Laxus's thinking was simple: since he'd already seen the location signal Ankh sent, why bother with traps?!
Laxus's raging magic gathered in the magic array and a thunder cannon, calamitous as a natural disaster, erupted, instantly sweeping through the towering ancient trees before them!
Along with them, the traps Makarov had meticulously laid were utterly destroyed...
Watching this through the crystal ball, Makarov's beard bristled with rage as he gasped for breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil.
The guild members watched their Guild Master with concern, fearing he might choke on his anger and drop dead on the spot...
....
Meanwhile, having caused such a commotion, Ankh leaned quietly against a tree with his eyes closed.
Before long, Ankh heard the explosive sound of Laxus's thunder as he'd hoped.
Ankh smiled faintly and headed in the direction of the thunder's descent while calling out to Erza.
"Let's go, Erza. Time to regroup with them."
Erza frowned and questioned him.
"Didn't Master say earlier that we should bypass the traps and use tactics to defeat our opponents?"
Ankh remained silent and walked forward on his own.
He understood perfectly well that the Master had already predetermined the winners of this assessment—it was none other than himself and Laxus.
The traps here, and even their teammates, were merely individual tests for the two of them.
After all, although Erza was strong, she was still too young.
If she had trained for another two years, she would certainly be a major threat, but in this year's exam, she was no match for Ankh and Laxus.
But Ankh had no intention of telling Erza this, lest it dampen her enthusiasm for the exam...
Watching Ankh gradually walk farther away, Erza hesitated for a moment but still obediently followed him.
Ankh was somewhat surprised to hear Erza's footsteps catching up to him.
Given Erza's upright, stubborn, and unyielding personality, she should have stopped him and corrected the exam process.
It seemed Erza really did listen to him.
...
Time passed minute by minute.
Ankh and Laxus displayed an inexplicable tacit understanding, moving toward each other from opposite ends of the forest while using Magic to clear their paths.
The pristine nature was thus ruthlessly destroyed by these two brutes.
...
Meanwhile, Makarov, seeing the traps being obliterated, felt like crying but had no tears coming from his eyes anymore...
After an unknown period of mutual bombardment, Laxus finally spotted the opponent he had been longing to face.
Seeing Laxus appear in front of him, his body crackling with lightning, Ankh couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Cana, startled upon encountering Ankh and Erza, quickly hid behind Laxus.
But then she noticed, to her surprise, that Laxus was actually getting excited!
This was the first time since joining the guild that she had seen the arrogant Laxus show such an expression.
'It seemed Laxus and Ankh really had a strong bond.'
Cana peeked out, quietly observing the two standing opposite each other, when some impure thoughts suddenly crossed her mind...
Laxus paid no attention to what Cana was thinking.
As soon as he spotted his opponent, he immediately clenched his fist, his sharp eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.
"Come on, Ankh!"
Hearing his words, Ankh rapidly circulated the Magic Power within him.
A magic circle swiftly formed, and the ground around them instantly sank under a mysterious force!
A massive crater formed around Ankh in an instant, catching Cana and Erza on the opposite side in an unexpected disaster.
Cana was pressed flat to the ground by the gravitational force, while Erza's legs sank deep into the earth.
Gritting her teeth, she straightened her back, enduring her teammate's Magic with great effort.
Laxus, accustomed to sparring with Ankh, stood upright without any pressure.
This was Ankh's way of asserting dominance before a fight and he was used to it.
The originally clear sky had, at some point, been covered by thick, dark clouds, which soon unleashed a torrential downpour.
Such rainy weather was perfect for the use of Lightning Magic!
The electricity around Laxus surged even more intensely as he growled in a low voice.
"Even the heavens are on my side, Ankh. Take this!"
Before Ankh could respond, Laxus had already charged forward with an unprecedented torrent of scorching lightning surging forth from him, carrying boundless power.
"Lightning Dragon's Crushing Fist!"
'Using Dragon Slayer magic right from the start? He's not even hiding it anymore?'
It seemed Laxus intended to fight with all his might until the very end.
Ankh immediately understood his intentions and grew serious as well.
Eerie black Death Wave rose swirling around him as Ankh's aura instantly turned desolate and terrifying.
That deathly magic power, seemingly capable of devouring all living things, erupted violently.
"Death God's Devouring Fist!"
Ankh neither dodged nor block as he simultaneously activating Titan Gravity magic and God Slayer magic.
The attack power from his dual magic operating at full capacity erupted abruptly!
The Crushing Fist and Devouring Fist collided with tremendous force, golden and black magic powers mingling in violent turmoil.
The deep crater on the ground directly shattered, while the small forest behind them instantly vanished, leaving behind a sizable fan-shaped wasteland!
At the explosion's epicenter, both combatants were somewhat disheveled as they were blasted quite far back.
However, with gravity's assistance and oppressive force supporting him, Ankh stabilized himself after just a few steps.
In contrast, Laxus fared much worse.
The highly invasive Death Wave stimulated every inch of his body, sending him flying several meters away.
The Devouring Fist could consume the opponent's magic power and physical form like a black hole.
Only Mages who trained both physical and their magical abilities could withstand such an attack.
The deathly magic clung to Laxus like maggots in bones, silently consuming his stamina and magic power.
This peculiar magic was unsolvable—it would only dissipate when its duration ended, or if one possessed purification-type skills.
Unfortunately, Laxus had none.
Ankh's magic was exceptionally bizarre, always giving Laxus a weird feeling.
'It felt as if all magic would be suppressed when facing his magical power!'
The destructive and draining nature of the Death God magic was utterly fatal.
Laxus absolutely couldn't engage in a prolonged battle—he had to strike decisively in one blow!
Despite having just unleashed such powerful magic, Laxus immediately prepared himself.
Thick lightning currents formed into a halberd shape in his palm, which he hurled directly at Ankh.
Ankh showed no mercy whatsoever.
The Death God's devouring power swiftly struck out, shattering the Lightning Dragon Halberd with a single punch, but Laxus's fist immediately followed, smashing into his face!
Gravity magic rapidly dissipated the force of Laxus's punch and instantly rebounded it back.
Yet Ankh still couldn't completely avoid it—his face suffered a magical electric shock, quickly swelling and reddening.
Laxus, thrown back by the rebounding force of his own punch, charged forward again, closing in like lightning for close-quarters combat.
The two madly unleashed their respective techniques, explosions from colliding magic powers ringing out continuously.
Beneath the stormy sky filled with thunder and rain, everyone's deepest fighting spirit was ignited.
No one knew how much time had passed.
The convergence of Death Wave and lightning, the detonations and physical impacts, made the heavy rain seem even more mournful.
Meanwhile, the two women previously suppressed by gravity were still struggling to get up.
Combined with the occasional stray lightning currents, they suffered immensely.
Cana began gritting her teeth and rising to her feet, while Erza gradually adapted to the gravity.
Her eyes blazing with fury as she watched the battling pair, her body began radiating angelic brilliance.
"Re-quip!"
"Ankh, this is a team combat!"