Haloha, everyone! Hope you're having a good day! Thanks for the support as always!
Not much to say. This chapter will be action-packed, much like how Chapter 6 was (long way back.)
Enjoy reading!
Chapter 32: Battle at Sea!
"We're all fired up!"
"Keep your guard up, everyone!" Erza shouted, charging forward against the giant tentacles. "Wendy, keep Natsu safe!"
"Let's get this over with!" Jellal charged against the sirens coming from the front.
"Let's do this, Juvia!" Gray went for the sirens coming from his direction.
"Right, my darling!"
The wizards spread out and went on the offense, intending to take on the hostile sirens. Wendy stayed behind near Natsu's body and took on a defensive role for the team.
According to Erza, these sirens can cast illusions. I'll just need to negate that first!
"Raise!" Wendy struck a pose, stretching her arms outwards. A calm blue light emitted from her palms. Runes of the same color immediately appeared below the attacking wizards and herself, enchanting with protection against the sirens' illusions.
"Power of the stout arms that tears heaven… ARMS!" Wendy shifted into another pose, this time casting an enchantment to raise her team's physical abilities. An intimidating aura briefly glowed around them.
"Not bad, Wendy!" Gray quickly shifted into his casting stance, slamming his fist into his palm.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Multiple ices made of lance appeared in front of him and were shot forward. His lances hit most of the sirens, impaling their durable scaly skin, but were not enough to take them down.
"Water Slicer!" Juvia swiped her hand forward, shooting out sharp water projectiles resembling the blade of a scythe. Together with the ice lances, the water projectiles managed to inflict more damage, taking out some of the sirens.
"Graaaagh!" Two sirens jumped out of the ocean and lunged out towards Gray, extending their claws.
"Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray spread his arms outwards, erupting a hexagonal pattern of shields in front of him. The sirens slammed against the shield, failing to break through it. "Juvia, now!"
"Water Cane!" Juvia swung her arm as it extended into a long water cane and struck the two sirens, knocking them out.
"Gruuuuaaagh!" More sirens leapt onto the boat, angered by the loss of their kin.
"They may not be tough, but they have the number advantage!" Gray mentally counted the number of sirens. "We'll need to take them out quickly!"
"I won't allow any of you to reach my Gray!" Juvia glared at the sirens with a ferocious intensity.
Three sirens tried to attack Juvia with their claws… but they passed through her body.
"You can't touch me." Juvia's body dissolved into water, allowing the attacks to pass through and not harm her. Using her water magic, she created a water whip and wrapped it around the sirens, tying them together. "Gray!"
"Ice-Make: Ice Cannon!" Gray molded his ice magic into the shape of a gun and shot it in Juvia's direction. The cannon passed through her water body and hit the sirens, blowing them away.
"Let's keep it up, Juvia!"
"Right!"
On the other side, Erza and Jellal went for the giant tentacles, but several sirens were blocking their way.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
With skillful twists and turns, Erza maneuvered around the sirens and slashed through each of them, working her way to the tentacles.
"Gruaaaagh!" Dozens of sirens appeared to replace the fallen, even more than the ones Erza defeated.
"There's a lot of them." Erza summoned a second iron sword and brandished her blades. "I can't reach the kraken like this…"
"I'll handle them, Erza." Jellal walked to her side. "Leave this to me."
"Jellal…" Erza was a little worried, but she had faith in his magic prowess. "Very well. Focus on the sirens!"
Erza charged forward, ignoring the sirens and letting Jellal deal with them. Just as one of the sirens was about to strike Erza…
"Jiu Leixing!" Jellal hovered over the sirens and conjured up nine lightning swords. He swiped his hand down, targeting each lightning sword at the sirens, swiftly taking them out one by one.
"Guraaaggh!" Two sirens swiped their claws at him.
Jellal simply bent his body backwards, then quickly boosted himself forward and grabbed their faces, slamming them to the ground.
