Chapter 292: Naval Battle
"Cheers—!!"
"Today was awesome!"
Natsu jumped onto the table and shouted with glee, raising his tankard high into the air. The loud clinking of wooden mugs and the roaring laughter of the Fairy Tail mages filled the cozy tavern.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in from the side, happily munching on a raw fish.
"Awesome my ass! I'm not Happy at all!"
Gray scowled, sitting alone at the edge of the bench with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He had just been beaten by Lyon during their match—utterly outclassed in both magic power and technique. The bitter taste of defeat was still fresh in his mouth, casting a dark cloud over his mood.
Natsu grinned at him, his trademark toothy smile wide and mocking. "That's exactly why I'm so pumped!"
Gray bristled, a vein popping on his forehead as he slammed his hands on the table. "You jerk—want a fight?!"
Lucy quickly warned, waving her hands frantically. "Hey, you two, this isn't the guild—don't break anything. We can't afford to pay for damages!"
"Laxus! You were incredible today—you had me all choked up! I was worried sick at first!"
Freed said as Laxus walked back in through the tavern doors, the rest of the Thunder God Tribe following closely behind him like loyal shadows.
"Uh… what's there to be moved about?"
Laxus was speechless. He scratched the back of his neck, completely utterly baffled by Freed's teary-eyed devotion; he hadn't done anything worth tears, merely exposed an illusion and crushed his wretched father's guild.
Makarov leaped up, standing perfectly balanced on the edge of the bar counter. "Brats! We haven't won yet—stay sharp!! Target: thirty million!!"
"You just blurted out what you're really after!" the guild shouted in unison, sweatdropping at their Master's blatant greed.
"Hahahahaha!!"
The sun rose bright and hot over the capital city of Crocus, marking the beginning of another intense day at the Grand Magic Games. The roar of the audience in the Domus Flau was deafening, vibrating through the massive stone architecture as tens of thousands of spectators eagerly awaited the next spectacle.
In the center of the arena, a colossal, floating sphere of pure blue water hovered suspended in mid-air. It rippled and distorted the light, casting aquatic reflections across the stands.
[Day Four of the Grand Magic Games—Event: Naval Battle. Each guild sends one contestant.]
Chapati Lola's voice boomed through the lacrima sound system, hyping the crowd into a frenzy.
[Inside a spherical water arena; anyone forced outside the water sphere is eliminated. Last one inside wins.]
The massive screens above the stadium displayed the rules in bold, flashing letters, ensuring every single spectator understood the stakes.
[Special rule: if two remain, whoever's ejected within the next five minutes finishes last.]
[Then let Day Four's event begin!]
[All right—every guild's in the water!]
The crowd erupted in a chorus of whistles and enthusiastic cheers. Every team had fielded a girl for this specific event; only Quatro Cerberus, lacking any female members in their roster, sent a man, Rock, who awkwardly floated among the beauties.
"Sabertooth's Minerva, entering the fray."
[She's here!! Minerva! Listen to that roar! With this, Sabertooth's top five are complete!!]
The stadium practically shook with the sheer volume of the cheers. Minerva Orland floated effortlessly in the water, her dark hair fanning out around her like a halo. She wore an elegant, revealing swimsuit, but her expression was one of cold, aristocratic disdain. She looked less like a contestant and more like a queen inspecting her subjects.
Lucy murmured, treading water near the edge of the sphere, "She's popular, but I won't lose."
Hearing it was a water fight, she had volunteered immediately. Her heart pounded against her ribs, the cool water doing little to soothe her nerves. Tired of feeling like baggage, tired of having her matches ruined by outside interference like Flare's cheating, she was fiercely determined to prove her worth to Fairy Tail.
In water, she held a natural edge. Her most powerful Celestial Spirit, Aquarius, was an absolute powerhouse among Spirits, possessing magic that could control the very seas.
"When it comes to water, Juvia won't be outdone."
A few meters away, Juvia floated with an air of absolute supreme confidence. A water-magic specialist, Juvia was entirely in her element. Her body practically melded with the surrounding liquid, her blue hair swaying gracefully. She cast a sidelong, intense glare at Lucy.
