Fairy Tail: Starting with Marrying the Dragon Queen Irene

"Damn, it's an avalanche!"

"We're gonna die..."

As the Fairy Tail mages stared at the approaching avalanche, they panicked, shouting in fear.

Although everyone knew that, in the face of such a natural disaster, they had to run, the endless snow surrounding them made it unclear which direction would be safe.

It seemed like no matter where they tried to flee, there was no guarantee of safety.

"Hmm..."

At this critical moment...

A powerful surge of magic burst forth!

Makarov, as the guild master of Fairy Tail, transformed into a giant dozens of meters tall, gathering the mages of the guild into his protective embrace.

Even for Makarov, facing an avalanche hundreds of meters high, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He tried to reassure those mages he held, whom he thought of as children, saying, "No matter what happens, I won't let anything harm you."

"Master..."

Touched by Makarov's deep love, the mages of Fairy Tail teared up, overwhelmed by emotion.

"Crush!"

Then they saw Gildarts, the one responsible for triggering the avalanche, step forward and use his Crush magic against the snow tsunami crashing toward them.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar...

The snowy sea and the mountain range that had stood several kilometers tall and stretched for miles were shattered into countless fragments!

Meanwhile, the royal court's mapmaker for Fiore, seeing this, almost exploded in frustration, yelling, "Return my mountains, dammit! Do you know how much trouble this is?! I'm not only fined but now have to remeasure everything and redraw the map!"

"The... the avalanche stopped!"

"Thank goodness..."

"No doubt about it, it's Gildarts! He's too strong..."

"Yeah! He's not even in the same league as us..."

"But still, isn't that going a bit too far?!"

"By the way, Master Makarov..."

"If I'm not mistaken, that mountain range was privately owned, right?"

"Do we have to compensate for that?!"

The Fairy Tail mages held in Makarov's arms whispered nervously.

"Waaah..."

"Stop it, just stop talking..."

"I'm already crying."

In his giant form, Makarov wiped his tears, which fell to the ground like buckets of water.

Meanwhile, the battle raged on.

For Fairy Tail's S-rank mages and S-rank candidates, the avalanche was just a minor interruption.

It couldn't stop them from competing for...

The title of X779 Fairy Tail 24-Hour Endurance Battle King.

In truth, Makarov could have turned into a giant hundreds of meters tall and neutralized the avalanche by himself. He deliberately used a smaller form, hoping to gain some sympathy and make the guild members stop fighting, but it didn't work.

The battle resumed.

"Requip! Armor of the Wise Dragon! Requip! Holy Sword!"

As Gildarts unleashed a dazzling surge of magic and went all out, Erza's eyes narrowed slightly, and she too donned her strongest armor.

This was a top-tier armor crafted by Irene herself, who had traveled to the Northern Continent, Guiltina, collecting dragon scales over a year to forge it.

As for the holy sword in Erza's hand, it was from Alakitasia in the Western Continent—a national treasure belonging to a top magic kingdom that had been conquered by the Alvarez Empire. The weapon was named Excalibur.

In this form, Erza was strikingly valiant, her whole being radiating an intimidating aura. Her holy sword gleamed in the sunlight, absorbing magic from the earth, the atmosphere, and the four elements that made up the world—earth, water, fire, and wind—all converging upon Erza.

"Excalibur!!"

When Erza's magic reached its peak, she swung her holy sword with a single slash. The terrifying slash tore through heaven and earth, transforming into a massive beam of light heading straight for Gildarts.

"Hahaha..."

"Bring it on!!"

Seeing this, Gildarts laughed maniacally, feeling an overwhelming excitement.

Erza, with her magic power rivaling that of the Ten Wizard Saints and the synergy with her top-tier magic weapon, unleashed an attack that could match, or even surpass, Jura's Rumbling Mt. Fuji, used at full power during the Grand Magic Games.

No, it was even stronger!

It was on par with Cana's Fairy Glitter, one of the three Great Fairy Magics, performed during the Grand Magic Games! If measured on an MPF(Magic Power Finder) scale, it would easily exceed 9999.

