Fairy Tail: Shinigami

Chapter 40: Thunder and Sword.

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Don't forget to check the auxiliary chapter about Adam. It's like an info chapter.

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[Adam POV]

[Three months after Deliora's demise.]

The following months after the events in Ishgar were quiet for the most part.

As I had promised myself, I had taken a month off to recharge, seeing my mind and body were still heavy with the aftermath of everything. Then again, I suppose calling it a month off was a... stretch seeing the only thing I was taking time off from was taking any jobs.

I was still training.

And helping Lilia whenever I had the chance.

But mostly I would be training.

But not everything during this time was rigorous training, there were some bits of festivity here and there that I quite enjoyed.

Like for example, Cana's birthday.

Gildarts had spared no expense for this joyous occasion. He filled the entire town with a colorful array of carnival rides and games.

I still remember the smell of cotton candy and popcorn filling the air in every corner.

Sadly, much to his bad luck, instead of loving it, Cana's face had been a mask of horror as she looked upon the scene, realizing in her childish mind what it meant, three whole days of revelry before her, three whole days of being under everyone's gaze.

Though granted, her general dislike for the party had been mostly because she was embarrassed Gildarts had made her the center of attention for the entire town, not the theme of her party or the gifts themselves.

I took it upon myself to explain this to Gildarts, who vowed to do better on her next birthday.

Talking about Gildarts, there was also his wedding with Cordelia, which I attended as the groom's best man alongside Makarov.

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little taken aback when Gildarts asked me to stand as his best man alongside the old man at his wedding, but I just couldn't say no.

Beyond that, there was also the day Cana officially joined the guild, which like during her birthday her old man had gone all out in celebration.

Ecstatic his little princess had joined the guild, Gildarts had strung hundreds of paper lanterns between the buildings of Magnolia and had the town's musicians playing cheerful tunes to celebrate the momentous occasion.

Thankfully this time the celebration only lasted a day.

These little events made the time go faster than I expected, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed since Deliora's demise.

All I can say is, life was good all and all.

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I stretched out on the sofa, the worn cushions of my sofa warm under my skin. Mavis floated up beside me, her eyes glued to the pages of the book in my hands, a thick tome of ancient literature that caught her interest, and therefore I had bought.

The only sound in the room was the occasional rustle of paper as we moved through its pages, and the soft ticking of the clock on the wall signaling the past of time.

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, and I had no plans to step outside.

Suddenly, as I was about to start a new chapter, I heard a knock at the door, which caught me off guard, making Mavis groan in annoyance. I frowned tiredly, wondering who it could be, seeing I wasn't expecting anyone today.

Nevertheless much to my general annoyance, I got up calmly and made my way toward the door.

Leaving an angry Mavis behind, I slowly walked up the door, the creaking steps echoing around, before I came to a stop in front of the door, feeling a powerful magical signature emanating from the other side.

One that came from someone I knew.

Laxus.

Now that I was focusing on sensing it, I could feel his energy radiating like a beacon. And I couldn't help but smile, knowing he had grown so much.

I guess he must have come to fight me.

Smiling at this, I swung the door open and saw the thirteen-year-old Laxus standing on the other side, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on me.

"It's been a while," I waved at him.

Laxus' eyes narrowed as he spoke, his voice steady and unwavering as his gaze held mine with a steely resolve. "The last time we crossed paths, you said I would have to become a lot stronger if I wanted to stand a chance against you."

I was right, he did come to fight me.

"I did," I nodded.

At this, Laxus stood up straight, uncrossing his arms, his magic billowing around him as cracks of electricity escaped his clenched fists. "Let's fight."

"Very well," I replied, closing the door of my apartment behind me, before leaving with Laxus to find a better location to have our fight.

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I followed Laxus as he led the way out of my apartment and onto the streets of Magnolia. We walked in silence, slowly making our way to an empty plain on the outskirts of the town.

As we approached the clearing, I began to wonder how this would end. Would the fight be the closing point Laxus needed? Would it make it worse? I didn't know.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused on what was happening right now, I continued walking, until we both stopped at opposite ends of the plain, facing each other, our eyes locked in a wordless stare-down as the breeze danced around us, tousling our hair and clothes.

