Chapitre 301: Brushing off the Low-Ranking Members of Grimoire Heart

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Open Seas.

December 15, x784.

Shortly before the Grimoire Heart airship landed on Tenrou Island, the soldiers of the Magic Council's naval fleet were monitoring the ongoing situation. And luckily for them, they were able to see everything on the island once the barrier surrounding it broke.

"Sir, the sun is about to sink below the horizon." The fleet captain said to Lahar.

"I am aware." Lahar said as he watched the happenings on Tenrou Island through his binoculars.

*Swish!*

As lahar finished his sentence, a man wearing a high-collared orange shirt appeared on the flag ship's deck next to Lahar. As he did, all the soldiers and Rune Knights who saw him drew their weapons to subdue the intruder.

"Stand down!" Lahar ordered after feeling the familiar presence that appeared next to him. "Doranbolt, how did your mission go?"

"Unfortunately, it was a failure." Doranbolt replied. "The guild has done nothing that could warrant immediate disbanding."

"They were only holding their annual S-Class Promotion Exam." Lahar said while quickly glancing at his colleague. "What were you hoping to find?"

"Honestly, I didn't think I'd find anything." Doranbolt replied with a shrug. Though, Lahar did not miss the hint of disappointment in his tone.

"I know he doesn't like Fairy Tail, just like most of the members of the Council.' Lahar thought to himself as he glanced at Doranbolt once again. "But if he wasn't expecting to find any damning evidence, why is he disappointed.'

The reason for Doranbolt's disappointment was simple. He failed the optional mission of bringing Wendy, the Maiden of the Sky, as she has been called, back with him.

"I do think that my cover had been blown, though." Doranbolt added.

"So, they knew you were from the Magic Council?" Lahar asked.

"I don't think so." Doranbolt replied while shaking his head. "But they were all abnormally suspicious of me. Which means they thought I was someone suspicious. Even after I altered all their memories with my [Memory Control Magic]."

"I guess that means your magic is not as potent on those with a greater amount of magic power than you." Lahar said as he brought his binoculars up to his face again. "And since there are so many strong S-Class wizards in Fairy Tail, though I doubt they saw through it completely, they probably warned the other members just in case."

"As much as I hate to admit it, that makes sense." Doranbolt said while shaking his head.

If only Doranbolt knew that his identity had been seen through by a pair of reincarnators, he would probably question everything he ever knew.

"Anyway, how is the battle going?" Doranbolt asked.

"Currently, Master Makarov is facing off against Hades." Lahar replied. "But it looks like that battle will be ending shortly. It appears Makarov's age is finally catching up to him."

"I guess that means we will be losing another Wizard Saint this evening." Doranbolt replied.

"Wait, it looks like Makarov was just saved." Lahar said, surprise evident in his tone.

"Sir, there are a large number of Grimoire Heart wizards surrounding the Maiden of the Sky and two of those talking cats from Fairy Tail!" A soldier, who was watching another part of the island, shouted at nearly the same time."

Hearing the soldier's report, Doranbolt could only clench his fists in regret.

'I knew I should have just taken her, regardless of the consequences.' Doranbolt thought to himself as he stared at Tenrou Island in the distance. 'Letting someone with the ability to heal die in this conflict is pointless. Her abilities could help so many people'

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Tenrou Island.

As the soldier on the Magic Council flagship reported, Wendy, Carla, and Panther Lily were surrounded by at least thirty low-ranking members of Grimoire Heart.

"Ha! It's just a brat and a couple of cats." A male wizard said with a sneer on his face. "This will be the easiest assignment ever.

"If you really think it will be that easy, then you've truly underestimated us." Panther Lily replied as he started growing in size.

Eventually, Panther Lily grew to the size he had in Edolas. On top of that, the sword on his back grew to match his current size.

"Now, let's see if you're as strong as you think you are or just over confident due to your numbers."

"What the hell kind of cat is that?" A female wizard asked in surprise.

"It doesn't matter.!" Another male wizard shouted. "Just kill them. That's what Master Hades ordered, and that's all we need to do."

"Yeah!" All the low-ranking Grimoire Heart wizards shouted in unison.

"[Wind Magic: Drilling Air Bullets]."

