The day passes sooner than one will had expect.
With the upcoming S-Class Trails is still on the way, it came to no wonder, for those who taking part of the trails, are giving it their all in the upcoming trails.
Either by training within our outside of Magnolia, going on higher level Jobs, to overcome themselves, all so they can become the newest S-Class Wizards of Fairy Tail.
To have right, to call themselves an elite level Wizard.
And now, on the outskirt of Magnolia, within the forest the lies besides the town itself, lies two young teenagers.
One of the two teenagers is Zack, who stood facing the other teenager, Natsu Dragneel, who for some reason cracked his neck, showing a wide grin on his face, before he dashed towards Zack, only to halt right before reaching Zack.
But Natsu did not just stopped, he just span himself around, only to formed a full round house kick towards Zack!
Zack did not look shocked at this sudden attack, nor did he coat his arms with Armament Haki. he simply raised both of his arms, and tanked the incoming kick, who no Haki, and no Six Styles, only with his bare body.
It is no wonder, why his feet dragged half a meter backwards when Natsu's kicked impacted onto his muscular arms, and yet, even if his arms sore a little, Zack shows no signs of pain, being kicked by Natsu's full house kick.
Instead, of showing any pain, Zack took a step closer to Natsu, and throws a punch towards the young Dragon Slayer, who not only dodged the incoming fist, but even grabbed Zack's arm that passes by Natsu's face.
Zack's grassy green eyes widen, as his right arm is not only grabbed by Natsu, but even pulled towards Natsu himself, with all intentions to headbutt him.
However, Natsu's thick head only hit the air, as Zack managed to free himself from Natsu's held of his arm, and ducked that thick head hitting.
And while Zack ducked the headbutt attack, Zack returned a low sweep kick towards Natsu's legs, causing the young Dragon Slayer to be sweep off his feet.
Yet, while being sweep off his feet, Natsu just grinned as he falls mid-air, and shows why one should not underestimate those with natural talent in close combat.
Within the moments of falling onto the ground, Natsu sends a kick towards Zack, who failed to avoid or block, causing the young Dragon Slayer to not only kick Zack in his chest, but even used Zack's chest as foot stand, as he kicked off Zack's chest, and span around within the air, only to land onto his feet, like nothing had happened.
While as it seems nothing has happened, but a wider grin shown on the young battle manic Dragon Slayer, showing he is truly enjoying this, and once again, dashed towards Zack, who also kicked off the ground, and ran towards this battle manic Dragon Slayer.
As the two met, a series of punches, kicks, dodges, parries of arms and legs, were exchanged flooded between the two young teenagers.
And yet, as the two fight, there was no Haki, no Magic, no Dragon Slayer Magic in this duel of theirs, just bare might, nothing else.
Or that was until, Natsu's right leg suddenly blasted in flames, and in a manner that similar to Storm Leg of the Six Styles, Natsu kicked the flaming leg, forming a blade of flames slashing towards Zack, who sighed for some reason, and coated his arms in Haki, and tanked the flaming blade like attack.
"Natsu… you lost yet again." Zack went, removing the coated Haki on his arms, and sighed, while Natsu himself, just blink his eyes, before his black eyes behind his pink hair widen in understanding.
"Sorry, sorry, you know, the heat of the moment." Natsu went with a laidback laugh, while patting the back of his head. Zack only can sigh at this, showing a faint smile on his lips.
Zack cannot truly complain, after all, this duel between them, did not started by Natsu, but Zack himself.
Since the events with Lovely and the bandits, made Zack realised that he has been relaying on too much on his magical abilities, and the Six Styles too much.
As the Six Styles might not be a Magic system, nor it is a Spirit Art. It is still a martial arts, that is capable of forming superhuman feats, feats that are not without a price.
That is why, Zack needed something different compared his magical abilities, different to a martial art that just burdens his physical body with its backlashes.
He needed his own fighting style, one that does not rely on going past the human limits like the Six Styles. And a style he can use when he low on either Magic Power or Haki itself.
That is why he asked for this duel, a duel without Magic, without Spirit Arts, without superhuman martial arts.
Just pure physical strength.
However, even if Zack askes this young Dragon Slayer help in this, who happily agreed, due to his love for fighting. There have been many times, when Natsu forgets the main purpose, and uses his magical abilities.
That is off the table in this kind of duel.
"Let's call it a day, shall we head back? I still own you and Happy a meal for today's spar."
Zack went, even if the young battle manic says it is no big deal. Zack still offers this battle manic a form of payment, a payment that this battle manic cannot refuse, after all, he as much as a glutton as he is a battle manic, how can he refuse a free meal?
"Yeah! Free food!!" Natsu went with a bright smile.
