A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Laxus was in a sorry state; his cloak, which he used to show off, had fallen to who-knows-where, and his purple shirt was ripped in several places by the sword, but his breathing was still relatively steady.

"Felid and Biguslo both lost?! How is that possible?"

Laxus frowned, then began to analyze the situation: Poisonous swamp and mechanical maze... are these two places really that dangerous? Or have we encountered a powerful enemy?

"Looks like you're all alone now!"

Erza walked over again, sword in hand, looking even worse than Laxus.

The Thunder Emperor Armor he wore, specifically designed to counter lightning-attribute mages, was now less than half complete; the remaining portion was covered in cracks and black charcoal.

The braids that were originally tied up were now loose, with strands of bright red hair flying wildly in the blast of air, creating a kind of messy yet beautiful look.

Fortunately, she still had enough magic power to keep fighting!

Hearing Erza's words, Laxus took a deep breath, his eyes becoming serious: "Yes, I'm the only one left on our team."

"So... I won't hold back from now on."

Chapter 454 Laxus VS Erza

Who is stronger, Laxus or Erza? This is a long-standing debate in Fairy Tail.

Actually, when they were young, there was little debate about this topic, because Laxus, with his older age, greater strength, stronger physique, and more magic power, always dominated Erza like a pushover.

But as the two grew up, especially as Laxus entered his rebellious phase and began to act arrogantly and conceited, and Erza grew stronger year by year, the two fought less and less, so naturally more people became curious.

With more curious people, more people will watch the show, and eventually, betting odds will be opened, especially since some people often stir up trouble among each other.

Kira always seriously criticized his companions for making the tavern a mess.

In his view, as the future face of Fairy Tail, he had an obligation to rectify this bad practice in the guild. Therefore, he could only join forces with Makarov to manipulate the competition and assign the two of them to similar locations to give everyone a definite result.

Seeing Kira's painstaking efforts, Makarov was gratified and tearfully agreed.

Regarding the tournament and the betting on 'Laxus vs. Erza', both stated that they knew nothing about it and could vouch for each other's character.

In the ghost graveyard.

After discovering that his teammates had all been eliminated and he was the only one left in the team, Laxus felt that he could not relax. After all, his opponent was Erza, the strongest female mage in the guild, who might not be inferior to him.

It will be very troublesome!

So he decided to stop holding back.

"Not holding back anymore?" Erza paused, muttering to herself, then her eyes locked onto Laxus again, her fighting spirit surging. "Tit for tat!"

Suddenly, a passionate and exciting piece of music filled the air.

Ta-da... Ta-da...

Laxus: ? ?

Erza: ? ?

"What is this? Chairman Makarov?"

Seeing the mayor looking at him with a puzzled expression, Makarov showed no embarrassment. He coughed twice in a mock effort and said, "This is the battle theme from 'Fairy Tail'! What do you think? Isn't it great?"

"Uh...this...is really nice to listen to..."

Faced with Makarov suddenly playing background music, the mayor was speechless. He didn't know what the other party was trying to do. Did the music enhance the magic? Or was it just to enhance the visual and auditory effects? But in the end, the visuals were indeed amazing!

Listening to the background music and watching the battle scenes on the screen, Warlord couldn't help but exclaim, "Are guilds all this trendy now? They're so energetic... It's so good to be young!"

"I'm glad you like it, senior!"

If the senior colleague has said so, then there must be no problem!

Makarov's old face immediately broke into a smile, a genuinely happy one: 'Such a scene should attract a large audience to place bets...'

If others knew what Makarov was thinking at that moment, they would be furious and scold him for being disrespectful to his elders and for leading teenagers astray. Kira could be a witness for the latter point.

"What strange music..." Erza frowned, looking around as she listened to the music that had suddenly started playing for some unknown reason and from some unknown place.

Laxus, equally puzzled, said, "It should have been Kira who did it. I remember hearing this music at his place. But he shouldn't be around here right now. Was it pre-planned?"

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he could never have imagined that this was something his grandfather had done.

Upon hearing Laxus's guess, Erza simply nodded indifferently. She didn't care where the guess came from, as long as no one was lurking nearby preparing to ambush her.

The brief accident caused the fighting spirit that the two were about to reach its peak to dissipate instantly.

Fortunately, this was a passionate battle song, which not only didn't interrupt the match but actually made the two even more restless. If it had been a ballad or a teen dance song, Erza might have been okay, but Laxus would probably have lost her temper.

The two adjusted their breathing and posture simultaneously, and, accompanied by background music, refocused their attention on each other.

"Then, unleash your full power!" Erza roared, magic surging and covering her entire body. "Change outfit..."

A crimson light enveloped the entire area. Laxus sneered, "Even the Thunder Emperor's Armor couldn't do anything to me. What difference would it make if you changed to other armor?"

He tilted his head up at a 37-degree angle, looking like a proud rooster.

Before he could finish speaking, Erza's voice rang out: "Change Outfit - New - Thunder Emperor's Armor!"

