Chapter 92: Night Parade of a Hundred Demons vs. Phantom Dragon (2)
"...Tch…"
After Nightwalker left the room, I tried to activate the power of my eyes to escape from the Curse-Bounding Of Hajun, but the more I attempted to channel my energy, the tighter the binding constricted around me.
Every muscle locked in place; I couldn't even twitch a finger.
This wasn't the first time I'd encountered this spell.
Long ago, a female onmyoji used this same curse technique to seal me completely—and it had taken me five years to break free back then.
I had underestimated her, drunk on arrogance from newly awakened divine power.
I'd believed such a "mere human curse" could never hold me.
That mistake had nearly cost me eternity.
The principle of Hagun's Binding is simple:the weaker the target's soul, the weaker the seal's hold. But when the target possesses a soul beyond humanity, a godlike essence—the curse's strength amplifies exponentially, evolving into a near-eternal prison.
It was the ultimate sealing technique, refined over centuries to bind beings destined to resurrect from the depths of hell.
And once again, I had fallen victim to it.
"Tch… I can wiggle, but that's about it…"
With effort, I managed to shift slightly, inching my body toward the door.
That's when something hard struck my forehead—
a small trinket that Nightwalker must've dropped while searching my coat earlier.
It rolled onto the floor, glimmering faintly.
The jewel embedded in it began to shine, and a flicker of light emerged—forming a small holographic projection.
[Ciel, can you hear me?]
"...Mystogan."
The shimmering figure of Mystogan looked at me with uncharacteristic seriousness.
[Before I tell you the important part, there's something you should know first.]
His tone was calm but firm. I focused my gaze, listening intently.
[That recorder I gave you— it doesn't activate automatically with time. It only activates when you press the jewel on its surface.]
"What...?"
[In other words, there are only two situations where you'd ever see this message.]
Mystogan suddenly grinned—a mocking, unsettling smile.
His voice took on a twisted amusement as he gestured to his eyes.
[The first— if you'd made contact with my operative in Edolas. And the second— if you'd been captured by my mentor, Ciel Nightwalker of Edolas.]
"So that's it…"
If what he said was true, then Mystogan had intentionally orchestrated this.
He'd wanted me to be pulled into Edolas.
And Nightwalker—he must've deliberately left the recorder where I could trigger it.
All of this—every step—had been planned.
The realization made my temples throb with frustration.
Mystogan sighed, his expression softening slightly.
[I suppose I should apologize for not telling you earlier that my teacher… is the Ciel of Edolas.
But understand—this entire chain of events started because of him. Or rather, because of my teacher from Edolas, not you.]
"This… whole affair?"
[Seven years ago, the King of Edolas devised a horrific plan—to sustain this dying world's dwindling magic power, he sought a way to harvest it from another. I couldn't stand by and watch. So I made a pact—with the one who had taught me reverence, and martial technique…Ciel, the being once known as the Innocent Monster.]
"The Innocent Monster…"
That name—
I'd heard it before.
From Nightwalker himself.
Piece by piece, the threads of this intricate web began to align in my mind.
According to Mystogan's words, the me who exists in Edolas wasn't trying to restore magic for eternity—
but something far more complicated.
The projection of Mystogan's thought-form—his remnant consciousness—continued speaking, his expression grave.
[To be honest, I never wanted to bring you to Edolas.
If you came here, even for a short while... I knew I'd have to lose one of my two greatest teachers.]
"Mystogan…"
[That's why I have one final request for you. Please—]
Before I could hear the rest, the thick iron door exploded open.
Flames and debris scattered everywhere, smoke filling the room.
When I opened my eyes through the haze, I saw them—Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, and even Gray, who I thought had already been turned into a lacrima.
"Found you, Ciel!"
"Natsu! You almost blew up the whole room—Ciel could've been caught in that!"
"Sensei! Are you all right?!"
"Hey, Ciel. What's with that sorry look?"
"How did you guys—no, wait…!"
For a fleeting moment, I was relieved to see them alive—but that feeling was quickly drowned out by dismay as I sighed.
The blast from their entrance had completely destroyed the recording device.
The flickering image of Mystogan vanished with it.
"Haah…"
"Mr. Ciel, what's wrong?!"
"Did you get hurt badly?"
"No way! Ciel wouldn't go down that easy!"
"Geez…"
"I'm fine. …You'll hear the rest of it soon enough anyway."
I stood, brushing dust from my coat.
"Actually, this is perfect timing. Wendy, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"Yes. Could you remove these talismans for me?"
The recorder was gone, but fortunately, the one person capable of breaking the binding seals was standing right before me.
