Chapter 289: Mirage
"Laxus is out!!"
Natsu got excited the moment Laxus stepped forward. Laxus had been crushed by Ren once, but his strength was beyond question—both in magic power and overall ability he towered above the rest.
"His opponent's from Ivan's guild," Erza worried, her eyes narrowing as she watched the arena. She knew the dark history of that guild all too well, and she feared the other side might pull something dirty.
"Relax, I'm watching," Ren said calmly, his presence a steady anchor amidst the tension.
[So the father-and-son guild showdown is finally here!] Chapati Lola's voice boomed through the lacrima amplification system, echoing across the massive stone walls of the Domus Flau. The crowd roared in anticipation, shaking the very foundations of the stadium.
"Both sides, step forward!" the referee shouted, raising his hand high.
[Let the match begin!!]
The gong resounded, vibrating through the tense air. In a flash of blinding speed, Aleksei shot in. The heavily armored mage closed the distance in the blink of an eye, ramming a brutal elbow straight into Laxus's jaw.
The heavy impact echoed throughout the arena, sending the massive Lightning Dragon Slayer sprawling across the dirt. Before Laxus could even attempt to recover his footing, Aleksei was on top of him. The armored mage rained down relentless, heavy blows without a single pause, leaving Laxus absolutely no chance to fight back.
"W-what the...?!" Natsu's eyes bulged in utter disbelief, his jaw practically hitting the floor. He gripped the stone balcony railing so hard it began to crack under his fingers.
"Laxus is getting pummeled?!" Lucy stared, completely stunned. Her hands flew to cover her mouth as she watched the brutal one-sided massacre unfolding below. It was a sight that defied all logic and reason.
"Who the hell is that masked bastard?!" Gray cursed, cold sweat trailing down his forehead. He couldn't imagine anyone besides Ren suppressing a monster like Laxus this easily. The sheer physical force required to keep Laxus pinned down like that was unfathomable.
"Ren..." Erza murmured, her sharp instincts flaring up. She sensed something incredibly off about the entire scene. Knowing Laxus's true level of power and his fierce pride, this kind of helpless defeat simply wasn't it. There was no surge of magic, no crackle of golden lightning fighting back.
"Mm, relax—Laxus is perfectly fine," Ren replied, not even bothering to shift his comfortable posture.
Ren's eyes had already seamlessly opened the Transparent World. His vision bypassed the physical layer of the arena, diving deep into the microscopic flow of Ethernano in the atmosphere. The intricate, deceptive matrix of Ivan's spell was laid bare before him. Such parlor trick illusions couldn't even hope to fool his absolute sight.
[Akarin's Note: Transparent World is an advanced perceptive state originating from Demon Slayer lore, allowing the user to see the inner workings, blood flow, and magical energy structures of living beings and spells.]
"Perfectly fine?" Erza glanced down at the arena floor again, her confusion deepening.
The Laxus down there looked half-dead, battered and bruised into the sand, yet Ren confidently claimed he was fine. Could it be some sort of advanced magic trick that the rest of them couldn't see?
[Aleksei's relentless onslaught continues—Laxus can't even defend himself!!] the announcer screamed, whipping the stadium audience into a frenzy of shock and excitement.
Meanwhile, separated from the roaring crowd by an invisible barrier of magic, the real reality was entirely different.
In the arena, the real Laxus stood perfectly upright, his arms casually crossed over his broad chest. He watched the battered, pathetic image of himself getting beaten to a pulp with a look of profound boredom.
"What is this thing?" Laxus asked, his deep voice calm and utterly devoid of the panic the crowd thought he was experiencing.
"A mirage spell," Aleksei replied smoothly, stepping away from the fake battle. "To everyone out here, even while we talk like this, they can't see the real us. They only see the fighting illusion."
Aleksei gestured grandly toward the fake projection of his armored self pummeling the fake Laxus.
"Pretty neat, huh? Not a single soul in this massive stadium noticed," the masked mage boasted with a dark chuckle. "The crowd just sees that hopeless, defeated version of you."
Up in the Fairy Tail stands, the atmosphere was thick with dread.
"Why's Laxus taking such a beating?!" Makarov roared, his small hands clutching his head in sheer panic.
The Guild Master couldn't believe his own eyes. With Laxus's overwhelming power, facing some random Mage—even if it were one of the Ten Wizard Saints—would never go down like this. It was an insult to the blood of the Dreyar family.
"Laxus! Show them your real stuff! Stand up!" Makarov screamed at the top of his lungs, his grandfatherly concern completely overriding his usual composed demeanor.
"Damn it!" Freed Justine gritted his teeth, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his rapier.
