Under the aggressive assault of Twin Blades Lucy, Sorano was forced into a desperate defense, exhaustion showing on her face. Wounds inevitably appeared on her body.
Though most were superficial and not fatal, they still left her looking utterly miserable. Her earlier arrogance had completely vanished.
"She's actually... suppressing Angel of Oración Seis?"
Jura watched the battle before him in disbelief. He had witnessed the shift where defense had become offense. "I've never heard of Celestial Spirit mages fighting like this before..."
As a holder of the title Ten Wizard Saints, he was more aware than most legal guild members of the danger of the Balam Alliance. He had maintained a high level of caution from the very start, clearly stating that they must avoid solo combat and fully utilize their numerical advantage.
Lucy's performance now far exceeded his expectations.
If it were Chase or Ur, that would be one thing. But if memory served, aside from the blue cat, Lucy was supposed to be the weakest member of the Fairy Tail team, wasn't she?
"Miss Lucy, wielding those twin blades, is radiating an exceptionally charming fragrance~" Ichiya, striking another new flamboyant pose, was also full of admiration.
For some reason, Lucy fighting so valiantly gave him an inexplicable sense of closeness he couldn't quite put into words.
It wasn't like the unbreakable bond of master and disciple he shared with Hibiki and the others. It felt more like... a long-lost family member?
"Ahahaha! You see that? That's my sister. Fairy Tail's finest Celestial Spirit mage!"
Watching the stunned expressions on Jura and Ichiya's faces, Chase couldn't help but laugh heartily, looking extremely proud.
Though Lucy's progress owed more to her own talent and hard work, he had played a part in her training as well.
So this feeling of rubbing their noses in it was even more satisfying than crushing Sorano himself.
This time, the usually solemn and rigid Jura no longer held any doubts. He nodded in acknowledgment.
"Damn it. What a shame such an outstanding rookie doesn't belong to our Blue Pegasus," Ichiya said with genuine regret.
That comment was obviously a joke, but it was also an acknowledgment of Lucy's strength.
Just as they were marvelling, a sudden violent magic storm erupted on the battlefield.
Cornered and desperate, Sorano forcibly blasted Lucy away using a technique that would hurt herself nearly as much as her opponent, buying herself a brief moment to catch her breath.
She looked completely drained. Her white feathered coat was torn to shreds. Strands of disheveled hair hung limp, covering her bloodshot eyes. Her appearance was truly pitiful.
Having treated her Celestial Spirits as mere tools to be used and discarded, she was now tasting some of the pain that Loki and Aries had endured when they were blasted through.
"That damned blonde. How dare you make me look like this!"
The self-proclaimed "Angel" gritted her teeth, a vicious look on her face as she glared at Lucy. She couldn't accept the harsh reality before her.
Whether it was her stupid pride acting up or if she genuinely felt threatened by Lucy, she roared as she pulled out her Zodiac key and carved a magic circle in the air.
"Don't show off! You've just transferred a fraction of your spirit's power to yourself. If I wanted to, I could do it any time!"
WHOOSH!
As the Celestial Spirit gate opened, a brilliant golden stream of light bloomed, enveloping her completely.
"This is..."
Lucy's pupils contracted. She could feel the same magical fluctuation coming from her opponent.
"Is that woman... capable of using Miss Lucy's technique as well?" Ichiya looked astonished.
"No. It looks more like... she's learning it on the spot," Jura said gravely.
Chase's eyes narrowed. His expression was equally serious as he watched the golden glow.
It wasn't that Sorano mastering Celestial Spirit Dress would dramatically affect the outcome. Rather, if she could learn it so easily, it might deal a considerable psychological blow to Lucy.
After all, this was a magic that Lucy had worked desperately for, pouring in enormous effort and dedication to master.
This situation had even occurred in the original story, such as when Sorano's sister, the Celestial Spirit mage Yukino, could replicate the perfect form of Celestial Spirit Dress just by looking at it.
Though this could be explained by differences in talent and aptitude, it was still somewhat harsh for Lucy, who had only just learned this powerful magic and hadn't even had time to fully enjoy it.
Fortunately, Sorano's first attempt at Celestial Spirit Dress was not as smooth as her sister Yukino's.
CRASH.
The golden stream scattered into countless specks of light. Sorano, now largely exposed, had barely managed to put on Scorpio's matching outfit. But it lacked the stable, continuous Celestial Spirit power that Lucy's form had. Some parts flickered with snowy static, like a bad signal.
