"Boom!"
After the lightning dissipated, a rolling thunder reverberated across the entire sky from the thick dark clouds, deafeningly loud.
A golden bolt of lightning, moving with astonishing, almost instantaneous speed, suddenly shot in front of Cana, halting instantly.
Strong currents of electricity spilled outwards, making Cana feel her hair subtly float and a faint tingling sensation on her skin, as if countless tiny needles were gently pricking her.
The golden lightning gradually faded, and a burly, strong blonde man appeared out of thin air, standing before Cana.
The man stood with his arms crossed, his golden hair dazzlingly bright, and a black cape billowing violently behind him in the wind, flapping loudly.
Faint golden electric snakes constantly flickered around his body, making "crackle" sounds. With a lightning-shaped scar at the corner of his eye, he looked at Cana expressionlessly, his gaze filled with authority.
"Laxus!"
Cana looked at the burly man in front of her, and a surprised cry escaped her lips. Her entire body instantly relaxed, and the tension in her heart finally eased.
Laxus nodded slightly in response, then his gaze turned to Natsu, who was enveloped in a ghost-like form by the Evil Crow King. His brows furrowed tightly, and he said in a deep voice, "How did it get like this?"
Cana's face was full of worry, her gaze still fixed on Natsu, and she said, "He was ambushed. Save him first; that snake is poisonous."
Laxus nodded and said, "Alright, you two go down first."
Cana glanced at the chaotic horde of magical beasts below, which had fallen into disarray due to the death of the white snake's decoy. A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, and she asked, "Aren't we going back to the guild? There are too many magical beasts down there."
"He's too severely injured; he won't make it back to the guild." Laxus raised one hand, and golden electric snakes instantly coiled around his arm. A powerful, suffocating pressure emanated from him like a tide.
"Go down without worry."
Hearing this, Cana did not hesitate at all. Riding the Cloud Steed, with the Frost Spirit and the Evil Crow King following behind her, she descended straight down without a moment's thought.
Above the sky, Laxus suddenly raised his right hand high above his head. Intense golden lightning instantly burst forth, and the entire sky brightened at once.
The next second, the electric light dissipated.
Laxus's arm muscles rapidly swelled, veins bulging, and he fiercely punched downwards.
At the tip of his fist, dazzling golden lightning shot straight down below. The lightning carried an aura of destruction, like a golden pillar of light, narrowly passing Cana's body and landing a step ahead.
The lightning suddenly exploded the moment it was about to touch the ground. The dense golden electricity instantly transformed into a giant electric net, wildly spreading towards the surging beast horde.
Almost instantly, the golden lightning, like a surging giant wave, rapidly spread, engulfing all the magical beasts. The electric light exploded, and thick black smoke billowed from the ground into the air.
With just one strike, at least five thousand or more magical beasts on the ground were instantly reduced to ashes under this violent lightning.
Yet, the ground suffered no damage, and even the ten Swamp Crocodiles nearby were completely unharmed.
This magical power, this astonishing control over magic!
This was the true strength of Laxus, the strongest S-Class Mage below the Master and Gildarts!
Cana looked at the black smoke wafting past her, carrying the smell of burnt meat, and then at the instantly empty ground. Her eyes were a little dazed, and she murmured in disbelief, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is too exaggerated!"
"You treat Natsu first, I'll take care of the rest." Laxus's voice came from above Cana's head.
Cana looked up and saw that Laxus had already transformed into a golden bolt of lightning, soaring into the sky. Above, a large mass of dark clouds quickly gathered, and hundreds of golden lightning bolts struck down from the sky.
The violent lightning did not harm the ground when it landed, but spread into a dense golden electric net, turning the magical beasts on the ground into ashes.
"Okay!" Cana responded.
The Cloud Steed, with wind under its hooves, carried Cana to a stable landing on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Evil Crow King, in its black cloud state, gently placed Natsu, whom it had been enveloping, onto the ground.
Natsu lay flat on the ground, his face ashen white as paper, devoid of color. Blood continuously flowed from the corners of his mouth. Two fist-sized blood holes in his chest and abdomen oozed blood, making him look utterly miserable.
The Evil Crow King and the Frost Spirit, one emitting black light and the other ice-blue light, melted into two streams of light. They each condensed into a card and flew swiftly back into Cana's hand.
Cana flipped off the Cloud Steed. After retrieving the cards of the Evil Crow King and the Frost Spirit, she gave a slight shake of her hand, and a white card instantly appeared in her grasp.
"fairy card: Life Healing!"
The card emitted a soft white light, warm and full of vitality, shining upon Natsu.
This white light carried a strong life aura. After being illuminated by the white light, the large holes in Natsu's chest and abdomen grew granulation tissue at an astonishing, visible speed. These granulations quickly intertwined, and the wounds rapidly healed.
In less than two seconds, only faint white marks remained on his skin; there was no trace of the two shocking blood holes from earlier.
The white card in Cana's hand also disappeared with it.
Natsu clutched his chest, suddenly sat up, spat out a mouthful of blood, then gasped for air in large gulps. His complexion began to improve.
"How are you, Natsu?" Cana reached out to support Natsu's back, quickly took a tissue from her pocket, wiped the blood from Natsu's mouth, and asked with concern.
"It's a really potent poison. I couldn't wait to deal with it back at the guild; if I had delayed any longer, the toxins would have reached my heart. Please move aside, Cana." Natsu gently pushed Cana away, then gritted his teeth and stood up. Intense crimson flames surged from within him, instantly turning him into a man of fire.
Cana quickly stepped back a bit. From her perspective, she could see that Natsu's skin was flushed, as if flames were also burning fiercely inside him, and faint red smoke slowly rose from his body, dissipating into the air.
Cana sharply smelled a strong scent of blood, and Natsu's face opposite her grew even paler—a pallor caused by excessive blood loss.
"Natsu, what are you doing…?"
The crimson flames did not last long; Natsu soon retracted them into his body. At this moment, Natsu's face was ashen white as frost, his steps were somewhat unsteady, and his body staggered.
Cana immediately stepped forward quickly and grabbed Natsu's shoulder.
Natsu looked at Cana gratefully, a relieved expression on his face, and said, "Uncle Macao taught me this a while ago. If a Mage with fire magic accidentally gets poisoned during a mission, they can ignite the flames inside their body to burn off the toxins. Although it causes some blood loss, it can quickly deal with the poison."
As the two spoke, the dark clouds above them slowly dissipated, and the thunder that had echoed across the sky also quieted down.
Cana supported Natsu as they looked up. There were no living magical beasts around, only black smoke drifting with the cold wind.
In just about ten seconds, the massive beast horde that had been there was now completely annihilated by the lightning.
A golden bolt of lightning landed in front of them, transforming into the burly Laxus.
Having dealt with the beast horde, Laxus was not even flushed or out of breath, and there wasn't even a speck of dust on his clothes, looking completely at ease.
Laxus stood with his arms crossed, his gaze surveying the two somewhat disheveled individuals. His brow furrowed slightly, and he asked, "Wasn't EZ with you two? How did you still get surrounded by magical beasts? Where is he?"
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