"This is bad."
The moment Conis noticed the group of four outside the house, her face turned visibly ashen, and her voice trembled.
"Do you know those people outside?"
Noticing Conis's dreadful expression, Laxus thought for a moment before asking.
"The people surrounding the house are Enel's Four God's Priests. Every single one of them possesses extraordinary strength. They're anything but ordinary!"
"Please, you have to run! When the Four Priests act together, they're nearly invincible. You're no match for them," Conis explained to Laxus, her expression frantic.
"So, in other words, they're the enemy?"
Laxus got the answer he was looking for from Conis.
"The woman in that house has clearly betrayed God."
"According to the rules, we can eliminate her along with the intruder."
Outside, the Four Priests seemed to have realized that Conis was helping Laxus. They had made their decision: to execute her as a traitor.
"Since the decision has been made, sentence them all to death."
"Then let me, with the Ordeal of Iron and its zero percent survival rate, obliterate them all."
The one who spoke was Ohm, the leader of Enel's Four God's Priests. He presided over the Ordeal of Iron, the trial with the lowest survival rate. He was also the most powerful of the four.
"Heh heh."
"If you make a move right away, where's the fun in that?"
"Leave small fries like these to me!"
However, before Ohm could act, a man standing beside him—wearing a beret and dressed like a pilot—made the first move.
"Swoosh~"
He let out a sharp whistle towards the sky!
From the heavens above, a giant bird descended...
Without hesitation, the man mounted the bird's back and raised a silver-white knight's spear high. He stared at the house before them and said coldly, "Let me crush you all!"
The man's name was Shura, the second strongest of the Four God's Priests. The ordeal he commanded was the Ordeal of String, with a mere three percent survival rate.
"Hey, hey, hey..."
"What's the difference between you doing it and Ohm doing it?!"
"The enemy's going to die either way, right?"
Behind Shura and Ohm, Satori, the priest of the Ordeal of Balls with its ten percent survival rate, and Gedatsu, the priest of the Ordeal of Swamp with its fifty percent survival rate, complained with deadpan expressions.
"Cut the crap!"
"Let me end this."
As Shura spoke, he was already riding his mount, charging directly at the house. As he neared it, his spear and his steed erupted in scorching flames, instantly obliterating the house's wall.
"It's over."
When the remaining three Priests saw this, they all turned away. They seemed to have already guessed the intruder's fate and couldn't even be bothered to watch the rest. It would be too cruel, a sight that even they would find hard to stomach.
"CRACK-ZZZZZT!!"
However, just as the three priests were thinking this, they heard a crackling roar of thunder from behind...
Before they could even turn their heads, they saw a charred Shura, along with his mount—the bird as large as a small elephant—get thrown through the air, landing right in front of them and blocking their path.
Shura's condition was utterly wretched. His long spear had been snapped in two, his beret was on fire, and his entire body reeked of the scorched, cooked smell of flesh.
"What is this?!"
"Shura!!!"
Seeing this, the three Priests were stunned. They stared at the unconscious Shura, whose life hung by a thread, and their pupils trembled violently. They immediately spun around to look behind them.
There, standing completely unharmed amidst the ruins of the house, was Laxus—the intruder they subconsciously believed to be dead. He had one arm wrapped around Conis's waist.
In stark contrast, Shura, the one they had such confidence in, was now like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
"Such tenacious life force."
"Almost like an S-rank magical beast."
"For an ordinary person, he's certainly a powerhouse."
"But against me, it's far from enough."
Laxus praised Shura with a hint of surprise for having taken a direct punch from him and not dying instantly. He hadn't held back at all; it was a serious punch (a basic attack).
Then, Laxus turned to the remaining three Priests and said coldly, "I hope you three can offer me a bit more of a surprise."
"It seems we underestimated you."
"But don't you dare think that just because you beat Shura, you can beat us."
