Chapter 148: Ren vs. Jellal
"I want to stay here."
Erza's voice was quiet but unshakable. She had risen to her feet, her hand still on the hilt of her sword, her eyes, though red from her earlier tears, now filled with a cold, hard resolve.
Even though she knew she might be a burden, she had to stay. She had to. Everything that had happened—the eight years of lies, the manipulation of her friends, this entire cursed tower—it all started because of her. She had to witness the end with her own eyes.
"Alright."
Ren didn't think much of it. He glanced at her, then back at Jellal. Since he was about to beat up Erza's ex-boyfriend (or whatever he was), he should at least inform her.
Jellal, who had been enjoying the dramatic reunion, let out a cold scoff. "Hmph! You're truly arrogant, Ren. Thinking you can defeat me while dragging a burden along with you."
He gestured to his own neck, where a special emblem now hung, one that had merged from Siegrain. "I am no ordinary Mage. I've earned the title of Ten Wizard Saints with just my thought-projection." This was the special emblem awarded by the Magic Council, an honor only the ten strongest individuals on the entire Ishgar continent could receive.
"Same to you," Ren replied, his voice casual as he rolled his shoulders. "Erza has never been a burden. In the upcoming battle, with a beauty cheering me on, my combat power will reach 120%. And, the Ten Wizard Saints... is that supposed to be impressive? I remember I defeated one not long ago, and his strength was just... mediocre."
Hearing Ren say that the strength of a Ten Wizard Saint was "mediocre," Jellal was genuinely displeased. He was also one of the Ten Wizard Saints. For Ren to look down on the title was to look down on him.
"Hmph! You're all talk," Jellal sneered, his eyes darting to Erza, a cruel idea forming. "What if I just... attack Erza? What will you do then?"
"What will I do?" Ren's smile faded. "What else can I do? Of course, I'll stop you. But after I stop you," Ren said, tapping his foot on the crystal floor, "I'll directly dismantle this thing under my feet. Believe it or not?"
Jellal's expression changed. The Tower of Heaven was something he had spent eight years building. It was his masterpiece, the key to his next plan. He didn't want to waste another eight years.
As for whether Ren could destroy the tower, it was a certainty. That "greeting" from earlier, the one that had almost toppled the entire island, left him with a lingering, cold fear. At that time, his eight years of hard work were almost completely destroyed.
So, it seemed Erza couldn't be touched. She was Ren's shield... and his anchor.
"Since that's the case," Jellal said, his voice dropping, "let's begin! Let me turn you to ashes with my Heavenly Body Magic."
Jellal didn't plan to waste any more words. He had just managed to consume Ren's magic power, or so he believed. If the other party's magic power recovered, it would be troublesome.
"Meteor!!"
Whoosh—!
A golden, comet-like light emanated from Jellal's body as he shot forward, his speed defying physics, appearing directly in front of Ren.
But Ren was already in his Minato Namikaze form.
A special, three-pronged kunai appeared in Ren's hand, and he thrust it forward to intercept Jellal.
Whoosh—!
Jellal's body, still cloaked in Meteor's golden light, turned sharply in mid-air, dodging the kunai and appearing instantly behind Ren.
"Take this!!" he roared, his fist aimed at the back of Ren's head.
Whoosh!
Ren's body instantly vanished, leaving Jellal to punch empty air. In his place, the three-pronged kunai clattered to the floor.
"What?!"
Jellal was slightly stunned, then remembered: Ren could use teleportation magic in this state.
While Jellal was momentarily distracted, Ren moved. He appeared instantly at Jellal's side, having teleported to a second kunai he had already tossed. He thrust the kunai in his hand towards Jellal's temple.
Whoosh!
Jellal's instincts were incredible. He instantly accelerated with Meteor and dodged, the kunai's tip grazing his hair.
He flew back, putting distance between them. Ren, in response, casually threw the kunai in his hand toward Jellal.
One after another, Ren threw more kunai, scattering them across the throne room. Jellal, cloaked in his golden light, dodged them all, and the kunai landed, embedding themselves in the surrounding walls, pillars, and even the shattered throne.
"It's useless!" Jellal laughed, hovering in the air. "In front of my Meteor, your attacks can't hit me at all! But all of my attacks can hit you. How many more times can you use your teleportation magic, Ren? You must be almost empty!"