"[Fire Magic: Grand Inferno]."

"Lightning Magic: Chain Lightning]."

With that, spells of all kinds of elements were fired in the Fairy Tail trio's direction.

In response, Panther Lily sprouted a pair of wings and evaded many of the spells while slashing his sword at those he could not. To his surprise, as well as the surprise of the opposing wizards, the spells Panther Lily slashed were dispelled on impact.

"That's new." Panther Lily said after dispelling several spells. "I guess I really owe Alfonzo an apology. This sword really is better than Bustermarm. It can even do this. [Buster Bomb]."

With his chant, the sword in Panther Lily's hand began to glow brightly as he flew toward the nearest group of wizards at high speed. Then, once he was in range, he swung his sword with all his might.

*Clang!*

*Boom~~~!*

Upon impact with the magic sword of one of Grimoire Heart's wizards, a large explosion was triggered, sending a number of the surrounding wizards flying with injuries of varying degrees.

Meanwhile, Wendy pulled Carla behind her as she evaded some of the incoming spells while she devoured all those of the wind element.

"Is she eating our magic?" one of the female wizards who used a wind spell asked. "Is she a God Slayer like Lord Zankrow?"

"No, I'm not." Wendy said as she and Carla flew forward. "I'm a dragon Slayer. [Sky Dragon's Wing Attack]."

With her chant, Wendy flapped her arms in the dark wizards direction. As she did, a pair of long, slender cyclones were generated around her arms and extended forward as they engulfed the nearby wizards and sent them flying in all directions.

"[Sky Dragon's Roar]." Wendy chanted another spell as Carla turned her towards a second group of enemy wizards.

With that, Wendy breathed out a larger cyclone that flung many wizards away due to the air currents.

At the same time, Levy and Gajeel had been surrounded by a similar number of low-ranking wizards from Grimoire Heart while in the forest.

"And here I was getting bored because I didn't get to fight anyone during the exam." Gajeel said with a feral grin on his face. "It made me wonder why I even teamed up with this Pipsqueak."

"What was that?" Levy asked with a tick mark on her forehead. "Was the chance to fight the only reason you teamed up with me, Gajeel?"

"Of course, it was." Gajeel replied. "Why else would I have teamed up with you?"

"I don't' know… Maybe to help me become S-Class?" Levy said angrily.

Finally noticing Levy's tone, Gajeel glanced at his teammate. And after seeing the angry expression she was wearing, he looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry about that, Pipsqueak." Gajeel said in apology. "But you know how much I like to fight strong people."

"Whatever." Levy replied while looking away.

"If your little lover's quarrel is over, can we start this battle?" One of the two wizards appearing to the lead the group of low-ranking wizards, a humanoid goat with short brown fur and a prominent flat nose wearing red samurai armor with the Grimoire Heart symbol embossed on the chest plate and a katana hanging on his hip, asked disdainfully.

"Why are you even bothering to talk to these weaklings, Cock-a-do." The second of the leading wizards, an anthropomorphic rooster with human arms as well as wings wearing an orange, eastern apron, black pants that showed off his avian legs, and a simple cloth belt, asked. "Just kill them, Cock-a-doodle-do!"

"Agreed." The humanoid goat replied while crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Attack!"

As soon as the order was given, all the low-ranking members of Grimoire Heart rushed forward while shouting their battle cries.

"Yeah, this is gonna be fun." Gajeel said while cracking his knuckles.

"I'll handle this." Levy said, stopping Gajeel from rushing forward. Then, with her light pen, she wrote a few words in the air in front of her. "[Solid Script Magic: Fire, Gale]."

A moment later, a flame appeared in the air in front of Levy. Then, in the next moment, a strong wind blew, feeding the fire as it transformed into a fire storm that rushed towards all the attacking wizards.

"Ahh~~~~~~~!"

"It burns!"

"Someone, help me!"

As the flames washed over all the attacking wizards, Gajeel glared at Levy with discontent.

"Am I ever gonna get to fight?" Gajeel asked.

"Hmph!" Levy snorted in response while looking away.

