Duel with Gildarts

Everyone waited for the smoke to clear and saw Laxus, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, looking utterly disheveled.

Fried asked worriedly, "Laxus, are you okay?"

Laxus wiped the blood from his mouth. "I'm fine. Just a minor injury. Let's start the next round, Ye!"

Ye slowly said, "Laxus, stop. You're no match for me."

Laxus roared, "It's not over yet!"

Laxus activated his magic.

"Lightning Dragon Fangtian Halberd!"

Lightning gathered into the shape of a halberd, which Laxus hurled at Ye.

Ye looked at the scene before him, shook his head helplessly, then activated Armament Haki and leaped up.

"Heaven-Guard Kick!" (Borrowing Tsunade's move.)

His kick struck the incoming halberd, snapping it in two.

Laxus laughed wildly. "Hahaha! This is exactly what I was waiting for!"

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Imperial Thunder!"

Makarov cried out, "You brat, stop right now!"

A massive magic circle formed above Ye, and a bolt of lightning like heavenly thunder crashed down onto him.

"Hahaha! I won! I won!"

Mira could not help worrying as she watched Ye get struck by the lightning.

"Grandpa!"

Makarov looked solemnly in Ye's direction.

"Don't worry, Mira. That kid Ye is fine."

As the smoke gradually cleared, a huge crater was left in the ground, and Ye slowly climbed out.

"Laxus, you've really got me fired up. That was amazing! Hahahahaha!"

Laxus heard Ye's voice coming from the crater.

"You didn't go down? How is that possible? You took that hit head-on!"

Ye said excitedly, "Yeah! I took it head-on. That was immensely satisfying. That strike was the strongest attack I've ever felt."

Ye tore off his ruined shirt, revealing a shocking Demon Back. He spread his arms, and ghostly energy slowly rose above him, gathering into the face of a vicious demon.

"Laxus, this is my answer to you. Take this!"

In an instant, Ye vanished from where he stood and flashed before Laxus.

"Heart-Piercing Elbow!"

Laxus cried out, "What?! So fast!"

The elbow strike, charged with ghostly energy, hit Laxus in the chest and sent him flying backward. He smashed through every tree in his path before embedding himself in a massive boulder, his eyes rolling white as he passed out.

Makarov hurried over to examine Laxus and found that he had merely fainted.

"You brat, is that a move you should be using on a companion?!"

Ye said sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry. I won't do it again. Besides, I held back, okay? Hahaha."

Then he turned to Gildarts. "Uncle, it's your turn now."

Gildarts scratched his head. "Can you still fight in that condition? How about we call it here? I acknowledge you."

"I'm in perfect shape right now. Come on, let me see how strong Fairy Tail's current strongest really is."

Gildarts said helplessly, "Good grief, I really can't do anything with you, can I? Then it's time to show you that there's always someone stronger!"

The moment he finished speaking, Gildarts unleashed magic power as deep and vast as an abyss. Everyone on the field felt that soaring magical power.

Mira and Fried felt the overwhelming pressure from that magic power, and even their breathing became rushed.

"So this is the pressure of Fairy Tail's strongest? Terrifying."

Even Makarov was surprised by that magic power. "After not seeing you for a few years, you've reached this level already?"

The pressure surged straight toward Ye. The corners of Ye's mouth slowly lifted as his gaze gradually turned wild.

"This is the feeling. Amazing. He's more than a little stronger than Laxus."

Ye then unleashed Conqueror's Haki to resist the pressure. The two forces collided, and it was as though a Category 10 typhoon had swept through the area. Waves surged over the sea, crashing endlessly against the ship and beach, while Mira and Fried, aboard the ship, had long since been knocked unconscious by the two forces.

Makarov carried Laxus back to the ship and saw the scene before him.

"Can't you two restrain yourselves a little?! Look at the state of the surroundings! Have some consideration for everyone else!"

The two immediately withdrew their auras and spoke in unison.

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. We got carried away."

"Alright, Uncle. The warm-up is over. Let's begin."

With that, Ye charged at Gildarts at incredible speed, firing ki blasts from his hands.

"Good grief. Young people these days really are impatient."

"Deconstruction."

Every incoming ki blast was dismantled one by one by Gildarts.

Seeing this, Ye decided to engage Gildarts in close combat. Just as he reached Gildarts's feet—

"Deconstruction."

Gildarts dismantled the ground beneath Ye's feet. Ye lost his footing and balance, and Gildarts seized the opportunity, channeling magic power into his fist and striking at Ye.

Ye grinned.

"Force Release."

In midair, Ye used Gildarts's punch to complete a Force Release.

Gildarts exclaimed, "Good grief, that really is a troublesome move."

After spinning through the air several times, Ye landed. The instant one foot touched the ground, he charged at Gildarts and activated Armament Haki.

"Iron Mountain Shoulder Charge!"

Gildarts saw it coming.

"Smash."

Smash magic collided with Armament Haki, causing a massive explosion that forced both men backward.

