Laxus's Provocation

Jiang Bai casually stuffed the thick stack of Jewels he had just received into his spatial pouch, the cold touch of the gold coins still lingering on his fingertips.

"Hmm... the old man's got money, so paying back what I borrowed can wait. I'll buy Erza a cake first. I remember she likes sweets."

Suddenly, with an ear-splitting bang, someone brutally kicked open the guild's two heavy oak doors.

As wood splinters flew, a piercing crackle of electricity tore through the noise inside.

Dazzling golden arcs slithered wildly across the floor and walls like frenzied venomous snakes, leaving black scorch marks that reeked of burning.

The newcomer strode into the hall, his unruly blond hair standing on end.

Though only ten years old, he was already much bigger than others his age. His slender frame seemed to conceal a fierce beast ready to devour someone at any moment.

His finely made leather jacket was stained with magical beast blood and scorched in several places, signs of a brutal fight he had just been through.

Laxus pulled a crumpled C-rank quest request from his pocket and slapped it hard onto the bar, his face cold.

There was no trace of joy at completing his quest on the blond boy's face. In its place was an intense irritation that seemed ready to spill from his eyes.

On his way back, rumors had been spreading like wildfire through every street and alley: a monstrous genius had appeared in Fairy Tail.

At only six or seven years old, he had single-handedly taken down an entire Vulcan group and completed a B-rank subjugation quest for the first time without a scratch.

The moment Laxus heard those rumors, his first reaction was disbelief, followed by uncontrollable fury.

Ever since Makarov had expelled his father Ivan from the guild in front of everyone, that old man in the ridiculous hat had refused to offer even half a word of explanation.

What gives him the right?

Just because I'm still a kid? Just because I'm not strong enough yet?

Does that mean even my right to know the truth has to be cruelly taken away?

Laxus clenched his back teeth, the muscles in his jaw standing out, and balled his fists until his knuckles turned pale and his nails nearly broke the skin of his palms.

If I can't pry that stubborn mouth open with words, then I'll smash through every prejudice with my fists.

As long as I become stronger than everyone else, strong enough to trample the so-called Ten Wizard Saints underfoot, the truth will have nowhere to hide.

Power is the only language everyone in this world understands.

The blond boy's gaze swept past the overlapping figures like a precision-guided radar, instantly locking onto the black-haired boy standing at the counter.

His bone age was around six, and his frame was so slight that a gust of wind seemed enough to blow him over.

There was no oppressive aura of magic leaking from him. He was just an ordinary person, through and through.

This is that rumored B-rank genius?

Laxus gave a mocking snort, and the golden lightning surrounding him suddenly surged.

The crackle of electricity instantly drowned out every other sound, forcing the surrounding wizards to retreat repeatedly with pale faces and clearing a wide empty space between the two boys.

The blond boy took long strides straight up to Jiang Bai, an intimidating pressure radiating from him as he looked down at the boy a full head shorter than himself.

"Hey, kid. I heard you took out a bunch of Vulcans all by yourself?"

His tone was full of undisguised skepticism and provocation.

Jiang Bai kept both hands comfortably in his pants pockets, with no intention of taking them out.

He tilted his head up slightly to meet that fiercely aggressive gaze and gave a long, careless yawn.

"Word travels pretty fast."

His casual attitude made it seem as though he had just stepped on a few ants, rather than taken out a group of ferocious magical beasts.

That dismissive attitude was like a ladle of cold water thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the anger Laxus had suppressed for so long.

"Rumors can't be trusted."

Laxus jerked his neck, his bones cracking sharply, and a ball of blinding electricity burst between his palms.

"The old man's getting on in years. His eyes are bound to be failing him, and he fell for some cheap trick of yours. Fight me. Let me see for myself just how tough the bones of a genius who can complete a B-rank quest really are!"

Behind the bar, Makarov picked up his freshly filled mug of ale, an inscrutable glint flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

His thin lips remained shut, and he showed no intention of scolding the two youngsters.

These fools didn't understand at all: true monsters were never judged by appearances.

Letting that arrogant young bull Laxus run into the unfathomable wall that was Jiang Bai and take him down a peg might not be a bad thing.

The wizards who had retreated to a safe distance instantly erupted.

Wakaba was so excited he left teeth marks in his pipe. He grabbed Macao by the shoulder and shook him furiously.

"They're fighting! They're really going to fight! A showdown between the guild's two monstrous newcomers!"

