Hearing this, Lucy said anxiously, "I think I might have a way to save you. Please, tell me why you can't return."
Loke turned towards the tombstone. "You can't save me, and I don't want you to."
"What are you talking about? You'll die if this continues!" Lucy was furious at Loke's self-defeating attitude.
"The reason is simple. I violated a taboo between Celestial Spirits and their mages, so I'm permanently banished from the Spirit World…" Loke said, his head bowed low.
"Permanently banished?" Lucy stared at Loke, stunned.
"I…killed Karen…" Loke's hand trembled slightly as he spoke.
"What…?" Lucy was speechless.
Finn looked at Loke. In Finn's mind, Loke wasn't the type to kill a comrade.
Loke stared at Karen's grave, lost in his memories.
————
Three years ago, Karen Lilica, a Blue Pegasus mage frequently featured in popular magazines, was incredibly famous, resulting in countless admirers.
Karen neither accepted nor rejected them. When she wanted to be left alone, she'd use her Celestial Spirit, Aries, to deal with them.
To Karen, Celestial Spirits were mere tools; she never considered their feelings. She'd use them to fend off annoying men or as shields against attacks; their purpose was entirely dictated by her whims.
This twisted worldview infuriated Master Bob of Blue Pegasus.
"Karen, Celestial Spirits are living beings. If you continue to abuse them, you'll eventually face the consequences," he said, his anger evident for the first time.
Karen felt fear, but anger predominated. She believed one of her spirits had betrayed her.
Aries became the unfortunate victim of Karen's wrath. Bob decreed that Aries would remain alone in the human world for seven days—an unbearable ordeal for a Celestial Spirit.
This action provoked Leo, the combat spirit, who couldn't tolerate Karen's cruelty towards the spirits. Leo forcefully replaced Aries, appearing before Karen.
Unable to endure Karen's treatment any longer, Leo demanded that Karen release him, along with Aries, from their contract.
Unsurprisingly, Karen refused.
In response, Leo forcibly remained in the human world. Since Karen couldn't summon two Celestial Spirits simultaneously (using two keys at once), as long as Leo remained, she couldn't summon other spirits and was therefore unable to work.
During this period, Karen raged, pleaded, but Leo refused to believe her.
Three months passed. Leo was considering forgiving Karen when he received news of her death.
Karen had secretly accepted a dangerous job, desperately gambling on her ability to summon two Celestial Spirits at once, but she failed, perishing during the mission.
"That is the sin I committed," Loke said weakly, leaning against Karen's tombstone, his body wracked with grief and despair.
"From that day on, I've been unable to return to the Spirit World. My reason for living has been this day—to slowly fade away at Karen's grave. This is my atonement."
"Ugh…" Suddenly, Loke's body began to shimmer and become translucent, a palpable sense of weakness washing over him.
"Loke!" Seeing this, Finn and Lucy rushed forward to support him.
"To have met Fairy Tail, to have met such a kind Celestial Spirit mage like you…thank you," Loke said, offering a heartbreaking smile to the two of them.
"Is there a way?" Finn asked Lucy, turning to her.
"If you return to the Spirit World, your fading life force will surely be restored. I have to get you back!" Lucy shouted, her voice filled with determination.
"Open, the gate of Leo!"
"Open, the gate of Leo!"
"Lucy, it's no use. You can't open a gate that's already closed," Loke weakly shook his head.
Finn took Lucy's hand, his own magic beginning to flow. "If your magic isn't enough, then we'll combine our power!"
Lucy nodded, her gaze fixed on Finn's determined face.
"Open, the gate of Leo! Bring Loke back to the Spirit World!" Lucy shouted again, this time a golden pillar of magical energy erupting with immense force.
"Open…it…for me…" Lucy continued to shout, her magic power steadily increasing. Both she and Loke within the golden pillar of light began to show signs of translucence.
