Sea God vs. Sea God

Noelle POV

I chased after Asta in my Valkyrie dress, piercing into what must be Mercphobia's water dome, with Yuno not far behind. Though we could sense the destruction and make out its silhouette through the dome, it wasn't until we stepped inside that we truly grasped the scale of the catastrophe.

Ermina was utterly decimated. The city was drowning, with its outer layers submerged in water, while Mercphobia, the so-called guardian deity of these people, rampaged like a wild beast. I couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of it all. So much for a protector. Either Elefseria's intel was outdated, or Earthlanders had a very different idea of what it means to be "reasonable."

I started sweating from the heat radiating off Ignia's flames, which scorched the city. I'd seen Lady Mereoleona go all out before, but even she didn't match the sheer intensity of what my gut told me was a half-hearted display from this Fire Dragon God. I shoved those thoughts aside and focused on saving as many people as I could—humans, fishfolk, and whatever else was in this strange city. At this point, talking fish didn't even faze me anymore.

I hurled balls of water at falling debris and nearby fires, though I had to channel Leviathan's mana to deal with the flames. Asta zipped around the area, rescuing stragglers and drowning civilians, while Yuno transported them to safer areas with his magic, using a protective star shield to keep them secure.

Once we'd helped everyone in our immediate surroundings, we all jerked our heads upward, frowning as Ignia laughed and flew out of the dome. Sure, we wanted to stop him, but we weren't dumb—dealing with two dragon gods at once wasn't on today's to-do list. Judging by the chaos-loving dragon's attitude, we'd see him again soon enough. I doubted someone like Ignia could resist causing more havoc. And when he did, I was ready to shove a Sea Dragon Roar right down his throat.

Asta and I entered Yuno's shield, just as he was questioning one of the Erminan survivors who was thanking us for our help.

"What happened here? Why is Mercphobia attacking you? And why was he fighting Ignia?"

One of the fishfolk flopped toward us, mumbling, "Sea God... was protecting us from the evil Fire God."

Even an idiot could tell that wasn't what was happening. These people were blinded by their faith. I almost laughed at the absurdity, but my thoughts were cut short when I noticed Asta and Yuno staring at me, their faces full of panic.

Huh? What's wrong with them? My eyes widened as I felt my grimoire rising, out of my control. It was floating in front of me, reacting. He said Sea God.

"Haah?!" My head pounded as Leviathan's roar of pure indignation thundered through our bond. Safe to say, my familiar was not happy.

"Leviathan, calm down!" I tried to reason with him, but my voice wavered as the grimoire flipped to the page depicting him. Unbridled, primal mana poured out, suffocating the entire city. Even Mercphobia paused, his rampage interrupted.

I desperately tried to call Leviathan off, pleading with him to think clearly, but he wasn't listening. His focus was locked entirely on Mercphobia. A furious roar tore through the air, shaking what was left of the city as his voice filled the ruins.

"Sea... god... Sea... God?!" Each word dripped with contempt. "You... dare... call yourself... Sea God?!"

My grimoire glowed brighter, and I knew what was coming—Leviathan was trying to fully materialize. I panicked, yelling, "Wait, Leviathan, don't—!"

But it was too late. He shot out with such force and speed that even Asta and Yuno couldn't react. Asta shielded me from the gust of pressure, while Yuno reinforced his barrier around the civilians.

Normally, being in Asta's arms would've made me blush, but right now, all I could focus on was Leviathan. His massive, serpentine form loomed over the city, fins stretching across his body, two long horns jutting from his head, and six glowing eyes, burning with rage. His jaws, lined with sharp teeth, opened as he snarled.

"I... am... the... only... Sea God... and you... FAKE!!!"

The sheer weight of both dragons' mana clashing was overwhelming. I blinked in shock. Elefseria had said the dragon gods should be stronger than Leviathan... but right now, Leviathan felt far more powerful than Mercphobia. And not just by a small margin, either.

Well, whatever the case, we were about to find out who the real Sea God was. I gulped. This definitely wasn't part of the plan. Watching two gods of the sea square off wasn't exactly how I imagined my day going

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Wendy Marvell POV:

What now?! I stared in disbelief as a dragon, even larger than Mercphobia, materialized right in front of him. My jaw hung open. Before Acnologia, dragons hadn't been seen in Ishgar for 500 years.

And now, barely a week into Guiltina, we've seen three of them! Four if you count Elefseria! Are dragons this common now, or is Guiltina just that wild?

But what's even crazier is what I'm hearing. Based on the booming voice coming from this colossal figure—and the woman's voice connected to it—this is supposed to be another Sea God?! Elefseria never mentioned any other sea gods. No dragons can exist at the same time with the same title—like how there can't be multiple Sea Dragon Kings. Even if the titles are self-awarded, there should only be one Sea God.

Where did this dragon even come from? There's no way it's from Ishgar or Guiltina. And I doubt it's from Alakitasia—Alvarez was the only major force over there. Could this dragon have come from the eastern continent? But why show up here?!

I glanced at Carla, who was just as stunned as I was, her clairvoyance clearly not predicting this. Even Natsu, who's not exactly the sharpest, had figured out something huge was happening. Lucy, Erza, and Gray wore similar looks of shock. Only Happy hadn't grasped the full gravity of the situation—not that it mattered since he fainted the moment this... Leviathan appeared. Honestly, I wanted to close my eyes too. This felt like a bad dream.