However, within that moment, Zack Observation Haki kicked in, informing someone has entered it's range, and that someone is a flying blue cat, who seems to returned from Magnolia, in a hurry at that.
"About time you show yourself, Zack is offering us free food again!" Natsu went loudly at his friend, Happy who flew between the two young teenagers.
"Never mind about that, Natsu, Zack! We need to returned back to the guild, right now!" From the moment when the blue cat with wings, Happy said that, both Natsu and Zack narrowed their eyes.
"Something happened?" Zack went in a serious tone. While Happy also shows his own seriousness as well.
"Aye sir, he is back…" Happy went, confusing not just Zack himself, when this blue cat said this, but even Natsu as well.
"Who is back?" Natsu went, having no clue who could be back for his partner to become this serious. Or so the young Dragon Slayer thought, until Happy told who is back.
"It's Gildarts, he has returned!" From the very moment when both Natsu and Zack heard this, at first a blank look came on their faces, and it was Natsu who firstly snapped out of his stunned state and run towards Magnolia without a word.
Happy flew after Natsu, and Zack remain in place for a few seconds, before he chased after the Dragon Slayer and talking cat duo.
Zack followed the two of them, and soon Magnolia came in sight.
Zack looked at the town like city with his grassy green eyes, as they widen at the sight lies before him.
Clunks of the town, be it houses, streets, even walking paths, parks, and much more, all raised within the air with pillars under them, and began to reformed, to reshape the whole of Magnolia itself.
Even of Zack cannot see it, because he only can see what has lifts above the town's walls.
He knew the town, Magnolia is not just being reshaped, it is being reformed as a walkway, a walkway for one single path, for a single person at that.
And this pathway leads to one building, a building that Zack knew very well, no, it not just Zack, but everyone in Magnolia, as well the whole of the Fiore Kingdom knew very well, where that path that just been made directed to.
To the heart of Fairy Tail itself, the Fairy Building.
That is right, the whole of the town, weren't reformed for a king, nor for some noble. But for a single Wizard, is the cause and reason why the whole of Magnolia reformed itself, so it could lead to a single path to the guild itself.
And who is this Wizard?
He is known by many things.
A monster among elites of the S-Class Wizards.
An unofficial Saint Wizard, who is as free as the wind.
The horror of Dark Guilds, as he crushes all the evil he encounters.
And he also known as both the strongest Wizard in Fairy Tail, and their ace.
His name is Gildarts Clive.
When Natsu, Zack, and Happy entered Magnolia, they were amazed by the sight of the reshaped town, and yet, they only were amazed for a moment, before they dashed towards the guild, which was not hard, seeing the town has been reshaped into a single long path leading towards the Fairy Tail Building.
When the trio approached the guild, they noticed the door of the Fairy Tail Building is gone, but in true, it wasn't gone but crushed into many cubes of all different colours that matches with the missing door, that also happened to lie where the door supposed to be.
Zack halted his steps, did not bother with Natsu and Happy rushing past the destroyed door, instead Zack looked at the cubes laying onto the ground, that began to lift into the air, reforming themselves back into the missing door itself.
This is not the first time Zack saw this, but each time he saw this Magic, he always left in amazement.
And a little envious as well.
After all, in a way, this Magic that caused the door to become like that, is very similar in a way to his Quake-Quake Magic.
And yet, unlike this Magic system, Quake-Quake Magic cannot repair what it destroys. Even if they both can cause massive level of damage at that.
Upon entering the guild hall, the guild is filled with chatter, more chaotic than normal, how many people are within the guild hall, and yet, two thirds of the guild are surrounding a single person, they all gather around a single man, who is no other than Gildarts Clive himself, the ace of Fairy Tail.
Gildarts is a tall, and muscular man, who seems to be in his early 40s. And yet, even if he at that age, he is quite a looker.
He has brown hair that styled slicked back, making his shoulder length hair, appear short. He also has a stubby beard, that makes him look more like a rouge if it wasn't for his backwards hair style.
His attire is that of a long black tattered cloak, and under the cloak, plates of armour along with leather armour can be seen.
The kind that are suited for not just battle, but also for adventuring, showing the adventurous nature of this middle-aged man, who laughed alongside the other guild members, who are all looking at him.
But that not a shocking sight to see, after all, he is the most famous Wizard in this guild.
His feats are numerous; his strength cannot be underestimated. And his fame is not a lie, but a living legend itself.
Even right now, the aura of Gildarts is like the abyss, even with his ability to sense the strength of others, based on their auras. Zack cannot sense the end of Gildarts' aura, unlike he could with Erza and Mirajane, who are both S-Class, even if they are official or not.
It is no wonder, why he is called the strongest, a living legend, a nightmare of evil itself, and one of the strongest in this Guild, or maybe even the strongest himself.