The stone forest of the East Arena, in the morning light, was like an ancient beast awakening from its slumber, with jagged strange rocks piercing the sky, sharp stone peaks like a thousand drawn swords pointing straight to the clouds.
Pale white mist drifted like ghosts, weaving through the stone pillars.
Natsu stomped heavily on a protruding basalt rock, his shoe soles grinding against the rough stone, an ear-splitting sound echoing through the silent stone forest, instantly sending sparks flying.
"This place is spacious enough!" He took a deep breath, his chest heaving, a few wisps of flame mixed with his hot breath escaping from the corners of his mouth, his eyes filled with excitement, "I'm all fired up!"
Thirty meters away, Marcus crouched on top of a giant rock shaped like a huge mushroom, his fingers gently stroking the rock's surface.
Fine gold sand slowly trickled from between his fingers, like a silent waterfall, seeping imperceptibly into the rock crevices.
The ground subtly swelled as a large amount of gold sand was injected underground by him.
"Calm down, Natsu," He shook his short green hair, his gaze serious, "Your opponent is Laxus."
That guild's younger generation, he was almost at the top among their companions.
Laxus's temper might not be likable, but no one had ever doubted his strength.
"Boom—!"
A golden lightning bolt, like a sharp giant axe, instantly cleaved the morning mist, crashing down on the tallest stone pillar in the center of the arena.
Dazzling electric light flashed, and as the light faded, Laxus's figure appeared.
He was wearing a black coat, its hem gently fluttering due to static electricity, as if dancing with a life of its own.
The unique lightning tattoo on his right eye gleamed with a cold light in the morning sun, and the powerful aura emanating from him sent shivers down one's spine.
"Are you done talking?" Laxus's voice rumbled like muffled thunder, full of deterrence.
Golden electric snakes slithered around him, occasionally emitting crackling sounds, "Then let's not waste any more time."
Natsu's fists instantly ignited with orange-red flames, raging fire swirling in his palms, the intense heat distorting the surrounding air.
"Still as arrogant as ever, Laxus!"
He roared, stomping hard on the ground; the rock beneath his feet instantly shattered under the immense force, and he shot towards Laxus like an arrow released from a bow, so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained.
Marcus sighed helplessly, yet quickly clapped his hands on the ground.
With his actions, the arena's ground seemed to come alive, beginning to undulate like a tide, the gold sand hidden underground silently spreading towards the center.
"Lightning Ball!"
Laxus raised his right hand, fingers spread, and a dazzling golden lightning ball condensed in his palm.
Countless electric arcs danced on the surface of the lightning ball, emitting a grating buzzing sound.
"Go!"
The half-meter diameter lightning ball shot out with a boom, instantly ionizing the air in its path, leaving a pale golden trail.
Natsu didn't dodge or evade; a Red Dragon magic circle erupted at the front of his fist, followed by the flames on his fist surging as he threw a punch.
"Rumble!"
Thunder and flames collided, creating a deafening roar, and powerful energy fluctuations spread outwards like ocean waves.
Natsu's flames were forcefully extinguished by the golden lightning, and the aftershock sent him flying.
He tumbled several times in the air, like a kite with a broken string, about to crash into a sharp stalagmite—
"Sand Cushion!"
At the critical moment, Marcus waved his right hand, and the gold sand he had already prepared instantly formed a soft cushion at Natsu's landing spot.
Natsu slammed heavily onto the sand cushion, kicking up a cloud of golden dust.
"Cough, cough, thanks…" He propped himself up, shaking his numb, electrically-shocked arm, his eyes still full of fighting spirit, "This guy's lightning is even more powerful than last time!"
The fighting spirit burned even more fiercely in his eyes.
Marcus did not reply; his hands formed sword-fingers pointing skyward.
The arena ground immediately began to tremble.
"Sand Coffin!"
As Marcus let out a low roar, countless gold sand suddenly tore through the ground, erupting from below to instantly form eight bowl-thick golden sand pythons.
These sand pythons gleamed with a metallic luster, clearly infused with special magic; they opened their "mouths" and coiled around Laxus's limbs from different angles, their movements swift and precise.
"You've improved, Marcus," Laxus praised expressionlessly, then stomped his foot, and golden lightning exploded from him, powerful currents spreading outwards.
"Lightning Field!"
Countless dense golden lightning arcs formed a spherical shield, repelling all the coiling sand pythons.
The scattered gold sand formed a golden haze in the air, permeating the arena.
"Now!" Natsu raised an eyebrow, a crimson magic circle opened beneath his feet, and he leaped into the air, cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, his chest expanding like a bellows, powerful magic gathering within him.
"Fire Dragon's—"
A blazing red fireball condensed in his mouth, the surrounding air distorted by the high temperature.
"Roar!"
A large, conical blast of fiery breath tore through the air, instantly vaporizing the gold sand haze in its path, creating a vacuum tunnel.
The fiery breath continued unabated, like a fire dragon, heading straight for Laxus's face!
Laxus remained unhurried, taking a step forward, followed by a burst of violent golden lightning from his body.
"Lightning Body!"
The fiery breath collided with the lightning, erupting in a blinding white light.
A powerful shockwave spread in a ring, like a small explosion, severing a dozen stone pillars around them at their bases.
Debris rained down, kicking up countless pillars of smoke on the sandy ground, and the entire arena instantly became a mess.
Before the dust had settled, Marcus had already begun his next move.
He pressed his hands to the ground, veins bulging on his forehead, powerful magic continuously surging from his body.
"Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral!"
The entire arena ground suddenly vibrated violently, as if a strong earthquake had occurred.
Countless gold sand mixed with ordinary sand and stones erupted from underground, forming a quicksand vortex a hundred meters in diameter.
When Marcus had sent the gold sand underground earlier, he had already been simultaneously controlling the gold sand to crush the soil and gravel beneath, creating more ordinary sand.
Now, the gold sand, carrying a massive amount of sand and stone, was like a surging river, unstoppable.
The stone pillar beneath Laxus's feet instantly collapsed, forcing him to leap into the air, his gaze falling upon the quicksand vortex below, with no place to land; his eyes showed surprise for the first time, "This level of sand magic, very capable indeed, Marcus."
Before he finished speaking, Laxus felt a burning sensation on his back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Natsu's feet were ablaze with flames; he briefly floated in the air using the thrust from the flame jets, his right fist ignited with blazing red flames, the high temperature igniting the surrounding air, emitting whooshing burning sounds.
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