"Stop it, Gray!!" Erza shouted.
Several people rushed towards Gray, attempting to stop him from casting the spell. Finn, letting out a weary sigh, moved swiftly to intercept Gray, arriving before the others.
The icy aura emanating from Gray seemed to have no effect on Finn. He reached out with his right hand, forcefully seizing Gray's outstretched arms and preventing him from completing the spell. With Gray's movement halted, the magic circle beneath his feet vanished, and the surrounding icy air began to dissipate.
"Finn? What are you doing? We can't stop Deliora without this!" Gray shouted, his voice laced with frustration and desperation.
Bang! Behind them, Lucy's eyes widened in shock, and her body involuntarily flinched, causing her to instinctively huddle behind Erza.
Finn delivered a swift, powerful punch to Gray's face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Gray, rubbing his jaw in confusion, looked up at Finn, utterly bewildered.
Finn placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, a mixture of exasperation and weariness in his expression.
"Seriously, the people I've been running into lately are so incredibly stubborn," he muttered. "One after another, they refuse to listen unless they're forced to learn a painful lesson. It's exhausting."
Turning his attention to Gray, Finn's tone hardened, his voice firm and laced with concern. "Listen carefully, Gray," he said.
"Your master sacrificed her life to bring you happiness, not to burden you with a life of suffering, or to force you to repay her sacrifice with your own life someday."
"Your life is a continuation of your master's legacy," Finn continued, his voice rising in intensity. "Live, damn it! If you die, it's over for you, but what about your Fairy Tail family?!"
Gray was stunned into silence, his earlier determination faltering in the face of Finn's impassioned words.
"The Master sent me here to bring you all back," Finn stated, his voice unwavering. "Not a single one of you can be missing. Do you understand?"
Gray, his face buried in his hands, mumbled incoherently. "Then…Deliora? How are we supposed to stop Deliora?"
Finn shook his head repeatedly, his voice laced with disappointment. "Seriously, Gray? I'm right here, and you think you need to risk your life? How little faith do you have in me?"
"It's not that…it's just…" Gray attempted to explain, but Finn cut him off.
"Enough," Finn said, turning away from Gray. "Just stay back and watch. Look behind you—you still have your companions."
With a swift movement, Finn drew Ryūjin Jakka from the ground, where it had been planted earlier.
He approached Deliora, his expression grim but resolute.
"No way! Erza, should we go help? Do you think Finn can really do this?" Lucy whispered anxiously to Erza, her voice filled with worry.
Erza smiled reassuringly. "Finn never undertakes anything without being absolutely certain of success," she said confidently.
"Besides, if Finn truly needs to unleash his full power, then our intervention would be not only useless but also potentially detrimental; we would only serve as a hindrance. Therefore, the only thing we can do is trust him."
Erza, hands on her hips, watched Finn intently, her gaze unwavering and filled with complete faith in her comrade's abilities.
Deliora, spotting Finn, raised his massive fist high above his head, preparing to deliver a devastating blow upon the seemingly insignificant figure below.
Finn swiftly drew Ryūjin Jakka, its crimson blade instantly igniting in a blaze of intense flames that illuminated the cavernous space of the ruins.
Boom! With a resounding explosion, Finn's blade, wreathed in searing flames, sliced through the air, intercepting Deliora's descending fist.
The force of the impact sent a gust of wind that ruffled Finn's hair, yet Deliora's fist inexplicably froze in mid-air, completely unable to advance any further.
"What just happened?" Lucy whispered, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and bewilderment.
"Deliora's head…" Happy gasped, his eyes wide with astonishment as he stared intently at Deliora's head.
A crack, barely visible at first, began to slowly spread across Deliora's head. With a sharp crack, the crack widened and deepened, spreading rapidly across the surface of Deliora's body.
...
"Crack…crack…" The sound of spreading cracks echoed through the chamber as numerous fragments began to detach from Deliora's body, cascading to the ground.
