Chapter 434: Mystogan, Gerald?

Chapter 434: Mystogan, Gerald?

Dragon Slayer Magic, an ancient and lost art, is a rare form of magic that few ever witness in their lifetime.

Having Natsu and Gajeel, two Dragon Slayers, in their guild was already astonishing, but now, a third Dragon Slayer, Laxus, has appeared! No, if you count Wendy, they've encountered four!

Perhaps that imposter, Rod, could be considered half of one.

When did lost magic become so prevalent?

Golden thunderous storms erupted from Laxus' mouth, with lightning and thunder clashing against the lava flames spewed by Rod.

Despite his surprise, Rod didn't relax, maintaining his technique to counter Laxus' attack.

The intense heat melted the stone slabs on the ground, and the powerful breath blew away the melted parts, leaving a deep, dark trench.

The rolling thunder smashed and shattered the tiles, creating a gully across the even slabs.

Although Laxus was the second to attack, his power was not to be underestimated. His breath of lightning held back the lava and flames, even pushing back Rod's breath, canceling it out, and swallowing it!

This guy's breath was much stronger than Natsu's!

The intersection of the golden and red breaths gradually moved towards Rod, who felt the strain and decided to detonate his breath early.

A blinding flash of lightning and fire exploded, making it seem like someone had thrown a bomb inside the church.

The tremendous roar shook the entire cathedral, and not a single intact window could be found in the building.

The explosion affected the nearby stone pillars, too thick to embrace, breaking them in half. With a loud crash, they fell to the ground, lying across the middle of the two sides.

Rod stumbled back a few steps, and Mystogan raised his hand to support his back.

"Thanks, it'd be better if you could help with the output too."

Rod glanced back at Mystogan, seeing his eyes through the gap between the headscarf and face mask, along with some red patterns around them.

Mystogan turned away silently and walked off. It wasn't ideal to leave immediately, so he decided to help a little to finish this quickly and depart.

Rod felt like he looked somewhat familiar.

But there was no time to ponder this; his attention was mostly on Laxus.

This guy's upper body shirt had already been torn, revealing his bare chest. From his left shoulder to his ribs, a black pattern was tattooed, with the guild emblem encircled in the center.

His physique had changed significantly from the start.

The previous Laxus had a tall and well-proportioned figure, but now, his arms and chest muscles had swollen, making his entire upper body appear bulkier.

The most striking change was his eyes, which revealed an exaggerated amount of whites, and his four canine teeth had become exceptionally sharp. Moreover, a scaly, net-like pattern had emerged on his arms!

Although the dragon scale pattern's position differed slightly, this was clearly the state Natsu entered after consuming the Scarlet Fire! Rod didn't know much about Dragon Slayer Magic.

If Natsu's usual state was State One, and after consuming the Scarlet Fire, he entered State Two, then Laxus was undoubtedly in State Two from the start!

Erza exclaimed in shock, "You're a Dragon Slayer too! Why didn't even we know?"

Laxus turned his neck, a disdainful smile tugging at his lips, "Because the old man is so talkative, I've kept it hidden... And you weren't worthy of my full power before."

"But now," Laxus pointed at Rod, "you're not S-Class, but you barely have the qualifications to be defeated by me.

Come, let me show you the true magic to counter dragons! Let you know what it means to be the guild's strongest!"

"Only you would obsess over such a useless title. We're here to capture you and take you back. Don't expect a one-on-one duel."

Rod and Mira exchanged a glance, and both rushed out, leaping over the two fallen pillars. One with dragon claws and lava, the other with demon claws and flames, they attacked Laxus's chest from both sides.

Laxus simultaneously grabbed both of their wrists, forced back a few steps by the immense power.

But he quickly steadied himself, exerted his arms, and swung them both, slamming them into the ground on his left.

The ground cracked open, and golden lightning enveloped their entire bodies.

"Ahh!"

The impact was minor, but being struck by Laxus's lightning at close range was truly painful.

Erza switched to her Thunder Empress Armor, leaping high with her serrated greatsword, and slashed down at Laxus.

