Including Sherry, everyone—the villagers—thought that mage's fate was sealed.
The dust settled. The cloak billowed.
Chase stood atop the shattered ground, having caught the rock monster's powerful, heavy blow with just one hand!
"Impossible! Without even using magic, so easily..."
Sherry's pupils dilated as she stared at the scene before her in disbelief. "You... just what kind of monster are you?!"
Chase chuckled lightly without replying. His hand tightened its grip. The rock monster's seemingly indestructible fist instantly crumbled, scattering into rubble that clattered to the ground.
The resulting shockwave sent the rock monster—and Sherry atop it—stumbling backward repeatedly.
"Compared to that Rock Giant Soldier, your summon is as cute as a plush doll." Dark Magician Girl quipped playfully.
"Don't joke around! This is the magic of my love!!"
Sherry quickly regained her composure. A purple magic circle lit up in her palm, aimed at Dark Magician Girl as she attempted to control her with Doll Attack.
A peculiar wave of energy spread outward.
"So this is what it felt like when Lucy's Celestial Spirit got controlled earlier."
Dark Magician Girl blinked, sensing the strange sensation arising within her body. "It really is quite impressive magic."
As she spoke, she merely gave her magic staff a light wave, and Sherry's control magic was brutally severed!
"Th-this magical power..."
In that fleeting instant, Sherry vaguely sensed an overwhelming, undeniable magical force. Trembling with fear, she collapsed limply atop the rock monster's head.
She had only felt magical power like this from one person before—Lamia Scale's ace, Jura the Rock!
"Little girl, while it's true that magic types can counter each other, that only applies when the users are on the same level."
Chase stepped forward calmly, his expression serene.
"Who are you calling little girl! Sherry is not little at all!"
Insulted at being treated like a child, Sherry's anger made a massive well-shaped vein pop on her forehead. She thrust out her chest proudly, displaying her impressive assets.
Clearly, she had somewhat misunderstood what he meant...
Chase couldn't be bothered to waste words on this narcissistic girl. His gaze sharpened.
Boom!!
The next second, surging dark gold magical power erupted violently, causing Chase's clothes to billow and snap in the magical gale.
An overwhelming sense of oppression swept through the entire village.
To Sherry, standing at the center of the magical storm, he looked like a ferocious demon clawing its way out of abyssal hell—grotesque and terrifying!
Sherry's face instantly drained of color. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably. She could barely maintain her magic.
With a thunderous crash, the rock monster collapsed on the spot. Sherry tumbled from its summit, her head lolling to the side as she fell unconscious.
"Ha! As expected from Chase!"
Lucy pumped her fist excitedly and cheered. "Bait operation: complete success!"
However, Chase didn't stop after dealing with Sherry. Instead, he turned and headed toward where Natsu, Yuka, and Toby were fighting.
Although Natsu was handling the two-on-one without any pressure, the Moon Temple was probably reaching its climax soon. Making a move now couldn't hurt.
"Hey, Chase! What are you doing? This is my fight! Don't even think about interfering!"
Natsu blasted Toby the Caitsith off his face with a Fire Fist, then turned back to shout at Chase.
He had sensed that terrifying magical storm earlier and knew Chase was finally making his move.
Meanwhile, Yuka and Toby held their breath, their expressions tense and serious.
"I see. So that means I have three enemies now."
Chase slowly halted his steps, his gaze sweeping across Natsu, Yuka, and Toby.
Hearing this, Natsu was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing, hands on his hips. "Hahaha, Chase, are your eyesight that bad? There's clearly only tw—AHHH~!"
Before he could finish, Chase's fist came flying toward him, sending him soaring into the air.
Amidst a stream of foul curses, Natsu traced a beautiful parabolic arc through the sky.
His landing point: the temple ruins at the island's center!
"Natsu, Chase just said he considers you an enemy too, you know."
Happy helplessly spread his hands as he drifted slowly through the air.
In the brief time it took for that one rant, two dull thuds rang out. Yuka and Toby similarly launched skyward, vanishing into the boundless night.
This was how an S-Class mage fought—unpretentious and efficient!
"As expected from Chase! One move and the battle's over."
Lucy hurried over, giving Chase an enthusiastic thumbs up.
"Not bad, Lucy. Using me as your weapon. Maybe I should turn you into a shooting star too."
Chase brandished his fist, the threat unmistakable.
"I'm sorry! I was wrong, Chase!"
Lucy instantly bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, hands flat on her abdomen, her survival instincts maxed out.
"But from the perspective of a mage assessing a complex situation, this approach was arguably the optimal solution."
Under Lucy's terrified, rigid gaze, Chase opened his clenched fist and gently patted her shoulder. He smiled. "At this point, Lucy, you've passed this request."
"Really? Nice!"
The guild rookie, receiving an S-Class mage's approval, immediately started cheering joyfully.
"Don't celebrate too soon. This isn't over yet."
Chase turned sideways, looking up at the purple moonlight pillar falling vertically from the sky into the temple ruins.
According to Lyon's plan, which he'd overheard earlier, tonight was when Deliora's Iced Shell would be unsealed.
