Lyon POV
"Quickly, Toby, speed up the moon drip ritual; with 'The Beast' here on this island, things will quickly get out of hand." Standing firmly in front of Deliora, I turned and glanced at the injured Toby with an unsightly expression; I've heard the stories of 'The Beast' of Fairy Tail and his sheer power. I've heard rumors that if it weren't for his personality, he'd be a contender for the title of Wizard Saint, which I find a bit far-fetched, but even so, for a mage to be spoken in the same breath as Wizard Saint is a monumental achievement.
"Understood, boss!" Said Toby as he saluted, using his broken clawed hand before dropping to his knees and repeatedly bowing to Deliora, causing the ice that surrounded him to melt at an even quicker pace; it was only a matter of time until Deliora was freed from his prison at this rate. 'And only then will I have finally surpassed you, Ur.' Hardening my gaze, I glared at Deliora before turning around and walking away, leaving the temple a few minutes later while an injured Sherry and Yuka stayed behind, both to protect Toby and to nurse themselves back to health.
Exiting the temple, I took but a few steps before Zalty, a man wearing a tiki mask with built-in red hair, suddenly appeared, crouched on a tree branch. "After a few years, the ritual is almost complete; you best remain vigilant, you wouldn't want things to be interrupted now of all times." Said Zalty with a faint smile as he looked at me from above, causing me to fold my arms as I glanced at him before snorting. "Easier said than done, Zalty." "Heh, really? You handled that ice mage without too much difficulty; surely he isn't why your confidence is practically nonexistent."
Scoffing, I turned and glanced at Zalty. "He isn't my concern… 'The Beast' is present." The moment I mentioned Cooper of Fairy Tail, Zalty's faint smile instantly faltered and was replaced with an ugly expression. "Oh… I see where the lack of confidence comes from… This is not good." Muttered Zalty while the two of us descended into silence… "Seeing as such a troublesome foe has appeared, I shall offer my help." "Can you handle someone who is talked in the same breath as a Wizard Saint?" "I'm confident in at least stalling him for some time."
I was highly skeptical of Zalty's claim, but at the same time, I wasn't in the position to refuse help; even if I didn't believe Cooper to be a Wizard Saint-level mage, not just any mage is compared to such a title. 'Where there is smoke, there is fire… I've heard the same regarding 'Lightning God' Laxus Dreyar, the grandson of Wizard Saint Makarov Dreyar… With such formidable S-class Mages, I'm surprised Phantom Lord is still the first guild in Fiore.' Lightly shaking my head, I shifted my gaze away from Zalty and continued to walk away. "Stall him for as long as possible."
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Zalty POV
Watching Lyon leave, I clicked my tongue and grabbed a communication Lacrima from my pocket; after a few moments, my partner, Siegrain, finally connected. "Ultear, how is everything? Going according to plan?" Asked Siegrain with a faint smile and a raised eyebrow as he dropped his papers and looked at me. "Deliora is close to resurrecting; by then, you should be able to fully control him… However, there is one problem." Siegrain faintly smiled, though it returned to a frown when I continued speaking. "However?" "Cooper, 'The Beast' of Fairy Tail, is present." There was a brief moment of silence as Siegrain deeply frowned, troubled by such news.
"Cooper, huh? I haven't directly interacted with him, but I saw him a year ago. He is rather simple-minded, though he does have a passion for fighting… If it comes to it, reveal yourself and do your best to stall him." Hearing Siegrain, I couldn't help but frown; as a member of the Magic Council, if news of me being on Guluna Island, when the Demon Deliora was released, reached the Magic Council, things wouldn't be good. "I understand we've been working hard on freeing Deliora in hopes of controlling the demon, but are you sure it warrants revealing my identity?" I looked at Siegrain skeptically, finding it hard to believe such a plan would be wise.
