Coreal
patreon
[RNZO] Ch 162: Ultear & Hades Appear
🕑 Added 2025-04-12 16:21:38 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Lyon scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish grin. "Well, I guess it's not impossible! I still think Ur's the strongest! Big bro probably just had a burst of power that one time, right? Hehe…"
"I don't wanna leave Ur either," Gray quickly added, shaking his head like a drum.
"Scram, both of you!" Ur snapped, waving them off with an annoyed look. "What, you two planning to sponge off your Master forever? You think I'm gonna raise you into old age?"
"Seriously, you brats are gonna be the death of me…"
She muttered under her breath while glaring at them.
Lyon and Gray just laughed awkwardly, trying to avoid her wrath.
Then Lyon turned to Renzo. "So, what about you, big bro? Got any plans? Also… could you teach me how to get stronger?"
"Oh?" Renzo raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why ask me? What, Master's teaching isn't good enough?"
"Uh…" Lyon froze on the spot. He could feel Ur's gaze piercing through his soul.
Nope. Not saying that. Lyon still wanted to live.
So he quickly shook his head. "No way! Master's amazing! I just… wanna learn more! Be stronger! That's all!"
"You little sneak." Renzo chuckled. "Fine, I guess I can show you a body training method. Gray can learn it too. Should be useful for both of you."
Even though wizards mainly rely on magic power, having a strong body definitely helps. At least, that's what Renzo believed.
"Master! The healing's done—try it out and see if there's any issues," Renzo said, glancing at Ur's now fully regenerated leg.
"Huh? Oh, right!" Ur blinked, then nodded. She sat up and moved her left foot a little, testing it out. Then she stood up, walked around a bit, and quickly adapted.
Smiling, she walked straight over and pulled Renzo into a hug. "Thank you, Little Renzo."
Renzo's face instantly turned red. He quickly wriggled out of her arms, looking flustered. "N-No big deal… I just did what I had to…"
"Oho~? Our little Renzo's getting shy now? Growing up, are we~?" Ur teased with a mischievous grin, looking every bit the cheeky troublemaker.
Renzo groaned. His teacher was back to being completely unserious again. Even he couldn't help rolling his eyes.
Lyon and Gray cracked up laughing on the side.
Just then—
"Huh?" Renzo's expression shifted. He suddenly looked toward the western forest outside, eyes narrowing. "Master, I'll be right back!"
Before Ur could even respond, he vanished from the room in a blink.
"Renzo?" Ur frowned and turned to Lyon and Gray. "You two stay inside. Don't move."
Without waiting for their answer, she rushed out of the house too.
— — —
Meanwhile, Renzo reappeared in the forest to the west, standing next to a little girl.
"You're Ultear, aren't you?" he asked calmly, looking at the girl. Her eyes were filled with hatred… but also clear caution.
He'd just happened to be scanning the area with his spiritual sense and caught a glimpse of her aura. Talk about a coincidence.
Or maybe… it wasn't a coincidence at all?
"You—!" Ultear's eyes widened in panic. The next second, she turned and ran.
Renzo didn't chase. Instead, his eyes shifted toward a nearby tree—where an old man had been hiding, cloaked in magic.
"No need to hide. Why not come out and talk man to man?" Renzo called out.
"So, Ultear's with you, huh? What's your goal? Are you here to kill my Master?"
The old man had cloaked himself well, suppressing even the tiniest magic fluctuations. But none of that could escape Renzo's spiritual awareness—or his Observation Haki.
To Renzo, that dense magical power inside the old man was as obvious as a giant flashing beacon.
"Oh?" The old man chuckled in surprise and stepped out of the shadows, canceling his concealment spell. "Well now, aren't you something? Just a kid—what, eleven or twelve? And you already have this kind of power?"
He studied Renzo carefully, an intrigued look on his face. "So the rumors were true. They said a young boy killed the Demon Deliora… and looks like that boy is you, huh?"
He already knew Ur had taken her disciples to face Deliora. And from the traces left behind, he'd seen signs of strange power.
If his hunch was right, this kid was far more dangerous than he'd expected.
