Chapter III
Hello to all! It is time yet again for another chapter of Fairy Tail's Demon King. I hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapter. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, post a review if you do, or even if you do not, or if you are confused about anything. As usual I would like to thank my coauthor TheLastNanaya and my secondary author Bakuto Masaki for all their help with the story. I suppose there is not much else to say at this point, so might as well move on to the reviewer responses then.
Parker Thomas: Glad you enjoy it! Good to see it seems someone has a sharp eye.
superpeirce: No, I do not mean Campione. The title is sort of a play on words. Unfortunately I cannot go into much detail here but the title is referring to the main character, Sergio. So keep that in mind.
Well, that about covers the reviewer responses, so on to the main event.
Lucy moaned as she woke up in a strange location. She looked around curiously. "I'm…on a beach?" She then turned to the side and stood up in shock. "Wh-what the heck?!" Lucy saw Juvia, whom she had never met, sitting nearby with a severely swollen and bulged abdomen.
Juvia turned to Lucy annoyed. "You're noisy."
"Who the heck are you?!"
"Juvia Lockser," Sergio answered as he walked out of the nearby forest. "She's a friend of mine and one of the people I sent ahead to this island."
Lucy nodded slowly in thought. "Okay…but why does her belly look so big…?"
Sergio turned to Juvia and then poked her abdomen slightly. "That?"
"Well…yeah…" Lucy answered deadpan.
"It's what she asked for."
Lucy sweat-dropped. "I…don't even want to know…"
Juvia slowly stood, stumbling slightly and then smiled as she rubbed her abdomen.
Soon the others began to wake up.
"Well, certainly took you all long enough," Sergio remarked as the others stood up and looked around curiously.
"Where are we?" Gray asked in annoyance.
"Welcome to Galuna Island," Sergio answered as he motioned to the vast forest with a tall mountain in the center behind him.
"What?! We were supposed to head back, not head to the island!" Gray then turned to Natsu. "This all your fault flame-breath!"
"Don't blame me, you're the guy who let himself get knocked out," Natsu rebutted.
"You're the one who knocked me out!"
"That's enough you two," Sergio interjected. "We're not here to quibble. We're here to complete the mission. And who knows, maybe if you help me accomplish it successfully Makarov will give you some recognition."
"Tch. I'm more worried about Erza's punishment."
"No time to worry about that now. We need to find the village that requested our help to begin with."
The others nodded in agreement.
Natsu then asked, "Hey, who's the blue girl and why's her belly so big?"
"None of your concern," Sergio rebutted.
Later on, the group entered the village on Galuna Island that was to be the focal point of their quest.
The group looked around curiously.
"Is anyone here?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Oy, come on out!" Sergio shouted.
After a moment people began filing out of the small houses throughout the village.
Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "Uhm…why are they all wearing cloaks?"
"Are you the village chief?" Sergio asked a short, old man with tan skin, long silver sideburns running from the length of his face down to his hips, small dark eyes, and wearing a necklace made of what appeared to be large animal teeth centered with a skull, a dark blue cape that draped down from his shoulders to the back of his knees, a white, tribal kilt with two green lines at the bottom and a red dot circled by a red circle, a series of golden rings on his wrists and legs as he walked up to the group, his long wooden staff with a crescent moon-shaped head helping him stand.
The old man nodded. "I am Moka, the village chief. Are you the wizards who have come to lift our curse?"
Sergio raised an eyebrow but then nodded. "Yes, we are. Though, it'd help if you told us a little more about this…curse of yours."
Moka nodded and told them, "It started some time ago, though I do not remember exactly, when the moon turned a deep purple color in the sky. Whenever the moon shines down directly on us our bodies morph into that of demons."
Lucy was about to ask a question when the clouds in the sky, which had been hiding the moon from view, moved aside and allowed the light to shine down directly onto the tribe, all of them morphing fully into demonic forms.
Lucy and the others were taken aback.
Sergio narrowed his eyes in thought.
Moka then continued, "Normally, by morning we transform back into our human forms, but sometimes the transformation is complete and permanent, the victim losing their mind entirely." Tears then began to flow from the old man's eyes. "And when this happens, we have no choice but to kill that person before they harm the rest of us. Such was the case with my son, Bobo."
Sergio folded his arms and asked, "So, what exactly is it you want us to do?"
Moka nodded and then pointed upward. "I want you to destroy the moon!"
"WHAT!?" they all shouted in shock.
Sergio sighed. "That's a tall ask, you know."
"Are you saying you can't do it?" Moka asked.
"'Course I'm not. It'll take a while to plan it out though, so do you mind if we stay a night or two?"
Moka shook his head. "No, it is quite alright, we have a spare house you may use."
Sergio, Gray, Natsu, and Happy entered the room where they would be staying.
Sergio sighed as he sat on the bed. "I don't know why I have to stay here."
"Lucy doesn't want you peeping on her," Happy explained.
Sergio huffed. "Doesn't mean she couldn't have let the others stay with me."
"Nah, it's better this way," Natsu said with a snicker.
Sergio frowned in annoyance. "And how do you figure that, firecracker?"
"Because, girls can be annoying."
In another room of the house, Juvia, Presa, Flare, and Lucy were preparing their own beds when the house suddenly shook.
"What was that?!" Lucy shouted.
"Probably Sergio," Presa explained.
"Doing what?!"
"Who knows?" Presa retorted with a shrug.
The next morning, the group gathered outside the village to begin searching the island.
"There has to be some other way to do this besides blowing up the moon," Lucy declared.
Gray nodded in agreement.
"Any ideas?" Sergio asked.
The others shook their heads.
"Guess that leaves us with only one choice, search the island."
The others nodded in agreement.
The group began looking through the forests on the island, finding nothing but traps, all of which Natsu set off, or a whole lot of nothing.
That continued until the group's search was halted by a low rumbling noise.
Lucy glared at Natsu accusingly. "Natsu! What'd you do now?!"
Natsu shrunk down somewhat in fear. "I didn't do anything…"
Happy then interjected, "Yeah, for once this is something Natsu had nothing to do with."
"Hey! Happy!"
The team then turned when they heard a loud roar.
Lucy turned pale and asked, "Erm…is that…a giant mouse…in a maid outfit…?"
Natsu and Gray nodded in astonishment.
"Well this day is certainly starting out weirder than I anticipated," Sergio remarked.
"How can you be so calm?!" Lucy demanded.
Flare pointed ahead of the group. "Uhm, it's coming."
The giant mouse then proceeded to try and step on the group.
"Run!" Sergio shouted before the team immediately began running.
As the mouse continued to pursue them, Lucy whined, "Aw man, where's a giant cat when you need one!?"
Sergio stopped and turned around. "Well, we don't exactly have a cat, but we do have this." He then raised Ophiuchus' kay and shouted, "Open, Gate of Serpent Bearer: Ophiuchus!" In a flash of light Ophiuchus appeared in the sky above the group.
The giant mouse stopped and gaped as Ophiuchus looked at it.
Ophiuchus narrowed its eyes before releasing a loud, bellowing roar.
The giant mouse squealed in fright and ran off swiftly.
Lucy blinked curiously. "W-wow…that was…surprisingly effective." Lucy sighed and then asked timidly, "So what now?"
"Continue looking around the island," Sergio said. "If we keep going we're bound to find something."
