Boom!!!
Takeshi's massive slash cut down, and the entire ruins were cleaved, leaving a huge gash.
Everyone's eyes widened and mouths dropped open in shock. Although they had witnessed it once before, such an attack was always incredibly stunning, no matter how many times they saw it.
Crack!
A vertical line appeared in the middle of Deliora's body.
Then—
Crackle... Crackle...
Dense cracks appeared all over Deliora's body.
Bang!
Deliora's body began to crumble.
Rumble!
Deliora's body fell to the ground like ice.
"What?!"
Everyone except Takeshi was stunned by this scene.
"Wh... what's going on?!"
They were no longer surprised that Takeshi's attack could kill Deliora, as he had already displayed terrifying combat power. But Takeshi's attack shouldn't turn someone into frozen ice.
"Could it be..."
"How could this be... Deliora is... already dead..."
Lyon finally understood. "Ten years... the ice Ur turned into gradually took its life. We merely witnessed the final moment... There's no chance left... I can never surpass Ur now."
Tears streamed down Lyon's face, partly from his unwillingness to be unable to surpass his master, Ur, but mostly from happiness that his strongest master had not lost to this monster.
Gray also stared blankly at the scene before him. So master had already killed Deliora for him long ago.
"Master..."
Gray lowered his head, covering his face, tears flowing uncontrollably.
With Deliora dead, there was no longer any need for a fight, and Takeshi returned to his original form.
Whoosh!
He let out a long breath.
Whitebeard was indeed powerful. Using him consumed magic power very quickly, making him not last long.
Using Whitebeard with five and a half stars of magic power was still a bit strenuous. Perhaps seven stars of magic power would allow for more freedom in its use.
"Yay! That's great. Deliora is dead. This means the village's curse is lifted."
"Aye."
Lucy and Happy jumped and clapped their hands together.
"It's not great at all! I didn't do anything!" Natsu was very unhappy.
Last time, dealing with Eisenwald, he was just a bystander because he had been on a vehicle for too long. This time, he was a bystander again. This S-Class Quest should have been completed by him.
Lucy scoffed, "Whose fault is it that you were careless and got frozen? You deserved it."
"Damn it! You didn't do anything either!"
Being mocked by Lucy, Natsu became furious.
Lucy argued, "I... I just didn't get a chance to act yet, yes, that's right."
Takeshi smiled and said, "Alright, if you want to complete the quest, you actually still have a chance."
"What do you mean? Isn't Deliora already..."
"Who told you the curse was related to Deliora?"
"What?!"
"The villagers' curse hasn't been lifted. If you can figure out a way to lift the curse on the way back, then you can still count it as completing the S-Class Quest."
"Really?! That's great."
"Aye!"
Lucy complained, "What are you guys so happy about? We couldn't figure it out in a day and a night, so how are we going to figure it out on the way back?"
She had completely given up now. As long as the curse could be lifted, that was all that mattered.
Natsu grinned and said, "At least there's still hope, isn't there?"
Gray looked at Lyon and asked, "Do you know how to lift the curse?"
Lyon replied, "I don't know, but I also have some doubts about the curse. For these three years, we've also been under this light, and even closer, yet nothing happened to us, while they were cursed."
"That's right."
Lucy suddenly realized. If the curse was really caused by the moonlight or Deliora, then Lyon and the others, being closer to the moonlight and Deliora, should have been cursed. Yet, they showed no signs of being cursed at all.
"Let's go, it's about time to head back. If we don't, the villagers will start to worry." Takeshi said and turned to leave.
Natsu, Lucy, and Happy quickly followed.
Natsu asked, "Takeshi, can't you give us a hint?"
"Yeah. Just a little, just a tiny bit."
Lucy also chimed in, as this was a great opportunity to significantly raise her standing in the guild, and she didn't want to miss it.
"Aye!" Happy said.
If he could complete this quest, he could buy lots of fish to eat.
Takeshi refused, "No."
"Tch! Stingy."
The group walked out while talking.
Gray stopped and looked at Lyon, filled with guilt. He knew that Lyon's resurrection of Deliora wasn't just simply about defeating Deliora to surpass Ur; his true purpose was to destroy Deliora and avenge Ur.
"What are you looking at?" Lyon said grumpily.
He had lost this time. Although he hadn't lost to Gray, he had undoubtedly lost terribly, and he didn't want Gray to laugh at him.
Gray said, "You should also find a guild to join. There are comrades and rivals there, you'll definitely find new goals."
"Boring... Get lost."
—
Takeshi and the others returned to the village. Along the way, they discussed for a long time but still had no clues.
Upon returning to the village, they immediately saw the entire village full of demons.
"Sure enough, the curse hasn't been lifted."
They had been wondering if the curse might have already been lifted, but it seemed it wasn't that simple after all.
The village chief led all the villagers forward, his tone somewhat anxious. "Mages! When exactly are you going to destroy the moon?"
Takeshi smiled and said, "Don't worry, isn't it just destroying the moon? Let's do it now."
"What?!"
Everyone was startled by these words.
Lucy whispered, "Hey... do you know what you're saying?"
"Aye!"
Natsu became excited when he heard Takeshi say he was going to destroy the moon. "I knew it! We still have to destroy the moon."
Gray quickly waved his hands. "No, that's impossible."
"Full Body Takeover: Edward Newgate!"
Takeshi transformed into Whitebeard. His height rapidly increased, and his appearance began to change. In a blink of an eye, he transformed into Whitebeard's likeness.
"So big!"
The villagers were startled to see Takeshi suddenly become so tall.
Takeshi stood firmly on the ground, his right hand clenched into a fist and placed on his left hip.
Buzz!
A white, transparent spherical light shield enveloped Takeshi's fist.