As Cluny aggressively strode past, Elusive Elf Swordsman suddenly stopped slashing at the alien space.
A rare smile flickered briefly across his usually expressionless face.
Fistfight the master?
Interesting. This was truly like a knife stabbing the ass—opening one's eyes!
Cluny didn't notice Elusive Elf Swordsman's micro-expression. With one hand wielding chaos space and the other a pitch-black demon claw, he walked confidently right up to Chase.
Seeing no sign of Chase drawing any cards, he further confirmed his judgment:
That reflection magic earlier had exhausted most of his magic—he couldn't use any more cards!
'After all this trouble, losing all my little brother, it's finally my turn!'
Cluny inwardly ecstatic, already imagining catching Chase and presenting him to Lord Marshall, ushering in a new era!
Brimming with this joy, Cluny slowly assumed his fighting stance and frivolously beckoned to Chase.
Seeing this guy's arrogant posture, Chase smiled lightly and shook his head.
Under Cluny's puzzled gaze, he pulled off his sleeveless cloak, revealing his defined, muscular upper body.
The scars etched upon it were clearly visible, glowing with surging power in the distant setting sun's afterglow.
These were all proof and glory of his fierce battles with powerful enemies!
'Wait—he's lost his card reliance, so why doesn't he look scared? If anything, he seems a little excited?!'
'Are those shocking scars something a card mage should have?!'
Vaguely, Cluny sensed something was terribly wrong. A cold sweat beaded on his bloody forehead.
He was starting to panic.
"Can't help it, Chairman Cluny."
"If this is what you want, then as you wish—let's start a passionate passionate brawl!"
Chase cracked his knuckles, a brilliant smile on his face.
Though his magic wasn't nearly as depleted as Cluny thought—he could still summon monsters like Dark Magician—
He obviously needed to reserve those for the true culprit, Marshall. No point wasting them here!
Besides, Cluny barely counted as someone noteworthy. Chase was curious if he could sneak a new card off this guy.
More importantly...
Fighting feels GOOD!
BOOM!!
Staring blankly at the azure sky that suddenly filled his vision, and the crow flapping away in the distance, Cluny's face went slack. He was completely dumbfounded.
What happened? What just occurred? Why did the sky suddenly flip upside down?
No—wait!
The tearing pain in his chest forcefully dragged his thoughts back to reality.
Frantically glancing around, Cluny suddenly realized that he was lying amidst the shattered debris bow!
Through the swirling wooden chips and dust, he saw, straight ahead, the guy he'd thought he could "beat to a pulp in a few punches"—Chase—slowly retracting his arm after a straight punch!
He'd been sent flying without even seeing the move?
"Impossible! How is this possible!!" Cluny stood and screamed crazily. He couldn't accept that he, a veteran of countless battles, had lost to a mere card mage!
BOOM!
The vortex of chaos was distorted, transforming into a shock wave that blasted toward Chase.
An explosion sounded. Amidst the turbulent waves, the already broken half-deck was blown to pieces.
But Chase, who'd been standing there, had vanished without a trace.
When he reappeared, his leg raised high, he was already above Cluny!
BOOM!
Cluny's pupils contracted. He rolled several times, dodging Chase's flying kick.
The powerful force shattered the bow floor, leaving a deep footprint!
Before Cluny could catch his breath, wind rushed at him. Chase's straight punch kept enlarged in his panicked pupils.
Purely by battle instinct, Cluny raised both arms crossed in front of him.
THUD.
A heavy, powerful thud. Cluny, in his defensive posture, was sent gliding backward, only barely stopping at the bow's edge.
One more step, and he'd fall into the vast sea below!
Cluny glanced down at his trembling arms. The agonizing pain of shattered bones constantly tore at his nerves.
Only now did this dark guild master, so extremely confident in his close-combat abilities, belatedly realize how ridiculous it was to bypass Elusive Elf Swordsman and brawl with Chase.
Fairy Tail mages—this guy was an unbeatable monster!
After the initial terror, Cluny's gaze darkened. He quickly regained calm.
He had one last trump card: the "capture alive" condition Lord Marshall had specially requested!
As a guild mage, to successfully complete the request, Chase couldn't kill him.
With this "immunity," he could completely abandon defense and attack Chase without restraint!
"I'm the pirate Cluny Blood! A brat like you killing me? You're a hundred years too early!!"
As if afraid Chase might forget the request details, Cluny shouted, emphasizing his pirate status.
Then, clenching his fists, space whirlpools spinning around them, he charged at Chase in what Ina and the others saw as a completely suicidal counterattack.
"Bring it!"
Even knowing Cluny's intentions, Chase still didn't plan to avoid the attack. Instead, he slowly raised his fingers.
Another damn card?!
The familiar gesture terrified the charging Cluny.
He'd developed a psychological shadow toward Chase's cards...
As Cluny feared, Chase did intend to summon—but not a card.
"I summon my fists, in attack mode!"
Chase clenched his fists, stepped forward, and fearlessly met the frenzied Cluny.
They collided head-on. Rapidly swinging fists left afterimages in the air as they viciously attacked each other.
ORA ORA ORA!!!
The heavy thuds of fist meeting flesh echoed throughout the pirate ship wreckage. The shockwaves made Ina and the others on the merchant ship's heart pound.
Hard to imagine such a brawl between two mages!
Even Dashnyu, skilled in close combat, stood dumbfounded, jaw dropped.
He boldly imagined himself in either role. The result was two words:
Dies in seconds.
The intense brawl lasted nearly a minute.
In the end, Chase, restricted by the conditions, couldn't bear to lose that 9.9 million Jewels. He didn't end Cluny's life with one punch.
Instead, he dragged it out until Cluny's stamina was completely exhausted, and he slumped slumped to the ground.
"You... are far stronger... than those self-proclaimed S-Class mages..."
Cluny lay flat in a pool of blood, his eyes dull as he stared at the sky above, admitting defeat. "I... lost..."
Feeling exhilarated, Chase took a deep breath and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He wasn't in a hurry to deal with Cluny. Instead, he focused on the card space deep in his consciousness.
A card is suspended in the void scene.
Lucky—he really had a new card off Cluny!
The card flipped, revealing a small blue dragon.
***
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