"Bad luck, you say?"
Marshall spread his arms wide, his cold laughter echoing across the devastated beach."It seems you haven't fully grasped the seriousness of your situation, Card Wizard."
From the techniques Chase had just used the Holy Light Sealing Sword and the Hexagram Curse Marshall had confirmed his opponent's true identity.
And that discovery had made him feel invincible.
Because…
The Eighteen Sky Drums, monstrous entities that commanded the forces of spatial magic, were the natural-born nemesis of Space-type Mages Celestial Spirit Wizards and Cardcasters alike!
"Ne… Ira… Dowellgu…"
"Radoka… Spudokore!"
The towering Drum of the Sky began chanting an ancient, otherworldly incantation.
As the guttural tones rang out, columns of distorted green light surged into the air, rippling with unstable energy. They twisted together, forming an enormous dome-shaped barrier that enveloped the entire island from the heavens to the sea.
In an instant, all space-based magic within the field was completely sealed. No teleportation. No summoning. No dimensional tricks. All of it nullified.
This was the terrifying truth behind Marshall's real identity as the Drum of Emptiness.
Unlike Clooney, who merely borrowed dark power and played at being a puppet master Marshall had truly fused with ancient, forbidden magics long lost to this world.
That was the difference between a counterfeit… and the real thing.
"I control the space here now," Marshall sneered, peering down from above with eyes glowing red."So, Chase … why don't you go ahead and try activating one of those pathetic little cards of yours?"
His mocking voice echoed across the shattered coastline.
Chase narrowed his eyes, his fingers tightening slightly."Spatial domination…?"
He frowned and closed his eyes for a moment.
His consciousness sank into the depths of his deck.
Deep within his mind, Chase focused his magic.
His Monster Cards, Spell Cards, and Trap Cards floated calmly in the space of his deck, undisturbed. The familiar connection the bond between wizard and card remained strong.
He could still sense the presence of every card. He could summon them whenever he wanted.
Because his magic wasn't simply spatial.
His magic was the Soul of the Duelist.
So what if Marshall had locked down the space around him? That had nothing to do with him.
The connection between a duelist and their deck… wasn't something that could be severed so easily!
Still, Chase didn't rush to play a card.
Instead, his eyes flicked toward Mira.
She stood a short distance away, hands tightly clasped in front of her chest, watching him with wide, anxious eyes.
Maybe…
Just maybe, this was the perfect opportunity.
Chase smirked to himself, took a deep breath, and raised his hand in an exaggeratedly formal motion.
With a theatrical flourish, he drew a card, ready to summon
And then his face froze.
"What the ?! It's not working?!"
The card in his hand sparked briefly… then went dull.
Mira's worry deepened immediately, her gaze filled with dread.
Across the battlefield, Marshall burst into maniacal laughter.
His high-pitched cackle echoed like thunder, twisted and mocking.
"Well, well… to think the mighty S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail would make such a delightful expression! Hahaha!"
"You've made me laugh, Chase, so I'll reward you for it," he sneered, eyes gleaming with sadistic glee."Once I capture you, I'll let you live… barely. Just enough for you to watch everything you care about crumble beneath the fists of the demon!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Marshall moved.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
He crouched then launched forward with terrifying speed.
BOOM!
In a single leap, he crossed hundreds of meters in an instant, his enormous body crashing down with a stomp aimed directly at Chase's position.
The earth erupted beneath him. Sand and stone exploded into the air.The ground trembled violently as if the island itself were groaning under the impact.
Within the swirling clouds of smoke and dust, Chase moved like lightning his arms wrapped protectively around Mira as he weaved through the falling rubble and shattered earth.
This time, he wasn't being cheeky or taking advantage.The moment they reached a relatively safe clearing, Chase gently lowered her to the ground with great care.
"Mira, stay here and don't move."
His tone was firm but kind.
He straightened up, eyes flashing with determination.
"Don't worry," he said with a confident grin, clenching his fists. "Even if I can't use my cards… I've still got these fists and they're more than enough to smash through the darkness!"
He turned to face the enemy, radiating raw spirit.
Mira opened her mouth to respond but the words never left her lips.