[What a colorful scene—every contestant in swimsuits!] Chapati Lola announced, clearly enjoying the visual spectacle.
[Simple rules: leave the water and you're out!!]
The giant gong echoed through the stadium, its deep resonance vibrating through the floating sphere.
[Naval Battle—start!!]
"Then I'll go first! Sorry, everyone!!" Lucy shouted, pulling a golden key from the ring at her hip. She thrust it forward into the water, a bright golden magic seal instantly illuminating the blue depths.
"Open! Gate of the Water Bearer—Aquarius!!"
Lucy aimed for a quick, decisive win, summoning the Water Bearer right away to overwhelm the competition before they could even formulate a strategy.
With a burst of brilliant light and a furious roar of rushing currents, the mermaid-like Celestial Spirit materialized. She held her signature urn, her beautiful face twisted into a terrifying scowl.
"Oiiiii! You snot-nosed kids think you can seduce men with swimsuits? Ten thousand years too early!!"
Aquarius erupted in irrational rage, completely ignoring the context of the tournament. She swung her urn with devastating force, whipping up a violent, churning vortex meant to fling absolutely everyone—including Lucy—out of the sphere. The water spun out of control, creating a localized hurricane inside the floating arena.
"I won't let you!" Juvia yelled, her eyes flashing fiercely.
"Water Cyclone!!"
Juvia countered instantly. She threw her arms forward, generating a massive, spiraling torrent of her own. The two incredibly powerful currents collided in the center of the sphere, creating a massive explosion of bubbles and shockwaves that rattled the very bounds of the water arena, successfully blocking Aquarius's attack.
"Eh—?!"
Lucy gasped, struggling to maintain her position in the turbulent water. She hadn't expected Juvia to interfere so aggressively right at the start; normally, as guildmates, they would clear the rest of the opposing guilds first, then duel it out for the top spot.
Juvia glared through the swirling bubbles, her aura dark and possessive. "Rival! I won't let you steal the spotlight! Juvia must show Gray-sama her beautiful water!"
"Who's your rival?!"
Lucy sighed, a stream of bubbles escaping her mouth. She had explained a hundred times that she wasn't after Gray, but Juvia never listened to logic when it came to her beloved ice mage.
As the two Fairy Tail mages bickered, the others began skirmishing. Rock charged forward, while Risley from Mermaid Heel and Jenny from Blue Pegasus engaged in a flurry of aquatic grapples. Despite the chaotic melee, none were gaining much ground against the dense currents.
Through it all, Minerva watched calmly. She didn't move. She merely treaded water, her sharp eyes tracking the chaotic movements of the lesser mages like a predator observing a flock of panicked birds.
"Hmm, some planning required," Minerva whispered to herself, her voice carrying a chilling resonance. "First—eliminate you."
Suddenly—
Juvia felt the water entirely vanish from around her body. There was no push, no current, no physical force. In the blink of an eye, the world shifted, and she found herself falling through thin air. She hit the hard stone floor outside the sphere with a wet, undignified slap.
[Unbelievable—first out is Juvia!!] the announcer screamed in shock.
"What just happened?!"
Gray stared from the Fairy Tail balcony, his jaw dropping. Juvia had been safely in the dead center of the sphere a second ago, easily holding her own against an elite Celestial Spirit.
"Space Magic," Ren stated calmly from his seat beside Gray, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Space Magic?!" Gray repeated, turning to Ren in disbelief.
Ren nodded, his unique spatial perception having easily tracked the instantaneous shift in coordinates. "It's a high-level spatial manipulation known as Territory. She didn't push Juvia out. She swapped the space Juvia was occupying with the empty air outside the sphere. In an enclosed arena with boundary rules, it's an absolute counter."
[Akarin's Note: Territory is Minerva's signature Space Magic, allowing her to manipulate the spatial attributes of any region within her line of sight, teleporting objects, people, or even magical attacks instantly.]
Down in the water, Minerva wasn't finished. "Next—you."
With a casual, almost lazy flick of Minerva's wrist, Risley of Mermaid Heel was gone, splashing onto the stadium floor with a heavy thud.
"Followed by you."