Clearly, this was a failed attempt.
"H-how is this possible? I understand the principle behind Celestial Spirit Dress! Why has this happened?!"
Sorano examined her own state. Anger and frustration washed over her twisted face.
"This is a skill I mastered through brutal training and with Chase's help. It's not that simple!"
Seeing this, Lucy let out a heavy of relief. At the same time, she couldn't help sigh but remark inwardly that Sorano was indeed a member of Oración Seis.
She remembered that in the beginning, she had a high failure rate even taking over the minor Canis Minor. Let alone attempting an imperfect Zodiac form right off the bat like Sorano had.
"Heh. Heh heh. So what? This power ultimately belongs to me!"
Her attempt at showing off having failed, Sorano simply stopped pretending. She pulled out her Gemini key. "Open! Gate of Gemini, Gemini! "
After a brief rest, Gemini's ability had recovered. They transformed into Lucy once again.
"Celestial Spirit Dress: Gate of Taurus!"
A golden flash, and Gemini Lucy effortlessly transformed into the black-and-white cow uniform, her whip cracking through the air, showingcasing formidable physical strength.
This was the true terror of Gemini. As long as the target's magic power didn't completely overwhelm the holder's, they could use all of the target's magic.
Such an outrageous ability made Lucy's eye twitch. She was on the verge of cursing Sorano out for being so shameless.
"This magic is indeed powerful. But sometimes, its very strength can also become a fatal flaw."
Jura seemed to have noticed something. A faint smile appeared on his usually serious face.
"Mr. Jura, you've noticed it too?" Ichiya's expression was the opposite. It had become more focused.
"After all, I am a Ten Wizard Saint recognized by the Council," Jura said with a smile.
Hearing their exchange, Chase couldn't help but glance over at them.
They truly were the ace mages of their respective guilds. They had some real insight, far beyond what a rookie like Lucy could perceive.
Gemini could copy a target's physical abilities, magic, and even their thoughts. Any mage of the same level would find them an absolute nightmare to deal with, almost impossible to counter.
But unfortunately, their target was Lucy.
After witnessing Sorano ruthlessly blast Loki and Aries, Lucy's state of mind had undergone a complete transformation.
There was anger toward Sorano for treating her Spirits as mere tools, sympathy for Loki and Aries, and sorrow for all the other Spirits who had suffered similar treatment.
All of these complex, genuine emotions were perfectly copied by Gemini. As a result, they could viscerally understand that Lucy genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, loved them, the Celestial Spirits.
Sincerity was always the ultimate weapon. And this, as Jura had noticed from the change in Gemini Lucy's expression, was precisely what he meant by "their strength can also be a fatal flaw."
"Gemini, what are you waiting for? Go destroy that damned woman already!"
Sorano failed to notice anything different about Gemini. She kept urging them.
To be fair, she could hardly be blamed.
No matter how unwilling she was, after witnessing the power of Lucy's Celestial Spirit Dress, she had to accept reality. There was no longer any chance of success in her plan to steal the keys and launch a counterattack.
Her magic power was sufficient, but Gemini's transformation could only last about five minutes.
So at this moment, all Sorano could think about was sending Gemini out to delay Chase and the others, buying herself enough time to escape.
Receiving the order, Gemini Lucy's eyelids drooped. Their melancholy deepened.
But that melancholy was fleeting, replaced by a fierce fighting spirit.
Celestial Spirits could not refuse a key holder's lawful commands. They also had to ensure the holder's safety. Even if that holder was someone who deeply loved Celestial Spirits, they had to fight with all their might.
With that resolve, Gemini Lucy slightly crouched, preparing to defeat Lucy at any cost, then block Chase and the others.
WHIR!!
At that very moment, a surging, dense pillar of dark gold light shot into the sky. It kicked up a chaotic storm around it, causing the very ground to tremble violently.
At the center of this overwhelmingly oppressive storm, Chase stepped forward. His cape billowed wildly behind him, making him look like a terrifying, hideous monster.
"Let me remind you again. Before you defeat Lucy, don't do anything unnecessary."
These unremarkable words fell on Sorano's ears like a mountain crushing down on her. They turned her face pale, and her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.
H-how is this possible? This magic power... It's even stronger than Master Zero's...
Trying to escape, Sorano found herself frozen in place. Her pupils were wide, sweat covered her forehead, and a suffocating sensation flowed through every nerve in her body.
It was only at this moment that the previously confident Sorano truly realized what kind of terrifying monster Oración Seis had encountered.
