Chapter 130: The Lottery Begins
After all, the Celestial Spirit King was the King of the Spirit Realm, a being of immense pride and power. Seeing Ren, a mere human, so young and so arrogant, he had thought of teaching him a lesson. He didn't expect to be the one taught.
The other party saying he would eliminate him wasn't just talk. The other party truly had the strength to eliminate him. That final, earth-shattering tremor-slash had not just broken his sword and armor; it had cracked the very fabric of his spiritual body. If that blow had been aimed to kill, he wasn't certain he could have endured it.
He had never seen such a young person possess such extraordinary, monstrous power.
Ren, seeing the King's admission of defeat, released his Take Over. The immense, 6.66-meter-tall form of Whitebeard, along with the overwhelming aura of a conqueror, dissolved into light. Ren, in his normal 19-year-old body, landed softly on the shattered ground.
He returned to his original appearance, his black hair settling around his face. He looked at the colossal King and gave a respectful, almost sheepish, bow.
"You flatter me," Ren said, his voice now his own. "This isn't the Celestial Spirit Realm, so you can't display your strongest power. I merely took advantage of that. I apologize, Celestial Spirit King... Grandpa. I was too eager to save someone just now and said some... offensive things."
The Celestial Spirit King blinked. He really couldn't connect this polite, well-mannered young man with the terrifying, mustachioed conqueror from moments ago, or the cold, hollow demon who had threatened to kill him before that.
"Hahahahaha!!" The King's booming laugh returned, shaking the clearing. "What's wrong with a young man being a bit arrogant! If I had your strength when I was your age, I'd be even more arrogant!"
Although the Celestial Spirit King lost, he was in a good mood. He had found a worthy opponent, and more importantly, he had found a reason to bend the rules. With someone who cared for his guildmates so much by his "old friend" Lucy's side, he felt even more at ease.
The two of them, the giant King and the small human, returned to the waterfall, where Lucy and Loki were still staring in dumbfounded silence.
"Leo," the Celestial Spirit King's voice was gentle now. "As per our agreement, I permit you to return to the Celestial Spirit Realm."
Upon hearing this, Lucy jumped up, her exhaustion and fear vanishing. "Really?! That's great!! Loki! You can return to the Spirit Realm! Long-bearded Grandpa, you're actually quite nice!"
The Celestial Spirit King couldn't help but smile when he heard Lucy praise him like that.
"Brother, that's wonderful." Virgo, still bound by ropes, wiggled over like a caterpillar, her expressionless face somehow conveying happiness.
Lucy, her joy momentarily derailed, couldn't help but retort, "You're still here!! And cut that out!"
Loki's eyes were filled with tears. He hadn't expected things to take such a dramatic turn. He had truly, genuinely prepared for death. No matter how unwilling he was, he had committed a grave mistake, and that was an undeniable fact. He had been ready to pay the price.
"Leo," the King said, his voice softening, "your sins are forgiven. Be grateful for the guidance of the stars, and for the friends who tore open the heavens for you. If you still wish to atone for your sins, then become this friend's strength and protect her well."
The Celestial Spirit King waved his cloak, and his colossal, armored body transformed into a billion motes of starlight, dissipating into the sky.
The world, which had been frozen, suddenly returned. Everything around them began to flow normally again, and the previously still, reversed waterfall resumed its thunderous flow. The Garganta that Ren had opened, its purpose served, wavered and collapsed in on itself, sealing the tear between worlds.
Clang----!!
A golden gate appeared in the air behind Loki. The gate opened, and Loki's body, which was almost transparent, transformed into golden photons, which were continuously absorbed into it. His life force was being replenished, his body called home.
"Ren... Lucy..." Loki said to the two, his voice thick with tears, full of a gratitude so deep it was painful. "Truly... truly thank you both so much... From now on, please continue to look after me!"
After his body dissipated, a single, ornate golden key, representing the Zodiac's Leo, fell from the light and landed gently in Lucy's hand.
Lucy gripped the key in her hand, feeling its warmth. She was happy, of course, to get a new, powerful golden key. But she was even happier that her companion, her friend, was still alive.
Ren felt the same. He and Loki had a good relationship. They would often eat, drink, and brag together at the guild bar. Men, after all! Anyone who had shared a drink together was a friend.
In fact, even if this incident had happened to any other guild member—even ones he wasn't as close to, like Jet or Droy—Ren would have done his best to save them. After all, with great power comes great responsibility.
