Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

When Natsu and Laxus were fighting, Su Yan also pinpointed Laxus's location.

"In the cathedral…"

Su Yan sprinted toward Cardia Cathedral.

Upon arriving at the cathedral, he was immediately surrounded by a magical barrier. Two figures stepped out from behind a pillar: Freed and Bickslow of the Thunder God Tribe.

"Freed, Bickslow—are you two here to stop me?" Su Yan asked calmly.

Freed was the captain of the Thunder God Tribe, and Bickslow a core member. Su Yan recalled that back when he'd first joined Fairy Tail, he'd exchanged barely a few words with them. A year later, during the S-Class exam in which Su Yan defeated Laxus, Freed's group had stopped interacting with him altogether.

Freed fixed Su Yan with a steady gaze. "Su Yan, if you want to defeat Laxus, you'll have to beat us first."

"Exactly, baby! If you can't handle us, you're not qualified to face Laxus," Bickslow chimed in.

They knew Su Yan was incredibly strong; years ago, they'd watched him demolish Laxus, and he had only grown more formidable over time. Still, they wanted to do everything possible to ensure Laxus could triumph. If defeating Su Yan outright wasn't feasible, they aimed at least to weaken him.

Su Yan's tone grew serious. "Freed, Laxus's impulsive nature has already led him to a grave mistake—taking guildmates hostage, forcing them to fight each other, even holding an entire city at risk. This is no different from what a dark guild would do…maybe worse, since many dark guilds don't actually turn against their own. Don't you realize that?"

Freed and Bickslow flinched. They had participated in taking the female guild members hostage; they never intended real harm but had gone along with Laxus's plan. Thunder Palace had been even more extreme, but they couldn't stop it.

Gritting his teeth, Freed said, "We're the Thunder God Tribe—Laxus's personal guard. We obey Laxus's commands."

"You're not helping him by doing this. Don't you see how Laxus will end up expelled for endangering his guildmates? If Master tries to keep him afterward, it'll tear Fairy Tail apart. Is that what you want? And what about the Master himself—he's eighty-eight, with no other family to rely on. You really plan to leave him in misery?"

Freed and Bickslow turned pale. They hadn't considered the consequences so far-reaching. Su Yan could see it all over their faces.

Su Yan sighed. "I can tell you never gave it a thought. But I'm not just here to talk sense into you—I need to knock you two out. If you've made a mistake, you'll have to pay for it!"

"Om—!"

Su Yan's Conqueror's Haki flared, pounding into Freed and Bickslow.

"Boom!!"

The shockwave hurled them back with cries of pain, disorienting them mentally.

"So this is Su Yan's 'magic aura'…" Freed muttered, rubbing his temple.

"If a weaker mage got hit by this, they'd pass out right away," Bickslow added, shuddering.

Freed steeled his resolve. "We can't let him get near Laxus—attack, Bickslow! This is for Laxus's ambition!"

"Attack! Babies, line formation!" Bickslow commanded his five doll-like minions. They lined up and unleashed a cutting wave of energy at Su Yan.

Su Yan raised his hand and simply caught the slash in his palm. The slicing energy squirmed uselessly in his grip. Bickslow's eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Don't be reckless, Bickslow! This isn't like fighting random foes. Su Yan's in a league of his own!" Freed warned.

Su Yan flipped the slash away with a casual flick. It sliced a nearby lamppost in two with a loud crash.

"Dark Écriture: Pain!" Freed incanted, scribbling runes onto his body. Drawing his sword, Freed lunged at Su Yan.

Su Yan clenched his fists and met him head-on.

"Boom—!!!"