Within that dazzling sphere of lightning, it seemed as though boundless power was imprisoned.
The compressed electrical energy writhed and coiled like a ferocious dragon in a cage.
Each rotation of the sphere was accompanied by a heart-palpitating roar and blinding flashes of light.
If this point-blank strike landed, it would be enough to blast a massive hole straight through BlackWarGreymon's abdomen.
But BlackWarGreymon's combat instincts, honed through countless life-or-death battles, were incredibly sharp.
The moment Laxus thrust the sphere forward, the Digimon retracted his left claw.
The dark red energy burning in his palm instantly compressed, forming a dense energy shield right over his stomach.
The lightning sphere collided with the shield.
There was no explosion. Only a silent, terrifying annihilation.
The golden lightning inside the sphere and the dark red energy of the shield violently clashed, erased each other, and clashed again.
Two fundamentally different yet ultimate-level forces engaged in the purest, most brutal battle of attrition.
Laxus's face contorted fiercely as he frantically channeled more magic power into the sphere.
BlackWarGreymon's eyes flashed, pouring dark red energy into the shield like a tidal wave.
It was a total stalemate.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds...
Crack.
A faint shattering sound echoed.
A fine crack appeared on the surface of BlackWarGreymon's energy shield.
Then a second.
Then a third.
"Break!" Laxus roared, the sphere's radiance surging violently!
BOOM!
The shield exploded spectacularly.
The sheer force of the blast sent BlackWarGreymon sliding backward.
His heavy, clawed feet carved a massive trench through the stone floor, smashing through seven remaining support pillars before he finally crashed into the cathedral's back wall.
The impact dented the solid stone inward, forming a giant, spiderweb-like crater.
Dust plumed skyward as rubble fell like rain.
Laxus dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
That single strike had drained nearly thirty percent of his remaining magic power.
But as he gazed at the dust-shrouded crater in the distance, a cruel smile tugged at the corner of his bloody mouth.
"This is the result of my three years of training." He slowly rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his chin.
"BlackWarGreymon, do you feel it? The humiliation from back then—"
His words cut off abruptly.
From within the thick dust and smoke, a massive figure casually stepped forward.
BlackWarGreymon emerged from the deep crater, brushing off the debris.
The cracks on his chest armor hadn't widened, though a faint wisp of dark red energy seeped from the scorch mark.
His steps were completely steady, and his pitch-black eyes burned with an even more intense, excited fighting spirit than before.
"Did you really think..." BlackWarGreymon spoke, his deep voice rumbling with dark amusement.
"...that I grown weaker since that day?"
He took a single step forward, and the ground beneath him shattered.
"Laxus, you've underestimated me. And you've vastly overestimated your own strength."
Before his words even faded, BlackWarGreymon vanished.
He didn't teleport—he was simply moving so fast that he left behind a clear afterimage.
The next instant, he appeared directly in front of Laxus.
His right claw, burning with dark red energy, tore through the air, aimed straight for Laxus's chest!
The speed of this strike was at least thirty percent faster than before.
Laxus's eyes widened in shock.
He instinctively crossed his arms to block, but the moment BlackWarGreymon's claw touched his defense, the Digimon smoothly changed direction.
He swept his claw upward in a vicious arc!
"Damn it!" Laxus gritted his teeth, desperately throwing himself backward.
The claw still grazed his chest, tearing through his golden lightning armor and leaving a shallow, bleeding wound.
Before Laxus could even catch his breath, BlackWarGreymon's left claw followed like a shadow.
Laxus hastily threw a punch to intercept it, but the physical power behind this claw strike was overwhelming.
The impact sent Laxus flying backward, plowing a trench dozens of meters long through the rubble.
"Cough..." Laxus coughed violently, bringing up mouthfuls of blood.
His lightning armor was completely shattered, revealing charred, bruised flesh beneath.
But the golden lightning in his eyes suddenly flared to its absolute maximum.
"Starting with you..." Laxus growled hoarsely.
He slowly forced himself to stand.
The lightning around him became wild, chaotic, and filled with a suicidal, destructive energy.
"Everyone in Fairy Tail... I will devour you all!"
BOOM!
Golden lightning erupted madly from within him, but this time, it was mixed with a dark, blood-red hue.
