Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 364: Their Power Level Is Off the Charts!

”Then, as the referee for this match, allow me to say a few words! Safety first, competition second, please avoid any fatalities or hard feelings...”

Caught in the middle and completely unsure how to handle the situation, Mystogan forced himself onto the center stage of the arena under the gaze of both teams. He spoke gently to the participants preparing to face off.

”Relax! Weʼll flatten the other side in no time...”

In response to Mystoganʼs warning, Laxus and the others behind Evan grinned warmly.

”Uh...”

Mystogan froze. As someone from Earth Landʼs Fairy Tail, he knew exactly what that smile meant, it was the kind of smile you wear when youʼre about to tear someone apart.

Gulp.

”In any case, please go easy on each other…”

Mystogan finished his speech and quickly left the arena, he didnʼt want to get caught in the crossfire.

The moment Mystogan stepped off the platform, the two sides began to move.

”Iʼll go first and open strong for Team Earth Land. Consider it setting the tone for our victory.”

Laxus transformed into a bolt of lightning and appeared on the arena stage.

”The magic in this world really is weak.”

Once on stage, Laxus frowned, sensing the sparse magical energy in the air.

Due to Edolas having absorbed a yearʼs worth of magic from Elentear, the world still hadnʼt solved its scarcity problem entirely. However, the magic level had at least risen enough that foreign mages no longer needed to rely on X-balls to use their abilities.

”Oh, Laxus, huh?”

”Magic power around 5,300. Pretty formidable. I didnʼt expect them to lead with such a tough opponent… Jet, Iʼll leave him to you.”

Wisdom sat on the platform with one hand adjusting the goggles on his head, eyeing Laxus with a calm smile. He instantly analyzed Laxusʼs power level and assigned one of Edolas Fairy Tailʼs top members to the battle.

”Leave it to me~”

Jet smirked as he replied. His figure became a blur as he leapt onto the stage.

”Jet?!”

Laxus blinked in surprise. He recognized this guy as one of the weaklings from Levyʼs team, basically a level-5 combat power nobody.

”I am Jet, one of Fairy Tailʼs top reserve fighters. Pleased to meet you.”

Jet rested a spiked mace on his shoulder and grinned at Laxus.

”Top reserve? You?” Laxus blinked again, then nodded slightly, murmuring, ”So even our strength is reversed here? That means Edolas me must be super weak.”

He glanced down from the stage at his Edolas counterpart, who was sipping tea and listening to classical music.

”Hmph. Fighting is so brutish and uncivilized.”

Apparently sensing Laxusʼs gaze, the Edolas version of himself snorted dismissively.

Yes, Edolas Laxus wasnʼt just weak, he couldnʼt fight at all.

”Tch~”

This irritated Laxus. He knew Mystoganʼs Earth Land counterpart was one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Since Jellal was close to his own age, Laxus had always considered him a rival.

But now both versions of Jellal were geniuses, while one version of himself was a useless aristocrat. It felt like heʼd just lost to the Ten Saint version of Jellal by default.

”Begin!”

At that very moment, Mystogan, acting as referee, declared the match started.

”High-Speed Movement!”

The boots Jet wore lit up, and he charged at Laxus at incredible speed.

Laxus made no move. He simply stood with his arms crossed, calm and composed.

”Phantom Mirage!”

Jet, seeing no reaction from Laxus, didnʼt drop his guard. As he closed in, he activated a bracelet that cast illusion magic, instantly multiplying himself into ten clones on the stage.

”An illusion?”

Mirajane blinked in surprise. Even in magic-rich Earth Land, illusion spells were rare.

Still, she found it merely amusing. At this level, Laxus could handle it easily.

”Illusions, huh? Just like Mystoganʼs magic.”

Laxus calmly analyzed the situation as the Jets surrounded him.

”Exactly!”

”And youʼve let your guard down, Laxus!”

Jet smirked. As he did, one of his clones, hidden behind Laxus, raised its mace to strike.

”Hmph!”

Laxus simply smirked and dodged with a quick sidestep.

”Huh?! Was that luck?”

Jet froze briefly as his sneak attack failed, then merged back into his illusions and began circling Laxus again, looking for another chance to strike.

”Heh…”

Laxus said nothing. He simply pulled a black cloth from his pocket and tied it over his eyes.

”If I canʼt see it, illusions are useless.”

With that, he activated his Observation Haki.

Yes, Observation and Armament Haki had basically become standard training for promising guild members under Evanʼs tutelage…

”This guyʼs really looking down on me!”

