"Truly not an opponent I can afford to underestimate."
With light flickering in both hands, Noel charged toward Laxus.
"The roar that resounds through the sky summons the thunder! Let it descend and reduce everything to ashes—[Thunderous Wrath]!"
Laxus raised one hand high, and in an instant, a massive lightning sphere crackling with intense electric light formed above his head, hurtling toward Noel.
Noel remained calm.
White light gathered in his hands, forming a radiant bow and arrow.
Pulling back the bowstring, his gaze sharpened. "[Holy Light Arrow]!"
The white light arrow, trailing a long tail, shot forward at incredible speed, piercing through Laxus' lightning sphere.
Though it exhausted its energy before reaching Laxus, Noel had already closed the distance.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Both were masters of speed, pushing their limits to the extreme.
White light and golden lightning streaked through the air as they exchanged blows at high velocity.
The sheer force of their clashes had already devastated much of the cathedral's interior.
Once again, they closed in on each other.
Laxus swung a heavy punch from above, aiming for Noel's face.
Noel raised his right hand to block, catching Laxus' fist before swiftly grabbing his wrist.
Seizing the moment, he kicked Laxus away, sending him flying.
In the next instant, Noel's figure vanished, only to reappear above the airborne Laxus.
With his right leg bent, he drove a brutal knee strike downward, slamming Laxus forcefully into the ground.
"Sizzle~"
Laxus, struck heavily, transformed into a bolt of lightning, narrowly evading Noel's follow-up attack.
However, instead of retreating, he reappeared right beside Noel, his hands gathering an immense surge of electric energy.
"Damn it, show me your true power, Noel! [Thunder Dragon's Halberd]!!"
The lightning flared wildly, morphing into a massive halberd.
With a furious roar, Laxus hurled it straight at Noel.
Noel crossed his hands in front of his chest, forming a glowing sphere of platinum flames that pulsed intensely.
Then, with a forceful motion, he launched it toward the incoming thunderous halberd.
"[Helios' Wrath]!!"
The blazing platinum fireball and the crackling thunder halberd collided in midair.
"BOOM! BOOM!!"
The deafening explosion echoed throughout Magnolia.
The entire Kardia Cathedral trembled violently, tilting dangerously from the shockwave.
The sound of massive stone debris crumbling filled the air as the structure threatened to collapse.
As the dust settled, Noel and Laxus were already locked in a fierce struggle, gripping each other's hands tightly.
Blinding white light and raging lightning erupted from their bodies, neither willing to yield.
Both were severely wounded from the battle, yet neither took a step back.
At this moment, the fight was no longer about speed or skill—it had become a pure contest of magic, strength, and conviction.
In this brutal, close-quarters clash, their injuries only worsened.
Noel's body was scorched by Laxus' lightning, while Laxus had been critically wounded by Noel's holy magic.
Both of them knew one thing: whoever faltered first would lose.
And in that decisive instant, the battle would be determined.
Noel was undoubtedly one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Although Laxus did not bear the title, his strength was by no means inferior to the likes of Jellal.
At this moment, as their Saint-level magic clashed, the already crumbling Kardia Cathedral let out mournful groans.
Massive stones continuously fell from above, but before they could even reach the two combatants, they were pulverized into dust by the raging magical energy surrounding them.
With their precise control, the rampaging magic did not spread to Magnolia.
Instead, it pierced through the cathedral's ceiling, forming a towering pillar of intertwined golden and white light that stretched from the heavens to the earth.
There was nothing left to think about now.
The only things that could decide the outcome were strength and will.
"I won't lose! I won't lose to you again! I will become the Master of Fairy Tail! I am the strongest!!"
"Is magic power alone enough to determine strength? Who decided that??? What meaning does the title of 'strongest' even hold?"
In their voices resounded their unwavering will and convictions.
At this critical moment, a small figure suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cathedral.
"Stop, Laxus! Master… Master… your grandfather is in critical condition! So please, stop this and go see him!"
Levy struggled against the hurricane-like winds created by the two clashing forces as she shouted toward Laxus, who was locked in a fierce power struggle with Noel.
"Isn't that perfect? That just means my chances of becoming Fairy Tail Master have increased again!" Laxus's body stiffened for a brief moment upon hearing Levy's words, but he quickly responded with a loud, mocking retort.
"Enough with this nonsense, Laxus!! Just go down already!!!"
Noel roared. The strap of his eyepatch was torn apart by the surging magic, and his right eye slowly opened halfway, revealing a purple six-pointed star.
As his right eye partially opened, Noel's magic power skyrocketed several times over in an instant.
The once evenly matched battle shifted in an instant—Laxus's lightning magic was completely overwhelmed and shattered upon contact.
With nowhere to evade, all of Noel's immense magic power came crashing down on Laxus.
"Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!!"
The violent explosion of magic erupted, accompanied by a blinding white light.
The entire Kardia Cathedral, unable to withstand the immense force any longer, finally collapsed with a deafening roar, turning into dust.
The ground beneath them cracked apart, and at that moment, the earth itself was torn asunder.
Centered around Noel and Laxus, the terrain within a radius of several dozen meters sank by several meters, riddled with massive fissures resembling a chaotic spider web.
Everything in the vicinity had been completely obliterated.
As the dust in the air slowly settled, the members of Fairy Tail who had rushed to the scene stood in shock, staring at the devastation before them.
Amid the shattered ground, Noel, his body covered in burns, remained standing in silence, while Laxus, even more severely injured, had already fallen to the ground.
Letting out a soft sigh, Noel moved his body with difficulty, crossing his legs as he sat down.
He raised a hand to cover his right eye, which pulsed with pain, before looking over at Laxus.
"You lost, Laxus," Noel said calmly, without a trace of mockery or ridicule.
"You held back until the very end… Was that meant to humiliate me, Noel?"
Laxus stared blankly at the sky, his emotions now completely settled.
But then, a slightly burned hand reached out toward him, causing him to pause for a moment in surprise.
"I don't understand what you mean. I really… I really did give it my all... And besides, I believe that being strong isn't something determined by the level of one's magic power. Even though I've lost so many of my memories… I feel happy. In this short period of time, no one in Fairy Tail has treated me differently because of my amnesia. Instead, they've all cared about me—Mira, Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Gray… I feel truly happy… really, truly happy."
Noel's lips curved slightly, revealing a near-perfect smile.
"I have always believed that dawn will come. Even though I have forgotten my past, perhaps I simply wanted to put an end to something. That's why there's no need to suppress myself. I can see it—the power hidden within the bonds of Fairy Tail, a strength that no one can shatter, a force that no one can resist. Why not try once more, Laxus? Take another look with your own eyes. The power of a single person is always small. It is precisely because we are weak that we come together. So why not try reaching out to others? Perhaps, if you step out of this narrow space, what you will see is a much wider world."
Laxus looked at the silver-haired boy's faint smile, then slowly closed his eyes.
(Was I wrong? Maybe… I really was wrong. And… even though I lost again, strangely enough, I don't feel any sense of regret. Perhaps I always knew I couldn't win from the very start. What I truly sought was simply the chance to have a fight like this with you, to go all out… Noel, I've always wanted to fight you like this...)
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