Fairy Tail: You call this Celestial Magic?!

Chapter 315 A Mysterious and Unpredictable Encounter (Please Subscribe!)
"Wave magic, it's quite interesting indeed."

Moen stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching with great interest. Moonlight filtered through the dome, casting dappled shadows at his feet. Moen had some knowledge of Yuka's magic.

In fact, Yuka is a relatively famous young talent, and he is not very old, only eighteen or nineteen years old. His "wave magic" gives him an overwhelming advantage when fighting against mages, and thus he has made quite a name for himself.

The shockwaves generated by "Wave Magic" can neutralize all magic, and no magic can be used within the area covered by "Wave Magic".

At this moment, Yuka stretched out one hand, her five fingers slightly spread, and visible, trembling transparent ripples swirled around her fingertips.

Each time Natsu's flaming fist slammed into the invisible barrier, it was as if it had struck the surface of water. The flames were instantly dispersed and swallowed by the invisible ripples, leaving only a few wisps of unwilling smoke and a muffled impact.

Yuka, who specializes in dealing with other mages in the "Snake Scale" guild, stood motionless with a calm gaze, like a wall of sighs.

"Fairy Tail mages, we don't want a conflict with you."

Yuuka easily blocked Natsu's fierce punches time and time again. Hot sparks splashed onto the ice shards at his feet, making a "sizzling" sound. But he did not retaliate. Instead, he raised his voice and spoke urgently, trying to make peace.

"Isn't it a bit too late to say this now?"

Natsu glared, his teeth grinding together. He took a step back, gathering his strength once more. The gravel at his feet glowed slightly red from the heat. Ignoring Yuuka's words, he unleashed another powerful punch, this time accompanied by bursting flames. But Yuuka easily blocked it with a raised hand.

Yuuka's "Wave Barrier" rejected all magic like a wall of sighs. Natsu's burning fists seemed to be whining, each attack ending in a silent annihilation of flames, leaving only a scorching shockwave spreading out, making Natsu's cherry blossom hair dance wildly on his forehead, appearing futile and frustrated.

"hateful!"

This scene made Natsu's veins bulge, but he was actually getting more and more excited. The stronger the enemy, the more excited he became. Opponents he could easily defeat were the ones who didn't excite him.

"Wait a minute, Mr. Moen! We really mean no harm!"

Seeing that Natsu was completely unconvinced, Yuuka became anxious. He looked past Natsu and shouted directly at Moen, who was leaning against the wall behind him. His voice echoed in the empty cave, clearly showing that he knew who was in charge here.

"But you are hindering us from completing our mission."

Moen replied with a smile. He did not tell Natsu to stop, but he did not refuse to communicate either. He simply stated the facts calmly.

"Why are you people from the Serpent Scale here helping Leon?"

Gray loudly questioned, not only he but everyone else was confused: if Leon wasn't a member of "Snake Scales," why would Sherry, Yuuka, and Toby help him?

"What's wrong with helping him? We haven't done anything heinous! We just wanted to completely eliminate Deliora, is that wrong?"

Before Yuka could speak, Sherry shouted loudly. She didn't make another move. Clearly, Yuka's shout of Moen's name had reminded her who was standing on the other side.

"You haven't done anything heinous? You haven't made any mistakes? Even putting aside the matter of Deliora, the people on Karna Island have all been turned into demons by you. Isn't that a problem?!"

Lucy stared incredulously at Sherry, who was speaking with righteous indignation. She couldn't understand why that girl could say such a thing. Did they really not care about the people on this island at all?

"Who knows what's going on with them! So many of us have been here with Leon for almost three years, and we've been exposed to this moonlight all the time, so why are we all fine?! Why hasn't any of us experienced that problem?!"

Faced with Lucy's questioning, Shirley was somewhat irritated, her expression quite serious, clearly indicating that this matter was also troubling her.

By this time, more and more people had gathered around. They were all Leon's followers, standing silently behind Sherry, Yuka, and Toby, their weapons reflecting a cold light.

Just as Shirley said, these people all seemed to be mentally normal, and their bodies showed no signs of demonic mutation. However, their eyes burned with the same cold flame called hatred.

"."

Moen frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping over the group of followers. If Sherry was telling the truth, then this matter was indeed strange. The group was large and their expressions varied, suggesting they weren't faking it. However, as practitioners of the "Moon Drop Ritual," it couldn't be ruled out that they possessed methods to remain unaffected.
"Why do you follow Leon? Why do you want to destroy Deliora? Just like Leon, there must be a reason, right?"

