Chapter 10: Fighting Mirajane! Loyalty!
Fairy Tail's strongest of the new generation versus a newcomer who had just joined.
Everyone in the guild watched with curiosity, but no one stepped in to stop it.
Even Makarov folded his arms, smiling as he watched.
"Kid, I won't go easy on you just because you're new!"
Mirajane smiled, looking down at Ren.
Ren did look intimidating—broad-shouldered, powerfully built, and taller than her by a head.
Seeing Mirajane eager to fight, Ren felt a spark of anticipation too.
He had been in this world for a while now, but he still hadn't truly fought a mage head-on.
"Erza, go stand to the side."
"Okay!"
Erza moved into the crowd, eyes full of expectation.
"Here I come, brat!"
Mirajane's body became wrapped in a magic circle.
"Take Over: Satan Soul!"
As the magic circle faded, Mirajane appeared again—like a demon.
"Now's not the time to stare!"
Mirajane called out and rushed straight at Ren.
Her sharp claws slashed toward Ren's arm, not aiming to kill—just to overpower him.
Under Observation Haki, every movement Mirajane made was crystal clear in Ren's mind.
The moment Mirajane entered striking range, Ren clenched his fist and threw a straight punch.
A bursting impact echoed across the open hall.
Mirajane had barely planted her feet when Ren's fist was already in front of her.
Her heart jolted. She hurriedly raised both arms to block.
In the next instant, intense pain exploded through her arms, and before she could even react, her body shot backward.
She slammed hard into a distant wall with a thunderous crash, freezing the surrounding guild members on the spot.
"Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding. Mirajane got sent flying!"
"Guild Master, where did you find a monster like that?"
"Mirajane can't be only this much, right?"
The chatter rose and fell, but Ren stayed calm, quietly watching the dust in the distance.
"It's not over!"
Mirajane beat her wings and shot out of the dust in a blink, a black magic sphere forming between her palms.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the sphere surged toward Ren.
It hit dead center.
"No way, something's wrong!"
"Go save him!"
"Why didn't the new guy dodge?!"
Seeing Ren take the hit head-on, the guild members panicked.
Those who knew Mirajane's power understood how dangerous that attack was, yet Ren had taken it directly.
"Stop worrying. Ren isn't as weak as you think."
Makarov wasn't the least bit flustered. He sat there calmly, eyes fixed on the rolling dust.
The members who were about to rush forward hesitated when they saw the Guild Master's confidence, then stopped.
Bang!
A sharp blast rang out as something burst from the dust.
No one could clearly see the figure.
Mirajane's pupils shrank as she tried to dodge.
But the afterimage flashed in front of her instantly, and Ren's calm face filled her vision.
Ren swung his fist.
A violent crack of compressed air tore through the space overhead.
In the next moment, a figure crashed down from the air.
It slammed into the ground.
The floor shattered, and spiderweb cracks spread outward.
"You've got to be kidding, that's insane!"
"Guild Master, stop him!"
"Mira, are you okay?!"
Even though it happened fast, everyone present was a mage, and they clearly saw it.
Ren had grabbed Mirajane by the head and driven her straight down from the air into the ground.
The spreading cracks made everyone's hearts tighten.
Makarov couldn't sit still anymore. He jumped off his chair and hurried toward the dust.
Before he could reach it, a tall, broad figure slowly emerged.
As Ren walked out, Makarov asked with concern, "Is Mirajane okay?"
"Probably. She just passed out, I think."
Ren scratched his head, answering with some uncertainty.
Makarov rushed into the dust and saw Mirajane lying in a crater, eyes rolled back, reverted to normal, unconscious.
A muscular young man came with Makarov as well.
"Elfman, carry Mirajane back and let her rest. It's nothing serious."
Makarov checked her and found no major injuries. The heavy blow had simply knocked her unconscious.
Everything else was minor surface bruising.
Makarov finally let out a breath.
He had been afraid Ren might not know how to hold back and seriously hurt her.
But this also proved Ren's strength.
Back in the forest, they had run into a magical beast.
Its huge body had scared Erza so badly she fainted.
Makarov had been ready to step in and suppress it, but Ren had moved first.
With overwhelming force, he destroyed the beast with a single punch.
And when the beast tried to retaliate, it couldn't even land a hit on Ren.
In that fight, Ren hadn't used any magic at all.
He had killed it using pure physical power.
…
After the commotion ended, Makarov looked at Ren, who seemed completely relaxed, and felt a quiet sense of relief.
It was a good thing Ren had joined Fairy Tail. If this power was used on the right path, it could make the magical world more peaceful.
"Alright, Ren. Erza."
"Where do you want your guild mark?"
When things settled down, Makarov stood on a chair with a serious face, barely reaching Ren's eye level.
Ren raised his arm and pointed to the inside of his right forearm. "Here."
After choosing the color, Makarov lightly pressed the stamp onto the inside of Ren's forearm.
A crimson guild mark appeared on Ren's skin.
Seeing the mark on Ren's arm, Erza's face reddened slightly.
Then she looked up at Makarov and said, "I want mine here too. Make it black."
Seeing where Erza pointed, Makarov smiled, muttering under his breath.
"Kids these days grow up too fast."
Erza chose the inside of her forearm as well, but on the opposite arm from Ren.
When the black guild mark appeared on Erza's skin, she narrowed her eyes, happiness shining in them.