Chapter 78: The Path Up the Mountain

Ever since acquiring the Dragon Slayer Magic Crystal, Laxus's power had advanced by leaps and bounds.

At just 17, he passed the Fairy Tail S-Class Mage examination, becoming the youngest S-Class mage in Fiore.

If magic were like the highest peak in the world…

Laxus had sworn since he was young to climb that mountain, to take each step forward, striving to reach the summit.

But everyone descending the mountain would tell him:

"Oh, it's Laxus! I know you! The grandson of Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"

"If I were Makarov's grandson, I could have this kind of power too!"

"It's just because he's Makarov's grandson that he's had access to better education and resources!"

"He's only Makarov's grandson..."

"Makarov's grandson..."

No matter what he did, no matter how hard he trained, everyone descending from the mountain attributed his achievements, his strength, to his grandfather, Makarov.

He swore he would become stronger, far stronger than Makarov—stronger than anyone!

And now…it seemed like the opportunity lay before him.

If he could merge with the dragon before him, he'd skip a massive step forward, becoming like a true dragon, a force dominating everything, capable of shattering mountains with a single punch, of severing rivers with a single step. He'd stand supreme over all, trampling even the Ten Wizard Saints of Ishgar underfoot.

This was true power—the power of a dragon!

In the skies above, Laxus looked down at himself walking slowly toward the Thunder Dragon King. In his heart, he told himself to stop, but he couldn't make a sound.

On the ground, his hand was already reaching out, touching the scales of the Thunder Dragon King.

A voice, like a devil's whisper, resounded in his mind: "Come, if we merge as one, you'll become a dragon, and all this boundless power…will be yours."

Laxus looked down at his left hand, clenching it, muttering softly, "Power…"

But instinctively, he made a hand gesture with his left hand.

His thumb and index finger formed a 90-degree angle, with his index finger pointed towards the sky.

In the skies above, Laxus was taken aback; this gesture brought back memories.

It was the secret signal between him and Makarov. He seemed to have forgotten, but his body hadn't.

Suddenly, on the ground beside him appeared Aegon, his left hand transformed into a black dragon claw. He didn't say a word, only grinned and raised his left hand towards Laxus.

Laxus, who had been absorbed in his thoughts, suddenly snapped out of it.

Here was a thirty-meter-tall golden dragon, and beside it, Aegon with his harmless smile, apart from his black dragon claw. Logically, the golden dragon should have appeared stronger, yet to Laxus, this smiling youth felt more powerful!

At that moment, two phrases echoed again in his mind:

"You're incredibly strong for your age."

"You're tough; even if your talent is lacking, you'll find your way."

In the skies above, Laxus finally understood why Aegon had appeared here.

Aegon was the first person who never mentioned Makarov when speaking to him, the first to acknowledge him!

On the ground, Laxus's face twisted with determination, his eyes blazing:

"The path up the mountain, I'll climb it myself!"

Blood-red lightning surged from his right hand, punching straight through the golden dragon, exploding within it!

The golden dragon instantly dissipated, the dark clouds slowly dispersed, and the world around him began to shatter like a broken mirror…

Laxus felt his vision return to normal, the sense of separation between his body and soul vanishing, until his soul fully returned to his body.

"Interesting…but why did I appear?"

Aegon's expression was strange; he definitely had no desire to appear in another man's dream.

"He actually broke through the illusion on his own."

"Strange, the Thunder Dragon King shouldn't possess this kind of power."

Based on Selene's understanding of thunder dragons, their soul power shouldn't be enough to create such an illusion. She could only conclude that Elexion's soul was too unwilling to die, or that the power sealing his soul had caused this phenomenon.

Three voices sounded in Laxus's ears as Aegon, Irene, and Selene appeared beside him.

Laxus looked bewildered; he thought he was still inside the illusion.

"Right now, the skies around Magnolia are filled with thunder, pouring rain, the winds and clouds in turmoil, and there's even the sound of dragon roars—I've completely lost my mood."

Aegon wasn't exaggerating; the streets of Magnolia were deserted, with everyone hiding in their homes, trembling, wondering if the world was ending.

And the source of this chaos was the black coffin in the estate, through which they watched everything unfold via Selene's magic mirror.

They had witnessed everything that had just happened.

But they remained bystanders, refraining from interference. They wanted to see what Laxus's answer would be.

Had Laxus chosen to merge with the dragon, he would indeed have gained power. However, the Thunder Dragon King's soul would have taken over his body, and he would cease to be Laxus.

Yet Laxus, by his own will, chose a different answer, to climb the mountain on his own.

The Aegon who appeared within the illusion was merely a figment of Laxus's memory, so Aegon's expression was as awkward as could be…

Selene almost burst into laughter.

Around Magnolia, the torrential rain began to clear, the sky grew bright, and the whirlpool of magic around the black coffin gradually shrank…

Selene nodded thoughtfully, "Not a bad opportunity; if he devours Elexion's soul, he might gain quite a bit from it."

"What benefits?"

"It's hard to say—perhaps the thunder dragon's training methods, or memories, or some skill, but the increase in magic power is evident."

Irene, however, was pondering something else. "I wonder if two power boosts in such a short time will lead to loss of control or overconfidence."

Aegon shook his head decisively. "It won't."

Not only had Laxus's magic power increased, but so had his loyalty to Aegon, reaching 95.

Aegon suspected it had something to do with appearing in Laxus's illusion.

"It won't."

Sitting up and pushing open the lid of the coffin, Laxus echoed the same answer.

Just then, as his vision returned to darkness and he came back to reality, he heard Irene's comment.

He clenched his right hand, feeling his newly expanded magic power: "I sense my current magic power, but compared to you all, I still feel insignificant."

After these two rounds of growth, Laxus's magic power had soared to the level of the Ten Wizard Saints, surpassing even Makarov.

Having known both Makarov and Laxus, Aegon could say this with confidence.