Chapter 168: Takeover: Azure Glyph Golem

Laxus raised his hand, and the wooden flagpole, strangely accompanied by crackling electricity, embedded itself back into the cliffside. Lightning sparked in his palm, forming into a whip that lashed out toward Rhodes and Kana.

They each jumped to the sides, but the Crimson Beak Birds were struck by the lightning whip and disappeared.

Laxus then slammed his fists into the ground, causing two serpentine arcs of lightning to snake across the floor, hitting Rhodes and Kana.

"Whoa!"

"Ahhh!"

Both were enveloped in blinding light, letting out cries of pain. Rhodes felt his whole body go numb, and had to focus his magic internally just to minimize the damage.

Kana barely managed to get up before throwing two cards: "Sun's Blaze! Emperor's Wind Blade!"

Wind and fire surged forward, sweeping up the dust and debris on the ground towards Laxus.

Laxus was enveloped in lightning, shielding his face with one arm as he charged through the flames and wind. His purple shirt was slightly torn, but his body remained unscathed.

Without pause, Kana jumped backward, drawing and throwing card after card, each glowing with golden light.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The cards exploded upon impact with the ground or in front of Laxus, slightly slowing his advance.

A few cards embedded in the ground didn't trigger.

"Takeover: Shadow Wolf!"

Rhodes transformed into a werewolf, lunging at Laxus with a swipe of his claw.

Laxus caught Rhodes's wrist effortlessly, but Rhodes pressed his left hand to his chest: "Summon: Shadow Wolf!"

Three wolves appeared behind Laxus — two normal wolves biting at his right arm and left waist, while a two-headed wolf lunged for his shoulders.

Kana used this opportunity to sprint forward, scattering a few cards as she ran towards the flagpole.

"Are you kidding me?!" Laxus unleashed more lightning.

The three wolves were paralyzed, while Rhodes gritted his teeth, using his claw to grab Laxus's wrist, and his left hand launched a Black Wolf Heart Strike.

Rhodes's sharp claws tore off a large piece of Laxus's shirt, revealing a black tattoo on his chest and leaving several gashes behind.

But Laxus retaliated with a punch to Rhodes's chest, golden lightning coursing through his body.

"Ugh..." In his werewolf form, Rhodes was knocked back, falling to a crouch, clutching his chest, and coughing. "Cough, cough..."

Fortunately, he didn't cough up blood, though all his fur had puffed up, giving the otherwise ferocious werewolf form a somewhat silly appearance.

Laxus ignored Rhodes, turning to pursue Kana, but the cards at his feet exploded, releasing thick gray smoke.

"The Fool's Misdirection."

"This is..." Laxus covered his nose and mouth; the smoke seemed to have a hypnotic effect.

He was about to dash out of the smoke when two more cards exploded.

The scenery before him shifted, revealing a grotesque demon, its maw wide open, seemingly ready to devour him.

"The Magician's Illusion Circle."

"The Terror of the Demon."

Laxus's expression remained unchanged. This level of illusion might work on wizards below S-Class, but it barely affected him.

However, even he knew that Kana had likely filled the smoke with traps.

Laxus leaped upward, jumping above the smoke cloud, regaining his vision. He saw Kana already scaling the cliffside.

Meanwhile, Rhodes had circled to the other side of the smoke. He raised his hand, sending a wolf-shaped shadow leaping up to bite Laxus's ankle.

"You bastard!"

"Hey... Wolf Spirit!" Rhodes grinned in his werewolf form, using his right hand to pull hard. "Get down here!"

Caught off guard, Laxus was pulled down, landing in a half-crouch, immediately scattering the wolf spirit with a punch.

Standing up at the edge of the smoke, Laxus fired a bolt of lightning at Rhodes.

As Rhodes dodged, Laxus raised his right hand, forming a lightning ball half as tall as a person, connected by tendrils of electricity, swinging it like a yo-yo at Rhodes.

"Thunder Pressure Bomb!"

"Arghhh!!!" Rhodes felt a sharp, searing pain. The power of this attack far surpassed the previous ones.

All the fur on Rhodes's body was scorched as he fell backward, lying on the ground.

Laxus swung his arm again, sending the lightning yo-yo towards Kana.

Kana had just pulled out the flag and jumped down from the cliffside. Hearing Rhodes's scream, she turned around, "Rhodes!"

Rhodes struggled to give a thumbs-up, his voice hoarse, "Hurry...!"

It was uncertain if she heard him.

Kana hoisted the flag and started running, but how could she outrun Laxus's lightning?

"Barrier of Power!"

Without stopping, Kana threw a card behind her.

The thin defensive barrier was shattered instantly, and stone beetles emerged from the cliffside, but they were a step too late. The lightning ball struck Kana's back, engulfing her in electricity.

"Ahhhh!" Kana screamed, her eyes rolling back as she fell to the ground.

The flagpole fell, its tip barely touching the edge of the magic circle.

"So close..." She tried to prop herself up on her elbow, her long black hair falling across her face, mixing with the dust.

"Just a little bit more..."

Kana struggled to lift her head — she wanted to crawl, even if it was just crawling, to make it into the magic circle.

But what she saw before her was Laxus's calf.

Laxus mercilessly kicked her out of the narrow path.

Rhodes, who had reverted from his werewolf form, rushed forward a few steps, just managing to catch Kana and gently set her down.

"Kana, Kana?" Rhodes gently patted her cheek. "Are you okay?"

Kana's eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

Biting her lip, tears slowly gathered in her eyes. She grabbed Rhodes's sleeve with difficulty, "Just a little bit more..."

"It's okay, it's okay, it's not over yet. We still have one last move." Rhodes did his best to soothe her. As long as they could still move, it wasn't over.

"We'll give it one more push." He helped Kana stand up, and they supported each other as they walked towards the passage.

Laxus stood at the other end of the path, guarding the magic circle.

He casually kicked the flagpole aside, crossing his arms, looking at the two approaching. "You two, it's about time you gave up, isn't it?"

"Laxus, there were plenty of other ways you could have handled Kana just now, weren't there?" Rhodes looked him in the eye. "That kick — wasn't it a bit too much?"

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? Did you think the S-Class exam was some child's game?" Laxus scoffed. "Kana, this isn't your first time taking this exam. Do you still not recognize your own level? The weak have no right to hold the same title as me!"

Kana looked at him defiantly, "I'm not giving up that easily!"

"And so what? You've used so much magic, set up so many traps, and still took my attacks head-on. Aren't you already running low on magic power? Do you think you can rely on him? That half-baked summoning magic and takeover magic? Don't make me laugh!"

Laxus had no regard for the two struggling to walk.

With their strength, if not for a few tricks, they wouldn't have lasted until now, or even touched the flag.

Thinking of their tricks, Laxus raised his hand and struck the stone beetle that had emerged earlier to shield Kana, splitting it in half with lightning.

He extended his hand forward and beckoned, "Come on, show me what else you can do."

"Then let me show you my final move."

Rhodes carefully removed Kana's arm from his shoulder, letting her stand behind him.

He extended his arm forward, "Takeover: Azure Glyph Golem!"