"Chase and Erza, you two should deal with the guy playing the guitar. I'll take the woman."
Demon Mira had a cruel smile on her lips.
Maybe it was because Satan Soul made her want to fight, or maybe it was because the target had attacked Chase, who she really liked. Whatever the reason, she almost never offered to fight Ikaruga one-on-one.
"Oh? I can't pretend I didn't hear that, Mira."
Erza, her longtime rival, immediately overruled. "No matter how you look at it, the woman with the long sword is stronger."
"Then all the more reason I should be the one to take her on!" Demon Mira rolled her shoulders, burning with fighting spirit.
"Your magic was just unsealed not long ago. You should practice on the guitar guy."
Erza shook her head lightly. The long sword of her Heaven's Wheel Armor gleamed coldly in her hand.
"Don't underestimate me, Erza. Have you forgotten how you used to get beaten black and blue by me?"
"Heh. That was years ago. And besides, you were crying too, weren't you?"
"That was because I got sand in my eyes!"
"And my face wasn't swollen!"
Watching the two suddenly go at each other, Lucy's eyes went wide as saucers. She could hardly believe the scene before her.
What is this strangely familiar sense of déjà vu?!
Chase quietly stepped back and whispered in her ear, "From what Cana and the others say, Erza and Mira's dynamic when they were kids was pretty much the same as Natsu and Gray now."
"Huh? That Erza and Mira-nee?!" Lucy was genuinely shocked.
She had never heard of this nor had she ever imagined it. Her curiosity was instantly piqued. She leaned into Chase with a gossipy expression, eager to hear more details.
Just as she was about to ask, Erza and Demon Mira's gazes snapped toward her in unison.
"Chase! What do YOU think?!" x2
Chase: "..."
What does he think? How should he know?
Support one and get instantly killed by the other?!
Seeing Chase's constipated expression, Lucy immediately burst into laughter. Even her gossipy curiosity vanished as she covered her mouth, snickering without a care:
Serves you right for throwing me like that. Karma's a bitch, isn't it?
"Ahem. Well... I think you two should play rock-paper-scissors."
Chase's survival instincts were quite strong. He offered a suggestion that would offend neither side.
Erza and Demon Mira exchanged glances. They quickly agreed to this seemingly childish proposal and started playing "rock-paper-scissors" with clenched fists.
Such casual, easy actions made Ikaruga, who had been bracing herself for a life-or-death battle, twitch violently at the corners of her mouth. Her chest heaved with rage.
As a professional assassin, she had long learned to control her emotions. She was not easily upset by anger.
But now, she had reached her breaking point!
"Are you kidding me?! I am the captain of the Three Crows!!"
Ikaruga drew her blade and charged. The change in her self-reference and her twisted face clearly showed the fury boiling inside her.
"Nice! I win!"
A cheer rang out. Erza, whose rock had beaten Mira's scissors, spun around to face Ikaruga. The long swords behind her spun rapidly. "Heaven's Wheel: Entangling Sword!"
Blade light flashed. Erza and Ikaruga passed each other.
CRACK.
Cracks appeared on Erza's long sword and her Heaven's Wheel Armor. They shattered on the spot.
"...This woman?!"
Erza's pupils contracted. She backflipped several times while swiftly switching into Flight Armor, putting a safe distance between herself and the slowly turning Ikaruga.
"S-So strong!" Lucy gasped, having completely missed what happened in that instant.
"No wonder she had the nerve to come after Chase."
Mira relieved her Take Over magic, transforming from a female demon back into her gentle, sweet big-sister self. Her gaze was somewhat solemn.
Compared to the newbie Lucy, she saw far more.
She wasn't worried but this time, Erza had likely met her match.
HUM! HUM! HUM! HUM!
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing guitar sound rang out.
Vidaldus seized the opportunity, plunging back into his manic state. His mouth gaped open as he frantically strummed his guitar.
"Hear the rhythm of hell! Become my puppet, Fairy Tail!"
"Rock Sandman!"
The visible sound wave attack seemed to distort space, wrapped in turbulent energy, heading straight for Chase.
If he could control Chase — the strongest one — the entire situation would be completely reversed. Lady Luck would be on their side!
A good plan. The timing of the attack was precise. But in the face of absolute power, all scheming was useless.
Chase, who knew this magic inside and out, simply raised his hand, activated the magic barrier of the Dark Magician master and apprentice, and blocked all the sound waves.
"Almost forgot about this guy," Mira said, looking up at the manic Vidaldus.
"He's such an attention-seeking idiot. Daring to do that in front of Chase and Mira-nee."
Inside the barrier, Lucy spread her hands as she held her forehead and sighed quietly. "I can already imaginee how badly this is going to end for you."
"Well said. So this guy's all yours, Lucy." Chase opened a gap in the barrier.
"Yeah, yeah, Chase, hurry up and beat him up. This noise is really... huh?"
Mid-sentence, Lucy suddenly realized what was happening. Her beautiful eyes went wide. "Wa... watashi?!"
"Now's your chance to test the results of the Dark Magician Training Guide. Get your revenge for being ambushed and kidnapped earlier. Don't embarrass me, got it~"
With that, without giving Lucy any time to refuse, Chase pushed her out.
A small fry like Vidaldus, who could be dealt with in no time — better to let Lucy grind some combat experience.
That was exactly why he had brought her here in the first place.
"I... I understand, Chase! I'll do my best to beat this guy!"
Watching Vidaldus, whose control magic had just ended, Lucy snapped out of her daze. She hesitated for a few seconds, then finally pulled out the whip at her waist, ready to fight.
Aside from testing her progress as Chase said she also wanted to become stronger. At the very least, she didn't want to be used as a hostage to threaten her comrades ever again!
"Do your best, Lucy!" Mira's encouraging voice came from behind.
Lucy glanced back and immediately had her eyes nearly pop out of her head. "S-So fast!!"
In the blink of an eye, Mira and Chase were sitting side by side on an exquisite carpet inside the barrier, with tea and snacks laid out before them!
"Card magic is really convenient."
Mira took a sip of the warm black tea, smiled at Chase, and said meaningfully, "But speaking of which, Chase... you really do take special care of Lucy, don't you~"
She had noticed Chase's intention to train Lucy. But she didn't stop him with them here, including Erza's fight, everything was well within controllable range.
"Ah ha, ahaha. Well, I'm a guild veteran, after all," Chase said with a smile, scratching his head.
Meanwhile, back in the card space, a certain beautiful young girl looked at her missing bedsheets, snacks, and drinks. She stomped her foot in frustration...
***
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