hotmtlnovel Chapter 176 Stars Hidden by Light
Chapter 176 Stars Hidden by Light
Chapter 177 Stars Hidden by Radiance (Please Subscribe!)
"It really was the two of you."
Looking at Mirajane and Erza, Laxus spoke, stretching his limbs. Although he appeared calm, he was actually quite excited, as this was his first time doing this job; before, he had been one of the examinees.
However, Laxus knew exactly what to do, having participated in two assessments. He just hadn't yet figured out his own S-rank standards, so he would strictly follow Gildarts's requirements, or even be stricter.
The reasoning is quite simple: Gildarts set such a high standard for S-class mages for so long, it can't be lowered just because it's Gildarts' turn. In a sense, this can be considered a kind of "inheritance".
Everyone has been stuck in this situation, so naturally we'll have to keep going. The hardships we've endured, we'll have to endure for those who come after us!
"Should we do it one at a time?"
Erza was also decisive. Without saying a word, she prepared to fight. Anyway, she couldn't win with words. She would deal with whatever she had to say after the fight.
Are you two in a group?
Laxus asked with a puzzled expression.
Although Laxus doesn't get involved in these kids' affairs much, he still knows the general situation. Erza and Mirajane often fight, just like Gray and Natsu. These two girls probably aren't a team, right?
"Of course not!"
As expected, Erza and Mirajane vehemently denied it, and even took a step away from each other, as if afraid of being misunderstood.
"Let's do it one at a time. Only people from the same group can come up together."
Laxus spoke, which surprised Erza and Mirajane. So this was the meaning of teaming up? They could actually fight together?!
But it makes sense when you think about it. If two people go on a mission together, they can certainly fight together. The S-class mage assessment they participated in was, in a sense, a rehearsal for an S-class mission. Didn't you see that even the enemies blocking the way were S-class mages?
"Then I'll go first!"
"Why should I go first?! I want to go first!"
Erza and Mirajane started arguing again about who should go first, and it looked like the two were about to fight over it.
""
Laxus was speechless for a moment. He began to ponder in his heart, how exactly did Moen handle the relationships between these people? How did he manage to get these children to get along peacefully?
Erza arrived first; Erza came first.
After thinking for a while, Laxus still couldn't figure it out. Seeing that Erza and Mirajane were about to make their move, Laxus could no longer remain silent and made a decision.
As the examiner, Laxus's words naturally carried weight. Although Mirajane was still unconvinced, she could only step back a few paces and let Erza, clad in armor, fight against Laxus.
"Thunder Emperor's Armor!"
Without any hesitation, Erza summoned her secret weapon.
"Thunder Emperor's Armor" is a Chinese-style armor with a light green base, lightning patterns, and gold threads covering its entire body. It also comes with a thunder spear as a weapon.
However, Erza gave up using the lightning spear as a weapon. Because of Moen, Laxus's identity as the "Lightning Dragon Slayer" was already known to everyone. Therefore, Erza wouldn't be foolish enough to use lightning to attack Laxus, as that would be like charging him up. Playing with lightning in front of someone like that would be like showing off one's skills in front of an expert.
"Click!"
Erza still wielded a longsword as her weapon, her expression serious. Even while wearing the Thunder Emperor's Armor, she dared not reveal any weakness.
"You actually prepared the equipment in advance!"
Mirajane's eyes widened when she saw Erza's "Armor of the Thunder Emperor." She hadn't expected Erza to be so well-prepared.
"Gathering information beforehand and making preparations is the mage's job."
Erza glanced at Mirajane and spoke.
Mirajane turned away angrily from Erza, as if to say that Erza was an idiot for not being prepared.
"It's all in vain."
Laxus smiled contemptuously upon seeing Erza's "Armor of the Thunder Emperor".
Do these guys really think they can withstand his power with these external objects? I have to say, they're seriously underestimating him.
"I'm going!"
Erza didn't know what Laxus was thinking, but when the time came to act, she wouldn't hesitate, nor would she back down.
With a loud shout, Erza charged straight at Laxus.
"Sizzle!"
Lightning gathered in his fist, terrifying magical energy surged through his body, and Laxus's expression became arrogant.
"boom!"
Without any suspense, Erza, who rushed forward, was sent flying backward. Her sword didn't even touch Laxus; instead, she was punched in the abdomen and sent flying like a cannonball.
"Click click click!"
Erza crashed into three trees before finally stopping and landing on the ground. She staggered and had to stick her sword into the ground to steady herself.
