Ikaruga heard this, thought for a moment, and remembered the person Ezreal had saved on Galuna Island during their casual conversations.
A hint of understanding flashed in her clear, cold eyes, as if she had guessed something, and she nodded slightly.
Although Cana and Max still had doubts, seeing Ezreal's certainty and Ikaruga's apparent approval, they temporarily suppressed their worries.
Just then, Mira walked over, carrying a tea tray, her steps somewhat heavy.
Her beautiful face was etched with deep worry, her brows tightly furrowed, and her eyes, which usually smiled gently, were now filled with unease.
"EZ… Cana… Ikaruga… Max…" Mira's voice trembled slightly, "Just now… Gray… did he take that demon subjugation mission for Galuna Island?"
The four looked at her simultaneously and nodded: "Yes."
Mira's body swayed slightly, and her face grew even paler: "That mission… is very dangerous! The demon… Deliora… that is a very terrifying demon! Gray… the way he was just now…"
She put down the tea tray, her hands unconsciously twisting together, her knuckles white from the effort: "It's all my fault… if… if I hadn't lost my power…"
Her voice dropped, filled with deep self-reproach and a sense of powerlessness, "Before… all the guild's requests concerning demons were handled by me personally.
I understood them, knew their weaknesses… but now…"
She looked up, tears glistening in her eyes: "After Lisanna left… I… I can't even use my magic normally anymore… For the past two years, you all have been helping me with these difficult missions… I… I…"
She couldn't continue, tears welling up in her eyes.
Mira's self-reproach felt like a heavy stone, weighing on the hearts of the four.
They all knew how much Lisanna's accident had affected Mira; it wasn't just the pain of losing her sister, but also the collapse of her proud power and her belief in protecting the guild.
Seeing her so fragile and self-reproaching at this moment, the four were at a loss for how to comfort her.
"Mira…" Cana, also an old member of the guild and close to Mira, tried to say something, but Mira interrupted her.
"I… I'm fine…" Mira took a deep breath, forcing a smile, but it looked worse than crying, "I'm just… very worried about Gray… I hope he… comes back safely…"
After saying that, she turned and quickly left, her back appearing particularly thin and lonely.
Watching Mira's retreating back, the four fell into an even deeper silence.
Only Gajeel's "crunching" sound of chewing iron pieces and Levy's rustling of turning pages remained in the guild, the atmosphere so oppressive it was suffocating.
Just then, a tall figure stood up from a corner of the guild.
It was Elfman.
He had been silently doing "manly push-ups" in the corner, and he had seen Gray's outburst and Mira's self-reproach.
Now, the exaggerated "manly" expression he usually wore was gone, replaced by a calm and resolute look.
He walked to the table where Gray had just sat, which was now frozen, and looked at the shattered wine glass, crushed by Gray and then frozen into an ice lump, for a few seconds.
Then, he picked up an unopened bottle of ale nearby, bit off the cap with his teeth, tilted his head back, and chugged the entire bottle in one go!
"Bang!" He slammed the empty bottle heavily onto the table with a dull thud.
He didn't shout "Man!" as usual, but simply looked deeply in the direction Gray had left and then at the kitchen door where Mira had disappeared, his bloodshot but unusually determined eyes.
Then, he suddenly turned and strode towards the guild's main door!
His steps were steady and powerful, each one carrying an undeniable resolve.
Sunlight streamed through the door, casting his tall silhouette long.
He didn't look back, nor did he speak, but everyone understood his meaning—he was going to find Gray!
He was going to protect his sister!
He was going to protect his comrade!
"Elfman…" Cana murmured, looking at his back.
"Let him go." Ezreal sighed softly, "Sometimes, silent action has more power than any slogan."
Max manipulated gold sand to form a small model of Elfman's back, placed it on the table, and nodded silently.
Ikaruga picked up her teacup and took a small sip… Galuna Island, located on the northern edge of the kingdom, was covered in ice and snow year-round, with a harsh environment.
At this moment, Gray, riding an ice-feathered eagle, was cutting through the biting cold wind at top speed, rushing towards the island shrouded in the shadow of the "demon."
His face remained as cold as frost, and the burning anger and hatred in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest due to the distance.
Deliora!
That name was etched into his soul like a brand!
The demon who killed his parents and relatives!
The demon who took the life of his master Ur!
The enemy who made him bear endless pain and self-reproach!
He had thought it had long been sealed by Ur's Absolute Zero, but he never expected… it was still alive!
Still wreaking havoc!
"Deliora…" Gray's teeth ground together, and the cold air around him uncontrollably spread, making the ice eagle beneath him feel even colder, "This time… I will personally… completely crush you! For all those I have lost!"
He didn't know that in distant Magnolia, his comrades were worried about him, nor did he know that Ezreal had already set up a plan on Galuna Island to resolve his emotional knot.
He had only one thought in his mind: revenge!
And in the distant sky behind Gray, another figure was also struggling to catch up.
Elfman, with the legs of a leopard, sprinted and leaped across the snowy plains like a human beast, moving at an astonishing speed.
He was silent, his gaze fixed on the direction Gray had disappeared, with only one thought in his mind: catch up to Gray! Protect him! Bear everything for his sister!
Inside the Fairy Tail Guild, Ezreal, Cana, Ikaruga, and Max sat around a table, the atmosphere still heavy.
"EZ," Cana couldn't help but speak again, "The person you arranged… can they really stop the enraged Gray? What if he doesn't listen to explanations and just attacks directly…"
"Don't worry," Ezreal's eyes were deep, "That person… is someone Gray cannot truly kill, no matter what.
And the truth… is often more powerful than hatred."
He looked out the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through the vast distance, settling on the snow-covered island.
"What we can do now is to trust Gray, trust my arrangements, and… trust Elfman," He paused, adding, "And also, be ready… for their return."
In the guild, Mira silently wiped the bar counter, her eyes occasionally drifting towards the door.
Levy closed her book, also looking out the window with worry.
Gajeel's sound of chewing iron pieces also seemed to slow down.
The afterglow of the setting sun streamed into the guild, painting everything with a warm golden hue, yet it couldn't dispel the heavy worry and anticipation in everyone's hearts.
On the ice plains of Galuna Island, a storm concerning hatred, truth, and redemption was quietly brewing.
And the bonds of Fairy Tail, like invisible threads, spanned thousands of mountains and rivers, tightly connecting everyone at the center of the storm.
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