"If it weren't for the existence of monsters like you... a second-rate Celestial Spirit mage like her could never be my opponent!"
Under such immense pressure, Sorano's mentality seemed to shatter completely. Her voice hoarse, she roared.
"Then prove it."
Chase withdrew his furious magic power. His expression changed, and a bright smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "I'm a man of my word. Beat Lucy, and I'll let you go."
In terms of raw magic power and combat experience, Lucy was still slightly behind Sorano. But their fundamentally different attitudes toward Celestial Spirits had already sealed the outcome of this battle between Celestial Spirit mages.
The same words spoken at different times carried vastly different persuasive power.
Having witnessed the entire battle, Jura and Ichiya showed understanding expressions.
Now, what they cared about about had shifted from "can Lucy win" to "just how strong is Chase."
Especially Jura, who had been "targeted."
Though it had only been a few short seconds, after personally feeling Chase's terrifying magic power, he suddenly felt that rather than worrying about whether they could complete this Oración Seis subjugation operation, he should be figuring out how to get out of their earlier arranged fight.
Should he claim he needed to rush home to take in the laundry? Or that he had to go meet a blind date his master had set up for him?
As Jura was agonizing over this, on the main battlefield, Taurus Lucy (Gemini's copy) and Cancer Lucy (the real one) had already engaged.
The battle was fierce, but it ended quickly. Just as Chase had predicted, though Gemini Lucy possessed the same magic power, experience, and thoughts as Lucy, their mind-sets were worlds apart. They were defeated even before their transformation time ran out, dispersing into countless light specks and returning to the Celestial Spirit World.
Sorano, now alone, could no longer put up a fight. With Caelum shattering beside her, she was sent flying several meters by a flying kick from Lucy, now in her Taurus Celestial Spirit Dress. She crashed into a pit, her neck twisted, and fell unconscious on the spot.
"I...I won?"
Lucy blinked. After confirming that she had truly defeated a member of Oración Seis, an incredibly excited smile broke out on her dirt-smudged face.
"Chase, did you see that?! I won!!"
But her joy lasted less than three seconds before her Celestial Spirit Dress began to fade.
Perhaps she was too excited. She hadn't even noticed that the long, high-intensity summoning had completely drained her magic power dry.
This dense, idiot little sister of mine...
Chase reacted quickly. Before Lucy's Celestial Spirit Dress could completely disappear, he swept his cape around to cover her body.
Even if the only ones watching were a man with a heart of stone and a narcissistic pretty boy, they weren't members of his own guild. He couldn't let them get a free show.
"Good job. Well done."
After covering her up, Chase smiled and praised Lucy, while pulling out the Nutrient Z he had prepared in advance.
Lucy finally understood the situation. Blushing, she took the... colorfully questionable drink, tilted her head back, and downed a couple of chugs.
Her depleted magic power was soon replenished. After changing back into her regular casual clothes, the embarrassment on her face gradually faded.
"You're even stronger than I imagined, Miss Lucy. I offer you my sincere apologies for underestimating you earlier."
"That really was quite a wonderful battle!"
Jura and Ichiya walked over, generously offering Lucy their praise and acknowledgment.
"Oh, it was nothing. Just luck. I'm still far behind both of you~"
Lucy, however, turned humble at this moment, seeming somewhat reserved and not as casual as she was with her own guildmates.
Still, the happiness on her face couldn't be hidden no matter what.
She had single-handedly defeated a member of Oración Seis. When she got back, she would definitely rub it in Natsu and Happy's faces.
Wait...Natsu?
"Oh no! We need to hurry over to Natsu and the others!" Lucy suddenly remembered this extremely important matter.
Even if they had defeated one, there were still five left. She had no idea how things were going on their side.
Hearing this, Jura and Ichiya also snapped back to reality.
"No need to rush for now. With Ur there, she should be able to keep things under control," Chase said calmly, seeming much less worried.
To prevent any unexpected emergencies that might deviate from the original plot, back when he had returned with Lucy, he had already attached a protective Kuriboh to each member of the allied forces. None had been triggered yet.
"Turnabout is fair play. Since they stole our operation plan, now it's our turn."
Under the surprised gazes of Jura and Ichiya, Chase walked slowly over to the unconscious Sorano and slapped her awake.
A cool magic circle slowly lit up. The spell Brain Control activated, and Sorano's eyes immediately glazed over.
"Tell me everything. All the information on Oración Seis, and what exactly you plan to do with Nirvana."
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