Chapter 70: I'm Not Playing With You Anymore
"Damn it!"
The giant monster's huge, tree-root-like claw swiped at Ren, moving with a speed that defied its massive size. The attack was meant to swat him like a fly.
Crack—!
Ren didn't even dodge. He simply swung the new rail he was holding, shattering the monster's claw into a shower of splinters and dark, magical energy.
"What?!" Lullaby's three-eyed skull face contorted in shock. Its claws were hard as steel; how had he...
Ren stomped his foot on the ground.
Boom—!!!!
The entire valley floor shook. All the surrounding rails, which had been ripped from the ground by Ren's earlier attack, were shaken and blasted into the air. Dozens of multi-ton steel beams now hung suspended for a fraction of a second, surrounding Lullaby like a cage of spears.
"You like to play with big toys?" Ren's voice was a cold drawl. "Then let's play."
He used both his fists and feet, his body becoming a blur of motion. He began to continuously strike the ends of the floating rails, his movements so fast it looked like he had a dozen arms. Each "tap" was a super-human, concussive force, launching the steel beams at high speed towards Lullaby.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"No! Stop!"
Crack! Crack!!
Lullaby's massive body was constantly pierced and broken by the rain of steel. The rails, moving like cannonballs, punched clean through its wooden torso, shattering its form, and pinning its limbs to the wreckage of the train behind it.
"GAAAAHHHH!"
Before the monster could even try to reform, Ren's figure appeared directly in front of its "head," his body rocketing upward with a single, powerful leap.
"Sorry," Ren said, his cold eyes staring into Lullaby's. "I'm short on time, so I won't play with you anymore!"
He gripped the first rail, the one still impaled in its mouth, with both hands.
"Go to hell!"
He used it as a lever, putting all his weight and strength into a downward slam, smashing it down towards the monster's head.
Boom—!!!!
Crack—!!!
The Lullaby monster's head, along with its entire upper body, was completely smashed, split into two halves by Ren's single, brutal blow.
Rumble—!!!!
Lullaby's massive body, now just a collection of splintered, dark wood, crashed down onto the wrecked train, its magical energy dissipating into the air with a final, mournful wail.
Kageyama, who had been watching from the ground, his body trembling, watched everything before him in abject shock. He finally, truly understood what kind of monster his guild, Eisenwald, had been fighting. How could Eisenwald possibly defeat such a monster? This wasn't a Mage. This was a god of destruction. This was the Tyrant.
Bang!
Ren landed on the ground, his body steaming slightly. He let his Toji transformation dispel, returning to his original form.
The moment his normal form returned, he winced, hissing through his teeth.
"Ow ow ow!!"
Ren gritted his teeth, feeling a sharp, tearing pain in his muscles, especially his shoulders, back, and legs. Although his physical fitness had greatly improved over the past six months due to his own training and practicing Sun Breathing, he still experienced severe muscle strain and pain every time he used Fushiguro Toji's power.
The "Heavenly Restriction" gave him absolute, superhuman physical prowess, but his normal body, the "vessel," still had to pay the price for channeling that power. As stylish as the transformation was, the aftermath of dispelling it was always messy.
"Sigh! I knew it," he groaned, rubbing his shoulder. "I should have finished it sooner!"
Every time Ren used Fushiguro Toji's power, he regretted not ending the battle instantly. But the feeling... the power... it was intoxicating.
This feeling is actually quite understandable, much like a gamer. If you push the opponent's high ground with a 20-0 record, and only their crystal remains, at that point, should you push the crystal or mess around a bit longer? Many people would certainly say they'd push the crystal, but in reality, ninety percent of people would choose to continue messing around, to "style" on them, even thinking, "I can counter-kill" when they're on low health.
This was even more true for Ren when he used Toji's power. That immense, overwhelming physical strength made him want to show off his skills to the fullest.
Soon, the sound of a roaring, high-speed engine echoed through the valley. A magical four-wheeled vehicle sped over the rocky terrain, skidding to a halt nearby.
The door flew open, and Erza leaped out, her sword already in her hand.
"Ren! Are you alright?!" she came up to Ren, her eyes wide as she scanned the absolute devastation—the field of broken, groaning bodies, the completely destroyed train, and the massive, splintered corpse of the Lullaby demon.
Ren, who was leaning against a piece of wreckage, waved his hand. "Don't worry. What could happen to me?"
"It's great that you're alright!" Erza said, her stern facade breaking in a smile of pure relief. She happily, and with considerable force, patted Ren's shoulder.
Ren gasped, his face going pale. "Hiss~~~! Ow ow ow!!"
"Hurts? Are you injured?" Erza quickly asked, her expression snapping back to one of concern as she began inspecting him for wounds.
"No, no, I'm fine!" Ren said, wincing and moving away from her touch. "It's just... the movements during the Take Over were a bit intense. After dispelling it, I have some muscle strain. I'll be fine after a short rest."
Sun Breathing itself had a body-restoring effect. As long as the injury wasn't too severe, things like muscle strain could recover quickly.
Erza breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good!"
