The pink magical barrier expanded, protecting the crowd of villagers behind it.
This time, Dark Magician Girl finally wasn't spacing out. She quickly raised her staff, blocking the relentless assault of the black rings so that those with weak magic power wouldn't be demonized on the spot.
"There are so many! All the magical beasts from the forest have been drawn here!" Lucy covered her mouth with one hand, unable to suppress a gasp.
The demonized magical beasts looked far more ferocious than before. In the past, a timid new guild member might have been terrified.
But now, having mastered the Celestial Spirit Dress, she wasn't particularly afraid of these "defeated opponents."
What made her show panic was mainly the sheer number of demonized beasts—the big ones were as large as small mountains, the small ones blotted out the sky. Looking up, all she could see was a dark, endless mass.
Compared to this army of demonic beasts, the village, which had seemed fairly spacious, suddenly felt incredibly tiny, let alone the people standing inside it!
"Demonizing and controlling this many creatures at once... no wonder he's ranked alongside the Phoenix as a legendary dangerous monster. Too bad he was born prematurely." Facing the encroaching horde, Chase remained perfectly calm, slowly retracting the surging battle intent around him.
He had just been regretting not being able to test out Buster Blader's powerful effect, but then the Demon King so considerately activated his ability!
Chase lifted his gaze slightly, looking at Buster Blader, who was picking himself back up from the rubble in the distance.
He traced his finger through the air and drew two Monster Cards: Curse of Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress.
That's right!
He planned to turn the two Dragon-types into "hostile forces" while the Demon King's demonization rings hadn't fully dissipated, thereby boosting Buster Blader's attack power.
The great dragons led by the Black Dragon Acnologia and the Five Dragon Gods were powerful enemies they would inevitably have to face in the future, and Buster Blader, with his anti-dragon specialization, would undoubtedly be a crucial card.
If he could collect detailed data on his effect here, he could formulate related strategies and preparations in advance.
At the very least, he'd have a rough benchmark, so that when suddenly encountering such opponents, he'd know whether to fight head-on or make a strategic retreat (turn tail and run)!
From a long-term perspective, this test was necessary. So even though Chase had been itching for a fight after witnessing the Demon King's formidable power, he restrained his desire for an all-out battle.
"Alright then, let's show this guy what you're truly capable of!"
With that thought, Chase resolutely raised his hand and flung two Monster Cards out through the pink magical barrier Dark Magician Girl had expanded. "Sorry for putting you through this..."
"Come forth! Guardian of the Fortress! Curse of Dragon! "
Whir!
Inside the golden magic circle, dragon wings of different forms slowly unfurled. The deep blue and yellow skeletal dragon shadows shot straight into the vortex of black ring energy released by the Demon King.
Knowing their master's intent, Guardian of the Fortress and Curse of Dragon did not activate their defenses. Instead, they willingly let the energy vortex invade them.
Their body colors visibly darkened. Their roars became violent and vicious. Their red-glowing eyes looked down with intense hostility.
The summoning principle of Card Monsters was similar to Lucy's Celestial Spirit keys. So, like when Lucy fought Sherry and the guitarist Vidaldus, even if the Celestial Spirits (Card Monsters) were controlled, as long as the key (card) was in hand, forcibly closing the gate to dispel the summon was not a problem.
Defeating the Demon King as the controller, or more directly, sending Guardian of the Fortress and Curse of Dragon back to the "Graveyard," were both effective ways to break the control.
And worst-case scenario, Chase still had the Spell Card Brain Control to take them back, so he wasn't worried about the risks.
The only thing that left him uncertain was: after being demonized, would Guardian of the Fortress and Curse of Dragon be considered Demon-type or Dragon-type in terms of racial classification?
BOOM!!
The massive pillar of light shooting up from the distant forest provided the answer to that question.
"Much obliged. Since you're my partners, I'll save you for last!"
Buster Blader hovered inside the enormous pillar of light. The Dragon Destroyer armor that the Demon King had shattered was now completely broken and falling away, revealing his muscular upper body covered in fang marks and claw scars left by dragons—a visually striking sight from afar.
Golden specks of light appeared out of nowhere, slowly sinking into the Dragon Fang Greatsword gripped in Buster Blader's hand. The sword became lustrous and began to hum!
From the aura radiating off him, it was clear that Buster Blader's anti-dragon effect had indeed activated. His attack power had skyrocketed from 2600 to 3600!
