Chapter 316 – This Is Just Cheating
Whoosh!
Every Shadow Clone sprang into action.
"Danger!!"
Gray tackled Juvia to the ground.
Boom—!
A Small Dragon's laser struck the earth, erupting in a violent blast. The sheer heat of the beam scorched the cobblestones of Crocus, melting the ancient stonework into bubbling slag. A cloud of thick, suffocating dust washed over the Fairy Tail mages, obscuring their vision.
Crack!
A bolt of golden lightning slammed into the Small Dragon, shattering it. The beast screeched in agony as high-voltage electricity tore through its thick hide, leaving its charred body to crumble into the ruined streets.
"Damn it! There are too many of these Miniature Dragons!!"
Laxus's face was grim; he'd already taken plenty of hits. Blood trickled down his forehead, mixing with the sweat and grime of the battlefield. The Miniature Dragons hit hard and their defenses weren't shabby—taking one down cost serious effort.
It burned through magic at break-neck speed, and his reserves were already running low; he wouldn't last much longer. Every time he struck one down, three more seemed to crawl out of the shadows of the destroyed capital, their jaws dripping with magical energy.
"We've got over a hundred here; the others must be facing just as many."
Freed's expression was heavy—these Miniature Dragons were strong and countless. His Dark Écriture runes were flickering weakly in the air, struggling to hold back the relentless tide of the monstrous swarm.
Boom—!
Makarov punched a Small Dragon, smashing it into the ground. His arm, expanded through his Giant magic, cratered the earth and reduced the creature to a bloody pulp. However, the exertion caused the elderly guild master to heave a heavy sigh, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Brats! Straighten up! Don't you dare give in!"
Bzzzz—!
Dozens of Miniature Dragons opened their maws, energy gathering as they aimed at Makarov. The air vibrated with the ominous hum of condensing magic power, the surrounding temperature skyrocketing as a dozen blinding lights locked onto the guild master.
The guild master's colossal frame made him a perfect target. There was no room for him to dodge, and reverting his size would leave him completely exposed to the crossfire.
"Master, watch out!!"
Every guild member's face paled at the sight. Erza summoned her adamantine shields, and Natsu ignited his fists, but they were all too far away to intercept the synchronized bombardment.
Suddenly—
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!!
Every Small Dragon's head exploded. A series of deafening concussions ripped through the plaza in perfect unison. Blue, swirling spheres of condensed wind and chakra had been driven directly into the skulls of the beasts, detonating with lethal precision.
"This is..."
"Ren?!"
"So many Ren—!!"
The guild stared, dumbstruck—not at who, but at how many. Rens were everywhere. Dozens of tall, imposing figures wearing the exact same attire stood atop the corpses of the fallen Miniature Dragons. The swirling blue spheres in their palms gradually dissipated into the wind.
Makarov stammered, his giant form shrinking back to normal size. "R-Ren... why so many?"
"It's the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu—meant for these Miniature Dragons."
One of the Rens stepped forward, his expression calm amidst the apocalyptic scenery. "Gramps, tell everyone to evacuate the capital. I'll handle the Dragon Clan."
"Ren, are you sure?"
Makarov sounded worried; the dragons were legion and mighty. He had felt the despairing aura of the full-grown beasts looming over the city. A swarm of hatchlings was one thing, but true Dragons were walking natural disasters.
"Relax, just a handful of big lizards. Troublesome, sure, but nothing I can't deal with."
Ren's clones appeared across the battlefield; Rasengans in hand, they wiped the Miniature Dragons out almost single-handedly. They moved with terrifying efficiency, blinking through the smoke and delivering fatal strikes before the beasts could even process the threat.
Every guild, like Fairy Tail, stood slack-jawed at the sight. The desperate struggle for survival had abruptly turned into a one-sided slaughter favoring humanity.
"So this is Mr. Ren's magic..."
"This is insane!"
"Mr. Ren's incredible!"
