the guild, Laxus had always kept his distance from the other members; he was notoriously aloof and solitary. Because of this, Cana only knew the basics—that Laxus uses Lightning magic. His specific techniques and full capabilities were a mystery to her.
At this moment, Master Makarov looked at the names on their slips and then loudly announced to everyone, "Cana will face Laxus, and Mirajane will face Erza. The first match is: Cana versus Laxus!"
As Master Makarov announced, Mirajane left the center of the arena, while Laxus swaggered up from the sidelines, a confident smirk on his face. Once Cana and Laxus stood facing each other about twenty meters apart, Master Makarov gave the command: "Exam... start!"
As soon as the words fell, Laxus suddenly swung his arm toward Cana, and a powerful bolt of lightning shot from his palm directly at her. Simultaneously, Cana, who had spent the week devising a strategy, immediately activated a card in her hand. Just as Laxus's lightning was about to strike, a large, pointed metal lightning rod suddenly materialized in front of her, diverting the electricity harmlessly deep into the ground. Laxus's first attack failed utterly.
"A little interesting," Laxus mused, his interest slightly piqued. He had expected his lightning's speed to overwhelm Cana before she could react. He hadn't anticipated such a prepared and clever counter.
Of course, Cana wasn't just playing defense. After deflecting the attack, she immediately activated her second card. In an instant, the air around Laxus shimmered, and a volley of magically conjured arrows materialized, all shooting straight toward him.
Seeing this, Laxus immediately tried to move from his spot to dodge. However, as he shifted his weight, he found the ground beneath his feet had turned soft and muddy, making it difficult to gain traction. It turned out that after using her offensive card, Cana had instantly activated a third card to restrict Laxus's movement, aiming to force him to endure the full brunt of the attack.
Yet, this barely hindered the Lightning Dragon Slayer. He snorted, and a subtle, crackling energy field erupted around his body. By the time the magical arrows reached him, a barrier of lightning had formed, deflecting them all with a series of sizzling pops.
"This is..." Cana's heart sank as she saw the protective barrier. Before she could fully analyze its nature, her instincts screamed at her to shift her focus entirely to defense.
"Hmph." Seeing Cana's defensive posture from afar, Laxus immediately understood her plan. He channeled more magic power, and his entire body crackled with energy as he levitated slightly into the air. Then, he raised one arm skyward. A much larger and louder bolt of lightning from the clear sky above struck directly into his palm. Following this, Laxus sharply pointed a finger at Cana's location. With a deafening 'CRACK!', a tremendous bolt of lightning struck down toward her.
However, Cana was ready. The moment she decided to focus on defense, she had already prepared her cards. As Laxus's lightning descended, a large, Faraday cage-like structure with a prominent lightning rod on top suddenly materialized around her body, firmly enclosing her. Once again, the devastating lightning was diverted safely into the ground, leaving her completely unscathed.
Seeing this, Laxus understood that Cana had made thorough preparations specifically for his lightning attacks, and ranged assaults would be inefficient. However, this was not a real problem for him. He sneered, "Do you think you can drag this out like this? Don't dream about it. Stalemates favor no one. If you can't defeat your opponent, you'll be the one to fail in the end."
As he spoke, Laxus's figure flickered with lightning. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his position and reappeared inside the metallic cage protecting Cana, his speed surpassing her reaction time. He grabbed Cana by the neck, not with crushing force, but with undeniable authority, and lifted her slightly off the ground.
"Now," he said, his voice cold and devoid of malice but firm with finality. "You've lost."
"That's right, I surrender," Cana said, a resigned yet accepting wry smile on her face. She had indeed lost. Laxus was merely gripping her neck to demonstrate a point—a seemingly harsh act that didn't actually harm her. In a real battle against a true enemy, this maneuver would have been a killing blow delivered in the instant she was vulnerable. Recognizing this tactical defeat and the immense gap in their close-quarters combat ability, she nodded in agreement.