Chapter 3: Ren vs. Natsu
"What?!"
Makarov's eyes widened, his voice sharp enough to cut through the guild's background chatter. He re-read the paper, his brows drawing together.
"700,000 Jewel... Eliminate the Phantom Bandit Gang..." He looked up from the request, his gaze pinning Ren in place. "Kid, you're a new guy. You've been in this guild for less than an hour."
He slapped the paper down on the bar. "No. Absolutely not. Your request is denied. Pick another one."
Ren's jaw tightened. He had expected some resistance, but not an immediate, flat refusal. He needed this. A B-Rank mission was the most efficient way to get another pull, to get stronger.
"Master!" Ren said, his voice respectful but firm, not a trace of fear in it. "I am confident I can complete this mission!"
"Confidence?" Makarov scoffed, his gaze hardening. "This isn't a matter of confidence, boy; it's a matter of strength. Do you even know who the Phantom Bandit Gang is?"
The confrontation had drawn the attention of the nearby guild members.
"What's wrong? What's going on?" Lucy asked from her table, Happy perched on her head.
"It seems the new guy wants to take on a mission, and the Master won't agree," Mira explained softly, though her expression was tense. She was clearly worried.
"What mission would the Master not agree to?" Gray Fullbuster asked, pulling his shirt back on.
Mira held up the request form so they could see the title.
"He wants to what?! The Phantom Bandit Gang?!" Macao Conbolt choked on his drink, slamming his mug down. "Is he insane?"
"What's the big deal?" Natsu asked, his mouth full of chicken. "They just sound like more bad guys to punch!"
Wakaba Mine, sitting beside Macao, took a long drag from his pipe. "You're wrong, Natsu. This isn't some run-of-the-mill job." He blew a smoke ring, his expression grim. "That's why the reward is so high."
He pointed his pipe at Ren. "Listen, newcomer. The Phantom Bandit Gang is a new group, but they're animals. The Magic Council suspects they're a splinter group from a defunct Dark Guild. They're not just bandits, they are all Mages."
"All of them?" Lucy gasped.
"That's right," Macao said, picking up the explanation. "According to the reports from the victims who survived, there are thirteen of them. Thirteen Mages. They don't just rob towns; they slaughter them. They burn everything to the ground for fun."
"Their actions are so despicable that even Dark Guilds look down on them," Wakaba added. "They use their magic to rob and kill innocent civilians, completely breaking the unwritten rules."
Makarov nodded, his face grim. "The Council has been pursuing them, but the gang is elusive. They appear, they destroy, and they vanish. Thirteen Mages... that's the size of a small, official guild. To deal with such a group, one would need to be S-Class to even think about going alone."
He glanced at Natsu. "Even an elite Mage like Natsu would need at least one partner. A normal team would require five mages, and even then, the danger would be extreme."
"That," Mira finished, her voice somber, "is why this mission has been sitting there for several days. No one has taken it."
The entire guild was now staring at Ren. He was just a new guy, and he wanted to challenge a mission that had stumped the rest of the guild's veterans. It wasn't just bravery; it was, in their eyes, suicide. Truly, a newborn calf fears no tiger.
Ren looked at their concerned, shocked, and pitying faces. He felt a strange warmth; these people he'd known for less than an hour were genuinely worried for his safety. But it didn't change his mind.
He had the power of Ulquiorra. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he had the Espada's full strength—his 1-Star magic container couldn't possibly fuel that—but he knew that even a fraction of that power was enough to deal with some small-fry bandits.
"Master," Ren said again, his voice clear and unwavering, cutting through the heavy silence. "I'm not being stubborn, and I'm not courting death. I truly am confident I can complete this job."
Makarov's eye twitched. "You stubborn brat! Why are you so pig-headed?" he fumed, slamming his tiny fist on the bar. "I will not send one of my new children to his grave!"
"Then let me prove it," Ren said simply.
The guild hall went quiet again.
"...Prove it?" Makarov repeated, his anger faltering in the face of Ren's impossible calm.