I'll protect Erza to the best of my abilities!
Despite the wizards' impressive combat skills, some of the sirens managed to slip through… drawing their attention to Natsu's lifeless body.
"I'll protect you, Natsu…" Wendy glared at the sirens approaching them. She'd brave through her motion sickness no matter what.
"Graaaggh!" Two sirens charged at her.
"Sky Dragon Crushing Fang!" Wendy moved forward and swiped her hands, leaving a burst of wind behind to blow them away.
One siren tried to swipe at her from behind. Detecting the incoming attack, Wendy spun around and ducked.
"Sky Dragon Claw!" Putting her hands on the ground, she extended her leg upwards. Using the momentum, she moved into a backflip, unleashing a large wind on impact.
THAWP!
"Aghn?!" Wendy was slammed forward in the middle of her backflip, crashing onto the ground. A siren had swung its tail and hit her back. The siren then turned its attention to the pink-haired man lying on the floor.
"Natsu!" Wendy pushed herself up as she struggled with her motion sickness. As she brought herself to her feet, four sirens had already surrounded her.
I need to get to Natsu! Wendy inhaled, puffing her cheeks to the max. She angled her head downwards. "Sky Dragon Roar!" A hurricane was blasted through her mouth, generating a shockwave which blew the surrounding sirens away. The impact also boosted herself upwards. Seeing this as an opportunity, she dived diagonally to reach Natsu's body. Unfortunately, she didn't see a giant tentacle homing in on her.
"Ah…!" Wendy noticed too late.
"METEOR!" With an incredible speed, Jellal flew through the air and grabbed Wendy, swiftly dodging out of harm's way.
"Jellal?!"
"I got you." Jellal safely landed on the deck, letting her on the floor.
"Natsu!" Wendy glanced at this body, surrounded by the sirens. "I have to save him!"
"Don't worry!" Jellal imbued his body with Heavenly Body magic. "I won't allow any harm to come to him!"
Using Meteor, he quickly made a beeline towards Natsu. The giant tentacles slammed on to the deck to block his path, but he zigzagged around them and pushed through the sirens.
These tentacles… they predicted my path. Jellal noted as he dodged them. It has experience… most likely from its other encounters.
As Jellal approached Natsu, he stopped in front of the sirens and shifted directly into his magical casting stance.
"Pleiades!" Jellal called forth six rays of golden light from above, bringing them down on the sirens and protecting Natsu. That should take care of them!
"Natsu!" Jellal ran to him. He put his arm under his head and lifted him up.
"Mngguhh… Jellal…" Natsu grunted.
"Take it easy." Jellal put Natsu's arm over his own shoulders. Let's get you some place safe–
SMASH!
A giant tentacle slammed down between Natsu and Jellal, blowing them apart from the impact.
"Guh?!" Jellal rolled over the floor and got back up on his feet. I didn't sense that coming at all! His eyes tracked down Natsu, who was at a greater distance from him now. I'll need to rescue him quickly!
Jellal took a step forward. A shadow loomed over him, causing him to look up. "Huh?!" A high tide rose over the ship, intending to drown them and sink the ship. That siren… it's controlling the ocean?! Just as it was about to come down, its direction changed back and attacked its own caster instead.
"Water is my specialty." Juvia waved her hands around in a deliberate manner, altering the flow of the water to take down the siren casters. "I'll handle them!"
"Much appreciated, Juvia!" Jellal continued forward towards Natsu…
RAM!
A siren, visibly different from the rest, leapt in front of Natsu. With longer hair and bigger proportions, she was holding on to a sizable trident which she stabbed onto the ship.
She's different from the rest… Jellal sensed a powerful aura coming from her.
"Jellal!" Wendy ran to him, stopping by his side.
"Wendy…" Jellal turned his head. "It seems we're dealing with a different one now."
"Yeah, I can sense it…" Wendy shifted into her battle stance. Her mind worried for Natsu. It seemed this stronger siren was guarding his body.