The cracks continued to spread until they had completely enveloped Deliora's entire form, and his body began to disintegrate before their very eyes.
"What? This is impossible…" Lyon exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief. He couldn't comprehend the scene unfolding before him.
"Could it be…" he murmured, a sudden realization dawning upon him. "Could it be that Deliora was already dead all along?"
Finn's voice echoed through the chamber, breaking the stunned silence. "Gray," he said, his voice laced with a hint of admiration, "you had a truly remarkable master."
With a fluid motion, Finn sheathed Ryūjin Jakka, its fiery aura disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
"For ten long years," Lyon murmured to himself, his voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and despair, his fists clenched tightly as he pounded them against the ground.
"Deliora was slowly being drained of life, trapped within Ur's ice prison. Could it be that we merely witnessed Deliora's final, dying moments?" Tears welled up in his eyes.
"I can't win," Lyon whispered, his voice barely audible. "I…I can never surpass Ur."
Gray stared blankly at the fragments of Deliora's disintegrating body, his mind replaying Ur's final words:
"I'll seal your darkness!"
Tears streamed down Gray's face, his voice choked with emotion. "Thank you…Master," he whispered, his voice filled with gratitude and sorrow.
The melted ice flowed from the back of the ruins into the ocean. In the distance, a solitary figure watched the scene unfold, her expression unreadable.
A single tear glistened in Ultear's eye. "Is what Finn said…true?" she murmured to herself, a question lingering in her mind. With a heavy heart, Ultear turned and prepared to depart.
As she turned, her gaze fell upon the ravaged village, its structures reduced to rubble. After a moment of contemplation, she raised her hands, and two white magic circles materialized, slowly rotating in the air.
Before her very eyes, the village began to rapidly reconstruct itself, the damage being undone at an astonishing pace.
Finally, when the village was completely restored, the magic circles vanished, and Ultear's legs gave way, causing her to almost collapse to the ground.
"Did the battle with Finn drain me of too much magic?" she whispered to herself, her voice laced with exhaustion.
She then turned her gaze towards the ruins, a single word forming on her lips. "Redemption?"
With Deliora's demise, a profound sense of peace settled over the ruins.
"It's over! It's all over!" Natsu exclaimed joyfully, raising his arms in celebration.
"Aye!" Happy chirped excitedly, flying circles around Natsu's head.
"Yeah, I was seriously worried for a while there," Lucy said, letting out a long sigh of relief. "But Ur was truly amazing!"
Natsu's voice was filled with excitement. "This means we've finally completed an S-class mission!"
Lucy's eyes widened, filled with wonder. "Does this mean we can finally go to the second floor now?"
Lucy turned to Erza, seeking confirmation, but the grim expression on Erza's face immediately brought her celebration to an abrupt halt.
Erza's sharp gaze swept across the group, causing Natsu and Happy, who had been celebrating moments before, to instantly freeze, their faces etched with apprehension. A bead of sweat trickled down Natsu's forehead.
Lucy scratched her head nervously. "Oh, that's right," she mumbled, a wave of dread washing over her. "The severe punishment for disobeying guild orders is still waiting for us…"
Observing the antics of the group, Finn let out a weary sigh. "Just a reminder," he said, his voice laced with a hint of exasperation, "our work here isn't quite finished yet."
Erza nodded in agreement. "The mission's objective was to rescue the villagers who had been transformed into demons," she explained. "Therefore, this S-class mission is far from complete."
Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "But Deliora is dead, isn't he? Shouldn't that have lifted the curse on the villagers?"
Erza, arms crossed, gazed out at the vast expanse of the ocean. "The phenomenon of the curse wasn't directly caused by Deliora," she explained. "To be precise, it was the terrifying power of the Moon Drip that was responsible."
"So, even though Deliora has been destroyed, the villagers remain afflicted," Erza concluded.
