Chapter 377 377. Meeting Zeref
Orion looked around the endless desert but found no trace of the man who had been talking to him earlier. He also no longer heard his voice.
"What a weirdo! He snuck up on me, didn't reveal his presence, but didn't attack either," he muttered to himself, finding the situation oddly amusing.
Just then, he disappeared from the endless desert.
***
Orion suddenly found himself inside an office filled with chairs, desks, and tables, alone in the room.
[Random Teleportation complete.]
[All remaining participants, 3,734, have been teleported to the city of Du Losi.]
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[All exits from the city have been blocked. Du Losi will be the final battlefield. Fight to the end until only one remains.]
Three notifications appeared in Orion's vision.
"Only 3,734 remain, and they've decided to put all of us in a city," he thought.
Orion knew the next few hours in this city would be chaotic, but he wasn't complaining.
Just then, he turned sharply, sensing something.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Huh?"
He saw a figure hurtling toward the building he was in at an incredible speed.
Bang!
The figure crashed through the glass panes and windows, shattering concrete and leaving a massive hole in the building, before smashing into another building, destroying that one as well.
"Interesting."
Orion, now curious, flew out of the building and hovered in the air. He watched as the figure emerged from the wreckage, and to his surprise, it was Mark.
"Then the one who attacked him..."
"We finally meet, Ray Wiser."
A voice reached his ears, and Orion looked up to see a woman dressed in white standing on the roof of his building, smiling at him.
Orion studied her for a moment. "Zeref?"
"I'm pleased you know my name." Zeref smiled and pointed at Mark, who was stumbling out of the destroyed building. "That guy over there is no fun. He has strength, tons of it, but he's not using it for some reason."
She then pointed at Orion. "Are you the same? Are you hiding your strength too?"
Orion looked down at the woman and smiled. "It depends on who I'm fighting."
"Heh, good." Zeref's eyes shone with excitement. "I've been fighting weaklings since the assessment began, and let me tell you, they aren't fun at all."
She glanced at him. "But you and Mark are different. Especially you, Ray Wiser."
"Am I?" Orion said, drawing his sword. "Come and show me your strength."
Zeref smirked and vanished from the rooftop, reappearing in front of Orion, her sword slashing diagonally at him.
Orion smiled and raised his sword to block.
BOOM!
As their swords clashed, the shockwave that erupted was unlike anything the city had felt before. The force rippled out in a thunderous wave, shattering windows and mirrors, reverberating through the streets like a small earthquake. The intensity of the shock left no corner untouched, alerting every participant scattered throughout the city.
For a moment, all movement paused as they processed what had just occurred. Each participant felt the tremor and knew it was impossible for a natural earthquake to occur in this place.
They quickly realized the cause—a battle powerful enough to shake the very foundation of the city. With narrowed eyes and racing hearts, they ascended into the sky, one by one, all turning their gazes toward the source of the disturbance.
What they saw made them freeze in mid-air.
Two figures stood in the heart of the city, locked in an intense stalemate. Their swords clashed, creating periodic shockwaves that rippled outward with devastating force. Each collision sent tremors through the ground, making the air itself hum with tension. The battle was so fierce that the very atmosphere seemed to bend under their power.
"You're stronger than I expected," Zeref said, her white hair fluttering in the wind.
Orion smiled. "Of course I'm strong. I've put all my stat points into constitution."
"But that alone wouldn't make you this powerful," Zeref replied, her eyes narrowing. "You don't need to make excuses. I know your secret."
Orion smiled, feigning ignorance. "Oh? Do tell me my secret."
Zeref stared at him. "You're far stronger than you appear, aren't you?"
Orion ignored the comment and asked, "How do you know about me and Mark?"
"Ah," Zeref smiled sweetly, "that's my secret. A secret I can't tell anyone."
She chuckled and added, "Want to know another of my secrets?"
"What is it?" Orion asked.
Zeref grinned. "My talent is Absolute Counter."
Orion's eyes narrowed as he sensed the sudden shift in energy. His instincts screamed at him to move, but it was already too late.
In an instant, a shockwave erupted from her sword, unleashing a force that hit him like a hammer. The impact sent Orion plummeting from the sky, his body crashing down like a meteor.
The speed of his descent tore through the air, and when he struck the ground, the building beneath him shattered into rubble, obliterated in a single, violent blow.
Dust and debris filled the air, and for a moment, silence reigned over the battlefield.
The spectators, hovering in the sky, were stunned. Only a moment ago, the two had been locked in a fierce stalemate, seemingly equal in power. But now, one of them had been ruthlessly driven into the ground
Among the crowd watching, Tracy was in disbelief, her expression filled with worry.
"Brother..." she muttered anxiously.
Erza, observing the fight from a distant rooftop, also became concerned when she saw Orion get smashed into the ground.
"Is this your true strength, or are you hiding more?" she thought, her expression serious as she focused on the white-haired girl.
At that moment, Orion emerged from the wreckage, dusting off his clothes in the air. He soon realized it was pointless—his clothes had already been torn during the trial, and the recent impact with Zeref had only made things worse.
"Absolute Counter... quite a powerful talent," Orion said, turning to Zeref, who was watching him with a surprised expression.
"Well, it's not that strong," Zeref replied, examining him. "But you're right. Your body is incredibly strong—you don't seem injured at all."
Orion smiled wryly. "Believe me, every bone in my body is aching like crazy."
"Is that so?" Zeref smiled sweetly. "Then I'll make sure your bones won't ache anymore... by crushing them all."
"Go ahead." Orion suddenly appeared behind her, leaving a trail of dust and wind, his sword swinging toward her.
Zeref reacted quickly, spinning around and parrying with her own sword, which for a moment flashed with white light.
Orion saw the light and adjusted his sword, sliding it along hers, sparks flying as they clashed. In his other hand, he formed a swirling green sphere—much larger than any he had created before, nearly twice the size of his head—and sent it hurtling toward her.
"Have fun." Orion quickly stepped back as the attack flew at her.
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