That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B! Chapter 455: The Double Ikemen's Final Stand (Patreon)

By then, the battle had escalated into something that completely defied description.

The duo—the rugged Lightning Dragon Slayer and the eccentric Ichiya—unleashed a relentless, synchronized barrage. They moved with a fluidity no one could have predicted, striking from above and below, left and right, forcing Finn into the center of a chaotic magical storm!

Speed was their ultimate advantage.

Laxus possessed the inherent velocity of lightning, while Ichiya continuously inhaled his Fleet-Foot Perfume, boosting his agility to unfathomable levels. Together, they delivered a combination of strikes so terrifyingly fast that the spectators could only watch in suffocating silence.

Whether it was the audience, the organizers, Blue Pegasus, or Fairy Tail, everyone felt an intense, burning heat in their chests.

Ichiya, Laxus, and Finn.

All three men were giving everything they had, their muscles bulging and eyes wide, refusing to yield a single inch.

Yet, even when Finn chose not to dodge, he turned his own body into a weapon. By adjusting his stance, he angled the hardest parts of his bones to intercept their strikes. Every time Ichiya or Laxus landed a punch or a kick, the sickening sound of their own bones cracking against Finn's iron-like defense echoed through the plaza. Even while completely surrounded, Finn marched forward, completely unfazed. The sheer absurdity of his durability filled the audience with a deep, indescribable dread.

Finn had no intention of letting this drag on.

Pushing past his physical limits, Ichiya lunged forward, throwing a desperate haymaker aimed directly at Finn's cheek. Finn didn't dodge. Instead, he caught Ichiya by the face, effortlessly lifting the heavily muscled man off his feet before violently slamming him into the cobblestones!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The earth quaked and ruptured. But Finn wasn't finished. He raised his arm like a hammer, fully intending to smash Ichiya deeper into the bedrock!

Ichiya's eyes widened, yet he didn't panic. He was entirely confident he would survive this.

Why? Because he wasn't fighting alone!

"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"

At the critical moment, Laxus materialized in a flash of thunder, delivering a devastating punch cloaked in high-voltage black electricity that threatened to engulf the entire plaza!

Yet, instead of dodging or blocking, Finn stepped into the attack. He seamlessly slipped his hand behind Laxus's shoulder blade, hijacking the Dragon Slayer's immense forward momentum. Using Laxus's own kinetic force against him, Finn redirected the strike and slammed Laxus face-first into the ruined street!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!

"Gnnnh!"

Laxus's vision blurred as a massive crater formed beneath his bloody face.

Without skipping a beat, Finn stepped over Laxus, wrapping his arms securely around the Dragon Slayer's waist from behind, preparing to hoist him up for a spine-shattering German suplex.

But suddenly—

"Handsome Rush!"

Ichiya bounded back to his feet, launching himself at Finn in a blur of motion, unleashing a rapid-fire barrage of heavily perfumed, devastating punches!

BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

Finn was forced to drop Laxus and step back to weather the assault. When the dust cleared, Ichiya stood tall, panting heavily as he positioned himself protectively in front of Laxus, who was slowly pushing himself up from the rubble.

The three warriors locked eyes, calculating their next moves. The sheer intensity of the standoff finally broke the tension in the stadium, and the crowd completely erupted!

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Roars of excitement shook the capital, the men in the audience screaming as their blood boiled at the display of raw masculinity.

"ICHIYA-SANNN! YOU'RE SO HANDSOME!"

"LAXUS! GO, LAXUS!"

"FINN, CRUSH THEM ALL!"

From the opening strike to this exact moment, the crowd had barely been able to breathe. Yet, anyone with a trained eye knew this clash was nearing its end. Both Ichiya and Laxus were visibly running on fumes.

"I shall pave the way, Laxus."

Ichiya took a deep, ragged breath. Stepping forward, he produced every remaining vial of his Power Perfume, shoving them into his enlarged nostrils, and inhaled everything at once!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The air itself seemed to fracture. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the sky roared in response to his surging magical pressure. Ichiya knew he couldn't defeat this monster in front of him, but his pride as a mage refused to let him yield. If he wanted to pave the way to victory, he needed to force his own evolution!

