"That bell..."
When Ur heard the chime echoing across Magnolia, he paused for half a second. There was something familiar about that sound, he was sure of it, yet the memory stubbornly refused to surface.
Fortunately, Levy reminded him.
"It's Gildarts! Gildarts is back!" she exclaimed, eyes lighting up.
The moment she said it, realization hit Ur like a bolt.
So that's who it is. No wonder Magnolia suddenly felt like it was preparing for the apocalypse.
Gildarts Clive.
Fairy Tail's strongest mage.
Like Erza, he was born with innate magic; the moment his power awakened, it was already the super-high-tier magic—Crush. A magic of overwhelming destructive power… and equally overwhelming difficulty to control.
Even now, Gildarts' mental focus wasn't enough to fully rein it in.
As a result, whenever he walked around town, he tended to zone out from lack of concentration, and with just one careless misstep, anything in front of him—walls, houses, entire buildings—would end up reduced to rubble.
He once set a personal record by "bulldozing" thirty-two buildings in a straight line across Magnolia.
Thus, the entire city had undergone a massive reconstruction project solely to accommodate him.
To put it simply, the man was a living legend within Fairy Tail.
Ur had admired him greatly when reading the original story. Now that he was about to meet him face-to-face, even Ur, steady as his heart usually was, couldn't help feeling a flicker of excitement.
"Come on, Levy. Let's go meet Fairy Tail's strongest mage…" With that, Ur strode toward the guild.
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"Attention, all residents! Attention! Magnolia is switching to Gildarts Mode. Please proceed immediately to your designated safe areas. I repeat…"
When Ur arrived at the guild gates, he caught the broadcast from a strange bird-creature circling overhead—its beak shaped like a megaphone, its voice trembling with panic.
The moment the announcement ended, the scenery before Ur began changing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A house slid backward. Another sank into the ground. Within seconds, the street before the guild widened dramatically. As more seconds passed, more and more buildings vanished underground, replaced by a broad, open avenue stretching straight from Magnolia's entrance to the guild doors.
In less than ten seconds, the entire cityscape had rearranged itself. It felt like Ur was watching a sci-fi blockbuster unfold in real time.
"This is… seriously…" Ur was genuinely stunned. Even though he'd mentally prepared himself, seeing it with his own eyes left him speechless.
This is completely ridiculous.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the newly opened avenue. A figure slowly came into view.
Orange-red slicked-back hair. A bit of stubble on his chin. A long, dark green coat hangs loosely from his shoulders.
The handsome, middle-aged man appeared before the crowd like a scene from a movie.
A large crowd had already gathered.
Almost everyone felt a surge of excitement at Gildarts's return. Their gazes all carried that instinctive reverence reserved for the truly powerful.
Because, of course, the moment Natsu saw Gildarts, he yelled, "Gildarts! Perfect timing! Come fight me!"
Before the words fully left his mouth, Natsu had already launched himself forward, magic flaring.
"Fire Dragon's Ir—!"
Boom!
The speed he charged with was impressive. The speed at which he flew backward was even more impressive.
With a single punch, Gildarts turned Natsu into a pink meteor and sent him streaking off to who-knows-where.
Happy let out a startled "Aye!" and hurried after him.
"Huh? Did I just hit something?"
Only after Natsu vanished did the orange-haired man blink awake from his daze. He muttered vaguely to himself, then slowly regained awareness. When he finally looked up at the crowd, he paused, confused.
'Huh? When did I get back to the guild?' He didn't say it aloud, but the bewilderment in his eyes made the thought clear.
He recovered quickly, though.
With a lazy wave, he greeted them, "Yo. Long time no see."
"Hahaha! Gildarts! Welcome back!"
"How'd the job go?"
"You sure know how to disappear. It's been three months since your last visit!"
"Don't tell me you had another romantic escapade out there, huh?"
Laughter erupted instantly.
Gildarts was well-liked—not just for his strength, but for his easygoing personality. So the moment he returned, teasing him became the natural way to celebrate.
While everyone chatted and joked with him, Ur quietly stood off to the side, studying Fairy Tail's strongest mage.
Gildarts typically wore a relaxed, drained expression, as if he'd used up all his energy somewhere else. If someone didn't already know who he was, they would never believe this laid-back uncle wielded one of the most terrifyingly destructive magics in existence.
As Ur observed him, another pair of eyes had also settled silently on the handsome middle-aged man.