Chapter 233: Seven Kin of Purgatory
Azuma immediately dodged to the side, his instincts as a seasoned warrior screaming of imminent danger.
Boom—!!!
The impact was instantaneous and devastating. The ancient, massive tree where Azuma had been standing just a fraction of a second ago was obliterated. It didn't just break; it was crushed by an invisible, overwhelming force, turning the hardwood trunk into a shower of splinters and dust that exploded outward like shrapnel. The ground beneath it caved in, leaving a deep, perfectly circular crater in the forest floor.
"Hey, hey! Bullying even such a cute little girl, are you even a man anymore?"
A frivolous, lighthearted voice rang out through the settling dust, completely at odds with the violence of the destruction.
From the shadows of the dense forest, a tall figure emerged. He wore a high-collared, all-black sorcerer's uniform that fit him loosely. His most striking feature was the black blindfold that completely covered his eyes, and his snow-white hair that spiked upwards, defying gravity.
He walked with a casual, slouching gait, one hand stuffed in his pocket. With his other hand, he was casually dragging a human body across the rough ground by the collar of their robe, treating the person like a sack of unwanted luggage.
"Brother Ren!!"
Wendy Marvell, who had been huddled on the ground in fear, felt her heart leap into her throat. Tears of relief welled up in her eyes, and her face immediately broke into a joyful smile. The despair that had gripped her when faced with the overwhelming power of the enemy vanished instantly. Her big brother had arrived.
"Qi... Ren?!"
Mest Gryder, clutching his injured arm, stared at the newcomer with wide, trembling eyes. He was stunned. The Ren he had seen before didn't look like this.
'Wait... that's right,' Mest's mind raced, recalling the intelligence files he had studied as a spy for the Magic Council. 'Ren uses Take Over Magic. He can change into other people's appearances and access their abilities. Is this... a new form? I've never seen this one in the reports.'
"Ren?"
Upon hearing this name, Azuma's gaze immediately turned serious. The arrogant smirk he wore while toying with Wendy and Mest vanished. He straightened his posture, the magic of the Great Tree Arc humming beneath his skin.
"I've heard your name," Azuma rumbled, his voice deep and resonant. "And I have seen the magical projection of your battle with Jose Porla. You're very powerful, able to defeat even a Ten Wizard Saint single-handedly. I am Azuma, one of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory."
Azuma clenched his fists, magic circles flashing around his arms. "I have traveled far to find a worthy opponent. Let's have a decisive—"
Azuma's words caught in his throat.
Just as he was issuing his challenge, his eyes drifted to the limp figure Ren was dragging through the dirt. The person was wearing black robes draped with a white sash. Even unconscious, a faint, terrifying aura of death leaked from the body, causing the grass it touched to wither and turn gray instantly.
Azuma's pupils dilated to the size of pinpricks. His battle aura faltered.
"Th-th-that couldn't be..."
Ren stopped walking, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. He glanced down at the sleeping figure in his grip and then back at Azuma.
"Oh? You mean him?" Ren asked lightly, shaking the unconscious body slightly. "He is the Black Wizard Zeref you guys are looking for. I found him taking a nap, so I picked him up."
"Zeref?!! Th-this is impossible?!"
Mest's face drained of all blood. He scrambled backward, forgetting the pain in his arm. "Zeref? The legendary Black Wizard? The source of all darkness in the magical world?! That guy is actually still alive?! And... and you're dragging him around?!"
Mest felt like his head was going to explode. The mission was just to infiltrate the S-Class trial. How did it escalate to the appearance of the most dangerous entity in history?
"Zeref..."
Azuma took an involuntary step back. Grimoire Heart's entire goal, their "Grand Magic World," revolved around this one man. They had searched the globe for keys to unseal him, yet here he was, appearing right before him, captured by a Fairy Tail mage.
Ren yawned, looking bored. "Alright, Tree Man. Since you want him so bad, go notify Grimoire Heart to come over. Zeref is in my hands."
