Chapter 391 - 391: Ren vs. Water God Dragon (Part 3)
"What terrifying power!"
The Diabolos trio could only stare in shock at the sheer magnitude of the explosion.
Mercphobia was equally astonished to see Ren block his magic so effortlessly. He hadn't expected a mere human Mage to possess such overwhelming power.
"Impressive!" the Water God Dragon's voice boomed, echoing across the churning sea. "It seems that in my human guise, I cannot do anything to you at all. Your strength is undeniable."
He hovered just above the turbulent waves, his expression shifting from mild surprise to absolute seriousness.
"However, Ren, we of the Dragon Clan are called Dragons for a reason," Mercphobia continued, his magical power beginning to surge wildly. "Our greatest strength—our absolute authority over the world—is only realized when we assume our true forms."
The sea beneath them began to boil and froth, reacting to the sheer density of the magic spilling from his body.
"If you wish to seal me, you must first defeat me in my Dragon form!"
Roar—————!!
Mercphobia let out a piercing, earth-shattering roar as his entire body transformed. His human silhouette expanded violently, enveloped in a blinding pillar of azure light that pierced the stormy clouds.
When the light faded, Mercphobia's true form was revealed. He was a magnificent, terrifying blue-scaled dragon, bearing a striking resemblance to the mythical Quetzalcoatl.
His sheer mass was incomprehensible, easily dwarfing even the imposing size of the Fire Dragon King, Igneel. Five jagged horns protruded from his regal head, and three pairs of massive, feathered wings stretched out to blot out the sun.
As the Water God Dragon unleashed his true magical presence, the very laws of gravity seemed to invert. Massive tornadoes manifested around him like colossal waterspouts, tearing into the ocean below with deafening force.
The violent vortexes drew all the seawater into the sky, defying nature itself until a second, upside-down ocean covered the heavens.
With an endless sea churning below and a vast, suspended ocean roaring above, both the earth and the sky were entirely ruled by the Water God Dragon. This was the true, god-like power of Mercphobia.
"Is... is this the Water God Dragon's true form?!" Kiria stammered, her usual sadistic smirk completely wiped from her face.
She, Madmole, and Skullion watched the monstrous entity from a safe distance, their eyes wide with unadulterated awe and primal fear. This massive body was infinitely larger than any of the lesser Dragons they had previously hunted and devoured.
The ambient pressure he radiated was simply incomparable. It was heavy enough to make the air feel like thick, suffocating sludge in their lungs.
They suddenly realized that their mission to eat a God Dragon was incredibly reckless. A being of this caliber was simply not something their current strength could ever hope to defeat.
"So this is the Water God Dragon?" Ren murmured, his eyes tracking the colossal beast hovering between the two oceans.
He carefully gauged the pressure radiating from his opponent. The sheer volume and density of the magic were staggering, scarcely different from the cataclysmic aura of Acnologia himself.
Ren had to admit that the creature truly lived up to the legendary title of a 'God' Dragon. It seemed this 100-Year Quest wouldn't be a casual stroll after all.
At the same time, however, a profound surge of excitement rose in his heart. The S-Class and SS-Class missions he had been taking recently were no longer challenging, often ending in a single, anticlimactic strike.
This legendary quest finally offered him that elusive thrill. It was the exact same blood-pumping excitement he had experienced when he first started taking on life-or-death battles.
"Fine! Then let me see the true strength of the Water God Dragon!" Ren shouted, a fierce grin spreading across his face.
"Tailed Beast Transformation!"
Ren underwent a complete transformation, tapping deep into the reserves of his magical energy. The vibrant golden aura surrounding his body began to rapidly expand and take physical shape, burning away the surrounding sea mist.
Within moments, a blinding flash of light swept across the water, and a massive, golden Nine-Tailed Demon Fox appeared before everyone. Black magatama patterns decorated its blazing, translucent chakra body.
Because the fox sealed inside Minato Namikaze's body was only the Yin half of the whole, its core size was slightly smaller than the complete beast. Still, it remained an enormous, awe-inspiring entity.
When factoring in the sprawling length of its nine sweeping tails, the golden fox was only slightly smaller than the Water God Dragon's towering true form.
"What is that?!" Kiria screamed, her jaw practically hitting the floor.
The Diabolos trio was utterly shocked to witness Ren's complete Tailed Beast Transformation. They already knew this strange human Mage was completely abnormal, but seeing him manifest the true form of a colossal demon fox pushed their sanity to the brink.
Kiria turned to her armored companion, her voice trembling. "Is this guy one of the Five God Dragons too?!"
Madmole swallowed hard, shaking his head. "Probably not. He doesn't have the scent of a Dragon on him at all. That magic... he's entirely human."
"Human?! Where on earth did a monster like this come from?!" Kiria yelled, pulling at her hair. She couldn't fathom how a mere human could wield a presence so terrifying.
"A Nine-Tailed Fox?!" Mercphobia bellowed, his massive serpentine eyes narrowing in immediate suspicion. "What is your relationship with Selene?!"
The Water God Dragon was genuinely startled to see Ren transform into such an entity. He immediately assumed there was a hidden connection between this human and his ancient rival.
