Fairy Tail Space Mage

Erza always thought that Sora acted this way because of her naturally earnest personality and her gentle heart that cared for her companions. In truth, she didn't know that Sora and she were actually quite similar. Both of them harbored an inescapable unease and fear, which was why they treated any potential danger with such meticulous care.

……

The puzzle was finally completed within the allotted number of steps, the mechanism was solved, and the stone door opened. Kong couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, after the stone gate opened, Sora's heart, which had finally settled, was once again gripped with anxiety. Sora wasn't worried about Erza or himself, but rather about Mira on the other path!

Because what appeared behind the stone gate was Laxus, arms crossed, who had been waiting for a long time and was full of excitement!

"Our opponent is Laxus, huh? Well, our luck seems to be pretty good."

Like Sora, Erza had mixed feelings. The fact that their opponent was Laxus, not Gildarts, naturally relieved Erza. However, Erza was also somewhat disappointed, feeling a little sorry for Cana and the others who would have to face Gildarts.

"Ha! Erza, you really dare to say that. Listen, Sora, although I'm not as terrifying as Gildarts, the difference between us is that he would show mercy, while I will show absolutely no mercy! I will fight you all with all my might, do you understand, Sora?"

Laxus didn't seem to take Erza seriously, only glancing at him briefly before fixing his gaze on Sora. His eyes blazed with a fighting spirit like thunderclaps in a storm. Sora could almost see the roar of a storm that was churning the entire world in his eyes!

"That's perfect! Laxus, you passed that person's test two years ago along with Sora, the strongest of the younger generation in the guild! I've wanted to fight you for a long time! Today, I've finally found my chance!"

Erza was easily swayed; Laxus's lightning-fast fighting spirit couldn't help but ignite his passion. Meanwhile, Kong remained remarkably calm. Or rather, at this moment, he was still preoccupied with worrying about Mira's situation.

However, Laxus and Erza possessed magical reserves exceeding ten thousand, and their unleashing of battle intent would trigger natural phenomena. A powerful vortex surrounded the two, making it impossible for Sora to remain unaware.

"Laxus, are you really going to fight with all your might, without holding back?" Kong had fully sensed Laxus's fighting spirit. He frowned and asked this question.

"Is that even a question, Sora? I should be asking you, when you were the opponents, what was your reason for asking me to show mercy..."

“I remember you don’t lay a hand on women,” Sora immediately found a reason.

"Did I say that? Even if I did, there are no women here..." Laxus was interrupted, but instead of getting angry, he paused for a moment and asked Sky in return.

Of course, the result of Laxus asking that question was that the magical storm released by Erza next to Sora became even more intense!

(Please let me know if there are any errors. Once a chapter is published, it's very difficult to correct it the next day. Thank you!)

Chapter 031 Clash of Lightning

Even before the battle began, two of the three were already brimming with fighting spirit, with Erza even being imbued with a rage state. Therefore, the battle practically reached a fever pitch as soon as it started!

Just how intense were these heated words? Before Sora could say anything more to persuade Laxus, Laxus had already entered his "Dragon Slayer" form!

Without a doubt, this was what he meant by "fighting with all his might" that he had specifically emphasized to Kong earlier.

Sora understood perfectly, which is why he tried to dissuade Laxus from doing so. However, not only did he fail, he also incurred Erza's wrath towards Laxus!

The fact that Laxus is actually a "Dragon Slayer Mage" remains a secret. Revealing this fact at this crucial moment of conflict between him and Makarov would undoubtedly worsen their relationship!

Therefore, Sora tried his best to prevent this from happening. But now it seems that Laxus's desire to fight Sora and Erza with all his might is even stronger than Sora imagined.

As Laxus transformed into his "Dragon Slayer" form, his body bulging with muscles and dragon scales bursting from his vital areas, Erza also changed his armor. Of course, Erza donned the somewhat Chinese-style "Thunder Emperor Armor"!

Even in this atmosphere, Sora couldn't help but turn and glance at Erza.

