Chapter 232: Don't Rush
"You bastard, how dare you attack us?! Die!"
"Solid Script: Roar!!"
The dog-headed man, Yomazu, drew his katana and furiously wrote a magical script in the air. The kanji for 'Roar' manifested instantly, glowing with ominous red light.
ROAR————!!
A deafening noise erupted from the script, a sonic boom powerful enough to shatter eardrums and pulverized the ground in front of him.
"So noisy—!!"
Levy covered her ears in pain, screwing her eyes shut as the sound wave hit her like a physical truck. The vibration rattled her bones.
But in front of her, Ren's expression remained completely unchanged. He stood relaxed, hands in his pockets. He had already isolated the noise and the shockwave with his [Limitless Cursed Technique]. The chaotic sound waves stopped infinitesimally close to his skin, filtered out by the infinity that surrounded him.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!!"
"Egg Rain!!"
From above, the chicken-headed man, Kawazu, jumped agilely between the trees. He spat out a large number of eggs from his beak like a machine gun. The eggs cracked mid-air, and the whites and yolks miraculously formed into hardened fists that rained down on Ren with crushing force.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
All the egg fists stopped abruptly in front of Ren. They hung suspended in the air, unable to cross the infinite distance between them and their target.
Whoosh!
Space seemed to warp. Ren instantly appeared behind the chicken-headed man, moving faster than the eye could track. He delivered a devastating kick to the side of Kawazu's face.
"Gah!"
Kawazu plummeted from the sky, crashing into the dirt.
"Solid Script: Slash!"
Yomazu didn't waste a second. He swung his heavy katana, unleashing a massive magical slash capable of cutting through steel. The energy blade tore through the grass, aiming straight for Ren's neck.
Ren simply raised his palm.
The slash stopped dead just before reaching it. The energy vibrated violently, trying to push forward, but it was like hitting an absolute wall of space.
"What?!"
The dog-headed man was shocked, his eyes widening in disbelief. He had never seen anyone block his magic so effortlessly, without even a defensive spell. "Impossible..."
Ren lowered his hand, his gaze cold and indifferent. He raised his palm again, fingers curling slightly.
"Cursed Technique Amplification: Blue!"
A small sphere of azure light manifested in Ren's palm. It hummed with a terrifying sound—the sound of space forcing itself to collapse. He flicked his wrist, and the Blue Sphere shot out towards the dog-headed man.
"Solid Script: Defend!"
Yomazu frantically wrote in the air. A massive, glowing 'Defend' character appeared in front of him, forming a thick iron shield.
It was useless.
The Blue Sphere touched the 'Defend' character. There was no explosion, only a sickening crunch as the singularity devoured the script, sucking the magic and the space itself into a vacuum.
"How is this possible?! My Solid Script!"
The dog-headed man's expression changed from arrogance to pure terror. He abandoned his stance and quickly dodged to the side. But just as he dodged, Ren's figure flickered and appeared directly in front of him.
"Too slow."
Ren kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward.
Directly into the lingering Blue Sphere.
"Waaahhhhhh!!"
The powerful gravitational pull of the Blue Sphere seized him instantly. It was like a black hole. It continuously tore and squeezed the dog-headed man's body, twisting his limbs and armor into unnatural angles. He emitted painful, gurgling screams as his bones snapped one by one.
"Yumaz!"
The chicken-headed man screamed, terrified. He didn't expect Ren to take down Yumaz, an elite samurai, so quickly.
"Don't rush! It's your turn now!"
Ren teleported behind the chicken-headed man. Before Kawazu could even turn his head, Ren's leg swept out, kicking him with tremendous force.
The chicken-headed man lost his balance, tumbling through the air helplessly, rushing straight towards the same Blue Sphere.
"Gah!"
The chicken-headed man also crashed into the Blue Sphere, firmly held by its inescapable gravity. He slammed into his partner, their bodies pressing together as the singularity crushed them.
Ren raised his palm high.
Two more Blue Spheres quickly formed, swirling with chaotic energy. He brought his hand down mercilessly. The spheres fell onto the chicken-headed man and the dog-headed man.
Pffft—!
The three Blue Spheres collided. The combined gravitational force was catastrophic. It instantly crushed the bodies of the chicken-headed man and the dog-headed man, twisting them into a single, grotesque knot of flesh and feathers. The screaming stopped abruptly.
"Woah!!"
The cruel and bloody scene startled Levy. She fell back, covering her mouth, afraid to look at the mangled remains. It was brutal, efficient, and overwhelmingly violent.
"Clap, clap!"
Ren clapped his hands, dusting them off as if he had just finished a minor chore. He turned to Levy with a bright, charming smile that contrasted sharply with the carnage behind him. "Alright, these two little mice are taken care of. I'm leaving now."
Ren finished speaking and walked away into the forest, disappearing as quickly as he had arrived.
Leaving Levy bewildered, trembling on the forest floor, alone with the two dead monsters.
"Levy!"
Just then, Gajeel heard the commotion and the screams. He burst through the bushes, iron scales already forming on his skin.
Seeing Levy slumped on the ground, her face full of fear, he quickly ran over, his face filled with concern. "Levy, what's wrong? I heard a lot of noise over here. Are you hurt?"
Levy's hand trembled uncontrollably as she pointed to the location of the chicken-headed man and the dog-headed man.
Gajeel looked over. His eyes narrowed. He saw that two monsters had been killed, their bodies twisted into a knot like pretzels. It was a gruesome sight.
