Chapter 94: Night Parade of a Hundred Demons vs. Phantom Dragon (4)
At the top floor of the Edolas royal castle—
The final preparations for the weapon at the heart of Code ETD, the Dragon Chain Cannon, were complete.
Byro approached King Faust, bowing deeply.
"Your Majesty… all preparations are finished. We are ready for the final stage of Code ETD."
"Hm…"
Faust clasped his hands together, offering one last prayer to the beings he called gods.
While the king prayed, Byro chuckled in his usual raspy, aged voice and recited the plan once more.
"Farewell, O gods."
"Kihihihi… Think of the magic extracted from the Dragon Slayers as a massive chain, one capable of controlling the floating island containing the lacrima we obtained from Earthland."
"A chain… you say?"
"Yes, sire. All that remains is to guide the floating island under our control—the magic crystal island—and crash it into Extalia. Once that happens, the fusion of magical energy will begin, and Edolas shall be blessed with eternal magic."
The Edolas weapon—Dragon Chain Cannon—
a device meant to release the Dragon's magic.
Standing before it, the two old men could feel their dream—their ideal world—finally within reach.
Just as Byro was about to hand Faust the key that would activate the cannon—
"Your Majesty! Wait!!"
The heavy doors burst open.
Holding a baby in her arms, Coco rushed in, breathless, running straight toward Faust and Byro.
"You insolent child!" Byro scolded. "How many times have I told you not to run in the royal chamber—"
But Coco didn't stop to listen.
She clutched the infant tightly and shouted with all the desperation in her trembling voice.
"Your Majesty, please stop! Lily is still on that island! If you start the operation now, Lily will die too!"
Coco had just learned that her friend Panther Lily was still fighting on the floating island containing the lacrima.
Instead of leaving the baby Setsura with the maids, she had run all the way here, hoping to stop the launch.
Faust, however, didn't even blink.
His eyes were cold—like a man looking down at an insect.
"And what of it?"
The once-kind king was gone.
Terrified, Coco's lips trembled—but she still managed to speak up, stamping her foot in protest.
"B-because… he's our comrade! He's one of us!"
"Coco! Great achievements demand sacrifice! That is the law of the world!"
"But… but I don't want Lily to die!"
"That filthy Exceed means nothing! Why should we care what happens to him?!"
"I won't let it happen!"
"You insolent—!!"
"Coco!!"
Taking advantage of the moment, Coco snatched the key from Byro's hand and bolted for the exit.
"Stop—!!"
A bolt of lightning burst from Faust's staff, striking Coco's legs.
She screamed, collapsing—but even as she fell, she twisted her body to protect the baby in her arms.
"Kyaaah!"
"Paa~!"
"S-Setsura… thank goodness, you're safe…"
"Coco, you always loved to run. I always thought it was charming—seeing you so full of energy."
"Aaaaahhh!!"
Her shoes burned away, her legs blistered and red.
Coco tried to smile at the giggling baby, but Faust struck again.
Another burst of lightning scorched her legs.
Even Byro flinched and stepped back at the sight of Faust's cruelty—the same man who had once treated Coco like a granddaughter.
"Give me the key."
"Y-Your Majesty…"
"The key, now! Hand it over!"
"I… I can't! I won't!!"
Realizing the king had gone mad, Coco clutched the key tighter and ran, despite the pain tearing through her legs.
"Byro! After her! Bring her back immediately!"
"A-as you command!"
....
The upper halls of the castle were deserted—all soldiers had gathered at the top for the Code ETD operation.
Blood streamed from her legs, each step a scream of pain.
But Coco kept running.
This is the first time running has ever hurt so much…
I want eternal magic too…
But… I don't want my friend to die.
Clutching the crying infant tightly to her chest, the girl prayed—that someone, anyone, would stop this madness—as she ran down the cold, endless corridor.
She was running, numb from pain, her mind blank—
"Oof!"
"Kyaaah!"
Coco collided head-on with Lucy, tumbling backward and landing hard on her backside.
From the impact, the baby in Coco's arms—Setsura—was flung into the air.
Without thinking, Lucy lunged forward and caught the infant, falling on her back to shield her.
"Oww… oww… that hurt…"
"Kyaaa~!"
"Setsura… phew… thank goodness."
"A-a baby?! Whose baby is this…? And who are you?"
Lucy looked from the giggling baby in her arms to the dazed girl sprawled on the floor.
They had just escaped after defeating Sugarboy and Hughes—thanks to Hepsiel's chaotic arrival—but the Celestial Spirit's rampage had scattered everyone.
Now, in this corridor, Lucy suddenly found herself facing this injured stranger.
"Coco! Stop right there!"
Byro appeared from the direction Coco had come, panting heavily.
Coco's eyes welled up as she turned desperately toward Lucy.
"Please… help me…"
"Huh? Your feet—they're bleeding! Those wounds are horrible!"
"I can't… run anymore… take this…"
Coco tried to hand Lucy the key she was clutching—but then she froze.
Lucy was from Earthland.
An enemy.
She couldn't just hand something this important to her.
Yet… Setsura was now in Lucy's arms.
Ciel had entrusted Coco with the baby.
She couldn't abandon her.
Her thoughts spun in confusion—and then Byro caught up, gasping for breath.
"Huff… huff… Hand over the key. Now."
"Key?! Wait—why are you after my key?! I'm not giving it to you!"
"What?"
Seeing Coco on the floor crying, and holding the baby herself, Lucy quickly misunderstood—she thought this old man was trying to steal her Celestial Spirit Key to control Hepsiel.
"Kyaa~! Kyaa~!!"
