Mirajane found a narrow Stone staircase leading downwards nearby. After observing it, Hope discovered that the stairs were actually carved out using magic.
It was likely the work of the Demon Slayers organization in the past, but decades had passed. Even a magical creation would be eroded by time without any subsequent maintenance.
For safety, Hope still chose to fly, bringing Mirajane and Cana to land steadily at the bottom of the canyon.
The dense fog was heavier than it looked from above, with visibility of less than ten meters. Beneath their feet was soft, damp humus mixed with gravel, making almost no sound when stepped on.
"The atmosphere here is really depressing."
Hope clenched his hand, and a spiral-shaped wind magic formed in his palm, swelling into a howling gale the moment it was thrown out.
In just a few minutes, the thick mist that lingered all year round was swept up by the gale and expelled from the great canyon. Only then could Hope's group of three see the environment at the bottom of the canyon clearly.
The canyon floor was wider than imagined but filled with jagged rocks. Old skeletons were scattered in some places; except for a very few human remains, the rest were all snake bones.
"So many snake bones... Is this place actually a snake valley?" Cana rubbed her arms. Although she wasn't afraid of these old bones of unknown age, the surrounding scene felt somewhat eerie.
Before she could finish, a faint "hissing" sound came from all directions. Mirajane immediately became alert. "Something is approaching! A lot of them!"
Following that, countless pairs of eerie green eyes lit up.
A dense swarm of snakes poured out from the cracks in the Stones and the distant parts of the canyon floor, numbering roughly sixty or seventy. Among them, three snakes were far larger than ordinary ones, not only as thick as buckets but also possessing a pair of wings.
"These must be the'snakes' that the Council member who left the canyon mentioned, right? I didn't expect there to be so many."
Cana quickly pulled a card from the card pouch at her waist. "I choose you, 'Cyber Dragon'!"
As magic power was injected, the phantom of the mechanical Cyber Dragon roared out of the card, instantly condensing into a massive physical entity to protect the three of them.
Just as Cana was about to issue an attack command, Hope stopped her. Mirajane noticed his expression had turned somewhat grim. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with those snakes?"
"There's a huge problem."
Hope clapped his hands, and a shockwave of pure magic power spread outward with the three of them as the center.
The shockwave's power wasn't very great, but it was enough to knock the snakes unconscious and render them unable to move.
Under the puzzled gazes of Mirajane and Cana, Hope reached out and grabbed the air, and the three large snakes of distinct forms were swept up by magic power and landed at his feet.
After a careful investigation, Hope confirmed his suspicion from these three snakes. In fact, from the first moment he saw them, he had associated them with Kinana's snake form.
Meeting the eyes of Mirajane and Cana, Hope spoke heavily: "They aren't snakes, they are... humans."
"What?!"
Cana was shocked, also thinking of Kinana.
Although she hadn't witnessed it herself, she had learned from Lucy about the process of Kinana being turned back into a human by Hope and Mystogan.
"Could it be that, like Kinana, they were also turned into snakes by magic?"
"It would be more appropriate to call it a curse."
Mirajane frowned slightly, looking around at the dense swarm of snakes, feeling a chill. "So all of these are... living humans?"
Hope sighed. "That's right..."
According to the information on the Snake Transformation Curse in the Ancient Texts, ordinary people struck by this curse turn into common snakes, while those with magical talent turn into venomous snakes, and their bodies grow as their magic power continues to develop.
Cana looked at the three large snakes Hope had brought over. "In other words, their true forms are Mages?"
"Yes, and these three snakes... or rather, these three people, have likely been cursed for even longer than Kinana."
Hope knelt down and gently placed his hand on the forehead of one of the Flying Snakes. A pale green light of magic power lit up as his Detection Magic sensed deep within.
Immediately, his expression became even more solemn.
Because the curse on the snake Hope was currently touching had already penetrated into its very marrow; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was ten times more severe than Kinana's original condition. If the curse were to be lifted recklessly, it was uncertain if they could return to human form, and it might even take their life first.
Cana retracted the Cyber Dragon. Looking at the snake skeletons around them—or rather, the people who couldn't return to their true forms even in death—she couldn't help but feel some anger. "Snake Transformation Curse... who on earth would do such an insane thing?"
"Don't be in such a hurry."
Mirajane turned her gaze toward the depths of the canyon. "Since there are so many victims of the Snake Transformation Curse here, perhaps the source of the curse is hidden within Crobat Great Canyon."
Hope nodded; he thought so too. Furthermore, the Council's intelligence mentioned traces of demons here, so these curses were very likely related to demons.
After Hope and Cana worked together to collect the swarm of snakes into Blank Cards, the three of them continued deeper into the canyon.
The further they went, the more snake skeletons there were, and they could even see some remains covered in thick moss and vines.
As they walked, Cana suddenly noticed the surrounding terrain began to slope downward, and the rock walls gradually became steeper. "How strange, there's actually a downhill path inside the canyon."
"What's so strange about that? In a world of magic, such terrain isn't impossible," Mirajane retorted.
The three of them moved forward until a massive natural cave entrance appeared ahead. Faint whispers drifted from inside the cave, mixed with uncomfortable demonic curse power.
"Looks like this is the place." Hope stopped his pace.
A faint purple magical glow emanated from Mirajane's body as she entered a combat-ready state.
Cana also pulled out three cards and held them between her fingers, ready to launch an attack or defense at any moment.
Hope walked at the very front, a ball of light magic appearing in his palm to illuminate the interior of the cave.
The cave was deeper and wider than imagined, its internal structure showing clear signs of manual excavation. The Stone walls were covered with faded murals and text. Through the translation of the Ancient Texts, Hope learned that the walls depicted scenes of humans fighting various demons.
This should be the headquarters of the Demon Slayers organization.
Unfortunately, the demons still remain, while the Demon Slayers are merely a few brief entries in magic history books, with even the inheritance of Demon Slayer Magic almost severed.
Suddenly, a raspy laugh came from the depths of the cave.
"Hiss, more prey has delivered itself to my door... and prey with such delicious magic power at that."
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