Originally, he'd only brought Ultear here to sever her emotional ties—to turn her into his pawn completely.
But now… things had just gotten a lot more interesting.
With a gleam in his eye, he looked at Renzo and made an offer. "Hey kid, how about it? Why not come with me? I can show you a broader, grander world of magic. Follow me—and follow the great dark mage Zeref—and witness the dawn of a new magical era!"
"Come on, join me, boy!"
"Only by following me can you reach the pinnacle of magic!"
He never expected to run into someone who might even be more gifted than Ultear. Since he was actively looking for talents to nurture and recruit, there was no way he'd let this kid slip through his fingers.
Today, this boy—he had to have him.
As for Ultear, she stood quietly beside him, her face blank and unreadable.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
Renzo chuckled as he shook his head and said mockingly, "I've gotta say, not bad, Precht… or should I call you Hades now? Still the same old scam man. Your pitch hasn't improved at all. Just as lame as ever."
"All that crap about the pinnacle of magic, a new magical era, and Zeref's big dreams?"
"It's all just empty talk."
"If I want to go further in magic, I'll do it through my own effort. Why would I ever need someone like you, who's already lost his way, to guide me?"
Then, his eyes turned icy cold as he stared down Hades.
"Why don't you cut the nonsense and just tell me why you really brought Ultear here?"
"Huh?"
Hades' eyes narrowed sharply at Renzo's words, locking onto him.
"Kid… how do you know who I really am? Have we met before?"
"That's impossible! Who are you really?!"
That tone, that way of speaking, like they were old acquaintances—what the hell was going on?
Hades was sure he'd never seen this boy before. His magical presence was completely unfamiliar.
So how the hell did this brat know his identity?
"Well obviously, you told me yourself," Renzo replied with a playful shrug. "I can read minds, y'know. Every little thought, every emotion, it's all laid bare to me."
Yeah, that was total Bullshit.
There was no way some basic mind-reading ability could penetrate the mental defenses of someone like Hades. The guy's spiritual power alone was off the charts, let alone his defenses.
"Mind reading?" Hades raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "You expect me to believe a brat like you has that kind of power? You saying it works regardless of the difference in strength or mental power?"
"Nice try! Don't play games with me, kid. I was pulling that trick before you were even born!"
"Exactly!" Renzo nodded quickly, playing along with a grin. "And didn't you just use that same trick on Ultear over there?"
"I mean, let me guess—didn't you tell her something like this: 'Once the new magical era begins, the Arc of Time she's learning will finally reveal its true brilliance. She'll be able to rewind time and bring her mother, my master Ur, back to the time when she still loved her daughter?'"
At that moment, Hades didn't say a word—but Ultear turned sharply, her expression twisting in surprise.
That's exactly what Hades had told her.
And it was exactly what she'd been hoping for.
She resented her mother for abandoning her and choosing Renzo and the others over her… but deep down, what she truly wanted was to bring her mother back to that time when she still loved her. To fix it all.
Step. Step. Step.
Just then, footsteps echoed behind Renzo.
Ur burst through the trees—and the moment her eyes fell on Ultear, she froze.
"No… no way… this has to be an illusion…"
Her eyes welled up. Tears spilled down her face as she reached out with trembling hands and whispered, "Ul… Ultear? Is it really you…?"
"You're alive? I thought…"
Before she could finish, she rushed forward—only to be stopped by Renzo, who gently blocked her path.
Seeing her confusion, he gave her a calm shake of the head. "Master, please wait just a little longer. Let me deal with this old man first. After that, you and Ultear can talk—clear things up."
Ultear's hands trembled slightly at the sight of her mother.
There was no way she wasn't moved.
More than once, she nearly ran forward, ready to throw herself into her mother's arms.
Because… in her mother's eyes, she saw something she hadn't seen in a long time—pure, unconditional love.
But there was still a thorn in her heart… and she held herself back.
"…Okay."
Ur knew when to step back. She trusted Renzo. So she stayed put, eyes locked on Ultear, full of longing, love, and regret.
.
.
.
