Back underwater, Kyôka was dragging the helpless little mermaid down by the wrist, with her eels Jackal and Franmalth following close behind. She smiled smugly, "Oh, my poor little princess… You were this close to kissing Prince Charming. I feel really sorry for you. But a deal's a deal. Your time is up, and now you'll have to pay the price."
Juvia asked nervously, "What do you want from me?"
Kyôka assured, "Oh, don't worry, dear. This was only one part of the plan. It's not really you I'm after. In fact, I've got a much bigger fish to—"
"Kyôka, STOP!" a loud voice boomed. The Sea Witch halted in her tracks, finding herself face-to-face with King Makarov pointing his trident straight at her. At his side were Natsu and Fairylantica's finest soldiers, poised and ready to attack.
Regaining her self-assurance, Kyôka chuckled, "Why, King Makarov! What a surprise! It's been a long time, hasn't it? We haven't met since the day you banished me."
Makarov nodded sternly, "It certainly has, Kyôka. Even today, you are still the same witch who tried to take over my kingdom."
Natsu shared Makarov's stern look, "That's right, lady! And this time, you've gone too far. Kidnapping the king's daughter for your own gain? That is the most selfish thing you've ever done!"
Kyôka replied with a scoff, "Ha! Whoever accused me of being 'selfish?' Can a lady do whatever she wants? I'm just an uptown avian-octopus girl with the plan. And my plan involves dragging you and your undersea kingdom to the dust… starting right now."
Makarov retorted, "Enough of this nonsense. Release my daughter, or else!" He pointed the trident towards Kyôka's face, with the Fairylantica guards unsheathing their weapons.
"Uh-uh-uh," Kyôka smiled evilly, wagging a finger. "You know it's not nice to point a weapon at a woman."
Makarov wouldn't take such nonsense. He threatened loudly, "Let her go!"
"Not a chance, Makarov," Kyôka shook her head, before grinning wickedly at the sea king. "She's mine now." She then took out the contract with one of her tentacles, "We made a deal." Makarov was horrified to see his youngest daughter's name signed at the bottom.
Juvia screamed frantically, "Daddy, I'm sorry! I didn't know—"
Without a word, Makarov aimed his trident at the scroll, shooting at it with a powerful bolt of lightning. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't make the slightest tear on the contract. It still remained intact.
Kyôka laughed amusingly at Makarov's vain attempt, allowing her eels to take Juvia and restrain her arms. She said, "You see? The contract's legal, binding and completely unbreakable, even for the king of the sea."
Makarov glared dangerously at her, "Then I'll just have to try a different approach. Guards! Seize her!" The Fairylantica soldiers readied their weapons and rushed forward, but the sneaky Sea Witch was ready for anything, as always. Flexing her claws menacingly, Kyôka summoned green whips of energy from her fingers and swung them multiple times against the guards. With each hit connecting, the guards screamed in agonizing pain, as if whenever they see, hear, or feel anything, it hurts!
"Nice try, Your Royal Highness," Kyôka smirked. "But you didn't think I was going down without a fight, do you? It never hurts to have magic for backup."
Jackal remarked, "Mistress, you sure left a lot of nasty senses on those guards!"
Franmalth added, "And the senses are so bad, they hurt! Literally!"
"I know, right?" Kyôka agreed, before the three laughed together in amusement.
Natsu recognized the technique Kyôka utilized, "That's the Sensation Curse, one of the forbidden magics. It has the power to increase a person's sensitivity to extreme pain. When it hits you, it hurts when you feel, see, or hear anything!"
Makarov asked Natsu, "How did you know that?"
Natsu replied, "I've read a lot of magic books in my time at Clam School. It's before I became your new court composer."
"Oh, alright," Makarov nodded, before he turned his attention to Kyôka.
Kyôka spoke, "Like I said, Makarov, not even you with your almighty powers and loyal guards can go around breaking legally binding contracts. And everybody knows contracts are the best. When you sign it, it can't be broken. Unless you change the rules, that is."
Makarov lowered his trident and asked, "What do you want?"
Taking this as her cue, Kyôka swam forward and placed a cruel hand on his shoulder. She replied, "We can arrange this with a sort of counter-offer to the contract I made with Juvia. And you know, I always was a girl with an eye for a bargain. The youngest daughter of the great sea king is a very precious commodity. But…" She paused to let this sink in, "I might be willing to make an exchange, for someone even better."
Makarov looked at Kyôka skeptically, "Go on."
"I'll let Juvia go," Kyôka offered. "But only if you agree to trade her soul…" She paused again, before she smirked evilly, "…for yours."