After that, the group made their way around the island, finding nothing but plant life and wild animals. They did occasionally find the odd ancient piece of debris but it led to nothing until they happened upon a large, ancient temple.
"Whoa…that thing's huge…" Natsu commented as he looked up towards the top of the temple.
Sergio raised an eyebrow as he looked around. "Yeah, but now we need to find the entrance."
Natsu clenched his fists as he walked up to the aged building. "If we can't find the entrance we'll just make our own! Fire Dragon Iron-!"
"No," Lucy muttered flatly as she smacked Natsu on the back of the head, slamming him straight into the ground.
"That was cold," Happy remarked.
"Finding the entrance shouldn't be too difficult," Sergio noted as he began walking around the structure.
Soon enough the group found an entrance into the structure and began exploring the hallways, though finding a pathway to anywhere significant seemed fruitless.
Lucy was herself particularly tense. "You know…this temple has to be thousands of years old. You sure it's safe?"
Natsu grinned and answered as he stamped a foot, "'Course it is! It can handle me stamping can't it?!"
A lumbering cracking and creaking sound then emanated through the area.
Sergio slapped a hand over his face. "Natsu you idiot…"
At that moment the ground they were standing on cracked and crumbled, causing the whole group to plummet straight down a deep hole into an abyss of darkness.
After a few moments the group reawakened and looked around.
Lucy groaned as she sat up. "Ugh…that fall really hurt. Is everyone okay?"
Presa, who was behind Lucy, nodded and replied, "Yes, I'm fine."
At that moment, Sergio's muffled voice said, "Mmm…this is nice."
Lucy blinked curiously. "What's n-waahh!" she screamed, realizing she was sitting on Sergio's face. She immediately stood up, putting a hand on the back of her skirt. "P-pervert!"
Presa, who was sitting on Sergio's lap, waved her tail as she looked back at Lucy. "Need you scream that loudly?"
Sergio stood up as Presa did and wiped dust off his shoulder before looking at Lucy with an amused smirk. "You call me a pervert, and yet you were the one sitting on my face."
Presa then turned to Sergio. "Sergio, remove your pants so I can land on you properly."
Sergio chuckled lightly as he looked around. "Maybe later. It seems we've found the problem child." He then pointed to the side, where a massive block of ice stood, with an equally massive, shadowy figure inside.
Presa blinked curiously as she looked at it. "My, my. In ice too."
Gray, however, paled as he looked at the ice block. "N-no…what's it doing here…?"
Sergio thought for a moment then shrugged. "Maybe he's getting a tan."
Gray turned to Sergio with a scowl. "This isn't some laughing matter! Do you even know what that thing is?!"
Sergio nodded. "Yes. A demon that throws temper tantrums."
"Temper tantrums?! That thing destroyed an entire city in a single night!"
Lucy put up her hands in a placating manner. "Whoa, Gray, calm down. What is that thing?"
Sergio answered dryly, "As I said. Temper tantrums."
Lucy frowned in thought. "Sergio, do you know who…or what, is in that ice?"
Sergio nodded. "Yes. A demon made by Zeref."
Lucy paled. "Z-Zeref?! As in, the black wizard who created Lullaby?! That Zeref?!"
"Yup. It is. And it throws childish temper tantrums."
Gray huffed. "That thing is Deliora. It's an extremely powerful demon that ravaged my homeland and destroyed the entire countryside ten years ago. Ur, the woman who taught me how to use Ice Make Magic in the first place, gave her life to seal this thing away for good. So why the hell is it here!?"
Sergio then added, "So you're the one I need to beat senseless."
Gray looked at him confused and irritated. "What? What are you talking about?"
Sergio ignored Gray's question as he began cracking his knuckles.
Gray glared angrily as he raised his fists. "What the hell's gotten into you?!"
Presa raised an eyebrow and then glanced to the side. "Hold up, there's someone coming. We need to hide."
Sergio sighed. "We'll finish this later."
As they all ducked behind a rock, a group of people approached the frozen Deliora.
The first of the group was a slim young man with extremely bushy, squared, black eyebrows, black eyes, and bright blue hair spiking upwards with one prominent spike at the top who wore a green coat reaching down to his knees with dark green sections on the outer arms and the side's lower sections, a plain belt with a rectangular buckle over the coat, two vertical hems that helped keep the coat closed, dark blue pants that were baggy and loose fitting and light grey shoes.
The second member of the group was a lean-built, muscular young man with shoulder-length, straight brown hair, large round eyes with dark irises and pupils, slim, dark brown eyebrows, lightly tanned skin, a dark tattoo on his right upper arm that had the symbols for "sashimi" printed on it, and distinctive animal features, ears and a doglike muzzle on his face, who wore extremely loose-fitting jeans that were lightly tattered, a black belt to hold them up, and a pair of simple, dark-brown shoes.
The third member of the group was a young woman with long pink hair tied into pigtails, blue eyes, fair skin, and a very generous bust in addition to wearing a choker tied into a ribbon, a purple and pink, short, spaghetti-strap dress with light pink trimmings, two long, thin wings on the back, as well as black leggings, and high-heeled sandals.
The fourth and final member of the group was a petite young girl who bore a strong resemblance to the older woman, with blue eyes and amaranth hair tied into two short pigtails with orange bows, wearing a pale blue miniskirt, a pink, sleeveless top with a dark blue center and a folded collar with yet another orange ribbon tied around it and a heart emblem over her left breast and an X symbol over her right breast, both of which were generous in size, two short, white gloves coupled with orange wristbands, on top of a larger pink fabric that reached her upper arms and was kept in place by matching orange bands, long, thigh-high black stockings, and white legwarmers atop black shoes.
The blue-haired man raised a thick eyebrow as he looked at the older woman. "Are you feeling alright, Sherry?"
The dog-man shouted with an angry tone, "Maybe she ate bad mushroom!"
"I doubt that's it, Toby."
Sherry ignored him, continuing to smile dreamily. "No, I'm juuust happy, Yuka."
Yuka frowned in annoyance.
The younger girl looked at Sherry confused. "What's got you so happy, Sherry?"
With the same smile Sherry answered, "Oh you'll see, Chelia."
Chelia puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Tell me! Tell me!"
Yuka groaned in frustration. "Oh, shut it. We've got bigger issues, like those intruders. They can't be allowed to interfere with Deliora's release. We'll collect enough moonlight soon."
Sergio huffed quietly. "Like we'd interfere with it getting out," he muttered.
Gray narrowed his eyes.
Sherry, Chelia, Yuka, and Toby then turned and left the cave.
The team then stepped out from their hiding spot and turned their gaze back to Deliora.
Gray clenched his fists angrily and added, "I don't know who these clowns think they are, but they've got to be stopped. They plan on releasing Deliora, and tarnishing Ur's sacrifice. I won't let that happen."
Sergio raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Sacrifice?"
Gray nodded. "Ur gave her life to seal Deliora."
Lucy looked at the frozen demon for several minutes before asking, "You think Deliora has something to do with that dome of energy around the island?"
Gray then added, "There's no way they're not connected. Despite being frozen in that ice, Deliora is in fact alive."
Natsu slammed his fists together and suggested excitedly, "Then let's just destroy it!"
Gray scowled at Natsu before punching him hard.
"Wow!" Happy exclaimed. "He hit him hard!"
Lucy muttered in deadpan, "It's not all that rare."
