"Crack."
A faint sound echoed through the forest.
The two men under the tree immediately dodged to either side. The one holding the child even threw him backwards. The force was such that even an adult would not have fared well from the fall, let alone a child.
Save the person or kill the enemy.
One always had to choose.
Rayn, swooping down from above, had to admit that these guys were professionals. Even though they seemed like mere grunts, they were not only highly alert but also reacted with incredible speed.
"He's yours," Laxus's voice came from the side. Rayn didn't hesitate. He kicked off a nearby tree trunk, changing his downward trajectory, and caught the flying child in mid-air.
As for the two men, Rayn didn't think they could escape. Laxus's voice was filled with anger. It was clearly his fault the enemy had discovered them. With someone he looked down on right beside him, it was an unforgivable mistake for Laxus.
This anger could only be vented on these two.
"Crackle."
Golden light flashed in the dark forest, the roar of thunder drowning out all the insect calls.
"Thud."
Rayn landed softly, his knees bending slightly. He looked back in Laxus's direction. A charred, smoking mass was already lying on the ground. Golden arcs of electricity occasionally sparked from it.
Laxus's figure, like a bolt of lightning, appeared in an instant before the man who had thrown the child. He crouched low, his fist clenched at his waist.
"Lightning Fist!"
His fist shot out, rotating, with golden lightning faintly visible around it, moving like a slithering snake.
"Lyle!" the man yelled, not expecting Laxus to appear right in front of him. His eyes widened in an instant. His magic instinctively flowed to defend himself.
But the moment the thought arose, the ferocious lightning fist had already struck him.
The fury of the lightning, combined with the anger of the attack, sent the man flying like he was repelled by a repulsive force. He flew over ten meters, crashing into a tree trunk.
"Thump!"
The barrel-thick tree shook violently, its green leaves trembling and falling.
When the man landed, his body was bent into a chilling 'C' shape. Even if he wasn't dead, he wouldn't live long.
"Tsk," Laxus grunted, rubbing his wrist, golden currents still flickering around him, his face displeased.
For some reason, Rayn had a feeling that if he wasn't a teammate, this guy would have punched him too, so no one would know what just happened.
"In the end, we still have to face them head-on," Rayn said, setting aside the strange thought and looking at the vine house.
Even if the man hadn't shouted the name of their apparent leader, the surge of magic would have alerted them. If two of their men were so vigilant, Rayn didn't think the others were just sitting around.
"Hmph! Leave them all to me!" Laxus snorted coldly. He put on the headphones hanging around his neck, and a powerful beat filled the air. The already strong magic around him seemed to respond, pulsing in rhythm.
After placing the child in a safe spot to avoid the upcoming battle, Rayn looked at the blonde boy with the headphones.
"Bringing your own BGM to a fight? If I made a 'FAIRY TAIL Main Theme' track, wouldn't that be even cooler?"
A smile gradually spread across Rayn's face. Magic began to flow within him, and a flame seemed to flicker in the depths of his pupils.
Several figures appeared from the treehouse, watching the two below.
"Those two bastards couldn't even handle two kids? Are they useless?" the leader, a man in a green robe, said, his eyes cold as he looked at his fallen subordinates.
"Borg, these two piglets are yours."
His gaze then fell on Rayn and Laxus, and he flicked his wrist. A mage's body was strong, and they were just kids. He figured those people would be willing to pay a high price for them.
As for the two he lost, he'd just consider it their final good deed.
"Got it," the stout man with the axe responded gruffly. He took a step forward, and his figure descended rapidly.
"Boom!"
Like a giant rock falling, the whole ground seemed to shake slightly. The powerful impact sent leaves and dust swirling up, obscuring the stout figure.
"Swish!"
A sharp whistling sound was heard, and a blood-red afterimage flashed by.
The rising leaves and dust were torn apart as if by force, revealing the stout man holding a blood-red giant axe.
Several figures landed beside him from the trees, though their entrances were not as dramatic as the stout man's.
"Come on, let the slaughter begin!" Ddraig's excited voice echoed in his mind.
A fight against a Moon Bear was good, but a slaughter between humans excited her even more.
Rayn had no intention of stopping her. He called out the name of the Sacred Gear in his mind.
"Ddraig."
Red particles appeared from the void, quickly attaching to Rayn's arm.
In an instant, a blood-red dragon armguard covered his right arm. A green gem, like a dragon's eye, was embedded in the most prominent part of the back of his hand. His palm was already covered by armor resembling a dragon's claw.
In just a moment, Rayn's right hand looked as if it had transformed into a dragon's claw.
Like a king's reward, a domineering aura was unleashed in an extremely flamboyant manner, making the air feel heavy.
"What the...?" Laxus noticed the change on Rayn's side and raised an eyebrow.
This weapon gave him a dangerous feeling. Just looking at it created a strange sense of pressure. Especially the green gem, which looked like a giant eyeball. But when he looked again, the feeling was gone.
Besides the weapon, the feeling the little brat gave him had also changed. It was as if the initially calm lake had been stirred up by a strong storm. Just looking at him gave off a feeling of being hard to mess with.
"Why is this guy always surrounded by such strange things?"
Since it was time to fight, Laxus could only suppress his doubts and think unhappily. He then focused his attention on the enemies in front of him.
"Brat, let us show you who you're dealing with!" the man in the green robe above said, crossing his arms, his tone slightly proud.
"We are..."
"Thump!"
Before he could finish, a dull thud came from below.
"What are you mumbling about! I don't have time and I'm too lazy to listen to you!" the boy's flamboyant voice came from under the tree.
Laxus, next to him, tilted his head, his expression also slightly dazed.
Dude, your change is a bit drastic!
But the next moment, an arrogant smile appeared on his lips. When was it a brat's turn to be arrogant in front of him!
"Those guys are mine!"
Magic erupted, and golden arcs of electricity, like slithering snakes, wrapped around him. His figure, almost like a flash of golden light, shot out.
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