MetalSeadramon's colossal metallic body abruptly twisted mid-air. Its elongated tail rose high, the forked metal spikes at the tip glinting with a cold, mechanical chill under the sunlight.
With devastating, raw physical force, MetalSeadramon brought its massive tail slamming down upon the churning sea below!
BOOM!!!!!!!!
A deafening roar echoed, as if the entire ocean were wailing in agony.
The moment the tail struck the water, an unimaginably terrifying zone of absolute pressure formed around the impact point! Millions of gallons of seawater were violently compressed and squeezed, creating a massive crater in the ocean over fifty meters wide.
The displaced water surged upward into cliffs towering dozens of meters high!
Then—
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Countless highly compressed, blindingly blue, high-pressure waterspouts erupted violently from the ocean, rising like enraged serpents awakening from the abyssal depths!
Each waterspout measured over three meters wide, with internal currents rotating at supersonic speeds.
The water pressure was so intense that the edges of the torrents were sharp enough to shred solid steel.
More terrifyingly, these waterspouts didn't just spray randomly. Directed by MetalSeadramon's will, they adjusted their trajectories in mid-air, converging from all directions to crush and strangle the Fairy Tail members gathered along the coastline!
It was a cataclysm. A genuine, human-defying natural disaster.
"Fire Dragon's... Roar!!!"
Natsu's eyes burned crimson as his magical energy blazed wildly.
He inhaled deeply and unleashed a scorching torrent of flame directly at the nearest waterspout!
But the power gap was absolute. The moment his roaring flames collided with the waterspout, they were instantly swallowed and snuffed out with a pathetic hiss.
The supersonic water didn't even slow down; it slammed directly into Natsu's chest, sending the Fire Dragon Slayer tumbling violently across the beach like a skipped stone.
"Ice-Make: Iron Fence!"
Gray slammed his palms against the ground, summoning thick, interlocking bars of solid ice to block the waterspout's path.
The moment the raging currents touched the ice, the thick barricade was shredded into fine powder.
The residual kinetic force blasted Gray backward, leaving him gasping for air as he crashed into the sand.
"Iron Dragon's... Hard Fist!"
Gajeel transformed his arms into heavy steel clubs and roared, leaping up to punch head-on into a descending waterspout!
The metallic fists clashed with the water, emitting an ear-piercing screech of grinding metal.
The sheer density and speed of the Mega-level attack was too much; Gajeel was swatted out of the air like a fly, crashing into the earth and carving a deep, ragged trench with his back before collapsing and coughing up seawater.
Erza instantly Requipped into her Adamantine Armor.
The incredibly sturdy, heavy twin shields emitted a steady magical glow as she positioned herself firmly in front of Lucy, Wendy, and the other less durable mages.
A single waterspout slammed into her shields.
Erza let out a strained cry of agony.
She didn't hold her ground—the overwhelming pressure instantly forced her backward, her armored boots digging deep, desperate furrows into the earth.
The Adamantine shields groaned under the stress, fine spiderweb cracks beginning to form on the "unbreakable" metal. She barely managed to survive the blow, her arms trembling violently.
Others weren't nearly as fortunate.
"Ugh!"
"H-Help!"
"I can't hold on!"
Screams erupted one after another.
The less powerful members grazed by the waterspouts had their defensive magic shattered instantly.
Their bodies were sent flying, crashing heavily against distant rocks or trees.
Coughing up blood and gasping for breath, they lost their ability to fight in a matter of seconds.
And MetalSeadramon was clearly just playing around.
At the edge of the battlefield, Ace frowned slightly.
He could tell that MetalSeadramon was severely holding back its output—the strikes wouldn't be fatal, but broken bones and heavy bruising were unavoidable.
The purpose of this special training was to let his companions experience the suffocating despair of the Mega-level, not to actually cripple them.
His gaze swept across the chaotic field, finally settling on one figure.
Levy.