Jellal was convinced. Teleportation magic was known to consume a huge amount of magic power. He felt that Ren couldn't use it many more times. When this guy's magic power was insufficient, that would be his death.
"So fast...!"
Erza, watching from the sidelines, had a serious expression. Jellal's speed was terrifying; her eyes could barely keep up with the golden blur. Was Jellal's strength really this strong? If they continued fighting like this, Ren would be in danger once his magic power ran out.
"Speed, huh…"
Hearing Jellal's words, the corners of Ren's (Minato's) mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly. The Fourth Hokage... he was known as the 'Yellow Flash of Konoha'. In the entire ninja world, no one dared to claim to be first in speed if the Fourth Hokage was second. Jellal was fast... but he was just a meteor. Minato was a flash.
"Take this!"
Jellal, deciding to end it, launched another attack, streaking towards Ren like a golden bullet. He wanted to force Ren to use teleportation again, to consume that last dreg of magic power.
Whoosh!
Ren's body disappeared.
'Just as I expected!' Jellal thought, which was completely within his calculations. Now he just had to wait for Ren to reappear, and he would strike.
Swish!
Ren's figure suddenly appeared... directly in front of Jellal, in mid-air.
"What?!"
Jellal was startled. He hadn't expected Ren to teleport in front of him. He was moving too fast; he no longer had time to dodge.
Bang!!
Ren didn't use a jutsu. He didn't use a kunai. He just punched Jellal square in the face.
"Ugh... ah!!"
Jellal felt a burning pain on his face, and his body was sent flying sideways. Before Jellal could even react or correct his trajectory...
Swish!
Ren appeared beside him again, having teleported to another kunai, and struck Jellal's back with a brutal elbow.
"Woah... ah ah!"
Swish!
Ren appeared below him. "Ugh!"
Swish!
Ren appeared above him. "Ah!"
Next, Ren's body continuously flickered, appearing and disappearing in yellow flashes all around the throne room, using the kunai he had scattered as anchors. Jellal was trapped in a high-speed, 3D pinball machine, and he was the ball.
"Ugh! Woah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Jellal screamed repeatedly as he was beaten, his body bouncing from wall to ceiling to floor.
Erza watched, dumbfounded. Jellal's speed was already fast enough that her eyes could barely keep up... but Ren's speed? It was on another dimension. He wasn't just moving; he was teleporting.
"METEOR!!"
With a desperate roar, the golden light on Jellal's body grew even brighter. He instantly accelerated, blasting through the ceiling, causing Ren's next attack to miss.
Jellal hovered in the air above the hole he'd made, his face extremely grim, his fine robes torn. He was disheveled. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Ren, who had simply teleported back to the floor, in disbelief.
"Impossible! How can you use teleportation magic so many times?! And be so fast?!"
Space magic wasn't particularly rare; Erza's Requip magic was a form of it. However, teleportation magic, true instant movement, was incredibly rare.
This kind of magic, Jellal knew, required precise, time-consuming positioning, and it required a massive amount of magic power. Most mages would be depleted after just a few teleports.
But Ren... Ren completely shattered his understanding. It was impossible for anyone to perform multiple instantaneous movements, in combat, in such a short period of time!
At this moment, Jellal noticed the kunai embedded in the walls... the kunai Ren had thrown earlier. He suddenly understood.
"So that's it... those kunai!" he growled. "Those are your spatial coordinates for positioning!"
"Oh! You're quite clever, aren't you!" Ren (Minato) called up, giving him a cheerful thumbs-up.
"Are you just going to keep stalling like this?" Jellal spat, floating just out of reach. "If you continue in this stance, I won't make a move easily."
Jellal had gotten smarter. He could destroy all those kunai, but as long as Ren remained in this stance, Jellal had almost no chance of hitting him.
And, considering Ren could teleport Etherion... if he wanted to run, Jellal wouldn't be able to stop him at all.
To be honest, if such a man escaped, Jellal wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
"Hmm… you're right," Ren called up. "This is getting boring. Come on, this time I won't use this role."
Ren released the Fourth Hokage's Take Over. Although the Fourth Hokage was very powerful, dealing with a guy who could fly and was so fast was, honestly, very troublesome.
Seeing Ren so easily release the Fourth Hokage's form, Jellal was overjoyed. 'This guy... he is an idiot!' 'His magic power must be empty!'
"Hmph!" Jellal thought, "Now, let me show you what true destruction magic is."
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