While Chase and Mira were enjoying a relaxed conversation inside their little "camp," Lucy having finished her complaints was already in full battle mode.
"Open Gate of Taurus, Tauros!"
The golden key spun in her hand, and a brilliant magic circle flared to life.
"Moo! Lucy has such an amazing body~!"
Tauros burst from the magic circle holding a massive double-edged axe, and the very first thing out of his mouth was praise for his summoner's figure.
Then, glancing around and taking in the scene, his eyes sparkled. "Mira, Erza, and the beautiful lady with the sword… when can we go on a date~?"
As for Chase? The lecherous bull didn't spare him a glance.
"My, my." Mira covered her mouth with a light chuckle.
"I didn't summon you for anything like that!"
Face flushed, Lucy pointed straight at Vidaldus. "Go! Take down that enemy!"
"Moo! Glad to help, Lucy!"
Seeing that his opponent was a strange half-human, half-specter figure, Tauros raised his muscular arms, gripped his axe, and charged without hesitation.
"You send such a weak woman to fight me? Don't underestimate the power of rock music, you punks!"
Vidaldus recognized her instantly as a Celestial Spirit Mage and whipped his head wildly from side to side.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Thick, writhing black hair shot out like the roots of a monstrous tree, aiming straight for the oncoming Tauros.
The reckless bull made no attempt to dodge. He simply swung his massive axe, the force of the strike whipping the air into a hurricane.
His strength was overwhelming, but against the flexible, endlessly twisting hair, the attack barely had any effect.
After several exchanges, Tauros still hadn't broken free and was instead ensnared by the black strands. With one decisive pull, Vidaldus disarmed him, the massive axe clattering to the ground.
"Damn it! These hairs are such a pain!"
Tauros struggled, but the more he moved, the tighter the hair constricted.
Lucy, however, didn't panic. The corner of her mouth curved into a knowing smile.
This is exactly the moment I've been waiting for.
"The Gate of Taurus close! And next "
"Open Gate of Cancer, Kancer!"
Ding-dong!
A new magic circle flared to life. Before Tauros's image had even fully faded, a man in stylish clothes and sunglasses stepped through, six red crab legs extending from his back.
With a flourish, Kancer twirled his scissors and shot forward along the length of Vidaldus's hair before he could retract it.
"Oh no, oh no!" Vidaldus's eyes went wide, his hands instinctively flying to cover… sensitive areas.
But Kancer wasn't here for that. As a self-proclaimed "master stylist," his true target was
Snip, snip, snip!
A cold gleam flashed. A sudden draft hit Vidaldus's scalp, and his eyes widened in horror his head was shaved completely bald.
"I wonder if you're satisfied with this latest fashionable hairstyle? Ebi~"
Kancer tucked away his scissors and struck a stylish pose.
"Well done, Kancer, the haircut plan was a great success!" Lucy gave him a happy thumbs-up.
That's right after seeing Vidaldus's magic earlier, she had decided to target his hair from the start.
"Use Tauros as bait, and then have Kancer make the surprise cut."
Mira popped a potato chip into her mouth, smiling in mild surprise. "I didn't expect Lucy to have such a strategic mind~"
"The timing of her Gate changes and the transitions between summons are much smoother than before," Chase added, his eyes catching more detail than anyone else.
It had only been a few days since she started using the Dark Magician Training Guide, and yet the results were already this clear. She truly was a gifted Celestial Spirit Mage, carrying the exceptional Heartfilia bloodline.
"But it looks like Erza's in a tough fight," Mira remarked, turning her head toward the other battlefield.
There, sword and blade clashed in constant flashes. Every time a slash landed, a clean, deep cut appeared in the ground.
Against Ikaruga's razor-sharp Moonless Swordsmanship, Erza's armor was like paper. Even her most defensive Diamond Armor couldn't withstand a single stroke.
Erza's expression was grim.
When the sturdy armor meant to cover her inner fragility failed, the panic and fear buried deep in her memories began to stir, creeping up until that sense of insecurity threatened to overwhelm her.
