"Mmm… so warm…" Lucy mumbled, bolting upright as she called out, "Natsu!"
"Heh, that guy's not back yet!" Cana teased with a smirk. "What's that? Having a little dreamy moment?"
Lucy's face flushed bright red. "What are you even talking about?!"
She glanced around, noticing Erza, Loke, and Elfman either sitting or standing, all staring in the same direction. Following their gaze, Lucy's jaw dropped at the sight before her.
About five hundred meters from the tavern where they were resting, a clash of red and white dominated the horizon.
It was as if two unimaginably powerful beings had summoned a world of fire and a world of ice to battle in this narrow stretch of land. Under the control of one human and one demon, snow and flames danced like soaring birds, coiled like giant serpents, roared like ferocious tigers, and shifted like elusive dragons. The ice and fire seemed alive, warring fiercely in their respective domains.
The stark contrast of red and white reflected in Lucy's dark eyes. She could hardly comprehend it. Was this really something magic could do?
"What… what is this? Are Natsu and Gray fighting or something?"
"Are you still half-asleep?" Cana pressed a hand to Lucy's forehead. "No fever, so why the nonsense? First off, why would those two fight like this? And second, do you really think they're capable of this?"
"Uh… good point…" Lucy stared blankly at the distant battle, then gasped as realization hit. "Wait, is that Kira and that demon?!"
"Exactly," Erza confirmed with a nod. "They've been at it like this for almost an hour."
"An hour?!" Lucy exclaimed, wide-eyed. "With magic like that?"
In the midst of the fiery and icy clash, Kira's body was coated in frost, while flames licked across Ace's form.
"I never would've guessed a mere human could wield such immense magical power!" Ace remarked.
"And I didn't expect you to grow this strong after devouring those guys!" Kira shot back. "Is this a case of quantity turning into quality, or have you finally tapped into the Sea Demon King's power?"
"Maybe a bit of both!" Ace's icy world grew even colder, the temperature plummeting. "You're strong. In all my years, you're the strongest human I've ever seen. Maybe you're powerful enough to pierce the veil of life itself!"
Ace expected some mutual respect, a warrior's acknowledgment. But Kira wasn't playing along.
"That just means you haven't seen enough of the world!" Kira replied, his tone humble yet firm. "There are plenty of people out there stronger than me!"
By his own estimation, he probably wouldn't even crack the top ten in this world. But to Ace, it sounded like mockery, and the demon's pride bristled.
"Hmph! I thought you had the heart of a true warrior. I even admired you a little. But to belittle yourself like that? Disappointing! Is that what a so-called 'stronger' looks like?!"
Is this guy serious? Kira thought, almost laughing. Does he think we're gonna bond over some 'warrior's respect' nonsense?
Buddy, you're not even close to my level!
In a few years, once Gray mastered the Demon-Slaying Magic passed down from his father, Ace wouldn't stand a chance. If Kira had that magic now, he'd end this fight in seconds. With that thought, he silently cranked up the intensity of the flames around him.
Even for someone like Kira, who never ran short on magic power, an hour of this supercharged magic was taking its toll. He could feel his reserves dipping—probably about half gone. He had no idea how much Ace had left.
Ace, meanwhile, was barely holding its icy domain together. Its magic was nearly depleted, and things were looking grim. It needed to save some power to escape if things went south. Though it wanted to end the fight, Kira clearly wasn't ready to call it quits. Ugh, why did I have to run my mouth earlier?
Had its string of successful plans clouded its judgment? Ace wasn't even a battle-hungry demon by nature! Sure, devouring others left it feeling empty, but it usually filled that void with reading and learning, not fighting. Why am I even out here?! Ace mentally kicked itself.
Wait… since when did it enjoy reading?
Ace's thoughts screeched to a halt, and its magic faltered.
The sudden lapse in focus disrupted its spell. Kira, sharp as ever, noticed the opening. He didn't know what caused it, but he wasn't about to let it slip by.