High above the ruined city, Future Rogue hovered in the sky, his face darkening—his tactic had been completely dismantled by Ren. The sea of hatchlings he had relied upon to exhaust the human mages was being eradicated as if they were nothing more than bothersome insects.
"Hmph! Pointless struggling. Once you're dead, it's all over."
Future Rogue snorted coldly; only Ren was a real thorn. He recognized that this single man possessed a pool of power that defied all logic of this era. Break that bone, and the rest of the guilds would snap like dry twigs under his heel.
"Take him down!"
Five full-grown dragons lunged at Ren. The earth trembled as Zirconis, Scissor Runner, Levia, Earth Build, and Ann descended from the heavens. Their combined roars shattered the remaining glass in the capital, their massive jaws snapping toward the solitary mage standing in the center of the plaza.
"Kurama Mode!"
Golden flames seemed to wreath Ren's body as mysterious patterns surfaced. The air around him distorted wildly from the sheer density of the escaping energy. A blinding, sun-like radiance illuminated the darkest corners of Crocus, bringing with it a pressure so heavy it made the air hard to breathe.
Whoosh—!
Ren blinked in front of Zirconis. His speed was absolute, leaving behind nothing but a trail of golden afterimages. He appeared right between the Jade Dragon's eyes, dwarfed by the beast's massive scale but infinitely more terrifying.
"Rasengan!"
A massive Rasengan formed in his palm and smashed into Zirconis. The swirling vortex of chakra expanded rapidly, grinding against the supposedly impenetrable dragon scales with the screech of tortured metal.
"Gyaaaah!!"
Zirconis screamed, hurled away by the spiraling sphere. The impact sent the massive Jade Dragon tumbling backward through the air, crashing through a row of clock towers and sending debris raining down on the streets below.
"Vanish!"
Scissor Runner and Levia opened their jaws, dragon breath gushing out. One unleashed a storm of metallic blades, while the other spat a torrent of hyper-pressurized water. The two lethal breaths combined in mid-air, forming an inescapable vortex of destruction aimed directly at the golden figure.
Boom—!!
The blast lit the night over Crocus; a shockwave swept the city. The ground buckled, and a massive crater formed at the epicenter of the attack. Thick, black smoke plumed into the sky, momentarily obscuring the golden light of Ren's chakra.
"Uwaaaah!!"
Everyone felt the terrifying impact; surrounding buildings were obliterated. The mages on the ground had to cross their arms and brace themselves just to keep from being blown away by the residual winds of the dragon breath.
"What a terrifying strike!"
"Is Mr. Ren okay?!"
All hope rested on Ren—only he could defeat these dragons. Wendy and Natsu stared at the smoke with wide eyes, their Dragon Slayer instincts screaming at the sheer lethality of the attack that had just occurred.
Thud-thud!!
From the smoke of the blast, five energy-formed giant hands shot out. They were composed entirely of boiling golden chakra, extending outward with terrifying speed and flexibility.
They clamped around the five dragons' necks; with a yank, Scissor Runner and Levia slammed together, Earth Build and Ann smashed into each other, and Zirconis was pinned to the ground. The sickening crunch of dragon scales and the booming collisions echoed like thunder. The majestic rulers of the sky were being manhandled like unruly pets.
"Groooar!!"
The dragons roared in pain from the impacts. Disorientation and fury clouded their reptilian eyes. They tried to thrash, to bite, to unleash their magic, but the golden hands possessed a physical strength that entirely eclipsed their own.
"Bastard!! Let go of me!!"
Zirconis thrashed but couldn't break free of the Nine-Tails Chakra arms. No matter how much the Jade Dragon dug his claws into the earth or violently shook his massive head, the golden grip remained absolute, burning his scales with its radiant heat.
"Bijū Transformation!"
Energy erupted around Ren, swiftly shaping a colossal Nine-Tailed fox. The golden chakra expanded exponentially, weaving bone, muscle, and fur out of pure, condensed power. The blinding light forced everyone to shield their eyes as a towering entity manifested in the heart of the city.
"What is that?!"
