With the warm-up complete, both of them had grasped each other's capabilities. In other words, what followed was a true, all-out battle.
Charles's expression turned solemn as he stared at Gildarts.
Gildarts's Crush Magic was terrifying. It could directly destroy the molecular bonds between atoms.
Aside from defensive abilities like dragon scales that weaken magic or nullifying spells, Gildarts's magic could disintegrate any tangible object.
In the original story, scenes of him obliterating an entire mountain with a single punch were more than enough to illustrate just how fearsome he was.
What made it even more frightening was that Crush Magic activated without any indication—no magical glow, no magic circle.
Charles wasn't sure if that was a unique feature of the magic itself, or if Gildarts had mastered it to such an extent that it was now woven seamlessly into his actions.
Either way, Gildarts's power was beyond question.
No longer underestimating Charles due to his age, Gildarts launched the first strike.
No technique name—just a simple straight punch. But Charles, treating it like a deadly threat, dodged immediately.
Where Gildarts's punch landed, a grid-like glow appeared, and the entire area fractured into neat little cubes.
Charles's pupils shrank as he looked at the nearly leveled section of the valley.
"Dragon Blood Mode!"
There was no time to hesitate. Charles activated Dragon Blood Mode, the surging power of the dragons coursing through his body. A layer of dragon scales appeared on his skin.
No matter what type of dragon, their scales possessed resistance to magic. In other words, they could weaken most magical attacks.
This was exactly why dragons were such overwhelming threats to human mages. Human spells couldn't even penetrate a dragon's surface defense.
Only Dragon Slayers could use their dragon power to pierce dragon scales.
As for Gildarts's Crush Magic, Charles figured his best defense was his dragon scales. He certainly had no intention of ending up like Natsu—smashed into dozens of tiny versions of himself.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!"
Charles twisted his body mid-air and kicked toward Gildarts's arm.
Flames burst outward, and Gildarts's feet sank into the ground as a massive crater appeared beneath him.
Charles gritted his teeth—Gildarts was far tougher than expected.
Crush Magic's absurdly high destructive force wasn't just for offense. As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense, and Gildarts had certainly proven that.
Charles's Fire Dragon's Claw hadn't done much damage at all. His flames had been instantly disintegrated upon contact. Only the raw physical force of his body had managed to make any dent.
A spell that could crush the opponent's magic was already the ultimate form of defense.
But Charles had confirmed something important—his dragon scales in Dragon Blood Mode could defend against Crush Magic.
Gildarts noticed this too and couldn't help but smile in excitement.
As a battle-hardened mage, Gildarts had long awaited a worthy opponent.
But due to the nature of his magic, few ever even made it past the first blow. Now, he'd finally found someone he could fight to his heart's content.
With a wave of his hand, Gildarts knocked Charles away and then threw a punch.
It was another Crush-infused blow, but this time Charles didn't dodge. Instead, he punched back.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Their fists collided, and fire and grid-patterned light exploded across the entire valley.
Trees, grass, distant mountains, rocks—everything was shattered into tiny cubes and then turned to ash by the fire.
The aftermath of just one clash had leveled the valley. This was exactly why they had to fight far away from the town.
Charles retracted his fist and took a step back.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
He unleashed an enormous column of fire—large enough to swallow a giant whole.
Gildarts responded by punching it.
To Charles's astonishment, his flames broke apart into fragments and vanished into the air.
The Roar was every dragon's strongest technique. Among Charles's repertoire, Fire Dragon's Roar was second in power only to his Dragon Slayer ultimate moves.
He had used this move countless times in battles with powerful foes. Most opponents either dodged it or countered it. This was the first time anyone had simply broken it apart.
But there was no time to be surprised, because after shattering his Roar, Gildarts had already closed the distance.
A powerful punch came down on Charles's crossed arms. The ground behind him cracked and then instantly broke into cubes.
Gildarts had created a massive fan-shaped cliff behind Charles with that one strike. The amount of force Charles had just endured was unimaginable.
"What's wrong? If this is all you've got, I don't know how to describe your gap with the Black Dragon!"
Charles grabbed Gildarts by the wrist and hurled him away.
"Fahl!"
Charles summoned Fahl and said, "Since you put it that way, Gildarts… then I'll show you my full power."
Fahl dove into Charles's body, initiating spirit assimilation.
His extended dragon-scale scarf snapped through the air, scattering sparks. Charles charged at the just-recovered Gildarts and landed a powerful punch that sent him staggering backward.
"Now that's more like it!"
Gildarts laughed and stomped on the ground, flipping the terrain. Chunks of stone erupted beneath Charles, flinging him into the air.
"Then try this! Morning Peacock!"
Midair, Charles unleashed a flurry of fireballs that rained down on Gildarts from every direction.
Gildarts punched into the air, and all the fireballs froze in place—then disintegrated.
Charles hadn't expected much from that move, but he still didn't think it would be neutralized that easily.
Landing, Charles exhaled a puff of white steam.
"Four Symbols Martial Arts—Ultimate Form: Qilin Strength!"
Since he had declared he'd go all out, Charles held nothing back and activated Qilin Strength.
Gildarts instinctively shifted his body to dodge Charles's punch.
Even he couldn't track Charles's movements after Qilin Strength was activated. Only his battle-hardened instincts had saved him from that blow.
The wind from Charles's missed punch, combined with its flames, tore open the ground behind Gildarts. No one would believe this had once been a peaceful valley.
Charles's fist transformed into a blade hand, slashing down diagonally. His flame-wrapped hand was like a plasma blade, able to cut through any defense.
But Gildarts wasn't about to let that happen. He grabbed Charles's wrist and crushed the surrounding flames with his magic.
Charles's other fist came in, but Gildarts blocked it with his prosthetic arm.
Crack! Crack!
The sudden creaking sound made Charles frown. He looked down at Gildarts's prosthetic limb.
Whoever had made it had done an impressive job. The fact that Gildarts could move it freely was already remarkable.
But it still had limits. Even without the intense combat, just managing Gildarts's overwhelming magical output was a massive burden.
Now, under the strain of their fierce struggle, the prosthetic was finally reaching its breaking point.
Charles let go and backed away. "Looks like we can't keep going."
Gildarts, too, showed a hint of regret. Though he wanted to keep fighting, his current condition simply didn't allow it.
His internal injuries hadn't fully healed, and his prosthetic's fragility and lack of flexibility were fatal weaknesses.
But ending it like this left both of them dissatisfied.
"Then let's make this the final move!" they said in unison.
Charles spread his arms. Gildarts raised his fist.
"Dragon Slayer Ultimate—Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"
"Sacred Smash—One Day!"
Both unleashed their ultimate techniques. The two attacks collided—
…
Much later, a traveling adventurer passed by, map in hand, looking confused. The map clearly showed this as a valley.
So why was it now… a lake?
He had no idea that two mages had battled here, and their final strikes had pierced the earth so deeply that groundwater had surged up, forming the new body of water.
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