Chapter 249: Bijū Transformation
"It's no use! Don't try to fight it!"
Gildarts shouted in a panic, his voice cracking with a fear that none of them had ever heard from the Ace of Fairy Tail.
Even someone as strong as him—a man who had challenged the world's strongest quests—had no desire to fight it.
His body trembled instinctively because he knew, better than anyone here, that this guy was an existence that humans simply couldn't defeat.
It wasn't a monster. It wasn't a Mage. It was the End.
Boom————!!
The Black Dragon, Acnologia, descended.
It didn't just land; it crashed into reality. The moment its claws touched the earth of Tenrou Island, the ground screamed.
A shockwave of pure kinetic energy and magical pressure pulverized the ancient forest, shattering rocks into dust and snapping century-old trees like dry twigs.
The air was instantly sucked out of the area, replaced by a suffocating aura of despair.
"No way!!"
"What kind of destructive power is this?!"
"Quick, get back to the ship!!"
"Run!! Everyone, let's go home together!! Back to Fairy Tail!!"
Chaos erupted. The mages of Fairy Tail, who had just fought a war against Grimoire Heart, scrambled over the broken terrain. The fear was primal, a biological imperative screaming at them to flee from the predator at the top of the food chain.
Carla, her small paws hitting the dirt as she ran alongside Wendy, panted anxiously: "Wendy!! You can talk to Dragons, can't you? Can't you think of something?! Ask him why he's attacking us!"
Wendy, terrified tears streaming down her face, shook her head violently as she ran. "It's not that I can talk to Dragons!! Dragons themselves possess very high intelligence, and that Dragon can naturally understand our language! He isn't listening because he doesn't care!"
The roar of the dragon drowned out all other sounds, a sound that vibrated in their very bones.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them. Master Makarov Dreyar stopped running. He ripped off his white coat and shirt, his small, elderly frame standing defiant against the apocalypse.
"Old man!!"
"Master!!"
"Run towards the ship!! Don't look back!!"
Makarov shouted, his voice booming with authority. Golden light enveloped him as he activated his Titan Magic.
"Uooooooohhh!!"
Makarov's body rapidly grew larger, muscles swelling, bones expanding. In seconds, he transformed into a giant that rivaled the height of the trees, throwing himself at the beast. He grabbed Acnologia by the neck, trying to wrestle the Black Dragon into submission to buy his children time.
"This is too reckless!! How could you possibly win!!"
"Master!! Please stop!!"
The guild members stopped, horror-struck. They watched their parent, their protector, throwing himself into the jaws of death.
"If that's the case, we'll join the fight too!"
"I'm going to defeat and crush him!!" Natsu screamed, flames igniting on his fists, ready to turn back.
"At least for the last time, listen to the Master's command!! You damn brats!!!"
Makarov's roar echoed across the island, filled with a heartbreaking mixture of love and desperation. He struggled against the dragon's immense strength, his giant heels digging trenches into the earth.
"Ren will be the next Master of Fairy Tail!! All of you, live well!!"
The declaration hung in the air, heavy and final.
"I'm a Dragon Slayer Mage! If anyone should be this guy's opponent, it should be me..." Natsu argued, tears welling in his eyes.
Before Natsu could finish speaking, a strong hand grabbed his scarf. Laxus Dreyar dragged him away, lightning flickering erratically around his body.
"Run, Natsu!"
"Laxus!! You..."
Natsu turned to scold him, to call him a coward, but the words died in his throat. He saw it—a single tear trailing down Laxus's cheek. The grandson of the Master, the man who was too proud to show weakness, was crying.
The guild members knew. They felt it in their souls. This guy, this Black Dragon, was utterly unbeatable. With heavy hearts and tear-filled eyes, they turned and fled toward the shore.
Makarov, seeing the guild members flee at this moment, felt deeply relieved. The weight on his heart lifted, replaced by the crushing physical weight of the dragon.
"Though I don't know your purpose, you are not allowed to take another step forward!!" Makarov shouted into the face of the beast. "Behind me are my precious children!!"
He squeezed with all his Titan strength, muscles bulging to the tearing point.
But Acnologia... Acnologia didn't even flinch. The Dragon King looked at the giant human with bored, glowing white eyes. To a dragon, a giant human was still just a bug.
Rumble————!!
With a casual swipe of its wing, Makarov's grip was broken. Acnologia slammed him into the ground. The earth shattered.
