Boom!
A strong tremor suddenly came from the direction of the ruins, shaking the entire Galuna Island.
In the forest far from the ruins, Erza forced back the enemy in front of her with a sword, but stumbled and almost fell.
"W-wah!"
Lucy was even knocked onto the ground by the sudden shaking.
"W-what's going on?!" She looked around, still startled.
However, the next second, a sight more shocking than an earthquake appeared.
The ruins not far away, that ancient building which had been severely tilted by Natsu's destruction, as if it could collapse completely at any moment, was now... slowly righting itself.
The fallen rubble and broken stone pillars seemed to have their time rewound, flying back to their original positions piece by piece, rejoining and combining.
"The ruins... are repairing themselves?"
Lucy rubbed her eyes, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.
"No."
Erza's expression was more solemn than ever.
"It's magic."
She stared intently at the ruins that were returning to their original state, the ominous premonition in her heart growing stronger.
"Their ritual... can start again."
...
Meanwhile, Ryoma appeared at the top of a large tree, and he also felt the tremor of the earth beneath his feet.
His gaze had already locked onto the ruins undergoing a miraculous change.
"Arc of Time..."
Ryoma's eyes were calm, instantly understanding what was happening.
To rewind the time of non-living objects, restoring damaged buildings to their original state.
Undoubtedly, Ultear had made her move. Zalty, wearing that ridiculous mask, was her disguise.
This meant that Lyon's ritual to revive Deliora was about to restart.
Ryoma's perception spread out.
Gray and Lyon's magic were confronting each other in the center of the ruins, filled with the tension of a fated duel.
And another flame-like magic was rampaging through the passages of the ruins, chasing another magic.
"Let Gray and Lyon settle their grievances themselves." Ryoma made up his mind.
It was meaningless to interrupt their duel. The most urgent task was to solve the most fundamental and dangerous problem.
Deliora!
He reined in all his thoughts, and his eyes became sharp.
"Time to meet an old friend. This time, it should be her turn to run."
The moment his voice fell, an exquisitely intricate ice flower quietly bloomed on the verdant leaf beneath his feet.
Buzz!
A faint, almost imperceptible ripple appeared in space, and Ryoma's figure instantly vanished from his spot.
The next moment, his figure had appeared in a dark, damp passage inside the ruins. The air was filled with dust and the scent of decaying age.
"Don't run! You stinky masked guy!"
Natsu's full-throated roar sounded from afar, followed by a violent explosion.
Ryoma paid no attention. Natsu could hold off Ultear for a while, which conveniently facilitated his subsequent actions.
He perfectly contained his immense magic power within his body, not letting a single trace leak out.
At this moment, he was like an ordinary person who couldn't use any magic, his aura completely integrated with the surrounding environment. He moved like a true shadow, silently sneaking towards the deepest part of the ruins.
His goal was clear: to confirm Deliora's state before the ritual truly began.
Passing through a long, narrow, and downward-sloping passage, the space before him suddenly opened up.
A cavernous underground hollow, larger than imagination, appeared before Ryoma. In the center of the hollow, a giant block of ice stood silently.
That was... the prison sealing the calamity.
Ryoma stopped walking.
He once again saw the calamitous demon that had brought despair and death to countless people, sealed within this ice block—Deliora.
Its massive and hideous body was sealed within the ice, its huge head hanging low, as if in eternal slumber.
Ryoma looked up. Directly above the hollow, a large circular area connected to the top of the ruins. A strange purple light was faintly radiating down from that area. The outline of a complex magic circle was slowly forming within that purple light.
"Moon drip..."
Ryoma muttered to himself.
It seemed the ritual at the top of the ruins was ready, just waiting for the moon to reach its zenith, and the gathered moonlight would be guided down this passage to Deliora's seal.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the passage he had come through.
The short figure wearing the ridiculous mask hurried in, it was Zalty.
Upon entering, she immediately saw Ryoma standing there, a flash of surprise in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by disdain.
In her eyes, he was merely a defeated opponent. He wouldn't pose any threat to her. Moreover, it didn't matter now.
Everything was already set!
Her gaze passed over Ryoma, looking up at the purple magic circle that was about to form overhead.
"Hehehe... It's about to begin."
She let out an excited laugh, as if admiring a perfect work of art about to be completed.
"Deliora will soon be revived, it can no longer be stopped." Her voice echoed in the empty cavern, filled with undeniable confidence.
However, no sooner had her words fallen than—
"I finally found you!"
A furious roar exploded from within the passage.
"Anyway, burn!"
Immediately after, a figure with fists blazing with fierce flames rushed in like a cannonball.
Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!
Natsu's roar and the explosion of flames intertwined, and that huge fiery fist, carrying destructive heat waves, slammed fiercely towards Ultear.
Facing this sudden attack, Ultear merely chuckled lightly, her body gracefully leaping aside at an incredible angle.
Boom!
The fiery iron fist grazed her clothes and heavily smashed into the rock where she had been standing, creating a charred crater and sending stones flying everywhere.
"Tch!"
Natsu landed steadily, and was about to launch a second round of attack, but he suddenly noticed another person.
"Ryoma?"
Natsu's face was full of confusion.
"Why are you here?"
However, Ryoma seemed not to have heard him, not even giving him a glance.
His gaze was fixed on the ridiculous masked man who had just dodged the attack.
Under the gaze of Natsu and Ultear, Ryoma slowly took a step forward, and the surrounding air seemed to turn icy cold in that instant.
Ryoma looked at Ultear, who thought she had everything under control, and asked in a calm, almost indifferent tone, "Are you truly certain?"