Laxus was absolutely furious seeing Kael's arrogant display.
"I am the strongest!!!"
Laxus took a deep breath, his chest swelling as he gathered lightning into his lungs.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!!"
A violent pillar of golden lightning erupted from Laxus's mouth, obliterating everything in its path as it tore through the cathedral.
Kael raised his right index finger, a small crimson orb condensing at the tip.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!!"
The two massive magics collided.
BOOM!!
A terrifying explosion of magic shot toward the sky. The Kardia Cathedral, already a ruin, finally reached its breaking point and began to collapse under the pressure of the blast.
As the dust settled, Kael and Laxus were left standing amidst the rubble. Kael's expression remained relaxed and effortless, while Laxus's face was heavy with dread.
Since the fight started, Laxus had been on the back foot. He thought using Dragon Slayer magic would give him the edge, but he was still being suppressed. He felt like he was always just a hair's breadth away from breaking through Kael's defense—convinced that one solid hit would grant him victory—but he just couldn't reach him.
The continuous combat was draining his magic power rapidly, yet Kael looked like he still had plenty of gas in the tank.
Should I keep fighting a war of attrition? Laxus wondered. He believed he would win eventually; his magic came from the Dragon Slayer Lacrima, after all. There was no way his reserves were lower than some brat's.
While Laxus was strategizing, Kael raised a palm toward him, a sphere of Red manifesting in front of his hand.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
The crimson orb shot toward Laxus.
"Damn it! Does this monster not need a pause for magic that powerful?!"
Laxus's face paled. He instantly turned into a bolt of lightning to dodge.
The sphere was incredibly fast, hitting the spot where Laxus had been standing a split second before.
BOOM!
A massive repulsive force erupted, blasting a giant crater into the ground.
ZZZT!
Laxus reappeared behind Kael, winding up for an attack, but Kael didn't even turn around. He simply pointed a finger over his shoulder at Laxus.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
Laxus's eyes widened. He had just solidified his body and didn't have time to turn back into lightning. He crossed his arms in a desperate block.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"UAAAGH!!"
A horrifying shockwave exploded, sending Laxus tumbling backward.
CRASH!
Laxus stood up from the debris, shaking.
"Ugh...!"
The moment he stood, his legs buckled, and he nearly fell over. Taking a direct hit from Kael on top of his previous injuries had left him in bad shape.
Finally, Laxus understood. Kael was a complete monster. He had assumed that a technique with the power of a Dragon's Roar was Kael's ultimate move—his "trump card." Now he realized that was just Kael's basic attack.
"Kael... don't think you've won yet. Do you have any idea how long I've prepared for this moment? To change this weak Fairy Tail... I cannot lose!!!"
ROAR!!
Terrifying magic power erupted from Laxus's body. The ground beneath him began to splinter and crack as he gathered his magic power into his palms.
Kael's expression finally shifted. Fairy Law. One of the Three Great Fairy Magics, created by the first master, Mavis. It used holy light to judge darkness, targeting anything the caster deemed an enemy.
Fairy Law's greatest feat was when Master Makarov used it to nearly wipe out a vast army from the Alvarez Empire single-handedly. It was strategic-level magic.
Faced with such high-tier magic, Kael didn't dare be careless. He crossed his index and middle fingers, preparing to trigger his Domain Expansion.
Just then, Mirajane ran into the ruin, her face filled with anxiety. "Stop!! Both of you, stop fighting!!"
"Mira! What are you doing here?!" Kael called out.
Tears blurred Mirajane's eyes. "Laxus... the Master... your grandfather... he's in critical condition!!!"
"What?! The old man? How?!" Kael's expression darkened. Even though he'd only been in the guild for a year, Makarov had treated him like real family. He couldn't remember the plot perfectly, but he knew the old man was supposed to live until the end. Why now?
"The Master has always had a heart condition. He's been taking medicine from Porlyusica to manage it. But when he saw the Thunder Palace... he got too agitated. His heart gave out..."
Laxus let out a twisted, maniacal laugh. "Isn't that perfect? That just makes it more likely that I'll become the Master."
"How could you..." Mirajane stared at him, unable to believe this was the Laxus she knew.
"UAAAAAGH!!"
"Disappear, Fairy Tail!!"
"I'm going to rebuild a guild that's second to none! A guild that makes everyone tremble in fear! The strongest guild!!"
"FAIRY LAW!!"
"ACTIVATE!!!!"
DONG——!!!
A blinding golden light erupted. Nothing could stop it. With Laxus as the epicenter, the light surged outward, engulfing everything.
After a few moments, the light slowly faded.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Laxus was panting heavily. Using a Great Magic required an immense amount of magic power. Even for him, it was draining.
"I... finally..."
Cough, cough!
The sound of Mirajane coughing caught Laxus's attention. He spun around and saw her standing there, completely unharmed. Kael was standing right next to her, looking bored.
"This... this is impossible!! This is the Great Magic, Fairy Law!! No matter how strong your Limitless is, it shouldn't have been able to block this!! Why?!"
Laxus screamed in disbelief. Fairy Law was his grandfather's signature magic. It judged darkness with holy light; he had never seen anyone withstand it. He had trained his soul off to master it as his ultimate trump card. It was unavoidable. Even if Kael was strong, he shouldn't be uninjured—and Mirajane wasn't even using her magic!
At that moment, a figure stumbled through the rubble. It was Freed, the captain of the Thunder God Tribe.
"The guild members... the people in town... everyone is fine. You didn't hurt a single person."
Laxus shouted back at him. "Impossible!! Fairy Law is perfect!!"
"It's your 'heart,' Laxus. Fairy Law only works on those the mage truly perceives as an enemy. Do you understand what I'm saying? Magic doesn't lie. This is your 'truth.' Stop this, Laxus. Go to the Master's side."
Laxus's face crumbled into panic, looking like a man whose deepest secret had just been exposed. He tried to force his bravado. "No!! Anyone who gets in my way is an enemy!! An enemy!!"
"I don't care if that old man lives or dies!! I am me!! I'm not that old man's grandson!! I'm Laxus!! I'M LAXUS, DAMN IT!!!"
WHAM!
Kael appeared behind Laxus instantly, delivering a heavy roundhouse kick to his face.
"GUH!!"
Laxus was sent flying, crashing into a broken wall.
"Shut up already. You're giving me a headache," Kael said coldly. "I'm giving you two choices. One: crawl to the Master's side on your own. Or two: I beat you half to death and drag your sorry ass there myself."
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