So both Makarov and Gildarts honestly thought that this year's S-rank examination would just serve as a valuable learning experience for Akira and Laxus. In fact, from the very beginning, the person they fully expected to win this year's assessment was none other than Ur.
This was exactly why Gildarts—who actually had the power to end his fight with Ur much earlier—had decided to drag the battle out for so long. This was her true test: to see if she really had what it took to bear the S-rank title.
But right now, things had completely spun out of their control. Of course, neither Gildarts nor Makarov would complain if Akira actually managed to pass this assessment and reach S-rank through his own sheer strength. But they obviously weren't going to let him have an easy time of it either.
Just like they always said, Akira was simply too young—and far too unlucky. They didn't want this lad to go on a quest and lose his life because of his situation. After all, in the guild, apart from Gildarts, only Makarov could take on S-rank quests. And both of them obviously can't babysit Akira forever.
Hearing Gildarts' rich inner monologue, Akira's mouth twitched. Though he was a bit annoyed by the constant distrust Gildarts and Makarov had toward him, he ultimately decided to just ignore their rambling.
After all, when a person's stats are high enough to basically be a cheat code, standard rules don't apply. They would surely understand sooner or later that he was never a kid they needed to protect. He was the protector.
So Akira decided to let Gildarts personally witness the terror of the most destructive magic in Fairy Tail.
"Hey, since neither of you are convinced, let me show you what it really means to become an S-rank mage," Akira said, stepping off the edge and jumping down from the cliff.
As he fell, he activated his Take Over Magic. In a flash of dark, overwhelming energy, he shifted into his Anos form.
Going up against two Saint-level powerhouses, Akira decided not to hold back. With his Anos form active, he knew he could easily take a hit—even if Gildarts suddenly decided to go all out.
"Now then, let's dance! [Fairy Sphere]!" Akira shouted.
He slammed his hand onto the ground, unleashing a massive, intricate magic circle that expanded instantly, swallowing both Ur and Gildarts within its runes. But instead of the usual simple dome, the golden energy surged upward and began to shape itself into a colossal, glowing golden colosseum.
Massive translucent walls and towering pillars of pure magical force erupted from the earth, completely isolating the three of them from the rest of the island. The golden arena hummed with absolute defensive power, locking them into a flawless, unbreakable stage.
This is Akira's own version of Fairy Sphere, which he just created. And now he wants to know how its defense and isolating functions are compared to the original spell's.
"Wait—this spell... Akira, how the heck did you learn this magic?! " Gildarts asked, his jaw dropping in genuine shock.
Even though he had never witnessed the spell cast in person before, a seasoned mage like him knew all about the legendary Three Great Magics of Fairy Tail. If the overwhelming, absolute pressure of the golden walls wasn't enough of a giveaway, the massive, glowing Fairy Tail emblem shining brilliantly in the sky above the colosseum made it undeniably clear.
"Well, let's just say I was able to find a very reliable elder to teach me," Akira said, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward a nearby tree branch just outside the immediate barrier. Sitting there completely unbothered was a familiar golden-haired loli, happily swinging her bare legs back and forth while watching the spectacle with wide, curious eyes.
" Hey, Gildarts, did this brat do something crazy again? " Ur asked as he looked around her surroundings. She had to admit that when it came to shaping magic, Akira was a step ahead of her.
Even she couldn't shape her magic into something very detailed. After all, shaping magic into complex designs burns too much mental energy. And besides, from a practical viewpoint, making shapes into complex patterns is too wasteful.
Gildarts let out a dry, defeated laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it, Ur. That brat deployed one of the Three Great Magics of our guild. And what's more, he remodeled it like it was a casual playground."
Ur's eyes widened in realization as she looked up at the massive, glowing emblem shining brilliantly in the sky. She knew about the existence of three great legendary magics of the Fairy Tail Guild. After all, their guild master rose to fame from using one of these magic spells.
"Then let me see if your absolute defense can actually hold the two of us!" Ur spoke as she suddenly took a stance.
" Ice-Make: Geyser! "
A massive mountain of sharp ice spires erupted from the ground, rushing directly towards Akira with incredible speed.
Looking at the incoming ice attack, Akira didn't even try to dodge. After all, with his Anos form, his stats are already cheating. He casually extended his right hand and squeezed his fist. The sheer magical pressure from his dark aura alone shattered the massive ice geyser into thousands of pieces before it could even touch his body.
" Hey, don't look away from me! "
Suddenly, Gildarts appeared right beside Akira. His right hand was covered in the terrifying light of Crash Magic. He punched directly at Akira's chest, wanting to crush his defense in one hit.
But right now, Akira's reaction speed in Anos form was too high. He quickly crossed his arms to block the punch head-on.
Boom!
A massive shockwave spread across the golden colosseum, making the pillars hum loudly. Akira was pushed back a few meters, but he was completely unharmed.
" Haha, you actually blocked my Crash Magic directly! " Gildarts laughed excitedly, but his eyes were filled with deep seriousness. He could feel that Akira's physical stats right now were completely monstrous.
" I told you before, didn't I? This is how a true S-class mage fights. " Akira spoke, a dark smile appearing on his face as his overwhelming magical power began to distort the space around him.
" Don't get cocky, kid. Until the master tells us, you can't be called a S-rank mage even if you really cleared the trial. " Gildarts spoke as he threw the old cloak to the ground. His face was full of seriousness as he looked at Akira.
Then he turned to look at Ur and spoke, " Hey, Ur, although I know this isn't very honorable, but do you want to join me and let this cocky kid understand that there are some things that just raw power cannot solve. "
" Fine by me. It's been a while since I had to go all out anyway. And besides, this kid is getting too cocky lately." Ur spoke as a confident smile appeared on her face. She placed her hands together, a massive amount of cold magical power bursting from her body, instantly causing the golden floor beneath her feet to freeze completely.
Seeing both of them getting serious, Akira's dark smile only grew wider. The overwhelming pressure from his Anos form flared up, the red-and-black magical energy swirling around him like a violent hurricane.
" Then come at me together, " Akira spoke, his deep voice echoing inside the colosseum. " Let's see if you two can really beat me. "
He then began to laugh like a tragic villain who was about to get beaten because he kept his speech too long.
****
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