In response, Gajeel could only scratch his head while looking at Levy helplessly. He knew what he said was wrong. But he only said it because he was caught up in the moment. On top of that, he was really looking forward to fighting at least one of the S-Class wizards during the exam.

"I have to say." The humanoid goat said, breaking the awkward silence. "It looks like I've truly underestimated you."

"Cock! They're strong. Doodle-do." The anthropomorphic rooster added from the sky.

As the flames died down, the remaining two wizards from Grimoire Heart could be seen completely unscathed. While the rooster had flown above the flames, the goat had created a barrier in front of him to block them.

"Out of respect for the strength you've shown, I'll tell you my name. "The humanoid goat said as his barrier faded. "My name is Yamazu, one of the strongest low-ranking members of Grimoire Heart. I serve Master Caprico of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

"And I'm Kawazu, Cock-a-doodle." The anthropomorphic rooster, Kawazu, added. "I also serve Lord Caprico, Cock-a-doodle-do!"

"Yeah, that's great." Gajeel replied. "Not that I needed to know your names to beat you up. The only thing necessary to know is that you are enemies."

After Gajeels reply, he looked at Levy.

"It's alright if I take them on, right?" Gajeel asked, hoping that Levy would not just lay waste to the enemies like she had done with the others.

"Fine." Levy replied. "But I'll back you up. I can tell they're stronger than the others."

"Yeah, but they're not as strong as they think they are." Gajeel said with the feral smile reappearing on his face. "And I'll prove it. [Iron Dragon Incarnation]."

With that, Gajeel was covered in iron, making him take the shape of a humanoid version of Metalicana. Then, as soon as his exoskeleton was formed, he flapped his wings and shot off in Yamazu's direction.

"Quite impressive." Yamazu said, drawing the katana on his hip. "But it's not enough. [Orient Sold Script: Zan]."

As he chanted, Yamazu slashed the kanji "Zan" into the air with his sword. Then, he slashed his sword in Gajeel's direction several times.

*Ting!* *Ting!* *Ting!*

As a result of his slashes, several air blades were sent flying IN Gajeel's direction. Though, the [Iron Dragon Slayer] did not move to defend or evade. And as it turns out, he did not need to, as the air blades simply struck his scales and dissipated.

"[Egg Buster]." Kawazu, who was still airborne, chanted as he spit out several eggs in Gajeel's direction.

Before the eggs could get too close to Gajeel, however, a curtain of flames appeared in the sky, thanks to Levy's [Solid Script Magic], burning all the eggs to cinders as they passed through it.

"You dare destroy my eggs?" Kawazu squawked after seeing his eggs being burned. "I'll destroy you, and everything you hold dear, Cock-a-doodle-do!"

"Your partner really is a bird brain." Gajeel growled as he neared Yamazu.

"Even if he is…" Yamazu said as he sheathed his katana. "You won't live long enough to tell anyone about it. [Dark Sword: Narukami]."

With his chant, Yamazu rushed forward. Then, as he entered the range of his attack, he drew his sword, slashing Gajeel across the chest. At the same time, a dark pulse was created that followed up his attack.

"Gah!" Yamazu groaned in pain as Gajeel slammed his shoulder into his abdomen.

"Not bad." Gajeel said with a manic smile. "You actually cut through a good bit of my scales. But did you really think you could penetrate the scales of an iron dragon with only one slash?"

As Gajeel said, Yamazu's [Sword Magic] spell cut into his scales, leaving behind a rather large gash. Unfortunately for him, it was not enough to penetrate the scales completely. As a result, Gajeel came out completely unharmed and slammed into Yamazu as he tried to rush past him.

And now, with Yamazu on his shoulder, Gajeel flapped his wings and took to the air.

Meanwhile, Kawazu, who was infuriated by the fact that Levy had destroyed his eggs, had focused all his attention on the petite, blue-haired girl, releasing dozens of eggs in the hope to kill her for what she had done.

Unfortunately, due to his fury, Kawazu had lost track of what was going on in Yamazu's battle with Gajeel. As a result, he was caught off guard when the two slammed into him from behind, causing him to squawk in pain.

"Now that I've got a hold of both of you, I think it's time to end this." Gajeel said as he stopped his forward momentum and let go of the two Grimoire Heart wizards. Then, he took a deep breath as he brought his hands to his mouth in the shape of a trumpet. "[Iron Dragon's Roar]."

