Chapter 327 – Degeneration Method
"Stop! Thief!"
Natsu shouted from behind.
"We're not thieves!"
"We're treasure hunters!"
Boom—!
The three of them, chased by just two, were getting irritated.
Their heavy boots crunched against the thick layers of magical ice that coated the ruined buildings of the Sun Village. The biting cold wind whipped against their faces, but it was nothing compared to the burning annoyance of being relentlessly pursued.
"At this rate, we'll never reach the Eternal Flame," Hiro gritted his teeth, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Exactly! We're the proud members of Sylph Labyrinth—there is absolutely no way we let two brats from a Mage guild chase us around like stray dogs. Let's finish them right here."
Boom——!
The three treasure hunters agreed at once, their coordination born from years of perilous expeditions.
Two of them spun about sharply on the slick ice, planting their feet to physically block Natsu and Lucy's path. Meanwhile, the third member of their squad immediately sprinted higher, scaling the frozen remnants of a giant's house to secure a lethal sniping spot.
"If Mages start looking down on us, we're totally screwed in the underworld!" Lala roared, hefting his massive, metallic weapon over his shoulder.
"Anyone who gets in our way gets crushed into dust. Treasure hunting's a deadly job, and we play for keeps!"
Seeing their pursuers suddenly halt and take aggressive battle stances, Natsu and Lucy immediately braced for battle, their magic power flaring to life to ward off the village's unnatural chill.
"A Mage's work isn't exactly easy either!" Natsu grinned fiercely, flames igniting around his clenched fists.
"You got that right!" Lucy nodded firmly, her hand hovering over the golden keys clipped to her belt.
Boom!
Lala, the giant mace-wielder, didn't waste another second. He swung his massive, fist-shaped hammer directly at Natsu with bone-crushing force.
Natsu dodged to the side, and the tremendous impact of the heavy iron shattered the frozen ground where he had just been standing, sending jagged shards of ice flying like shrapnel.
"A hand-shaped weapon?! What kind of weird taste is that?!" Natsu yelled, wiping ice dust from his cheek.
"This is my Reinforced Type-A hammer! It goes boom, and it's absolutely brutal!" Lala laughed maniacally, winding up for another devastating swing.
"Tch—take this!" Natsu roared, lunging forward with explosive speed. The flames around his right arm spiraled into a blinding inferno.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu punched back with tremendous force, aiming directly for the center of the massive hammer.
However, right before the fiery impact, a sharp mechanical clicking sound echoed from the weapon. The huge, solid iron hammer suddenly unfolded, its metallic 'fingers' opening wide into a giant palm.
It effortlessly caught Natsu's blazing fist, completely absorbing the kinetic energy. Before the Dragon Slayer could process what had happened, the mechanical fingers seized Natsu's body tightly and violently hurled him away through the air.
"Uwaaaah!!" Natsu screamed as he crashed through a solid wall of ice in the distance.
"Natsu!"
Happy cried out in genuine alarm, his tiny wings buzzing frantically as he flew after his partner.
With Natsu temporarily removed from the immediate battlefield, the swordsman Hiro turned his cold, calculating gaze toward Lucy.
"I really don't like hitting women," Hiro said smoothly, drawing his long, gleaming blade from its scabbard. "But you're standing right in my way, and business is business."
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl!"
Lucy glared at him, swiftly producing a golden Zodiac key from her belt. She raised it high, her magical energy surging into the celestial metal.
"Open, Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!"
A massive, golden magic circle illuminated the icy ground. With a chime of celestial bells, a tall, imposing figure materialized before her.
He was a humanoid goat, dressed impeccably in a tailored black suit and wearing a pair of dark, stylish sunglasses. His posture was perfectly straight, exuding a calm, gentlemanly aura amidst the chaotic battlefield.
Capricorn was the powerful Celestial Spirit she had claimed during the harrowing brawl against Grimoire Heart on Tenrou Island. Originally, he had belonged to her late mother, the great Celestial Mage, Layla Heartfilia.
Following a tragic twist of fate, Capricorn had been forcefully fused with the dark Mage Zoldeo, becoming one of Grimoire Heart's dreaded Seven Kin of Purgatory for many years before finally being freed and returning to Lucy's side.
"A goat? You expect a livestock summon to block my blade? Try it!"
