The arrival of SkullGreymon plunged the entire Fairy Tail guild into a deathly, suffocating silence.
Its massive body, composed purely of sun-bleached bone, emanated a heart-stopping aura of decay.
Its crimson pupils held no intelligence—only a frenzied, mindless desire for absolute destruction.
A mere glance from it was enough to make even the bravest mage feel as if they had been plunged into an icy abyss.
"Are... Are you kidding me?! What in the world is that monster?!" Cana's voice trembled, her cards scattering from her hands.
"Mirajane... was taken down in one hit..." Levy covered her mouth, her face pale with disbelief.
The first to snap out of the shock was Natsu.
"Damn it! So that guy has a dragon for a Summoned Beast! Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Natsu took a deep breath, his belly swelling like a massive furnace as it accumulated endless energy.
With his inhalation, the surrounding air heated to an extreme temperature, shimmering as if it were about to ignite spontaneously.
Suddenly, a torrent of scorching flames erupted from Natsu's mouth, forming a spectacular fiery flood.
Like a ferocious fire dragon, it roared across the hall, charging forward with bared fangs and brandished claws.
BOOM!
The flames engulfed the massive dragon's head in a blinding explosion.
However, when the fire dissipated, not a single scorch mark was left on SkullGreymon's ghastly white skeleton!
It seemed merely annoyed by the provocation, slowly turning its skull toward Natsu. Its jaw opened and closed with a grating clack-clack sound that set everyone's teeth on edge.
"What?! How did it have no effect?!" Natsu's eyes widened in genuine shock.
"Out of the way! Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!"
As Gray's voice rang out, he swiftly slammed both palms onto the cold, hard ground.
In an instant, a powerful current of frigid air surged endlessly from his palms like a roiling tidal wave, spreading out in all directions at astonishing speed.
In the blink of an eye, the floor began to tremble violently.
Then, one after another, sharp, translucent ice spikes burst from the ground like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
They crisscrossed to form an impenetrable wall of jagged ice, whistling straight toward the colossal legs of the terrified SkullGreymon.
The objective was clear: freeze SkullGreymon's thick, sturdy leg bones in one fell swoop to immobilize the creature or force it to collapse.
Crack! Crack!
The moment the solid ice made contact with the bones, it shattered into a million sparkling diamonds, unable to leave even a trace of frost!
SkullGreymon's skeletal density was far beyond imagination—it was as if the creature existed outside the laws of elemental magic!
"It really is strong. Are its physical and magical defenses both ridiculously high?!" Gray gritted his teeth, sweat forming on his brow.
SkullGreymon seemed to have grown tired of these ticklish attacks. Its immense, terrifying bone claw, radiating a sinister aura, swung out as if reaching from the depths of hell itself.
It moved with incredible speed for its size, looking as if it would tear the very fabric of the world apart!
Accompanied by a piercing shriek as it cut through the air, the giant claw swept across the room like an executioner's scythe!
"Natsu! Watch out!" Happy shrieked, flying desperately to pull Natsu away, but it was too fast!
"Gah!"
Natsu had no time to dodge.
He was struck head-on by the bone claw as he spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing violently right into Gray, who was in the middle of preparing his next attack.
The two rivals immediately tumbled into a heap, knocking over a pile of tables and chairs in a tangle of limbs.
"Get off me, you damn flame-brain!" Gray cried out in pain, clutching his ribs.
"Cough... You're the one in the way! Ice-fucker!"
Even while injured, Natsu didn't forget to retort, but it was clear both had temporarily lost the ability to fight.
Seeing SkullGreymon turn its attention to the other terrified members huddled near the bar, it lifted its massive bone foot, about to stomp down and crush them flat!
"That's enough!"
A furious roar exploded like a clap of thunder!
Makarov, who had been observing intently from the balcony, finally made his move!
An astonishing amount of magic power erupted from his small frame, filling the room with golden light.
In an instant, he deployed a series of complex defensive Magic Circles between SkullGreymon and his children!
Bang!
The bone foot stomped onto the Magic Circles, creating a dull, heavy thud that shook the building.
The circles fluctuated violently, cracking under the pressure, but they successfully blocked the fatal blow!
"All members, fall back immediately!" Makarov's voice was steady, carrying an unquestionable authority.
He leaped into the air, and while still mid-flight, his right arm began to rapidly expand to a gigantic size!
"Giant's... Fist!"
The massive fist descended like a falling mountain, carrying immense kinetic energy.
Yet, the force was skillfully controlled, aimed at suppression rather than lethal destruction. The fist accurately struck SkullGreymon's spine!
Rumble!
SkullGreymon was slammed face-first into the ground by the tremendous force.
