Just as Zorn was still feeling sad about Cana's attitude, a powerful surge of Magic Power suddenly struck the barrier, instantly alerting both him and Master Makarov that something was wrong.
Both frowned and looked up at the sky, where a vast bank of dark clouds was slowly gathering, looming overhead as thunder rumbled incessantly. The guild members also noticed the disturbance, stopped what they were doing, and stared curiously at the strange sky.
That move... did Laxus really have to get so serious? Zorn thought, his face full of helplessness. But given Laxus's personality, he really would make a decision like that.
A moment later, a dragon's claw made entirely of lightning reached out of the clouds and pushed them aside. An enormous, terrifying dragon's head followed, opening its lightning-filled maw in a roar as the power of lightning surged even more fiercely.
"Zorn, this is..." Makarov had come to Zorn's side and was looking at him with a grave expression.
"Yeah, this is the Magic I developed the first time I went on an S-Class Mission with Laxus," Zorn said with a nod, confirming Makarov's suspicions.
"Damn it, is he trying to destroy Tenrou Island? Go stop Laxus right now. You're the only one who can make it in time!" Makarov jumped up in alarm. Even from this far away, he could tell how dangerous the Magic was, and that was with his Defensive Magic blocking it out. If the guild members faced it directly, they certainly wouldn't be able to withstand the intense pressure of that Magic Power.
"All right, see you in a bit, Master." Zorn flashed out of sight and teleported to the place where Laxus was conducting the exam.
A few minutes earlier, Laxus and Cana were in the middle of their match.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Soul Extinguisher!" Mirajane gathered a vast amount of dark Magic Power in both hands, forming a huge black vortex between them. An immensely powerful dark shockwave blasted forward.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus took a deep breath without rushing, gathering the power of lightning in his lungs. When he opened his mouth, a powerful roar of lightning met the dark blast head-on. A tremendous explosion erupted between them, sending smoke and dust billowing everywhere.
"Oh, not a bad attack. But by my S-Class standards, you're still a long way off. If that's all you've got, you've failed this exam."
As Laxus spoke, the smoke slowly cleared. Between them, the ground, which had already been somewhat damaged, now bore a massive crater as though it had been struck by a missile.
On the left side of the crater, Mirajane's body rose and fell as she panted heavily. On the right, Laxus had suffered a few scrapes, but he still wore that same expressionless look as he announced the result of her exam in an even tone.
As Mirajane caught her breath, she recalled the encouragement Lisanna and Elfman had given her before the exam, and the love she had felt from everyone since joining the guild. Laxus's words had not shaken her resolve in the slightest; they had only strengthened it.
"It's not over yet. How could it end like this? I still need to gain more power so I can protect everyone. That's why I'm definitely going to pass this exam!" Mirajane waved a hand and released her Satan Soul Take Over. Closing her eyes, she carefully felt for another, more powerful Magic Power that she had never dared to touch.
"Full-body Take Over: Demon God Halphas!" A blue-black magic circle rose from beneath Mirajane's feet, followed by a flash of white light.
Mirajane, now in her Demon God Halphas form, looked at Laxus with a teasing expression. She had two blue horns on her head, blue wings, and a blue tail that swung back and forth. The tail's movements alone had already gouged pits into the ground; she was clearly more powerful than in her Satan Soul form.
Laxus sensed that Mirajane was on a completely different level from her Satan Soul form. Her Magic Power was now terrifyingly strong, and his impassive expression gave way to admiration, showing his approval of her.
"That's different. All right, now that's worthy of S-Class. Let's settle this in one strike. If you can take this move of mine, you pass."
With that, Laxus kicked off and shot into the sky. Magic Power burst from his entire body, and as he extended his hand, it all poured into the dark clouds overhead.
Under Laxus's control, the lightning gradually took shape. A dragon's claw and head slowly emerged from the clouds, roaring down at the ground.
A terrifying pressure instantly bore down on Mirajane.
Mirajane's legs trembled, and the ground beneath her instantly caved in. Her pupils contracted as she stared in shock at Laxus, who was bathed in lightning in the sky. Only now did she feel how terrifying an S-Class Mage could be—no, how terrifying Laxus's strength was.
"Damn it, I can't give up! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Mirajane drew on all the Magic Power in her body and stretched both hands toward the sky. A magic circle spread open, and a sphere of light containing terrifying Magic Power formed above it. As she roared, the Magic particles around her gathered together as well.
Just as the two released their Magic, Zorn appeared beside Laxus and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, you held back?" Zorn could also sense the Magic in the sky. It was only half-formed, and its power was nowhere near as great as last time. Even so, it wasn't something an ordinary S-Class Mage could withstand.
He looked down at the attack Mirajane had gathered below. It was also very strong, so he silently gathered Magic Power in his hand, just in case, and left the two to their final clash.
Laxus ignored Zorn and swung his arm down. Lightning sped toward the ground, and Mirajane released her attack at the same time. The two attacks met in midair in an instant, and an immensely powerful wave of energy erupted from the center. A pillar of light burst forth, forming a mushroom cloud that rose into the sky.
"Whoa, that was close." Zorn patted his chest as he looked at the spectacular sight before him. Mirajane had released her demon god form and collapsed to the ground, while Laxus, like Zorn, was admiring the rare sight.
By now, all three had returned to the vicinity of the campsite. The guild members paid no attention to their sudden appearance, staring in shock at the mushroom cloud that had risen into the sky from the attacks.
"Can you two give me a proper explanation?" A giant's shadow fell over the three of them, and a voice filled with barely contained fury came from behind them. Laxus and Zorn instantly tensed and turned around stiffly, only to see a huge fist coming straight at them.
"Bang! Bang!" Two figures were sent flying backward, vanishing into the sky.
"You two get the grounds on the island fixed up right now, or don't bother coming back!" The roar even reached Zorn and Laxus as they flew away, a testament to how loud it was.
"Sigh, what a pair of idiots." Makarov returned to his normal size and stood there, sighing helplessly.
To be continued~