Laxus slowly stepped forward, his boots crunching softly against the gravel beneath them as the air around him cracked with electricity. He broke the silence, puncturing it with one simple question. "Are you ready?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes," I replied, my voice firm and steady.

As soon as those words came from my mouth, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the area with a loud crackling rumble that echoed through the air as Laxus transformed his body into a bolt of lightning and shot toward me.

I grinned widely, eyes focused as I twisted my body around, just in time to meet his punch with an open palm, the friction behind his strike sending a shock of vibrations up my arm as his fist came to a dead stop, strong and steady in my grip.

I felt a strength radiating from his clenched fist and gave a gentle squeeze, stopping him from moving it. "Not bad, but I know you are holding back," I said, our eyes locking for a brief moment, before breaking our stalemate.

Laxus's mouth tightened into a line as he clenched his jaw before a wild and sinister smile broke across his face. "As you wish!" he said, his voice low and menacing.

At this, a bright light engulfed Laxus and his figure once again elongated into a jagged streak of lightning that shot through the air, bouncing off around the area as it moved around me, until he finally stopped in midair; high above me.

Then, squaring his shoulders and widening his stance, he opened his mouth wide, releasing a crackling, destructive blast of concentrated lightning aimed directly at me. "Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

As his attack swooped down on me with terrifying speed and power, I grinned, before blurring out of sight with a single step, appearing behind him in an instant with my left hand raised.

"What?" Laxus muttered in shock, probably not expecting my sudden display of speed.

"Bakudo #62. Hyapporankan," At this a bright blue light emerged from my left hand, darting towards Laxus before quickly taking the shape of a rod, immediately splitting into a hundred copies as it traveled towards him, showering him with a barrage of attacks that illuminated the clearing.

Laxus' eyes flicked up in surprise, his pupils widening for a brief instant before he narrowed his gaze intently, regaining his focus as he weaved and ducked under the storm of attacks, evading each rod with a well-timed move, before landing on the ground.

Not bad.

I didn't expect him to dodge that, at least not entirely.

"Impressive," I complimented.

Laxus' brows drew together in anger, glaring at me as he crossed his arms tightly across his chest. "Don't you dare think you can talk down to me! I know you're holding back!" He growled through clenched teeth.

Hmm...

How odd...

Now that I think about it, I don't feel any ill-intent coming from him.

"Same as you," I replied with a shrug, I mean, I was holding back, sure, but he was holding back as well.

Laxus bared his teeth and roared, and before I could say or do anything else, his body transformed into a bolt of lightning, rushing towards me with a level of speed beyond anything he had shown so far, closing the distance between us in an instant, delivering a lightning coated punch to my gut, propelling to the ground with a deafening crack as pure lightning streaked around my body, "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Impressed by that sudden show of strength, I felt the impact of the ground reverberate through my body as I collided with a loud thud, forming a crater in the earth. With the dirt around me seeming to come alive as it crackled and sparked with the residues of Laxus' lightning.

That had fucking hurt.

More than I expected.

A lot more.

At this my lips curled up into a faint smile as I slowly pushed myself off the ground, brushing the dust from my clothes, seeing as I did so, the jagged yellow sparks of lightning that still lingered in my body from the attack.

Seeing me stand, Laxus took a step forward, his face contorted in a turmoil of emotions. His fists were clenched and he stared at me, demanding in more than one way that I meet his challenge. "Are you going to take me seriously now?!" He bellowed, his voice echoing in the air.

He wasn't holding back anymore.

I might as well honor his request before the spectators intervene.

I held the hilt of my Zanpakuto tightly in my right hand, slowly drawing the blade from its sheath. "Judge all things in this universe. Zanryuzuki."

With the release of my Shikai, came a blinding explosion of power that erupted from my body, rippling outwards like a wave, shaking the very foundations of everything around me.

"Ready when you are," I said, taking a step forward, seeing as the very earth trembled beneath my feet, breaking apart, slowly crumbling away like hardened clay, unable to withstand the force of my pressure.

