Inside the guild Phantom Lord, there was a special group of wizards.
They held a status equal to the S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail.
There were five of these powerful figures.
First, there was the "Ace," the Iron Dragon Gajeel.
Then, there were the "Element 4," four elite mages who controlled wind, fire, earth, and water.
Currently, one of these elites was hiding in a dilapidated warehouse on the edge of town.
His name was Sol.
He was the master of Earth Magic.
He was a strange, thin man with green hair and a monocle over one eye. He was known for being cunning and despicable.
True to his nasty nature, his chosen method to win the war wasn't a fair fight.
Instead, he had been ordered by Jose to take a hostage.
His target was Mirajane's family.
In the dusty, dim room, Sol bent his flexible body at a weird angle and grinned sinisterly.
"Yohohoho..." Sol chuckled, his voice sounding scratchy. "Miss Lisanna, no need to be afraid. As long as you cooperate and stay quiet, I promise you won't be harmed... much."
In front of him, a girl with short white hair was kneeling on the floor.
Her hands were tied behind her back with thick ropes.
She stared at Sol with a cold, hard gaze.
Her lips were sealed shut.
Her eyes sent a clear message: Do I look afraid to you?
Sol felt annoyed by "Lisanna's" indifferent stare. He expected her to be crying or begging for mercy.
He scanned her up and down.
"Miss Lisanna," Sol sneered, adjusting his monocle. "It seems you haven't inherited your sister's combat talent at all. How pitiful."
The hostage raised her head.
She glared with disgust at this man who looked like a gentleman but acted like a beast.
"My sister," the hostage muttered in a surprisingly deep and dark voice, "won't let you get away with this."
"Heh—she will let me," Sol said, his eyes turning icy. "Unless she wants you dead! When the Demon Mirajane sees her precious little sister helpless, she will surrender instantly."
The hostage's brow furrowed deeply.
Behind her back, her bound hands clenched into fists. Her fingertips trembled, not from fear, but as if she were restraining a massive amount of anger.
Just then, the sound of heavy rain echoed outside.
Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.
Through the curtain of rainfall, a slender figure emerged. She stepped through the broken doorway and into the room.
Water dripped from her long silver hair, which cascaded over her shoulders.
A single strand of bangs stuck up like an antenna on her forehead. Even soaked in rain, she looked stunning.
Her face was like a flawless piece of art carved from diamond.
No matter how hard you looked, you couldn't find a single imperfection. Her blue eyes were calm and deep, like a tranquil sea.
It was Mirajane Strauss.
The moment Mirajane entered, she saw "Lisanna" tied up on the floor.
Yet, strangely, her face showed no trace of anger or panic.
Instead, she smiled softly.
"I've come to save you," she said gently.
Sol was startled by Mirajane's composure.
Why is she so calm? he wondered. Maybe she is just pretending to be brave.
Cautious, Sol swiftly stomped his foot.
"Earth Magic: Stone Lock!"
The ground beneath the hostage shifted. Rocks grew out of the floor, encasing "Lisanna" in a prison of solid stone.
"Stop right there!" Sol threatened fiercely. "Miss Mirajane, you'd better come quietly to Phantom Lord with me. If you resist, your little sister's life will be forfeit! I can crush her with these rocks in a second!"
Mirajane didn't flinch. She sighed while shaking her head.
"Phantom Lord members truly are people who will stop at nothing," she murmured to herself.
"Kidnapping family members... how low."
A flicker of irritation crossed Sol's face.
He hated being ignored!
"Mirajane!" Sol snapped impatiently. "Don't think your strength lets you do as you please! Remember, your weakness is in my hands! You can't fight back!"
A reminiscent glint passed through Mirajane's eyes. She tilted her head, looking innocent.
"You are right," she stated calmly. "I do have weaknesses... And my weaknesses are indeed my family..."
A triumphant expression began to form on Sol's face.
"Oui! Exactly! So surrender now—"
But before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt it.
A terrifying surge of Magic Power materialized right next to him. It wasn't coming from Mirajane.
It was coming from the hostage.
Mirajane's delicate voice drifted into his ears.
"But... these 'weaknesses' of mine... are particularly strong."
CRACK!
The stone prison shattered. The ropes snapped like wet paper.
Sol turned around in terror.
His eyes popped out of his head.
The petite girl with white hair was gone.
In her place, the body began to swell. Shoulders broadened, muscles ripped through the disguise, and the height doubled.
"What in the world..." Sol gasped.
How did the Demon Mirajane's little sister suddenly mutate into a muscular brute?!
"RAAAH!"
Elfman Strauss roared furiously.
He stood tall, glaring viciously at Sol.
"You dared to lay hands on Lisanna!" Elfman shouted, his voice shaking the walls. "YOU DARED!"
Sol froze.
His brain finally realized what was happening.
"You're not the Demon's sister..." Sol exclaimed in shock. "You're Elfman! The brother!"
"How can this be!"
Elfman swung his massive arm.
An ugly, satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Ankh already anticipated your dirty schemes," Elfman explained proudly. "He knew you would target our family, so I disguised myself as Lisanna to wait for you!"
Smack!
Mirajane walked over and slapped Elfman hard on the back.
"Ouch! Sis?"
