"Even that kind of magic?"
After Kila brought Winter back to solid ground, Ace approached, riding a stream of water. "You're the wizard I've seen who uses the most types of magic!"
"Really?" Kila cast a [Dry] spell, instantly drying his clothes. "Funny, you're the strongest demon I've ever met!"
As for Winter? No need to dry her clothes—she was still in her Water Demon takeover form.
"I've got a question," Kila said. "I heard this demon—you call it the Sea Demon King, right? Was it really sealed by Absolute Freeze?"
Kila's question was critical. He needed to gauge the Sea Demon King's strength. If it had survived centuries of being sealed, its vitality would be dozens of times greater than Deliora's!
"Of course it's true," Ace replied casually. "Buying the Moon Drip on the black market cost me every last jewel I had."
Kila's heart sank at Ace's offhand remark.
Living deep in the mountains for years, and you still had savings? No, wait, that's not the point…
"From what I know, Absolute Freeze is supposed to drain the life from whatever it seals. How is the Sea Demon King still alive after centuries?" Kila pressed.
"Oh? Someone still knows about Absolute Freeze?" Ace raised an eyebrow, surprised by Kila's knowledge. "Are you that person's successor or something?"
Then Ace explained, "Demon Cannibal Magic, created a thousand years ago by so-called gods to make demons slaughter each other. It devours the magic and life force of demons of the same attribute. The Sea Demon King is a top-tier water demon, having consumed countless others of its kind. Its life force isn't something a mere few centuries could wipe out."
"That's insane!" Kila, pushing his luck, asked, "So… how much of its life force did you manage to devour?"
"Enough already!" Ace snapped, clearly unwilling to answer.
Kila: "…"
Obviously, Ace wasn't in the mood to share. "You've been on the offensive this whole time. Now it's my turn!"
"Torrential Surge!"
"Sea Tornado!"
"Ice World!"
"Frost Breath!"
"Steam Cannon!"
Ace unleashed a barrage of water-based spells, one after another, for over a minute without repeating a single one.
"Devouring a demon's magic and life force? That's just cheating!" Kila fumed. Cheating right in front of Fairy Tail? That's outrageous! He wasn't about to let it slide.
"Time—Accelerate!"
Kila pulled out a trump card, instantly clearing away the torrents of water and frost in front of him.
"What?!" Ace was stunned, not expecting Kila to wield time magic.
If Kila had used fire or magma, Ace wouldn't have cared. But time magic?
This human counters me too well! What do I do? Maybe… run?
"If I hadn't faced Ultear on Galuna Island, I wouldn't have been able to pull off time magic so easily!" Kila thought, grateful for the chance he'd taken back then. While no one was looking, he'd used Word Soul Magic to partially analyze the Arc of Time. Otherwise, time magic wasn't something you could just whip out on a whim.
At that moment, two explosions erupted from the ground!
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!!"
"Celestial Wheel: Sword of Chaos!!"
A blazing wave of fire from a Dragon Slayer's secret art and a storm of sharp sword beams shot skyward from Kila's left and right. They also sent two other demons—Snoey and Fogg, familiar from Chloe's memories—flying.
The sudden chaos hit Ace like a blow. "You guys…"
Looks like the others were faster than me!
Sure enough, with the help of ice stairs and flight armor, Natsu, Gray, and Erza emerged from two holes in the ground, battered and bruised.
Judging by their state, they'd won their fights but were in no shape to keep going.
Good thing they'd taken out those two demons. If they'd joined the fight, Kila would've been stuck facing three at once!
Now, the only opponent left was… wait—where's Ace?
When Kila turned back to the battlefield, he was shocked to find it empty.
"Winter, where'd that guy go?"
Winter shook her head. She'd been distracted by Natsu and the others' arrival and hadn't noticed when Ace vanished.
"He ran?" Kila muttered. That was quick! The king of cowardice, huh? No boss vibes at all!
Erza, catching her breath, stepped forward. "Winter, what are you doing here?"
Winter stammered, trying to explain her thoughts.
Natsu cut in, "Kila, where's your enemy?"
"Ran off! Probably realized he couldn't beat me, and with you guys showing up, he bailed!" Kila replied.
Then he noticed something off about Natsu and Gray's expressions. It was almost like… a couple after a fight? "What's up with you two?" he asked.
"Ugh, don't get me started!" Natsu yelled. "This guy tried to use Absolute Freeze! He's lost it!"
"What? Gray, you…" Erza's eyes widened in shock.
"No way, seriously?" Kila stared at Gray, just as stunned. "You guys don't even have some deep grudge. Why pull out a move that desperate?"
"It's because this idiot almost got himself killed!" Gray shouted at Natsu, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "I panicked, okay?"
So it was for Natsu's sake. That made sense.
Hmph, acting all tsundere, Kila thought. Bet Gray's real thought was, 'I'm not letting someone important to me get killed by a demon again.'
What pure, beautiful friendship!
"Never do that again!" Erza said sternly. "We're comrades. We'd never want you to sacrifice yourself!"
Gray grumbled, "Yeah, I get it."
Erza's lips curved into a small smile. "But… you did it for Natsu, didn't you? I'm mad, but I'm also glad."
Gray's face turned even redder.
Wow, their bond is real, Kila thought, genuinely moved.
Winter glanced between Natsu and Gray, her expression odd, lost in thought.
"Ahem!" Kila coughed to shift the topic, filling them in on Ace's true goal. "He's already devoured the Sea Demon King and achieved his goal. No reason for him to stick around."
"Great, another terrifying demon loose in the magic world," Erza sighed, a mix of frustration and resignation. "The Magic Council's got a new headache."
"That's their problem!" Kila said, completely unashamed about letting Ace escape. "If the sky falls, the tall guys will handle it. Even if the Baram Alliance gains another member, the Ten Wizard Saints can deal with it!"
"One demon alone can't build a guild that fast, right?" Gray asked.
Kila smirked. "You're too young, Gray. Who said becoming a Baram Alliance member means building a guild?"
"What do you mean?" Gray frowned.
Erza clarified, "He means that demon's strength alone rivals an entire dark guild. Right, Kila?"
"Exactly!" Kila nodded. "Plus, he's not alone. Those demons you took down? If they regroup, they could wipe out most magic guilds."
Kila's face suddenly darkened. "Damn it, I forgot!"
"What?" Erza asked.
Kila slapped his forehead. "That guy said he left three underlings to deal with some enemy, but that was assuming he had enough power. Now that he knows he can't beat me even after devouring the Sea Demon King, things might not go as planned."
Especially since those three demons were now defenseless.
---read my new story : Japan Anime Gaio Story
dont forget to vote and visit mypatre---on
belamy20