Before Gildarts could even speak, Chen Fan turned to Wendy. "Wendy, take a look at Gildarts' injuries and see if you can treat them."
His words caught everyone off guard. Natsu, in particular, was stunned; in his memory, Gildarts had never been injured. He found Chen Fan's suggestion almost impossible to believe.
Gildarts started for a moment, then chuckled. "As expected, I really can't hide anything from you!"
With that, he shrugged off his heavy coat, revealing the state of his body underneath. Bandages were wrapped tightly around his waist and shoulders. His left leg and left hand appeared to have sustained catastrophic damage.
"I told you back then not to take on that 100-Year Quest," Chen Fan said, his voice flat. "But you wouldn't listen. Now look at you. You're lucky you didn't leave your life behind out there."
"Mmph! Mmph!" Natsu was making muffled noises.
"Alright, quit your whining. I'll let you go," Chen Fan said. He reached out and undid the bandages over Natsu's mouth. Stuck to the cloth was a Seal Blessed with magica Jutsu Shiki specially crafted by Freed.
Freed had been so intimidated by Chen Fan recently that he didn't dare disobey. Yet, the man was also secretly proud; he was likely the only person who had ever made Chen Fan suffer a slight setback. Freed had even begun to see a glimmer of hopehad Chen Fan not used his ultimate move, Freed might have actually succeeded in his scheme.
"Gildarts! How did you get hurt like this? Who did this to you?!" Natsu stared at the scars on Gildarts' body in pure shock.
"Ah... Gildarts-san is actually injured?" Wendy cried out. She had just heard that Gildarts was the strongest Mage in Fairy Tail. If even the strongest had been so badly hurt, just how powerful was the one who attacked him?
"Natsu, hold on a second. Wendy, see if you can treat him first."
Wendy's hands began to glow with a soft light as she reached toward Gildarts' wounds. However, the light shattered the instant it made contact.
"Ah! It's no use," Wendy said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Gildarts-san's magic is far too powerful. My magic is being decomposed the moment it touches him."
Chen Fan patted Wendy's head gently. "It's alright. You and Carla go wait outside for me. I'll be out in a moment." Happy, mimicking Chen Fan's mannerisms, put on a thick-skinned grin and followed Carla out the door.
"Okay!" Wendy nodded and led Carla out of the room. As they left, Carla glanced back at the scars on Gildarts' body, sensing something strangely attractive about them.
"It's no use. Usually, wounds like this are nearly impossible to heal," Gildarts remarked.
Chen Fan nodded. "I know. It was caused by a dragon, wasn't it?"
Gildarts looked startled. "How did you know?"
"A dragon?!" Natsu was shaken. "Was it Igneel?"
Gildarts shook his head. "No. It was a Black Dragon. It was covered in an aura of pure evil and the desire for world destruction."
Hearing it wasn't Igneel, Natsu's face fell. Every time there was news, it ended in disappointment. It was a hard pill for him to swallow. "Where is it now?"
"What good would telling you do? It roams the world. What could you possibly do if you found it?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'd ask him where Igneel is!"
"These injuries were inflicted in an instant. My left leg, my left arm... What could you possibly do against that?"
"I'd use my magic! Dragons or whatever, I'd..." Natsu's voice trailed off. Being a Dragon Slayer sounded impressive, but if he couldn't even defeat other Mages, how could he hope to defeat a dragon?
"I won't stop you if you want to go," Gildarts said.
"Damn it!" Natsu let out a roar and sprinted out of the room. "Natsu!" Happy called out, chasing after him.
Wendy walked back in briefly. "Chen Fan-niichan, Natsu ran off."
"Go look after him. I have a few things to discuss with your Gildarts-ojisan."
"Okay!" Wendy nodded and hurried after Natsu. Natsu was still carrying some injuries, though Chen Fan hadn't been being cruel. If a Mage is frequently injured, their magic channels can develop issues. Chen Fan had been helping Natsu repair those channels, albeit with a bit of "tough love" as motivation.
Gildarts turned his gaze back to Chen Fan. "You'll need to look after the people in the guild. Natsu studies Dragon Slayer Magic; one day, he might even surpass me."
"I believe that day will come too. But don't spoil him too much. He still has a long way to go before he reaches your level."
"Haha, true. He's still young. Though, you're the same age as him, and yet your personality is so much like mine. You wouldn't happen to be my..."
"Get lost. Don't even go there. With your playboy lifestyle, you definitely wouldn't have a son like me!"
"That mouth of yours is as foul as ever! But that's who you are. Still, why did you bring that little girl? Don't tell me your tastes are..."
"You old pervert! Why do you think I called Wendy over? She's a Sky Dragon Slayer. Her magic should have been effective against damage caused by a dragon, but I didn't expect your Crash Magic to be so overwhelming that it would interfere."
Gildarts put his clothes back on. "Forget it. It'll get better eventually."
"I can see it. Your Crash Magic is slowly eroding that foreign energy, but it's going to take a very long time. You should go see Porlyusica."
Gildarts waved his hand with a bitter smile. "Forget it. I'm not very good at dealing with her, ahaha!"
"If you want this healed quickly, she's your only option. That's the price you Mages pay for being so sensitive to magic," Chen Fan said.
Suddenly, Gildarts became serious. "Chen Fan, do you know about that Black Dragon?" He stared directly into Chen Fan's eyes.
Chen Fan looked up and nodded. "I have a general understanding."
"What exactly is that thing?" Gildarts asked.
"Actually... it was once a human," Chen Fan said, delivering a revelation that chilled Gildarts to the bone.
"A human?! How... how is that possible?" Gildarts gasped. He didn't doubt Chen Fan's words; Chen Fan had no reason to lie.
"He was originally a human, a Dragon Slayer. But not like Natsu. He was a true Dragon Slayer who fought and killed real dragons. You've seen what he looks like now, but he can no longer be considered human." Chen Fan said calmly, "You tried to face him head-on, didn't you?"
Gildarts nodded. "I was defeated in an instant. It was an irresistible forcethe power to destroy the world."
Chen Fan smiled and shook his head. "No, it's just that you were completely countered. That Black Dragon is virtually immune to all magic. It's no wonder you lost when you tried to clash with him directly."
"What about you? Could you beat him?" Gildarts asked. He had heard many rumors about Chen Fan on his way back. He knew Chen Fan was far from simple; Gildarts had once accidentally used magic on him,
and despite Gildarts' lack of restraint, Chen Fan had remained completely unscathed. Gildarts knew this kid, who spent his days chasing girls with him, was something else entirely.
Chen Fan thought for a moment. "If he doesn't have any other tricks up his sleeve, it shouldn't be a problem. If I get the chance, I'll destroy it in an instant."
A smile finally spread across Gildarts' face. "I don't know why, but even though I've seen how powerful that monster is, hearing you say that gives me a strange sense of peace."
"It's just the nature of our abilities. I still know too little about the magic of this world," Chen Fan sighed.
"Then you should go out and travel more, like I do," Gildarts suggested.
"In time. For now, the guild still has many troublesome matters that need handling."
Gildarts laughed and cursed. "Quit your bullshtting. What 'matters' do you handle? You spend all day slacking off and hitting on women."
"Heh, maybe."
Meanwhile, Makarov sat alone on the balcony above the guild, gazing at the distant sky. He let out a long sigh. "It is exactly as you said, Porlyusica. There are already three Dragon Slayers in the guild. The gears of fate are turning, and the variables are constantly shifting. The future is becoming more unpredictable than ever."
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