Normally, these kinds of onmyō seals couldn't be broken by anyone except another practitioner.
But with Wendy's Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, she might be able to absorb the divine energy inside the charms—reducing them to mere paper.
Wendy leaned forward, sniffing the faint spiritual energy from the charms and nodded.
"These charms… they're giving off a holy aura!"
"Yes. Shameful as it is to admit, I can't dispel this seal myself. But you can. I trust you, Wendy."
"Hmm… I'm not sure if I can absorb it completely—it's really strong. But… I'll try!"
....
"Haa… haa… I don't think I can do any more…"
"That's enough."
After a few exhausting minutes, Wendy managed to dispel the divine energy contained in the charms—
successfully neutralizing eleven out of twelve of the seals.
It was enough.
Even with one talisman still active, the rest of the bindings weakened enough for me to tear them off with my own power.
Feeling magic surge back through my veins, I peeled the last seals from my body.
"Wendy… thank you, truly."
"Hehe~ It's been a while since Sensei praised me like that."
I smiled faintly, ruffling her hair before taking the vial of Ex-Bol the group handed me.
Then, as I drank, I listened carefully to their account of what had happened since I'd been captured.
Just as Mystogan had warned me before I came to this world—everything was unfolding exactly as he'd described.
The lacrima that had swallowed Magnolia… and the only living source of infinite magic in this world—
the kingdom of Extalia, where the Exceeds resided.
The Edolas Kingdom planned to crash those two colossal masses together, scattering the Exceeds' divine magic throughout the skies of Edolas.
By doing so, the kingdom would absorb that power and obtain the same kind of eternal magic that Earthland possessed.
That was the true purpose of Code ETD, the operation fueled by the Anima system.
According to the group's report, the plan was already reaching its final stage.
The power extracted from Natsu and Wendy—their Dragon Slayer magic—was being used to accelerate the lacrima, pushing it toward Extalia for the final collision.
...
"I understand the situation now."
"So what's your plan, Ciel?"
"Happy went to find Gajeel to stop the lacrima.
As for us, we'll follow Natsu—he's probably charging straight for the device at the top of the castle. That's our target."
"So it really comes down to that, huh?!"
"There's no helping it. Have some courage."
"Then it's settled. Let's move—"
The plan was set.
I didn't know how the other me in Edolas intended to deceive the royal army and stop the catastrophe,
but we couldn't afford to stand still either.
As I summoned my Spear of Mist and prepared for battle, a scream echoed from the shattered entrance.
"Someone's coming!"
"Enemy?!"
"…"
"Natsu…?"
It was Natsu, who had rushed out recklessly moments ago.
He came sprinting back, eyes wide with panic, clutching my coat and shouting fire from his mouth in confusion.
"Ciel! There's two Erzas!! What the hell is happening?! Are they having some kind of monster showdown?! Is the world ending?!"
"Calm down, Natsu. There are two of me here too, remember?"
"Ah… right… wait, no, that's not the point! It's bad! The Ciel who beat the other Ciel showed up while the Erzas were fighting!"
Hearing that, I frowned and headed for the exit.
"It seems it's time for the rematch, then. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy—go find Mirajane and help her hold off the royal army. I'll reinforce Erza."
"H-Hey!"
"Ciel?!"
"Natsu… I'm counting on you."
"That's the first time you've ever said that to me."
"And it'll be the last."
"Heh… then I'd better make it count!"
....
Leaving them behind, I reached the scene.
Erza was seconds away from being struck down when I intercepted, my spear catching Nightwalker's descending blade in a burst of sparks.
His eyes widened in shock. The edge of his sword trembled as he forced his weight against mine.
"Illucian… how did you break free of the Curse-Bounding Of Hajun ? That curse can't be undone by anyone except the caster or an onmyōji!"
"Indeed, as you said—people like us aren't ordinary beings. Which means, Nightwalker—this world should never bind itself to ordinary logic."
The mist swirled between our blades, two versions of the same power colliding once more—the air trembling as Edolas and Earthland clashed, not just in magic… but in fate itself.
"Kuh…!"
I switched from the Eye of Heaven to the Eye of Man—focusing the force of the Human Path into a clean, crushing strike that slammed into him.
Nightwalker's afterimage blurred, dissolving into black ripples that coiled like waves of ink before he reappeared beside the Edolas Erza.
"You can no longer use the Curse-Bounding Of Hajun .
At first, you were quite overconfident…Allow me to teach you now—what true Illusion Arts are capable of."
"Hooh… I was thinking the same thing.
