"Exactly what I was thinking!"
Laxus grinned, a flash of golden light, and he instantly transformed into lightning, rushing in front of Phoenix.
"Lightning Dragon's Crushing Fist!!"
Laxus used his full strength from the start. Three years ago, he had fought Phoenix once and naturally knew the power of Vibration Magic (Tremor-Tremor Fruit). However, there is a limit to everything; as long as his power exceeded the limit of the opponent's rebound, Laxus was confident he could defeat Phoenix.
"Crescent Moon Thrust!!"
Phoenix used Instant Transmission, not retreating but advancing, gripping his Zanpakuto tightly and slashing down fiercely.
Boom!!
Lightning crackled everywhere, and a powerful shockwave spread outwards, directly affecting the entire Magnolia Town. With the domineering Tremor-Tremor Fruit's enhancement, the Zanpakuto directly split Laxus into the mountain, and the upper cloud layer was also scattered by the powerful collision below. However, Phoenix was not unscathed; his body was forcibly pushed back hundreds of meters, breaking countless trees along the way.
Crack!!
A thunderclap suddenly exploded in the clear sky. The forcibly scattered clouds mysteriously gathered above Magnolia, the white clouds gradually turning into oppressive dark clouds, with rolling thunderclouds within.
"Resounding through the sky is the roar that summons lightning, descending from above, turning everything to ash—Lightning Pressure Surge!!"
Laxus's voice came from the pile of rocks. This chanted spell was also Laxus's full effort. Countless golden lightning bolts furiously struck down. Compared to the energy Phoenix could easily repel with a casual Airquake three years ago, this was a world of difference.
However, under this ultimate destructive lightning, Phoenix's figure flickered, but this was not Instant Transmission. Phoenix seemed to have no intention of directly avoiding the lightning strike but advanced straight ahead, step by step towards Laxus, wildly swinging his Zanpakuto. Not a single lightning bolt landed on Phoenix; all were split into nothingness by him.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!!"
At the same moment Phoenix finished splitting the lightning, golden light scattered. Laxus stepped on the entrance of the large hole that had buried him, and his next, long-prepared move suddenly struck, also faster and more powerful than three years ago.
Boom!!
It seemed too late to make a move; Phoenix barely managed to block with his Zanpakuto, and the Lightning Dragon's Roar completely engulfed his figure.
"Phoenix!!"
Erza cried out in shock, but Laxus scoffed at her.
"Withdraw your needless worry!! If he were to be defeated so easily, he wouldn't be worth me trying to surpass!"
"But..."
"That's right, Erza. Remember to call me Master next time!"
Phoenix's voice forcefully interrupted Erza's unfinished worry.
"Ma... Master, are you alright?"
Erza turned her head in surprise, but seeing Phoenix's torn clothes and disheveled appearance, her heart clenched again.
"Not dead."
Phoenix's lips curved into an excited smile. Even though his body was covered in wounds from Laxus's Roar, Phoenix didn't care at all.
Whoosh!
Retracting his Zanpakuto, Phoenix stretched his muscles, his whole body crackling with crisp bone sounds.
"Since I promised you a serious fight, I will never break my word. I'm going all out now, so be careful."
"This is the moment I've been waiting for!! Let your body experience the results of three years of training!"
Laxus let out an excited laugh, lightning flickering around him. His already fully released magic power was now being unleashed with all his might, as if squeezing out every last drop of magic from his body.
"You two bastards, stop it!!"
Just as the two were about to begin their next round, an angry roar suddenly interrupted, and a vast magic power, almost capable of overturning the world, enveloped the entire Magnolia Town.
The anomaly in the sky naturally attracted everyone's attention, especially within the Fairy Tail Guild. Makarov, as the Guild Master, was the first to arrive... No, someone was even faster than Makarov at reaching the battle scene. Mavis had already woken up and arrived the moment Phoenix released his powerful magic. However, Mavis, upon arriving, did not intervene, but Makarov, who arrived shortly after, was not so calm. An angry roar echoed throughout the entire town.
