Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Dragon Slayer Magic was an ancient, long-lost type of magic, rarely seen even once in a person's lifetime.

So for Fairy Tail to already have Natsu and Gajeel, two Dragon Slayers, was impressive enough. But now Laxus had revealed himself to be a third. 

And maybe even Rhodes could count as a half.

When did Lost Magic become so common?

A golden lightning storm burst from Laxus's mouth, crackling with thunder as it clashed violently against the lava breath Rhodes had unleashed.

Rhodes was surprised, but didn't falter. He poured more power into the spell, refusing to lose ground.

The searing heat melted the stone floor beneath them, and the force of their opposing breaths gouged deep trenches in the cathedral's tiled flooring.

Laxus may have been the last to attack, but his power was nothing to underestimate. His lightning surged forward, overwhelming Rhode's purgatory fire. The thunderous breath swallowed and pushed back the flames, gaining more ground.

This guy's power... it was stronger than Natsu's!

The line where red flame met golden lightning slowly advanced toward Rhode. His arms trembled from the strain, and when he could hold it no longer, he detonated the spell.

The resulting explosion rocked the entire cathedral.

Windows shattered from the shockwave, and massive stone pillars cracked and toppled. Two of them fell loudly to the ground, landing in the space between both sides like fallen giants.

Rhodes stumbled back, and Mystogan caught him just before he fell.

"Thanks. Would be nicer if you helped out more."

Rhodes glanced at him. Through the gap between his turban and mask, he caught a glimpse of red markings around Mystogan's eyes.

Mystogan looked away silently. He wasn't here to linger. Helping a little before disappearing again seemed more his style.

Rhodes squinted. He looked... familiar somehow.

But now wasn't the time. He turned his attention back to Laxus.

The man's upper body was bare now, his shirt blown apart. A black tattoo stretched from his left shoulder down to his ribs, with the Fairy Tail guild mark embedded at its center.

Laxus's physique had changed too. He was more muscular, his chest and arms bulging with power. His eyes gleamed with whites, his canines sharpened, and his forearms were now covered in a scale-like pattern.

Erza was stunned. "You're a Dragon Slayer too?! Why didn't any of us know?"

Laxus rolled his neck and smirked. "Because the old man never shut up about it. I kept it hidden. Besides... none of you were worth going all out against."

He pointed at Rhode. "But you, even if you're not S-Class, I'll admit you're strong enough to be defeated by me.

"Come on. Let me show you the true magic used to fight dragons. I'll show you who the strongest in this guild really is."

"You're the only one obsessed with that title," Rhodes replied dryly. "We're just here to drag you back. Don't expect us to go easy or play fair."

He exchanged a glance with Mira. Both nodded.

They leapt at the same time, dashing over the broken stone pillars.

Rhode's lava-coated dragon claw and Mira's flame-infused demon fist swung in tandem toward Laxus's chest.

But Laxus caught them both by the wrists. The force of their charge pushed him back several steps, but he dug in his heels, steadied himself, and with a roar, swung both of them upward before slamming them down on the cracked floor.

Boom!

A crater formed beneath the impact. Golden lightning spread from Laxus's hands, shocking both of them on contact.

"Aaagh!"

The slam was painful enough, but it was the direct lightning strike at point-blank range that made Mira and Rhodes cry out.

From above, Erza descended.

She had re-equipped into the Thunder Empress Armor again, still holding her serrated broadsword. With a powerful shout, she brought the blade down toward Laxus's head.

"Thunder Dragon's Collapse Fist!"

Laxus abandoned Rhodes and Mira, twisted his waist, and launched a mighty uppercut.

A golden magic circle flared beneath him, transforming the strike into a massive golden fist of lightning that clashed with Erza's descending blade.

The impact created a momentary stalemate, but then lightning surged over Erza's body, sending her flying backward through the air. If someone didn't look closely, they might mistake her for a lightning sprite, arcs of golden electricity crackled around her like slithering serpents.

"Ahhh!" Erza cried out as the jagged sword flew from her hands, embedding itself into the floor. Her Thunder Emperor Armor was scorched and torn, with damage to the gauntlets, chestplate, and skirt.

Laxus's Thunder Dragon Slayer Magic had overpowered even Erza's lightning-resistant armor.

Before Erza even hit the ground, Mystogan darted forward with a staff in hand.

The top of the staff resembled a duck's webbed foot, surrounded by a shimmering magical aura, almost like it was wrapped in a thin film of water.

Laxus swung his leg sideways to kick the staff away and began gathering lightning in his free hand, shaping it into a long, halberd-like weapon.

