"Requip — Armor of Heaven's Wheel!"
Erza's voice rang out as her armor flashed into its celestial form. In a blur of motion, she crossed the air, her twin blades slashing deep into the demon's waist.
"GAAAHHH!" the creature bellowed, thrashing wildly, its massive hands swatting the air in pain.
"Ice-Make: Javelin!"
"Take this—Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Gray unleashed a storm of ice spears, each one rocketing upward and piercing the demon's upper body, while Natsu's blazing punch slammed into its face with explosive force.
The trio moved like a single organism—swift, precise, and devastating. Every strike landed at a vital point, forcing the monster to roar and stagger under their relentless teamwork.
Off to the side, several guild masters watched with astonished admiration, as if witnessing an elegant stage performance rather than a life-or-death battle.
"Impressive! Such coordination—I've never seen magic wielded like that!"
"Flawless execution!"
"Remarkable…"
Kageyama, Lucy, and Happy could barely contain their excitement as they cheered for Erza and the others, eyes gleaming with pride.
"Damn you all! I'll devour your souls!"
The demon's roar shook the air. A massive purple magic circle appeared above, swirling before being inhaled into its mouth. Instantly, the surrounding forest began to wither—the trees shriveling, the grass turning to ash.
"The plants—they're dying!" Lucy cried out.
"It's Lullaby! It's absorbing their life force!"
"Masters, Kael—what do we do?!"
Lucy turned in panic toward the others, who, strangely, seemed calm and unbothered.
"Don't worry," Kael said lightly. "We've got this."
The demon's next roar unleashed an ear-splitting sonic wave that tore through the air. Kael raised his hand, conjuring a glowing golden barrier that enveloped his allies. Instantly, the unbearable sound faded into silence.
Then—
Pfffft—
A ridiculous, flatulent noise echoed through the clearing.
The demon froze midair, dumbfounded. "What… what is that sound?"
"Was… was that a fart?" Happy snickered, barely holding in laughter.
"My beautiful voice! My majestic death melody—what happened to it?!" the demon howled in outrage.
Kael lowered his hand and said evenly, "Erza and the others have punched enough holes through your body to ruin your resonance. The flute's tone structure is broken—you'll never make that sound again."
"Ah, so that's why!" Lucy nodded in sudden understanding.
"Ha! He was acting all high and mighty a minute ago," Natsu laughed.
"I'm hungry, Lucy," Happy chimed in, still grinning.
Their mockery only made the demon's fury boil over.
"YOU DARE MOCK ME?!"
It stomped down, crushing a hill beneath its foot, then turned its burning gaze toward the guild masters. A torrent of hellfire burst from its mouth, scorching toward them.
"Kael—!"
"I know, Master!"
But before Kael could act, Gray leapt ahead.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
In a heartbeat, a towering wall of ice rose up, blocking the inferno. The flames crashed against it and vanished in a cloud of steam.
"So fast…" one guild master gasped.
"To conjure a structure that size instantly—unbelievable!" another murmured.
Kael smiled faintly. Gray's control and reaction time had grown immensely.
"The flames… they're disappearing!" Lucy pointed, realizing the fire had faded completely.
"Yosh! I ate it all!" Natsu grinned, his fists glowing like twin suns. "Now I'm fired up!"
"You—what kind of monster are you?!" the demon howled and threw a punch, but Natsu was already gone.
He sprinted up the demon's arm, feet pounding against the bark-like flesh. At the peak, he launched himself high into the air.
"Requip — Black Wing Armor!"
"Ice-Make: Whirlwind Disk!"
Erza switched to her black-wing armor, her speed surging as she infused her blades with Haki. In a single, blinding cross strike, both of the demon's arms were severed.
On the ground, Gray unleashed his ice magic—a spinning blade of frost that sliced clean through the demon's torso.
The monster reeled back, body splitting apart.
"Natsu—now!" Erza shouted.
"Got it!"
"Left hand, fire! Right hand, fire! Combine and—take THIS! Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
Natsu roared, merging twin streams of blazing energy into one enormous sphere of orange-red fire. The air rippled from the heat, the earth itself trembling beneath the pressure.
The demon looked up, horror in its glowing eyes, as the inferno descended.
"Natsu, you idiot!" Gray snapped. "Ice-Make: Heavenly Lotus Shield!"
A giant six-petaled lotus of crystal ice blossomed in front of everyone, shielding them from the infernal heat.
The fireball struck.
BOOOOM—!
The explosion swallowed the demon whole. Its final scream echoed as its wooden body was consumed and disintegrated into glowing embers. Gray's ice shield shattered, the fragments turning to glittering snow that drifted gently down.
"So beautiful…" Lucy whispered.
Makarov stood with his hands behind his back, a proud smile beneath his mustache.
"Incredible. To think they defeated a demon from Zeref's book so easily," one master said.
"No wonder Fairy Tail is the top guild in the kingdom," another agreed.
"Hahahaha! Of course we are!" Makarov laughed heartily, chest puffed out.
Kageyama sat nearby, chuckling weakly. "They're amazing… those Fairy Tail wizards. I couldn't even compare. Still… they're all such cheerful idiots." His voice carried a mix of admiration and envy.
"Indeed," another master said, patting his shoulder. "But you should focus on healing first."
To Kageyama's shock, the elder pulled him into an overly affectionate hug—so close it made everyone else wince.
"Well," said Goldman, the Four Hounds Guild Master, crossing his arms, "I suppose we owe Fairy Tail a great debt this time."
"But you all went way too far!" another master shouted suddenly.
"The meeting hall, two mountains, and half a forest—gone!"
Everyone turned toward Makarov, who froze mid-laugh, realization dawning.
"Ah… right. That might've been… excessive."
"'Excessive'?! You destroyed everything!" one cried.
Natsu scratched his head, laughing. "Heh, guess we might've overdone it, huh?"
Chaos erupted as the guild masters chased the laughing Dragon Slayer around.
Watching the scene unfold, Kael couldn't help but smile. Moments like this—these bursts of laughter and chaos—made him realize how much joy being in Fairy Tail truly brought him.
Natsu and Gray had grown stronger, far more than before. His training had paid off.
But his mind shifted to the tasks ahead—the Council, the matter of Erigor. Should he deliver him to judgment… or end it himself?
Kael glanced at the unconscious Erigor hanging from a nearby tree, lost in thought.
Whatever came next, Fairy Tail would face it—together.