Though neither side had gone all out yet, after this round of probing exchanges, Chase had roughly gauged Zero's strength.
As the final boss of the Oración Seis arc, he was decent. In terms of raw magic power, he was about on par with Jellal during the Tower of Heaven arc.
If you factored in his rich combat experience and destructive dark magic, he might be a bit stronger than Jellal. But that was about it.
The pressure he gave off was not even as intense as Silver, whom Chase had encountered recently.
Damn. Have I just gotten too strong?
With that thought, Chase withdrew the dark gold magic power swirling around him and sighed softly. He began to worry whether a fight of this intensity would even yield new cards.
"Arrogant little brat! You dare let your mind wander while fighting me?!"
Zero gritted his teeth at the sight of Chase's relaxed, almost careless demeanor. Fury blazed deep within his blood-red pupils.
Every time he awakened, he caused incalculable destruction. Even his fellow Oración Seis members trembled before him, let alone his enemies.
And now, this mere child dared to so thoroughly disregard him?
"Ah... it is not that I am looking down on you. I was just thinking about something important."
Chase scratched his head. But before he could finish, he was forcefully interrupted by an explosion of magic power right in front of him.
Watching Zero, now enveloped in a dark green aura, charge straight at him, a sudden idea flashed through Chase's mind. Light flickered between his fingers.
"It has not had its debut since I got it. Let this guy play with you for a bit~"
The card he flicked out immediately bloomed with thick black light. Accompanied by a hoarse, low growl, a demonic presence filled the area.
Crimson wings beat the air. Archfiend of Gilfer flew out from the flashy magic circle and collided head-on with Zero.
BOOM!
The collision of the dark green and crimson auras produced powerful shockwaves. Destructive energy spilled out in all directions, creating a field of crackling electricity and fire around them.
Not only knights and mages, but this brat can also summon demons?
Is this even the Card Mage I know?!
After a brief moment of shock, Zero tried to bypass the blocking Archfiend of Gilfer to destroy Chase directly. But the archfiend clung to him tenaciously, attacking relentlessly.
Enraged, Zero had no choice but to turn his attention to the demon. The two engaged in an incredibly destructive close-quarters brawl at the center of the electrical and fiery field.
Chase, now with some free time, simply stood by and watched.
Though it possessed decent attack and defense, Archfiend of Gilfer was ultimately a Six-Star Monster, on par with Dark Magician Girl. Its combat effectiveness was quite limited. It was no match for Zero, who was at the level of the Ten Wizard Saints.
What Chase wanted to test was Archfiend of Gilfer's effect. When destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, it could become an Equip Card that reduced the equipped monster's attack power by 500.
Real battles were not governed by the strict rules of a card game. So was this reduction a fixed number, or was it related to the monster's stats and his own magic power like with Card Monsters?
And to what extent would the equipped target need to go to break free?
Both questions were worth exploring. They could decide the outcome of battles against even stronger opponents in the future.
Meanwhile, on the external battlefield, it was littered with defeated mages crying and pleading for mercy.
The allied forces, having easily dealt with the dark guild grunts, also noticed the sudden appearance of the crimson demon.
Natsu, who had not yet had his fill of fighting, was eager to join in. Erza forcibly dragged him back.
Ur, Jura, and the others marveled at the limitless possibilities of Chase's Card Magic. They stood in place, saying nothing, watching tacitly.
Wendy and Minerva were completely stunned, their mouths agape at the residual shockwaves of the battle affecting their area.
As for Happy, he had lost interest in the fight. He was eagerly counting on his cat paws, boasting to the cold-faced Carla about how many enemies he had single-handedly taken down.
Compared to the intense atmosphere of the battle, this area was rather peaceful. It was as if the allied forces already considered the defeat of Oración Seis a foregone conclusion.
BOOM!
A beam of dark light shot into the sky, piercing through the sturdy crimson bone armor and spikes.
As Chase had predicted, Archfiend of Gilfer was no match for Zero. After a few exchanges, it was shattered, scattering into specks of light.
"HAHAHA! Destruction! Destruction!!" Zero roared excitedly. His wild, disheveled white hair made the destruction-obsessed madman look even more unhinged.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply. He noticed fragments floating in the air, showing no sign of disappearing.
The next moment, the glowing specks of light emitted a red glow. They rapidly gathered on Zero's body, forming a spiked demonic armor.
As the armor seeped into his skin, Zero immediately and with alarm sensed his physical functions and magic power rapidly declining. A very noticeable weakening had set in.
This unfamiliar, strange sensation made his heart race. He whipped out his flexible Darkness Whip and lashed at the demonic armor wildly.
But the armor stuck to him like a stubborn plaster. Even when he shattered it, it instantly reformed!
"What the hell is this thing? Why cannot I destroy it?!" Zero was beginning to panic.
