"Found you, Sky Devil Slayer," the blonde man whispered, purple light gathering at his fingertips.
Astro, still healing Levy's wounds, perked up at the words. His glowing eyes locked onto Luthar's golden gaze.
"Who are you?" Astro demanded.
Luthar didn't bother answering. His body dissolved into purple light, streaking toward Astro with terrifying speed.
"Purple light…?" Astro muttered, bracing himself to defend while keeping one hand pressed on Levy, continuing to heal her. Erza, clad in her Flight Armor, barely managed to catch up as she was trailing the stream of light. But before she could close the distance, Luthar reappeared in the air, just above ground, his body reforming seamlessly. His right foot glowed with purple light as he swung it backward at Erza who was behind him.
BAM!
The kick smashed into Erza's stomach. She was hurled backward like a cannonball, soaring across the island until she vanished from sight.
"Erza!" Astro shouted, his voice strained as he remained crouched near Levy, finishing her treatment. He glanced down—her bleeding had stopped, her breathing was steadier. The immediate danger to her life was over.
Astro exhaled sharply, determination flashing in his eyes.
"Tempest Spear."
A spear of condensed purple wind manifested beside him. He seized it with his right hand and blurred forward, thrusting straight at the blonde man's chest.
But Luthar landed lightly on the ground, raising his left hand almost lazily, with his right hand in his pocket.
"Judgment Ray."
The words slipped from his mouth like a whisper of doom.
In the air above Astro, dozens of radiant purple light swords of light formed, glimmering with lethal brilliance.
Astro couldn't see them, but every fiber of his being screamed danger. He tried to move—but it was too late.
The swords rained down in an instant, impaling him from every angle. Blades pierced through his limbs and shoulders, shackling him against the earth as their glowing hilts locked into place. More swords embedded into the ground in a circle around him, caging him in.
"AGHHH!" Astro groaned in agony, blood staining his tattered clothes. He struggled to rise, but the weight and grip of the ethereal swords held him firmly down.
Luthar strolled closer, a cruel calm in his golden eyes, like he was taking a stroll in his garden. Another light sword materialized in his hand, glowing dangerously. Without hesitation, he thrust it downward, the blade piercing into Astro's chest—just narrowly missing his heart.
All of this happened in mere seconds.
Erza, who had been sent flying, burst back onto the battlefield, fury radiating off her. She streaked in from behind Luthar, sword aimed precisely at the center of his back, right where his heart should be.
But Luthar didn't so much as glance her way.
His body shimmered into pure purple light again, dissolving before her blade could strike.
Erza's sword sliced through nothing but air.
Erza didn't waste a second searching for him. Her focus went straight to Astro, who was still struggling to rise, his body riddled with glowing purple blades. She swiftly shifted her weapon, requipping into a long sword. With a single sweeping slash, she cut down all the hilts pinning him to the ground, severing them in half. Now only the embedded blades remained.
"Sorry—bear with it!" Erza warned, bracing herself. She grabbed him by the back of his cloth and yanked him free in one motion, ignoring his grunt of pain. Without hesitation, she shoved him to the side to create distance.
Her eyes snapped back to the battlefield. Luthar hovered lazily in front of her, his left hand glowing ominously as hundreds of purple light swords materialized in a vast formation behind him. His white windbreaker fluttered in the breeze, his right hand still buried casually in his pocket.
"You're starting to annoy me," Luthar said flatly to Erza, his tone bored, as he thrust his hand forward.
"Judgment Ray."
The swarm of blades shot toward her like a meteor storm.
Erza dashed head-on to meet them, requipping into a lightweight blade, her Flight Armor still wrapped around her body for speed. She deflected and parried each incoming sword with precise slashes, sparks of steel and light scattering around her, all while making sure Astro remained behind her, out of the direct line of fire.
For the first time since appearing, Luthar's expression flickered to something different—not laziness or annoyance, but mild surprise—as Erza broke through the relentless barrage and closed the gap. Just before her blade could reach him, his body dissolved into purple light once more.
