Chapter 401: Ren VS Wood God Dragon
By that same logic, the outcome would be exactly the same.
Ren looked disdainful upon hearing this. The sheer arrogance radiating from the creature before him was almost laughable.
Wolfen knew exactly what Ren was thinking just by looking at his expression. As a biological extension of the Wood God Dragon, his unique ability allowed him to effortlessly read people's hearts and minds.
"I know your thoughts, human," Wolfen snarled, his wooden features twisting into a grotesque sneer. "So let me show you my true power!"
Wolfen raised both hands high into the air, fingers splayed wide before violently sweeping them out to the sides.
Swish!
The thick, root-woven ground beneath Ren's feet suddenly split apart, creating a massive chasm that swallowed him whole. Ren plunged into a free fall toward the yawning abyss of darkness. Just as he prepared to manipulate his magic to fly back up, the environment violently reacted.
Shoom, shoom, shoom!
Thick, serpentine roots and massive tree trunks violently crisscrossed over the opening above him. They knitted together at blinding speed, completely sealing off the sky and plunging his descent into absolute darkness.
Seeing this, Ren was in no hurry to escape. He allowed his levitation magic to fade, curious to see what kind of tricks his opponent was trying to pull.
Ren let his body drop freely, the rushing wind tearing at his clothes as he plunged deeper into the earth. As the ground rushed up to meet him, he hovered just inches before impact, bleeding off his momentum to land steadily on his feet.
This was a vast subterranean space, entirely surrounded by colossal, ancient trees that pulsed with an eerie green light. The air here was incredibly thick, heavy with the scent of ancient timber, damp soil, and an unfathomable density of magic power.
Suddenly, a deep, resonant voice rang out, echoing off the wooden walls of the massive cavern.
"The 5 magical crystals each house 5 guardians," the voice boomed, carrying the weight of centuries. "Wolfen can read hearts, Metro commands the army of strength, Gears is a strategist proficient in calculation, and Doom brings absolute death."
The glowing roots around the cavern began to shift, parting like curtains to reveal a shadowed alcove.
"And I am the 5th," the ancient voice continued. "The God Seed, Aldoron."
A crack opened within the cluster of giant trees, and a humanoid treant slowly walked out. The entity possessed an imposing, majestic aura and wore a jagged wooden crown atop its head.
Sweeping wooden horns protruded from both sides of its forehead, and a sprawling cloak draped over its shoulders, perfectly resembling the intricate veins of a massive autumn leaf.
"Aldoron..." Ren muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "If I recall, the Wood God Dragon is called Aldoron, right?"
Ren easily remembered the Wood God Dragon's name from the 100-Year Quest lore. This wasn't just some random dungeon boss; this was the core avatar of one of the most powerful entities on the planet.
"Correct!" the treant declared, its wooden jaw clicking with every syllable. "I am the brain of Aldoron. I am the absolute leader of the God Seeds, and I am Aldoron himself."
The God Seed took a slow, deliberate step forward, the ground trembling slightly beneath his weight.
"Aldoron has waited for this moment for a long time," the treant continued, his voice dripping with ancient malice. "Waiting for the moment of awakening to once more trample this land of Guiltina and completely transform it into our earth."
Ren listened quietly, analyzing the monstrous magical pressure leaking from the avatar.
"Injured in the cataclysmic battle with Acnologia hundreds of years ago, I rested here," the God Seed explained, gesturing to the cavern around them. "Initially, my body wasn't this massive, though it was still the size of a large town. To recuperate and heal those grievous wounds, I built a human town directly on my own body."
The creature let out a dry, raspy chuckle that sounded like grinding bark.
"I survived by absorbing nutrients from the humans living there," Aldoron revealed proudly. "Feeding on their magic, their life force, and their very souls, causing my main body to grow even further."
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly at the casual admission of mass parasitism.
"My size has already surpassed the continent's greatest mountains," Aldoron boasted, spreading his leafy cloak wide. "Later, I realized my power had grown entirely too strong to suppress. At that time, to deliberately restrain my overflowing magic, 5 crystals and 5 guardians were born."