"You..." Azuma blinked, struggling to process the situation. "What do you mean by that?"
"What? Aren't you looking for Zeref?" Ren tilted his head, the black blindfold facing Azuma directly. "Zeref is right here now. I've even brought him to you. You just need to come and get him."
"What do you want to do?"
Azuma looked puzzled. He couldn't understand Ren's motive. Was he surrendering? Was he trying to make a deal?
Mest was also very perplexed, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. 'Is Ren colluding with Grimoire Heart? Is he planning to hand over Zeref to them? If he does, the world is doomed!'
Ren's lips curled into a smirk that was equal parts charming and terrifying.
"Do what? Of course, it's to call all of you over," Ren said, his tone shifting from casual to chillingly predatory. "And then slaughter you all in one go."
"What—?!"
The air in the forest seemed to freeze.
Everyone was stunned by Ren's words.
Call them all over? The entire Dark Guild? The Seven Kin? Master Hades? Just to kill them?
"Ren! Don't be too arrogant!"
Azuma roared, his anger flaring. The ground shook as roots churned beneath the soil. "Don't think that just because you defeated two Ten Wizard Saints and eliminated the Oración Seis, you can contend with Grimoire Heart! You simply don't understand the terror of our guild!"
Azuma's expression was grave. "The Seven Kin of Purgatory are merely the vanguard. Above us stands the former Ten Wizard Saint, Jose Porla, and the Great Mage Bluenote Stinger, a man who crushes gravity itself. And above them all..."
Azuma's voice lowered with reverence. "There is President Hades. His magic is the abyss. He is the closest thing to the origin of magic itself."
He glared at Ren. "Even if you are strong, you cannot fight us all. You are inviting your own destruction."
Ren dug his ear with his pinky finger, unimpressed. "If I tell you to notify them, then notify them. Don't talk nonsense. I'm on a tight schedule."
Azuma's eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at Ren, looking for any sign of bluffing. He found none. Only absolute, unwavering confidence.
"Alright!" Azuma gritted his teeth. "If you wish to die so badly, I will fulfill your request."
President Hades had originally planned a systematic dismantling of Fairy Tail. But now that Zeref was found, those plans could be accelerated.
Azuma pulled out a communication lacrima from his pocket and crushed it to activate the link.
[Grimoire Heart Airship - Above Tenrou Island]
In the dimly lit command center of the airship, the giant crystal ball on the central table began to glow with a magical projection.
"What is it?"
Hades sat on his throne, his single eye gleaming in the darkness. His presence alone filled the room with suffocating pressure.
"President Hades," Azuma's voice came through clearly. "Zeref has been found. He is currently in the hands of Ren of Fairy Tail."
"Ren?" Hades stroked his long, white beard. "Hmph! That kid really has some skill to find him before us. Keep an eye on him, don't lose him. We will descend immediately."
"No, it's not..." Azuma hesitated.
Suddenly, a different voice cut through the transmission. A young, mocking voice.
"Grimoire Heart. President Hades, right?"
The Seven Kin standing around the throne room stiffened.
"Zeref is currently in my hands," Ren said, his voice echoing from the crystal. "If you don't want to go searching for Zeref in the spatial rift after I toss him there, then hurry up and come over."
"That voice... it's that brat!"
In the corner, a figure shrouded in dark purple darkness stepped forward. It was Jose Porla. His face twisted into a mask of pure hatred. "Ren!"
Hades frowned, leaning forward. "Kid, what do you mean?"
"Nothing much," Ren replied breezily. "Don't you want to find Zeref and then destroy Fairy Tail? Why not save some trouble? You can come directly to me. That way, you can find Zeref, and I can just slaughter you all incidentally. Efficient, isn't it?"
"What!!"
"This kid! He's too arrogant!"
"Kill him! He must be killed!"
The bridge of the airship erupted in chaos.
Zancrow, the God Slayer, slammed his fists together, black flames erupting. "He thinks he can slaughter us?! I'll burn him to ash!"
