Even though Akira was very drunk, the strength he used in that punch was not light. Laxus was immediately thrown to the ground, taking a punch straight to the gut.
Laxus, with his short temper, didn't just take this punch and back down. He also gathered magic power into his fists, yellow lightning crackling wildly around him, and punched Akira right in the face.
The heavy blow sent Akira skidding across the second-floor floorboards, shattering a nearby wooden table into splinters. The sheer force of their clash sent a massive shockwave down into the first floor.
Then, without letting Akira catch his breath, Laxus jumped down and sent a kick straight at Akira.
Akira, still dizzy from the alcohol and the heavy punch, barely reacted in time. He crossed his arms in front of his chest to block, but the raw power of Laxus's kick sent him crashing over the second-floor railing, falling straight down into the middle of the first-floor guild hall.
BOOM!
The wooden floorboards shattered as Akira landed heavily, dust and debris flying everywhere. Akira shakily stood up as his eyes began to glow. After taking all that beating, his head began to get sober.
Akira shakily stood up as his eyes began to glow. After taking all that beating, his head began to get sober. The heavy fog from the alcohol finally started to fade away, replaced by a cold, sharp focus.
"You're done sleeping?" Laxus barked, dropping down from the second floor like a lightning bolt, his fist already covered in crackling yellow electricity as he aimed straight for Akira's head.
But this time, Akira didn't just stand there to take the hit. With his mind cleared, his high stats and perfected reflexes kicked in.
BOOM!
Laxus's fist struck nothing but empty air, smashing into the floorboards and blowing a new crater into the ground. Akira had already vanished from the spot, appearing right next to Laxus with absolute speed.
Before Laxus could even turn his head, Akira drove a heavy knee straight into Laxus's ribs. The raw physical force behind the strike sent Laxus flying sideways, crashing through three solid wooden pillars before slamming into the far wall of the guild hall.
Then, without any hesitation, Akira disappeared and appeared next to Laxus and punched Laxus again. This time, Laxus almost lost consciousness as he coughed a mouthful of saliva.
Knowing that he couldn't hold back anymore, Laxus decisively unleashed his magic power, throwing Akira away. A massive explosion of yellow lightning burst from Laxus's body, lighting up the entire empty guild hall like daytime and blasting Akira a few meters back.
Akira flipped in the air and landed smoothly on his feet, his glowing eyes fixed on Laxus.
Laxus stood up from the debris, holding his gut where Akira had punched him. He was breathing heavily, his face twisting into a serious and furious expression. He realized that if he didn't give it his all, he would really be beaten to a pulp by this sober version of Akira.
"Don't look down on me, Akira!" Laxus roared.
The yellow lightning around him turned incredibly dense and violent, cracking the remaining floorboards just by its mere presence. He burst forward with the speed of a real thunderbolt, appearing right in front of Akira in a fraction of a second.
BOOM!
Laxus threw an electrified punch, but Akira simply tilted his head, letting the fist graze past his cheek while the wind pressure shattered the wall behind him. Akira immediately countered with a swift palm strike to Laxus's chest, but Laxus used his lightning to coat his body like armour, absorbing the impact and swinging a heavy kick at Akira's neck.
Akira raised his left arm to block the kick. The sheer force behind Laxus's attack created a heavy shockwave, sending dust swirling around them in the dark hall.
Without breaking eye contact, Akira used his high stats to grab Laxus's leg with his blocking arm. With a cold sneer, he spun around and threw Laxus straight towards the bar.
Laxus crashed heavily into the thick counter, completely smashing the wooden structure into pieces. He coughed slightly but immediately pushed himself up, his eyes flashing with a wild, battle-hungry light. He could feel his blood pumping like never before.
"Raging Bolt!" Laxus shouted, raising his hand as a massive pillar of yellow lightning dropped from the ceiling straight down onto Akira.
Akira didn't dodge. He gathered his own magic power, creating a pure blast of shockwave force that slammed directly into the lightning pillar. The two magic powers clashed in the centre of the hall, creating a terrifying explosion that completely blew away the roof of the guild hall, letting the bright moonlight shine directly on them.
Laxus didn't wait for the smoke to clear. He burst through the debris, his fists moving like a machine gun as he threw dozens of lightning punches at Akira. Akira met him head-on, his glowing eyes tracking every movement as he traded blow for blow. The sounds of their fists colliding sounded like thunder claps shaking the entire guild.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Akira caught Laxus's right fist, but Laxus smirked and headbutted Akira straight in the face. Akira stumbled back, his nose bleeding, but he quickly recovered and threw a massive uppercut that caught Laxus right under the chin, lifting him off his feet.
Both of them fell back, breathing heavily, their clothes torn and bodies bruised. Laxus was laughing like a maniac, completely enjoying the thrill of fighting someone who could actually push him this far.
But as Akira looked at the smashed bar where Laxus had fallen earlier, his glowing eyes suddenly caught sight of the empty stool where Erza had been sitting alone just a few hours ago.
Looking at that spot, the final traces of Akira's anger towards Laxus vanished, replaced by a deep sense of clarity. The fight had completely burned away the alcohol, and Laxus's brutal words finally sank into his mind.
Akira stopped his stance and lowered his fists, the glow in his eyes slowly fading away as he realized exactly what he needed to do.
Seeing that Akira had lost his fighting spirit and noticing the exact spot he was looking at, Laxus didn't even need a unique skill to know that his friend had finally come out of his shell.
He slowly dispersed the crackling yellow lightning around his body, letting the dark hall fall back into a quiet calm. Looking up at the open sky through the shattered roof, Laxus spoke, "Hey, Akira, did you finally come to your senses?"
"Yeah. Thanks for making me snap out of it," Akira spoke as he also looked up at the bright moon; his voice no longer carried the painful weight from before.
"Heh, this is the first time I've ever heard someone say thank you for giving them a beating," Laxus spoke with a rough laugh, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Hehe, don't you know who beat who?" Akira said with a sneer, his handsome smile finally returning to his face. Just because Laxus helped him didn't mean Akira would just let this guy say whatever he wanted.
And so, just like that, under the bright moonlight in this half-destroyed guild hall, the two young S-rank wizards began to quarrel like they always used to. All the heavy, suffocating tension from before completely vanished into the night air.
Well, thankfully, Akira still remembered to clean up his mess. Before dawn could even break, he activated his Arc of Time magic, restoring the broken pillars, the shattered tables, and the blown-off roof back to their original state. If he hadn't fixed it, Makarov definitely would have had a massive heart attack the moment he walked in, seeing the entire guild destroyed by his own people.
******
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