At the base of a massive ancient tree, Erza lay gasping for breath.
Her armor had been discarded, revealing a terrifying sight.
A jagged, bruised bite mark marred her right shoulder, and a web of sickly, dark violet veins was spreading rapidly across her pale skin.
The poison from Cubellios was incredibly aggressive, burning through her magic circuits and inching closer to her heart with every strained heartbeat.
"Hang in there, Erza!" Natsu yelled, pacing back and forth like a caged animal.
He kept slamming his fists together, sparks flying from his knuckles.
"Don't you dare give up! We still have to kick those guys' teeth in!"
"Yelling isn't helping her, flame-brain," Gray hissed, though his own voice trembled with poorly hidden panic.
He knelt beside Erza, his hands hovering helplessly.
Beside them, Wendy was crying.
The young Sky Dragon Slayer had both hands pressed firmly over Erza's shoulder. A gentle, luminous blue light emanated from her small palms, fighting a desperate war against the spreading purple venom.
But the dark magic was too stubborn, too deeply rooted.
"I can't do it," Wendy sobbed, her tears dripping onto Erza's shoulder.
Her small body shook with exhaustion.
"The poison is too strong. I'm trying to pull it out, but my magic just isn't potent enough yet. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!"
"You're doing fine, child," Jura said softly, though the Wizard Saint's face was grim.
He gripped his staff, his knuckles turning white.
To lose Titania before the real battle even began was a devastating blow to their morale and their combat strength.
Carla hovered next to Wendy, wiping away her own tears. "Wendy, you have to stop. You're draining your own life force trying to fight magic of this caliber!"
"No! I have to save her!" Wendy cried out, pushing more of her waning magic into the wound.
A gentle hand rested on Wendy's shoulder.
The young girl looked up, her tear-filled brown eyes meeting Ace's calm, reassuring gaze.
The Summoner knelt beside her, his expression steady and free of the panic that gripped the rest of the group.
"You did great, Wendy," Ace said, his voice quiet but carrying a firm, grounding weight. "You slowed the venom down and kept it from reaching her heart. You saved her life. Now, let me take it from here."
Wendy sniffled, slowly pulling her glowing hands back. She slumped against Carla, utterly exhausted.
Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out his D-Tector.
The red-and-black device hummed warmly in his grip.
He didn't need raw, destructive force right now what he actually need is a specialist.
"I've got a partner tailored for this exact situation," Ace announced, tapping a specific sequence on the glowing screen.
A soft, soothing pink light bloomed from the Digivice, bathing the gloomy forest floor in a gentle radiance.
The binary code swirled in the air, compressing into a tiny, floating form just above Erza's chest.
When the light faded, the Fairy Tail mages stared in disbelief.
Hovering in the air was a creature no larger than a football.
It looked like a pink, round sea slug or a small fairy, with a heart-shaped mark on its forehead, tiny angelic wings on its back, and a permanent, cheerful smile on its face.
"Puah!" the creature chirped happily.
Natsu blinked, his jaw dropping.
He leaned forward, squinting at the tiny pink blob. "Uh... Ace? Did your magic malfunction? What's this little guy gonna do, tickle her to death?"
"Don't let the cute appearance fool you," Ace replied, a faint smile touching his lips. "This is MarineAngemon. A Mega-level Digimon."
"Mega-level?!" Gray and Natsu shouted in unison, taking a step back.
They both vividly remembered the horrifying power of MetalSeadramon and Machinedramon.
To hear that this tiny, pink fairy was in the same weight class as them was mind-boggling!
"MarineAngemon isn't a fighter," Ace explained, turning his attention back to Erza.
"It's a pinnacle support Digimon. Its abilities revolve around purification and healing. MarineAngemon, Ocean Love!"
"Puah, puah!"
MarineAngemon fluttered its tiny wings and opened its mouth.
A stream of shimmering, pink, heart-shaped bubbles floated out, catching the dim light of the forest as they drifted gently downward.
The bubbles surrounded Erza, landing softly against her poisoned skin.
The moment the bubbles made contact, they didn't pop.
Instead, they melted into a soothing, luminous pink liquid that seeped directly into her pores.
Everyone watched in awed silence as the effect was immediate.
The sickly, dark violet veins pulsing under Erza's skin began to recede, dissolving as the holy, purifying magic of Ocean Love washed through her bloodstream.
The jagged bite mark closed up, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin.
The dark venom was drawn out of her body, forming into small, black droplets that floated up into the remaining heart bubbles before harmlessly popping out of existence.
Within seconds, the color returned to Erza's cheeks.
Her ragged breathing smoothed out, transitioning into a steady, peaceful rhythm.
Erza's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Erza!" Natsu and Lucy cheered, throwing themselves forward.
Erza sat up, blinking in confusion as she looked at her healed arm.
The agonizing, burning pain was gone. She looked at the tiny pink fairy floating above her, then up at Ace.
"You saved me again," Erza said softly, her fierce eyes softening with genuine gratitude.
"MarineAngemon did the heavy lifting," Ace said, offering a hand to help her stand. "But Wendy kept you alive long enough for me to summon it. It was a team effort."
Wendy blushed deeply, hiding her face behind Carla. "I'm just glad you're okay, Erza-san."
"Fascinating," Jura rumbled, stepping forward to inspect the small pink Digimon. "The versatility of your summoned partners is truly unparalleled, Ace. To possess both destructive power and miraculous healing magic... Fairy Tail is fortunate to have you."
"Puah!" MarineAngemon chirped, nuzzling against Ace's cheek before dissolving into a stream of data and returning to the D-Tector.
"Alright, the poison is gone, but we don't have time to celebrate," Ace said, his tone shifting back to business.
He looked around the battered coalition.
"Brain knows we're here. He retreated because fighting us wasn't his primary goal. They are looking for Nirvana."
"Then we need to find it first," Lyon stated, crossing his arms. "But the Worth Woodsea is massive. If we stay bunched up like this, they'll just outmaneuver us again."
Hibiki stepped forward, activating his Archive magic.
Glowing holographic screens appeared around him, displaying a sweeping map of the forest.
"Lyon is right. We need to split up and cover more ground. The Oración Seis scattered after Ace's attack. If we divide into smaller teams, we can hunt them down individually and disable their forces before they locate the weapon."
"I call dibs on the snake guy!" Natsu roared.
Before anyone could formulate a proper strategy, the Fire Dragon Slayer ignited his fists and sprinted blindly into the dense brush.
"I'm gonna fry that oversized worm! Come back here, Cobra!"
"Natsu, you idiot! Get back here!" Gray yelled, immediately running after him.
"Wait for me, Gray-sama!" Juvia called out, chasing the ice mage into the trees.
Ace sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
The serious atmosphere had evaporated in roughly three seconds. "Well, there goes our coordinated search grid."
"We shouldn't linger," Erza said, drawing a fresh sword from her Requip space.
Her eyes burned with renewed focus.
"The alliance is naturally splitting up. We'll engage the Oración Seis wherever we find them. Stay sharp, everyone."
With nods of agreement, the rest of the alliance began to fracture into smaller groups, diving into the dark, oppressive depths of the Worth Woodsea.
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