Hiro charged forward, his boots finding perfect traction on the ice. He swung his sword in a vicious, horizontal arc aimed directly at Lucy's neck.
In the blink of an eye, Capricorn stepped up. With an elegant, almost leisurely motion, he raised his arm and completely stopped the razor-sharp blade with just his bare hand.
"What?!"
Hiro was utterly stunned. His eyes widened in disbelief behind his goggles. The tremendous kinetic force of his slash had been halted so easily, as if he had struck a mountain of solid steel.
"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Capricorn's hand-to-hand combat ability is top-tier!"
Lucy boasted proudly, a confident smile gracing her lips. She knew full well the physical might of her Zodiac spirits.
Without missing a beat, Capricorn delivered a swift, devastating front kick. Hiro barely managed to bring the flat of his sword up in time to guard his chest.
Bang!
The sheer force of the goat spirit's kick sent Hiro skidding violently backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the solid ice.
"Damn it... Take this, then—my Transforming Lance-Sword!"
Hiro flipped a hidden mechanical switch near the hilt of his weapon. With a loud, metallic clack, the blade suddenly shot out from the handle like a high-speed spear, thrusting directly toward Capricorn's chest.
Capricorn's enhanced senses flared. He didn't just dodge; he violently yanked Lucy clear by her collar, pulling her out of the trajectory.
Boom——!
The long, spear-like blade missed them by inches, striking the frozen giant's tree directly behind where Lucy had just been standing. The tree exploded into a shower of massive ice splinters.
"Watch out, Lady Lucy!"
Suddenly sensing a completely different, much deadlier aura of danger, Capricorn forcefully shoved Lucy aside, tackling her into the snow.
Bang—!
A high-velocity sniper bullet struck the exact spot on the ground where Lucy's head had been a fraction of a second prior, leaving a deep, smoking crater in the ice.
"A gun?!"
Lucy paled, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. She realized with horrifying clarity that one hit from a weapon like that, and she would be completely done for. Mages were powerful, but human bodies were still fragile to lead and gunpowder.
"Where did that come from?!"
Happy, who was just flying back toward the scene, frantically scanned the area. A hidden sniper in a frozen wasteland full of cover was a lethal, terrifying threat.
High up on a frozen rooftop, Sniper Derrick licked his chapped lips, his eye pressed tightly against the scope.
"Tch. Missed? That goat's reflexes are annoying. But the next shot goes straight through your skulls. My Type-74 long-rifle is thirsty for blood…"
Down below, Capricorn stood firmly in front of his master. "Miss Lucy, the sniper's location is over there, elevation forty degrees."
Capricorn pointed calmly toward the icy roof. He knew he had to stay in close proximity to actively guard Lucy against another shot, meaning he couldn't leave to engage the sniper in close combat.
"Got it! I know exactly who to call!"
Lucy reached for another golden key, her eyes locking onto the distant rooftop.
"Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"
With another flash of brilliant golden light, a strange, centaur-clad figure appeared on the battlefield, holding a massive, beautifully crafted longbow.
"Moshi moshi! Sniping is my absolute specialty, hello!" Sagittarius saluted, his demeanor quirky but his eyes intensely focused.
Sagittarius spotted Derrick's glinting scope at once. With impossible speed, he drew an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, pulled the bowstring taut, and loosed the projectile in a single, fluid motion.
Whizz!
The magical shaft sped through the freezing air toward the sniper's nest.
Bang!
Seeing the incoming projectile, Derrick didn't panic. He adjusted his aim by a fraction of a millimeter and fired his rifle.
In a display of terrifying precision, the high-velocity bullet met the magical arrow perfectly mid-air. The kinetic impact caused the arrow to burst apart into useless splinters of wood and feathers.
"No way!"
"He actually hit the arrow mid-flight?!"
Happy and Lucy gasped in unison, completely taken aback by the sheer marksmanship on display.
"This guy… his accuracy is truly formidable, hello."
Even Sagittarius's usually goofy expression darkened into one of serious, professional respect.
Derrick smirked behind his scope, chambering another round. "Never underestimate a Genius sniper of Sylph Labyrinth."
"Damn it! These guys are way tougher than I thought!"
Natsu exclaimed, finally running back into the fray, rubbing his bruised jaw and glaring at the treasure hunters.
Meanwhile, far away from the chaotic skirmishes, Ren walked at a leisurely pace toward the center of the frozen Village.
