Ren leaped forward like an unstoppable small shadow. His seven-year-old body was light and fast, almost silent amidst the rumbling darkness enveloping Sector 10. The Bungee Gum on both hands was fully expanded—transparent threads glistening like smooth slime, elastic and sticky, ready to stretch for tens of meters or stick like an eternal adhesive.
The air in Zeref's ritual room felt heavy, thick with the sharp scent of ozone from leaking Ethernano, mixed with the smell of rust and old blood from the battles on the lower floors.
The Tower of Heaven had begun to shake gently; the screams of slaves and the clinking of falling chains from lower sectors were heard faintly, like the heartbeat of a dying monster. Vane and Kael must be executing their part of the plan. But here, at this peak, Ren was alone, facing darkness itself.
"Double Whip!" Ren muttered internally, his voice not escaping his tightly closed mouth. Two strands of Bungee Gum shot from his palms like living whips, curving through the dark air with deadly speed.
One aimed for Varex's neck, the other for his waist, ready to bind and pull the arrogant mage to the marble wall with maximum spring contraction force. Ren could feel it—the gum was no longer just raw magic; it was an extension of his will, born from the silent anger he had suppressed since Nana died.
Varex Noctis just laughed, his voice echoing like thunder in the darkness. "Still using the same trick, brat? I already told you—within the Nocturne Domain, everything here is mine!" He moved one hand in a lazy gesture, as if Ren were merely an annoying fly.
From the darkness, the Shadow Eclipse Chain appeared again, pitch-black shadow chains gliding like a giant snake. The chains caught both Bungee Gum whips midway, binding them tightly. The usually elastic, unbreakable gum felt heavy, as if the Ethernano inside was being sucked dry by Varex's darkness domain.
Ren gritted his teeth. Analysis: This domain isn't just dark. It passively siphons Ethernano. If I force contraction too hard, my gum will lose strength. Must adapt. With a cold mind trained since birth within the Tower of Heaven, he did not retreat.
Instead, he pulled his hand back quickly, utilizing the super-elastic nature of Bungee Gum. The gum stretched longer, like rubber pulled to its limit, and then he suddenly released the contraction.
"Bungee Gum: Rubber Punch!"
His right arm lengthened like a living rubber whip, his small fist reinforced by elastic spring force launched forward with lightning speed. The hand stuck first to Varex's shadow chain using its adhesion property, then contracted with full force.
BAM!
The fist hit Varex's chest with a boom that shook the room. The mage stumbled back one step, his black robe torn slightly at the chest, but his arrogant smile did not fade.
"Hah! That's what you call a punch?" Varex wiped thin blood from the corner of his lip with his thumb, his red eyes glowing brighter.
"Abyssal Devour!" A ball of pitch-black darkness formed in his palm, swallowing whatever light remained in the room.
Ren's next attack—the Bungee Gum he tried to throw as a Sticky Bind—was instantly swallowed whole. The gum vanished like smoke, sucked into Varex's darkness without a trace. The Ethernano in Ren's body felt drastically reduced, and his breath began to labor.
Ren landed lightly on the marble floor, the Bungee Gum on the soles of his feet sticking briefly to absorb the shock. His small body was full of dust, but his eyes—pitch black with the tear-shaped mole under the left eye—remained sharp.
He is strong. Stronger than Krov, stronger than all the wardens I've killed in the lower sectors. But he is arrogant. Too arrogant. That is his weakness. Ren remembered Nana's words long ago, in damp cell 402:
"Intelligence can freeze the heart, Ren. But magic… magic is the fire that melts it."
That fire now burned in his chest—not blind rage, but cold resolve carved from years of counting guard steps.
He moved again, this time using Bungee Swing. Bungee Gum from his left palm stuck to the high marble ceiling, and his body swung like a bungee swing in the darkness. He glided quickly, avoiding the shadow chains that snapped from all directions. With his right hand, he released four strands of gum at once—forming a small sticky net.
"Bungee Gum: Sticky Bind Net!"
The net glided towards Varex, ready to bind both arms and disrupt his Ethernano flow. Varex laughed again, but this time, there was a slight irritation in his voice.
