Multiverse Share: 36 Worlds at the Same Time

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"You wish!"

The red-haired girl snapped back without hesitation, eyes sharp and body tensed for a fight as she glared at Brain. "I don't know who you are, but anyone who can order around those dark cult members in a place like this can't be a good person. No way I'm going with you!"

Even if she had to escape, she'd do it on her own terms—not by selling her soul to someone like him. She couldn't betray Grandpa Rob like that.

"Tsk tsk."

Brain chuckled, clearly amused. "What a shame. But you know, things don't always go the way you want them to."

As he spoke, he raised a finger, and a magic circle suddenly flared into existence. A dark green beam of magic shot straight toward the girl.

Just looking at it, anyone could tell it was bad news.

The red-haired girl tried to dodge, but the beam was locked on her, relentlessly closing the distance.

Forced into a corner with nowhere to run, a wave of helplessness washed over her.

Then—Boom!!

The wall beside her exploded in a burst of dust and debris. A hand appeared and—smack!—slapped the beam away like it was nothing.

"Eh?!"

The red-haired girl blinked, stunned.

...She was saved? By who?

"Who's there?!"

Brain's expression instantly shifted to alarm. He turned toward the hole in the wall, bracing himself.

That hole... it had been blasted in from outside the Tower of Heaven.

Sunlight poured through, harsh and blinding. And through that light, Renzo stepped forward.

"Oi! Oi! Oi!"

The next moment, Renzo walked out of the wreckage with a playful smile. "So this is where you were hiding, Brain. No wonder we couldn't find a trace of you for months. Turns out you were holed up in the Tower of Heaven!"

"No wonder. It all makes sense now."

The red-haired girl stared at the handsome stranger in surprise. She was sure she'd never seen him before.

So… why did he save her?

Just a coincidence? Or something more?

"Who are you?" Brain narrowed his eyes, voice cold. "You said you've been looking for me? Why?"

He wasn't about to underestimate Renzo.

He knew exactly how tight the Tower's defenses were. For someone to blast their way in like that? This guy was definitely no ordinary punk.

What really unsettled him was… he couldn't see through him at all.

"Meh."

Renzo smiled and reached out to pat the red-haired girl's head—only for her to instinctively flinch and dodge.

But right after that, she seemed to realize that might've been rude. After all, this boy had just saved her. And something about him felt… warm. Safe.

After a pause, she stepped closer and leaned her head toward his hand, her cheeks tinged with pink.

"Uh…"

Renzo blinked at her unexpected move, but smiled gently and gave her head a soft pat. "You're Erza, right? Don't worry. I'm here to get you out."

"You know me?" Erza looked up in surprise. She was certain they'd never met before.

Then she noticed the symbol on the back of his hand—one she'd seen before on Grandpa Rob.

"You're from Grandpa Rob's guild?"

Her eyes lit up with hope.

"Yup! I'm from Fairy Tail," Renzo replied with a grin. "I came here specifically to rescue you guys."

He had to admit—Erza's head was pretty soft. The Queen of Fairies, huh? Not many people would ever get the chance to pat her like this.

Hehehe…

"Really?! That's amazing!"

Erza's face lit up with joy—then immediately shifted to concern. "Wait, what about Grandpa Rob? He's sick! Something about a magic depletion illness. I don't really understand it, but he's in bad shape! Please, can you help him too?!"

"Haha, relax!"

Renzo chuckled. "I already sent a clone to help him. He's safe now. How do you think I even knew where to find you?"

Of course, he wasn't about to tell Erza he knew her from the original story.

That said, he really had sent a clone of himself down to the lower levels to rescue Rob and the others.

Rob was a respected elder of the Fairy Tail guild. Leaving him to suffer after finding out his situation? That wouldn't sit right with anyone. Makarov would never let him hear the end of it.

Besides, the old man genuinely deserved respect—he was a good person.

"Really? That's amazing! Thank you, big brother!"

Erza's face lit up with pure joy. Even when he'd just saved her life earlier, she hadn't smiled this brightly.

The darkness in her heart finally began to lift.

Brain: "..."

This cocky little brat really didn't see him as a threat, huh?

Chatting with that girl like he wasn't even there?

Brain had had enough.

He raised his skeletal staff, Klodoa, and pointed it straight at Renzo.

"Dark Capriccio!!"

A swirling, cyan-colored spiral of dark magic shot toward Renzo like a drill.

"Magic Impact Punch!"

Without even flinching, Renzo raised his fist and punched the spell head-on.

The punch tore through the air, shattering Brain's attack like it was nothing.

Brain's pupils contracted. "What kind of monstrous physique… What strange magic is this!?"

"Dark Capriccio!!" ×3

Not willing to give up, Brain unleashed three more green spiraling blasts infused with fire and piercing force, all aimed directly at Renzo from different angles.

"Ice Make: Sheer Cold!"

Renzo slammed his foot down.

A bone-chilling frost swept across the ground, then suddenly exploded upward in a massive burst, freezing everything in its path.

In an instant, Brain and his spells were turned into a giant ice sculpture.

This wasn't ordinary ice magic—it was a hybrid ability Renzo had developed recently using the ice move of Pokémon world, Sheer Cold.

It was terrifyingly powerful.

"Whoa… that's insane!" Erza gasped, eyes wide with awe.

"Sealing Art: Magic Lockdown!"

Renzo pointed at the frozen Brain, releasing a stream of glowing magic runes that quickly wrapped around him.

Snap!

With a flick of his fingers, the runes shattered into sparkling fragments that faded into the air.

"You… What?! My magic—?!"

Brain staggered, his eyes widening in horror. "Sealing magic? But… these runes… they're not even from a magic I recognize!"

He tried to summon his magic, only to find it completely locked down.

His magic source was covered in dozens of unfamiliar glyphs. His face turned pale.

"Don't bother struggling," Renzo said coldly. "It's pointless. Just be a good little prisoner and come back with me. My Sensei and her daughter are the ones who'll decide what to do with you."

He smirked. "Trust me—you're not gonna enjoy how this ends."

Brain's face twisted. "W-Wait! Who exactly is your Sensei? Maybe we've got some kind of misunderstanding here?"

Now that his power was sealed, he had no choice but to play it smart. Information was all he could go for. Later, maybe he'd find a way to escape.

Man… where the hell was Hades when you needed him?

"Heh…" Renzo chuckled darkly. "You should remember them."

"My sensei is Ur. And her daughter? The girl you tricked and tortured in your twisted experiments—Ultear."

"What?!"

Brain's face went rigid.

"Ur… and Ultear?! You're just her disciple?! That's impossible!"

He could barely believe it. Ur, as strong as she was, had nowhere near the kind of overwhelming power this kid just displayed.

Brain was confident: if he went all out and let his other personality, Zero, take over, Ur wouldn't be able to stop him. In fact, he believed he'd easily kill her.

But now? A disciple of Ur had just one-shotted him?

He was losing it.

What kind of god-awful luck was this!?

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