With that, Yamazu and Kawazu were hit with the blunt force of the swirling mass of [Metal Magic] while being slashed by the sharp iron shards that flowed along the swirling magic power, before they were slammed into the ground.

As a result, both dark wizards lay at the bottom of a crater, unconscious.

A moment later, Gajeel landed next to Levy. Then, he dispelled his [Iron Dragon Incarnation] reveaingl the satisfied smile on his face before he subconsciously patted Levy on the head.

"Well, the fight didn't last as long as I would have liked, but it was fun, nonetheless." Gajeel said in a happy tone. "Thanks a lot for letting me be your partner, Pipsqueak."

"Sure, no problem.' Levy said in a small voice while lowering her head to hide the blush on her face.

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commentaire Commentaire 7

Voter

Chapitre 302: Star Dress

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Tenrou Island.

December 15, x784.

"I wonder what's going on." Lucy questioned as she and Cana ran away from Mavis Vermillion's grave and made their way towards the base camp.

"I'm not sure." Cana replied. "But since the red flare went up, that means the situation is serious."

"Do you think the island is under attack?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe..." Cana replied as she narrowed her eyes.

"But who would want to attack us here?" Lucy asked, becoming more frantic as she spoke. "I mean, how would they even know where----"

"We won't have to wonder about that for long." Cana said, interrupting Lucy's string of questions and quickly slowing to a stop. "Someone's coming this way. And I don't' recognize their magic power signature."

Hearing Cana's words, Lucy followed suit and came to a stop as well. Then, she looked in the same direction Cana was looking with worry.

For the next few minutes, Cana and Lucy waited for the approaching intruder to get closer. Then, when the intruder finally arrived, Cana squinted her eyes because he was fairly strong. And she was assessing whether letting Lucy fight him would be a good idea or not.

Lucy, on the other hand, reacted completely differently. With her eyes opened wide in surprise, she could not believe what she saw.

The intruder who surprised Lucy so much was a towering man with goat-like features covered in brownish-white fur with longer tufts on his lower face that looked like a goatee, thin ears on the top of his head, a pair of curved goat horns on the sides of his head, and a large, flat nose wearing a black business sit, a yellow dress shirt, and a grey necktie, and no shoes as his legs, which were bent backwards slightly like those of a goat, ended in a pair of black hooves.

"Hmm…. I feel the presence of Celestial Keys." The goat-like man said once he was within earshot of Cana and Lucy.

"Who are you? And why are you on Tenrou Island?" Cana asked aggressively.

"Oh, where are my manners?" The goat-like man responded. "You may call me Caprico. And I am one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory of Grimoire Heart."

Hearing Caprico's introduction, both Cana and Lucy opened their eyes in surprise. At the same time, Lucy was even more confused.

"But… you're a Celestial Spirit…" Lucy said, her tone filled with confusion. "How could you join a Dark Guild?"

"What?" Cana exclaimed in surprise. "Seriously? This guy is a Celestial Spirit?"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded in affirmation. "Although he feels different than the others I know, he's definitely a Celestial Spirit."

"Well, aren't you observant?" Caprico replied with a sinister smile. "But that might be a good thing. I think you'll fit in with the rest of the ones I've subordinated with my [Human Subordination Magic]. Especially, you."

As he finished, Caprico glanced at Cana, who was the stronger of the two.

"Are you saying you want to turn me into your slave?" Cana asked with a frown as she flared her magic power to its maximum.

While Lucy stumbled at the sudden pressure, Caprico was almost brought to his knees.

Although this was not the first time Caprico had felt such a large amount of magic power washing over him, as there were several wizards in the Seven Kin of Purgatory with similar amounts of magic power. He had only felt this level of density from the two strongest members of Grimoire Heart.

'Will my [Human Subordination Magic] even work on someone with magic power that dense?' Caprico thought to himself as he picked himself up and stood firmly against the pressure. 'I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work on Master Hades or Bluenote, either.'

At the same time, a golden light appeared next to Lucy. A moment later, after the light faded, the Golden Celestial Spirit, Leo was revealed.

