Chapter 8: That's It?
"You bastard! You dared to kill Monca! Go to hell!"
Seeing the blond man killed, the other Marauders immediately attacked Ren.
"Great Flame Ball!"
The man with the afro launched a massive fireball at Ren.
"Bala!"
Ren raised his hand and fired a Cero Bala. The man's fireball had only just left his hand when Ren's Bala, moving faster, struck it dead on.
BOOM----!
The two energies collided and exploded.
"Gwaaaah!"
The man with the afro was sent flying by the blast.
Ren stated flatly, "Eleven left."
"Bastard!"
All the remaining Phantom Marauders were enraged. They had underestimated Ren because he looked young, but he had just taken out two of their members in the blink of an eye.
Most importantly, he had done it so effortlessly. The sense of danger he exuded made their hair stand on end.
"Wind Blades!"
Another man thrust his hand forward, unleashing a barrage of sharp wind sickles.
Sonído!
Ren's body vanished again. The next instant, he appeared in front of the man.
Splurch----!
"Waaggh!"
Before the man could even react, Ren's sword slashed across his body. A spray of blood erupted from his chest as he collapsed.
"Ten left."
Ren then pointed his index finger at a group of them.
Emerald-green light began to condense at his fingertip, forming a small, green orb of energy.
"I'll block it!"
"Earth-Make: Wall!"
Rumble!
The ground surged upward, forming a thick earthen wall in front of the mages.
"Cero!"
VMM~~~~! SHOOOOOM----!!
A beam of emerald-green energy shot from Ren's finger, rapidly expanding.
BOOM----!!
The instant the Cero touched the earthen wall, it was obliterated.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Gyaaaaaah!"
Four members of the Phantom Marauders were caught in the blast and vaporized, leaving a massive trench carved into the ground.
"Six left."
"Die!"
A man in a tight-fitting suit, looking like a ninja, appeared silently behind Ren, stabbing a dagger straight at his heart.
"Ren, look out!" Elfman shouted from the house, but he was too late.
The dagger struck Ren's back. Just as everyone thought Ren was finished...
KRAK---!
Ren was completely unharmed. The assassin's blade, however, had shattered.
"What?!"
The assassin was stunned. He immediately tried to pull back and retreat.
Smack!
A hand clamped down directly onto his face. He felt an irresistible, monstrous strength slam his head straight into the ground.
BOOM----!!
The pavement cratered. Ren released his grip. The assassin's eyes had rolled back into his head, and he was unconscious.
"Five left."
"M... Monster!"
The remaining members were terrified. Magic explosions didn't work. Blades couldn't pierce his skin. What was this guy if not a monster? How were they supposed to fight a monster like this?
"Keep attacking! If one hit doesn't work, hit him ten times! A hundred times! I don't believe we can't kill this monster!"
The remaining men scattered, attacking Ren from all sides.
"A futile struggle."
Ren flickered. In a series of flashes, the last four fell to the ground.
These mages, capable of wiping out an entire platoon of Rune Knights, were undeniably strong. In any other guild, they would be elite.
But in front of Ren, they didn't even have a chance to fight back. Speed, strength, attack, defense—Ren was on a completely different level in every category. Not one of them had lasted a single exchange.
"One left."
"Clap. Clap. Clap."
Camille, the leader, who had been watching from the sidelines since the fight began, started to applaud.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"Kid, to have this kind of power at your age... it's remarkable."
Ren fixed his gaze on Camille. "All your comrades are dead. Is it right for you to be so happy?"
"Comrades?" Camille scoffed. "Only the strong can be my comrades. They weren't even my original team. They just killed my previous comrades and took their place."
"Kid, you have such incredible power. Don't you think it's a waste to use it slogging away at these pathetic jobs?"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what should I be doing?"
"Joining me, of course!"
"What's in it for me?"
"Benefits?! Hahaha! The benefits are endless! Join me, and together we will overthrow the Magic Council! We will create a world that we rule! The entire world will be ours! You will be free to do whatever you want. Money, status, fame, power, women! Anything you desire will be yours!"
Ren said flatly, "That's enough."
"What? Already decided to join me?"
"Of course... I refuse."
"What?!"
Ren sneered. "I thought you were going to say something impressive. But... that's it? You just wasted two minutes of my time. You spin this pretty fantasy, but you're a 'leader' with no one left to lead, and you think you can trick me into joining you? Do you think you're some kind of main character? Overthrow the Council? Rule the world? You're hopelessly arrogant."
Camille's face darkened. "Kid, I invited you because I appreciate talent. If you refuse, then the only path left for you is death!"
Ren's voice was ice-cold. "Sorry. I'm in a hurry. Why don't you die instead?"
Sonído!
WHOOSH----!
Ren appeared at Camille's side, his sword slashing down.
Just as the blade was about to make contact, the space around Camille warped. The blade's trajectory bent, turning back on its wielder. Ren dodged instantly.
Pfft!
Even with his speed, he wasn't fast enough. The distorted blade stabbed straight through his shoulder.
"Hm?"
Ren was genuinely surprised. This, he had not expected.
He rapidly retreated, pointing his right index finger at Camille as emerald energy condensed.
"Cero!"
VMM~~~! SHOOOOOM----!!
The green beam of energy shot directly at Camille.
Camille didn't even move.
Just as the Cero was about to hit him... it suddenly twisted, turned 180 degrees, and shot back at Ren.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Cero tore through the street, destroying every building in its path, carving a massive channel of destruction.
Ren's figure appeared a short distance away. The moment the Cero had turned, he had used Sonído to escape its path.
Camille chuckled. "What a pity. If your reaction had been just a little slower, that would have gone through your head, not your arm."
"Ren, are you okay?! You bastard!" Elfman roared, his right arm transforming into a beast-claw, ready to jump in.
"Stay back!" Ren ordered, raising his hand. "Protect the client! I'm fine."
Camille sneered. "Fine? Kid, your right arm is useless. I'll give you one last chance. Join me. Become my subordinate. Otherwise, not only will you die, but your friend will die, too."
Ren ignored him. He gripped the blade embedded in his shoulder with both hands and slowly pulled it out. The instant the sword was free, the wound began to heal at a visible rate. In a matter of seconds, the hole was gone, the skin completely repaired as if he had never been injured at all.
This guy...
Camille's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Ren to possess a high-speed healing ability.
"Your magic... is it Space Magic?" Ren asked, looking at Camille.
Camille sneered. "That's right! My magic is Space Magic. Any attack will be distorted by me. Kid, your speed is impressive, and your attacks are sharp, but they can't touch me."
Ren nodded. "Is that so? I understand."
"Understand...?" Camille was confused. What did he understand?
"Sonído!"
Ren's figure vanished, reappearing in front of Camille in the next instant, his sword slashing down.
It was the same attack. Camille's face twisted in contempt. "Kid, I told you, your attacks can't..."
Splurch!
Before Camille could finish, his body was sliced in two.
"Wh... What?!" Camille gurgled, looking down at his own bisected body in utter disbelief.
Ren said flatly, "You were right. My attack was distorted. But... all I had to do was predict the distorted trajectory and attack from that new angle. It wasn't hard."
"You...!"
Camille tried to say something else, but his consciousness faded into darkness.