"There is a magic that can dispel magic, called Moon's Drop. We've obtained a bit of it in liquid form."
"Boo hoo..."
Originally, they didn't want to say anything, but these mages hit too painfully.
To think they would hit children so hard, aren't they from the Dark Guild too?
Natsu tilted his head as he looked at the crying chubby guy: "How strange, I didn't hit them that hard, why are they crying like this?"
Lucy said, "Well, they are kids after all."
Gray speculated, "Could it be that not only their appearance, but even their hearts have become soft?"
Kana said, "If that's the case, it's a pretty dangerous magic. If we're not careful, we might become little brats too."
"In that case..." Erza thought for a moment, "From now on, everyone move together, don't get separated."
Just as she finished speaking, everyone was suddenly engulfed in a dazzling multi-colored spherical space.
Kana immediately recognized the move and shouted, "Disperse!"
Boom!
The colorful space suddenly exploded, and smoke quickly filled the air.
Trusting Kana's directive, the Fairy Tail members immediately took action as instructed. They dashed out of the smoke, avoiding the explosion.
Freyja was a bit slow to react, but Hapi grabbed her for an emergency evasion and was also unharmed.
"Thank you... blue hair... ?" Freyja habitually called people by hair color but wasn't sure if she should address Hapi that way.
The smoke quickly cleared, revealing three Treasure Hunters huddled together, surprisingly not severely injured.
Around them, a circle of ice crystals turned to shards and scattered—it was Gray's instinctual reaction.
Even if they weren't friends, he still provided some protection.
"Minerva!" In an instant, Erza completed her re-equipping, fixating her gaze on the person who initiated the attack.
"Is it really you?!" Kana and Lucy were incredulous, "Why did you join the Dark Guild?!"
Minerva spoke with a relaxed tone, "Whether it's a Legitimite Guild or a Dark Guild, this lady just wants to reign over the strongest guild.
"The Eye of the Dream Demon is merely a stepping stone; this lady will stand at the highest point and look down upon the vista beyond the world of the strong."
"Tch." Kana glanced at the burly man behind Minerva, "To say something like that in front of your allies."
"Humph, it doesn't matter because the guild is full of people like this." Minerva surveyed Kana and Lucy, "Upon closer inspection, two familiar folks are here. Perfect for settling scores from the Great Demon Fighting Martial Arts."
Kana directly hooked Lucy's shoulder and laughed, "Between the two of us, you haven't beaten a single one, and yet you dare to boast big words."
"Did you mistake my performance for true strength?" Minerva was slightly irked but maintained a disdainful demeanor, "Can you still laugh now?"
"Why wouldn't I laugh... what?" Kana suddenly noticed her simple top becoming loose, and her capri pants sagging.
She hurriedly grabbed hold and then realized Lucy beside her had also turned into a child.
Lucy clutched her clothes and exclaimed in panic, "What's going on?"
"I also..." Natsu encountered the same issue, even Hapi had become smaller.
Gray was more composed about his pants slipping but was also surprised to see his hands: "When was it triggered?!"
"Hehe..." Minerva chuckled softly, then felt a stinging pain on her skin.
She immediately raised her hand to block, but the small defensive sphere hastily produced was shattered, and the sharp blade landed on her.
"Ahhhh..." Minerva was blown back, fresh blood sprayed from her body, with an exaggerated cross-shaped scar imprinted on her upper body.
Erza held a pair of scimitars, clad in dragon scale armor, with a dragon scale helmet and boots. From weapons to armor, all were dark red.
Her serious expression exuded an intense murderous aura.
The strange bird immediately flew high into the sky, and the burly man retreated a significant distance.
Minerva clutched her chest, slumping to the ground: "Why didn't you shrink? Doriatti, what about your regression magic?!"
The burly man replied, "I indeed performed it, it's she who has a problem."
"Thanks to Rhode's gift." Erza said, "This is the Armor of the Resounding Dragon. It doesn't have outstanding performance, but it seems resistant to your magic."
"That sounds like strong performance already..." Lucy quickly fastened her belt and couldn't help but comment on Erza's words.
"The red hair...so strong." Freyja was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "I'm also red-haired."
"Don't make fun of yourself." Lucy thought that if Freyja joined the guild, she might get along well with her.
Hapi flapped his tiny wings and cheered, "Awesome!"
"As expected of Erza." Gray crossed his arms, showing no intention of picking up his pants.
"Go, Erza! Take that guy down!"
Having realized he could only produce small flames, Natsu gave up fighting and became part of the support team.
In contrast, Kana was in better shape as her cards hadn't regressed with her.
However, her current body's strength and coordination had decreased significantly, so she couldn't throw them swiftly or accurately.
"Armor that can resist magic..." Doriatti's face stayed the same, but he felt a bit frustrated inside.
If he had passed that person's test and become a true demon, he could have used incantations that the opponent couldn't resist.
Unfortunately...
As he pondered, Erza's blade already swept down.
Doriatti couldn't dodge in time, so he aggressively grabbed Erza's left-hand sword with both hands, opening his mouth to meet the right-hand sword.
Doriatti's mask was shredded under their combined strength, revealing fur around his mouth, small fish fins by his cheeks, and beast-like protruding fangs.
Blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, making Doriatti's face even more terrifying.
His palms were almost sliced through, wounds deep enough to show bone, bleeding like his mouth.
Yet even so gruesomely wounded, he couldn't withstand Erza's strike.
Under immense force, Doriatti rolled back several times, finally stopping on all fours.
Erza was startled by his appearance, speculating uncertainly: "A demon? Satan's Soul?"
The strange bird could be considered a peculiar magical beast, but the features of this person seemed more demonic.
Little Gray suddenly shouted, "No! Not like Mira's Satan's Soul, it's a demon from Jellal's Book!"
The terrifying visage made little Gray's body tremble, and seeing such a horrifying face again after years still reminded him of the day Deliora rampaged.
An ice-sealed giant, the terrifying demon, himself as a child...
The complete set of elements immediately brought back memories of his parents' passing and his mentor's sacrifice.
Due to regression magic, Gray's mind became somewhat fragile, unable to suppress the fear, causing his body to shake uncontrollably.
He slowly lifted his hands, attempting to hug his head for a sense of security.
However, at this moment, Natsu and Lucy placed their hands on his shoulders from either side, with Hapi lying atop Natsu's head looking at Gray.
They all had been to Demon Island, having learned some things from Gray and Leon's quarrel.
Although Gray was reluctant to elaborate, they largely understood how he felt now.
Kana rubbed Gray's head—after shrinking, she was taller than Gray: "Well, this little brother who doesn't like wearing clothes, have any troubles you want to share with big sister?"
The touch of his companions' hands quickly quelled Gray's trembling.
He sheepishly brushed off their hands and stubbornly replied, "I'm perfectly fine. I'm just not used to a child's body!"
"I see." Erza pointedly nodded ahead, "Is this the darkness in Gray's heart? Then let me cut it down!"
She added in her heart, just like everyone once did for me.