Without a doubt, this light beam was of a super-magic caliber.

Unfortunately for Erza, Gildarts was stronger!

Facing Erza's full-power light beam, Gildarts waved his hand, unleashing Crush magic, reducing the beam into countless glittering fragments of light.

"Ice Dragon's Crushing Fist!"

Before Gildarts could catch his breath...

Ur had already closed in, the biting chill threatening to freeze everything, and her icy magic gathered at her fist. A magic circle bearing a dragon's head appeared before her, and she punched towards Gildarts with immense force.

"Heh, Ur!"

Gildarts gave a cold smile, seemingly prepared to counter.

"Underworld Dragon's Crushing Fist!"

Before he could do much thinking...

Little Eresh appeared from behind Ur, forming a pincer attack. With her right hand clenched into a fist, she forcefully swung at Gildarts.

For Dragon Slayers, the "Dragon's Iron Fist" or "Dragon's Crushing Fist" were powerful magic attacks that required training.

But for a genuine dragon, throwing a punch with its primal hunting instincts was already among the most potent crushing blows within Dragon Slayer magic.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Technique: Thunder Roar!"

Besides Eresh and Ur...

Behind Gildarts, Laxus moved in as a golden streak of lightning, rushing forward with even greater speed. With Eresh and Ur diverting Gildarts' attention, Laxus struck for a sneak attack.

Laxus bet everything on this attack.

Vast amounts of magic gathered in Laxus' right arm—his ultimate technique after reaching the level of a Saint Wizard, Thunder Roar combined the speed, power, ferocity, and overwhelming force of Lightning Dragon Slayer magic.

"Huff..."

In addition to Laxus, Eresh, and Ur...

Mirajane, having fully taken over Deliora's soul and barely breaking into the ranks of the Saint Wizards, gathered all her magic into her core and attacked Gildarts.

At that moment, Gildarts was effectively facing three dragons and a demon.

He was being simultaneously attacked by someone equivalent to a Twelve Shield member, a top-ranked Heavenly King, and two of the Ten Wizard Saints.

Even someone as strong as Gildarts should have retreated from such a combination.

At least, that's what one would expect.

"Heh..."

But instead of retreating, Gildarts laughed coldly, his eyes glowing crimson, saying, "Hey, since when did you all start assuming that only you could use Slayer magic?!"

"What?!"

Hearing his words, Laxus, Eresh, and Ur's expressions shifted drastically.

Sweat trickled down their foreheads, and they could only mutter in shock, "Don't tell me, Gildarts, you too..."

"Boom!"

Before they could finish their thought, Gildarts struck the ground with Crush magic.

The terrifying power tore the earth apart...

The shockwave sent Laxus, Eresh, and Ur flying, even Mirajane, who was a little farther away, was impacted and forced out of her full take-over form.

Yes, the sheer shockwave from Gildarts' unleashed magic forced Mira out of her takeover form—such was the real power of Gildarts.

"This magic power?!"

When Gildarts decided to go all out...

Eresh, Ur, and the others all felt an overwhelming threat!

To threaten a top-tier Dragon Slayer and an actual dragon...

Only someone of similar standing—another Dragon Slayer—could pull it off.

"Gildarts, you?!"

Erza raised her brows in curiosity, glancing at Gildarts with a probing look. The only people in Fairy Tail capable of teaching Dragon Slayer magic were Irene and her father, Ian.

However, no matter who Gildarts learned his magic from, it essentially meant lowering his own status.

It was similar to how, ever since Ur learned Dragon Slayer magic from Irene, Erza and Ur had been on the same level in terms of seniority—higher by one generation compared to Gray, Lyon, and Ultear.

Erza: "Yep! My seniority is entirely thanks to my companions boosting me up."

"I didn't take Ian as my teacher!"

"I traded my ultimate technique, Crush, for Dragon Slayer magic from Ian. After all, without Dragon Slayer magic, I can't harm dragons, which means I can't complete the 100 years quest, right?!"

Gildarts heard Erza's implied meaning and quickly clarified.

Yes, compared to Dragon Slayer magic, Crush was just not as practical.

