Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

Laxus roared in frustration:

"Why?! After being hit by that spell, there's no way you should be unscathed!!"

At that moment, Freed—severely injured—staggered over, leaning against the wall for support. "Everyone in the guild…everyone in the city…they're all fine. Nobody's been hurt."

"Freed?!" Laxus rasped.

"No! It can't be!! Fairy Law is perfect magic! There's no way it wouldn't kill at least one person!!"

Freed explained, "It's all about your heart, Laxus. In Fairy Law, the caster deems who the 'enemies' are, and only they are hit. Anything, anyone you don't truly see as an enemy isn't targeted at all. You might lie to others, but you can't lie to your own magic. Deep down, you never wanted to kill them… Please, go back to Master—"

Sweat poured down Laxus's brow as he shouted, "No!! Anyone who stands in my way is an enemy!! Enemies—every one of them! The old man's life or death has nothing to do with me!! I'm me! I'm not just the old man's grandson! I'm Laxus!! I'm…the strongest wizard alive!!"

He fell into a frenzy, eyes wild and voice ragged.

Suddenly, a fist slammed into Laxus's face.

"Ugh!! Aaaaah!!"

He flew backward, blood trickling from his nostrils. Once he regained his bearings, he saw who had hit him—Su Yan, the very person he'd fixated on for so many years.

Su Yan's anger was palpable. "The strongest, the strongest… That's all you ever say. Is being 'the strongest' more important than your family or your guildmates?! Then I'll show you real despair. Forget that throne—someone like you doesn't deserve it!"

"If you refuse to go back, I'll drag you there myself!!"

Just then, the sky above Magnolia darkened once more. Clouds swirled ominously above the town.

Roooaaar—!!!!

A massive bolt of lightning burst through Cardia Cathedral's ceiling, striking Su Yan. In that instant, Su Yan's entire body began to shift: vivid azure scales spread across his skin, and his frame swelled rapidly, bursting through the cathedral's roof and rising toward the sky.

"Wha—?! Aaaaagh!"

"Uuuuwaaaahhh!!!"

Every onlooker gasped in horror. Before their eyes, an enormous, slender azure dragon coiled in the skies over Magnolia, its body so vast it seemed to rival the size of the entire town.

"A…a dragon?!!"

"Why's there a dragon in the city?!"

"Is this part of Fairy Tail's Harvest Festival show?!"

Over at the Fairy Tail guild…

"A dragon—an actual dragon!!!"

"My God, I thought dragons were just legends! Why is there one here?!"

Back in the cathedral, Erza, Natsu, and Laxus stood there, wide-eyed, their bodies shaking with shock.

Natsu's voice quavered in awe. "Su-Su Yan…he's a dragon?! A real dragon?!"

Laxus, too, was overwhelmed, panic creeping into his expression. "H-How?! That can't be…!"

From above, the massive dragon's voice rumbled, impossibly deep. "Laxus, you wanted to be the guild's strongest, right? Aren't you a 'Dragon Slayer'? So come—slay this dragon, if you can!"

With a casual swipe of its colossal tail, the dragon brushed aside part of the cathedral's roof, striking Laxus directly.

"Gah…!" Laxus mustered golden lightning, but it was like a mantis attacking a boulder. He was swatted away, smashing through multiple pillars before flying out of Cardia Cathedral altogether.

Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!

Laxus screamed as he careened through the air. The dragon's booming voice followed him: "Is this all? You dare call yourself the strongest? Don't make me laugh!"

"Arrghh!!" Laxus cried out in fury.

"I'm Laxus! I'm the strongest—THE STRONGEST!!"

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!!"

He inhaled sharply, unleashing a massive column of lightning from his lungs. It struck the immense dragon's body, only to fizzle. The dragon wobbled slightly but showed no real damage. In human form, Su Yan had already shrugged off Laxus's best moves. As a dragon, his defense was on another level entirely.

"That's your big roar?" the dragon rumbled. "Mine shall show you true power!"

Hiss—!!!

The azure dragon inhaled, then loosed a hellish wave of heat across Magnolia Town, aiming into a deserted range of hills over ten kilometers away.

Boom boom boom—!!!

The entire mountain evaporated under the intense blast, light flaring so bright that even townsfolk felt a scorching wave brushing their faces.

"Ugghhh—!!"

Everyone looked on with terror, their eyes locked on the colossal figure in the sky.

"What the heck is that magic?! It just wiped out a whole mountain!"

"It's horrifying!!"

"This has to be a dragon's strength…in the flesh!"

Natsu and Erza, having rushed out after Laxus, saw the dragon's attack and could only stare, speechless. Natsu shook with excitement and fear.

"S-So that's why Su Yan's body was always so strong…He's been an actual dragon all along?!"