There are few mages that can challenge Laxus when it comes to single combat, so I was curious to see how far Kirin would be able to push Laxus beyond his usual capabilities. Kirin was able to catch Laxus off guard with his unique type of Atmosphere magic to the point where he felt confident enough to reveal to Laxus how his magic functions. In Kirin’s mind, he wrote Laxus off and believed he wouldn’t be able to counter his magic. Expectantly though, Laxus was able to use the environment to his advantage to channel his lighting through which included taking advantage of the properties of his Red Lightning Dragon Mode. Curiously though, while Kirin was overwhelmed, he revealed that it was time he got serious? Is this merely smoke or does Kirin truly have a larger power he has been holding back for moments like this? I truly hope Kirin gets seriously push Laxus.
I almost forgot how powerful Laxus’s Red Lightning was but thanks to the display in this chapter, I am once again reminded that there exist Lightning that can even pierce the heavens (atmosphere). To bypass Kirin’s Atmosphere defense in order to reach Kirin himself, I wonder if that is the blood magic empowering his Lightning to seek out other sources of blood. Or is merely brute force that allows the Red Lightning to slice apart of the compressed atmosphere Kirin controls. Whatever the case, Kirin now knows that his usual techniques aren’t up to par to match Laxus. I am very curious to see what Kirin has stored inside his coffin and if whatever exist inside there is the source behind his current hidden power. Are there Dragons bones inside the coffin or pieces of a Dragon? Kirin is a Dark Dragon Slayer and has a consumed a Dragon before. The Atmosphere magic is likely a power he stole from consuming the dragon flesh, so like how Natsu gets stronger from consuming fire, could Kirin get stronger from consuming whatever is inside the coffin or since he wields atmosphere magic, is merely inhaling extra air enough to empower him? I also expect Kirin to at some point transform into a Dragon or at least begin to change to look more Dragon-like. If he IS one of the top contenders within Diabolos to be the strongest, it would make sense to see him embrace more of his Dragon Slayer form.
Turning to Natsu, Lucy and Happy, I was looking forward to seeing what type of creature the Plush dog was but it turned out it wasn’t anything biological. It was one of the Labyrinth creatures that Haku ran into which he consequently turned into a plush doll. Thanks to some quick thinking by Leo and by extension Lucy, Natsu was able to burn the Plush dog without using his fire magic. With the Plush dog destroyed, the core that controlled it was left. Natsu not possesses this core which will likely have future implications deeper into this arc as the focus shifts closer and closer to the core of the Dogramag.
With Haku wandering the Labyrinth, he finds himself encountering Wendy and Lily who he targets as his next prey. I suspected Wendy would be the one to face Haku and I am glad such a match up panned out. Wendy possesses enchantment magic and I believe she will be able to counter his Plush magic with her enchantments. Wendy’s magic not only buffs other magic but it also provides defense to magical attacks. Haku’s plush magic should be no different to the magics that are affected by Enchantment Magic. I anticipate Lily will be affected by Haku’s Plush magic first which will inform Wendy on the type of opponent she is up against. Once Wendy figures out the type of magic Haku wields and how to counter it, she will be able to turn the tables on Haku along with Lily and go on the offensive. Beyond the upcoming battle, Wendy and Lily have wound up in an interesting area which I expect is closer to the heart of the Labyrinth.
Wendy is a Dragon Slayer and an Enchantment Mage, which gives her a unique perspective on understanding other Dragon Slayer types of magic. And along with her own abilities, she has Irene within her being/spirit providing assistance to Wendy as a Master Enchanter Mentor who was also a Dragon. Irene may not come out during the battle with Haku (unless Haku begins to transform into a Dragon) but once Wendy makes her to the core of Dogramag, Irene will likely have dialog to share with Wendy on the subject matter. Irene will also be curious to learn what Selene has planned with Elefseria’s heart which she will get at the end of the his arc. Very much looking forward to the next chapter.
12Dimension 