บท 72: Chapter 72: Ian vs Gildarts - The Battle for the Strongest in Fairy Tail! The Terrifying Celestial Destruction Star!
"Hey, hey, hey..."
"Ian versus Gildarts? Are you serious..."
"If these two monsters really start fighting here..."
"They might end up destroying the entire Tenrou Island, right?!"
"Guild Master, aren't you going to try and stop this?"
Ur looked at Ian and Gildarts, who were faintly squaring off, sweat dripping from her pale forehead.
If a member of the Magic Council were to see Ur Milkovich, who held the fourth seat among the Ten Wizard Saints and was hailed as the fourth-strongest mage on the continent of Ishgar by countless magical publications, showing such unease in the face of a battle between fellow mages, they would be utterly astonished.
The Council members could never have imagined that there could be anyone in this world capable of making a Ten Wizard Saint feel terror...
Yet, the undeniable truth was that Ur, seen by many as a monster, was no stronger than Natsu and the others when faced with Ian and Gildarts at full power. If Ur was a monster, then Ian and Gildarts were monsters among monsters.
"You think I don't want to stop them?" Makarov frowned deeply.
As much as he wished to stop Ian and Gildarts from clashing, he found himself helpless. When you get to his age, there are some things you simply can't control anymore.
"Actually, back when I returned to Magnolia..."
"It was when you hurled that meteorite at me that I first really wanted to see your full power," Gildarts began.
"But given the bustling town and our combat abilities, I feared our duel might turn into a large-scale disaster, so I held back my urge to fight you."
"However, here we are now, on this deserted island considered the sacred ground of Fairy Tail. No crowds, no need for restraint!"
"Originally, we just wanted a quiet place to conduct the S-Class wizard exam, but now it has given us the perfect opportunity to duel without worry."
Gildarts paused briefly to gather his thoughts.
"So, Ian..."
"Who between us..."
"Is truly the strongest mage in Fairy Tail?!"
"Though no one in the guild has openly discussed it, I'm sure many have wondered."
"So why not put that doubt to rest today?"
A small smile curved Gildarts' lips, his eyes burning with determination as he looked up at Ian. "Today, here on Tenrou Island, one of us will emerge victorious and be recognized as the undisputed strongest mage in Fairy Tail."
"Is that so?"
"So, Gildarts, you've been thinking the same thing, huh?"
"That's great!"
"To be honest, I've been waiting for this day for far too long..."
"Let's settle this!"
Ian rotated his shoulders, making a series of crisp "crackling" sounds. His eyes locked onto Gildarts with a trace of excitement and eagerness.
He was thrilled.
What was the saying again?
Right—I'm all fired up now!!
Yes, Ian also wanted to see just how wide the gap between him and Gildarts was now. It was something unknown to everyone...
Of course, Ian wasn't going to compare Gildarts to the version from the original story who was wounded all over, with half his organs gouged out by Acnologia. The Gildarts standing before him now was in perfect condition, at his peak.
How strong was Gildarts at this moment?
Only a battle would tell.
"Boom!!"
Once Ian and Gildarts reached an understanding, the atmosphere between them instantly became intense.
A vast magical power started to spread from the two of them...
"Zzzt...zzzt..."
Powerful magical energy clashed in the air, with Ian and Gildarts at its center.
On the ground, small rocks near them were lifted into the air by the magical force, only to shatter moments later, turning into countless particles and dust, invisible to the naked eye.
"The sky cries out!"
"The atmosphere is weeping..."
"Even the ocean is writhing in pain..."
Mavis, though nothing more than a lingering spirit, could clearly feel the clash of the overwhelming magical energies between Ian and Gildarts.
"First Master, are you really going to let those two fight here?"
"This place is Fairy Tail's sacred ground, and it is also your final resting place."
Makarov approached Mavis, bowing slightly to her spectral form before asking her gravely.
With Ian and Gildarts' power, fighting on Tenrou Island was no different than dancing on the first master's grave.
"Hmm..."
