Gildarts loved Tenrou island. It was a place he felt the most connected to his guild, besides the actual Guild hall of course. On top of that, it was a tropical island with an abundance of magic that made for a great place to train.
Now, if he brought over some bikini-clad babes over, it'd be paradise. It might even be enough to keep him in one place for a few months.
Alas, he could only dream. He knew Makarov wouldn't let him bring any women he'd pick up here.
*Crrrsh*
He bit into a sweet fruit that grew in abundance on the island, sitting under a tree as he waited for the unlucky sucker that ran into him. Meeting him wasn't supposed to be a 'game over' but a test of their limits. Though he was curious who he'd encounter on this path. If it were Macao and Wakaba? Beat them and send their asses home. Those two didn't have the kind of craziness it took to be an S rank and go on those dangerous missions with families waiting for them at home.
If it was Ur? Beat her and show her the current limits she's at. Then, if she shows some understanding, which she very likely would, he'd let her pass. If it were Laxus? Belt to ass. That kid had a chip on his shoulder that could grow into something ugly if left unchecked. And even then, it might not curb that arrogance. Despite that, he could tell Laxus loves the Guild, so as long as that arrogance is stomped down, he could pass.
Then, there were the three women. Irene, Yin and Yang. He wanted to see how strong they were. Makarov talked them up but he hadn't met anyone he couldn't either beat or give a hell of a fight to. Even Makarov wasn't as strong as he was now, so he wondered if those three could really be as strong as he stated.
Either way, he was looking forward to finding out.
"I did it..!" Giltarts' ears perked up as he heard a little girl speak up not too far from where he sat.
"Wonderfully done, Wendy. You're a prodigy when it comes to support magic." An older, almost femme fatale-esque voice spoke next.
Gildarts grinned. It looked like he was going to have his wish after all. Call it arrogance, but he thought the three women who joined were strong, but still unproven. If they were as strong as him? They needed to prove it. So, he stood up and watched as Irene and the little girl, Wendy, walked peacefully along their path while the older woman guided the little Dragon Slayer in her magic.
"Yo! Congrats on coming this far." Gildarts gave a casual wave, stopping both in their tracks.
"You're.. Mister Gildarts right?" Wendy asked, her hands fidgeting nervously at the sight of the rugged older mage in front of her.
"Sure am. I'm to be youe obstacle for this test. But.. ah...." He looked at Irene, then back at Wendy and scratched the back of his head.
Irene smiled and pat the top of Wendy's head.
"Wendy, dear. You remember what Yin said when she had all of us gathered together?" Irene gently asked.
Wendy nodded, "That when it came to big fights between strong mages, we have to step far back enough to only feel the pressure of their magic?"
Irene smiled.
"Indeed. Head over to that treeline over there. That should be far enough, hon." Hearing that, Wendy nodded and ran over to the edge of the path and stopped after a full minute of running.
"Hehe.. you do really well with her. I'll admit, I'm not good with kids. I wouldn't know what to do taking care of a little girl like that. I'm more suited to fight." Gildarts stated, cracking his neck and starting to stretch.
"That sounds.. limiting. Huh.. I just noticed. I used to think just like that." Irene snorted, noting the parallels between him and her past.
"Heh? Well before we fight, might I ask one thing?" Giltarts requested, stepping closer to the older woman.
Seeing Irene simply raise her brow at him, he continued.
"Why'd that Yin girl have everyone drag these kids out here? Sure, they're strong for kids.. but they're still just kids, you know? It's the S class test, not a field trip." Gildarts stated, genuinely curious what the reasoning behind it all was.
Irene chuckled and set the bottom of her staff against the ground. Leveling her gaze on Gildarts, she internally browsed the library of magic known to her and settled on one.
"Just kids, you say? Strength has warped your perception. They're children and already, they outstrip novice mages. Don't underestimate them. They'll eventually outpace you." Irene retorted, then unleashed her magic.
A terrible pressure descended on the area and Gildarts brought forth his own magic to counter hers. His Crush magic raged around him but he was still nearly blindsided when Irene struck him.
*CRACKA-BOOOM!!*
With a fist full of flames, her fist smashed into his face, sending him barreling back from a force that hit him far harder than he had ever been hit with prior. The punch itself sounded like thunder and warped the air with its heat and force.
"Sage Dragon's Meteor fist. Hm.. yeah, that sounds right." Irene idly stated, clenching her fist repeatedly as golden flames licked at the air.
Then, she moved off to the right and avoided a stomp that crushed the very ground under her into several thousand pieces. Gildarts had shot back, nose bloody but grinning as he started a fight with Irene. He was swinging with a degree of martial skill, creating a crushed ground landslide that was falling on the redhead.
*RUMBLE!*
"That was a good punch! I actually felt it. But what'll you do with a hundred tonnes of earth coming at ya?" Gildarts asked jovially atop the moving landslide.
Irene smirked, her hand glowing red as she brought it up and aimed at the landslide.
"Simple. Enchant: Destroy." With a swing of her hand, her magic swept out.
*BOOOOOM!!*
Gildarts immediately felt an incoming danger and leapt away from the landslide. But even then, he underestimated the radius of the magical explosion that shook the island and obliterated the entirety of the landslide in one go.
"Ah.. whoops. Ah well.. I knew I'd be putting things back together after this anyway." Irene sighed, then leapt away from a falling fist that upheaves a tenth of the Island and turned the area into a beach.
