Chapter 72: Ren vs. Erza
The Eisenwald surprise attack on the Guild Master's regular meeting—this terrifying incident spread throughout the entire Kingdom of Fiore overnight.
This was because it was the first time in modern history anyone had dared to launch a large-scale, coordinated terrorist attack specifically targeting a local Guild Master conference. The Weekly Sorcerer headlines were explosive: "EISENWALD DEFEATED! GUILD MASTERS SAVED!" and, more shockingly, "THE TYRANT'S TRUE IDENTITY: A FAIRY TAIL MAGE!"
The name 'Tyrant' was brought up again, and only then did everyone realize that the 'Tyrant,' already famous throughout the Ishgar continent for annihilating the 10,000-strong Rocas Bandit Group, was actually a member of the Fairy Tail Guild. This revelation greatly astonished many people and sent a shockwave through the magic world.
This time, the Magic Council, in a move that was quite uncharacteristic—no, in fact, it was completely unprecedented—publicly praised Fairy Tail. The destruction caused by Ren, which included an entire train and a significant portion of the railway, was left unresolved. The Council announced it would be bearing all the losses from the battle as a "necessary cost" of preventing a kingdom-wide disaster.
To be honest, Ren felt a bit embarrassed.
He sat at the Fairy Tail bar, nursing a drink while the guild celebrated around him, and couldn't help but sigh. With his abilities, he could have easily boarded the train. He could have been surgical, disabling the mages one by one and pulling off a 'World Without Thieves' scenario.
Then, at the next station, he could have handed over those guys from the Eisenwald Guild directly to the army, neat and clean.
However, the moment he received Fushiguro Toji, it was as if another personality awoke. That cold, efficient, and brutally pragmatic side of him had taken over. He became somewhat out of control, driven by pure, overwhelming physical prowess and an instinct to end the threat in the most direct way possible. He himself couldn't predict what kind of actions he would take.
It wasn't just Fushiguro Toji. Receiving other characters also, to varying degrees, influenced him with the original character's personality. Ace's fiery honor, Yoriichi's serene calm, Whitebeard's paternal protectiveness... and Toji's destructive, uncaring efficiency. He was becoming a collection of legends, and he was worried he was losing "Ren" in the process.
At this moment, in a quiet apartment she was still struggling to afford, Lucy was writing a letter, detailing all the big and small things that had happened to her.
"Dear Mom," she wrote, dipping her pen in the ink. "You won't believe the last few days. It turns out that new friend I told you about, Ren? He's the 'Tyrant'! The one the papers were talking about, who defeated 10,000 bandits! It's crazy! He's so calm and nice in the guild, but he single-handedly destroyed an entire Dark Guild and a giant demon called Lullaby... and then he got praised for it!"
"I've finally joined Fairy Tail, Mom. It's... it's even more chaotic than I dreamed. Everyone is loud, they fight all the time, and they break everything. But... they're also like a real family. I've already made so many friends. I think... I'm really going to be happy here."
Suddenly!
A small, blue cat flew in through her window in an absolute panic.
"Oh no!! Lucy!! Natsu is almost done for!!"
"What?!"
Lucy's face changed drastically when she heard Happy's words. She dropped her pen, spattering ink. "What's going on?! He was fine this morning! He's as strong as a monster; how could he suddenly be on his last legs?!"
"It's bad, Lucy! Really bad!" Happy wailed, fake tears streaming from his eyes. "It seems he got motion sickness yesterday, too many times, and now he can't recover! He's almost done for! He's at Ren's house, and Mira is trying to help, but... but he's not moving! Come with me to see him!"
"Motion sickness is making him done for?!"
Lucy had never heard of someone dying from motion sickness. Of course, when one is motion sick, they certainly look like they're on their last legs. And yesterday... he rode a train, then Erza's high-speed magic vehicle for several wild rides... It seemed Natsu hadn't gotten off a vehicle all day.
"Alright! Let's go quickly!!"
Lucy immediately followed Happy, her heart pounding with worry. They soon arrived in front of a slightly larger, nicer house than her own—Ren's home.
"Natsu!! Are you alright..."
Lucy opened the door and rushed in, bracing herself for a tragic sight.
Just as she opened the door...
Bang, bang, bang!!
Small firecrackers exploded, scattering a cloud of colorful confetti onto Lucy's face.
Lucy couldn't help but stare blankly. She saw many people gathered in the house, all her familiar Guild companions. Natsu was in the middle, grinning, holding a piece of chicken and looking perfectly healthy. What on earth was going on?
Levy McGarden smiled and ran up to Lucy. "Lu-chan! Welcome to Fairy Tail! This is a welcome party everyone prepared for you!"
"A... welcome party?" Lucy said, stunned, brushing confetti from her hair.
"Yes!" Mira said, walking over with a tray of drinks. "This is a tradition of our Fairy Tail. When you first came, we were all a bit distracted by the Eisenwald incident. Now that we're all familiar, of course, we have to prepare a proper welcome party for you."
Hearing this, Lucy's face showed an expression of surprise and deep emotion. She felt her eyes sting. "Everyone..."
