Chapter 268: You Attacked First
"Is this guy that brave?"
Gray Fullbuster leaned forward against the balcony railing, his eyes wide with genuine surprise. down in the holographic cityscape of the Hidden arena, Raven Tail's Nalpudding had just made a move that defied all logic.
Instead of hiding or targeting a weaker opponent to build points, the squat, purple-skinned mage had charged directly at Ren.
"This guy is too brave... or too stupid," Gray muttered. "That's Ren! Even though seven years have passed and the public might have forgotten the terror he represents, anyone with a brain should sense the danger."
Inside the simulation, Nalpudding roared, his malice palpable.
"Take this, Fairy scum!"
Nalpudding's right arm swelled grotesquely, transforming into a massive, rectangular hammer spiked with vicious thorns. It looked like a medieval torture device brought to life. The air whistled as he swung it down with enough force to shatter concrete.
Ren stood perfectly still. He didn't raise a guard. He didn't shift his stance. He didn't even blink.
"He's not moving?!" Lucy cried out.
Just when Nalpudding and the thousands of spectators thought the blow would connect...
Swish!
The spiked hammer stopped abruptly.
It didn't hit flesh. It didn't hit a shield. It just... stopped.
[Raven Tail's Nalpudding launched a surprise attack! Ren didn't dodge! Is Raven Tail's Nalpudding about to score?!]
The commentator's voice rose in anticipation, then faltered.
[Huh?! Raven Tail's Nalpudding stopped! He didn't hit Ren!! What's going on?!! It looks like he froze in mid-air!]
"What?!"
"It stopped?!"
"What's happening?!"
The crowd buzzed with confusion.
"Holding back? Giving up the attack?"
Inside the arena, Nalpudding was sweating profusely. "Guh...!"
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as he pushed with all his might. He tried to smash down on Ren, to crush the arrogant mage into paste. But an invisible, impassable wall seemed to exist between his weapon and Ren's skin. It wasn't a solid barrier like a Rune; it felt like pushing into an infinitely dense gelatin that slowed motion to a standstill.
"Damn it! What the hell is this?! Why can't I touch you?!"
Ren looked at the struggling mage with bored eyes. "Can't hit me? Well, that's unfortunate for you."
Ren smiled, a cold, predatory quirk of his lips. "If you can't hit me, then it's my turn, okay?"
Ren casually raised a fist and tapped Nalpudding's extended, transformed arm. It looked like a gentle touch, but the impact was devastating.
Bang!
[Nalpudding -1]
[Ren +1]
[The first match, 'Hidden,' continues in silence no longer! Fairy Tail's Ren scored first almost instantly!]
The referee bot transported Nalpudding away to a random respawn point.
Ten seconds later.
Nalpudding materialized in a back alley of the simulated town. He shook his head, disoriented. "Damn it! Why couldn't that bastard be hit? Is it some kind of repulsion magic?"
"Yo! What a coincidence, we meet again."
A familiar, lazy voice drifted down from above.
Nalpudding snapped his head up. His pupils contracted to pinpoints.
Ren was sitting on a crate right in front of him, waving hello.
"This guy..." Nalpudding's heart skipped a beat.
He had just been randomly teleported by the game mechanics. The map was huge. How did this guy find him instantly? Coincidence? No, that was impossible.
"Die!!"
Panic fueled his rage. Nalpudding swung his arm at Ren again, his body expanding into a bouncy, rubber-like slime to increase momentum.
But once again, the attack halted centimeters from Ren's nose, caught in the infinity between them.
Flash!
Ren's figure flickered. In a blink, he bypassed the stopped attack and appeared directly in front of Nalpudding.
"Too slow."
Ren drove a simple punch into Nalpudding's chin, which, due to his weird physiology, resembled a butt.
Pow!
"Ugh!"
Nalpudding was sent flying backward, crashing through a wooden stall.
[Nalpudding -1]
[Ren +1]
[Raven Tail's Nalpudding was knocked down again by Ren! That's 2 points for Ren, solidifying his first place early on!!]
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!"
"As expected of Ren!!"
"Amazing! He's toying with him!"
"Kill him!! Ren! Kill him for me!! Crush that Raven Tail trash!!"
In the Fairy Tail balcony, Makarov Dreyar was practically climbing over the railing. He shouted himself hoarse, throwing shadow punches in the air, not bothering to hide his desire for deliberate, brutal retaliation against his son's dark guild.
[Mr. Yajima, in this simulated battlefield full of enemies and oneself, finding the true enemy is difficult. How is he doing it?]
"There are many ways," Yajima explained calmly, stroking his mustache. "Sensing the enemy's magic power signature is the most common. But Ren seems to have a detection range that covers the entire city."
Another ten seconds passed. Nalpudding respawned on a rooftop.
He didn't even have time to look around.
"Oh! What a coincidence!"
"You..." Nalpudding turned pale.
Bang!!
Ren spun and kicked Nalpudding square in the chin again.
[Nalpudding -1]
[Ren +1]
[Third point!! Ren has scored 3 points! And all of them were obtained from Raven Tail's Nalpudding! Is this intentional?]
"Mmm~~~! It must be a coincidence!" Yajima said, lying through his teeth with a straight face. Even a child could see Ren was camping the spawn points.
The audience members were stunned into silence, then erupted into whispers. They couldn't keep up with Ren's movements on the lacrima screens. Almost the moment Nalpudding appeared, Ren instantly moved to his location and attacked, leaving the Raven Tail mage virtually defenseless. It was a massacre.