"Keep those two busy." The siren hissed, pointing her trident at them. "I'll claim this prey."
Many more sirens popped up, standing in front of Jellal and Wendy. They charged towards them.
"I won't let you!" Wendy imbued her hands with sky magic. "Let's go, Jellal!"
"On your mark!" Jellal charged alongside her.
While they were dealing with the sirens, Erza focused on dealing with the tentacles.
Erza stood on the edge of the ship, facing one of the giant tentacles. She was observing its movements, waiting for it to strike…
SLAM!
The tentacle struck downwards, but Erza dodged to the side and jumped on the tentacle. Reversing her grip on one sword, she spiraled downwards like a razor disc, slicing and dicing the entire length of the tentacle. Purple fluid burst out as she cut it.
That's one down! Erza boosted herself back onto the ship, thinking she had put down the tentacle…
Two new tentacles burst forth from the one she cut down to take its place. Its injuries began regenerating slowly.
"Huh…" Erza shifted into a defensive stance, assessing the unexpected development. "It regenerates and multiplies… this is troublesome." One thing she noticed was it regenerated rather slowly, so she supposed it could be taken down if it wasn't given time to regenerate and it was inactive while regenerating. In that case, we'll need to target the main body–the head. She had a plan in mind, one which would involve the cooperation of her fellow friends.
"Gruaaaghh!" Three sirens tried to ambush her from behind.
"I'm busy thinking here!" With a single and precise movement, Erza slashed behind her and knocked out the sirens.
"Sky Dragon Wind Attack!" Wendy swiped her hands forward, releasing a spiraling gust of wind to push the sirens away.
"Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" Jellal summoned a staff in his hands and aimed it at the stunned sirens, generating consecutive magic circles above them. A pillar of light burst through, dealing serious damage.
"Grrrr…!" Despite their best efforts, the sirens multiplied their numbers and surrounded the two wizards.
"How are there so many of them?" Jellal scanned around, looking for an opening.
"This is bad… guh…" Wendy dropped down on one knee, clutching her stomach. It was getting difficult to fight through her motion sickness. I can't last long enough… I need to save Natsu! Natsu had always done whatever necessary to keep her safe when she was in trouble, even as far as to put his life on the line. I can't give up yet!
"Wendy!" Jellal called out in concern. She shouldn't be fighting like this!
"You are a very nice prey." The siren purred, using a finger to lift Natsu's chin to gaze into his eyes. "I'll have a lot of fun devouring you."
"Huh…" Natsu blinked a few times, seeing a familiar face. "Wendy… you've sure… gotten taller… and… bigger…?"
"He's under the illusion!" Jellal exclaimed. "Wendy, we should…?" His voice trailed off as he turned to look at the sky dragon slayer.
"…!" The air pressure around Wendy began fluctuating to extreme levels. Her dress fluttered around, her twin tails rising against the gravity. She clenched her fists, increasing her magic power as an intimidating dark aura engulfed her entire body.
"W-Wendy…?" Jellal's eyes widened in surprise. He was sure he was looking at her, but it felt like… he was looking at someone else. Her pupils narrowed, becoming slit-eyed… like that of a dragon. What is this… terrifying aura?! He swore he could see a dragon in those eyes.
"HANDS OFF MY NATSU!" Wendy cried out, lunging forward at an incredible speed that even rivaled Jellal's Meteor ability. The wind around her hands formed into claws as she lunged.
"Kill her!" The siren, who was holding Natsu, hissed.
The sirens surrounded her and jumped at her… but were immediately blown out of the ship.
Using the sheer force of her sky magic, Wendy swung her arms around and generated a shockwave powerful enough to knock out nearly all the sirens off the ship, even her fellow friends.
"W-What the?!" Gray put his arms in front of him to block the winds. Is that Wendy?! She's on a roll!
"Ice-Make: Rampart!" Gray spread his arms outwards, creating a wall of ice to keep his friends in the ship.
