Gildarts came over with a grin, pulled a bag of coins from his coat, and slapped it down on Wakaba's tray.
"I'm betting on Lu Chongwei to win. All of it!"
Wakaba's hand jerked, and he nearly dropped his pipe.
"Hey, hey, Gildarts, you're that confident in this kid?"
Gildarts smiled mysteriously and said nothing, merely turning his gaze toward Lu Chongwei in the arena.
In the arena.
Gray looked at Lu Chongwei, his eyes settling on the Zanpakuto named Ryujin Jakka hanging at his waist.
Although the blade was sheathed, Gray could still faintly sense the scorching heat emanating from it.
"Hey, aren't you going to draw your sword?"
Gray frowned, his tone carrying a hint of provocation.
"If we're going to fight, you should give it your all. Don't make excuses after you lose."
Lu Chongwei glanced down at the sword at his waist and shook his head.
"This sword... is too powerful. If we're just sparring, it's better not to use it if I can help it."
Once Ryujin Jakka was drawn, all things in the universe turned to ashes.
Even though he could only wield a small fraction of its power right now, this wasn't the kind of casual sparring where he could use it freely. If he lost control and burned Gray to ashes, that would be a problem.
"Huh? Too powerful?"
Gray looked as if he'd heard a joke, a vein bulging on his forehead.
"Are you looking down on me?!"
He brought his hands together sharply, and an intensely cold magical power burst from his body.
The temperature around them plummeted, and a thin layer of frost formed across the ground.
"If that's how you want it, don't blame me for holding back!"
"Ice-Make: Lancer!"
At Gray's low shout, countless sharp ice spears appeared out of thin air, their chilling glints flashing in the moonlight.
His casting speed was so fast that the crowd watching let out a wave of astonished cries.
"So fast! Gray's molding speed has gotten even better!"
"That newbie's in trouble now!"
Yet faced with the countless ice spears, Lu Chongwei remained as calm as still water.
He didn't draw his sword or make any unnecessary movements.
Just as the ice spears were about to hit him.
Lu Chongwei moved.
He lightly tapped the ground with his toe.
"Bam!"
A dull explosion rang out.
A crater half a meter across had appeared where Lu Chongwei had been standing. It was the result of tremendous explosive force striking the ground in an instant.
But his figure had vanished from everyone's sight.
"What?!"
Gray's pupils contracted sharply.
His dynamic vision couldn't track Lu Chongwei's movements at all.
That was... Flash Step!
After completely adapting to his formidable physique, Lu Chongwei could move at a speed like Instant Transmission through the sheer explosive power of his body alone.
The next second.
A gust of wind rushed toward Gray.
Lu Chongwei appeared before him like a ghost, without warning.
They were less than half a meter apart.
Gray remained frozen in his casting stance, his hands still extended. His eyes were wide, his face full of shock and disbelief.
Too fast!
So fast his mind hadn't even had time to react!
Lu Chongwei looked at Gray, who was right in front of him, and smiled faintly.
He didn't use fire. He simply clenched his fist.
It was just a straightforward punch, yet it carried enough monstrous force to split mountains and shatter rocks.
"It's over."
Lu Chongwei spoke softly.
His fist crashed into Gray's cheek.
"Boom!"
The clamor in the guild hall seemed to freeze in an instant.
Everyone's eyes fixed on the figure lying on the floor.
Gray was sprawled on the ground.
His usually energetic body lay motionless, all four limbs spread out in a completely defenseless starfish pose.
Most eye-catching was the huge lump swelling on his forehead, growing visibly by the second as wisps of heat drifted from it.
Makarov clutched the beer mug he'd only half finished.
His fingers had gone pale from gripping it so tightly. His usually squinting eyes were now round, his eyeballs trembling violently in their sockets.
"Th-that was a single hit?"
Makarov murmured to himself.
His mustache seemed to tremble with shock, and his throat felt as if it had a chunk of dry bread stuck in it. Even swallowing had become difficult.
Gildarts stood nearby, still wearing that battered cloak.
He looked down at Gray, then up at Lu Chongwei's innocent expression. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably a few times.
"Old man, looks like you really did pick up one hell of a guy."
Gildarts took a deep breath.
He ran a hand through his unruly orange hair. The laziness had vanished from his eyes, replaced by a grave sense of awe.
"Gray may like taking his clothes off and can be a bit impulsive, but his Ice-Make magic is the real deal."
Makarov nodded.
He set down his beer mug. Its base hit the table with a dull thud, like an echo of the heaviness in his heart.
"That's right. Gray is outstanding among his peers. You could even say he's one of the most talented children of his generation."
The guild master sighed.
He turned around and fixed his gaze on Lu Chongwei, who was shaking out his hand in the distance. His expression was too complex to describe.
"Yet Gray, like that, didn't even have time to react before he was knocked out in an instant."
Gildarts gave a bitter laugh.
He took a cigarette from his coat and put it in his mouth, forgetting to light it. He simply let it dangle from the corner of his lips.
"I heard you say this kid awakened his magic just over ten days ago?"
Makarov nodded gravely.
"To be precise, thirteen days."
The cigarette in Gildarts's hand snapped with a "crack."
He stared wide-eyed at Makarov, as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. But the old man's expression told him it was all true.
"Thirteen days... To wield magic this well after only thirteen days? It's not just the amount of power. That explosive control in an instant is simply unbelievable."
Gildarts lowered his voice.
His gaze returned to Lu Chongwei, as if he were looking at a young dragon disguised as a human. The power hidden beneath that calm exterior sent a shiver through him.
"Thank goodness I was the one who brought him back."
Gildarts sighed with relief.
He patted his chest, genuinely grateful, as if he'd just narrowly escaped a great disaster.
"If a dark guild had found this uncut gem first and led him astray, in that kind of dog-eat-dog environment..."
Makarov picked up where he left off, his face turning terribly grim.
"Then he would become a nightmare that haunted the entire magical world—a completely irredeemable demon."
The two exchanged a look, each seeing the lingering fear in the other's eyes.
Meanwhile, Lu Chongwei stood in the middle of the arena, just as baffled as everyone else.
He looked at Gray lying on the ground, then at his own fist. His brows furrowed slightly, his expression puzzled.
That's it... he's out?
Lu Chongwei had been muttering to himself.
He really hadn't used his full strength. He'd only channeled a small amount of magic into his fist, and hadn't even used a specific technique.
I thought we'd get a few more exchanges. He looked pretty cocky.
Lu Chongwei shook his head helplessly.
He'd expected an evenly matched sparring session that would let him experience the fighting style of this world. Instead, it had felt like punching a bag of cotton.
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