Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

In the bottom layer of the ruins, Natsu was fighting three opponents simultaneously, and he had even managed to press Yuka into a corner.

"Is this Fairy Tail's fire dragon? What a monster," Yuka muttered, looking at Natsu with a serious expression.

"Are all wizards from Fairy Tail this strong?"

Natsu, on the other hand, had an excited expression. "You guys aren't bad, but you're not good enough!"

He was thoroughly enjoying the fight. Each of the three had their strengths—one specialized in wave magic, which neutralized his fire attacks; another was physically resilient and could take hits like a brick wall; and the last one used manipulation magic, controlling giant stone golems. It was taking time to decide the victor completely, but Natsu didn't mind.

"Come on! Let's keep going!"

Suddenly—"Boom!!"

A massive palm smashed through the ceiling and landed in the middle of the battlefield, sending up a thick cloud of dust and debris.

"What?!"

As the dust settled, a massive palm-shaped crater appeared on the ground, with a motionless figure lying in its center.

"Master Leon!!!"

Sherry screamed in horror when she saw who it was.

Yuka and Toby's expressions also darkened. Leon was the strongest among them, and yet he had been defeated so quickly.

Before they could react, another figure dropped down from above.

"Boom!!"

The impact of the landing cracked the ground beneath them.

"You dare harm Master Leon? I'll kill you!!"

Seeing the culprit, Sherry screamed in rage. She activated her magic, summoning a massive stone golem that charged at Su Yan with a raised fist.

Su Yan raised his hand slightly.

"Boom----!!"

The ground trembled as Su Yan caught the stone golem's punch effortlessly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Om--!!"

The aura of his Conqueror's Haki spread out in an instant, slamming into Yuka, Sherry, and Toby.

"Ahhh!"

"Ugh!"

"Wooooo!"

The three screamed as the force sent their bodies flying into the walls. Blood dripped from the corners of their mouths as they collapsed, unable to continue fighting.

"Hey! Su Yan! These three guys were mine! You finished them off in one hit—what am I supposed to do now?" Natsu yelled in frustration.

Su Yan glanced at him. "Then do you want me to fight you instead?"

Natsu's eyes lit up. "Sure!"

"Call out!"

"Boom!!!"

Natsu's body was instantly embedded in the wall, his legs twitching slightly.

"Happy" covered his eyes with both paws, wincing. "That's gotta hurt... He should've known better after yesterday."

After a short while, Lucy helped Gray down to the area.

Gray, still battered from his earlier fight, looked at the trio and asked, "Who are you? Why did you help Leon try to resurrect Deliora?"

Seeing the battle was over, the three had no choice but to cooperate. They explained their story reluctantly.

Like Gray, these three had also suffered greatly because of Deliora. Their families and loved ones had been killed by the demon. They were victims consumed by hatred.

Although Deliora was sealed, the fact that it still lived fueled their rage. They believed that as long as Deliora existed, their pain would never truly go away.

When Leon declared his intent to unseal Deliora and destroy it completely, they had joined him willingly. They had spent three years on Galuna Island, using the Moon Drip ritual every night to weaken the seal.

After hearing their story, Natsu and the others fell silent.

In some ways, the trio wasn't wrong. They had their own sense of justice.

"I don't have the right to blame you," Gray admitted, his voice low. "I also impulsively tried to challenge Deliora, and it cost me my master, Ur."

"But Deliora is too strong. Leon can't defeat it. If Deliora is resurrected, it will cause unimaginable destruction."

The trio said nothing. Deep down, they knew Leon wasn't strong enough to defeat Deliora. But their hatred and blind faith in Leon's strength had driven them forward, leaving no room for doubt.

Su Yan opened his mouth to say that even if Deliora were resurrected, it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Suddenly—"Boom!"

The ruins began to tremble violently.

"What's happening?!" Lucy exclaimed, her expression panicked.

"Is the whole place collapsing?!"

They were deep underground. If the ruins came down, they would be crushed.

"Look!!" shouted "Happy," pointing toward the frozen Deliora.

Despite the reduced intensity of the moonlight, faint beams of purple light still shone through cracks in the ceiling, falling on Deliora.

It was enough. Like a final snowflake breaking a branch, the moonlight caused the ice encasing Deliora to begin melting.

"The ice... it's melting!!"

"Hoo ho ho ho!"

A chilling, guttural laugh echoed throughout the ruins.

"This voice... I could never forget it..." Gray stammered, his body trembling uncontrollably. Memories of his family being killed, his master's sacrifice, and his buried fears all came rushing back.

"Deliora... is resurrected!!"