"Leo?" Lucy asked in confusion. "How did you get here?"

"I came down to bring back my lost comrade." Leo said sternly while straightening his tie. "He's been missing for over ten years. And now, it's time to bring him back. Isn't that right, Capricorn?"

"Capricorn?" Lucy asked in surprise. "So, that's why he looked so familiar. He was one of Mom's Spirits. But then, how did he end up as a member of a Dark Guild?"

Hearing Lucy's exclamation, Caprico… or rather, Capricorn's gaze sharpened as he shifted his attention over to the blonde.

"So, you're Layla's daughter." Capricorn asked in a low tone. "Then, that changes things. I think killing you would be the best thing, instead."

"Why, what did my mother do to you?" Lucy asked, her expression hardening after hearing what Capricorn said.

"Oh, it was quite the contrary." Capricorn said with an unstable smile. "I respected her so much. She meant everything to me. So much, in fact, that I killed that bitch who was responsible for her death.'

As he spoke, Capricorn's smile became more and more unhinged.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked with a frown. "Mom died from Magic Deficiency Syndrome." Lucy said with a frown. "No one killed her."

"Ha! Hahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Capricorn, having heard Lucy's explanation, started laughing uproariously. Then, after a few moments where the only sound that could be heard in the surroundings was Capricorn's laughter, he finally calmed down enough to continue. "And do you think she would have contracted that disease if that bitch, Grammi, had stopped her from completing that ritual?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked with a frown.

"Hmph! Of course, you wouldn't know." Capricorn replied disdainfully. "You were only a brat back then. But honestly, it doesn't matter. I'm going to kill you today. That way you won't have to suffer in this world Like Lady Layla did."

"Lucy, you need to get out of here." Leo said, stepping forward to protect Lucy. "If he uses his [Human Subordination Magic] on you, it would be all over."

"No, I'm not leaving." Lucy said stubbornly. "I want to know what he was talking about. Besides, he could just as easily use it on you, too."

"But it wouldn't work on me, though." Leo replied. "I'm not human, after all."

Lucy could not help but fall silent after hearing Leo's explanation. Still, she was quite unwilling to leave.

"If you're so worried about her being taken over by the [Human Subordination Magic], why don't you just use the new spell?" Cana asked after seeing how torn Lucy was. "I mean, from what I've heard, it allows you or one of the spirits she has a contract with to allow their power to dwell inside her, right? Basically, making her a pseudo-Celestial Spirit."

While Lucy perked up at Cana's suggestion, Leo looked a bit worried. Meanwhile, Capricorn was completely unsure of what she was talking about. Still, he was quite curious to see what kind of spell would allow a Celestial Spriit to let its power to dwell within a human.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea." Leo replied after a few moments of contemplation. "Although it's true that we decided to teach you the spell, you haven't had much time to train with it. On top of that, even though your magic power is quite dense, you would only be able to maintain it for ten minutes, at most."

"Still, I have to try." Lucy said. "He knows something about why my mom died." Lucy replied in resolute tone. "Plus, he's the one who killed Grammi. And although I don't remember her too well, I do remember that she was my mom's best friend."

"Just let her do it." Cana said casually. "She'll do it with or without your permission, after all. And that means, she'll do it while you're summoned. Meaning, it could be even more dangerous."

"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Leo replied. "But I want you to use my key to do it. It's still my responsibility to bring Capricorn back to the Celestial Spirit World as the leader of the Zodiac Spirits."

"Okay." Lucy said solemnly.

With that, Leo took another long look at Lucy before he unsummoned himself and returned to the Celestial Spirit World.

"Is all the mellow drama finally over?" Capricorn asked. "If so, can we get to it already? But don't worry, at least you'll be reunited with your mother soon."

"I don't think so." Lucy said as she reached into her waist pouch and pulled out Leo's key. "You will tell me what happened to my mother. And I'll make sure of that. [Star Dress: Leo]."