Mavis thought about Makarov's words, her tiny angel-like ear ornaments swaying slightly as she considered.
Finally, her face lit up in excitement as she said, "Let them fight! I also want to see who is the strongest mage in Fairy Tail—Ian or Gildarts."
"First Master..."
"So you're like that too, huh?"
"There's no saving Fairy Tail."
Makarov was numb with disbelief. He never expected their guild's first master, Mavis, to also be the type who thrived on chaos.
Then again, no matter how kind Mavis might be, it didn't change the fact that she had learned from the Black Wizard Zeref. Simply put, Fairy Tail's roots were somewhat... problematic.
Perhaps to the Light Magic community, Fairy Tail was the biggest troublemaker in Ishgar. But to the Dark Magic community, Fairy Tail was the purest bloodline.
Somewhere else on the island...
"Father, good luck!" Erza and Eresh, the two sisters, stood hand in hand, looking toward Ian, who was facing off against Gildarts in the distance. They called out in loud support: "Don't lose!"
"Don't worry."
Ian nodded slightly, saying no more.
He wasn't about to repeat that cliché line...
He would win.
"Gildarts..."
"If you lose to Ian, I'll be really upset."
Cana, glancing at Erza and Eresh who were cheering for Ian, blushed and shouted toward Gildarts.
"Don't worry, Cana!"
"Just wait for the good news!"
"I'm the strongest, after all..."
Gildarts responded, repeatedly winking in Cana's direction.
"Gross."
Cana, terrified by Gildarts' winks, kept backing away until she was standing behind Erza. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
In her heart, Cana couldn't help but wonder...
How did her mother, a renowned beauty in nearby towns, fall for such a scruffy, unfaithful man like Gildarts, who only took a bath once a week and always reeked?
What about those women who were entranced by Gildarts during his missions? Were they blind? What exactly was so great about Gildarts?
After Cana stripped away the mystique surrounding Gildarts...
In her eyes, Gildarts was no better than a homeless man.
"Haha, Cana's shy," Gildarts thought as he squared off with Ian, unaware of Cana's disgust. He assumed Cana was embarrassed by his magnificent presence.
He kept puckering his lips, sending air kisses her way.
"Are you feeling better, Laxus?"
"Look, Ian is about to fight Gildarts..."
"Who do you think will win?"
Freed helped Laxus sit up against a tree, then asked him.
"Yeah..."
"Who would've thought Ian would actually fight Gildarts?"
"Who will win, huh?"
Supported by Freed and Bickslow, Laxus sat comfortably in the shade, enjoying Freed's massage and Bickslow's gentle fanning. His eyes were locked onto Ian and Gildarts, eagerly awaiting this battle between two of the continent's top fighters.
Laxus had a hunch that Ian and Gildarts' duel would open the door for him to reach the level of a Ten Wizard Saint.
Meanwhile, a wounded Gray, Lyon, and Natsu emerged from the tunnel. When they heard that Ian and Gildarts were about to fight, their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, hey, is this for real?!"
"Ian is actually going to fight Gildarts here to determine who is the strongest in Fairy Tail?!"
"If those two monsters go all out, what's going to happen? They might destroy the entire island!"
Gray, holding the tattered remains of his clothes after Natsu burned them, was both nervous and panicked. In the end, he still couldn't manage to put on his clothes properly.
"Aye!" Happy flapped his tiny wings, echoing Natsu as they spoke in unison.
Natsu, it seemed, had become so excited that he was turning into a Happy clone.
Elsewhere...
"This is big—I need to make sure everyone in the guild can see this."
Warren pressed a hand to his head, his bloodshot eyes looking like they were ready to burst. He held a large magic crystal, using its magic to transmit everything he saw back to the crystal ball in Fairy Tail's guild hall in Magnolia.
Warren was putting everything on the line, exhausting all his magic power to broadcast the scene back to the guild.
Warren was a true hero for doing this—I could cry...
Magnolia Town.
Fairy Tail Guild Hall, First Floor.