All she could see was the back of a man standing tall, unwavering, as if carrying the whole sky on his shoulders.
"Hey! Marshall!!"
Chase's voice rang out like a war cry.
"Let me give you a lesson in pain!"
Before the sound had even faded, Chase vanished from Mira's view in a blur of motion.
In just a few heartbeats, he had shot across the battlefield appearing directly in front of Marshall's monstrous demon head.
His sheer speed shattered every preconception Marshall had about card wizards.The towering demon stood dumbfounded for a full second, unable to react.
"Card wizards can punch too, you idiot!"
Chase's fist came crashing down like a falling star imbued with so much power it howled through the air.
CRACK!!
It struck Marshall square on the cheek, the impact explosive.The sheer force twisted the demon's head sideways, sending his massive body flying backward.
He crashed into the rocky basin deep within the island, kicking up a shockwave that rocked the ground.
A moment later, the smoke parted.
Marshall's massive form erupted back to his feet, his figure casting a looming shadow over Chase, who was still suspended mid-air.
After fusing with the demon, his speed had skyrocketed he was no longer the sluggish monster who had struggled against the Dark Magician Girl.
Now, he was fast. Dangerously fast.
BOOM!
Chase twisted his body midair, using the recoil from his powerful punch to veer sharply to the side narrowly dodging Marshall's crushing stomp.
But the demon wasn't done.
In a flash, Marshall pivoted his massive frame, spinning a full 360 degrees. With brutal momentum, he unleashed a devastating back kick.
WHAM!
Chase threw up his arms to block, but the sheer size and force of the blow like being hit by a flying ship sent him hurtling through the sky.
BOOM! BOOM! CRACK!
He crashed through hill after hill, earth erupting around him, leaving a path of shattered stone and dust in his wake.
Marshall gave him no time to recover.
His palms flared with power, and without pause, he unleashed a barrage of space-based magic from the sky above twisting beams of chaotic light rained down toward the crater where Chase had landed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions rocked the island. Smoke and magic roared like a storm.
But inside the chaos Chase was still moving.
He darted between the beams, his movements fluid and fierce. Using every inch of terrain, every twist of his body, he closed the gap between him and the towering monster.
And all the while his right fist surged with swelling magic power.
Marshall narrowed his eyes. He understood immediately.
"So that's your plan…"
With a growl, Marshall dropped his stance and gathered energy at his waist, surging power into both arms.
The two fighters charged forward.
And then
Chase leapt high into the air, bursting out from within the explosions.
His fist, blazing with duelist magic, collided head-on with Marshall's monstrous punch.
BAAAAAAM!!!
The impact was colossal.
A shockwave tore through the island, flattening cliffs and sending trees flying. The wind howled as debris exploded outward in all directions.
But reality set in fast.
A human body… simply couldn't go blow-for-blow with a demon god.
Chase's bones screamed in protest. His body was flung backward like a ragdoll, torn through the sky.
Behind him, a swirling chaos vortex opened its pull unstoppable.
He was sucked in, vanishing into the void.
Marshall, panting slightly, stared at the spot where his opponent had disappeared. His expression was no longer arrogant just dark and calculating.
"Haha…"
"I finally get it. I understand now why Clooney lost."
He began to walk slowly toward where Chase had vanished.
"As a card wizard… you've got close-combat instincts and raw power like that?"
His crimson eyes narrowed with intensity.
"You're a monster."
He ran through the analysis in his mind.
If he hadn't awakened the Drum of Emptiness early… if he had still been in his human form…
He wouldn't have stood a chance.
But… if doesn't matter now.
The reality was clear Chase had become a helpless lamb awaiting slaughter.
The more Marshall dwelled on it, the more twisted his excitement became. His grotesque smile stretched unnaturally across his face. Slowly, he reached out his massive hand and curled his fingers around the motionless Chase.
His huge palm wrapped tightly around him like a vice.
"Well now…" Marshall purred, his voice drenched in sadistic glee."Tell me, Chase how should I torture you?"
He barely squeezed, and bones cracked like dry twigs.
"AAARGH!!" Chase roared in agony, his body writhing inside the crushing grip.
"No… no, don't !"
Mira, still standing far in the distance, watched it unfold.