Although this was a day earlier than the original timeline, such a minor detail didn't matter. As long as Moon Drip could "kill" Ur, that was sufficient.
This was also why he'd chosen to send Natsu over instead—if he did it himself, he might accidentally destroy the entire temple along with the Moon Drip magic array!
When it came to destruction, he was self-aware enough...
"That's right! We can't let the demon Deliora revive!"
Lucy suddenly snapped back to reality, the joy of repelling the enemy mages and protecting the villagers evaporating instantly.
The temple ruins—that was the real problem!
"Let's go, Lucy. Take me there." Chase said.
"Okay!" Lucy nodded firmly.
"W-wait!"
Just as they were about to leave, Gray, forcing his severely injured body, staggered over. "I'm going too. No matter what, I have to settle things with that bastard Lyon once and for all!"
Although they were master and disciple, Ur had long since become like a mother to him—someone who surpassed even that bond.
He absolutely couldn't stand by and watch Lyon erase her!
"No way. Gray, your current condition—it's just too much."
Looking at Gray, who seemed ready to collapse at any moment, Lucy's face showed deep concern.
"Ur's life is at stake! Are you asking me to just sit quietly in the village waiting for news?!!"
Frustrated and agitated, Gray couldn't help but shout at Lucy.
Seeing her flinch, he immediately realized his outburst. His face fell, and he muttered quietly, "Sorry."
With that, he turned to leave without lingering.
"Dragging around that broken body of yours, even if you go, what can you possibly change?"
Chase called out to stop him. A Trap Card slid from his fingertips. He smiled. "At the very least, shouldn't you restore your combat ability?"
Hearing this, Gray stopped in his tracks.
"Is that... the Trap Card Energy Potion · Super Z?" Happy recognized the card pinched between Chase's fingers.
As a guildmate, Gray naturally knew the effects of Energy Potion · Super Z. Without hesitation, he turned back.
Seeing his resolute expression, Chase said no more. After chanting, he activated the card's effect directly.
Hum.
A magic circle lit up, and a bottle containing a strange liquid materialized from within.
Gray didn't hesitate. He took the bottle, tilted his head back, and downed it. His magic power and physical stamina quickly returned to peak condition.
"S-so disgusting..."
Lucy's scalp tingled. She instinctively hugged herself.
"Lucy, if I remember correctly, you used up quite a bit of magic power in that fight too, right?" Chase turned to look at her.
"No, no, no! Absolutely not necessary! I'm feeling super energetic right now!"
Lucy shook her head frantically, panicking as she rolled up her sleeves to display her not-very-impressive biceps as proof.
"Good. Energy Potions do have a cooldown period, after all." Chase nodded seriously.
Lucy's mouth twitched. She instantly bristled. "..."
You did that on purpose, didn't you? You definitely did that on purpose!
After the comic relief, the group bid farewell to the villagers and headed toward the temple ruins along the forest path.
On the way, Gray, his grim expression, recounted everything about Ur, Lyon, and Deliora—including the fact that Ur, who had used Iced Shell, was actually still alive.
Lucy suddenly understood. She finally grasped the whole situation.
Chase's expression also grew noticeably more serious.
Knowing the plot was one thing, but hearing Gray tell the story firsthand was something else entirely.
It only strengthened his resolve to revive Ur!
A long silence settled over the group.
When they were about two-thirds of the way to the temple, they were ambushed by Lyon's followers.
They were ordinary people draped in dark purple robes, with hardly any magic power.
Like Yuka and his group earlier, they had joined Lord Zero Lyon to avenge their homelands, destroyed by Deliora.
As Gray had said, he and his senior disciple Lyon needed to settle things once and for all.
So Chase chose to stay behind and deal with these people, letting Gray head to the temple ruins first—he could clearly sense intense magical fluctuations coming from there. Natsu had probably already engaged Lyon.
"These guys are so weak!"
After a short skirmish, Lucy was pleasantly surprised to find that these seemingy mysterious people were completely ordinary—nothing like the mages they'd faced earlier!
"Exactly. They're not exciting at all."
Even Happy sighed with disinterest.
"...A cat hiding behind everyone and watching the show has no right to say that!"
As she complained, Lucy cracked her whip at an enemy charging toward her.
The purple robe was torn away, revealing the strange ceremonial makeup unique to the Northern people.
"Wait, you're..."
Lucy stopped her attack.
Dense purple light descended vertically from the night sky, continuously channeling downward through the altar's magic circle at the top, straight to the bottom where Deliora lay frozen.
ROAR!!
Amidst the chilling, spine-tingling roar, the entire temple began to tremble violently. An icy, oppressive aura spread in all directions.
Temple, First Floor.
White Ice-Make Magic clashed fiercely with pale green Ice-Make Magic, shattering into countless glittering fragments that fill the air.
Driven by powerful conviction, Gray, who had arrived earlier, succeeded in defeating the arrogant Lord Zero Lyon, barely winning the battle between master and disciple.
"Heh, heheh. Hear that, Gray? That familiar demon roar."
Lyon lay flat on the ground, gasping for breath, a twisted, contorted smile on his face. "No one can stop Deliora's unsealing now!"