Like the "Heavenly Wheel Armor," the "Thunder Emperor's Armor" is silver-white, making it look very shiny and beautiful. However, the difference lies in the fact that although the name "Thunder Emperor's Armor" sounds imposing, its style is very approachable.

Especially the long red braid on the back of Elsa's armor reminded Kong of his childhood sweetheart who he used to play with at the neighbor's house when he was a child.

It was rather impolite, but perhaps because the armor's design was so simplistic, it couldn't help but remind Kong of Nezha from Chinese mythology. Didn't that somewhat crude armor look a lot like Nezha's lotus armor? And the weapon, coincidentally, was a spear...

"This is... Dragon Slayer Magic?!" Erza, having donned the "Thunder Emperor's Armor," exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Laxus's appearance.

Her immediate recognition of Dragon Slayer Magic surprised Sora. Sora knew from the manga that Laxus possessed this ability, which explained her immediate recognition. And Erza…it seemed she had specifically studied Dragon Slayer Magic because she cared about Natsu…Sora guessed to herself.

"Raging Volt!" Laxus's answer to Erza was a wide-area paralysis skill he unleashed the moment he entered the battle!

Laxus had no choice; after numerous encounters with air units, he understood that engaging in prolonged battles with defensive, evasive air units was extremely unwise. The most effective tactic against air units was to immediately render them unable to retaliate!

"Elsa!" Sora's single shout snapped Elsa out of her surprise. At the same time, two "Shields of the Sky" appeared, one in front of Sora and the other beneath Elsa's feet!

Elsa immediately understood the meaning of emptiness and quickly composed himself.

Elsa made no attempt to defend herself, confident that her "Thunder Emperor Armor" could withstand the paralyzing effect of the opponent's "Raging Volt." Then, she lightly leaped onto the "Sky Shield" she had prepared, crouched down to gather strength, her leg muscles bulging, and she shot out like a mother leopard!

Yes, it was a launch, not a leap. Because, at the same time Elsa jumped onto the "Sky Shield," Sora was also controlling the "Sky Shield," adjusting its position and accelerating its movement. Then, before Elsa even jumped, she was already given a near 90-degree jump angle and extraordinary acceleration!

That's like when you're playing ping-pong, you scoop up the opponent's ball, let it fly off the racket and hang in the air, and then suddenly smash the ball in the air!

Laxus was also stunned by the amazing teamwork between Sora and Erza. If such movements weren't accidental, just how close must their minds be to achieve such coordination?

Come to think of it, he and Sora were inexplicably very compatible when they first teamed up. Does Sora have some kind of superpower when it comes to "cooperating with others"...?

The thought flashed through Laxus's mind for only a moment... Erza's speed was extremely fast, and although Laxus was very confident in his defensive capabilities in his "Dragon Slayer" form, what accompanied Erza's spear blade was not only the added speed but also lightning flashing with a blinding blue light! This forced Laxus to go all out!

"Thunder Dragon's... Crushing Fist!" Although it was developed to deal with Sora's "Seven-Inch Fist," it is a dragon-slaying magic that is close to martial arts, but in this situation, let's use it to deal with Elsa first.

Laxus showed absolutely no fear of facing a blade bare-handed. With a ferocious expression, he confidently slammed his lightning-wrapped fist at Erza's "Spear of the Thunder Emperor"!

He may have used too much force, because even Sora, watching from behind, seemed to hear the groaning of Laxus's arm muscles. This made Sora wonder if his own "seven-inch punch" could "resist" it.

Then, he shook his head.

Although he has practiced martial arts, he is not a power-type mage. There's no need to compare him to "monsters" like Laxus and Erza in terms of strength and martial arts skills.

Sora has pretty much found his mage style. And if we were to describe his style using RPG game classes, it wouldn't be a warrior or an assassin, but a mage.

Two lightning bolts carrying immense power met in a spacious cave on Sirius Island. In just an instant, they erupted with light that seemed to pierce one's eyelids and a violent explosion!

The powerful shockwave showed no intention of being affected by the two powerful lightning wielders in front of it. From the moment it was born, it ruthlessly pushed the two away!

