Mid-air, Hope looked a mess: the magic wings on his back were ragged, yet he himself was unscathed.
Combat instincts honed in his previous life kicked in; at the last second he blended Wing Magic with Gods Foot and narrowly dodged lullaby's annihilating beam.
"So this is the power of a Zeref's Book Demon… terrifying." Hope stared at the vanished mountain, but there was no time for awe.
Seeing the tiny human still alive, lullaby let out a piercing shriek.
Its colossal body moved without sluggishness; a giant arm of warped trees lashed through the air, swatting at Hope overhead.
"Not a chance!"
Requip! 'Black-Wing Armor!'"
Erza instantly donned the jet-black Armor that boosted strength and speed, turned into a black bolt, and—arriving first despite moving last—deflected the blow with her Black-Wing Axe.
Happy carried Natsu in close. "Take this! Fire Dragon's—Wing Strike!"
A torrent of searing flame slammed into lullaby's torso, merely charring the wooden hide without real damage.
Gray's magic burst beneath the demon's feet, flash-freezing its legs, but lullaby shattered the ice with a single stomp.
"Useless! Spells of that level can't even tickle me!"
lullaby spoke in contempt, scattering fire and frost, while dark-purple runes flared across its body and an evil barrier shimmered, turning aside the mages' attacks.
The three hollow eyes blazed again; a devastating array formed before its maw, launching a storm of violet bolts in every direction.
"This is bad!" Cana cried, leaping aside.
In that instant Lucy calmly turned a Celestial key. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
The mighty Taurus appeared, whirling his axe to shield Lucy, Cana and nearby Gray from dozens of the blasts.
Hope wove nimbly through the barrage, brow furrowed.
The sacrificial spell Erigor had cast with his life had not only freed lullaby from its seal, but—instead of weakening after ages of imprisonment—restored the demon to its prime.
Hope suspected that Erigor, who had set out earlier, had arrived later because something had happened en route.
While dodging, Hope coolly analyzed, finally fixing his gaze on the three violet eyes glowing in lullaby's head.
"Everyone—aim for the eyes!"
Erza, aloft, had reached the same conclusion. "Requip—'purgatory armor!'"
A massive blade appeared in her hands; clad in savage black Armor, she descended like a Valkyrie of the abyss and cleaved downward with world-splitting force.
One slash and the stout barrier shattered.
The fairy queen now showed the full might of an S-Class Mage; her power left even several guild masters present feeling outclassed.
Facing Erza at full strength, lullaby felt true danger for the first time since its release; it raised both arms to block the purgatory blade while charging a lethal ray that locked onto the armored knight.
But her comrades would not allow it.
Natsu's fists blazed; hurled by Taurus, Gray formed a colossal ice hammer, and the two struck simultaneously from left and right.
"Fire Dragon's—Claw!"
"Ice-Make—Great Hammer Soldier!"
Fire and ice in perfect harmony smashed into lullaby's jaw, sending the demon's beam skewing skyward and punching a hole clean through the clouds.
Cana gazed at the torn heavens, shuddering.
Yet she could do nothing—her Card Magic was near useless against such a huge, tough foe.
Lucy, a Celestial Spirit Mage, shared the same plight; she might not fight directly, but she could seek intel on lullaby's weakness.
"Open, Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!"
As Lucy's silver key gleamed, an old man with a cross-shaped head stepped out of the starlight gate.
Southern Cross Crux, the most erudite of all spirits—rumor says even the mighty Celestial Spirit King sometimes seeks his counsel.
"Old Man Crux, stop napping—look!"
Shaken awake by Lucy, Crux opened his eyes, saw lullaby's towering form, and his own widened in shock.
"That big wooden demon's actually been released?"
"But why is it at full power? When it was sealed, the Demon-Slaying Mage had half crippled it."
Seeing Lucy's urgency, Crux quickly supplied a plan.
"Listen, Lucy—lullaby can't be destroyed, so back then the Demon-Slayer settled for sealing it instead."
Seal the demon… Lucy and Cana's Hope drained away; none of the gathered guild masters knew sealing magic either.
Sealing spells were rarer than healing magic; only the Magic Council's 'Sealing Squad' used them, and they could never arrive in time.
Just then Hope walked back into the square.
Cana eyed the half-eaten sandwich in his hand, face darkening. "What are you doing here?!"
"Taking a break—did you think I had mana to spare?"
Hope's matter-of-fact reply left Cana speechless.
Remembering how he'd flown her a short distance then slumped against a wall, she muttered, "Your stamina's pathetic; I feel sorry for your future girlfriend."
Hearing that, Hope wolfed down the sandwich, clapped his hands and declared, "Hmph, I'll show you—watch me seal lullaby right now."
Cana grabbed his sleeve. "Don't be reckless! You'd only mess Erza up—and you don't know sealing magic…"
Hope flashed a wicked grin over his shoulder.
"Who says you need sealing magic to seal something?"