The next day, in a clearing in the East Forest, east of the Guild.
All the Guild Members who weren't on missions gathered to watch the fight.
"Cana, attack with all your might, let me see your current level," Laxus said to Cana, who stood opposite him, with a serious expression. As he spoke, his entire body's muscles tensed, clearly full of power.
Upon hearing this, Cana turned to look at Zorn, who was standing beside the Guild Master. Seeing Zorn nod at her, she turned back to see Laxus ready. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them, her gaze filled only with determination. Her aura burst forth at that moment, astonishing the surrounding Guild Members and the Guild Master.
"Oh, a good look. Come on," Laxus said, initially affirming Cana's resolve.
"Shua~ Shave~" Cana instantly vanished, leaving only dust swirling in her original spot. A punch from her right side swiftly struck Laxus's face. "Bang~" A huge sound erupted the moment Laxus blocked it directly with his right palm.
"Your strength and speed have greatly improved, but so far, they haven't met my standards. Is Zorn's teaching level that poor?" Laxus felt that Cana's strength had indeed improved significantly, but it was still far from enough to undertake B-Class missions. Before he could finish speaking, Laxus instinctively crossed his arms. A massive force sent Laxus flying backward, tumbling several times. He landed on one hand, sliding a distance, then looked up in surprise to see Cana retracting her right foot, which glowed with a dark luster—Armament Haki was entwined around it.
"Oh, the same ability as Zorn back then, and she's angry?" This color and destructive power, though not yet reaching Zorn's level at the time, reminded Laxus of his fight with Zorn. He also felt as if he had poked one of Cana's anger points.
Not only Laxus, but also the Guild Members watching were astonished by Cana's current strength. Natsu and Gray cheered for Cana with excited faces, while Erza and Mirajane were also momentarily amazed, then exchanged knowing smiles.
"Six Powers - Iron Mass." Cana said nothing, extending her hands, and a layer of metallic skin appeared on her fists. At the same time, Armament Haki entwined around them, further increasing her attack power. Laxus saw Cana ready and burst forward with electric light, no slower than Cana's previous speed, even faster, as he threw a punch.
"Ah," Cana also punched straight up. The moment their fists collided, a powerful airflow swept out from between them, and the ground instantly caved in and collapsed. This punch wasn't over; after they jumped apart, they instantly collided again, several times in quick succession. Their speed was so fast that the other Guild Members could barely see them.
The other Guild Members all widened their eyes, stunned... Although they couldn't see clearly, the current situation was enough to prove Cana's current strength.
"Even with the most precise judgment, it's impossible to continuously predict the direction of my attacks," Laxus wondered during his attacks why Cana could mostly anticipate and counter his punches precisely. Only a small portion of his attacks managed to hit her because she couldn't dodge in time, but even then, they were blocked by Armament Haki.
Just as both sides exchanged punches again, Cana slid backward for a distance, panting, while Laxus remained completely still, showing a clear gap in their strength.
"It's not over yet, it's not finished. Let me see the true S-Class strength, not just physical combat. I know you and Zorn will both participate in the S-Class Exam this year," Cana said to Laxus with a determined gaze after calming her breath. She wanted to know how far she was from Zorn and that man.
Laxus looked at Cana's determined expression and asked with a slightly serious tone, "Oh, are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Cana replied with an even more resolute tone.
"Good, as you wish," Laxus said. He immediately released all his magic power, causing the ground to crack under the pressure. Cana faced this terrifying magic power directly, experiencing for the first time just how terrifying a serious "S-Class Mage" could be. However, she didn't give up in the slightest. She also channeled all her magic power, compressing it into a single point on her fist, with Armament Haki tightly entwined around it.
"Lightning Spear - Halberd," Laxus's hand gathered a high-magic, fork-shaped lightning bolt.
The spectators... "Hey, hey, isn't that a bit exaggerated, Guild Master?"
Erza, watching from the side, saw Cana like this, just as she had seen herself asking Zorn in the past. Knowing that Cana also carried a burden, she murmured softly, "Cana."
"Guild Master, Zorn, aren't you going to call a stop?" Mirajane, seeing that the battle was no longer just a physical contest and that both had gathered such powerful magic, expressed her concern directly.
"Don't worry, Laxus knows his limits, and Zorn is here too," the Guild Master said, though he was a little worried, he could feel that Laxus was still holding back.
"That's right, Laxus's Lightning Spear looks strong, but it's also adjusted to Cana's current magic power level. Besides, the Guild Master and I are here, so it's fine," Zorn echoed the Guild Master, as his Observation Haki sensed that Laxus was indeed holding back.
However, Cana's technique struck him as very familiar and amazing. This was something he had briefly mentioned to Cana during their usual training: there was a powerful female ninja with incredible physical combat skills and monstrous strength. He had only given a general idea, which was to concentrate power into a single point and then release it instantly to cause massive destruction. He never expected Cana to achieve such a level based on just that single point, and although it wasn't quite the same, the destructive power should be considerable.
"Cana~" Zorn looked at the figure in the arena who, though a bit exhausted, still refused to give up, and at her determined eyes. A different emotion stirred in Zorn's heart, and he murmured softly.
After Laxus had condensed his power, he glanced at Zorn, and seeing Zorn nod, he instantly threw it. The sound of thunder flashed as it shot directly towards Cana's face. Wherever it passed, the ground instantly tore like paper. Cana seized the opportune moment and punched the Lightning Spear, holding it in a stalemate for a long time. With a furious roar from Cana, it was instantly smashed to the ground, and smoke billowed up, with continuous rumbling sounds.
As the smoke cleared, the ground was seen to be shattered and collapsed, leaving a large hollow pit that directly affected the spot where Laxus had stood. But Laxus was nowhere to be seen. Zorn stood before Cana, having raised a shield to block the shockwave.
After seeing the figure blocking her way, Cana finally couldn't hold on any longer and was about to fall, but Zorn caught her just in time.
"Cana, are you alright? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?" Zorn asked, his expression tense with worry.
"I'm fine, just exhausted and a bit drained," Cana explained, her face a little flushed, and her heart fluttering wildly.
"Cough, cough, your strength is up to par, well done," Laxus coughed, signaling the two of them about their current behavior.
Only then, at Laxus's reminder, did Zorn realize he had completely embraced Cana. He immediately blushed as well, slowly helped Cana up, then let go of her, and awkwardly scratched his head to the side.
"Is this Haki? I've experienced it very directly this time. It truly is a remarkable power," the Guild Master walked over from a distance, marveling at this new power, also breaking the rosy atmosphere.
"Haki?" Laxus was a little confused.
"How about it, Laxus, do you want to learn it? I feel like you'd be very compatible with Observation Haki," Zorn suddenly thought of something, his expression becoming serious as he suggested to Laxus.