Kaien's words left Gray with a strange, indescribable feeling in his chest. He clenched his jaw, forcing back the tears.
"Hmph! So you're here to stop me from reviving Deliora?"
Lyon struck a battle-ready stance.
Kaien waved a hand dismissively. "Stop you? I don't care who you revive. That's none of my business. But what you shouldn't have done… was hurt my client and hit my companions."
"Sure, you can say it was a fair fight, and maybe it was. But too bad for you—I'm the kind of guy who doesn't take kindly to anyone messing with my people."
Lyon's gaze turned sharp. "Tch! All that dramatic talk, and for what? We're still gonna fight, aren't we?"
Kaien chuckled. "It's not pointless. At least now you'll know why you're about to get your ass kicked."
"Ice-Make: Giant Eagle!!"
Lyon raised his palm and unleashed a swarm of ice hawks.
Kaien didn't move.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
The ice hawks slammed into Kaien, exploding on impact. Ice quickly spread and expanded, encasing Kaien in a thick prison of frost.
"Kaien!!"
Lucy and the others gasped, visibly worried.
CRACK—!!
The ice shattered instantly.
"Ice-Make: Giant Ape!!"
Lyon had expected this. He didn't think Kaien would go down that easily. As the ice broke, he cast his next spell.
A massive ice ape appeared before Kaien and hammered down with both fists.
BOOM!
The ape's fists struck Kaien directly—but he stood there, completely unharmed.
"What?!"
Kaien casually threw a punch at the ape's chest.
BOOM—!!
The entire ice ape exploded into shards.
"Ice-Make: White Tiger!!"
Seeing that his ape had failed, Lyon's expression darkened. He swiftly conjured a massive ice tiger.
ROAR—!!
The white tiger charged Kaien, claws slashing forward.
"Just a kitten."
SLAP!
Kaien caught the tiger's head with one hand and effortlessly lifted it off the ground. The beast thrashed wildly, but it was useless.
"Here, have it back."
Kaien hurled the tiger straight at Lyon.
"Disperse!"
Lyon quickly dispelled the magic, and the tiger dissolved into mist.
"Damn it!!"
"Ice-Make: White Dragon!!!"
RUMBLE—!!
A colossal ice dragon burst from the earth, destroying several nearby pillars in the ruins. It spiraled upward and lunged toward Kaien with gaping jaws.
Kaien didn't dodge. He simply raised his arm.
CRACK—!
The dragon bit down, but Kaien was unscathed. Instead, its fangs shattered.
"!?"
Kaien activated the power of the Gura Gura no Mi.
BOOM—!
CRACK CRACK!!
Fractures spread across the dragon's body. Then it shattered entirely.
"This… this can't be?!"
"No! This is impossible! How is my magic doing nothing to you?!"
Lyon was in disbelief. His most powerful spells couldn't even scratch this man. Anyone would start to break down under that kind of pressure.
"The Sub Zero Emperor's magic…"
"…even that…"
"…how could it be…?!"
Everyone watching was stunned—especially Sherry and the others. They had seen stronger mages before, like Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints, but Lyon was undeniably powerful too. They wouldn't have followed him otherwise.
Yet now, their "powerful" Lyon couldn't even put a dent in Kaien. It was absurd.
Lucy, Natsu, and the others felt the same—it was just too overwhelming.
"I don't believe this!!"
"Ice-Make: Ice Fountain!!"
Lyon slammed both hands to the ground, conjuring massive spikes of ice that burst like geysers from beneath Kaien.
Kaien raised an eyebrow… and lightly stomped.
RUMBLE—!!
All the ice shattered in an instant. The entire ruin trembled as if it were about to collapse.
"Uwaaaaahhh!!"
Everyone screamed, struggling to keep their balance.
HUMMMM—!
Kaien clenched his fist, and the power of the Gura Gura no Mi gathered in his hand, forming a transparent white orb of compressed force.
"This is bad!!"
Yuka and the others panicked the moment they saw the quake sphere on Kaien's fist. They'd seen this move before—he'd used it to crush the giant rat and trigger an actual earthquake.
"Puppet Strike: Rock Golem!!"
Sherry quickly summoned a massive stone golem and sent it charging at Kaien. Even though she knew her magic wouldn't hurt him, if she could stall him for even a second—it was worth it.
"Vibration Barrier!!"
Yuka created a wall of vibrating energy in front of Lyon. His magic was great for countering mages; the Vibration Barrier could neutralize any magical force. At least, it used to. Against Kaien, he wasn't so confident.
"You guys…"
Lyon didn't expect Sherry and the others to shield him like this—not against someone so terrifying.
Sherry turned to him. "Lord Sub Zero Emperor… You're the one helping us defeat Deliora. We won't just sit back and watch you get hurt."
Toby stepped forward in agreement. "Ooooh~!!"
Lyon was slightly moved, but now wasn't the time to talk. They had to stop the attack.
"Ice-Make: Fortress Wall!!"
For once, Lyon used both hands to cast.
SHOOM—!!
A thick ice wall rose in front of them all.
Kaien drove his quake-charged fist into the stone golem.
CRACK CRACK—!!
The air shattered like glass. The shockwave hit the golem—
BOOM—!!
The golem exploded into rubble.
Then it hit Yuka's Vibration Barrier. It shattered instantly.
And finally… Lyon's ice wall.
BOOM—!!
CRACK CRACK—!!
The ice wall couldn't withstand the quake either. It burst apart.
"Uwaaahhh!!"
"Aaaaahhh!!"
All five of them were swept away by the broken ice wall. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they crashed heavily to the ground.
At that moment, a group of cultists holding the ritual suddenly rushed forward, throwing themselves in front of Lyon and the others.
"You're not allowed to harm Lord Lyon!"