A Clash It Is!

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

Laxus clenched his fist and swung it fiercely. A massive fist made of lightning shot from his own fist 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 catching his landing point.

After arriving at a somewhat safe spot and steadying himself slightly, Ed said to Laxus, "You've even brought out your trump-card Dragon Slayer Magic. You really think highly of me. In that case, I won't hold back either!"

Ed lowered his body slightly, gathering a Rasengan in his hand once more. But this time, the Rasengan was no longer the golden color of Ed's magic power—it was fiery red. "Blazing Rasengan!" Ed flashed to Laxus's side and drove the flaming Rasengan directly toward him.

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

The red Rasengan collided with the golden hammer strike. Rather than entering a stalemate like before, the red Rasengan erupted into a tremendous vortex of flames the instant they touched. Like a tornado, it blasted away Laxus's hammer strike and sent him flying into the air.

Seizing the opportunity, Ed flashed above Laxus again. "Heaven-Shaking Kick!" With a downward kick, as though recreating the scene from before, he slammed Laxus heavily into the ground.

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

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

"Don't use a move meant for clearing fodder on me! Roar of the Lightning Dragon!" Laxus's roar directly blasted 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 clash head-on.

Laxus unleashed the last of his magic power and raised both hands high. Magic gathered above them, forming a polearm. "Lightning Dragon! Fangtian Halberd!"

Gripping the lightning halberd 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 nearly out of magic power as well, but he unleashed all he had left. Magic gathered in his hand, forming an enormous Blazing Rasengan that collided head-on with the incoming Fangtian Halberd of the Lightning Dragon.

"Boom!" Cana, who was fighting magical beasts in the forest, watched flames erupt into the sky from the distant mountainside like a volcanic eruption, accompanied by thunderous roars like divine punishment.

"That has to be Ed and Laxus, right? Are those two really fighting that ridiculously hard? This whole mountain is going to collapse!" Cana stared at the disaster-like scene in the distance.

Then she thought of herself, still tangled up with magical beasts here, and said weakly, "At this rate, I probably have no chance this year either. Mira last year, Ed this year... Why am I always taking the assessment with people who are this absurdly overpowered? When will I finally pass and become S-Class? 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 two moves had shattered all the rock above it and blasted a huge crater below. It should now have been called a small valley.

Dust filled the valley, and traces of explosions caused by intertwining lightning and flames covered the ground. Not far from the center of the explosion, Laxus had already lost consciousness and lay on the ground.

A flash of golden light appeared, and Ed, gasping for breath, utterly disheveled, and nearly drained of magic power, appeared in the valley as well. "That was absurdly powerful. Good thing I flew to the edge of the island right before it went off. But with a scene like this, I probably knocked Laxus out, right?"

After catching his breath, Ed gathered what little magic power he had left. "Great Breakthrough!" A violent gust burst from Ed's mouth and dispersed the smoke across the battlefield.

Laxus lay on the ground, covered in injuries. Ed walked over and checked his condition. His injuries were serious, but not life-threatening. Still, he would probably be bedridden for at least a month.

"Whew... I'm exhausted... Making an assassin type like me fight someone built like a damn tank is really asking too much. But luckily, I was more skilled. Elemental Mastery came through big time!" Ed was worn out too, so he sat directly beside Laxus.

"Looks like the result of this assessment is already clear. But don't you two brats think you went a little too far?" Makarov, who had arrived at some point, looked at the surrounding devastation and the pair's current state. He was worried, but also thankful that he had not held the assessment at the guild's sacred grounds or somewhere people lived.

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

"At least I'm not dying," Ed said weakly.

"Looks like you're doing all right. Then, Ed, give Laxus some basic treatment first. I'll go find Cana so we can gather up and head back sooner. Laxus needs treatment as quickly as possible."

After saying that, Makarov tossed Ed a medical kit, then directly 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 took the medical kit, pulled out the medicine and bandages inside, and began giving Laxus some simple emergency treatment.

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

"I'm carrying a lot too, so I can't lose," Ed said playfully.

"What are you talking about... Forget it. Anyway, next time we fight, I'll definitely win." Laxus looked utterly confused, but he shook his head and declared his challenge to Ed.

"Is not fighting even an option? Seriously, fighting you is exhausting... Is your body made of iron or something? I hit you with my Rasengan several times, and you were still full of energy."

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

"No problem. My lips are sealed~" After finishing Laxus's treatment, Ed put both hands behind his head and lay down beside Laxus.