— — — — — —
"Well now, that's impressive," Gildarts said with a grin as he looked at Kazuma. "What's your name again?"
"Kazuma," he replied.
"Then come on, guild master. Let's shake on it." Gildarts extended his hand.
"Sure."
Kazuma reached out as well.
The instant their hands met, an overwhelming surge of magic erupted. A violent shockwave blasted through the hall, flipping up skirts everywhere.
"Hey! You two did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"Thank goodness I'm wearing a long skirt!"
"I've got shorts on, I'm safe!"
"Damn it, why am I suddenly jealous of Erza right now?!"
The girls immediately grabbed their skirts and shot furious looks at Kazuma and Gildarts. But before long, the complaints faded away.
The magic pouring out of the two men kept rising. It didn't take long before the pressure alone was strong enough to blow people off their feet.
And it still wasn't over. Their magic continued to climb, yet both of them looked completely relaxed.
"That's terrifying," Laxus muttered. He was still able to stay seated, but the shock was clear in his eyes. "That's at least several times more magic than mine."
He'd known since childhood that Gildarts was insanely strong. But this was the first time he'd actually felt it for himself.
Several times his own power.
"And this still isn't their full strength," Erza said grimly. Her hair whipped wildly in the wind, and a stray newspaper smacked her square in the face.
"Erza… d-don't get angry… I'll help you…"
Lucy crawled across the floor, grabbed the newspaper, and peeled it off her face. The dignified Erza reappeared before everyone's eyes, her expression dark and terrifying.
"..."
Kazuma and Gildarts' magic kept rising, quickly surpassing dozens of times an S-Class mage's level.
"Cough, cough."
Gildarts coughed a few times. With his body still injured, this was already the limit of what he could push out.
He looked at Kazuma, whose expression hadn't changed at all and whose magic was still increasing. Suddenly, Gildarts burst out laughing and released his grip.
"Hahaha, I lose, I lose! Hahaha, guess the next generation's no joke," he said cheerfully. "Looks like the old man didn't hand the position to you lightly."
"From now on, Guild Master Kazuma, I'll be counting on you."
As Gildarts pulled back his power, the massive magic Kazuma had been holding back surged forward like a tidal wave.
"Likewise," Kazuma said calmly. "And Gildarts, you mentioned earlier that you had something to tell the old man?"
He withdrew his hand as well. That overwhelming, tsunami-like magic vanished in an instant.
'Such insane control,' Gildarts thought, his surprise showing for just a moment before he grinned even wider. 'This kid is the real deal.'
With a guild master this strong, Fairy Tail's future looked brighter than ever.
"Come on, Guild Master. Let's go to my place," Gildarts said. "This is a long story. Back when I went out on that mission, before I even found the target—"
He deliberately avoided mentioning the Black Dragon Acnologia in front of everyone else. For all his rough-and-tumble personality, Gildarts was a seasoned mage. He knew exactly what could be said and what couldn't.
Carefree was his nature. Cautious was his experience.
"Alright," Kazuma agreed. "Wendy, stay here and get to know Fairy Tail."
"Everyone, take good care of her, okay? I'll be back soon."
He glanced around and spotted Wendy somehow sitting up on a ceiling beam. He had no idea how she'd ended up there.
"O-okay," Wendy replied, swallowing nervously.
When their magic had exploded earlier, she'd been too light and had been blown straight into the air. Even now, sitting on the beam, her legs were still shaking.
"So… this is the power of Fairy Tail mages," she whispered. "It's terrifying…"
She'd thought Kazuma was strong just because he was the guild master.
Now she understood. Even without that title, the members here were unbelievably powerful.
Fairy Tail was incredible.
"…Wendy, are you okay?"
Carla finally flew back over. She'd been blasted even farther away and had taken a while to return.
"I-I'm fine," Wendy said.
"Good. I'll take you down."
Carla grabbed Wendy's clothes and gently carried her back to the floor. She was brushing the dust off Wendy when—
"Um… my name's Happy. W-would you like some fish?"
Happy shuffled over shyly, holding out a fish he'd been saving.
"No."
Carla shot him a disgusted look, instantly recognizing him as the same species. "And stay away from us. I hate you."
She didn't want Wendy anywhere near this cat. As a Dragon Slayer, Wendy was still too important to her.
"Aye…"
Happy drooped instantly, looking utterly heartbroken. Rejected. Life as a cat felt meaningless for him right now.
"So, Wendy," someone asked, "how did you meet the guild master?"
"I…"
Wendy began introducing herself and explaining why she'd come here in the first place.
---
Meanwhile, Kazuma and Gildarts had returned to Gildarts' home, where their conversation finally turned to the matter of the Black Dragon.
.
.
.