"Wave Magic... Interesting, indeed."
Marco leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching with great interest.
Moonlight filtered through the dome, casting mottled shadows at his feet.
Marco knew a little about Yuka's magic.
In fact, Yuka was a rather famous young talent.
He wasn't old, only about eighteen.
His "Wave Magic" gave him an overwhelming advantage when fighting other Mages, which had earned him quite a reputation.
The shockwaves produced by "Wave Magic" could neutralize all other magic.
Within the area covered by "Wave Magic," no magic could be used.
At this moment, Yuka extended one hand, his five fingers slightly spread.
Visible, shimmering, transparent ripples swirled around his fingertips.
Every time Natsu's flaming fist smashed against that invisible barrier, it was like hitting the surface of water.
The flames were instantly dispersed and swallowed by the formless waves, leaving behind only a few wisps of unwilling smoke and a dull thud.
Within the Lamia Scale guild, Yuka specialized in dealing with other Mages.
Right now, he stood perfectly still, his gaze calm, like an unbreachable wall of sighs.
"Mage of Fairy Tail, we don't want to start a conflict with you."
Yuka easily blocked Natsu's ferocious punches time and again.
Sizzling sparks from the intense heat landed on the broken ice at his feet, but he didn't counterattack.
Instead, he raised his voice with a sense of urgency in his tone as he attempted to reconcile.
"Isn't it a little late to be saying that now?"
Natsu glared, his teeth grinding together.
He took a sharp step back to gather his strength again, the rubble at his feet glowing faintly red from the high temperature.
Completely ignoring Yuka's words, he threw another heavy punch wreathed in explosive flames, only for it to be effortlessly blocked once more by Yuka's raised hand.
The "Wave Barrier" Yuka cast was like a wall of sighs, rejecting all magic.
Natsu's flaming fists seemed like a child's tantrum; each attack ended with the flames silently annihilating, leaving only a searing blast of air that spread out, sending the cherry-blossom-colored hair on Natsu's forehead dancing wildly.
It was a futile and frustrating sight.
"Dammit!"
The scene made the veins on Natsu's forehead pop, but his heart was actually growing more and more excited.
The stronger the enemy, the more fired up he became; opponents he could easily defeat were the ones who failed to stir his interest.
"Wait, Marco-san! We really mean no harm!"
Seeing that he was getting nowhere with Natsu, Yuka's face grew anxious.
His gaze went past Natsu to Marco, who was leaning against the wall behind him.
"We really mean no harm!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the vast cavern.
It was obvious he knew who was really in charge here.
"But you're obstructing the completion of our quest." Marco replied with a smile.
He didn't tell Natsu to stop, but he didn't refuse to communicate either, simply stating a fact.
"Why are you people from Lamia Scale here helping Lyon?" Gray questioned loudly.
It wasn't just him; no one else could understand it either.
Since Lyon wasn't a member of Lamia Scale, why were Sherry, Yuka, and Toby helping him?
"What's wrong with helping him? We haven't done anything evil! We just want to completely destroy Deliora. Is that a mistake?"
Before Yuka could speak, Sherry shouted loudly.
She hadn't made another move; clearly, Yuka calling out Marco's name had reminded her who they were facing.
"Haven't done anything evil? Not a mistake? Even setting aside the matter of Deliora, the people on this Galuna Island have all been turned into demons by you! You're saying that's not a problem?!"
Lucy stared at the self-righteous Sherry with a look of disbelief.
She truly couldn't comprehend how that girl could say such things. Did they really not care about the people of this island at all?
"Who knows what's going on with them! So many of us have been here with Lyon for almost three years, and we're often exposed to this moonlight. Why are we all fine?! Why hasn't a single one of us shown those symptoms?!"
Faced with Lucy's questioning, Sherry grew somewhat agitated.
Her expression was completely serious; clearly, this matter was troubling her as well.
By now, more and more people had gathered.
They were all Lyon's followers.
They stood silently behind Sherry, Yuka, and Toby, the weapons in their hands reflecting the cold light.
Just as Sherry had said, these people all looked mentally sound, and their bodies showed no signs of demonic transformation.
The only thing was the same cold flame called hatred burning in their eyes.
"..."
Marco's brow furrowed deeply as his gaze swept over the group of followers.
If what Sherry said was true, then this whole affair was indeed strange.
There were quite a few of them, and their expressions varied, so it didn't seem like a lie.
But as the ones carrying out the "Moon Drip" ritual, the possibility that they had a way to remain unaffected couldn't be ruled out.
"Why do you follow Lyon? Why do you want to destroy Deliora? Just like Lyon, you must have a reason, right?"
Marco stepped forward, signaling for Natsu, who was still squaring off with Yuka, to come back.
He then directed his question to Sherry, Yuka, and Toby.
His gaze swept over the followers, who all wore expressions of shared hatred for a common enemy.
'These people all share a single goal.' Marco thought to himself.
Although Ultear's shadow loomed behind this incident, Lyon didn't seem to be under any kind of mind control.
Gray thought so too, because Lyon had been like this since he was a child, always seeing Ur as his goal to surpass.
That stubbornness was etched into his very bones.
If Lyon wasn't being controlled, it was even less likely that these underlings were.
After all, ignoring the leader to control a group of subordinates was truly bizarre.
'This means that all these people harbor an intense hatred for Deliora.'
Marco made his judgment, and it turned out his guess was completely correct.
"We... are all survivors of the towns destroyed by Deliora."
Faced with Marco's question, Yuka spoke with a complex expression.
His voice was low and hoarse, as if every word carried a heavy weight.
He lowered the hand that maintained the barrier, and the invisible waves vanished.
He looked around at his companions, from Sherry's defiant face to Toby's silent face and then to the weary yet resolute faces behind them.
All of them had either lost their parents or their children.
Their families and homes had all been mercilessly taken from them by Deliora.
To subjugate Deliora, to completely annihilate the demon that brought destruction, to get revenge—that was why they had gathered together.
That was why they had followed Lyon without hesitation, holding out on this isolated island for nearly three years, all to complete this "Moon Drip" ritual.
"..."
Natsu stopped.
He took a few steps back and couldn't help but scratch his head, an awkward expression on his face.
Family was a soft spot for Natsu.
These people wanted to completely destroy the demon "Deliora" to avenge their families.
It was understandable; at least, he could accept the reason.
"But even so, you can't affect the people of Galuna Island..."
Although Lucy was also moved, her heart was still with the innocent victims.
The residents of Galuna Island were innocent.
"You're all fools! You can't defeat Deliora! Releasing it will only get you killed for nothing! And you'll drag the people of Galuna Island down with you, along with countless others! Your actions will only render all the previous sacrifices meaningless!"
Gray scolded them furiously.
He was actually the one who could understand these people the most, because he and they came from the same place.
There were even some of his "old neighbors" among them.
But the more that was the case, the more he couldn't tolerate their moth-to-a-flame style of revenge.
They should live on with the hopes of the deceased, not be consumed by hatred and walk a path of self-destruction.
Even a Mage as powerful as Ur could only seal "Deliora" by using "Iced Shell," a spell that cost her life.
If "Deliora" were truly released, could Lyon, Sherry, Yuka, and Toby really defeat it?
That was nothing short of a pipe dream!
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