Three days had passed since Escanor turned the back mountain into a solar barbecue.
And in those three days, he trained harder than ever.
Then, he made the request.
"Uncle Gildarts... I want to fight you. A real duel."
Gildarts blinked when he heard the words. Not because he was afraid—he'd fought dragons, gods, and even paperwork once—but because of how serious the boy looked. At five years old, Escanor had the gaze of a war veteran. No fear. No arrogance. Just pure conviction.
So, Gildarts laughed and agreed.
By the time the Guild found out, the match had become a hot topic.
"Wait... he's fighting Gildarts?""THE Gildarts? The one who can destroy a mountain by sneezing?""That kid's got guts…"
Most assumed Escanor would get wiped out in three seconds flat.
But Makarov?
He said nothing.
He simply closed his eyes and whispered, "Let's see just how far you've come, grandson."
Magnolia was off-limits for their duel. The city could barely handle Gildarts asking for directions, let alone a real fight.
So Makarov, clutching his wallet like a lifeline, made the decision.
"For the safety of Magnolia... and my pension... the duel will be held on Tenrou Island."
Only a few elders from the Guild made the trip. Most of the younger members were off on missions, which was probably for the best.
They set sail at dawn.
The sea breeze was calm, but tension buzzed like electricity in the air. Beneath the great Tenrou Tree, the combatants faced each other.
Gildarts, the guild's hammer.Escanor, the rising sun.
When their magic flared, the sky changed color.
The pressure Gildarts released was suffocating. Just the air around him cracked the earth. But Escanor didn't retreat. Golden light surged from his body in response, pushing the pressure back like the dawn pushes away night.
Spectators stumbled away, shielding their eyes as shockwaves split the ground between them.
Makarov stood at the edge of the arena, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
So young… yet his magic rivals a full-grown mage.
Escanor was the first to move.
"Sun-Form Magic: Divine Axe Rhitta!"
A glowing battle-ax of condensed sunlight roared into existence in his hands. Fire jets burst from his feet as he launched forward like a rocket.
Gildarts barely dodged. The axe smashed into the ground, leaving a crater the size of a house.
"Yikes. Kid's not playing games," Gildarts muttered.
He raised a fist.
"Crush Shockwave!"
The signature technique exploded outward, a rippling wave of pure annihilation. Even air molecules vanished where it passed.
Escanor didn't flinch.
"Merciless Sun!"
He hurled the blazing orb like a cannonball. It collided midair with Gildarts's Crush and detonated like a solar flare. Light and darkness raged in equal measure.
The island trembled.
The two clashed again, up close.
Rhitta vs. Crush.
Steel and magic met raw destruction.
Every swing of Escanor's axe left trails of heat. Every counter from Gildarts cracked the blade further.
And then it broke.
Rhitta shattered mid-swing.
Gildarts went for the kill.
His fist blurred.
Escanor smirked. His fingers curled.
The broken fragments of Rhitta ignited mid-air and gathered into a flaming sphere.
"Merciless Sun!"
BOOM.
The orb struck Gildarts dead-on. The blast was like a sun exploding in miniature. Heat and wind ripped through the forest canopy.
Gildarts was thrown backward, skidding across the ground, cloak in tatters and hands scorched black.
"...Yowch," he winced. "That was close."
Escanor landed, breathing hard, arms still glowing. "You okay, Uncle?"
"You little brat… That wasn't acting," Gildarts muttered.
Escanor laughed. "So you are serious now."
Gildarts grinned. "Then I guess I have to stop holding back."
He stepped forward. And the air changed.
"Full Body Crush."
A wave of distortion tore across the battlefield. Escanor's next sun projectile was vaporized instantly.
But Escanor didn't panic.
He charged.
"Sun Incarnation: Hands!"
Both arms lit up, sunlight condensed to pure burning force. His fists collided with Gildarts's, and for a moment… Crush did nothing.
Gildarts felt his skin burn. "Hot… it's burning through my magic—!!"
They broke apart.
Then Gildarts lifted his right foot high.
"You've earned it, kid. My finishing move's coming up. Try not to die!"
Escanor's heart pounded with joy. "Almost noon… perfect."
"Crush: Earth Splitter!"
Gildarts brought his foot down, and the earth howled. A massive quake split Tenrou's forest, toppling trees like dominos. But Escanor was airborne, launching himself upward.
"Feint," Escanor thought. "What's the real move?"
And then—
"Evil Dispelling: One Day!"
Gildarts's fist shot skyward with insane acceleration. It collided with Escanor midair.
CRACK
The sound was cosmic. The impact tore the air open.
Escanor felt his body begin to disintegrate under the pressure.
"I can't move… My bones... my core magic's breaking…"
His heartbeat slowed.
Then he smiled.
"No choice… I'll use it. Just half, for now."
"Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am The Honored One: Half Release!"
The sun itself responded.
A second sun blazed into the sky, mimicking the real one.
Escanor's body ignited in golden-red flame. Pressure evaporated. Heat scorched the island. Even Tenrou Tree's roots groaned under the heat.
Gildarts's technique shattered mid-air.
BOOM
Escanor crashed back to earth, the land beneath his feet melting to molten lava.
Gildarts barely managed to land nearby, coughing.
"What… the hell are you?"
Makarov raised a triple-layered magic barrier to protect everyone watching.
Then Escanor wobbled.
His power flickered.
His body fell backward, unconscious.
Makarov caught him just in time. "He's fine. Just exhausted. Magic depletion."
Gildarts collapsed to his knees.
"Hahh… hahh… Master, if we'd kept going... I think I would've died…"
Then he grinned, wide and proud.
"With this kid in Fairy Tail, we'll be unstoppable."
Makarov chuckled deeply. "Hahaha… You're damn right. If I'm a monster… then he's the grandson of a monster."
Gildarts raised a hand to his ruined cape. "...Seriously, though. This was my favorite cloak."
As the dust settled and the duel ended with Escanor unconscious, far above in the branches of the Tenrou Tree… A girl watched.
A small, strange girl. Barefoot. Wearing an odd headdress that shimmered with old magic.
She smiled faintly, eyes fixed on the boy.
"Fairy Tail... Escanor, huh?"
Her voice was quiet.
But her presence?
Unmistakably ancient.