On the Possibility of Destroying the Moon
Meanwhile, Jiang Bai and the others returned to the village and found the village gates tightly shut.
As they approached, the gate slowly opened.
By the moonlight, one could see that the village was filled with all sorts of grotesque and hideous demonic figures.
Its skin is an eerie purple, it has two horns on its head, and bat wings on its back.
"A ghost!"
Lucy and Happy were so frightened by this sudden scene that they huddled together and let out a piercing scream.
"Lucy, Happy, calm down,"
Jiang Bai sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
"Isn't that the village chief and his group? They already showed us around yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Lucy mustered her courage and took a closer look, only to discover that one of the demons was none other than the village chief.
She patted her chest and complained, "Village chief, why did you all have to become like this? It's so scary at night."
The village chief's ferocious demonic face showed a helpless expression. "Master Mage, we don't want to either."
"But under this moonlight, we simply couldn't control ourselves."
"We are afflicted by the Moon Curse; unless the moon in the sky is destroyed, this curse will never be lifted."
Lucy was stunned by his words: "Huh?! Destroy the moon? How is that even possible?"
Jiang Bai stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "Hmm... with my magic, thinking about going to the moon isn't impossible."
"If I put in the time, I should be able to destroy it. But there's no air on the moon, and I can't stay there for very long."
"Jiang Bai, you must be joking. How could a person possibly go to the moon? Hahaha."
Lucy forced a smile, trying to ease the absurd atmosphere.
Upon hearing this, the village chief and the villagers all lowered their heads in despair, and the atmosphere was filled with sorrow.
"What can we do then? Is our curse truly unbreakable?"
"No,"
Jiang Bai interrupted their sorrow.
"It can be resolved immediately!"
"Hey! Jiang Bai, that's the moon! How could you possibly destroy it!" Lucy exclaimed anxiously.
"Jiang Bai, do you need Happy to give you a ride for a bit?" Natsu asked.
"Hey! We can fly really high!" Happy volunteered as well.
Gray, however, was more practical. "So, are we going to stay here for a while?"
Jiang Bai felt a wave of embarrassment, thinking to himself, "Why do these guys all think I'm really going to destroy the moon?"
What if destroying the moon causes abnormal tides, resulting in rising sea levels that flood the entire continent?
The author quips: Hey! Aren't you thinking of destroying the moon too?!
"Unnecessary,"
Jiang Bai waved his hand and said to everyone,
"You all just stay here and keep watch."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed it at the purple moon in the sky.
Red and blue light converged at their fingertips, and a terrifying energy that made the space itself tremble erupted instantly.
"Hollow Technique - Zi!"
A purple energy beam containing immense destructive power shot straight into the sky at speeds exceeding that of light, precisely targeting the moon.
In the blink of an eye, a crisp sound, like shattering glass, rang out from the sky.
"No... I didn't really shatter the moon, did I?"
Lucy covered her mouth, staring at the sky in disbelief.
Upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that the moon was still hanging perfectly intact in the sky.
However, it has returned to its normal ivory white color, instead of its previous eerie purple.
At this moment, countless fragments of purple light began to fall from the sky like rain, a truly beautiful sight.
What's going on?
Gray asked, puzzled.
Jiang Bai explained, "There's nothing wrong with the moon itself."
"The problem is that Lyon and his group have been collecting 'Moon Drops' on this island for years, and the dissipated magic, as a byproduct, has condensed into a thick purple film in the sky above the island. This film is the root of the curse."
"Soga!" Natsu suddenly realized.
"No wonder Jiang Bai wanted to destroy that temple,"
Lucy also came to terms with it.
"You're worried that someone will come here again to collect the Moon Drops, and then another thin film will form over this island, right? It's certainly a good way to solve the problem once and for all!"
Happy happily twirled in the air. "That way, the villagers can go back to normal!"
However, Gray pointed at the village chief and the others, and said in confusion, "But they still haven't recovered!"
When everyone looked over, they found that the villagers still maintained their demonic forms.
Jiang Bai shook his head and revealed the final truth.
"No, they've returned to normal. Because this is what they were originally like."
"They are demons by nature. Otherwise, why do you think this island is called 'Demon Island'?"
Lucy broke out in a cold sweat. "Then... that means..."
"Um!"
Jiang Bai nodded firmly, "They are all demons!"
Lucy screamed "Wow!" and darted to what she considered the safest place—behind Jiang Bai, only daring to peek out with her head slightly to observe.
Natsu, curious, ran up to one of the villagers and poked his tough skin. "Really? Are you really demons?"
The villager paused for a moment, then scratched the horn on his head. "Hiss... now that you mention it, it seems... what this young man said might be true."
Jiang Bai concluded by explaining, "'The Moon Drop' itself possesses purifying magic. Being enveloped by it for years has created obstacles in the memories of these demons."
"Furthermore, because they are born with the ability to transform into human form, they mistakenly believe they are cursed humans and foolishly submit requests to the Mage Guild."