It wasn't about the current fight this was the shadow she had carried since escaping the Tower of Paradise.
"What's wrong, Fairy Queen? If this is all you've got, you're no match for me."
After a dominant exchange, Ikaruga's confidence returned. Clearly, not all of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards were monsters like Chase.
As long as Chase continued to stand by and watch, she still had a chance if she captured Erza, she'd have a bargaining chip.
That was her only hope of breaking through.
The same thought flickered through Vidaldus's mind as he shook his newly bald head violently in time with the screeching chords of his guitar.
Beside him, Kancer had both hands braced on his knees, shaking his head along to the beat and chanting, "Hell~ Shrimp~ Hell~ Shrimp~" to the rhythm of rock.
The sight was… unforgettable.
Vidaldus had originally planned to use Rock Sandman to control Lucy directly, but she had outsmarted him by hiding in the independent space of the Celestial Spirit Clock, Horologium.
"This again? Just like on Karna Island… why am I always unlucky enough to run into these kinds of controlling mages?!" Lucy complained inside the clock.
Horologium raised his slender arm as if to pass on her protest.
Thinking back to her last plan of "shifting the problem to someone else," Lucy curled up inside the clock and instinctively glanced toward Chase.
Chase, who had been chatting with Mira about Juvia, seemed to sense her plotting and quietly patched the gap in the protective barrier.
Since this was a battle to test her training results, there was no way he'd let Lucy take a shortcut again.
"That's too much!" Lucy whined.
Horologium calmly reported, "Miss Lucy, Kancer is already charging at us."
"Then run!" Lucy yelled.
"Please don't give me orders like that at a time like this!!" Horologium replied.
"Scissors! The scissors are cutting! Aaaahhh!" Lucy screamed.
"Please hold on. I'll try to force Kancer's Gate closed!"
Horologium ran in frantic circles with Lucy inside, dodging and weaving as Kancer chased them with snapping scissors.
Even while being driven around like that, the clock spirit still dutifully relayed every single one of Lucy's terrified outbursts.
It was… commendably dedicated.
But after several narrow escapes, the non-combat spirit finally took a direct hit from Kancer's blades. With a loud bang, Horologium vanished.
Lucy, now without protection, was flung out and landed face-first in a shallow, muddy puddle.
Ignoring the fact that her clothes were instantly soaked through, Lucy sat in the muddy puddle, raised the Cancer Key, gathered all her magic power, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Close Gate of Cancer!"
Buzz!
A split second before Kancer's scissors could strike, the golden magic circle flared to life and pulled him back into the Celestial Spirit Realm.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why couldn't he shave her bald before leaving?!" Vidaldus bellowed, his fury boiling over.
Losing his beautiful, flowing hair the one thing he could whip and swing at will had been a crushing blow. Now, the only thought left in his mind was exacting revenge on Lucy.
"I'm sorry! Kancer only knows how to give stylish haircuts!" Lucy said with mock innocence, touching the muddy water beneath her. Then, a sly idea popped into her mind.
"Fine then let me do it myself! I'll pluck out every last hair you have, one by one, with extra enthusiasm!"
Vidaldus advanced step by step, his expression twisted with malice.
"Don't even think about it!"
Lucy plunged another golden key into the muddy water. "Open Gate of Aquarius! Aquarius!!"
"Useless, useless, useless. No matter what Celestial Spirit you summon, I can turn them into my puppet!"
Vidaldus unleashed his Rock Sandman magic again, aiming it at Aquarius as she emerged from the water.
And then
"How dare you summon me from that place? Forget your orders hey, you bald freak, I'd throw that girl away myself!"
Aquarius's eyes blazed as she raised her giant water urn. "Aquarius Current!!"
Whooosh! Splash!
A massive torrent exploded outward, the flood sweeping both Lucy and the bald Vidaldus away without mercy, while uprooting trees in every direction.
The blast radius was so huge that even Chase and Mira, relaxing far away, and Erza and Ikaruga, locked in their duel, were caught in its path!
....
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