Magnolia Town.Caludia Cathedral.
Laxus sat alone on the stone steps in front of the grand cathedral doors, his expression dark as he stared at the flares blooming once more in the sky. His brows furrowed deeper with each passing second.
"It's only been an hour... and two of the Thunder God Tribe have already fallen..." he muttered coldly.
"Who's still standing? Freed?" he speculated, though the bitterness in his voice betrayed his growing doubt.
The breeze shifted.
"No. Freed was defeated by Mirajane after she fully awakened her Satan Soul. The only one left was Evergreen," an indifferent voice floated to Laxus' ears. As a Dragon Slayer, his acute senses caught the subtle tone instantly.
He narrowed his eyes. There was no one in front of him.
For a long moment, nothing stirred—Until a thin figure slowly emerged from the distance.
Ken.
Laxus watched him approach in silence, not speaking until the newcomer stood a few meters away.
"You're still standing against me, Ken," Laxus said, his voice low and filled with restrained rage.
Ken met his gaze calmly. "Stop this now, Laxus. Everyone would still just think this was a bad joke."
"It's too late for that..." Laxus growled.
Without warning, he exploded forward, a bolt of furious lightning incarnate.
"Thunder Dragon's Crushing Wings!"
His heavy fist, wrapped in violent thunder, slammed downward.Ken reacted instantly, summoning the Wings of the Storm Dragon, lightning and wind fusing together into blinding speed.
Ken crouched low, letting Laxus' strike whiff past him, before planting his palms against the ground.
"Earth Dragon's Rift!"
The dry soil cracked, a jagged scar racing towards Laxus.
"Tch, don't bother with weak tricks like that!"Laxus scoffed, stabilizing his lunge with sheer force, ignoring the ruptured ground entirely as he launched another furious attack.
"Thunder Dragon's Hammer Fist!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
This time, Ken met Laxus head-on, testing his strength with a fire-imbued strike.
The impact rocked the cathedral, dust and rubble exploding outward.Ken slid back a few steps, his arms tingling from the force, but managed to stay standing.
'He's even stronger than Natsu was during the Phantom Lord incident...' Ken thought grimly.
"I'm the strongest in Fairy Tail! Stronger than the old man! Did you really think YOU could beat me?!" Laxus roared, veins bulging as lightning crackled wildly around him.
Another savage punch hurtled towards Ken.
"Boom!!"
The strike carried terrifying thunderous might, but Ken twisted midair, narrowly dodging, then dove down in a counterstrike.
"Thunder Dragon's Heavenly Halberd!"
"Flames of the Brilliant Fire Dragon!"
The two clashed dozens of times in mere moments, magic bursting like fireworks across the broken cathedral. The dilapidated roof crumbled entirely from the battle's force, leaving the fighters exposed to the skies above.
Both of their magic reserves began draining rapidly.
Finally, Laxus created distance, panting heavily as he retreated toward the cathedral's ruined altar.
Ken approached slowly, unbothered by the fatigue weighing on his opponent.
"We're both Lightning Dragon Slayers, Laxus," Ken said quietly. "We both know your weakness."
Laxus glared murderously.
Ken continued, calm and merciless, "Your strength is explosive. But your stamina—your magic endurance—is lacking."
Ken had analyzed Laxus thoroughly, both from his past experiences and from the knowledge he'd retained about this world.
Laxus could overwhelm most enemies easily with power and speed. But stretched into a prolonged battle, he weakened steadily.
Ken, however, had seven other elemental affinities to draw from and experience managing his magic reserves wisely.
Above them, a faint crackle of magic drew their attention.
Fireworks bloomed in the sky once again—The third flare.
Laxus' pupils shrank.
"Magic flare... the third one..." he rasped.
Ken exhaled lightly. "Seems Evergreen's lost too. All the Thunder Gods have been defeated."
"No... no way..."
Laxus gritted his teeth hard enough that it hurt, his knuckles white.
The realization crashed down on him: His carefully constructed coup was collapsing.
"Do you still want to keep fighting?" Ken asked evenly.
Silence.
Laxus refused to answer, his pride battling his reality.
He finally turned his furious, bloodshot gaze toward Ken.
"If that old man hadn't brought you into the guild out of nowhere, I'd be Master of Fairy Tail by now!" Laxus shouted, his voice cracking.
He staggered slightly, overwhelmed by rage and exhaustion.
And yet, under Ken's silent, steady gaze, Laxus summoned his magic again—
But this time, there was no thunder.
Ken's eyes narrowed. "You're going to use that...?"
Closing his eyes, Laxus began chanting.
In his palms, a pure white sphere of light appeared, delicate but pulsing with dreadful magical power.
Fairy Law.
One of the three Great Fairy Magics, alongside Fairy Glitter and Fairy Sphere.A spell that judges and eradicates those the caster considers an enemy.
Laxus poured everything he had into the spell.
The orb grew, flickering violently, unstable—barely containing the destructive magic within.
"It's a shame..." Laxus whispered hoarsely, voice cracking from exhaustion. "The range is just enough for you, Ken..."
"This is what Fairy Tail should be. A guild where only the strong survive!"
Outside the cathedral—
Erza, having just defeated Evergreen, sprinted toward the sudden surge of magic.
She sensed the spell immediately—and froze.
"Fairy Law...!"
Terror gripped her heart.
"No!!"
Erza dashed forward, breaking through the ruined cathedral doors just as the light enveloped Ken.
"Ken, run!!" she screamed.
Ken turned slightly, blinking in surprise at her sudden appearance. "Eh? Big Sister?"
He wasn't panicking at all—in fact, he looked almost... excited?
Before he could react, Laxus detonated the spell.
Thousands of streams of white light burst forth, swallowing the entire cathedral in a dazzling sea of magic, as if the heavens themselves had descended.
"It's too late...!" Erza cried.
With no hesitation, Erza threw herself forward, shielding Ken with her own body.
It was too late to evacuate him—but at least she could protect him, even if it cost her everything.
The radiant judgment of Fairy Law fell.
The battle's decisive moment had come.
(Next Chapter: The Heart of Fairy Law)