"You guys…"
The people performing the ritual threw off their heavy robes, revealing their faces to everyone.
"Children?!" "Women… and even the elderly?"
Lucy, Natsu, and the others were stunned. They had mistaken the figures in black for some sinister cult, but these were ordinary people—men and women, young and old. They didn't look like villains at all.
"What is going on here?" Happy asked, his voice full of confusion.
"Our families were all slaughtered by Deliora," one of the villagers cried. "We heard Lord Lyon could defeat the demon, so we came to help him. If Deliora is resurrected and Lord Lyon kills it, we can finally have our revenge! We won't let you hurt him!"
Kael stood calmly. "I've said it before: I don't care who you bring back to life. I only stepped in because he was about to attack my clients. Now that I've taught him a lesson, I'm done."
"Wait! Kael!" Gray shouted, his voice desperate. "They're actually going to bring Deliora back!"
Kael turned to Gray. "Gray, Deliora was sealed by your master, Ur, at the cost of her life. Technically, you should have the right to decide its fate. But these people have rights, too. Their families were also killed by that monster. They want to see it destroyed once and for all so they can find peace. That is their form of justice."
"No! They don't understand how terrifying Deliora is!" Gray's expression was frantic, his body trembling with a fear he couldn't hide. "Lyon is no match for it. You have no idea what kind of disaster its resurrection will bring!"
"You're terrified," Kael said flatly.
Gray didn't deny it. He bit his lip until it nearly bled. Deliora had taken his family, and because of his own weakness, it had taken Ur. His fear of the demon was etched into his very bones.
Kael looked back at Lyon and the villagers. "Go ahead. Resurrect Deliora."
"What?!"
Everyone went silent.
Lucy stammered, "K-Kael… what did you just say?"
"I said, let them bring it back."
"Why?! It's sealed in ice for a reason! That thing looks like a nightmare!"
"Because this is Gray's shadow," Kael explained, unhurried. "If Deliora isn't completely destroyed, Gray will live under its shadow for the rest of his life. Since that's the case, I'll take care of it."
"No! Kael! You don't know how terrifying Deliora is—"
Kael cut him off, his voice dropping an octave. "No, Gray. You're the one who doesn't know how terrifying I am."
BUZZ——!!
CRACK—CRACK!!
A massive wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Kael's body. Violent black-and-red lightning crackled through the air. The clouds above the island split apart, and the surrounding sea began to churn and surge. The entire ruin groaned under the pressure, trembling as if an earthquake had struck.
Many of the villagers couldn't withstand the overwhelming aura and fainted on the spot.
Natsu, Gray, and Lucy stared at Kael in horror. Their hearts pounded, and their bodies wouldn't stop shaking. It was a primal, soul-deep fear they had never experienced before. Only now did they understand the true extent of Kael's power.
Even Lyon and his followers were frozen in place. If Kael had released this aura from the start, they wouldn't have even dared to raise a hand against him.
"ROAR————!!"
A heaven-shaking roar suddenly echoed through the ruins, shattering the silence.
"So noisy…!!" Natsu groaned, covering his sensitive ears.
Gray's face went pale. "That sound… I could never forget it…"
"Deliora…" Lyon whispered, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
The group rushed down into the underground cavern. By the time they arrived, the ice encasing Deliora was already falling away in massive chunks. The "Eternal Ice" was finally giving out.
"It's… it's awake…" Gray stared blankly at the towering demon.
"If it's back, then we fight! We have to take that thing down!" Natsu shouted, his hands erupting into flames.
"You can't… defeat it…" Lyon staggered forward, his voice weak but stubborn. "It belongs to me. To surpass Ur, I have to be the one… Deliora… I've finally found you again."
Lyon moved toward the demon—but before he could reach it, Gray moved.
Thud!
Gray delivered a sharp chop to the back of Lyon's neck, knocking him unconscious.
"Enough, Lyon. Leave the rest to me. I'll seal Deliora again!!"
Gray dropped into a precise stance, cold air swirling around him as he prepared the forbidden spell: Iced Shell.
"Stop! Gray!!" Lyon's followers shouted in panic.
"I'm sorry to ruin your dream, Lyon," Gray muttered, eyes locked on the demon. "But this monster cannot be allowed to live. This is the only way to stop it…"
BANG!!
Before Gray could finish the incantation, a foot slammed into him, sending him flying across the cavern.
"Uwaah!"
Gray crashed into Natsu, the two of them tumbling across the floor.
"Kael! What was that for?!"
"You're in the way. Get lost," Kael said grumpily. "Look at you, acting like pathetic victims. It's just a minor demon from the Books of Zeref. Is it really worth dying over?"
"ROAR————!!"
Deliora turned its massive head toward Kael. It opened its maw, and a glowing sphere of destructive energy began to condense—aimed directly at him.
"Watch out!! Dodge it!!" Gray screamed.
WHOOSH————!!
The beam of energy shot forward like a meteor, aimed at the back of Kael's head. Without even turning around, Kael casually backhanded the air.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!
The energy blast was swatted away like a fly. It veered off-course, tore a hole through the ruins, and struck a distant mountain—leveling the entire peak in a massive explosion.
Everyone gasped. The demon's power was terrifying—but the fact that Kael had deflected it so casually was even more frightening.
Kael gripped his legendary polearm, Murakumogiri, with both hands. He coated the blade in Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, making black-red lightning dance wildly around the weapon.
"Haaah!!"
With a mighty roar, Kael swung the massive blade, unleashing a devastating shockwave toward the demon.