Chapter 36: Why Not Just Kill Him?
Ren's mind was reeling. "P-p-purple?! It's purple?!"
He had been braced for a white card, a blue at best. His luck without Lucy was notoriously bad. But this... this was a miracle.
The scene in his mind continued. The dazzling purple light pulsed before the card flipped, revealing the character he had drawn. Ren's breath caught in his throat.
"It's actually him!!!"
The man depicted on the card was menacing and utterly unique. He had deep, chilling blue hair, a face that seemed more shark-like than human, with gill-slits on his cheeks and rows of razor-sharp teeth. His skin was a pale, grayish-blue, and his golden pupils were small and predatory. He wore the black, high-collared Akatsuki cloak, adorned with its signature red clouds, and a scratched Hidden Mist Village headband was perched on his forehead. Slung on his back was a huge, bandage-wrapped greatsword, pulsing with a life of its own.
Hoshigaki Kisame!
[Akarin's Note: Hoshigaki Kisame is a major antagonist from the Naruto series. A member of the Akatsuki and partnered with Itachi Uchiha, he was known as the "Monster of the Hidden Mist" and the "Tailed Beast without a Tail" due to his monstrous chakra levels and his sentient, chakra-devouring sword, Samehada.]
That's right! The character Ren drew this time was Hoshigaki Kisame, a member of the Akatsuki from Naruto.
Kisame first appeared as Itachi's partner, and in Naruto, he was considered a major villain with a significant role. He wasn't just a brute; his strength was terrifying. His chakra reserves were so vast they were compared to a Tailed Beast's, and his mastery of Water-Style jutsu was on a scale that could create entire lakes from nothing.
Although he was a villain, Ren remembered him as a villain who upheld his own twisted beliefs from beginning to end. He was a true shinobi, ruthless and dedicated.
Knowing he couldn't escape his final capture, he chose to summon sharks to devour himself, committing suicide to protect the Akatsuki's intelligence. That final, brutal act of loyalty had left a deep impression on Ren; he was, in his own way, a true man.
However, this was not the time for him to recall the plot.
The crucial point was that he now had a purple character card. This meant he didn't need to sacrifice one of his invaluable, irreplaceable golden character cards. The relief that flooded him was almost as potent as the magic power he was about to receive.
Ren immediately clicked on Hoshigaki Kisame's character card, his finger decisively tapping the 'Recycle' option.
[Ding! Do you want to recycle the rare (Purple) character card Hoshigaki Kisame?]
"Yes!"
[Ding! Recycling successful, gained Magic Power ★★!]
Suddenly!
It was not a trickle, but a deluge. Ren felt a powerful, roaring surge of Ethernano pour into his body. It was like a dried-up riverbed being struck by a tsunami. His magic circuits, completely drained by the Cero Oscuras just moments ago, were not only refilled in an instant but were stretched, widened, and forcibly expanded.
The "Magic Power ★★" was not just a simple refill; it was a permanent and significant increase to his magic power limit.
He took a deep, steadying breath, the feeling of absolute exhaustion vanishing. The weakness that had plagued him on the wall was gone, replaced by a thrumming, overflowing power that made his very skin tingle.
Down on the battlefield, the scene was one of total despair.
"Humans from 400 years later are still so pathetically weak!" Alazam, the Magic Dragon, chuckled. He still held the King by the neck, lifting him several inches off the ground. The King's face was a deep purple, his legs kicking feebly.
"But watching you grovel and struggle... it's really, really interesting, hahahaha!!"
"Your Majesty the King!!"
Many soldiers, their faces streaked with tears of rage and terror, still tried to rush forward, their swords raised. They were blasted back by a simple, invisible wave of Alazam's magic pressure before they could even get within ten meters.
"Run!!" the King choked out, using his last ounce of air to roar a final command. "Notify all citizens!! Everyone, run now!! Don't let a single person remain in this country!!"
