"One by one… why is everyone in such a rush…"
Staring at the lightning that filled his vision, Shane couldn't help complaining to himself. First Erza, now Laxus—were they all in on the same joke?
Even so, he didn't hesitate.
At this range, dodging was already impossible.
"Senji Muramasa!"
With a thought, he switched his class card.
A scorching surge rolled out. A pure-white cloak fluttered in the wind.
Shane raised both hands as if grasping something in midair, and a gigantic shield—large enough to hide his whole body—materialized in front of him.
BOOM—!
The lightning strike slammed into the shield, throwing off a storm of electrical arcs.
The impact numbed Shane's arms, but he held firm and took it head-on.
But before he could even breathe—
The moment he dismissed the shield and prepared to counterattack, a figure wrapped in raging lightning was already right in front of him.
Laxus looked like he'd put on armor woven from pure thunder. Magic and electricity surged around him, pushing his presence to its peak.
"Too slow!"
Laxus snarled and threw a plain, brutal punch.
It was terrifyingly fast—so fast it left a golden afterimage in the air.
Shane had just dropped his shield, his center of gravity still unsettled. Fully dodging was out of the question.
A hard glint flashed in Shane's eyes.
If I can't dodge, then I won't.
He stepped forward instead of back. A black sword appeared in his hand, and he swung with a straight, all-in intent—aimed directly at Laxus' chest!
A mutual-destruction trade, meant to force Laxus to pull back.
But—
"You think I'll dodge?!"
Laxus' mouth split into a wild grin.
He didn't flinch from the black blade. If anything, his punch became even more vicious.
Pff!
THUD!
Two dull impacts sounded almost at the same time.
Shane was launched like a cannonball, blasted away by that lightning-wrapped fist.
Laxus stayed standing, but the lightning "coat" over his chest tore open. A two-centimeter-deep wound bled down his skin.
First exchange—both drew blood.
The air felt like it could ignite.
"Ha…"
Shane twisted in midair and landed in a long skid, scraping several meters before he stabilized.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring down at Laxus with a grim, focused gaze.
"This guy… fast—and tough."
Even with Muramasa's physical boost, that punch sent his blood and qi surging.
Watching carefully, Shane realized Laxus' speed could even rival Erza when she wore the Flight Armor.
But the real outlier was his raw power and destructive force—far beyond that.
"That lightning coat… isn't just magic reinforcement."
Shane analyzed quickly.
He's using lightning to stimulate his nerves and cells—forcing his body into a high-activity 'overclock' state.
In that state, his offense, defense, and speed all jumped to a different level.
Against a fully rounded, ultra-fast close-range brawler like this, Muramasa—who wasn't built for speed—was inevitably at a disadvantage.
"Then…"
Shane inhaled, and canceled the Heroic Spirit form.
A flash of light—he pulled out the sturdy black bow he'd funded earlier with Erza's money.
"Hm?"
Laxus frowned slightly when he saw it.
He wasn't stupid enough to assume Shane couldn't maintain his form.
He was just confused.
"You've got a stronger form—so why pull out some weapon that doesn't look threatening at all?"
But confusion didn't slow him.
BZZT!
Lightning flashed.
Laxus didn't give Shane a second to breathe—he became a bolt of gold and closed in again.
"Thanks for punching me so far away…"
Shane bared his teeth in a grin.
"To thank you… I'm going to start fighting dirty!"
BOOM!
Air pressure exploded.
Shane didn't meet him—he shot straight upward, spiraling into the sky and climbing hundreds of meters in an instant.
Black wings blotted out the light. From above, he steadied himself—his change-space storage flashed several times, and multiple "arrows" appeared in his hands.
They were his modified ammunition—spiral greatswords.
"Go."
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
The spiral swords drilled through the air with a shrieking whistle, plunging toward Laxus below.
Laxus' brow tightened as he darted left and right under the lightning coat.
Sss!
Even with his sharp reactions, the sudden angle and speed still caught him—one blade grazed his arm, pulling a string of blood.
"Now we're talking!"
For the first time, Shane felt the true joy of high-ground suppression.
He pressed the advantage immediately, raining down his stockpile as if it were free.
But the fun didn't last long.
Laxus was a veteran.
After the initial surprise, he adapted fast. He weaved through the barrage, those lightning-lit eyes locked on Shane above—watching, calculating.
Then—
CRACK!
He raised a hand in annoyance and punched an incoming spiral sword in half.
"This soft, flimsy stuff is supposed to beat me?!"
He looked up and roared at Shane.
"Ever since you went airborne, you've stayed around three or four hundred meters—too scared to go higher."
He lifted his right hand. Lightning gathered wildly in his palm.
"So if I'm guessing right… it's because this junk bow only has an effective range that big, huh?"
A cold smile.
