Chapter 53: We Will Dedicate Our Strength to You Forever!
"Go back and tell Guild Master Jose."
"Tell him, Fairy Tail's Ren!"
"Is declaring war on him, and on the Phantom Lord!"
Ren's voice wasn't loud, but it exploded like a clap of thunder in Gajeel's ears.
Gajeel's eyes widened as he watched Ren's retreating figure, unable to speak for a long time.
But Ren's thunderous words continued to echo in his ears.
Struggling to stand, Gajeel endured the intense pain in his arm, gritted his teeth, and left the outskirts of Magnolia.
Ren walked out of the woods, where Levy and the others were looking anxiously in his direction.
Suddenly seeing Ren emerge, Levy jogged up and scanned the area behind him.
Finding no sign of Gajeel, Levy breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
She hurriedly asked Ren, "Ren, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
Levy's petite frame stood before Ren, her worried gaze sweeping over him, checking his body up and down.
Ren smiled and shook his head. He reached out to pat Levy's blue hair and said with a laugh, "Don't worry, he's not enough to hurt me."
Levy relaxed, then asked, "What about him?"
She was somewhat worried, afraid that Ren might have killed Gajeel right there.
If Phantom Lord used that as a reason to report him to the Magic Council, it could cause trouble for Ren.
Ren smiled and said, "He left. I just taught him a small lesson."
Comforted by Ren, Levy finally relaxed completely.
She then ran to Jet's side, looking at him with concern.
"Ren, I'll take Jet to the hospital first. Thank you so much for saving us."
Jet had only suffered one heavy blow; the injury wasn't critical, but Levy insisted on going to the hospital to check.
Watching the three of them leave, Ren dusted off his sleeves and headed home.
As soon as he walked through the door, he found Erza waiting for him on the sofa.
Ur and the other three Homies were also waiting in the living room.
Seeing everyone there, a smile appeared on Ren's face. He asked, "Why aren't you sleeping? What are you all doing?"
"Where did you go?"
Erza raised an eyebrow, looked Ren up and down, and asked.
"There was a little rat in Magnolia just now. I went to deal with it," Ren answered with a smile, hiding nothing about what had just happened.
He intended to tell Makarov about it tomorrow anyway.
The declaration of war was already out there.
After listening to Ren's account, Erza looked worried.
"You declared war on Phantom Lord? Will the Master agree to that?"
Erza stood firmly by Ren's side, but since this involved a conflict between guilds, she was concerned Makarov might not approve.
"If he doesn't agree, then he doesn't agree. When the time comes, I'll just go kill them all myself."
Ren grinned, reaching out to stroke Erza's scarlet long hair.
She rolled her eyes at him and slapped his hand away.
Then, looking at Ren with a determined gaze, she said, "If that day really comes, I will go with you!"
"And me! Me too, Master!"
"Master, I will stand firmly before you to shelter you from the wind and rain!"
"Master, Napoleon is willing to cut through thorns for you and guard you forever!"
As Erza's voice fell, the three main Homies spoke up one after another. The violent Zeus crackled with lightning.
Ur, standing to the side, didn't speak, but she walked slowly to Ren's side with a smile, clearly showing her stance.
Ren looked at everyone before him, torn between laughter and tears. He smiled helplessly and said, "The Master hasn't even stated his attitude yet. Why are you all acting like this is a life-or-death parting? Relax."
He shooed everyone back to their rooms, and Ren went back to his room to sleep as well.
Lying in bed, Erza lay beside Ren, resting her head on his arm.
Ren gently patted Erza's back, and soon, the sound of calm breathing came from beside him.
Before long, holding Erza, Ren also drifted into dreamland.
The next day, Ren woke up, stretched, and went to the living room.
Erza had already prepared a meal and was waiting for Ren to get up.
The two ate a hurried breakfast and rushed directly to the guild.
Zeus and the other two didn't tag along; only Ur accompanied Erza and Ren.
The moment he stepped into the guild, Ren sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off.
When Ren saw Makarov, he found the Master sitting on the bar counter with an iron-green, solemn face.
Seeing Ren, Makarov looked up and glanced at him.
"You're here, Ren."
Makarov nodded at Ren, greeting him.
Ren nodded and sat directly beside Makarov.
"You saved Levy last night?"
Makarov took a swig of alcohol, forcing a smile onto his stiff face as he asked Ren.
Ren nodded. "I was sleeping yesterday when I heard Levy calling for help. I made it just in time, otherwise Droy would have been hurt too."
Hearing Ren's words, Makarov nodded and glanced at Levy not far away.
"Thank you," Makarov said to Ren with a smile, exhaling a breath of frustration.
"Levy and everyone else are family. It's what I should do."
Ren smiled, taking a bottle of alcohol from Mirajane's hand.
"What about that guy from Phantom Lord? What did you do to him?"
Suddenly, Makarov's eyes burned intensely as he turned to stare at Ren.
"I crippled one of his hands and let him go back," Ren said, taking a sip of his drink and shrugging.
Makarov nodded and didn't pursue it further.
However, Ren continued, "But yesterday, I declared war on Phantom Lord."
As Ren's words fell, Makarov instantly stood up, looking at Ren in shock. "What? Say that again?"
"I said, I declared war on Phantom Lord!"
Ren put down the bottle in his hand. The smile on his face vanished, and he looked at Makarov calmly, articulating every word.
Makarov fell silent for a moment, then stood up fully.
Standing on the bar counter, he locked eyes with Ren, his expression solemn.
The two said nothing, just quietly staring at each other.
Everyone in the guild seemed to sense the subtle atmosphere between Ren and Makarov.
"Well done!"
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