"My dream—my dream of surpassing Ur—will soon be realized! Through Deliora!!"
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
His manic laughter echoed through the trembling temple.
Gray's face darkened. Suppressing his fear of Deliora, he stepped forward one heavy pace at a time until he reached Lyon. He grabbed the latter by the collar.
"After all that, Lyon... you bastard, do you have any idea what you've done..."
Memories flooded back—training, roughhousing, meals, baths...
The warm memories of their little family of three surfaced in Gray's mind. Tears welled in his eyes as he roared at Lyon in fury: "Undoing Iced Shell means killing Ur!!"
Lyon let himself be grabbed, replying coldly, "So what? I've known how Iced Shell works for a long time."
"Still going on about 'killing Ur'? The one who ignored warnings and challenged Deliora, the one who got Ur killed—wasn't that you, Gray?!!"
The words cut into Gray's heart like sharp knives.
As if all strength had been drained from him, he slumped weakly to the ground.
It was the truth. It was his lifelong guilt. It was a sin he could never wash away!
In a sense, Ur was already dead. He didn't even have the chance to apologize to her face!
"Watch closely, Gray. I'll kill Deliora and prove once and for all that my power has completely surpassed Ur!"
Lyon ignored the crestfallen Gray. Giddily manic, he rose and headed toward the depths of the ruins.
"Even now, you still haven't realized that you're just unable to move past your master's departure. What a pitiful, tragic fool."
The sudden words made Lyon stop in his tracks.
He turned to look at the entrance. There, bathed in bright purple moonlight, stood a tall, straight figure.
"What... did you say?!" Lyon's eyes instantly turned venomous.
Chase stepped slowly into the temple, passing by the astonished Gray, and came to stand before Lyon.
"This so-called surpassing your master is just a pathetic excuse. You're actually just like Gray—you miss Ur."
"No. Judging by your actions, you're even worse than Gray. At least he's accepted the truth and is willing to face his mistakes."
"Me? Miss Ur? Don't make me laugh!"
Lyon completely broke down at his words, shrieking maniacally, "All I want is to defeat the demon she couldn't! To prove my own power!"
"That's all!!"
As if on cue, the temple trembled again. Stone pillars collapsed, and debris tumbled down.
Deliora's demonic aura grew even denser. The dissolution of Iced Shell was nearing its end.
"If that's the case, why not just challenge Ur directly? Why go through all this trouble?"
With that, Chase ignored the stunned Lyon and turned to look at Gray, still kneeling in despair. "And you, Gray. If you regret it so much, why not apologize to your master face to face?"
"Chase... what the hell are you talking about?!"
Gray clenched his fists in anguish, his voice choking. "Ur... Ur is already dead..."
"Ur is dead? Sore wa dou kana." (Is that so?)
A faint smile curved Chase's lips. Under Gray and Lyon's incredulous gazes, he raised his fist and aimed it at the ground beneath them.
BOOM!!
The floor, already cracked from the earlier battle, collapsed instantly. All three plummeted into the dim space at the very bottom.
Deep within the cold mist, the demon's massive form loomed, barely visible.
The ice on its body had completely melted, flowing down as trickling water, seeping into the earth and heading out to sea beyond the island.
"Gray?! And Chase?!"
Natsu exclaimed in surprise, staring at the three who had just fallen from above.
Across from him, Zalty—wearing a strange mask, who was actually Ultear—was equally drawn by the sudden commotion. She stood atop a rock pillar, brow furrowed.
So the Fire Dragon brought Fairy Tail's mages. But I never expected him to lead the team this time! Ultear thought, inwardly alarmed.
She had seen Chase before, not long ago in the Magic Council courtroom.
Lucky me. If he'd arrived here instead of the Fire Dragon, in my current state, I wouldn't be able to handle him...
After a brief moment of shock, Zalty's expression returned to calm.
Now that Deliora's Iced Shell had been undone, even an S-Class mage couldn't turn the situation around.
Perfect. She could use him to test the strength of the awakened Deliora!
Just as Ultear was thinking this, the next second, something happened that made her breath catch in her throat.
"Melting ice, fading soul. In my name, with cards as guide, descend once more in perfect form!"
"My turn! Form Restoration—Activate!"
Chase raised his Magic Card high. His magic power surged into it. Sacred, radiant light intertwined, forming a complex, mystical magic circle.
He deliberately concealed the true name of Monster Reborn.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Natsu, Lyon, and the others. But abilities involving life and death were far too dangerous. One misstep, and he'd draw the attention of Ankhseram, the god of Taboo who had cursed Zeref.
In fact, before deciding to use Monster Reborn to revive Ur, Chase had already discussed the risks with the knowledgeable Dark Magician.
Based on the experience from using Monster Reborn in his previous battle with Ignia, Dark Magician had judged that as long as the dead person was revived before their soul dissipated, Ankhseram would be unlikely to notice.
HUMMM!
The dazzling radiance of the magic circle instantly illuminated the dark, gloomy cavern.
Within its depths, a woman with short, neat hair stood up slowly, holding her head.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!