The surging golden light gradually dissipated.
Hit directly by Urano Metria, Gildarts was sent flying backward, crashing through countless trees and vegetation, leaving a through-gully filled with gravel and wood chips in the forest.
His clothes torn, he eventually managed to stop the inertia from the huge impact. Only, it wasn't proactive. He had collided with a figure flying in from the opposite direction.
BAM!
The violent collision canceled out the opposing vectors of force, sending a shock ripping through the surrounding forest and Gobi.
"Ow, ow, ow..." x2
"Gildarts?"
"Chase?"
The moment they turned and saw each other, the two, both looking quite embarrassed, showed matching expressions of surprise. "What are you doing here?"
After a brief pause, they simultaneously pointed at the other's disheveled face and burst into laughter. "Haha! How pathetic! An examiner getting sent flying this far?!"
But as they laughed, Chase and Gildarts both fell silent.
"Hey, Chase. You little brat, did you already know Lucy could use that Ultra-Magic? Did you intentionally leave that trap for me to fall into? And here I was, being kind enough to tell you Cana had learned some super-powerful magic!"
Gildarts was quite upset. He pressed his forehead against Chase's. You could clearly see several blades of grass still clipped in his hair gaps.
Though with Lucy's current magic power, even successfully activating Urano Metria couldn't cause fatal wounds. Still, it was an Ultra-Magic burst at point-blank range. It had, to some extent, made him feel the pain of battle for the first time in a while.
However, more than the physical pain, what bothered Gildarts more at that moment was his pride.
Being sent flying hundreds of meters by Lucy... those bastards Macao and Wakaba would probably be laughing about this for months!
"You have the nerve to mention that? You never said Cana's move was 'Evil-Crushing Righteousness: One Day'!"
Feeling equally embarrassed, Chase shot back.
His situation was similar to Gildarts's. He had pushed Cana to her limits, then stood there confidently, letting her throw a punch at him.
He had thought it would just be a powerful Crash magic at best. He never expected that, backed into a corner, Cana would just come at him with that!
"Who can you blame for getting sent flying because you were careless, as an examiner?"
"That's my line! I'm a first-time examiner here, Gildarts-senpai!"
"Wait! Your opponent was Lucy (Cana)?"
Suddenly, both of them, realizing something, separated their intimately touching foreheads.
They looked up past each other, their sharp gazes piercing through the chaotic forest path. At the end, Lucy (Cana) and Éclair (Lily) lay wounded on the rubble.
"You beat my precious daughter that badly. Isn't that going a bit too far?" The daughter-obsessed Gildarts's expression instantly darkened. His voice was chilling. "Chase, don't you know you have to hold back properly as an examiner?!"
"You've got some nerve talking! Lucy didn't even get hurt that badly fighting Grimoire Heart!"
Chase's reaction was no better. His eyes were wide with anger. "It's just a bet. Were you really that afraid of running naked through town?!"
"That has nothing to do with it! I was just fulfilling my duties as an examiner. Even if it were Natsu, it would have been the same!"
"Enough talk. I think we should settle our trial right here and now, no need to wait until after the S-Class Trial."
With that, the dark gold magic power radiating from Chase quickly transformed. Slifer's God Slayer Magic activated, kicking up a crimson storm.
"Fine by me. Prepare to face the wrath of a father!"
Gildarts likewise liberated his power without holding back. Gray-white magical air currents surged.
Just the initial clash of these two intensely concentrated magic powers was enough to make the entire island of Tenrou Island rumble and shake!
"S-so, what's happening right now?"
Under Tenrou Island's buff, Cana quickly regained the ability to move. Her eyes filled with terror as she watched the raging magical clash ahead.
In contrast to her relatively calm demeanor, Lucy, on the other side, was so scared she had tears, snot, and bubbles all coming out at once.
"Th-th-th-this is bad! The two examiners, Chase-nii and Gildarts, are fighting!"
"Momon! Quickly, go to the west camp and get the master! Aaahhh!"
Just as Momon was about to take off in a panic, Gildarts's deep, penetrating voice rang out. "No need for that. The trial continues as normal. You pass, Lucy."
Over on the other side, Cana similarly received Chase's instruction that she had passed. "You pass too, Cana. Don't worry. We'll find a quiet place to settle this."
Lucy, Cana: "If you two really fight, is there even a quiet place left on this island?!"
Under the trunk of the Tenrou Tree at the island's center.
"What's going on? An enemy attack?!" Gray was jolted by the violent earthquake and quickly grabbed the nearby tree for support.
He and Loke's team had, as expected, defeated Juvia and Lisanna.
"No. Both these magic powers feel familiar," Freed, who had defeated Levy and Gajeel's team, said, his gaze solemn as he looked into the distance. "What's going on?"
"S-so scary..." The timid Wendy hid behind Mest, only her little head poking out.
Their luck had been excellent. They had chosen the unobstructed "Quiet" path and were the first team to arrive here.
Elfman and Evergreen, who had managed to defeat Mira through "underhanded" means, sat exhausted to the side, their faces pale.
"Everyone, calm down."
A calm, reliable voice came from above. Makarov, flown by Carla, landed steadily before the anxious crowd.
"It's Chase and Gildarts. Honestly, the S-Class Trial isn't even over, and they're already causing trouble. Can't they act with a little more maturity as examiners?" He muttered a curse under his breath.
That said, from his resigned expression, it was clear he had no intention of intervening.
Chase's magic, Duelist Soul, needed fierce battles to grow stronger. And Gildarts, whose strength was in a league of his own within the guild, had been eager for a satisfying fight for a long time.
Might as well just let those two idiots fight it out.
Hearing this, the tense Gray and the others let out a huge sigh of relief.
If it was Chase and Gildarts, then there was nothing to worry about. Let them fight however they wanted. Their own S-Class titles were more important.
"Oh no, Master! This is bad!"
Just then, Lucy and Cana's teams rushed over in a hurry.
After a brief explanation, everyone finally understood why Chase and Gildarts had suddenly started fighting.
Makarov gave a light cough and stood calmly before the crowd, his tone serious.
"Now, let's confirm the teams that have passed the first test. Team Mest, who chose the 'Quiet' path. Team Gray and Team Freed, who gained the advantage in their encounter battles. And Team Elfman, who took down Mira!"
"Hey, are you just going to completely ignore what's happening over there?" Cana pointed a finger at the distant, exploding pillar of fire.
"Even the master probably couldn't stop those two once they've started. He'd probably just get beaten up and come back with a black eye," Lucy whispered in her ear.
"Lucy! Cana! What about your results?!" Makarov shouted angrily, having his thoughts spoken aloud.
"Gidarts said I passed," Lucy said, startled, shrinking her neck, afraid to meet the old man's murderous gaze.
"I passed too," Cana said, quietly raising her hand.
"What?!!" xN
An incredulous cry immediately rose from the crowd. Even Makarov was shocked by this news.
They had thought those two had come running to report a special situation. But instead, they were saying they had successfully "survived" facing those two monsters?
No way!