Makarov's eyes widened, knowing full well what she was really after. He exclaimed quietly, "So that's how it is… But it's not me you're really after. You only care about my crown."
"Ah, yes. Which reminds me… What do you think is more valuable to you than anything?" Kyôka asked cruelly. "Your crown…" With the snap of her fingers, the scroll released a crimson light that instantly engulfed the frightened Juvia, slowly transforming her into a polyp, the way it had for all of Kyôka's victims. "…or your daughter?" She added with a wicked smile, "I suggest you choose carefully…"
Back at the wedding ship, Yuka and Toby untied one of the lifeboats and lowered it into the sea. Not a minute later, Gray appeared in his regular white long-sleeved trenchcoat and blue belt-strapped shirt. He leapt over the railing, landing squarely in the lifeboat.
Lyon quickly ran to the edge of the ship, concerned for Gray's safety. He asked, "Gray, what are you doing?"
Gray began rowing away, calling back over his shoulder, "Lyon, I lost her once. I'm not gonna lose her again!"
"Now…" Kyôka said, holding the contract close to Makarov. "Do we have a deal?"
Natsu protested, "No! Don't listen to her, Your Majesty!"
"I'm afraid… I have no choice," Makarov sighed sadly. He hated to give his power and his kingdom to the evil Sea Witch, but he would never abandon his precious daughter. Clenching his eyes shut, Makarov once again aimed at the scroll. A blast was fired at the parchment, and Juvia's name was replaced with his own.
"It's done, then!" Kyôka shouted in triumph. The crimson light that had surrounded Juvia suddenly lifted and shot towards Makarov, trapping him in a vortex. Once back to normal, Juvia watched in horror as the light swallowed her father whole, shrinking him down to size.
Juvia cried in disbelief, "No… No!"
Kyôka's cruel laughter echoed through the sea, only stopping when the light died down. Juvia, Natsu, and Lucy all stared at the small skinny polyp in front of them, knowing exactly who it was.
"Your Majesty…" Natsu muttered sadly.
"Daddy?" Juvia whispered.
"At last…" Kyôka muttered, placing Makarov's discarded crown on top of her head. "It's mine!" Picking up the golden trident, her amused smirk turned into a wicked cackle erupting from her throat. With the trident and the crown under her control, she was now free to rule the ocean unchallenged. However…
"You… You MONSTER!" Juvia shrieked, breaking free from Jackal and Franmalth, and angrily lunging at the sea witch. Unfortunately, Kyôka was faster, pinning her against the rocky sea floor with her tentacles.
"Don't toy with me, you little brat!" Kyôka yelled angrily, aiming the trident at Juvia's chest. "Contract or not, I'll blast—"
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Multiple lances made of solid ice suddenly flew towards Kyôka, grazing her body multiple times. After a short struggle, Kyôka threw Juvia off and pinned her against a rock with her tentacles. Turning around, the Sea Witch saw Gray swimming not too far away, using his Ice-Make Magic to strike her from a distance.
"Why, you little fool…" Kyôka growled.
"Gray!" Juvia cried. She tried to swim towards him, but was held back by Kyôka's tentacles. "Gray, look out!"
Kyôka turned to Jackal and Franmalth and ordered, "After him!"
"Yes, Mistress!" Jackal and Franmalth nodded.
Seeing the eels coming towards him, Gray quickly turned and swam back up to the surface. Natsu took notice and called out, "Come on, Lucy! We gotta help!"
"Yeah!" Lucy cried.
Gray managed to make it back to the boat, but Jackal and Franmalth dragged him back down to the water and grabbed his arms and legs.
Jackal smirked, "Where do you think you're going, Ice Boy?"
Franmalth added, "We're just getting started with you!"
While Gray struggled to get free, Natsu and Lucy swam up behind the eels and tapped them on the shoulders, catching their attentions.
"Hey there," Lucy winked her eye at Jackal with a smile. "Remember us?" She raised her tailfin and smacked it across Jackal's face multiple times.
"Payback time, creeps!" Natsu shouted, before snapping his claw at Franmalth's tail, making him scream in pain.
"Looks like I've been pinched on the tail!" Franmalth exclaimed. "How much of a sin does that cost, I wonder?" With the eels distracted, Gray quickly swam back to the surface, unaware that Kyôka had the trident pointed straight at him.
