"What should we do about this Delusion Hell Beast, Lady Alyan?" Ultear asked.
"Bury it beneath the earth and seal it here. This Moon Temple is filled with sacred power—it's a natural holy ground for sealing demons," Alyan replied.
"And what about them?" Erza glanced at the still-dazed White Night.
"Let them be. They're just a group of pitiful people. Maybe what they did was wrong, but they have their own sense of justice. There's no need to dwell on their pasts," Alyan said calmly.
"True enough. Then let's figure out how to remove the villagers' curse now," Erza said, recalling the words of the black-robed followers and the Four Divine Generals.
Those black-robed people—or rather, the town's residents—were all survivors of the Delusion Hell Beast's attacks. They had simply continued believing that White Night would lead them in defeating the monster and avenging their dead families and friends.
"But shouldn't the villagers' curse be connected to the Delusion Hell Beast? Do we really have to destroy it completely to lift the curse?" Lucy raised her hand and asked.
"No. The villagers' curse has nothing to do with the Delusion Hell Beast," Ultear said as she walked over after completely resealing the creature underground.
"They turned out like this because the magic power of Moon Drip is too strong. Even if the Delusion Hell Beast revived and was destroyed again, it wouldn't change anything."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go solve this already!" Natsu said with a grin.
"Come to think of it, if that's not the cause, then how exactly did the villagers end up cursed in the first place?" Gray asked, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.
"There's still someone here who should know!" Happy said, floating in midair with one paw raised.
Everyone turned toward White Night.
Still looking lost, he shook his head. "To be honest... I don't know either."
"What? If even you don't know how to remove the curse, then how did the curse happen at all?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Three years ago, when we brought the Delusion Hell Beast here, we already knew there was a village on this island," White Night said slowly.
"But we never disturbed them, and they never approached us either."
"That's true. Moon Drip has been shining over the Moon Temple every day for the past three years, right? So why didn't the villagers investigate?" Lucy wondered aloud.
"No, they did come," Gray said. "Village Chief Moka mentioned that they'd feel physically ill whenever they approached the Moon Temple."
"We never stopped them from moving around," White Night continued seriously. "Besides, whether Moon Drip really affects humans still has many unanswered questions."
"You're trying to say this has nothing to do with you?" Natsu retorted.
"Think carefully," White Night replied, his tone rising slightly.
"For the past three years, we've also been exposed to the moonlight. In fact, we've been closest to Moon Drip itself. So why has nothing happened to us, while the villagers farther away were affected instead?"
His words made everyone pause.
He was right. If Moon Drip truly transformed people into demons, then those directly exposed to it should have been affected first. It simply didn't add up.
"Still, better safe than sorry," White Night said, closing his eyes again.
"Maybe we haven't told you everything. In any case, what happens next is your guild's problem."
"Let's head back to the village first and discuss things there," Erza proposed.
With no better ideas, everyone agreed.
Natsu followed behind Erza with a helpless look, Happy fluttering overhead, while Gray and Lucy trailed after them. In the end, only Ultear and Alyan remained behind.
"If you feel lost, then join a guild," Alyan said before leaving.
"You might find the answer you're looking for there."
White Night opened his eyes and stared at Alyan's fading figure disappearing into the darkness.
"Join a guild..." he murmured to himself.
Back in the village, Alyan's group headed straight to the room where Natsu and Gray had been staying.
Everyone exchanged ideas, trying to think of a solution.
Not long after, someone knocked on the door.
Gray opened it to find Village Chief Moka standing outside.
"Chief? What's wrong? Come in," Gray said, stepping aside.
"No need," Moka replied.
"I just came to ask... when will you be destroying the moon?"
The room instantly fell silent.
Destroy the moon?
What an oddly specific phrase.
Erza suddenly connected all the clues in her mind. She stood up and walked over to Gray.
"That'll be easy," she said while looking at Moka.
"We can begin preparations immediately."
"Huh?! Destroy the moon?! Erza, are you serious?!" Lucy cried out in shock.
"Aye. That's Erza for you," Happy whispered.
"Even for Erza, destroying the moon should be impossible, right?" Gray said in disbelief.
"Hahaha! See? I told you we should just destroy the moon!" Natsu laughed loudly.
Only Alyan and Ultear immediately understood.
Through the window, they stared at the purple moonlight outside and realized the truth.
"Really?! Wonderful! Thank you, mages!" Moka exclaimed excitedly before rushing off to gather the villagers.
"You figured it out?" Ultear asked with a smile.
"More or less," Erza nodded. "That's why we need to destroy the moon."
"Natsu, I'll need your help this time."
"Leave it to me!" Natsu sprang to his feet excitedly and followed Erza outside.
"Alyan, aren't you going to stop her?" Lucy asked.
"No need. Just watch," Alyan said as he rose to his feet as well.
"We'll leave this one to Erza."
Ultear chuckled and nudged Lucy and Gray forward.
"Come on. The show's about to start."
By the time they arrived at the village square, Erza had already equipped the Giant Armor and was standing atop the watchtower beside Natsu.
Wielding the Spear of Evil-Breaking, Erza turned to Natsu and said:
"When I throw the spear, use your flames to strike the back of it and increase its momentum. That should be enough to destroy the moon."
"There's no way something like that could actually work!" Lucy complained.
"These two are way too fired up..." Gray muttered.
But Erza and Natsu ignored them completely.
Erza drew back her body, aiming the spear at the purple moon overhead. A crimson magic circle lit up on her wrist guards.
At the peak of her motion, she shouted:
"Now, Natsu!"
"Fly as high as you can!!"
Natsu unleashed his strongest flame punch, striking the rear of the spear perfectly.
Erza simultaneously hurled it with all her might.
"Go!!"
The spear streaked across the sky like a blazing meteor, shooting toward the moon at astonishing speed.
Everyone held their breath.
One second.
Two seconds.
A few moments later—
The Spear of Evil-Breaking struck the purple moon dead center.
Cracks spread instantly across its surface.
The villagers erupted into smiles, while Lucy, Gray, and Happy stared in absolute disbelief, their jaws hanging open.
"Whoa!! That's awesome! We did it!" Natsu cheered.
But what happened next stunned everyone except Alyan, Ultear, and Erza.
The purple moon shattered completely, revealing the true silver moon and a sky full of stars hidden behind it.
Meanwhile, the shattered purple moon dissolved into countless particles of light that drifted gently down from the heavens.