Fairy Tail Guild (Main Hall)—
Lucy watched the chaotic battle raging outside through the shattered window, observing how the combined forces of Phantom Lord's Mages and the endless swarm of Phantom Soldiers were simply too numerous to count.
She had only summoned Capricorn to participate in the front-line fight, while she herself remained inside the guild hall, assisting Wendy in treating the injured members who had been pulled back from the melee.
Suddenly, the recently repaired ceiling was breached once more with a loud crash as a metallic arm stretched in, elongating rapidly to grab Lucy by the neck.
"Eh??? Me again???" Lucy choked out as she was seized by Gajeel, who held her tightly by the throat, lifting her off her feet.
Jose had sent him to capture Lucy amidst the chaos, and although reluctant to do dirty work, Gajeel had grudgingly agreed out of respect for his Master's orders.
"Sky Dragon's Claw!"
Despite being busy treating others, Wendy reacted swiftly, jumping up and kicking Gajeel's wrist with wind-enhanced force.
The sudden impact caused Gajeel to lose his grip, allowing Lucy to break free and land safely on the ground, gasping for air.
"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull..." Lucy quickly pulled out another key after landing, preparing to summon Taurus.
"Tch," Gajeel clicked his tongue in annoyance, seeing his plan foiled.
Instead of pressing the attack, Gajeel leaped down from the ceiling and retreated through the hole he had made.
He had made an attempt, and in his mind, failure was acceptable for this side task because he was far more interested in the Salamander and couldn't wait to return to the battlefield for a showdown with him.
...
Outside the Guild—
"A giant???" The Fairy Tail members grew anxious as they watched the castle transform.
"Focus on dealing with Phantom Lord's Mages and Phantom Soldiers! Leave the giant to me!" Makarov shouted a command to his children.
Makarov strode step by step toward the fully transformed Phantom Lord MK II, knowing it was time for him to step up, as the oppressive presence of such a magical giant was overwhelming for the others.
As he closed the distance to the Magic Giant, his own form began to glow and expand, growing taller and taller until he eventually matched the mechanical giant's height with his Giant Magic.
Meanwhile, near the rubble of the cannon, Happy was shaking Natsu, who lay on the ground looking half-dead with swirling eyes.
"Natsu, Natsu!"
"Is this guy weak against transportation? Then I'll finish you off right now! Hahaha!" Totomaru, having recovered from the earlier fight, prepared to strike while Natsu was still disoriented from severe motion sickness caused by the moving castle.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on my child!"
While grappling with the Magic Giant, Makarov spotted the incapacitated Natsu and saw Totomaru's attempt to ambush him.
With a single massive finger in his giant form, Makarov flicked Totomaru away, sending him flying into the horizon like a bug.
"He flew so high!" Happy exclaimed, watching as Totomaru vanished from sight with a twinkle, then turned to greet the giant.
"Master!"
"Don't worry, I'll stop the giant!" Makarov shouted as he punched the joint of the giant's mechanical arm, halting its advance.
"Thanks, Gramps," Happy yelled.
"Natsu, this giant must have a power source! Find it and destroy it!" Makarov shouted while fighting, his voice booming loud enough to reach Raizel in the sky and the battling Mirajane and others on the ground.
"Oh! Leave it to me, Gramps!" Natsu shouted, forcing himself up, now fired up with fighting spirit despite his nausea.
...
Inside the Phantom Lord Mobile Castle—
Combatants: Elfman VS Earth Element Sol
"Oh? Makarov has made his move," Sol muttered, his monocle glinting as he also heard Makarov's booming voice from outside.
"I don't have time to waste on you! I'll make you spill how to stop this giant right now!" Elfman roared.
"Take Over: Beast Arm – Black Bull!"
Elfman raised his right arm high, and after a purple magic circle enveloped it, his right arm completely transformed into the massive, furred arm of a Beast King.
"Is just an arm enough?" Sol asked mockingly, tugging at his thin mustache to provoke Elfman.
