"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"
Facing the "demonized" Mirajane charging straight at him, Laxus transformed into lightning and retreated.
Their figures moved out of the guild hall's entrance and onto the road outside, allowing Mirajane to achieve her goal—fighting outside was far more unrestrained than battling within the guild hall.
Most importantly, once outside the guild hall, Mirajane could send a signal to the others.
The magical fluctuations from the fight would surely alert Erza, who was in the girls' dormitory.
The girls' dormitory wasn't too far from the guild hall—at least much closer than the "Fairy Home."
The commotion from the fight would definitely be noticed by Erza, and she would arrive soon.
Facing Laxus, Mirajane didn't actually have full confidence in victory.
She admitted that although they were all "S-Class Mages," in terms of strength, Laxus was clearly a tier above her and Erza.
Mirajane knew her task now was to hold off Laxus with all her might, then later join forces with Erza to confront him.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Mirajane went all out, sparing no magic power as she launched a frenzied assault, relentlessly bombarding with Dark Magic Bullets.
However, her bombardment had little effect.
Laxus's speed was simply too fast—magic missiles of this level couldn't even touch him.
In the end, after Mirajane's barrage, Laxus only had slightly dirty clothes, while Mirajane herself was left disheveled by Laxus's counterattacks.
The gap between them was quite evident.
Yet, facing this situation, Mirajane actually smiled, because her goal had been achieved.
Not only had she avoided further damage to the guild hall, but she had also waited for reinforcements.
Erza, sensing the abnormal magical fluctuations, quickly rushed over and saw Laxus and Mirajane fighting.
"Boom!"
Donning a suit of armor, Erza charged forward, forcefully inserting herself between the two and temporarily halting the fight.
The three figures separated, each landing on one side.
"What's going on? Why are you two fighting?"
Looking at the composed Laxus and the scrambling Mirajane, Erza was completely baffled.
She couldn't think of any reason for these two to fight—Mirajane wouldn't actively challenge Laxus now, and Laxus certainly wouldn't do so either.
"Laxus is dissatisfied. He wants to be the guild master!"
Mirajane succinctly explained the situation, and with just that one sentence, Erza immediately understood her stance and which side she should take.
"Laxus! Do you think the position of guild master can be seized by force?!"
Erza spoke with a serious expression, trying to persuade Laxus to give up.
They were all comrades in the same guild—there was no need to draw swords over something like this. It would only bring pain to allies and joy to enemies.
"I can't get through to you." Laxus's expression darkened.
He didn't want to listen to Mirajane and Erza's chatter any longer.
He had already realized that talking was pointless—these people needed to truly feel pain.
"Boom!!!"
A fierce glint flashed in Laxus's eyes as he hurled several Lightning Spears toward the guild hall.
Erza swiftly appeared, raising her shield directly in front of the lightning spears, using her large shield to block the thunderous strikes.
With Erza now responsible for defending against these attacks, Mirajane was freed up.
She could focus all her strength on offense without having to endure Laxus's assaults head-on.
The reason she had been forced into a frantic, scrambling retreat was primarily because she couldn't leverage the advantages of her "Demon Form."
"Demon Form" wasn't known for its resilience, yet she had been forced to repeatedly withstand Laxus's attacks on the guild hall, completely sacrificing her agility.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural she'd end up in such a sorry state so quickly.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Terrifying magical power erupted continuously, forcing Laxus to momentarily retreat.
Now, with Erza supporting her, Mirajane finally unleashed her full strength with exhilarating abandon.
Regardless of its effectiveness, she managed to suppress Laxus for a time, leaving him unable to counterattack.
"Zzzzt!!!"
Briefly overwhelmed, Laxus erupted with magical energy.
With a grim expression, he shot into the air, unleashing several lightning serpents that forced Erza and Mirajane back.
He abandoned "Plan A" outright and moved to implement "Plan B," ready to bring out something far more devastating.
"Rise!!!"
Electricity coiled around Laxus as he levitated into the air.
The "Thunder Dragon" spread his hands wide as if controlling something unseen.
With his movements, a terrifying surge of lightning magic immediately enveloped the skies above all of "Magnolia."
"What... is that?!"
Both Erza and Mirajane looked up at the sky, exchanging bewildered glances, utterly stunned by the spectacle unfolding above.
High above Magnolia, a ring of "Lightning Magic Crystals" appeared.
Hundreds of these "Lightning Magic Crystals" connected, forming a circular array that loomed over the town, its oppressive magical pressure making it hard to breathe.
"That is Thunder Palace, a forbidden magic. If those Lightning Magic Crystals aren't destroyed all at once, this spell will annihilate Magnolia."
As Erza and Mirajane stood frozen in shock, a voice spoke up, explaining the nature and purpose of the magic.
"What?!"
Erza and Mirajane turned together to face Marco, their expressions a mix of disbelief and horror.
They could hardly believe what they were hearing.
Had Laxus truly gone this far?!
"That's right! Marco, it seems you understand well. That saves me the trouble of explaining."
Seeing Marco appear, Laxus shouted loudly.
He descended back to the ground, his entire body crackling with electricity, having entered his "peak state," fully prepared to settle the score with Marco.
"Laxus!"
However, before Marco could respond, Erza had already donned her "Heavenly Wheel Armor" and shot into the air.
Her face was etched with fury, clearly unable to tolerate Laxus's actions any longer.
Erza couldn't comprehend why Laxus would involve all of Magnolia.
Was it truly a case of "if I can't have it, no one can"?
"Step aside."
Facing the charging Erza, Laxus waved his hand, sending a terrifyingly thick bolt of lightning swiftly toward her.
This strike was faster and more ruthless than before, leaving Erza with no chance to dodge.
Just as she was about to be hit—
"Hum!"
Marco's figure flickered, appearing beside Erza.
Clad in the Aries Gold Cloth, he raised his hand and created a "Crystal Wall," blocking the thick lightning attack.