Lucy got out of the magical four-wheeled vehicle at this moment, her hand over her mouth as she stared at the scene before her in shock.
"What... what exactly happened here?!"
The massive train was now in ruins. All the members of Eisenwald had fallen, their bodies broken and scattered among the wreckage, moaning in pools of their own blood. The ground was destroyed, the rails were torn up and scattered like javelins... and there was also a giant, 50-meter-tall monster split in half, lying on top of the train.
"What... what is that giant monster?!"
Especially seeing this huge and terrifying demon, Lucy was stunned. Such a terrifying monster looked incredibly scary at first glance.
"That?" Ren said, following her gaze. "That's Lullaby."
"Lullaby?!!"
Erza and the others were greatly surprised. This monster was actually the flute, Lullaby.
Lucy was greatly shocked, her mind reeling. Did this mean Ren alone... in the hour it took them to catch up... had defeated so many people from the Eisenwald Guild and also eliminated this monster, Lullaby?
Just then, a new sound came from afar. The sound of shouting, and a large number of footsteps.
"Quick! Quickly surround this place! Don't let anyone escape!"
The group looked in the direction of the sound and saw a large army, the regular Rune Knights, rapidly approaching over the hills.
Ren, who had just been a rampaging, god-like "Tyrant," immediately changed his expression to one of panic. "Oh no! It's the army! Run!!"
After speaking, Ren, despite his muscle pain, skillfully and quickly jumped onto the magical four-wheeled vehicle. Erza, not needing to be told twice, immediately sat in the driver's seat and put on the SE-plugs.
"Huh?! Running again?!" Lucy yelped.
She felt as if she hadn't joined a "legitimate" guild at all. Otherwise, why would they always have to run away every time they encountered the army?
However, she was smarter this time. Despite her words, her escape speed was not slow at all. She scrambled into the back, pulling Natsu (who was still unconscious) and Happy in with her. Even though she hadn't done anything this time, she didn't want to be caught by the army for interrogation. She still hadn't found a way to pay her rent this month!
"Hold on tight!" Erza shouted.
She floored the accelerator, and the vehicle, in a cloud of dust, quickly turned around and escaped, leaving behind a group of confused and cursing soldiers.
Meanwhile, at the Guild Master Alliance Regular Meeting...
In a grand hall in Clover Town, the meeting was already halfway through. All the Guild Masters from the region were gathered for a banquet, chatting, drinking, and exchanging pleasantries.
"Makarov, my old friend! The Mages in your guild are very lively, aren't they?" Bob, the Master of the Blue Pegasus Guild, said to Makarov with an envious expression, fanning his face. "That's great! I heard that they beat a certain influential person to a pulp just last week."
Bob and Makarov were old acquaintances. They had even been in Fairy Tail together when they were young, before Bob left to open his own guild. The local regular meeting was a joint conference on one hand, and a gathering of old friends on the other.
Makarov, a drink in his hand, laughed. "Oh! This is our newcomer, Lucy's, masterpiece!! She's a feisty one! And especially her chest, it's amazing!"
"Oh, you pervert," Bob giggled.
"Makarov!" Goldmine, the Master of the Quatro Cerberus Guild, warned, his voice a low growl. "Having spirit is a good thing, but don't you think you're going too far? There are always people on the Council worrying that Fairy Tail will destroy an entire city someday."
"Alright, then let it happen!" Makarov cackled, now a bit drunk. "Let me be crushed by Lucy's chest!" He stood on the table and began to dance gracefully, much to the embarrassment of the other masters.
The Blue Pegasus Master, cupping his face, said with a shy expression: "Really, Makarov... how can you make a move on a Mage from your own guild?"
Just then, a small, magical bird flew over, carrying a letter. "Master Makarov, a letter from Miss Mirajane has arrived for you."
"Hmm?"
Makarov, wobbling, opened the letter with some confusion. A miniature, glowing image of Mira appeared on the letter, greeting him with a radiant smile: "Master, you've worked hard."
"How about it?!" Makarov roared, proudly displaying the image to the other masters. "Look at our signboard girl!! Isn't she beautiful!! The jewel of Fairy Tail!"
The old men around him, though old in age, were young at heart. Seeing how beautiful and adorable Mira was, they all became a bit lecherous.
"While you were away, Master," Mira's image continued, "something incredible happened in the guild. Erza actually teamed up with Ren again! Isn't that great?"
At the mention of those two names together, the hall went quiet.
"The reason is that Erza needed Ren's help with something. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but I felt it was necessary to report it to you, so I wrote this letter. Over and out!"
After Mira's image finished speaking these words, it instantly disappeared.
Makarov, who had been laughing, suddenly froze. The blood drained from his face.
"Erza... and Ren...?"
"Oh, dear," Bob said, his fan snapping shut. "Those two? Together?"
"Makarov," Goldmine said, his voice grim. "The last time those two teamed up... didn't they slay a dragon and level half a mountain range?"
"I heard the Council is still paying for the damages!" another master chimed in.
"Makarov," Bob said, his voice now serious. "You'd better pray for your guild hall... and your wallet."
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