Sergio raised an eyebrow. "What was that for? He's got the right idea. Besides, one of my teams are more than likely on this island hunting that child of a demon."
Lucy asked in confusion, "Teams? So Flare, Presa, Guren, Karin, and…?" she trailed off as she looked at Juvia.
Juvia frowned in annoyance. "Juvia's name is Juvia!"
Lucy chuckled weakly. "R-right…so they're not the only people you work with?"
Sergio shook his head. "No. And they work for me."
Lucy gaped. "Wait, for you? What are you, some kind of Guildmaster?"
Sergio sweat-dropped. "Uhh…sure, let's go with something like that."
Presa interjected, "And I'm not in one of the five two woman teams Sergio has running around hunting Zeref demons."
Lucy then paled. "What?! You're purposefully going after Zeref's demons?!"
Gray snarled before turning to Natsu. "Stay away from Deliora Natsu. If this thing gets free no one would be able to stop it." Gray shouted at Natsu. Gray sighed and then turned back to Deliora before adding, "My teacher, Ur, froze Deliora in that ice using Iced Shell. It's a kind of never-melting ice that is resistant to all types of magic. But why would those bastards bring it here?"
Sergio answered plainly, "To melt it loose. Try and kill the big baby. See that scar on its leg? I made that light scratch to teach it a lesson and it bawled for a week."
Gray's eyes widened intensely. "That's impossible. Deliora's been frozen for ten years."
Sergio raised an eyebrow. "How's that impossible?"
Gray folded his arms. "You would've been a teenager, wouldn't you? How could someone that young do that kind of damage to this thing?"
Sergio frowned. "Teenager? When I was a teen I fought a deranged Great Spirit that could wipe out an airship fleet in one go, a group of incredibly powerful fighters, a guy who could cut a dragon in half with a single sword strike, the previous Lord of Spirits, a Great Spirit stronger than the Lord of Spirits that wanted to wipe out humanity, and a guy that absorbed part of Origin's power. Compared to that Deliora is a baby that needed disciplinary action. Oh, and I also fought a demon god once but that didn't end well."
Natsu and Gray blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
Lucy widened her eyes. "D-did you say Lord of Spirits?!"
Sergio looked at her curiously. "Previous Lord of Spirits. The old man passed that title down to his youngest daughter."
Lucy blinked curiously. "Wait…wouldn't that mean that…the current Lord of Spirits is a woman?"
Sergio raised an eyebrow. "Yes, she is. A blonde with an Ahoge and a tight ass. Why?"
Lucy looked at him in disbelief. "…I'm sorry I asked." She then sighed heavily. "Should we follow those weirdos and get information from them?"
Gray shook his head. "No, we should stay here and wait until the moon is high in the sky."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What's the moon got to do with anything?"
Sergio asked flatly, "You didn't notice? I thought you were a smart blonde."
"Bite me! Now explain what the moon has to do with anything!"
Gray narrowed his eyes and answered, "I'm not certain, but I overheard one of those nonnatives say, 'We'll collect enough moonlight soon.' I don't know what he meant exactly, but the moon and Deliora are obviously connected somehow."
Sergio turned to Lucy and asked, "Where do you want me to bite you?"
Lucy stood in disbelief before shouting, "You really are a pervert, aren't you?!"
Juvia then interjected, "Juvia is rather curious at how the moon is connected to the big baby too."
Sergio sighed and then scratched his head. "Probably some kind of magic cancellation ritual."
Presa narrowed her eyes and asked, "You don't think it's that spell Kaguya tried to use, is it?"
Sergio raised an eyebrow. "That Moon Eye thing? Nah. It's probably something different. Though it'd be easier to just drain the ice." He walked up to Deliora's prison and put his right hand on the ice. "Like this." The ice around Deliora then began to slowly melt.
Gray's eyes widened intensely before he slammed his right fist into his open left palm, the air between his hands frosting over. He then thrust his hands forward, shouting, "Ice-Make: Lance!" A magic circle appeared in front of him and sent several spears of ice flying at Sergio.
The spears ran through Sergio, slamming into the ice block on the other side. Sergio blinked curiously and looked down, seeing the spears piercing his body. "Was that really necessary?" he asked with mild annoyance.
Gray paled as he stepped back. "Th-that…that should have killed you…"
Sergio turned around, pulling the spears out of his body before the holes sealed themselves up. "Really? Never did before, when Ur did that a few times while she was pregnant with Ul."
Gray's eyes widened sharply as he stepped back. "Wait…just…how do you know Ur…?"
Sergio folded his arms and replied matter-of-factly, "She's one of my wives. Duh."
Gray stepped back further in shock before scowling. "That…that's impossible…just who the hell are you?!"
Sergio sighed in frustration and scratched his cheek in thought. "Coulda sworn I told you my name already. And how is it impossible?"
Gray clenched fists before shouting, "Screw that! Who are you really?! You talk about Deliora like he's just some annoying toddler! You talk about Ur as if you've known her for years and yet she never even mentioned you once! And you just got skewered by my Ice-Make: Lance and barely registered it as little more than a nuisance! Who…no…what are you?!"
Lucy put up her hands towards Gray. "Gray, come on."
Natsu nodded. "Yeah, man. I think bein' around this Deliora thing has driven you batty."
Sergio groaned in annoyance. "Deliora is a brat, I do know Ur, VERY well at that, some weak ice spikes don't even tickle, and I am Sergio. That is the name I chose for myself."
Gray snarled as he assumed his Ice-Make stance once more. "Fine. If you wanna keep this up, then I'll beat an answer out of you!"
Sergio sighed. "I think you've lost it, kid."
Gray, his voice beginning to crack, retorted, "You don't know what this thing's capable of! You didn't watch as it crushed your mother under its foot or burn your father alive!"
Sergio raised an eyebrow. "Is that it? You're afraid of it because you saw what it did when you were young?"
Gray's eyes widened before he bellowed, "Of course that's it! That monster destroyed my home and killed my family! And now you want to help these free it!?"
"It needs to be disciplined. And whoever woke it up and upset it needs to be disciplined.
Gray clenched his fists and then pointed at Sergio. "Well it looks to me that you're the one who's about to wake it…"
Sergio sighed. "I meant whoever woke it ten years ago you halfwit. Because it should have stayed napping."
Lucy then stepped between the two and extended her arms out. "Stooop!" She then sighed heavily. "…Okay, that's enough out of the two of you!" She then turned to Gray. "Gray, you need to calm down and stop hitting everyone!" She then turned to Sergio. "Sergio, you need to take this more seriously and stop messing with that thing!"
Sergio blinked curiously and then chuckled. "I didn't know you had this take-charge side of you. It's kind of cute. Also, how am I not being serious?"
Lucy blushed lightly and then coughed to clear her throat. "W-well it's because you're toying around about this Deliora thing. Those four are trying to free this thing, and if it's really as terrifyingly powerful as Gray says it is, we should try and find a way to stop them. Now, we should all sit down, cool off, and wait for night to come."
Sergio shrugged and added, "Or, we wake the brat up, I give it a good smack or three to make it listen and send it to its room."
Lucy turned to Sergio and clapped her hands together. "Can you please stop trying to piss everyone off, just for a little bit?"
Sergio sighed and frowned in annoyance. "Fine. But it'd be a whole lot easier to do it my way. I mean it's like you guys doubt my power."
"No, I just think that if you provoke him any further Gray might snap. So can you stop being a jackass just long enough for him to calm down?"
