Clash It Out!

"Damn! Are you a boss or something? You actually have a third phase!" Ed flashed away from the roar, only to see Laxus already rushing in front of him.

Laxus clenched his fist and swung it hard. A massive fist made of lightning shot from his hand straight at Ed. "Lightning Dragon's... Crushing Fist!"

"!" Ed had no time for any remarks and could only activate Flying Thunder God again to evade the attack. He flashed several times in succession to keep Laxus from pinpointing his landing spot.

Arriving at a relatively safe location, Ed slightly adjusted his stance and said to Laxus, "You've even brought out your hidden Dragon Slayer Magic. You really think highly of me. In that case, I won't hold back either!"

Ed lowered his body slightly as a Rasengan gathered in his hand once more. This time, however, it was no longer the golden color of Ed's magic power, but a fiery red. "Blazing Rasengan!" With a flash, Ed appeared at Laxus's side and thrust the blazing red Rasengan directly at him.

"Good! Jaws of the Lightning Dragon!" Laxus interlocked his fingers and formed his hands into a hammer. Amid violent lightning, he smashed down heavily at Ed.

The red Rasengan collided with the golden hammer blow. Rather than entering a contest of strength as before, the red Rasengan erupted into a massive vortex of flames the instant they made contact. Like a tornado, it blasted aside Laxus's hammer strike and sent him flying into the air.

Seizing the chance, Ed flashed above Laxus again. "Heaven-Shaking Kick!" With a downward kick, as if reenacting the scene from before, Laxus was slammed heavily into the ground.

"You're pretty capable, aren't you? No matter what, I can declare now that you've passed this assessment, Ed. But that isn't what matters most right now. What matters is having a damn good fight!" Laxus staggered to his feet and shouted.

"Yeah, you're right! You hit me several times, and my whole body hurts now, you bastard Laxus!" Ed shouted back just as loudly. "Majestic Destroyer Flame!" A sea of fire roared toward Laxus.

"Don't use moves meant for clearing fodder on me! Roar of the Lightning Dragon!" Laxus's roar directly blew apart Ed's Majestic Destroyer Flame.

"Let's settle this in one move, Ed!" By now, Laxus was covered in wounds and his magic power was running low, yet he still chose to face Ed head-on.

Laxus unleashed the last of his magic power, raising both hands high. Magic gathered above them, forming a long-handled weapon. "Lightning Dragon! Fangtian Halberd!"

Gripping the lightning halberd tightly with both hands, Laxus swung it down at Ed with all his strength. A gigantic pillar of lightning, brighter and more dangerous than every bolt before it, formed into the shape of a halberd head and blasted toward Ed.

"Then let's see it! Great Ball Blazing Rasengan!" Ed was also running low on magic power, but he unleashed everything he had. Magic gathered in his hand, forming an enormous Blazing Rasengan that collided head-on with the incoming Fangtian Halberd of the Lightning Dragon.

"Boom!" In the forest, Cana, who was fighting magical beasts, looked toward the mountainside in the distance, where flames surged skyward like a volcanic eruption and thunder boomed like divine punishment.

"That has to be Ed and Laxus, right? Are those two seriously fighting that wildly? This whole mountain is about to collapse!" Cana stared at the disaster-like scene.

Then she thought of herself, still tangled up with magical beasts over here, and said weakly, "At this rate, I probably have no chance again this year. Last year it was Mira, and this year it's Ed. Why am I always taking the assessment alongside people this absurdly overpowered? When will I finally pass and become an S-Class mage? I really want to tell Gildarts soon..."

Over by the cave—no, it could no longer be called a cave. The power unleashed by the clash of those last two attacks had shattered all the rock above it and blasted a massive pit below. It should now be called a small valley.

Dust and smoke filled the valley. Explosions created by intertwining lightning and flames scarred the ground everywhere. Not far from the center of the blast, Laxus had already lost consciousness and lay on the ground.

A flash of golden light appeared, and Ed emerged in the valley as well, panting heavily, looking utterly bedraggled, his magic power nearly exhausted. "That was ridiculously powerful. Good thing I flew to the edge of the island right before the explosion. But this should mean Laxus has been knocked out, right?"

After catching his breath, Ed gathered what little magic power remained. "Great Breakthrough!" A fierce gust burst from Ed's mouth, dispersing the smoke across the battlefield.

Laxus lay on the ground, covered in injuries. Ed walked over to check his condition. He was badly hurt, but his life was not in danger. Still, he would probably be bedridden for at least a month.

"Whew... I'm exhausted... Making an assassin-type like me fight a tank like him is just cruel. Still, I was a cut above in the end. Elemental Mastery really came through!" Ed was exhausted as well and sat down directly beside Laxus.

"Looks like the results of this assessment are already clear. But don't you two brats think you went a little overboard?" Makarov had arrived at some point. Looking at the surrounding devastation and the pair's current states, he felt both worried and relieved that the assessment had not been held at the guild's holy ground or somewhere inhabited.

Makarov took out a signal gun and fired a green flare into the sky. "I've sent the signal. Erza will gather here once she sees it. How are you doing, Ed?"

"At least I'm not dead," Ed replied weakly.

"Looks like you're still in decent shape. Then Ed, help Laxus treat his wounds for now. I'll go find Cana so we can gather up and head back soon. Laxus needs treatment as quickly as possible."

After saying that, Makarov tossed Ed a medical kit, then activated his magic. His entire body grew enormous like a giant as he headed into the forest, shouting, "Cana, where are you? The assessment is over!"

Ed caught the medical kit, took out the medicine and bandages inside, and began giving Laxus some simple emergency treatment.

At that moment, the unconscious Laxus let out a few groans and slowly opened his eyes. "Ah... looks like I lost, Ed."

"I'm carrying a lot too, so I can't lose." Ed made a cheeky reference.

"What are you talking about... forget it. Anyway, next time we fight, I'll definitely be the one who wins." Laxus looked completely baffled, but he shook his head and issued Ed a declaration of battle.

"Is there no option where we don't fight? Honestly, fighting you is really exhausting... Is your body made of iron or something? I blasted you with my Rasengan several times, and you were still full of energy."

"Hahaha, you need more training, Ed. Oh, right. If possible, please don't tell anyone that I can use Dragon Slayer Magic." Laxus seemed to acknowledge Ed's strength. He smiled and made his request.

"No problem. My lips are sealed~" After treating Laxus's injuries, Ed lay down beside him with both hands behind his head.