Galuna Island.
Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy remained speechless for a long time.
Gray's story about Ur had cast a heavy, tragic veil over what was originally just a reckless pursuit of an S-class mission.
"Hey, Gray..." Natsu scratched his head.
Though usually careless, he could sense his friend's emotions now.
He patted Gray's shoulder and spoke in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "Your master... she was amazing. To be able to freeze that monster like that—it's incredible!"
Gray took a deep breath of the cold air, forcing himself to calm down.
"Master's 'Iced Shell' is a forbidden magic that turns one's life and soul into eternal ice. This ice... theoretically, it can't be broken by any external force..." Gray said solemnly, his gaze sweeping around.
"Unless someone used a special method to continuously weaken its sealing power. Natsu, when you came in earlier, did you notice anything unusual?"
Just then, hurried footsteps and shouts came from outside the ruins.
"Natsu! Gray! Lucy! Happy!"
Soon, Ace and Erza appeared.
Seeing that Natsu and the others were safe, they both sighed in relief, but their eyes were immediately drawn to the frozen demon at the center of the altar.
"It's good that you're all safe," Ace said as he approached quickly.
His eyes scanned the scene and lingered on Gray's face for a moment, noticing the complex, unresolved emotions in his eyes.
He understood immediately and cut straight to the point.
"There's a group outside, led by someone called 'Zero.' Their goal is likely to melt this seal."
Just moments ago, Ace suddenly remembered that he had already defeated Lyon once before, though it had been so long that he'd nearly forgotten.
No wonder this Lyon felt slightly stronger than in the anime.
"He is quite skilled. His ice-make magic is unique—it's 'dynamic' ice-make," Erza commented succinctly, looking at Gray.
"Moreover, his magical energy is of the same origin as yours, Gray."
Gray's body jolted violently.
The last trace of hope in his eyes vanished, replaced by a mix of anger, disappointment, and a certain understanding.
"As I thought... it's Lyon..."
"It seems he found the location where Master sealed Deliora and managed to transport the entire seal here," Gray's voice was filled with suppressed fury.
"He wants to use the Moon Drip to melt Master's ice, release Deliora, and then... defeat it himself. To prove he's stronger than Master, to prove he was right all along... That fool!"
"He wants to release the demon?!" Lucy exclaimed in shock.
"We have to stop him!" Natsu clenched his fists, flames dancing around them.
"Ace, Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Happy," Gray suddenly spoke, his voice unusually calm but carrying an undeniable resolve.
"Lyon is my senpai. This matter stems from our master-disciple lineage. Please... go and disrupt their ritual. Leave Lyon to me."
"Gray..." Lucy said worriedly.
"Ice block, are you sure you can handle him alone?" Natsu frowned.
"This isn't about whether I can handle him or not," Gray raised his head, his eyes sharp as ice. "This is a grudge between him and me—about Master's magic, about the paths we've chosen. It must be settled. Please, don't interfere."
Erza looked at Ace, who pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Alright. Lyon is yours. But if Deliora shows any signs of movement, don't push yourself—notify us immediately."
"I will," Gray nodded, turning to head in the direction from which Ace and the others had come to search for Lyon.
He knew Lyon would be near the ritual's core.
"Gray, wait!" Natsu suddenly called out to him, grinning as he lightly bumped his fist against Gray's shoulder.
"Don't lose to someone who's gone down the wrong path! Your master's magic was definitely passed down to you the right way!"
Gray was momentarily taken aback, then a faint but genuine smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah, of course."
Watching Gray's figure disappear into the passage of the ruins, Ace turned to Natsu and Lucy.
"We'll split up. Lyon's subordinates are for Erza and Lucy to handle. Be careful."
...
Lyon lunged forward, crossing several meters like an agile snow leopard, and threw a heavy fist wreathed in freezing energy straight at Gray's face.
Gray met the challenge head-on, swinging his own fist in return—greeting his misguided senior in the most direct, manly way possible.
Boom!
Their fists collided, a clash of pure physical strength and magic-enhanced power.
Both men staggered back, the ice beneath their feet cracking with a web of fine fissures.
"You've improved, Gray," Lyon shook his slightly numb fist, his fighting spirit burning brighter.
"But it's not enough!"
He charged again, his fists, feet, elbows, and knees transforming into a storm of relentless attacks, each strike sharp and precise.
Gray gritted his teeth, parrying and countering blow for blow.
...
Elsewhere...
"Hehe, we have guests..."
"And they're big shots from Fairy Tail—the 'Fairy Queen' Erza."