"Ah."
A crack then formed in the shell around Deliora.
Lucy twitched an eyebrow in response.
Happy pointed to the shell and shouted, "Look at that crack!"
Gray's eyes widened in terror.
Sergio whistled in amusement. "Man. Who knew Iced Shell was this weak without Ur in it."
Gray turned to Sergio in confusion. "Wait…what did you just say…?"
Sergio blinked in thought. "Hmm?"
"You said Ur's not in there. How? I watched her become the Iced Shell. I watched her body freeze and shatter…"
Sergio shrugged. "Simple. I pulled her out a couple months after Ul told me she did something stupid."
Gray then trembled. "Ul…do you mean…Ultear…her daughter…?"
Sergio nodded. "Yeah. Our Li'l Ul. Such a gifted girl she is with her Arc of Time."
Flare frowned and said, "Uhmm…that crack is getting bigger. Sh-should we…run?"
Sergio shrugged and answered, "If you want to, run. You'll miss the show."
Gray then said flatly, "Now I know you're lying."
Sergio looked at him puzzled. "Hmm?"
"Ur's daughter is dead. She told me herself."
"Ah, I see. You were with her when she believed that lie."
Gray blinked curiously. "L-lie…?"
"Yes. A lie a bunch of doctors told her. One I did not believe and was proven right about."
A large chunk of ice then fell from Deliora's prison.
"Ah. Looks like the brat's nearly awake. And Presa, paralyze that idiot before he thinks of using Iced Shell."
A new voice then interjected, "Well, looks like my hunch was right."
Sergio blinked and turned to the new voice, seeing a slim young man of average height whose facial features were hidden by an ornamental, horned helmet with a long purple mane, a large white cape with a wide collar, golden edges, and fur trimmings on the shoulders held closed by a belt adorned by a stylized snake with rectangular coils, underneath which was a blue, high-collared tunic that reach his knees, with a simple belt at his waist holding it closed, over a simple dark shirt, black baggy pants tucked inside armored greaves.
Sergio frowned as he looked at the man. "You know, you remind me of someone I REALLY don't like. So," he paused as he placed his hands on the Iced Shell, "Glacial Reinforcement!" In almost an instant, all of the cracks on the Iced Shell vanished.
The armored man clenched his fist and shouted, "You bastard! You undid all my work, you damned lizard!"
Sergio huffed in annoyance. "No. Just fixed what I did to it, brat."
Gray then hollered, "Lyon! So you're behind all of this?!"
Sergio raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah. You two more than likely knew each other."
The armored man, Lyon, folded his arms. "Yes. Ur picked him up after you abandoned her."
Sergio narrowed his eyes. "I never abandoned her."
"Hmph, then I suppose we have different visions of what abandonment is."
At that moment, Sherry, Chelia, Yuka, and Toby ran up behind Lyon.
Sergio hissed in annoyance. "Looking for Li'l Ul wasn't abandoning my wife. And take off that damn helmet, you look like a retard. I know you're trying to 'look cool' but it makes you look like a total moron…on second thought, keep that on so you look what you are."
Lyon huffed as he threw the metal helmet to the side, revealing blue-silver, spiked hair that jutted upwards on most of head save for bangs on the right side of his forehead, narrow, slanted eyes with black irises. "Very funny. Now, how about you explain what you're doing here?"
Gray looked between the two and then asked, "Oy, Lyon! Do you know Sergio?"
Lyon narrowed his eyes at Gray. "Of course I do. He is Ur's master and husband."
A short, hunched over man wearing an ornate mask with green fur covering his head except his mouth, a red shirt, dark blue pants, a green cape, and brown shoes then remarked, "He looks a little dopey."
Sergio retorted, "Yes, Lyon does. But what do you expect from a man with no sense of taste. Who dresses you? A seven year old or a blind monkey on Moon Sugar?"
Lyon sneered in frustration. "Like you would know. This outfit is cool."
Lucy flattened her brow and muttered, "Th-that's…his reason…?"
Sergio huffed in amusement. "Cool?" He pointed to his own jacket lightly. "This is cool. That is a fashion disaster."
Lyon folded his arms in annoyance. "Tch, old people always say that about the newest styles."
"New? That outfit went out of style fifty years ago."
Yuka interjected, "Reitei, how long are you going to keep quibbling with this fool?"
"Stuff it eyebrows, or I'm shaving them off."
Lyon raised a hand. "Enough talk! I don't care if you are Ur's husband, I won't let you interfere!"
Gray then exclaimed, "Wait, he really is Ur's husband?!"
Sergio glanced at Gray. "I am." He then turned back towards Lyon. "So, brat. You really intend to try and fight me? If so, you really have gone stupid.
Lyon snarled in annoyance. "I'm not the same brat I was ten years ago! Ice-Make: Eagle!" Lyon shouted as he waved one hand in front of him.
Gray raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Multiple eagles made of ice appeared in front of Lyon and soared towards Sergio.
Sergio huffed in annoyance. "Hydra." Multiple snakes made of ice emerged from the ground around him and lashed out at the eagles, destroying them.
Lyon stepped back in surprise. "Wh-what the…?!"
Gray widened his eyes. "He didn't even move!"
"Next move?" Sergio asked. "Or shall I take it?"
At that moment, Chelia started to tremble. "Ooohhh, I can't take this anymore!" She took in a big breath, and then exhaled and shouted, "Sky God Bellow!" causing a tornado of pitch black wind to shoot forth, sending Lyon, Zalty, Yuka, and Toby flying out of the cave.
"What the hell!?" Lyon exclaimed in confusion as he and the others were sent flying.
Natsu and the others gaped in shock.
Sergio sighed heavily and facepalmed. "Unbelievable…"
Lucy asked in confusion. "Wh-what just…happened…?"
Sergio sighed once more. "Hurricane Chelia."
Chelia then ran at Sergio and leapt towards him. "Sergio!"
Natsu then charged towards Chelia, his fists encased in flame. "I'll fight ya!"
Sergio attempted weakly to stop the pink-haired teen. "Uh, Natsu…"
Chelia growled in annoyance. "Don't interfere with the power of love!" She whipped her hand to the side, causing a blast of black wind to slam into Natsu and send him flying into a nearby wall.
Lucy gaped. "…She just sent Natsu flying…"
Gray nodded in disbelief. "W-without even trying…"
Sergio sighed. "Like I said, hurricane."
Chelia then tackled into Sergio, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Sergio!"
Sergio flinched slightly as she slammed into him and then sighed in amusement. "What am I going to do with you…?"
Sherry walked up to Sergio with a sigh. "Sorry, I tried to hold her back."
"Keep her sedated next time."
Sherry nodded with an amused sigh. "Right, right."
Sergio sighed once more before Sherry also hugged him.
Lucy then shouted, "What the hell is going on?!"
Juvia answered, "Chelia and Sherry work for Sergio-Sama as well."
"…Eh…?"
"Y-you're joking!" Gray shouted in disbelief.
Juvia tilted her head in confusion. "Why would Juvia joke?"
Sergio interjected, "She's telling the truth." He gently pushed Sherry and Chelia away from him. "I sent these two to join Lyon's group because I knew what he was planning." He then turned to face Deliora. "I just didn't realize he'd gotten so far. Not at all."
"Well…what do we do now…?" Lucy asked mildly perplexed.