"W-What's going on?!" Juvia shouted, holding on to the ice wall. She had to deactivate her water body because it was being scattered away by Wendy's winds.
"Wendy?!" Jellal barely stood his ground, feeling the intense pressure of her magic. Her magic power…!
"Dragons don't like sharing." Wendy growled, her eyes seething with rage. Her gaze stared into the siren's soul as she approached her. She slammed her palm downwards, generating a horizontal hurricane which blew the last siren away and rocked the ship violently. Unintentionally, she also knocked out Natsu (putting an end to his suffering, at least), making him lose consciousness.
"Wow…" Jellal was so distracted that he didn't realize a tentacle was about to slam on him.
SLASH!
"Jellal!" Erza sliced the attacking tentacle into pieces, enough to give them time before it fully regenerated.
"Erza!" Jellal turned around, glad to see she was still all right.
"What's… happening over there?" The sight of Wendy's powerful display caught her attention.
"I'm wondering the same thing." Jellal replied. "She managed to blow all the sirens away."
"That works in our favor, then!" Erza faced the kraken, putting her swords away. I don't know what Wendy did, but it's helping!
"Sounds like you have a plan?"
"Let's perform a unison raid." Erza stated. "That kraken is capable of regeneration. If we all can focus our magic power onto it, we should be able to put it down for good."
"Very well." Jellal nodded and spared no time, turning his attention to the kraken. His hands glowed a golden light as he silently cast. "I'll need time to prepare the spell."
"Gray! Juvia! Wendy!" Erza called out. "We'll need you to buy us some time!"
"We heard you loud and clear!" Gray clenched his right fist, increasing his magic levels. Black markings began crawling from his right hand up to his face, entering his demon slayer mode. Let's take this up a notch!
Juvia spread her arms outwards, manipulating the ocean area around the kraken. "We'll keep it at bay!"
Wendy stood in front of Natsu to guard his body. Her usual expression returned to her face, no longer having the fierce eyes of a dragon and her mind no longer clouded by rage. She held her head, confused. W-What was I…? She shook her head to clear her thoughts, ready to buy Erza and Jellal time.
The kraken howled and thrashed around, feeling crushed by the surrounding waters. It lashed out its tentacles at the wizards.
Gray brought his right hand in front of his chest. "Ice-Make: Silver!" He clenched his fingers and froze the tentacles in ice, keeping them locked in place.
Some of the ice cracked, slowly breaking down towards the entire length of the tentacle. A few tentacles broke free of the ice, striking down at Gray.
"Sky Dragon Roar!" Wendy roared, unleashing a burst of hurricane out of her mouth. She damaged the tentacles, slowing down their advances on Gray.
"Jellal, are you done yet?!" Gray shouted.
"I can't keep it up much longer!" Juvia felt she was losing her grip on the water manipulation to keep the kraken in place.
"I'm done!" Jellal shouted back. "Get ready!"
"About time! Let's end this, Juvia!" Gray stretched out his hand towards her.
"Of course, my darling!" Juvia intertwined her fingers with his own.
Wendy looked over her shoulder. Don't worry, Natsu. I'll do this for both of us! Admittedly, she would like to have done this together with him.
"We've… never done a unison raid together, have we?" Erza asked as she and Jellal walked forward and held each other's hand.
"There's always a first time for everything." Jellal replied with a smile. Let's do this!
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…" Wendy took a deep breath and struck a pose, focusing all the magic into her hands. Her hands glowed a light blue with winds spiraling around them.
"Ice-Make…" Gray and Juvia tightened their hands together, bringing it backwards. Their magic levels slowly increased, merging with one another.
"May the seven stars bring judgment upon you." Jellal and Erza held their intertwined hands up, channeling their magic together. Soon, seven magic circles of golden and red appeared around the kraken in a constellation pattern.
The kraken growled, shaking the ocean to its core. It summoned all its tentacles and circled the wizards, about to strike.