"Thunder Dragon's Crushing Fist!"

Laxus released Rod and Mira, twisting his waist and swinging his arm to punch upwards.

A golden magic array lit up, and the lightning transformed into a giant golden fist, striking Erza's sword blade.

For a moment, Erza's body was enveloped in lightning, and she was knocked back, flying through the air. If one didn't look closely, it would seem like she was discharging electricity mid-air, with arcs of electricity resembling golden snakes spitting.

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Laxus's Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic was so powerful that even the Thunder Emperor's Armor couldn't withstand it.

As Erza was sent flying, before she could land, Mystogan rushed forward, holding a staff in his right hand.

The top of the staff was shaped like a duck's webbed foot, and it was surrounded by a magical glow, as if coated with a layer of water membrane.

Laxus sidestepped and kicked the staff away with his right foot, while his left hand gathered lightning, forming a halberd.

Clearly, he had no intention of testing the magic on the staff's tip and was about to deliver a powerful blow to Mystogan.

However, the key to Mystogan's magic wasn't in the staff but in the special hand seal he was forming with his left hand.

Laxus suddenly threw the halberd in his hand, and Mystogan's hand seal transformed into a four-fingered grip. A staff with an eye pattern on its tip flew in from the side!

"Thunder Dragon Halberd!"

"Surprise Dream!"

"Ahhhh!" The golden halberd pierced Mystogan's shoulder, sending him flying backward. Immediately after, the halberd exploded, engulfing him entirely in golden lightning.

The staff that flew in from the side also struck Laxus's shoulder, and a purple glow emerged from the eye pattern, consuming Laxus's body.

A fleeting look of fear flashed in Laxus's eyes, and his body swayed slightly.

He felt a familiar searing pain in his shoulder, and Laxus hadn't anticipated that such a light blow, primarily relying on illusion magic, could still injure him in his current state.

Without time to think further, Laxus suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back, and his body flew forward uncontrollably.

It was Rod and Mira, who had kicked him in the back. Rod's dragon claws were covered in magma, and Mira's high heels were entwined with hellfire.

Laxus was almost consumed by the magma and flames.

Erza, now clad in Black Feather Armor, raised her longsword and slashed upward at the flying Laxus: "Black Feather Moon Flash!"

The sharp blade carved out a bright white crescent-shaped strike.

Not only that, but Mystogan, who had withstood Laxus's attack, clutched his right shoulder with his left hand, and with his right hand in a sword finger stance, waved twice. Two staffs flew from behind Erza, targeting Laxus.

If this series of attacks connected, not only would Laxus be injured, but he would also have to endure the next round of attacks from the Dragon and Demon combination.

So, in mid-air, Laxus adjusted his posture, his feet touching the ground, and his body enveloped in golden lightning, he soared sideways like a meteor.

"Not bad..." Laxus stepped out of the encirclement of the four, his feet firmly planted on the ground, as if looking down upon them while assessing their strength.

Just then, a thin red thread appeared on his cheek, and a drop of blood trickled down. Additionally, the scars on his back and arms also testified that he wasn't as relaxed as he seemed.

Rod now deeply understood that even S-Class Archmages from the same guild could have varying levels of strength.

Either Mira or Erza, if they faced Laxus alone, would likely struggle to win.

This guy, despite his arrogance, immaturity, and annoying nature, possessed formidable strength.

No wonder he hadn't been killed by anyone for so many years.

However, Laxus's speed was indeed a tricky problem.

Rod tentatively said:

"You're not bad either. You run pretty fast, no wonder you dare to claim to be the strongest in Fairy Tail. How about a race? The winner will be the strongest."

As soon as he finished speaking, Laxus raised his hand, and Rod sidestepped, causing a bolt of lightning to strike where he had just been standing.

Laxus pulled a mocking smile: "It seems you know how annoying your words are."

Rod mimicked his expression: "Too bad you don't know how annoying you are."

"Let me see if your head is as hard as your mouth!" Laxus was surrounded by golden light and rushed towards Rod.