The entire Thunder God Tribe tensed up, their magical auras flaring dangerously as they watched Laxus getting pounded like a helpless sandbag. Bickslow's totems rattled aggressively, and Evergreen had to restrain herself from flying down there.
"Warren, contact Ren right now," Makarov ordered hastily, turning to the guild's telepath.
"On it, Master!" Warren immediately pressed his fingers to his temples, concentrating his magic.
He instantly cast his Telepathy magic, establishing a direct mental link across the loud stadium. "Ren! Ren! Respond if you hear me!"
"Hm? What's up?" Ren heard Warren's frantic voice echoing clearly in his head and asked in a relaxed tone.
"The Master wants to know what's going on down there—do you know something?!" Warren mentally shouted, the stress evident in his psychic projection.
Ren replied calmly, his mental voice acting like a soothing wave. "Tell the old man not to worry; Laxus is perfectly fine. It's just a cheap trick. If anything actually happens, I'll step in."
Warren blinked, letting out a massive breath he didn't realize he was holding. He immediately reported back to Makarov.
"Master, Ren says Laxus is fine—there's no need to worry at all."
"Laxus is fine?!"
Everyone around the Fairy Tail balcony heard Warren's report and stared at him like he had grown a second head. The Laxus below looked half-dead and was currently bleeding into the dirt, so how in the world could he be fine?
Makarov, equally puzzled by the contradiction between his eyes and Ren's absolute confidence, took a deep breath. He forced his racing heart to slow down and closed his eyes to sense the magic in the air.
Then, his eyes snapped open, a sharp glint of realization flashing in them.
"Wrong! That's not Laxus's magic signature!!" Makarov shouted, his voice ringing with absolute certainty.
He had temporarily lost his cool from pure worry, allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment as a Wizard Saint. But now he realized the truth. Every Mage's Ethernano signature differs, like a unique fingerprint on the world.
Those with keen perception and experience can easily tell them apart. Rufus from Sabertooth, for instance, could easily identify people by their unique magical pulses. Makarov naturally could too; his intense concern for his grandson had simply blinded him.
Coupled with Ren's reassuring words, he instantly judged the situation for what it was.
"It's a mirage!" Makarov declared, his fists clenching tight.
"A mirage?!" The whole guild exclaimed in unison, a collective wave of relief washing over them, quickly followed by boiling anger at the deception.
Though he knew Laxus was safe from physical harm, Makarov's face darkened with a terrifyingly grim expression.
"That bastard Ivan... what exactly is he plotting behind that veil?" Makarov muttered, his aura becoming heavy and oppressive.
Back down in the center of the arena, hidden completely from the world's view, the conversation continued.
"Seems your guild really looks up to you, Laxus," Aleksei mocked, crossing his arms as he watched the Fairy Tail balcony. "How do you think they feel seeing this pathetic display?"
"Hey hey, I've no idea what you're on about," Laxus replied coldly, a dangerous spark of yellow lightning arcing across his broad shoulders. "So what if you beat my illusion? It doesn't change reality."
Laxus really didn't get their stupid game. Standing right here in a contained space, they'd expose the fake sooner or later if they didn't actually beat the real him. Delaying the inevitable was a waste of his time.
"Exactly—our goal here isn't a simple 'victory' in this tournament," Aleksei explained, his masked face tilting slightly. "This mirage is just smoke and mirrors for the crowd. Illusions can end any way we negotiate."
Aleksei took a step closer, his tone turning manipulative. "We can even script you as the spectacular winner of this match, Laxus. All you have to do is cooperate with us."
Laxus scoffed, a deep, rumbling sound that promised violence. He lazily reached up and shrugged off his heavy, fur-lined coat, letting it drop to the invisible floor beneath them.
He cracked his knuckles, ready to act. The air around him began to crackle and pop with high-voltage electricity, the scent of ozone filling the confined space.
"Seems talks have failed," Laxus said, his eyes glowing with a predatory, golden light. "Mirage or not, I'll just crush the real you right now."
"Impossible."
A sinister, mocking voice echoed from the empty air behind Aleksei. Flare stepped out from the invisible boundary, her long red hair shifting like venomous snakes.
"Reality is cruel," she giggled, her eyes wide and unhinged.
Then came Nullpudding, his stout body shifting into a combat stance. Kurohebi slithered out next, his pale skin contrasting with the dark atmosphere. Finally, the bizarre, silent creature known as Obra materialized from the shadows.
Raven Tail's five elite members were now all present, forming a tight circle around the Lightning Dragon Slayer.
Aleksei slowly reached up and removed his mask, revealing the scarred, wicked face of Makarov's own son.
"Even you can't beat Raven Tail's elite alone," Ivan Dreyar sneered, his eyes locking onto Laxus with absolute malice. "You know how strong I am, foolish son."
[Akarin Note:
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