Chapter 243: Decisive Kill
"Hmph! Arrogant Brat! Then let me properly teach you what it means to have someone better than you, and a sky beyond a sky!"
Hades' voice boomed like thunder, shaking the very air around them. His single visible eye burned with the fury of a master scorned.
"Ha!!"
Hades raised his palm and aimed directly at Ren. He didn't waste time with chanting; his mastery over magic was absolute. In an instant, complex geometric patterns of light materialized in the air.
"Amaterasu: Formula Twenty-Eight!"
A massive, multi-layered Magic Circle surrounded Ren from all sides, locking him in a cage of destructive light.
"What?!"
Makarov's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. He completely hadn't expected Hades to complete the Amaterasu—a notoriously difficult spell formula—even faster than before. To cast a Formula Twenty-Eight instantly without incantation was a feat of godlike magical control.
"Ren! Dodge it!" Makarov screamed.
But it was too late.
Boom—!
The Amaterasu Magic Circle detonated. A pillar of concussive force and searing magical energy engulfed the area where Ren stood, vaporizing the ground instantly.
However, amidst the blinding flash, a blur of motion defied the explosion.
Bang!
Ren burst out of the Magic Circle before the shockwave could fully propagate. He moved as a streak of golden light, instantly appearing right in front of Hades' face.
"Too slow," Ren whispered.
He threw a straight punch.
"Urgh!"
The punch landed squarely on Hades' cheek. The sound of bone cracking echoed across the battlefield.
Hades screamed as the kinetic force lifted him off his feet and sent him flying backward like a ragdoll. He crashed through a grove of petrified trees, splintering them into dust.
Ren didn't let up. He kicked off the ground, the earth cracking under his feet, and quickly pursued the flying Guild Master.
Hades, recovering mid-air with unnatural grace, raised his palm and aimed at the approaching Ren.
"Dark Pulse!"
A wave of black, spiraling shockwaves surged towards Ren. It was a spell of pure kinetic repulsion, designed to crush bones and organs.
Ren didn't even slow down. He casually swatted his hand as if swatting a fly.
Using a precise application of magical repulsion, he deflected the attack. The black shockwave was knocked away, crashing into a nearby cliffside and obliterating it.
Boom—!
"You're full of tricks, aren't you?" Ren taunted, closing the distance.
"Dark Chains!"
Hades roared, thrusting both hands forward. Dark purple magic coalesced into thick, heavy chains with hooked ends. They shot out like vipers, wrapping Ren tightly in circles. Within seconds, Ren was encased in a massive iron ball of magical chains, completely immobilized.
"Got you!" Hades clenched his fist. "Crush him!"
Crack crack!
The chains began to tighten, grinding against each other. But instead of the sound of crushing flesh, there was the sound of straining metal.
The iron ball began to vibrate. Golden light leaked from the gaps in the chains.
Bang!
With a deafening sound, the chains shattered into thousands of fragments. Ren broke free effortlessly, his body glowing with a faint golden aura.
"What?!"
Hades' expression turned grim upon seeing this. He hadn't expected so many layers of high-level sealing magic to fail against mere brute strength.
"Monster..." Hades muttered. "Then take this! The ultimate formula!"
Hades immediately constructed a Magic Circle. This one was different—larger, more complex, stacking seven layers of talismanic incantations on top of each other. It covered the entire clearing, trapping Ren in the center.
"Amaterasu: Formula One Hundred!!"
The air screamed as the magical density reached critical mass.
Boom——————!!
A terrifying explosion erupted. It wasn't just a blast; it was a cataclysm. A dome of pure magical destruction expanded outward, consuming everything in a radius of hundreds of meters.
"Waaahhhhhh!!"
Despite being far from the center of the explosion, the terrifying impact still made everyone—Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart members alike—involuntarily scream as they were blown off their feet.
Tenrou Island trembled violently. The shockwave caused landslides on the cliffs, and the surrounding sea waves surged one after another, creating a mini-tsunami that crashed against the shore.
"Brat!!"
Makarov shielded his eyes from the blinding light, his heart sinking. The power of this magic was terrifying—it was a spell capable of erasing a small town.
"How is he?!"
Everyone looked towards the center of the explosion as the light faded.
Soon, the thick smoke and dust dispersed.
Standing in the center of a massive crater, completely untouched, was a golden figure. Ren stood there, enveloped in a shroud of golden, flame-like chakra. His eyes shone with power, and the terrifying explosion hadn't even singed his clothes.
"That's great!!"
The Fairy Tail members all cheered when they saw Ren was unharmed. Natsu punched the air, and Erza let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"How can this be?!"
In contrast were the Grimoire Heart guild members. Ultear and Meredy watched in horror. Even Master Hades' strongest bombardment couldn't harm the opponent. Was this kid even human? He was a monster beyond their comprehension.
Ren dusted off his shoulder, the golden cloak flickering.
"Is that all?!"
Ren looked at Hades. Although it was only three short words, Hades heard absolute contempt and mockery in Ren's tone. It was the tone of a predator playing with its food.
"Brat! Don't be too arrogant!!" Hades roared, his composure cracking. "Since you're seeking death, don't blame me for what happens next!"
"The abyss of the Demonic Path... from here onwards is a Domain far beyond your imagination!"
Hades spread his arms wide, his cape billowing in the dark wind. "It's over, Fairy Tail!"