"We return to the village."
"We're not going to do anything about Deliora?"
"For now, no. Sherry and Chelia here probably know what Lyon's using to thaw out Deliora; though I can take a pretty good stab at it. So let's head back and formulate a plan."
The others nodded in agreement.
At the edge of the island, a pirate ship began approaching from the waters. However, almost all of the sailors onboard were beaten and bruised, including the captain.
The culprit of said beatings was none other than Erza, who stood at the front of the ship as it docked to the island. How she came in to possession of said ship was rather strange.
As the pirate ship, earlier in the day and the sailors still intact, was docked at the pier, Erza approached the ship determined.
The captain noticed her and asked, "Well hello there milady. What can I do for you?"
Erza nodded and answered, "I want you to take me to Galuna Island."
The captain and all of the sailors paled.
"That won't be happening, dear, sorry," the captain apologized.
Erza narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm not asking." She then made her way onto the boat and proceeded to brutalize her way through the sailors and too the captain, whom she stood over. "Now, I want you to take me to Galuna Island. There is someone there who I need to punish."
The sailors, presumably having received brain damage, shouted with adoration, "We'll follow you anywhere!"
As the ship docked, Erza disembarked and the sailors agreed to wait for her as she began storming her way to her destination.
Sergio and the others made their way down the mountain back towards the village.
"So…are those two really on our side now…?" Lucy asked unsurely.
"Not now, they were on our side from the beginning," Juvia added.
Lucy sighed in frustration. "Everything about that guy confuses me."
"So, what do you have for me?" Sergio asked as he turned to Sherry.
Sherry turned to him and replied, "He's using Moon-Drip to thaw Deliora."
Sergio folded his arms in thought. "That's what I figured. Meaning he must be using magic circles to funnel the moonlight from the roof of the temple down into that cave. If we could knock the temple off-center it'd disrupt the whole thing."
Sherry blinked curiously. "Why would you-?"
Sergio put a finger to his mouth silently in a "shush" motion.
Sherry tilted her head in confusion but then shrugged in response.
Natsu then slammed his fists together. "Knock it off center, huh? I can handle that!"
Sherry blinked and then turned to Sergio with a knowing smirk.
Sergio merely shrugged.
As the group arrived back near the village Sergio noticed one of the villagers standing at the gate.
"What's going on?" Lucy asked.
The man answered, "There's someone here who apparently knows you."
Lucy turned to Gray and Natsu in confusion.
Sergio sighed in frustration. "Great. I thought we'd be done before this."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.
"It is about time you returned," a familiar, stern voice grumbled.
"Eek!" Lucy shrieked as she and the others saw Erza walk up to them.
"You got here faster than I expected," Sergio remarked as he folded his arms.
"We are returning to the guild," Erza said bluntly.
"Bye," Sergio replied plainly.
"You are coming as well."
"No, I'm not," Sergio rebutted.
Erza folded her arms. "This is not a request, it is an order."
Sergio huffed in amusement. "Is that so? And you really believe you can order me around, red?"
Lucy and the others paled in shock.
'He is so dead…' Lucy thought in disbelief.
Sergio folded his arms in thought. "Alright then, how 'bout I make you a deal?"
"Humph, and what might that be?" Erza retorted.
"A little duel."
"Duel?"
"If you win, I'll come with you back to the guildhall quietly."
Erza narrowed her eyes. "And if you win?"
Sergio smirked. "You have to spend the entire rest of our time here in a bikini."
"Wh-what?!"
Sergio shrugged. "If you'd like, I could just ignore you and keep doing as I was."
Erza clenched her fists in frustration. "…So be it."
Sergio smirked as he and Erza walked to an open area away from the village.
"You ready for this, Erza?" Sergio asked in amusement.
"As much as I can be," she answered as she stood opposite him.
Sergio chuckled lightly. "You know, you can avoid double embarrassment if you just agree to let us stay."
Erza huffed in irritation as a sword appeared in her grasp. "I shall do no such thing."
Sergio shrugged in response. "Don't say I didn't give you a way out. You get the first move."
Erza immediately, and to Sergio's confusion, suddenly Requipped into a thin red bikini before charging at him.
Sergio vanished in a burst of smoke before she got close. He smirked as he appeared behind her. "Why don't I make this a little more interesting?" he asked before pulling a scroll from his coat. He then opened it partially and threw it into the air. "Blade Graveyard!" A massive burst of smoke erupted from a complex symbol on the scroll before hundreds of various bladed weapons began raining down around Sergio and Erza. Sergio remained still as the blades fell.
Erza however, began to try and move and dodge the blades as they fell.
Sergio raised an eyebrow. 'What's she doing?'
However, at that moment several swords fell close to Erza, she slid to a stop and looked at Sergio before she noticed something strange. She looked down and paled.
"Well that was…unexpected," Sergio remarked with a snicker.
"Wh-what the…?!" Erza shouted in shock as she saw that the swords that had fallen had cut the strings on her bikini, causing her to stumble to the ground in confusion and embarrassment.
Sergio narrowed his eyes and then rushed forward, picking up two of the swords as he lunged at Erza.
"H-hey!" Natsu shouted.
Erza widened her eyes as she saw the tip of a blade pointed right at her head.
Sergio smirked as he looked into her face. "Looks like I win."
Erza hissed in frustration as she stood up and Requipped back into her regular outfit. "You win. I will let you do as you please, begrudgingly."
"Ahah," Sergio scolded with a wagging finger.
"What?" Erza asked.
"That wasn't the deal."
"Yes it was. The bet was that if you defeat me I will not try and force you to leave."
"Well, you're half right," Sergio replied.
Erza raised in eyebrow in thought and then flinched. "Y-you…you cannot be…"
"Oh, but I am. You agreed to the terms, so you're going to spend the remainder of our time here in a bikini. Of course, to make it fair I'll let you pick whichever one you like."
Erza gulped slightly. "Ah…w-well that was…my only one…"
Sergio raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He folded his arms in thought. "Ah, perfect."
Erza raised an eyebrow, "Wh-what…?"
Sergio pulled a scroll from one of his pockets and unrolled it.
Erza raised an eyebrow as she saw words on the side of the scroll which read "Sexy Things for Sexy People." Erza sweat-dropped in confusion.
"Ah-hah!" Sergio exclaimed as he put a finger on one of the complex symbols, causing a yellow bikini with swirling black markings to appear in a burst of smoke.
"Wh-why the hell do you have something like that?!" Lucy exclaimed in confusion and irritation.
Erza looked at the outfit and gulped. "So am I…supposed to wear this…?"
Sergio nodded. "That was the deal."
Erza sighed heavily and walked away.
A few moments later Erza returned, wearing the skimpy outfit.
Sergio looked at her and nodded with a smile. "It suits you well."
Erza looked off to the side with a slightly tinted face. "Th-that is unimportant. Just finish this job as quickly as possible."
Sergio nodded. "I plan to. Now, come on, let's all get back to the hut so we can sort all this out."
The others nodded and began walking towards the small house they were sharing.
After a moment Erza's lips curled up slightly.
Back in the small house, gathered in the moderately sized lounge.
"So, what's going on here?" Gray asked. "What's Lyon using to free Deliora?"
Sherry turned to Sergio, who nodded. Sherry nodded in understanding and explained, "He's using a spell called Moon-Drip."
"Moon-Drip…I feel I have heard that somewhere before…" Erza remarked in thought.
