After parting ways with Mirajane, Ultear and Meredy stood on a crystal platform, swiftly moving around.
Although their speed was high, they seemed to roam aimlessly, as the two lacked means of searching. Finding the Seven Deadly Sins would depend on luck.
The castle was indeed vast, but the actual occupied space was the rooms of the Seven Deadly Sins. Ultear, despite her seemingly random movements, arrived at a corridor with a ghastly atmosphere not long after.
At the end of the corridor stood a large door made of bones. Seeing this, Ultear knew she had found the right place.
Without hesitation, she manipulated the crystal platform, turning it into dozens of crystal balls. Using the arc of time, the crystal balls moved towards the door on different trajectories, striking it repeatedly.
Bang, bang, bang...
The sound of impact echoed incessantly. The crystal balls, made of an unknown material, possessed formidable impact power comparable to cannonballs. The seemingly sturdy bone door was smashed open.
Instantly, a cold and eerie aura emanated from within. Unable to suppress a shiver, both Ultear and Meredy were taken aback.
Roar!
The next moment, a roar resounded, and a monstrous purple-and-white figure emerged from the shattered door.
This figure had deep blue bat wings, two curved horns on its head, bone-like armor covering its body, and a purplish hue elsewhere resembling muscles.
With a ferocious face, it looked like a genuine demon.
Indeed, it was a demon summoned by Calvin's summoning card, the most powerful among the demon-type summon creatures, the "Summoning of the Demon."
"Two little girls have arrived. Perfect, I happen to be hungry again. You both should be delicious," the summoned demon spoke with a horrifying voice, revealing the lust in its eyes.
"Well, isn't Calvin's follower called Jellal? How come this looks like a demon?" Meredy said disgustedly. At the same time, she had prepared herself, summoning ten magical swords behind her, ready to strike at any moment.
"Don't be careless. While I may not agree with Calvin's taste, that guy doesn't leave room for doubt when it comes to strength," Ultear said calmly. Unnoticed, a crystal ball reappeared in her hand, emitting a radiant glow.
In a dark room, a knight in purple armor paced slowly, appearing somewhat anxious.
"Those ignorant fools, I wonder if they'll demolish my castle!" he muttered, glancing towards the deep walls of the room.
An abrupt neigh from a horse in the corner alerted him. The room's large door was forcefully pushed open, revealing three figures outside.
Phreed, Byro, and Hibiki - the three members of the Thunder God Tribe - made their entrance.
Seeing the situation, the knight's lips curled into a faint smile. "The prey has come on its own. It's perfect to soothe the restless heart of Greed."
Facing the threatening words of the purple-armored knight, Freed remained calm. However, he furrowed his brows slightly and spoke softly, "It's Dark Knight Gaia. Without saying much, you two should be aware of his strength."
Byro chuckled and replied, "We are more cautious than you think. Don't rush too much, Freed!"
As for Hibiki, he had already removed his eyepatch and stared at Gaia with his petrification eye. However, Gaia didn't seem affected, giving Hibiki a puzzled look as if nothing had happened.
This irritated Hibiki, and he said impatiently, "No good, Gaia's helmet blocks the eyes. It's useless!"
Byro, hearing this, was momentarily stunned and then laughed, "Our eyes probably won't work on Calvin's summoned creatures anyway. Why bother trying?"
Freed, on the other hand, disagreed, "Not necessarily. Both your and Hibiki's eyes only work on 'living beings.' Before, the summoned creatures were just magical energy constructs controlled by Calvin. But now that they have self-awareness, whether they possess life is worth considering."
Regrettably, Hibiki's attempt failed, and Gaia glanced at him in confusion, unaffected. This made Hibiki discontented as he complained, "No good, Gaia's helmet blocks the eyes. It's useless!"
While the Thunder God Tribe was chatting, Gaia, without further ado, mounted his horse and gripped two rounded short spears, readying for action.
Markarov looked at the door in front of him, which was ridiculously oversized. A contemplative expression appeared on his face. After a moment of thought, he decisively extended his arm and pushed the door open.
If his guess was correct, requiring such a massive door meant the occupant of this room must be of a considerable size. Among Calvin's summoned creatures, only the true Red-Eyed Black Dragon fit that description.
As expected, when Markarov entered the room, a majestic black dragon was lying peacefully on the ground, emitting a faint snoring sound.
Simultaneously, with Markarov's entrance, the dragon's snoring paused briefly before resuming its rhythm.
Of course, for the true Red-Eyed Black Dragon, this was a subtle noise. However, Markarov, with his slightly impaired hearing, could perceive the thunderous sound in every breath.
There was no way Markarov would overlook such an obvious pause. He heard the dragon's breath change.
Without any disguise, Markarov, in a calm and ancient voice, said, "No need to pretend. I know you've been awake for a while."
The dragon's snoring halted momentarily. Then, its enormous dragon head lifted slightly, and a buzzing sound emanated from its mouth. "A human wizard. State the reason for disturbing my sleep!"
Markarov snorted, and his body instantly grew in size, matching the imposing presence of the true Red-Eyed Black Dragon.
"Humph, pretending to be asleep? You imprisoned Calvin, didn't you? I say, you guys are the ones truly tired of living!" Markarov spoke with a hint of anger.
While addressing the dragon, Markarov extended his other fist and struck the dragon's face fiercely.