"It seems that rumor is true after all."
"Stop your incessant nagging!" Elfman closed in and threw a heavy punch at Sol.
"You can't control the Beast King, can you?" Sol calmly dodged the strike with unnatural flexibility and remarked.
"Roche Concerto!"
Sol suddenly appeared behind Elfman, and the stone bricks beneath him turned into jagged rubble, striking Elfman from below and knocking him off balance.
"Sand Dance!"
Yellow sand swirled around Elfman, blinding him and forcing him to shield his eyes with his arm.
"NON, NON, NON," Sol burrowed underground and emerged from the spot where Elfman stood, his body transforming into bandage-like strands that wrapped tightly around Elfman, binding him.
"Three 'NONs' to tell you this really isn't enough," Sol teased.
As an Earth Elemental, Sol could manipulate any substance on the ground, such as sand and stone, to attack his opponent, and he could also transform his own body to merge with the earth.
Elfman struggled fiercely to tear Sol apart, but Sol coiled around him like a python, refusing to let go.
'This guy is much stronger than he looks,' Elfman thought grimly as he was eventually thrown off and sent flying by a kick from Sol, who had reverted to his human form.
They had been locked in this struggle for a long time, and although Elfman had used several Take Over forms in succession, none had any significant effect on Sol; instead, he had been toyed with the entire time.
"Speaking of which, it seems you once failed at Full-Body Take Over magic and subsequently lost control," Sol said, his body swaying like seaweed as he played on Elfman's emotions.
"Shut up!" Elfman leaped high into the air and launched a desperate punch at Sol.
"Huh... Lisanna?"
Elfman forcibly adjusted his stance mid-air and pulled back his punch in shock, for standing before him was his little sister.
Even though it was only a stone statue of Lisanna that Sol had created from the floor, Elfman couldn't bring himself to strike it.
"How rude, for when you stepped on me earlier, I stole a glimpse of your memories," Sol continued to speak through the Lisanna statue, needling Elfman's nerves.
"You've always felt guilty, haven't you? Throwing a punch at your little sister."
When Sol had merged with the floor earlier, he had read Elfman's memories through the earth and learned that Elfman had been carrying immense guilt ever since the Beast Soul incident years ago.
"You bastard!"
'Don't be fooled, I have to go all out,' Elfman thought, his face twisting into a grimace as he roared, preparing to attempt a Full-Body Take Over.
"NON, NON, NON! You once failed at Full-Body Take Over magic and lost control, so what happened after that? What did you do?" Sol taunted, continuously disrupting Elfman's concentration to prevent the Take Over.
"I don't blame you, Elfman!"
Mirajane, who was locked in a fierce battle nearby with the Wind Element Aria, heard Elfman's agonized roar.
A Dark Spark shattered several walls, and Mirajane's figure appeared through the gaping hole in Elfman's line of sight to encourage him.
"Me too! I already said I don't blame you, Elf-nii!"
Lisanna, having used Animal Soul: Blue Bird, flew into the sky through the hole and called out to her brother.
"I forgave you the moment you apologized to me!"
After the Beast Soul incident, Elfman had always blamed himself. He even felt useless at times, thinking he couldn't even control the Beast King, so over the past two years, he had repeatedly attempted Full-Body Take Over, but without exception, every attempt ended in failure.
Raizel had told him it was likely psychological resistance—after forcibly Taking Over the Beast King and nearly harming Mirajane and Lisanna, Elfman's own will would instinctively reject it, let alone contend with the Beast King's overwhelming influence.
Elfman clenched his fists, veins bulging across his face and neck as he roared.
"I will become a man! I must protect my sisters!"
"I believe in you, Elfman!" Mirajane shouted.
"Me too, Elf-nii!" Lisanna shouted back in response.
"FULL-BODY TAKE OVER: BEAST SOUL!!!"
Elfman's figure began to expand rapidly, muscles coiling and ripping across his entire body as two massive golden horns sprouted from his head, signaling his successful transformation!
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