"Good work, mages of Black Pheasant Foot."
"You did well. Leave the rest to me."
Even standing amidst the lightning and hurricane, Chase's steady, reliable words reached Ina and her companions without a single syllable lost.
The billowing dark red cloak was like a dawn breaking through the abyss, dispelling the despair lingering in their hearts.
Why was Chase, who moments ago wore a simple robe, now sporting a stylish sleeveless cloak?
Because he'd quickly changed into it before acting.
Truth be told, Chase had wanted to wait a bit longer to see what the pirates would do next—that huge demon claw, though terrifying, wasn't yet at the level of killing Ina and the others.
This is perfectly aligned with his earlier speculation:
His client Marshall and these pirates were definitely plotting something—and they needed lots of images!
If the trio had just been bragging extras, without Ina's good-natured remark about "guilds helping each other, we'll protect you," Chase probably wouldn't have chosen to act now.
Watching these friendly people suffer despair and torture without lifting a finger—he just couldn't bear it.
So while what came next might be a bit more trouble, it could be summed up simply and brutally:
Destroy these pirates!
"Mr. Chase, please be careful."
"That black claw magic—I've seen it once before. I'm absolutely certain—that pirate captain..."
Supported by Bukolevin, Ina sat up and pointed at the pirate captain, whose brow was furrowed at Chase's appearance.
"He's the master of the dark guild Deep Swamp Abyss—Cluny Blood!"
"Dark guild Deep Swamp Abyss?" Chase paused.
He'd heard of this dark guild.
Not part of the Balam Alliance (comprising Oración Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros), it was an independent dark guild that had suddenly become active in Fiore about two years ago.
Around the time he'd left for his Ten-Year Quest, it had been suppressed by a guild alliance led by Blue Pegasus. After that, it had vanished.
He never expected they hadn't disbanded—instead, they'd become pirates at sea!
"I see. Useless intelligence for me, but thanks for the heads-up anyway."
With his back to Ina, Chase casually waved and looked up at the hovering pirates, poised for action.
Ina's eye twitched.
She'd only subconsciously revealed the pirate captain's identity, not expecting it to be much help.
But for some reason, this guy's words were infuriating—he could've dropped the first part!
If circumstances permit, Ina really wanted to complain.
"Hey, what's he doing?"
Bukolevin's low exclamation beside her interrupted Ina's internal soul.
Looking up, they saw Chase slowly walking along the claw-torn deck, stopping at the edge to silently gaze at the churning waves below.
The hurricane dissipated. The hovering pirates belatedly realized what was happening and stared intently at the guild mark on Chase's arm.
"That mark? So this guy's the real Fairy Tail mage?!"
"I knew it—silent—such a large merchant ship couldn't possibly have only three junk counterfeits."
"Even better! Crushing a Fairy Tail mage underfoot—just thinking about it is super interesting, hehehe!"
Though their words were rampant and wanton, with even one almost slipping up, the pirates still quietly activated their floating magic, rising higher and safer into the air.
Whoever casually blocked Captain Cluny's magic was definitely no pushover—they needed to maintain their unbeatable air superiority!
Chase took in every little movement. Light flickered in his right palm as a monster card materialized.
Air superiority?
Sorry—that doesn't exist here!
"Think whatever you want about me. But one correction."
Chase smiled and shrugged, then pointed his thumb at Ina and her companions behind him, his gaze gradually sharpening. "They're not trash at all—they're quite brilliant mages!"
With that, Chase hurried out of the merchant ship and leaped toward the sea below!
"Mr. Chase?!" Ina and the others exclaimed.
Before they could anxiously rush to check, a sharp hoarse dragon roar echoed across the entire sea.
ROAR!!
The sea exploded, sending up waves as a deep yellow shadow shot into the clouds.
Bone wings stretched in the wind. On its spike-covered torso, energy-like nodes flashed dazzling red light.
The pirates focused their gaze—and were immediately scared out of their wits, their arrogance utterly gone.
It was a vicious and violent dragon, radiating evil energy...
A Bone Dragon!!
[Curse of Dragon]: Five-Star Monster Card. An evil dragon under a curse, possessing powerful dark power.
Chase sat atop Curse of Dragon, condescendingly overlooking the pirates below. Grinning, he flashed a brilliant smile.
"So then—as you wished, let's start this battle that's super interesting just thinking about it!"
"Curse of Dragon—crush them!"
Receiving the attack command, Curse of Dragon roared at the sky. Its bone wings shook, whipping up a furious hurricane as it charged at the pirate formation at tremendous speed.
In this world, legendary creatures like dragons were simply too shocking. Even a smaller bone dragon was enough to short-circuit the pirates' brains on the spot.
Thus, the nearest pirates didn't even react before being violently sent flying by Curse of Dragon, cannonballing one after another into the sea, sending up towering splashes!
In mere seconds, over half the pirates' aerial forces were eliminated!
"Damn it! I don't give a shit what kind of monster you are—if it's created by magic, there's nothing to fear!"
"Together! Blow this monster and the Fairy Tail mage to bits with magic!"
The remaining pirates, vicious-faced, overcome their instinctive fear of the bone dragon through shouting.
Just as when attacking the merchant ship, they raised their spinning magic circles and aimed Curse of Dragon.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
Wind, lightning, fire—all kinds of magic came from all directions, blocking every possible evasive route for Curse of Dragon.
"You're not the only ones who can use magic..."
Chase calmly patted Curse of Dragon's back and smiled lightly. "Curse of Dragon—show these ignorant fools your true power!"
ROAR!!
Curse of Dragon's eyes lit up with crimson light. Deep within its opening maw, scorching fire rapidly spun, accumulated, compressed.
"Hellfire!"
Heat waves surged, distorting the surrounding space.
Flames of hell spat forth. The moment they collided, they burned the pirates' magic to nothing!
And that wasn't all. Curse of Dragon flapped its bone wings, swinging its head as the undiminished Hellfire traced a graceful arc through the air.
Where it passed, pirates screamed one after another, trailing smoke as they plunged into the sea.
In a single exchange, the pirates' aerial forces were completely annihilated!!
Watching pirates continuously plummet into the sea, the Black Pheasant Foot trio on the deck stood stunned.
"Summoning various legendary creatures through cards to fight..."
Ina stared blankly up at the man seated on the bone dragon's back, her breath suddenly quickening. "I remember! I finally remember!"
"He's Fairy Tail's S-Class mage—Chase Lin Edgarhall!!"
This silly girl seemed to have the strange trait of "can't recognize the person without seeing the magic"...
"S-so strong! Is this what a Fairy Tail mage is like?"
Bukolevin's gaze swept over the merchant ship, now burning from the flames by the battle. He exclaimed, "Isn't this a bit too strong?!"
"Fire! Someone help put out the fire!"
***
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