"Phoenix!! Laxus!! Are you two trying to tear this city apart? Withdraw your magic power now!!"
"..."
Laxus's expression changed. Though extremely unwilling, he truly dared not defy his Old Man.
"Old Man, I remember the S-Class Mage trials start in December, right! However, it seems you still don't have a suitable candidate in mind for this year. How about this: let this bout with Laxus be considered the S-Class assessment."
Although Phoenix didn't know much about the Guild, after Makarov declared him an S-Class Mage, he learned from Mavis that becoming an S-Class Mage required a certain process; Phoenix was just an exception.
"This..."
If it were before, Makarov would have flat-out refused, but with Mavis's explanation three years ago, plus Makarov having personally witnessed his grandson putting in countless hours of effort to challenge Phoenix again, refusing now would surely leave a shadow in Laxus's heart, which might not be good for his future growth.
After much thought, Makarov clapped his hands.
"Highest Defense Array · Three Pillar Gods!"
Three giant pillars of light, hundreds of meters apart, suddenly rose, centering on Phoenix and Laxus. A massive transparent barrier sealed the two within.
After casting one spell, Makarov said no more, but Phoenix and Laxus exchanged a smile within the barrier, knowing that the Old Man had agreed to their battle.
"Lightning Dragon's—"
"Dragon's—"
"Roar!!"
Bang!!
Laxus's Roar was forcibly dispersed by Phoenix. Although some lingering lightning power still struck Phoenix, it only had a paralyzing effect, and Phoenix recovered instantly. In that fleeting moment, the struck Laxus, suppressing the pressure on his heart, instantly transformed into lightning, halting his backward momentum and circling behind Phoenix like an electric current.
"Lightning Dragon's Crushing Fist!"
"Dragon's Shattering Fang!"
Powerful wind elements instantly condensed in Phoenix's hand. He retaliated with a claw, directly meeting Laxus's fist.
Boom!
Originally, a fist against a claw would put the claw at a disadvantage, but under Armament Haki, Laxus felt this punch was like striking an unshakeable fortress. A force that seemed to tear the earth apart sent Laxus flying.
"Dragon's Hook Claw!"
Using Instant Transmission, Phoenix appeared below the still-airborne Laxus and delivered a fierce kick.
"Pfft—!! Cough cough!!"
"Dragon's Wing Attack!"
Phoenix's arms wrapped in violent wind, sweeping towards Laxus.
"Damn it!!"
Laxus gritted his teeth. With his body taking continuous damage, he felt his body was no longer under his control; every movement was excruciatingly painful.
Crackling—
Stimulating his whole body with lightning, suppressing the pain, Laxus gathered all his lightning power into both fists, meeting Phoenix head-on.
"Lightning Dragon's Jaw!"
Boom!!!
Crack!
Phoenix flew out even faster than he came in, while Laxus was embedded deep into the ground. The hard surface was crushed, forming a ten-meter-deep human-shaped hole. At the same time, Makarov's sturdy barrier let out a "crack" sound, then slowly fractured like breaking glass, and finally shattered with a roar.
Thump!!
Phoenix, who had flown a long distance, finally landed. But compared to Laxus, who was embedded in the ground, Phoenix, who had merely taken a hard fall, quickly got back up as if nothing had happened.
"Whoa! As expected of Phoenix, he's fine even after that."
"Yeah, yeah, but Laxus is really amazing, he must have reached S-Class Mage strength."
"Right, right, it must be. Our Guild is going to have another S-Class Mage."
"Eh? You keep saying S-Class or whatever, but what exactly is S-Class?"
"Idiot! S-Class is S-Class, don't even dream about it."
"What did you say? You droopy-eyed bastard!!"
"You damn upturned-eyed freak, how dare you talk about me."
The crowd around them chattered incessantly. Natsu, whose great interest was piqued by S-Class, began to ask about it. Gray interrupted, and the two started fighting publicly again, while Makarov jumped directly into the deep pit and carried out the unconscious Laxus.