"Know this, I am the strongest of the Priests!" Ohm roared at Laxus, his face incredibly grim. However, his roar was mostly bluster, a way to hype himself up. It seemed even he lacked the confidence to face the being who had just instantly defeated Shura.
After all, even he couldn't one-shot Shura like that.
"Come on."
Laxus seemed too lazy to waste words with the priest before him, simply beckoning at his opponent with a contemptuous flick of his finger.
"Iron Whip!"
Ohm wasted no time, drawing his weapon and shouting, "Don't underestimate this blade made of cloud! Its hardness is no less than that of steel. Any enemy it touches will be shattered!"
"BOOM!"
Laxus watched Ohm brandish his large blade, putting on a show of false bravado. Without a word, he simply raised his hand and blasted him with a bolt of lightning.
"Ha..."
In the blink of an eye...
Ohm, who one second ago was boasting about his Iron Whip, was now lying on the ground, steam rising from his body.
"Lightning... just like Lord Enel?!"
At that moment, the remaining two priests, Gedatsu and Satori, finally got a clear look at the move Laxus had used. Their pupils quaked, their hearts filled with shock.
"We're doomed!"
"This guy is not someone grunts like us can handle."
Once Gedatsu and Satori confirmed that Laxus could freely wield lightning, they abandoned all thought of fighting back...
In their minds, they silently elevated Laxus's threat level to be on par with the 'God' they served, Enel.
"VWOOM!"
Just as Gedatsu and Satori were at a loss, completely helpless against Laxus, the sky suddenly filled with dark clouds...
Accompanied by a 'Bzzzzzt' sound of electrical currents, an immense bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, striking down towards Laxus.
"It's Lord Enel!"
"This is great!"
"Hahaha, watch this, intruder! So what if you can use lightning?!"
"There are levels to lightning, too."
Seeing this, Gedatsu and Satori cheered loudly, overcome with excitement. They could already picture the scene of Laxus being turned to ash under Enel's divine punishment.
"Oh no, it's Enel."
At the same time, Conis, who was nestled in Laxus's arm with a faint blush on her cheeks just a moment ago...
Was instantly thrown into a panic upon seeing the gathering lightning in the sky. She shouted, "Big Brother Laxus, you have to run!"
"Lightning?!"
Laxus looked up, and upon seeing the coalescing thunder, a slight smirk played on his lips as he whispered, "Perfect. I was getting hungry."
"BOOM!"
Just then, the bolt of lightning, carrying infinite power, finally fell upon Laxus and Conis!
Its terrifying might seemed as if it would tear through the entire cloud sea, piercing all the way to the Blue Sea ten thousand meters below.
However, just as the two priests, Gedatsu and Satori, along with Enel himself and even Conis who was being protected by Laxus, all believed their end was near...
A shocking scene unfolded!
Laxus opened his mouth wide towards the sky. The bolt of lightning, as if obeying his command, was manipulated and swallowed right into his stomach.
"Gulp~"
After doing all this, Laxus made a swallowing motion and said with a look of pure satisfaction, "What was that line Natsu always says? Oh, right! 'Ate it all up. Now I'm brimming with power!'"
"Ah..."
In the distance, Gedatsu and Satori were completely stunned by Laxus's display, their mouths agape and eyes wide with disbelief.
"I must be seeing things... he actually ate Lord Enel's lightning?!" Satori said, his voice filled with incredulity.
"No, you probably didn't. I saw it too."
Gedatsu shook his head. He had witnessed the same horrifying scene.
One person seeing things is normal.
But if two people see the same thing at the same time, no matter how unbelievable it is, it's most likely the truth.
Meanwhile.
In the Shrine, about ten kilometers away from Angel Island.
Enel, who had been closely monitoring the situation with his Mantra, enhanced by the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, was also gaping, his eyes wide in a state of utter disbelief.
"No way?"
"That damned blond intruder..."
"He just... ate all of my lightning?"
"How the hell am I supposed to fight that?" Enel said, his face a mask of pure confusion.
~# Every 30 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter