On the Duelist Platform, the projections of three Harpie Ladies stood side by side, their green wings slightly spread. The sharp talons hanging at their sides gleamed with a cold light.
Behind them, a dark red Western Dragon lay dormant, its fang-filled maw slightly open as it stared ferociously at Lucy on the opposite side.
After more than a dozen rounds of offense and defense, Lucy's field had been completely cleared, and even her Life Points had been reduced to a pitiful 200!
"Ahahaha! This is what happens when you fight against the noble Fairy!"
Evergreen held the card in her hand like a fan, covering half her face as she laughed loudly.
"Give up struggling. If you surrender now, you won't lose too badly!"
Four card monsters and 3,000 Life Points against an empty field and only 200 Life Points.
The difference was obvious at a glance.
Chases, who was watching the duel, couldn't help but feel that Evergreen's expression was a little too exaggerated. Perhaps she had been influenced by the card game, because there was somehow a hint of Joey Wheeler in that smug expression.
So, what are you going to do next, Lucy?
Compared to Evergreen's absolute confidence in her victory, Lucy was frowning deeply. She held her breath as beads of sweat covered her fair forehead.
If this were merely an ordinary card game, losing wouldn't matter.
But the outcome of this duel was directly tied to Chases's fate!
Lucy knew that, in the end, Chases would never stand by and allow Laxus to recklessly destroy the guild or hurt their companions.
It was precisely because she knew this that she was even more unwilling to make things difficult for Chases.
She didn't want to disappoint him.
Nor did she want to betray the expectations and trust of her companions.
The immense pressure weighing on her gradually made her afraid of the next draw.
Once her turn ended, there was a very high chance that Evergreen would reduce her remaining Life Points to zero!
Lucy's trembling hand stopped in midair.
The stack of ordinary, cold cards before her suddenly seemed like an insurmountable mountain.
"What's wrong?"
Evergreen's impatient voice rang out.
"If you're not going to surrender, hurry up and draw! If you keep dragging this out, those stone statues back at the guild will turn to dust!"
The sweat on Lucy's forehead grew heavier.
The world around her seemed to sink into darkness.
Deep within her consciousness, the deck directly in front of her seemed to come alive. It slowly moved farther and farther away until it was completely beyond her reach.
"Hey, Lucy."
Chases's voice suddenly reached her ears.
"Do you really trust my deck that little?"
He was genuinely starting to get a little impatient.
Yet those simple words were like a beam of light piercing through the darkness in Lucy's heart.
Lucy's eyes trembled.
In her panic, her peripheral vision suddenly fell upon the Fairy Tail emblem imprinted on the back of her hand.
Memories flashed through her mind.
The times she had played around and bickered with Dark Magician Girl.
The Dark Magician's training plan.
The adorable, soft Kuriboh.
One image after another surfaced in her mind, memories she had made alongside the card monsters.
And finally, all of them converged upon one incredibly reliable figure.
Chases.
Without even realizing it, Lucy had already formed a deep bond with Chases and the card monsters.
That was the real reason she had chosen this deck in the first place!
"I believe in Chases's deck!"
The fear in Lucy's eyes disappeared.
Her confusion was swept away in an instant as she firmly placed her hand on top of the deck.
"My turn, draw!"
The card swept through the air in a streak of light.
Lucy looked at it.
Her eyes widened.
**Exodia the Forbidden One!**
"It's complete!"
Lucy stared at the card before quickly looking at the other four cards already in her hand.
"Together with these four... I actually gathered all five pieces!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Lucy couldn't help but cheer, jumping up and down in excitement.
Before the duel began, she had already learned about Yugi Muto's deck composition through the Wind Reading Glasses and knew that there was a special victory condition hidden within it.
As long as she gathered all five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One, she could win the duel instantly!
Swish! Swish!
Lucy threw all five cards onto the Duelist Platform at once.