She was currently struggling to maintain a complex Solid Script: Guard spell, desperately trying to shield Jet and Droy.
Her magic power was completely depleted.
Her face was deathly pale, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and the glowing letters of her spell flickered unsteadily, on the verge of total collapse.
Meanwhile, a massive, primary waterspout—thicker and faster than the others—was roaring directly toward her!
In her current state, she would be crushed instantly.
At this critical moment—
Swish! Swish!
Two faint sounds of slicing air rang out almost simultaneously.
Two slender flying swords, gleaming with terrifying sharpness, appeared like phantoms in front of Levy, crossing to form a perfect "X" shape.
Strange energy patterns flowed along the steel, emitting a low, deadly hum.
The next second, the massive waterspout slammed fiercely into the crossed blades!
Hiss!!!
The moment the raging water touched the swords, it seemed to crash into an invisible, indestructible wall.
The front end of the supersonic torrent disintegrated violently, scattering into a harmless mist of water droplets.
The raging current was forcibly split in two, surging past Levy, Jet, and Droy on either side without harming a single hair on their heads.
The Trump Swords!
Piedmon had made a move.
Or rather, Ace had secretly instructed Piedmon through their soul link to intervene before Levy was severely hurt.
"Levy, Jet, Droy. Eliminated," Ace's calm voice rang out, clearly reaching everyone's ears over the roaring water.
The light of her defensive script faded. Levy collapsed to her knees, panting heavily.
She looked up, first glancing in sheer bewilderment at the two eerie swords hovering in the air as they slowly flew back into the Magic Box on Piedmon's back.
Then, she turned her gaze toward Ace at the edge of the battlefield.
After a brief moment of shock came understanding, followed by an indescribable sense of relief, grievance, and deep annoyance.
"Ace!" Levy puffed out her cheeks, her large eyes welling up with frustrated tears. Her voice carried a mix of resentment and total exhaustion.
"I... I hate you!"
To be eliminated so quickly, and to realize just how terrifyingly massive the power gap was—it was incredibly frustrating!
Ace rubbed his nose, feeling a bit awkward.
He didn't want the guild's scribe to suffer a concussion, but the rules of the special training were absolute. If you needed saving, you were out.
"Now then, who's next to play with me?"
Seeing Piedmon recall his swords, Puppetmon immediately perked up.
The wooden Digimon raised his bizarrely shaped Bullet Hammer, adjusting the brim of his red hat.
"Finally, it's my turn? Great!" Puppetmon bounced excitedly, his wooden joints clacking. "Come play with me! Play with me!"
Before the words even finished, Puppetmon abruptly hoisted the massive Gatling-gun hammer, aiming the heavy steel barrels at the most densely packed area of surviving Fairy Tail members.
"Puppet Pummel!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The six dark muzzles at the front of the hammerhead simultaneously erupted with blinding flashes of light!
Each explosive energy bullet was only the size of a fist, but the volatile, Mega-level energy contained within was enough to level a multi-story building.
Hundreds of explosive rounds rained down on the Fairy Tail mages like a deadly, relentless meteor shower.
"Watch out! It's a massive area-of-effect!"
"Scatter! Everyone scatter!"
Erza's expression shifted to pure horror.
She instantly realized there was no way the battered guild members could dodge a barrage of this scale.
She abandoned any thought of counterattacking MetalSeadramon and slammed her cracked Adamantine shields together, planting her boots firmly in the sand in the exact center of the falling bombs!
"Everyone! Get behind me!"
"Erza!"
"Hurry!"
The members reacted immediately.
The injured, those with depleted magic power, and the non-combatants all scrambled desperately behind Erza's giant shields.
Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel—bruised, soaked, and bleeding from their failed clash with MetalSeadramon—staggered to their feet.
Refusing to let Erza take the brunt of a Mega-level attack alone, the three Dragon Slayers and the Ice Mage forced their exhausted bodies to the front, guarding her flanks and the aerial approaches to form a desperate, secondary defensive line.