Somewhere on the lower levels of the tower, Natsu sprinted through the stone corridors, completely lost.
He turned a sharp corner and practically collided with a bruised, panting figure scrambling down the stairs.
It was Fukuro.
The owl-man looked pathetic after fleeing in sheer terror from Ace just minutes prior.
However, the moment he spotted a Fairy Tail wizard, his panic immediately morphed into a savage, desperate rage.
Natsu's fists burned with scorching flames.
Each swing traced a crimson arc through the dim corridor.
Across from him, Fukuro relied on his inherent beast-soul agility.
Even without his mechanical rocket boosters—which Ace had completely dissolved into nothingness earlier—the owl-man possessed a terrifying physical prowess.
He bounced off the walls, making sharp turns and sudden stops that defied the laws of physics in the narrow space.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Another heavy punch flew out.
Fukuro sidestepped at the last moment, causing the flames to graze past his ribs and blast a charred patch on the wall.
He seized the opportunity to counterattack.
The metal gauntlet on his right fist suddenly expanded, transforming into the shape of a ferocious bear's paw.
It swiped at Natsu with a shriek that tore through the air!
"Too slow!"
Natsu ducked under the paw while flames erupted from his feet.
He shot up like a cannonball, landing a vicious uppercut on Fukuro's jaw.
Crack!
The crisp sound of cracking bone echoed clearly.
Fukuro's massive body tilted backward.
He crashed hard onto the stone floor, shaking his head and spitting out a mouthful of bloody, broken teeth.
The vicious glint in his eyes intensified.
"You little salamander... you're pretty tough."
"Who are you calling a salamander, you bastard!" Natsu roared as the flames around him flared up again.
"I'm a dragon!"
"A dragon?" Fukuro grinned.
The smile looked particularly savage on his bestial face. "Then let me show you a technique specifically meant for slaying dragons!"
Lacking his destroyed turrets, Fukuro tapped into his true beast-soul power.
He leaped into the air and expanded his arms into massive, feathered owl wings.
He began to spin frantically, beating his wings at blinding speeds to generate a brutal, enclosed cyclone within the corridor.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A dense vortex of wind instantly blanketed the entire space.
Natsu tried to charge forward, but the spinning gales threw his equilibrium completely off balance.
The fierce winds whipped around him, turning the entire environment into a dizzying blur.
"Happy!" Natsu yelled.
"Aye!" Happy flew out from the shadows, grabbing the back of Natsu's collar and pulling him upward.
"Got you."
The cyclone's suction proved too strong.
Happy felt as if an unseen hand had gripped him.
No matter how hard he flapped his wings, he couldn't break free. He and Natsu were dragged directly toward the center of the spinning vortex!
"Oh no!" Happy shrieked. "Natsu, this intense spinning... it triggers your motion sickness!"
"Ugh..." Natsu's face went completely pale.
His stomach churned violently, and his strength rapidly drained away.
Fukuro seized this opportunity, diving straight through the center of his own wind tunnel like a bird of prey.
His jaw transformed into a giant pelican's beak, opening impossibly wide.
The giant beak swallowed Natsu whole.
Fukuro let out a satisfied burp.
He had the ability to forcibly strip, absorb, and assimilate the magic, abilities, and even some characteristics of anyone he devoured.
"Natsu—!" Happy's eyes looked ready to split with rage.
Fukuro landed and licked his lips in satisfaction.
Natsu's spiky pink hair sprouted from his head.
He could feel a scorching, violent, and vibrant magical power surging through his body.
He raised his right hand, and with a poof, a ball of crimson flame ignited in his palm.
It was Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic!
"Hoot! Nice power," Fukuro grinned, looking at Happy, who was struggling to rush over. "Next up is you, little cat—"
Before he could finish.
"Ice-Make: Lancer!"
A cold, sharp cry came from the end of the corridor.
Dozens of ice lances shot forth like a torrential downpour. Fukuro's expression changed, prompting him to retreat immediately.
The lances came from extremely tricky angles, sealing off all his escape routes and forcing him to take the attack head-on.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ice lances struck Fukuro's beast-like skin, which was as hard as steel, creating a dense shower of sparks.
Most were deflected, but a few pierced his relatively vulnerable joints.
The icy magic spread quickly, making his movements sluggish.
Gray walked out from the shadows.
His hands remained in the posture of forming a Magic Circle, and his eyes were as cold as an arctic wind.
He had heard Happy telling him to hurry up and save Natsu.
"Ice-Make: Geyser!"
A thick pillar of ice erupted from under Fukuro's feet at a speed far exceeding any previous attack!
Fukuro's pupils constricted.
He flapped his owl wings wildly, dodging sharply to the side.
The ice pillar seemed to have a life of its own, curving in mid-air in hot pursuit.
