That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B!

Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic.

This was the core of Laxus Dreyar’s identity. His element was lightning, and he was arguably its absolute master. What is the most defining trait of lightning?

Speed.

Yet, Laxus was far more than just fast. His raw physical ability far surpassed his peers. Given that he was the grandson of Makarov—the wielder of Giant Magic—it would have been strange if Laxus didn’t possess monstrous physical strength.

So, what happens when you combine overwhelming physical power with the absolute speed of lightning?

Charge!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

Transforming into a literal bolt of living lightning, Laxus launched himself forward like a spear. He rocketed toward Finn, intending to tackle him with the force of a meteor and drive him violently into the cobblestones!

Yet—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Instead of being smashed into the ground, Finn braced his stance and caught Laxus mid-charge! Enduring the force, Finn spun on his heel and violently threw the Lightning Dragon Slayer across the battlefield!

”Huh?!”

Laxus was stunned, but he couldn’t adjust his trajectory in time. His body smashed through three consecutive stone buildings before coming to a violent halt.

”LAXUSSSSSSSSSSS!”

The Fairy Tail balcony erupted in panic, calling out his name in sheer terror. However, a sigh of relief washed over them as they saw Laxus calmly stand up, brushing the debris off his shoulders as if nothing had happened.

”You should probably just stay down, you know?” Finn called out lazily. ”There’s no point in fighting when the result is already decided.”

Even if Laxus was a Dragon Slayer and arguably the strongest lightning mage on the continent, Finn didn’t view him as a threat. Yes, Laxus had blinding speed and monstrous strength, but was it enough to break Finn’s defense?

Not a chance.

Finn had just shattered Jura Neekis, whose raw physical strength and defensive capabilities were likely the highest in the entire tournament. So, Laxus?

Finn honestly hadn’t thought about him too seriously. Dealing with Dragon Slayers was simple; if he really wanted to, he could just teleport Laxus onto a moving vehicle. The motion sickness would instantly incapacitate him. But Finn wouldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be any fun.

”Well, yes, it is pretty obvious that I’m going to win,” Laxus sneered.

He was slightly surprised that Finn had managed to catch him and casually throw him aside, but would he give up? Absolutely not. If anything, the challenge only fueled his desire to crush his opponent.

Especially after what Finn had done to Natsu earlier in the tournament.

Laxus spat a mouthful of blood onto the ruined street and wiped his mouth, a feral grin stretching across his face.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

Internally, he had to admit that absorbing Finn’s residual black lightning had been a massive gamble. His stomach was currently churning in agony, and it felt as though the foreign energy was actively trying to tear his body apart from the inside out. But...

”WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

The aura around Laxus exploded. The standard golden lightning of his Dragon Slayer magic violently shifted, completely consumed by an intense, crackling black aura.

”Black Lightning Mode!”

”Oh?”

Finn blinked in genuine surprise. He hadn’t expected Laxus to adapt to his energy so quickly. Instead of relying on the Red Lightning Mode he developed in the original timeline, Laxus had absorbed and assimilated Finn’s black lightning, forcefully evolving his own magic.

Frankly, Finn was surprised Laxus’s body hadn’t just exploded from eating his concentrated magic, but... well, this guy was from Fairy Tail. They made a habit of breaking the rules of magic.

Regardless of how he did it, Laxus had just grown stronger. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was now on par with—or perhaps even stronger than—Jura.

Yet, even facing this massive power-up, Finn simply took a deep breath, crossed his arms over his chest, and said, ”Go ahead.”

There was no hesitation. Moving at a speed that completely defied tracking, Laxus vanished and reappeared directly in front of Finn, throwing a devastating, lightning-infused right hook!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

Laxus’s speed, senses, and sheer destructive output had been amplified to horrifying levels. Armed with this new power, he was completely certain of his victory!

”Lightning Dragon’s Breakdown Fist!”

Laxus gathered a massive, condensed sphere of black electricity around his knuckles and unleashed a giant, rushing punch designed to mimic the crushing force of a dragon’s claw!

”ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!”

BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

As the rapid-fire explosions shook the city, the Fairy Tail guild went absolutely feral, screaming themselves hoarse.

”LAXUS!”

”GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

”YOU CAN DO THIS! WINNNNNNNNNNNNNN!”

Watching the sheer, unbridled destruction their comrades were unleashing, they couldn’t imagine anyone surviving the onslaught.