Even though Gildarts understood the difficulty of the 100 years quest, he couldn't let go of it...

For someone like Gildarts, a free-spirited adventurer by nature, if he couldn't try the 100 years quest, he'd feel utterly stifled.

"So, everyone, it's time for Phase Two."

Gildarts said, immediately activating his Dragon Force.

Powerful magic surged out of Gildarts' body, and the Dragon Seed within him sprouted like it had been nourished with an immense amount of fertilizer...

In an instant, it grew into a towering tree!

In terms of Dragon Slayer ranking...

As a beginner in Dragon Slayer magic, Gildarts had already surpassed the Black Dragon Knight members of the Dragon Eater Guild Diabolos on the Northern Continent.

He could even hold his own against Georg Reizen, the guild leader of the Dragon Eater Guild.

His strength allowed him to traverse Ishgar, and even in Guiltina, he could stand just below the level of the dragon gods.

This was the power Gildarts should possess in his forties when nurtured properly.

Undoubtedly, Gildarts had surpassed ordinary members of the Twelve Shields, second only to the Empire's Twin Walls.

"This is bad!"

Eresh, seeing this, began to sweat nervously...

Gildarts' power had now reached a level just shy of complete Dragonification.

Against a Dragon Slayer of this caliber...

If Eresh didn't use her full dragon form, she stood no chance.

After all, the human and dragon forms of a dragon were on entirely different levels.

"Boom!"

Without hesitation, Gildarts moved like a ghost, dashing towards Ur and the others in an instant, appearing before them.

He first chose Eresh the strongest among them, as his target, swinging his fist, infused with Dragon Force. His voice was steady, resonant, like a thunderous bell, as he declared, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crushing Everything!"

"Boom!!"

This was a combination of Dragon Slayer magic and Crush!

The power of Crush magic, which usually had little effect against dragons due to their high magic resistance, became deadly when combined with Dragon Slayer magic. It was potent enough to threaten even a dragon.

"Boom!"

Eresh instinctively crossed her arms to shield herself from Gildarts' powerful blow, but even that wasn't enough to stop the force. She was sent flying like a shooting star, crashing heavily into a distant mountain.

"Next."

After sending Eresh flying, Gildarts turned towards Laxus.

"Crap..."

Just locking eyes with Gildarts sent chills down Laxus' spine, his insides churning with dread. A massive sense of impending doom took root deep within him.

"Boom!"

Before Laxus could react, Gildarts' fist was already in front of him.

From Laxus' perspective, time seemed to slow as Gildarts threw his punch—as if the whole world had paused. Under Gildarts' oppressive aura, Laxus found it impossible to move, let alone escape.

Gildarts' fist advanced like a frame-by-frame scene from a movie, inching closer to his face. The word "danger" echoed through Laxus' mind, knowing that once Gildarts landed that punch, he'd definitely be knocked out.

"Boom!"

With a resounding bang...

The ground beneath Laxus, along with the entire forest behind him, was blown sky-high from Gildarts' punch.

As for Laxus himself...

Just as he feared, he was utterly knocked out, falling to the ground like a broken doll, discarded by its owner, kicking up dust as he landed.

"Next."

Gildarts said, turning his gaze to Mirajane.

"Uh..."

Mirajane trembled...

If even Laxus had fallen, what chance did she have?!

Before she could react, Gildarts appeared before her, as if he had teleported.

"Waaah..."

Mirajane was so startled by Gildarts' sudden appearance that she let out a sob, momentarily forgetting to defend herself.

"Ding~"

Without hesitation, Gildarts swung his fist towards Mirajane's cheek, prompting her to instinctively raise her arms in defense, closing her eyes tightly.

"Heh..."

Gildarts chuckled softly...

His fist stopped just before Mirajane's cheek, and instead, he flicked her smooth forehead with two fingers.

With a "boing," Mirajane's forehead reddened visibly, the force perfectly calculated to knock her out of the fight.

"Now..."

"Ur and Ultear, it's your turn."

After dealing with Mirajane, Gildarts turned towards Ur and Ultear.