Gildarts said in surprise, "That was dangerous. I nearly got hit."

Ye looked at his Armament Haki, which had actually been dismantled, and thought, What terrifying magic. If not for Armament Haki's protection, that could have gone very badly.

Gildarts looked at Ye.

"So this is your Armament Haki? It really is a powerful force. Looks like neither of us gained an advantage."

Ye smiled. "Yeah. Then let's see whether your magic power runs dry first, or my ki runs out first."

As soon as he finished speaking, one activated Armament Haki while the other gathered Smash magic power, and they began a brutal hand-to-hand battle. Gradually, Gildarts fell into a disadvantage.

"You brat, is your stamina endless? We've been fighting for so long that I'm about to drop dead from exhaustion."

Ye mocked, "Looks like you're getting old, Uncle."

Gildarts protested, "Huh? Old? Do you have any idea how many beautiful girls have fallen for my boundless energy?"

Ye said speechlessly, "Uncle, one day you're going to die on top of a woman."

"What does a kid like you know? You brat, I'm going all out now. You'd better be able to take it."

Ye said excitedly, "Yeah! Bring it on!"

The two increased the amount of magic power and ki they used, and the small island had already been battered beyond recognition.

At that moment, Laxus woke up and asked, "Where am I?"

"The exam isn't over yet. Ye is fighting Gildarts right now."

Laxus sat up, feeling a burning pain in his chest. Did I lose?

He looked up at the two men fighting.

"Damn it, that Ye didn't even use his full strength against me. How much does he look down on me?!"

Makarov said, "Now you understand, don't you? The world is vast. You've tasted defeat. Remember that feeling. It will be a mirror that lets you see yourself clearly and the motivation that drives you forward."

Laxus nodded after hearing his grandfather's lesson. "I understand, Grandpa."

"Alright, I think their fight is about to come to an end as well."

In the midst of battle, the two poured all their strength into a punch and were forced apart. Gildarts was breathing heavily, while Ye looked as though nothing had happened. If not for the wounds covering Ye's body, Gildarts would have wondered what kind of creature he was fighting.

"Ye, your energy really is incredible. You're not even out of breath."

Ye smiled. "I told you, Uncle, you're old. How can you compare to a young man full of energy?"

In truth, Ye knew very well that with the physical qualities of One Piece and Hanma's talent, his endurance had long surpassed human limits. More importantly, neither of them had fought with killing intent. They had only suffered a few scratches, and with ki supporting him, he barely used any stamina at all.

"Ye, my magic power is nearly depleted. Let's finish this with one last move."

Ye taunted, "You're already done for, Uncle? My ki has only gone down by half."

Gildarts snapped, "I have no idea what you were fed as a child. Come on, one final strike!"

As he spoke, he gathered all his magic power into a single point. Ye said nothing and gathered his ki as well.

"Kamehameha!"

A blast of ki several times thicker than the one he had used against Laxus shot toward Gildarts.

"Evil-Breaking Manifestation: Day One!"

Ki and magic power collided in a massive explosion. The guild master suddenly shouted—

"Quick, grab onto something!"

A mushroom cloud rose directly from the island as shockwaves spread rapidly in all directions. Seawater surged wildly outward, then gradually rushed back in, sweeping across the entire island like a tsunami. By then, the island had been submerged beneath the sea. (This little island had done nothing and still got sacrificed. Who was it supposed to complain to?)

After the wind and waves subsided, Makarov stood on the ship and stared dumbfounded at the sight before him. (O∆O)

Mira worriedly watched the trees floating on the sea, until she finally spotted the two figures atop a floating tree.

"Guild Master, look, they're over there. Guild Master?"

Looking at the guild master, who had already turned to stone, Mira felt sorry for him too.

After hauling the two men aboard, everyone looked at their battered condition. No one could have imagined that the scene before them had been caused by these two.

Makarov flew into a rage. "It was only an S-Class exam! Did you really have to destroy the entire island?!"

Ye said without a shred of guilt, "It's fine, Guild Master. We don't have to pay compensation anyway."

After Ye's reminder, Makarov suddenly understood. "That's right, we don't have to pay! Hahahahaha!"

Seeing how delighted the guild master was, no one wanted to disturb him. They each dragged their exhausted bodies away to rest.

That night, Makarov came to Gildarts's room.

"Look at you. You're not young anymore, yet you're still so reckless. Suffered enough, didn't you?"

Gildarts laughed without a care. "Hahaha, what's there to suffer? It's been a long time since I felt this good."

Makarov teased, "You used to be the guild's greatest prodigy. Even outside the guild, there were few who could compare with you. Now that you've been surpassed by a younger junior, aren't you unwilling to accept it?"

Gildarts smiled bitterly. "Well, I guess there's still a little unwillingness. But when I think about how the guild has someone so strong, and such a young man who will only become stronger, I feel very reassured. What does that little bit of unwillingness matter? Hahahaha."

Makarov agreed. "Indeed. Watching these children grow little by little makes this old grandfather very happy. The future will have to rely on these children."