"Nalpudding, what are you doing?!"
In the Raven Tail section, Flare Corona shouted angrily, her hair writhing like snakes. "Stop losing points, you idiot!"
"Shut up! Flare!" The masked man next to her, Alexei, whispered sharply. "Watch closely. It's not that Nalpudding is weak. It's that Ren is... anomalous."
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the town simulation.
Elfman Strauss was also a bit confused. He wandered down a main street, scratching his head.
"I knew I shouldn't have participated in this hide-and-seek," he grumbled. "A real man fights face-to-face! Sneaking around isn't manly!"
His large build made him an easy target, and his specialty, Take Over Magic, was flashy. Once he transformed, his location would be exposed to everyone.
Just then, the ground in front of him deformed.
"Vegetable Magic: Carrot Missiles!"
Pop! Pop! Pop!
A barrage of glowing orange carrots shot out from the walls towards Elfman.
"Whoa!" Elfman reacted on instinct, diving to the side. The carrots exploded like grenades where he had been standing.
"Oh dear... missed..."
Beth Vanderwood from Mermaid Heel peeked out from behind a barrel, looking a little flustered. She wore a country-style outfit and held a basket of veggies.
"Found you!" Elfman roared. "A man never misses a chance!"
He prepared to counterattack. However, he failed to notice the ground beneath him shifting.
Chomp!
A massive carnivorous plant emerged from the cobblestones and snapped its jaws shut on Beth, sending her flying into the sky.
"Hahahaha!! I saw you use magic! Exposed!"
Yaeger from Quatro Cerberus laughed maniacally from a nearby alley.
[Beth -1]
[Yaeger +1]
Smack!
Before Yaeger could finish his laugh, a ball of solid ice slammed into his face.
[Yaeger -1]
[Lyon +1]
Lyon Vastia walked out from the shadows, blowing cool air from his palm. "I saw it too. You were too loud."
"Full Body Take Over: Beast Soul - Weretiger!"
Elfman seized the moment. He transformed, growing claws and fur, his speed increasing drastically. He lunged at Lyon.
But before he could strike...
Bang!
A tiny ice mouse scurried across the ground and detonated against Elfman's foot.
[Elfman -1]
[Lyon +1]
"Eh—?!"
Elfman froze, looking down. He hadn't even felt pain.
Lyon smirked, tapping his temple. "The rules say that as long as you hit, it counts. You don't need to cause damage. Precision beats brute force."
Suddenly, the temperature in the virtual town dropped plummeting. Snow began to fall from the clear sky.
"It's cold..."
Many contestants saw their breath turn white.
"Found you all!"
Eve Tearm from Blue Pegasus stood on a rooftop, his arms spread wide. "White Night!"
A blizzard swept through the street.
Whoosh!
Snowballs formed from the blizzard and pelted Beth, Yaeger, and Elfman simultaneously.
[Eve +3]
[Eve scored massive points!!]
"Yes! For the Blue Pegasus fans!" Eve struck a pose.
But his celebration was cut short. Several eagles made of ice swooped down from the blizzard, controlled by Lyon.
Screech!
[Lyon +1]
[Eve -1]
[Lyon counterattacks! The battle is heating up... or cooling down!]
Everyone was fighting fiercely, spells flying in every direction, dazzling the spectators with a chaotic light show.
However, amidst the chaos, one person remained motionless.
[Sabertooth's Rufus hasn't moved at all from his starting position! But strangely, he has never been attacked!]
Rufus Lore stood atop the highest clock tower in the simulation, the wind whipping his red coat. He tipped his cavalier hat, a smug smile on his face.
"I remember very clearly," Rufus said, his voice amplified by magic. "The sound of your footsteps. The rhythm of your breathing. The unique signature of your magic power. I remember... I remember everything."
He raised his hands to the sky.
"Memory-Make: Night of Falling Stars!"
Countless streams of golden starlight materialized in the air around Rufus. They weren't just lights; they were homing projectiles constructed from his memory of lightning magic.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom!
The lights rained down on the city like divine judgment. They curved around corners, pierced through cover, and struck every single contestant hiding in the town.
All the spells hit their marks.
[Rufus +6]
The audience immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
"So strong!" Lucy exclaimed, covering her mouth. "He hit everyone at once!"
Gray's eyes narrowed slightly, watching the screen intently. "This guy... he also uses Molding Magic. But it's different from mine and Lyon's."
Erza nodded gravely. "Fiore's strongest guild... it seems it wasn't just empty talk. That precision is terrifying."
In the Sabertooth box, the red Exceed, Lector, cheered wildly. "That was amazing, Rufus!! You showed them! But you're still no match for Sting-kun!!"
[Everyone was hit! Rufus scored big! Wait! No! One person wasn't hit!! It's Ren!!]
"What?!"
Rufus's smug smile faltered. He was genuinely surprised. "My memory is perfect... how could I miss?"
He looked towards Ren's position on the map.
He saw a single beam of golden magic—the "Star" he had created—floating frozen in the air, mere inches from Ren's face. It vibrated, trying to push forward, but it was trapped in a suspended state.
Ren looked up at Rufus on the tower. The magic bullet fizzled out of existence as Ren dropped his barrier.
He locked eyes with the Memory-Make mage and smiled slightly.
"Since you attacked me first," Ren said, his voice cutting through the noise of the crowd, "I won't be polite."