High in the sky, the brilliant explosion of magic that had torn through the night and shaken the island finally ended.
Like the final fireworks of a festival, multicolored specks of magical light tumbled and dissipated in the night sky.
The viscous, oppressive purple curtain of light that had enveloped Galuna Island, formed by the residual magic of the "Moon Drip" ritual, had completely vanished.
A profound tranquility returned to Galuna Island, as if time had rewound to an era before the curse's intrusion.
"I don't really feel any different, though."
Natsu stretched his body, then took a few deep breaths, scratching his signature pink hair in confusion.
Although Marco had put on a massive show, he personally didn't feel any change in his surroundings.
Perhaps it was because they, as outsiders, had never truly been mired in the curse's swamp?
"It is a little different." Gray shook his head.
He could feel the night breeze caressing his face; the cold dampness within it seemed to have lost some of its cloying discomfort.
The very air on the island had become fresher.
"To see if it worked, we obviously have to go check on the villagers."
Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes, placing her hands on her hips as she retorted.
It was only natural that people like them, who had just arrived, would have a hard time perceiving the change.
The crucial point was whether the long-suffering villagers had reverted to their human forms.
She hoped that the poor souls trapped in those monstrous bodies could be truly saved.
Voom!
With a faint hum in the air, Marco's figure leaped lightly from the top of the temple, landing steadily before the group.
Although the immense aura around Marco had already been retracted, his tall frame was clad in the inherently majestic Gemini Gold Cloth.
As he landed before them, bathed in a golden glow, it was as if an angel had descended among them.
Gulp.
Lyon's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty as he swallowed hard.
The way he looked at Marco now was truly like gazing upon a "god on earth."
Yet, paradoxically, he didn't feel too crushed, because the gap between them was simply too vast.
It was far less of a blow than being defeated by Gray.
Lyon had studied under a Mage on the level of the Ten Wizard Saints and had witnessed the battle between Ur and Deliora, but even that hadn't been as overwhelming as the pressure emanating from Marco.
At this moment, Lyon finally understood why Gray had grown faster and become stronger than him.
With Marco's guidance and having learned Marco's magic, Gray naturally had an advantage over him.
This thought made Lyon feel a little better.
At least he could think that if he had received the same treatment as Gray, his strength wouldn't be much less than Gray's.
"Let's go. Back to the village to see how they are."
A gentle smile touched Marco's lips.
As he spoke, the last trace of overflowing golden light from the Gemini Gold Cloth receded completely, returning it to its simple and solemn dark gold luster.
The oppressive majesty vanished with it, leaving only the solid, heavy texture of metal.
"Okay!" Lucy immediately replied, her voice filled with urgency and anticipation.
She clasped her hands to her chest, sincerely hoping this matter would finally come to an end.
"Are we... supposed to go too?"
Lyon hesitated.
They hadn't really interacted with the locals.
If those people's problems were truly caused by the "Moon Drip" ritual, then for them, the "culprits," to go over...
"Let's go and see. Weren't you convinced their transformation had nothing to do with the Moon Drip ritual?"
Marco looked at Lyon with a half-smile, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
This Lyon fellow was rather amusing.
A moment ago, he was swearing that the villagers' condition was definitely not due to the "Moon Drip" ritual's influence.
But when asked to go see the victims with them, he started hesitating, worrying about this and that.
However, this hesitation also indirectly showed that his conscience was not entirely dead and his moral compass was still somewhat intact.
He wasn't a lost cause.
"Fine, I'll go! It's definitely not because of the Moon Drip ritual's influence!"
Provoked by Marco's words, Lyon's stubbornness flared up.
He stuck his neck out and decided to go along and see for himself.
Since they were all fine, it made no sense that the locals would be affected.
He would prove his innocence with his actions.
Marco shook his head silently, saying no more.
In truth, it didn't matter whether the other members of the "Moon Drip gang" went or not, but Lyon absolutely had to.
Lyon's current status was still that of a "criminal suspect."
Although there was only one casualty among the Galuna Island villagers, if it was proven to be related to the "Moon Drip" ritual, Lyon would still be held accountable.
Not to mention, his attempt to unseal Deliora was, in itself, an extremely dangerous act.
However, Lyon's motives and objectives had a lot of room for defense.
If it were truly investigated, the punishment wouldn't be too severe.
A group of victims, seeking revenge for their loved ones due to national hatred and family feuds, released the sealed Deliora.
Their purpose was to completely destroy it, and the one who had sealed the demon in the first place was the master of the group's leader.
The Magic Council had no part in this.
The Magic Council couldn't even try Lyon on the grounds of "endangering the continent of Ishgar," since it was Ur who sealed Deliora, not the Magic Council.
Now, it all depended on whether that local had died because of the "Moon Drip" ritual.
That would determine whether Lyon had a life on his hands and whether he would be sent to court.
"We're going too!"
Sherry, Yuka, and Toby exchanged a look, then quickly stepped forward, their tones resolute.
Things having come to this, they also wanted to witness the truth with their own eyes.
It would be a huge loss if they failed to achieve their goal and ended up in a heap of trouble instead.
"Alright. The rest of you shouldn't follow. You might scare them."
Marco nodded, agreeing to let the three of them tag along, but that was it.
His gaze swept over the group of "Avengers" in uniform behind Lyon.
If so many people swarmed over, they would probably terrify the locals.
"Alright. You all wait here. We'll go check things out first."
Upon hearing this, Lyon immediately turned and gave the order, his voice regaining some of its former authority.
He still held considerable sway among these people.
"Ice Emperor! Are we... just giving up on Deliora?!"
A voice filled with unwillingness and indignation suddenly rang out from the crowd.
This made Lyon instantly search for the speaker in annoyance.
Wasn't that just rubbing salt in the wound?
If he could beat Marco, of course he wouldn't just let it go.
But the problem was, he couldn't.
He couldn't even beat Gray.
"I will think of a way." Lyon replied with a cold expression, which calmed the somewhat restless "Avengers." They could only trust Lyon.
They were well aware of how terrifying the power Marco had displayed was.
That single question just now had been the limit of their courage.
"Take your time thinking." Marco added lightly, his voice tinged with amusement.
The comment made the corner of Lyon's mouth twitch uncontrollably.
He immediately tensed his face, striving to maintain his composure, but the helplessness in his eyes was clear to see.
Pfft~
A clear and abrupt snicker was heard.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Lyon sensitively followed the sound with his eyes.
He saw Happy hovering by Natsu's shoulder, flapping his small wings, desperately clamping his furry paws over his mouth.
His small body trembled slightly from holding back laughter, but muffled "pfft pfft" sounds still escaped intermittently.
"..."