”GO LAXUS! SECURE THOSE 30 MILLION JEWELS!” Makarov screamed the loudest, completely losing his mind over the prize money.

”AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Fueled by the deafening cheers of his guild, Laxus poured even more magical energy into his fists, his attacks growing faster and heavier!

Yet, amidst the storm of black lightning and shattered stone... Finn was immovable.

He was completely unscathed. Laxus’s ultimate, amplified attacks were doing absolutely nothing to his body. Finn just stood there with his arms crossed, silently watching the Dragon Slayer flail against him, before he finally decided to take a step forward.

”Huh?”

The Fairy Tail members suddenly choked on their cheers. Just as they thought Laxus had him on the ropes, Finn began walking forward. He completely ignored the furious barrage of lightning strikes, pushing through them like a bulldozer plowing through dry leaves.

”GO DOWN!” Laxus roared, launching an even stronger, desperate strike, funneling every last drop of his magic into his fist.

Yet, the moment his knuckles connected, Laxus felt as though he had just punched the side of an indestructible mountain.

Before he could process the sheer absurdity of Finn’s durability, a gigantic, terrifying shadow eclipsed his vision. A single, casual fist was casually swinging toward his face.

”Huh?!”

Relying purely on his enhanced reflexes, Laxus desperately crossed both of his arms in front of his chest to block.

Crack!

The sickening sound of a bone fracturing echoed through the arena. Laxus was violently launched backward, his feet tearing deep trenches through the cobblestones as he skidded for nearly fifty meters.

All of his momentum, all of his newly acquired power, and all of his furious initiative—broken by a single, casual punch.

Everything he had built up was erased in an instant.

Yet, the nightmare wasn’t over. Laxus felt as though a bomb had gone off inside his ribcage. The sheer kinetic impact forced a massive mouthful of blood up his throat, his eyes bulging wildly from the excruciating pain. But in that very fraction of a second, an overwhelming, primal instinct screamed at him.

He looked down just in time to see a foot burying itself directly into his stomach.

There was zero resistance. It was a clean kick that shattered his equilibrium.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!

Laxus was launched into the air like a ragdoll. He violently tumbled across the battlefield, smashing through several ruined buildings before violently cratering into the earth with a deafening bang.

”...”

Two attacks.

The stadium was dead silent. The Fairy Tail members stared at the massive crater in absolute horror. They couldn’t comprehend how quickly Laxus had been dismantled. The fleeting hope of victory was violently torn apart, replaced by the crushing realization of the insurmountable gap between the two men.

Could Laxus defeat Finn?

It was impossible.

”Gaaah!”

Down in the crater, Laxus was still struggling. He refused to pass out. He refused to be defeated.

You’ve gotta be kidding me... You’ve gotta be kidding me?! Laxus raged internally.

Was he really being put down this easily?! No way! Even if he knew deep down he wasn’t a match for Finn, he absolutely refused to lose like this!

Get up! Get up! Get up!

Laxus screamed at his shattered body to move, but it was impossible. His muscles were completely unresponsive.

Finn, however, was not the type of villain who would casually walk away and leave his opponents a chance to recover. If he was going to defeat someone, he was going to make sure they stayed down.

Taking a casual, bounding run-up, Finn closed the distance, fully prepared to deliver a devastating soccer kick directly to the Dragon Slayer’s head.

”LAXUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!”

Laxus’s vision was swimming, his eyes clouded with blood, but he could feel the incoming danger. He knew that if he couldn’t dodge this, it was over.

Move! Move! Move!

But no matter how desperately he struggled, he couldn’t twitch a single muscle.

Just as the final blow was about to land, an entirely unexpected figure suddenly dropped from the sky, landing squarely between Laxus and Finn.

”My friend. It truly isn’t like you to show such a pathetic face.”

”You...?!”

Laxus was completely dumbfounded. This absurd figure stood tall, taking the full, devastating force of Finn’s kick on Laxus’s behalf!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!

The impact was terrifying. The figure was instantly blown away, violently smashing through three separate brick walls.

Yet, incredibly, the man slowly pushed himself up from the rubble, striking a flawless, sparkling pose.

”Hahaha! You cannot defeat me so easily! If I were to fall from a mere kick, I could never uphold my status as the number one handsome man on the continent, could I?”

”...”

The entire stadium was speechless.

Yet, breaking the stunned silence, the Fairy Tail guild erupted into genuine, desperate cheers for their bizarre savior.

”ICHIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Yes, against all logic and reason, Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki had entered the battlefield!