"I've never had to fight while holding a baby before… but don't worry! I'll take care of this!"
"Give me the key, girl!!"
Lucy steadied herself, heart pounding.
She needed to calm Hepsiel and find Natsu and Gray—but she couldn't leave the child or the wounded girl behind.
And now this creepy old man wanted her key?
No way.
Gripping her own key tightly, Lucy shouted—
"You're not getting this key! Open, Gate of the Golden Bull—Taurus!!"
"MOOOO~!! That outfit looks fantastic on you, Miss Lucy~~!!"
"A cow?!"
Byro's eyes widened in shock as the massive Celestial Spirit, Taurus, materialized before him—his axe gleaming, muscles bulging.
She tried to pierce the mystery of Lucy's Celestial Spirit magic—the power to pull something from nothing—but the principle eluded her, and Byro found himself tongue-tied by the girl's spellcraft.
Coco, meanwhile, watched Lucy's spirit with a growing, uneasy suspicion—there was something about it that made her skin crawl.
"Go!"
"Eek!"
Taurus swung his massive axe and Byro barely managed to dodge with his old bones. The veteran had seen many battlefields in his youth; Taurus's blows were readable to him, even now.
"How arrogant!"
"Moo~!!"
"That's Flame Liquid—a volatile magical compound that detonates on contact."
"Taurus—!"
"Hmph."
"Watch out for that liquid!!"
"What—?!"
As Byro called out, he scattered the cylinder's contents. Coco shouted for Lucy to dodge at once, but it was already too late.
"Storm Liquid!"
"Kyaaaaa!!"
The green fluid spiraled in the air, forming a sudden vortex that tore across the corridor. Lucy turned her back to shield the baby and took the full force of the whirlwind with her body, screaming in pain as it shredded through her.
When she blinked the dizziness away, Lucy snatched up another Celestial Spirit key.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden — Virgo!!"
"Kuhh!!"
As the key drank in magic, the spirit erupted from Lucy's side and lunged at Byro with a fist. The sudden strike connected cleanly—Byro, unprepared, took the blow and was flung high into the air.
The spirit gathered himself and struck the floating Byro in the gut with both hands, driving him through the stone and ripping a deep pit in the floor.
"Spike Hole!!"
"Kyah!! U—aaaaaahhh!!"
Byro's scream echoed as he tumbled into the bottomless hole and vanished into the unseen dark below. Lucy watched him fall, a grin of triumph breaking across her face.
"Nice!!"
"Kyaa~! Kya~!!"
"You're congratulating me? How embarrassing~"
"Miss, are you performing a penalty task?"
"Why?!"
Coco, who had watched Lucy beat Byro, was awed. And when the spirit addressed Lucy as "Miss," Coco felt a swell of reverence—this girl must be someone of high birth in Earthland.
Coco had almost handed the key for the Dragon Chain Cannon to Lucy—she was ready to give it to whoever had protected her and Setsura—until she lowered her head and a painful expression crossed her face.
If she handed over the key, the plan for eternal magic would be lost.
If the king took it back by force, Lily would die.
Coco stood at the crossroads of her choice, staring down at the floor as the weight of the decision pressed on her.
....
Byro plummeted screaming—
"Gyaaaaaaah!!"
—but just before smashing into the ground, he hurled a vial of Cloud Liquid from his cloak. The substance burst into a puff of thick blue mist, forming a soft cloud that cushioned his fall completely.
"Ugh… that blonde brat… to think she could use magic like that… But just wait. Once I climb back up there, I'll—uh… wha—?!"
He groaned, rubbing his waist as he stood, reaching inside his cloak for a special potion—the Octopus Liquid. Just as he uncorked it, his hand froze midair.
His eyes widened.
The vial slipped from his fingers and shattered against the floor.
"Wha—what the… what is that…?!"
Byro stumbled backward, falling onto the soft clouds behind him, but even their cushion couldn't stop his trembling. He clawed at the mist, trying to sink deeper into it—anything to escape what he was seeing.
"N-no… impossible…! Such things—those can't exist in this world! They don't exist!!"
Below the collapsing castle—in the yawning cavern that served as its foundation—three colossal demonic beasts roared and writhed, shaking the very earth.
One was a massive, crimson-bodied creature, wings unfurled like burning sails, flames pouring from its jaws—a dragon-shaped demon of fire.
Opposite it, wrapped in golden armor-like scales and a skeletal frame, another demon shrieked, releasing lightning from its bone-thin arms.
Between them stood a towering monster of blue, its hide like steel, horns gleaming with malice—beasts so great that calling them "demons" felt inadequate.
"Guh…! Wh-what… are those things…?!"
"Ciel?!"
Byro's gaze snapped toward the chaos—amid the hellfire and thunder, he saw them: two figures battling atop the back of the flaming red demon, Shin'en-ō Uria.
"Illusian!!"
"Flailing in front of the Phantom Demons like that… how pitiful, Nightwalker!!"
"Wha—whaaaaaaat?! What in the world is happening down here?!"
Through the storm of flame and destruction, Nightwalker leapt forward, racing up Uria's massive body toward Ciel—who stood on the shoulder of the thunderous demon Raviel.
Ciel raised his spear; Nightwalker swung his sword.
Their clash tore through the air, a storm of heat and shadow.
The three Phantom Demons—Uria, Raviel, and the unseen third—screamed in unison, their power warping the very ground of Edolas's underground chamber.
Byro's body trembled uncontrollably as he sank deeper into the mist—and then, overcome by fear at the sight of the impossible, the old man fainted, swallowed by the clouds' dim blue light.
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