Her pupils dilated. Her gaze blanked out.
Her entire body trembled.
Her heart shattered.
Unlike a card monster, if Chase died… that would be it. There would be no revival. No second chance.
Just like her sister Lisanna…
Once gone gone forever.
Along with him would vanish his precious family of card monsters like the Dark Magician Girl, whom he had long treated like his little sister. All of it, lost to darkness.
Mira's consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse.
And then…
Cracks formed.
Deep within her, the power she had sealed away long ago the terrifying, overwhelming energy of her demon soul began to stir.
Dark purple smoke curled from her fingertips.
It hissed as it met the air. The very earth trembled beneath her feet.
Marshall paused mid-step.
"Oh?"
He turned toward her, finally sensing the violent and oppressive aura surging like a tidal wave.
There she stood clutching her head in both hands her body quaking, the smoke rising thicker and faster around her.
"I almost forgot…" Marshall muttered, cocking his head.
"You've got a lovely reservoir of magic in that body of yours."
He had already assumed victory.
But now fueled by impulse another sick idea crept into his mind.
Still gripping the battered Chase, he began walking toward Mira…
Slowly. Step by step.
Marshall's eyes gleamed with twisted pleasure.
He wanted Chase to watch to witness the woman he cherished die in agony, right in front of him.
That despair…
That helplessness…
That was the ultimate punishment.
His towering shadow loomed over Mira, swallowing the trembling girl in darkness. Her body, frozen in shock, stood still and silent.
She didn't move.
"Mira… run…"
Chase coughed up blood with a harsh gasp, his voice weak and broken.
A deep, wet splat echoed as crimson spilled from his lips.
Even then, he forced a smile, warm and faint.
"Damn it…" he muttered hoarsely. "I just wanted… one more cup of that sugar-sweetened coffee you make…"
His words were soft.
Casual.
Like a final joke between friends before the end.
But for Mira…
Those words were the last straw.
Something inside her snapped.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore from her throat, piercing the sky.
Her long white hair whipped violently in the whirlwind of her erupting magic. The air around her cracked as debris and rubble rose into the air, caught in the vortex of her rage.
It was as if a sealed switch buried deep within her soul had finally been flipped.
Black lightning exploded.
A massive, dark-purple magic circle blazed to life above her head, its lines etched with demonic sigils that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Mira's eyes went blank with fury.
Her clothes melted away into threads of light, replaced piece by piece with the dark armor of her true form Satan Soul: Mirajane.
A jagged black line slashed across her cheeks like a demon's mark.
Thick, spiked wings burst from her back, stretching wide as her tail curled with raw magical tension.
Her presence now radiated overwhelming dominance, like a dark angel descending upon the battlefield.
When the echo of her scream finally faded, only one thing remained
The overwhelming presence of one of Fairy Tail's most terrifying forces.
Standing between Marshall and destruction…
Demon Mirajane.
The white-haired devil of Fairy Tail.
She stood tall, her eyes ice-cold, her demonic wings unfurled behind her, and her magic radiating like a tempest from hell itself.
For the first time, Marshall felt something twist in his gut.
It wasn't fear at least, not yet.
But it was close.
Something about her made him uneasy.
Her magic surged like a tide of wrath. Her expression… colder than death. Everyone she looked at might as well have been ants.
"Cheh." Marshall clicked his tongue and made a snap decision.
He clenched his enormous fist still holding Chase.
He would end it now.
Crush him.
Crack his bones.
Snuff out the pest who dared challenge him.
CRUNCH
Or… not?
The pressure in his hand suddenly vanished.
No blood.
No broken bones.
No Chase.
"What?! Vanished? No !"
Marshall's eyes widened. Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He jerked his head up, instincts flaring.
There on the rocky cliffs by the seashore, a full hundred meters away
Stood the same white-haired demon.
Her dark armor gleamed under the storm-lit sky, her tail curled behind her, wings pulsing with violent energy.
And in her arms…
Chase.
Safe and alive. Held protectively against her chest.
"You… What?! That speed how is that even possible?!"
Marshall's voice cracked in disbelief. His body tensed. This wasn't the weak-willed girl from a moment ago. This was something else entirely.
A devil in human form.
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