I wanted to show you what kind of power a half-empty shell like me could still reach."
Our attacks collided again—my mistfire clashing against his black aura of Reverence.
The space around us warped and roared, winds cutting through the air like blades.
Behind us, both Erzas struggled to brace themselves against the sheer pressure.
"Ugh…!"
"Ngh…!"
"Erza, fall back to Coco's side!"
"Ciel, but—!"
Nightwalker extended his hand.
"Come forth, Shikigami — Greedy Wolf!"
A spectral wolf materialized, howling as it wrapped around his wife and carried her away to safety.
"Oh…?" I chuckled.
"Sending your wife away… so you're finally getting serious, then?"
"Against you? I'd better be. Half-measures will get me killed."
As he spoke, a masked phantom rose from his back, gripping a massive great blade.
The spirit's energy merged into him, and his weapon—expanded, transforming into a demonic cleaver held by a crimson giant's hand.
A dark-red haori draped itself over his shoulders, fluttering in the heat of his own aura.
"That form…"
"Demon Enshroudment — Crimson Great God Claw."
"Yes… the same power once wielded by the master of monsters himself."
"Ciel! Get out of there! You can't block that!"
The giant blade howled as Nightwalker charged.
The air itself quaked—its oppressive pressure numbing my senses, rooting me where I stood.
Behind me, Erza shouted in panic, urging me to dodge. But instead, I smiled— and raised my hand, conjuring a pillar of hellfire through illusion.
"S-so hot…! The heat—!"
"Kufufufu…"
"Illusions don't scare me! As long as I know it isn't real, it has no effect!"
He tore straight through the flames—his blade ripping the false inferno apart without hesitation.
But I'd already expected that.
It was just a test.
Even gods could be deceived by my illusions…but I could not.
And so—
"Then how about the real thing?"
My eyes shifted again—this time to the Eye of Fire.
The world blazed red as a real pillar of hellfire erupted before him, consuming the air with roaring heat.
"Does this feel any different?"
"It's useless!!"
The monstrous greatsword cleaved upward, splitting the inferno in two.
"He cut through the flames?!"
"I'm not just borrowing the power of the youkai that once haunted me. I've fused my own strength with it!
Right now—no fire, not even hell's, can reach me!"
The two of us stood amidst the wreckage—the Demon-King aura of Edolas Ciel clashing against the blazing mist of the Earthland Phantom Dragon—each strike shaking the skies of Edolas like thunder from another world.
He cleaved the pillar of flame with that giant blade and charged straight at me.
But the closer he came, the more I smiled and welcomed him.
Unlike me — who retained my original personality intact — his strength and abilities were only half-finished.
Yet precisely because he was only half-complete, he could become this strong.
Facing an opponent who's pushed beyond their limits stirs pride in anyone.
"Uoooooooh!!"
『Phantom Dragon — Single Horn!』"
Before his great cleaver could reach me, the horn of the dragon I had formed from mist pierced straight through his chest.
It looked as if it had impaled his heart — yet there was no actual sensation of the spear striking flesh.
At that moment Erza called out loudly from behind.
"Ciel! Behind—!! It's behind you!"
"..."
"That move… I'll take it for you!"
Just as she said it, Nightwalker appeared behind me.
What I had pierced was an illusion of Mirror Flower, Water Moon— everything had gone according to plan.
The true body that had been hiding behind it swung the massive cleaver toward me.
"Guhhh—!!"
"Huh…?!"
A scarlet flame hurtled from somewhere and struck Nightwalker, sending him crashing into the wall.
When he fell, a man in a black suit and cloak descended beside me, stepping down lightly while exhaling flawless, translucent flames.
"Kufufufu… Nightwalker. If you thought I'd be deceived by your 'Mirror Flower, Water Moon' again, you were sorely mistaken."
His hair was a tousled brown that stuck out at odd angles. His eyes—vast and hollow as the open sky—glared sharply at the enemy.
Blue jewels set into his bangs and the gauntlets on his hands streamed pure, crystalline fire without restraint.
Nightwalker stared at the man beside me in horror and rose unsteadily to his feet.
"Th-that man…?!"
"Kufufufu… Nightwalker, let me give you one clear answer: your 'Mirror Flower, Water Moon' is broken."
I smiled at his shock.
My own illusion could not shatter the ripples of Mirror Flower, Water Moon, which makes one's presence unnoticeable.
But if someone reveals presence in the same way — a counter-phenomenon that can detect and destroy that existence — the rules change.
I knew of the strongest being who could break Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
"You… that bastard…!"
"Kufufufu… From now on, it will be a time of thorough desecration."
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