The God Seed pointed a wooden finger toward the ceiling of the cavern.
"They act as limiters, barely managing to control my world-ending power," Aldoron continued. "In the past, when I was only the size of a town, I was indeed no match for Acnologia. But even then, that wretched Black Dragon couldn't hope to kill me."
The treant's glowing eyes narrowed with overwhelming arrogance.
"Now, those 5 towns only occupy a small, insignificant fraction of my body," Aldoron sneered. "My current strength has long since surpassed Acnologia's."
Ren almost scoffed at the sheer delusion. The dragon had undeniably grown to a massive scale, but assuming sheer size equated to defeating the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse was foolish.
"At this point, I am tired of my suppressed slumber," Aldoron declared, his magical aura flaring violently. "Since I have awakened, this land shall be completely destroyed and remade in my image!"
The cavern began to shake as roots violently lashed against the walls in response to the God Seed's rising temper.
"Once this land is destroyed, I will personally hunt down Acnologia," Aldoron proclaimed. "It's time to settle our old score and tear the title of Dragon King from his corpse."
Aldoron suddenly paused, his glowing eyes fixing entirely on Ren.
"Honestly, it seems I haven't communicated with other living creatures in so long that I've said far too much, even to a mere nutrient like you," the God Seed scoffed dismissively. "But this is the end of our conversation. Disappear."
Shoom—!
Without a single warning gesture, a highly compressed magic bullet shot toward Ren. The sphere of pure, concentrated nature magic tore through the air, carrying enough kinetic force to level a mountain peak.
Boom—!
The magic bullet exploded violently upon impact. A massive shockwave ripped through the underground cavern, instantly vaporizing the surrounding roots and kicking up a suffocating cloud of dust and splintered wood.
"Vainly attempting to challenge the dignity of a God Dragon..." Aldoron muttered, staring at the swirling cloud of destruction. "Even after hundreds of years, humans remain remarkably foolish."
The God Seed turned his back on the crater, his leafy cloak swishing behind him.
"Once I deal with those annoying Dragon Eaters infesting my back, I will use this newfound power to devour the other 5 God Dragons," Aldoron plotted aloud. "And then, I shall have my final showdown with Acnologia."
Aldoron prepared to step back into the shadows and leave the cavern entirely.
"Hey, hey! The battle isn't over yet," Ren's voice suddenly rang out, cutting cleanly through the settling dust. "Don't just walk away talking to yourself, you oversized piece of firewood."
Aldoron quickly turned, his glowing eyes widening as he looked at the site of the explosion. Ren's figure casually strolled out of the smoke, brushing a nonexistent speck of dust off his shoulder.
He was completely unscathed. Aldoron's confident expression shifted instantly into one of profound confusion.
"What happened?!" Aldoron demanded, his voice cracking with shock. "My attack definitely should have hit you. Why are you completely unharmed?"
"It's simple," Ren replied, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. "Because you didn't hit me at all."
"Impossible!" Aldoron roared, his magical pressure flaring defensively. "I watched the impact detonate directly on your pathetic human frame!"
"Come, reach out your hand," Ren offered calmly, extending his arm forward with his palm facing the God Seed. "I'll teach you."
Ren stepped casually toward Aldoron, closing the distance between them without a shred of fear. Aldoron narrowed his glowing eyes, deeply suspicious of whatever trick this human was playing.
Refusing to back down, Aldoron reached his massive, wooden hand toward Ren's outstretched palm. As his clawed fingers drew within inches of Ren, he suddenly met an invisible, insurmountable force of resistance.
It was as if space itself had thickened into solid steel, preventing his palm from getting any closer to Ren's skin.
"Hmph!"
Aldoron let out a cold snort as he felt the spatial resistance. He was the Wood God Dragon Aldoron, the absolute largest of the entire Dragon Clan, and naturally the undisputed strongest in terms of physical brute power.
His pride as a deity demanded he crush this parlor trick. He immediately increased his physical strength, channeling a terrifying surge of draconic magic into his arm.
