Zero Emperor Lyon!

Lucy looked at the huge block of ice, and then remembered the village's curse. She looked at Jiang Bai.

"Jiang Bai, are you going to destroy this monster? The curse in the village might be related to it. If you destroy it, the curse might disappear."

"No!"

Gray's voice was hoarse, yet unusually firm.

He blocked Jiang Bai's path, staring intently at the piece of ice. "Please wait! Don't break it yet."

"I want to know who this Zero Emperor really is? Why did he go to such lengths to bring Deliora, whom my master sealed away with his life, here?"

"Master?"

"Seal?"

Natsu and Lucy both expressed their confusion.

Gray's fists were clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.

"That's right, Deliora... was sealed away by my master, Ur, at the cost of his life, using 'Iced Shell'."

Then, Gray began to recount the past he didn't want to revisit.

Their homes were destroyed, and their loved ones were killed.

It was his master, Ur, who saved him, gave him a new life, and raised him and Lyon together, teaching them Ice-Make Magic.

Blinded by hatred, he recklessly challenged Deliora after learning of her whereabouts, ultimately causing his master to pay with his life to protect him.

At this point, Gray's face was filled with unbearable pain, and he seemed to have all his strength drained away.

No one offered any words of comfort.

This kind of excruciating pain defies description; words cannot express it.

All they could do was stand silently by his side.

Being there for someone is the best medicine right now.

"I hope you can leave that Zero Emperor... to me to handle."

Gray's voice was filled with undisguised anger.

"No matter who it is, I will not let him get away with it."

"Can."

Jiang Bai answered decisively, "Go ahead and do it."

Upon hearing this, Natsu immediately perked up. "Then that Zero Emperor is yours! I'll take care of the rest of the small fry! Yeah! I'm about to get fired up!"

Jiang Bai patted Gray on the shoulder, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority. "No one will bother you. Not even if Deliora is unsealed."

"Because I'm here."

Gray was startled.

He knew Jiang Bai wasn't lying.

He once believed that his master, Ur, was the strongest mage.

But after witnessing Jiang Bai's strength, Gray had to admit that Jiang Bai was the monster that could not be fathomed by common sense.

Natsu asked excitedly, "So what do we do now? Charge out and take them out?"

"No, wait a little longer."

Gray shook his head.

"I want to see what they're up to. I'm a little interested in that 'Moon Drop' they just mentioned."

Natsu pouted in dissatisfaction. "Huh? We have to wait?"

"Actually, there's no need to wait."

Jiang Bai spoke lazily.

"I know what the Moon Drops are for."

All eyes immediately turned to him.

Jiang Bai explained, "The Moon Drop is an ancient magic that removes non-elemental damage; it's also known as the 'Moonlight Drop.'"

"It is said to be able to dispel all magic in the world, including... 'Iced Shell'. However, this spell can only be activated when the full moon is in the sky."

As he spoke, Jiang Bai glanced meaningfully at Gray: "If I remember correctly..."

Gray's face instantly turned incredibly pale. "Ah, tonight... is the full moon."

A surge of anger rose within him.

Someone actually tried to break the seal that Master had risked his life for!

What makes them think they can? Do they have the same strength as Jiang Bai? How dare they unseal Deliora?!

"Since that's the case,"

Jiang Bai shrugged.

"Then let's just wait until they're fully unsealed, and we can solve everything at the same time, saving us trouble."

Although Jiang Bai had several ways to completely erase Deliora before it was unsealed, Gray would never know that his master, Ur, had actually used his own life to help him get rid of this nightmare.

"Iced Shell" is not just a seal, but also a way to continuously strip the demon of its life force.

Only by letting Gray see Deliora's weakness with his own eyes can his inner conflict be truly resolved.

There's nothing we can do but wait.

Night fell quickly.

As the moon slowly rose into the sky, the enormous magic circle in the underground space began to glow with a purple light, and the ritual of the "Moon Drop" began.

Yuka and the others returned, and this time, there was a man among them wearing a blue coat and a bull-horn mask.

Yuka respectfully said to the man, "Lord Zero Emperor, I'm sorry, we discovered the intruders during the day, but we haven't found them yet."

The masked man, Zero Emperor, waved his hand. "Intruders? Let's ignore them for now. How's the collection of Moon Drops going?"

Gray, who was hiding in the shadows, froze the moment he heard the masked man's voice.

That sound...

Yuka replied, "At the current rate, Deliora should be able to be unsealed tonight."

"Very good."

Zero Emperor nodded.

"In that case, to avoid anyone interfering while I'm dealing with Deliora, and since there's only one village on this island, let's go and give them a warning. If they dare to resist, teach them a lesson."

"Yes!" Yuka accepted the order.

Hearing this, Gray could no longer contain his rage. He burst out from behind the rock and roared:

"Stop your idiotic behavior right now... Lyon!!"

Gray's roar had barely faded when he charged out.

He quickly formed hand seals in front of him, and the Ice-Make Magic was activated instantly.

"ICE MAKE! Ice Blade!"

Dozens of sharp Ice Blades appeared out of thin air, spinning and whistling as they slashed at Lyon from all directions.

Faced with this overwhelming attack, Lyon didn't even flinch.

He simply waved one hand.

"ICE MAKE! Shield."

A huge Ice Shield, intricately carved with patterns, appeared out of thin air before him, blocking all the Ice Blades.

The shield and the Ice Blade canceled each other out.

Lyon didn't move an inch.

"Long time no see, Gray."

He removed the bull horn mask from his face, revealing a face that Gray knew all too well.

He had short, silver-white hair and handsome features, but his eyes held a coldness and arrogance that Gray had never seen before.

"Hey! That guy's using ice too!" Happy shouted from the air.

Yuka's face darkened. "Hmph, so they're Fairy Tail mages. They're the intruders."

"Gray, do you know that guy called Zero Emperor?"

Lucy leaned closer to Gray and asked in a low voice.

Gray's gaze was fixed on Lyon, his teeth clenched.

"He is my senior brother, Lyon."

"Senior brother?!"

Lucy covered her mouth, finding it hard to believe.

"Then why did your senior brother unseal the demon that your master sealed away with his life?"

Natsu's voice was filled with confusion.

This is also what Gray wants to know.

He stepped forward, facing the familiar yet unfamiliar figure, and questioned again, "Lyon, what exactly do you want?"