It's now or never!
"SHATTERING LIGHT SKY DRILL!"Wendy combined the magic energy within her hands and aimed it at the kraken, releasing a powerful sky beam.
"ICE GEISER!" "WATER NEBULA!" Gray and Juvia pushed their intertwined hands forward, unleashing their ice and elemental magic. Water and ice spiraled around to its target in perfect harmony.
"GRAND CHARIOT!"Erza brought her palm downwards, facing away from her. Jellal extended his index and middle finger, connecting with Erza's palm at the wrist. Seven heavenly pillars of light descended on the respective magic circles, crushing the kraken in its wake.
All their magic fused into one devastating attack, piercing through the kraken's flesh and obliterating it into nothingness, enough to rock the ship away. Its tentacles stopped moving as its life was taken out of them, sinking below the ocean surface one by one with a splash.
All the wizards stared in silence and held their breath as their magic power dissipated. They saw and heard nothing from their surroundings, aside from the waves of the ocean crashing against each other and the winds passing by.
"… Did we do it?" Gray asked.
"… I believe we did." Erza smiled.
"Huaaaaahhh…" a collective sigh left their lips as they all dropped down to the floor, exhausted after their intense battle.
"Natsu…" Wendy turned around to look at him. I'm glad… I kept you safe. Exhaustion was pooling through her body and clouding her vision. Feeling her legs give out, she fell backwards.
"Easy there." Juvia safely caught her in her arms.
"S-Sorry…" Wendy muttered.
"That was one hell of a fight." Gray tapped out of his demon slayer mode. His black markings faded away.
"We made it through." Erza nodded. "I'm glad you're all safe."
"How are you feeling, Wendy?" Jellal asked in a concerned tone.
"I just need to rest for a moment." Wendy smiled timidly. "I'll be… fine?" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Jellal… who was hiding behind Erza for some reason.
"Good to hear that." Jellal returned the smile, wary of her. She seems back to normal...
"… Why are you hiding behind Erza?" Wendy asked. She got the impression he was… hiding from her?
"Oh, don't mind me." Jellal stepped to the side and coughed into his fist. "Do you not remember what happened?"
"Huh?" Wendy batted her eyes, confused by his question. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, right…" Gray scratched the back of his head. "Just now, you were really something, Wendy. You nearly blew us all away."
"… I did?"
"I couldn't use my water body properly, too." Juvia added.
"It was an impressive display." Erza hummed in response. "You really helped us out there."
Wendy scratched her head in confusion. What are they talking about? She closed her eyes and tried to remember. I was trying to save Natsu… then there was that siren… Ah! Wendy's eyes widened. I… can't remember anything after that.
"When I saw what that siren was doing to Natsu…" Wendy averted her gaze. "I just got… so angry. I don't… remember what happened after that."
Jellal crossed his arms in thought. Was she driven by… jealousy? Her draconic instincts? What surprised him the most was Wendy didn't enter her Dragon Force even once. Her Dragon Force couldn't compare to that level of power…
"You made some… interesting remarks." Jellal chuckled, then imitated her. "Hands off my Natsu!"
"Ehhh?! I did?!" Wendy's face flushed a crimson red. She covered her face to hide her embarrassment. "You're lying! I d-didn't say that!"
"I wouldn't put it past you, Wendy." Gray smirked, putting his hands on his hips. "I bet Natsu would love to hear about your rampage."
"It must have been the power of love!" Juvia patted her head cheerfully. "Wendy wouldn't let anyone touch her Natsu!"
"Perhaps it was her feelings for him that ultimately won us this battle." Erza continued in a teasing manner.
"S-Shut up, all of you!" Wendy wanted to bury herself in the ground. Steam was practically blowing out of her red ears. This is so embarrassing!
"Anyway…" Gray rubbed the back of his neck. "Why did we get attacked in the middle of the ocean?"
