The windless floating ribbons turned into specks of light and quietly dissipated.
Shane and Erza, carrying the unconscious attendant, quickly drilled out of the gap Gildarts had broken open.
Outside was the very street they had walked through after the hot spring. The bright moonlight draped over the stone road like a thin veil, tranquil and clear; the suffocating dark barrier was completely invisible.
"We're out?" Erza was a bit uncertain.
She reached out toward where the barrier had been, but her fingers passed through the air easily without any obstruction.
"Huh?" She withdrew her hand in confusion and simply walked through the barrier again. When she wanted to return, she found herself seeing the pitch-black night again and could only retreat from that broken exit.
"What's going on?"
Shane didn't answer immediately. He was looking up, his brows slightly furrowed, staring at the seemingly empty night sky above the street. He reminded softly: "I suggest you don't touch that 'thing' anymore..."
In his [Clairvoyance] vision, the entire street wasn't empty.
A huge, grotesque, green-skinned organism was covering the sky above like a living dome. What Erza had touched just now wasn't a barrier at all, but the slippery, mucus-covered surface of that creature.
Then just now... were we inside its stomach?
A strong sense of nausea rose, giving him goosebumps all over. He unconsciously rubbed his arms and looked at Erza.
Her face still held some confusion and curiosity. Shane decided it was better not to tell her this discovery.
Lest her attention, which had just shifted, return to that inexplicable anger from before.
Erza tried without result, turned her head, and met Shane's indescribable gaze. She couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? Also, what about those people inside? Can they still recover?"
"Nothing." Shane shook his head, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart. "Not sure. You know, I haven't systematically studied magic, so I'm not good with this situation."
He pointed inside the barrier: "Can only leave it to the professional."
As soon as his voice fell—
Crack... Crackle...
A crisp cracking sound exploded without warning, like an entire glass canopy being shattered from the inside.
Web-like cracks suddenly appeared in the air, spreading rapidly from bottom to top, as if something invisible was disintegrating.
"ROAR—!!!"
Immediately after, a dull and painful roar came from the sky, hurting the eardrums.
"Where did the sound come from?" Erza immediately lowered her stance, looking around vigilantly, but couldn't find the source.
Shane didn't speak, just looked up again.
In his vision, the giant demon covering the street was twisting violently due to severe pain, and more cracks were bursting from inside its green body.
In the next moment, a vigorous shout pierced the boundary of the demon's flesh, echoing clearly in their ears:
"Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean!"
BOOM—!!!
Dazzling magical brilliance exploded like the sun, spreading from the center of the "empty" street! That light carried pure and powerful crushing force, instantly tearing apart the surrounding abnormality.
Snap!
Accompanied by a crisp shattering sound, even Erza clearly felt that some heavy, viscous thing around them had disappeared, and the air suddenly became brisk.
The barrier was completely shattered.
Collapsing along with it was the entire street.
Gravel and dust scattered as if swept by an invisible shockwave, instantly turned into powder.
Watching this familiar destruction method that completely pulverized matter, the corner of Shane's eye twitched violently.
He was now 100% sure that the commercial street destroyed for unknown reasons when they first entered the city was definitely Gildarts' handiwork!
The light dissipated, and Gildarts' figure appeared in the center of the originally empty street. He casually lowered his right fist, which still flickered with residual magical light, and patted the dust off his hands. At his feet lay the mutated people from the tavern in disarray.
"Alright, commission done!" Gildarts looked at his "result" with satisfaction, turned to Shane and Erza not far away, and grinned, revealing what he thought was a hearty smile: "Let's go, let's go drink! My treat!"
A moment later, inside a nearby tavern.
Gildarts had a large mug of foaming ice-cold beer in front of him, while Shane and Erza had two glasses of green apple juice.
Actually, Shane could have mooched a drink off Gildarts this time, but he was glared back by Erza.
"Absolutely, absolutely do not grow up to be an old man like Gildarts!" The girl warned silently with her eyes.
"The aftermath... doesn't need dealing with? Just leave those people there?" Shane pretended not to see, took a sip of juice, and asked, "Also, what exactly was the situation there?"
His trial hadn't shown as complete yet. To be honest, he was a bit worried that Gildarts' intrusion would cause his trial to be judged as failed.
Gildarts downed a large mouthful of beer heroically, exhaled with satisfaction, then waved his hand:
"Relax! Just an arrogant Dark Guild trying to control a demon. I've already dealt with all the guys causing trouble. As for those greedy unlucky bastards, the Council will figure out a way to deal with them; we don't need to worry."
"Then... what about the destroyed street?" Shane asked again.
Hearing this, Gildarts gave a mysterious chuckle and lowered his voice a bit: "I have my own brilliant plan."
After saying that, he didn't explain further, downed the remaining beer in one gulp, and shouted: "Boss, another one!"
He wiped the foam from his mouth, as if suddenly remembering something, his gaze shifted between Shane and Erza, asking with some curiosity: "Speaking of which, you know Grandpa Rob?"
Shane nodded: "The old man helped us a lot." He was a bit surprised. "Gildarts, you know him too?"
"Hahaha! Rob is a senior in the guild." Gildarts laughed, taking the new beer. "Don't look at him retired now; he was very impressive when he was young and knew a lot of figures!"
He began counting on his fingers: "Look, Master Bob of Blue Pegasus, Master Goldmine of Quatro Cerberus, Yajima of the Council... Heard they all adventured with the old man when they were young; their friendship is great!"
He spoke excitedly. Shane and Erza didn't know any of them, so they could only nod in cooperation.
Happening to meet a formal member of Fairy Tail, Shane felt this was a good opportunity, so he spoke directly: "Mr. Gildarts, we actually want to join Fairy Tail. Are there any requirements?"
"Pfft—cough cough!" Gildarts obviously didn't expect this topic jump and almost choked on his beer.
He put down the mug and looked at the two young people in front of him with some astonishment.
One was young but his combat awareness and Magic Power were not weaker than an adult Mage; the other even made him feel a vague threat.
These were definitely two seedlings with infinite potential!
He caught his breath and asked curiously: "Weren't you worried about Fairy Tail's reputation just now? Why want to join all of a sudden?"
The scene of the two retreating in unison earlier still hurt him a bit; even drinking wasn't as satisfying.
Shane shook his head, his expression becoming very serious: "I trust Grandpa Rob. The guild he acknowledges and takes pride in will never be a bad place. So, I am willing to trust Fairy Tail too."
Erza nodded beside him, her red hair swaying: "Same here."
Looking at the fake-less trust and seriousness on their faces, Gildarts was stunned.
After a brief silence, he suddenly burst into loud laughter:
"Hahahahaha! Good! Believing in the people and place acknowledged by companions... If the Master knew such excellent newcomers were joining, he would definitely jump up and cry tears of joy!"