Gray and Lucy finally start attacking Alex again. They plan to use the attacks to distract or stop Alex for a while, giving them a chance to slip by and pass Alex. Both of them know it's meaningless to try defeating Alex, so they focus on escaping.
Surprisingly, Lucy suddenly changes the Spirit she summons. She recalls Aquarius and summons her new spirit, Leo. She returned home a few days ago and finally got her mother's approval to contract Leo and Aries, so now she has 8 Gold Keys in total.
"Hoh? A new Spirit? Using a Spirit I don't know, huh? Good choice."
Yes, that's the reason Lucy chooses Leo now, because Alex doesn't know Leo's abilities. Well, Alex only remembers Leo is a good close combat fighter and the only Magic he remembers from Leo is Regulus, which he thinks is a Light Magic, he doesn't really remember by now.
Just as Alex is thinking about that, Leo charges toward him and attacks him. Leo's fists are covered with golden light as he uses Regulus to enhance his punches. He sends a powerful punch to check Alex's strength and skill, then gets surprised that Alex can catch his punch easily.
"Not as strong as I thought. Have you not eaten yet? Oh wait, do spirits even need food?" Alex jokes around while releasing Leo's fist.
Leo frowns, but now he understands that he can only go all-out against Alex. He knows this is not a real battle, but an exam, so he wasn't sure if he should go all-out. But now he realizes that even if he goes all-out, he might still not win against Alex.
"Lucy, how's your magic power?" Leo asks while glancing back at Lucy.
"I still have quite a lot. What about it?" Lucy asks while tilting her head.
"Then, can I go all-out? I can't stop him if I don't give everything I have. Even that might still not be enough."
Lucy and Gray are surprised that Leo can find out the gap between him and Alex using just 1 attack. Well, it's easy to realize the gap if it's too big. When an opponent can stop one's serious attack so easily, it's obvious that there's a big gap between their power.
Lucy gives her approval because they really need Leo to stop Alex. So it doesn't matter if he spends a lot of her magic power now. Otherwise, they won't even be able to pass this stage.
Leo's hands become even brighter and then he sends a barrage of punches at Alex. Each punch is much more powerful than before and they cause explosions every time they hit. The light explosions caused by those punches illuminate the whole cave and even blind everyone there.
But Leo is gritting his teeth because Alex can block all of his punches very easily just with 2 palms, or maybe paws because Alex is in the Humanoid Matatabi form, so his palms are like cat paws made out of blue fire.
The lights from Regulus and the explosions are too bright though. They're so bright that it's still so bright even when Alex closes his eyes. The Lights pass through his eyelids, forcing him to turn his head away to reduce the effect.
Even so, he still can block all of Leo's attacks without looking. He relies on his other senses like hearing, touch, and his magic sense. Alex has trained himself to fight without looking because there were times when his vision was useless, like now.
When Leo keeps Alex busy, Gray immediately creates massive Ice Walls around Alex and Leo. The Ice Walls only make the light seem even brighter inside it because they reflect the light. But now the outside of the Ice Walls are not too bright, so Gray and Lucy can see better.
They quickly try to run away from this place while Alex is occupied by Leo and blinded by the light. But just as they step right on the straight line on Alex's left side, the Ice Wall beside them suddenly breaks, and then Leo is flying at them through the hole, crashing onto them.
The 3 of them are crashing onto each other and fall onto the ground. They now can see Alex again through the hole on the Ice Wall. He is just standing in his initial position while still closing his eyes with a calm expression as if nothing happens.
"L-LEO! Are you okay?" Lucy is checking on Leo's condition.
"I'm fine. He cracked the Ice Wall with his tail before throwing me onto it, so the impact on my body wasn't too big. It really feels strange knowing your opponent is being considerate of you." Leo somehow feels quite bitter about this even though he knows that Alex does that because this isn't a real battle to kill each other.
"As I thought, it won't be that easy, huh?"
Gray stands up and moves in front of Leo and Lucy while looking at Alex through the big hole in the Ice Wall. Alex doesn't even seem tired even though they've used up a lot of their magic power just to escape from him.
Without saying a word, Gray suddenly gathers magic power in his hands. They glow bright blue and then he makes the signature form of Ice Make Magic with his hands. Then, he slams his palms on the ground.