The sound waves from the explosion drowned out everything, so only the two of them could hear Erza's screams and Laxus's groans.

Although Kong closed his eyes, his senses firmly pinpointed Elsa's location. Using two "Sky Shields," he caught up with Elsa, cushioning the impact without inflicting further damage, while also taking advantage of the speed at which Elsa was being pushed back. Perhaps the cushioning worked well, because Elsa finally stopped when he reached the edge of the rock wall.

On the other side, Laxus wasn't so lucky. He was already very close to the other side of the rock wall, so his back slammed into it hard, and he couldn't help but groan again.

To Kong's surprise, Laxus didn't use his lightning transformation. If he had, he wouldn't have suffered secondary damage and could have seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Erza. Laxus seemed to be considering something…

Laxus was certainly considering something. But Sora probably didn't realize that what Laxus was concerned about was actually him. So far, Sora hadn't shown any intention of attacking. This made Laxus very wary.

Don't let Laxus's confidence fool you. He knew about Kong's development of new magic, so he knew exactly who the main course would be in today's battle!

He had overheard that Kong Xin had learned a completely invisible offensive magic, which made him even more wary.

After all, in his first battle with Sora, he was defeated by Sora's new magic, "Sora's Robe".

The unpredictability of spatial magic remains vivid in Laxus's memory! Before making his move, Laxus dared not use "Lightning Transformation," a crucial escape technique, too early!

Chapter 032 The True Intention

Although it was only a brief exchange, Elsa had already deeply felt the gap between them.

Laxus was far stronger than Elsa had imagined. This puzzled Elsa somewhat.

Erza knew a little about the frequent sparring between Sora and Laxus. Since Laxus couldn't let the battles be one-sided when facing Sora, then Laxus's strength shouldn't be much greater than hers.

This is Erza's assessment of strength, using Sora as a benchmark. This seems correct, but Erza hasn't clearly understood the difference between Sora and ordinary mages.

Before the creation of new magic, almost all of Sora's magic was defensive and mobility-based. This meant that Sora's ability to maneuver against others was extraordinary. If one could not break through Sora's layers of defense, Sora would be in a situation where, although he could not win, he would never lose, even if his opponent was much stronger than him.

Although Elsa was filled with questions, the battlefield did not allow her to stop and think about them carefully.

After Erza stopped with Sora's help, he jumped onto Sora's "Shield of the Sky" again, starting a new round of clashes with Laxus!

Yes, even with the difference in strength, Erza felt no fear. Because she wasn't fighting alone. Void and its magic were always by her side.

Before magical combat, the outcome is determined first by martial arts prowess. This seems to be a kind of unspoken agreement among warlike mages.

Sora didn't understand the meaning of this kind of battle. But when he sparred with Erza, he couldn't help but do it too. Sora felt that it might have the effect of warming up before a battle, or it might be a etiquette to ignore external factors such as magic and magical power, and simply test the mage's effort.

Yes, martial arts skills, apart from a few gifted individuals, can only be improved through training and combat. Even for those with talent, their skills will stagnate if they neglect training.

Erza and Laxus were clearly not like that. On the contrary, when it came to martial arts training, these two were probably the most hardworking members of Fairy Tail. So, after a round of clashes between fists and spear blades, a subtle sense of mutual understanding arose between them. This surprised Sora somewhat.

"Spear of the Thunder Emperor!" During this close-quarters combat, Erza's Spear of the Thunder Emperor had been fully charged. Thanks to Laxus, the lightning magic here was extremely dense, and the Spear of the Thunder Emperor charged at an unusually fast speed.

"It's useless! No one can harm me, Laxus, with lightning!" Seeing that Erza wasn't using "Thunder Emperor's Spear" to clash with him at close range this time, but instead planned to launch it from a distance, Laxus was filled with contempt.

The blinding blue light stung Sora's eyes again. Sora inwardly complained; fighting as a lightning mage in this dimly lit cave was truly an eyesore. Especially for a support mage like Sora, who had to constantly monitor the battle and provide timely assistance.