Gajeel initially thought they were just monsters native to the island, but then he spotted a familiar dark mark on the remnants of their clothing. His expression changed instantly.
"Grimoire Heart!!"
Gajeel noticed that both bodies had the Grimoire Heart Guild's emblem.
"What's going on?! Why are Grimoire Heart members here?" Gajeel growled, his fists clenching until his knuckles popped. This wasn't just a random encounter; the strongest Dark Guild was on their holy ground. "Did you take care of these two, Shrimp?"
Levy shook her head frantically.
"No... not me, it was Ren. Ren just appeared and... he took care of these two guys in seconds."
"Ren? That monster..." Gajeel wiped a sweat drop from his brow. "What exactly happened?"
"I'm not sure, but Ren told me to continue the exam. But Gajeel... I have a bad feeling about this."
At this time, Mest Gryder was aimlessly wandering the dense forest of the island with Wendy Marvell trailing behind him.
Mest wiped sweat from his forehead. His true identity was Doranbolt, an operative for the Magic Council. He viewed Fairy Tail as a problematic guild that threatened the order of the magical world. He had infiltrated to find definitive evidence—illegal artifacts, forbidden magic, anything—to disband Fairy Tail. He had even used his Memory Control magic to confuse everyone's memories, inserting himself as a member to participate in this S-Class Mage exam.
Tenrou Island was the Holy Land of the Fairy Tail Guild, the resting place of Mavis Vermillion. He believed Fairy Tail must be hiding some unspeakable secret here. A weapon? A doomsday device?
But after searching everywhere, scanning the ruins and the caves, he found nothing on the island. It seemed to be just an uninhabited deserted island rich in natural mana.
"Damn it... where could it be hidden?" he muttered under his breath, frustration gnawing at him. "There has to be something..."
"Mr. Mest, what did you say?"
Wendy blinked her large innocent eyes. She didn't hear what Mest said clearly over the sound of the wind.
"No... noth—"
Before Mest could finish speaking, a chill ran down his spine. His instincts as a Council agent screamed of danger.
His expression suddenly changed.
"Get down!"
He immediately hugged Wendy, pulling her close, and dove to the side, rolling behind a massive tree root.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!
A series of violent explosions erupted exactly where Wendy had been standing a second ago. The ground shattered, sending rock and dirt flying into the air. If Mest hadn't pulled Wendy away, she might have been caught in the blast and severely injured.
"Who's there?! Come out now!!"
Mest stood up, shielding Wendy behind him, and shouted cautiously at a large tree nearby.
The tree trunk suddenly began to ripple and bulge, as if the wood were liquid. Slowly, a human face appeared on the trunk, followed by a muscular body.
"My name is Azuma," the man said, stepping out of the wood as if it were air. His voice was deep and resonant. "One of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory."
"Grimoire Heart?"
Wendy looked confused; she hadn't heard that name before.
Mest's expression, however, changed drastically: "It's a Dark Guild! And not just any... they are the head of the Balam Alliance!"
Grimoire Heart was not just a Dark Guild, but also known as the strongest Dark Guild in existence.
"A Dark Guild!!"
Wendy was startled upon hearing this, clutching her dress. "Why would members of a Dark Guild be here?"
Mest's demeanor shifted. The clumsy facade dropped. He smiled, a sharp, confident smile. "I had a feeling that one or two major events would happen here, but I didn't expect to catch such a big fish as Grimoire Heart. Grimoire Heart, which has always lurked in the shadows, actually appeared on this island. This is perfect. Although I haven't found the evidence I wanted to disband Fairy Tail, defeating and capturing Grimoire Heart would make making a name for myself no longer just a dream. It would be a legendary feat for the Council."
"Mr. Mest, what are you talking about?"
Wendy was a bit confused, stepping back. She didn't understand what Mest was saying about making a name for himself. Wasn't Mest here to participate in the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam? Why did he sound like... a soldier?
Mest no longer paid attention to Wendy. He adjusted his tie, his eyes locked on Azuma. "Now is not the time to explain. Just in case, I was right to arrange the Magic Council's forcibly supervised force's main battleship nearby. I have backup. We'll catch Grimoire Heart in one fell swoop."
Azuma had already emerged completely from the tree, crossing his arms with a look of boredom. "Battleship? You mean that one, right?"
He pointed a finger toward the coastline visible through the trees.
At this moment, on the glittering sea behind Azuma, a massive battleship belonging to the Magic Council was accelerating towards them, its cannons ready.
Suddenly!
Boom————!!
A huge explosion erupted from the ship's hull. Flames shot skyward, consuming the vessel in an instant. The metal groaned and twisted, and the battleship was instantly blown to Crush, sinking rapidly beneath the waves.
"Wh-what?!!"
Mest was incredulous, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. "You... what did you do?!"
Such a large Council battleship... destroyed in a blink? Mest's body couldn't help but tremble. Was this the strength of a Grimoire Heart member, to be able to cause such terrifying destruction so easily, without even moving?
"Alright, it's time to deal with you." Azuma raised his hand, magic gathering in his palm. He prepared to use his Great Tree Arc magic to finish them off.
But then, his expression suddenly changed.
He froze, sensing a terrifying magical pressure approaching. He quickly looked up to the side, toward the dense jungle.
Rumble—!
A small red ball was seen flying from a distance. It moved with blinding speed. Wherever it passed, the surrounding ancient trees, rocks, and ground were instantly crushed and repelled by an overwhelming force.
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