Sherria of Lamia Scale was teleported out mid-spell, landing on her rear outside the boundary in utter confusion.
Next went Jenny of Blue Pegasus, and then Rock of Quatro Cerberus. It took less than ten seconds. The chaotic, multi-guild brawl had been entirely dismantled by a single mage without her even taking a physical step.
Only Lucy and Minerva remained floating in the massive, suddenly quiet blue sphere.
[Down to two! Who wins—Sabertooth or Fairy Tail? The five-minute rule is in effect; whoever falls now finishes last!]
Up in the stands, the realization of what had just occurred hit the Fairy Tail mages like a physical blow.
"She's doing this on purpose!"
Natsu clenched his teeth, his fists igniting with sympathetic flames that quickly fizzled out. Minerva had easily eliminated everyone else but had clearly spared Lucy just to trigger the cruel five-minute rule. If Lucy was knocked out now, she wouldn't get second place. She would finish dead last, earning zero points.
Inside the sphere, Minerva swam closer, a sadistic, predatory smile curling her painted lips.
"My magic could expel you all in an instant, but where's the sport in that?" Minerva mocked, her voice echoing strangely through the water. "Come, Fairy Tail—show me why you rank above Sabertooth on the scoreboard. Entertain me."
Minerva raised a hand, her fingers curling into a claw. A spatial orb, glowing with a dangerous, warped energy, popped into existence right beside Lucy's side.
Boom!
"Agh!"
The orb detonated. The blast hammered Lucy, the concussive force traveling instantly through the dense water. It struck her ribs like a physical battering ram, knocking the breath from her lungs in a massive burst of silver bubbles.
"Lucy!"
Natsu shouted in alarm from the balcony, gripping the stone railing so hard it began to crack.
"Damn it!" Lucy thought, coughing up water. She reached for her belt to summon another spirit—but her keys were gone. Panic seized her heart. She looked up through the stinging water to see Minerva casually twirling the golden keyring around her pale finger.
"When did—?!"
Boom!!
"Gyaaaaah!!"
A second blast of spatial energy detonated directly beneath Lucy, sending her hurtling violently toward the edge of the sphere. The water resistance did nothing to slow her momentum.
[Lucy—if she flies out now, she finishes last!!] Chapati Lola cried out.
Lucy flailed desperately, twisting her body and using every ounce of her physical strength to brake. She clawed at the water, coming to a painful halt just an inch short of the liquid boundary.
"Not leaving?" Minerva asked, her smile widening into something truly demonic. "Then don't blame me for what happens next."
Boom!
Minerva struck again, spawning another spatial bomb point-blank against Lucy's back.
"Aaaah!!"
"Lucy! Forfeit! She's using Space Magic—she can teleport you out any time! Taking a beating serves nothing!!"
Ren yelled from the balcony, his voice slicing through the roar of the crowd. He recognized the futility of the situation. This wasn't a test of endurance. Minerva controlled the very space they occupied; she could simply warp Lucy outside at the very last second of the five minutes, rendering all this suffering completely pointless. It was systematic, calculated torture.
Lucy heard Ren's voice echoing through the water. She trembled, her entire body aching with deep, agonizing bruises. She glanced at the giant magical hourglass projected above the stadium—three minutes left.
Blood seeped from her lip, trailing upward in the water.
"I can last three minutes! I asked for this fight—I won't waste it!!" She forced a grin through clenched teeth, glaring defiantly at the Sabertooth mage. She carried the pride of Fairy Tail on her back; she absolutely refused to be broken.
Minerva paused, her eyes narrowing as she looked at that stubborn, infuriating smile. Disgust curled her features. She raised both hands, and the water around them began to boil as she conjured an even larger, devastatingly powerful orb of warped space directly above Lucy.
Boooom!!
"Aaaaaaaah!!"
Lucy screamed, the sheer force of the explosion tearing through her body, threatening to rip her consciousness away entirely.
"So proud, Fairy Tail!! Think you're special?!" Minerva roared over the sound of the blast, her aristocratic facade entirely gone, replaced by vicious malice. "We are the number-one guild—Sabertooth!!!"
[Akarin Note:
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