Kain Hikaru stomped his feet. "He's mocking us! Mocking us!"
Ultear Milkovich remained silent, but her expression darkened.
"Heh heh! Interesting, truly interesting."
Hades laughed. It was a low, dry sound that sent shivers down the spines of his subordinates. "Kid, then it shall be as you wish."
Hades waved his hand, severing the connection. The light in the crystal faded.
"Ren! That guy! I'm going to rip him apart!" Zancrow screamed.
"Don't be rash, Zancrow," Rustyrose said softly, adjusting his glasses. "That Ren guy isn't so easy to deal with. His imagination... it seems dangerous."
Ren's name resounded throughout the entire Ishgar continent. The video of his battle with Jose had terrified many lesser mages.
"You are not his match. I will deal with that kid!"
Jose Porla declared coldly. "I have cultivated diligently in hell for this moment. I have gained powers you cannot imagine. I will reclaim my honor and take his head."
Hades smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter who kills him. We are going to completely destroy Fairy Tail anyway. If that kid wants to seek death first, then we'll grant his wish. Set course for his coordinates."
[Tenrou Island Forest]
"Crack!"
Azuma crushed the communication lacrima in his hand, reducing it to dust.
"The message is delivered," Azuma said, his magic flaring up, causing the surrounding trees to tremble. "Now... can we fight? Before the Master arrives, I want to test if you are truly as strong as the rumors say."
Ren nodded. He tossed Zeref's unconscious body to the side, near where Mest and Wendy were standing. "Sure. I'm just idle anyway, might as well play with you."
"Arrogance!"
Azuma stomped his foot on the ground. He merged his magic with the forest itself.
"Leaves of the Tree Tower!!"
Azuma swept his arm forward. The canopy of the forest exploded into motion. Thousands of leaves detached from the trees, glowing with explosive magical energy. They sharpened into razor-edged projectiles and shot towards Ren like a swarm of green locusts.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of cutting wind filled the air.
Ren stood perfectly still, his hands still in his pockets. He didn't take a stance. He didn't chant a spell. He didn't even look like he was paying attention.
"It's over!"
Mest flinched, covering his head. "He's not dodging!"
Suddenly!
All the leaves that reached Ren instantly froze.
"What?!"
Mest and Azuma were both startled.
The leaves hadn't hit a wall. They hadn't been incinerated. They just... stopped. They hovered in the air inches from Ren's body, vibrating as they tried to push forward, but they were trapped in a paradox of distance.
"What kind of magic is this?" Azuma narrowed his eyes. "They didn't hit him?"
Neither of them knew anything about the ability Ren had taken over from Gojo Satoru—the Limitless. The closer an object approached him, the slower it moved, until it effectively stopped, never crossing the infinite space between them.
"Branches of the Tree Tower!!"
Although Azuma didn't understand Ren's ability, he was a battle-hardened warrior. He wouldn't stop attacking just because he was confused.
"If leaves aren't enough, try this!"
The earth erupted. Countless thick, wooden roots and branches shot out from the ground, sharpened into spears. They stabbed towards Ren from all angles—front, back, left, right—aiming to skewer him.
Ren still stood in place with his hands in his pockets, humming a tune.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
All the branches, like the leaves, stopped right in front of Ren. He was encased in a sphere of suspended wood, unable to be touched.
"Useless," Ren said softly.
"Is that so? Then what about speed?!"
Whoosh—!
Azuma's figure blurred. Utilizing the high-speed movement of the Seven Kin, he instantly appeared directly behind Ren.
His hand glowed with blinding orange light, condensing a massive amount of explosive magic power into his palm. He was inside Ren's guard.
"Die!!"
"Burst Claw!"
Azuma thrust his glowing palm directly into the back of Ren's head.
"Boom—!!"
A fierce, deafening explosion erupted, swallowing Ren's figure in a pillar of fire and smoke.
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