The fist swelled, emitting an exaggerated muffled sound as it struck, and the ground beneath their feet was dented, temporarily pushing Mira back. But a new scar appeared on Laxus's fist.

Elusa gritted her teeth against the lightning and swung her longsword, leaving a wound on Laxus's arm.

However, Laxus kicked Elusa in the waist, sending her flying back.

Laxus then sidestepped, dodging two flying staves, and finally raised his head, unleashing a Dragon Roar to counter Erza's Hell's Flame.

Lava erupted, thunder roared, and the spacious church seemed uncomfortably cramped amidst the uninvited battle.

The two fallen pillars were shattered into several pieces by the aftermath of the fight, and two nearby pillars showed signs of damage, one with cracks and the other charred black.

Forced to retreat higher, Laxus charged his right arm and prepared to launch an attack, forming another golden halberd.

Rod readied himself to dodge, while Elusa and Mira rushed towards Laxus from both sides.

Mystogan retrieved his three staves and planted them in the ground, ready to provide support.

However, Laxus suddenly charged forward and threw the halberd towards Mystogan once more!

"Hmph... I'll take you out first instead of them! Thunder Halberd!"

His true target seemed clear from the start! Mystogan calmly executed a series of intricate hand seals, causing his staff to glow:

"Triple Magic Array: Mirrored Waters!"

A red, purple, and blue magic array appeared in front of the staff, swallowing Laxus's Thunder Halberd and reflecting it back at him!

"What?" Laxus seemed to witness this move for the first time, his face registering surprise.

Boom!

The golden halberd exploded at Laxus's feet, engulfing him in a flash of lightning.

Rod suddenly admired Mystogan's stylish move, feeling that his style was more befitting of a true Archmage.

But there was no time to ponder this; Rod flapped his wings and dove towards the lightning below.

Mira and Elusa also pursued from behind.

Laxus emerged from the light, slightly disheveled but determined.

Mystogan stood frozen, seemingly startled.

Laxus had already reached him, his fists clenched and raised, accompanied by thunder and lightning, smashing down towards Mystogan's head:

"Dragon Jaw!"

Boom!

Mystogan's figure vanished like a bubble, and Laxus's fist passed through his 'body', slamming into the floor.

The ground shook violently, and spider-web-like cracks spread out from the impact point, resembling a haphazardly sliced cake with unevenly arranged pieces.

Above the gaps between the soil blocks, golden arcs of electricity flickered.

A pair of stone beetles hiding underground didn't have time to escape and were forced to split, only to be struck by lightning, vanishing instantly.

Mystogan and the staves reappeared ten meters away from Laxus, just as he finished his final hand seal.

"Skyscraper!"

A purple magic array appeared beneath Laxus's feet, emitting a blinding light.

"Hahaha! There's no way the same magic could affect me twice!"

Laxus laughed, waving his hand to disperse the illusion before him.

Mystogan spoke calmly, "I didn't expect this magic to hold you for long anyway."

After all, this wasn't a one-on-one fight.

Hearing the wind behind him, Laxus didn't turn around but sprinted towards Mystogan at full speed.

Mystogan sidestepped.

"Ahh!" Mira and Elusa stepped on Laxus's lightning array and were engulfed by the flash.

Rod's fist struck Laxus's left shoulder, causing him to stumble forward.

Laxus braced himself with his left hand and fired a bolt of lightning from his right palm.

It wasn't aimed at Rod but at Mystogan.

Mystogan, caught off guard, was struck by the lightning despite the circumstances.

However... he wasn't injured.

The attack seemed to target his mask.

Mystogan's turban and mask shattered under the impact.

Mira and Elusa, having just escaped the lightning array, saw Mystogan's hidden face for the first time, his expression slightly flustered.

"Gerald?! 3"

Blue hair, a mysterious red pattern around his right eye, and delicate features...

His face was identical to Gerald's!

Elusa stared at him with a complex expression, "You're still alive... no, you shouldn't be..."

Gerald should be in prison, arrested and held in the Car Elrum Kingdom's jail, reportedly in a coma. Why...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end