"WAKE UP, Juvia!"
Caught off guard by her sudden surge in power, Gray was tightly enveloped by the swirling water flow.
He should have been panicked after being suddenly submerged, yet unexpectedly, he didn't feel suffocated.
Instead, it felt... warm.
"Gray-sama... Juvia is not that kind of person."
'Is this her inner voice?' Gray, submerged in the water, heard Juvia's voice echoing directly in his mind.
"Juvia doesn't want to hurt her companions... Companions? Is it too shameless for me to say that? Gray-sama, let me put it this way: although I was once an enemy of Fairy Tail, Juvia has genuinely come to love Fairy Tail."
The water swirled gently around him, conveying her memories.
"Thinking about my companions, every day is joyful and warm. Even when it's raining heavily outside, Fairy Tail is always filled with sunshine inside."
Juvia recalled the bits and pieces of life at the guild she had secretly observed while following Gray—the laughter, the brawls, the unity.
"So this is how much one can laugh freely in a guild... Juvia never knew that before. I thought to myself, it's a rare chance to blend in with everyone."
"It seems Juvia really is a woman who brings misfortune."
'Those are tears,' Gray realized.
Although surrounded by water, Gray felt as if he could see Juvia's spirit crouching on the ground within the spell, hugging her knees and crying.
Even in the water, Juvia's tears are still warm.
With a surge of determination, Gray was flung out of the water by Juvia's subconscious will to protect him.
He landed on his feet, glaring at the rock musician.
"Someone who can shed tears for their friends will never be rejected by Fairy Tail!"
Gray pointed at Vidaldus Taka and scolded him angrily, "And you... anyone who makes my friend cry is unforgivable!"
'Gray-sama...' Juvia, who was forced by the magic to take action, froze mid-attack, real tears welling up in her eyes underneath the dark makeup.
"Juvia, you are a Mage of Fairy Tail! Hold your head high!"
Responding to his voice, Juvia broke through the control.
Juvia and Gray tightly held hands.
"Unison Raid!"
Combining their magical power, the water flow instantly froze into jagged spikes of ice, striking Vidaldus with overwhelming force and defeating him instantly.
"We did it!"
"Juvia is back to normal too!"
"We took one down," Gray said, and he and Juvia high-fived.
"No, it was Gray-sama who defeated him," Juvia said humbly.
"It was both of us. Aren't we friends?" Gray smiled.
"What's wrong? It's raining in Juvia's eyes..." Juvia stared blankly at the tears falling into her palm.
"Hahaha, that's a funny way to put it. After we go back, I'll make sure you join Fairy Tail. Believe it!"
Gray looked at Juvia, who was crouching on the ground and covering her face as she cried tears of joy.
...
Magic Council Branch (ERA)
Org announced the conclusion of the voting session. "To attack the Tower of Heaven with Etherion : four votes in favor, five votes against. Therefore, the decision is not to use Etherion."
Siegrain glared at Org, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Wait, do you truly understand the current situation?" Siegrain demanded.
Org interrupted the furious Siegrain. "This is unbecoming of you, Siegrain. We've already debated this thoroughly, and there are other peaceful solutions available."
Yajima continued, backing Org up. "Didn't the reports mention Raizel is present at the location? he's strong enough to defeat Jose of the Ten Wizard Saints. There's no need for excessive concern or extreme measures."
"Peaceful solutions?" Siegrain scoffed. "While we waste time here, Jellal is already making preparations to awaken the dead. Can't you all feel it? The overflowing negative magical power! The being he intends to awaken is truly terrifying."
"Siegrain, who exactly is it?"
Siegrain wore a grave expression, clenching his fist as he looked around the room.
"I've been reluctant to reveal this earlier, fearing it would cause unprecedented panic if the news spread. But now, it seems I have no choice."
"What are you talking about?" Org urged the evasive Siegrain. "Just say it already."
"The Black Wizard—Zeref!"
The council members all turned pale with alarm, the room falling into a terrified silence.
Org stared intently into Siegrain's eyes and demanded, "Are you telling the truth, Siegrain?"
Siegrain met his gaze without flinching. "It's true. I understand Jellal better than anyone—after all, he's my twin brother."
Org swallowed hard, the weight of the name 'Zeref' changing everything.
"Let's take another vote."
...
Meanwhile, Natsu was still locked in fierce combat with Fukuro.
Fukuro's martial arts were formidable, matching Natsu evenly in close-quarters combat.
With the added speed from his rocket propulsion, he managed to overwhelm Natsu temporarily.
"Hoot! Take this kick!"
Natsu blocked the kick with his bent arm, then immediately countered with a sweeping leg.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!"
He knocked Fukuro to the ground, but the owl-man bounced back up quickly.
"Still too early, way too early," Fukuro hooted.
'To think he's evenly matched with Natsu—this bird is quite strong,' Happy thought nervously.
"Hoot, it's about time I delivered the hammer of justice."
As he spoke, Fukuro changed his stance, bending forward while his back-mounted rocket began charging power.
"Take this missile!"
The rocket detached from Fukuro's back and shot straight toward Natsu.
Natsu sidestepped nimbly to avoid the rocket. "Did you really think you could hit me?"
"Watch my rapid ascent! Capture with my armband!"
Suddenly, a mechanical arm extended from the flying rocket, grabbing Natsu by the waist and spinning him wildly in the air.
"Spinning World!"
Happy watched as Natsu was flung around in circles. "Though it's a boring technique, it's truly terrifying for Natsu..."
"No way..." Happy vaguely noticed Natsu's face turning green, showing signs of severe motion sickness from the spinning.
"I know your weakness, Salamander," Fukuro taunted. "This is bad—it's a vehicle!"
"Truly, finishing off a weakened opponent—that's what you call hunting!"
Under Fukuro's control, the mechanical arm released Natsu, and the dizzy, nauseous Dragon Slayer fell helplessly from the sky.
"Now's my chance, Capture!"
Fukuro approached the falling Natsu, opening his large mouth impossibly wide.
With a gulp, he swallowed Natsu whole.
"What are you trying to do, you bastard!" Happy protested in horror as Fukuro rubbed his belly.
"I can control the magic power of those I swallow," Fukuro announced, his body glowing.
"Give Natsu back right now!"
"Fire Blast!"
Fukuro opened his mouth, but instead of words, a jet of flame shot straight toward Happy.
Happy barely managed to dodge the familiar fire. "You're not only digesting Natsu's magic power, but you've also used Take Over on him?"
"How about that, hoot!"
As Fukuro struck a pose to show off his new muscles and flames, several crystal balls suddenly materialized around him.
"Nani? Hoot..."
With too many crystal balls appearing out of nowhere to dodge, Fukuro had nowhere to escape.
BOOM!
All the crystal balls exploded around him simultaneously.
The impact forced Fukuro to throw up his meal, and Natsu was blasted out by the explosion.
Ultear and Lucy emerged from a side passageway, having heard the sounds of battle and followed the noise to this location.
Lucy's clothes were somewhat torn, indicating she had been through a tough fight of her own.
Ultear looked at Natsu, who was shaking his head on the ground to clear the dizziness, and said.
"Natsu, we don't have time to dawdle here."
Natsu struggled to his feet, wiping the saliva off his vest.
His expression shifted into pure rage as intense flames coiled around his hands.
"You're fucking disgusting! I'm getting serious now!"
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"