In an instant, he poured more power into his magic, seizing the moment to break through.
BOOM!
Flames surged, overwhelming the frost. Ace's icy world collapsed, consumed entirely by Kira's dark, roiling inferno, leaving not a single drop of water behind.
Ace stood engulfed in dark red flames, its limbs charred black, its expression blank, its eyes lifeless.
What just happened? Kira wondered, puzzled. Why did it just… stop?
Cautiously, he approached to check on Ace. The demon's eyes were vacant, its expression dull.
Deep in its mind, Ace was lost in a haze of confusion…
Who am I? Am I Ace, the Ice Demon? Snow the Snow Demon? Fog the Mist Demon? Cloud the Cloud Demon? Or… the Sea Demon King?
Why is this happening? Am I losing my memory? My mind? Or… was I devoured?
Was I fighting? No, that's not right.
Was I reading? No.
Learning etiquette? Nope.
Captured? Impossible!
Wait… was I devoured by another demon?
Who devoured me? Who did I devour?
---
"You mentioned knowing the Sea Demon King's weakness. What is it?"
"Demon Devouring Magic. It was created by humans and gods to wipe out demons. Consuming each other to gain power was never a righteous method. Not only does it drastically reduce their numbers, but it also clouds the devourer's mind. No matter how strong they become, they're just mindless brutes—easy to exploit!"
"So the more they devour, the more scrambled their brain gets?"
"Exactly. When we fought the Sea Demon King, it was already on the brink of madness. The seal we placed before our death erased what little sanity and memory it had left."
"No wonder the legends say the Sea Demon King, after breaking its seal, was nothing but a killing machine, with none of its former majesty!"
"Absolute Freeze carries the attribute of erasure. Even if it couldn't destroy the Sea Demon King's life force entirely, it stripped away its reason. Devouring it might not show immediate effects, but over time, it's bound to cause serious problems."
"What if it devours more demons after that?"
"That'll only speed up the collapse of its sanity!"
---
As the battle seemed to wrap up, the group rushed toward the scene.
Erza's team and Natsu's squad arrived almost simultaneously at the battlefield. The dazzling display of ice and fire was gone, leaving only barren ground and two figures: Kira and Ace.
Kira looked as he always did—white clothes billowing, red hair flowing, a familiar, cheeky grin on his face tinged with a hint of confusion. Aside from a slight weariness in his eyes, he was unscathed.
Ace, on the other hand, was a wreck. Its robust frame was still imposing, but its eyes were dull, its aura strong yet wildly unstable. Half its body was charred, and it wore a familiar set of demon-sealing armor.
Seeing this, the group let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Kira, you jerk! I didn't know you'd gotten this strong!" Natsu called out.
"Surprised, huh?" Kira replied without turning, his voice brimming with playful pride. "Guess you don't know me as well as you thought! It's just your lack of experience holding you back. Take on some high-level missions, and you'll see how many powerhouses are out there!"
Gray rolled his eyes. "Seriously, can you not say stuff that makes me wanna punch you?"
Kira glanced at Gray's bare torso. "Pfft, this is my brand! Asking me to tone it down is like asking you to stop stripping, Elfman to stop yelling about being a man, Cana to quit drinking, Happy to stop being cute, Lucy to stop snarking, or Natsu to stop getting motion sick. It'd just be… weird!"
Lucy jumped in. "Why didn't you mention Erza or Loke?"
Kira shrugged. "Couldn't think of any obvious quirks for them off the top of my head."
"Hold on," Cana cut in. "Isn't your real quirk being a money-grubber?"
"Yeah!" Lucy nodded. "Cana's got a point!"
"Money-grubber? Me?" Kira scoffed, launching into a dramatic defense. "It's not greed—it's business! Profit is the heart of commerce! Selling gear is about making my team stronger!"
The air filled with laughter as the group bantered, the tension of the battle melting away.