It was clear he had no intention of testing the staff's magic and was preparing to strike Mystogan with full force.

But Mystogan's true spellwork wasn't in his staff, it was in the precise hand seal he formed with his left hand.

Just as Laxus hurled the lightning halberd, another staff flew in from the side, this one crowned with an ominous eye-shaped ornament glowing faintly with violet light.

"Thunder Dragon Halberd!" Laxus roared.

"Convulsive Dream!" Mystogan countered.

The golden halberd struck Mystogan square in the shoulder, lifting him off the ground before it exploded in a violent burst of lightning.

Meanwhile, the second staff struck Laxus's shoulder. The eye at the top flared with purple energy and engulfed him in a wave of illusion magic.

Laxus's expression faltered. A flicker of fear passed through his eyes as a burning pain spread from the point of impact.

He hadn't expected such a light, illusory attack to actually pierce through his defenses and hurt him.

Before he could recover, a sharp pain struck his back. He was sent flying forward, completely off-balance.

Rhodes and Mira had leapt to their feet and launched a synchronized counterattack, Rhodes's dragon claw coated in molten magma, and Mira's high heel cloaked in blazing hellfire.

Laxus was swallowed by the surge of fire and lava as he crashed forward.

Erza, now wearing her Black Feather Armor, raised her sleek longsword in a swift upward arc. "Black Feather, Moon Flash!"

A glowing crescent-shaped slash cut through the air toward Laxus.

At the same time, Mystogan, gritting his teeth through the pain in his shoulder, formed a sword-hand seal with his right fingers. Two more staffs flew out from behind Erza, targeting Laxus from both sides.

If all these attacks landed, Laxus wouldn't just take serious damage, he'd be caught in the perfect position for Rhodes and Mira to launch yet another combo.

But Laxus twisted midair, stomped the ground with one foot, and blasted sideways in a flash of golden lightning, dodging all four attacks in a streak of thunder.

"Not bad," he muttered, escaping the pincer assault. He turned to face them with his usual arrogance. "I'll give you that much."

A faint red line had appeared on his cheek, with a single drop of blood trailing downward. His back and arms were also visibly battered, evidence that even someone of his power wasn't invincible.

Rhodes, panting slightly, assessed the situation.

It was becoming increasingly clear that not all S-Class wizards were created equal.

Neither Mira nor Erza could defeat Laxus one-on-one.

Sure, Laxus was arrogant, short-tempered, and frankly insufferable, but his strength was undeniably real.

No wonder the guy had survived so long despite being a constant headache.

Still, his incredible speed was proving to be a major problem.

Rhodes raised an eyebrow and offered a mocking grin.

"You're fast, I'll give you that. No wonder you call yourself the strongest in Fairy Tail. How about we settle this with a foot race? Winner gets the title."

As soon as Rhodes finished speaking, Laxus raised his hand.

A bolt of lightning crashed down from above, striking the spot where Rhodes had just been standing. But Rhodes had already sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blast.

Laxus smirked. "So you do know how irritating you sound."

Rhodes mirrored his expression. "Too bad you've never realized how annoying you are."

Laxus's smirk widened. "Let's see if your head is as tough as your mouth!"

Golden lightning crackled to life around him, and in a flash, he charged straight at Rhodes.

He was easy to provoke, but deceiving Laxus was far more difficult than dealing with an average villain.

Rhodes opened his arms, wings spreading wide as he gently floated into the air. Glowing red sparks flickered into view around him, beside his wings, beneath his feet, and above his head.

The flickers expanded into orbs of molten fire.

As he swung his arms and wings, he called out:

"Purgatory Dragon's Meteor Shower!"

At that moment, Rhodes looked like the final boss in an arcade game, launching a barrage that flooded the air with a storm of fiery projectiles.

When it came to dealing with fast opponents, large-scale attacks were the way to go. Rhodes didn't care if each individual shot was weak, so long as they hit, they'd do real damage.

But Laxus zipped through the fiery meteors with pinpoint precision, weaving through the chaos at lightning speed.

After passing through the barrage, he struck first, clashing fists with Mira, whose sudden punch met his Thunder Dragon's Collapse Fist head-on.

A thunderous shockwave echoed as the ground beneath them cracked open. Mira was pushed back, but Laxus's arm took a hit too, faint scorch marks appeared on his skin.

Erza lunged in next, sword flashing. She bit down hard and swung through the lightning, carving a shallow wound across Laxus's arm.

