Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

Laxus…why is he doing this?

Levy asked the question aloud, puzzled. Laxus had made no specific demands—only that the Fairy Tail guild members fight each other.

"Is this really just some game to decide who's strongest?" someone murmured.

Mira thought about it. "Maybe he's just trying to prove something."

"What does that even mean?" Lucy and several others were at a loss.

Mira continued, "Six years ago, during the S-Class promotion trial, only Su Tan and Laxus qualified. At the time, Su Tan was only thirteen, and he'd been in the guild for less than a year.

"We were all younger then. Laxus was a lot like Natsu is now—always in the spotlight. Nobody in Fairy Tail could match him except Gildarts, who was away most of the time. Naturally, everyone assumed Laxus would win, and he was so confident he told Su Tan to drop out. He never took Su Tan seriously at all."

Mira sighed. "But in the trial, Su Tan practically crushed Laxus. Laxus couldn't even fight back. After that, he went quiet for a while and toned down his arrogance—until recently. Now he's back to his old ways, always provoking Su Tan. Maybe he believes he's finally strong enough to defeat him."

Erza added, "Being the Master's grandson, Laxus sees Fairy Tail as his inheritance. He's desperate to be recognized as the strongest mage in the guild."

Lucy was stunned. "That happened…? And Su Tan became S-Class at thirteen?!"

Bisca and Juvia were equally shocked. Both had joined Fairy Tail later; Juvia had been in the guild barely a week. She recalled fighting Su Tan herself—she had stood no chance. Now she understood: the other mage had already been S-Class since age thirteen. It made sense he was so overwhelmingly strong.

Suddenly, multiple screen-like illusions appeared in the guild hall, displaying the image of a skull wreathed in crackling lightning.

"What's that?!"

"It looks like Freed's runic information boards just appeared in the guild."

Laxus's voice came through: "Listen up, old man, and everyone else in the guild. Because one rule was broken, we're adding a new rule. To keep the Fairy Tail melee going, I've activated something called the Thunder Palace."

"Thunder Palace?!" Makarov's expression darkened immediately upon hearing the term.

Laxus continued, "You've got one hour and fifty-eight minutes left. Think you can take us down by then? Hahahaha!!"

The script illusions vanished.

Makarov roared, "What are you trying to do, Laxus?! Involve innocent people too?!"

"Ugh!!" Makarov clutched at his chest, face twisting in pain as he sank to his knees.

"Master!!"

"What's wrong?!"

Alarmed, everyone looked on in fear.

"Not good! His medicine—" someone gasped, and Mira quickly ran upstairs.

"Master, hold on!!"

Mira dashed down from the second floor with Makarov's medication, but as she did, she yelled, "Everyone, look outside!"

From a second-floor window, they could see massive lightning-laced crystals floating over Magnolia.

"Those crystals are filled with enormous electrical magic. So the 'Thunder Palace' he mentioned—"

"Could it be something like the 'Thunder Palace'?"

"If those things discharge…?"

"Lightning will rain down all over the city. Laxus is taking everyone in Magnolia hostage now," someone concluded, horror in their voice.

Bisca immediately summoned her magic rifle. "No choice—Sniper Rifle, Transform!" She fired at one of the floating crystals.

Boom!

The crystal shattered.

Lucy exclaimed, "She did it!"

"Good job, Bisca," Cana agreed.

But right after, a lightning bolt lashed out of nowhere, striking Bisca.

"Ahhhh!!"

She collapsed with a shriek, unconscious.

"Bisca!!"

"Hey, snap out of it!"

"What happened?! Why?!"

Cana's face fell as she realized, "Organic Link Magic… Freed must've enchanted each crystal so any damage done to it bounces back on the attacker. Attacking them means hurting yourself."

"This is insane. So we can't destroy the magic crystals at all?!"

"That puts everyone in town at risk!"

Inside Cardia Cathedral, Laxus laughed. "Hahahaha! How about that, old man? This time, the entire city's my hostage."

All at once—

Om—!!

A colossal surge of magical pressure emanated from somewhere in Magnolia.

Those atop the Fairy Tail guild gazed toward it. Far away, they saw purplish, translucent swords taking form in the sky as if some unseen force was forging them from raw energy.

"It's Su!!!" someone shouted.

Everyone recognized the distinctive aura of Su Tan's Haki, which they regarded as his personal brand of magic.

In moments, over three hundred Haki blades formed, hovering above Su Tan's head. With a wave, he sent them all streaking toward the floating lightning crystals.

Levy cried, "Wait, Su Tan doesn't know about that Organic Link magic on the crystals—!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

The sky lit up like fireworks as the crystals exploded under the barrage.

Then—

Boom—!!!

A huge thunderbolt erupted from the crystals and slammed down on Su Tan.

"Arrggh!!" he yelped.

But when the smoke cleared, Su Tan stood there with no real injuries. His sturdy defense had withstood the shock, though he looked a bit singed and more than a little disgruntled. A faint smell of burnt hair wafted in the air.

Indeed, Su Tan's body was extremely tough, but that didn't mean it was painless. He hadn't fully guarded himself with Armament-like power in time, so it felt like a high-voltage jolt from a stun gun—unpleasant, if not truly harmful. No one wanted that to happen twice.