"Fairy Law?!"
Hearing Nate's words, Erza was shocked. Juvia, looking puzzled, asked, "A super magic?"
Fairy Law was one of the three great super magics of their guild!
Erza's face grew serious. She knew that Master Makarov had mastered Fairy Law and had heard him mention it before. It was a legendary judgment magic, capable of destroying everything that the caster deemed an enemy with holy light.
Based on Nate's words, did that mean Laxus had also learned it?
Juvia became anxious and instinctively wanted to rush to Nate's aid, but Erza grabbed her hand.
"Don't go! This is a duel. All we can do is watch and wait for them to settle it!"
…
"How do you know about it?" Laxus frowned.
The fact that he had mastered Fairy Law was something no one except Makarov knew, not even his Raijinshū companions.
"I guessed," Nate said, floating in midair, smiling gently. "Why not give it a try? It's your only chance to win."
"Hmph, I don't need it!" Laxus sneered, crouching low before launching himself into the air like an arrow. In a blink, he crossed dozens of meters, appearing right in front of Nate. His right fist, crackling with wild lightning, was aimed at Nate's chest.
"You can't even fly. How do you plan to fight me?"
"You can't even touch the hem of my clothes," Nate said calmly, dodging Laxus's attacks effortlessly. Even mid-air, his movements were exceptionally nimble, easily avoiding Laxus's punches and kicks.
Laxus, on the other hand, couldn't fly. He could only rely on brief moments of hovering while unleashing a furious barrage of attacks toward Nate. As expected, he didn't even graze him.
After Nate pulled away, Laxus lost his ability to hover and began to fall.
"It's not over yet!" Laxus shouted. As he descended, he gathered magic power in his palms, forming a ball of lightning.
"Lightning Bomb!"
Crackling and sparking, dozens of lightning balls shot toward Nate in a dense formation, growing larger as they flew. By the time they reached Nate, they had expanded from palm-sized to a meter in diameter.
Facing this wide-range, inescapable attack, Nate simply vanished into thin air with a thought.
The lightning balls missed, soaring higher into the sky before exploding with a deafening boom.
"He disappeared again… so it's definitely space magic," Laxus muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration. This was getting tricky. Nate's ability to fly and use space magic made it impossible for Laxus to even touch him.
'Am I really going to have to use Fairy Law?'
No, that move was too powerful. It could kill someone.
As Laxus landed back on the beach, he suddenly felt a surge of magic behind him.
Nate reappeared, as unexpectedly as before.
"If you don't use it, you have no chance. Just give up already," Nate said, clenching his right fist and placing it over his left shoulder. His fist shimmered with a milky white tremor energy.
With a soft murmur, he struck Laxus in the side with a powerful punch.
Boom!
Laxus felt as if his entire body was shattering, like a mirror breaking into pieces. Although he had anticipated the attack, he couldn't evade it in time after landing. The overwhelming force of the tremors pierced through his magic defenses.
"My consciousness is…!" Laxus felt his mind going fuzzy as Nate's punch sent him flying toward the sea. His body bounced off the water like a skipping stone, hitting the surface a dozen times before finally splashing into the ocean.
"I did go easy on him…" Nate thought, hoping Laxus wouldn't die from that hit.
Suddenly, the surface of the water swelled, turning gold with a massive burst of magic power.
"RAAAAHHHHH!"
Laxus stood in the water, roaring with fury. His intense magic parted the surrounding sea, creating a hollow space around him.
Nate felt a twinge of envy. Five-star magic power really was impressive—Laxus could unleash his magic with reckless abandon. Nate, however, couldn't afford such wastefulness. With the Six Eyes, he ensured that every drop of his magic was used efficiently.
"Lightning Mode!" Laxus bellowed.
An immense amount of magic power converged into a suit of lightning that enveloped his entire body, resembling a cloak of electricity. Not only that, but his physical body was also stimulated by the lightning, enhancing his defense, speed, and strength dramatically.
With a loud explosion, Laxus shot out of the water like a bolt of lightning, charging straight at Nate.
"Roaring Thunder!"
His electrified hand reached out toward Nate, aiming to paralyze him with high-voltage currents.
But once again, Nate vanished.
He reappeared nearly 100 meters away.
"Still not enough?"
Laxus, keeping his cool, glared at Nate, feeling utterly frustrated. Even after boosting his speed, he still couldn't land a hit.
"If that's the case!"
Raising one hand toward the sky, Laxus began to gather his magic power.
The sky above the beach darkened as thunderclouds gathered, rumbling ominously.
"Even the weather's changing?" Nate glanced up, impressed. Having a high magic level really was something.
It looked like Laxus was preparing to blast the entire coastline.
Nearby, Lyon's subordinates grew pale.
"Lyon-sama, we have to get out of here! We'll be caught in their fight!"
"So that's Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage, Laxus? What terrifying magic power!"
"And the one fighting Laxus like this… who is he?"
Though they had seen Nate before and knew his name, they'd never heard of such a powerhouse existing in Fairy Tail.
Lyon stood in stunned silence, watching the fight, ignoring his companions' worried chatter.
In the forest, Erza marveled at Laxus's immense magic power. But even more impressive to her was Nate's space magic.
'He's been going easy on me… no, more like he was holding back a lot!'
When they fought, Nate hadn't even taken her seriously. In the end, he had only used a simple "photo magic" trick to create an opening and "luckily" beat her.
'Lucky? More like he was acting the whole time!' she thought, fuming.
'How vexing! I can't believe I fell for it!'
Beside her, Juvia clasped her hands, gazing at Nate in admiration, fully absorbed in watching the duel.
"Hahahaha!" Laxus burst into laughter. "You've just been letting me gather power this whole time, Nate? You must be pretty confident!"
"If you can't hit me, what's the point? Why should I stop you from wasting magic?" Nate chuckled.
Letting your opponent wear themselves out wasn't something he'd interrupt.
"Disappear with this beach, Nate!!" Laxus shouted furiously.
Thunder Storm!
Boom!
The thunderclouds unleashed massive bolts of lightning, one after another, raining down indiscriminately, seemingly intent on erasing the entire beach.
The lightning and sand merged into a chaotic storm of destruction.
---
Meanwhile…
At the port city of Hargeon, Nate casually strolled into a café and ordered a hot coffee.
…
Back on the western coast, the smoke and dust gradually cleared, revealing a beach torn to shreds with craters everywhere.
"Where is he?" Laxus gritted his teeth, scanning the area. "He can't have teleported far… Did he manage to dodge my attack?"
Frustrated that his big move had failed, he growled.
"I told you, you can't hit me."
The voice came from behind him.
Laxus whirled around, furious, only to see Nate standing there, sipping from a cup of coffee. It was still steaming.
"You bastard, stop mocking me!!"
Laxus roared in rage, releasing more chaotic lightning around him. His muscles bulged, and his skin began to take on a dragon-like texture.
Scales began to form.
"Oh?" Nate raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of coffee. "Going into the second phase, huh?"
Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic!