Lucy POV
"U-Ugh! C-C'mon, g-get free!" Struggling with every ounce of strength I had, I put my feet against the wall and pushed, though I was forced to stop from the pain. Lowering my legs, I looked up at the ice shackles that bound my wrists to the wall before glancing at my pouch, which was lying a few feet away from me on the ground, and heaved a deep sigh. "Ha, stupid Gray, he didn't need to do this to me. Tsk, when I finally get free, I'll have him begging for mercy!" As wicked thoughts flashed through my mind as I imagined enacting my revenge on Gray for putting me in this situation, I suddenly sensed powerful yet ominous magic power that caused my skin to crawl.
"O-Oh no, d-did Gray fail to stop Lyon? Did Deliora awaken?" Biting my lip, I gazed down the path that Gray took before returning to attempting to free myself, ignoring the pain around my wrists as I tried my damndest to squeeze my hands through the ice shackles. "Ugh, j-just a bit more!" Feeling like I was almost free, the temple shook, causing my foot to slip as I slammed against the wall. "Ouch. Haa, who am I kidding, I wasn't even close; maybe if I dislocate my thumb?"
Looking at my thumb, I quickly shook my head and sighed; not only was the idea of dislocating my thumb less than ideal, but I had no clue how to do such a thing without seriously hurting myself. 'I barely know basic first-aid.' Lowering my head, I hung from the wall for a few moments, though it wasn't long before I heard faint footsteps, causing me to nervously gulp as I narrowed my eyes down the path Gray took, hoping it was him. "Dammit Gray, if it's not you." Muttering under my breath, I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist, awaiting whoever was walking toward me.
"Huh, why are you hanging from the wall, Lucy?" Hearing Cooper's voice, I snapped my head to the right, where I saw him approaching me with a raised eyebrow, causing me to release my fist and sigh in relief. "Tsk, it was Gray, he refused my help, and when I argued, he froze me to the wall… Can you help me down, big bro?" Clicking my tongue, I glanced upwards at Cooper, finding it slightly amusing that he was still taller than me despite my situation, though he quickly nodded. "Yeah, don't move."
'Oh god, he's so close.' While I enjoyed being so close to Cooper's muscular body that I wished I could lie upon it every night, he crushed the ice shackles, causing me to fall into his embrace. 'Ah, so firm and warm; if only his lower body was far less beastly.' Before I could get a better feel of Cooper's impressive body, the ominous magic power rapidly grew to a nearly suffocating level, causing me to subconsciously grab his body.
"Relax, you're safe with me, Lucy. C'mon, we need to get Gray; my instincts are tingling, so he's probably about to do something stupid." Said Cooper as he gently rubbed my back, allowing me to take a deep breath before I backed away, looking him in the eye and nodding. With a faint smirk, Cooper followed the path Gray took, prompting me to follow as we took a secret path through the temple that led us to the cavern underneath, where we saw the glacier that encased Deliora, only unlike last time, numerous cracks now allowed his magic power to leak through.
However, our gaze quickly shifted to Gray, who was standing with his arms crossed, only for my eyes to widen when I realized what he was attempting to do. "I-Isn't that the technique his Master used to seal Deliora at the cost of her life!?" As I looked at Gray with wide eyes, Cooper approached him and, to my surprise, he hit the back of his head, slamming Gray into the ground and canceling his Iced Shell. 'W-Well, that's one way to stop him.' Catching up to Gray and Cooper with a twitching expression, I kneeled and helped Gray onto his feet, as he was already heavily injured from his earlier battle with Lyon.
"W-What the h-hell, big bro!? D-Deliora is about to be released! I-I have to stop him!" Yelled Gray as he glared at Cooper, who calmly raised an eyebrow before hitting him again. "O-Okay, I think he gets it now, big bro, any more and you might knock him out." Raising my hand to Cooper, he scoffed before pointing at Deliora behind him. "So you plan to stop Deliora at the cost of your life? Do you think I'm just chopped liver or something? What makes you think I'd ever allow you to sacrifice yourself?" Said Cooper with an irritated gaze as he looked at Gray, who opened his mouth, yet couldn't find any words to refute.
