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It wasn't just Lucy who noticed Mira—Boss did too.
That mage who had ignored the Magic Power of the Demon Battle Gods, that white-haired woman who had easily knocked him down—she was the most troublesome individual on the battlefield.
"Lord Deliora, that woman in the sky is unusual, and she's incredibly strong…"
"Hmph, just a mere human. Look how frightened you are."
Deliora interrupted Boss, declaring that nothing was worthy of his attention—the great Demon of Destruction. If Boss weren't barely considered one of his subordinates and hadn't risked his life to break the seal, Deliora would have crushed this weak human long ago.
Stared down by a pair of blood-red giant eyes, each half the size of his own body, Boss's heart trembled. Still, he braced himself and explained, "Lord Deliora, that woman can use Take Over magic to absorb the souls of demons and wield their power."
"Such unique Take Over magic—not only would our Black Magic Cult be interested, but even Tartaros would surely find her valuable."
Upon hearing the name Tartaros, the scarlet glow in Deliora's eyes suddenly dimmed, as if he were recalling something—or perhaps fearing it.
After more than ten seconds, Deliora finally spoke. "My own kind would be interested… It must be Kyoka, that one who enjoys transforming humans into demons. In that case, I'll capture that human and present her to Kyoka as a gift."
In the hundreds of years since his creation by the Black Wizard, the only human Deliora had encountered who posed a genuine threat to his life was Ur—the woman who had sealed him at the cost of her own life.
Nine years ago, that woman couldn't kill him, only seal him.
Deliora didn't believe Mira, the one Boss so deeply feared, could possibly compare to Ur, who had once pushed him to the brink of despair. How could a mere young woman measure up to that?
"Human, come down and die."
"Otherwise, I'll crush your companions like ants first."
As if victory were assured, Deliora's tone dripped with arrogance. In reality, though, he didn't know whether threatening Natsu and the others would actually force Mira to comply.
Having lived for hundreds of years, Deliora had witnessed far too many ruthless and selfish humans. Don't be fooled by those who acted like family, calling each other comrades—when danger struck, such people were often the first to flee.
Deliora worried that Mira might be just such a heartless human.
After all, Mira could fly, and while he—a Demon of Destruction—was powerful, he possessed no flying ability whatsoever. If she was determined to escape, he might not be able to stop her.
The threatening words echoed through the canyon, clearly reaching Mira's ears. Yet the demon's expression showed no change, and a hint of amusement appeared in her eyes.
"Oh? You're threatening me with them?"
"Then go ahead and kill them. I've disliked them for a long time anyway, especially that pink-haired brat."
At these words, not only Deliora but even Boss's eyes widened in shock. What was happening? Fairy Tail was famous for protecting its own.
Lucy and the others' faces filled with disbelief, especially Natsu, who had been singled out. He looked as though he couldn't comprehend how he'd offended Mira.
Mira-san, our friendship is so precious… why would you…
"Good! Then I'll grant your wish!"
Seeing Mira's apparent heartlessness, Deliora stopped caring.
The dark, oppressive aura unique to a Demon from the Books of Zeref suddenly erupted, and terrifying Magic Power—like a collapsing mountain or flooding river—pressed down on Natsu and the others with overwhelming force.
The Magic Power of a Demon from the Books of Zeref lacked the special effects of a Demon Battle God, but Deliora's strength far surpassed Boss's.
Under this life-threatening pressure, Natsu and the others no longer dwelled on the shock of Mira's cold words. They all unleashed their full power to resist Deliora's assault.
Ice dragons danced wildly, and snow cannons roared.
Lyon and Gray, junior and senior, erupted with perfect coordination, constantly constructing defensive barriers with their Ice-Make magic.
Lucy, clutching two golden keys, found herself in a desperate situation. She could only summon her two strongest Celestial Spirits to battle.
"Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo! Gate of the Serpent Bearer, Ophiuchus!"
Two Celestial Spirit Gates opened and closed, and Loke and Ophiuchus appeared. Before Loke could greet his companions, he led the mechanical serpent in an attack against Deliora.
However, in the next instant, Ophiuchus's massive mechanical body was sent flying backward, and Loke's Regulus Impact was swatted down before it could even activate, embedding him deep into the earth.
If Wendy hadn't healed him immediately and reinforced everyone with her support magic, Loke felt certain he would have already been forcibly returned to the Celestial Spirit World.
Watching this scene unfold, Mira stood in the sky observing, sighing softly. Lucy was still too young. At sixteen and still growing, her Magic Power was far from its peak, which greatly limited her Celestial Spirits' effectiveness.
Lucy watched grimly as her summoned Pisces and the recalled Ophiuchus were both shattered by Deliora's Magic Power-enhanced fists.
"We can't keep defending passively—we need to attack!"
"I'll go!"
Natsu pushed off the ground and leaped upward. Happy instinctively flew up, grabbed Natsu's clothes, and carried him toward Deliora.
Deliora was massive but surprisingly agile. Although one punch missed Natsu, the resulting shockwave not only prevented Natsu and Happy from getting closer but disrupted their movements entirely.
Under the powerful wind pressure, Happy's small body could no longer hold onto Natsu.
"Insolent insect—die!"
Deliora sneered. His giant fist instantly positioned itself below the free-falling Natsu. If this punch connected, Natsu would be killed—or at the very least, critically injured.
Happy panicked, desperately flapping his magical wings, but the little blue cat couldn't possibly match the speed of the demon's fist, which was a hundred times larger than him.
The fist, charged with Magic Power, exploded with flames mid-air, and the pink-haired youth's figure disappeared in the chaotic burst of magical energy.
"Natsu!"
Eyes bloodshot with fury, Happy cried out desperately as Gray charged at Deliora like a madman.
His parents, his master… and now even his best friend had died at the hands of this Demon of Destruction. How could he not lose his sanity?
"Ice-Make: Absolute—huh?!"
Halfway through his charge, just as he was about to unleash his magic, Gray witnessed a spatial distortion in the air before Deliora's massive head, and two figures abruptly materialized there.
It was Minerva—and Natsu, who should have been obliterated.
Only then did everyone remember what that girl's magic was.
Territory—a form of Spatial Magic!
In that life-or-death moment, Minerva had used her Spatial Magic to envelop Natsu, then transferred them both through space to appear directly before Deliora.
This level of skill and reaction speed was precisely why Noah had assessed her as having the potential to become the next Erza or Mira.