In an instant, virtual light and shadow intertwined across the field.
Opposite the three Harpie Ladies, a massive five-pointed magic circle rose into the air.
From within it, an enormous figure slowly emerged.
Exodia the Forbidden One!
The gigantic sealed monster raised its arms.
A terrifying surge of magical energy gathered between its palms before erupting forward in a devastating blast!
Boom!
With a single attack, Evergreen's entire field was wiped clean.
Evergreen hadn't even had time to understand what had happened before her Life Points plummeted straight to zero!
**Winner: Lucy Heartfilia!**
"H-how is that possible?!"
Evergreen's eyes widened in disbelief.
Her legs gave way beneath her, and she slumped to the ground as the cards in her hand scattered around her.
"Yes!"
Lucy clenched her fist triumphantly, a brilliant smile blooming across her face.
She immediately turned toward Chases.
"Chases, you're my next opponent, right? Come on, come on! I'm terrifyingly strong now!"
After only a single duel, Lucy had already experienced the irresistible charm of card games.
Now, she couldn't wait to play another round.
"Unforgivable..."
Evergreen's gloomy voice suddenly rang out.
"To dare do something like this to a noble Fairy... To me, Evergreen..."
She slowly rose to her feet.
"Absolutely unforgivable!"
With a dark expression, Evergreen stepped off the Duelist Platform and slowly approached Lucy.
At the same time, she raised a hand toward the glasses resting on her face.
Since she had already lost her chance to win Chases over, then the other side shouldn't get him either!
Lucy, still immersed in the joy of victory, suddenly noticed Evergreen's movement.
Her expression changed.
She hurriedly prepared to close her eyes to avoid Evergreen's Stone Eyes, but before she could react, a deep blue figure flashed into her field of vision.
Boom!
The next instant, the sound of stone cracking echoed throughout the room.
"This is my territory."
Chases spread his fingers across Evergreen's head and ruthlessly slammed her face-first into the floor.
Cracks spread outward beneath her.
Under the force of the impact, Evergreen's carefully styled hair became completely disheveled, and a thin trail of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
She looked utterly miserable.
Even so, as one of Laxus's most loyal supporters, Evergreen still stubbornly tried to turn her head.
She wanted to use her Stone Eyes on Chases and eliminate this uncertain factor.
But how could Chases possibly make such an elementary mistake?
The strength in his hand immediately increased.
"Trying to attack a neutral party is already a violation of the rules."
His voice remained calm.
"As punishment, Eva, you'll undo everyone's petrification."
"Don't even think about it!" Evergreen replied through clenched teeth.
"Oh?"
Chases smiled.
"So you want to appear in tomorrow's newspaper like Gajeel?"
The smile on his face gradually became sinister.
Evergreen froze.
Even Lucy couldn't help wrapping her arms around herself and taking two small steps backward.
"Like Gajeel?"
Her expression became strange.
"Stripped naked and hung from a tower?!"
Evergreen had originally been prepared to resist to the bitter end.
But after Lucy's reminder, her entire body stiffened.
"..."
"I'll undo it!"
She immediately gave in.
"I'll undo it, okay?!"
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Chases finally withdrew that smile, which had somehow looked even more terrifying than a demon's.
Naturally, someone as gentle as Chases would never actually do something like that to Evergreen.
After all, she was a girl.
But if Evergreen had continued refusing to cooperate...
Well.
He would simply have to Brainwash her instead.
The moment Evergreen undid her petrification magic, the information displayed on the magic barrier constructed by Freed was updated simultaneously.
Back at the guild, Makarov immediately noticed the change and sharply turned toward the stage.
Mira, Dark Magician Girl, and the others had indeed returned to normal!
Natsu, who had already been waiting impatiently, didn't care about anything else. He immediately rushed toward them, eager to pick a fight.
All he cared about was battling Fairy Tail's strongest members. Whether his opponents were a group of delicate beauties or even his own "teammates" didn't matter to him in the slightest.
