As soon as Mira finished speaking, Natsu and the others gathered around.
"Ahahaha! Chase! You're truly amazing! You tore the entire guild headquarters to pieces!"
"Love~! I also defeated seventeen Ghost Guild wizards~"
".I said, do you really need to remember it so clearly?"
"Hey Gray, we heard that you pfft defeated a woman, pfft."
"What are you laughing at, you dead cat?! Believe it or not, I'll freeze you into an ice sculpture right now!"
Normally, in such lively and chaotic moments, Lucy would naturally jump in as Fairy Tail's loudest and most reliable complainer.
But this time, she said nothing.
Even after they left the ruins in the lake and returned to the shore, she kept her head down.
Watching her companions covered in injuries, and Chase who couldn't even stand up anymore, Lucy's heart was flooded with guilt.
Even though Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had always been on bad terms, the reason this full-scale war erupted the root of it all...
It was her.
All of this happened because of her identity as the daughter of the Heartfilia Konzern.
She couldn't escape that responsibility.
"The guild has been severely damaged. We'll need to think about rebuilding it."
Makarov folded his hands behind his back as he looked out at the collapsed remains of Fairy Tail's once-proud guild hall. He sighed heavily.
"Master... I'm sorry."
Lucy stepped forward with leaden feet, pushing her way through the crowd. She didn't want to run away. She didn't want to avoid what she had to face.
"It's okay, Lucy. The guild can always be rebuilt." Mira offered her a warm smile.
"That's right, Lu-chan. No one was seriously hurt, and this is a huge win for us!"
Levy, always kind, stood close to Lucy and comforted her with a gentle voice. Jet and Droy followed behind her, both smiling brightly.
Natsu, Gray, Erza, and the others shared the same relaxed expressions.
Not a single one of them looked angry or resentful.
To them, the fact that they had beaten Phantom Lord and, more importantly, that Lucy hadn't been taken away was victory enough.
But Mira's gentle words, and Levy's genuine kindness, only deepened Lucy's guilt.
She covered her cheeks with trembling hands and sobbed softly, turning her face away to hide her tears.
"Lucy."
Makarov's deep voice rang out.
"Whether it's happiness or pain, it's not always possible to share everything perfectly among companions. But we do share what we can. That's what it means to be a guild."
"One person's happiness is the guild's happiness. One person's anger is the guild's anger. One person's tears…"
"…are the guild's tears."
"There's no need to blame yourself. I know you can feel how much everyone here cares for you."
Makarov slowly turned around and looked at Lucy, who was sobbing even harder.
"Lift your head. After all, you are also a part of Fairy Tail."
At that moment, Lucy's tense emotions finally reached their breaking point. Her trembling hands lowered slowly.
"Mmnngh..."
She collapsed to her knees, helpless. Then, she tilted her head back and began to cry out loud, exposing her most vulnerable side to her companions for the first time.
Mira and Levy rushed forward to comfort her. The others stood quietly nearby, smiling in relief and pride.
At the edge of the ruined guild hall, just a little apart from the group...
Chase had quietly left the girl's warm embrace and now sat alone in a corner, watching from a distance.
He fully understood what his friends were doing. This was Lucy's moment her true moment of acceptance into the heart of Fairy Tail. It wasn't something he should interrupt.
So, instead of lingering on the emotional scene, Chase turned inward. His thoughts descended into the depths of his consciousness.
In the quiet card space within his soul, a brand new card hovered in midair, slowly spinning with a faint gleam.
This card had been left behind after defeating Joseph, one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Its type: Magic Card.
Its face depicted two phantoms beasts of different shapes and power spiraling toward a single point, caught in a swirling vortex of blue and purple.
Its name: Fusion.
In the world of Duel Monsters, there was a saying: "Fusion is the noblest way of summoning."
Sure, it was used to summon more powerful monsters from a deck but what intrigued Chase wasn't just the monsters.
What if fusion could be applied to people?
After all, certain magic cards like Swords of Revealing Light and Book of Secret Arts could be cast directly onto the real world.
Would Fusion work the same way?
The idea made Chase's eyes light up with curiosity... and mischief.
He slowly turned his gaze toward the rest of the guild.
Specifically, two people currently bickering over who had defeated the stronger opponent during the battle.
Natsu and Gray.
Chase grinned like a scheming fox.
"An Ice-Fire Dragon… now that would be interesting."
Almost as if sensing something strange, both Natsu and Gray suddenly shivered and turned in unison.
They locked eyes with Chase... who was watching them with a devious twinkle in his eyes.
"Ugh... Why do I feel like ants are crawling up my spine?" Gray muttered, crossing his arms tightly.
"Y'know, I was about to say the exact same thing. It creeps me out that we're on the same wavelength..." Natsu grumbled.
He shot Chase a wary look. "Something's off with that guy!"
"Hey!" Chase beamed innocently and gave them a casual wave.
Now wasn't the time to test Fusion anyway. His magic power was still drained, and the situation wasn't exactly... ideal.
But someday soon...
Natsu and Gray both flinched as Chase's smile widened.
"...This guy's even scarier than before!" Natsu muttered.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
Suddenly, the rhythmic thud of heavy boots echoed from the far side of the street.
Led by a stern-faced messenger, a squad of Rune Knights in silver armor stormed the ruined battlefield. In perfect formation, they quickly surrounded the Fairy Tail mages as well as the bound Joseph and the remaining Phantom members.
"Everyone, cease all movement!"
The council envoy whose long, narrow face resembled a clam's shell surveyed the area coldly. His gaze paused briefly on Chase, who was still seated calmly in the corner. Seeing Chase unmoving gave him just enough confidence to continue without flinching.
"Fairy Tail. Phantom Ruler. You are suspected of violating Guild Regulation 47: No wars are permitted between official guilds. Effective immediately, both parties must submit to a mandatory investigation!"
Typical Council rats. They always knew how to show up when the work was already done.
Chase didn't even blink as the Rune Knights marched in around them. His eyes drifted over the wreckage the smoking remains of Phantom's magical giant, the broken lakefront ruins, and the exhausted but victorious faces of Fairy Tail.
From start to finish, they had every opportunity to intervene but they chose to show up only now...
The gears turned slowly in his mind.
The destruction of the Fairy Tail guild hall.
Gajeel's ambush and retaliation.
Mira, Erza, and the others evacuating Magnolia's citizens.
Germain's squad inciting conflict.
Phantom deploying a literal walking fortress across town lines.
That was at least twelve hours of escalating events. Plenty of time to intervene.
And yet… they waited. Only when Joseph fell, only when it was over, did they appear.
The timing was more than suspicious it was deliberate.
"Aaah! Please let me explain no, let me clarify first!" Makarov called out as he hurried toward the envoy. "This entire incident was instigated by Phantom Ruler and Sabertooth! We were completely on the defensive!"
Unlike the original timeline where Fairy Tail had stormed Phantom in a rage after Levy and the others were hurt, this time thanks to Chase Fairy Tail had maintained its composure.
Their behavior had been pristine.
The guild was destroyed but they didn't retaliate immediately.
Gajeel's attack? Resisted and neutralized without escalation.
The magical giant? Repelled with restraint and strategy.
And as for that scene with Gajeel dangling from the guild's lightning rod?
Chase had simply acted in self-defense. If anyone bothered to check the facts, they'd see Gajeel had started the fight. At best, it was a personal dispute not enough to be classified as open warfare.
Which meant…
Fairy Tail had grounds to sue.
They could demand reparations. Medical bills. Loss of property. Emotional trauma. All on Phantom's tab.
Chase smirked quietly to himself.
So, Council... what's your next move?
....
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