Chapter 63: Impatient
Elfman's muscles bulged as he activated Beast Soul: Beast King. His massive fist connected with Sol's face, sending the Element Four member crashing into the ground like a broken puppet.
"Pathetic!" Elfman spat, releasing his takeover magic as his body returned to normal size. He flexed his shoulders and started running toward the upper levels. "I already lost Lisanna… I won't lose Levy too! Cowards who take hostages don't deserve to call themselves mages!"
Down in the guild hall, someone shouted, "Hey! The magic circle—it's slowing down!"
"You're right! What's happening?"
Mirajane's eyes widened in realization. "The Jupiter Cannon… it runs on the combined magic of the Element Four! If we defeat them, the giant loses its power source!"
"Then we've already got one down!"
"Make that potentially three more targets. Erza's inside with Natsu, Gray, and Elfman!"
"Ha! The Element Four? Their master's too scared to even face our Master or Dino head-on! Their lackeys can't be much better!"
"Yeah! Let's show these Phantom punks what Fairy Tail can do!"
"YEAH!!"
The guild erupted in cheers, morale skyrocketing.
Lucy's face lit up as inspiration struck. She fumbled through her key ring and pulled out a golden Zodiac key. "Maybe I can knock that thing down like Dino did with his earthquakes! Open, Gate of the Water Bearer—Aquarius!"
A magic circle rippled across the canal water. A beautiful mermaid emerged, holding an ornate urn—then immediately scowled at Lucy with the fury of a disappointed mother.
"YOU AGAIN?! Do you have ANY idea what I was doing?! This better be important, you little brat!"
Mirajane sweatdropped. "Lucy… is she always like this?"
Lucy laughed nervously, waving her hands. "She's, uh… she's usually worse! Don't worry about it! Aquarius, can you hit that giant with a massive wave and knock it over?"
"Knock it over? Are you STUPID? Of course not!"
"Wow, and here I thought the Water Bearer could manage what Dino did with those hundred-meter waves…" Lucy muttered, just loud enough.
Aquarius's eye twitched. "WHAT? Who's Dino? He can make hundred-meter waves?"
Lucy pointed toward the silver-haired mage standing calmly amidst the chaos. "That guy."
Aquarius floated over, circling Dino like a shark. "You're the one with the big waves, huh? Why aren't you handling this?"
Dino shrugged. "I could make a thousand-meter tsunami if you want, but they've got hostages. Master won't let me go all out."
"Hmph! So it's not that I CAN'T do it—it's that THIS GIRL is too weak to handle my power!" Aquarius raised her urn high. "Watch and learn, Lucy!"
"Wait, Aquarius—"
"AQUA METRIA!!"
WHOOOOSH!
A monstrous torrent exploded from the urn, slamming into the Jupiter Cannon mech with the force of a tidal wave. The mechanical giant staggered backward, its joints groaning.
"It worked! The magic circle's drawing even slower now!"
Aquarius shot Lucy a withering glare as her form began fading. "Next time, I'm drowning you first." Her eyes flicked toward Loke for just a moment—he immediately looked away, face pale.
Then she vanished.
Lucy collapsed onto her back, gasping. "Ugh… out of magic…"
Mirajane knelt beside her. "You okay?"
"Yeah… I just pushed her competitive side a little too hard…" Lucy groaned, staring at the sky. "Note to self: don't challenge Aquarius…"
Dino glanced down at her with a small smirk. "Not bad. Rest up—you earned it."
Within the ten-meter radius around Dino, not a single Phantom soldier dared to approach. Jose had learned quickly that sending fodder was pointless. The area had become an unofficial safe zone, where injured Fairy Tail members would catch their breath before diving back into the fray.
Inside the Jupiter Cannon
Erza's boots hit the metal floor as she entered the core chamber. Jose stood waiting, arms crossed, his expression smug.
"So the Fairy Queen finally arrives."
Erza didn't waste words. "Requip!"
Her armor shimmered and transformed into the Black Wing Armor, dark feathers bristling from the pauldrons. She launched forward, twin blades flashing.
Jose raised one hand lazily. "Dead Wave!"
Purple-black energy arrows materialized in the air and rained down on her. Erza spun, deflecting some and dodging others, but there were too many.
"Dark Blast!"
A wide beam of dark magic slammed into her chest, hurling her backward. She hit the wall hard, her breath knocked out of her lungs.
"Gah…!"
She struggled to her feet, breathing heavily. Her magic reserves were nearly empty after rushing back from the Council and fighting her way here.
Jose chuckled darkly. "Impressive, Titania. You've lasted longer than I expected. Such a shame to kill someone so beautiful and strong… but I won't let sentimentality stop me."
Erza glared at him, gripping her swords tighter. "Why, Jose? Why are you doing this?"
His face twisted with bitterness. "Why? Revenge. Revenge against Makarov! Revenge against that brat Dino Maxim! Phantom Lord should be the number one guild in Fiore—but everywhere I go, it's always 'Fairy Tail this, Fairy Tail that!'"
He paced like a caged animal. "No matter what jobs we complete, no matter how powerful we become, we're always second! At the Guild Master conferences, those old fools fawn over Makarov like he's royalty! And that kid—Dino—completing S-Class and Ten-Year missions like they're nothing! They praise a child over me, one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"
"I challenged Makarov. I lost. But that wasn't the end!"
"So I stopped attending the meetings. I trained my guild, built up the Element Four, Gajeel, Juvia—only for Fairy Tail to keep producing monsters! Erza, Laxus, Mystogan, Mirajane, Natsu—one after another!"
"I'm SICK of it! Sick of being second! So I'll destroy you! I'll take the title of strongest guild in Fiore for myself!"
He raised his hand, dark energy crackling. "And it starts with you, Titania!"
Erza smiled faintly, lowering her swords. "Thanks for the villain monologue. I'd love to keep fighting… but I'm out of magic."
Jose blinked. "What?"
"But you made one mistake." Erza's smile widened. "Someone in our guild is getting really impatient."
Jose's blood ran cold. He whipped around toward the monitors showing the hostage room.
The steel cross was empty.
"NO!"