In terms of raw stats alone, he had already far surpassed Chase's current aces, Dark Magician of Chaos and Chaos Soldier!
"What... what kind of magic is this?"
The Demon King sensed a thick, dangerous aura emanating from the powered-up Buster Blader. A look of terror appeared on his usually indifferent face.
After sleeping for several centuries, these lowly humans have actually learned a power-up burst magic that instantly increases their strength?
Or had that swordsman been hiding his true power all along?
No! That's not it!
The Demon King suddenly whipped his head around, looking at Chase back in the village.
His powerful demonic instincts told him this strange change was definitely related to the two dragons that man had summoned!
There was an overlap between the era of dragons roaming the continent and his own birth, so he was well aware of how terrifying such creatures could be. He had been secretly pleased at unexpectedly acquiring two dragons, but now it was clear—there had to be a trick!
Unfortunately, no matter how hard the Demon King racked his brain, he could never have guessed Buster Blader's effect.
In reality, he didn't have that much time to think.
Buster Blader—now vastly empowered—decisively struck first. He swung his sword from a distance, sending out a massive blade of energy.
BOOM!!
The blade of energy produced a series of sonic booms as it tore across the sky and plunged toward the Demon King's location.
Its power was so immense that it literally split the ground apart, carving a terrifying chasm across the vast forest!
At the bottom of that chasm, the Demon King's chest was a bloody mess. A gash running from his left shoulder down to his abdomen oozed black blood.
"Damned human... how dare you—"
The Demon King's eyes turned bloodshot. His rage exploded as he shifted his focus from Chase and Éclair back to Buster Blader. "I WILL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!"
He threw his head back and roared. Demonic wings sprouted from his back as he shot toward Buster Blader at incredible speed, wrapped in a frenzied cyclone.
"HAHAHA! Perfect! I was thinking the same thing!"
Buster Blader showed no fear. He raised his sword and met the charge.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The two clashed fiercely in midair. Holy sword light and dark demonic energy exploded one after another like fireworks. The resulting shockwaves churned the clouds and echoed across the sky!
Back at the village—including Guardian of the Fortress and Curse of Dragon—all the demonized beasts launched their assault at once.
The ground trembled, kicking up clouds of dust. Wherever the stampeding beasts passed, houses and buildings collapsed like plastic toys.
The sheer scale of it terrified the old village chief and the other villagers. They came running back from far away and huddled obediently by Lucy and Chase's side, refusing to move an inch—they hadn't contributed anything, yet somehow gave off the impression of being very busy...
"Well then, I'll leave these guys to you."
Chase yawned rather boredly, his expression calm as he looked at Lucy and Dark Magician Girl.
These demonic beasts couldn't stir his interest in the slightest. He had no desire to fight them.
He'd use them as an assessment to test Lucy's training results.
"No problem! I'll take Curse of Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress!" Dark Magician Girl enthusiastically raised her right hand.
Whether it was because she had been in Fairy Tail too long or just a sudden whim, she seemed quite interested in the idea of soundly beating up her own teammates.
The main reason, of course, was that while the other demonized beasts looked intimidating, their actual combat power was still too weak.
They were opponents even that idiot Lucy could handle easily.
"Your look is way too insulting!!"
Lucy keenly caught Dark Magician Girl's intent, hands on her hips in an adorable show of indignation.
"Then Lucy, how about you take Curse of Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress?" Dark Magician Girl said with a giggle.
Lucy glanced up at the Black Curse of Dragon spewing scorching dark flames from its mouth, and at Guardian of the Fortress, whose wingbeats alone could whip up violent gales. Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately changed her tune and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"DEMONIZED BEASTS! BETTER GET READY TO BE POUNDED INTO THE GROUND!"
"Open! Gate of Leo, Loke!"
"And then... Celestial Spirit Dress: Leo Form!"
Having completed her magic, Lucy charged into the horde of demonized beasts alongside Loke, her decisiveness astonishing!
"Ah, I forgot to remind her—the demonized beasts seem to have gotten stronger, and there's more than just one or two of them."
Watching Lucy's retreating figure, Dark Magician Girl's lips curled into a playful, slightly mischievous smile.
Yep, this time she was sure—she'd definitely learned this from Mirajane!
With that, Dark Magician Girl's gaze sharpened. She mounted her staff and transformed into a streak of pink light, charging at the two dragons diving from above.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Chaotic shockwaves bloomed across the battlefield, pushing this clash between Fairy Tail mages and the ancient Demon King to its peak.
