Blazing Flame Demon Lizard King

"There was no need, Erza. I might be lazy, but I wouldn't let my companions fall into danger."

"Those lizards might not be very strong, but there are simply too many of them."

After hearing Ye Yang's words, Erza gripped her sword even tighter.

For the first time, she felt that her strength was so inadequate—so inadequate that she was even holding her companion back.

She had no confidence that she could kill all these lizards by herself. She had fought them on the way here, and with her current strength, it still took some effort to kill even one.

"Erza, lend me a sword."

Erza looked at Ye Yang in confusion, but she still handed him her sword.

"Thanks."

"Armament!"

"Buzz!"

The originally silver-white blade instantly turned black.

Erza watched Ye Yang with a grave expression. It was the first time she had seen him use such an ability.

"Soru!"

"Whoosh!"

Ye Yang vanished from the spot and appeared amid the Blazing Flame Demon Lizard pack. Blades flashed in every direction, moving so quickly that they dazzled the eye.

"So fast!"

(His swordsmanship is far beyond mine too. Damn it! Is the gap between us really this huge?)

By the time Ye Yang returned to where he had stood, only a few dozen seconds had passed, while the lizard pack surrounding them stood completely motionless.

Before long, a bloody line appeared across the neck of every Blazing Flame Demon Lizard.

The lizards' heads slowly slid away from their bodies. Blood splattered everywhere, spraying continuously across the surroundings.

(Sigh, if only I had Conqueror's Haki. I wouldn't have had to put in so much effort.)

"Alright, let's go."

Just then, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky in the distance.

A thunderous boom rang out.

Ye Yang stared ahead for a moment before leading Erza toward the cave entrance.

Elsewhere, Laxus and the others had also been surrounded by a pack of Blazing Flame Demon Lizards.

The lizards encircling them had all become charred corpses, giving off a burnt smell.

Freed said excitedly, "That was amazing, Laxus! You took care of all those Monsters in an instant."

Laxus did not reply. Instead, he looked in Ye Yang's direction.

"Let's go."

Far away, Makarov watched the two through a magic crystal ball, a pleased smile appearing on his face.

"Laxus has grown up too. He's already reached this level?"

"When did that brat Ye Yang learn such exquisite swordsmanship? Is that black layer the Armament Haki he mentioned?"

"What an incredible ability."

The scene shifted.

Ye Yang and Erza soon arrived at the entrance marked on the map.

The moment they reached the cave entrance, a wave of heat rushed at them, accompanied by the roar of a Monster.

"Is this Blazing Flame Demon Lizard King afraid we won't be able to find him?"

"Interesting."

"Let's go, Erza. It already told us where it is."

"Mm."

The farther the two went inside, the hotter it became. Erza had no choice but to cover herself with magic power to resist the intense heat.

Ye Yang directly used Elementalization to avoid the heat.

As they delved deeper, Erza felt that her magic power was no longer enough to sustain her.

Ye Yang noticed that Erza's body was nearing its limit.

"Erza, go back first. If you keep going, your body won't be able to take it."

Without giving Erza a chance to speak, Ye Yang stuffed a magic-restoring potion into her hands.

"What is this?" Erza asked in confusion.

"I had Grandma Porlyusica make this potion. It can restore your magic power. The Monsters along the way have all been cleared out. Drink it, then wait for me at the cave entrance for now."

"But—"

"Whoosh!"

Ye Yang flashed with golden light and vanished from the spot.

"I understand."

Erza looked toward the direction Ye Yang had left with a solemn expression before turning back.

Fortunately, they had not gone too deep. Before long, Erza ran into Gildarts.

"Let's go, little Erza."

Of course, Gildarts could see the unwillingness in Erza's eyes.

Because he had just seen the same thing in Freed's eyes.

But Gildarts was not good at comforting people. That kind of thing was better left to the guild master, who was more skilled at it.

Meanwhile, the deeper Ye Yang went, the happier he became, because the inner walls of the volcano were embedded with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.

"Holy shit! I'm rich! I'm rich!"

"Why had I never thought of digging gems out of a volcano to exchange for money before?"

"Mine! Mine! It's all mine!!"

Before long, Ye Yang's pants pockets and shirt pockets were stuffed full of gems, bulging at the seams.

Even the ten slots provided by the system had been filled.

"They won't fit anymore. They won't fit anymore. I'll bring a big sack to carry them another day."

"Thank you for nature's bounty!"

At this point, Ye Yang had been completely blinded by wealth and had utterly forgotten that he was taking the S-Class Trial.

Just then, a loud boom suddenly came from the distance.

"Damn! I almost forgot I came here for the trial!"

"Laxus beat me to it."

"No, I need to get over there now."

"Whoosh!"

Inside the lava cavern, a Blazing Flame Demon Lizard dozens of times larger than an ordinary one stood before him.

Laxus stood directly in front of it.

"Lightning Strike Spear!"

Laxus condensed a bolt of lightning in his hand, then flung his arm. The lightning formed into a spear in midair and shot toward the demon lizard.

The demon lizard raised a foreclaw and slammed it down. A pillar of lava instantly surged from the ground.

It blocked the Lightning Strike Spear.

Laxus transformed into lightning and instantly appeared beneath the demon lizard.

He swung his fist fiercely.

"Lightning Strike Fist!"

"Boom! Crackle!"

"Roar—!!"

The pained demon lizard swung its claw violently. Laxus hurriedly leaped up to dodge, but the demon lizard twisted around and swept its tail straight into him. Fortunately, Laxus reacted in time and crossed his arms, forcibly taking the blow.

His body was sent flying backward, smashing heavily into the rock wall.

"Boom!"

A massive red magic circle unfolded inside the demon lizard's mouth, and a violent pillar of fire surged forth from it.

Laxus realized things had gone bad.

"Not good!"

Just then, a flash of light appeared and instantly scattered the blazing fire pillar before striking the demon lizard in the mouth.

"Boom!"

"Roar—!!!"

"Thud!"

Laxus immediately understood who had arrived. He promptly pulled himself off the rock wall and landed on the ground.

"You came a little late."

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Something delayed me on the way."

Laxus turned around and saw Ye Yang standing before him, his entire body bulging with stuffed pockets.

Laxus looked at Ye Yang's overflowing shirt and pants pockets. On closer inspection, they were packed with gemstones.

His eye twitched incessantly.

"This is the something that delayed you?" Laxus pointed at the ruby that had fallen from Ye Yang's pocket.

Ye Yang hurriedly picked it up.

"You know me. I regard money as dirt."

Laxus said, "Then why are you carrying dirt in your pockets?"

Ye Yang said, "It's my first time taking the S-Class Trial, so I thought I'd bring something back as a keepsake."