"You are still trying? Eternal Nightfall!"
The darkness in the room exploded like a flood of night. Shadow chains appeared from the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, binding Ren's Bungee Gum net and pulling forcefully. The gum vibrated heavily, its elastic nature trying to resist, but Varex's domain was too strong. Ren felt his body lifted, then slammed hard against the floor.
CRASH!
His back hit the marble with piercing pain, and fresh blood flowed from the corner of his lip.
His breath was ragged. For the first time since birth, Ren felt true fear—not fear of death, but fear of failure. Nana… I promise I will burn this darkness. I must not lose here. He got up again, knees shaky, but the Bungee Gum on both hands was still there, though thinner and faded. He did not give up.
He jumped high, using Bounce Guard over his whole body—a thin layer of elastic gum enveloping his skin like an invisible rubber suit. Varex's next shadow chain attack bounced slightly, giving him time to get close.
Ren landed in front of Varex, only two meters away. His eyes met directly with his opponent's red eyes.
"You… talk too much" Ren said softly, his voice cold and stoic as usual. But inside his heart, emotions started cracking—a little empathy learned from Nana, from Vane, from Kael. They depend on me. The slaves below… are not variables. They are the reason I fight.
Varex sneered, his hands outstretched.
"And you are too stupid to understand the difference between a toy and true power!" Abyssal Devour grew again, the ball of darkness pulling Ethernano from the entire room.
Ren felt his magic weakening, but he forced Bungee Gum out from the back of his hands—a new technique he had practiced secretly in his cell. The gum glided like invisible thread, sticking to the floor behind Varex.
"Bungee Gum: Silent Trap!"
With one tug of thought, the gum contracted. Varex jerked, his feet bound briefly by the sticky trap appearing from the floor. It was only a fraction of a second, but enough for Ren to jump and hit with Double Impact—fists reinforced by maximum elastic spring force from both hands.
BAM! BAM!
Two successive punches hit Varex's stomach, making the mage cough blood and retreat three steps.
For the first time, Varex Noctis was not laughing. His eyes narrowed angrily.
"Cunning child… you dare touch me?" His black aura grew until the entire room felt pressed down by a living night sky.
"Nocturne Domain: Full Release!"
Darkness exploded completely. Hundreds of shadow chains appeared, binding Ren's body from all directions.
His Bungee Gum tried to resist with elastic stretch, stretching and bouncing, but there were too many. Ren felt ribs crack, his breath held. His small body was lifted in the air, then slammed repeatedly against the floor, walls, and even the ceiling.
CRACK! CRASH! THUD!
Every impact left a new bruise and wound. Blood flowed from Ren's nose and mouth. The Bungee Gum on his body faded, his ethernano almost gone. Varex walked closer with casual steps, his robe fluttering.
"See? This is the difference between us. You were born from the mud of a slave; I am the architect of darkness of this R-System. The Tower of Heaven is my creation. And you… are just an insect reckless enough to bite."
Ren lay on the floor, his body shaking. But his eyes were still open. Analysis complete. Direct power is not enough. He is too strong here, near the core lacrima. Must lure him down. To sector 7-9. The weak point.
Kael's spare crystals… that explosion will be enough. He wiped blood with his torn sleeve, then got up slowly. His knees were shaky, but he stood tall. No crying. No screaming. Only a quiet voice exiting his mouth.
"Varex… you are right. I lose here. But that last lacrima… if I destroy it now, can you still laugh?"
Varex laughed loudly, but there was a flash of anger in his eyes.
"A threat from a small child? Very well. I'll play a bit more. Run wherever you want, rat. I will chase you to the bottom of this hell!"
Ren turned and started running, hobbling toward the spiral stairs heading down. The Bungee Gum on his feet was still enough to give extra propulsion, making his steps fast though his body pained.
Varex followed with casual steps, his black aura chasing like a living robe. Behind them, the giant lacrima in Sector 10 started cracking slowly due to the shock of the fight.
They descended to Sector 9—the control room already pitch black because Ren had destroyed the lacrima earlier. The screams of slaves below grew louder; Vane must be leading a large rebellion.
