"Alright, time to clean up the battlefield~" Ed sat atop the pile of small magical beasts, looking at the slips he had removed as he complained, "What a rip-off. There are duplicates?"
Of the three slips, two were exactly the same as the one in Ed's hand. Only the golden one had different writing: Find me. I can see the path you came from.
"'See the path you came from'... There aren't any stars in the sky overhead... It's still kind of vague, but it probably means there's a cave or something facing the direction I came from. Laxus should be waiting in there." Ed looked at the two golden slips in his hand and guessed they were clues to Laxus's location.
"Tch, the search area may have narrowed a little, but it's still huge. No wonder the magical beasts were so weak. So I still have to search a massive area." Remembering the size of the island he had seen upon landing, Ed felt a headache coming on.
"But there's no helping it. Time to start looking." Ed prepared to return to the landing site and begin searching from the outside in.
He had barely gone any distance when he saw Cana running toward him, panting heavily. "Yo! What a coincidence! You're here too," Ed greeted her casually.
"Coincidence my ass! Aside from you and me, the only people on this island are Erza and Laxus! You made such a huge commotion, so of course I came to check it out!" Cana saw the slips in Ed's hand and said in surprise, "You already found all the clues?! That fast?! I haven't even run into a single magical beast!"
"Is it possible that you followed my trail all the way here, and I already dealt with every magical beast along the way?" Ed said to Cana, rubbing his chin.
"Tch... Miscalculation. I was so focused on chasing after you that I didn't consider that at all." Cana looked troubled.
"So, sorry again, but I'll be taking that S-Class spot~" Ed waved, then turned into a flash of golden light and vanished from where he stood.
"Tch, spatial magic really is convenient... Ah... It feels even farther away this time... Why is it always like this... When will I ever... Gildarts..." Cana remained where she was, murmuring in disappointment.
Meanwhile, Ed had already returned to the place where he had come ashore. He looked at the distant ship, then turned back toward the island's interior. "Hmm... This direction. Time to search." He immediately began looking.
Time slowly passed. About three hours later, Ed finally found a massive cave halfway up the mountain. Every so often, explosions could be heard coming from the forest.
"Looks like Cana hasn't given up yet. Makes sense, since she qualified for the S-Class Trial too. But this time, I can only say sorry. This should be the place, right?" Ed walked into the cave and shouted, "Is anyone here? Laxus? Or Erza?"
"You made it? Pretty fast." A tall figure walked out from within the cave. It was none other than Laxus.
Watching Ed approach, Laxus crossed his arms and said, "So it really is you, Ed. Looks like I guessed right. Compared to you, Cana is still a bit lacking. After all, your name has already started spreading—Fairy Tail's spatial mage, the Golden Flash. Ed. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Oh? I already have a nickname? What an honor." While Ed exchanged pleasantries with Laxus, his hands were already ready for battle. A Kunai was gripped in his hand, ready to be thrown at any moment.
"Enough chatter. My trial is simple: we fight. If you beat me, or even come close to losing, I'll count you as having passed. But if your performance falls too far short of my expectations, then get ready to spend half a year bedridden with serious injuries!" Laxus rolled his wrists and spoke to Ed with killing intent written all over his face.
"Ha. That's quite a bit of pressure." Ed lowered himself slightly and began gathering power for Monster Strength.
"Come to think of it, I really want to know just how fast your spatial magic is. Can it surpass my lightning?" The instant Laxus finished speaking, his entire body transformed into a bolt of lightning and rushed at Ed at high speed.
Ed immediately unleashed a full-on throwing-all-the-shuriken-outward technique—Kunai version—scattering Flying Thunder God Kunai throughout the entire area. Then, just as Laxus's fist was about to strike Ed in the face, golden light flashed and Ed vanished from where he stood.
"Oh~ So that's where the Golden Flash name comes from?" Laxus's attack missed, and he turned to look at Ed, who had appeared beside one of the Kunai.
"As expected of a spatial mage. You really are fast. But speed alone isn't enough! Lightning Orbs!" Laxus swung both hands, and a large number of lightning spheres appeared and flew toward Ed.
Just as Ed prepared to dodge to the side, the lightning spheres suddenly exploded.
"Tch, I really can't let my guard down for even a second." Golden light flashed, and Ed appeared elsewhere.
"But getting beaten around isn't my style. I've been using this move a lot lately, so let me say hello with it—Majestic Destroyer Flame!" The moment Ed finished speaking, he opened his mouth and blasted a sea of fire toward Laxus.
"Ha, a head-on clash? Just what I wanted! Lightning Strike Spear!" Laxus raised a hand, gathering powerful magic in his palm before forming a lightning bolt as thick as a water barrel and firing it straight at the flames.
Boom! Lightning and fire collided, and the lightning pierced straight through the sea of flames. "Tch, wide-area attacks really are at a disadvantage against single-target attacks in a direct clash." Ed dodged the Lightning Strike, then charged directly toward Laxus, intending to test close combat.
"Good! I heard you have a move called Monster Strength too. Let's see it! Lightning Armor!" Electricity wrapped around Laxus's entire body, making him look as though the Third Raikage had possessed him. He charged toward Ed as well.
What is this Raikage behavior? Though with the blond hair... and lightning... he feels more like a Super Saiyan. Ed's mind wandered, but his movements did not stop. He leaped into the air. "Heaven-Shaking Kick!"
"Lightning Strike Fist!"
A powerful shockwave erupted from where their fist and foot collided. Both were knocked back by the immense force. Ed performed two backflips to disperse the impact before landing steadily and looking toward Laxus. Laxus had been smashed directly into the ground by the tremendous force, leaving a huge crater.
"Heh, that kick packed a punch, Ed! Good thing Lightning Armor strengthened my body's defenses, or that would've been hard to take." Laxus climbed to his feet, dusted himself off, and looked at Ed with undiminished fighting spirit.
"Then, round two—Raging Volt!" Laxus forcefully swung his arm, sending a bolt of lightning slashing down toward Ed along the path of his swing.
"Who gets the first move in round two isn't up to you!" Golden light flashed, and Ed appeared directly in front of Laxus. Ed twisted slightly to the side as a golden Rasengan formed in the hand at his side. He thrust it forward and slammed it into Laxus.
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