What is that? Thunder Emperor's Armor? New?

Laxus was stunned.

Erza, now fully equipped, has regained her former aura. She is no longer dirty; instead, her entire body radiates a golden, shimmering light.

"This is a spare suit of armor!"

Seeing Laxus's bewildered expression, Erza couldn't help but smile, a beautiful curve forming at the corner of her lips. She explained, "A few years ago, on Kira's advice, I made backups of some of the armor, just in case this happened one day."

"Hmm... Looking back now, it was the right thing to do!"

"Hmph! So what if you have a backup?! Didn't you just try it? The Thunder Emperor's Armor has its limits in terms of defense! As long as my attack is strong enough..."

"Indeed! The Thunder Emperor's Armor has its limits, but... I have no limits!"

Erza confidently shouted, her magic opening a space, and two swords, one black and one white, fell into her hands. Crimson magic covered her body, adding to her coolness.

Confident words, passionate music, the magical interplay of gold and red—a powerful audiovisual feast—caused thousands of spectators watching the scene to erupt in deafening cheers.

"Wow!! Erza is so cool!!"

"Defeat him! Defeat him!..."

"You have to win, Laxus!! I bet 10,000 J on you!!"

While some supported Erza, others supported Laxus, especially those "insiders" who had secretly placed bets, who were shouting their hearts out.

"A new weapon?" Laxus asked, seeing the black and white twin swords in Erza's hands.

Erza nodded slightly and replied, "One for offense and one for defense, one hard and one soft, these are the 'Nikka Twin Swords' specifically designed to counter lightning magic."

Nika... what a weird name.

Laxus smirked, barely suppressing the urge to retort.

But he dared not be careless. He activated his magic, and lightning flashed. A dazzling golden light illuminated the entire battlefield, and even the destroyed graves nearby could be clearly seen.

Their gazes collided in mid-air, sparking intense flames.

The next moment, a loud explosion rang out, and the two moved simultaneously, their figures bursting forth with golden lightning and crimson light.

Ding ding ding ding...

Erza uses speed to attack speed, her defense is impenetrable, and her attacks are swift and unstoppable. Her twin swords leave afterimages in the air that are difficult to see with the naked eye, as if dozens of hands and dozens of swords are weaving a black and white net around her.

Her superior sixth sense, reaction speed, and attack speed, coupled with her swordsmanship honed over a decade, allowed her to intercept streaks of golden lightning within three feet of her.

On the other side, Laxus used the force of the lightning to his advantage, and his punches, enhanced by the lightning, were merciless, with each move demonstrating the three great combat principles of speed, ruthlessness, and accuracy.

They didn't shout out the names of their moves while fighting; these two weren't into that. There were no "Ora Ora" or "Muda Muda" either. Because they needed to control their strength in the fight, the two seemed to have agreed beforehand to skip the fancy moves and only focus on the purest offense and defense.

The battle lasted for a full ten minutes. The only sounds on the battlefield were the sounds of fists hitting armor, swords slicing through lightning, the destruction of the battlefield, and the ever-growing, more intense music that echoed around.

Chapter 455 The Two Who Intruded into the Battlefield

Laxus was enjoying the fight, putting all his strength into every punch.

Erza was also enjoying the battle, putting all her strength into every sword strike.

The audience was equally engrossed in the battle. Thousands of people stared intently at the fight on the screen, not even daring to breathe loudly, for fear of missing any small movement from the two fighters.

Because once they fall behind, given their reflexes, they may never be able to catch up again.

"It really looks like it..."

Makarov, who was staring at the screen and had even forgotten the narration, was startled and turned to look at the source of the voice: "What did you say?"

Warlord didn't look at him; he was also watching the battle on the screen, or more precisely, watching Laxus.

"It's so similar! His fighting style... is exactly the same as Yuri's when he was young..."

Yuri Droa, Laxus's great-grandfather, Makarov's father, one of the four founders of Fairy Tail, Warlord's close friend, and also a mage who uses lightning magic.

Is she like her father?

Makarov looked somewhat dazed, staring silently at Laxus on the screen.

"That was just a joke! Hahaha..."

"Wolod suddenly burst into laughter, a sly glint in his eyes," he said. Seeing Makarov's constipated expression, his smile widened. "But... he's much stronger than Yuri was back then!"

He paused, then continued, "This..."

"Is it...is it...just kidding again?" Makarov said helplessly, finishing the sentence for him.

“That’s true!” Warrod shook his head, his tone tinged with a sigh. “When Yuri was that age, he was nowhere near as good as him!”

Makarov was overjoyed to see his grandson receive such affirmation from his elder. His nose tingled, and a few tears welled up in his eyes. He almost burst into tears: "It's all because I taught him so well!"

"Oh! I forgot to mention, when Yuri was this age, he had only just started learning magic!"

Give me back my gratitude!

Just as the two were talking, the battle between Laxus and Erza was also drawing to a close.