Hope's words stunned both Cana and Lucy. How could he seal it without Sealing Magic? Especially a demon of such enormous size.
Hope didn't explain, only giving them a look that said, "Watch me work," before deploying 'Wing Magic' and returning to the battlefield.
"Erza! Natsu! Gray! Help me restrict lullaby's movements! I have a way to deal with it!"
Hope shouted loudly.
Although they didn't understand what he intended, out of trust for their comrade, the three of them immediately sprang into action.
Erza instantly switched armor again to 'Heavens Wheel Armor.' The surrounding flying swords danced simultaneously, transforming into a Sword Storm that harassed lullaby from all directions.
Natsu and Gray exchanged glances, cooperating telepathically once more.
Gray slammed his palms onto the ground, and a layer of extreme cold ice rapidly spread. This time, it wasn't an attack, but a coordinated move with Natsu's scorching flames to make the ground beneath lullaby's feet collapse.
The loss of balance successfully caused lullaby's movements to momentarily freeze.
Now!
A sharp light flashed in Hope's eyes, and he suddenly clasped his hands together as pure magic power began to surge.
"Wood Shaping—luban lock!"
Following his low shout, the ground trembled, and countless thick, long wooden beams, shimmering with emerald magical light, burst out of the earth.
These wooden beams were not randomly generated; each one was a standard cuboid, sharply defined, with structures similar to Mortise and Tenon joints at both ends.
Hope concentrated his mental power intensely. Driven by his magic power, the huge wooden beams moved in an orderly fashion, as if manipulated by unseen, skillful hands.
The first wooden beam stretched across lullaby's waist. The second and third quickly slotted in from the sides, forming a stable triangular support.
Immediately afterward, more wooden beams began constructing along its arms, torso, and even neck.
lullaby clearly realized something was wrong, letting out an angry roar and trying to break free from these seemingly ordinary pieces of wood.
However, these wooden beams shaped by Hope's magic power were exceptionally tough. Before lullaby could exert force, more beams were already layered and stacked upon it.
The Tenon of every beam precisely fit into the mortise of another, interlocking and restricting each other. Through the interweaving of Yin-Yang Mortise and Tenon structures, multiple incredibly stable and mutually supporting complex structures were formed.
In the blink of an eye, a massive wooden framework, completely enveloping lullaby, had taken shape.
It struggled, only to find its arms jammed by the wooden beams, preventing it from exerting force.
When it twisted its torso, it caused the entire structure to tighten further, binding itself even more securely.
The helpless lullaby attempted to fire magic, but its three eyes and mouth were also restricted by the clever wooden construction. Not only was the magic gathering in its mouth unable to aim effectively, but Hope also seized the opportunity to shove a huge Wooden Gag into its mouth.
Hope's envisioned Giant Luban Lock was thus completed.
lullaby was firmly trapped in place, unable to move.
In a way, wasn't this a different kind of seal?
Looking at the Wooden Cage—which perfectly enclosed the massive demon, fitting tightly and incredibly stable—everyone present was dumbfounded.
Gray was so shocked that he muttered to himself, "Shaping Magic can be used like this?"
Hope slowly landed. His face was pale; such a massive and intricate structure consumed an enormous amount of magic power, but thankfully, he managed to hold on.
He looked at Cana, who was supporting him, met her somewhat worried gaze, and grinned: "How about that? Isn't your Brother Hope amazing?"
"Amazing, fine."
Looking at Hope still trying to act tough, Cana felt speechless.
After confirming that lullaby could not break free from the "Giant Luban Lock" containment, Erza, Natsu, and Gray also retreated from the battlefield.
Natsu looked at lullaby twisting futilely inside the Wooden Cage and shouted excitedly, "Nice job, Hope! When it comes to shaping creativity, you're a hundred times better than a certain senseless, Cold Exhibitionist!"
Gray, standing nearby, wiped the sweat from his forehead and, for once, didn't contradict Natsu. "Natsu is right. When it comes to Magic Shaping, I, Gray, declare you, Hope, the strongest."
Hope gave a dry laugh. He figured Gray wanted to dance, and the Old Man Madara who said that line next door ended up getting his heart ripped out.
Erza dispelled Heavens Wheel Armor, changed back into her everyday Knight Armor, walked over to Hope, looked at his pale face, and her eyes held approval and a hint of concern: "That was a brilliant tactic, Hope. Are you alright?"
"Obviously... not great."
Hope replied with a wry smile, but his face was alight with the joy of success.
On the edge of the venue, the Guild Masters who had witnessed the entire process exchanged glances, their reactions ultimately turning into astonishment for the younger generation of Fairy Tail Mages.
The fairy queen, whose strength was already close to the threshold of the Ten Wizard Saints; Natsu and Gray, who possessed corresponding strength without having reached S-Class; Lucy, the Celestial Spirit Mage with immense potential... and Hope, who resolved the troublesome lullaby in an unexpected way and was destined to become famous throughout the Magic World.
Makarov proudly stroked his beard, unable to hide the smile on his face, and looked smugly at his two close friends: "How about that? Our youngsters are pretty amazing, aren't they?"
Although Porlyusica and Goldmine were genuinely happy for Makarov, when they saw him with his tail practically in the sky, they couldn't help but each roll their eyes at him.
After exchanging pleasantries with his old friends for a while, Makarov actively sought out Hope. "It looks like you've recovered your Memory. Are you leaving?"
Hope shrugged and feigned distress. "I just subconsciously used magic during a battle on the way here. I still haven't recalled my identity."
Upon hearing this, Makarov, who had thought Hope recovered his Memory and was leaving, brightened up. "In that case, Hope, how about you join Fairy Tail as a Mage?"
Although he had somewhat anticipated it, Hope hadn't expected Makarov to be so direct. "Aren't you worried about me, a person of unknown origin? What if I'm actually someone with malicious intent, only pretending to have amnesia to get close to Fairy Tail..."
"You are not that kind of person."
Makarov interrupted Hope decisively. "This Old Man might not have other great skills, but I'm quite accurate when judging people."
The old man's trust couldn't help but move Hope.
The last person who trusted him so much was his benefactor, the "Great Commander of Hell," in the Magnetic Field World. Unfortunately, he lacked power and could only watch as the Great Commander died in battle.
This time, he finally had the qualification to become a Strong Person. Hope resolved to protect the people he cared about.
Looking at the hand Makarov extended toward him, Hope supported his weakened body and firmly grasped the old, powerful hand. "Then... Guild Master Makarov, please guide me in the future."