"It's a rare spell, but not a Lost Magic like some," Sergio interjected.
"How does it work?" Lucy asked.
"It uses a series of magic circles to capture moonlight and funnel it down to the target. This steady stream of energy slowly dispels whatever it hits. It's powerful enough that, with enough time and focus, it can dispel any spell, including the incredibly powerful Iced Shell."
"That doesn't even make sense. How can moonlight do that?" Gray asked in confusion.
"That's a story far too long and far too complicated to go through entirely here. All I can really say is that the moon doesn't just reflect the sun's light, it alters it slightly with mana. Mana powerful enough to alter the state of the entire world. So focusing mana like that on a single spot is quite effective."
"That's crazy…" Lucy muttered.
"How could this group grab hold of such a powerful spell?" Erza inquired.
"Given enough time and determination, a single human could take hold of the entire planet," Sergio answered.
"You always speak in such vague words…"
Sherry added, "To be more specific, Lyon found it in a place known as the Magic Library."
"Did you lead him to it?" Sergio asked.
Sherry shook her head. "No. He discovered it on his own."
"We should get some rest," Erza suggested.
Sergio stood and nodded in agreement before the group heard an explosion outside.
"What was that?!" Gray shouted.
The group ran outside and saw Yuka and Toby standing at the front gate of the village.
"Great, it's Eyebrows and Fido. What do you two dweebs want?" Sergio asked in annoyance.
Yuka snickered. "We're here to take all of you out. If we do that, you won't interfere with our plans any further."
"Yeah! You won't get in the way anymore!" Toby shouted angrily.
"Hmph, for once your foolish anger is appropriate."
Sergio cracked his knuckles as he walked towards the group. "Like that'll actually work with you two wimps."
Natsu rushed past Sergio and towards the two.
"Oy! Wait stupid!"
Natsu took a breath and then exhaled a blast of flame at the two.
Yuka grinned darkly and raised a hand, causing a dome of light blue energy to appear in front of him, making the fire dissipate. "Heheh, your magic is useless against me. My Wave nullifies all magic thrown at me. After wall, a mage is as helpless as a baby without their magic."
A new voice then exclaimed, "Then I'll simply kick your asses without magic!"
A figure in a black cloak with a white mask appeared from the forest and swiftly rushed at Yuka, slamming its fist into his gut and sending him crashing into and through several trees.
"Yuka!" Toby shouted. He turned to the masked assailant and raised his hands, his fingernails extending and glowing green. "I'll get ya with my Paralysis Claw: Mega Jellyfish!"
The figure pointed to its own forehead and said blandly, "You, uh, got something…"
Toby scratched his forehead and then gasped. "Gah!" He then fell over.
"Is he always that stupid?" Sergio asked.
Chelia shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."
Yuka stood up irritated. "You're gonna-" He paled when he saw the masked figure standing over him.
"Take a nap." The figure then stomped on Yuka's head, knocking him out.
"H-holy crap…who is that…?" Lucy asked in confusion.
"Well, it's a woman," Natsu answered.
"How can you tell? That voice isn't feminine at all…" Lucy asked.
"'Cuz she smells like one."
The figure then approached the group, allowing them to see that it was a person wearing a simple black cloak that reached the ankles with a hood and a plain, white porcelain mask with two thin eyeholes and four black stars on the forehead.
"Wh-who the heck are you…?" Lucy asked confused.
"My name is Gefrorenes Stern."
"Well you really took those guys out quick," Gray complimented.
"They were mere weaklings," Gefrorenes answered.
Gray narrowed his eyes in thought.
"So what do we do about those two?" Lucy asked.
"Lyon will likely send some of his grunts to get them," Sherry explained.
Sergio swept a hand in front of him, causing wind to kick up and send the two unconscious, would-be assailants flying.
"Or Sergio could just do that."
Lucy sighed in exhaustion. "So how many more people are there in this Lyon guy's group?"
Sherry responded, "About forty or so."
Sergio folded his arms in thought. "I'm going to assume most of them are involved in the ritual?"
Sherry nodded.
Sergio sighed in annoyance. "Right…well I'm not interested in dealing with them tonight. Let's get some sleep and we'll deal with them tomorrow."
Sherry blinked curiously and turned to Juvia. "Is he feeling alright?"
Juvia shrugged. "Juvia thinks Sergio-Sama has been acting normally."
Sergio entered the lounge of the temporary residence, with Gefrorenes behind him.
"So," Sergio began, "Did you find out anything special about the brat's machinations?"
Gefrorenes responded, with a shake of the head, "No. Or rather, I didn't find out anything beyond what Sherry has already told you. I did discover one thing though."
Sergio folded his arms in thought. "And what might that be?"
"I heard a few of his cronies talking the other day about something rather interesting."
Sergio narrowed his eyes. "I'm listening."
In another room of the house, Lucy sat on her bed writing on a piece of paper.
"Oh, what's that?" Presa asked in amusement.
"Eek!" Lucy exclaimed in shock, hiding the slip of paper. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Presa snickered as she sat next to the blonde. "Writing to a secret admirer?"
Lucy turned red in the face and argued, "No I'm not!" She sighed and explained, "I'm writing a letter to my mom."
Presa smiled and asked pointedly, "Homesick?"
Lucy shook her head. "No, my mom's not at home. A-anyway, why are you so curious?"
Presa sniggered lightly. "No particular reason."
Lucy huffed as she continued writing.
Sergio sighed in exasperation. "Is that so?"
Gefrorenes nodded.
"Damn. So he's already starting to move."
"So what will you do now?" Gefrorenes asked.
"Nothing for now aside from complete my mission. Soon I will handle the matter."
Gefrorenes nodded.
"On a lighter note, Juvia hasn't given you too much trouble has she?"
"Not really," Gefrorenes answered. "At first she was fine but after a month on this island she started to crack. I assume that you're the reason that rainstorm stopped?"
Sergio nodded. "Yeah."
Presa walked into the room and said lightly, "Sounds like you two are having a riveting conversation."
"I was just telling Gefrorenes here how big your tits are."
"Ufu, make sure you don't leave off a single centimeter."
Gefrorenes pointed to Presa curiously.
"Old friend of mine," Sergio answered. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to handle a couple things."
The two nodded in understanding.
The next morning, Sergio walked into the lounge and saw Erza, still clad in the bikini, sitting silently as she looked at a document in her hands.
"Well, what are you up to?" Sergio asked.
Erza folded the document and put it behind her. "Nothing important. You are up early."
"Sleeping isn't something I do very often. Mind if I ask you a question?"
Erza raised an eyebrow curiously and shook her head.
"How come you changed into that bikini when the fight began?"
"Eh…?" Erza grunted in confusion. "Th-that was…the deal…was it not…?"
Sergio frowned lightly. "You knew you were going to lose, didn't you?"
"N-no…I expected victory to be possible."
Sergio chuckled in amusement as he put a hand on her shoulder. "That's your hierarchical pride talking."
Erza sighed heavily. "On a different note, I wish to ask you a question."
Sergio nodded. "Shoot."
Erza frowned in thought. "Well…my question is…rather hard…to articulate…"
"Just say it."
"Are you…the one I remember…?"
Sergio raised an eyebrow and then smirked. "Probably."
Lucy entered the room, puzzled.
"Something wrong?"
Lucy nodded. "I can't find Natsu."
