As the words faded, the air rippled—an invisible wave spreading outward. Moments later, Ultear's figure slowly appeared.
She was still disguised as Zalty, but the wariness in her eyes could no longer be hidden.
"I didn't expect you to defeat the famed Titania so easily," she said. "It seems you already possess the strength of one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
At her remark, the four clones of Wes Elwin fixed their eyes on her, while the true Wes calmly opened his case and took out an iron maiden–like device.
He placed the unconscious Erza inside, sealed it, and returned the device to the case.
"Don't underestimate Fairy Tail," Ultear warned. "Their Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar, is notorious for protecting his own. And he has strong ties with the other guild leaders—offending Fairy Tail is practically the same as offending half the legal guilds on the continent."
Her words weren't entirely out of goodwill. In truth, she was already scheming how to pull Wes over to her side.
This man's power is immense… and he acts without restraint. If I could recruit him into Grimoire Heart, our chances of success would soar.
Wes turned his head toward her. The four clones subtly shifted, forming a loose encirclement.
"Hey!" Ultear immediately sensed something wrong. "I'm giving you advice for your own good—what's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm interested in your Arc of Time."
Wes's tone was calm, his intent obvious. He didn't bother to hide his eagerness for another fight.
His clash with Erza had allowed him to absorb part of the Philosopher's Stone's energy, increasing both his physical strength and magical power.
Now he wanted battle—especially the kind of intense fight that would help him digest the remaining energy within his body.
"Damn you!"
Ultear cursed furiously. She hadn't expected Wes to be so reckless—so brazenly hostile to her face.
Just then, a violent surge of magic erupted from the direction of the ruins. The air trembled, as though something immense was about to break free.
"Deliora's seal has been undone!"
Ultear's eyes lit up with joy.
Abandoning Wes without a second thought, her form dissolved into shimmering motes, vanishing toward the ruins—toward something far more important.
"Not the real body, huh? No wonder she was so confident," Wes murmured.
He lifted his gaze to the sky. From deep within the ruins, an overwhelming magical force was rising, nearly tangible, shaking the heavens themselves.
"Then let me witness the end of Deliora."
With that, Wes vanished using Apparate. When he reappeared, he was already inside the ruins.
No one noticed his arrival; every eye was fixed on the massive creature that had just broken free.
Deliora's colossal body twisted in midair, its cruel, merciless eyes scanning the area.
It threw back its head and roared—the sound a thunderous bellow that shook the island itself. The beasts of the forest scattered in panic, sensing the overwhelming power that filled the air.
The sheer size and pressure of Deliora's magic suffocated everyone present.
"Hahaha… HAHAHA!" Lyon suddenly broke into crazed laughter. "Finally… it's finally here—the moment I've been waiting for!"
He was covered in wounds, yet Wes Elwin walked step by step toward Deliora.
"Lyon!"
Ignoring his own injuries, Gray tried to stop him, but Lyon shoved him aside mercilessly, sending him crashing to the ground.
Seeing this, Natsu and Lucy were furious, ready to jump back into a fight—
—but Wes's calm voice cut through the tension.
"That thing's already dead."
Lyon's reaction was the most violent. He nearly screamed, "What did you just say?!"
Even though Wes had never read the original tale of Deliora, the sight before him told him everything. The beast's state made it obvious—its life was already at its end.
"Can't you feel it? Its magic may look strong, but it's hollow. Its life force is flickering like a candle in the wind—it could go out any moment. Don't any of you have that kind of perception?"
At his words, everyone stopped and looked carefully at Deliora.
Just as Wes said, they realized they had been blinded by the monster's former reputation. When the seal had been broken, its explosive magic power made them think it was still in its prime—but that had been a mistake.
"What… what's going on?"
Gray shouted the answer, his voice filled with emotion.
"It's Ur. Ur sealed Deliora with Iced Shell! And over all these years, that magic's been draining its life force bit by bit. The truth is—Deliora's been dead all along."
"That's incredible!"
Members of Fairy Tail erupted in cheers.
But Lyon couldn't accept it. "No… that's impossible! It can't be true!"
Gray looked at his senior, his heart twisted with conflicting feelings. He didn't know how to comfort him.
Then, Natsu—being Natsu—charged straight toward Deliora without hesitation. He threw a blazing punch right into the creature's body.
The moment his fist landed, cracks began to spread across Deliora's form. They widened, multiplying until they covered its entire body.
Then—
Crack!
Deliora's body shattered into countless shards of ice, scattering in the wind until nothing remained. The monster was gone from this world forever.
The scene was so sudden, so final, that everyone stood frozen in disbelief.
Only Wes and Natsu seemed unsurprised. The rest stood motionless, stunned by what they'd just witnessed.
Lyon's expression was blank, lost—his eyes seemed to ask, Where am I? What was I even doing?
Finally, Gray broke the silence.
"Looks like Master Ur really did it… We should be proud of her."
As everyone was still reeling from the fall of Deliora, Wes suddenly turned to leave. But after a few steps, he seemed to remember something important.
He looked back at the Fairy Tail members and said casually,
"Oh, right. I've got Erza captive. Tell your Guild Master to prepare something valuable if he wants her back."
He tossed a folded piece of paper toward them—then walked away without another word.
"Wait—WHAT did he just say?!"
Natsu shouted, wide-eyed. He turned to Gray for confirmation, but Gray looked just as stunned—completely unprepared for this twist.
Before they could react, Wes was already gone.
By the time they snapped out of it, Wes Elwin was high above the island, piloting a flying car that vanished into the clouds.
°°°
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