Chase, feeling the drain on his own magic power, looked enlightened.
I see. So as long as my magic power is not depleted, the equipped state can be maintained?
Not a bad effect.
"Your magic power is weaker than mine. Is it not natural that you cannot destroy it?"
"What nonsense is that?! I am Zero, the master of Oración Seis! There is nothing in this world I cannot destroy!"
Whether because Chase's words had struck a nerve or he was simply desperate to rid himself of the demonic armor, Zero's expression twisted. He threw his arms wide and exploded with all of his magic power without reservation.
He was getting ready to go all out!
Seeing this, under Zero's incredulous gaze, Chase lightly snapped his fingers.
The effect of Archfiend of Gilfer as an Equip Card immediately ended, and the demon returned to the deck space.
Though he could have worn down Zero's magic power by repeatedly destroying and reforming the armor, that would have been boring.
And it would also ruin what little chance he had of getting new cards.
Having made his decision, Chase walked slowly over to Zero. "My companions are waiting, Master Zero. Let me see all of your strength."
"Heh. An ignorant child. I hope you do not regret this."
Bathed in the storm of his magic power, Zero grinned. He did not refuse Chase's "suicidal request." Instead, he moved his arms in a motion reminiscent of Tai Chi.
"Genesis: Zero! "
The moment his words fell, accompanied by an eerie, cold wind, a flood of black-purple ghosts poured from his palms. Like a raging tsunami, they engulfed Chase.
Inside the cold, dark space.
Chase floated weightlessly in midair. The cries of ghosts echoed in his ears. Looking out, all was nothingness.
His magic power became restless, rapidly draining away. A feeling of powerlessness and despair uncontrollably spread through every nerve in his body.
Having deeply experienced the crisis that the "powered-up" Natsu had faced in the original story, Chase did not show any fear. Instead, a smile of exhilaration appeared on his lips.
This heart-pounding, adrenaline-rushing tension... this is what a real fight should feel like!
"Heh heh. It is too late for regrets now. Just disappear into nothingness, brat."
Outside, looking at Chase being completely consumed by Genesis, Zero turned away with confidence. "Now then, I will go and take care of the others..."
CRACK.
The sudden sound, like shattering glass, made Zero freeze.
In an instant, his blood-red eyes went wide. He witnessed an unforgettable, shocking sight.
A holy crimson light burst forth. Slifer the Sky Dragon's wings dispelled the dark mist. Slifer the Sky Dragon's claws tore through the ghosts.
Slifer the Sky Dragon's roar shattered Zero's proud ultimate magic in an instant!
"That is... a dragon?"
"No! This presence, far superior to any dragon... is a god?!"
Zero's earlier arrogance and madness were gone. He stared up at the slowly forming phantom of Slifer the Sky Dragon in utter terror.
His will to fight gone, he stumbled backward. His entire body trembled.
In truth, in terms of raw power alone, if Chase did not use his full card buffs, Zero could have at least put up a fight against the God Slayer Magic.
The reason he appeared so pathetic was due to the psychological shock of having his strongest dark magic torn apart. But there was an even more important reason.
Zero knew too much.
As a former director of a magical research institute, his knowledge far exceeded that of ordinary Ten Wizard Saints like Jura. He knew that the world contained not only demons and dragons but also gods—supreme beings that reign above all.
And the phantom of Slifer the Sky Dragon that Chase had manifested was clearly not some fake God Slayer Magic that could be used by studying ancient tomes. That divine presence was far too real!
"Y-you monster... just who are you?!" Zero screamed, trying to bolster his rapidly crumbling confidence.
Though he had shouted that at the dragon phantom, Chase still obligingly turned slightly and revealed the emblem on his right arm. "As you can see, I am a mage of Fairy Tail."
"Fairy Tail? FAIRY TAIL! DESTRUCTION! DESTRUCTION!!"
Under the dual assault of visual and psychological shock, Zero's mental state seemed to be deteriorating. His magic power went out of control.
Countless beams of dark green light exploded, wantonly destroying everything around him.
The phantom of Slifer the Sky Dragon blocked the incoming beams of destruction. Chase expresslessly raised his right arm.
Perhaps influenced by the old master's philosophy, or perhaps because he was not a killer by nature, Chase usually did not go for the kill. Most of the time, he would either cripple his enemies on the spot or send them to prison.
But Brain, who had committed every evil imaginable, was an exception. There was no reason to hold back.
He did not even have the right to be recycled by necromancy.
"God Slayer Secret Art: Slifer the Sky Dragon's Superconducting Wave! "
BOOM!!
The ground shook. A pillar of divine light shot into the sky. An earth-shattering explosion rang out across the entire forest.
Under the judgment of a "god," Brain, the source of all evil, was utterly annihilated, scattering into nothingness.
***
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