Sergio nodded in understanding. "He already ran off."
Erza looked at him surprised. "Ran off? Where?"
"To the temple. He caught a hint I dropped last night and has, most likely, gone off to destroy the temple's inner supports."
"What?!" Erza shouted in frustration and surprise. "You simply allowed him to leave!?"
Sergio nodded. "I figure he's strong enough to handle himself. If not, we'll pick up his corpse on the way out."
Meanwhile, Natsu made a mad dash towards the temple. "Crap! I had a plan all set up but it's no good because I overslept!"
Erza snarled angrily. "If that is the case, then we must go as well."
"I thought you wanted nothing to do with this mission," Sergio argued.
"I wanted to come here and bring you all home safely. And unfortunately, my pride has locked me here until we are finished, so I will help, but only to prevent the others from dying. You, however, I need not concern myself with."
Sergio chuckled lightly. "I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment."
"Both."
"So we are leaving then?" Gefrorenes asked.
Sergio, Erza, Lucy, Sherry, Chelia, Presa, Juvia, Gefrorenes, and Gray then left for the temple.
Toby and Lyon stood in an improvised throne room Lyon had made for himself.
Lyon snarled in frustration. "To think you were beaten by Fairy Tail so easily."
"But it wasn't Fairy Tail!" Toby rebutted.
Lyon raised an eyebrow. "Then if it wasn't Fairy Tail, then who was it?"
Zalty then entered the room, hunched as usual. "If you don't mind, I'd like to do some actual fighting this time around."
Lyon shrugged in response. "Do as you please. Just don't get in my way."
At that moment, the entire temple began to shake.
"What the hell was that!?"
Zalty chuckled. "He acted faster than I predicted."
On the bottom floor of the temple, Natsu dashed through column after column with fire coating his body, smashing them to pieces, eventually causing the temple to tilt slightly.
"My, my, this is no good. The light won't hit now," Zalty remarked.
Lyon snarled before the floor in front of him exploded as Natsu burst forth. "Wh-what the hell!?"
"I'm gonna kick your ass now, you jerk! You ain't lettin' that monster free!" Natsu growled.
"Tch, you know nothing, boy!"
"We're the same age dammit!"
Zalty raised a hand, causing the blue orb he held to fly at Natsu.
Natsu exhaled a blast of fire, destroying the orb, causing Zalty to flinch in surprise.
"Go, I can handle this boy," Lyon ordered.
Zalty smirked and nodded before leaving the room.
"You won't stop me, you fire-breathing fool," Lyon growled. "I will prove myself by doing what my teacher couldn't!"
"I don't give a damn about the past!" Natsu argued as he charged at Lyon with an enflamed fist.
Lyon dashed to the side and sent a blast of ice at Natsu.
Natsu took a deep breath and then exhaled a surge of flames, destroying the ice.
"What I do care about…!" Natsu shouted as he swung at Lyon once more, "Is all the people you'll hurt!"
As the group neared the temple, Gray clenched a fist.
"Something wrong ice brain?" Sergio asked.
"Very funny," Gray rebutted sarcastically. "No, that's not it."
"Then what is it?" Erza asked.
"There's something I haven't told you guys yet."
"And what might that be?" Sergio asked curiously.
"It's what Lyon's doing. He's doing all this based on the assumption that Ur's dead, but…she's not."
Gefrorenes flinched lightly.
"She's still alive within the Iced Shell."
"How?" Lucy asked in surprise.
"Well…it's a long story…"
A young Gray Fullbuster looked up from his activities to see a woman of average height with a slim figure along with a larger than average bust, black eyes, and shoulder length dark purple hair and fair skin wearing a tan jacket with a dark brown collar, jeans, a red tank top, and plain blue shoes and a young Lyon Vastia approaching. Gray ignored them and returned to what he was doing.
Lyon asked, "What's he doing, Ur?"
Ur looked around at the rubble of the town. "How horrible." She then saw Gray nearby, digging graves for the deceased. She and Lyon walked up to Gray and Ur asked, "So, kid, need some help?"
Gray looked up at Ur and just continued digging.
Ur sighed and pointed to a shovel. "Hey, Lyon, start digging."
Lyon blinked and asked, "What?! Why me?!"
Ur narrowed her eyes and Lyon sighed.
After burying the village's deceased members, numbering all but Gray, Gray looked over two specific graves which were marked "Silver" and "Mika". Tightening his fists he swore, "I will never forgive Deliora for this. I'll get revenge."
Ur folded her arms and asked, "Oh? And just how do you plan on doing that."
Gray twitched an eyebrow. "Well…I…haven't…really thought about that part…yet…"
Smirking, Ur offered, "Learning how to use some magic first might not be a bad idea."
Gray looked up at Ur. "Are you offering to teach me?"
"I'm offering you the chance to learn."
Gray thought for a moment and then nodded.
Ur nodded in return and the group, now made of three members, headed out.
Once they reached a high point in the snowy mountains, Ur explained to Gray, "I hope you're ready. My training's harsh."
Gray nodded assuredly. "Don't worry, I'm ready." He then widened his eyes as his face turned red. "Wh-wh-what are you doing?!"
Ur, whom had stripped from her red shirt, beige coat, and black pants down to a simple green bra and matching panties, looked at Gray with a smirk. "Training has begun now."
Gray looked from Ur to Lyon in disbelief, the white-haired child himself being in his boxers. "You people are crazy!"
Ur explained, "If you want to control the cold, you must first become one with it."
Gray gulped and reluctantly stripped to his own boxers as their training began.
Nodding in satisfaction, Ur continued, "Good. Now for the basics, first is familiarizing yourself with the cold, then we move on to the magical practice that comes later."
As their training proceeded for a long period of time, Ur made mention of several basic rules of her magic, Ice-Make, the most important of which was, "Creation magic is the magic that allows the most freedom. So everyone, in order to be their strongest, must find their own form."
After training for some time, Ur decided to bring Gray and Lyon to the market with her to buy food.
As she bought a selection of goods, the shopkeeper mentioned to her, "Another student, hm?"
Ur nodded in agreement. "Yes, I need to pass my Ice-Make Magic on to the next generation."
The man nodded in thoughtful agreement but added, "Just don't forget about your own happiness from time to time."
As Ur continued shopping, Lyon asked, "Gray, your dream is to defeat Deliora, right?"
Gray looked at him puzzled and nodded. "Of course. What about you?"
Lyon looked at Ur intently. "My dream is to beat Ur."
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Really? Whether I can beat her or not doesn't really seem to matter if you ask me."
Lyon huffed in derision. "Do you know why Ur took you under her wing with me? She saw that you were wrapped in darkness. At least…that's what she told me."
Gray tightened his fist. "She doesn't need to worry about me. I'll drive away the darkness myself by defeating Deliora. Once I've got enough power I'll leave the Ice-Queen." Gray suddenly fell over as Ur punched him on the head.
"I'd watch it with those metaphors kid, next time it might not just be a punch," Ur warned with a smile.
Gray nodded as he held his throbbing head.
As the trio walked towards the outskirts of the city, Gray asked Ur, "When will I learn some powerful magic?"
Ur explained, "You already have. Once you find your own form of Creation Magic it can be as strong as you want."
"Whatever you say," Gray dismissed as he unconsciously stripped.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing in public!?" Ur scolded.
"Look what you made me do!" Gray blamed.
