Laxus's eyes widened as he could feel his magic being completely blocked.
"Impossible..." For the first time, a look of utter shock crossed his face.
But Ace didn't give him time to think.
As the lightning faded away, Ace stepped forward and pulled his right fist back.
Dark gold Digital Soul gathered around his hand, creating a glowing gauntlet covered in data patterns.
The light was so intense it seemed to warp the air around it.
He threw a punch, his dark gold fist tearing through the air.
The punch wasn't fast—you could easily follow its path. But the sheer, heavy pressure of the attack made it hard for the onlookers to breathe.
Laxus gritted his teeth.
He crossed his arms, and golden lightning rushed to his forearms, creating a thick shield of electricity.
The dark gold light on Ace's fist suddenly flared.
BOOM!
The lightning shield shattered on impact, scattering into golden sparks.
Ace's fist pushed right through and landed squarely on Laxus's arms.
The force pushed Laxus back, his feet dragging deep burn marks into the ground before he finally stopped.
The sleeves of his coat were shredded, revealing his trembling arms.
A fierce look flashed in Laxus's eyes.
Instead of backing down, he charged forward. His right fist sparked with bright golden lightning, the muscles in his arm bulging with power.
At the same time, Ace threw a left uppercut.
The punch swung upward with incredible force, leaving a bright trail of light behind it.
The strike was angled perfectly, leaving Laxus with nowhere to dodge.
BANG!
Their fists collided.
Laxus's lightning raged, trying to break through Ace's Digital Soul.
But the dark gold energy acted like a solid wall, holding back the lightning without budging an inch.
Ace's uppercut smashed through the lightning. Without losing any speed, the punch slammed hard into Laxus's jaw.
Laxus was sent flying backward. He crashed through several walls before slamming into the distant clock tower, cracking the ancient bricks like a spiderweb.
Laxus coughed up blood, his face turning pale.
The hall was dead silent.
Everyone watched in total disbelief.
Laxus, who had easily beaten Gray and Natsu, couldn't even handle a few punches from Ace?!
"LAXUS!" Evergreen, Freed, and Bickslow yelled, preparing to rush to his aid.
Laxus raised a hand to stop them.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and glared at Ace. His eyes showed a mix of shock, anger, and a crazy hunger for battle.
Ace stared back, the dark gold light still glowing in his eyes. "You're just a sad child who only uses violence to prove himself."
Laxus's face twisted in anger.
"SHUT UP!" he roared.
The lightning around him erupted again, wilder than before. "What do you know?! What does someone so favored by Gramps know?!"
He pointed angrily at the petrified statues and the terrified guild members.
"Look at them! Weaklings! Trash! They only drag down the strong! Fairy Tail doesn't need them! I'm going to make a new Fairy Tail! A guild for only the strong—those who are actually worthy of being called mages!"
"So you do it this way?" Ace's voice grew colder. "Threatening your comrades' lives? Forcing them to bow to violence? Laxus, is this what you call 'strength'?"
Laxus was silent for a moment.
Then, he laughed—a twisted.... crazy laugh.
"Kehaha KEHAHAHAHA, Good. Very good, Ace, you really are the obstacle I have to beat." He slowly floated back into the air.
Golden lightning wrapped around him, forming a suit of electrical armor.
"This game just got a lot more exciting."
Laxus had spent a long time planning how to counter Ace's Digimon, but he never expected to lose to a summoner in a fistfight.
He looked over at the Thunder Legion. "Proceed as planned."
"But Laxus, your injuries..." Freed said, looking worried.
"It's nothing." Laxus wiped more blood from his chin.
However, Ace could sense that Laxus's magic was unstable.
That last punch had clearly done some serious internal damage.
"Listen up, weaklings," Laxus's voice echoed through the plaza. "The rules haven't changed. The battlefield is the whole city of Magnolia. You have three hours to find me and the Thunder God Tribe. If you defeat us, I'll let the hostages go."
"But if time runs out, or if you lose..."
He pointed at the stone girls with a cruel look in his eyes.
"These statues won't last much longer."
He then looked down at Makarov with a vicious smile.
"—and it will be time for Fairy Tail to have a new Master."
"You!" Makarov trembled with rage, but Erza held him back.
"Master, calm down," Erza said steadily. "Acting out now will only put Lucy and the others in danger."
Makarov glared at Laxus.
After a long moment, he spoke through gritted teeth. "You will regret this, Laxus. I swear on my name as the Guild Master, you will regret this."
"Let's see you try." Laxus smiled and raised his hands.
Golden lightning gathered tightly between his palms, forming a blinding sphere of electricity.
He shot the sphere high into the air, where it exploded!
A blinding flash of pure lightning covered the hall.
It was so bright that everyone had to shut their eyes as they teared up from the intense light.
When the light finally faded and everyone opened their eyes, the sky was empty.
Laxus and the Thunder God tribe were gone.
Only his voice echoed above the hall.
"Three hours. The countdown starts now. Defeat me, or watch your friends turn to dust. The Fairy Tail civil war has officially begun."
The hall was completely silent.
Only the heavy ringing of a distant clock tower bell could be heard, marking the start of the battle.
Ace looked up at the empty sky, the dark gold light still glowing in his eyes.
The Battle of Fairy Tail had begun.
According to Ace's calculation, Laxus should have tried his best to get rid of him before starting this war.
'So, what gave Laxus the confidence to keep going now?'
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