Laxus retaliated immediately, lifting his leg and slamming a powerful kick into Erza's side, sending her skidding backward.

He twisted once more, narrowly avoiding two magical staffs that flew toward him from Mystogan's direction.

Finally, he lifted his head and unleashed his signature move, the Roar of the Thunder Dragon, just as Rhodes countered with the Roar of the Purgatory Dragon.

Magma and thunder clashed midair, filling the massive church with intense heat and sound. Despite its towering ceilings and grand structure, the battlefield suddenly felt suffocatingly small.

Two fallen stone pillars shattered further from the shockwaves, reduced to rubble. Of the remaining ones nearby, one had long cracks running down its length, while the other was scorched black.

Rhodes took to the air again, flapping higher to avoid another strike. Laxus began gathering power in his right arm, raising it skyward, another halberd of golden lightning began to form.

Rhodes prepared to dodge, wings bracing for a quick sidestep. Meanwhile, Erza and Mira rushed Laxus from opposite sides.

Mystogan retrieved his trio of magical staffs and stabbed them into the floor, ready to lend support.

But instead of engaging Rhodes or the girls, Laxus shot forward and hurled the halberd straight at Mystogan.

"Heh... Out of all of you, I think I'll get rid of you first! Thunder Dragon Sky Halberd!"

It was clear now, this had been his true target from the start.

Mystogan didn't panic. He swiftly formed a series of complex hand seals, and the nearest staff lit up with radiant power.

"Triple Magic Array: Mirror Water!"

Three concentric magic circles, red, purple, and blue, flared to life in front of the staff. The golden halberd slammed into the center… and was completely absorbed.

Then, with a brilliant flash, it reappeared, hurtling straight back at Laxus with all its original force.

"What?" Laxus looked genuinely surprised.

Boom!

The golden Sky-halberd exploded beneath his feet, lightning engulfing him in an instant.

Rhodes couldn't help but admire Mystogan's style. His techniques were so refined, he really did feel like a classic wizard.

But there was no time to dwell on that. Wings flaring behind him, Rhodes dove down from above toward the pillar of lightning.

Mira and Erza followed close behind.

Laxus burst out of the smoke just before the light faded. He looked a bit worse for wear, but his determination hadn't wavered.

Mystogan stood perfectly still, like a statue.

Laxus shot forward and raised both fists overhead, electricity coiling around them as he brought them crashing down.

"Thunder Dragon Jaw!"

Bang!

Mystogan's figure vanished like mist, and Laxus's fists slammed into the ground instead.

The impact shook the earth, spiderweb cracks radiating outward like a shattered mirror. The uneven terrain resembled a jumbled cake with randomly raised and sunken slices. Golden sparks danced along the cracks.

Underground, a pair of Krugs had been trying to hide. The shockwave split them apart before they could flee. Then lightning struck again, two vanished instantly, while the other two split and vanished shortly after.

Mystogan and his staffs reappeared ten meters away, just as he completed his final hand seal.

"Skyscraper!"

A glowing purple magic circle appeared beneath Laxus's feet, radiating intense light.

"Ha! You think the same trick will work on me twice?"

Laxus laughed and swept his hand, dispelling the illusion before him.

"I never expected it to hold you for long," Mystogan replied calmly.

Because this wasn't a one-on-one fight.

Laxus heard the wind behind him. He didn't even glance back—instead, he sprinted forward at full speed straight toward Mystogan.

Mystogan swiftly sidestepped.

"Ah!" Mira and Erza accidentally stepped onto the lightning trap Laxus had left behind. They were instantly swallowed by arcs of electricity.

But Rhodes's punch landed squarely on Laxus's left shoulder, making him stagger forward.

Laxus caught himself with his left hand, then unleashed a bolt of lightning from his right palm, not at Rhodes, but at Mystogan.

Mystogan hadn't expected Laxus to prioritize him in that moment and was struck by the bolt.

Yet... he wasn't hurt.

The spell hadn't been aimed to wound.

It had been aimed at the mask.

With a sharp crack, Mystogan's turban and mask shattered.

Mira and Erza emerged from the lightning circle just in time to see the face Mystogan had kept hidden.

And the flicker of panic that crossed it.

"Jellal?!" they both gasped.

Blue hair. Mysterious red marks encircling the right eye. Refined, delicate features.

It was the face of Jellal Fernandes.

Erza froze, her expression twisted with emotion. "You're alive... No. You're not..."

Jellal had been captured and was supposedly imprisoned deep within the royal dungeons of the Kingdom of Fiore. Rumors said he hadn't even regained consciousness since.

Then how...