In the face of death, most people remember their lives in flickers.
But for those standing before Deliora—the Demon of Despair—there wasn't even time to blink.
The air changed when it descended.
The wind fell silent.
The snow froze midair.
A clawed foot crashed to the ground before them, cracking the earth like porcelain. The sheer weight of its presence stole the breath from their lungs.
Gray couldn't move.Couldn't speak.Couldn't run.
His eyes widened in horror, his entire body trembling. The shadow that haunted his nightmares had returned—not in memory, but in flesh.
Escanor stepped forward, Rhitta shaking faintly in his grip.
"Ur," his voice was calm—but urgent. "Take them. Get out of here. I'll buy you time."
Ur didn't argue.
She grabbed Gray and Lyon, one in each arm, and vanished into the snow.
Alone now, standing before an immortal calamity, Escanor gritted his teeth. "So you're the beast that destroyed Gray's town…"
Deliora.
A demon crafted by Zeref's cursed hand. An abomination that consumed cities and turned life into ash.
Escanor didn't hesitate.
"Merciless Sun!"
The fireball struck Deliora dead-on—but barely scorched its hide. The beast roared—not in pain, but in irritation.
"Tch. Figures," Escanor said. "Let's see how you handle this—Particle Slash!"
With a brilliant flash, Escanor lunged forward, Rhitta cutting across the demon's chest. The blow landed—only to heal seconds later.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
Deliora turned, letting out a low, guttural growl that shattered nearby glass. Magic surged in its throat.
BOOM.
A sonic shockwave exploded toward Escanor.
He leapt skyward—but Deliora's roar twisted mid-air, changing direction like a homing blast. The beam slammed into Rhitta, triggering a deafening detonation.
Escanor's body was launched through the town like a ragdoll. He tore through walls—stone, timber, ice—finally crashing into a mound of debris.
Silence.
Then a hand emerged.
Bloody. Shaking.
"…Cough… cough…"
Escanor staggered to his feet, eyes unfocused. Blood trickled from his lips.
His body screamed in agony. Ribs fractured. Organs bruised.
But he was still standing.
Deliora noticed—and took a step forward, raising one enormous foot to finish it.
Escanor's vision blurred.
"Guess I've got no choice…"
His hand trembled as it hovered over his chest, fingers glowing faintly.
"Forgive me… Makarov…"
The seal placed on his magic core began to dissolve.
Since his rebirth, Escanor had learned to store sunlight and magic into a crystalline form within his soul. But unleashing it meant turning his body into a furnace that could burn itself alive.
"Better to die than run," he whispered.
But then—
CRACK!!!
An enormous hammer of solid ice crashed into Deliora's side, sending the beast stumbling.
Escanor blinked.
"…Ur?"
She landed beside him, panting. Her expression fierce.
"You're too reckless."
He chuckled hoarsely. "You saved me…"
"Don't unseal it. Not yet."
"…Gray and Lyon. Are they safe?"
"They are," she said softly. "Thanks to you."
Escanor collapsed to his knees, exhausted. "Then I'll leave the rest… to you."
Ur helped him sit against the rubble. Then… she turned.
She stepped forward into the battlefield.
Snow blew around her, but it didn't touch her.
Her aura had changed.
It was no longer gentle, motherly, warm.
It was resolute.
Frozen.
"…Tiya…" she whispered. "Mom is coming."
Deliora roared, gathering magic in its chest—ready to obliterate the town with a single shot.
Ur raised her hands.
Magic surged around her like a storm.
Her legs turned blue. Her arms crystallized.
"…Deliora."
"You took everything from my children. Their homes. Their families. Their peace."
"And as their master…"
"I will take everything from you."
Escanor's eyes widened.
"Ur—no. Not that spell…!"
"Ice Make: Absolute Zero."
The world turned white.
The wind stopped.
Deliora's attack evaporated into mist as a pillar of divine frost enveloped the beast.
Its body froze. Muscle, magic, soul.
Its last roar was trapped in its throat—frozen in time.
Then… silence.
Where Deliora once stood was now a statue. A perfect, shimmering sculpture of ancient evil locked in eternal ice.
Escanor stared, mouth agape.
Snowflakes settled on the statue's shoulders.
And at Ur's feet… all that remained were the shards of her magic crystal.
He fell to his knees. Gently, reverently, he gathered them in his hands.
"…Ur…"
A surge of light flowed into his chest—memories, magic theory, a final whisper of warmth.
"Take care of my children…"
He lowered his head, pressing the crystal to his chest.
"I swear, Ur. On my name… I will."
Gray and Lyon arrived minutes later, panting. When they saw the sculpture, they froze.
Escanor told them everything.
Gray collapsed beside Ur's remains, tears falling freely onto the snow.
"…She was trying to protect me…"
Lyon clutched his fist. "I should've been stronger…"
They wept together—no shame, no restraint.
The storm passed.
And then—
The clouds split.
The sunlight finally returned.
Its golden rays struck the Deliora statue, turning the ice into glowing amber. A monument. A eulogy.
Ur had given her life not just to save her disciples—but to save everyone.
A brilliant light shined down…
Honoring the last stand of a master.