Could this day get any worse? We barely survived fighting one sea god, and now we have to deal with two? Wait—do we even have to do anything? It looks like Leviathan's grudge is with Mercphobia, so maybe we can just stand back and let them tear each other apart, and we'd walk away unscathed.

But luck wasn't on our side.

"Raaaarr!" My thoughts were interrupted as both dragons roared and charged at each other, colliding in a thunderous clash. Leviathan staggered slightly, but Mercphobia went flying from the impact. I knew Mercphobia's magic had been weakened by the White Mage, and he wasn't at full strength, but to see him knocked back that easily? It was still unreal.

A shockwave of magic blasted outward from their collision, and Gray and I jumped into action to protect the team.

"Ice-Make: Wall!" Gray shouted, forming a barrier of ice in front of us.

"Enchant: Increase durability!" I buffed the wall, watching calmly as it withstood the brunt of the shockwave. But my nerves were fraying.

I glanced back at the dragons. Mercphobia recovered, flying high above Leviathan, and opened his jaws wide to unleash a Water Dragon's Roar—a torrent of water powerful enough to flood entire nations cascaded down on Leviathan.

But Leviathan wasn't phased. He opened his mouth, gathering magic inside. "Die..." The word sent chills down my spine as his spell took shape. Unlike any other dragon roar I'd ever seen, Leviathan's attack formed into the shape of a dragon that resembled himself.

"What the—?!" I heard Natsu shout, echoing my own shock. The water dragon Leviathan summoned tore through Mercphobia's attack as if it were nothing, swallowing it whole and growing in size and strength. Mercphobia didn't even have time to react before the dragon slammed into him, creating a massive shockwave that shattered what was left of the city.

Gray's ice wall shattered this time, and we were sent flying in all directions. As the Sky Dragon Slayer, I managed to adjust my trajectory mid-air and landed somewhat gracefully, but not all of my friends were as lucky. Erza, Lucy, a now awake Happy, and Carla could fly, so they avoided serious harm, but Natsu and Gray were blasted through several buildings and were now unconscious.

"Oh no!" I gasped, rushing toward them to heal their wounds. But before I could reach them, I heard it—a pained roar from above. The smoke cleared, and Mercphobia was revealed, bleeding from countless wounds, his scales torn apart. I watched in horror as he plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground like a lifeless husk, creating a crater on impact.

This... this doesn't make sense! Dragon magic works on other dragons, sure, but Mercphobia shares the same element as Leviathan. He should be resistant to water attacks! Has the White Mage's control over his magic weakened him this much? Or is something else going on?

We'd agreed to slay Mercphobia after he lost control, to fulfill his wish. But for someone like me—raised by a dragon—watching another dragon suffer so pitifully, especially one who once protected humans, was unbearable.

"Get up, Sea God!!!" I screamed, my voice raw, echoing the desperate cries of the Erminans who were pleading for their god to rise and fight back.

Perhaps our shouts reached him. Maybe it was instinct or the White Mage pulling the strings, but Mercphobia began to stir. Yet, as is often the case, things didn't go as we'd hoped. I watched in despair as Leviathan's eyes glowed a deep purple. The water from Mercphobia's tornados began swirling around Leviathan as if he were toying with it, shaping it into a massive trident.

I froze in terror as the trident hurled down, aimed straight at Mercphobia.

"Ahhhh!!!" I screamed, my heart sinking as I saw it skewer Mercphobia like a fish on a hook. The Erminans cried out in horror as their god's resistance faded. The trident dug deeper into his throat. I collapsed to my knees, fully expecting to see the Sea God executed right in front of me.

But then, something changed.

"That's enough!" a voice rang out, cutting through my despair. My head snapped up just in time to see the trident sliced apart, a red and black slash cleaving it diagonally. Water from the broken trident rained down on Mercphobia, mingling with the blood pouring from his neck wound.

Who is it? With my Dragon Slayer-enhanced eyesight, I spotted the source of the attack: a small but muscular figure with ash-blond hair and green eyes, floating on a massive sword, holding another strange blade in his pitch-black arm. Take-over magic? I thought, my mind flashing to Mirajane's devil form. His devilish arm definitely gave off a similar vibe.

I watched the newcomer's eyes shift toward Leviathan, frustration and disappointment clear in his gaze before he focused on the battle at hand.

Shaking myself from my daze, I resumed my run—but this time, instead of rushing to heal Natsu and Gray, I veered toward Mercphobia. My friends were strong; they could handle themselves. Right now, I have a life to save.

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White Mage Touka (Faris) POV: 

I clutched my head in pain as the connection to Mercphobia abruptly snapped, his life force fading rapidly. The searing ache from the severed bond left me reeling, but I quickly regained control. My new pets, the Fairies, rushed to my side in a panic, but I waved them off dismissively. I didn't need their concern. Sitting calmly at the ship's table, floating on the open sea, I let the pain wash over me and disappear. The ship was already set on course for Drasil.

This... was interesting. Unforeseen, but not unacceptable. Another dragon appears, and in the process, more stray magic to absorb into the whiteout. More to bring under my control.

"Leviathan, huh?" I murmured, tasting the name on my tongue. A slow smile spread across my face as I licked my lips in anticipation. How thrilling—another dragon god had appeared. It wouldn't be long before we met, that much was certain. After all, water gives rise to wood. And once Mercphobia is gone, Aldoron will be next.