"It hurts!" Lucy groaned, climbing out of the rubble and rubbing her sore backside. She grumbled, "This is the second time today! Falling through floors is getting old!"
Su Yan reached down, offering her a hand. She took it and got to her feet, brushing off dust. As she looked up at the ceiling, her brow furrowed. "What's going on? Why is the ceiling broken?"
Before Su Yan could answer, the debris around them began to lift into the air. The shattered pieces of stone floated back to their original places in the ceiling, seamlessly reconstructing it. In moments, it was as if nothing had ever been damaged.
"Recovered?! How is that even possible?" Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief, and Su Yan's brow knitted with concern.
A low, eerie laugh echoed through the chamber. "Hehehehe! Lost magic… the Arc of Time. Does it meet the expectations of the famed Lord Su Yan?"
"Arc of Time?" Lucy asked, puzzled. "I've never heard of that magic."
The voice ignored her and continued, "As for your friends, they are occupied below, fighting at the bottom of these ruins. Three-on-one, to be precise. I expect the Fire Dragon will fall shortly. And above us, Lord Zero is locked in a delightful duel with Gray. Master against disciple… isn't it thrilling?"
Lucy shivered, hugging herself. "That's just twisted."
Su Yan's lips curled into a knowing smile. "So… it's you."
The voice's owner hesitated, momentarily startled. Ultear stood in the shadows, her composed demeanor slipping for just a second. She couldn't shake the feeling that Su Yan saw through her completely, despite her disguise.
"Lord Su Yan, surely you jest. We've never met before," she said with a forced laugh. "What could you possibly mean?"
Su Yan chuckled, shaking his head. He knew exactly who she was. Ultear, daughter of Gray and Leon's master Ur, was now a key member of the dark guild Grimoire Heart. As the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, she had delved deep into the dangerous art of lost magic, driven by a desperate desire to alter her past.
Su Yan's voice dropped to a cold tone. "Ultear Milkovich. If it's you, I can't just let you go."
"Om—!"
A wave of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki burst from Su Yan. Unlike the formless pressure he'd unleashed earlier, this one took shape, manifesting as a massive fist of energy that barreled toward Ultear, leaving cracks and destruction in its wake.
Ultear's instincts screamed danger, and she darted to the side just as the energy smashed into the wall behind her, blasting it apart. Dust and debris rained down as a hole the size of a giant's fist appeared in the structure.
"What… was that?!" Ultear whispered, her face pale. Her heart raced as she stared at the aftermath of the attack.
Lucy, who had been watching from a safe distance, was equally stunned. "What was that?! You never mentioned anything like that when you talked about your magic!"
Su Yan didn't answer immediately. His new ability had been unlocked recently, a skill gained through mastery of Conqueror's Haki: Shape Transformation. With this power, he could channel his Haki into physical forms—fists, weapons, or other shapes—for devastating attacks. The more focused the energy, the deadlier the impact.
Ultear hadn't seen anything like it before. She tried to calm herself, telling herself it was just another form of magic. But the fear gnawing at her mind was undeniable.
"Humph," Su Yan grunted, his stance relaxed but commanding. Without moving a step, he sent another wave of his Conqueror's Haki forward. This time, it morphed into a colossal palm, which hurtled toward Ultear.
"Boom!"
The ground split, and the pillars in its path were obliterated as the palm-shaped energy crashed forward.
Ultear's confidence faltered. "I… I can't block this!" she thought, panic setting in. She scrambled to evade, narrowly avoiding the attack as it slammed into the wall, carving another massive hole into the ruins.
She looked back at Su Yan, her breath quick and shallow. "Monster…" The word slipped from her lips before she could stop herself.
Ultear had heard tales of the "Undead Demon Emperor" before. His reputation was a legend in the Dark Guilds, a figure whispered about like a storm that could not be controlled. Su Yan had crushed dark guild after dark guild, leaving ruin in his wake. He wasn't just a mage—he was a force of nature, a calamity that the darkness feared.
But hearing about him and facing him were two entirely different things.
Ultear gritted her teeth. She was a proud mage, a leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, a disciple of the strongest dark guild, Grimoire Heart. She couldn't let herself be overwhelmed so easily. But as she looked at Su Yan—calm, confident, and utterly unshaken—she couldn't deny that he was more terrifying than the stories. Far more terrifying.
"Is that all?" Su Yan asked, his tone sharp, almost mocking.
Ultear's pride flared. "Don't think you've won just because of some flashy moves, Su Yan!" she snapped. But even as she spoke, her mind raced, searching for a strategy to deal with this monster in human form.
Lucy, standing safely behind Su Yan, could only watch in stunned silence. This wasn't just a battle of strength or magic. This was something entirely different—a clash of wills, where Su Yan stood as an unyielding giant. "This… this is what it means to be an S-rank mage," she whispered, awestruck.