With that, the Golden Celestial Spirit Key in Lucy's hand began to glow. Then, she thrust it into the center of her chest. A moment later, she was covered in golden light. Then, when the light faded, Lucy was revealed once again. Though, instead of the t-shirt and skirt she was wearing while participating in the Promotion Exam, she was now wearing an elegant, black, backless and strapless evening gown with a slit that exposed her left leg, black, disconnected sleeves that started at her upper arm and flared out when they reached her hands, a pair of black high heels, a black choker with a ribbon tied in a bow, and a golden sash wrapped loosely around her hips. On top of that, due to the power she was borrowing from Leo, the Leo's Zodiac symbol appeared on her right breast.

"Damn, girl." Cana said while examining Lucy's new wardrobe. "I need to get Lici to make me address like that one. Even if I'll probably never wear it."

"Yeah, it looks pretty good." Lucy said while also examining her new wardrobe. Then, as she continued, her voice lowered in volume while her cheeks reddened slightly. "I wonder if Alfonzo will like it."

Hearing that, Cana smiled cheekily. Meanwhile, Capricorn, who had been waiting to see what they were making such a big deal about began to tremble. Though, if anyone saw his expression, they could tell that he was trembling in anger.

"Are you telling me I could have gained Capricorn's power like that?" Capricorn shouted angrily. "Instead, because he wouldn't tell me about it, I used my [Human Subordination Magic] to take over his body and got stuck like this?"

Immediately, the girls' attention was shifted back to Capricorn. And judging from what they heard, they were not actually facing Capricorn. Instead, they were facing whoever had a contract with him.

"How could you do such a thing?" Lucy asked angrily. "Do you only see Celestial Spirits as tools?"

"And so, what if I do?" Capricorn asked in a psychotic tone. "Isn't that what they are? They're use is to make the wizards they sign contracts with stronger."

"You're wrong." Lucy said, her magic power flaring unconsciously because of her emotions. "Celestial Spirits are supposed to be our comrades, our friends. That's what my mom taught me before she passed away."

"Ah… I remember hearing Lady Layla say something like that, back when I was still her disciple." Capricorn said. "I even had similar thoughts when she gave Capricorn's key to me all those years ago. But look where that got her, she's dead. And I'm still alive. It's clear that her philosophy was wrong."

"You don't deserve to have a contract with a Celestial Spirit!" Lucy shouted angrily. "Especially if you were really one of Mom's disciples, and she trusted you enough to pass one of her Spirits on to you. I'm gonna free Capricorn from you and let him choose his own contractor after I've taken you to prison!"

With that, Lucy's right hand was covered in light. Then, she raised it while placing her left hand on her bicep.

"[O Regulus… Grant me your strength!]" Lucy chanted as the light on her right fist covered her entire body. "[Lion Brilliance]."

With the second chant, the light covering Lucy's body expanded outward to cover a large part of the surroundings. At the same time, Capricorn was forced to cover his eyes, despite the fact that he was wearing sunglasses. Cana, on the other hand, just looked on curiously to see what Lucy would do to take advantage of Capricorn's defenseless state.

"Damn it, this is so annoying." Capricorn said while covering his eyes.

And Lucy did not disappoint her companion. As soon as she saw that Capricorn was affected by Lion Brilliance], she dashed forward at full speed, using [Regulus] to boost her physical parameters. Then, once she was in front of Capricorn, she reeled back her right fist before throwing a punch with all her might.

"[Regulus Gatling Impact]!" Lucy shouted as she unleashed a barrage of punches on the unsuspecting Capricorn.

Instead of throwing just one powerful blow, however, Lucy launched a barrage of punches that exploded with light on impact.

"Ahh~~~~~!" Capricorn shouted in a tone filled with pain.

'Although Leo said that I should be able to last for ten minutes, I can feel that my magic power is draining much faster than that.' Lucy thought to herself as she continued throwing punches. 'I'm letting my emotions get out of control and using up much more magic power than I should. But still, I can't help it. He's dragging my mom's legacy through the mud. And I won't allow that.'

With that thought, Lucy concentrated [Regulus'] power into her right fist as she threw a devastating uppercut into Capricorn's abdomen, launching him into the sky as a result.

Accompanying Capricorn's ascent was a golden lion head that appeared to be biting the taken over Celestial Spirit where Lucy hit him. Then, when Capricorn reached the highest point of his ascent, the lion head exploded into a brilliant explosion of light.