The stalled, massive wooden palm began to inch closer to Ren's hand. Though the progress was agonizingly slow, and the wood groaned under the spatial friction, it was indeed breaching the invisible barrier.
"So it's nothing more than this," Aldoron said disdainfully, glaring down at the human. "It is just a bit of spatial resistance. As long as my magical power is strong enough, it can crush absolutely everything. In the end, it's merely human strength."
Ren felt no panic at this display. He simply analyzed the phenomenon with mild interest.
He realized that overwhelming magic power itself could act like a simplified Domain Expansion. It was an application of pure, dense energy that could actively erode and break through the conceptual defense of his Limitless Cursed Technique.
Gojo Satoru's power was considered the absolute, untouchable apex in the Jujutsu Kaisen universe. But in the world of Fairy Tail, where conceptual powerhouses and literal stat-monsters roamed everywhere, Gojo's raw output was occasionally insufficient against beings who dwarfed continents.
Aldoron's passive magical density was so absurdly high that it was actively warping the endless space Ren had summoned.
"Don't even think about running," Aldoron threatened, his wooden face twisting into a demonic scowl. "This is a completely closed space. Even if you've mastered high-tier teleportation magic, you can't escape from this earthen cage!"
The massive roots around the cavern began to violently thrash.
"Perish here, human!" Aldoron roared. "Leaf Storm!"
Countless razor-sharp green leaves erupted from the cavern walls, swirling frantically into a localized hurricane. They formed a devastating storm in the blink of an eye, completely surrounding Ren in a vortex of cutting wind.
Ren stood perfectly still right in the center of the roaring storm. The magically enhanced green leaves continuously closed in on him like millions of flying blades, intending to slice his flesh to ribbons.
Ren had already fully activated the Limitless Cursed Technique. However, facing this hyper-dense, continuous magical barrage, he realized a tactical flaw.
Even if his Infinity could significantly slow down the speed at which these blades approached him, the sheer volume and magical weight of Aldoron's attack would slowly eat through the spatial barrier. Eventually, the infinite distance would be bridged, and he would be flayed alive.
This guy is pretty crafty! Ren thought, admiring the God Seed's combat instincts.
Knowing that a simple, singular magic blast would be blocked by the spatial distortion, Aldoron had instantly switched to a continuous, omnidirectional magical bombardment. However, to Ren, these were all just minor tactical adjustments.
[System: Full Body Take Over — Nagato.]
Ren's internal magical signature vanished entirely, replaced by a cold, oppressive, and god-like chakra. His body instantly switched to Nagato's form.
His hair shifted to a striking crimson red, and his eyes morphed into the mesmerizing, ripple-like rings of the legendary Rinnegan. Now that he had used this specific Take Over magic many times, the speed of switching characters via the System was nearly instantaneous.
Ren slowly raised his pale hand toward the swirling vortex of razor leaves.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom—!
An unimaginably powerful, omnidirectional shockwave erupted from the very center of the storm. The gravitational force completely defied the laws of physics, violently repelling everything in its immediate vicinity.
The suffocating leaf storm was instantly crushed into microscopic dust. The devastating repulsive impact continued outward, slamming directly into Aldoron's massive wooden chest and forcing the God Seed's titanic body to skid backward across the cavern floor.
"This..." Aldoron gasped, his wooden claws digging deep trenches into the earth to stop his forced retreat. "A mere human could actually make me retreat?"
The God Seed stared forward in absolute disbelief. The shockwave hadn't just been physical force; it was a fundamental manipulation of gravity that his raw magical power couldn't simply crush.
"Hey, hey, hey, aren't you getting a little annoying?"
Ren's cold, echoing voice rang out through the settling dust. The tone was completely different now—hollow, resonant, and devoid of any human warmth.
"You keep saying 'mere human' over and over again," Ren continued, lowering his pale hand. "I haven't even called you a mere piece of rotten wood yet."
Aldoron violently looked up at Ren. The God Seed was instantly stunned to see that the human's physical appearance and entire energetic presence had completely changed.
"What?!"
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]