He reappeared moments later, retreating toward the raven-haired woman in the black gown who stood silently at his side.
"Who are you two? Why are you attacking us?" Erza demanded, her voice sharp, though her stance remained cautious. Her instincts screamed at her—this blonde guy wasn't even fighting seriously. If he did… things would turn catastrophic.
Her thoughts tightened into a single priority: I need to get Astro, Levy, and the children off this island. That's the only option.
But Luthar showed no sign of caring for her questions.
"You're just making this harder than it needs to be," he said, scratching his head lazily with his free hand, still keeping the other in his pocket. His golden eyes never even acknowledged her as someone worth answering—like it takes too much energy to even answer her question.
And then—he raised his left hand aiming it to the sky above him.
A massive purple magic circle bloomed across the heavens, wide enough to cover the entire island. Its light drenched the land in a violent glow, oppressive and suffocating.
"What kind of magic is this…?" Erza murmured, her jaw tightening. Her chest constricted at the sheer pressure emanating from the spell. This was far beyond her reach—magic on a level she'd only felt from Master Makarov, or perhaps from Gildarts too.
"He's the Light Devil Slayer," came a strained voice.
Astro stumbled to her side, his body battered and weak, but his wounds now closed thanks to his sky magic. His glowing purple eyes locked on Luthar.
"That's right… Sky Devil Slayer," Luthar finally deigned to respond. A thin smirk tugged at his lips. "I am Luthar Morningstar. The one granted the power of the Light Devil."
He began to lower his glowing hand, prepared to bring the colossal magic circle crashing down.
But before he could release it, a pale hand reached out and stopped him.
Sylvie. The black-gowned woman beside him.
"Let me go," Luthar snapped, his voice low with irritation. He despised being touched—it did not matter who..
"Master said to let them go. For now." Sylvie's tone was cool, her crimson lips curling with amusement as she withdrew her hand, though her command had already broken the flow of his magic.
The enormous purple circle dissolved into nothing.
Luthar clicked his tongue, golden eyes narrowing as he turned his back on them.
"…What a waste of time," he muttered, his words heavy with annoyance.
Sylvie's eyes followed Luthar's back as he walked away. Then, slowly, she turned her gaze toward Erza and Astro—lingering on Astro in particular. Her tongue ran across her lips as she sized him up and down.
"Master's words were clear," she purred, her voice sharp and venomous. "This 'Sky Devil' is still in his infant stage. But when he grows… oh, he will come crawling to us. Begging to join."
Her words slithered into the air like poison.
Astro's eyes narrowed, fury burning behind his exhaustion.
"Never!" Erza snapped, her rage flaring hotter than her wounds allowed. "Astro will never join you!"
At last, Sylvie's attention shifted. Her gaze locked with Erza's, the two women caught in a silent clash of wills.
Then—
"Aghh!"
Erza's scream tore through the sky. Her body collapsed to her knees, trembling violently. One hand clawed at her chest as the other dug into the dirt, her face twisted in agony. She curled into herself, shuddering as if her very soul had been set on fire.
What is this? This pain… it's not physical… it's tearing me apart from the inside…! Erza's thoughts scrambled, but the agony drowned everything out. It was unlike any pain she had ever felt—deep, raw, cutting directly into her essence.
"Erza! What happened?!" Astro dropped beside her, panic flashing across his battered face. His hands hovered helplessly, glowing on top of her, trying to find the cause. His gaze whipped to Sylvie, burning with suspicion. "Did you do this to her?!"
Their eyes met.
And in that instant, the same torment ripped into him.
Astro's body jolted, his breath stolen as if invisible blades carved into his very spirit. His vision blurred, his body trembling violently. He tried instinctively to call upon his healing magic—but nothing happened. His Sky Devil's light flickered, smothered by the foreign agony.
