By the time Shun and Makarov returned to the guild, the sun had dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. To Shun's surprise, Laxus was still there, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, a clear aura of impatience radiating from him.
'He's that eager for a duel, huh?' Shun mused. 'I wonder if Natsu picked up his habit of challenging everyone from this guy.'
"Where should we fight?" Shun asked, cutting straight to the point.
"Grandpa!" Laxus barked, and Makarov, with a resigned sigh, simply nodded.
The Guild Master led them to a large, empty field on the outskirts of town, clear of any buildings. A good portion of the guild, sensing the impending spectacle, trailed behind them—Gray, Cana, Macao, Wakaba, and a dozen others Shun didn't recognize from the original story.
In the center of the field, two figures stood about twenty meters apart.
On one side was Laxus Dreyar, fourteen years old, clad in his signature yellow jacket and cargo pants, his magic headphones already in place. He was a powerhouse for his age, already a contender for S-Class in any other guild.
Opposite him stood Shun. Though he claimed to be around ten, his height and build were that of someone older. At 151 centimeters, his well-defined muscles were visible through his form-fitting black shirt, a testament to years of relentless training and an SSS+-tier diet. A flicker of uncharacteristic excitement shone in his eyes; he was eager to test his new power.
Makarov looked between their determined expressions and gave a single, sharp nod.
"Start!"
---
Laxus had trained relentlessly since the day he witnessed Shun's Ursus Shock. The moment the signal was given, he unleashed the trademark attack of his lineage.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
A torrent of concentrated lightning erupted from his mouth, tearing across the field.
Instead of dodging or repelling it, Shun decided to meet it head-on with his own newfound power. He took a deep breath, feeling the strange, new magic coalesce within him, and exhaled a stream of sickly, violet poison.
"Poison Dragon's Roar!"
The two elemental forces collided mid-air with a deafening crackle. Lightning sizzled and popped, neutralizing the venomous cloud, creating a swirling, hazardous zone of purple and gold energy that forced the spectators to retreat further.
"Hm… not bad for a first timer," Shun commented, praising his own effort.
"Oi, stop kidding around! Use your main magic!" Laxus yelled, furious that Shun wasn't taking him seriously. This small victory felt hollow.
"Huh? That wasn't his main magic?!" a guild member whispered.
"Ah, you weren't here last time," another answered. "He's got these paws on his hands. They look cute, but the power is terrifying."
---
As Laxus fumed and the crowd buzzed, Shun's attention was captured by a sudden system notification.
Ding!
[As the host is planning to follow the path of Lost Magics, you have earned a title.] [Lost Magic Specialist: Each Lost Magic learned will boost the magic efficiency by 10%. (Max: Unknown). This enhances magic control, learning speed, cast time reduction, and overall damage output. Does not affect non-Lost Magics.] [Current Lost Magic Efficiency Boost: 20%]
'This is incredibly generous,' Shun thought, stunned. 'What's with the sudden handout? Is the system pitying me because learning Lost Magic is supposed to be hard? Well, I'm not complaining.'
The entire internal monologue took less than thirty seconds. He refocused on Laxus.
"Well, if you say so. I'll get a bit serious." With a sharp POP!, Shun vanished from sight. Even Makarov lost track of him for a split second before shouting, "Above!"
Shun stood poised in the air above Laxus, both hands brimming with swirling violet poison.
'Is this old man seriously giving his grandson tips mid-duel?' Shun chuckled to himself before swinging his arms down. A barrage of scale-shaped projectiles, each a mass of concentrated toxin, rained upon Laxus.
"Poison Dragon's Scale Fangs!"
Acting on his grandfather's warning, Laxus dodged to the side, forced into a frantic run as the poisonous scales peppered the ground around him. While maintaining the barrage, Shun sucked in another breath and unleashed a second Poison Dragon's Roar, aiming it perfectly to cut off Laxus's escape route.
"Tch!" Laxus grunted, hastily throwing up a barrier to block the scales before the full force of the breath attack slammed into him.
BOOM!
A cloud of dark, sickly green dust erupted from the impact point.
"Guh—Hkk!" Laxus staggered within the toxic haze, a forced, airless sound escaping his lips. The poison was already taking effect, seizing his muscles and spreading paralysis.
"The fight is over—" Makarov began, his voice laced with concern for his grandson.
"NOT YET!!" Laxus screamed, defiance burning in his eyes. Drawing on his last reserves, he gathered every ounce of magic he had left. A massive spear of crackling lightning formed in his hands, humming with devastating power.
"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" he roared, his face pale but determined. "I prepared this for today! It would be a shame not to use it!"
Seeing the colossal lightning spear, a huge grin spread across Shun's face. He wanted to counter it with a Poison Dragon Slayer's ultimate move, but he realized a critical flaw—he didn't know one. He only remembered Cobra's basic techniques from the anime.
He could dodge or repel it, but that felt like a hollow end for both of them. He had only seconds.
Spreading his arms wide, his palms moved in a blur, repelling and compressing air at a speed boosted by his new 20% efficiency. In just two seconds, a fully formed Ursus Shock launched from his hands to meet the incoming spear.
FWOOSH—BOOM!
The two attacks collided in a cataclysmic explosion, shaking the ground and sending a plume of dust into the air.
When the smoke cleared, Shun was already behind the exhausted, paralyzed Laxus, a small, compressed paw-pad of air held inches from his back.
"I… lost," Laxus admitted, his voice thick with bitterness and acceptance. His body wavered, on the verge of collapse.
Just as he began to fall, Shun's palm pressed against his back, supporting him.
"Stand proud," Shun said, his voice calm and firm. "You are strong."
For a moment, it seemed like a heartwarming moment of respect between rivals.
Then, something miraculous happened.
A translucent, crimson pad, soft-edged and glowing with a gentle warmth, bloomed from Laxus's chest. It was the shape of a bear's paw. It started the size of a tennis ball, then grew until it was as large as a volleyball before stopping.
"What is this? Is it… healing him?!" Makarov exclaimed, rushing to his grandson's side.
"It's the damage he took from this duel—the poison, the fatigue, the impact," Shun explained calmly. "I repelled it all from his body and compressed it into one."
The guild members stared in stunned silence.
"What?! You can do that too?!" Makarov cried out. "That magic of yours is too absurd!"
"Of course, there's a catch," Shun said, his tone shifting, shattering the moment of wonder.
A heavy silence fell over the field.
"I knew it," Makarov muttered, his face grim. "A magic this powerful… What is the catch?"
"It's simple," Shun replied, his gaze serious. "Someone has to take it in his place."
"Ha?!" came the simultaneous exclamation from Makarov, Laxus, Gray, and Cana, who had now drawn closer.
"If someone doesn't take it soon, it will return to Laxus's body," Shun continued, his expression leaving no room for doubt. "This time, the concentrated poison and damage will likely kill him."
"I'm a man. I'll take responsibility for what I started," Laxus declared, trying to stand straighter.
"Laxus! No, let's get you to Porlyusica! It's not too late!" Makarov pleaded.
But Shun delivered the final, chilling blow. "There isn't enough time. It will return to his body in about five minutes."
Despair washed over the group. The cost of victory was a life.
In the heavy silence that followed, a single, clear voice spoke up from the crowd.
"I will take it."
All eyes turned to the speaker.
"Let me take his place."