Chase recognized the cold female swordsman lying in ambush at his home.
That's right — she was Ikaruga, one of the Three Crows, the special operations unit of the assassin guild, Skeleton Guild.
During this period, the Three Crows naturally served Jellal, who was at the Tower of Heaven.
And since she had left the Tower of Heaven and appeared in Magnolia, that meant Ultear's attempt to "save" Jellal had failed completely.
This outcome did not surprise Chase. After all, after eight years of brainwashing and manipulation, Jellal was already broken. His obsession had taken deep root in his will — not something that could be easily reversed, even by Ultear, the mastermind.
This was evident from how insane Jellal was in the original story.
As for the specific reason he sent someone to kill Chase — most likely, he blamed Chase for the drastic change in Ultear after she returned from Galuna Island.
The Tower of Heaven was nearing completion. Jellal needed the Magic Council to fire Etherion to complete the final step, and for that, he still required Ultear's cooperation. It was the most important part of the entire plan. No mistakes could be made.
So of course, he wanted to eliminate Chase — the "root cause" — and make Ultear return to "normal."
But not doing it personally? Sending the Three Crows instead — was he worried that showing his face would expose the Tower of Heaven plan, or did he simply look down on Chase?
If it was the former, Chase could accept that.
If it was the latter, then Chase would have to slap him in the face — hard.
"I didn't expect Mr. Chase to recognize Skeleton Guild. This one is truly honored."
Bound tightly by the Hexagram Curse, Ikaruga showed no sign of panic. A dangerous, faint smile lingered on her lips, her tone leisurely. "As for who wants your life — this one is afraid she cannot say."
"Oh, by the way. This one is Ikaruga of the Three Crows, Skeleton Guild's special operations unit."
WHOOSH!!
The moment Ikaruga finished speaking, an intense smell of gunpowder erupted. Surging flames ignited the living room.
With the boost of a Magic Propulsor, a muscular, bird-headed man charged toward Chase, shouting, "And I am Kurasu — the enforcer of absolute justice!"
"You ugly freak! Don't even think about getting close!"
The moment Kurasu ignited his propulsor, Dark Magician Girl — already on guard — spun her staff and erected a pink defensive barrier in front of herself and Chase.
However, Kurasu moved with considerable agility. As if predicting Dark Magician Girl's action, he activated his propulsor, forcibly changed direction, flew up at a ninety-degree angle, bypassed the barrier, and dove down from above.
His target was crystal clear — Chase!
A powerful impact instantly erupted, tearing up the street bricks nearby. It pushed Chase backward, carving two deep furrows in the ground.
Dust and gravel flew everywhere. Just as it seemed Chase would be shoved into the city river and crash into the residential buildings behind him, Chase thrust out both palms.
He firmly braced against the propulsor on the other's back. Veins bulged on his arms.
With a low shout, he stomped down hard, crushing the solid riverbank rock beneath his foot.
The backward momentum stopped.
"What? He stopped it with his bare hands?!" Kurasu's bird eyes went wide in disbelief.
As professional assassins, before carrying out a hit, they had thoroughly investigated Chase. They knew his most troublesome aspect was his versatile cards. His personal combat strength was relatively weaker.
So from the beginning, Ikaruga and his goal was to win with speed — to prevent Chase from using his cards!
The result was obvious: he had slightly overestimated his own abilities.
SWOOSH!
Without giving Kurasu any chance to counter, a magic circle lit up, emitting a dense, mysterious bronze tone.
Chase held down the smoking Magic Propulsor with his left hand. His right arm — the Right Arm of the Forbidden One — clenched into a fist. A magic card wrapped around his punch as he slammed it down with force!
BOOM!
The fist landed. The Magic Propulsor was smashed to pieces. Shards of steel and components flew in all directions.
Kurasu, suffering this heavy blow, coughed up blood and crashed heavily at Chase's feet, cracking the ground beneath him!
"Your 'absolute justice' doesn't seem all that impressive."
Chase shook his Right Arm of the Forbidden One and stepped on Kurasu, who had been knocked unconscious on the spot.
"Master! Beautifully done! So cool!" Dark Magician Girl smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Exposing your back to a professional assassin isn't a good habit, dear blonde miss."
The cold voice startedled Dark Magician Girl. She hurriedly raised her staff to cast magic, but a chilling, fierce slash came first — splitting her in two!
"Didn't my master's Trap Card—"
Before she could finish, Dark Magician Girl's severely wounded body shattered with a bang, turning into specks of starlight as she returned to the
deck.
"My apologies. Such a fragile thing could never hold this one."
Ikaruga looked down at the fragments of the hexagram stuck to her kimono, speaking with confidence. "There is nothing in this world that this one cannot cut."
With that, she slowly sheathed her blade into the scabbard at her waist. She lowered her stance, facing Chase, and assumed a drawing posture.
An invisible pressure instantly flooded the entire street. Ikaruga drew her blade again — slow, with a touch of elegance.
But the several slashes she unleashed were incredibly violent, as if they could cut through space itself — forming a stark contrast!
"Mūgetsu-ryū: Yasha Senkū!"
Chase glanced sideways at the residential buildings just across the river. He made a split-second decision. His right hand grasped at the void, pulling a massive shield from a glowing magic circle and holding it in front of him.
That was the weapon of the monster card, Giant Shield Guardian.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The slashes swept past like a hurricane laden with blades. Even just the residual spillover cut the river surface and the street on the opposite bank into countless fragments!
CRACK.
A faint sound. The next moment, the massive shield Chase had raised shattered into pieces!
"It seems Mr. Chase is not as indifferent to the townspeople as the rumors say." Ikaruga asked, already knowing the answer.
She had long learned from Magnolia's residents what Chase's true modus operandi was.
Having confirmed this conclusion, the rest would be easier.
Ikaruga flipped her blade, preparing to use a slash with a larger area of effect.
But how could Chase let her continue?
A magic circle spun. Three swords of light descended from the sky. Holy radiance dispelled the surrounding darkness, illuminating the entire street.
Ikaruga stopped brewing her large-scale slash. Expressionless, she reversed her grip on the blade and lightly swung it at the light swords hovering beside her.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The slash passed through. The light swords shattered, falling as bright, spinning fragments.
"That's Lightforce Sword — capable of sealing an opponent's movements, isn't it? Unfortunately, it still cannot withstand this one's— GUH!!"
Before Ikaruga could finish her smug remark, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen.
Using the falling fragments of the light swords as cover, Chase leaped and kicked her mid-air.
When it came to intelligence gathering, what Chase knew about her far exceeded what Ikaruga knew about him!
Even Erza's armor couldn't withstand her slashes. It was no surprise that she could cut through Lightforce Sword without the amplification of the Book of Secret Arts or other magic cards.
So — Lightforce Sword was merely a feint!
***
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