Standing atop the giant rat were three mages—former members of Lamia Scale: Yuka the Wave, the pink-haired beauty Sherry, and Toby the Caitsith!
"What?! They're attacking from the air?!"
Following Natsu's gaze, Lucy spotted them and clutched her head in dismay. "So my trap really is completely useless after all!"
The villagers scattered in panic, terrified.
They were ordinary people without magical power, lacking the courage to face aggressive mages!
Meanwhile, the flying giant rat had already reached directly above the village.
"Preparing the Poison Jelly took a little time, but since all the Fairy Tail mages are here, it saves us the trouble of hunting them down."
Sherry gazed down at the chaotic crowd, a self-satisfied smile playing on her brightly lipsticked lips. "As expected, this is my love for Lord Zero at work~"
"Those two things have nothing to do with each other..."
Well aware of Sherry's personality, Yuka wasted no time on pleasantries. He coldly addressed Toby beside him, "Toby, help me drop the Poison Jelly. Let's end this boring farce quickly. We..."
"We still need to return and witness Deliora's death."
"Damn it! Stop ordering me around!" Toby roared angrily.
This guy seemed to have quite the explosive temper.
That said, the three of them raised the container holding the Poison Jelly high.
Drip.
A single drop of green venom overflowed, falling from the sky and landing at Lucy's feet.
White smoke rose as the ground instantly corroded, leaving a small, scorched black hole!
Before Lucy could react, her pupils contracting, a massive shadow blotted out the purple moonlight.
It was a giant Poison Jelly large enough to cover half the village!
"Damn it, don't think you'll get away with that!"
Natsu roared, flames erupting from his body. "Happy, can you still fly?"
"Aye!"
Happy immediately understood. White wings sprouted from his back. Gripping the ready Natsu, he launched them skyward toward the rapidly falling giant jelly.
Boom!!
Bright flames exploded in the night sky. The rolling wave of heat evaporated most of the giant jelly's green venom.
The remaining remnants splattered in all directions, falling like rain. In an instant, the entire village was corroded into a scarred wasteland.
Fortunately, the villagers had all evacuated to a safe area and suffered no fatal injuries.
Through the white smoke, several figures jumped down from above, landing on the ground.
Natsu, fists blazing, faced off against Yuka the Wave and Toby the Caitsith.
Meanwhile, Lucy, whip in hand, stood before Sherry, who was preparing to carry out Lord Zero's orders and eliminate the troublesome villagers.
"Scorching flames that seem to burn everything away. You must be the legendary Fire Dragon of Fairy Tail, right?"
Yuka clasped his hands behind his back, calmly observing Natsu. "Come to think of it, we were once regular mages of Lamia Scale ourselves. I wonder if you've ever..."
Before he could finish, his vision was consumed by raging flames—Natsu had already attacked.
Yuka remained unfazed. He raised his right hand, enveloped in a white halo, and gently waved it. The oncoming pillar of fire dissipated effortlessly.
"At least let a person finish speaking."
Continuing his cool explanation, he said, "My magic is Wave Magic, which can neutralize all other magic. Back in Lamia Scale, I specialized in jobs dealing with other mages."
"I don't care about any of that! I just need to knock you flying!"
Bathed in flames, Natsu charged straight ahead.
Clearly, such "minor details" wouldn't make him hesitate.
The two quickly clashed.
On the other side, Lucy was being chased everywhere by a rock monster controlled by Sherry.
Sherry's magic was called "Doll Attack," allowing her to freely control living beings other than humans and all objects—naturally including Celestial Spirits.
Faced with such a hard counter, Lucy was completely helpless. She even nearly got split in two by a single ax swing from the Taurus she'd summoned!
What do I do, what do I do?! I don't have any spirits that can handle a giant monster like that, and even if I did, she'd just control them!
Lucy frantically searched for a solution while twisting her body with impossible flexibility, barely dodging the rock monster's heavy, ground-shaking punch.
And then...
She continued her desperate flight.
"Hey, why are you running? Weren't you supposed to protect those villagers?"
Standing atop the rock monster, Sherry pointed at the villagers hiding in the distance, her taunts unrelenting. "No wonder you let your own spirit say something as obscene as 'my master has the best body.'"
"Compared to my passionate love for Lord Lyon, your love is utterly pathetic!"
"I keep telling you, that was that perverted Taurus speaking for himself!!" Lucy shouted back mid-flight.
It was in that instant that her peripheral vision unexpectedly caught sight of Chase and Dark Magician Girl standing calmly at the very front of the villager group.
That's right—I almost forgot about Chase!
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through the young mage's mind. She stopped dead in her tracks, the panic on her face instantly vanishing.
"Oh? Why stop running? Ready to confront your own powerless love?" Sherry looked down at her condescendingly.
"You said your magic can control all living beings except humans, right?" A smile curved Lucy's lips.
"Of course! Sherry's love for Lord Zero is all-powerful!"
"In that case..."
Seeing her opponent take the bait, Lucy took a deep breath and raised a pale finger, pointing directly at Dark Magician Girl. "That blonde girl over there isn't human—she's a Card Monster! If you're really so capable, try controlling her!"
Chase did say he wouldn't interfere with any trouble that might arise from this request. But what if the enemy was foolish enough to actively cause trouble for him?
Then he'd have no choice but to step in!
Lucy thought slyly, a mischievous look on her face.
"That girl... she really doesn't possess the unique aura of a human..."
"Very well. I'll graciously allow you to witness what true love can do!"
Just as Lucy predicted, the simple-minded and extremely narcissistic Sherry harbored no suspicion whatsoever. She turned and strode toward Dark Magician Girl.
The rock monster's footsteps made the ground tremble. The villagers fled in terror.
In the blink of an eye, the now-empty area contained only Chase and Dark Magician Girl.
Though this is a bit opportunistic, reasonably utilizing every advantageous resource around you is exactly the fundamental quality of an excellent mage.
Chase didn't spare the giant creature before him a second glance, resting his chin on one hand as he murmured softly. Not bad, Lucy.
"Hey, you're a mage too? What are you mumbling about over there?!"
Feeling ignored, Sherry grew angry and immediately commanded the rock monster to attack Chase.
Boom!
The massive rock fist swung down, unleashing a ground-shaking cloud of thick smoke!
***
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