Outside the Galuna Temple, Lucy tilted her head, observing the ruins before her.
"Eh? It's only been one night, how did this ruin... get tilted?"
"Aye, what's going on here?" Happy, acting as the straight man, echoed while tilting his head.
"It's probably Natsu," Ron smiled knowingly. "Only a reckless guy like him could cause this kind of effect."
"Natsu?!"
Lucy's expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then from shock to emotional realization.
It was hard to imagine that a reckless, one-track-minded guy who caused destruction everywhere would actually have this kind of wisdom.
Lucy: Could it be a stroke of luck, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse?
Natsu: It's clearly wisdom! Wisdom!!! It was a brilliant idea I worked so hard to come up with!!!
Swish!
The sound of breaking air came from the woods beside them. Densely packed blades flew toward them like raindrops, carrying a sharp murderous intent.
Before they could get close, a gust of wild wind rose from the ground, howling as it swept all the blades inside, shredding them into tiny fragments that scattered across the floor.
"Who's there?!"
Erza turned around abruptly, shouting sharply as her keen eyes scanned the surrounding woods.
A rustling sound came from the forest, followed by a group of extras wearing loose robes and masks who stepped out, surrounding Ron and the others.
"We've finally found you, Fairy Tail!" the lead extra said in a cold tone. "We will never allow you to interfere with Sub Zero Emperor's plan!"
"Lyon's subordinates?"
Erza snorted coldly, blocking the way in front of everyone with her longsword, then looked back at Gray.
"I'll handle things here. Go, Gray. Don't you still have to settle things with Lyon?"
"That's right!"
Lucy also pulled out the whip hanging from her waist, her eyes determined. "Don't worry, Gray! Leave this to us, you go on ahead!"
Gray's pupils trembled slightly, and a smile appeared on his face. After nodding solemnly, he didn't hesitate or linger, turning to sprint toward the ruins of the Galuna Temple.
"Erza, it's fine to leave this to you and Lucy, right?"
Ron took a quick glance. Although there were many people surrounding them, most had weak magic power, and those who could be called Wizards were few and far between.
"I want to follow and take a look to prevent any accidents, and incidentally... handle some matters."
Erza didn't look back, only giving a soft hum of agreement.
Just as Ron reached the ruins and prepared to head to the top.
A ripple of magic power brushed past. The originally tilted temple ruins began to slowly straighten back up amidst the vibrations.
"This is...?"
Ron thought of something and immediately changed his plan, diverting his path and floating into the interior of the temple ruins like a gentle breeze.
Weaving through the structure, he quickly arrived at the source of the mana fluctuation.
A hunched, short figure was using magic to return the temple's rubble and broken pillars to their original positions.
However, in Ron's eyes, the person performing the magic was a slender woman—with long black hair, straight bangs, wearing a white top and a yellow belt tied around her waist.
"It really is you," a light flashed in Ron's eyes as he whispered softly, "Ultear!"
Ultear, a pitiful soul whose life was filled with tragedy.
She was also a character who would use any means necessary to achieve her goals.
Because she was born with enormous magic power that her body couldn't handle, she was sent by her mother, Ur, to a research institute for treatment, only to be used by Brain as an experimental subject for magical research.
When Ultear grew up and escaped on her own, she saw her mother Ur living happily with Gray and Lyon. Misunderstanding that she had been abandoned by her mother, she returned to the research institute out of resentment and eventually destroyed it when her magic went out of control.
Later, she joined the Dark Guild Grimoire Heart. From the master, Hades, she learned about the Lost Magic, Arc of Time, which could reclaim lost happiness—
As long as one entered the Great Magic World, a person with the ability of the Arc of Time could become a time traveler, moving freely through time.
To achieve this goal, Ultear began her own plans and even committed many wrongs during that time.
In the end, she successfully woke up to her mistakes. To atone, she formed Crime Sorcière with Jellal and Meredy, annihilating many Dark Guilds.
During the Dragon King Festival incident, she even activated Arc of Time: Last Ages at the cost of her life, saving many lives and becoming an unsung hero.
"Who is it?!"
Having restored the ruins to their original state, Ultear was about to leave when she felt a presence behind her, causing her whole body to shudder.
She hadn't expected that someone as cautious as herself would only discover a trace after they had silently approached her.
"It's actually you..."
Ultear turned around abruptly. The first thing that caught her eye was a pair of blue and gold eyes. "Heterochromatic Ron!!!"
"Arc of Time, capable of controlling time, sending things back to the past or pushing them into the future. It truly lives up to its name as a Lost Magic."
Ron leaned against a stone pillar, observing the restored temple with a smile.
"However, it's not very nice to have the destruction Natsu worked so hard to cause be restored so easily by you. And besides..."
"It also somewhat affects what I'm about to do!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the temple seemed to be manipulated by an invisible giant hand. Amidst a loud "rumbling" sound, it became tilted once again.
"Arc of Time..."
Ultear's pupils beneath her mask shrank slightly, and she immediately thought of the rumors regarding Ron.
"I've heard long ago that Heterochromatic Ron can copy any magic he sees. I didn't expect... that he could even copy a Lost Magic like the Arc of Time!"
Her gaze stared sharply at Ron, as if trying to see through him.
"But now is the final moment. I can't let you interfere with my plan to resurrect Deliora!"
A crystal ball suddenly appeared out of thin air behind Ron, shooting toward the back of his head with a silent, piercing momentum.
At the same time, the already tilted temple returned to normal once more.
Ron stood quietly in place, the smile still on his face, as if he hadn't noticed the crystal ball shooting toward him.
Just as the crystal ball was about to hit him, it suddenly vanished, reappearing in front of Ultear and shooting toward her with the same speed and power.
Ultear's expression changed. The crystal ball split into two just before hitting her, passing by her sides.
In the next second, they turned around and rushed toward Ron at an even faster speed.
In this way, the crystal ball flickered in and out of existence between the two of them, like a toy.
Splitting, disappearing, shooting, hovering... and so on; its forms were varied.
At the same time.
Ron and Ultear were still fighting for control over the temple.
One would make the temple tilt, and the other would immediately restore it.
The temple was like another toy to them, continuously emitting booming sounds amidst the vibrations, switching back and forth between tilted and normal.