Chapter 95: Dino VS Laxus (Part 2)
The collision between the two mages erupted with devastating force.
CRASH! The stained glass windows of Kardia Cathedral shattered instantly, the shockwave sending razor-sharp fragments spraying outward in a glittering explosion.
Massive cracks spider-webbed across the stone floor, and all of Magnolia trembled from the impact.
"Dino and Laxus are going at it!" The thought flashed through every Fairy Tail member's mind simultaneously.
"GAAAHHH! This is so unfair! Why didn't I get to fight?!" Natsu wailed, practically tearing at his hair in frustration. Both Laxus and Dino were at the top of his "must defeat" list.
And now these two were battling each other without him! The injustice of it all!
Watching Natsu's dramatic meltdown, Makarov turned to Happy with a sweatdrop. "Natsu really wants in on this, doesn't he?"
"Aye, sir~!"
BOOM! Dino punched the air itself, and the shockwave from his Tremor-Tremor power instantly cleared away all the smoke and debris.
CRACKLE! BZZT! Golden lightning arcs erupted from Laxus's hands, converging on Dino from every angle like seeking serpents.
Dino clenched his fist and struck the space beside him with blinding speed.
CRACK! The air fractured like broken glass where his knuckles connected.
BOOM!
Every single bolt of lightning shattered on impact, dissipating into harmless sparks.
FLASH! Laxus converted his entire body into electrical energy, appearing directly in front of Dino in the blink of an eye, his eyes wild with battle-lust. "Raging Bolt!"
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE! A sphere of blindingly intense golden lightning materialized in Laxus's palm, which he thrust toward Dino's midsection.
BOOM! CRASH! SLAM!
The explosive impact sent Dino flying backward, his body smashing through several of the cathedral's massive stone support pillars before finally punching a crater-sized hole through the outer wall.
Seeing Dino get launched, Laxus threw his head back and laughed maniacally. "HAHAHAHA! You see that, Dino?! This is what I've been working toward!"
"Ever since you beat me five years ago, I swore I'd surpass you one day! Everything you put me through—I'm returning it all with interest!"
"While you were playing around at the guild, acting all friendly, I was training until I could barely stand! My power's completely surpassed yours now! HAHAHAHA!"
The cathedral fell silent except for Laxus's echoing laughter, as if he were performing a one-man show.
When no response came, Laxus stopped laughing and shouted at the rubble. "Get up already, you bastard!"
"That hit barely scratched you! How long are you gonna lay there?!"
Rustle… crash… tumble…
From the debris where Dino had landed, the white-haired mage slowly rose to his feet, casually brushing dust from his coat.
The stone walls around where Dino stood had been reduced to fine sand and powder. Even the cathedral's support pillars he'd crashed through had crumbled into grain-like fragments.
Laxus noticed immediately. After a moment's thought, he realized what had happened—the bastard had activated his Tremor-Tremor ability the instant the Raging Bolt connected, vibrating everything he touched into dust to cushion the impact. That kind of split-second combat awareness was still as irritating as ever.
Dino looked at Laxus with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, you just looked like you were having such a good time. Didn't want to interrupt such a heartfelt victory speech."
"But I gotta admit, Laxus, you've gotten way stronger. That golden lightning especially—nearly blinded me there. Maybe I should grab some sunglasses before we continue."
"Oh, and by the way—you're paying for all the damage to this cathedral!"
He'd actually been about to counterattack when that point-blank lightning sphere had flash-banged him, allowing the hit to land.
"Shut the hell up!" Laxus's eye twitched in annoyance. That tone—like some master praising a student's progress—was infuriating. "I'm not some damn—"
"Roar of thunder that shakes the heavens, descend from above and reduce all to cinders—Raging Tempest!"
Dark thunderclouds materialized directly above Dino, instantly locking onto his magical signature.
VWOOM! Dino clenched his fist, a white spherical aura of vibrational energy forming around it.
CRACK!
BOOM!
A single punch shattered the thundercloud into dissipating magical particles.
CRASH! Dino kicked off the ground with explosive force, appearing before Laxus in an instant and launching a devastating kick.
Laxus's eyes widened. His magical power erupted outward in a golden explosion. Lightning wreathed his entire body, and combined with his spiky blonde hair standing even more on end, he resembled a warrior from legend ascending to a higher level of power.
Scale-like patterns of crackling energy formed over both forearms as he crossed them defensively.
WHAM! The impact of Dino's kick sent Laxus skidding backward, his feet carving twin trenches through the stone floor.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus's cheeks bulged before unleashing a devastating torrent of electrical destruction from his mouth, the thunderstorm blast screaming toward Dino.
Dino brought both fists together and struck forward, meeting the Dragon Slayer's roar head-on.
BOOM! The lightning storm shattered under the vibrational assault. When wielding the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power, nothing in this world couldn't be broken with a single strike. If something survived one blow, you simply hit it again.
The instant Dino shattered the Lightning Dragon's Roar, Laxus converted to pure electricity and materialized behind him, wrapping both arms around Dino in a crushing bear hug.
Laxus had committed to this strategy completely—if he could just hold Dino in place, he could channel enough lightning through him to cook him from the inside out.
In this empowered state—his body wreathed in golden lightning like an ascended warrior—Laxus's speed, strength, and defense were all dramatically enhanced. Of course, the magical power consumption was equally intense. Without the reserves of a Wizard Saint-level mage, or a body trained to handle the strain, maintaining this form was impossible. The key was ending fights quickly.
Dino immediately dropped his head and planted both hands on the ground, then swung one leg up through the gap between Laxus's arms, his boot connecting solidly with Laxus's jaw.
"GAH!" Laxus grunted in pain as the kick launched him upward. He forced himself to recover mid-flight, executing a backflip to land on one of the remaining support columns.
CRACK! Laxus kicked off the pillar, stone exploding beneath his feet as he rocketed back toward Dino. The two collided in a furious exchange of blows.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!