Moen stepped forward, gesturing for Natsu, who was still arguing with Yuuka, to come back. He then asked Sherry, Yuuka, and Toby what was going on. His gaze swept over the followers, all of whom wore expressions of shared hatred.

These people all share a common goal.
Moen thought to himself that although Ultear was behind this, Leon didn't seem to be mind-controlled. Gray thought so too, because Leon had always been like this since he was a child, always taking Ultear as his goal. Leon's stubbornness was ingrained in his bones.

If Leon wasn't being manipulated, then it's even less likely that these subordinates would be. After all, it's rather baffling to try and control a group of subordinates instead of the leader.

This shows that these people harbor an extremely strong hatred for Deliora.
Moen made his judgment, and it turned out that his guess was completely correct.

"We are all survivors of towns destroyed by Deliora."

In response to Moen's question, Yuka spoke with a complicated expression, her voice low and hoarse, as if each word carried a heavy weight.

He lowered his hand that was maintaining the barrier, and the invisible fluctuations disappeared. He looked around at his companions, from Shirley's stubborn face to Toby's silent profile, and then to the tired but resolute faces behind him.

These people, some without parents, some without children, had all their relatives and homes ruthlessly taken away by Deliola.

They came together to fight Deliora, to completely destroy the demon that brought destruction, and for revenge. They followed Leon without hesitation and stayed on this deserted island for almost three years, all to complete the "Moon Drop Ritual".

"."

Natsu stopped, took a few steps back, and couldn't help but scratch his head, his expression somewhat embarrassed. Family ties were a sensitive point for Natsu. These people wanted to completely destroy the demon "Deliora" in order to avenge their loved ones, which was understandable, at least he could accept the reason.

"Even so, you can't affect the people on Karna Island."

Although Lucy was somewhat moved, she was still concerned about the innocent people; the residents of Galna Island were all innocent.

"How foolish! You can't defeat Deliora! Releasing it will only lead to your deaths! It will also cost the lives of the people on Galna Island, and many more others. Your actions will only make all the previous sacrifices pointless!"

Gray angrily cursed. He was actually the one who understood these people the most because he came from the same place as them, and some of them were even his "fellow villagers".

But the more this was the case, the less he could tolerate their moth-to-a-flame revenge. They should live on with the hopes of the deceased, instead of being consumed by hatred and heading down the path of self-destruction.

Even a powerful mage like Uru could only seal Deliora by using "Absolute Freeze," a technique that cost him his life. If Deliora were really released, could Leon, Sherry, Yuuka, Toby, and the others really defeat it? That's nothing short of wishful thinking!

How will you know if you don't try?!

Sherry was still very unconvinced. She straightened her back and her eyes were full of stubbornness. They gave up their comfortable life and bright future in the "Snake Scale" guild and came to this desolate island with Leon. They endured hardship and loneliness, and what supported them was their obsession with revenge.

If there is even the slightest chance to completely destroy "Deliora", even if the chance is as slim as a candle in the wind, they are willing to risk their lives to try. Even if they die in the end, it is their own choice and their way of answering to their deceased loved ones!
Shirley's voice sounded particularly tragic in the empty cave.

"Deliora!"

As the group was arguing fiercely, a hoarse roar suddenly broke the stalemate. Leon, who had just been knocked unconscious by Gray and was lying on the ground, sat up abruptly. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was calling out the name of the demon that had become the sole meaning of his life.

"Leon, you're awake!" Seeing Leon wake up, Sherry was like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood. The stubbornness on her face was instantly replaced by concern. She immediately ran over and helped the swaying Leon to his feet.

Although Leon woke up, his body was clearly badly injured. He could only stand up with some difficulty with Sherry's support, and his steps were unsteady.

"."

Leon breathed heavily, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

With Shirley's help, he struggled to his feet, his eyes glazed over as he looked around. When his gaze finally landed on Gray not far away, his pupils contracted sharply, and memories flooded back like a tide.

"hateful."

Upon seeing Gray, Leon forced out two words through gritted teeth, his face growing even uglier as he recalled what had just transpired.

He lost; he was defeated head-on by Gray, his junior!

His most prized "Ice Shape Magic" appeared so clumsy in front of Gray, and he couldn't even match Gray's speed in shaping.

