Facing Laxus

"No problem." Blanc answered with a hint of excitement.

Seeing that both were ready, Makarov jumped between them to act as referee. "Ahem, then allow this old man to announce it. Let the battle-begin!" He quickly moved away, leaving the field to them.

Only the two of them remained on the field.

Laxus pushed off the ground and charged at Blanc, his raised fist wreathed in lightning. There was no preliminary probing; his first punch went straight for Blanc's face. A wild grin spread across his face, and the force behind his fist made it clear he meant business.

Blanc watched Laxus charge without panicking. Instead, a flicker of excitement crossed his face. I can see it. Before his Take Over, his eyes would never have been able to follow Laxus's lightning-fast strike. His only way to counter it would have been to unleash his full power and rapidly cast magic to plow through all the terrain around him.

But now he could see it, and he could react. For a moment, Blanc suddenly felt a little invincible. It wasn't that Mahoraga's power was stronger than infinite magic; it was the excitement of a fragile mage suddenly becoming a melee mage.

Blanc raised his arm and planted his palm squarely against Laxus's fist.

A sharp blast rang out, and the shock wave pressed a shallow crater into the grass beneath them. Laxus's eyebrow twitched. Blanc had taken his punch head-on without budging an inch. He looked down at his fist, then back at the noticeably shorter figure opposite him, a flash of surprise passing through his golden eyes.

"Your body... has gotten stronger."

The strength and speed of that exchange had both been higher than he expected.

Blanc himself froze for half a beat. His excitement soared. Instantly defeating enemies with powerful magic was nice, but deep down, part of him still believed a proper fight meant trading blows, every punch hitting flesh. Mahoraga's physical prowess really was no joke.

"It's not bad." He couldn't help smiling, his excitement impossible to suppress. "I only just finished the Take Over, so I'm still getting used to it myself."

"Then let me try again!"

Before he had finished speaking, Laxus's second punch was already upon him. Lightning crawled up the forearm beneath his short sleeve, and dazzling lightning magic burst outward with his punch, carrying the smell of scorching. Blanc raised his hand to catch it again. He matched Laxus in strength and even forced him back half a step.

But only half a step.

Laxus dipped his shoulder. The leading punch was a feint. The instant Blanc's balance shifted with it, a solid blow struck his flank. Lightning exploded on contact, throwing him sideways, his heels gouging two trails through the grass.

That punch knocked the arrogance right out of him.

It hurt.

It wasn't a lack of strength or physical ability. His combat reactions were far too slow, and Laxus's fighting experience completely outclassed his own. His physical prowess was on Mahoraga's level, but the one doing the fighting was still his old self, hopeless at close combat.

Blanc's heart tightened. He really had gotten ahead of himself. Overwhelming weaker opponents was still his specialty. Pitting his weakness against someone else's strength was just plain stupid.

Laxus didn't stop. His third punch descended beneath an even denser web of lightning. Blanc clapped his hands together in front of him, and a wooden wall instantly rose from the ground.

Lightning slammed into the wood, immediately charring and cracking its surface, but at least Blanc wasn't sent flying by another direct hit.

In the space of those two or three exchanges, the golden wheel above Blanc's head suddenly trembled.

Click.

The faint sound of interlocking gears was almost drowned out by the thunder. The golden wheel above Blanc's head turned one notch.

Another opening appeared, and Laxus landed a lightning-clad punch squarely on Blanc's raised forearm. Electricity burst outward, but Blanc only took one step back. The sharp pain that should have numbed him all the way to his fingertips had noticeably dulled.

Laxus paused. He looked down at his fist, still crackling with electricity, then at the scorch mark on Blanc's arm, so faint it was almost gone. His brow slowly furrowed.

"...The attack got weaker?"

Blanc felt it too. Laxus hadn't held back; the lightning magic striking his body had become less effective.

The initial adaptation had begun.

"Wood Release: Entanglement!"

He clapped his hands again. Several vines shot out of the soil and rushed toward Laxus, who reacted swiftly and struck them with lightning. Electricity raced over the vines, hissing and sending up wisps of smoke as they quickly stopped moving-yet at the same time, the golden wheel above Blanc's head turned another notch.

Blanc's eyes brightened slightly.

That lightning hadn't touched his body at all. It had struck his magical creations, yet adaptation had begun all the same.

Apparently, he didn't need to take hits himself to adapt. His magical creations counted as extensions of him. As long as they came into contact with the opponent's magic, the adaptation would continue to build.

No need to be a punching bag. I can feed it Wood Release first.