Ren first went to the guild dormitory to report that everyone was safe. Gray, Natsu, and the others, who had been anxiously waiting, all breathed a sigh of relief.
Then Ren returned home, walking slowly through the quiet, moonlit streets of Magnolia. When he arrived at his house, he saw Mira waiting for him at the door, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed, a small, worried smile on her face.
Seeing a girl waiting for him at his doorstep deeply touched Ren's heart. Perhaps this was the feeling of home.
"Ren," she said, her voice soft. "How is Loki?"
"Don't worry," Ren smiled, walking up the steps. "He's fine now. He's back in the Celestial Spirit Realm where he belongs."
With what had happened today—Gray's interruption, the Loki situation—Ren wasn't in the mood to continue what they had started earlier. He walked Mira home, and along the way, Ren recounted the events that had just transpired to Mira.
"I never expected such a thing to happen to Loki!" Mira said, her eyes wide.
She also knew the name Karen Lilica, a very famous Celestial Spirit Mage from Blue Pegasus back then. She was later said to have been killed during a mission, but no one knew the details.
"Loki's desire to protect his companions wasn't wrong," Mira said, her gaze firm. "And your desire to protect your companions isn't wrong either, Ren. But... fighting the Celestial Spirit King? You must be extra careful."
Ren smiled and said: "Don't worry! I'm very fond of my life. If I can't win, I'll definitely be the first to run away."
This was not a lie. Although Ren enjoyed fighting, he had no desire to fight to the death. Not long ago in the Troll Kingdom, he had actually kept his magic power in reserve, ready to receive the Fourth Hokage and escape with the Flying Thunder God Technique at any time. However, he didn't expect those trolls to be scared away by him, so he didn't need it and instead swaggered out.
"Haha ~!" Ren's comical, cowardly-sounding appearance made Mira laugh, her worry easing.
As they spoke, they had already arrived at Mira's home.
"I'm home," Mira said, stopping at her door.
"Mm." Ren responded, not saying much. Although they saw each other every day, each parting always felt a little reluctant. He remembered that in the very beginning, when he arrived home first, he would just say goodbye curtly and enter the door without looking back. Things were... different now. Better.
"Why don't you..." Mira started, her voice suddenly shy. "Come in for a bit?"
Hearing Mira's words, Ren's heart stirred. But he looked up at her, saw the genuine fatigue in her eyes, and still shook his head. "No, it's getting late, and you've been busy all day. You should rest early."
"Mm... that's true," she said, though she looked a little disappointed. "You've just returned from a big mission, too, and you need a good rest. See you tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow."
Ren waved his hand and turned to leave.
Just as Ren turned around, Mira's voice came from behind, small and quick.
"Ren!"
"Hm?"
As Ren turned his head, he felt two soft, warm things press against his lips.
His eyes went wide. Millimeters from his own, he saw Mira's beautiful face, her eyes squeezed shut.
Before Ren could even process what was happening, let alone savor it, Mira quickly stepped back, her hands clenched nervously behind her back. She gave Ren a brilliant, dazzling smile, her entire face flushed a deep, beautiful crimson.
"See you tomorrow!"
After saying that, she scurried back into her house like a startled little rabbit, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Ren stood there, stunned, for a long moment. Only then did he realize that he had been kissed by Mira.
He slowly touched his lips.
"It felt... pretty good! It would've been better if it lasted longer."
But this was already very good. Where there was one, there would be two, and where there were two, there would be three. It wouldn't be long before he could win Mira over completely.
He was looking forward to tomorrow even more. Ren felt his life was once again filled with motivation.
Behind the door, Mira leaned against it, her heart pounding so hard she thought it would burst from her chest. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing fast. She hadn't expected herself to do something so bold.
Mira touched her lips, which were still tingling. "Is this... is this what kissing feels like?"
She had never kissed anyone since she was little. This was her first kiss.
Ren returned home, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to practice his Sun Breathing, circulating the energy through his body. He was also waiting for the appointed time.
That's right! He had gone to Cana for a fortune-telling again this time, and the fortune-telling said that 10 o'clock was his lucky time.
He actually suspected Cana was fooling him, just saying a random time to get him to buy her more beer. But because she was right every time... he had no evidence and could only choose to believe her.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The ten o'clock chimes from Kardia Cathedral rang out precisely.
Ren immediately opened his eyes and quickly tapped on the system interface.
"Do you want to perform a 10-pull?"
"Confirm!"
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