Sora didn't intend to easily interfere in the battle between Erza and Laxus. Sora believed this was an opportunity for Erza to train.

A bolt of blue lightning struck Laxus, its aim subtly off target. In fact, the bolt landed precisely at Laxus's feet. Then, with a deafening explosion, Laxus and the shattered rock were violently blasted away!

"Bang!" This collision was undoubtedly Laxus's second close encounter with the rock wall behind him. Underestimating Elsa's intelligence had once again cost him dearly.

Since direct lightning attacks are ineffective, let's switch to a physical explosion. Elsa is a mage who uses "change of clothes" magic. In terms of adaptability, even Sora would be envious.

"Phew! It seems this battle will go on forever if we don't get serious! Well then, let me start enjoying this feast of battle that I came all the way to Tenrou Island for, after stopping my quest!"

Perhaps Laxus had embarrassed himself with his mistake earlier. So, he became enraged and went berserk!

Erza only felt a blur before her eyes, and Laxus, whom she had imprinted on the rock wall with her "Spear of the Thunder Emperor," suddenly vanished. Then, a bolt of lightning flashed before her eyes, but was blocked by something. If she wasn't mistaken, it should be the "Shield of the Void" from Emptiness.

"Void!" The attack failed, and an angry voice burst forth from within the lightning. The lightning bolt spun at unimaginable speed, then shot fiercely towards the void!

However, after Kong stretched out his fist, the lightning bolt turned back at an even more astonishing speed, as if it had seen something terrifying.

"When did you master the Seven-Inch Fist to this level!" Laxus returned to normal, but floated in the air.

This is certainly not because he has reached the level of the Ten Wizard Saints; he is merely in a semi-lightning state, which allows him to float in the air like this.

"I just didn't expect to be able to deal with you like this." Sora seemed quite calm. Yes, it seemed that Sora's fighting spirit was hard to be ignited because he always seemed to care about someone on another path.

With the magic power interrupted, the magic compression point of "Seven Inch Fist" in front of Sora gradually weakened until it disappeared.

Before it disappeared, even the lightning-enhanced Laxus dared not easily approach Sora. After all, there was chaotic spatial distortion near Sora. This was different from the safe distortion of the "Sky Garment." At least, it could forcibly interrupt Laxus's lightning transformation.

"Kong, are you really not going to let me see your new magic?"

Putting aside the ingenious uses of the "Seven Inch Fist" magic compression point, having finally gotten the conversation going, Laxus couldn't help but ask a question.

Just like their first meeting, Laxus always beats around the bush. Only now did he reveal his true purpose in provoking Erza and Sora. Sure enough, everyone was curious about Sora's new magic. Even Laxus, a mage who had already reached S-class, was no exception.

Sora probably didn't know that Gildarts on the other path was also waiting for Sora's arrival, hoping to see Sora's new magic. Of course, he was destined never to see him.

Laxus's words caused Erza, who was preparing to change into her "Flying Armor" to deal with Laxus's lightning transformation, to pause her actions. It seemed she was also concerned about this matter.

"Alright, Laxus. I'm keeping you all on this waiting. You might be disappointed when you actually see it... But if you can't defeat Erza and threaten me, I'll show you the new magic next time we spar."

Sora dislikes having too many expectations of him. Being in the spotlight increases his anxiety.

Kong was, after all, an insignificant ordinary person, and he was truly afraid of that feeling of being high above everyone else, the center of attention. Then, because he was too low-key, he unknowingly fell into this situation. It felt like things had reached their extreme and then reversed.

"Hmph! I can't wait for a next time! I know your defense is strong, but in this enclosed space, can you really be completely flawless? Try this move of mine. The move that will defeat you in our first sparring match!"

Laxus suddenly raised his head, and then, violent lightning surged from his body, gathering above everyone's heads to form a massive thundercloud covering the entire area! Clearly, Laxus intended to unleash his ultimate area-of-effect attack—Lightning Surge—within the confined space!

"Are you crazy? This will cause the cave to collapse!" Despite shouting this, Elsa knew she couldn't stop Laxus.