Chapter 44: I, Dino Maxim, Stand Firm!
At this time, on the top floor, Gray and Lyon were locked in fierce combat.
"Ice-Make: Sword!"
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Lyon and Gray unleashed their long-range attacks simultaneously. The ice constructs collided mid-air, shattering into countless fragments that rained down around them.
"Ice-Make: Hammer!" Gray formed the magic circle with both hands. Cold air condensed rapidly above Lyon's head, and in the blink of an eye, a massive ice hammer came crashing down from above.
"Ice-Make: Ape!" A cyan magic circle lit up behind Lyon, and a huge ice gorilla materialized, blocking Gray's attack with its massive arms.
Gray glared at his former training partner. "Lyon! What are you trying to accomplish here?"
"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious from looking around? I'm going to resurrect Deliora and defeat it myself. Only then can I prove that I've surpassed Ur!"
"Just for something so pointless, you'd resurrect Deliora? You'd make Ur's sacrifice meaningless?!"
When Lyon heard Gray's words, his face twisted with rage. "Pointless?! You dare call my dream pointless?! You've gotten awfully cocky, Gray!!"
The Third Floor of the Ruins
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" A massive torrent of flames erupted from Natsu's mouth, streaking directly toward Yuka and Toby.
"Wave!"
FWOOSH! The flames dissipated harmlessly, leaving Yuka and Toby unscathed.
Yuka observed Natsu with interest. "What violent flames. So you're the Fire Dragon of the legendary Fairy Tail."
"We were once wizards from a prestigious guild ourselves. We won't be defeated so easily by you. Have you heard of the wizard guild Lamia Scale?"
Toby struck a pose on the opposite side, flanking Natsu. "That's right! We even have Jura, known as 'Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints'!"
WHOOSH! Natsu released flames from his fists, cutting off their boasting.
"Oi! You should listen when people are talking!"
"Who cares about any of that? I don't give a damn which guild you're from or who your guildmates are. You're targeting my client and getting in the way of our job—that makes you Fairy Tail's enemy. That's all I need to know!"
The Bottom Floor
SLAP!
"Hnng~~ah~!"
"Too slow! What, didn't you eat breakfast?"
On the lowest floor, directly in front of Zeref's demon Deliora's frozen form, the captive Ultear was positioned with her hands and feet planted on separate rocks, her body arched in a bridge position.
Due to her rather revealing outfit, certain glimpses beneath her skirt were clearly visible to Dino Maxim, who sat nearby watching with great interest.
"You pervert! Aren't you supposed to be a wizard from a legal guild?!" Ultear cursed. Every time his hand came down with that strange slapping motion, a peculiar vibration transmitted through her body, creating an intensely uncomfortable sensation.
The feeling was indescribable, but as a woman—though inexperienced—she understood what kind of reaction this was meant to provoke.
She could only feel her face flushing and her heartbeat accelerating. Her body's strength seemed to be draining away continuously, yet she forced herself to maintain this humiliating position to avoid worse punishment.
Dino declared righteously, "What's wrong with a man being a little perverted?!"
Ultear was momentarily stunned by his shameless words. What's wrong with men being perverted? Even wizards from Dark Guilds wouldn't say something so brazen.
"I finally caught myself a beautiful enemy captive. If I don't make her train properly, what kind of man would I be?!"
Ultear fell silent. Who would have thought that Dino Maxim—feared by every Dark Guild—would turn out to be such a perverted scumbag? An absolutely shameless one at that.
If I weren't here to complete the mission, I'd already be… wait.
"Ouch!" Ultear's arms gave out and she collapsed.
"Get up and continue!"
Ultear stood, then suddenly fell forward into Dino's arms as if her strength had given out. She lifted his chin with one finger, her breath warm against his face. "Hey… am I beautiful? If you joined our side, I could be yours. You could do whatever you wanted with me…"
SLAP! Before she could finish, Ultear felt another stinging impact. Not only did it hurt, but that strange tingling sensation returned even stronger.
"Ah! You bastard!" Ultear jumped back, glaring at Dino furiously.
"I, Dino Maxim, am a man of iron will! I won't be swayed by beauty alone. If you think a honey trap will work on someone like me, you're dreaming!"
Ultear's face flushed crimson. "You pervert! Who said I was trying to seduce you?!"
"Shouldn't you be going upstairs? Gray might already be dead by now. Lyon was his senior disciple under Ur, after all."
Dino smiled confidently. "Gray's a Fairy Tail wizard. He won't lose to his senior. I believe in him."
"What about the others?"
"Natsu's a Dragon Slayer—he's as tough as a cockroach. Lucy's got tons of potential too. The three of them will handle those small fries just fine."
"Then what about you? With your strength, stopping Deliora's resurrection would be child's play. So why are you down here… playing… playing around with me!" By the end, Ultear's face was bright red with embarrassment.
"My hobby!"
"You really are a perverted scumbag!"
Dino waved his hand dismissively. "Just kidding. I'm waiting, actually. Think about it—you've all worked for years to resurrect this thing, right? Wouldn't it be hilarious if I smashed Deliora to pieces with one punch the moment it breaks free from the ice?"
Ultear's expression froze. "That's twisted. Aren't you afraid that if something goes wrong, everyone will be killed by Deliora?"
"Like you?"
"Asshole!"
Suddenly, Dino's tone turned ice-cold, his entire demeanor shifting. "Listen carefully, Ultear. I don't care what your Dark Guild does out there. But you'd better not bring your schemes anywhere near Fairy Tail."
"Because if you do… I don't mind erasing every last one of you." As he spoke these words, Dino activated his Devil Fruit power.
CRAAAACK—
The air itself seemed to fracture. Ultear suddenly felt an overwhelming, bone-deep terror rising from the very core of her being. Every instinct screamed at her to flee from this man, but her body refused to obey. She collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, staring up at Dino with wide, horrified eyes.