The stone floor cracked into a spiderweb pattern, and the entire guild trembled as if an earthquake had hit!
"Did... did he do it?" someone shouted hopefully from behind a pillar.
However, the next moment, the SkullGreymon let out an even more ferocious roar, enraged by the humiliation!
"ROAR—!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several organic missiles that seemed almost alive, trailing crimson flames, launched howling from the vertebrae on its spine!
They traced bizarre, twisting arcs in the air, possessing a terrifying tracking function as they shot toward Makarov from different directions!
This was the first time Ace had seen this skill in person, but he recalled its name with dread: Darkside Attack.
"It has a ranged attack like this too?!" Makarov's gaze sharpened.
His giant arm quickly shifted, returning to a defensive position to shield himself like a buckler.
The missiles slammed into his giant arm and exploded one after another.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The power was astonishing, the blasts covering more than half of the guild hall in smoke and fire.
The scorching heatwave and shockwave sent tables and chairs flying even further away!
As the dust settled slightly, scorch marks were visible on Makarov's giant arm.
His expression was grave as he watched the fiercely aggressive SkullGreymon struggle back to its feet, shaking off the rubble.
"It seems a blow of that level isn't enough to quiet you down... What a headache. Try this!"
Makarov clasped his hands together, and a brilliant, holy light erupted from his body!
The powerful light-based magic instantly dispelled the dark and ominous aura that choked the guild!
Countless dense arrows of light, formed from pure, concentrated magic, rained down from the sky, precisely covering SkullGreymon's entire body!
The arrows were not meant to pierce physically but to act like a scorching rain of purification.
They continuously burned away the dark energy around SkullGreymon, having a clear suppressive effect on its death-infused skeletal body!
Sizzle—!
Like cold water hitting hot oil, white smoke rose furiously from SkullGreymon's bones where they made contact with the light arrows.
It let out a pained and furious roar, its movements becoming noticeably sluggish, and the red light in its eyes flickering erratically.
Ace stared at the massive figure struggling in the rain of light.
Its enormous body was enveloped by countless dazzling rays, bound like shackles, rendering it unable to move an inch.
Ace marveled inwardly.
'Is this just the tip of the iceberg of the Master's power? It's terrifying...'
Seeing SkullGreymon's weakened state, Ace focused all his concentration, trying to force his will through that rampaging, chaotic spiritual link!
"Come back! SkullGreymon!" he yelled hoarsely, slamming his hands down in the air as if physically trying to close the ominous summoning circle.
In the rain of light, SkullGreymon's massive skeletal body began to turn illusory and distorted.
Finally, unable to maintain its form against the suppression and the recall command, it transformed into a dark stream of data that was forcibly sucked back into Ace's Digivice.
The suffocating pressure within the guild vanished abruptly, leaving only a scene of devastation and the shaken members.
Ace, drained of every ounce of energy, dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.
Makarov shrunk back to his normal size and walked over to Ace.
His expression was incredibly stern, his small frame exuding immense pressure.
"Ace, what in the world is going on? That... monster..."
Everyone held their breath, looking at Ace and waiting for his explanation.
Ace lifted his head. His gaze swept over the ruined guild, the injured Natsu and Gray, and the hole in the wall where Mirajane had been sent flying.
His voice was hoarse but clear.
"It... is not a monster," Ace said, word by word, as if each syllable carried immense weight.
"We encountered a danger we couldn't fight... It was to protect me that it ended up in that state, forced to evolve into a form of extreme pain and despair..." Ace's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"It lost its reason, left with only the instinct to destroy... but I know its first and deepest obsession was to 'protect Ace'..."
He looked up, meeting the gazes of Makarov and all the guild members, his eyes clear and resolute.
"No matter what it becomes, it became this way to protect me. It is my most important partner, and I will never abandon it!"
As his words fell, the guild remained silent.
But the initial fear and confusion gradually gave way to a complex emotion.
They could almost imagine the desperation; they remembered his shouts as he tried to stop it when it lost control.
Natsu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned, sitting up amidst the debris.
"It became like that to protect a friend, huh... Sounds pretty manly to me!"
Gray also struggled to his feet, wincing as he held his side. "You're still a reckless idiot for using it here, but... I can respect not abandoning a partner."
"Ace..." Tears of emotion welled up in the eyes of Levy and the other members.
Makarov's stern expression gradually softened, eventually turning into a deep sigh and a hint of imperceptible approval.
He patted Ace's shoulder.
"Gaining power to protect a partner, even at the cost of shouldering a curse... That sentiment is indeed something a member of 'Fairy Tail' would do. But, child, this power is too dangerous. You must learn to control it, or you will be controlled by it instead."
Ace nodded heavily, staring at his Digivice.
"Yes, Master! I will definitely find a way!"