Chapter 4: The Victor, Ren
The guild members couldn't help but fall silent.
Natsu and Ren stared each other down. His instincts screamed that his opponent was terrifyingly strong, but that only made him more excited.
Whoosh!
Natsu's hands ignited with flames as he dropped into a battle stance.
"Awesome! This means I can go all out without holding back!"
"Begin!" Makarov announced.
"Raaargh!"
Natsu stomped his foot and shot toward Ren, his flame-wreathed claws swinging. Ren just stood there, hands still in his pockets, as if he hadn't even reacted. Just as many thought the match was over...
Shing!
Ren's body suddenly vanished. The next instant, he appeared behind Natsu and kicked him square in the back.
"Uwaaah!"
Kicked off balance, Natsu tumbled forward.
"So fast!"
"Is that teleportation magic?"
In everyone's eyes, it was as if Ren had teleported right behind Natsu.
Makarov shook his head. "No, it's not teleportation. It's an extremely advanced high-speed movement technique. He's just so fast that it looks like teleportation."
Makarov was inwardly shocked. The speed was incredible. He had only barely managed to see a faint afterimage, which was how he knew it wasn't teleportation. True teleportation, after all, leaves no trace.
"What?!"
Jet was stunned. His magic was High Speed; he was the fastest runner in Fairy Tail. But Ren was even faster than him? That was insane!
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu scrambled to his feet and lunged at Ren, his fist wreathed in fire.
Ren raised his left palm.
Smack!
Natsu's fist struck Ren's palm.
Everyone expected Ren to be sent flying, but another shocking sight followed: Ren stood his ground, perfectly stable, not moving an inch.
"He blocked it?!!"
They had all seen the power of Natsu's Iron Fist—it could shatter solid rock with ease. Yet, Ren had solidly blocked that immense force with one palm. What kind of monster was this guy?
Ren closed his grip on Natsu's fist and, with a powerful twist, threw him.
Whoosh---!
Natsu's body flew out of control.
"Uwaaaah!"
KRACHA---!
Natsu smashed right through a large rock.
Natsu leaped up, taking a deep breath. His chest swelled as he gathered magical power in his throat.
Ren pointed his index finger at Natsu. Emerald-green spiritual energy condensed at his fingertip, forming a high-density, green orb.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!!"
FWOOOSH----!
A terrifying storm of fire blasted straight toward Ren.
"Cero!"
VMM----SHOOOOOM----!
A beam of emerald-green energy shot from Ren's finger, meeting the roar head-on.
BOOOOOOOM------!!
The crimson firestorm and the emerald Cero clashed, and the collision of the two immense energies instantly produced a terrifying shockwave.
"Waaaaah!"
"Gyaaaah!"
The shockwave blasted outward. Many of the guild members screamed, and some were even blown off their feet by the force.
A moment later, the blast subsided. A massive crater now scarred the ground between Ren and Natsu, the result of their clashing energies.
Ren appeared completely unharmed. Natsu, however, was injured and finally collapsed, unable to stay standing.
In that clash of attacks, Ren had clearly held the upper hand.
"The match is decided! The winner is Ren!"
Makarov announced Ren's victory, inwardly astonished. He never expected Ren's power to be so immense. Judging by appearances, Ren looked like an ordinary person with no real training.
But after using his Take Over, he was like a different person—calm, cold, and clearly a battle-hardened veteran.
"The newbie actually won?!"
"He actually beat Natsu!"
"He's too strong! That's already the level of an S-Class Mage, right?"
"Definitely! Only an S-Class Mage could beat Natsu!"
"He's a monster!"
Hearing Makarov declare the winner, the guild members finally snapped out of their shock. The new guy had actually won.
Even though most of them had lost their bets, they were all incredibly excited. The guild had just gained another S-Class-level powerhouse. This was absolutely fantastic news.
Ren let out a breath and released his transformation, reverting to his original form. His magic power was completely drained. If that fight hadn't ended quickly, the one who lost would have been him.
But he was also incredibly excited. He had just defeated Natsu, the main character! As expected of Ulquiorra, in his mind the true number one Espada. This victory gave him a massive confidence boost.
Ren walked over to Natsu and extended a hand, pulling him to his feet.
Although Natsu had lost his ability to fight, his injuries weren't serious. He could have kept going, but it would have been an ugly battle. Ren had completely overpowered him in every aspect—speed, strength, and attack power. Natsu couldn't see any path to victory, so he hadn't bothered struggling and just accepted the loss.
"You're crazy strong! Just like that monster Erza! Next time, I'm gonna beat you!"
Even in defeat, Natsu wasn't discouraged in the slightest. It just meant he had one more person to surpass, which only fired up his fighting spirit even more.
"Sure."
Ren nodded. He knew he had won by a fluke this time. But as a man, he had no intention of losing to anyone else, either—not even the main character, Natsu.
Everyone headed back into the guild hall, excitedly discussing the battle they had just witnessed.
Cana was gleefully counting her winnings. This week's booze money was secured. If she'd known Ren was this strong, she would've kept her mouth shut; she could have made even more.
"What am I gonna do? There's another monster! When will a real man like Elfman ever become an S-Class Mage?! OOOOH! A real man's path to S-Class is just too hard!" Elfman clutched his head and wailed. Everyone in Fairy Tail was a monster! Erza, Mira, Mystogan... he'd finally seen them all make S-Class, and now another Ren shows up.
Gray shot back, "You talk as if you'd actually make S-Class if Ren hadn't shown up. You haven't even qualified for the trial yet."
Ren was indeed a monster, and his chances of becoming S-Class were high. But one could just avoid him. At worst, it just meant waiting another year.
Cana's face froze when she heard that. She had qualified for the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial for three years in a row. The first year, she ran into that monster, Erza, and was eliminated. The second year, she ran into that monster, Mira, and was eliminated. The third year was supposedly easier, but she was eliminated without even seeing her opponent, Mystogan.
And now this year, there was Ren. She had watched his entire fight. Against him, she would probably lead
lose even more decisively than against the other three. Did this mean she had to wait another year? Just the thought of it ruined her mood.