Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Lucy and Sherry's battle was also drawing to a close.
Sherry's manipulation magic allowed her to freely control non-human creatures and objects. Such magic was a great counter to a Celestial Spirit Mage like Lucy.
In the end, Lucy could only rely on summoning Aquarius. Even when Aquarius was affected by Sherry's manipulation magic, she still used seawater to create a swirling wave.
Lucy and Sherry were swept up together, and after Sherry was knocked dizzy by the swirl, Lucy defeated her with a single punch.
"Phew... it's finally over."
Lucy let out a sigh of relief, her body went limp, and she almost fell to the ground.
However, the crisis was not yet over.
The moment Sherry was subdued, the giant rat Angelica suddenly pounced on the exhausted Lucy.
"Lucy! Look out!" Happy shrieked.
Lucy's pupils constricted, watching the huge dark shadow engulf her, but her body was unable to react.
It's over!
Just at this critical moment, an extremely fast red figure flashed past like lightning.
Clang!
A crisp metallic clang rang out.
The figure, holding a longsword, easily blocked Angelica's pounce. Immediately after, the sword flashed, and Angelica was struck down again.
Everything happened in a flash.
Only then did Lucy get a clear look at the newcomer.
She had dazzling scarlet long hair, wore silver-white armor, held a knight's longsword, and her expression was as stern as an unmelting iceberg.
"Er... Erza?!"
Lucy and Happy simultaneously gasped in disbelief.
After Erza easily dealt with Angelica, she turned around and stared at Lucy with cold eyes.
Seeing that terrifying gaze, Lucy remembered what they had done earlier and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
"Lucy!"
Erza's voice was as cold as ice. "You should know why I'm here, shouldn't you?"
Lucy froze in place, stammering, "Y-you're here to take me back, right?"
Happy shivered beside her. "So scary..."
Just as the atmosphere dropped to freezing point, Erza suddenly stopped her scolding.
Her keen senses detected a magical fluctuation nearby. She sharply turned her head, her gaze as sharp as a knife.
Ryoma's heart skipped a beat. Erza's gaze directly locked onto his location.
"Who's there? Come out."
In the woods, Ryoma, who had just arrived at the scene and was preparing to act at the crucial moment, felt all the hairs on his body stand on end as that gaze locked onto him.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
He knew that hiding any longer would only make things worse, so he took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadows.
"Um... Erza, it's me."
Ryoma immediately raised both hands to show he was harmless, a helpless smile on his face.
Seeing that it was Ryoma, Erza's expression did not soften at all. Instead, it grew even colder.
"Ryoma? Are you also fooling around with them?"
Cold sweat ran down Ryoma's temples.
He immediately followed the explanation he had already prepared in his mind, speaking in the most sincere tone, "Master sent me to catch them, he was afraid Gray couldn't handle it alone. Then he told me to follow them."
He paused, then continued, "When I arrived at the port, I found that they had already set off for this island. I wanted to catch up immediately, but because this island is cursed, no one at the port was willing to come over. It took me a lot of time to get here."
"I just got to the island not long ago. I heard the sounds of fighting from this direction and immediately rushed over, not expecting to see what just happened."
His words were half-true, half-false, sincere, and logically flawless.
Erza stared at Ryoma for a long time, seemingly judging the truthfulness of his words.
Ryoma felt like he was being stared at by a prehistoric beast, under immense pressure.
After a long while, Erza finally snorted, temporarily accepting his explanation.
"I'll believe your explanation for now. Since that's the case, these two are yours."
She deftly tied Lucy with a rope, then tossed her to Ryoma like a piece of cargo, also stuffing Happy into his arms.
"Watch them. We'll go find Natsu and Gray first, then immediately return to the guild." Erza issued the order, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Yes."
Ryoma nodded quickly, dragging the person and the cat, following Erza's pace.
They soon reached the village.
However, the sight before them shocked everyone. The entire village had been reduced to ruins.
They then found the temporary camp set up by the villagers nearby. When they arrived, they happened to see Gray.
Seeing Erza's figure, Gray's expression instantly froze, and he opened his mouth in surprise.
"Er... Erza?! And Ryoma? How did you two get here?"
Erza didn't answer his question. Instead, she scanned the surroundings, noticed someone was missing, and frowned.
"Where's Natsu? Where did that idiot run off to again?"
Seeing their situation, Erza understood that they also didn't know where Natsu was.
"Gray, let's go find Natsu. Once we find him, we'll immediately return to the guild."
Hearing that they had to return now, Gray's emotions became agitated.
"What are you saying, Erza! Since you've heard about the incident, you should know the current situation of this island."
Erza looked at Gray with a serious expression and said, "So what if I know? My current role is to bring back those who violated the guild's rules. Other than that, I'm not interested in anything else."
Gray retorted loudly, "Didn't you see the villagers' plight here? I really misjudged you, Erza."
"What did you say?" Erza's gaze became dangerous.
"Do you also want to break the guild's rules? Things are not that simple."
Erza summoned a sword and pointed it at Gray.
"Do as you please."
Gray grabbed the sword, meeting Erza's gaze without flinching, his eyes full of determination.
"But this is the path I've chosen, and no matter what, I must do this."
Gray's will was unshakeable. Even when facing Erza, he showed no sign of backing down.
Just as the two were about to erupt into a more intense conflict, Ryoma, who had been silent, finally spoke.
He first walked to Erza's side and said in an understanding tone, "Erza, I understand your position. Upholding the guild's rules is your duty, and it's also to protect all of us. Principally speaking, what you're doing is entirely correct."
Hearing this, Erza's tense expression softened slightly.
Seeing this, Ryoma immediately changed his tone, his voice becoming serious, "But what is the original intention of the rules? It is to maintain order, protect more innocent people, and at the same time guard the glory of Fairy Tail."
"But if we leave now because we rigidly adhere to the rules, allowing Lyon to unseal Deliora, what huge disaster will that cause?"
He looked at Erza, then at the agitated Gray, and continued, "At that time, countless people will die, and the entire island, even the neighboring continent, will be devastated."
"At that time, Fairy Tail would have followed minor rules, but allowed a major disaster capable of shaking the world to occur. Wouldn't this, in fact, violate the original intention of the guild's establishment and tarnish the guild we are so proud of?"
Ryoma's words were forceful, causing everyone present to fall into contemplation.
Erza gripped her sword hilt tightly, her heart in a fierce struggle.
Finally, she took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Alright."
She looked at Gray, her expression still serious, then swung her sword and cut the ropes on Lucy and Happy.
"This won't solve the problem. Let's finish the quest first."
She paused, then added, "Don't misunderstand, you still have to accept punishment."