Chapter 240: Suppression
"Magic Light!!"
Jose Porla's voice shrieked with malice as he slammed his palm onto the scorched earth.
"Shade: Dead Wave!"
Boom, boom, boom!!
The ground erupted not with dirt, but with darkness. Countless Dark Phantoms—screaming, wraith-like entities composed of pure negative magical energy—rushed out from the fissures. They swarmed like a plague of locusts, shattering rocks and trees, freezing the air with a bone-chilling cold as they charged straight at Ren.
"Ren!" Makarov shouted, his eyes wide with concern. He knew the insidious nature of Jose's shade magic; it drained life and crushed the spirit.
The swarm engulfed Ren, burying him under a mountain of writhing shadows.
But in the next microsecond—
Bang!
A golden flash pierced through the darkness. Ren burst directly out of the explosion of shadows, moving faster than the eye could track. He appeared before Jose in an instant, traversing the battlefield as if space itself had folded for him.
"What?!"
Jose's eyes bulged. He hadn't expected Ren to just charge out of the explosion unscathed, let alone close the distance so effortlessly.
Buzz!
A high-pitched, grinding sound filled the air. In Ren's right palm, a sphere of spiraling blue energy condensed in a fraction of a second. It wasn't just magic; it was a perfect rotation of violent power.
"Sage Art: Rasengan!"
Ren slammed the spinning sphere directly into Jose's gut.
Bang!
The impact was visceral. The rotation of the Rasengan ground into Jose's magical armor, twisting it and shattering it instantly.
"Waaahhh!!"
Jose shrieked as he was sent flying backward like a ragdoll. He crashed through several trees, plowing a trench into the earth before finally coming to a stop, coughing up bile.
"What?!"
"How is this possible?!"
The battlefield fell silent. Everyone from Grimoire Heart—the elite dark mages who prided themselves on their superiority—was terrified at this moment.
Their eyes darted between the three fallen figures.
Master Hades, the legend who taught Makarov.
Vice-Master Bluenote, the monster of gravity.
And Vice-Master Jose, one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
All three of them had been knocked back or sent flying by Ren alone.
"How can this be?!"
Ultear Milkovich, watching from the sidelines, felt a cold sweat trickle down her back. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She knew Ren was very strong; their intelligence reports confirmed he had defeated Jose and Jellal in the past. But this... this was absurd. Ren was facing not just one Ten Wizard Saint, but three experts of that caliber simultaneously. And he wasn't just surviving; he was suppressing them.
"This guy's strength... it's truly terrifying," Ultear whispered. "He's a variable we didn't account for."
"Well done!"
Makarov couldn't help but cheer for Ren, clenching his fists. Seeing his child swiftly injure the three monsters filled him with a surge of hope.
'This kid is even stronger than when he fought Gildarts,' Makarov thought, analyzing Ren's movements. 'He's faster, sharper. He can win! This kid might even be able to defeat Hades!'
Makarov had been shocked by Hades' overwhelming magic earlier, fearing that Ren was walking to his death. But now, seeing the "Golden Flash" in action, he felt the tides turning.
Just then, debris shifted.
Hades slowly stood up, dusting off his shoulder. Aside from his clothes being damaged on his back and a few scratches, he didn't seem to be seriously injured. His aura, however, had darkened significantly.
"Such powerful teleportation magic," Hades noted, his single visible eye locking onto Ren with a newfound intensity. "It ignores barriers and distance. It reminds me of a certain incident."
Hades stepped forward, his magical pressure rising. "You were the one who teleported the Etherion form the Tower of Heaven at the Magic Council, weren't you?"
"What?!"
"Teleported the Etherion?!"
"Is that true?!"
A ripple of shockwave went through the Grimoire Heart ranks. Everyone, including the recovering Jose and Bluenote, stared at Ren with mouths agape.
Within Grimoire Heart, only Hades and Ultear had suspected that Ren was the culprit behind the disappearance of the satellite weapon. The rest of the guild, and indeed the world, believed it to be a mysterious anomaly.
Suddenly hearing such explosive news, they were all as stunned as the Oración Seis had been.
That was the ultimate weapon of the Magic Council. The Etherion. A super-magic satellite cannon capable of erasing an entire country from the map with a single shot. The Magic Council relied on the Etherion to deter the entire Ishgar continent, preventing both good and evil guilds from crossing the line.
To hear that a single human mage could teleport such a colossal mass of pure destructive energy... it made them feel as if they were trapped in a nightmare.
"That was me."
Ren admitted it directly, his tone casual. He shrugged, as if admitting to eating the last slice of cake.
To him, it really was no big deal. The Flying Thunder God Technique was a space-time Ninjutsu that, in his memories of the Fourth Hokage, could teleport a Jūbi Bijūdama—a bomb capable of destroying nations. Compared to that, teleporting an Etherion blast was just a matter of marking and timing.
"This kid..."
Jose's eyes widened, fear creeping back into his heart. He never imagined that Ren was capable of such a feat. How did this kid do it? If he could move the Etherion, could he teleport them into the sun? Or into the bottom of the ocean?