The Moon God Dragon, Selene, was another member of the Five God Dragons. Her true form boasted seven massive, fluffy tails and carried a distinctively fox-like appearance, making her look incredibly similar to a mythical Nine-Tailed Fox.
Seeing Ren's golden transformation immediately triggered Mercphobia's paranoia, making him think of the manipulative Moon God Dragon.
[Akarin's Note: Selene, the Moon God Dragon, is one of the Five God Dragons of Guiltina. She possesses the unique ability to traverse and manipulate different parallel dimensions. Her true Dragon form is incredibly elegant, featuring multiple fox-like tails.]
"Selene? Who's that?" Ren asked, his giant chakra avatar tilting its head in genuine confusion.
He found the name incredibly unfamiliar. Despite knowing the general outline of the world, he really didn't have a deep memory of the specific details within the 100-Year Quest arc.
"You don't know Selene?" Mercphobia asked, his booming voice tinged with immense surprise.
"Who is she? Why should I know her?" Ren replied, his golden tails swaying lazily behind him. "I've only just arrived on the continent of Guiltina. I don't know any of the famous figures on this landmass."
Hearing Ren's casual dismissal, Mercphobia finally remembered their earlier conversation. Ren had traveled all the way from the distant continent of Ishgar, so it wasn't strange that he knew nothing of the local deities.
"The Moon God Dragon, Selene, is also one of the Five God Dragons you are meant to seal," Mercphobia explained, his tone lowering. "Didn't Elefseria tell you this?"
"No, that old guy just said the Five God Dragons were up to no good and told me to seal them," Ren answered honestly. "He didn't even bother to tell me any of their names."
Ren shrugged his massive, blazing shoulders. "He said he only knew your exact location, so he teleported me straight here without elaborating."
"I see! Your current appearance is very similar to the Moon God Dragon Selene's true form," Mercphobia admitted, letting out a heavy, vaporous sigh. "I almost thought you were Selene's son."
The Water God Dragon visibly relaxed, the tension in his massive, feathered wings easing. Although they were collectively known as the Five God Dragons, the relationship between them was far from amicable.
Possessing perfectly equal, world-ending power, they all viewed the other God Dragons as supreme threats to their own territories. It was a fragile, unspoken cold war that had lasted for over a century.
Because the magical damage a Dragon inflicted upon another Dragon was permanently incurable, the Five God Dragons tried their absolute best to avoid fighting each other directly. Even a victorious battle could leave them fatally crippled for eternity.
[Akarin's Note: In the Fairy Tail universe, wounds inflicted by a Dragon upon another Dragon are notoriously difficult, if not impossible, to heal. This is a crucial lore point explaining why the God Dragons, despite their immense power and territorial natures, strictly avoid engaging in all-out wars with one another.]
Seeing Ren manifest in a form so incredibly similar to Selene, Mercphobia had initially assumed the worst. He thought Ren was a bastard child of the Moon God Dragon, explicitly sent to assassinate him on her orders.
It seemed he had vastly overthought the situation. Although Ren's current Nine-Tailed Fox form carried a visual resemblance to Selene, its fundamental magical essence was completely different.
If Ren truly were Selene's son, his core scent wouldn't be human; he would undeniably be a Dragon. Even if Selene had somehow mated with a human and given birth, the resulting offspring definitely wouldn't be a pure human Mage.
"I don't know any Selene, and I'm definitely not her son," Ren stated firmly. "This form is just the power of a character I've 'received'."
Ren didn't bother elaborating on the mechanics of his Take Over System. "And the character I received isn't from this world, so the fundamental power used is entirely different from your Dragon magic."
"So, you were indeed hiding your true strength," Mercphobia noted, his massive eyes glowing with a dangerous, azure light. "It seems I can fight with my full power without worrying about accidentally killing you."
Mercphobia looked up at the inverted ocean suspended in the sky above them.
The dark clouds violently shifted. The suspended seawater began to aggressively churn, forming dozens of massive, hyper-pressurized whirlpools across the sky.
Soon, a highly concentrated column of water erupted from the dead center of a whirlpool directly above Ren. It tore through the sky, falling toward him like a divine judgment.
Ren had sensed the buildup of magical energy long before the attack launched. Utilizing his god-like reflexes, he quickly dodged to the side, his massive golden form blurring out of the way.
Boom—————!
The highly concentrated water column hit the sea surface, creating a terrifying impact with destructive power equal to a massive magical laser beam.
In the very next instant, the dozens of whirlpools suspended in the sky began to continuously fire devastating water columns at Ren.
Ren sprinted across the turbulent sea, his massive golden form weaving through the bombardment. Even if he took these torrential attacks head-on, his chakra shroud ensured they wouldn't actually hurt him, though they would consume a significant amount of energy to block.
There was simply no need to tank them when his speed allowed him to evade effortlessly. Soon, Ren closed the distance, preparing to charge directly at Mercphobia.
Splash————!
A huge, impenetrable waterfall suddenly fell from the suspended ocean in the sky, forming a massive wall of crushing water to block his advance.
Ren raised his golden claw. "Shatter!"
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