Chapter 618 Love Bond

Laxus pressed a hand against his stomach and shook his head, trying to clear away the sudden, overwhelming hunger.

The sensation was deeply uncomfortable, but he forced it aside for the moment and charged toward God Serena again.

Serena, meanwhile, had finally realized where Laxus's new ability was coming from. His eyes darted repeatedly toward the ring on Laxus's finger as he struggled to defend himself against the incoming attacks.

"That ring… Don't tell me it lets you devour Magic Power that isn't even lightning!"

Laxus didn't answer.

Multiple elemental forces were now intertwined within the red-black lightning surrounding his fist. He drove forward with another devastating punch, sending the distracted Serena flying across the corridor.

But after Laxus unleashed that multi-element attack, the additional properties within his lightning began fading.

Serena noticed immediately.

His eyes lit up.

"I see! So the effects aren't permanent!"

Laxus ignored him and gathered the enormous quantity of elemental Magic Power he had just consumed, drawing it into the crimson lightning circulating throughout his body.

Then he unleashed everything at once.

"Lightning Pump: Crimson Imperial Thunder!"

Concentric waves of red lightning spread outward, each carrying several different elemental properties. The surrounding space rippled under the tremendous pressure, while an enormous, distorted Thunder Dragon seemed to materialize within the storm.

Its body twisted unnaturally, and several ferocious heads emerged from its neck.

With a deafening roar, the monstrous lightning construct opened its jaws and swallowed Serena whole.

Serena's expression changed.

He had already suffered enough from underestimating Laxus, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

Realizing he couldn't evade the attack, he wrapped himself in the Magic Power of all eight dragons and activated his Diamond Dragon defenses, curling inward and relying on his reinforced body to withstand the blow.

BOOOOM!

A colossal thunderclap shook the entire dungeon.

The impact was so tremendous that not only did the eleventh floor tremble, but even participants scattered across other levels felt the disturbance.

Such an enormous concentration of Magic Power was impossible to ignore. The battlefield had effectively become a beacon, and mages exploring elsewhere in the dungeon began converging toward its location.

Back at the center of the devastation, Laxus was down on one knee.

He clutched his stomach, his breathing uneven. A disturbing crimson light flickered in his eyes as he gritted his teeth and struggled to suppress something raging inside him.

Across from him, Serena wasn't in much better condition.

His clothes had been reduced to tatters, and blood streamed from numerous wounds. Nevertheless, his newly acquired caution had paid off. The layered draconic defenses had allowed him to survive the attack, and after considerable effort, he managed to drag himself upright.

"What an incredible ring…"

He coughed up blood and forced himself to remain standing.

"No… Of course it is. It's a divine artifact…"

Despite his injuries, greed shone in Serena's eyes as he stared at the ring on Laxus's hand.

The ring was engraved with the image of a pig.

Its ability allowed the wearer to consume an opponent's power and temporarily turn it into their own.

And that was only one of the rings Laxus possessed.

What about the Dragon Ring that bastard had stolen from right under his nose earlier?

Serena's desire to kill Laxus and take both treasures grew even stronger.

"Laxus!"

Unfortunately for him, Gajeel and Juvia had finally found an opportunity to intervene.

The two had been unable to get anywhere near the previous exchange, but now that the fighting had stopped, they hurried toward Laxus to help him up.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Laxus suddenly roared.

Both of them froze.

He looked up at his companions, only to feel the terrible hunger inside him intensify.

For one horrifying instant, his instincts no longer seemed capable of distinguishing between the Magic Power he could consume and the people standing in front of him.

Laxus clenched his jaw and fought desperately against the thought.

Then he grabbed the Pig Ring and yanked it off his finger, tossing it aside.

The unbearable hunger finally eased a little.

"Forget about me. Deal with him first."

He kept his head lowered, not daring to look directly at his companions.

After pointing toward Serena, Laxus sat cross-legged on the floor and concentrated on suppressing the ravenous impulse still clawing at his mind.

Gajeel immediately understood.

He turned toward Serena, transformed one arm into a vicious iron saw, and charged without hesitation.

Serena had taken a direct hit from an attack comparable to one of Laxus's ultimate techniques. His injuries were severe, and his body hadn't recovered enough for him to dodge.

All he could do was watch as Gajeel's spinning iron blade descended toward him.

But just before the attack connected, a metal chain suddenly shot out of the darkness like a striking serpent.