"Say goodbye to your little sweetheart…" Kyôka smirked, the trident beginning to glow. Looking at where she was pointing, Juvia panicked and lunged straight at Kyôka, yanking her bushy green hair back just as a bolt of lightning shot out of the trident. The movement jerked Kyôka's arms up, and the trident's power flew past Gray, hitting Jackal and Franmalth instead. The two unlucky eels screamed in pain as they were electrocuted by the lightning bolt, and were instantly vaporized.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Kyôka screamed horrifyingly. She caught the remains of her eels' into her hands, shocked to see her beloved pets vaporized before her eyes. "Jackal! Franmalth! My babies!" She then sniffled, "My poor little poopsies…"
The sorrowful look in Kyôka's eyes turned vengeful, and she glared at Juvia as she and Gray dashed for the surface. Gripping her trident tightly, her eyes began to glow a dark red, intent on making Juvia pay in the most PAINFUL way possible. Natsu and Lucy watched in horror as black smoke started billowing from around Kyôka, causing her to steadily grow in size. Quickly, Natsu and Lucy joined Juvia and Gray and headed up towards the surface.
Gray gasped for air as he broke through the surface with Juvia. For a moment, he only breathed the stormy air, but then his attention turned to the sapphire-haired mermaid beside him. "Juvia!" he called.
"I'm right here!" Juvia quickly swam up to his side, placing her hands on his shoulders. Natsu and Lucy swam up beside the pair, both looking extremely worried.
"Bad news, guys!" Lucy screamed.
Natsu added, his body shaking, "Kyôka's coming! And she's really, really mad!"
Gray's eyes widened in astonishment to see two sea creatures, a crab and a fish, talk before his very eyes. He exclaimed, "They can talk?!"
"All sea life can if they trust you enough," Juvia explained, unfazed by the idea of talking animals. "Come on, Gray! You've got to get away from here!"
"No, I won't leave you," Gray said adamantly.
A moment later, the ocean bubbled, and the Earth shook beneath the raging sea. From the depths of the ocean, Kyôka emerged the size of a giant and began cackling manically. She continued to grow bigger, even lifting Juvia and Gray out of the water on top of her head. Quickly, both of them jumped off Kyôka's head and back into the water. They held onto each other and watched in horror as Kyôka grew the size of a mountain, her laughter increasing with every growth.
"You pitiful, insignificant fools!" Kyôka bellowed.
"Look out!" Gray shouted as Kyôka slammed one of her tentacles into the water. Both were able to dive underwater and avoid the tentacle, as Kyôka raised the trident towards the sky. She shot its magic into the sky, conjuring up a huge storm. Lightning lit the angry waves, thunder crashing loudly in response. Rain began pouring down furiously as Kyôka conjured up wave after wave of destructive proportions.
"Now I am the ruler of all the ocean!" the giant Sea Witch declared. "The waves obey my every whim!"
"Gray!" Juvia shouted as she saw Gray drifted away. He tried to grab her outreached hand, but got caught in the riptide of a huge wave, flinging him high into the air and back into the water. Juvia tried going after Gray, but was almost hit by the lightning, causing her to duck and cover behind the rocks.
"The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!" Kyôka proclaimed, and she swirled her trident round in the water, creating a whirlpool deep enough to reveal the ocean floor. The force of the whirlpool was strong enough to raise a large sunken ship and multiple broken platforms above the surface. Juvia desperately held onto a rock with all her might, hoping she wouldn't get sucked in.
Meanwhile, Gray was able to return to the battle, having used the technique Ice-Make: Platform to create a solid ice moving platform. The sunken ship was about to run him over, but the Ice-Make Wizard quickly grabbed a rope, climbed onto the deck, and grabbed the steering wheel.
Meanwhile, Kyôka spotted Juvia, and with a smirk, blasted the rock she was holding on to, causing her to fall into the center of the whirlpool on a ground surface. The Sea Witch tried to blast Juvia multiple times, but she barely dodged all of them.
Just then, Gray was driving the ship towards Kyôka, determined to save the girl of his dreams from the clutches of the Sea Witch. He shouted, "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!"
Kyôka chuckled mockingly, "Ah, look at the brave little prince trying to save the damsel in distress! That's so cute!" She then noticed the ship heading towards her, and she easily blocked it with her tentacles before it drove into her chest.
Gray retorted, "Try nothing, lady! I will save her, and I WILL stop you!" He formed his hands together, "Ice-Make: Hammer!" He summoned a large hammer of ice floating above Kyôka, but she effortlessly blocked it with her trident, shattering it into pieces.
Kyôka snorted, "Do you really think that little Ice-Make Magic of yours can save you?" She paused to chuckle, "Very well, I always like a challenge, anyway. But make no mistake… When I'm finished with you…" She gestured to Juvia at the bottom of the whirlpool, "…she's next!"
