"Are you really sure?"
Ryoma's extremely calm voice echoed through the empty underground cavern, carrying a sense of being in control.
Natsu, however, completely failed to grasp this meaning. He only felt his rage about to burst through the sky.
"Hey! Ryoma!"
Natsu pointed at Ryoma, stomping his feet in anger.
"You bastard! You're ignoring me!"
"I'm talking to you!"
This scoundrel had been staring at that masked wack since just now, completely treating him as air.
Ryoma finally slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the jumping Natsu, his expression still unchanged.
"Oh, Natsu."
He spoke in a nonchalant tone, delivering a piece of news that instantly petrified Natsu.
"Erza is already on this island. She's here to catch you."
"..."
All of Natsu's movements, all of his anger, came to an abrupt halt at this moment. His body stiffened suddenly, and his expression changed dramatically at a visible speed. Drops of cold sweat silently slid down his forehead.
"I... I..."
He opened his mouth, the sound from his throat a bit hesitant, and his body even began to tremble slightly.
But he still forced himself to say the most stubborn words in a stammering voice.
"I'm not... not afraid of her."
He said this without any confidence, probably not even believing it himself.
Ultear, who was nearby, watched this scene with great interest, finding it very amusing. She hadn't expected such a development. Her gaze returned to Ryoma, with a hint of mocking smile.
"Heh heh... So that's it."
She asked with a smile, "Is that your confidence? Do you think you can turn the tide with the fairy queen?"
In her opinion, this was simply ridiculous. No matter how strong Erza, the fairy queen, was, by the time she arrived here, everything would already be over.
"What other methods do you have?"
Ryoma didn't answer her question. He first looked back at the space above the giant ice again. The purple light had already reached its peak, and the magic circle was about to fully form.
The glow of the moon drip might penetrate the rock layer and shine down the next second.
Time was running out.
Ryoma slowly turned his head back, looking again at Ultear, who was still full of confidence.
The corners of his lips curved into a meaningful arc. "You'll know soon."
"From this moment on..."
"The offense and defense have shifted."
The moment his words fell—
Boom!!!
A terrifying magic power erupted from Ryoma's body.
It wasn't the previously restrained, faint aura, but a pure, vast magical aura.
The temperature of the entire underground cavern plummeted, and countless tiny ice crystals condensed in the air, reflecting the purple light of the magic circle, dreamlike yet full of danger.
"This... What is this?!"
Ultear's smile instantly froze on her face. She was stunned as she felt the vast and familiar magic power.
This magic power...
It was clearly identical to the powerful mana that had made her feel a little uneasy in the jungle outside the ruins not long ago.
How could this be?!
Not long ago, this guy named Ryoma was clearly not her match, easily defeated by her.
In the blink of an eye, he possessed such terrifying power?!
This rate of improvement had completely exceeded her understanding.
It was simply unbelievable!
However, after a brief shock, Ultear quickly composed herself again. A cold smile reappeared on her face.
"So that's it. You've been hiding your strength all along?"
"What incredible acting."
She admitted that she had misjudged him.
But... so what?
"Even if you can really defeat me, it's too late now."
She looked up, pointing to the magic circle that was about to be completed, her voice filled with the composure of a victor.
"The ritual cannot be stopped. Deliora will be resurrected immediately."
"You..."
Her words were not finished yet.
The next instant, her smile froze on her face.
Rumble!!!
Here it came again.
The entire ancient ruin once again experienced an unusually violent tremor. Huge stones fell from the cave ceiling, and the ground cracked with hideous fissures.
The ruin that had just been righted by the Arc of Time, was now once again beginning to shift. The ruin seemed to return to its state after Natsu's destruction, completely tilting to one side.
The purple pillar of light above, which had gathered all the moonlight, also began to shift its angle of illumination as the ruin tilted. The light pillar grazed the edge of the giant ice, eventually shooting towards the rock wall on the other side of the cavern.
The moonlight... had shifted.
The ritual... had failed.
"No... impossible!"
Ultear muttered to herself, unable to comprehend everything happening before her eyes.
"Arc of Time... No!"
She suddenly realized that this wasn't her magic. But this magic was very similar to her Arc of Time.
She subconsciously wanted to cast magic again to right the tilted ruin. However, when she mobilized her magic power to try to re-manipulate the timeline of the ruin, she found that her control over the Arc of Time had become incredibly weak at this moment.
As if suppressed by some force, it seemed as if she couldn't use this magic anymore.
"How could this be..."
She swayed, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness welling up in her heart.
She had failed.
Not only had the ritual failed, there was also no possibility of starting over.
She had lost.
Lost completely.
Her gaze was fixed on Ryoma not far away.
The immense magic power that man had unleashed, combined with some unknown magic he had mastered, had actually managed to turn the tide.
Cold sweat seeped from beneath her mask.
She glanced at the unfathomably powerful Ryoma, then at Natsu beside him, who, though not very smart, possessed astonishing destructive power.
Plus Erza, who could arrive at any moment...
She couldn't stay any longer. If she didn't run now, she would surely pay a heavy price today, and might even be trapped here by their combined efforts.
"I'll remember you." Her voice became sharp and venomous.
She pulled out a crystal ball from her embrace, then smashed it fiercely on the ground.
Bang!
The crystal ball shattered, and a thick cloud of smoke instantly enveloped the area where she stood, blocking all sight and perception.
"Trying to run?!"
Natsu roared, about to charge into the smoke.
But the smoke had already begun to dissipate, and the figure of the comical masked man was nowhere to be seen.
That guy had vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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[New Series]
One Piece: Entry System
Hiroto arrives in the world of One Piece thanks to the almighty Truck-kun.
Thankfully, he acquires an entry [Transmigrator] for achieving the miracle, which gives him the possibility of entry extraction, fusion and granting.
The more impact he makes in the plot of One Piece, the more Disortion energy he gets, which equals better entries.
[Entry: Budget Shinso]
[Effect: After activation, extends the length of sword-type weapons to 40 meters. The extension speed and width are determined by the degree of physical stamina consumption. Returns to original state after cancellation.]
[Entry: Effort King]
[Effect: Experience categorized as training or learning is multiplied by 200 times after settlement.]
[Entry: Fiery Heart]
[Effect: Adds fire damage to any attack. The range, power, and temperature are determined by the amount of stamina invested.]