The Black Dragon's massive claw pressed down onto Makarov's chest, pinning him like an insect.
"Uwaaahhh!"
Makarov coughed up a massive amount of blood, his ribs shattering under the pressure. The Titan form flickered, threatening to dispel.
The Black Dragon Acnologia opened its massive mouth. Blue particles of magic began to gather, swirling into a sphere of annihilation. A Dragon's Roar. At point-blank range.
Makarov looked up at the gathering light. He didn't feel fear anymore.
He smiled, a gentle, peaceful smile amidst the blood. "This is the first time I've done something a parent should do. I have no regrets!!"
'Live on, everyone. Ren, take care of them.'
Looking at the energy ball in Acnologia's mouth, Makarov prepared to close his eyes and welcome death.
Suddenly!
A flash of yellow light tore through the battlefield, faster than lightning, faster than thought.
A golden figure appeared before Makarov, hovering in the air between the Titan and the Dragon.
"Not on my watch."
Bang————!!
The golden figure spun in the air, delivering a roundhouse kick wrapped in dense, tangible chakra directly to the side of the Black Dragon Acnologia's head.
The sound was like a thunderclap.
Boom boom boom boom boom————!!
The impossible happened. Acnologia's huge body, a mass of scales and muscle that weighed hundreds of tons, was actually sent flying by this single kick.
The Dragon skidded sideways, its massive body sliding across the island, smashing through rocks and uprooting trees for hundreds of meters before crashing into a cliff face.
Dust settled, revealing the savior.
Ren stood there, but he looked different. He was enveloped in a shroud of flickering golden flames—Chakra. His hair stood up, glowing like molten gold, and black markings traced along his arms and chest. A coat of pure energy draped over his shoulders.
"You are not allowed to touch the old man!!"
Ren said, looking at the distant form of the Black Dragon Acnologia with an icy tone. His voice was layered, resonating with a power that wasn't entirely human.
"Ren..."
Makarov's body shrunk back to its normal size, the Titan magic fading. He lay on the broken ground, looking up at the back in front of him. It was warm. It was bright. An indescribable feeling arose in his heart—pride, relief, and awe.
Ren turned his head slightly, the golden flames licking his cheeks, and smiled faintly at Makarov.
"Old man, I've told you many times, I don't want to be Master so early. It's too much paperwork. Don't think about retiring just like that!"
Ren reached out a hand made of golden energy to help the old man sit up, though he kept his eyes on the dragon.
"You're too old for fighting; it's not suitable for you. You should just stay with everyone else and drink your booze."
"Ren... your magic power..." Makarov wheezed, sensing the change. "It feels... different. Limitless."
Ren didn't explain immediately. In truth, just moments ago, Ren's magic power had been completely bottomed out from the battle with Hades and Grimoire Heart. Even if Ren had full magic power, he knew he wouldn't be this guy's opponent in his base state.
"It's fine, my magic power has recovered."
It was a lie, or at least, a simplification.
Just ten seconds ago, when the dragon descended, Ren was somewhat stunned. The sheer pressure of Acnologia was suffocating. But after coming to his senses, Ren realized he had zero mana left. He was running on fumes.
He immediately opened his System Interface.
[System Alert: Magic Power Depleted.]
He didn't hesitate. He began recalling the character cards he had equipped.
[System: Recalling Character Card - Portgas D. Ace.]
[System: Recalling Character Card - Tsugikuni Yoriichi.]
Ren felt the powers of the Flame Fruit and the Breath of the Sun leave his body. It was a loss. Yoriichi Tsugikuni's stats were too low for this level of combat; he could no longer keep up with the pace of a Dragon King, so recalling him was inevitable. Ace's stats were decent, and the Logia body was useful, but as a Purple Card, it had limits against Acnologia's magic-eating resistance.
The System converted the recalled cards into raw energy.
[System: Energy Conversion Complete. Magic Power Restored.]
After the two character cards were recalled, Ren's base magic power finally surged, stabilizing at a terrifying 7-Star level. After the battles on Tenrou Island, his base stats had advanced significantly. He now officially met the minimum requirements for a Ten Wizard Saint on his own merits, without buffs.
But that wasn't enough. Not for Him.
With his magic power restored and slots open, Ren didn't hesitate.
[System: Equipping Character Card - Minato Namikaze (Reanimated/Kurama Link Mode).]