"I wonder how this year's S-Class exam turned out?"
"It's so boring without Natsu and the others here."
Some of Fairy Tail's mages lounged around, drinking and chatting idly.
Perhaps because Guild Master Makarov and the core members, including Ian, had all left for Tenrou Island for the S-Class exam, the hall felt particularly empty, with only veterans like Macao and Wakaba around.
People are funny that way...
When Natsu and the others were in the guild, they thought they were too noisy, constantly fighting, not even allowing them to enjoy a peaceful drink—it was downright annoying. But now that Natsu and the others were gone, they found themselves bored.
And the longer they were gone, the more they began to miss their usual noise...
"Come over here, quick!"
"There's something showing on the guild's magic crystal ball..."
"Looks like it's from Tenrou Island."
"What did you say?"
"Let us see!"
As the bored guild members wondered what to do, some of them noticed that the crystal ball Makarov normally used to spy on the 'women's bath' was showing something clear.
Yes, this crystal ball had not yet been smashed by Mirajane.
"This is..."
Everyone gathered around the crystal ball, and the image it showed left them shocked.
On the screen...
The sky darkened, clouds roiled, and the sea roared with wave after wave. The entire island seemed enveloped in an apocalyptic atmosphere.
In the midst of this eerie scene, Ian and Gildarts faced off.
"What's going on?!"
"Why are Ian and Gildarts confronting each other?"
"Did they get into a fight over a woman or something?"
For a moment, Macao and Wakaba were in utter disbelief. Their pupils trembled as they tried to comprehend what was happening.
"Can you hear me?"
"This is Warren Rocko..."
"I have something important to announce!"
"The S-Class Wizard Exam for Fairy Tail in Year X778 is officially over!"
"And now, the battle for the title of the strongest mage in Fairy Tail, between Ian and Gildarts, is about to begin..."
Warren, eyes red with exhaustion, delivered the news.
"What?!"
"The strongest mage in Fairy Tail?!"
"Oh my god, this is amazing!"
"It feels like New Year's!"
When the guild members heard that Ian and Gildarts were about to fight, they, the chaos-loving troublemakers, erupted in excitement, throwing their heads back and cheering.
"Place your bets!"
"Bet on Gildarts with a red token, bet on Ian with a white token..."
"Ah, how sad not to be there in person!"
"Get real, you'd be killed by the aftermath of their fight if you went there."
Wasting no time, the betting junkies of Fairy Tail began a new wager, shouting out in excitement.
"By the way, you haven't told us..."
"Who won this year's S-Class Wizard Exam?!"
One sharp observer noticed something and looked at Warren for an answer.
"The victors of this year's S-Class Exam are..."
Warren took a deep breath, his gaze steady as he spoke.
"Shh..."
As Warren began to speak, everyone in the guild hall held their breath, focusing intently.
"...Ur and Erza."
Seeing the anticipation in everyone's eyes, Warren didn't keep them waiting and gave the answer directly.
"Alright, we won!"
The words had barely left Warren's mouth before countless betting junkies jumped up in joy, shouting excitedly.
"Damn, lost again!"
Of course, countless others slumped to the ground, eyes filled with despair.
"Curse it! Losses are a part of gambling—fall and rise again. All in! I'm betting everything I have on Gildarts this time..."
"Gildarts, you can't lose! You carry not just your hopes, but the hopes of countless gamblers—I mean, countless Fairy Tail companions—on your back."
Would the gambling junkies stop gambling because of one loss?
No, they wouldn't. They would just bet even more, hoping to win big next time. It was classic gambler's mentality.
Friendly reminder, whatever you do, don't get carried away...
Gambling small may be fun, but big bets can ruin you. Going too far, you'll end up with nothing.
"Boom!"
Back on the battlefield, under countless watchful eyes and fervent hopes, Ian and Gildarts finally began their fight.
"True Heavenly Body Magic: Star Collapse(Sema)!"
Without any hesitation, Ian began with Star Collapse.