"No… I can't… heal it…?" His horror deepened as realization sank in. The pain was beyond flesh, beyond magic. It was as if his soul itself was being torn apart.
Both he and Erza writhed on the ground, trapped in a torment that could not be resisted or mended, their bodies curling under the crushing, unrelenting weight of it.
Luthar never once looked back. His white coat fluttered in the wind as he walked away, utterly indifferent to the destruction left behind.
"Sylvie," Luthar's voice carried lazily through the air, though his words made her smirk falter. "Master also gave us an order before… to destroy all the evidence on this island, didn't he?"
Sylvie's lips curled wider as she watched Astro and Erza writhe, their screams a melody only she enjoyed. But at his words, her grin stiffened. Slowly, she turned her back to them, tilting her head with curiosity.
"Yes," she admitted, her tone almost playful. "So… what do you want to do?"
Luthar didn't even glance back.
"Let's go."
His body dissolved into radiant purple light. The glow streaked upward like a comet, piercing the clouds until it hovered high above the island.
Sylvie's eyes narrowed as she finally realized his intent. "Tch. Too late to stop him now." She gave a nonchalant shrug before vanishing into a spectral shimmer, her body slipping into the air like a wandering spirit.
"Well," her voice lingered faintly, laced with cruel amusement, "if the sky devil avatar dies here, then he wasn't worthy of Master's attention. We'll just find another Sky Devil Slayer. Either way… that boy is the evidence that Alvemak is still interested in Earthland."
Far above the island, Luthar's chest glowed with a violent purple light. It pulsed under his skin, spreading upward in glowing veins along his throat and jaw until it reached his mouth. His lips parted, and a dreadful chant slipped out.
"Light Devil's Rage."
A beam of pure devastation erupted from his mouth—a massive torrent of purple energy that split the clouds and scorched the heavens themselves. The laser roared downward like judgment itself, consuming everything in its path.
Below, Astro's vision blurred from the searing brilliance in the sky. The world turned purple, his eyes straining against the blinding light.
"No… not yet…" He tried to move, tried to stand. But his body convulsed with Sylvie's lingering magic, his soul still in torment. Every attempt to rise ended with him collapsing back down.
His gaze flicked desperately to the side. Erza still writhed, screaming in agony, unable to rise. Levy and Shawn lay motionless, unconscious and helpless.
"I… have to…"
But the pain won. His strength failed him for the first time. The last thing Astro saw was the purple inferno hurtling down upon them. Then darkness swallowed him whole.
The island quaked violently as the beam struck. From the distance, the children on the boat watched in horror as their home was devoured in light. A massive explosion followed, the sound ripping through sea and sky.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave slammed into their ship, tossing them like rag dolls. The wooden frame groaned and nearly capsized, but by miracle alone, it held.
When the children dared open their eyes again, they were met with devastation.
Where the island had once stood, there was nothing but a vast whirlpool of churning sea, swallowing rubble into its endless spiral.
"Our… home…" one of the younger children whispered, tears streaking down their cheeks.
"No… Mister… and Shawn… what about them?!" another older boy shouted, voice cracking with panic.
Before despair could drown them, a shadow appeared in the distance. A black dot cut through the horizon, growing larger, faster, until it became a familiar figure.
With a burst of wind, Erza landed heavily on the ship's deck, red hair whipping wildly. Her arms carried the unconscious forms of Shawn, Levy, and Astro, setting them down carefully.
The children gasped in relief, though their tears did not stop.
Erza's body still trembled faintly from Sylvie's unknown magic that attacked her as soon as their eyes met.. Her hand drifted instinctively to her right eye, the artificial one. That soul-crushing pain had nearly destroyed her… but in a cruel twist of fate, the eye she had once cursed—the one she had lost and replaced—had dulled the attack just enough for her to survive.
Her gaze darkened, her grip tightening on her sword hilt.
"Fate sure works in a twisted way," she murmured bitterly.