Gray dangerously glared at Kyôka, "No one gets away with hurting the ones I care about. I take revenge!" Instantly, he took off his trenchcoat and shirt, revealing his tall muscular body. "YOU'RE the one who's next!"
Kyôka's laughter clashed with the roaring thunder as she eyed Gray with a determined expression. She smirked, "Alright, let's play!"
At the bottom of the whirlpool, Juvia prayed, "Be careful, my beloved…"
Lifting her massive tentacles, Kyôka slammed them all over the ship, splitting it in half, but Gray managed to dodge all the attacks. Gray retaliated by casting Ice-Make: Lance, hitting Kyôka in the face and causing a bit of damage to it. The Sea Witch fired a powerful laser from her trident, only for Gray to deflect it back at her with Ice-Make: Shield. Kyôka raised her tentacles and slammed them into the remains of the ship, but Gray bolted to another broken platform, and countered by casting Ice-Make Hammer, hitting her directly at the head and causing her to hold it in pain.
Swearing revenge, Kyôka blew a stream of floating Bubble Bombs from her mouth towards Gray, who destroyed them with Ice-Make: Arrows. He countered with Ice-Make: Ice Cannon, blasting Kyôka at the chest. With Kyôka distracted, Gray casts Ice-Make: Shotgun and Ice-Make: Knuckle, damaging her.
"You annoying little…" Kyôka growled. "You dare to strike me?!" Raising her trident into the sky, she cast Lightning Storm, which rained countless thunderbolts from the sky. Fortunately, Gray was able to dodge every blast by jumping from platform to platform. She attacked again by firing countless laser blasts and various elemental attacks at the Ice-Maker Wizard, which he effortlessly avoided.
"Try to dodge THIS!" Kyôka screamed. She charged a large amount of energy onto her trident and fired it at Gray, but missed. Gray saw this as an opening and cast Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer at Kyôka's chest, causing her to scream in pain. He then casts Ice-Make: Ice Cannon, Ice-Make: Lance, and Ice-Make: Buzzsaw to damage her greatly.
Despite her moderate injuries, Kyôka was still standing on all tentacles. She was extremely furious that someone was keeping up with her, despite her powers increased to maximum levels with the power of the trident. She bellowed, "Now I'm angry! TIME TO TEACH YOU SOME RESPECT!"
Gray motioned his hand towards the Sea Witch, "Bring it on! I'm ready to take on anything you throw at me!"
Unleashing the full extent of their magical powers, Gray's Ice-Make Magic and Kyôka's Ocean Magic collided, hitting each other with powerful blasts while dodging at the same time. The battle raged on for what seemed to be an hour or so, and everyone who witnessed this, either on land or sea, could only stand by and watch.
When the dust cleared, both opponents were grievously worn out with all the attacks they dished out against each other. Kyôka quickly recovered, her rage reaching its boiling point.
"ENOUGH!" Kyôka roared. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY A HUMAN! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS INSOLENCE!" Gathering every ounce of her power, Kyôka unleashed a crazy array of thunderbolts, lasers, tidal waves, and tentacle attacks.
Gray shot back, "That's what you think!" Dodging every attack as he advanced, he jumped up and prepared for his ultimate three attacks. "Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!" He swung an extremely large ice broadsword and swung it ferociously, completely freezing Kyôka's tentacles and shattering them into pieces. "Ice-Make: Ice Bringer!" He held two icy large swords on each hand and struck the Sea Witch, creating two huge scars on her chest. "Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!" Finally, Gray created sharp ice blades on his arms and slashed Kyôka seven times, the last strike knocking the trident out of Kyôka's hands. The trident spun through the air and landed at the bottom of the whirlpool Juvia stood on.
Kyôka turned to the whirlpool and was extremely shocked to see her trident misplaced. "No… NO!" she exclaimed. "THAT BELONGS TO ME!"
This was it. This was Juvia's best chance to defeat the Sea Witch and save everyone. Gripping the trident, she held it and aimed it straight at Kyôka. Casting a determined look, Juvia shouted back, "You want it? Alright, you can have it!"
Juvia threw it at the Sea Witch's chest with a thunderous cry, shooting right through. With a dreadful scream, Kyôka's body rapidly electrocuted, accompanied with the last bits of storm. In a matter of seconds, her scream came to an abrupt end, her body sinking into the ocean before it disintegrated into boiling black ooze.
Kyôka's remains slowly sinking into the water, all of her past spells began to unravel, and one-by-one, all the trapped polyp creatures reverted back to their normal merpeople selves and swam out of the cave, enjoying their taste of freedom.
Finally reaching the ocean floor, the trident landed beside the last of the polyps. Returning back to his normal form, King Makarov smiled as he took back his trident.