A broad giant sword descended from above, splitting the large bed in two. However, the figure on the bed had already flashed past and appeared not far from Gajeel.
Laxus stared with crimson eyes, gripping a weapon in his hand that he seemed to have grabbed without realizing it. A sudden surge of killing intent permeated the air, creating a formidable atmosphere.
However, Gajeel paid no attention and simply turned, kicking out towards Laxus. His solid iron leg transformed into an iron rod halfway, sweeping through the air. Yet, the agile Laxus easily evaded the attack with a light jump, landing gracefully on the iron rod and using it to propel himself towards Gajeel.
Simultaneously, his dragon-slaying sword, the Dragon Slayer Sword, thunderously swung downward.
The blade, like lightning, was not to be underestimated by anyone. However, Gajeel seemed to be the only person unafraid, showing no reaction. He just stood there arrogantly, smiling, waiting for the blade to fall.
The blade appeared rather ordinary, lacking dazzling sword aura or magnificent radiance. It emitted only a faint ripple, a manifestation of Laxus's sword. As designed by Calvin, the creator, it needed no unnecessary effects, focusing solely on maximizing its power.
Thus, this sword was invincible, and Gajeel always believed that it could cut through anything like slicing through tofu, effortlessly.
Therefore, Gajeel saw Gajeel's actions as willingly walking into his own demise.
"Clang!"
The Dragon Slayer Sword struck Gajeel's head dead center, yet aside from a few sparks, there was nothing else unusual. Even Gajeel's expression remained unchanged, as if the strike was insignificant.
"Is that all?" Gajeel chuckled arrogantly, tightly clenching his right hand and delivering a powerful punch towards Laxus.
His punch was also plain, lacking any flourish, just raw power and hardness. Laxus could only block it with his Dragon Slayer Sword, but the next moment, it felt like he was hit by a colossal object, sending him flying.
Seizing the opportunity, Gajeel ascended, his iron lungs inhaling forcefully. His chest swelled, seemingly taking in an immense amount of air. In the next instant, he expelled this air with unreserved force.
"Iron Dragon Roar!"
Iron particles danced in the roaring air flow, seemingly insignificant but, propelled by speed, sharper than the sharpest blade. A gray vortex engulfed Laxus completely, and soon, the room echoed with clanging sounds and the suppressed cries of pain.
When the storm subsided, Laxus revealed himself again, but he appeared extremely battered. Cracks covered his armor, and he seemed breathless.
"How is it possible? How can you be so powerful!" Laxus's buzzing voice emanated from beneath his mask, filled with disbelief and unwillingness.
For Fairy Tail, Gajeel was not an unknown entity. They had a certain understanding of the information related to Calvin, and Gajeel was considered a Dragon Slayer who was slightly more formidable than an ordinary Mage, but he was not worth mentioning compared to other S-Class Mages.
Therefore, Gajeel was not someone they were on guard against. Figures like Erza, Mirajane, and Laxus himself were their main concerns.
In response to Laxus's question, Gajeel just smiled and remained silent. However, at this moment, a small figure appeared behind Laxus without making a sound.
This figure held a weapon that seemed like a toy, but in the blink of an eye, both the weapon and the figure grew enormous, and a ruthless swing was directed at Laxus's back.
In the critical moment, Laxus felt an extreme sense of danger, instinctively falling to the side and narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.
Behind him, it was Panther Lily, who had flown over with Gajeel, now regretful for his failed sneak attack.
Despite the failure, Gajeel had also taken action at this moment.
Gajeel did not know if the sneak attack would succeed, but regardless of the outcome, following up with an attack was the right choice.
His hands transformed into sharp iron spears, and in Laxus's moment of instability, countless stabs erupted from Gajeel's hands. It was like a rain of steel, an onslaught of relentless attacks.
"Iron Dragon Spear!"
The spear tips seemed infinite in number, and their speed was so fast that Laxus couldn't see clearly. If he were to take another hit from this attack, his defeat would be inevitable.
"Violate Dragon Art · Dragon of Destruction!"
Hearing Laxus's loud shout, a gigantic dragon-shaped creature appeared out of thin air. It had white fur and six claws, with large, dark wings enveloping Laxus entirely, resembling a whip.
While the Iron Dragon Spear relentlessly struck the dragon, splashes of blood sprayed, dyeing its entire body red. Although the Violate Dragon had astonishing defensive capabilities, facing Gajeel's unreserved assault, it could only retreat. However, thanks to its defense, Laxus found a moment to catch his breath.
At the same time, it marked the beginning of his counterattack.
Gripping his swords, he held them horizontally at his waist, gathering magic power on the blade and causing friction. He aimed to make his slashes thinner and sharper to penetrate Gajeel's steel-like defense.
In terms of swordsmanship, Gajeel's position as a Dragon Slayer was unquestionable, having honed his blade to the level of a "renowned sword" in a short time.
He didn't hesitate anymore, taking a step forward and swinging the Dragon Slayer Sword from bottom to top, left to right.
The enormous and sharp blade flashed by, as if it could cut through heaven and earth. Its sharpness was enough to disperse souls.
"Destruction Sword · Flash!"
It reached its extreme speed, seemingly surpassing even light. It delivered death to the opponent while leaving no room for mercy.
In the past, Gajeel might have been split in half without any chance to react.
But today, he had become much stronger.
In the past two months, he had realized many things on his path to becoming stronger.
He didn't need fancy moves or sophisticated strategies.
All he needed was to refine his physical skills to the utmost, combined with the impenetrable steel defense. With these, he could fearlessly face anyone.
More robust, faster, greater strength - that was strength.
This was the essence of the Iron Dragon.
"Destruction Art · Demonic · Iron God Sword!"
Gajeel murmured the name of the technique softly, intertwining his hands above his head.
As Laxus swung his sword, Gajeel's hands came down suddenly.
A massive shockwave of sword energy shot out, meeting the sword energy from the Destruction Sword · Flash in mid-air. A thunderous sound echoed through the heavens and the earth, releasing a storm-like aura.
The two sword energies cut and consumed each other, appearing extremely slow, yet in reality, they were incredibly fast.
They resembled two ferocious beasts engaged in a fierce battle, a microcosm of all opposition.
In an instant, the sword energies erupted. It was unclear which one triumphed, but the momentary fluctuations indicated that the sword energy had swept past the opponent.
Panther Lily widened his eyes, witnessing everything. He hadn't seen clearly during the previous actions, but he believed Gajeel would emerge victorious.
"It's over, my victory!" A soft murmur echoed, devoid of arrogance and arrogance, only calmness and restraint.
This tone almost made Panther Lily think it was Laxus who said it.
Gajeel's hands returned to their original state, silently standing tall, with profound eyes fixed on Laxus.
On the other hand, Laxus remained motionless in his fighting stance after swinging the sword, except for a deep wound visible across his entire body.
A low, buzzing sound intermittently resounded, as Laxus struggled with his last bit of strength to ask the question that he found most unbearable.
"Why... are you so strong..." With these words, he had already transformed into several cards scattered on the ground.
Gajeel took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
Almost like talking to himself, yet responding to the vanished Laxus.
"It's quite natural for this big guy to be strong."