One Punch, Gray Instantly Killed

Gildarts walked over with a grin, pulled a pouch of coins from his coat, and slapped it directly onto Wakaba's tray.

"I'm betting on Lu Chongwei to win, all of it!"

Wakaba's hand shook, and he nearly dropped his pipe.

"Hey, hey, Gildarts, you're that confident in this kid?"

Gildarts offered a mysterious smile and said nothing, merely casting his gaze toward Lu Chongwei in the center of the arena.

On the field.

Gray looked at Lu Chongwei, his eyes landing on the Zanpakuto hanging at his waist, known as "Ryujin Jakka."

Although the blade was still in its scabbard, Gray could still faintly sense the scorching heat radiating from it.

"Hey, aren't you going to draw your sword?"

Gray frowned, his tone carrying a hint of provocation.

"Since this is a spar, you should go all out. Don't go making excuses when you lose."

Lu Chongwei glanced down at the sword at his waist and shook his head.

"This blade... its power is too great. If it's just a spar, it's better not to use it."

Once Ryujin Jakka was drawn, all things in the universe would be reduced to ash.

Even if he could only unleash a small fraction of its power right now, it wasn't something to be used casually in a friendly match; it would be disastrous if he couldn't hold back and ended up burning Gray to cinders.

"Huh? Too great?"

Gray looked as if he had just heard a joke, a vein pulsing on his forehead.

"Are you looking down on me?!"

He slammed his hands together, and an intensely cold magic power erupted from his body in an instant.

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and a thin layer of frost began to coat the ground.

"If that's the case, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Ice-Make: Lance!"

Following Gray's low shout, countless sharp ice lances materialized out of thin air, shimmering with a chilling light under the moonlight.

The speed of his spellcasting drew gasps of amazement from the surrounding crowd.

"So fast! Gray's molding speed has improved again!"

"That newcomer is in trouble now!"

However, facing the overwhelming barrage of ice lances, Lu Chongwei's expression remained as calm as water.

He did not draw his sword; he didn't even make a wasted movement.

Just as the ice lances were about to strike him, Lu Chongwei moved.

He tapped his toes lightly against the ground.

"Bang!"

A dull, explosive sound rang out.

A crater half a meter in diameter appeared out of thin air where Lu Chongwei had been standing—the result of terrifying explosive force acting upon the ground in an instant.

Yet, his figure had completely vanished from everyone's field of vision.

"What?!"

Gray's pupils contracted sharply.

His dynamic vision couldn't capture Lu Chongwei's trajectory at all.

That was... Flash Step!

Having fully adapted to his own formidable physique, Lu Chongwei had reached a speed akin to teleportation, relying solely on the explosive power of his body.

The next second.

A gust of wind rushed toward him.

Lu Chongwei's figure appeared before Gray like a ghost, without the slightest warning.

The distance between the two was less than half a meter.

Gray remained in his casting stance, his hands not yet retracted, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Too fast!

So fast that his mind couldn't even react in time!

Lu Chongwei looked at Gray, who was within arm's reach, and revealed a faint smile.

He didn't use fire; he simply clenched his fist.

A simple, straightforward punch, yet it carried a terrifying, monstrous strength capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

"It's over."

Lu Chongwei said softly.

His fist landed heavily against Gray's cheek.

"BOOM!"

The clamor of the guild hall seemed to hit a pause button in an instant.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the figure sprawled across the floor.

Gray lay on the ground.

His body, usually so full of vitality, was motionless now, limbs splayed out in a completely defenseless sprawl.

Most eye-catching of all was the massive, red, swollen lump rising on his forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye, still emitting wisps of heat.

Makarov gripped his half-finished beer mug tightly.

His knuckles were white from the force, and those eyes, usually squinted shut, were now wide open, his pupils trembling violently in their sockets.

"Th-this... this was just one hit?"

Makarov muttered to himself.

He felt his mustache twitching slightly from the shock, and his throat felt as if a dry, hard piece of bread were stuck in it, making even swallowing an arduous task.

Gildarts stood to the side, still draped in his tattered cloak.

He looked down at Gray on the floor, then back up at the innocent-looking Lu Chongwei, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

"Old man, it looks like you've really picked up someone incredible."

Gildarts took a deep breath.

He scratched his messy orange hair, the laziness in his eyes fading, replaced by a gravity that could only be called "awe."

"That kid Gray, even if he likes to strip and has a bit of a hot head, his ice-make magic is the real deal."

Makarov nodded.

He set his beer mug down, the base hitting the table with a dull thud that echoed the heavy sigh in his heart.

"That's right, Gray is definitely a standout among his peers, perhaps even one of the most gifted children of this generation."

The Guild Master sighed.

He turned, his gaze locking onto Lu Chongwei, who was shaking out his hand not far away, his expression complex and beyond words.

"And yet, a Gray like that didn't even have time to react before being instantly knocked out."

Gildarts gave a bitter laugh.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth, forgetting to light it, just letting it dangle from his lip.

"I heard you say this kid only awakened his magic a dozen days ago?"

Makarov nodded heavily.

"Thirteen days, to be exact."

The cigarette in Gildarts' hand snapped with a crack.

He stared at Makarov with wide eyes, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke in the world, but the old man's expression told him it was all true.

"Thirteen days... to be able to utilize magic to this extent in just thirteen days—it's not just a matter of quantity; that kind of explosive control is simply inconceivable."

Gildarts' voice was very low.

He cast his gaze toward Lu Chongwei again, as if looking at a young dragon wearing human skin; the power hidden beneath that calm exterior made even him feel a shiver of alarm.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness it was me who brought him back."

Gildarts remarked with emotion.

He patted his chest, a genuine sense of relief washing over him, as if he had just narrowly avoided a massive catastrophe.

"If a dark guild had discovered this uncut gem first and led him astray, in that environment of survival of the fittest..."

Makarov took up the thread, his face turning incredibly grim.

"Then he would have become an inescapable nightmare for the entire magical world, a complete and utter demon king."

The two men exchanged a look, both seeing the lingering fear in each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, standing in the center of the floor, Lu Chongwei was equally bewildered.

He looked at the unconscious Gray, then back at his own fist, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"He's... out already?"

Lu Chongwei muttered to himself.

He really hadn't used his full strength; he had only channeled a tiny fraction of his magic into his fist, not even using a specific technique.

"I thought we'd get a few more moves in, considering he looked so cocky."

Lu Chongwei shook his head helplessly.

He had expected this to be an evenly matched spar that would let him properly experience the combat style of this world, but instead, it felt like punching a bag of cotton.