Chapter 219: The Trial Ends
Cana watched the ice dragon charge her. She took a deep breath, then thrust her right hand forward, her palm aimed straight at the incoming beast.
A magic circle flared to life on her palm, gathering an immense power.
"Taught by Gildarts himself! The Ultimate Disassembly Magic... Crash!"
With a roar, Cana unleashed the power. The magic slammed into the charging ice dragon, and the instant it made contact, the massive beast was pulverized, shattering into a million pieces. With a final burst of effort, Cana directed the leftover shockwave straight up into the sky, away from Lyon.
Lyon felt the raw power of that shockwave, even as it dissipated harmlessly above. He knew that if she had aimed that at him, he would have been seriously injured. And after using his White Dragon, he was completely out of magic.
He gave a wry smile. "Thanks for holding back. I surrender."
Cana was also completely spent. She collapsed to the ground, shaking her head. "That magic is... it's too much. I can't control it yet. That's why I had to aim it at the sky. I'd never... I'd never hurt a comrade over a test."
Seeing the match was over, the rest of the guild swarmed the field.
"THAT WAS AWESOME! THAT WAS GILDARTS'S MAGIC, WASN'T IT?!" Natsu yelled, getting right in Cana's face. The others, who had the same suspicion, all looked at her for confirmation.
"Yeah," Cana panted. "It's his magic."
Ultear, however, shot Noah a sideways glance. "So that's the secret you were hiding. But how did you know she had learned Crash?"
"She asked me for advice on it a few times after Gildarts left," Noah explained. "That's how I knew."
Hearing this, Ultear and Sorano both visibly relaxed, letting out a small sigh. Erza's and Mirajane's expressions softened as well.
Cana explained to the others, "Gildarts taught it to me before he left on his quest. I've been asking Noah for pointers, and I've only just recently been able to pull it off. I can barely control it, and it takes all my magic. I can only use it as a finisher, not a regular move like he does."
She hadn't been discouraged, though. Her dad was 44; she was only 17. She had inherited his massive magic potential. She just needed to train, and one day, she'd be able to use it just like him.
"Still, that's amazing," Ultear said. "Lyon, you didn't lose unfairly. If that hit you, you'd be seriously hurt."
Natsu, meanwhile, was pestering Cana for every detail about Crash, clearly hoping to find a weakness he could use against Gildarts.
"Ahem!" Makarov's voice boomed. "Since Lyon has surrendered, the winner of the final round is Cana! And after two rounds of testing, I have made my decision. The wizard who has earned the rank of S-Class is... Cana Alberona!"
The guild erupted in cheers. Cana, who had finally passed on her third try, was ecstatic and thanked everyone.
"To celebrate our new S-Class wizard, Cana," Makarov shouted, "let's head back and have a feast!"
"YEAH!!!"
They all packed up, and Noah teleported them back to the guild, where the celebration was already kicking off. Noah (the real one) even put his research at the ruins on hold to join in, recalling his Thought Projection and diving into the party.
After eating, Noah saw Lyon and Simon sitting together, looking a bit down. Kagura, Ultear, and Gray were with them. Noah walked over with a drink.
"Hey. You two holding up okay?"
"We're fine," Simon said, his voice steady. "I knew I was beat when I saw I was up against Mira."
"I lost fair and square," Lyon added. "After seeing her use Crash, I know she had me beat. No hard feelings."
Even though they accepted their loss, failing the trial for a second time (and in Lyon's case, a fourth) was still a bitter pill to swallow.
"Look, don't worry about it," Noah said, sitting with them. "The only reason Gramps is so strict—usually only picking one person, or sometimes no one—is because he's terrified of us dying. S-Class jobs are no joke. He'd rather have no new S-Class wizards than promote someone who isn't ready and see them get killed. He's just a worrier.
"Honestly, you two are already at an S-Class level. It was just bad luck. If you keep at it, I'm sure he'll bend the rules, just like he did for Mira and Sorano. He's not that stubborn."
Noah chuckled. "I've read up on Gramps's youth. Trust me, he's got a crazy side. He used to be a real terror for the Magic Council. You have to wonder where Natsu gets his destructive talent from, right?"
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