"Put this matter aside for now. Lyon, get me the detailed information on the Moon Drip Ritual. I need to study it."
Marco ignored Gray's furtive glance and made his request to Lyon.
He still believed the problem lay with the "Moon Drip Ritual," as the timeline was just too perfect.
The problems on Galuna Island began three years ago, which was also when Lyon and his group arrived. It couldn't be such a coincidence.
The two events had to be related; it had to be the "Moon Drip Ritual."
"…"
Lyon's Adam's apple bobbed.
Seeing Marco's unquestionable expression, he ultimately didn't dare to refuse.
He took a deep breath, and the cold, damp air in the cavern calmed him slightly.
He began to explain the details of the "Moon Drip Ritual."
He reminded himself that Deliora was still in Marco's hands. Whether his wish could be fulfilled depended on Marco's mood.
As he listened to the detailed information about the "Moon Drip Ritual," Marco pondered.
Lyon's explanation was indeed very thorough, including the required items, the formation layout, the method for initiating the ritual, its specific effects, possible negative side effects, and so on.
"Magical residue?"
Soon, Marco seized upon a key point.
"So, you're saying the reason the moon looks purple near Galuna Island is because the sky above the island is covered in a thick layer of magical residue, like a sheet of dirty frosted glass.
"That residual magical aura, imbued with the power of Moon Drip, covers the entire island like a giant inverted bowl, forcibly adding a distorted purple filter to the island's sky."
Marco had found the answer to a question that had been puzzling him.
The long-standing mystery was suddenly clear, and everything became logical.
It made sense.
The moon looked perfectly normal everywhere else; why would it "blush" only for Galuna Island?
"Does this magical residue have any effect?"
Lucy subconsciously hugged her arms, as if the invisible residue brought a chill.
Her face was filled with worry.
"Even if it does have an effect, it shouldn't only affect the natives of Galuna Island, right?"
Her question echoed in the cavern.
It was the same problem as before: why were only the natives of Galuna Island affected?
"Let's clear out this magical residue first and see what happens." Marco made an immediate decision.
Since he couldn't find the definite root cause right away, he would use the most direct and simple method: the process of elimination, starting with the magical residue blanketing the entire island.
"How do we do that?" Natsu sidled over.
He couldn't get involved in Lyon and Gray's drama, and it didn't look like they were going to fight anymore.
So, he began to hope Marco would find some new enemies.
He was here for a fight, and his battle with Yuka hadn't been satisfying at all.
"With the simplest method. We shatter it directly."
Marco glanced up, then immediately took action.
He followed the "moonlight tunnel" above and leaped straight out of the underground cavern.
Exiting through the "moonlight tunnel" brought him to the highest point of the temple.
The night wind howled as Marco landed steadily on the stone roof, which was marked by the passage of time.
He looked up.
The dome of the sky seemed within reach.
The moon, emitting an eerie purple light, was enormous and so close it was unnerving. It poured its cold, sinister brilliance down without reservation.
Even Marco's Gemini Gold Cloth seemed to be stained with an ominous purple glow.
This location was indeed a first-class spot for moon-gazing.
There was a reason the "Moon Drip Ritual" was performed here; the spot hadn't been chosen at random.
"Just as I thought." Marco examined the purple moon again.
This time, he clearly saw that the dense, cloying magical aura filling the sky did not originate from the moon itself.
Instead, it was like a foul miasma, suspended above Galuna Island, distorting the moonlight.
"Let's blast this thing open and see what happens."
Marco didn't hesitate, preparing to act immediately.
In truth, such a dense concentration of magical residue was bound to affect the environment, and in turn, the creatures living within it.
The mutated animals were likely a result of this residual magical aura.
Animals and plants were indeed more susceptible to such influences than humans, as they were inherently closer to nature.
Regardless of whether this was the cause of the islanders' mutation, shattering this magical residue would definitely be a good thing for Galuna Island as a whole. It would allow the ecosystem here to return to normal.
Standing atop the temple, clad in the Gemini Gold Cloth, Marco moved his right leg forward and knelt on one knee.
He held his hands forward as if preparing to fire a beam of energy, assuming a classic stance.
The Aries Gold Cloth appeared to his left, and the Capricorn Gold Cloth appeared to his right, both assuming corresponding poses.
The three Gold Cloths blazed with golden light.
VMMMM!
In the sky above, the constellations of Gemini, Aries, and Capricorn lit up in an instant, showering down a massive amount of stellar power that fell upon the three Gold Cloths and converged within Marco's outstretched hands.
The sphere of light for "Athena Exclamation" was born in his palms.
"Athena Exclamation!" Marco pushed his hands forward.
The seemingly tiny sphere of light instantly shot toward the polluted heavens with the authority to judge all creation.
But the sphere did not ascend very high before it was met with resistance, as if it had slammed into an invisible, viscous wall.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion roared, and the entire island of Galuna trembled violently.
The sky, shrouded in purple magic, was instantly ignited, torn, and shattered like fragile glass.
An indescribable, terrifying wave of magic power spread out madly from the point of impact.
Torrents of golden, purple, and incandescent energy writhed like furious serpents of light in the night sky.
The blinding flash instantly devoured everything, illuminating the midnight of Galuna Island as if it were high noon!
The intense flash made the others, who had just poked their heads out of the underground cavern, instinctively raise their hands to shield their eyes.
They couldn't look directly at it.
A powerful shockwave, carrying a scorching heat, rushed toward them, whipping their clothes about wildly and nearly knocking them off their feet.
"This…"
Lucy, Gray, Lyon, Natsu, Yuka… everyone was utterly stunned by the world-destroying scene before them.
Their pupils dilated, their mouths hung open unconsciously, and their faces were etched with the ultimate shock and disbelief.
This was no longer mortal power.
This was the might of the stars themselves!
At that moment, the sky above Galuna Island looked as if it had been torn apart, completely shattered.
The thick, viscous magical residue from the "Moon Drip Ritual," which had accumulated for three years, was as fragile as a soap bubble in the sun before the "Athena Exclamation."
It couldn't even muster a shred of resistance before it was completely evaporated, disintegrated, and blasted into nothingness, not leaving even a trace behind.
"The moon… it's back to normal!" Natsu shouted excitedly.
The others had also seen it.
The moon, which had been purple, had indeed returned to its soft, bright white after the layer of magical residue covering Galuna Island vanished.
In the deep night sky, there was no longer a trace of purple haze.
The myriad stars revealed their brilliant splendor once more.
The bright moon, high above, had finally broken its shackles, shed its sinister guise, and once again radiated the gentle, holy, silvery luminescence it was meant to have, shining down upon Galuna Island.