Noticing this, Loke grabbed Finn's shoulder, shaking him violently while shouting, "Stop it! Stop it! It's impossible! You're both about to be absorbed! Let go!"
Finn smiled gently, his expression unwavering. "We can't just stand by and let a comrade disappear before our very eyes."
"It's impossible! Once a Celestial Spirit breaks the rules, they can never return to the Spirit World!!" Loke desperately struggled to prevent them from continuing, but Finn held him firmly in place.
"Please…please don't let me bear this guilt any longer…please…let go…" Loke's voice was choked with sobs.
"What kind of guilt is this? If caring for a comrade is a sin in the Spirit World, then I'll change that!" Lucy's furious roar reverberated through the night sky.
The instant Lucy's voice fell silent, the violent winds whipped up by their magic abruptly ceased.
Not only the wind, but the sound of the waterfall plummeting into the pool below also stopped simultaneously. Everything around them seemed to fall into a state of suspended animation.
A tremendous shockwave propelled the three of them backward. Just as Lucy was about to fall over the edge of the cliff, Finn, with lightning-fast reflexes, grabbed her arm, preventing her from plunging to her death.
Catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, Loke witnessed a shocking sight—the stars in the sky began to shift and swirl, and the previously downward-flowing torrent of water from the waterfall started to reverse its course, forming a colossal, sky-piercing curtain of water.
"Something's coming. And it's powerful!!" Finn whispered urgently.
The next moment, immense magical energy radiated from the center of the water curtain, causing the entire curtain of water to surge towards the epicenter with incredible speed.
As the magical energy coalesced, a colossal figure materialized in the air—a gigantic being whose immense stature rivaled that of a mountain peak, its entire body shimmering with countless points of starlight.
The enormous figure stood in the air, arms folded across its chest.
"What is that?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and apprehension as she clung tightly to Finn's arm.
"No…it can't be…impossible…?" Loke's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the gigantic figure before him.
"The Celestial Spirit King!!" Loke whispered the name in utter shock and awe.
Finn, gazing at the enormous figure before him, slowly rose to his feet. "Is that…the Celestial Spirit King?" he murmured softly.
"Celestial Spirit King? Could he be the most powerful Celestial Spirit of all?" Lucy whispered, her voice filled with wonder.
The Celestial Spirit King's gaze swept across the three individuals below, before finally settling on Finn, a look of both surprise and a hint of wistful understanding in its eyes.
Then, in a slow, deliberate tone, the King spoke, "My old friends, according to the pact between our kind and humanity, we are strictly forbidden from allowing any Celestial Spirit who has killed their mage to return to the Spirit World."
"Though you did not directly commit the act, Leo, as the Lion Celestial Spirit, your indirect involvement in the mage's death has resulted in your permanent banishment from the Spirit World," the Celestial Spirit King stated, his tone brooking no argument.
"Wait a minute, that's incredibly unfair!" Lucy protested, her voice sharp with indignation.
"Lucy, please don't," Loke tried to restrain Lucy, sensing the potential for further complications.
"My old friends, this rule is absolutely immutable," the Celestial Spirit King said, his words carrying the weight of ancient tradition. Loke couldn't help but think, Could it be that Lucy's declaration of her intention to change this rule is what prompted the Celestial Spirit King to appear?
"But you know Loke indirectly caused it while protecting his comrade. It was a tragic accident. What crime did Loke himself commit?" Finn confronted the Celestial Spirit King directly, his gaze unwavering.
"If this is a crime, then we, Fairy Tail, are willing to bear that burden for our comrade," Finn declared, drawing his sword, making it clear that if the King refused, he would resort to forcing the gate open to send Loke back.
"Three years! Loke has suffered for three years! He did it for his comrade, for Aries! It was unavoidable!" Lucy shouted, her voice ringing with emotion.
"I am deeply pained by the plea of my old friends…" the Celestial Spirit King began, but was interrupted.