Unsuspecting onlookers gasped at the new titan on the field. Standing as tall as the royal palace itself, the golden, ethereal fox swung its nine massive tails, each movement stirring up hurricane-force winds. The dragons that had previously looked like towering nightmares were now eye-to-level with an absolute apex predator.
Fairy Tail's Tenrou Group couldn't help but grin in excitement. They had seen this majestic, terrifying form before, during the darkest hour against Acnologia. Seeing it now, bathed in the moonlight, brought a profound sense of security.
Happy shouted, "It's Ren!!"
Laxus's eyes narrowed. "So the guy's finally getting serious!!" The Lightning Dragon Slayer couldn't help but smirk. Even with his pride, he had to admit that the scale of Ren's magic was in a dimension entirely of its own.
"That's Ren?!"
The Seven Year Group was stunned at first, but soon spotted Ren atop the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox—just like the clones that had wiped out the Miniature Dragons. He stood inside the crystalline, golden head of the beast, his arms crossed casually, completely unbothered by the divine aura radiating around him.
"Yep! That's Ren's strongest form. With enough magic, he can fight even Black Dragon Acnologia to a standstill,"
Elfman declared excitedly. He pumped his fist into the air, his earlier exhaustion completely forgotten in the face of such an awe-inspiring display of pure, unadulterated strength.
Other guilds stared in awe. The morale that had been utterly crushed by the sudden appearance of the Dragon Clan was being rapidly stitched back together by the presence of a single man.
"This guy... really is a monster!!"
Orga's jaw dropped—he'd thought Ren's daytime power was his limit; now this even stronger form appeared. The Sabertooth Lightning God Slayer felt a cold sweat run down his back. During the Grand Magic Games, he had foolishly believed he could match blows with this person.
Is he even human?
"Looks like we were way out of our league this morning,"
Rufus sighed. That morning, the five of them had planned to gang up on Ren after he wore himself out against Jura and Kagura—how naïve that seemed now. If they had actually succeeded in pushing Ren to use this golden avatar, Sabertooth wouldn't have just lost the tournament; they would have been erased from the map.
"Amazing!! Mr. Ren is incredible!!"
Sting exclaimed, eyes wide with shock and excitement. His idolization of Natsu had momentarily shifted. This was true power. This was a man standing at the absolute pinnacle of the magic world, bending ancient myths to his will.
"Yeah! Mr. Ren's so strong!!"
Rogue had thought they were closing the gap; instead, it kept widening. The Shadow Dragon Slayer stared at the nine sweeping tails. Every time he thought he understood the ceiling of Ren's capabilities, the Fairy Tail mage shattered the sky to reveal a higher heaven.
If Ren hadn't vanished for seven years, who knew how strong he'd be now. He might have united the entire continent, or perhaps even overthrown the darkest mages in history without breaking a sweat.
"This... is Mr. Ren?!"
Lyon gaped, stunned. His Ice-Make magic felt like child's play compared to the colossal construct of pure energy standing before them.
Jura nodded, equally awed. "Indeed, it's His Excellency Ren—who knew he had such a transformation." The stoic Wizard Saint stroked his beard, his hands trembling slightly. He realized that the title of 'Wizard Saint' was far too small to encompass the monster that was Ren.
"It's that Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!! So the fox was Ren all along!!"
Lahar stared in shock. Seven years ago on Tenrou Island he'd witnessed the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox clash with Black Dragon Acnologia. He remembered the shockwaves that had capsized the Magic Council's fleet, the sheer terror of watching two apex beings tear the ocean apart.
Back then, he'd wondered why the fox appeared, thinking it was Fairy Tail's secret weapon hidden on the island—never imagining it was simply one man's transformation. He had spent years writing reports, theorizing about ancient beasts slumbering beneath the guild's sacred ground. To realize it was just a spell cast by a single guild member sent a profound chill through his soul.
"For a single person to reach that level... it's just... it's just..."
Lahar faltered—Ren's power could probably obliterate the entire Magic Council.
"It's just downright cheating, isn't it!!"
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