Laxus stood still, his gaze burning into mine for a moment. His knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists, his entire body crackling with electricity. "Good."

With no more words needed, Laxus took a step forward, gathering a large volume of lightning into his right arm as the air around him crackled, before thrusting his arm forward in a punch-like motion, prompting a magical symbol to appear before him, giving form to an over-sized fist made of lightning that raced towards me with frightening speed.

Taking a step forward, I slowly lifted my Zanpakuto, slicing his lightning strike in two with a single stroke, shocking Laxus, before disappearing from his sight in a single step, closing the distance between us in the blink of an eye, as I reappeared in front of him.

Then before he could react properly, in a single fluid motion, I shifted my grip on my Zanpakuto, before plunging the hilt of the blade into his chest, creating a shockwave that reverberated through the ground, forming cracks in the earth all around us.

Laxus stumbled back a few steps, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps. His hands floated up to touch his chest in disbelief as his vision started to dance, showing his struggle to stay conscious. However, this fight of his didn't last long, and soon enough his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped forward onto the ground with a thud, completely unconscious.

The battle over, I lowered my sword and slid it back into its sheath, sealing my Shikai as my eyes lingered on Laxus' still form. Taking a deep breath, I turned around to face the old man, Makarov, who was standing in the shadows a few feet away, his eyes meeting mine, unblinkingly.

"I didn't hurt him, in case you're worried," I said, looking at the old man, as he stepped forward, the light glinting off his bald head, revealing deep crevasses carved into his leathery face that showed his exhaustion.

Makarov closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a weary breath. His mouth curved into a faint smile as he opened his eyes once again. "I know," he said, nodding. "I can't thank you enough for being a friend to him despite everything."

I wasn't doing anything special.

I had no reason to hurt Laxus, even if he was mad at me.

"Don't mention it," I replied, smiling at the old man.

Makarov chuckled softly.

"He will wake up soon, in a few minutes or so, so I would appreciate it if you let me talk with him in private," I said, looking at Makarov. It was high time I talked with Laxus about what had happened.

Makarov silently acknowledged the request with a slight nod of his head, before slowly turning away and setting off with steady strides, his white cloak billowing behind him as he made his way back to Magnolia Town.

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[Third Person POV]

In Adam's point of view, Laxus lay still on the ground for what felt like an eternity before finally his eyelids flickered and he groaned in pain.

Carelessly, the Dragon Slayer tried to sit up, but as he did a sharp pain shot through his body, causing him to wince in pain, forcing him back to the ground.

"Hey there," Adam said, crouching down next to him. "How are you feeling? Do we need Porlyusica?"

Laxus glared at him, refusing to show any sign of weakness, even in pain. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to talk," Adam said, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Look, I know things are heated between us, and that last time we saw each other, I wasn't particularly helpful with your situation, but I want you to know that despite my lack of tact, every word I said that day was true."

Laxus' eyebrows knitted together into a frown as he stared at Adam without saying a word.

Adam sighed heavily, his eyes darting around as he ran a hand through his hair and began speaking again. "I know the ex-communication of your dad was tough for you, and I know you blame me for it, but it wasn't my fault. I had nothing to do with it." He paused, his voice wavering, and he glanced away before continuing.

However before Adam could continue, The Dragon Slayer silenced him with an upraised shaky hand. "I know," Laxus said, his words slicing through the tense air. "I know it wasn't your fault. And honestly, he deserved it. He was a liability to the guild, and his behavior put everyone in danger."

Adam's brow furrowed and he slowly cocked his head to one side in confusion. "Then... Why did you want to fight me so badly?"

Laxus's lips twitched, a slight crease forming between his eyebrows as he sighed, his gaze dropping to the floor, silently expressing how uncertain he felt about the entire situation. "I don't know," he finally said.

Adam sighed, offering Laxus a small, sympathetic smile. "Maybe this was your way to find some closure."

Laxus let out a long, slow sigh, his lips curling ever so slightly almost as if they were on the brink of a smile, before he forced them back into a thin line, as if he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. "I guess." He muttered.

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