Chapter 34: The Phantom Reveals Itself (1)
"This voice… Ciel… is that you?!"
[Kufufufu… Have you forgotten your senior's voice?]
That sly chuckle and familiar tone—it was unmistakably Ciel.
Yet, just moments ago, the same Ciel had attacked us without responding to anything we said. My mind was spinning from the absurdity of the situation, but his voice continued to echo in my head.
"This… this can't be. Are you free from the control?"
[There's no time to explain. Erza, right now, I need you.]
"What do you mean? I can't even move in this state."
My body was injured from blocking Jupiter's magic cannon. Fighting Ciel was impossible for me now. But his voice came back, laced with a faint smile.
[No, your power is exactly what I need.]
"What are you talking about…?"
[I need your magic… and your image.]
"My magic… and my image?"
While we spoke, the white owl that had been pecking at Ciel's head took a direct punch from him and fluttered back to me. Shaking its wings, it dropped a small ring at my feet before darting back to harass Ciel again.
"This is…?"
[Put the ring on.]
"…Alright."
I didn't understand the situation, but if Ciel was asking for my help, it had to be a way to turn this around. Even if it was risky, trusting him now was the wisest choice.
The ring's design was unsettling—a grotesque crimson eye in place of a jewel—but I trusted Ciel. I slid it onto my finger.
"I'm wearing it. Now what?"
[It's simple. Pour as much of your magic into the ring as you can… and visualize.]
"Visualize? What exactly?"
[Erza, what is the one thing you believe in most?]
"The thing I believe in most…?"
[Something you can follow without a shred of doubt. If you do, you can make me stronger.]
The one thing I could trust without hesitation… It wasn't the Master, Fairy Tail, Natsu, or even myself.
It was the man speaking to me now—the strongest wizard I knew, and my comrade.
I focused on him in my mind and poured every drop of my magic into the ring.
"Th-the flames?!"
A deep navy flame erupted from the ring, rapidly draining my magic. It was agonizing, but I endured, believing in him as I cried out his name.
"Cieeeeeeeeeeeel!!!"
The flame flared brilliantly, then surged into the owl's body. My consciousness wavered from the pain, but I forced my eyes open to witness what happened next.
The owl shattered under Ciel's fist, dispersing into mist. That mist merged with the navy flames from the ring, swirling together until they condensed into a solid form—one that caught Ciel's fist in a single hand and let out a chuckle.
"…"
"Kufufufufu…"
"No way…"
I was stunned… but also overjoyed. The mist had taken the form of—
"As I thought… this is what you trust most."
"With such strong, refined magic… I can finally play seriously."
Black-blue hair, an all-black outfit radiating a strange familiarity, a black halberd in his left hand. His head turned toward me, revealing a smile… and the left eye marked with the crimson character for "Heaven" (天).
"…It's been a while."
"I've missed this too… Ciel."
It was my comrade—the one I trusted above all.
From the lips of the blue-eyed puppet Ciel had been fighting through, another voice now spoke—Jose Porla's voice.
"This can't be…! Your soul should have been bound to the puppet I created… How are you standing here before me?!"
"That voice… Jose?!"
"Kufufufu… Did you truly think you could control me with such a crude necromancy spell?"
"But… right now you're nothing more than a thought-form born from illusion magic! What could you possibly do?!"
The one standing before me—formed from gathering mist—was undeniably the real Ciel Illusian.
That calm demeanor, and the familiar spear in his left hand, proved it beyond doubt.
He was the real Ciel.
Ciel leveled his spear at the fake Ciel and spoke.
"Is that so…? We'll see about that."
"Kuh—?!"
In an instant, Ciel closed the distance and smashed his right fist into the fake Ciel's face.
The puppet took the hit directly and was knocked down.
From the fallen puppet came Jose's voice, laced with shock.
"Im… impossible…! How?!"
"Kufufufu… It's only natural. What you're seeing is no mere illusion. This is an advanced form of phantasm—flesh given form—born from my ability as the core, transformed through healing into Erza's magic and image. I call it Material Illusion."
"Ma… Material Illusion…?!"
Hearing his words, I finally understood why he had given me those instructions earlier—
He had needed my magic and my image through the ring to create an illusion with physical substance.
Ciel finished his explanation and turned to Jose.
"You are as unchanged as ever—still relying on cowardly tricks."
"Tch…"
"Not that I'm saying such methods are bad. In fact, I've always had a certain fondness for them myself."
"So… you intend to fight your own body now?!"
The puppet clenched its fists in anger, but Ciel only smirked and tossed aside his spear.
"My body…? You call that my body? That's nothing more than an imitation—mud and water shaped around my spear, which you stole from me, to serve as your vessel."
"A… a puppet?!" I exclaimed.
"Yes," Ciel explained calmly. "That is a Cursed Puppet—crafted from mud using my spear as a medium, animated by Master Jose's magic. He likely intended to summon my soul and enslave me."
Ciel's body began to dissolve into mist once again.
"But summoning me… that was your greatest mistake."
"W-What are you—?! Stay away!"
The mist surged into the puppet's body. Jose's voice erupted in pain as the puppet thrashed, but his voice grew weaker and weaker.
"N… no… my magic… it's being drained…! My control… slipping…!"
The puppet's head dropped lifelessly forward as the last of Jose's voice faded.
From its left hand, mist poured forth, taking shape into Ciel's spear. A low, familiar laugh followed.
"Kufufufu…"
"C… Ciel…"
The puppet raised its head. Its left eye cracked and shattered, revealing a crimson eye engraved with the character Heaven (天).
Tears blurred my vision, but I still looked up at him.
"For a brief moment, I have returned… from beyond the cycle of rebirth."
"Yeah… welcome back, Ciel."
The real Ciel had returned. He stepped toward me and gently wiped my tears away. His touch was cold and hard, like stone, but my heart swelled with warmth.
Removing the ring from my hand, he slid it onto his own thumb and spoke softly.
"Erza, you've done well. Leave the rest to me."
"…Then show me, senior, what you can do."
"Kufufufu… But of course."
With that, Ciel drove his spear into the ground.
A sharp, resonating shock rang out as massive pillars of flame erupted around Phantom's guild. The crimson fire was wrapped in blooming lotus vines that spiraled skyward.
The magic circle shattered, dispelling the destructive spell, but the flames remained—closing in and binding the guild, preventing its escape.
This was unlike any flame I had seen from Ciel before—it was more vivid, more powerful, and more beautiful.
"Erza, take care of Mira and the others."
"Where… are you going?" I asked.
He paused, turned his head, and gave me a confident smile.
"Isn't it obvious? The third round begins now."
With those words, Ciel vanished into mist.
As the fog dissipated, I remembered one truth—
No one could defeat Fairy Tail's Phantom Wizard.
Smiling peacefully, I closed my eyes.
"Ciel… I'm counting on you."
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