Ren jumped through the rubble, his Bungee Gum sticking to the wall to accelerate his movement. Varex threw shadow chains, but Ren dodged with Bungee Swing, his body curving in the air like an invincible small acrobat.
"Keep running, brat? You have no place to hide!" shouted Varex, his voice full of mockery.
Ren did not answer. He continued down, passing Sector 8, the central corridor full of smoke and rubble. Here, a few remaining wardens tried to block him, but Ren just threw Sticky Bind Gum—a sticky net binding them to the wall in an instant. Varex destroyed them with one wave of darkness, but that gave Ren time.
Finally, they arrived at the connection room between Sector 7 and 9. It was a narrow vertical room full of thick ethernano pipes, pulsing blue like giant veins. The air here was hot and vibrating, and the Ethernano concentration was very high.
A circular iron platform sat in the middle, once the place for core lacrima maintenance. Ren stopped in the middle of that platform, his breath ragged, his body full of wounds. Kael was already hiding behind one big pipe, a bag of spare ethernano crystals in his hand—18 crystals ready to explode.
Varex stepped in, still laughing arrogantly.
"This is your hiding place? How amusing. Come, show your last trick before I get bored and kill you."
Ren smiled thinly—his first smile, cold and calculated. In his heart, he remembered all the Bungee Gum techniques he had mastered. Silent Trap Net. Contract. Slingshotting to throw crystals. This was not a fight anymore. This was an execution.
He raised his right hand slowly. Bungee Gum started appearing again, thin but full of resolve.
"Come deeper, 'True Ruler'" Ren said softly.
"Or are you only brave from the edge?"
Varex stepped exactly to the middle of the platform, his black aura growing. At that moment, Ren moved.
"Bungee Gum: Silent Trap Net!"
Super thin threads glided from his fingers and the soles of his feet, creeping invisibly on the floor and pipes. Sticky property active. Varex jerked when his feet were bound tightly.
"What is this—?!"
"Contract!"
Ren pulled his hand with full force. The gum net tightened like a bungee rope, binding the feet, waist, arms, and neck of Varex. Its super elastic nature made the bond stronger every time he struggled. Varex's darkness domain wavered, his Nocturne only appearing half-formed.
Ren did not waste time. With Bungee Gum in his left hand, he threw six ethernano crystals like a living slingshot—the gum wrapping the crystals so they stuck directly on Varex's body from all directions.
"KAEL! NOW!!" shouted Ren for the first time, his voice breaking but full of authority.
From behind the pipe, Kael pressed the button. Twelve crystals under the platform exploded simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
A powerful explosion shook the entire connection room. An Ethernano chain reaction ignited like a sea of blue-white light. Pipes cracked and exploded one by one. Varex screamed—a scream of true pain for the first time. His Abyssal Devour tried to swallow everything, but there was too much energy. The darkness shattered to pieces, his body burned, his black robe vanished, and his eyes faded.
Ren jumped back with remaining Bungee Gum on his feet, his body flung toward Kael. The explosion grew bigger.
CRAAAAAASH—!!!
The entire Tower of Heaven shook violently. The Lacrima in Sector 10 above was destroyed completely. Varex was swallowed by a giant ethernano fireball.
His scream was cut off.
When the light subsided, only black ash and shards remained on the melted platform. Varex Noctis was dead.
Ren sat on the floor, breath ragged, body full of wounds. The Bungee Gum faded. But his eyes were full of cold satisfaction.
"The true ruler… is dead," he murmured.
Kael pulled him standing.
"Little Boss… you succeeded. The tower is collapsing. We must leave!"
In the distance, the sound of stone collapsing and the victorious cheers of slaves were heard. Vane must have secured a ship. The Tower of Heaven was crumbling.
Ren nodded weakly, but his heart—which was once frozen—now started to melt a bit. Nana must be smiling wherever she is. True light is not from crystals, but from the fire that remains burning in the midst of a storm.
Ren stood, though his body pained.
"Come. We get out. Towards the real sun."
They ran down, leaving behind the rubble of darkness. The story of Ren Chicle had just passed its darkest first chapter—and he had won, not with strength alone, but with intelligence born from suffering.