"Rumble!!"
As the sky tore open, a massive rift appeared beneath the swirling clouds, as if the heavens themselves were breaking...
"It looks like something is falling from the sky?"
At the same moment, Laxus looked up, mumbling to himself.
The moment Laxus finished speaking, a massive meteor, blazing with crimson flames and trailing a long tail, fell from the crack in the sky, hurtling straight for Gildarts.
"Is that a meteor?!"
"That's crazy! He's using a super-magic like that right off the bat?!"
The moment the meteor fell, every member of Fairy Tail on the scene stiffened. Under the invisible pressure, they were powerless to do anything but tremble.
"Crush!"
Gildarts looked up, frowning slightly at the colossal meteor descending with an almost divine force. To him, this level of a meteor was child's play.
"Boom!!"
With a wave of his hand, Gildarts unleashed his highest-level destruction magic: Crush.
The hundred-meter-wide, blazing meteor that Ian had summoned was instantly reduced to countless fragments.
"He shattered the meteor?!"
"Is he a monster or something?!"
Gray and the others, who had already widened their eyes in awe at the sight of the massive meteor splitting the sky, were utterly speechless upon seeing Gildarts shatter it with a mere gesture, overwhelmed by the sheer power before them.
"Wait..."
"Did you notice?!"
"Those meteor fragments are coming right at us!"
"Oh no, run!"
Before Gray and the others could react, they suddenly noticed the fragments from the shattered meteor, now countless shooting stars, falling towards them.
They were panicking...
"Haha! Leave it to me!"
Warrod chuckled softly, and as he waved his hand, tiny saplings sprouted from the ground, rapidly growing until they became towering trees.
In no time, the trees formed a barrier, shielding everyone from the falling meteor fragments.
"Saved, thank goodness for Warrod," Lisanna sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from her brow.
In the battlefield.
"Such childish moves, Ian. Don't bother using them," Gildarts said, tilting his head, his eyes on Ian, his voice cold.
"Oh..."
"I see a simple meteor can't threaten you, Gildarts?!"
"In that case, there's no choice..."
"Take this, Gildarts!"
Ian brought his hands together in front of him, channeling his magical energy.
"Huh?!"
The vastness of the power caused even Gildarts to show a rare expression of surprise.
"Rumble..."
As Ian's magic power surged to its peak, the entire Tenrou Island began trembling.
"An earthquake?!"
"No, no..."
"It's the island shaking under Ian's magic."
Lyon grabbed a tree trunk for support, his body steady as he watched the island quake. He spoke in a deep voice.
"I have a bad feeling about this... It feels like something really bad is about to happen."
"What level of magic needs such immense power to activate?" Makarov was puzzled. The magic Ian was using was consuming more magic power than even Fairy Law, one of Fairy Tail's three great magics.
At this level, even Makarov knew very little.
"Heavenly Obstruction Star!!"
At the height of his magical energy, Ian suddenly opened his eyes and shouted.
The next second, the sky darkened!
"Ah, what is..."
Laxus looked up, his face bewildered as he stared at the sight above.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"Is this magic even possible for a mage to use?!"
Lyon and Gray were lost in thought, wondering just what level of magic one needed to block such a thing from the sky.
"Our strengths are not even on the same level, huh?"
"The road ahead is long, but it's so distant I can't even see the end!"
Even Ur could only laugh helplessly, pressing her hand against her tingling scalp.
"Haha, this brat Ian..."
"Is he trying to destroy Tenrou Island and kill us all along with it?!"
Makarov laughed. He suddenly realized that in times of absolute despair, it was true that you could be so overwhelmed that you laughed as a defense mechanism.
"This is troublesome." Gildarts finally seemed genuinely serious.
In the sky...
The clouds were torn apart by an overwhelming force.
An unimaginable divine power descended from the heavens!
It was a meteor!
No, to call it a mere meteor would be an understatement.
As Ian had declared, it was the "Heavenly Obstruction Star"—it could even be called an asteroid.
---
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