"Lord Zero has ordered the elimination of all intruders near the core area."
"Tch, troublesome," Erza muttered, fending off sound waves and shadow attacks with her swordsmanship and requip magic while protecting Lucy, feeling the pressure mounting.
"Cat Punch!"
Gatomon's agile form twisted impossibly in mid-air, narrowly dodging three consecutive sound waves.
The fourth was too close to avoid entirely, so she blocked it with the holy ring on her tail.
Having dealt with the three sisters, Gatomon was enveloped in a gentle yet resolute holy light.
Her eyes filled with calm and majesty as her form transformed once more within the radiance, evolving into the eight-winged, sacred and noble Angewomon!
...
"Warm-up's over, Gray," Lyon said coldly, slightly breathless after another fierce exchange of blows.
"Let's see how much you've improved with the molding magic Ur taught you all these years. Don't disappoint me."
"As you wish!" Gray took a deep breath, steadying his surging energy as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, magic swirling around him.
"Ice Make—Ice Geyser!"
The ground erupted as several massive pillars of ice, like furious dragons, shot up from beneath Lyon's feet.
Lyon, prepared, leaped back, instantly raising a thick ice wall to block the onslaught of the ice geyser.
"Same old tricks?" Lyon sneered, forming his hands into claws and making a grasping motion forward.
"Ice Make—Ice Wolf Fang!"
Several ethereal blue wolves composed of sharp icicles leaped out from behind the ice wall, opening their massive maws filled with icy fangs as they tore toward Gray from different directions.
Gray's eyes narrowed, and he clapped his hands together. "Ice Make—Ice Gatling!"
Instantly, several rotating ice barrels materialized in front of him, unleashing a storm of ice bullets like a metallic tempest that shattered the oncoming wolves mid-air. Ice crystals scattered everywhere.
"Interesting." A flicker of seriousness crossed Lyon's eyes as he stopped holding back, unleashing his full magical power.
"Then try this! Ice Make—Ice Ape!"
A three-meter-tall ice ape, its muscles bulging, beat its chest and let out a silent roar before charging toward Gray with heavy steps, its massive icy fist crashing down.
Gray dared not take the blow head-on, swiftly dodging while his hands moved rapidly.
"Ice Make—Ice Prison!"
Several thick ice pillars descended from above, precisely embedding themselves around the ice ape.
They instantly connected and combined to form a sturdy ice cage, temporarily trapping the roaring beast.
"Pathetic tricks!" Lyon snorted coldly, about to command the ape to break free, when he noticed Gray assuming a stance he knew all too well—his hands pulling back as if drawing a powerful bow.
A massive ice cannon rapidly took shape, its barrel aimed directly at the newly freed ice ape and Lyon behind it.
Terrifying icy energy wildly gathered and compressed at the cannon's mouth, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.
"Ice Make—Ice Cannon!"
BOOM!
A pure white shockwave composed of highly compressed blizzards erupted from the cannon like an avalanche or tsunami, instantly swallowing the rising ice ape and continuing unabated toward Lyon.
The temperature in the ice cavern plummeted, as if even the air were about to freeze.
Facing this familiar, terrifying attack, Lyon showed no fear in his eyes—instead, a flash of fervor appeared.
However, just as he was channeling his magic at full force, a sudden wave of weakness struck him, causing a brief, almost imperceptible stutter in his magical flow.
CRASH!
The blizzard cannon's shockwave shattered Lyon's ice bird, and a condensed stream of cold, like an icy serpent, slipped through the gaps in the ice shield, slamming hard into Lyon's hastily raised left arm.
CRACK!
Lyon grunted, his left arm bending unnaturally as the force sent him flying backward.
He crashed heavily to the ice, sliding over a dozen meters before stopping, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
At that moment, countless ice crystals coalesced into a massive cage, only to be shattered by the giant ape's punch, which landed squarely on Gray's chest.
Rising to his feet, Gray looked at his senpai, who still refused to give up.
He knew words were useless now.
Only through battle, only by defeating him completely, could he make this lost senior brother halt his steps.
...
Ace reached the end of the corridor and found a small, circular stone chamber.
Ace's voice echoed in the chamber as he stepped inside, his gaze calmly settling on the masked figure.
"For three years, you've been using Lyon, trying to manipulate a resurrected demon with magic to make it your own."
"And should I call you Zelty or... Ultear?"
Ultear's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, yet she did not turn around, merely speaking in a magically altered voice.
"Ace the 'Digital Summoner'. Your perception is even sharper than the rumors suggest. However, knowing too much is not always a good thing."
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