"Since you like playing with ice so much..." Fukuro took a deep breath.
The fire magic he had just devoured from Natsu began to circulate frantically within him.
"Let me show you the true power of Fire Dragon Slayer Magic!"
He opened his mouth, and a blinding red light shone from deep within his throat!
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A breath of crimson dragon fire spewed forth.
The high temperature turned the entire corridor into a steam room.
The layer of ice on the walls melted rapidly, causing water droplets to fall like rain.
Suddenly, Fukuro looked in astonishment at an ice hammer that had appeared out of nowhere.
The Fire Dragon's Sword Horn technique he had intended as a final blow for Gray struck the massive ice hammer instead.
An irresistible force slammed Fukuro hard against the wall, stunning the audience.
"Spit him out," Gray's voice was calm, dripping with bone-chilling killing intent. "Now."
Fukuro's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"I'll say it again! If you want him, come and get him, ice boy. Let's see if your ice is really stronger than the new fire I've obtained."
His words came to an abrupt halt.
A mocking arc formed on Gray's lips.
Gray slowly raised his hands, palms facing each other, as a terrifying cold aura gathered frantically.
"Your flames are a far cry from that fire-breathing idiot's!"
...
At the same time, on another level of the tower.
Lucy leaned against the cold stone wall, panting heavily.
Her Celestial Spirit keys were scattered on the floor, showing clear signs of a recent, bitter fight.
Her opponent stood in the center of the corridor, toying with a lock of blue hair that flowed like water.
Juvia Lockser.
At this moment, she had completely changed from the shy, lonely, blue-haired girl from the beach that day.
Dark purple magic patterns swirled deep within her pupils, leaving a mark from Vidaldus Taka's Rock of Succubus magic.
Her body had become semi-transparent and liquid-like.
Water droplets continuously dripped from the tips of her hair and fingers, forming an ever-expanding puddle at her feet.
"Juvia... wake up..." Lucy said with difficulty, trying to call out to her consciousness. "Weren't you going to become our guildmates..."
Juvia's body trembled slightly, and the purple patterns in her eyes flickered for a moment.
A second later, Vidaldus's voice echoed from the shadows, and the strange melody re-stabilized his control.
"It's useless, little girl." Vidaldus stepped out from behind a pillar, still wearing that disgusting, frivolous smile.
"Once my magic takes hold, she will only obey my commands unless I personally release her. Oh, right—"
He snapped his fingers.
Juvia moved.
She raised her hand toward Lucy, her five fingers forming a grasping motion.
"Water Lock!"
A large amount of water suddenly surged from the ground around Lucy.
It climbed up her body like a living creature and instantly formed a transparent, spherical water prison!
Trapped in the water, Lucy instinctively tried to struggle.
The inner wall of the prison felt soft yet tough, proving impossible to break no matter how hard she pushed.
To make things worse, her clothes became completely soaked.
Her thin shirt clung to her body, outlining her impressive curves, and the hem of her short skirt floated up in the current, revealing her fair, slender legs.
A sense of shame and suffocation washed over Lucy at the same time, making her face flush red.
"Tsk, not a bad view," Vidaldus whistled.
He walked up to the water prison and sized Lucy up through the transparent wall of water.
"A pity she'll soon be a corpse. Juvia—"
He looked at Juvia, a cruel light flashing in his eyes.
"Kill her."
Juvia's body began to tremble violently.
The purple patterns in her eyes flickered wildly during a tragic tug-of-war between her controlled consciousness and her remaining self.
Her hand slowly rose, aiming at Lucy in the water prison.
A highly compressed water bullet began to form in her palm.
Her lips trembled.
"No... don't..." A tiny, almost inaudible voice escaped her lips. "Miss Lucy... is a friend... a Fairy Tail... guildmates..."
"Friend?" Vidaldus sneered. "Don't forget, you were one of Phantom Lord's Element 4. They destroyed your guild. These Fairy Tail people are just hypocritically taking you in. They'll kick you out once they finish using you!"
"That's not true..." Juvia shook her head, tears mixing with the water droplets rolling down her cheeks.
"Miss Lisanna smiled at me... Miss Mirajane gave me snacks... Ace said... the guild is a home... They really... really see me as a comrade..."
Her voice grew quieter, and cracks began to appear in the purple patterns in her eyes.
Inside the water prison, Lucy heard everything.
She heard Juvia's inner struggle and those suppressed, true emotions.
She stopped her futile struggles.
Through the wall of water, she gave Juvia a gentle, encouraging smile.
"Juvia..." Her voice came through the water, a little muffled, but very clear. "Thank you... for seeing Juvia as a friend."
Juvia's pupils suddenly contracted.
In that instant, the purple patterns in her eyes completely shattered.
---------
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