Laxus had found the weak spot.
Shane froze for a fraction of a second.
"And even when you play along and stay close, your arrows still don't threaten me!"
Laxus' eyes exploded with sharp fury.
"Using an unpolished tactic like this—that's your biggest opening, Shane!!"
He slammed his hand down as if yanking the sky itself.
"Summon Lightning!"
KRAAA—BOOOOM!!
A massive pillar of lightning fell from nowhere, striking Shane midair dead on.
"Ghk!"
Shane grunted as his body smoked and dropped like a severed kite string.
"Damn… that hurts…"
Electric numbness and burning agony flooded him, and his vision swam.
So this is what Erza felt like… yeah, that's not pleasant.
His ears rang. Vertigo battered his brain.
As he fell—about to smash into the ground and get finished—Shane forced down the urge to swap classes for resistance.
He drew a breath midair, twisted, and used the fall's momentum to glide away toward the distance.
"Running?"
Laxus lowered his hand, disappointed, watching Shane flee.
"Giving up already?"
He shook his head. Shane's strength was impressive… but still not enough to satisfy him.
"Boring."
Just as Laxus turned to go collect the stones and end this exam—
"Hmmm…"
A strange fluctuation rolled through the air from far above.
Laxus halted and looked up.
The dim winter sky lit up.
Not lightning.
Something purer, more blinding—like a holy sun.
"That is…?!"
His pupils shrank.
High in the sky, countless light-arrows poured down like merciful rain—so dense they covered every space around him. No dodge route remained.
"Don't look down on me!"
He roared, raising his lightning again to smash them.
But this time—
The instant his arm touched that seemingly weightless light, a monstrous force detonated.
"What?!"
Laxus' face changed.
The arrow's impact drove his whole body backward—out of his control.
Then a second. A third.
Thousands followed, converging into a storm that swallowed him whole.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!
The earth shook. Dust and debris soared, blotting out the sky.
…
Far away—several kilometers out—
Shane, now in Arash's stance, stood on a cliff edge with a cold, razor focus.
He watched the region drowning in light and never stopped.
Draw. Nock. Release—at an absurd, relentless pace.
"So you're saying my archery is trash…"
If someone mocked his close combat, he might just laugh—and prove them wrong with technique.
But if someone questioned the bowmanship of the "Great Hero" he inherited…
That actually made him angry.
"RAAAH—!!"
From within the lightstorm came a furious roar.
BOOM!
Lightning exploded.
Laxus—covered in blood—tore his way out of the barrage.
He looked like a rampaging thunderball now, radiating terrifying power as he charged straight for Shane.
"He really is strong…"
Even Shane had to admit it—anyone who could force through an arrow rain that could flatten a hill was absurd.
"No wonder you're the only one The Path of Kindling has confirmed as 'qualified.'"
"But… it's not enough."
Shane shook his head, expression flat.
He didn't linger. He dismissed the bow and spread his dragon wings again.
Who said suppression had to stay in one spot? Mobility was suppression too.
HUM—
With one wingbeat, he relocated a full kilometer in a blink—another high firing point.
"Didn't you say my range is only two or three hundred meters?"
Shane drew again, a stubborn, petty smirk tugging at his mouth.
"Then… let's test my range now."
TWANG—!
Another blanket rain of arrows.
Laxus rushed to where Shane had been—only to find nothing, and then get swallowed again.
Even with cover, dirt and rock were meaningless against the Great Hero's shots.
Over and over—seven, eight times.
Shane became a tireless, moving artillery platform, using outrageous range plus insane mobility to toy with Laxus.
Finally—
On a patch of ground gouged into craters by repeated impacts—
Laxus, shredded and bloodied, his clothes in tatters, his lightning finally gone dim—
collapsed with a heavy thud.
Only then did Shane—the biggest "Arash fanboy" on earth—feel the anger drain out of him.
He put the bow away, flew down, and reached out to help Laxus up.
"Huh?"
The moment he made contact, Shane let out a quiet sound of surprise.
Laxus looked horrifying on the outside—ripped, bleeding, a mess.
But his internal magic source wasn't drained. His life signs were stable—almost… good.
It was like he still had some stronger trump card in reserve—something he never used.
Shane's eyes sharpened, wary of a feint.
"…."
Laxus opened his eyes and read Shane's suspicion.
"Relax…"
He brushed Shane's hand away and forced himself upright, swaying.
"This time… I admit it. I lost."
"So I won't use that power on you."
That honesty made Shane curious.
He'd beaten Laxus with an almost shameless "kite and relocate" tactic—and yet Laxus showed no resentment or refusal?
"Hmph."
As if answering the question, Laxus said flatly:
"Those wings. That bow. They're your power."
"Power is power. There's no such thing as 'cheap' or 'not cheap.'"