The discovery made his movements a little lighter. Laxus raised a hand, gathering ordinary lightning in his palm, and several pillars of electricity crashed down from the sky. Blanc instantly created several enormous wooden gates, blocking all the lightning. One gate was blasted apart and charred black, but there were more beneath it that the lightning couldn't penetrate.

The wheel above Blanc's head turned again. Click, click. It was adapting faster.

Laxus had clearly noticed something was wrong. His magic hadn't lost any power, yet its destructive effect was already far weaker than before.

"The lightning magic is gradually losing its effect..." Laxus murmured, but he didn't retreat. His figure flashed as he closed in again, brilliant lightning blazing around his fist.

This time, however, Blanc didn't use magic to defend himself. His body, which had evolved several times, told him this strike no longer posed a threat.

Laxus was puzzled when Blanc didn't use magic to interfere, but he didn't dwell on it. He raised his arm, his entire forearm wrapped in lightning, and drove his fist into Blanc's chest.

The punch landed solidly, but the electricity scattered as though it had struck an insulator. It slipped down Blanc's white hair and the edges of his clothes, finally fading silently among the tips of the grass. The shock wave flattened the grass, yet Blanc stood where he was, without so much as a black mark on his chest.

At the same time, Blanc seized the opening and drove a fierce punch into Laxus's abdomen, sending him flying.

Laxus flew backward and hit the ground. He quickly climbed to his feet, apparently without taking much damage, but his pupils contracted involuntarily. He looked at his fist, still giving off faint sparks, then at the motionless golden wheel above Blanc's head, and swallowed.

"His magic-had no effect!"

It wasn't a guess. That last punch had told him firsthand. Lightning striking this person was now no different from lightning striking empty air.

"That trait..." For once, he spoke the rest of his sentence slowly, the eagerness in his eyes gradually giving way to gravity. "It's terrifying."

At the edge of the field, Makarov's sudden movement nearly knocked his jester's hat askew. His eyes widened.

"The fight hasn't even lasted two minutes, and he's already nullified the magic!"

Even as he marveled, Makarov privately reflected that Blanc's talent surpassed Laxus's. Taking over this power had filled his final weakness. His magic power, stamina, and steady temperament were all far beyond those of his peers. He was already capable of passing the S-Class Exam. Should he let him take it-

He glanced at Blanc, who wasn't much taller than himself, and dismissed the idea. Better wait a little longer. Sending a child who hasn't fully grown on high-difficulty missions is still too dangerous. Another two years, then. He could reconsider once Blanc was fourteen and past his growth spurt.

Blanc raised a hand to inspect his unscathed chest, feeling a little unsettled himself. His words, however, carried a faint air of showing off:

"I explained Mahoraga's trait earlier. Unless he's subdued in a single hit, he'll keep adapting. Now, the adaptation to lightning magic is complete."

Laxus fell silent for two seconds. The lightning faded from his forearms, and excitement returned to his face. Powerful magic surged from his body, as though he was about to unleash something extraordinary.

"Then it looks like we're done testing your ability. Next, it's time for a serious fight."

Blanc's back quietly tensed. Of course he knew Laxus hadn't used his true trump card yet. Ordinary lightning was merely the appetizer for their sparring match; Laxus's true magic was Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic. The lightning of Dragon Slayer Magic was nothing like the ordinary lightning from earlier. He didn't know whether ordinary Wood Release could still block it.

Blanc took his stance again, ready to face him seriously. "Come on. I'm ready!"

Laxus took a deep breath, and lightning flashed again-

"Enough!!"

A furious shout crashed into the battlefield from the side. Makarov's body swelled in an instant, and the wind pressure stirred up by his Giant Magic flattened the surrounding grass. An enormous fist thrust between the two, its fingers spreading like a wall to separate them completely before they could clash.

The Guild Master stared sternly at the two youngsters, his eyebrows rising high beneath his hat as his voice turned serious.

"Enough. This was only supposed to be a magic test and a little light sparring!"

"If you keep fighting, someone will get hurt." Makarov's huge palm remained between them, keeping them firmly apart. "There's no need to continue."

The lightning around Laxus faltered, then finally dissipated little by little. He glanced at his grandfather, whose decision left no room for argument, then at the unscathed Blanc, still poised to meet his attack. He swallowed and forced down his restless urge to fight, speaking reluctantly.

"...Got it, Grandpa."

Blanc relaxed his hands as well. The golden wheel still hovered above his head, and his white hair fluttered gently in the wind, but he too breathed an unconscious sigh of relief.

Continuing would have made things difficult. If he didn't get serious, he would get hurt; if he did, Laxus would get hurt. He was caught either way. The Guild Master had stopped them at just the right time.