**Chapter 10: Ren vs. Gildarts**
Ren had defeated the Pig Demon Boss and successfully advanced to the third stage of the exam.
"Master, what is the third stage of the exam?" Ren asked Master Makarov.
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "The third stage is to fight me."
Everyone turned their gaze toward the direction of the voice and saw Gildarts walking out with Natsu and Cana.
"Gildarts?!"
Gray, Mirajane, and Elfman shouted in surprise. They hadn't expected Gildarts to appear here.
Ren, however, had anticipated this. When he was sensing the area earlier, he knew there were very few people on the entire continent of Ishgar who could rival the Master's strength.
To appear here with that kind of power, Gildarts was the only one who fit the description.
Gildarts looked at Ren and said, "To become an S-Class Mage, you must obtain the approval of an S-Class Mage. This is a path every S-Class Mage must take."
"Come! Show me all your strength and win my approval."
Ren looked directly at Gildarts, the will to fight rising in his eyes.
Over the past year, the gap between his level and the others in the guild had gradually widened. Even against Mirajane or Erza, he had never fought with his full strength.
He had begun to crave a battle with a true powerhouse, a powerhouse like Gildarts.
"Get ready! The third exam, start!!!"
Master Makarov announced the beginning of the third exam.
Ren raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at Gildarts.
*Hum—!*
Spiritual pressure gathered in front of his index finger, forming a small emerald-green sphere that continuously compressed.
"Cero!"
*Shoooom————!!!*
A dazzling light bloomed as a beam of emerald-green light shot toward Gildarts.
Gildarts stood firmly on the ground, extended his palm forward, and shouted loudly, "Crash!"
The Cero released by Ren was suddenly disassembled into grid-like cubes and then vanished completely.
"So... so amazing!" Gray's eyes widened.
"As expected of Gildarts!" Natsu's face was full of excitement.
They had all seen how powerful Ren's Cero was earlier, yet it was still crushed by Gildarts.
Gildarts looked at Ren and said, "A strong attack, but not enough to defeat me."
"Is that so?"
Ren took a step forward.
**Sonído!**
Ren's figure vanished instantly, reappearing behind Gildarts.
"Such speed!"
Gildarts was startled. This speed, comparable to teleportation, was truly abnormal. No wonder the Master called Ren a little monster.
**Bala!**
Gildarts turned quickly and threw a punch.
*Boom!*
The Bala fired by Ren was also shattered.
"Disassemble!"
Gildarts raised his hand and released a shockwave toward Ren.
**Sonído!**
Ren instantly moved to Gildarts' side.
**Bala!**
Gildarts raised his palm to block the Bala, crushing it.
**Bala! Bala! Bala!**
Ren continuously fired Balas at Gildarts. Although the power of a Bala couldn't match a Cero, its speed was twenty times faster.
Gildarts raised his palms, disassembling every single Bala.
**Sonído!**
Ren appeared in mid-air directly in front of Gildarts, turning his body and kicking diagonally down toward Gildarts' head.
Gildarts quickly raised his left arm to defend while stomping his right foot onto the ground.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!!*
The ground beneath Gildarts' right foot shattered like a spiderweb and sank downward, mitigating the powerful impact force.
*Hmm? He used the crushed ground to cushion the impact?*
Ren couldn't help but feel admiration seeing Gildarts respond so quickly. Gildarts was indeed Gildarts.
*Pow!* Gildarts grabbed Ren's ankle and threw him into the distance.
*Boom!!!*
Ren's body crashed into the cliff wall of the valley, smashing a large crater into the rock.
But Ren immediately emerged from the crater as if nothing had happened.
Gildarts looked at Ren with a smile and said, "As expected of the young man the Master favors. Your strength, speed, defense, and destructive power are all top-tier."
"To see my 'Crash' magic and still bravely step forward to attack proves you have enough courage and confidence."
"However, to reach the pinnacle of the path of magic, you are still slightly lacking."
"Come! It's time to let you know why I am called the Strongest Mage of Fairy Tail!"
*BOOM!!!!*
A terrifying magic power erupted from Gildarts' body.
The entire Valley of Monsters seemed to tremble. The magical beasts in the valley fled in terror, scattering to get away from the source of the magic eruption.
The ground beneath Gildarts' feet shattered with a loud bang.
The terrifying magic power caused the magnetic field around him to flip.
Massive amounts of debris floated into the air.
"What... what powerful magic!"
Gray stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Even though he was so far away, his body couldn't help but tremble.
It wasn't just Gray; Mirajane, Natsu, Elfman, and Cana were the same.
"Has Gildarts grown to this extent?!"
Makarov hadn't seen Gildarts display his full power in a long time.
He knew Gildarts was constantly growing stronger, but he didn't expect him to have grown to this level.
Compared to the others in the distance, Ren, who was closest, felt it even more intensely.
Gildarts looked at Ren and said, "Your combat power has fully reached the level of an S-Class Mage. You are the most talented mage I have ever seen."
"You are young. To have such powerful strength at such a young age means it won't be long before I am surpassed. But that is not today."
Suddenly, the corners of Ren's mouth curled up slightly.
"?!"