"I understand your concern, but Cooper is a borderline fool; he cares for nothing except a good fight, Fairy Tail, and I think food… It's doubtful he knows the face of any Magic Council members, so you should be safe, just don't allow anyone else to see your true appearance." Said Siegrain with a faint smile as he rested the side of his head against his hand, causing me to lightly nod with a doubtful expression. "If you're confident…" Relaying more info involving Deliora, I ended the call with Siegrain a few minutes later and stored my communication lacrima in my pocket before glancing at the temp behind me that was being illuminated by purple moonlight.
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After the little talk I had with Gray, where I reluctantly held myself back from killing Lyon and allowing him to deal with it, I stayed on night watch while he and Lucy slept for the rest of the night; I even had the liberty to acquire some food from the village chief for them when they awoke.
"Do you guys feel better?" Sitting opposite of Lucy and Gray, I watched as they devoured the meat stew with hunger. "Huh? Y-Yeah, this food is great!" "Got anymore? I'm still hungry?" Said Lucy as she nodded like a pigeon while Gray burped before handing his bowl to me, causing my face to twitch. "Ask the chief, he's the one I got it from." At my words, Gray promptly lowered his bowl with a soft sigh before looking at Lucy, who protectively hugged her bowl while shifting her body to the side. "Hmph, don't even think about it!" Said Lucy dangerously as she eyed Gray, who huffed in annoyance.
"So, Gray, why does Lyon wish to revive Deliora? Isn't he supposed to be your friend or something? Or do you just happen to know two Lyon's?" Eyeing Gray, my words prompted Lucy to also gaze at him as he deeply sighed before slumping into the couch. "No, he's the same Lyon from when I was younger. As for why he wants to revive Deliora, he thinks defeating the demon will prove that he's surpassed our Master Ur." Said Gray lightly with a faint sigh as he rubbed his head. "Do you think he can? Defeat Deliora? Surely he must've gotten much stronger since then if his goal had always been to surpass your Master." Asked Lucy with a curious gaze as she finished the rest of her meat stew while Gray scoffed before shaking his head.
"Not even close… Deliora is terrifingly powerful; Lyon has gotten stronger, but he's nowhere near strong enough to defeat Deliora." Stated Gray solemnly as he firmly shook his head while I raised an eyebrow and faintly smirked. "What about me? Do you think I could defeat Deliora?" With a feral grin, I looked at Gray while flexing my muscles, causing him to furrow his brows, though eventually he shook his head. "Unlikely, big bro." Said Gray softly, causing me to frown as I didn't take his words lightly, considering he'd witnessed Deliora's might first-hand; however, that didn't mean I intended to back down, I still planned to kill the Demon. 'Heh, besides, he didn't say no… Just unlikely.'
Licking my lips in anticipation, I stood up while pressing my fingers against their foreheads, pushing them deeper into the couch. "You two will rest today; we will deal with Deliora tomorrow… Also, I'm tired." Yawning, I left the living room and entered the bedroom, where I plopped onto the bed and fell asleep a few minutes later.
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After taking a day and a half off to let Lucy and Gray recuperate from their battles, we left the village in the evening on the third day and headed straight for the temple in the distance while I led the way. "As you promised, big bro, I'll handle Lyon." Said Gray, causing me to grunt in annoyance as I could feel his eyes boring into my back. "Tsk, fine, whatever." Grumbling under my breath as I had hoped, Gray had forgotten, I ignored Lucy's chuckle and continued to lead us to the Temple.
However, just as we were beginning to approach the temple, I swiftly snapped my head to the left, gazing through the thick canopy as I looked at a man wearing a tiki mask standing on a tree branch in the distance. 'He's decently strong.' As I stared at the man, I shifted my gaze upwards, narrowing my eyes at a flying Angelica, who quickly lowered to the ground, revealing Yuka and Sherry riding atop the large rat. Though before they could do anything, I swiftly blitzed them and punched Angelica in the stomach, sending the large rat along with Yuka and Sherry far into the distance, leaving an open path for Lucy and Gray to continue into the Temple.
"You two go ahead; I'll stay behind." Refusing to further elaborate, I left the two behind and leaped deeper into the forest, heading directly after the man with a tiki mask. 'Best to deal with this person before he attacks my siblings.'