Three days later, the weather was clear in Hargeon Harbor.
Laxus, a blond young man with a lightning-shaped scar on his face, and Zorn, who had a backpack on, boarded a sailboat bound for Rust Town, beside the Leize Mountains.
The client had also received word that the request had been accepted and was waiting for the mages to arrive.
"Ugh... mm... thanks." Laxus had just felt sick enough to throw up when he hurriedly covered his mouth.
At that moment, Zorn had used healing magic on him to relieve his motion sickness.
"Haha, Laxus, do the guild members know that an S-Class Mage gets motion sickness?" Zorn withdrew his hand and folded his arms, teasing Laxus, who still looked a little uncomfortable but was much better.
He had learned this magic in the library three days earlier precisely to prevent this situation, but he still hadn't figured out what other magic to learn. So he had only looked for information on lightning magic related to this mission, the geography of the mission location, and relevant healing magic.
But while researching the Leize Mountains, he suddenly learned that the area had thunderstorms year-round. That, along with the information on lightning magic, suddenly reminded him of Lightning Release: Kirin from Hokage in his previous life. The ninjutsu was S-Class, and if it were changed into magic, using Observation Haki and Laxus's magic, it should be twice as powerful as the original technique.
This environment was perfect for letting Laxus learn it. As for the target of this mission, Zorn wasn't worried at all. The person accompanying him could use Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic, and the environment was full of lightning, so there was nothing to fear.
"Shut up. Don't tell anyone..." Laxus didn't want to talk anymore. Although his symptoms had eased somewhat, he was still a little uncomfortable. He closed his eyes, not wanting to speak.
"I don't have any interest in telling anyone, but I can keep this as a souvenir. Click, click." Holding a magic camera, Zorn kept hopping left and right to find a good angle, taking a series of pictures to record Laxus's current state.
"Zorn, you... damn it, don't run!" Laxus forced himself to his feet and staggered after Zorn, trying to snatch the photos Zorn was still waving temptingly in his hand.
"Hey, you can't catch them, hahaha!"
"Crack, boom!"
"Crack, boom!"
"No wonder a mission like this was gradually upgraded to an S-Class Mission. Lightning strikes every few steps. An ordinary mage really wouldn't be able to handle it." Ever since Zorn and Laxus had entered the mountains through a canyon, lightning had been striking nonstop. Zorn looked enviously at Laxus walking ahead, utterly unafraid of the lightning.
Zorn, meanwhile, had a defensive spell, Holy Shield, over him. No matter how the lightning struck, it was blocked, leaving him completely unaffected.
"What a temper. No, is he a tsundere?" Zorn was at a loss. Ever since failing to snatch the photos, Laxus hadn't said a single word to him. Even communicating with the client had been left to Zorn, while Laxus stood beside him with a scowl that nearly sent the client running as soon as he saw them.
"Boom!" Lightning magic power suddenly rose from Laxus's entire body, stirring up all the lightning elements around him. They swirled around his body, and as lightning struck, Laxus glared at Zorn like a god of thunder.
"Zorn..."
"My fault, my fault." Zorn raised his hands in surrender. After all, he was in the wrong, so it was only natural for Laxus to be a little angry.
"Roar!" A tremendous roar came from ahead and to their right, and an overwhelming aura swept toward them with a fierce wind.
"Looks like we've been discovered."
The two exchanged a glance and could no longer worry about such things. Turning into lightning and light, they rushed straight toward the source of the sound.
"Whoa, it's huge. But the way it looks... is hard to describe." Zorn stood in the air, calmly looking at the Abyssal Dragon, which was at eye level with him. He examined its appearance. It was simply painful to look at, as though it hadn't developed properly, with only a few dragon features.
"Hello, can you talk?" Zorn asked tentatively. He waited a while, but the Abyssal Dragon gave no response.
"Thunder Pressure Torrent!" As Laxus released his magic, a lightning magic circle suddenly appeared above the Abyssal Dragon's head. A massive bolt crashed down from the sky and struck its body, nearly catching Zorn beside it. Zorn flashed over to Laxus's side in a burst of light. Fortunately, he moved quickly enough to dodge it.
"Laxus, you really do have a bit of a temper," Zorn said helplessly to Laxus, who was in a slightly better mood now and wearing a wicked grin.
"Raaah!"
The Abyssal Dragon's roaring beam of lightning suddenly burst through the smoke, blasting it apart and scattering it as it shot straight toward the two of them.
"Holy Light Magic: Holy Shield!" Zorn reached out and opened a giant shield of light in front of them, blocking the roar. The shield slowly drew the roar in and condensed it into a ball of lightning. As Zorn drew his hand back, the shield also warped and contracted. Zorn thrust his palm forward, and the shield instantly turned into a beam of light that carried the lightning roar back at even greater speed.
Boom!
"That was close, that was close. As expected of an S-Class Mission. If you lose focus for even a moment, your life really could be in danger." Zorn remarked on it with a calm expression, not a trace of fear visible on his face.
"Roar!" A slightly pained roar rang out again, and a huge figure slowly struggled to stand. Drip, drip. The Abyssal Dragon was covered in wounds, and blood splashed everywhere, but they were only flesh wounds. Both of them were shocked. As expected of an Abyssal Dragon, even with only a little dragon blood, its defenses were truly terrifying. Even an attack like that couldn't finish it off.
"Looks like it's time to get a little serious," Zorn said slowly, his expression turning serious. Laxus's gaze grew serious as well, and he gathered his magic power with an imposing aura, preparing to attack.
...A flock of crows passed by.
Laxus waited a while and noticed that Zorn still hadn't moved. He turned his head but couldn't see Zorn. When he looked up, what he saw immediately soured his freshly calmed mood again.
High in the air, Zorn was holding a bag of snacks and eating with relish. It was clear he meant to leave Laxus to handle it alone, letting him be the one to get serious.
"Bang, bang!" The Abyssal Dragon went completely berserk, swinging its two huge claws wildly. Whenever they struck the ground, they left a crater...
"Tch, catch." Laxus paid Zorn no more attention and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was very confident in his own abilities, and casually tossed the fur-trimmed cloak draped over him to Zorn in the air.
Zorn reached out and caught it. Looking at the garment he had given Laxus, he smiled knowingly.
This is my home turf. As Laxus felt the lightning elements around him stirring and resonating, his aura surged.
"Inhale!" A stronger lightning power, different from ordinary lightning magic, surged over Laxus's body. He drew the lightning scattered around him into his mouth in one great breath, and his chest swelled.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" A beam of lightning even more powerful than the Abyssal Dragon's roared out of Laxus's mouth...
To be continued~