Gildarts

"What's going on?" Feng Lan asked blankly as he stood at the guild entrance.

Lisanna jumped down from Natsu's back and said excitedly, "Gildarts is back!"

"Gildarts? Fairy Tail's strongest wizard?" Feng Lan asked skeptically.

"Yeah! Feng Lan, are you going to fight him?" Natsu was equally excited.

"Sure... What is this!?" Feng Lan watched as all of Magnolia began to transform, gradually revealing a road that led straight from the Station to the guild.

Makarov came out and said, "Kildarts Mode. It's a special mode Magnolia was designed with specifically for Gildarts. As you can see, it gives him a direct route to the guild."

"That much fanfare... Isn't this a bit excessive!?" Feng Lan stared at the road in utter disbelief.

"It's nothing to be proud of!" Makarov sighed. "This mode was added because Gildarts often zones out, causing his magic to unconsciously destroy buildings."

Feng Lan immediately became interested. "What kind of magic can destroy houses unconsciously... What magic does Gildarts use?"

Makarov smiled. "Super high-grade destructive magic—Crash."

Feng Lan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It can instantly Crush the bonds between atoms in anything it touches, shattering it into pieces. If used on living creatures, its effect depends on the caster's intent—it can reduce someone to dust on the spot or turn them into hundreds of tiny duplicates... That's powerful. What else? What are his basic spells?"

"Nothing else. That is his basic magic," Makarov said with a shrug.

Feng Lan stared at Makarov in astonishment. "He treats super magic as basic magic!?"

Mira also walked out of the guild. "Now you know why he's the strongest."

Feng Lan immediately grew excited. "But... I might not be without a chance. I know the weakness of that magic."

The guild members all looked at Feng Lan in disbelief, before a series of footsteps drew their attention away.

A powerfully built man approached, with orange hair slicked back, a bit of stubble on his chin, and a somewhat tattered dark green cloak with shoulder armor. He wore a dark vest, dark blue pants, brown boots, and a broad belt around his waist. This was Gildarts.

"Yo! Long time no see, everyone!" Gildarts walked up to the group and noticed Feng Lan. "Oh? A new face."

"My name is Feng Lan Mistna. I'm a wizard who joined the guild not long ago, and I would like to spar with you." Feng Lan immediately stepped forward and introduced himself.

"Feng Lan? That's a nice name. But challenging me right away? You'd better be prepared." Gildarts did not dislike Feng Lan's eagerness to fight, but he still did not believe in Feng Lan's strength.

"Mm. If you need to rest first, that's fine. I can wait a while." Feng Lan's words brimmed with confidence.

Laxus also hyped Feng Lan up from the side. "Gildarts, don't underestimate Feng Lan. He's no weakling."

"Yeah, he just said he knew the weakness of your magic too~" Mira added, fanning the flames.

"If that's the case, I can't exactly refuse. Let's find an open area outside town!" Gildarts's interest was piqued as he decided to test Feng Lan out.

Gildarts then led Feng Lan to an open field, while the guild members naturally followed along to watch the show.

Gildarts walked to the middle of the field. "Let's introduce ourselves first. My magic is uncommon—Crush Magic: Crash."

Feng Lan responded, "My magic isn't anything so advanced. It's Water Dragon Slayer Magic and Water Make Magic... Junior Feng Lan, please enlighten me."

Gildarts and Feng Lan kicked off the ground at the same time and charged at one another. "Crush!" "Water Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Their fists collided, and their magic canceled each other out. What remained was purely flesh striking flesh—a contest of raw physical strength.

Several more exchanges followed the same pattern, each punch landing solidly without any magic involved.

Suddenly, Feng Lan took a deep breath. "Water Dragon's Roar!" A dark blue high-pressure water blast shot toward Gildarts.

"Disassemble!" Gildarts extended his right hand and fired milky-white cutting lines, slicing Feng Lan's Dragon's Breath into several fragments.

"Torrent of the Water Dragon!" Feng Lan immediately seized a fleeting opening in Gildarts's defenses and attacked.

"Crush!" Gildarts spotted the ambush this time and turned it into droplets. "All-Out Disassembly!" Gildarts gathered a massive amount of milky-white magic, launching a wide-scale disassembly attack around Feng Lan.

"Water Make—Capsule." Feng Lan instantly created a capsule, neutralized the attack, then cast another spell. "Water Make—Crocodile!"

A crocodile's huge, bloodied maw appeared beneath Gildarts's feet, swallowing him whole and encasing him in water.

The next second, the crocodile exploded, and Gildarts stood there completely unharmed. "Not bad! Then it's time you told me... the weakness of my magic!"

"Righteous Evil-Piercing—Heart Strike!" A milky-white magic sphere formed in Gildarts's right palm. With a powerful throw, he blasted the entire field into fragments.

The guild members immediately broke into a cold sweat for Feng Lan. Some even thought Gildarts had misjudged his strength and reduced Feng Lan to dust.

"Abyss Mode!" Feng Lan instantly unleashed Dragon Force and transformed into a half-dragon. Everyone except Mira, the three little ones, and Natsu was frightened—not only by his terrifying appearance and immense magic power, but also by the innate pressure of the Dragon race.

"Gildarts, the weakness of your magic is... although it can easily Crush most tangible matter, it still can't easily break through Dragon Scales, can it?" Feng Lan flapped his wings and hovered in midair.

"Is that... Dragon Force!? I never thought I'd get to witness it with my own eyes! What an honor!" Gildarts shouted in extreme excitement.

"Water Dragon's Surge..." Feng Lan was just about to cast his spell when Gildarts raised both hands. "I surrender!"

"Huh!? Huh!? Huh!?" No one could believe their ears. Gildarts had actually... surrendered! And his opponent was just a kid in his teens!

Seeing the disbelief on everyone's faces, including Feng Lan's, Gildarts shook his head and explained, "There's no need to waste any more energy. Feng Lan has unleashed Dragon Force, so my magic can barely hurt him. And his hand-to-hand combat is no weaker than mine—probably stronger."

Gildarts paused, then said with self-mockery, "I'm a good judge of people. Feng Lan has only used close to thirty percent of his strength so far... Forget going all out—if he used eighty percent... no, fifty percent! I'd basically have no ability to resist."

At that moment, everyone, including Natsu, stood frozen in place, as if their brains had yet to accept the fact.

Gildarts walked over to Feng Lan, who had dispelled his Dragon Force, and said awkwardly, "Sorry. I really did underestimate you earlier."

Feng Lan humbly replied, "No, you're absolutely strong too, if you could force me to use Dragon Force!"

"Haha, thanks for the compliment!" Gildarts then asked seriously, "That was close to thirty percent of your strength, wasn't it? I wasn't wrong, was I?"

Feng Lan grinned. "More or less..."

"Looks like..." Gildarts laughed loudly. "Fairy Tail has truly gained a genuine monster! The Guild Master really struck gold this time, haha! Please take care of me, Feng Lan!"