"Yes, I didn't expect to meet enemies on the way to the resort." Juvia agreed.
"Very interesting question, Gray." Erza hummed, genuinely not knowing any possible reason.
"You really don't know, Erza?" Jellal asked in disbelief. She can't be serious…
"I don't." Erza shook her head, still oblivious. "Do you have an idea, Jellal?"
"Huh… in that case, could I see the map?"
"Oh, here." Erza took the map out of her pocket and handed it to him.
"Gray, Juvia, Wendy." Jellal rolled the map on the floor. "I want you to see this for yourselves."
They scooted closer towards the map to see what Jellal meant. Soon, it all clicked in their minds as they saw the path stamped with red skulls. "Oh…" In other words, Erza had driven them into dangerous territory, which she wasn't aware of.
Gray raised his hand. "I vote for Jellal to be the captain of the ship."
"Huh?" Both Jellal and Erza's eyes widened in response.
"Me two." Juvia followed.
"Us four." Wendy raised her and Natsu's hand up.
"W-Wait, I c-can't…" Jellal waved his hand to dismiss the idea.
"It seems we have a unanimous vote." Gray nodded in approval. "Jellal, you're the captain now. Erza… maybe sit back and relax with us."
"What's wrong with me manning the ship?" Erza asked, slamming her palms on the ground.
"Jellal, our faith is in your hands." Gray patted his shoulder.
"Uhhh…" Jellal sighed in defeat.
Immediately, Erza was stripped of her captain status and Jellal took over the position. For everyone's sake. Last thing they needed was another enemy encounter so soon.
"Erza, I might need your assistance in using the lacrima." Jellal said.
"Why, of course!" Erza beamed. "Let me show you how it's done!"
"I'll carry him to the cabin." Standing up, Gray put Natsu's arm over his shoulder.
"You should rest too, Wendy." Juvia suggested, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. "Here, let me help you up."
"Thank you, Juvia…" Wendy leaned on Juvia's body for support as they walked to the cabin together.
Gray opened the door to the cabin. Inside the spacious cabin, there were multiple comfortable beds to accommodate them. Gray plopped Natsu down on a bed and tucked him under the blankets. Maybe it was a good thing he couldn't join the battle. Otherwise, he could have destroyed the ship.
Juvia helped her to sit on another bed, which was to the left of Natsu's, a good distance away. "Don't push yourself, okay?"
"I'll keep that in mind." Wendy smiled timidly.
"Have a good rest, Wendy." Gray patted her head affectionately. "Juvia, let's check up on Erza. Make sure she's not taken control of the ship."
"Of course, darling." Juvia clung to his arm as they left the cabin and closed the door behind them.
"…Fuahhh." Wendy plopped her back on the bed, spreading her arms at her sides. She let out a long sigh of exhaustion. This has been one eventful trip… she simply stared at the ceiling in silence.
I wonder how Natsu is doing. Wendy closed her eyes for a moment. Craning her neck to him, she saw Natsu sleeping peacefully. Actually, he passed out, didn't he?
Since the train ride, they really couldn't enjoy their time together as a couple. With Natsu's motion sickness, dates on vehicles are a no-no. I wish my Troia worked on him… then, she could ask for his attention. She was really craving his attention now. But that doesn't mean I can't spend more time with him…
She looked to the doorway, confirming Gray and Juvia had left the cabin. Her gaze then shifted to the bed. It seemed enough to fit two people. She stood up slowly and walked to his bed. She pulled the blanket away and crawled into bed beside him, then tucked themselves under the blanket.
"Natsu…" Whispering his name, Wendy pulled his arms around her delicate frame to be in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. Her fingertips traced the contours of his back. She snuggled closer against his chest, hearing the soothing sound of his rhythmic heartbeats. His calming scent and warmth radiating from his body healed her mind and soul, in a way even her healing magic couldn't heal herself. Her breathing grew relaxed and her chest felt lighter.
We'll be there before you know it.