On the way back to their shared cottage, Gray overheard a group of travelers talking about Deliora.
"Did you hear about that demon?" the first asked.
"Yeah, it's tearing through the countryside," answered the second.
"I know. And what's more, I heard it's nearby."
That caused Gray's senses to tingle. 'If it's nearby, then…I can fight it and kill it…' he thought.
That night, Gray was preparing a pack of items.
Lyon walked over to him and asked curiously, "What's all that stuff?"
Putting the pack on his back, Gray explained, "I'm going. To fight Deliora."
Ur widened her eyes and shouted, "That's insane! You'll only get killed out there!"
Gray turned to them with a determined expression. "You won't stop me."
Sergio frowned as he listened.
"U-uhm…do you guys see what I see…?" Lucy asked.
The others looked ahead and saw the tilted ruins.
In a nearby town, Deliora roared as it slid back from an attack.
Gray and Lyon lied unconscious on the ground.
Gray, however, woke up somewhat and looked to see Ur in front of him. He grit his teeth with anger.
Ur turned towards him with a warm smile. "Good, you're awake."
Gray looked down and his eyes widened in shock, from the knee down Ur's right leg was gone, replaced by a false replacement of ice.
Ur smiled and said, "Don't worry. I just lost it in the fight. This will do for now. Gray, I need you to take Lyon and run. Fighting Deliora while protecting the both of you simultaneously is difficult."
Gray then asked perplexed, "Why? Why did you come back for me?"
Ur thought for a moment then said, "Well…I was supposed to be searching for happiness but really…I'm not all that unhappy. And besides, seeing my pupils grow is all the happiness I need." She then added, "Gray, if Deliora is the one causing all of your darkness, then that's even more of a reason for me to fight it."
"No, Ur, don't!" Gray shouted frantically.
"I will take my happiness back by doing this, okay?"
Lyon woke up at that moment and saw Ur standing nearby, realizing what she was about to do, and shouted, "You can't! What about my dream?!"
Ur nodded and rebutted, "There are many wizards far stronger than I am to the west. So go there, and fight them."
Lyon grit his teeth in anger, demanding, "Don't lose!" Losing his own patience he then rushed forward, putting his hands in the formation for Iced Shell, running ahead as the spell charged, only to get frozen in place by Ur.
"I can't have that, now." Ur then took in a breath and crossed her arms in front of her, preparing to use Iced Shell.
Tearfully, Gray shouted, "No, Ur, don't do this!"
Ur turned to look at Gray with a smile as she said, "Gray, I'll seal your darkness."
Gray's eyes widened as the tears fell from his eyes stronger.
Ur then added as her body turned to ice, "Gray, after I've finished, tell Lyon that I am dead. I want you both to walk into your own future, but for Lyon, this will be impossible for him as long as I am alive." Ur's body then dissipated, turning into the ice that formed a massive prison around Deliora.
Lyon's own ice prison broke and he fell to the ground, seeing the frozen Deliora ahead of him. "Wh-what is that…?"
Gray explained, "It's Ur. She…she died to seal Deliora."
Lyon's eyes widened insanely as he got up and slammed his fist into Gray's face. "You…it's your fault she's dead!"
As the group continued towards the temple, they were suddenly surrounded by a large group of people in elaborate uniforms.
"Great, who are these idiots?" Gray snarled.
"They're the priests who perform the ritual," Sherry explained.
"Go on ahead, we will handle them," Erza ordered as she readied several weapons.
Gray nodded and ran on ahead of the group.
Sergio shrugged and then dashed ahead as well.
Natsu charged at Lyon once more, only to be blocked with a wall of ice. He then dashed around it but was hit by a blast of ice for his troubles.
Lyon sneered in derision. "Give it up."
"You bastard!" Natsu then fired a blast of fire at Lyon, but to his surprise the fire dissipated. "What the crap!?"
Zalty snickered in amusement. "What's wrong? Your flame go out?"
Lyon waved a hand in front of himself and shouted, "Ice-Make: Eagle!" sending a barrage of eagles at Natsu.
Natsu attempted to dodge but the eagles suddenly sped up, slamming into Natsu at high speeds. "What the hell!?"
Natsu prepares to charge once more but is blocked by a wall of ice. "Hey!"
Gray and Sergio walked up to the fight between the two.
Gray then turned to Lyon. "Leave this to me, Natsu. You go, I'll take care of Lyon."
Lyon looked shocked at Gray and then smirked. "So you've finally come."
Natsu pointed at Gray and shouted, "Hey! Butt out! This is my fight!"
Sergio replied, "I don't think he's listening."
Gray looked back at Natsu coldly and then turned back to Lyon silently. He then ordered, "Lyon. Get out of here. Retreat and leave the island, now."
Lyon sneered and retorted, "And what if I refuse?"
Gray closed his eyes and sighed before spreading his legs to the side, and crossing his arms in front of him, his right over his left, with his left hand pointed up.
Sergio sweat-dropped. "You gotta be kiddin'."
Lyon's eyes widened in shock. "Iced Shell!" He then calmed down some and chuckled. "You're bluffing. There's no way you'd do something like that. You're too selfish, Gray!"
Gray narrowed his eyes as a magic circle appeared at his feet and icy wind began swirling around the room.
Lyon looked around in shock while Zalty held onto his hat and said, "Well, guess that's my cue," before jumping down a hole nearby.
Sergio sighed and chased after the masked man.
At that same moment Natsu rushed towards Gray and then reared back his fist and slammed it into Gray's face, sending him crashing into the wall. "You idiot! You can't just run away from your problems like this!"
Natsu argued, "You're just running away!"
Gray stood up and turned to Natsu and said, "I'll deal with Lyon myself. I don't need you here Natsu."
Natsu rebutted, "Heh, you really think I'll run off and let you have all the fun?"
Gray argued, "This isn't a game Natsu!" He then raised an eyebrow and said, "Erza, Lucy, and the others are outside the front of the temple fighting a bunch of priests."
Natsu snarled and then ran off but stopped and then turned and said, "Oy, if you die here I'll beat the crap outta you!"
Gray nodded with a smirk.
Sergio walked towards Zalty, who stood in front of the frozen Deliora. "So, what now?"
Zalty smirked as his orb floated near his head. "I suppose we amuse ourselves." The orb then flew towards Sergio, who smashed it with a lazy swing of his arm, only for the orb to reform and fly at him.
The orb, however, harmlessly passed straight through his body. "Well, guess you're serious."
Back with Gray and Lyon, Gray asked suspiciously, "Lyon, what would you have done if my Iced Shell actually hit?"
Lyon answered confidently, "I would merely take the hit. I have many allies with the same dream as I."
Gray clenched his fists and explained, "Listen, Lyon. You should leave Deliora. There's something you don't know about it."
"And what might that be, Gray?"
"Ur is still alive."
Lyon stood silently for several moments and then asked, "Is that it?" Gray looked at Lyon puzzled before Lyon stuck out a hand and shouted, "Ice-Make: Panther!" A panther made of ice then burst from Gray's back, causing him pain and to fall over to the ground. "I'm already well aware of the fact Ur is still very much alive with the Iced Shell."
And fin. That ends this chapter, I hope everyone enjoyed it, post a review if you did. If you did not, post a sensible review that is more than inflammatory. If you were confused about anything post a review about it and I will do my best to explain matters. Well, there is nothing else to add so, until next time!