The Beast King's Soul, a terrifying power that Elfman previously couldn't control at all, was now fully under his command as he stared fiercely at Sol with glowing eyes.
"H-How... How is this possible? This is..." Sol panicked, cold sweat streaming down his entire body as he backed away.
It was no wonder he was frightened, for under the Full-Body Take Over: Beast Soul, Elfman stood nearly five meters tall, his immense Magic Power radiating outward like a physical weight.
He remained silent, exuding an overwhelming pressure that made the air heavy.
"NON, NON, NON!" Sol repeated his catchphrase three times, waving his hands to insist it was all a misunderstanding.
"I deliberately gave you this difficult trial to help you overcome your past~ As expected of a man among men, Elfman! I always believed you could overcome it!"
Elfman ignored the Earth Element's frantic excuses, simply sweeping his massive right arm heavily and sending Sol flying across the room with a single blow.
"Plaster Sonata!"
After stabilizing himself mid-air, Sol gathered his magic to create a giant fist out of hardened plaster.
The fist shot straight toward Elfman's chest, hitting him directly and sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
"NON, NON, NON, you let your guard down..."
However, before Sol could finish speaking after landing, he sensed a massive shadow looming over him and realized Elfman had appeared behind him with terrifying speed.
"NON..."
Elfman punched him repeatedly, smashing Sol into the brickwork with brutal force until the wall crumbled.
After confirming Sol had lost the ability to fight and was unconscious among the rubble, Elfman tossed him aside and slowly walked toward the hole in the wall.
Elfman looked up at the sky, spread his massive arms and roared.
"ROOOOAR!"
"I did it, nee-san... Lisanna."
Tears streamed down Elfman's face as he released the Full-Body Take Over, returning to his human form.
...
Makarov saw the victory from where he wrestled with the castle, nodding with deep satisfaction, and he also noticed that the giant's movement speed had slowed down significantly.
"Abyss Break, Four Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth," Makarov muttered, quickly realizing the connection between the mages and the spell.
Makarov immediately relayed the information via Telepathy to Gray and Mirajane, who were still fighting the remaining Four Elements.
"The Giant's power source is the Four Elements! Defeat them to stop the Abyss Break spell and the Magic Giant!"
...
Top of the Magic Giant (Rainy Sector)—
After climbing out through a broken window to reach the upper levels, Gray noticed it had suddenly started raining.
"Was it raining earlier?" Gray found it strange as he looked up at the overcast, drizzling sky.
"It seems like it's only raining in this area," Gray couldn't help muttering to himself about the peculiar localized weather.
Drip, drip, drop.
The Water Element, Juvia, walked out slowly holding a pink umbrella.
She had a beautiful appearance with blue wavy hair and blue clothes, and a white sunshine doll hung from her chest.
Gray turned toward the sound of footsteps.
"Juvia is the Rain Woman of the Four Elements, drip, drip, drop."
"You're... one of the Four Elements," Gray stated, taking a combat stance.
"Don't underestimate Juvia," she said softly.
Gray looked at Juvia seriously and replied, "Sorry, but whether it's a child or a woman, I won't hold back against anyone who hurts my comrades."
Gray was completely drenched by the rain, his hair slightly messy, but his determined fierce eyes quickly broke through Juvia's psychological defenses.
Juvia's cheeks suddenly flushed red, and she quickly turned away, her heart racing.
"I-Is that so?"
'What's happening? How can he be so handsome!'
"I admit defeat, so may you have a pleasant day," Juvia said abruptly, having already decided not to fight Gray anymore because of her sudden crush.
"HUHHHHHHH???" Gray's eyes widened, his mouth agape and his eyeballs nearly popped out in confusion!
"Hey! What kind of conclusion is this?!" Gray shouted, standing bewildered in the rain as his opponent simply walked away.
Completely oblivious to Gray's complaint, Juvia remained lost in her own world.
'What's wrong with Juvia? Why is her heart beating so fast!!!'
She pressed a hand against her chest, feeling the frantic pounding, her cheeks growing increasingly red.
"Wait, stop the giant!" Gray called out, chasing after Juvia as she walked further away.
'I want him to be Juvia's... Juvia can't hold back any longer!'
"Water Lock!"
Caught off guard by her sudden turn, Gray was instantly trapped inside a sphere of high-pressure water.
Seeing Gray's pained expression within the water sphere as he ran out of air, Juvia thought frantically, 'No, no, Juvia need to release the magic quickly or he'll get hurt!'
"Dammit... Freeze!"
While she was still hesitating, Gray had already frozen the entire water sphere into ice from the inside and shattered his way out with a loud crash.
'He actually broke free from Juvia's Water Lock with his own power! He's so.... so beautiful!'
Slowly, Juvia's eyes saw only Gray, filtering out everything else.
To be honest, when Juvia is in love, everything she sees is Gray, making him look like Piccolo when he's aura farming in her eyes.
'Ice and water, it's a destined encounter! Juvia finally found the prince who belongs to her!'
Juvia was already fantasizing about her and Gray falling in love and living happily ever after.
"I didn't expect you to launch a surprise attack, you really went for it," Gray panted, glaring at her.
"You bastard!"
Breaking free from that Water Lock had drained a significant amount of Gray's magic power, so he spoke while kneeling on one knee to catch his breath.
Gray stood up and removed his coat and shirt, preparing to fight seriously.
'Why is he taking off his clothes? Ju... Juvia is not mentally prepared yet!' Juvia's eyes turned into hearts, as if a little chibi Juvia in her mind kept spinning in circles of delight.
"Originally, I didn't intend to hurt a women, but it seems I need to make you surrender quickly now," Gray declared.
"Ice Make: Lance!"
Multiple sharp ice lances shot toward Juvia at high speed.
However, contrary to Gray's expectations, all the lances passed directly through Juvia's body without harming her.
Gray stared in astonishment at Juvia, whose body had turned into liquid water to let the attack pass through.
"Juvia's body is made of water," she explained.
'We are enemies, we are enemies,' Juvia repeated to herself several times to regain her composure.
"Water Slicer!" Juvia launched multiple high-pressure water blades from her hands.
Gray dodged and looked back at the stone pillars behind him, which were severed cleanly by the water blades, leaving him somewhat shocked.
"Highly pressurized water can even cut through steel, so if you think this is just ordinary water, you'll suffer," Juvia warned.
"Ice Make: Battle Axe!" Gray formed hand seals and hurled a massive ice battle axe.
Juvia didn't even dodge, letting the axe pass through her fluid form.
"No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same, for physical attacks are ineffective against Juvia."
"What a formidable opponent," Gray gritted his teeth, realizing this would be a difficult battle.
"I don't want to harm you," Juvia said softly. "The Master only wants Lucy Heartfilia, so hand her over and you can go."
When it comes to comrades, everyone in Fairy Tail takes it seriously, and Gray was no exception.
He replied in a very stern tone, "Lucy is our comrade, and that's non-negotiable! Even if we have to stake our lives, we will protect her!"
Upon hearing Gray's words, Juvia's pink umbrella fell powerlessly to the ground.
'Bet his life!'
'Bet hls life!'
'Love rival—Lucy is the love rival!'
Juvia began to twist Gray's words in her mind, taking the phrase "stake our lives" completely out of context and interpreting it as a romantic declaration for Lucy.
Juvia clutched her head, muttering words that made no sense and were completely incomprehensible to Gray.
Just as Gray was about to say something, Juvia suddenly changed her expression, her face twisting into a fierce snarl as she shouted.
"Juvia will never forgive her... JUVIA WILL ABSOLUTELY NEVER FORGIVE LUCY!"