Macao's eyes were shining with excitement too, and he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Laxus has awakened Lightning Magic! That speed and destructive power are no joke!

"Can Jiang Bai's weird barrier handle lightning that gets in everywhere as easily as it blocked physical attacks?"

"Hard to say! Even the master's three punches didn't break through his defenses; they only drained Jiang Bai's magic. No matter how fast that lightning is, it's no good if it can't hit him!"

Everyone began imagining the fight in a frenzy, coming up with one tactical analysis after another.

No one had witnessed Jiang Bai in action during the earlier mine quest. Now that they finally had a chance to see the limits of his absolute defense, how could their blood not boil with excitement?

Jiang Bai quietly watched the blond hedgehog before him, high-voltage sparks flying all over his body as though he might explode at any moment. Far from feeling nervous, he found himself intensely interested.

He had just been worrying about the lack of a suitable test subject for Cursed Technique Lapse's attractive force and Cursed Technique Reversal's repulsive force.

Those brainless magical beasts knew only how to charge around recklessly. They couldn't bring out Limitless's true potential at all.

Now a top-tier lightning wizard had come knocking of his own accord to serve as a punching bag. Where else could he find such a windfall?

Lightning's blindingly fast rush and terrifying penetration made it the perfect material for testing Reverse Cursed Technique's repulsive field, which repelled everything.

Jiang Bai could even feel his stagnant magic pool faintly stirring, cheering in its desire for new power.

"Let's go somewhere else."

Without so much as another glance at the ball of lightning, Jiang Bai tossed out those brief words, turned, and walked toward the guild doors.

His steps were light and leisurely, his retreating figure radiating utter disregard, as though his opponent were air.

That casual dismissal snapped the last thread of Laxus's reason.

"Quit putting on an act! I don't need to go somewhere else to deal with you!"

With a furious shout, the blond boy stomped his foot.

The hard, century-old oak floor was instantly reduced to charred powder by the rampaging lightning.

Furious magic erupted skyward like a volcano. Laxus turned into a thick bolt of golden lightning and hurtled straight at Jiang Bai's unguarded back, tearing through the air with a terrifying shriek!

He was incredibly fast!

To ninety percent of the wizards in the hall, a flash of white was all they saw before that heavy fist, wreathed in high-voltage electricity, smashed down!

Thunder exploded!

The blinding light instantly robbed everyone of their sight. The deafening thunder seemed ready to whip up a storm inside their heads, leaving their blood roiling and sending them staggering backward.

"He hit him!"

Someone in the crowd cried out in alarm.

No matter how strong a wizard's defenses were, taking a lightning spell at point-blank range from behind while completely unprepared would surely leave them dead or injured!

Yet as the dazzling lightning gradually faded, the noisy hall seemed to have its throat gripped by an invisible hand, and even the sound of everyone breathing vanished completely.

Wakaba rubbed his eyes, which stung from the bright light, and looked closely. He froze on the spot as though struck by lightning.

Macao's mouth hung open wide enough to fit two goose eggs, and his eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets.

Laxus still held his ferocious forward-lunging punch.

But his face, which had been full of defiance and confidence, had now gone completely rigid.

A bean-sized drop of cold sweat slid uncontrollably down the blond boy's temple.

That thunderous fist, containing all his magic and powerful enough to pulverize a boulder, had not shattered its target's spine as expected.

Instead, it hung inexplicably in midair, less than an inch from the back of Jiang Bai's head!

Furious golden arcs spread wildly from his fist, trying to cross that invisible gulf, only to crash into what seemed like an impregnable wall built from the laws of the world.

Countless fine currents twisted, struggled, and devoured one another in midair, giving off piercing crackles, yet they could not advance even a single millimeter.

No matter how fast lightning was, it could not outpace an infinitely extending spatial distance.

It was right there.

Yet it was as though an impassable chasm lay between them.

Jiang Bai did not even pause in his stride. He merely turned his head slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the blond boy behind him, whose eyes were wide and face filled with shock.

He remained just as relaxed, both hands in his pockets.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a mischievous smile.

"Your speed's passable."

The offhand assessment landed like a stinging slap to the genius's pride.

Jiang Bai's fingertips rubbed together lightly inside his pocket. Deep in his eyes, a dark red light representing repulsion and destruction was secretly gathering at a furious pace.

"But that feeble strength isn't even enough to loosen up my shoulders."