The Guild Hall, Late X776
Spring turned to summer, and summer faded into autumn.
The year X776 was drawing to a quiet close.
It had been a peaceful year since no particularly notable individuals had joined the guild, and the days passed in a comfortable rhythm.
However, the peace was broken one morning.
Master Makarov stood by the second-floor railing, looking down at the bustling hall.
The chatter died down instantly.
"I officially announce this year's candidate for the S-Class Promotion Exam: Laxus Dreyar."
Exam Details:
Date: Seven days from now.
Location: Tenrou Island.
Chief Examiner: Raizel Bael.
Format: 1 vs 1 Duel.
The format had been agreed upon in advance.
There would be no teammates, no puzzles, and no tricks.
Just a true man's duel.
"WOOOH!!!!"
The cheer that erupted was deafening.
The entire guild celebrated as one.
Although Laxus could still be prickly and tsundere, he had integrated well into the family, and everyone was genuinely delighted that he had finally earned his shot at S-Class.
"Laxus, congratulations." Cana walked over, raising a tankard of grape juice for a toast.
Laxus smirked, clinking his glass against hers.
Gray and Lyon rushed over, offering congratulations mixed with brash challenges.
Laxus merely chuckled, waving them off; they still had a long way to go before they could stand in his ring.
"Laxus, congratulations. I'll be earning my S-Class qualification soon enough, so don't get too comfortable," Erza said confidently as she and Ultear approached.
"Then I wish you success when the time comes," Laxus nodded, acknowledging her strength.
After the crowd thinned out, Raizel, who had been sitting quietly beside him, finally spoke.
"Congratulations, Laxus." Raizel signaled the waiter for a beer—a rare indulgence—intending to properly celebrate his friend's milestone.
Laxus clinked glasses with Raizel and took a sip.
He shook his head, his expression turn serious.
"Don't celebrate yet. It's not certain I'll pass."
"I'm the examiner," Raizel grinned, patting his chest with the confidence of a drunkard. "If I say you pass, you pass. No one can stop it—my word is law!"
Creak.
Laxus watched as a giant shadow loomed over Raizel.
"DONT GO EASY ON HIM!"
WHAM.
A massive, magical fist slammed down from the second floor.
Raizel was sent flying, chair and all, crashing into the far wall.
"Master! You can discipline people, but you cannot damage guild property!" Erza shouted, hands on her hips, her aura flaring.
Makarov shrank back, sipping his beer awkwardly and refusing to meet Erza's terrifying gaze.
...
Seven Days Later
For the next week, Laxus vanished to train in solitude.
Raizel, determined not to lose, prepared himself in the Eastern Forest.
Finally, the day arrived.
On the guild ship, Ur accompanied Ultear, Erza, Cana, and Kagura.
Gray and Lyon had tried to stow away to watch, but they were caught and thrown back onto the dock.
On the voyage, Laxus sat green-faced and trembling.
He said he would rather die than let them see his motion sickness, but since Raizel and the others already knew his weakness, he eventually gave up trying to hide it.
...
Tenrou Island
The shoreline was quiet, save for the rhythmic crashing of waves.
Raizel and Laxus stood ten meters apart.
Ur and Makarov stood protectively in front of the younger spectators, observing from a safe distance.
Unseen by most, Mavis sat on a nearby rock, swinging her legs.
She felt quite fond of Laxus as he reminded her of Yuri.
The sea breeze picked up, lifting the heavy coat draped over Laxus's shoulders—a gift from Raizel years ago.
Underneath, he wore a simple muscle shirt.
Raizel, in contrast, was dressed in a sharp, formal suit.
"Do you remember our first duel?" Laxus asked, tilting his head back to gaze at the sky.
"Of course. The evening of September 28, X770," Raizel replied, adjusting his cuffs.
"We were only about this tall back then." He gestured to his waist.
Laxus closed his eyes, recalling the memory. "Yeah. The next day, I challenged you to a duel and lost badly. Even though my father told me Dragon Slayer Magic was the ultimate ancient power... I still suffered a crushing defeat. From that moment on, I vowed to beat you."
His tone was calm, devoid of any bitterness.
Yet, Raizel could sense the magma-hot fighting spirit bubbling beneath the surface.
"Ivan wasn't lying," Raizel said softly. "Dragon Slayer Magic is powerful. It is a magic capable of killing dragons after all."
Laxus nodded. "As my physical strength improved and my magic grew, I began to understand that potential. After that, we trained together constantly. Climbing cliffs with weights, meditating, sparring, and i... I never won a single match."
He shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Heh."
"But the gap between our strength kept narrowing," Raizel noted.
It was true.
Laxus's talent was terrifying.
In their first duel, Raizel had toyed with him. Now, he had to take this seriously.
"A loss is a loss," Laxus said firmly. "Whether by an inch or a mile. But... I don't feel ashamed of losing to you. Giving up on defeating you? That would be the shame."
"Quite the conviction there." Raizel raised an eyebrow, shifting into a combat stance.
Laxus didn't move yet. "Do you remember this time last year? When I said I couldn't make it back for the holidays?"
Raizel paused. "I remember. It was the first Christmas we couldn't spend together since we met."
"You once mentioned that Dragon Slayers could absorb other elements if they found the right source. I spent months searching for Dragon Lacrimas, but they are impossibly rare. So, I looked for an alternative. Have you heard of the Sun Village?"
Raizel remained silent, but his eyes widened slightly.
He knew exactly where this was going!
"Sun Village... The Eternal Flame?" Ultear murmured from the sidelines.
She had read about the village that housed a flame that had burned for four hundred years.
"I stayed in Sun Village for two months," Laxus continued, his voice deepening. "I helped the villagers with some bounty hunters and gained permission to 'borrow' a portion of their flame."
"It was hell. I tried every safe method—tools, lacrimas, meditation—but the fire repelled me. It was agonizing."
Laxus's eyes began to glow.
"But during the struggle, I smelled it. The scent of a Fire Dragon. I saw a vision of a dragon composed entirely of hellfire. That wasn't just magic, it was the soul of a dragon."
"Atlas Flame..." Raizel whispered the name.
"I realized I couldn't do it the safe way," Laxus said, grinning savagely. "So, I emptied every drop of Lightning Magic from my body. I left myself completely vulnerable... and inhaled the flames directly."
Makarov gasped with tears welling in his eyes.
He understood the risk.
To empty one's vessel completely was to invite death!
"It felt like my insides were melting. Even thinking about it now hurts. But..."
Laxus grabbed his coat and threw it aside.
"I fucking succeeded."
BOOM.
Laxus's muscles swelled, his shirt shredding apart from the sudden expansion of mass.
Crimson scales began to spread across his right arm and up the side of his face.
Golden arcs of lightning crackled violently, mixing with swirling torrents of dark red flame.
The heat was intense enough to distort the air, while the static charge made the hairs on Raizel's arms stand up.
The pressure was suffocating.
It was like the fusion of the heavens' wrath and the earth's fury.
"Thunder Fire Dragon Mode," Raizel said, genuinely impressed.
He hadn't expected Laxus to unlock Dual Element Mode this early.
Laxus exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice now sounding like grinding stones.
"Thunder Fire Dragon huh... Not a bad name."
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