Laxus's Thunder Dragon's Roar, like a raging tornado, violently struck the Dragon, instantly causing a fierce lightning explosion. The electric power scattered around, crackling loudly. The Dragon, caught in the blast, thrashed violently, gradually ceasing all movement and sound.
Seeing this, Laxus didn't show any sign of having successfully defeated the Dragon. Instead, he began to gather magic power at his spot, preparing to unleash a new spell.
Zorn, still holding his clothes, quietly watched the battle from high in the sky.
In their Observation Haki perception, this Dragon was not dead yet. Although severely injured, it was playing dead to make them drop their guard, hoping to launch a fierce attack when they approached to check.
A furious Thunder Dragon power rapidly gathered in Laxus's right hand. The surrounding ultra-high electric power was called upon, and the air temperature rose. A dangerous aura emanated from Laxus's hand towards the feigning Dragon, forming a giant Thunder Dragon Halberd.
"Roar~"
Feeling such a dangerous attack, the Dragon knew it couldn't pretend any longer. It dragged its charred body to its feet, roaring furiously at the two, its eyes filled with hatred, preparing to launch a final, desperate strike.
From the Dragon's open maw, an energy orb even more powerful than its previous roar slowly gathered, competing with Laxus for the surrounding lightning to enhance itself.
Laxus tightened his grip, lowered his stance, and swiftly rotated his waist to face forward. With the momentum, he hurled the Thunder Dragon Halberd, which shot through the air. The electric blade sliced through the air, creating a hissing sound mixed with crackling lightning, like a ghostly wail.
It sped towards the Dragon, generating powerful swirling air currents. The Dragon's roar was released simultaneously.
The moment the two spells collided, a powerful Shock force rapidly spread. The surrounding air became scorching hot and chaotic, as if it would devour everything. The two energies clashed, intertwined, and tore at each other.
Zorn slowly descended and stood nearby, simultaneously casting a defensive spell in front of himself and Laxus to block any collateral damage. Laxus slowly turned to glance at Zorn, then crossed his arms, watching the clashing spells in the air.
After a brief stalemate, Laxus's Halberd tore through the roar and flew straight towards the Dragon, piercing through it and slamming into the mountain opposite. The mountain was instantly shattered by the high temperature and immense energy, collapsing.
The Dragon let out a final roar, then collapsed. A hole in its chest was still slowly emitting black smoke. It was undeniably dead this time.
"Laxus, impressive, truly impressive," Zorn said with a grin, praising him.
"We can go back to Fairy Tail now. This mission was really boring," Laxus said with a displeased expression. He had thought the Dragon would be much stronger, but the battle ended in just a few moves.
"Not yet. The environmental conditions here are excellent, very suitable for training and developing a powerful lightning magic. We need to stay here for a while," Zorn said, raising his index finger and pointing to the surrounding lightning environment, explaining to Laxus why they couldn't return to the Guild yet.
"Powerful lightning magic?" Laxus looked at Zorn with a confused expression, waiting for him to elaborate.
——Divider——
A few days later, in the Fairy Tail Guild...
The Guild Members were chatting about interesting things from their respective missions, and a few were playfully bickering, creating the usual chaotic atmosphere. In this setting, a sudden exclamation of surprise came from the bar area.
"What? Laxus and Zorn aren't coming back for now after their mission? They're going to train and develop magic?" Natsu shouted in shock upon hearing the news from the Master.
"Gulp, gulp, ha, so delicious! Yes, that's what Zorn said in his letter, gulp, gulp." The Master sat at the bar, picked up his drink, took several big gulps, exhaled contentedly, and after calmly confirming Natsu's disbelief, took several more gulps.
"Master, did he say a specific time?" Kana asked worriedly from the side.
"No, but he also included a training plan for all of you and a separate letter just for you." Makarov took out a densely written paper and an envelope from his pocket, handed them to Kana, and continued, "He said to have you train Natsu and Gray, teach them Observation Haki, and oversee the other Guild Members' training. And this envelope."
When Makarov first saw the training plan, he was also shocked by Zorn's thoughtfulness. The entire plan was very detailed, covering all aspects. It outlined how to improve Haki strength, and arranged various training sessions for each person. To exaggerate a bit, even a pig following this training plan could successfully improve its own strength and escape its fate.
Zorn had done everything a Master could do, even considering things he hadn't thought of yet. He truly was a good child. Makarov was very happy in his heart, which was why he was leisurely enjoying his drink.
Kana handed the training plan to Erza, Mira, Natsu, Gray, and others nearby to read. She then held the separate letter meant for her. At this moment, she felt a little shy, her mind already imagining what words the letter would contain, her face slightly flushed.
"Kana, Zorn seems to treat you differently. When did you two get together? And this isn't a love letter, is it?" Mira, seeing this, put an arm around Kana's shoulder, teasing her with a mischievous expression.
Instantly, Kana's slightly flushed face turned crimson, and she became even more flustered. Erza and the other Guild Members also pricked up their ears, pretending not to care, ready to listen to Kana's next words.
Only Natsu, Gray, and a few little ones looked at everyone's reactions with a bit of confusion. Kana, seeing the reactions and words of those around her, began to stammer.
"It, it, it was just on the day the S-Class Exam list was announced... we didn't have anything... it was just like that..." After explaining, Kana immediately took the letter and ran out of the Guild, too embarrassed to stay. She decided to read the letter herself...
"Oh, so that's what happened..." The Guild Members exchanged knowing glances, then began to discuss it.
On the back mountain, Kana finished reading the letter Zorn had written to her. She gazed into the distance towards the direction out of the city, a sweet smile gracing her face. Her bright eyes sparkled like stars, revealing a deep sense of tranquility and happiness, as if she had found the peaceful harbor in her heart.
To be continued~