It wrapped around Serena's waist and yanked him backward.

"Who's there?!"

Gajeel's eyes widened.

He transformed his arm into an iron sword and immediately gave chase.

A figure burst out from the shadows like a hungry wolf, swinging a long chain directly toward Gajeel's neck.

Gajeel opened his mouth.

CRUNCH!

He bit straight through the chain.

The stranger froze in disbelief for a couple of seconds.

That was more than enough time for Juvia to attack.

"Water Slicer!"

A high-pressure blade of water shot past Gajeel and struck the man from behind, leaving him battered and struggling to regain his balance.

His Magic Power wasn't particularly impressive.

Gajeel took advantage of Juvia's support, closed the distance, and drove an iron-coated fist straight into the stranger's jaw.

The blow sent him flying.

But the man scrambled back to his feet almost immediately and planted himself protectively in front of Serena.

Gajeel frowned.

"What guild are you from? Are you working with that bastard?"

"Huh? I'm not even a mage!"

The stranger rubbed his aching jaw, tears still gathering in the corners of his eyes from Gajeel's punch.

A tattoo bearing the character for destruction marked his face.

Despite having just been beaten senseless, he straightened proudly and announced,

"I am Sai, an alchemist of Gold Owl, the greatest alchemist guild in all of Guiltina!"

He lifted his chin, evidently expecting the two Fairy Tail mages to be awestruck by his prestigious affiliation.

Instead, Gajeel and Juvia stared at him blankly.

Neither seemed particularly impressed.

Gajeel decided the explanation wasn't worth understanding and raised his iron blade again.

"Don't care who you are. Get out of the way!"

Panther Lily immediately spread his wings and lifted Gajeel into the air.

Together, they became a black blur that swooped toward Serena like a hunting panther.

Sai sneered.

"You ignorant mages really don't understand the greatness of alchemy!"

He raised both hands.

An unusual energy circuit formed between his palms, completely unlike the magical structures Gajeel was accustomed to.

The next instant, an invisible force spread outward and enveloped him.

Gajeel didn't appear to notice anything.

His arm continued swinging toward Serena without the slightest hesitation.

But when his attack finally connected—

something felt wrong.

There was almost no impact.

"Eh?"

Gajeel blinked.

He stared at Serena, who was completely unharmed, and couldn't understand what had happened.

Then Juvia's shocked voice sounded beside him.

"L-Levy?"

Gajeel's heart skipped a beat.

He looked down at his hands.

They were small.

Pale.

Soft.

And absolutely nothing like the rough, oversized hands he was accustomed to.

A terrible suspicion entered his mind.

He hurriedly touched his face.

His skin was unbelievably smooth, with none of the metal studs he had worn for years.

He felt his hair next.

Familiar blue curls.

Then he looked down.

Small arms.

Short legs.

The same modest figure he knew so well, right down to the slender hips and flat chest he was so fond of teasing.

Every detail was unmistakable.

Gajeel's entire body stiffened.

Then he stumbled backward several steps.

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!"

He grabbed his head in disbelief.

"WHY DID I TURN INTO LEVY?!"

Juvia circled around him, examining his appearance from every angle.

After a thorough inspection, she reached the only possible conclusion.

This really was Levy's body.

Even the proportions matched perfectly.

"Not bad, Sai."

Serena finally relaxed.

He turned toward the alchemist with a pleased smile.

Sai puffed out his chest.

"Of course, God Serena."

He gestured proudly toward the bewildered Gajeel.

"My specialty is Bond Alchemy. What you're seeing is the result of Love Bond, an alchemical technique that allows someone to exchange bodies with the person they love!"

Gajeel's pupils practically shook.

He stared at his unfamiliar hands, then muttered in disbelief,

"There's actually magic that can do something like this…?"

"IT'S ALCHEMY, YOU IDIOT!"

Sai shouted indignantly.

Gajeel was still reeling from the transformation, but Juvia had suddenly gone very quiet.

She had been listening carefully to Sai's explanation.

An ability that exchanged someone's body with the person they loved…

The implications slowly sank in.

Then her beautiful eyes lit up like searchlights.

Juvia stepped forward, practically trembling with excitement.

"I don't believe you!"

Sai blinked.

"Huh?"

Juvia pointed directly at him.

"Unless you use that technique on Juvia too!"

Gajeel: "???"

Sai: "…"