""
Seeing this sudden turn of events, Mirajane, who was watching from the sidelines, stared wide-eyed in shock.
"Is this the power of an S-class mage?"
At that moment, Erza and Mirajane were thinking almost exactly the same thing.
"Click click click!"
Erza's "Armor of the Thunder Emperor" was already covered in cracks. Laxus shattered this armor, which was specifically designed to counter lightning magic, with just one punch. The special defense against lightning was as fragile as paper and had no effect whatsoever!
"He destroyed the Thunder Emperor's Armor with just one punch."
Erza was even more shocked. Of course, she felt that the "Armor of the Thunder Emperor" must have played a role, at least she herself was not seriously injured, but she could not rule out the possibility that Laxus had shown mercy.
"Don't expect to be able to block the power of lightning with external objects."
Looking at the shocked Erza and Mirajane, Laxus slowly spoke, displaying the demeanor of a master. He didn't really think there was anything to be proud of, after all, Erza was four years younger than him.
Given the age gap, isn't it normal that he's powerless against her? Not everyone is a monster like Moen.
As they get older, the gap between Erza and the others and him might narrow a bit, but right now Erza and Mirajane are still children, only fourteen years old, and they haven't grown up yet. Even their great talents haven't been realized.
Laxus wouldn't use his current strength to measure Erza's talent, but rather his own at age fourteen. He had to admit that Erza's talent was indeed astonishing.
"It's not over yet!"
Looking at Laxus, Erza gritted her teeth and spoke. She changed her outfit again, this time wearing a revealing outfit.
Her hairstyle was still a ponytail, but now it was tied up with a small green tube. She wore red lantern pants with yellow flame patterns on the outside, and only a white bandage-covered tube top on her upper body. Erza was barefoot and held a long sword that exuded a very dangerous aura.
"Even if the armor isn't very useful, we don't have to discard it completely, do we?!"
Mirajane was puzzled by Erza's outfit. If she were to take another punch in this situation, it wouldn't just be her armor that would shatter!
"Phew~"
Erza gripped the longsword in both hands, took a deep breath, and her magical power instantly erupted, all concentrated on the longsword in her hands. "The Robe of Purity" + "The Demon Sword Crimson Sakura" was her most powerful offensive equipment. Abandoning all defense, she enhanced her offensive power to the extreme, making a desperate gamble!
Erza already understood that there was a huge gap in strength between her and Laxus. Even if she wore a lot of thick armor, she would only be able to take a beating. The armor would be shattered like the "Armor of the Thunder Emperor". Rather than being beaten up in a cowardly manner, she might as well abandon her defense and let Laxus see her power!
Seeing Erza unleash her magical power, Laxus's expression finally changed; he was no longer as nonchalant as before.
Erza was worthy of his attention, which made Laxus sigh. There were indeed many talented children in the guild, but they were all overshadowed by Moen's brilliance.
Erza swung her long sword, named "Benizakura the Demon Sword." For Erza now, it was a weapon of immense power that was almost beyond her control. Without exerting all her strength and unleashing her full magical power, she couldn't even hold onto this demon sword.
Therefore, taking out this knife was indeed a desperate, all-out attack for her.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Wielding her longsword, Erza unleashed her magical power and charged towards Laxus. This force caused Mirajane's expression to change; Erza had never acted like this when they fought. It proved that there was indeed a gap between them.
"boom!!!"
A loud bang made Moen, who hadn't yet arrived at the scene, look up, and everyone's attention turned to the direction from which the bang came.
Now those companions who had gone astray and couldn't find their way had a target. The lightning and thunder over there clearly indicated that Laxus was engaged in battle, so Gray immediately changed direction and headed over.
As for Moen, he was almost there. He had sent his crows to locate Laxus early on, so he easily made his way there with Cana and Joey.
Speaking of which, the sights and sounds I had on Sirius Island along the way were quite interesting.
Tianlang Island truly lives up to its reputation as a "Shangri-La." Its natural environment is incredibly ancient, and the island is home to many strange creatures, some of which are enormous and clearly abnormal, and some can even talk.
The strange creatures they encountered along the way made the legend that "fairies once lived on this island" seem a little more believable, since these talking animals could also be called "fairies" in Moen's mind.
Of course, the "fairy" that Moen is talking about is obviously different from the "fairy" in this world.
By the time Moen arrived with Cana and Joey, the battle was over. Laxus was unharmed, while Erza had exhausted too much magic and lost her ability to fight. In the end, she was unable to harm Laxus, who had transformed into lightning.