The pupils of both men shrank, and they reacted at almost the same moment.
Makarov crossed his arms in front of his chest and took the blast head on.
The next instant the incoming ki blast slammed into him, and an explosion roared out, a cloud of dust rising and swallowing up his figure.
Gildarts, on the other hand, spread his palm toward the barrage of ki blasts and urged his magic into motion.
"Crash!"
An invisible wave of magic rippled out. The incoming ki blasts shattered one after another into their most basic energy and faded into the air.
But before Gildarts could relax, Kabe's figure followed right on the heels of his attack and burst into his close range.
Caught off guard, Gildarts could only throw up his right arm to block.
"Thump!"
A dull impact rang out as flesh collided with flesh, and the air around them seemed to ripple like water.
Driven back by that punch, Gildarts' body skidded across the ground for a good dozen meters before he finally dug his heels in and stopped.
He lowered his arm and glanced at the clear fist-shaped mark on his forearm, unable to help praising him.
"Nice power. You have gotten stronger again, Kabe."
"Of course I have. I have not slacked off for even a single day!"
With a shout, Kabe sprang up again. In an instant his fists and legs flashed out dozens of times, sharp and clean, without a hint of wasted motion.
The flurry of blows was fierce enough that even Gildarts did not dare take him lightly anymore. He raised his other arm so that both hands were up, blocking one strike after another.
Just as the two of them were trading rapid blows and counters, a shadow so huge it almost blotted out the sky fell over them.
They both broke off at once and looked up. A heartbeat later, a giant fist bigger than a house came crashing down, covering them both in its shadow.
"Do not underestimate this old man, you two brats."
Having cultivated Giant Magic, Makarov, when he unleashed it at full power, became a true giant. Every casual swing of his fist carried enough force to pulverize a small mountain.
Gildarts braced both hands upward and caught the falling fist.
The price was that his already ragged coat and pants were torn even more under the crushing pressure, and his legs from the knees down were driven deep into the earth.
Crrrk.
Clenching his teeth, he looked like he was barely holding on, but his mouth still found room for a jab.
"Getting on in years, old man. Even your punches feel soft now. Go on, brat, show this almost-retired geezer what real youth looks like!"
At the same time, Kabe, using his Sky Dance Technique to skim low around the enormous fist, had already flown down to Makarov's feet.
With a body that huge, Makarov inevitably had blind spots in his field of vision.
And that was exactly what Kabe was waiting for.
"You do not have to tell me. I was already planning to let you both have a good look at what I can really do!"
He shot upward, fist cocked back, then swung it with all his might straight at Makarov's face.
Caught completely unprepared, Makarov took the punch full on.
His gigantic body staggered back several steps before he finally steadied himself again.
Seeing that, Kabe clicked his tongue, eyes serious.
"What a troublesome old fossil. It is not just your size, your bones and skin are as tough as a real giant now."
In truth, while Makarov looked mostly unaffected on the outside, his head was ringing like a bell on the inside.
This brat, does he not know how to pull his punches at all?
If he gets a few years older, this old bag of bones is going to get torn apart.
Cursing in his heart, Makarov gritted his teeth, swung his fist at Kabe again, and the gale that howled around his punch felt even fiercer than before.
This old man is insane. Is he trying to beat me to death?
Kabe frantically weaved around the incoming giant fists, nimble as an annoying mosquito.
While Kabe and Makarov tangled in midair, Gildarts was not exactly idle.
He stirred his magic to its peak, and with a sweep of his power unleashed a wide-area disassembly spell aimed at both of them.
The moment Kabe and Makarov sensed what he was doing, they both immediately moved to dodge.
That spell was not as lethal as Crash Magic, but if it hit, it would break its target down into countless tiny mini versions of themselves, stripping them of any fighting ability.
So the three of them clashed back and forth like this, blows flying, magic raging, the battle growing more and more intense.
By the time the Fairy Tail crowd finally arrived, panting from their rush to get there, they could only stand far off at the edge of the battlefield, staring at the scene before them with their jaws hanging open. It was nothing less than a clash of gods.
Having only just taken her first steps into the world of magic, Mira stared blankly at the guild master, who now stood a towering thirty to forty meters tall. Her jaw nearly hit the ground.
Let alone the fact that among the ones fighting such a colossal giant was that shorty Kabe.
Thinking of how that boy who was still not even as tall as she was, was fighting toe to toe with such an incredible giant, Mira felt something ignite inside her, a blazing fire roaring in her chest.
So strong. So this is what the battle of top mages looks like.
I have to work hard and learn magic as soon as I can, then hurry up and gain power like theirs.
Erza, too, stood there with a complicated look in her eyes, watching Kabe dart through the air, slipping past each massive attack with ease. A storm of feelings welled up inside her.
So you have already grown this far, Kabe. In front of a genius like you, even I can only stare at your back.
She quietly clenched her fist.
But do not think I will just roll over and admit defeat.
Do not relax. I will catch up sooner or later.
If the younger generation still had the heart to chase after him, then the likes of Macao, Wakaba and the other uncles who were already stepping into, or firmly in, middle age, had long since embraced giving up.
After their initial shock at how fast Kabe had grown, they had, with a few old gambling addicts taking the lead, already started placing bets.
The only one really worth mentioning was Cana, who by now was completely numb from the repeated blows to her pride.
She clutched a wad of cash in her hand, face full of misery as she mixed in with the uncles.
"Uncle, put twenty thousand J on Kabe to win."
"Eh, Cana, you finally came around. Come on, come on, since it is your first time, we will count it as forty thousand for you. Big brother here will cover the rest."
"Hehe, thanks, uncle."
...
All the little human dramas unfolding in the distance did nothing to affect the raging fight between the three.
After a round of probing, Kabe and Makarov had both come to the same conclusion.
Without using any of their real trump cards, this old and young pair really were no match for Gildarts, who was still in his physical prime.
So, very naturally, after sharing a glance, the two of them turned together and launched a joint offensive at Gildarts.
While Makarov tied Gildarts up frontally, Kabe dropped back down to the ground, planted his feet, and brought both fists tight to his sides, starting to gather power.
"Haaaaaah...!"