"Heh, you may have a strategic mind, Gray, but that doesn't mean you're not my stupid little brother." Said Cooper with a soft gaze as he gently rubbed Gray's head, which made me slightly jealous, but I quickly shook my head, ridding myself of such thoughts. However, before our very eyes, the glacier, which was now covered in cracks, suddenly exploded, freeing Deliora along with his incredibly potent magic power, causing me to fall to the ground, unable to withstand the terrifyingly powerful magic of the demon before me. 'H-How can something so powerful exist!?' Raising my head, I gazed upon Deliora with nothing but fear and terror, experiencing the same emotions Gray must've felt all those years ago.
"ROOOOAAR!!" With a mighty roar, Deliora shook the cavern and caused it to slowly collapse; though despite the demon's power, Cooper didn't once show an ounce of fear. "Don't worry, Gray, okay? Your big bro will deal with this demon and free you of your worries." Offering us a reassuring smile with a confident expression, Cooper turned around and faced Deliora, only for an aura of golden magic power to erupt from him, causing my eyes to widen as he managed to match the magic power of Deliora, though unlike the Demon, I didn't feel any fear. 'I-I feel—Comfortable.'
Outstretching my hand into the golden aura, I felt it caress my hand like a warm, protective hug. "Gray, take Lucy away, okay? I don't want you two to get caught in our fight." Before I could refuse Cooper, Gray suddenly lifted me into my arms and began to run away. "You… You better not die, big bro." Muttered Gray softly as I looked at his hardened gaze before glancing at Cooper, whose back faced us.
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Cooper POV
As I watched Gray and Lucy leave, I shifted my gaze to Deliora and grinned, only for an ice lance to suddenly shatter against the Demon's chest, prompting me to glance at Lyon, whose eyes widened. "N-Not even a scratch?" Said Lyon with a defeated, shocked, and terrified expression while Deliora violently roared, speeding up the cavern's collapse. "Hmph, if you want to live, leave." To be honest, I think I'd rather see Lyon die for harming Gray so much, but since he didn't kill him, I would reluctantly hold myself back.
Just as Lyon took my advance and began to run away, Deliora opened its mouth and charged a beam aimed at the fleeing Lyon. Clicking my tongue, I half-filled my body with magic and pushed against the ground, causing it to cave underneath my strength as I speedily lunged toward Deliora; arriving at his feet, I leaped into the air and clenched my fist, uppercutting Deliora's mouth closed, forcing him back and canceling his attack.
"Oi, your fight is with me, demon, not that chump, and I'm going to enjoy killing you." Landing on the ground, I cracked my knuckles and glared at Deliora with a feral grin as he shifted his gaze from Lyon to me. "Heh, that's more like it." With a roar, Deliora stomped his foot onto me, prompting me to raise my arms as I caught his foot, only to be forced to the ground. 'Seems like I can't just half-ass it, figured though.' Once Deliora removed his foot, I leaped out of the crater while spitting onto the ground. Currently, I was just buying time for Gray and Lucy to get far enough away, so I wasn't using my full strength.
Crossing my arms, I blocked Deliora's tail swipe that flung me into the side of the cavern, while my arms felt like they were being pricked by hundreds of needles. Leaping into the air, I pushed myself off the wall and landed on Deliora's head while I began to repeatedly punch his head, doing hardly any damage, but it was annoying him, given how he'd loudly roared. 'Damn, his skull is thick.' Glancing at my bleeding knuckles, I clicked my tongue while Deliora jumped, slamming his head into the ceiling, causing me to groan in pain, though I quickly smirked as I stabbed my nails into the ceiling. "Heh, no point in stopping the cavern from collapsing, it'll at least occupy your time."
Enhancing my arm to the limit, I clenched my fist and punched the ceiling, causing cracks to rapidly grow, followed by it quickly collapsing onto Deliora. 'Welp, I should've gotten out of the way first, this is going to be annoying.' Along with Deliora, we were buried alive underneath the temple.