"This kid... can fly!"
Bluenote Stinger pushed himself up from the rubble, a manic grin spreading across his face. He looked at Ren, trembling slightly. This wasn't fear, but excitement.
"Gravity... I want to crush him! I want to see if his speed can escape infinite gravity!" Bluenote laughed low in his throat. It had been a long time since he had encountered such a strong enemy.
Suddenly!
"Master!!"
"Ren!"
Voices shouted from the forest. A burst of fire, ice, and iron announced the arrival of the cavalry.
Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, Wendy Marvell, Gajeel Redfox, and Juvia Lockser rushed onto the battlefield.
After gathering at the camp, they had all heard from Wendy that Grimoire Heart had invaded Tenrou Island and that Ren was engaging the leaders.
Ren was preparing to face Grimoire Heart alone, protecting them. When they heard this, everyone immediately sped up. Grimoire Heart was the strongest Dark Guild; how could Ren possibly be a match for them alone? They refused to let him carry the burden by himself.
"Why are you here?!" Makarov shouted, waving his arms. "Run! This isn't a fight for you!"
"With such a huge commotion, how could we not come?!" Natsu yelled back, flames igniting on his fists. "We're Fairy Tail! We fight together!"
"Master Jose!"
Gajeel and Juvia froze in their tracks. Their eyes locked onto the gaunt, sinister figure of their former guild master. Both of them trembled instinctively. The trauma of their time in Phantom Lord ran deep.
"Gajeel... Juvia..."
Jose wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes narrowing into hateful slits. "You two traitors! How dare you join Fairy Tail!"
Jose's face became distorted with rage. If it were anyone else, it might be fine, but Juvia was one of his elite Element 4, and Gajeel was the ace Dragon Slayer of the Phantom Lord Guild. They were his weapons. And of all places, they had to join Fairy Tail, the guild he hated the most. It was the ultimate insult.
"You dare stand before me wearing that mark?!" Jose hissed.
"Gajeel and Juvia are not traitors!"
Makarov stepped in front of his children, expanding his aura to shield them. "You didn't care for these two children at all! You treated them as tools for your ambition. You selfishly disbanded the guild when you lost, leaving them homeless and branded as failures. You abandoned them! If anyone's a traitor, it's you who betrayed them!"
Makarov's voice boomed with paternal fury. "Now that Gajeel and Juvia have joined Fairy Tail, they are my children. They are part of my family, and I wouldn't allow anyone to bully them like this!"
"Master..."
Gajeel and Juvia were both deeply moved by these words. Juvia clasped her hands to her chest, tears welling up. Gajeel gritted his teeth, looking away to hide his emotion.
It wasn't like this before. They had grown up in Phantom Lord, a place where strength was everything and weakness was punished. Even though Phantom Lord wasn't a kind place, they had become accustomed to the coldness.
When Jose suddenly disbanded Phantom Lord, they were instantly lost. It was Makarov who, setting aside past grievances and the damage they had caused, invited them to join Fairy Tail. He gave them work, offered them protection, and most importantly, gave them a home.
"Hmph! Sentimental garbage," Jose spat.
He straightened up, smoothing his tattered coat. "Gajeel! Juvia! Come over here immediately. If you return to me now, I won't hold your betrayal against you. I will give you a place in the Ultimate Magic World."
Upon seeing their hesitation, Jose's mind became active. Gajeel and Juvia had significant strength. If they joined his side, Fairy Tail would lose combat power, and Grimoire Heart would gain two powerful mages. With this ebb and flow, the probability of destroying Fairy Tail would increase. Moreover, regaining his former subordinates would restore some of his lost prestige.
"No!"
Juvia shouted, her voice shaking but firm. "I won't go with you! Juvia is a Mage of Fairy Tail now!"
She looked at Gray, who was standing ready to fight beside her. A warmth filled her chest. "I'm very happy in Fairy Tail. It's so much better than Phantom Lord! There is love here. There is sun here! Juvia will never go back to the darkness with you!"
"What about you, Gajeel?" Jose snarled, looking at the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Are you going to play house with these fairies too?"
Gajeel smirked, crossing his arms. The fear in his eyes was gone, replaced by a steely resolve.
"I refuse too! I am also a Mage of Fairy Tail."
He tapped the guild mark on his shoulder. "I'm a Mage of a legitimate guild, and I will absolutely not join a Dark Guild! I've found a place where I can be strong for the right reasons."
Jose's face turned ashen. His personal invitation had been rejected by his own creations. It was a slap in the face.
"Hmph! Since you've made your choice, then you shall perish with Fairy Tail!" Jose roared, dark magic swirling around him violently. "I will personally execute you! You will understand the price of betraying me!"
Swoosh!
A figure flickered and appeared instantly between Jose and the two Dragon Slayers.
Ren stood in front of Gajeel and Juvia, his back to them, facing the enraged Wizard Saint. His expression was calm, but his eyes were cold as ice.
Ren looked at Jose and said, "You want to harm my companions? You'll have to get past me first."
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