"Ice-Make: Geyser!"
Big Ice Spikes suddenly appear from the ground inside the Ice Walls. Gray makes a lot of them to fill the inside of the Ice Walls or in this case the big Ice Box. He tries to freeze Alex and also blocks Alex's surroundings with ice.
Right after doing that, Gray picks up Lucy and runs to the exit. Leo runs behind them while looking back at the Ice box. He is impressed by Gray's Ice Magic, but he is also sure that it's not enough to stop Alex.
"Quick! We need to get out before he breaks the ice!" Gray also knows that. There's no way he won't know because just like how he knows Alex the longest among everyone in the Guild, Alex also knows him the most.
Gray's worry turns into reality because suddenly a pair of long blue-black fire tails pierce through his giant ice block. The tails extend very quickly and catch all 3 of them. One tail catches Leo while the other catches Gray and Lucy in his arm.
Then, the giant ice block melts very quickly and because it's not made of water, it just disappears. Quite strange, but that's just how magic is sometimes. Alex was having a hard time understanding everything in the beginning because of his Earthly logic, but now he has gotten used to it.
Anyway, Alex moves the 3 of them to his front again. They return to the starting line after all their efforts to reach the other side. Now they feel like this is just an impossible trial to pass, but Alex thinks otherwise.
"That was a good strategy and you have shown sufficient power. If the judgment is just based on your power and strategic abilities, then I would have let you pass already. Unfortunately, to be an S-Class Mage, you need more than just power and a good brain. There are many strong and smart Mages out there, but not all of them can be S-Class Mages. You also need perseverance and strong spirits, but you've also shown those by not giving up after this long."
"Then can you let us pass already?" Gray tries to negotiate even though he knows it won't work.
"Not yet. Just those things aren't enough to show that you can be an excellent S-Class Mage. Hmm, let's do this then. I have 1 more requirement and if you can pass this simple test, I will let you pass, how is it?" Alex grins.
"What's the requirement?" Gray asks curiously.
"Easy, you just need to approach and touch me."
There's no way it will be as easy as Alex says, they know it very well. But it seems to be the only way to pass this test, so Gray and Lucy are getting ready to do it. So they walk forward with Gray & Leo in the front while Lucy is on the back.
Alex doesn't do anything until they get quite close to him. Then suddenly, Gray, Lucy, and Leo feel cold running down their spines. Even Gray who is used and can be said to be immune to cold feels like his body is freezing now.
Their whole bodies are shivering because of the cold. But this cold isn't from the drop of temperature, it's from fear. They suddenly get scared, so scared that their whole bodies turn cold and cold sweats drench their clothes.
Their legs get weak and they fell on their knees. They look at the ground with shivering eyes full of fear. Gray and Lucy have never gotten so afraid of something or someone this much while Leo feels like he is facing the enraged Spirit King now.
The source of this fear is none other than Alex who stands right in front of them. He doesn't lift a finger or do anything in particular with his magic or magic power. But he brings them down to their knees, only using his Killing Intent.
Unlike Gildarts who uses his massive amount of Magic Power to intimidate Natsu in his test, Alex uses his Killing Intent to intimidate and pressure the ones he tests. This skill doesn't even use any magic power and purely comes from his spirit and will.
He's sure no one in the Guild can match his Killing Intent because it is also enhanced by the Tailed Beasts' spirits and wills. Those with weak spirits and wills are going to faint instantly when they feel Alex's Killing Intent.
But these 3 don't faint despite being so afraid of him now. Alex focuses his Killing Intent more on Gray because Gray is the candidate. But Lucy and Leo still feel a strong Killing Intent, so it's amazing that they also don't faint, especially in Lucy's case.
"I-I give up."
With a weak shaky voice, Gray says he gives up because he knows there's no way they can continue now. Alex stops his Killing Intent, so they can breathe normally again. He grins while looking at them who breathe frantically, still with shaking bodies.
"Alright, you pass."
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Thank you for reading this story. Please support by clicking like or vote if you like this story. It is much appreciated.
Read ahead up to +50 chapters in my patreon page, patreon.com/GrimFairy
Ch. 181. Unstoppable Wendy