"I surrender!"

Ultear surrendered immediately.

That had always been her attitude—she didn't mind winning, but losing wasn't a big deal either.

It was just her relaxed nature.

"How could you just surrender like that?!"

Ur, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was full of fire, the epitome of a hot-blooded youth. Whether she could win or not, she wanted to fight.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art..."

Ur blurred into motion, launching herself at Gildarts.

Maybe it was because the air here was so cold...

In this extreme environment, Ur's power seemed to increase.

Especially when Ur used her Dragon Slayer magic!

Although both were of the Heavenly King level...

Heavenly Kings who used Slayer magic were in a completely different league compared to those who used conventional magic.

In other words, though Ur officially ranked third among the Ten Wizard Saints from the Magic Council's perspective, her actual combat prowess was closer to the first rank. Neither Wolfheim nor Hyberion could match her in a real fight.

But Ur's opponent was Gildarts, someone beyond even the Ten Wizard Saints!

Ishgar's strongest mage, Gildarts Clive.

"Crush!"

With a wave of his hand, Gildarts shattered Ur's magic circle, along with her yet-to-be-unleashed Dragon Slayer secret technique, into countless shards of magic.

"Huh?!"

Ur's expression resembled that of Bluenote from the S-Class Wizard Exam arc, where the Dark Guild Grimoire Heart invaded—the same stunned disbelief as her all-out super spell was casually shattered by Gildarts.

Ur finally realized, "Magic can be interrupted, after all."

"Boom!"

Before Ur could think further, Gildarts' fist came crashing down...

Her jacket flew off, and she lost all combat capability.

Yes, battles between top-level opponents could be simple and direct.

"That leaves only you, Erza."

After defeating the S-rank mages and candidates teaming up against him during this 24-hour endurance match, Gildarts set his eyes on the squad leader, Erza.

At this moment, Gildarts' strength...

It was on a completely different level compared to the other S-rank mages in the guild.

His power was overwhelming!

Though all were S-rank mages of Fairy Tail, it was like comparing those who scored a perfect hundred because it was the maximum, and those who could only score a hundred.

"To think Gildarts is this powerful..."

"Just how strong must father be, to have defeated Gildarts on Tenrou Island?"

Sweat beaded on Erza's forehead as she muttered to herself.

"How strong Ian is, even I'm not sure!"

"That kid is sly, always holding back..."

"But there's one thing I know for sure!"

"He's definitely stronger than all of you combined."

Gildarts responded to Erza's musings.

Yes, in Gildarts' view, Ian's oppressive presence surpassed even Eresh in her human form, Ur as a Dragon Slayer, Laxus as a Saint Wizard, Erza, and the barely Saint-level Ultear and Mirajane.

"Boom!!"

Just as Erza was left unsure how to face Gildarts alone...

A surge of immense magic burst forth near Gildarts and Erza.

"What is this?!"

Gildarts and Erza's expressions both changed drastically. Instinctively, they turned to see Eresh, her entire body enveloped in magic.

"Gildarts..."

Eresh growled, as if calling Gildarts' name.

Truthfully, Eresh had long forgotten the last time she was wounded!

Gildarts' punch had ignited her competitive spirit...

Thus, with a massive magic circle manifesting before her, the next time everyone looked back, Eresh had disappeared, replaced by a massive fox-like creature with six tails.

No, it wasn't a fox—

It was a genuine dragon!

"This is bad."

Gildarts stared at the fully transformed Eresh, sweat forming on his forehead.

He honestly wasn't prepared to fight a dragon.

"Boom!"

Before Gildarts could ready himself, Eresh spread her wings and, moving faster than the eye could see, appeared in front of Gildarts.

"Crap!"

Gildarts cursed under his breath, his eyes fixed on Eresh's thick dragon arm.

"Boom!"

Unfortunately, Gildarts had guarded against the wrong thing from the start...

With a look of disdain in her eyes, Eresh's tail lashed out like a whip, slicing through the air to strike Gildarts.

With a loud "thud!"

Gildarts spun like a top, flung into the sky.

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