A slap!

Upon hearing the news that Makarov was critically ill, Jiang Bai's heart sank.

But he knew that the old man's problem wasn't rooted in his body, but in Laxus.

Only by completely resolving Laxus's mental block can Makarov truly recover in peace.

"Laxus," Jiang Bai's voice was unreadable.

Even now, you still don't want to go back and take a look?

When Laxus heard that his grandfather had fallen ill, his first reaction was an overwhelming sense of panic.

How could my grandfather, who had been with me since I was a child, teaching me magic and always taking the blame for my mistakes, have collapsed?

But the second reaction immediately that followed was absurd disbelief.

How could that be? The old man is Ten Wizard Saints Mages! How could he be critically ill over something so simple?

Long-accumulated jealousy and resentment, like poisonous ivy, quickly filled his heart and overwhelmed his family affection.

"I don't believe it!"

As if trying to convince himself, he roared at Jiang Bai and Sarukusuke.

"It's all a lie!"

"No... or rather, this is better!" His expression twisted and became frantic.

"That way, no one can stop me anymore!"

Jiang Bai, her eyes filled with only disappointment.

This person has been completely blinded by his own pathetic obsession.

Sarukusuke, who hadn't left yet, anxiously looked at the ominous Thunder Palace in the sky and asked Jiang Bai, "Jiang Bai, what about those things outside?!"

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Jiang Bai's tone was calm, yet it carried a reassuring power.

"Go back and tell the old man, and everyone in the guild, that everything is under my control, and that he shouldn't worry."

"Okay!" Sarukusuke nodded vigorously, then vanished in a whirlwind.

After everyone who was in the way left, only the two of them remained in the church.

Jiang Bai looked at Laxus and let out a soft chuckle.

"As the guild leader's grandson, you enjoy the guild's best resources and the most protection, yet you're unwilling to shoulder even the slightest responsibility, ha!"

"Take back that!" Laxus's eyes turned incredibly dangerous.

"Which sentence?" Jiang Bai feigned ignorance.

"Oh! You mean... you're the grandson of Makarov Dreyar, one of the Ten Wizard Saints Mages?"

"Asshole!"

What sounded like the highest honor to others was like the most vicious curse, instantly igniting all of Laxus's fury.

"I have my own name! I am Laxus the Thunder God!"

What he hated most was when people casually attributed all his efforts and successes to the phrase "Makarov's grandson."

He could no longer restrain himself, and violent lightning gathered on his fist.

"Lightning Dragon's Crushing Fist!"

He Roar and threw a punch hard at Jiang Bai's face!

Faced with a punch powerful enough to shatter rocks, Jiang Bai simply shifted his body slightly and easily dodged it.

He toyed with Laxus's relentless attacks as if taking a leisurely stroll, all the while uttering the most piercing words in that calm tone.

"Yes! The old man is your own grandfather. Having such a loving relative is something to be envied."

"But do you know what? There are some people in the guild who have never even met their parents."

"That's why they treat the guild as their only home and its members as family members connected by blood."

Jiang Bai's figure appeared beside Laxus like a ghost.

Snap!

A crisp slap echoed throughout the church.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Laxus was stunned. His speed, which he was so proud of, was so slow that he couldn't even react in front of his opponent.

Jiang Bai withdrew his hand, looking at his face filled with shock and humiliation, his eyes were icy cold.

"And then what? Just because of your boring, so-called 'strongest,' you're going to take away their last bit of happiness?"

"Old man, is this how you were raised?!"

"Don't get too cocky, Laxus!"

That slap seemed to have stunned Laxus.

Jiang Bai's hurtful words touched a Hidden chord within him, but his long-held pride and jealousy prevented him from maintaining his stubbornness.

"That's because you don't know anything!"

He covered his burning cheek and roared.

The next second, a violent golden lightning bolt shot into the sky, centered on him!

"Let me show you how much I've grown over the past few years!"

The entire cathedral trembled violently under his terrifying magic, countless lightning snakes slithered wildly across the floor and walls, and the Thunder Palace in the sky seemed to sense it, emitting even more ominous roars.

He wanted Jiang Bai to know just how powerful he really was!

However, faced with this immense magical power that would make even the Ten Wizard Saints take notice, Jiang Bai simply stood still, his face showing not even a ripple of emotion.

To make Laxus truly experience the difference in power, Jiang Bai simply sighed softly and then released his magic.

There were no Heavenly Movement sound and light effects, no violently overflowing energy flows.

It was a... indescribable, pure, and vast magic.

If Laxus's magic is a violent thunderstorm that sweeps across the entire city, then Jiang Bai's magic is a bottomless, boundless deep sea that envelops the entire world.

Centered on the cathedral, the air seemed to instantly turn into viscous glue, the light began to distort, and sound was completely swallowed up.

An irresistible, mountain-like pressure descended upon every corner of Magnolia.

Even Laxus's prized, raging lightning was like a tamed pet before this magic; its lightning dimmed and could no longer advance an inch.

Fairy Tail Guild.

In the hall, all the members were anxiously gathered around Makarov's bedside.

Just then, an indescribable, terrifying pressure descended from the sky.

Everyone felt as if they had been pressed firmly to the spot by an invisible hand, making it incredibly difficult to breathe. The weaker members even collapsed to the ground, their legs giving way.

"What... what is this feeling?"

Lucy's face turned deathly pale; she felt her very soul trembling.

"How terrifying! Just like the Etherion Magic Council back then... no, even more terrifying!"

"That was merely a collection of energy, but this is pure, seemingly endless life force!"

Just as everyone was stunned into silence by the pressure, the guild's doors were pushed open.

Erza and Mirajane are back.

Erza's expression was somewhat solemn. Behind her followed a dejected and wounded Bickslow, who was still holding his lifeless dolls in his arms.

Mirajane's expression had returned to its usual gentleness, but what she was carrying made everyone unconsciously swallow.

That was Freed, who had completely passed out, his face swollen like a pig's head.

Clearly, the Demon, who had just returned to his peak condition, vented all his anger on this poor fellow.