Inside the mysterious cave, the three remaining demons of the "Sea Demon King Revival Plan" held another meeting.
"Ace, about Chloe…" Fogue began.
"Yeah, I know. She got captured by those mages," Ace replied coolly.
Though they were demons, Fogue cared deeply for his companions. "Then we should go save her, shouldn't we?"
"No," Ace said firmly. "If they defeated Chloe, it means they have a way to counter our clan's unique magic. Right now, we need to avoid direct confrontation and wait patiently for our master's revival."
Ace's analysis was sound, but his words felt cold and ruthless.
Fogue's heart sank at the callousness. He raised his voice, pleading, "Ace, we already lost Walt because of one mistake. Are we really going to abandon Chloe too? She's just a kid—she's the future of our clan!"
"The future of our clan isn't her—it's our master!" Ace's expression twisted with a manic fervor, as if consumed by a delusional dream. "Once our master is revived, we can have as many half-breed demons like her as we want!"
This guy's completely lost it! Fogue thought, furious. He turned and stormed out.
Sinoy, who usually clashed with Chloe, watched Fogue's retreating figure in silence. Even she thought Ace's words were too heartless. They'd known each other for decades, after all.
"She's the one you brought into the fold," Sinoy said quietly. "Is it really okay to treat her like a disposable pawn?"
"For the greater goal, any sacrifice is worth it," Ace replied without hesitation.
"But this isn't a necessary sacrifice!"
"Yet it could jeopardize the plan, couldn't it?"
Sinoy fell silent for a moment before asking, "Aren't you worried she'll spill our plans?"
Ace's smile was chilling. "Don't worry. That girl's tougher than you think. She'll keep her mouth shut for the sake of our dream."
---
The next morning, the sunlight reflected off the snow, glaring brightly.
After resting for the night, Kira and the others decided to strike again, heading to the demons' stronghold to put an end to their ultimate goal: the frozen Sea Demon King.
"It kinda feels like we're the bad guys here," Kira said with a playful grin. "They've been working on this plan for decades, and we're about to wreck it all for a single mission."
"Don't say stuff like that!" Erza snapped, her voice brimming with conviction. "Their goal is to revive a powerful demon—a tyrant who could bring disaster. Mission or not, we'd have to stop something like that!"
Geez, Erza really can't take a joke… Kira thought. "I know, I know! I'm just saying, you're taking this way too seriously!"
At that moment, Gray and Natsu strolled over, yawning. "So, what's the plan?" Natsu asked.
Those two troublemakers had been restless since yesterday. After a few drinks, they'd gone wild, nearly storming the demons' base in a drunken frenzy. If Erza hadn't knocked them out, they might've charged in headfirst.
Gray, in particular, was itching for action. The mention of demons, Absolute Zero, and Moon Drip had him ready to teach them a lesson in ice magic.
"Don't worry, I've already assigned the headcount," Kira said.
He gathered everyone for a quick strategy session. "Based on the intel, there are three demons left, plus a Demon King who could revive at any moment. The main assault will be handled by me, Erza, Natsu, and Gray."
He pointed to the others—Lucy, Happy, Cana, and Loke. "You four stay here and guard the prisoner. Since she's one of their own, I'm betting those demons might try to rescue her."
After laying out the assignments, Kira added, "Be careful of the wolf packs. Individually, they're not strong, but their numbers can cause trouble."
"And if you run into a demon you can't handle, send up a signal flare. We'll get to you as fast as we can."
His words were meant to show concern, but the four left behind weren't thrilled. The main team gets one opponent each, but we're stuck here thinking four of us can't handle one demon?
"No way we'll need to call for help!" Cana said confidently.
"If they come for her, we'll take care of the demon ourselves!" Loke added.
"Yeah, don't underestimate us! We're plenty reliable, right, Lucy?" Happy chimed in.
"Uh… well… haha…" Lucy laughed nervously. Unlike the others, she wasn't exactly brimming with confidence. She wasn't the type to crave a fight.
"Oh, speaking of which," Kira said, suddenly remembering something. He pulled a small box from his spatial storage and handed it to Lucy. "I heard you guys took on an S-Class mission without permission. Just in case things went south, I brought this along. Didn't end up needing it last time, but I'll lend it to you for now."
Lucy's eyes widened as she recognized the familiar box. "This box… no way…!?"
"Yup, a Celestial Spirit Key," Kira confirmed. "You'll have to give it back when the mission's over, though."
"Really? I can borrow it?" Lucy's eyes sparkled, practically turning into the shape of Celestial Keys. It was almost comical.
Kira nodded with a smile. "You might not need it this time, but better safe than sorry. Just make sure to return it when the mission's done."
"Thank you so much!" Lucy squealed, lunging forward to give Kira a big hug. It was a heartfelt, friendly gesture, nothing more.
Sure, the hug was warm and soft, but Kira wasn't the type to get carried away. He was a "sage," after all! Helping others was just his thing, especially when it came to his guildmates.
Still, he reluctantly pushed her away. "No amount of hugs will change the fact that you've gotta give it back, got it?"
But Lucy was already lost in the joy of holding a new Celestial Spirit Key, barely registering his words.
"Let's move out!" Kira said.
After going over a few contingency plans, Kira, Erza, Natsu, and Gray set off for the demons' base, which Kira had pinpointed from Chloe's memories.
To his surprise, he'd already been to this base—it was the same cave he'd explored yesterday. Besides the path he'd taken to the mountaintop, there were two others: one leading to a meeting room and another to the sealed chamber holding the Sea Demon King.
Seriously? A three-way choice, and I picked the wrong one? Kira mentally cursed his bad luck with multiple-choice scenarios.
But no matter. As the saying goes, "once is unfamiliar, twice is routine." This time, he wouldn't mess it up.
The four soon arrived at the cave, its lavish decorations and dazzling treasures leaving Erza, Natsu, and Gray in awe.
"I can't believe a place like this exists deep in Mount Zonia…" Erza marveled.
"From the looks of it, this place has been here for a long time," Gray noted.
"These demons are loaded, huh, Happy?" Natsu grinned.
"Aye!" Happy floated around, eyeing the treasures, his little brain clearly scheming something.
As for Kira, he was in an even better mood than when he'd first visited. Why? Because soon, all this loot would be his!
Last time, he'd held back, thinking it might belong to someone else. But now? Demons' stuff is basically my stuff! They were about to take these guys down, so leaving all these jewels here would be a waste. Better for him to take custody!
The others weren't greedy types—a gem or two each would satisfy them. Perfect plan, Kira thought smugly.
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