"What?!"
Laxus, Freed, and Mirajane stared in shock as Su Yan's voice echoed through the smoke. When the dust cleared, they saw him standing calmly, leaning on his mace with one hand and casually flicking his ear with the other. His hair was standing on end, and occasional sparks of golden lightning crackled through it, but he looked completely unfazed.
"How is this possible?!" Freed muttered, stunned. "He took a direct hit from Laxus's lightning and… he's completely fine?"
Mira was initially shocked, but then recalled Su Yan's incredible resilience. She'd once attacked him in full Satan Soul form and hadn't even scratched him. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all.
Laxus's face darkened. "So I underestimated you, Su Yan. But don't think for a second you can beat me! I'm leagues beyond those weaklings in the guild!"
With a fierce growl, Laxus raised his hand and unleashed a concentrated beam of lightning toward Su Yan.
Su Yan lifted his palm and quickly covered it with a hard layer of Armament Haki, his skin turning an iron-like black. The lightning slammed into his hand with a thunderous explosion, but Su Yan merely tilted his hand to the side, redirecting the bolt away from him and into a nearby house.
*Boom!*
The house exploded in a shower of debris, and Mira instinctively stepped back.
"Laxus is… so strong," Mira whispered, caught off guard by his raw power.
But Freed's shock was even greater—Su Yan had deflected the lightning attack with his bare hand. He wasn't just resisting Laxus's attacks; he was nullifying them.
Su Yan smirked, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Not bad. You've actually managed to make this interesting."
Without warning, Su Yan lunged forward, the ground shattering beneath his feet as he swung his mace toward Laxus. But Laxus transformed into a golden bolt of lightning, dodging out of range just in time.
*Boom!*
The mace smashed into the ground, leaving a crater in its wake.
Laxus reappeared behind Su Yan, lightning crackling around him as he seized Su Yan's wrist, trying to immobilize him. With a twisted grin, Laxus drew back his other fist, lightning gathering in a fierce glow.
"I've got you now!" Laxus snarled, unleashing a rapid series of punches charged with electric energy aimed at Su Yan's face. "How about this, huh? Too scared to say anything now?"
Freed raised a barrier to keep Mira out of the battle. "This is Laxus's fight. No one else should interfere."
"Get out of my way, Freed!" Mira yelled, trying to break through.
"If you want to fight, you'll have to go through me," Freed replied calmly, standing his ground.
Meanwhile, Laxus continued his relentless assault on Su Yan, lightning crackling with each punch. But suddenly, Su Yan's voice rang out, calm and almost bored. "You call this a massage? I nearly fell asleep."
Laxus halted mid-punch, staring in shock as Su Yan lifted his head. Despite the barrage of attacks, Su Yan's face showed no signs of injury.
"This… this can't be!" Laxus stammered, eyes wide in disbelief.
Su Yan twisted his wrist free and grabbed Laxus's arm in a firm grip. "Now, let me show you what a *real* fist feels like!"
Before Laxus could react, Su Yan drove his fist into Laxus's face with incredible force.
*Wham!*
Laxus flew backward, crashing through several buildings before landing in a heap, blood dripping from his nose. Freed gasped, momentarily distracted as he watched Laxus's defeat.
Taking advantage of the moment, Mira landed a swift punch to Freed's stomach, knocking him to the ground. "You said I was your opponent, remember?"
Across the street, Laxus staggered to his feet, wiping the blood from his face. "You… You little… you think you can humiliate me like this? I'll make you pay!"
Laxus's entire body crackled with golden lightning as he transformed into a bolt and launched himself toward Su Yan.
Su Yan readied his mace, swinging it at the oncoming lightning, but Laxus dodged and reformed behind him. In his elemental form, Laxus thought he was untouchable—until he felt Su Yan's hand seize him by the face.
"What?!" Laxus struggled, unable to break free.
Su Yan grinned, tightening his grip. "Looks like I can grab you just fine."
Laxus's eyes widened as Su Yan's grip tightened, an overwhelming force pressing down on him.
*Boom!*
With a swift motion, Su Yan slammed Laxus's head into the ground, pinning him there with crushing force.
"Ahhh!" Laxus screamed, struggling against the weight pressing him down.
Su Yan released his grip, letting Laxus collapse, battered and defeated.