Unaware of Laxusʼs Observation Haki, Jet clenched his fists in frustration. To him, this was pure mockery.

Infuriated, Jet lunged at Laxus, aiming the mace straight for his head.

Laxus didnʼt move.

Whoosh!

With a blast of wind, the mace passed straight through Laxusʼs head.

It had been an illusion! Even in his anger, Jet hadnʼt dropped his strategy of probing Laxus with fakes.

But now he had his answer.

As soon as the first illusion touched Laxus, the other Jets attacked in unison, all swinging their maces at once.

One, two, three, four, 

Laxus stood still, unmoving, until the fifth Jetʼs mace was about to strike.

Then, 

”Thunder Dragonʼs Crushing Fist!”

No words wasted, Laxus struck.

BOOM!!

A thunderous explosion erupted as Laxusʼs lightning engulfed Jet, sending him flying.

”Ugh…”

Jet crashed to the ground. A magical barrier shattered around him as he hit the stage.

”A shield, huh?”

Laxus frowned slightly. His attack had been absorbed by Jetʼs shield, meaning it hadnʼt actually done much real damage.

”How could you see through me?!”

While Laxus remained composed, Jet was panicked. He stared at Laxus in shock.

”No comment.”

Laxus smiled faintly, he wasnʼt the type to reveal his hand.

”You bastard…”

Jet scowled. Furious, he pulled out another magical device.

Buzz!

A magic circle expanded beneath him.

In the blink of an eye, the entire arena was filled with countless Jets.

”If you can still find me after this, Iʼll stop calling myself ʼPhantom Jetʼ…”

Jet stared at Laxus defiantly. If Laxus could see through this, heʼd change his nickname.

”Then start thinking of a new name. Your spells mean nothing to someone who canʼt even see them.”

”Out of respect for the fact that youʼre still Fairy Tail, Edolas or not, Iʼll even let you have one more free shot.”

To Laxus, illusion magic was just sensory manipulation. With his senses sealed and Observation Haki active, it was useless.

He could easily finish Jet with one Thunder Dragon Fang Spear… but this was a friendly match between two Fairy Tail guilds, so heʼd show a bit of restraint.

”Save the talk!”

Jet wasnʼt listening.

Buzz!

Laxus had had enough. He began gathering power.

A massive magic circle appeared above everyoneʼs heads…

”Lightning Drop!!”

As Laxus uttered the words, dark clouds rolled in and covered the entire sky above the arena.

”RUMBLE...”

Thunder and lightning echoed violently in the ears of every Fairy Tail wizard present.

”Is that weather-altering magic?!”

Edolas Elfman stared wide-eyed at the darkening sky.

”Is my Earth Land self really this powerful?”

At the same time, Edolas Laxus, distracted by the deafening thunder, lost interest in his classical music. He looked to the sky with surprise.

”Scatter the darkness! Pierce the night with thunder! Let the lightning punish all evil! Let endless thunder strike fear into sin, and let blinding bolts leave no enemy unseen, Solar Thunder Roar!!”

Laxus chanted calmly but forcefully, his voice echoing clearly through the arena for all to hear.

”No good! I canʼt let him finish, !”

Jet felt overwhelming pressure. He knew something terrifying would happen the moment Laxus completed the incantation.

But just as Jet rushed to interrupt, lightning burst from the clouds and slammed into the arena where Laxus stood!

A devastating thunderstorm engulfed the entire battlefield.

”BOOM!!”

Blinding blue-white lightning erupted, swallowing the stage in an instant...

”Zzzzz, Zzzzzz...”

After a moment, the searing light faded, and only Laxus remained standing calmly in the center of the arena.

Jet, meanwhile, had been completely knocked unconscious by the lightning strike.

”Jet is unable to continue! The winner is Laxus!”

Mystogan, acting as referee, declared Laxusʼs victory the moment he saw Jetʼs collapsed form.

”Hmph~”

Laxus gave a cold snort and stepped down from the stage as if nothing had happened, victory had clearly been expected.

Jetʼs level of skill didnʼt even warrant using dragon-slaying magic. Laxus had only cast a relatively standard lightning spell. Back in Earth Land, this magic couldʼve covered the entire royal palace. Unfortunately, the limited magic in Edolas restricted its full scale.

”I lost…”

On the other side, Jet, supported by the shielding and healing devices provided by Wisdom, soon regained consciousness and looked to Wisdom apologetically.

”Itʼs fine. Facing someone with over 5,000 magic power like Laxus, itʼs no surprise you lost.”

