"Mr. Yajima, even from up here, we can feel the air trembling, can't we?" Chapati Lola asked, his voice shaking.
"Yes. That means both of their magic powers are incredibly dense, and they're fully focused."
The two titans continued releasing their magic pressure.
Some of the weaker wizard contestants scattered through the city trembled, their bodies stiffening and their pupils shaking in pure instinct.
Every cell in their bodies screamed one thing: Stay away from those two monsters!
The farther, the better!
Jura and Laxus, two imposing, awe-inspiring Mages, kept the crushing pressure of their magic directed squarely at each other.
Even though the audience was watching from miles away through a crystal screen, some of the wizard spectators still couldn't help feeling a chill of raw fear.
"The matchups are forming one after another!" Chapati Lola announced.
"How fortunate. To encounter you in such a vast capital city, and to face such a formidable opponent... my blood is boiling." Jura pressed his palms together, smiling as he looked at Laxus.
Although he wore a polite smile, the magical power erupting from the two of them shot straight into the heavens.
Violent lightning surrounded Laxus, while heavy earth elements formed a grinding tornado around Jura.
The pressure was suffocating.
Sensing the sheer weight of the magic coming from the man opposite him, Laxus had to admit Jura was a terrifying opponent.
Laxus crossed his arms, his brows furrowed.
His tense expression revealed he wasn't taking this lightly.
"It's fine, Laxus! You can do it! I'm right here!" In the stands, Freed clenched his fists and shouted.
"And you still have us, the Thunder God Tribe!" Bickslow followed up.
"Laxus is actually nervous..." Evergreen sensed the gravity in his expression.
"Do your best, Laxus!" Jenny from Blue Pegasus cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered.
"Hmm..." Makarov's thick brows were knitted together.
He remained silent.
Mavis frowned. "Jura Neekis is indeed the person who must be watched most carefully in this final battle."
"Laxus, I'll be watching closely," Makarov muttered, staring at the screen.
"I have long wanted to find an opportunity to spar with you, Lord Makarov's—" Laxus cut Jura off before he could finish.
"Enough. Don't say another word. The ones standing here right now are neither an old man bearing the title of Wizard Saint nor someone's grandson. This is just a duel between two men."
As he spoke, Laxus tossed aside his heavy coat.
"Good eyes," Jura agreed.
A light breeze blew past.
The crushing magic pressure around them vanished. The floating rubble clattered back to the cobblestone street.
Under everyone's horrified gazes, Laxus wrapped his entire body in golden lightning.
His figure shot forward like a railgun, charging straight toward Jura. "Lightning Fire Dragon's Crushing Fist!"
Jura was prepared.
He took his stance and met the devastating punch with an open palm.
Fist against palm.
Their bodies didn't budge an inch, but the ground beneath their feet caved in with a deafening boom.
Their kinetic energy and magic passed through each other's bodies, blasting out toward the streets behind them.
Dozens of vacant houses were leveled in the crossfire.
"Iron Rock Wall!" Laxus was launched into the air by the erupting stone pillar. While still airborne, he retaliated.
"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" A massive golden halberd forged of pure lightning shot toward Jura at blinding speed.
"Rock Spikes!" Five massive stone pillars overlapped in front of Jura, blocking the lightning halberd with a heavy crash.
Laxus transformed his body into lightning, weaving around the stone pillars and dust clouds before closing the distance once again.
"Lightning Fire Dragon's Crushing Fist!" Jura blocked with his reinforced arm but was forced back several steps, his boots scraping the dirt.
As he retreated, Jura casually controlled several iron rock walls with his free hand.
They erupted from the ground, cutting off Laxus's mobility.
Laxus remained calm.
He used the shifting rock walls as stepping stones, launching himself toward Jura for a brutal exchange. A blazing fist met a hardened palm.
The two titans engaged in brutal close-quarters combat inside the makeshift arena formed by the stone walls.
Just as Laxus had said, this was a bare-knuckle brawl between two men.
"So strong..."
"He's fighting evenly with Jura."
"He's the guy who wiped out the entire valley in the battle royale."
Although they were locked in hand-to-hand combat, their sheer magical output made it seem as if the sky and clouds were changing color.
"Laxus!" Makarov straightened his posture in the VIP box.
His expression turned serious.
Dazed, he turned to look at Raizel, his eyes filled with surprise and a strange sense of pride.
He truly hadn't known Laxus's strength had reached this terrifying level.
"I told you Laxus could win," Raizel said with a light laugh, shrugging.
Mavis revealed a gentle smile. "You never imagined he was this strong. That's what you're thinking, isn't it, Third Master?"
"Mm..." Makarov looked somewhat embarrassed.
His impression of his grandson had remained stuck in the past. "Everyone is growing. These young people will shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the era to come."
Back in the city, the rapid-fire exchange between Laxus and Jura paused.
The two stood still, panting lightly.
"How should I put this, Natsu... I'm fired up!" Laxus clenched his right fist, golden arcs of electricity snapping over his knuckles.
"Come! Let us fight until one of us falls!" Jura smiled, nodding firmly.
"Lightning Fire Dragon's Roar!" "Rock Mountain!"
Laxus inhaled deeply, and a catastrophic beam of fire and lightning tore through the air, raging toward the massive rock mountain formed by Jura's clasped hands.
The heat wave instantly distorted the space around them.
BOOM— A deafening explosion echoed across Crocus.
"Raging Bolt!" Golden thunderclouds gathered above the town, and a colossal pillar of lightning struck down.
"Iron Rock Wall: Chain!" Dozens of stone pillars bent inward, wrapping around Jura so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.
The thunderbolt that had wiped out the other contestants failed to breach Jura's defense.
"Supreme King Rock Crush!" Countless boulders materialized around Laxus and smashed inward.
Bang!!!
The huge stones slammed together, exploding in a thunderous crash.
Laxus used fire and lightning as propulsion, blasting himself onto a rooftop to dodge the crushing trap.
His body grew visibly more robust, his muscles expanding under the strain.
His purple shirt tore apart, unable to contain his enlarged frame.
He used the acceleration of lightning and flames to launch into the sky, then dove downward like a supersonic fighter jet.
One hand burned with roaring flames, and the other crackled with black lightning.
A cone of compressed white air surged in his wake as he broke the sound barrier.
"Iron Rock Wall: Chain!" Jura didn't dare to be careless.
Over a dozen reinforced rock walls erupted from the ground, shielding him.
But Laxus's fists were like bunker-busting hammers, shattering the enormous stone pillars to dust.
His momentum didn't decrease an ounce as he arrived right in front of Jura.
And at that split second, the violent fire and lightning elements flared to blinding levels.
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