Countless crystal balls hurtled toward Zorn at breakneck speed, but Zorn remained standing still. Countless beams of light appeared out of thin air within the Magic Circle, shattering the crystal balls with pinpoint accuracy.
But in the instant it shattered, it was instantly restored and attacked Zorn again.
Zorn tried several times, but with the same result each time, so he gave up the idea of continuing to cause destruction and attacked the Magic user directly.
"Ah, what a troublesome Magic." After saying this, Zorn vanished from his spot and reappeared behind Ultear, one of his feet glowing as he was about to kick her in the waist.
Ultear instantly transformed all the crystal balls into a circular defensive shield in front of her. Just as Zorn kicked the shield, she was simultaneously thrown away by a tremendous force, and the shield shattered instantly, scattering across the ground.
After tumbling several times in the air, Ultear finally managed to stop using the force of a crystal ball beneath her feet.
"Your Magic is very powerful, capable of controlling time, but it also has a major weakness: it can't be used on creatures other than plants," Zorn explained to himself.
Ultear her teeth, looking at Zorn with a solemn expression. This Arc of Time Magic was indeed not going to solve Zorn's problem for now.
Even another Divine Illumination Magic seems ineffective against Zorn, as it is essentially a beam attack.
There was no other way but to use a different kind of Magic. Ultear unleashed her full Magic Power, which was truly formidable, and a chill slowly enveloped the entire beach.
Zorn's previously joking expression turned somewhat serious at this moment. It seems there was a reason why Ultear had strong Magic Power since childhood and was sent to the research institute by Ur for treatment.
On the other side...
The battle between Gray and Lyon is also at a fever pitch.
"Gray, your strength has really improved a lot."
Lyon, supporting himself with one hand, looked at Gray was only injured, with a resentful expression.
The surrounding environment had been completely destroyed by Ice-Make Magic, becoming nothing but ice crystals.
"There are many ways to surpass your master. Your actions are tantamount to killing him again. It's truly disappointing." Gray recalled what the Guild Master had told him: completely melting the ice would be equivalent to killing that person again.
"Say what you will, this is the day I've lived, but you've completely ruined it. It was so close, just a little bit more."
"Hateful"
Lyon's hands were now frozen solid, and he charged at Gray with ice spikes flying, attacking Gray relentlessly while saying, "The only way is to bury Deliora, whom even Master couldn't defeat, with your own hands. That's the only way. Do you understand, Gray?"
"Your ambition is indeed admirable, but you've gone astray, haven't you? A guy who can't even see the truth shouldn't even think about beating Ur; you're a hundred years too early."
Gray easily dodged Lyon's attacks, which only enraged Lyon, who then launched even fiercer attacks. However, Gray simply grabbed Lyon's ice spike with his right hand, shattered it, and flung Lyon away. He then berated his senior brother, who had gone astray.
Lyon remained silent. The instant he slammed into the wall, he stretched out one hand and released. "Ice-Make: White Tiger," a dynamic, charging tiger made entirely of ice, attacking Gray.
Gray, however, jumped up and cast the same Ice-Make Magic: "Ice-Make: Cage," locking the tiger in. Standing on it, he looked at Lyon with a pained expression.
"Is this your true nature, Lyon? Just a pathetic animal who doesn't understand the world."
"Boring. Your static Maker Magic can't beat my dynamic Maker Magic. Watch how I destroy your cage."
Lyon angrily reached out to try and control the White Tiger to break free of its cage, but no matter how he used his Magic Power, the White Tiger remained tightly bound by the cage.
"Don't you understand? Ice created with one hand has very poor stability and balance, making it impossible to exert force in crucial moments."
"Ice-Make: Ice Cannon"
Gray jumped down, looked at Lyon who was still struggling with all his might, and after speaking, he put his hands together. A blue Magic Circle rose from under his feet, and a cannon made of ice and snow appeared in Gray's hands, aimed at Lyon.
After Gray fired the cannon, accompanied by Lyon's scream, a large hole was blasted through the Temple building, and Lyon lost consciousness and lay on the ground.
Gray vs. Lyon -- Gray wins.
At the top of the Temple, Natsu and his group were fighting one-on-one. However, unlike Gray and his group, the battle ended quickly. The members of Lamia Scale all fell to the ground, losing consciousness.
The others who were performing the Moon Drop Ritual were also taken down, and the Moon Drops ritual was thus discontinued.
Natsu, Lucy, Cana breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. After tying up Lamia Scale and the people performing the ritual with ropes, they went down to the bottom of the Temple to reunite with Gray.
After the two groups met up, they sat in the cave, lost in thought, trying to figure out how to transport Deliora back north and keep her frozen.
After all, the freezing effect remains even after the ritual is canceled. The ice formed by Absolute Freeze is not like normal flames, which can melt under normal conditions. This plan can be implemented to transport it back.
When it comes to Zorn, this situation could be completely handled by Zorn, who could take care of it directly.
"Where's Zorn?! At this time..."
Gray didn't see Zorn there, so he anxiously asked Cana.
"Don't worry, he's just gone to deal with another enemy."
"It seems the culprit behind this incident is someone else, but don't worry, it will be resolved soon," Cana explained from the side, but this explanation made Natsu jump up.
"Oh right, I also need to check on the people in the village to see if the curse has been lifted." Natsu suddenly remembered something. After all, the Moon Drop Ritual had stopped, but what he didn't know was that everyone in this village was originally a demon.
"No rush, let's wait for Zorn to come back."
On the beach, Ultear panting heavily, her hands on the ground. A huge ice spike had appeared on the road in front of her, and the surroundings were completely covered with ice and snow.
"Damn it, that's it, isn't it!"