Luckily, Gildarts had enough control of his magic to avoid the spot Wendy was standing in. Though the little girl looked absolutely bewildered by the fact that the area she was in suddenly became a steep cliff overlooking the beach. Irene partially transformed, her wings spread out, letting ger float above a bloodied Gildarts, who had taken some of that 'Disappear' enchantment on the chin. Though he was panting, he was raring to go.
"There's no way that was an enchantment, Lady.. You just blew up a mountain-sized landslide. Hehehehe.." Gildarts laughed incredulously as he came to terms with Irene's casual display of extreme power.
Then, he looked up and saw her floating in the air. Scales covering her hands, arms, thighs and parts of her face. Horns peeking through her hat, a red tail coming from her robes and those large wings emerging from her back. For the first time in his life, he felt a chill run through his body. And it wasn't because he was cold.
"Are we continuing? I have to cast Concept Enchantments on the Island before those two meet.. They won't hold anything back, I'm afraid." Irene said, looking down at the grizzled-looking man.
"Hah.. yeah. I'm not afraid of you. You're strong, but I'm-" "Hah? Of course you're afraid. There's nothing wrong with feeling fear, Gildarts. How else would we understand our weaknesses? You need to know them in order to become stronger. And perhaps, in your case, gentler." Irene interrupted, arms folded as she looked down at Gildarts, who blinked in confusion.
"Knowing when to stand down is an essential part of being a top-class mage. In merely two exchanges, I've given you a concussion and broke four of your ribs. You aren't feeling it because you're fighting hard to prove something. But this isn't a hill you should die or get seriously injured on."
Gildarts' eyes widened as he felt his right side, nearly wincing as he felt the bruises and soreness there. Then there was his head, it was a dull ache but manageable. Then, he really allowed himself to think about it. The first move, Irene broke through his Crush magic and hit him hard and fast enough to rattle his brain. Then that explosion, which wasn't even centered on him, had enough force to send him flying and broke a few of his ribs. He had to accept that her raw magical power was better than his. And in just two moves, she had him on the backpedal.
Could he still fight? Of course. He fought in far worse condition before. But this was just a test to see if she could make it to S class.
"Yeah.. you're right on the money. Guess I got too heated, maybe." Gildarts sighed and sat down, crushing a bit of the ground beneath him as he exhaled.
"Hmph.. no. You just have that burning hunger for victory. Trust me, I get it." Irene floated down, waving her staff and casting a reconstruction enchantment to restore the destroyed parts of the Island, much to a certain pair of Guildmaster's relief.
Gildarts looked around, wide eyed as things returned to how they used to be.
"Huh.. that's new. Think you could come with me on a few missions? I think Master'd die of happiness if all the stuff I accidentally break'd get fixed like this." Gildarts chuckled.
"Absolutely not.. I already deal with two people who break things in their fights like you do. Speaking of..." Irene looked further ahead, down the path as her eyes changed into a cross pattern.
Further toward the center of the Island, she spotted both Yang and Yin approaching at the same time with their children in tow. Irene sighed in relief and held her staff up high.
"Universe One." Irene said, radiant light leaving her staff as the Island glowed and stretched, meters becoming kilometers and the very land, sky and sea expanded around everyone.
In the blink of an eye, the Island became the size pf a country. Irene took a deep breath, feeling a non-insignificant amount of magic expended at the spell. Then, she cast an enchantment on the Island. To increase its durability, protect the wildlife and guild members and ensure some spots remained safe from annihilation.
"Miss Irene! Miss Irene!" Wendy ran over from her previous spot she was waiting in as Irene descended down and pat the head of the twin-tailed girl.
"Is that still the Enchanting magic you were teaching me?" Wendy asked with stars in her little eyes.
"Indeed it was. Taken to the highest level. In the future, I'm certain you'll be able to reach this height, Wendy. But for now, I suspect we'll want to stay farther away from the center of the Island and watch." Irene then sat down next to a stunned Gildarts and let Wendy sit in her lap.
"You mean.. big sisters are going to fight?" Wendy asked carefully, to which Irene confirmed with a nod.
"Is their fight really going to be so catastrophic you needed to enchant the entire Island?" Gildarts asked, incredulous.
"All their previous fights, they were holding back. Improvements were slow but still there. A mage only grows best when fighting all out. And so, they'll fight with everything they have." Irene explained, still focused toward the center of the Island.
"And the kids..?"
"It'll help put things in perspective for them. See a goal to reach. But the resulting battle will heavily radiate Ethernano all over the Island. It'll be.. akin to like what they did to the area behind the Guild. Only, they'd be fighting.." Irene muttered the last part, blushing when she remembered what the twins did when they created that 'training land'.
*RUMBLE*
"It's starting. Brace yourself." Irene stated, confusing Gildarts until a wave of magic passed over them.
Fire, Metal, Lightning, Wind, Light and Dark magic, carried by attacks like Irene's 'Destroy' enchantment made the very trees shake and the wind howl. And somewhere near the first Master's gravestone, a little girl was shaking an old man, demanding to know where he even managed to recruit such mages..
[AN: My bad about last week. Had this DxD thing in my head that refused to leave it until I wrote it. Check it out on QQ if you want. It's called Reborn Ruin Princess. Yeah, an OC Isekai as a capable and misunderstood Cid Kagenou-esque Rias. Anyway, thanks for holdin' on. Lemme know what you want next.
1. Apex
2. Rat
3. Ruin Princess]