"Hmph! What welcome party?" a voice cut in. Ren, leaning against a wall, unceremoniously exposed them. "If it were really a welcome party, why wouldn't you hold it somewhere else, like the guild hall? I think you all just wanted a reasonable excuse to freeload on my food and drinks."
That's right, this was Ren's home. These guys, under the guise of holding a welcome party for Lucy, had come to Ren's house to freeload.
Cana, already hugging a barrel of wine, said with a laugh, "Everyone's just used to coming here! Besides, there aren't any other homes like yours that are quiet, spacious, and have such a good environment... and such expensive booze!"
Mira also smiled and said, "Well, well! Don't worry about those things, Ren. You know you love it. As long as everyone's happy, it's fine!"
"Party! Party!!" Natsu and Happy shouted.
Everyone raised their hands and cheered.
Soon, everyone was bustling about. They were thick-skinned and didn't pay much attention to Ren's words. They also knew that although Ren said such things, he didn't actually mind at all and, in fact, often took the initiative to invite everyone to gather.
Soon, the party atmosphere grew even livelier. Those with special talents began to show them off to liven up the mood. Gray used his Ice-Make to create intricate, dancing sculptures of the guild members. Cana amazed Lucy with a series of complex, magic-infused card tricks. Elfman... just flexed and shouted "MANLY!" to overwhelming cheers.
Cheers from everyone were constant. Lucy, from childhood to adulthood, had never experienced such a joyous, chaotic, and warm atmosphere. She was truly growing to love this Guild more and more.
Just as the atmosphere was at its most fervent, and Natsu was trying to get a fire-breathing contest started...
Erza, who had been quietly eating a slice of strawberry cake, suddenly stood up.
The music stopped. The laughter died.
Swish!
With a flash of light, Erza requipped a simple, unadorned longsword from her spatial storage. She gave it a single, expert flick. The sword flipped several times in the air before embedding itself, thud, into the wooden floor directly in front of Ren.
The entire house went dead silent.
Erza looked directly at Ren, her gaze sharp, her scarlet hair seeming to glow in the sudden quiet. "Ren. Let's have a showdown!!"
"..."
The air fell silent for a moment.
Ren looked at the quivering sword, then up at Erza's serious face. He smiled, and pulled the sword from the floor. "If that's what you want, then let's go."
Ren didn't refuse. To be honest, he also wanted to test how his current, base swordsmanship compared to Erza's, without a Take Over.
Immediately after!
Boom!!!!
"OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH!!"
"A DUEL! REN AND ERZA ARE DUELING!"
"I don't know how long it's been since we last saw one!!"
"This is amazing!! Someone get the betting pool!"
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!!" Natsu screamed, his sickness completely forgotten.
Everyone shouted and cheered excitedly. The spectacle of a duel between two S-Class Mages, two of the guild's absolute monsters, was the best entertainment possible.
"No... no way...?!! Those two?! Are they serious!!" Lucy's eyes widened. "In here?! They'll destroy the house!"
Elfman said, crossing his arms, "A duel of S-Class Mages is a duel of MEN! Of course it's for real! What kind of man would he be if he didn't go all out!!"
Mira, who was already directing people to move the furniture, smiled and said, "Erza is a girl, you know, Elfman."
"A monstrous woman," Max commented from a "safe" corner.
"Speaking of monsters," Gray said, stripping off his shirt out of habit, "Ren is the real monster."
He remembered that Ren had already displayed S-Class Mage strength when he first joined the Guild. And later, he just went on a rampage, with each achievement more terrifying than the last. 'Tyrant'... he still couldn't believe it.
Elfman said excitedly, "A battle between monsters! This is going to be incredibly exciting!"
"No way!! I don't want to see either of them lose!!" Lucy closed her eyes and waved her hands, as if she couldn't bear to watch the two duel.
Gray quipped, "Unexpectedly pure-hearted."
However, the duel wouldn't stop because of Lucy's pure-heartedness.
Soon, everyone had cleared a large space in Ren's living room for the two, allowing them to fight freely.
Ren looked at Erza and said, "How long has it been since our last duel?"
Erza, who had also drawn her own blade, replied, "Six months ago. After the Alazam incident. I was defeated by your single move."
She remembered it clearly. It was a perfect, flawless sword strike. That battle, though it lasted only a second, had greatly benefited her.
Six months ago, shortly after Ren and Erza completed that SS-Class Quest together, Erza, wanting to test the limits of this new "Sword God," had challenged Ren. He had accepted, and instantly defeated her with a single move after receiving Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The entire Guild was shocked at that time. They knew Ren was strong, but they never imagined he would be that strong, especially since his opponent was Erza, their unbeatable Queen.
Since then, Erza had been diligently, relentlessly, practicing her swordsmanship whenever she wasn't working. Her swordsmanship had now greatly improved.
"Do you have the confidence to defeat me now?" Ren asked, his smile fading as he settled into a ready stance.
"No," Erza said, her voice firm and her eyes blazing with a warrior's spirit. "But I want to test how big the gap between us still is."
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