He roared loudly, his eyes screwed shut in agony. Seeing that the carefully crafted Dragon-Slaying Sword was shattered like glass, and even the strongest ultimate moves of the 9-Star Swordsmen couldn't break the opponent's defense, the King finally, truly realized that the legends recorded in the kingdom's books were all true.
Any Giant Dragon could easily wipe out a country.
Such a creature was simply not something humans could ever defeat.
So he could only let everyone in the kingdom escape. Save as many as possible. This country... his beloved Sobelia... was already finished.
"Escape?" Alazam's voice was laced with sadistic amusement. "Do you think you can escape? By all means, you can try to run."
The purple-haired young man licked his lips, his reptilian eyes glowing. "It will only make the hunt more exhilarating. I was so famished. Now, I am ready to feast."
The soldiers and knights froze, their blood turning to ice. The command to run was meaningless. Where could they go that a dragon couldn't follow?
Suddenly!
In the midst of the terrified sobs and the dragon's mocking laughter, a new voice rang out. It was calm, clear, and utterly out of place.
"Excuse me! Can you put down His Majesty the King? He is my client."
Everyone was stunned into silence upon hearing this voice. They all turned in the direction it came from, only to see a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes walking calmly down the steps from the city wall, his hands in his pockets.
"Mr. Ren!!!"
Many people immediately recognized him. This was the strong individual who had just displayed unimaginable power, single-handedly eliminating five 9-Star Demonic Beasts in a short amount of time.
If it had been before, seeing Ren appear would have made them feel a surge of hope. But now, after witnessing the vast, unbridgeable difference between a Giant Dragon and humans, they only felt a deeper despair. It was like watching their last, flickering candle be brought before a hurricane.
"Oh, it's you!" Alazam's eyes lit up with genuine interest. He loosened his grip, and the King dropped to the ground, gasping and coughing violently. The dragon ignored him, his full attention now on Ren.
"I saw your performance just now. That black energy blast... your strength is not bad. Not bad at all, for a human." Alazam tilted his head, a predatory smile on his face. "Your power is already comparable to a lower-tier Giant Dragon."
"If you belonged to the Dragon race, you might even pose a slight threat to me," he continued, "but as a mere human, no matter how strong you are, without Dragon Power, you can't harm me at all. You saw what happened to your 'champions'."
He spread his arms wide, a gesture of magnanimous offer. "I have just seen the light of day again and naturally need some powerful subordinates. You are just right. Surrender to me. Swear your loyalty, and I can let you live. I'll even grant you the honor of feasting with me."
"Ren, run!!"
Erza, who was slumped against a pile of rubble, pushed herself up onto one arm, her voice cracking. "Run, please! Don't listen to him!"
She deeply, deeply regretted involving Ren at this moment. If she hadn't been so stubborn, so insistent on taking an S-Class Quest by herself, Ren wouldn't have been assigned by the guild master to follow her. He wouldn't have been caught in this certain-death situation.
Tears of guilt and helplessness streamed down her face, cutting paths through the grime and blood. "This is my fault! I led you here! The Giant Dragon's strength is too great... it's not something humans can compare to. Just go! Save yourself!"
Ren didn't even look at the dragon. He walked calmly past the cowering soldiers, his footsteps the only sound on the battlefield, and stopped at Erza's side.
He bent down, and with a gentleness that defied the situation, he slid one arm under her back and the other under her knees. He lifted her—armored and all—as if she weighed nothing.
"..."
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence for a moment. Even Alazam just watched, his eyebrow raised in amusement.
Ren carried Erza back towards the city wall, setting her down gently against the stone rampart, next to a terrified but unharmed soldier.
"Ren… you… What are you doing? Run!" Erza whispered, grabbing his sleeve.
Ren gave Erza a brilliant, reassuring smile. It was so bright and confident that it completely stunned her. "Don't worry! I'll handle this guy."
After Ren finished speaking, he turned around. He looked at the purple-haired young man, who was watching him with a curious, predatory interest, wanting to see what new, pathetic trick this human would pull off.