A moment later, when the light faded, Capricorn could be seen in a bad state with his sunglasses destroyed, his suit in tatters, and his fur burned in several places. On top of that, Lucy was positioned above him with her left leg raised and her foot covered in [Regulus'] light.

"[Regulus Lucy Kick]!" Lucy shouted as she brought her foot down on Capricorn.

Due to the strong force behind Lucy's kick, Capricorn was shot downward at a much higher speed than when he rose into the air.

*Boom!*

Upon impact, a small crater was created while dust and debris were kicked up into the air.

A moment later, Lucy landed just outside of the dust cloud while breathing heavily.

"I gotta say, that was pretty bad ass." Cana said as she walked over to Lucy, who was waiting for the dust cloud to disperse.

Instead of responding, Lucy just shot Cana a tired smile. At this point, she did not want to waste the energy it would take to speak in case Capricorn was still capable of fighting back.

A few moments later, the dust finally settled. Lying at the bottom of the crater was Capricorn, who seemed to be unconscious. But what surprised the two young women was the translucent figure of a man with a somewhat ghastly appearance with large, bulging eyes, puffy black hair pulled back by a hair band, and scars on his cheeks wearing a long, white robe with large sleeves standing next to the unconscious Celestial Spirit.

"Who is that?" Cana asked with a frown as she reached into her card pouch.

"Huh?" The translucent man exclaimed in confusion when he saw Capricorn lying next to him. "Am I finally free? Yes! Finally! I, Zoldeo, am human again!"

"Zoldeo? *Pant* He really was *Pant* my mom's *Pant* disciple." Lucy said in an exhausted tone.

At the same time, Capricorn started to stir. Eventually, he looked at his former contractor, who was clearly just a soul at this point. Then he shook his head sympathetically when he saw Zoldeo's soul start to crumble from his feet.

"What's happening?" Zoldeo asked. "Why am I just a soul? Where is my body."

"If I had to guess…" Capricorn said as he slowly stood to his feet. "It died long ago while we were fused. After all, everything you ingested went to my body, and not yours."

"Impossible!" Zoldeo shrieked in terror. "I'm finally free, and this is what happens?"

"I told you that spell, [Human Raise] was taboo to use on a Celestial Spirit, but you didn't heed my advice." Capricorn replied while using his magic power to repair his clothing and sun glasses. "And now, you're paying the price for your actions."

"No, Capricorn, please help me." Zoldeo pleaded. "Please, let me fuse with you again."

As Zoldeo begged and pleaded, his soul continued to crumble. And by now, he was nothing more than a floating head.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Capricorn replied while adjusting his tie. "I fulfilled my obligations as your Celestial Spirit when I allowed you to fuse with me the first time. And now, we are no longer contracted. So, all I can say is good bye, Zoldeo."

With that, Zoldeo could only look on with a resigned gaze as his soul crumbled completely. Then, as Zoldeo vanished from this world, Lucy's [Star Dress] was dispelled and she returned to her normal attire.

"It's… over…" Lucy said as she collapsed from magic power exhaustion.

"Geez… If you had only kept your cool, you would have been fine after that little display." Cana said as she caught Lucy before she hit the ground. "I guess that's another thing we'll have to work on in your training. You're not like Natsu who somehow gets stronger when his emotions run out of control."

While Cana was taking care of Lucy, Capricorn slowly made his way over to the two young women. Then, he pulled a Golden Key out of his suit's inner pocket.

"Please, give this to Miss Lucy when she wakes up.' Capricorn said while handing the key to Cana. "Zoldeo was supposed to be the one who did this. Lady Layla had instructed him to do so should Miss Lucy decide to learn [Celestial Spirit Magic]. Unfortunately, he was seduced by the darker side of magic before that could happen."

"I see." Cana replied while accepting the key from Capricorn. "I'll make sure she gets it when she wakes up."

With that, Capricorn bowed politely before unsummoning himself and returning to the Celestial Spirit World.

"Well, I'd better get you back to the camp." Cana said as she lifted Lucy in her arms. "It wouldn't be good if we ran into any of the other members of Grimoire Heart while you're in this state."

Like that, Cana started walking in the direction of the camp while avoiding the ongoing battles in the forest.