"God's Hand!" Zero said, his crimson eyes fixed intently on Chen Fan.
"Brother Chen Fan!"
"Chen Fan!"
Wendy ran to his side, shouting his name. Happy, looking utterly terrified, clung to Chen Fan's leg. "Chen Fan! He's terrifying! He's already defeated Natsu and Gray!"
"What happened to Jura?" Erza asked as she approached after Lucy's earlier remark. Her face was a mask of stoic calm, as if the moment she had spent in Chen Fan's arms just moments ago had never happened.
"That was a quick change in attitude!" Lucy muttered under her breath.
"Mr. Jura fell into a trap earlier while trying to protect us," Wendy explained. "He exhausted all of his magic power and collapsed."
Chen Fan turned his gaze toward Wendy. "How are his injuries?"
"He's out of danger. Mr. Jura's body is incredibly resilient, but his magic depletion is just too severe."
Chen Fan nodded understandingly. For someone at the level of the Ten Wizard Saints, the reliance on magic power was far greater than it was for mages like Natsu or Gray. Once their magic was fully drained, the resulting physical toll was often critical.
He remembered back to the original story when Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail, had his magic reserves sucked dry by that sneak from Phantom Lord; Makarov had been left weaker than an average human and fell into a deep coma.
Jura was in a similar state. Though his reserves might not have quite reached Makarov's heights, he was still an opponent that could not be overlooked.
Chen Fan knelt beside Jura for a moment. Just then, Jura's eyes fluttered open. Seeing Chen Fan, the Wizard Saint let out a long sigh of relief. "Lord Chen Fan... how embarrassing. We walked right into the enemy's trap."
"Rest now, don't force yourself to speak," Chen Fan said softly. "I'll take it from here."
"Where is Gray?"
"Gray is over there. He took a heavy blow while protecting me," Wendy said, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Around Chen Fan, Wendy always seemed to show her most vulnerable side.
"Don't cry, Wendy. It's all his fault! Why couldn't you have come back sooner?" Carla scolded, lecturing Chen Fan. Carla had always been suspicious of Chen Fan's intentions toward Wendy, but deep down, she knew her frustration stemmed from the fact that she simply couldn't see his future. To her eyes, Chen Fan was a living enigma, shrouded in mystery.
"My apologies for the delay," Chen Fan said. "But I'm glad you're all safe. Who are we? We are mages of Fairy Tail! We can retreat if we can't win, but we must never lose the courage to resist.
Natsu and Gray fought well. A mage can never truly grow strong without experiencing battle. If we lose to an enemy, it simply means we aren't strong enough yet. As long as we possess sufficient strength, any enemy will be trampled beneath our feet!"
"Hahaha... Trample all enemies? God's Hand, your words are beyond ridiculous!" Zero barked from the sidelines.
Chen Fan ignored him entirely. Instead, he looked at Erza, who was still on high guard. "Erza, go check on Natsu and Gray. It's time to bring this to an end."
Erza nodded. "Understood."
Zero, who had been watching lazily, suddenly shouted when he realized Erza was moving to leave. "You think you can just walk away? None of you are leaving this place alive today!"
A purple magic circle manifested in his hand, firing several bolts of green magic toward Erza and the others.
"You really don't learn, do you?" Chen Fan roared. The sheer volume of his voice created a physical ripple in the air that slammed into Zero, forcing the dark mage to turn his magic circle toward himself to defend.
"Be careful!" Carla warned. "This is Brain's hidden personality. His code name is 'Zero'."
"It doesn't matter if he's 'Zero' or 'One'," Chen Fan said calmly. "He isn't going anywhere."
"God's Hand, don't think you're invincible. I am far more powerful than you!" Zero's magic power surged to its limit, causing the ground to tremble once more. In terms of sheer magical density, he was indeed approaching the level of the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Is that so? Then why do you keep posturing instead of attacking?"
"Hmph! Dark Capriccio!" Zero snorted. Although he was a split personality, he possessed all of Brain's knowledge. In Brain's memories, Chen Fan was marked as the single most dangerous person to provoke. Zero was mad, but he wasn't a fool. However, Chen Fan's taunts had ignited a frantic desire within him to destroy this interloper.
"Die!" Zero screamed. The magic in his hands spun with increasing velocity as he lunged at Chen Fan.
The sound of an ability activating hummed through the air. When the magic collided with Chen Fan, it didn't even ruffle the hem of his cloak. Instead, it was reflected instantly, hurtling back at Zero with even greater speed.
Zero, however, had anticipated this. He had already begun moving before the reflection hit, and the magic whistled past the spot where he had been standing.
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. It seemed Zero actually had a functioning brain.
"I see. Just as Brain's data suggested," Zero said. "You can only control things you come into contact with, reflecting them back with increased speed and power."
"It's funny how some people think they know everything," Chen Fan replied. "In the end, all you'll find is the depth of your own ignorance. When you open one door, you only find countless more behind it."
Chen Fan's foot tapped the ground lightly. Boom! The earth spiderwebbed with cracks as he launched himself forward like a cannonball.
Zero instantly ignited a ball of green magic in his fist to meet him.
"Ah... How is this possible!" Zero was sent flying backward, smashing through a series of buildings. He stared at Chen Fan, his face etched with disbelief. "How can your body possess this kind of power?"
"Strength? No, this isn't strength. My physical power isn't that great," Chen Fan said coolly. "This is an ability."
"What ability?"
"Vector Transformation." Chen Fan stated the name of his power as he appeared beside Zero in an instant. The acceleration provided by his ability was so extreme that Zero couldn't even process the movement before a fist buried itself in his gut.
"Gah... No... I am the strongest!" Zero's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. When Chen Fan utilized his power at full capacity, others couldn't even touch him without sustaining severe injury.
Chen Fan had already decided to end this, so he wasn't holding back. This was the same reason why, among Level 5 espers, Accelerator was the undisputed strongest. The gap in their abilities and calculation power meant that someone like Railgun stood no chance against him.
"There is no such thing as 'the strongest' in this world," Chen Fan whispered into Zero's ear. "Being the strongest is meaningless. Strength exists only to protect. You've misunderstood the meaning of power entirely."
Zero didn't seem to hear him. The crimson light faded from his eyes, and he slumped into unconsciousness on the ground. Chen Fan didn't intend to execute Brain; he would leave the rest to the Magic Council. They couldn't just sit around and do nothing while the world supported them.
Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the ground beneath them. Wendy came running toward Chen Fan with Carla flying beside her. Wendy's expression was frantic. "Brother Chen Fan! My guild, Cait Shelter, is right ahead! Nirvana is preparing to fire its magic!"
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