"I have the strength to complete this mission," Ren declared, his gaze locking with the Guild Master's. "If I can't prove that to you, then I'm not fit to be a Fairy Tail Mage."
Makarov stared at Ren for a long, heavy second. He saw the fire in the boy's eyes. It wasn't the hot, reckless fire of Natsu. It was a cold, controlled, and deeply convicted flame. It wasn't arrogance. It was certainty.
A slow smile, hidden from the others, touched Makarov's lips for a fraction of a second. 'This brat... he's a handful.'
"Hmph. You want to prove it? Fine!" Makarov said, his gruff demeanor returning. "I'll find someone in the Guild. If you can defeat him... or at least prove you can stand your ground... I'll allow you to take this job."
"Okay!" Ren immediately agreed.
Makarov scanned the guild. 'Erza is out on a mission, dammit. She'd be the perfect test, strong but controlled. Gildarts is... no, I don't want the town leveled. That leaves...'
His eyes landed on the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.
"Natsu!"
"HERE!" Natsu roared, having been on the edge of his seat. When he heard Makarov say he'd find someone for Ren to duel, he was already eager to volunteer. He leaped directly onto the table, his fists crackling with tiny embers. "I get to fight the new guy? Awesome! I'm all fired up!"
"The Master actually sent Natsu to fight!"
"Oh, the new guy is in trouble now!"
"This is gonna be a great show!"
Ren also looked at Natsu. The male protagonist of the Fairy Tail anime. He'd seen him brawling the moment he entered the guild; that pink (he insisted it was cherry-red) hair was impossible to miss.
'He's pitting me against Natsu right off the bat?' Ren thought, his heart starting to pound. 'As the anime's main character, Natsu's strength is definitely top-tier, even now. He usually isn't Erza's match because he can't get serious against guildmates. But if he gets serious...'
A thrill, cold and sharp, ran down Ren's spine. He, too, was a little excited. He had no idea how his current strength compared to Natsu's. This was the perfect chance to find out.
"PLACE YOUR BETS! PLACE YOUR BETS!"
Cana Alberona was already at a chalkboard, quickly scrawling odds with a piece of chalk, a mug of ale in her other hand.
"Newcomer Ren VS Natsu 'The Salamander' Dragneel!"
"Bet on the newcomer to win, 1-to-2 odds! Bet on Natsu to win, 1-to-1 odds!"
The entire guild rushed over, shouting and waving Jewel.
"I'm betting on Natsu! 2000 J!"
"Put 3000 J on Natsu for me!"
"Natsu, all the way! 5000 J!"
Almost everyone bet on Natsu to win, which made Cana a little anxious. The pile of money under Natsu's name was growing into a mountain. "Hey! Why are you all betting on Natsu? You should bet on the newcomer too! If the newcomer wins, you'll get double!"
Macao laughed, "Haha! Of course, we're betting on Natsu! We know what he can do. Why would we bet on the new guy?"
Wakaba nodded, "Exactly! Exactly! Betting on the newcomer is too risky, while betting on Natsu is a sure profit."
"I'm betting on the newcomer to win! 3000 J!"
The crowd turned. A purple-haired girl wearing glasses, Laki Olietta, pushed up her glasses and said, "It's fine! It's just a day's worth of food money anyway. It's too pitiful for the newcomer to have no one supporting him."
Ren glanced at Laki. He had a slight impression of her from the anime. She was mostly a background character, but he remembered her as one of the few who had insisted on staying in the guild during the seven years everyone was lost on Tenrou Island. That loyalty was enough for Ren to remember her name.
Laki saw Ren looking at her and gave him a small, encouraging smile.
"I'm also betting on the newcomer to win."
That voice stopped the crowd. Mirajane Strauss placed a surprisingly heavy pouch of Jewel on Ren's side.
"Mira?!" Cana gasped.
Mira smiled her gentle, sweet smile, but her eyes were sharp. "I think since Ren-kun dared to take on such a mission, his strength certainly won't be weak. He might not necessarily be unable to defeat Natsu."
The others heard Mira say this and hesitated. Mira's intuition was almost as famous as her old temper. Subsequently, a few more people started betting on Ren, but the vast majority still stayed with Natsu.