Ren stepped forward, walking calmly onto the open battlefield. He stepped towards the purple-haired young man, muttering to himself as he walked:
"Full Body Assimilation: Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!"
As Ren took his first step, his irises bled from black to a deep, clear crimson, holding an ancient, unreadable calm.
As Ren took his second step, his very features seemed to shift. His face subtly matured, sharpening, taking on an air of profound, serene power. From his ears, simple paper hanafuda earrings, bearing a red sun, materialized and dangled.
[Akarin's Note: Hanafuda earrings are the signature earrings worn by Yoriichi Tsugikuni (and later Tanjiro Kamado) in the Demon Slayer series. They are a symbol of the Sun Breathing style.]
As Ren took his third step, his black hair grew, cascading down his back, simultaneously bleeding into a deep, burning crimson. A high ponytail gathered it, letting the rest flow freely.
As Ren took his fourth step, his modern clothes dissolved in motes of light, replaced by the traditional, loose-fitting hakama and keikogi of a samurai.
As Ren took his fifth step, a vibrant red haori jacket settled over his shoulders, its fabric seeming to flow like liquid fire.
As Ren took his sixth step, a simple, elegant katana appeared at his waist, its hilt plain, its presence overwhelming.
As Ren took his seventh step, he stopped. A strange, crimson, flame-like mark—a Demon Slayer Mark—appeared on his left forehead, pulsing with a quiet, unimaginable power.
The transformation was complete.
Alazam's amused, curious smile had vanished. He was frowning. The overwhelming Ethernano signature that Ren had possessed just moments ago... was gone. It had vanished, as if a sun had been snuffed out. In its place was... nothing. Just a man.
And that nothing was more terrifying than any magic he had ever sensed.
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!!"
Watching Ren's transformation, everyone except the purple-haired young man was stunned into absolute shock.
This appearance, this posture, this presence... anyone who had seen the World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament today could not possibly forget it.
This was the man who had overwhelmingly, effortlessly crushed a host of 9-Star Swordsmen. This was the man who had become the World's Strongest Swordsman with an invincible, god-like demeanor.
Everyone had been curious about where he came from. A swordsman with such powerful swordsmanship must have been famous throughout the entire Ishgar continent. Yet, he was completely unknown.
Furthermore, after the tournament ended, Yoriichi Tsugikuni had disappeared. He didn't even appear during the demonic beast siege. Many people, in their fear, had thought he had fled.
Now they realized how wrong they were. He hadn't left at all. He had saved this country under another identity... and now he had appeared again.
"Yori… Yori… Mr. Yoriichi…" Arthur, the Sword Saint, stammered from the ground where he lay. He looked at the man in disbelief, unsure whether to call him Ren or Yoriichi Tsugikuni. At this moment, his mind was buzzing with a shock even greater than learning that the purple-haired young man was a Magic Dragon.
"Call me Ren," the man said. His voice was different now—calm, deep, and resonating with a quiet power. "Yoriichi Tsugikuni is my alias."
After all, it was someone else's name, and he felt somewhat unaccustomed to hearing it.
"Yes… Yes!"
"Mr. Ren… you… how could you…?" The old King, now being helped up by his guards, was also utterly bewildered. The hero who saved him from the beasts was also the tournament champion?
Ren turned his head, his crimson eyes landing on the King. The contrast was absurd. This god-like figure was talking about prize money.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty! I'm a bit poor, and I saw the prize money for the tournament was quite generous, so I participated. I didn't expect to accidentally win the championship. Can the championship prize money still be paid?"
"This… it can be paid, but the country is already…"
The old King was about to say it was all pointless. He wanted to pay the prize money, but now that the country was about to be destroyed, no amount of money would be useful.
Ren chuckled, a small, soft sound. "That's simple."
He turned his gaze forward, and for the first time, his calm, crimson eyes met the wary, golden eyes of the Magic Dragon.
Ren's hand came to rest on the hilt of his katana.
"Just kill him, and it'll be fine."
[Akarin Note:
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