Clearly, the usually arrogant Leon was greatly shocked. He seemed to have lost all his energy, because he couldn't even beat Gray, so how could he possibly defeat "Deliora"?

He wanted to defeat Deliora to prove that he had surpassed his master, Ul, but now he couldn't even beat his junior brother, Gray.
"Leon, who told you about this Moon Drop ritual?"

Seeing that Leon was too badly beaten to get back up, Moen frowned and asked. It was clear that Leon and the others were just pawns being used. This time, however, they were not being manipulated by mind control, but rather by exploiting their desire for revenge.

"."

Leon did not answer, remaining immersed in his own world.

"Leon! Is it Urudia?! Is it Urudia's daughter?!"

Gray was more direct; he loudly questioned Leon, not allowing him to evade the issue at this moment.

"What? Uru's daughter? Gray, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Gray's question did indeed elicit a response from Leon. He looked up at Gray with obvious surprise in his eyes, as if he thought he had misheard, but that was clearly impossible.

"Didn't Uru's daughter die a long time ago?"

Leon frowned, puzzled as to why Gray would mention Uru's daughter.

Not necessarily.

Gray shook his head, his face serious. In fact, he had already remembered that Uru had mentioned to them that she had a daughter. Of course, Uru didn't go into much detail, only saying that she had a gifted daughter who died young.
But now it seems there might be more to the story. This Urutia, in terms of both name and appearance, is closely related to Uru, so there must be some connection between them.

"what is going on?!"

Leon abruptly shook off Sherry's hand, staggered a step, and growled in frustration. How did another "Uru's daughter" suddenly appear out of nowhere? What did this have to do with his goal of revenge? The confusion and unease made Leon's head throb even more.

"Wasn't it Urutia giving you advice?"

Moen frowned. He had already realized that this Leon seemed unaware of Ultear's existence, which contradicted the information provided by the system mission.

"No"

Leon shook his head, seemingly trying to dispel the chaotic thoughts in his mind. He took a deep breath and said with a sense of resignation and exhaustion:
"It was Saludi. It was Saludi who told me about the Moon Drop ritual. That guy is an old priest, an old man! Not a woman! And he couldn't possibly be Uru's daughter! You must have made a mistake!"

Leon emphasized the other person's characteristics, his tone filled with certainty.

"Saludi"

Gray turned to look at Moen in surprise. The information about Ultear was crucial, provided by Moen, but now it seemed there was a significant error.

Moen frowned, but his intuition and logic told him that the system's task prompts should not be wrong. This task was closely related to the previous one and involved the present rather than the future, so its credibility should be very high. He suppressed his doubts and his eyes became even sharper.

“This Saludi is either Urutia in disguise, or someone she sent.”

Moen's voice was resolute, carrying an unquestionable certainty.

Where is he? Is he still on the island?

Moen firmly believed that the information in the system mission was correct. He looked at Leon and pressed him for details about that Saludi, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"he"

Leon felt a little uncomfortable under Moen's gaze. He paused for a moment before speaking with a hint of uncertainty:
"He hasn't shown up for a while."

This answer surprised Sherry and Yuka, as if they had just realized that they hadn't seen that annoying old man for a while.

When exactly did it disappear?

Moen then asked, and things started to fall into place.

"More than half a month? Or... a little longer?"

Leon tried hard to recall, his brow furrowed.

“It has been quite a long time. Before, when he left to prepare materials for the ceremony, he would come back in a little over a week at most.”

After Leon finished speaking, he also noticed something was wrong. This time, Saludi's "disappearance" lasted longer than usual.

"as expected."

Moen nodded slowly, his suspicions confirmed. The system mission clearly indicated that Ultear had already evacuated in advance. This so-called "Sarudi" was either Ultear herself in disguise or one of her capable subordinates.

"Ah~"

Moen sighed softly, looking at the distraught Leon who was completely unaware of the crucial information. Hoping to find clues about Ultear from him was obviously an unrealistic fantasy. He should focus on finishing the mission first.

However, the truth behind this "Moon Drop" quest, like the mist shrouding Galna Island, has not become clearer due to the confrontation, but has instead become even more elusive.

Ultear's disappearance was within Moen's expectations, but if the real reason those villagers turned into demons wasn't caused by the "Moon Drop Ritual," then what was it?
(End of this chapter)