A surge of golden, boiling energy flooded his veins. It wasn't Ethernano; it was Chakra. Dense, potent, and vast. To fight Acnologia, only the speed of the Yellow Flash combined with the raw power of the Nine-Tails had a chance of stalling him.
"No! Ren, run! This guy is not someone you can defeat!" Makarov pleaded, clutching Ren's energy cloak. "He is the Apocalypse!"
"Old man, I know. But we've already been targeted. There's no way to escape."
Ren shook his head, his blue eyes sharp and focused. "Unless I hadn't come to Tenrou Island in the first place, or if I abandoned everyone and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to flee alone, the consequence would be the same. Acnologia would finish here and then turn the entire continent upside down hunting us."
"This world might fall into Chaos. And with the world in Chaos, I wouldn't be able to continue doing missions and getting stronger through completing them."
Ren's internal logic was pragmatic. He needed the plot to continue to grow. But more than that... he felt a fire in his gut.
"So, all things considered, the best way was to follow the plot. But..."
Ren clenched his fists, the golden aura flaring violently.
"Before that, I also want to tell the Black Dragon Acnologia one thing. That our Fairy Tail is not to be trifled with!"
Boom————!!
The ground exploded beneath Ren's feet.
Ren stomped his foot hard and rapidly charged towards the Black Dragon Acnologia. He moved as a beam of light, crossing the distance in a millisecond.
Acnologia was just shaking the dizziness from his head, growling in annoyance, when the golden gnat appeared again.
"Taste this!"
Before Acnologia could react, Ren spun in mid-air, momentum amplified by the Kurama shroud. He kicked Acnologia's massive chest.
"Oww————!!"
This blow made the Black Dragon Acnologia let out a genuine cry of pain. Scales cracked under the dense chakra impact. The dragon's body was lifted off the ground and kicked away again, crashing into the ocean and sending a massive plume of water into the sky.
"So strong————!!"
"He... he kicked the Dragon?!"
All the members of Fairy Tail, who had stopped fleeing to look back, were shocked by this scene.
Especially Gildarts and Laxus. They arrived late to the cliff's edge, eyes wide. They hadn't witnessed Ren displaying his divine power against Hades earlier. To see him manhandle the creature that terrified Gildarts was incomprehensible.
Of course, those who had seen it before—Erza, Natsu, Gray—also noticed that the power Ren was now displaying seemed even stronger than when he fought Hades. It was a different kind of power. Warmer, yet wilder.
Meanwhile, high in the clouds, concealed within the stealth field of the Grimoire Heart airship.
The vessel drifted silently. Inside, the corridors were quiet. At this moment, almost all of Grimoire Heart's remaining members—Hades, Rustyrose, Kain—lay dead or unconscious, their life forces drained. Zeref stood alone on the bridge, looking down through the viewport.
He had no interest in those who fled or died; death was his constant companion. All his attention was now focused on Tenrou Island below.
"How is that possible?!"
Zeref's obsidian eyes widened in genuine disbelief. He watched Ren, a glowing golden speck, kick the massive form of Acnologia into the sea.
"A human... contending with the Dragon of the Apocalypse?"
Zeref clutched the railing. He couldn't believe that a human could generate enough force to make Acnologia cry out in pain. "That golden light... it isn't Magic. It feels like life force itself. Who are you?"
Back on the island.
The ocean boiled.
"Roar————!!"
A massive shape erupted from the water. Acnologia was furious. He spread his wings, blotting out the sun. He opened his mouth and unleashed a roar of pure magical pressure.
A violent impact ripped up the earth, surging towards Ren like a tsunami of force.
Ren didn't dodge. He stood his ground. He crossed his arms.
"Chakra Arms!"
Golden arms of energy manifested from his cloak, anchoring him to the ground and forming a shield. He blocked the roar, the shockwave splitting around him and tearing the forest behind him to shreds.
Ren looked up at the hovering dragon. He scoffed.
"What? You've been cooped up for too long, become a recluse, and forgotten how to speak human language? You just scream and roar."
Ren's eyes narrowed, his pupils becoming vertical slits—fox eyes.
"Then let me teach you how to speak properly! Let me show you what a real beast looks like!"
Ren clapped his hands together. The golden aura exploded outward, forming a massive avatar.
"Bijū Transformation!!"
[Akarin Note:
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