"Stop with the 'old friends' nonsense," Lucy cut him off sharply, her finger pointing directly at the suffering Loke. "It's about the comrade standing right in front of you now!"
"Listen carefully, you old geezer," Lucy addressed the Celestial Spirit King directly, her tone unwavering.
"Old…" The Celestial Spirit King seemed taken aback by the unexpected and rather informal address.
Lucy stated firmly, "We absolutely refuse to accept a verdict that ignores the circumstances. I will not accept anything less…" Lucy's magic power began to surge once more, intensifying.
"This wasn't a crime! The desire to protect a comrade is absolutely not a crime…" At that moment, bathed in a radiant golden light emanating from behind Lucy, a series of figures began to materialize.
Loke stared at Lucy in utter disbelief. "This is…the Celestial Spirits…all of them…appearing at once…something even Karen couldn't manage…"
One by one, each of the Celestial Spirits with whom Lucy had formed a contract emerged from behind her, their forms shimmering with ethereal light.
Although it lasted only for a fleeting moment, Lucy had truly accomplished the seemingly impossible feat.
As the golden light dissipated, Lucy's magic power gradually waned, and the feeling of utter exhaustion from the immense magical expenditure washed over her, causing her legs to buckle. Finn quickly reached out to steady the golden-haired girl.
"All the friends who appeared here just now…we all feel the same," Lucy's voice was slightly hoarse from exertion.
"Friends…" Loke whispered the word softly, a term that would have been utterly inconceivable in Karen's vocabulary.
Lucy struggled to her feet, her gaze fixed on the Celestial Spirit King. "If you are also a Celestial Spirit, then you must understand Loke and Aries."
The Celestial Spirit King, having observed the actions of the group below, finally conceded, "Since my old friends have gone to such lengths, perhaps…the error lies within the rules themselves."
Upon hearing these words, Loke stared at the Celestial Spirit King, his expression a mixture of hope and disbelief.
"Leo, who erred for the sake of his fellow spirit, Aries, and his friends who fought so desperately for him," the Celestial Spirit King paused, his voice filled with a newfound understanding. "In consideration of the beautiful and unwavering friendship between you all…"
"I will make an exception to the rule," the Celestial Spirit King declared, turning his gaze towards Loke. "Leo, I grant you special permission to return to the Spirit World."
Upon hearing these words, Loke's eyelids fluttered slightly, his body trembling with a mixture of relief and overwhelming emotion.
"Looks like you're pretty kind after all, old geezer," Lucy gave a thumbs-up, a playful grin on her face.
Finn shook his head with a smile, relieved that the situation had finally been resolved.
Upon hearing Lucy's informal address, the Celestial Spirit King revealed a wide, toothy grin from beneath his impressive beard.
"I absolve you of your transgression, Leo. Give thanks to the guidance of the stars," the Celestial Spirit King declared, his entire body beginning to shimmer with countless points of light as he began to disintegrate.
Loke, overcome with emotion, knelt weakly on the ground, his body shaking with barely suppressed sobs.
The countless stars in the sky began to return to their rightful positions, and the massive curtain of reversed water slowly began to descend back to its natural flow. The Celestial Spirit King's voice echoed faintly from within the dissipating light.
"If you still wish to atone, then I command you to become a pillar of support for your friend, to live your life to the fullest for her sake. She is a friend worth fighting for, a friend worthy of your unwavering protection. Protect her with your life."
With these final words, the Celestial Spirit King's colossal form vanished completely, leaving behind a tranquil and serene atmosphere.
Just as Finn thought everything was finally over, the Celestial Spirit King's voice resonated within his mind, "Old friend, please give my regards to that person. I am eternally grateful for your actions!"
The voice then disappeared completely.
Finn's eyes widened in surprise. "What in the world was that all about? From the looks of it, the Celestial Spirit King seemed to know me, and that 'person' he mentioned…who could that possibly be?"
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