Voices drifted from afar, and footsteps echoed against the stone walls.
Riyao immediately grabbed Natsu, and the group quickly hid behind a stone pillar, holding their breath to observe the situation.
Three people appeared before Riyao and the others.
A shirtless dog-man walked at the front, his pointed ears twitching; his name was Toby.
Following closely behind was Sherry, a pink-haired girl who wouldn't stop talking about love, her hands cupping her cheeks and her eyes sparkling with a dreamy glow.
Bringing up the rear was Yuka, a sleazy-looking guy with extremely exaggerated eyebrows, walking with his hands behind his back, looking as if he thought he was quite handsome.
Sherry cupped her face, her long pink hair fluttering under the purple moonlight, her tone full of worry: "I don't know who beat up Angelica, I just hope it doesn't affect Zero Emperor's plan."
Toby complained with an exaggerated expression, his dog ears perking up: "Why would you give a rat such a nice name! Woof!"
Yuka walked with his hands behind his back, his tone flat: "Probably beaten by the villagers around here."
Seeing that the ice-sealed Deliora was normal and confirming there were no intruders nearby, the three chatted as they left, their footsteps gradually fading away.
Gray's complexion was terrible, pale as a sheet, his lips pressed into a tight line. He took a deep breath, his voice raspy.
"Let's wait here until nightfall to see what's going on."
Feeling bored, Natsu just flopped onto the ground to sleep, hands behind his head; within three seconds, he was snoring, a thread of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Happy flew over to Riyao, bored, flapping his wings and tugging at Riyao's sleeve with his little paws, wanting Riyao to keep flattering him.
Lucy took out a key and whispered: "Open! Lyra!"
A golden magic circle appeared, and a celestial spirit playing a harp materialized beside them, the melodious sound of the harp echoing through the ruins.
It was emo time.
The harp music was plaintive, like someone whispering in one's ear, or like the wind from afar blowing across an empty field.
"♩ The cake shop sells cakes ♩ The bakery sells bread..."
Leaning against a stone pillar, listening to the harp music, Gray's eyes gradually became hollow, his thoughts drifting back to a long, long time ago.
He thought of Ur, that stern yet gentle woman, her final smile, and that snowstorm that covered the sky.
A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, flowing silently down his cheek.
Riyao leaned in, crouching in front of Gray, tilting his head teasingly: "Master Gray is dropping little pearls."
Lucy quickly explained, waving her hands in front of her chest: "Lyra's music can touch the heart; it's not that Gray wants to cry."
Natsu had woken up at some point, pointing at Gray and laughing so hard he was rocking back and forth: "Hahaha! Gray is crying! Gray is crying!"
Gray wiped away his tears forcefully, his eyes red-rimmed as he retorted: "I didn't! Some sand got in my eyes!"
Just then, a massive purple magic circle appeared overhead.
The purple light pierced through the ruins and shone onto Deliora.
Fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the ice, with faint signs of melting, and water droplets slowly slid down the icy surface.
Gray widened his eyes, his heart filled with fury, his fists clenched so tight they creaked.
"Let's go up and see what's going on!"
The group hurried upstairs. Riyao walked at the very back, and while they weren't paying attention, he pulled a small crystal ball from his sleeve and quietly placed it into a crack in the ice next to Deliora.
The crystal ball flickered with a faint light, then dimmed, blending in with the ice surface.
Upon reaching the top floor of the ruins, the scene before them shocked everyone.
A group of people dressed in cultist robes stood in a circle, hands raised high, chanting spells. The low, deep chanting echoed in the night sky, resembling some kind of ancient sacrificial ritual.
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits..."
Lyra popped up from behind Lucy, pushed up her non-existent glasses, and began to explain: "This is Moon Drip! A ritual magic that can nullify most other magic!"
Lucy was startled: "Why haven't you gone back yet?"
The so-called Zero Emperor walked out from the shadows with his subordinates. He was wearing a white robe, his long silver hair draped over his shoulders, his face cold and arrogant, radiating an air of condescension.
"How much longer until Deliora is unsealed?"
Sherry replied, her hands folded over her chest, her tone soft and sweet: "Probably today, or tomorrow."
Zero Emperor nodded and waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to go destroy that village first.
The familiar voice made Gray jolt, and he froze in place as if struck by lightning. He widened his eyes in disbelief, his lips trembling slightly.
That voice, that tone, that arrogant posture...
The hot-tempered Natsu didn't care about any of that; he rushed out directly, his fists ignited with flames: "Why care so much! Isn't it better to just destroy it directly!"
Gray cursed him for an idiot under his breath, but followed him out.
He pressed his hands to the ground, and ice-blue magic surged out: "Ice-Make: Geyser!"
Dense spikes of ice bombarded Zero Emperor and his group.
Zero Emperor and his group dodged quickly, their movements clean and precise.
After landing, he pressed one hand to the ground, using the same move as Gray; ice spikes rose from the ground, colliding with Gray's spikes and shattering with a boom.
Gray gritted his teeth and shouted, his voice filled with anger and pain: "It really is you! Lyon!"
Zero Emperor, no, Lyon smiled slightly, his long silver hair fluttering in the wind: "Long time no see, Gray."
He waved for his subordinates to ignore him and go destroy the village first, then turned to face Gray, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement.
Riyao shouted at the top of his lungs, clutching his head, his expression devastated: "No! That is the village I love so dearly! You bastard!"
He knelt on the ground, beating his chest and stamping his feet, his acting skills exploding.
Natsu wasn't paying attention, and Lyon raised his hand, sending an icicle that froze Natsu into a ball, which rolled down the ruins like a bowling ball made of ice.
Happy carried Lucy away, flapping his wings as he shot into the sky.
Riyao scratched his head, looked at the two flying away, and then back at the brothers-in-arms facing off: "What about me?"
Gray shouted without looking back: "Get far away!"
Riyao obediently crouched behind a distant stone pillar, pulled a handful of melon seeds from who knows where, and started cracking them with a crunch.
The brother-in-arms love-hate relationship is just so shippable.
The two started showing off their Ice-Make; Gray focused on static forms, while Lyon focused on dynamic ones. Ice constantly formed and shattered in their hands, the cold air permeating the entire top floor of the ruins.
Gray pressed his hands together to cast a spell, ice-blue magic gathering in his palms.
"Ice-Make: Hammer!"
A giant ice hammer formed out of thin air and smashed toward Lyon.
Lyon stylishly extended one hand to cast a spell, his silver hair flying in the icy wind.
"Ice-Make: Eagle!"
Several ice eagles spread their wings and flew out, colliding with the ice hammer in mid-air and shattering into a sky full of ice crystals.
The two were fighting like it was turn-based, one move for you and one for me, making Riyao's eye twitch.
The key was that the idiot Gray was still at a disadvantage, with every move being effortlessly neutralized by Lyon.
It's about time this idiot took a hit; playing friendly matches with Natsu every day hasn't led to any progress.
Riyao relaxed and continued cracking melon seeds. As for Lucy, come on, she's a child of destiny; even if Natsu died, Lucy wouldn't.
Gray was soon beaten into a serious injury, kneeling on the ground, blood streaming from his temple, staining half his face red.
Lyon looked at the unconscious Gray on the ground with disgust, not even having the interest to take another look, and turned to leave.
Riyao covered his forehead and sighed, what an idiot.