To be able to manifest energy into a physical form when it existed as only ethereal matter, what a curious turn of events. What should be a moment darkened by danger is instead one left filled with fascination. It shouldn’t be possible but it is, Irene now has a physical form albeit not her original one but nonetheless, a form that exist within the physical plane for all to see and comprehend. If a magic exist to extract spiritual matter from an individual to then mold into a plushie-esque form, is it than also not possible for that same spiritual matter to be transformed into another physical form, one matching the appearance of Irene’s true human form? The lines of impossible have been blurred once again and Irene’s return seems more an inevitability now than a mere possibility.
Truly, what an unexpected development. For Haku’s plush magic to extend so far into the energies it can capture. If Grandeeney was still residing within Wendy’s being, would Haku have also been able to extract her out with his Plush magic? I suspect so. But now, even with Irene removed from Wendy, he still doesn’t have ability to turn Wendy into a Plush doll or is he planning to use speed to get around Wendy’s enchantment? That may be possible but couldn’t Wendy use a conditional enchantment to counter Haku’s speed? Wendy’s enchantment magic is able to perfectly counter Haku’s plush magic and depending on how Wendy uses her magic, Haku isn’t able to do anything to her in regards to his Plush magic.
I understand Wendy would not have access to Irene’s magical power but in her own right, Wendy is incredibly powerful. Not only can Wendy use Dragon Force but she is a brilliant Enchantment Mage. When Irene was in control of Wendy’s body during the Alvarez Empire Arc, Irene was still able to cast Enchantment magic close to the levels matching her original power. And in that same scene, with only the realisation that such an Enchantment is possible, Wendy was able to mimic Irene’s ability and Enchant her own spirit into Irene’s original body. Wendy doesn’t let her inabilities drag her down, they instead serve to empower her. Once Wendy is able to define the borders of Haku’s abilities, she will able to construct a strategy that can both save Irene and defeat Haku. Wendy now knows that it is possible for magic to affect spiritual matter. All Wendy needs to do is figure how to do it. If Haku is used as the base for learning such a technique, Wendy may need to try something else by using him as a reference. Haku switched from range to melee in order to land his Plush magic and extract Irene. Could Wendy do the same by physically coming into contact with Irene and casting a conditioned version of her Re-Raise spell?
Irene being treated as the manipulated party just doesn’t sit right with me. For all intents and purpose, outside the Dragons, the strongest character within the story is Irene. She has mastered enchants and magics capable of defeating Dragons, single-handedly crushing nations, reforming continents with the strike of her staff and summoning meteors from space to crash down onto the Earth. Her abilities extend toward the realms of impossible. So with Haku’s magic affecting Irene, there are only three options I see: 1) Haku’s magic didn’t affect Irene and the Plush doll is just a doll without Irene’s spirit which still resides inside Wendy. Irene not being inside the Plush doll would also explain why the doll is unresponsive when usually the person transformed is active and confused. 2) Irene purposefully let herself get transformed into a Plush doll in order to gain a physical form which she can later exploit by enchanting to look like her real form. Or 3) Irene will come to take advantage of the Plush doll form by casting her Enchants to ensnare Haku and set-up Wendy to deal the finishing blow. As shown by Lucy earlier, the mage can still use their magic even when transformed into a Plush doll. So if Irene has been separated from Wendy and given her own physical body, she should now be able to freely use her magic without requiring a medium which took the form of Wendy earlier.
No matter how confident Haku may be, he has never met a mage like Irene before and without a doubt, he will soon come to regret tangling his annoyance in Irene’s business. Irene is indeed going to teach Haku a lesson through the terror of what real magic looks like. Irene is likely just waiting for the moment to play out, as she comes to understand the situation, before she counters Haku. Only when someone is fully crushed can a lesson carry the complete weight of persuasion. As for Laxus, as long as he is still breathing, the end ain’t anywhere in sight. Very much looking forward to the next chapter.
12Dimension 