Sitting in his wheelchair, Wisdom smiled faintly, clearly unbothered by Jetʼs defeat. In fact, thanks to Jet, he had already gathered the data he needed.

”Wisdom, that thing youʼre wearing…”

Evan narrowed his eyes and looked at the goggles on Wisdomʼs face. He had noticed them before but only now spoke up, clearly intrigued.

”Hehe, so youʼve finally noticed the device on my face~ This little tool is one of the reasons I invited you here…”

”Itʼs my invention, a magic power scanner. It can detect and measure a personʼs total magic reserves. With it, I can instantly determine your combat strength. In other words, I can handpick fighters strong enough to beat you. Sorry, Evan~”

”Todayʼs victory belongs to Edolas Fairy Tail. That last match? Consider it a gift.”

Wisdom chuckled smugly as he explained the purpose of his goggles.

”I see… So you brought me here just to test your device?”

”After all, humans in Edolas have no internal magic. Your invention is useless here.”

Evanʼs eyes narrowed. He finally understood Wisdomʼs true motive in summoning them.

Still… something about that device looked awfully familiar.

Wasnʼt that thing basically the scouter from Dragon Ball?

Too bad no one warned Wisdom that those things are prone to exploding…

”From here on out, Edolas wonʼt be going easy anymore!”

Wisdom gave Evan a cold smile.

”Heh…”

”Next up, Mirajane, youʼre up. Exceptionally, youʼre allowed to use both the Demon Soul, Hellhound and Mard Geer.”

Evan gave a light chuckle and sent Mirajane into the next match.

”I can use the Hellhound and Mard Geer souls?”

Mirajane blinked. Evan had previously forbidden her from using them until she fully mastered her other Demon Souls.

”Well then, I wonʼt hold back!”

Her lips curled into a confident smile. At this moment, she felt unstoppable.

”Magic power reading, 3,200? Haha! Sorry, Evan, but this match is already ours!”

”Go, Troy, show her your magic weapon!”

Wisdom turned to Troy beside him.

”Got it.”

Just like Jet, Troy, another of Edolas Fairy Tailʼs top reserve fighters, sneered and stepped onto the stage.

”Miss Mirajane, donʼt expect mercy just because youʼre a woman.”

Troy warned her coldly as he squared up to face her.

”Bring it on. Since when have I ever needed your mercy?”

Mirajane replied with a smirk and casually beckoned him with her finger.

”Hmph!”

Troy scoffed and instantly revealed his magical weapon.

”Go, Vine Bind!”

Troyʼs weapon was a ring. With a twist of it, massive green plants burst from the arena floor, each over ten meters tall and radiating strong magical energy. Even in Earth Land, they would be considered A-rank magic beasts.

A single A-rank beast wouldnʼt faze S-class Mirajane, but Troy had summoned dozens of them at once.

The plants wasted no time and launched waves of vines toward Mirajane from every direction.

”Bold move, ripping off a certain god-kingʼs signature move. Iʼd say youʼve found a shortcut to death…”

Evan watched from his sofa, smiling slightly while roasting Troy internally.

”Vines? Funny coincidence. I specialize in those too.”

”Take Over, Demon Soul – Mard Geer!”

Mirajaneʼs eyes glinted with disdain as the waves of vines rushed her.

Buzz!

A massive magic circle appeared above her head as she activated her transformation.

BOOM!!

In a flash, she had fully taken in the power of Mard Geerʼs soul. Her appearance changed, 

Her breezy outfit vanished, replaced by a sleek fitted suit and a long black overcoat. Her ponytail puffed out more voluminously, and her previously white hair turned pitch-black as if drenched in ink.

Her sapphire-blue eyes now shimmered with abyssal darkness.

”What the hell is going on?!”

Wisdom, who had been calm until now, stared wide-eyed at the transformation. His power-scanning goggles began flashing wildly.

The numbers soared past 8,000, still rising.

”8,500… 8,800… 9,000..no! Sheʼs breaking the limit!”

Panic gripped Wisdomʼs face as the numbers surged beyond expectation.

POP!

Before he could react further, the power level shot past 10,000, and the goggles exploded on his face with a small blast.

”My eyes! My eyes…!!”

Wisdom clutched his face and howled in pain.

”Just a tip for you, Wisdom!”

”Next time you build a magic scanner, consider a monocle version. That way when it explodes, youʼll still have one good eye left.”

Evan lounged on his sofa, offering some friendly advice.

After all, battle scouters were made to explode.