"Alright, brats! Outside!" Makarov shouted. "Don't destroy my guild hall!"
Soon, everyone arrived at the open space behind the guild hall. It was a large, grassy field that ended at the edge of a vast, calm lake. This place was often used to settle... personal grudges. Natsu and Gray had fought here hundreds of times.
"Go, Natsu! Show the newcomer what you're made of!"
"Go, newcomer! My drinking money tonight depends on you!" Cana yelled.
The spectators formed a large, rowdy circle.
"Hello, I'm Natsu. Nice to meet you," Natsu said, his grin wide and feral.
"My name is Ren. Nice to meet you," Ren replied, his voice calm.
Natsu cracked his knuckles, fire already snorting from his nostrils. "What kind of magic do you use? You said Take Over, right?"
Ren nodded. "That's right. Take Over Magic."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Oh, oh! So it's Take Over! Like Mira and her brother Elfman! They're both super strong! Especially Mira, she used to be as strong as a monster... It's a pity she can't use her magic now."
"Both sides, prepare!" Makarov yelled, acting as referee.
Natsu didn't hesitate. He slammed his fists together, and a torrent of fire exploded around them. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" The heat washed over Ren even from a distance.
Ren took a single, deep breath. He closed his eyes. 'Okay. This is it. I need this win. I need to test this power.' He focused on the golden card sitting in his soul.
He opened his eyes, and the air around him changed.
"Full Take Over."
His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but it carried.
"Ulquiorra Cifer."
It was not a shout. It was a statement.
A split second later, a column of magic power erupted from Ren's body. It was not hot like Natsu's; it was bone-chillingly cold, a dense, suffocating, dark green spiritual pressure that washed over the entire field. The grass around his feet withered and died, and the ground beneath him cracked.
"W-Whoa! What is this magic power?!" Happy yelped, hiding behind Lucy's legs.
"This... this isn't Satan Soul," Mira whispered, her hands flying to her mouth.
Ren's body began to change. His simple clothes were atomized, replaced by a high-collared, long-sleeved white jacket with a black lining. His lower body was a white, flowing hakama, cinched at the waist by a wide black sash. A Zanpakutō was tucked into that sash.
His skin became deathly pale. His eyes, once a normal brown, bled into a cold, piercing green, and beneath them, two dark green tear-like markings etched themselves onto his face. On the left side of his head, a white, horned helmet fragment materialized, covering his temple.
At the same instant, a torrent of memories not his own flooded his mind.
The birth in the cold darkness of Hueco Mundo. The feeling of absolute emptiness. The concept of a 'heart' being meaningless trash. The cold, analytical loyalty to Lord Aizen. The final, brutal battle against the Vasto Lorde Hollow, Ichigo... the girl... the hand reaching out...
'What... is a heart?'
Ren's mind reeled from the influx of a century of nihilism, duty, and cold, logical despair. He gasped, his own identity struggling against the overwhelming tide of the Espada's soul. 'I am Ren! I am Ren of Fairy Tail!' The two personalities clashed, fought, and then... merged.
He was Ren. But he had Ulquiorra's memories. He had his techniques. He had his cold, analytical mind.
The transformation was complete. The oppressive pressure subsided, but the coldness remained. Ren simply stood there, his expression utterly unreadable, his green eyes fixed on Natsu.
Natsu's fiery, excited grin had vanished. His eyes were wide, his pupils tiny. His Dragon Slayer senses were screaming. This... this wasn't a human. This wasn't a beast. This... this felt like death.
"What... what kind of Take Over... is that?" Gray muttered, his own magic instinctively raising a chill on his skin.
Makarov, perched on a barrel, had his arms crossed. His eyes were wide open, his usual goofy demeanor gone. 'This magic power... this pressure... it's not evil, but it's... empty. And powerful. Unbelievably powerful. What have you brought into my guild, Ren?'
Ren's transformation was complete. Simply standing there, he exuded a powerful, terrifying sense of oppression.
[Akarin Note:
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