Powerful, ominous magic power emanated from his body, turning the sky purple.
"To walk the Demonic Path, one must fall into the deepest darkness. In that profound depth lies the 'One Magic.' That sole magic is within reach, yet that tiny distance is the most profound part of this Path."
Hades' eye glowed with madness. "And the great magic world where Zeref resides can fill that depth. Tonight, with Zeref's Awakening, the world will undergo a massive change, and soon I will also obtain the One Magic!!"
He pointed a shaking finger at Ren. "Although you, little Brat, are very strong, you have walked the Evil Path of ignorance and cannot set foot in the Great Magic World."
"Because you lack the resolve to step into the abyss!"
"Book of Zeref, Chapter 4, Paragraph 12. Lost Magic: Nemesis!"
"Executioner of Heaven—Divine Punishment!!"
At this moment, the rubble and stones on the ground began to change. Dark energy seeped into the inorganic matter. They twisted, grew limbs, and transformed. Monsters emerged one by one from within the stones—winged demons, horned beasts, creatures of nightmare born from the earth itself.
"This... what is this?!"
"He's creating demons from the ruins?!"
The Fairy Tail members were all shocked by this sight. Life creation magic... a taboo among taboos.
"With the magic power of the abyss, even the lowest-grade rocks can breed demons," Hades proclaimed like a dark god. "They are born as dancing children of demons, arbiters of heaven. This is lost magic; each possesses immense power. It's impossible for you to defeat them!"
The sheer quantity of demons was overwhelming. The Fairy Tail members couldn't help but feel fear in their hearts, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably upon seeing this. It wasn't that they were cowardly, but rather their bodies' instinctive reaction to the presence of Zeref's dark arts.
Ren scratched his ear with his pinky finger, looking bored. "Uh... are you done talking? If you're done, I'm going to make my move."
"Hmph! Kid, you don't understand my current state at all! Since you're seeking death, then die!"
"Dance! Earth Golem Demons!!"
At Hades' command, the army of demons screeched and rushed towards Ren like a tide of darkness.
Ren stood still. He didn't weave signs. He didn't chant.
Bang bang bang!
Suddenly, six massive arms made of golden chakra erupted from behind his body, moving like tails or independent limbs.
They moved with blinding speed, swatting the demons out of the air.
Smash! Crash!
Ren sent all the Earth Golem Demons flying, shattering their stone bodies into dust. They couldn't even get within five meters of him.
"Impossible!"
Hades watched as his army was dismantled in seconds. "This is impossible!! My magic is invincible!! This is the magic of the Black Wizard!"
Hades watched as the Earth Golem Demons couldn't do anything to Ren, completely disbelieving. This was Black Wizard Zeref's magic, the ultimate magic that could create life. Such magic actually couldn't harm a mere Brat.
"Invincible?" Ren laughed, a dry, mocking sound. "Even Zeref wouldn't dare call himself invincible. You've only learned a superficial understanding of Zeref's magic—copying notes from a book—yet you presumptuously call yourself invincible."
Ren stepped forward, the golden aura flaring. "You truly are a frog in a well. You haven't seen the Dragon King that rules the skies. You haven't seen the Empire across the sea. You play king in your little dark pond, thinking you're a god."
Ren curled his lip. He had thought this old man had some skills before, but with those words, his prestige plummeted. This old man hadn't even made a name for himself on the Ishgar continent lately, only able to hide and flee in his airship. His strength was merely at the level of the Four Gods of Ishgar.
But the Four Gods of Ishgar might not even be able to defeat a single Shield of Spriggan, let alone the later Five Dragon Gods.
Buzz—!
Ren raised one hand high above his head.
Golden chakra swirled violently, condensing into a massive sphere. It grew larger and larger, expanding rapidly until it was a sphere with a diameter of four to five meters.
"Giant Rasengan!"
Upon seeing this massive ball of destruction, Hades panicked. He immediately controlled the remaining Earth Golem Demons to destroy it, launching them at the sphere.
But they were all swatted away like flies by the Chakra Hands protecting Ren.
Ren looked at Hades, his eyes cold. "It's time to end this."
"End?! Kid, don't bluff!" Hades shouted, desperate to find a weakness. "Although your strength is terrifying, your magic power must be limited! Maintaining that form, using that much power... In any world, the law of conservation of energy applies. The more powerful the strength exerted, the greater the magic power consumed! How much longer can you last?!"
Ren paused, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Ten seconds."
"Ten seconds?!"
Hades' eyes lit up with hope. He thought Ren would last at least ten minutes, not expecting only ten short seconds remained. If he could stall for ten seconds, he would win!
Hearing this number, Hades couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahahahaha!! Brat! You're at your limit! Ten seconds! Do you think you can kill me in ten seconds?! See these Earth Golem Demons? Can you Breakthrough them and reach me in time?"
Hades summoned more debris to form a wall. "Enjoy your last ten seconds of life! No, three seconds..."
"One," Ren whispered.
Whoosh—!
Ren's figure instantly vanished. The golden flash left an afterimage that hadn't even faded before he reappeared.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Ren appeared directly behind Hades, teleporting to a marker he had placed during the first punch.
He hovered in the air above Hades' head, the massive Rasengan spinning in his hand like a collapsing star.
Hades felt the heat on his neck. He froze.
Ren pressed the Great Ball Rasengan directly onto Hades' back.
"It's over!"
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