His blonde hair stood on end, and his eyes glowed with a terrifying, bloody light.
The lightning wings on his back multiplied from three pairs to five, and a new, massive war blade manifested in his hands, covered in distorted crimson patterns.
This was his limit.
He was completely unleashing the magic power within him—even burning his own life force to sustain it.
The power far surpassed his previous form, but the strain on his body was terrifying.
Every second he maintained this state was costing him years of his lifespan.
But Laxus didn't care.
He only wanted to win.
He only wanted to completely crush the monster before him and erase the humiliation of his past!
"Die!!!"
Laxus roared at the sky, his five pairs of lightning wings flapping wildly.
Like a true god of destruction, he charged at BlackWarGreymon with an aura that threatened to annihilate everything in its path.
Wherever his blade passed, the space tore open with black fissures that refused to heal.
A flicker of solemn respect passed through BlackWarGreymon's eyes, quickly overtaken by pure, bloodthirsty exhilaration.
He brought his claws together high above his head.
Dark red energy wildly converged and compressed, rapidly coalescing into a massive, pulsating orb that radiated an aura of total annihilation.
Within the sphere, terrifying dark energy swirled violently, emitting a heart-stopping pressure.
"Terra Destroyer..."
This was his ultimate technique—a world-ending energy sphere created by compressing all the negative energy in the atmosphere to its absolute limit.
Almost simultaneously, Laxus adopted his final stance.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered and compressed all of his golden, blood-tinged lightning into his chest before erupting it from his mouth!
"Lightning Dragon's... Roar!!!"
In that instant, a dazzling massive beam of golden lightning tore across the sky like a ferocious beast baring its fangs.
At the exact same moment, the dark red Terra Destroyer roared downward like a demon from the depths of hell.
The two ultimate attacks collided in mid-air with an earth-shattering explosion.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All of Magnolia was illuminated as bright as daylight.
A spherical shockwave expanded outward, vaporizing the rubble and fracturing the earth for miles.
The sheer force of the blast tore a kilometers-wide hole straight through the cloud layer above the city.
The ruins of Kardia Cathedral were utterly erased.
Every single structure within a five-hundred-meter radius was instantly reduced to fine dust.
A massive mushroom cloud plumed skyward.
Under Erza's frantic commands, the distant guild members had erected multiple layered defensive barriers, barely managing to survive the shockwave.
Yet even behind the shields, everyone suffered bleeding from their ears and noses, their faces deathly pale from the pressure.
The dust slowly began to settle.
Two figures stood at the epicenter of the blast.
Laxus stood opposite BlackWarGreymon.
His battle blade was shattered, his lightning armor was completely destroyed, and his body was covered in severe, charred wounds.
He breathed in ragged gasps, coughing up bloody froth.
The golden lightning in his eyes had dimmed to near extinction.
But by sheer force of will, he remained standing.
As for BlackWarGreymon...
The dark Digimon stood tall and imposing.
His Black Digizoid armor was scorched, and the cracks on his chest plate had deepened, leaking dark red energy.
Yet, his breathing was entirely steady.
His pitch-black eyes still burned with absolute power as he stared down at the broken Dragon Slayer.
Watching from afar, Ace's dark gold energy swirled quietly in his eyes.
He could sense that while BlackWarGreymon had expended a massive amount of energy to tank that final blast, the Digimon was still more than capable of continuing the fight.
Laxus, however, was finished.
The raging lightning magic lingering inside him was currently burning through his life force just to keep him on his feet.
If BlackWarGreymon struck him again, Laxus would die.
"Enough," Ace said, his voice cutting through the ringing silence.
He slowly stepped forward, dark gold Digital Soul circulating around him.
"This battle ends now."
He looked at Laxus, a complex emotion flashing through his eyes.
"You fought well. But it's over."
Suddenly, Ace's pupils contracted.
Just as he was about to recall BlackWarGreymon, a faint desperate spark of golden lightning quietly ignited from the shadows of the ruins.
Laxus slowly raised his head, a cruel, bloody smile forming on his lips.
"Perfect timing..." Laxus murmured to himself.
A tiny, highly unstable ball of lightning was quietly gathering in his shattered right hand.
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