Naturally, such idiotic behavior earned him a furious reprimand from Makarov.
After a lengthy and heartfelt lecture, accompanied by some necessary physical correction, Natsu finally settled down.
Just as Makarov was preparing to finalize their next course of action with Mira and the others, the magical text hovering near the guild entrance suddenly gathered together.
It twisted and distorted before forming a blood-red skull.
"That damn Chases. How dare he break the rules of the game!"
Laxus's low, icy voice came from within the skull.
"But fortunately, I prepared a backup plan."
"Old man, you didn't seriously think rescuing the hostages would be enough to end this civil war, did you?"
"Heh heh. Don't even think about it!"
"To keep the game going, this time I'll put the entire town at stake!"
"The Thunder Palace has already been activated. You have thirty minutes!"
"Ahahahaha!"
Laxus's piercing laughter echoed throughout the guild.
Makarov's expression changed drastically.
"Laxus! Have you lost your mind?! You actually set up something that dangerous over Magnolia?!"
The Thunder Palace consisted of nearly three hundred lacrima filled with enormous amounts of lightning Magic Power.
Once activated, unless every single lacrima was destroyed simultaneously, countless bolts of lightning would rain down upon the city.
Its destructive power was more than enough to devastate Magnolia!
"You're the one who forced me to do this, old man!"
Laxus's enraged roar erupted from the crimson skull.
"Unless you announce to all of Magnolia right now that I will become the next Guild Master of Fairy Tail, this battle isn't ending!"
"Think carefully."
"You don't have much time left."
With those final words, the blood-red skull shattered apart and disappeared into nothingness.
"This bastard..."
Makarov clenched his fists tightly.
He could never hand Fairy Tail over to someone with such dangerous ideas.
Even if he had already considered retiring.
Even if Laxus was his own grandson.
If someone like the current Laxus became Guild Master, it would only bring greater disaster and tragedy to Fairy Tail.
After thinking for a moment, Makarov turned toward Mira with a solemn expression.
"Mira, you understand the situation, don't you?"
"I need you to take over Reedus's task and bring Porlyusica here."
The appearance of the Thunder Palace had made the situation even more dangerous.
Although Makarov believed Chases wouldn't disappoint him, they still needed an emergency plan in case something unexpected happened.
"I understand."
Mira nodded seriously.
"Mira, I'll go with you!"
Dark Magician Girl immediately raised her hand.
As a neutral party in the conflict, she naturally chose to remain beside Mira, the person she was closest to in Fairy Tail.
"Are you sure?"
Mira looked at her seriously.
"There's a very high chance we'll encounter Freed, just like Reedus did."
More importantly, the person currently accompanying Freed was Dark Magician.
The very master Dark Magician Girl feared the most!
"That's exactly why I need to go with you, Mira!"
Dark Magician Girl clenched her fist and raised it enthusiastically. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with intense fighting spirit.
"It's not every day I get such a perfect opportunity to beat up Master!"
"..."
Her inexplicable confidence left Happy staring blankly at her.
"The blonde girls in our guild are especially brave today..."
"Haha! Don't worry!"
Dark Magician Girl giggled.
"I have a secret weapon that Master secretly gave me!"
Seeing how confident she was, Mira didn't try to dissuade her any further.
A dark purple magic circle suddenly lit up beneath Mira's feet.
**Satan Soul!**
Dark demonic Magic Power surged around her body as Mira completed her transformation.
The next moment, Mira and Dark Magician Girl turned into two streaks of light and flew directly toward the forest east of Magnolia.
Meanwhile, Cana, Juvia, and the others also began to move.
Some searched throughout the city for Laxus's location, while the rest tried to figure out how to destroy the dense cluster of lightning lacrima suspended high above Magnolia before the Thunder Palace could activate.
Natsu and Gajeel, who were still trapped inside the guild, could only watch everyone else leave with longing eyes.