In the midst of this tense moment, Chase found himself free. Aside from occasionally tossing out cards to take care of demonized beasts that slipped past Lucy, his focus remained on the duel between Buster Blader and the Demon King.
Once his effect was active, Buster Blader was indeed far more ferocious than his initial form. With Chase's steady output of magic power sustaining him, the fight had gone from evenly matched to Buster Blader now overwhelming the incomplete Demon King.
Victory was only a matter of time!
Two dragons produced this level of amplification. If the situation from the original future ever came to pass—like when ten thousand dragons poured out of the Eclipse Gate...
Now that would be quite a sight!
He just wasn't sure if there was an upper limit to Buster Blader's effect boost, or whether it was affected by his own magic power reserves.
Chase's eyes narrowed. Judging by the slightly accelerated flow of magic power within his own body, there probably was a limit.
But regardless, for an ordinary seven-star Card Monster to have this kind of potential was an absolute steal. And that wasn't even mentioning the even stronger Dark Paladin (the fusion of Dark Magician and Buster Blader) he might obtain later!
"Éclair! Éclair! What's wrong?!"
Just as he was analyzing, a worried cry from Momon suddenly rang in his ears.
Éclair was crouched on the ground with her head in her hands. Her delicate, pretty features were twisted in agony.
Perhaps affected by the increasingly dense presence of the Demon King, the half of the Phoenix Stone pendant around her neck reacted, flashing with searing light.
The fragmented memories she hadn't been able to fully recall before were now flashing through Éclair's mind one after another, violently assaulting her spirit and consciousness.
Chase frowned slightly. Seeing that she was about to lose her mind at this rate, he walked over slowly and gently pulled Momon aside.
Whoosh.
A Magic Card glowed. Three miniature Lightswords appeared and hovered around the Phoenix Stone.
Under the sealing effect of Lightforce Sword, the agitated Phoenix Stone gradually calmed down. Éclair lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Don't worry. Her vitals are stable. She should be fine for now." Chase reached out and patted Momon's fluffy head, which was full of concern.
Since Momon was a "doll" Éclair had cobbled together from whatever was on hand, its texture was far less pleasant than a natural-born Exceed like Happy.
"Lord Chase, thank you so much!" Momon bowed politely.
"No need to be so formal." Chase smiled.
Out of curiosity, he wanted to ask Momon whether he was a boy or a girl, but he was interrupted by the massive mushroom cloud that exploded in the distance.
In the blazing sea of fire, a blood-soaked man staggered toward him, clutching a strangely shaped Demon Egg in his hands.
The Demon King had been defeated—unsurprisingly!
"Chase, mission accomplished... I'm going back to rest now..."
Buster Blader—Buster Demon, no—Buster Blader shot one last regretful glance at Curse of Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress before his body, having reached its limit, scattered into countless specks of light.
Thud.
The Demon Egg fell, rolled a few times on the ground, and stopped at Chase's feet.
"Good work."
Chase waved at the fading light, bent down, and picked up the stone egg.
"The abnormal situation with the Demon Egg is resolved. Now then, Village Chief, it's time to pay up for this quest—"
He turned to hand the Demon Egg to the village chief and complete the quest. But suddenly, Chase's pupils contracted sharply. His expression drastically changed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted ice crystals drifting inexplicably through the air—ice crystals containing terrifying magical power!
CRASH!
A bone-chilling cold current erupted in an instant. In that single moment, every single demonized beast on the field, along with Lucy, Loke, Dark Magician Girl, Curse of Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress—all of them fighting in the distance—were frozen solid!
Pale purple ice rapidly spread in all directions. Within moments, everything around them was completely sealed. The entire village became a silent, dead zone!
On the crystalline ice-covered ground, lightning and gale winds shredded the ice.
Chase stepped out from the swirling ice shards, his gaze dark as he looked toward the man who had appeared at the village entrance.
"Oh? Despite my deliberately concealing my presence, you not only made such a precise judgment and activated your card, but you also managed to teleport everyone else around you."
The man let out a soft chuckle, tinged with surprise and appreciation, as he looked at the vanished villagers. "I suppose that's to be expected of a Fairy Tail S-Class mage..."
Steel armor glinted under the light refracted by the surrounding ice crystals. The word "ZERO" on his left chest was particularly striking.
Yes, this man—who bore a certain resemblance to Gray—was a member of the dark guild Tartaros's Nine Demon Gates, an Ice Devil Slayer...
Absolute Zero·Silver!
***
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