"Don't worry," Lyon raised his right hand, his palm exuding icy magic as he confidently declared, "No one can surpass my ice magic—not even Ur!"
"The Fairy Queen Erza is here, along with someone called the 'Elegant Magician,'" the diminutive mage reported.
Lyon dismissed the comment with a shrug. "That magician? He's just some low-level mage who handles petty crimes and small-time missions. His reputation doesn't even come close to Gray's. He's not worth worrying about."
Then, his tone turned slightly more serious. "But that Fairy Queen… She might be able to put up a fight against me."
"In that case, let me join the battle for old times' sake, hehehe." The short mage chuckled darkly.
'BOOM'
At that moment, the entire temple shook violently. Dust rained down from the ceiling, coating everyone in a fine layer of grime.
"Natsu... Always causing chaos," Jehfrit muttered from the corner, one hand steadying himself against the wall while the other held a handkerchief over his mouth and nose.
"What's going on?" Lyon and the others stared in confusion at the massive hole that had suddenly appeared before them. Peering down, they saw—
"Haha!"
Natsu grinned triumphantly below. "If I destroy half of the load-bearing walls, the temple will tilt, and moonlight won't reach the demon underground anymore!"
"You bastard!" Lyon and his group seethed.
A fierce battle was imminent!
"Perfect! I can use their destructive power to speed things up!" Natsu's brain worked overtime during fights. Realizing this, he understood that fighting Lyon would allow him to accelerate the destruction process by leveraging their combined magical forces.
Lyon realized it too but knew he had to stop Natsu no matter what.
He had to defeat this reckless brat as quickly as possible!
As Natsu and Lyon clashed, the short mage who had previously expressed interest in joining the fight quietly slipped away.
Jehfrit didn't intervene to help Natsu. Instead, he followed the retreating mage.
After leaving the Moon Temple, the diminutive mage arrived at an unassuming hillside. He approached a boulder leaning against the mountain and traced something on its surface with his finger.
'RUMBLE'
The boulder slowly rolled aside, revealing a pitch-black passage behind it.
The mage stepped inside.
Jehfrit cautiously followed.
Through the dark tunnel, Jehfrit trailed the short mage until—
Even Jehfrit couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, adjusting his glasses to process the sight before him.
It was an enormous cavern.
From the looks of it, the entire mountain must have been hollowed out!
Inside were strange-looking, high-tech instruments scattered throughout the space. Several researchers in white lab coats bustled around, conducting experiments. Ten large tanks stood upright, connected to numerous tubes—resembling pods from sci-fi movies where clones or monsters were stored—but these tanks were currently empty.
About a dozen mages lounged nearby, chatting idly.
"I'm back," the diminutive mage announced.
"How did it go, Zalty?" one of the researchers asked.
"According to the original plan, Deliora should awaken tonight. However, there have been some unexpected complications," Zalty replied. "Things are getting complicated. Fairy Tail has intervened. Now Gray is tied up with Loke, and the Fairy Queen herself is here. They won't last until nightfall."
"No matter," a handsome red-haired mage said calmly. "I'll handle it when the time comes."
"If Lord Gad intervenes, then everything will surely go smoothly," Zalty flattered him.
"The Fairy Queen, huh? Her reputation reaches even our country. I wonder what kind of woman she is. Fortunately, I'll get to taste her tonight," Gad's tone dripped with anticipation, as if savoring the thought of a grand feast.
". . ."
---
Jehfrit moved to a corner where shelves lined with documents caught his attention. One file stood out among the rest:
**Demon Research Records – Team B59**
Demon research?
Intrigued, Jehfrit reached for the file.
"That won't do, Mr. Trickster. That's classified information—you're not allowed to see it," a voice called out from behind.
Jehfrit turned to see a familiar figure approaching leisurely—a three-eyed mage yawning as he walked toward him.
Three eyes, each radiating arrogance.
Jehfrit straightened up, facing his opponent head-on. This man had seen through his magic earlier, and now again. It seemed his third eye possessed some extraordinary ability.
"Lord Reed, what are you talking about?" the others questioned in confusion.
"Zalty." Reed frowned slightly at the short mage. "You brought someone in without realizing it?"
"What?!" Zalty gasped, instinctively taking half a step back. As a seasoned schemer, he'd been outmaneuvered!
Everyone looked toward where Reed had been staring moments ago.
Nothing seemed amiss.
Reed spoke calmly. "Come out, Trickster. Your magic holds no meaning to me. My eyes see through everything."
"See through?" Jehfrit smirked faintly. "Hardly."
Trying to bluff him?
Jehfrit elegantly adjusted his cloak and crouched down in place, never taking his eyes off Reed. Yet, Reed's gaze remained fixed on the same spot, unmoving.
So that was it!
Jehfrit's magic wasn't illusion magic—it was Deception Magic!
Illusion magic created visual effects to deceive the senses. If it were illusion-based, hiding would require either concealing his form or making others see something else entirely.
But Jehfrit didn't rely on invisibility. Instead, he manipulated the five senses of all living beings within range. Even if their eyes saw him, their brains processed the information incorrectly, perceiving him as absent.
What they saw contradicted reality!
Then, Jehfrit "told" them where he supposedly stood, feeding them false data so they believed he was elsewhere.
Thus...
Reed's words revealed a flaw.
Jehfrit hadn't turned invisible. If Reed truly saw him, his gaze should have shifted when Jehfrit made such an abrupt movement as crouching. But it hadn't budged at all!
Therefore, how Reed pinpointed Jehfrit's location likely depended on something other than sight.
At least, not vision alone!
Despite deducing that Reed still fell under his magic's influence, Jehfrit discreetly prepared several contingency plans. Unlike Natsu, whose fighting style leaned heavily on brute force, Jehfrit preferred exploiting his opponents' mistakes to deliver decisive blows.
"Big Brother, can I eat him?"
A boy who didn't look remotely human crept silently through the shadows, circling behind Jehfrit unnoticed. Without waiting for permission, he lunged forward with razor-sharp, blood-red triangular nails crackling with crimson lightning. His dangerous claw aimed straight for Jehfrit's waist!
Jehfrit remained calm. This deranged child was also affected by his magic, so Jehfrit could predict his movements effortlessly.
Anticipating the attack, Jehfrit sidestepped twice, dodging the strike cleanly.
He turned to face the boy, whose appearance hadn't changed—still wearing prison-style shorts and a tank top, his skin unnaturally pale and covered in bite marks.