Their resentment toward Freed had already accumulated to the limit.
"Um... since his barrier is also a type of text-based magic, I can try rewriting Freed's enchantment."
Levy, who had stayed behind, slowly stepped forward.
The moment she said that, Natsu and Gajeel's eyes immediately lit up.
At that exact moment, the information panel near the entrance updated again.
**[Lucy failed to persuade neutral Chases]**
"Oh! Two pieces of good news at once!"
Natsu couldn't help cheering.
Gajeel immediately pointed at the panel and shouted angrily.
"Idiot! Look properly! How is that good news?!"
Natsu naturally shot back without hesitation.
"What the hell do you know? If Chases joined our side, wouldn't that mean we couldn't fight him anymore?!"
"Uh..."
Levy's mouth twitched.
She forced out a smile, though even she wasn't sure what kind of expression she was making.
Putting Natsu's ridiculous reasoning aside, they still had no idea where Laxus was hiding.
Under those circumstances, persuading Chases to join their side really was one of their highest priorities.
"If you're scared, then when we finally get out of here, just find some empty corner and hide."
Natsu grinned mockingly at Gajeel.
Hearing that, Gajeel instinctively took two steps backward.
A trace of fear flashed across his face.
He immediately remembered the night Chases had completely crushed him.
Even now, the memory still made his scalp tingle.
Fighting that kind of monster again was basically asking to be beaten half to death.
Even so, Gajeel quickly straightened his back and shouted.
"W-what are you talking about?! You think I'd be afraid of him?!"
Levy silently glanced at him.
As expected of the Iron Dragon Slayer.
Even if everything else gave way, that mouth of his certainly wouldn't.
Ignoring the two idiots behind her, Levy crouched down and began seriously analyzing Freed's enchantment.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Magnolia...
At Magnolia Cathedral.
Creak.
The tightly shut doors were slowly pushed open.
Bright light poured into the dim interior, stretching the shadow of a tall figure across the floor.
A black cloak covered most of his body, while five staffs were strapped across his back.
"Oh?"
Standing at the center of the cathedral, Laxus slowly turned around.
A grin spread across his face.
"I didn't expect you to join this battle too."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And you even found me before everyone else."
"Mystogan."
Mystogan stepped inside.
His voice remained calm and cold.
"End this pointless farce now, and I can pretend none of this ever happened."
"Pointless?"
Laxus spread his arms.
Crackling arcs of lightning danced around his fingertips.
"This is the Battle of Fairy Tail!"
His smile grew wider.
"People outside the guild are always arguing about who's the strongest among our generation."
"You."
"Me."
"And Chases."
"But there can only be one answer."
Laxus's eyes sharpened.
"And that answer is me."
Mystogan stared at him for a moment.
"Did you forget about Erza and Mira?"
"Those two women?"
Laxus snorted.
"They're barely decent."
"But they're still too weak."
"..."
Mystogan's voice became noticeably colder.
"Erza and Mira are weak?"
"Are you still asleep?"
Laxus ignored the remark.
"More importantly, Mystogan..."
His grin suddenly became more meaningful.
"I heard something interesting about you."
Mystogan's eyes narrowed.
"Your true identity."
Laxus spoke slowly.
"Prince of Edolas."
Mystogan's pupils contracted sharply.
"Where did you hear that?"
"Who knows?"
Laxus shrugged, his expression unbearably smug.
"Beat me."
"Then maybe I'll tell you."
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Mystogan's staffs immediately struck the cathedral floor.
The calm restraint he had shown moments earlier vanished.
Magic surged outward.
Several intricate magic circles appeared around him one after another, filling the cathedral with brilliant light.
Laxus laughed loudly as lightning exploded from his body.
The next instant, the two torrents of magic collided head-on.
Boom!
The cathedral shook violently.
And with that, the battle between Mystogan and Laxus officially began.