His boots made barely a sound on the ice. He soon stood before a colossal, towering iceberg that dominated the central plaza of the giant's settlement.
"So this is the Eternal Flame."
Ren looked up at the massive structure of unmelting ice. With his advanced senses, he could clearly feel the faint, ancient, and incredibly potent source of magical heat sealed deep within the frozen core.
He stared at it for a moment, then let out a soft sigh, turning his back to the ice.
"Come out—you've followed me for long enough."
Ren said calmly, his voice cutting through the whistling wind. He hadn't bothered to turn his head.
Silence reigned for a brief second before a strange, bulky man stepped out from the deep shadows behind a nearby frozen building.
"Who are you?" Ren asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he analyzed the newcomer's strange, dark magical signature.
"I am Doriate of Succubus Eye, a dark guild operating directly under the glorious Tartaros." The man introduced himself, a sinister, arrogant grin plastered on his face.
[Akarin's Note: In the raw text, the guild is translated as "Dream Demons," but the official English Wiki localization is "Succubus Eye," a Dark Guild affiliated with Tartaros.]
"Tartaros? So we've already reached that arc in the timeline?"
Ren blinked in mild surprise. His mind rapidly raced through the vast stores of canon knowledge he possessed from the original plot, cross-referencing it with the rumors he had gathered in this world.
The dreaded Balam Alliance was the supreme ruling power of the dark underworld. It was formed by three massively powerful Dark Guilds: Oración Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros.
Oración Seis was considered the weakest, focusing on ancient, forbidden magic. Grimoire Heart, whom Fairy Tail had utterly crushed on Tenrou Island, was the strongest in terms of human Mages.
But Tartaros... Tartaros was the most secretive and arguably the most dangerous.
Tartaros wasn't a guild of human Mages. They were Etherious—literal demons born directly from the dark, cursed Books of Zeref. Ren hadn't expected their grand, apocalyptic arc to begin overlapping so soon with his current activities.
"Come! Return, return to the frail memories of ages past!"
While Ren was still calmly sorting his thoughts and analyzing the timeline implications, Doriate suddenly thrust his hands forward, activating his sinister magic without warning.
A bizarre, pulsating wave of purple energy instantly washed over the area, completely engulfing Ren before he bothered to teleport away.
Instantly, Ren's body began to shrink at an alarming, unnatural rate. His bones cracked softly, his muscles losing their dense, refined mass. In mere moments, his tall, imposing physique had reverted, leaving him looking like a helpless, oversized-clothes-wearing child.
"Eh?! What the hell is happening?!"
Startled by the bizarre physical sensation, Ren stared down at his tiny, pale hands. The sleeves of his jacket now completely swallowed his arms, trailing on the icy ground.
"Kikiki! A little brat is so much easier to handle." Doriate cackled, his confidence soaring as he looked down at the tiny version of the Fairy Tail powerhouse.
"I'll finish you right now before you can cry for your mother!"
Doriate rushed him, his bulky frame moving surprisingly fast as he threw a heavy punch aimed at Ren's small head.
Ren instinctively tried to use his usual footwork, stepping backward to dodge. He narrowly avoided the strike, but stumbled clumsily over his oversized boots.
Doriate followed up with a sweeping kick. Ren threw himself into a roll, another desperate dodge.
"My speed... it's dropped by a massive margin."
Ren quickly analyzed his own internal state. He could feel every motion feeling incredibly sluggish and exhausting. His physical strength was a fraction of what it should be.
"This is my Retrogression Magic—the ultimate Degeneration Method! It's a magic that drastically lowers a human's physical and magical abilities," Doriate explained mockingly, pacing around his tiny prey.
"The child form you're in? That's just a funny side effect. It's not true rejuvenation; it violently cuts your strength, your speed, your stamina, and the total capacity of your magic power. Right now, you're nothing more than a pathetic rabbit waiting to be caught by a wolf."
Doriate cracked his knuckles, a sadistic glint in his eyes. "Stay still and let me kill you quickly—it'll hurt a lot less."
Ren stopped analyzing his small hands and looked up. Despite his childish appearance, his eyes retained an ancient, terrifying calmness that made Doriate subconsciously flinch.
"Degeneration Method—interesting magic. You surprised me, but I won't just sit here."
"Full Body Take Over – Ulquiorra Cifer!!"
[Akarin Note:
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