CRACK!
The barrier shattered once again.
SHING!
RULE: Within this Script—
CRACK!
Before the rule could even finish manifesting, the Runic Barrier was already obliterated.
Kael walked forward, a sphere of compressed magic swirling in his palm, tearing through every barrier in his path. In less than a minute, the intricate web of Script Magic that Freed had spent so much effort setting up was reduced to nothing but shimmering dust.
Freed's face was pale. He drew his rapier, slashing it through the air with desperate speed.
SHING!
A massive, glowing dome expanded to enclose them both.
RULE: Only one person can leave this Script.
Kael looked at the text floating in the air and turned his gaze toward Freed. "Looks like you've finally made up your mind."
"You're damn right! If you want a piece of Laxus, you have to get through me first!"
Freed had initially estimated Laxus's chances against Kael at sixty-forty. But after seeing Kael dismantle his barriers with such casual ease, he realized he had been far too optimistic. This was the man who had brought down one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Laxus against Kael... a realistic estimate was thirty-seventy. At worst, it was ninety-ten in Kael's favor.
Kael was powerful, but Freed saw a weakness: Magic Power. If he could drain enough of Kael's magic power here, Laxus would have a better shot at winning.
"Dark Écriture: Darkness!"
Freed carved the runes into his own skin, his body twisting and bulging until he transformed into a towering, demonic entity.
BOOM!
Freed lunged, the ground cracking under his feet. He closed the distance in an instant, throwing a heavy, magic-charged fist directly at Kael's face.
Kael didn't move. He didn't even flinch. Just as Freed thought the blow would land, his fist came to a dead stop inches from Kael's nose.
It felt as if an invisible, absolute wall was blocking him—a sensation similar to his own Runic Barriers, yet fundamentally different.
"What is this?!"
"This is what I told you before: my barrier spell," Kael said calmly. "Your attack didn't actually 'stop.' It just became slower. The closer you get to me, the slower you become. To the naked eye, it looks like I'm standing still."
GRAB!
Kael's hand shot out, catching Freed's massive fist. He yanked the demon toward him, driving his other fist deep into Freed's stomach.
"GUAAGH!!"
Freed let out a strangled scream. He felt as if his internal organs were being pulverized.
"I'm not done," Kael muttered.
He unleashed a barrage of heavy, reinforced strikes. Freed grit his teeth, swinging his massive arms to force Kael back before retreating into the air.
"Darkness Breath!"
Freed unleashed a swirling vortex of dark magic, aiming to swallow Kael whole.
Kael simply raised his hand, a point of magic forming at his fingertips. Its pull was absolute; it sucked the entire dark vortex into itself like a vacuum.
"What?!"
SHING!
Kael blurred out of existence, reappearing directly above Freed. He swung his leg in a massive overhead kick.
"That speed?!"
Freed barely had time to cross his arms in a block.
WHAM!
"AAAAAAGH!!"
Freed was sent screaming toward the earth. He hit the ground like a meteor, creating a massive crater in the middle of the street.
Kael drifted down to the ground, landing lightly. Freed lay in the center of the pit, coughing up blood.
"That's enough. Just stay down," Kael said. The weight of his magic strikes wasn't something a normal mage could just shrug off.
Kael turned his back, heading toward the entrance of Kardia Cathedral.
"Wait... stop..."
Freed wobbled as he forced himself to stand.
"I won't... let you get to Laxus!!" Freed shouted, gathering every last drop of his magic between his cupped hands.
"Fine. If that's how it is, I'll stop holding back."
Kael raised his right index finger. He began channeling his restorative magic into his barrier spell. A tiny, sparking sphere of crimson light began to condense.
"Darkness Flare Bomb!"
Freed unleashed a massive orb of dark magic. The ground beneath the projectile shattered and crumbled as it tore toward Kael.
Magic.
The red sphere shot forward, unleashing a terrifying wave of repulsion. Everything in its path—the stone, the air, the very light—was crushed and blown away.
BOOM!!
The two forces collided, but it wasn't even a contest. The sheer repulsive force of the red sphere vaporized the darkness and slammed into Freed with the force of a high-speed train.
"AAAAAAAGH!!!"
CRASH!
Freed's body smashed through the heavy oak doors of Kardia Cathedral. He tumbled across the marble floor of the main hall, rolling until he finally came to a stop right at Laxus's feet.
"Laxus..." Freed wheezed, his voice barely a whisper. "Be careful... of Kael..."
His strength failed him, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
The sound of steady, relaxed footsteps echoed through the hall as a figure stepped into the cathedral.
"So, you're finally here?"
Laxus stood there, a predatory, twisted grin on his face as he looked toward the entrance.
"Wait, wait," Laxus scoffed, looking Kael up and down. "What's with the new look? You look so good it's actually annoying."
"You think so?" Kael replied. "Just a change of pace. I'd say it matches my natural charm pretty well."
Laxus's eye twitched. "You've got a thick skin, I'll give you that. I never realized how brazen you were."
"If you haven't noticed how good-looking I am until now, then your eyesight must be worse than I thought."
"Kael, I'm giving you one last chance," Laxus said, his tone turning serious. "Join me. Together, we can make Fairy Tail—no, all of Ishgar—the strongest guild in existence."
"Not interested," Kael said, rejecting him for the second time.
"What a shame! If you aren't interested, then stay out of my way! I'm going to be the Master of Fairy Tail, and I'm going to build the strongest guild myself!"
Kael tilted his head, looking genuinely confused. "Staying out of your way? We've barely even met. How exactly am I obstructing you?"
Laxus's eyes widened, his expression becoming manic. "Your existence! Just the fact that you exist is an obstacle!"
"You know what they say, right? Who's the strongest in Fairy Tail? People used to debate it. Was it me? Or was it you? But then you went and took down Jose Porla of Phantom Lord."
"After that, the debate died. Everyone in the guild thinks you are the strongest. Even the old man wants to hand the title of Master over to you—a spot that was supposed to be mine! Mine!"
"Now some outsider who's only been here a year is going to take it all away?!"
"I won't accept it! I swear, I'm taking back what belongs to me!"
"Come on! Let's settle this once and for all. Let's see who really is the strongest in Fairy Tail!!"
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