"Lord Yalian, what should we do about this Void Prison Beast?" Ultear asked.
"Bury it underground and seal it here," Yalian replied. "This Moon Temple is filled with sacred power. It's a natural holy ground for suppressing demons."
"And what about them?" Erza glanced at the dazed-looking Byakuya.
"Leave them be," Yalian said calmly. "They're pitiful people too. Their methods may have been wrong, but they had their own sense of justice. There's no need to dwell on their pasts."
"True enough." Erza nodded. "Then let's focus on removing the villagers' curse."
"But the villagers' curse should be related to the Void Prison Beast, right?" Lucy raised a question. "Do we really have to completely eliminate it to remove the curse?"
"No," Ultear said as she walked over after completely resealing the Void Prison Beast underground. "The villagers' curse has nothing to do with the beast itself. Their transformation was caused by the Moon Drip's magic being too powerful. Even if the Void Prison Beast revived and was destroyed again, it wouldn't solve anything."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Natsu grinned. "Let's go fix it!"
"That reminds me," Gray crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, "if even this doesn't work, how are we supposed to solve the villagers' problem?"
"There's still one person here, isn't there?" Happy pointed at Byakuya while floating in the air.
Everyone turned toward him.
To their surprise, Byakuya shook his head. "To be honest… I don't know either."
"What?" Lucy blinked. "If even you don't know how to remove the curse, then where did the curse come from in the first place?"
"Three years ago, when we brought the Void Prison Beast here, we already knew there was a village on this island," Byakuya explained slowly. "But we never disturbed them, and they never approached us."
"That's true…" Lucy muttered. "The Moon Drip has been shining on the temple every day for the past three years. Why didn't they investigate earlier?"
"They did," Gray replied. "Village Chief Moka mentioned that whenever they got close to the Moon Temple, they would feel extremely uncomfortable."
"We never stopped the villagers from moving freely," Byakuya continued seriously. "Besides, there are still many doubts about whether Moon Drip can really affect the human body."
"You're saying this has nothing to do with you?" Natsu frowned.
"Think about it carefully," Byakuya said, raising his voice slightly. "If Moon Drip really could mutate people into demons, then why are we—the ones closest to it—completely unaffected? How does that make sense?"
His words immediately made everyone pause.
Indeed.
If Moon Drip truly caused demonic transformation, then Byakuya and his people, who had been exposed to it directly for years, should have transformed first.
"Still, we should remain cautious," Byakuya said quietly as he closed his eyes. "Perhaps they haven't told you everything. In any case, what happens next is a matter for your guild."
"Let's return to the village first and discuss it there," Erza proposed.
Everyone agreed.
Natsu followed behind Erza reluctantly while Happy fluttered overhead. Gray and Lucy followed as well, leaving only Ultear and Yalian behind.
"If you're feeling lost," Yalian said before leaving, "then join a guild. You might find the answer you're searching for there."
"Join a guild…" Byakuya murmured to himself while watching Yalian disappear into the darkness.
Back in the village, Yalian's group headed straight to the room where Natsu and Gray had been staying.
Everyone discussed possible solutions freely.
Not long afterward, there was a knock at the door.
Gray opened it to find Village Chief Moka standing outside.
"Chief? Is something wrong? Come in first."
"No need," Moka said immediately. "I just came to ask… when are you planning to destroy the moon?"
The entire room froze.
Destroy the moon?
That was certainly… a unique phrase.
Erza suddenly seemed to connect all the clues in her mind. She stood up and walked over to Gray.
"Destroying the moon is easy," she declared seriously. "We can begin immediately."
"Huh?!" Lucy's jaw dropped. "Erza, are you serious?!"
"Aye. That's Erza for you," Happy whispered.
"Even for Erza, destroying the moon is impossible!" Gray shouted.
"Hahaha! I knew it! We should've just destroyed the moon from the start!" Natsu laughed excitedly.
Only Yalian and Ultear appeared unsurprised.
Through the window, they stared at the purple moonlight outside and seemed to realize something.
"Really?!" Moka became ecstatic. "Wonderful! Thank you, great mages! I'll gather everyone immediately!"
The old man ran off at incredible speed, not looking old at all.
"You figured it out?" Ultear asked with a smile.
"More or less," Erza nodded. "That's why we need to destroy the moon."
"Natsu," she said while turning toward him, "I'll need your help."
"Leave it to me!" Natsu jumped up excitedly.
"Yalian, aren't you going to stop her?" Lucy asked nervously.
"No need," Yalian shook his head. "Just watch. Leave this one to Erza."
Ultear smiled and pushed Lucy and Gray toward the door.
"Come on, come on. The show's about to start."
By the time they reached the plaza, Erza had already equipped the Giant Armor and stood atop the watchtower beside Natsu.
With a wave of her hand, the Spear of Evil-Breaking appeared in her grasp.
"When I throw the spear," Erza instructed, "use your flames to strike the tail end and increase its propulsion. That should be enough to destroy the moon."
"There's no way that'll actually work!" Lucy complained.
"These two are way too fired up…" Gray muttered.
Neither Erza nor Natsu paid attention.
Erza drew the spear back, aiming directly at the purple moon. A crimson magic circle lit up around her gauntlet.
When her power reached its peak, she shouted:
"Now, Natsu!"
"Fly as high as you can!!"
Natsu unleashed his strongest flame punch, striking the tail of the spear perfectly.
Erza simultaneously hurled it with all her strength.
"Go!!"
Everyone watched as the Spear of Evil-Breaking streaked toward the moon wrapped in blazing flames.
At that moment, all breathing stopped.
One second.
Two seconds.
Several moments later—
The spear struck the purple moon dead center.
Cracks instantly spread across its surface.
The villagers burst into joyous smiles.
Lucy, Gray, and Happy, meanwhile, were so shocked their jaws practically hit the floor.
"WHOOAA!! That's awesome! We did it!" Natsu cheered.
But what happened next stunned everyone except Yalian, Ultear, and Erza.
The purple moon shattered apart completely, revealing the true pure moon and a sky full of stars behind it.
The fragments of the false moon dissolved into countless points of light that drifted gently downward.