Ryoma looked up at the lightning lacrimas surrounding the entire city in the sky. Their light became increasingly dazzling, and now there was less than ten minutes left before the Thunder Palace activated.
"Ryoma?"
Elfman had just recovered some of his spirits when he saw Ryoma's face which was incredibly gloomy.
Ryoma didn't look back, but quickly said to Elfman and Cana, who had just woken up nearby and also looked weak, "You two take Mira back to the Guild immediately and take good care of Master."
Elfman and Cana wanted to ask something, but Ryoma's figure had already vanished from the spot, leaving only a rapidly wilting ice flower.
—
Kardia Cathedral.
Inside the cathedral hall, Mystogan, holding several magic staves, confronted Laxus with a solemn expression.
Violent lightning and profound illusionary magic had just concluded a fierce collision, and the air still carried a pungent smell and the lingering aftershocks of magic.
In the brief skirmish that had just ended, neither side gained an advantage.
"Always hiding your face, are you really that afraid to show your true self?" Laxus pulled a provocative smile, violent lightning crackling around his body.
Mystogan didn't respond to his provocation, merely adjusting his magic staff silently, preparing for the next attack.
The air between them twisted without warning, and a brilliant ice flower bloomed out of thin air.
Ryoma stepped out from the center of the flower. His appearance instantly broke the standoff.
The disdain on Laxus's face receded slightly, replaced by a solemn expression mixed with wariness and fighting spirit.
Mystogan put down his magic staves the moment he saw Ryoma. He gave Ryoma a deep look, then methodically began to put his magic staves back into the satchel on his back.
"The rest is up to you."
Mystogan finished speaking and without waiting for any response from Ryoma, transformed into a wisp of ethereal smoke, vanishing.
Laxus did not stop Mystogan from leaving. Instead, he shifted his attention to Ryoma.
Ryoma walked towards Laxus step by step. With each step forward, the chill emanating from him grew denser, and the surging magic caused the surrounding air to begin condensing into tiny ice crystals.
The stone floor beneath his feet was rapidly covered by a thin layer of ice with each step, emitting crisp sounds.
Just then, the cathedral's large doors were violently flung open, and Natsu, Erza, and Gajeel rushed in.
As soon as they stepped inside, they felt that terrifying coldness and another surge of violent lightning that stood in equal opposition.
"Hey! Laxus..."
Natsu's words were caught in his throat, it seemed they were too late.
They had originally come furiously to settle accounts with Laxus, but as soon as they entered the cathedral, they saw that someone had already confronted him, even though they had rushed as fast as they could.
At this moment, two forces in the cathedral were constantly confronting and colliding, forming two distinct domains.
Erza looked at Ryoma's unprecedentedly gloomy back, then at Laxus, who was enveloped in electricity on the opposite side, and made a decisive choice.
"Natsu! Gajeel! We're going to stop the Thunder Palace!" She requipped into a light armor and decisively turned around.
She grabbed Natsu's scarf and dragged him out. Although Natsu was unwilling, for now, he didn't dare to defy Erza and let out a heavy "Tch."
Gajeel bared his teeth and turned to walk out with them.
Now, the vast cathedral was left with only Ryoma and Laxus.
Frost had spread to Laxus's feet, and the lightning around him crackled, dispelling the cold.
Ryoma slowly walked to a position about ten meters from Laxus and stopped.
"Laxus, you've gone too far this time." Ryoma's voice carried a bone-chilling coldness, his anger burning within him with nowhere to vent.
"The old man... he's critically ill because of you."
These words struck Laxus's heart like a heavy hammer.
He trembled violently, a momentary flicker of panic and contraction in his defiant eyes. He froze there, stunned for several seconds.
But soon, that brief wavering was replaced by an even more rampant obsession.
He bared his teeth and let out an even more arrogant laugh than before.
"Haha! Is that so? Isn't that perfect?"
Laxus spread his arms, as if embracing his victory.
"This way, my great opportunity to become the Guild Master of Fairy Tail has appeared, has it?!"
Ryoma's anger was finally completely ignited by these cold words, finding a suitable outlet.
He looked at the man before him, who had been completely devoured by power and ambition, and slowly exhaled a white mist of cold air.
"It seems... I need to be a bit heavy-handed and properly discipline you."
"Discipline me?" Laxus seemed to have heard the biggest joke. "I was careless before, Ryoma. This time, I'll show you my true full power."
Boom!!!
Violent lightning surged skyward, and Laxus's shirt was instantly torn to shreds by his bulging, knotted muscles. Dragon-scale patterns appeared on his arms, and terrifying magical fluctuations made the entire cathedral shake violently.
Lightning Dragon's Roar!
Without any unnecessary words, Laxus launched his attack first.
He inhaled sharply, his chest puffed out, and then he unleashed an incredibly thick, enormous golden lightning beam towards Ryoma.
Immediately after, his figure flashed, transforming into a golden electric current, following closely behind the roar, his fist, wrapped in destructive lightning, was already raised high.
Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!
Lightning raged through the Kardia Cathedral, instantly blasting rows of sturdy seats into charcoal and snapping thick stone pillars in half, sending shattered rocks flying.
However, facing this world-destroying offensive, Ryoma didn't even move a single step.
Just as the lightning was about to touch his body, a layer of extremely cold ice dust silently spread from the ground beneath his feet.
Path of Frozen Dust!
Countless ice particles, too tiny to be seen with the naked eye, automatically converged in front of him, forming a translucent barrier.
The violent Lightning Dragon's Roar struck the ice dust barrier, and instead of an earth-shattering explosion, it strangely dissolved.
The extreme low temperature instantly stripped the lightning of its energy. The violent electricity was forcibly solidified into countless ice crystals flashing with electricity, then shattered to the ground.
Laxus, following closely behind, delivered a powerful punch wrapped in lightning.
Ryoma simply raised his right hand casually, and a crystal-clear ice shield appeared out of thin air.
Bang!
The shockwave generated by the collision of lightning and ice blew away all the surrounding shattered rocks and debris.
The ice shield remained perfectly intact.
Laxus, failing in one strike, immediately retreated, transforming his hands into claws, and countless lightning spears appeared out of thin air, showering down on Ryoma.
Ryoma still stood his ground, casually waving his right index and middle fingers together in front of him. Thick ice walls rose from the ground, blocking all attacks.
Sharp ice swords condensed and precisely met each lightning spear, shattering them in mid-air.
Laxus had to dodge frantically, his face filled with shock.
Then, he continuously launched destructive attacks, leaving everything around him in ruins.