"How is that even possible?" Lucy whispered, her voice filled with despair and a sense of helplessness.
Natsu and Happy, however, remained optimistic. "Then let's get to work on solving this problem right away!" Natsu declared.
"But how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Gray asked, his gaze fixed on Finn, his eyes filled with uncertainty. "Finn, do you have any ideas?"
Finn shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he too was unsure of the solution.
Suddenly, Gray's eyes lit up as a thought occurred to him. He turned his gaze towards Lyon, who was resting with his eyes closed.
Lyon, upon noticing Gray's gaze, let out a weary sigh. "To be perfectly honest," he admitted, his voice laced with a hint of resignation, "I have no idea."
"What? If even you two don't know," Lucy exclaimed, her voice filled with a mixture of frustration and bewilderment, "then where did the curse originate from?"
Lyon rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Three years ago, when I first arrived on this island, I was aware of the existence of that village," he explained. "However, we never had any contact with them, and the villagers never sought our assistance."
"You're saying you had absolutely no contact with them for three years?" Finn asked, his voice laced with a hint of suspicion.
Lyon nodded in confirmation.
"Furthermore," Lyon continued, "the very theory that the Moon Drip could have such a profound effect on human beings is inherently questionable and fraught with inconsistencies."
"Are you guys trying to shirk responsibility?" Natsu grumbled, his voice laced with suspicion.
"Think about it," Lyon said, his tone calm and measured. "For the past three years, we've all been exposed to the same moonlight, haven't we?"
Lucy's eyes widened in sudden realization. "That's right," she exclaimed. "You were all exposed to the moonlight as well, yet none of you were affected by the curse."
"You should all exercise caution," Lyon warned, his voice laced with a hint of concern. "Those individuals who were performing the ritual may not have been entirely truthful."
Finn nodded subtly towards Erza, indicating that they now had a viable lead to pursue. However, there were still some crucial details that needed to be confirmed with the villagers themselves.
"Let's go," Finn said, turning and walking away with Erza.
"Hey, where are we going? And how are we supposed to lift this curse?" Natsu exclaimed, his voice filled with confusion and frustration, as he watched Finn and Erza disappear into the distance. He was completely baffled by their actions.
"Sigh, whatever," Natsu said, turning to Happy and Lucy. "Let's just go, Happy." With that, Natsu beckoned Happy and Lucy to follow him.
"Aye!" Happy replied, spreading his wings and hurrying to catch up with Natsu.
Gray turned to look at Lyon, his expression unreadable, his thoughts seemingly far away.
"What are you staring at? Feeling sorry for the weak?" Lyon asked, his voice laced with irritation.
"I think you should consider joining a guild," Gray said, a wistful expression on his face, as if he were recalling his own first experiences upon joining Fairy Tail. He had encountered so many fascinating people and experienced so many unforgettable moments.
"With new companions and new rivals," Gray continued, "I believe you'll find new goals and new purposes in life."
Lyon paused, then looked away, his voice laced with a hint of annoyance. "How utterly boring," he muttered. "Just get lost already."
Gray smiled faintly, then turned and hurried to catch up with his companions.
Lyon watched Gray as he walked away, laughing and chatting with his friends, a flicker of envy in his eyes.
"Companions, huh?" he murmured to himself, his voice barely audible. "I guess I'll give it a try."
…
The group arrived at the villager's gathering place, only to find it completely deserted.
"Huh? Not a single person here," Happy remarked, hovering above Natsu's head.
"Were they all here before?" Natsu asked, unaware that the villagers had relocated.
Lucy explained, "After the village was destroyed, everyone moved here."
"Something's definitely wrong," Erza said, her brow furrowed in concern.
Finn too was puzzled. "Let's search the area thoroughly," he said, his voice laced with determination.
Just then, a villager, their body transformed into a monstrous demon, came running towards them, their voice filled with urgency.
"Everyone! You've finally returned! It's terrible! Something awful has happened!"
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