"Relax!"
"This strike isn't aimed at you…"
While Ian spoke, he used his mental power to manipulate the clouds and the magical array in the sky. He slightly adjusted the direction of the array that was initially aimed at the town of Magnolia, ready to unleash its magic.
"…Starfall!"
In the next moment...
A massive meteor, over a hundred meters in diameter, encased in blazing flames, trailed a long tail and streaked across the sky, heading toward the outskirts of Magnolia Town at a speed far surpassing that of sound.
Undoubtedly, this level of magic was beyond human control.
Ordinary people would refer to such a phenomenon as a natural disaster or an act of divine power.
"A meteor?!"
"You've got to be kidding me. Did I see that right?"
"Can something of this magnitude, which belongs to the natural world, really be summoned by a human?"
The tourists standing on Makarov's shoulders were completely dumbfounded.
Especially because, unlike the townsfolk on the ground, they were hundreds of meters in the air. When the meteor passed right above their heads, they could feel the terrifying impact and searing heat up close.
It was at this moment that they began to realize this might not be a performance.
If they were hit by something like that, people would definitely die.
"Hey! I say…"
"Ian, did you misfire that meteor?" Ur raised an eyebrow.
To be honest, she had originally planned to freeze the meteor and Ian's magic array together, but now it seemed like there wouldn't be a need.
"Of course not."
"I told you, this meteor isn't meant for you…"
"It's aimed at someone else within Fairy Tail."
Ian looked at Ur and explained seriously.
"Someone else?"
"Other than Ur, who else in Fairy Tail could possibly withstand the True Heavenly Body Magic: Starfall that you just cast?!"
Hearing this, Makarov furrowed his brow, deep in thought.
"Master, you should have more confidence in your guild!"
"We're the strongest mage guild on the continent of Ishgar. As the most powerful guild, how could the only capable mages be just me and Ur?"
"Besides, Master, have you forgotten…"
"Who the true strongest member of Fairy Tail is?"
Ian looked at the aging and slightly forgetful Makarov and reminded him.
"The true strongest in Fairy Tail?"
"You can't mean that guy…"
Ur seemed to understand Ian's meaning.
In her mind, an incredibly eccentric figure gradually appeared.
Although, as a comrade, that person was certainly reassuring...
"Are you saying Gildarts is back?!"
Makarov's eyes widened in disbelief.
This is bad.
That guy is even more troublesome.
Gildarts, that troublesome guy, always manages to come back at the most inconvenient times, like during the annual brawl of the Fairy Tail guild. Isn't he just coming back to stir up trouble?!
Wait, no…
To hell with the brawl! Makarov was getting sidetracked.
After all, what he had organized was supposed to be a 24-hour endurance race.
Meanwhile, at the edge of Magnolia Town...
"Huh?!"
"That's a meteor, right?"
"Seriously, the longer I live, the crazier the things I witness."
A middle-aged man with slicked-back orange hair and a deep brown cloak looked up instinctively as he felt an overwhelming pressure from the sky.
When the man saw the enormous meteor descending from the heavens, his mouth twitched slightly, and he sighed helplessly. He raised his right hand and muttered, "Give me a break!"
BOOM!
As soon as he finished speaking, his raised right hand began to glow with a white, translucent light. That light shot toward the sky, completely enveloping the descending meteor...
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed throughout the entire town...
The once-imposing meteor, over a hundred meters wide, which could have reduced the entire town to ashes in an instant, shattered into countless pieces, too small for the naked eye to see.
Not only that, but the heavenly body magic array Ian had been struggling to maintain in the sky, along with the clouds that shrouded Magnolia, were obliterated into dust.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
At that moment, the tower in Magnolia rang out with a sound that echoed like an air raid siren across the town...
"Warning! Warning…"
"Fairy Tail mage Gildarts has been detected."
"The town will now enter Gildarts Mode."
"Repeating, the town will now enter Gildarts Mode."
As the repeated announcements continued, the entire town began to shift and transform, clearing all the buildings in Gildarts' path before he even stepped foot into the town, paving a direct route for him to the Fairy Tail guild.
You see, people say you can't change the world; you can only change yourself.
But how strong was Gildarts?
He was someone who treated Crushing Magic, one of the top-tier destructive magics, as his basic spell...
To the point that he physically changed the world around him.
Gildarts' life motto: "Huh? You say there's no road ahead? Just crush whatever's blocking your path, and you'll have a road, won't you?!"
He was a man who rarely looked back.
"I'm back."
When Gildarts gently pushed open the guild's door, what greeted him was an empty hall. He frowned in confusion and muttered, "That's strange. Where's the old man, and the rest of the guild who are usually drinking and causing a ruckus? Where did they all go?"
"Gildarts, can you hear me?"
Just as Gildarts was puzzled, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Ah, it's Ian, right?"
Gildarts was taken aback for a moment. After thinking for about three seconds, he finally realized.
"Come to the back mountain of Fairy Tail. We're having a competition."
Ian's message was brief. Although he could use mental communication magic, he wasn't very adept at it.
"Got it, the back mountain?"
Gildarts nodded, choosing a direction and starting to walk.
After smashing through all the tables, chairs, and even the walls that blocked his path, he made his way toward the back mountain of Fairy Tail.
"Hey! You're Ur, right?"
When Gildarts saw Ultear, dressed in a rather revealing outfit, his eyes lit up. Giving her a thumbs-up, he cheerfully complimented, "You've got an amazing figure, as always."
"Indeed."
In response, both Ian and Makarov nodded in agreement.
"So, what's the situation now?"
Gildarts' expression grew serious as he looked at Ur and Ian.
"As you can see, it's the 24-hour endurance race."
Ian crossed his arms in front of him, explaining the situation.
"You could also call it a brawl."
Ur added.
"I see. I think I get it."
"So, I've arrived just in time for Fairy Tail's annual 24-hour endurance brawl, huh? I really am lucky."
Gildarts murmured in realization.
"That's right."
Ian and Ur exchanged glances and replied in unison.
"In that case, let's skip the small talk and get started!"
With that, Gildarts stretched his neck, which let out a series of cracking sounds.
At that moment, his magic power surged, like a dragon awakening, slowly radiating around him.
"Wait a second. Gildarts versus Ur versus Ian?"
"If they start fighting here, the entire town, maybe even the whole kingdom, will be wiped out!"
Old Makarov was in complete shock.
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