"Quiet," Mirajane said with a sweet, scary smile. "What's the point of explaining so much to the enemy? Just beat the crap out of him."
Sol looked from the giant man to the smiling woman.
He was trapped.
Golden light simultaneously enveloped the two siblings as they tacitly activated their magic in unison.
"Beast King Soul!"
"Satan Soul!"
"Take Over!"
The room was filled with blinding light.
When the light faded, Elfman had transformed into a towering beast with dark fur and horns.
Mirajane had transformed into a sleek, terrifying demon with wings and a long tail.
The power of the Beast and the Demon surged forth, filling the small warehouse with overwhelming pressure.
Sol fell to his knees and despair filled his eyes.
"No... non..." Sol stammered.
Given his abilities, Mirajane alone was more than enough to handle him.
But now, he had to fight Elfman too?
This wasn't the weak Elfman who can only used a "Beast Arm."
This was the Elfman who had mastered the full-body Beast King Soul thanks to Ankh's training.
With these two monsters joining forces, Sol had zero chance of winning.
Even if Juvia came to help him right now, they would both lose.
Only one desolate thought echoed in Sol's mind as the two siblings raised their fists.
'It's over... completely over...'
...
While the battle between the Strauss siblings and the Earth Mage reached its violent conclusion, another member of the Element 4 was busy with her own mission.
It was pouring rain in the town of Magnolia.
The sky was grey and heavy.
At a curved street corner, a woman stood alone.
She wore a blue coat and held a pink parasol. Her expression was blank and emotionless as she stared across the street.
It was Juvia Lockser, the Rain Woman.
On the other side of the street, Lucy Heartfilia was walking quickly.
She was clutching a paper bag full of fresh bread. She had just bought it for the unconscious Jet and Droy at the hospital.
Suddenly, Lucy stopped.
She felt eyes on her.
She looked up and noticed the blue-haired woman watching her intently.
In such dreary, rainy scenery, suddenly spotting a sorrowful woman holding an umbrella and staring fixedly at you would unsettle anyone.
It felt like a scene from a ghost story.
Lucy shuddered in fright. Her survival instincts kicked in. One hand immediately reached for the key pouch at her waist.
"Who are you?!" Lucy demanded warily.
Juvia ignored the question.
She walked slowly toward Lucy as if she heard nothing. Her boots made splashes in the puddles.
"Lucy Heartfilia..." Juvia murmured. "Found you."
Lucy's heart tightened.
She involuntarily stepped back a few paces.
"How do you know my name?" Lucy asked anxiously. "Who exactly are you?!"
Juvia halted. She extended her slender, pale hand out from under the umbrella's cover.
The rain hit her palm.
"Juvia is one of the Element 4 of Phantom Lord," she stated, her voice as cold as ice. "Juvia is here to capture you."
"The Element 4!" Lucy gasped.
She instantly realized—these were the elites Erza had warned her about!
Reacting swiftly, Lucy hurriedly tried to pull out a Golden Key.
"Open, Gate of the—"
But she was too slow.
In this heavy rain, Juvia was in her element. Her magic activation was instantaneous.
"Water Lock."
All around Lucy, the falling raindrops suddenly stopped falling. They gathered together, swirling and coalescing into a massive, heavy sphere of water.
WHOOSH!
The water sphere enveloped Lucy completely, trapping her inside a floating bubble of liquid.
"Mmph!"
The force of the water current whipped around her.
Lucy couldn't maintain her grip.
Her Celestial Spirit Key pouch was struck by the current and sent flying harshly into the distance. It landed in a puddle, far out of reach.
Lucy was trapped inside the water sphere.
She couldn't breathe.
She flailed her limbs in panic, trying to swim out, but the surface of the water was as hard as rubber.
Her face gradually turned crimson from lack of oxygen.
Her lungs burned.
Her consciousness began to fade into blackness.
'I... I'm going to die...'
"Ring Magic: Twister!"
At that critical moment, a bright green flash lit up the dark street corner.
Slash!
The green light transformed into a sharp blade of wind energy. It slashed down fiercely toward Juvia.
Juvia gazed indifferently at the attack. She didn't dodge.
Instead, her body suddenly began to flow.
Her skin, her clothes, her bones—everything instantly transformed into liquid water.
Splash.
The physical attack passed harmlessly through her liquid body. She reformed a few feet away.
However, because she was distracted by this surprise attack, she lost control of her spell.
Pop!
The Water Lock burst open in mid-air.
"Cough! Cough!"
Lucy tumbled to the wet ground.
She choked, spitting out several mouthfuls of water.
She coughed violently, gasping greedily for air.
After a moment, she wiped her eyes and looked into the distance, searching for her rescuer.
Through the increasingly dense rain, a figure stepped forward slowly.
He was a man with orange hair, wearing a green suit and blue sunglasses.
But unlike his usual flirty, smiling self, his expression today was dark and terrifying.
Lucy froze in astonishment.
"Loke?!"
The playboy of Fairy Tail adjusted his glasses.
He stood between Lucy and the Rain Woman, his fists glowing with magic.
"Miss Phantom Lord..." Loke said, his voice low and dangerous. "You'd better not lay a finger on Lucy... or you'll regret it."