"Huff… huff…" Roger stared at his slightly red, partially charred knuckles, his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest. A scorching surge shot from his feet to the top of his head, his blood roaring with excitement!
"All this time, I've leaned on illusion and requip magic. Never tried close combat before. But this feeling—power coursing through my muscles and unleashing it all without holding back—it's got my blood pumping like crazy!"
"No wonder the guys in the manga always go for hand-to-hand. A wizard who can't brawl isn't a true illusionist!"
Reinforced magic surged through his body, quickly shaking off the numbing jolt of lightning.
ROOOARRRR—!!!
A bellow like an ancient beast awakening echoed from deep within the forest! A terrifying wave of magic power shot into the sky! Roger squinted toward the source.
From the swirling dust, a towering, muscular figure emerged, step by heavy step.
Laxus' muscles bulged, his body seemingly swollen a size larger, faint golden scales shimmering beneath his skin!
Wild golden lightning no longer just crackled around him—it flowed like liquid, roaring across his body!
Each step scorched the ground, leaving blackened footprints, the air thick with the acrid smell of burning plants.
"Dragon Slayer Magic of Lightning—an ancient spell that transforms your body into that of a dragon," Roger muttered.
Laxus looked up, his black vertical pupils burning with pure battle lust, a wild grin splitting his face.
"Don't die on me now… Roger!!"
The last word barely left his mouth before he vanished, leaving only a streak of golden light and a sonic boom!
In the blink of an eye, Laxus was in Roger's face! No tricks, no flair—just raw power as both twisted their hips and swung their fists!
BOOM—!!!
Fists collided! The dull, earth-shaking impact was like two meteors crashing! A savage shockwave roared outward like a tsunami, bending trees within dozens of meters and sending leaves cascading like a storm!
The recoil sent Roger skidding backward, his feet carving deep trenches in the earth.
He shook out his nearly numb right hand, his finger bones groaning, but his grin only widened, his eyes blazing with exhilaration!
The sheer thrill of this raw clash of strength set every cell in his body screaming!
"This is what a fight's supposed to be!"
[Enchant: Hardness]
A faint red glow flickered over his fist.
[Enchant: Lightness]
Green light shimmered around his feet.
[Strengthening Magic: Power]
Blinding crimson patterns erupted like molten lava, instantly covering his right arm.
"You too…" Roger crouched, his leg muscles coiling like springs, a manic grin spreading across his face. "Don't you dare die, Laxus!!!"
BOOM!
The ground exploded under his feet! Roger vanished, leaving only an afterimage! In the same instant, he reappeared before Laxus, his fist, charged with every ounce of his strength, tearing through the air with unstoppable force!
Laxus didn't back down, his eyes flashing with golden light! His right fist crackled with lightning fierce enough to rip the sky apart, muscles and veins bulging grotesquely from the sheer power!
[Lightning Dragon's Crushing Fist—!!!]
Just as their devastating blows were about to collide, a glint flashed in Roger's eyes!
His forward momentum inexplicably slowed, his body dipping low as if defying physics, his center of gravity dropping in an instant!
His right fist, brimming with reinforced magic, didn't strike head-on. Instead, it pulled back to his waist with a strange, fluid motion, his elbow bent, fingers clenched like iron!
[Bajiquan: Sinking Force]
A heavy, mountain-like aura surged from him, the ground silently caving beneath his feet!
[Bajiquan: Collapse]
BOOOOM—!!!
Roger's fist, infused with the immense power of [Sinking Force], amplified by [Strengthening Magic], wrapped in the unyielding might of [Enchant: Hardness], and driven by the piercing precision of Bajiquan's Collapse technique, struck faster than Laxus' thunderous blow, slamming into his fist!
At the point of impact, it was like a small sun detonated! Blinding gold and crimson light swallowed everything! A visible shockwave, laced with destructive lightning serpents, exploded outward in a spherical blast!
The air screamed with the sound of snapping trees—some uprooted, others shredded by the shockwave or charred to cinders by rampaging lightning! The stench of scorched earth and ozone filled the air.
Roger's body flew backward like a broken kite, his right arm's sleeve reduced to ash, his skin blackened and reeking of burnt flesh.
Laxus lunged to pursue, but a second wave of bone-crushing force hit his right arm without warning!
"Double strike!!"
"Urgh—!" Laxus grunted, a sickening crack echoing as his arm bone twisted, the force hurling him backward!
Both crashed into the ravaged ground, struggling to rise.
No words—just pure, unyielding battle fervor! In the next second, their figures blurred into streaks of light, colliding again with earth-shaking force!
Bang! Boom! Crack! Zzzzt—!
The dull thud of flesh-on-flesh, the groan of overtaxed bones, the roar of lightning, the splintering of trees—all wove into a chaotic symphony across the ruined forest clearing!
Like tireless war machines, each clash sparked new storms, each separation left them with more wounds and louder, wilder laughter!
How long it lasted—maybe half an hour, maybe more—no one could tell.
Finally, the deafening roars subsided.
Both collapsed spread-eagled on the scorched, cratered ground, littered with broken trees. Bloodied, clothes in tatters, their exposed skin a mess of bruises, burns, and cuts, they were a sorry sight. Only the heaving of their chests proved they were still alive.
Laxus gasped heavily, each breath tugging at his wounds, making him wince.
He turned his head with effort, looking at the equally battered Roger, his voice hoarse with confusion. "Why… didn't you… use your illusion magic later?" He panted. "That's… your specialty, right?"
Roger stared up at the blue sky, sliced into fragments by the tattered canopy, the sunlight stinging his eyes. He tugged at his cracked lips, hissing at the pain, then answered with a shaky grin, "Got bored of it… wanted to… try something new."
He lifted his one functional hand, studying the scrapes and bruises, his eyes glinting with unsatisfied hunger. "Besides… fist-to-fist feels damn good."
"You're… such a…" Laxus tried to laugh, but the motion pulled at a deep gash on his cheek, making him suck in a sharp breath.
"Hiss—!" He instinctively touched the wound, the sharp pain making him grimace.
But as he recalled the pure, unfiltered clash of strength, a strange satisfaction dulled the pain.
As the agony eased slightly, Laxus turned his head, his gaze complex as he studied Roger. "Why… do you train so many types of magic?"
"With your illusion and requip magic, you could master just those and be unstoppable. Why bother with the rest?"
He paused, thinking of Roger's relentless pace these past two months at the guild. "Since you joined, you haven't rested for a second. If you're not training, you're taking jobs or practicing new spells."
"You've practically cleared half a year's worth of guild missions single-handedly."
Panting, he voiced his deepest question: "Don't you… ever get tired?"
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