CHAPTER 573: JUVIA IS ANGRY!

Juvia and Lisanna were caught under a relentless barrage of blows, almost unable to move.

"Aah!"

The dense rain of strikes left their bodies bruised and battered, forcing repeated cries of pain from them.

"Take Over: Animal Soul, Penguin!"

Gritting her teeth, Lisanna transformed into a massive penguin.

Her plump form gave her a little extra defense, but it also made her a larger target.

That, however, was exactly what she intended.

Lisanna planted herself in front of Juvia, taking every hit for her, enduring the pain as she urged, "Juvia... now’s your chance..."

"Lisanna..." Juvia could barely make out her partner’s words through the deafening noise conjured by the Dog Samurai, but she understood her intent all the same.

Juvia had always wanted to fit into the guild, but her naturally somber expression made many keep their distance.

She would tell herself it did not matter, that as long as she had Gray, the opinions of others meant nothing... that things would change with time.

But Lisanna had been different from the very start. The moment they met, she had told Juvia she was cute and genuinely enjoyed being with her. And when the exam began, she had stepped forward without hesitation to be her partner.

Now, Lisanna was willingly putting her body on the line to protect her.

"Juvia... Juvia..."

Juvia looked into the pained expression of the penguin shielding her and felt something in her chest twist tight.

Her aqua-blue hair rippled as her eyes grew bloodshot, and it was as if a dark cloud shadowed her face. "Juvia... is furious!"

"What is this magic power?" The Dog Samurai stiffened, startled by the sudden pressure radiating from her. This was almost on par with the Seven Kin of Purgatory.

How could someone who had seemed so weak just moments ago unleash this kind of power?

"Caw!"

The Rooster, who had used a tree trunk to launch himself for what he thought would be the final blow, saw a massive, tsunami-like wave roaring toward him.

He flapped his wings frantically to change direction, but there was no escaping.

The surging wave, like the palm of a merciless giant, smacked him from the sky into the ground.

"Slash!"

The Dog Samurai found himself in the wave’s path as well. He slashed his sword in a wide arc, a massive blade of force splitting the incoming torrent in two.

The upper half of the wave slid past, leaving a clear gap.

The Dog Samurai let out a slow breath. Surely that had been her full-strength attack. As long as he had not taken it head-on, he could...

His thoughts froze. Through the gap he had just carved, he saw a second wave.

Boom!

Even though it was water, the impact as it crashed down was like a mountain collapsing. A deafening roar filled the air, followed by the sound of rushing water.

The surrounding forest was devastated. Trees were snapped like twigs or uprooted entirely.

Both the Rooster and the Dog were swallowed whole by the surge, their bodies tumbling in the churning current, colliding with boulders and broken trunks as they were swept away.

Juvia paid them no mind. She knelt beside Lisanna, who had reverted to her human form, and gently pulled her into an embrace. "Lisanna... are you alright?"

Lisanna winced, clearly in pain, but still managed a small smile. "You’re so strong, Juvia."

The woman who had been terrifyingly enraged moments ago now seemed almost shy. "Juvia..."

Her voice was so quiet Lisanna tilted her head. "What was that?"

"Juvia... wants to be a true member of Fairy Tail."

Lisanna tilted her head, puzzled. "You already are."

"Juvia wants to protect Lisanna!"

Lisanna smiled warmly. "You just did."

"Juvia wants to protect her friends... to protect this guild!"

"Yes," Lisanna took her hand, smiling brighter. "Juvia is adorable after all."

Juvia’s cheeks turned crimson, and she glanced away. "But... Master Gray still cannot be given to you."

Lisanna had no idea what was so special about Gray. Then again, she also couldn’t understand what her sister saw in her brother-in-law, so she decided not to think too hard about it.

With Juvia’s help, Lisanna pushed herself to her feet. "We should head back to camp. About the exam..."

"It doesn’t matter," Juvia interrupted. "We have to tell the Master about Grimoire Heart. Otherwise... Master Gray could be in danger!"

"You hateful little girls..."

"So troublesome!"

Two hoarse voices growled from nearby.

"What?!" Both turned in surprise to see the Great Rooster and the Dog Samurai they had just defeated.

The Great Rooster’s feathers were a mess, his comb bent and bleeding, and one wing hung limp. The Dog Samurai had lost his helmet, his armor was shattered, one side of his face was swollen, and he leaned heavily on his sword as he walked.

Water still dripped from their bodies as they trudged across the muddy ground, eyes blazing with rage as they glared at Juvia.

"Capricorn-sama’s orders will be fulfilled," the Dog Samurai snarled.

"At the very least, we’ll take you two brats down with us!"

The Great Rooster opened his beak and spat a volley of eggs with rapid-fire speed.

Lisanna stepped in front of Juvia, drawing her Rose Sword. With swift, precise slashes, she softened and split the egg-liquid fists mid-flight.

The Rose Sword’s enchantment allowed it to soften hard substances, and against magic that relied on "shaping" matter, it could directly contest the caster’s power. If she poured in more magic than her opponent, the shaping would be undone entirely.

These conjured egg-liquid fists fell into that category. Lisanna might not have matched the Great Rooster’s raw magic power, but the sword was inlaid with a high-quality magic crystal. As long as her reflexes and accuracy held, she could intercept a barrage like this for a short time.

The Great Rooster’s magic was nullified, and the Dog Samurai immediately shifted into an Iai stance. "Dark Sword."

The magic building in his blade made Lisanna’s heart tighten. She wasn’t sure she could block it.

Juvia quickly moved in front of her. "Water Stream."

But she stopped mid-cast, her expression easing. The Dog Samurai’s sword wasn’t moving at all.

His wrist was locked in an iron grip. No matter how hard he strained, the blade wouldn’t budge an inch.

He turned his head... and saw a massive figure blocking out the sunlight. A shadow fell over him.

"Who hurt my sister like this?"

"Elfman!" Lisanna gasped.

Hearing his sister’s voice didn’t calm Elfman, it only made the fury in his eyes blaze hotter.

From the Dog Samurai’s perspective, the already massive man seemed to grow even larger. Pain shot up his arm, as if his wrist bones had been crushed in that grip.

"Who are you?"

ROAR!!!

Elfman wasn’t anyone special. He was just an enraged brother, a Manly Man, who had almost lost his sister.

The bellow of the Beast King was louder than the Dog Samurai’s own "Boom" magic, rattling the air and nearly rupturing his eardrums. His long dog ears and short fur were whipped backward by the force of the roar.

Terrifying...

Before that thought could even settle, his feet left the ground. Weightlessness overtook him, and his body no longer listened to his mind.

The Great Rooster had been about to retreat, but before he could take more than two steps, the towering figure leapt in front of him.

Elfman swung the Dog Samurai like a meteor hammer, slamming him down onto the rooster’s head.

Boom!

The sickening crack of impact rippled outward like an invisible shockwave.

Kawazu and Yomazu collapsed in a heap before they could even announce their names.

...

Bonus @400

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