Above the ruins, a group of people in black robes seemed to be conducting some kind of ritual. They stood in a circle, chanting words in an incomprehensible tongue.
As their chanting continued, the moonlight was drawn into a magic circle, being constantly transformed by it. The circle resembled the multi-layered magic of Mystogan.
The array extended downward until it reached the very bottom—where Deliora was sealed.
"They're gathering the moonlight… their goal must be to make it shine directly on Deliora," Noel speculated.
"But what exactly are they trying to do?" Lucy asked in puzzlement.
Lyra, the Celestial Spirit of the Lyre, had been out for quite a while and had yet to return.
"That's the spell of Peria—it's called Moon Drip," Lyra explained.
"I see," Noel said with a grave expression. "They want to use the power of Moon Drip to melt the ice and release the demon."
"What? Impossible! Absolute Ice cannot be melted," Gray said sharply.
He had searched for many ways himself, only to always arrive at the same conclusion: Absolute Ice could never be melted. He firmly believed in that fact.
"The magic that can melt this ice is Moon Drip. Moon Drip can dispel any magic," Lyra explained.
Gray froze in place at her words—he had never expected such a thing.
"How can that be…?" Happy exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"These people have no idea how terrifying Deliora really is. I can't ever forget it," Gray muttered, as if recalling painful memories.
"Has the world really come to this? Have people lost all fear of demons… to the point of doing something like this?" Gray said through gritted teeth.
"I understand now," Noel suddenly said with a bold guess. "The people on this island might have turned into demons because of the moon's magic power produced by Moon Drip."
"It's possible. If the moon's magic is strong enough, even the human body could be corrupted," Noel continued, piecing together the chain of events. Now, the entire situation began to make sense.
Natsu could no longer hold back—he was already ready to charge in and take down the black-robed figures.
"After all this time and effort, it'll be complete tomorrow," said a figure clad entirely in armor, wearing a bull-headed helmet.
"Complete tomorrow? What does that mean?" Lucy asked in confusion.
Gray looked closely at the man—something about him seemed familiar. He had definitely seen him somewhere before.
Especially that voice. Though altered, it still lingered in his mind.
"I'm sick of sneaking around. The ones here to ruin your fun… are us!" Natsu finally yelled, leaping up to stand on a low wall.
Noel had intended to remain hidden, but now that Natsu had exposed himself, there was no point in holding back.
"That emblem—it's Fairy Tail," Angelica recognized the mark.
"So the villagers asked a guild for help," Touka reasoned.
"Then hurry up and destroy the village. Anyone who stands in my way is my enemy," the armored man ordered.
Both Natsu and Gray rushed forward, but Gray was faster, charging to the front.
A white magic circle formed in his hands, and from the ground, sharp ice spikes surged forward in a frenzy.
But the three figures they had encountered underground earlier all avoided the attack. The opposing leader also formed a white magic circle—identical magic to Gray's.
"Leo! Do you even understand what you're doing?" Gray shouted in fury.
"Long time no see, Gray," Leo replied coldly.
"So, the mages the villagers hired turned out to be you. You two—go destroy the village. I can handle things here alone," Leo ordered his subordinates.
Natsu charged as well—but in an instant, his entire body was frozen solid.
"Need my help?" Noel asked. The situation was dire—Natsu had been taken out in one move.
From his observation, Noel could tell Gray's Ice-Make magic was not as refined as his opponent's, meaning Gray could lose.
"No. Leave this to me. You go protect the village," Gray said firmly.
"Happy, take Lucy and go. I'll catch up soon."
Happy reluctantly carried Lucy into the air toward the village.
Noel also followed after them. As much as he wanted to help Natsu, Leo had sealed the entire space with cold magic.
Even with Noel's ice resistance, stepping in would not guarantee he wouldn't be frozen.
"You be careful here. As for the village, I will protect it—they're my clients."
"But Gray, don't push yourself too hard. Sometimes, it's okay to rely on the guild," Noel added.
"Got it," Gray replied briefly, then focused entirely on his opponent.
"Windstorm."
"Acceleration."
Noel cast two spells on himself. The three enemies had already gained quite a lead toward the village, and he needed to catch up fast.
He reached the village ahead of Lucy and Happy, who were slower in the air.
"Village Chief, gather the villagers immediately—it's important."
"What's happened?" the chief asked, puzzled. "Are you saying you're ready to return to the moon? That's wonderful."
"No. Someone's coming to attack the village. I need you to prepare at once."
"What? There are other people on this island?" Chief Moka was stunned by Noel's words.
"Yes," Noel answered without hesitation.
"You're fast, Noel," Happy said as he gently set Lucy down from the sky.
"I ran at full speed—so I was a bit quicker," Noel explained.
"I see," Lucy nodded.
"Lucy, you and I will assess the situation. Chief, please go gather the villagers," Noel instructed.
The chief hurried off to call the villagers, though their gathering was slow—perhaps because the village was large.
"Take the villagers somewhere safe. I'll handle the rest," Noel said.
"But it's three against one," Lucy said worriedly.
"If Gray hadn't insisted on fighting that man, this whole incident might've already been over."
"Then why are you letting him do this?" Lucy still didn't understand Noel's reasoning.
"This is Gray's fight. He'll handle it himself. You know—no competent mage needs someone else to clean up their mess afterward."
"This is something you need to learn on this island," Noel said, sounding like a stern teacher.
Lucy thought for a moment, then reluctantly said, "Fine, I get it."
This wasn't the first time she'd heard such words in the guild. Yes—trust your comrades.
They would take care of their own battles…
Pls drop some power stones supper me at my
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