"MAX HANDSOME!"

Ichiya roared as he launched himself into the air. His entire body began to violently tremble, shiver, and vibrate. Was it fear? Was it excitement? He didn't know, and he didn't care. Even if he burned out his magic completely, he was going to land this strike!

"VIBRATING DARK HANDSOME FLASH!"

By vibrating his muscles at extreme supersonic speeds, Ichiya unintentionally multiplied the destructive kinetic force of his punches, turning his fists into literal magical jackhammers!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Ichiya unleashed an absolute onslaught, forcing Finn back a half-step with a blinding flurry of punches before leaping into the air to drive a devastating knee directly into Finn's face!

Yet, Finn merely tilted his head an inch to the left.

With terrifying precision, Finn reached out, caught both of Ichiya's legs mid-air, and leaped high into the sky!

The stadium fell dead silent. Everyone knew exactly what was coming.

Using the apex of their jump, Finn forcefully inverted Ichiya and drove him back down to the earth, slamming the Pegasus mage spine-first into the bedrock with a powerbomb.

A massive spiderweb of craters tore through the street.

But in the very moment of his defeat, a thunderbolt suddenly struck the battlefield. It didn't aim for Finn. Instead, it crashed directly into Laxus. The Dragon Slayer involuntarily inhaled the electrical surge, his depleted magical energy spiking dramatically.

It was Ichiya's final play. Knowing he was outmatched, he used his Lightning Perfume to revitalize Laxus in his final moments of consciousness.

Go, brother...

Ichiya managed a weak, swollen smile as he watched Laxus's aura erupt before finally passing out in the rubble.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Fueled by his comrade's sacrifice, Laxus charged forward with a deafening roar, unleashing a brutal, desperate barrage of lightning-infused punches!

Yet, unlike before, Finn was done playing the role of a pro-wrestling brawler.

Facing Laxus's blinding assault, Finn's movements changed. The chaotic lightning strikes slipped through him like water flowing through cracked stone. With zero wasted motion, he stepped inside Laxus's guard and drove a compact, devastating counterstrike directly into the Dragon Slayer's chin.

Snap!

Laxus's brain rattled violently against his skull. As his body wobbled, Finn seamlessly followed up with a brutal strike to his temple!

BOOOOOOOOM!

Laxus's balance shattered. His limbs refused to obey him, freezing him in place. He knew he needed to move—Finn was standing right in front of him—but his nervous system was completely compromised.

Finn dropped his stance, took a calm, measured breath, and unleashed a merciless barrage of vertical fists.

Why vertical fists? Because this martial arts technique eliminated the need to twist the hips and shoulders, sacrificing wide-swinging momentum for unparalleled, machine-gun-like speed.

BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

"ARGGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Laxus tried to struggle, but it was impossible. He was trapped in a relentless storm of kinetic impacts, utterly powerless to defend himself as the strikes systematically broke down his remaining endurance.

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!

His consciousness flickered. His battered body swayed, gravity finally taking hold as his knees buckled. He was about to hit the dirt.

But a firm hand suddenly caught his shoulder, keeping him on his feet.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A massive blade of magic slammed into the earth directly in front of Finn, forcing him to halt his chain of punches and step back.

Finn looked up, his eyes narrowing at the three figures who had just materialized through the dust to support the battered Dragon Slayer.

"You guys..."

Even through his blurry, bloodshot vision, Laxus recognized the three men standing fiercely in front of him.

Natsu. Gray. Gajeel.

"Can you still fight, Laxus?" Gray asked, cold mist rolling off his arms.

"Gihihihi, looks like it's finally our turn," Gajeel grinned savagely, his skin shifting into iron scales.

"If you're too tired, just sit back and leave the rest to us!" Natsu roared, his fists already engulfed in roaring flames.

"......."

Laxus stared at their backs for a long moment. A bloody, defiant grin slowly spread across his face as he forced his broken legs to straighten, standing tall once again.

"Don't be an idiot! I haven't lost yet!"

"Hahahaha!"

Listening to their fierce, unified laughter, Finn took a deep, steadying breath, adjusting his stance. The quintessential "Power of Nakama" had finally arrived on the battlefield, and he was more than ready to crush it.