The third ultimate spell, Fairy Sphere, was the one that truly caught Rowan off guard.
It wasn't an attack spell at all, but a form of time magic.
By freezing the flow of time around the caster, it created an absolute defense. Nothing could enter. Nothing could interfere. Within that sphere, the world itself stood still.
Seen from that angle, it made perfect sense why Makarov had never mastered it. Time magic was already among the most difficult disciplines in existence, and in this world it was classified as lost magic. There were no surviving texts, no teachers, no reference points at all.
For Rowan, though, the door wasn't completely closed.
He had studied time magic elsewhere. Not deeply enough to wield it freely, but enough to understand its structure. And if future worlds offered even fragments of related knowledge, Fairy Sphere might one day become usable.
"Rowan! Rowan! The parade's about to start!"
Mirajane's voice echoed down into the underground library, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was already ten at night.
Out front, the guild was fully assembled. Makarov, dressed in a ridiculous clown outfit, laughed as he pointed at Rowan. "You're the next guild master, so you lead. I'll bring up the rear. One lap around Magnolia and we're done."
"Got it."
Lightning surged around Rowan.
"Thunder Giant."
A towering figure of crackling electricity rose from the ground, more than two hundred meters tall. Rowan expanded with it, standing atop its head. He raised a paw.
"The Fairy Tail Magical Parade begins now!"
Cheers erupted as the procession surged into Magnolia's main streets. The crowds had been waiting for hours, and the sight of the colossal lightning giant sent them into absolute frenzy.
Fireworks lit up the sky.
Magic filled every corner of the city. Cana's glowing cards danced through the air. Macao's purple flames and Wakaba's smoke rings formed hearts above the streets. Levy, Lucy, and Evergreen danced atop a moving platform, while Erza soared overhead in a gleaming suit of armor, weapons spinning around her. Gray sculpted an entire castle from ice. Juvia shaped water into Fairy Tail's emblem behind it. Natsu's fire exploded like blooming stars.
Magnolia became a dream.
Two days later, Rowan said his goodbyes and set out for the northern continent.
Even Makarov didn't know the details of the Hundred-Year Quest. Only that it had been issued by the oldest guild in the north, Dragon Cry Circle, and that it was tied to dragons.
Rowan took to the skies immediately, wings spreading wide as he accelerated to full speed. Traveling by ship would take over a month. He didn't have that kind of time.
Within two months, he needed a dragon crystal. Only by fusing the strengths of three dragon lineages could he complete his Animagus transformation properly.
After flying nonstop for three days across open sea, the northern continent finally came into view.
"The ecosystems really are different," Rowan muttered.
Winged fish leapt from the ocean. Strange plants and unfamiliar creatures roamed the shore. After a brief rest, he stood and made his decision.
"First, I find Gildarts."
He didn't head straight to Dragon Cry Circle. Instead, he cast a tracking spell.
He had marked Gildarts long ago. If the spell failed, it would mean death, sealing, or interference. The spell responded instantly.
That alone confirmed Gildarts was alive.
Which was exactly why Rowan had chosen to take this quest.
If someone stronger than Makarov could vanish for three years without success, this wasn't something to rush into blindly.
"Direction reveal. Gildarts Clive."
A golden arrow formed in the air.
Rowan launched himself forward.
From above, the northern continent looked civilized, dotted with cities and towns, though rail lines were far sparser than in the east.
Five hours later, as he followed the arrow over a desolate mountain range, Rowan slammed to a halt midair.
"…A dragon."
Ahead of him, a massive black dragon circled the sky.
The pressure it radiated was suffocating. Rowan's body reacted before his mind could, muscles tightening, instincts screaming danger.
If he fought that thing, he would die. Brutally.
"So this is what dragons here are like…"
He had known dragons still existed. Natsu and Gajeel had been raised by them, after all. But he hadn't expected this level of power.
Rowan was confident he stood among the strongest mages alive. By Makarov's own estimate, he rivaled the Four Gods of Ishgar.
And yet, before this dragon, he had no chance.
Even the dark powers he'd faced in other worlds had never inspired this kind of fear.
"So much for easy dragon hunting."
He immediately suppressed his aura, vanished under an invisibility spell, and prepared to teleport at the first sign of discovery.
Then—
A roar split the sky.
A man with orange hair burst upward from a nearby mountain, fist blazing as he slammed into the dragon.
Rowan's eyes widened.
"That magic… It's him."
Gildarts.
...
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