"You all..."
The robed ritualists removed their heavy cloaks, and everyone finally saw their true faces.
"Kids?!"
"Women… and the elderly?!"
Lucy, Natsu, and the others were stunned. They had assumed these black-robed figures were some sort of cultists. But now they saw that among them were men, women, children, and the elderly—and none of them looked evil at all.
"What's going on here?!"
Happy asked in confusion.
"Our families were all killed by Deliora. We heard that Lord Lyon could defeat Deliora, so we came to assist him. If Deliora is revived and Lord Lyon defeats it, we can finally avenge our loved ones! That's why we won't let you hurt Lord Lyon!!"
"I already said—I don't care who you revive. The only reason I stepped in was because he tried to attack my client and hurt my companions. Now that I've taught him a lesson, it's over."
"Wait! Kaien! They're trying to revive Deliora!" Gray quickly spoke up.
Kaien turned to Gray and said, "Gray, your master Ur sacrificed her life to seal Deliora. So technically, you do have the right to decide. But the same goes for them—their loved ones were also killed by Deliora. They want to resurrect it and kill it for revenge. That's their justice."
"No! They don't understand how dangerous Deliora is! Lyon can't possibly defeat it! Reviving Deliora will unleash a disaster!"
Gray's voice rose in panic, his fear plain on his face.
"You're terrified."
"…"
Gray didn't deny it. He simply bit his lip. Deliora had killed his family. And because of him, Ur had died. His fear of Deliora ran bone-deep.
Kaien looked at Lyon and the others. "Go ahead. Revive Deliora."
"WHAT?!"
Everyone froze in shock at Kaien's words.
Lucy stammered, "K-Kaien… what did you say?!"
"I said let them bring Deliora back."
"Why?! Isn't that monster sealed in ice?! It looks terrifying!!"
"Because it's Gray's psychological shadow. If he doesn't defeat Deliora with his own hands, he'll live in fear of it forever.
So… I'll end it myself."
"No! Kaien! You don't know how terrifying Deliora is—!"
Kaien interrupted calmly,
"No. You don't know how terrifying I am."
HUMMMMM—!!
CRACK CRACK—!!
Kaien released a surge of Conqueror's Haki. The black-red lightning surged violently from his body, tearing the clouds apart. The ocean around the island churned wildly under the pressure of his will. The entire ruin trembled as if the earth itself were afraid.
Many couldn't withstand the overwhelming pressure and passed out instantly.
Natsu and the others stared at Kaien in shock. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, fear etched on their faces.
"So… scary!!"
Lucy collapsed to the ground. It was the first time she had felt such soul-deep terror.
Natsu and Gray were the same. They had never experienced anything like this before. Only now did they truly understand just how powerful Kaien was.
As for Lyon and his group… If Kaien had released this aura from the start, they probably wouldn't have even dared to raise a hand.
Just then—
ROOOOAAAAAAR—!!
A thunderous roar echoed throughout the ruin.
"So loud—!!"
Natsu clutched his ears. His hearing was just as sensitive as his nose.
Gray's expression shifted, his body trembling violently. "That voice… I could never forget it…"
"Deliora…"
Lyon recognized it too. His face lit up in excitement.
Everyone rushed toward the underground cavern.
By the time they arrived, the ice surrounding Deliora was already starting to melt. Large chunks fell from its massive body.
"I-It's… coming back… Deliora…"
Gray stared blankly at the reviving monster.
"It's too late now! We have to fight! Defeat that demon!!"
Natsu's fists ignited with flames, ready to battle.
"You can't… you won't win… that's my—after all this time, I finally see you again… Deliora…" Lyon staggered forward.
THWACK!
Gray chopped him on the neck with a hand strike.
"That's enough, Lyon. From here on, leave it to me. I'll seal Deliora!"
Gray took the stance for Absolute Ice, cold energy surging from his body.
Lyon's face contorted in panic. "S-Stop!! Gray!! Do you have any idea how long it took me to melt that ice?! Don't waste all that effort! I will melt it all and challenge Deliora again!!"
"I'm sorry about what happened with Ur… and about ruining your dream.
But this monster… must not be revived.
This is the only way to stop it—"
BAM!!
Before Gray could finish, he was kicked flying through the air.
"Ugh!"
He crashed into Natsu.
"Kaien! What the hell?!"
"You're in the way. Move it. Look at yourselves—what a sorry bunch. Freaking out over some demon from Zeref's Book? Seriously?"
Kaien scoffed.
ROAR—!!
Deliora opened its massive jaws. A sphere of energy began to form, aimed directly at Kaien.
"Dodge it—!!"
Gray shouted in alarm.
FWOOOSH—!!
The energy blast shot straight for the back of Kaien's head.
Kaien didn't even look. He casually flicked his hand backward.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!
The energy blast was deflected like a toy, tearing a massive hole in the ruin and blasting apart a distant mountain.
"WHOA—!!"
Everyone gasped. The power behind that attack was insane. But what terrified them even more was how Kaien had casually swatted it away.
Kaien gripped Murakumogiri, wrapping it with both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, black-red lightning crackling along the blade.
"RRAAAAH!!"
Kaien shouted as he swung the blade down. A massive shockwave of sword energy burst forth from it.