Galuna Island, Coastal Area.
Amidst a series of rumbling sounds, stones flowed backward and wood chips scattered through the air.
The village, which had been reduced to ruins after the attack by Yuka and his group, was restored to its original appearance at a visible pace.
Ultear held a sphere aloft, using Arc of Time—a Lost Magic capable of reversing time on inanimate objects.
The rookie mage Lucy was left utterly speechless by the overwhelming magic and power she had never witnessed before: Truly... truly worthy of being Ur's daughter...
Natsu, as familiar as ever, slapped Ultear on the shoulder and excitedly praised her: "Not bad, Miss Pitch-Black!"
"Your magic is kinda like that mask bastard's, and your scent is super similar too, but you're way stronger than him!"
Is it possible that I am the "mask bastard" you're talking about? And also...
Ultear's mouth twitched. "My name is Ultear, not 'Miss Pitch-Black'!"
"Ahaha, whatever, whatever." Natsu scratched his head, flashing a brilliant smile.
Chase observed his expression and found himself unsure whether this guy was wise despite appearing foolish, or simply that dense.
Yeah, the latter is more likely.
After all, when it came to anything other than battle and the lives of his comrades, Natsu was a complete idiot.
"Hey! What are you mages thinking?!"
The village chief, who had almost completely transformed into a demon, shouted petulantly. "Why haven't you destroyed the moon yet?! Destroy the moon!!"
He cared more about the purple moon above than the village itself.
"Like I said, that's not something humans can do..."
Lucy waved her hands in front of her, trying desperately to calm the village chief down.
It was only now that she belatedly realized—though the crisis with Deliora had been resolved, the S-Class request was still nowhere near completion!
Seeing this, Ultear, who knew the truth of the matter, stepped forward.
Just as she was about to explain the truth of this demon village, Ur reached out and stopped her.
"It's been a while since I've done anything. Let me teach my foolish disciple a lesson for old times' sake."
With that, she glanced sideways at Gray.
A well-shaped vein popped on Gray's forehead: So you only have one disciple, is that it?!
Though Ur had been frozen for a long time, her knowledge and experience from before remained.
After getting the general situation from the villagers and thinking it over briefly, she quickly reached a conclusion.
"Let me get this straight—you started turning into your current forms three years ago, when the purple moon appeared, right?" Ur looked at the now-calmer village chief.
"To be precise, it's only at night, when the purple moon comes out, that we turn into demons." The chief corrected.
"You all live on the same island, yet only the villagers here are affected. Lyon and his followers don't have similar symptoms."
Ur narrowed her eyes, pacing as she thought. She certainly understood far more about Moon Drip—the method used to undo Iced Shell—than Gray, Natsu, and the others.
"The timelines completely overlap, yet the outcomes are completely different. Hmm... in that case, it must be—KYAA!"
Mid-analysis, she suddenly yelped, missed her step, and fell straight into the trap Lucy had dug earlier to deal with Yuka and the others.
Yep. The hole that was originally "prepared" for Erza... Ur ended up stepping in it instead...
"S-someone fell for it again?"
"That trap was so obvious!"
"Could that blonde girl actually be a genius?"
The villagers exclaimed in disbelief.
How did the trap even get perfectly restored?!
Suspect Lucy broke out in a cold sweat, shaking her head frantically in panic: Not my fault, not my fault.
"Hey, Lucy, you're leaking a lot of juice." Happy flew over to her side.
"You stupid cat, that's sweat!" Lucy snapped.
Ur nimbly climbed out of the hole and continued her earlier statement as if nothing had happened: "One possibility—the problem is all with the moon!"
Making a fool of herself in front of her foolish disciple and lovely daughter was something she would simply pretend never happened.
W-what incredible mental fortitude. She's almost on par with Erza!
While breathing a sigh of relief, Lucy couldn't help complaining internally.
"So! Let's do what the chief says and destroy that purple moon in the sky!" Ur clenched her fist with enthusiasm.
Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Gray: "NANI?!!"
Seeing their shocked expressions, Ur had no intention of explaining. She simply demonstrated through action.
"Gray, Lyon—let me see how much you've improved your magic over these years!"
With that, she crossed her hands and slowly lowered them to her waist, assuming the standard stance for Ice-Make Magic.
After some time to adapt, she could now properly control her magic power.
Gray and Lyon instantly understood what spell Ur was about to use. The excited grins spreading across their faces completely overshadowed their confusion about "destroying the moon."
"No problem!" x2
Wearing nothing but their undergarmentnts, they stood shoulder to shoulder with Ur, striking the same pose as icy energy spread from their palms.
In that moment, it felt like old times.
"I-I'll join too." Ultear's cheeks flushed as she quietly stepped forward.
Aside from Arc of Time—her Lost Magic—she had also inherited Ur's Ice-Make Magic. And hers was incredibly powerful to boot!
"Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!!"
The four shouted in unison as they pressed their palms to the ground, summoning slowly spinning white magic circles.
BOOM!!
Ice fragments scattered as the surrounding temperature plummeted.
Pillars of ice rose from the ground, cascading together as they raced skyward at tremendous speed. Finally, they struck the purple moon with overwhelming force!
Under Lucy's horified gaze, the purple moon—along with the energy membrane surrounding it—was violently pierced by the ice pillars.
Cracks spread in all directions until, with a final crack, it shattered completely!
The view opened up. A starry sky stretched above them, pure moonlight cascading down.
"The moon's still there? Wait—that purple moon that got shattered was just an illusion?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"That's right. The Moon Drip array required gathering moonlight. Over time, the residual energy formed a membrane-like substance enveloping the entire island."
Chase stood nearby, watching the fragments scatter across the sky as he explained. "The purple moon we saw was just an optical illusion—moonlight shining through that membrane."
"Chase, you already knew all along? Then everyone in the village should be back to normal now..."
As she spoke, Lucy turned around instinctively—and was startled to see the villagers still in their ugly demon forms.
"Huh?! They're not?!"
The villagers, who had been celebrating the purple moon's destruction, quickly realized this cruel reality as well. Their faces fell into despair.
"Didn't Ur just say it? Lyon and his followers didn't show similar symptoms."
Chase raised a hand to point at the followers and Yuka's group, who had somehow already arrived at the village entrance. "In other words, that energy membrane doesn't have the power to turn humans into demons."
"Wait, Chase... you don't mean..."
Lucy finally grasped the crucial point. She immediately hid behind Chase, staring at the villagers with a terrified expression.
"Exactly. They were never human to begin with. They're demons who possess the ability to take human form."
Ultear walked over slowly, confirming her suspicion with a smile. "The only effect Moon Drip had on them was skewing their memories."
"EHHHH?!!"
After some explanation, the villagers' memories gradually returned.
With Bobo—the chief's son, whom the chief had believed he "killed," and the same boatman who had brought Natsu and the others to Galuna Island—appearing to explain everything,
the villagers completely remembered their past. One by one, they unfurled their demon wings and took to the sky, expressing their joy and excitement at having their memories restored.
And so, Chase, Lucy, Ur, and the others witnessed a beautiful scene quintessentially to Fairy Tail:
Demons with simple smiles on their faces danced gracefully under the night sky!
"Though they're demons, they're like spirits..." Lucy murmured quietly.
"Indeed. Since we're here, maybe I should catch one to take back as a gift for Mira." Chase considered it seriously.
"...Are you serious?"
"Huh? You want one too, Lucy?"
"No! Not at all! And please don't make such terrifying statements in the middle of such a beautiful scene, T_T!"
"Aye~! Lucy's so dumb. You can't even tell Chase is teasing you."
"Shut up, stupid cat!!"
***
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