The group arrived at the Moon Drip temple, and Charles could sense numerous magic presences inside. He remembered from the original story that Lyon's three subordinates were former members of Lamia Scale. Aside from them, there were also several unidentified figures at Lyon's side.
Charles suspected those extras had been brought in by Ultear.
As for why Ultear was involved in this affair… no, Charles was nearly certain she was the one who told Lyon about Moon Drip's effects and its location, and even helped him transport Deliora.
Her true reason for doing so was that she and Jellal intended to use Deliora to power the Tower of Heaven.
The Tower of Heaven was Jellal's R-System, a structure built to resurrect Zeref. However, activating it required 2.7 billion Ethernano.
What they hadn't anticipated was how powerful Ur had been—so powerful she could completely erase even a demon from Zeref's Book. That was why, in the future, they would resort to manipulating the Council into firing Etherion to gather enough magic power.
But that was a matter for later. The ones Ultear had brought were probably from a dark guild. In the original story, these extras had been so unimportant they didn't even get full frames.
Charles glanced back at the others and said, "Just like we planned—Gray will take on Lyon. Natsu and Lucy, handle the small fry. Don't let them interfere with Gray's fight."
He added, "There's one particularly troublesome person here. Leave her to me. And forget about any strategy—you wouldn't follow it anyway."
Everyone nodded. Charles unfolded his fiery wings and soared to the top of the structure, where he sensed the strongest magic presence.
Born with overwhelming magic power she could barely contain, Ultear's energy was even stronger than Natsu's.
Lucy watched Charles fly upward and sighed enviously, "I wish I could fly like that."
Natsu grabbed Happy. "I've got Happy! I can fly too! Happy, take me up there!"
Happy shook his head. "Nope. If you don't listen, Charles will knock you out."
…
Charles had no idea what those clowns were doing below, as he focused on the approaching presence of Ultear.
At the top of the blood-stained temple, Charles spotted a hunched, masked old man.
He had to admit—Ultear was indeed a magical prodigy. Her transformation magic showed not a single flaw.
However… Charles twitched his nose and picked up a familiar scent—perfume.
The disguised Ultear looked at Charles and said, "My, my. So we have quite the guest."
Charles folded his flame wings and landed across from her. "You're confident, I'll give you that. You knew we were coming, yet here you are waiting, not even trying to run."
Ultear struck a theatrical pose, completely unbothered by the risk of her identity being exposed. "We still have a mission to complete. I can't just run away. But shouldn't someone like you be going after Emperor Zero? Why come for me?"
Charles waved it off. "Someone else is handling him. Compared to that guy, you are far more dangerous."
Ultear paused. Though his tone gave little away, something about his words made her wary.
Suddenly, Charles raised his hand and smashed an oncoming crystal orb with a single punch.
"Hey! A woman should be gentle. Sneak attacks are a no-no!"
Ultear froze. "How did you figure it out?"
"Your transformation magic is flawless," Charles replied. "But next time, lay off the perfume."
Ultear laughed. She didn't cancel her transformation, but her voice reverted to that of a woman. "So sharp. I really underestimated you."
Charles shifted his weight and narrowly dodged another high-speed crystal orb.
"Praising me while attacking? Not a good habit. Still, I must say—your Lost Magic, Arc of Time, is truly fascinating."
Ultear's wariness grew. There was no way he could've figured that out from a glance alone. She hadn't even planned to hide her magic—but his behavior put her even more on edge.
"I really did underestimate you," she muttered.
Flames surged from Charles's body. "It's too early for compliments. I haven't even started trying."
The fire rippled, and another crystal orb shot through it, aiming for his head.
Charles heard the wind shift and reached out to grab it—but the orb halted in midair.
From blazing speed to absolute stillness in a split second—even Charles was caught off guard.
The orb swerved and traced a line of afterimages, circling Charles like a predator.
Time magic truly was bizarre. Even Charles couldn't think of a direct countermeasure.
But magic was wielded by mages—he didn't need to beat the spell, just the one casting it!
Charles batted away an incoming orb and charged straight at Ultear.
An orb intercepted him mid-charge. Charles responded with a powerful punch, shattering it. But his momentum stalled. The moment his foot touched the ground, it collapsed beneath him.
The Moon Temple, though ruined, was built from sturdy materials. For the floor to break so easily meant only one thing—Ultear had accelerated the time on the structure, making even the strongest stone brittle.
Flames erupted from Charles's feet, and he took to the air.
But as soon as he ascended, another crystal orb fell from above, slamming him down.
Watching from above, Ultear muttered, "The moon is about to rise. I can't let you stay here any longer."
With that, she leapt into the pit. As she passed through, the crater sealed behind her.
A group of grunts emerged, gathering around a magic circle on the floor, waiting for the moon to rise and complete the final Moon Drip ritual.
Charles dropped from the top of the temple to the underground chamber. Just before hitting the ground, the crystal orb vanished.
He flipped midair and landed smoothly—right in front of Deliora, sealed in ice.
Ultear stood on a nearby stalactite, looking down. "You'd better not use your Dragon Slayer Magic here. If you do, that ice might melt faster."
Charles didn't even respond. His flames roared freely.
"That ice holds Ur's soul and will. There's no way mere fire could melt it."
Ultear froze.
And just as Charles expected, her aura suddenly flared—unstable and furious.
So her heart had been consumed by that belief: that Ur had abandoned her.
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