The terrifying energy annihilated everything around it. Deep within the dense Wise Woods, it forcibly carved out a barren wasteland.
At the far end of the wasteland, yellow sand flew everywhere. The tip of an iceberg of an ancient building, as massive as a small mountain, was revealed. It radiated a dense, dangerous aura.
"I did not have as much fun as I wanted, but at least it did not disappoint me."
Chase stood inside the massive, cratered wasteland. He deactivated his Slifer form and raised his hand, grabbing at the empty air.
Streams of light swirled around him. A brand new card appeared between his fingers.
Dark Magic Curtain. A Spell Card from the Dark Magician series. By paying half of his magic power, he could special summon Dark Magician.
If this were back when he had just arrived and was still weak, this card would have been quite powerful. He could have even used it as a trump card.
To put it simply: even a weakling like Happy could use this card to summon Dark Magician, a powerful Card Spirit.
Even now, with his magic power at the level of a high-ranking Ten Wizard Saint, this effect was not entirely useless.
This special summon did not consume any magic power. If he ever encountered an enemy so strong that he needed to use all of his cards, having an extra Dark Magician could be the key to turning the tide.
Of course, such an extreme situation was unlikely.
So, the more immediate effect of this Dark Magic Curtain was as a new card for his deck. It increased Chase's magic power limit.
"Chase!"
"Stupid master!"
Just as Chase was putting away his new card with satisfaction, Lucy and Dark Magician Girl's cheerful shouts came from behind.
Turning around, he saw the allied forces, having dealt with the dark guild grunts, running toward him.
"Not bad, brat! Just a short time apart, and you have gotten this much stronger!" Ur raised her hand and slapped Chase hard on the shoulder.
Even she, with her extensive experience, was surprised by that powerful God Slayer Secret Art.
Looking around the shocking, devastated battlefield and sensing the complete disappearance of the Oración Seis master's presence, a faint worry appeared on Ur's face.
The Oración Seis subjugation mission was complete. The reputation and contributions needed for the Ten Wizard Saints evaluation were no longer a problem. But just thinking about having Chase as a competitor gave her a headache.
Jura, standing quietly at the back of the group, also had a worried look on his face. He was the one Chase had challenged.
"Sorry, Ur. I should have left that guy for you," Chase said, scratching his head with a grin.
Besides squeezing every last drop of value from Brain in terms of card drops, he had also been worried that Ur, who was too kind-hearted, might not have been able to finish him off.
Even though Brain had committed the horrible crime of taking her daughter from her.
"That kind of thing does not matter. Having died once, I am already perfectly content to be able to see Ultear from time to time like this."
Ur glanced sideways at the half-naked Gray and Lyon beside her. She hooked them each in an arm and pulled them into a headlock.
"Of course, I also have these two idiot disciples!"
"Damn it, Ur! I cannot breathe! Let go!" x2
"Ahahaha! You two are still so cute~" Ur laughed heartily.
Through this Oración Seis subjugation mission, she had witnessed the growth of Gray and Lyon firsthand. She felt happy to have the opportunity to fight alongside them.
"Damn it! I have not had enough fighting yet! Why did it end so quickly?!"
Completely dissatisfied, Natsu immediately turned to Lucy. His expression was dead serious. "Hey, Lucy! Fight me!"
Outwardly carefree and oblivious, Natsu was actually surprisingly sharp. While cleaning up the grunts, he had noticed that Lucy had genuinely become stronger.
"Who wants to fight you? I just want to finish this mission and go home to take a bath!" Lucy crossed her arms, refusing quite resolutely.
Influenced by Chase and with the confidence from defeating Sorano in single combat, she no longer ran from unavoidable fights. She had finally developed a small hint of a Fairy Tail mage's style.
Unfortunately, in her book, Natsu definitely did not fall into that category.
"Aye~! Carla, do you want to take a bath too?"
The perverted cat Happy immediately picked up the conversation. "Lucy's bathroom is a bit small, but overall it is quite comfortable. After your bath, there is fresh fish in the fridge, too."
"That is my house! And how do you know there is fish in the fridge?! Do not use my stuff to win favors!!"
Lucy did not give the blue cat any face. She immediately unleashed a barrage of saliva-filled complaints.
Carla also did not appreciate the offer. She still stood with her hands on her hips, turning her head away with a look of disgust.
On the other side, Erza, wearing a disgusted expression, used her long sword to hang Ichiya, who was trying to bother her, in the air.
Wendy and Minerva whispered to each other. Occasionally, they would look up and steal glances at Chase.
After working together to defeat the evil sickle-wielding wind man, their relationship had become much closer. They were now good friends who could talk about anything, unlike their initial restraint when they had first gathered at Bob's villa.
Everyone else also had smiles on their faces. They were chatting in small groups, enjoying the relaxation after the great battle.
But this peaceful atmosphere was soon broken by the sound of hurried footsteps in the distance.
Soldiers in armor, carrying shields and spears, walked forward in two neat rows. Behind them, the members of Oración Seis and the dark guild grunts were under guard.
"The Council? They sure know how to time their arrival," Erza remarked. She shook her sword, dropping Ichiya face-first into the dirt.
"When it comes to cleaning up the battlefield, they have always been this efficient, have they not?" Chase walked to her side and said with a light teasing laugh.
In the brief moment of surprise, the man leading the troops had already reached them.
It was an old acquaintance, Lahar.
"Everyone from the legal guilds. Thank you for your tremendous contributions to this operation to subjugate Oración Seis."
Lahar bowed deeply to the group. His opening words were a very standard official line. "Thanks to your efforts, you have successfully prevented a conspiracy that could have endangered the entire nation!"
The moment he finished speaking, Ichiya, who had just picked himself up off the ground with dirt still on his face, immediately jumped in to grab some attention.
"You are welcome, Council brother. We engaged in fierce battles with Oración Seis and their subordinate dark guilds. Though the enemy was strong, the bonds between comrades led us to victory!"
As he spoke, Ichiya kept striking flamboyant poses, describing the entire battle in the most exaggerated terms.
"Just as expected of Master Ichiya!" The three handsome men immediately popped up.
"Man~!" Ichiya raised his hand to flick back his flowing hair, revealing his legendary beautiful face (in his own opinion).
This display not only interrupted the flow of Lahar's speech but also left the allied forces completely speechless.
"How annoying. They get all the credit for doing nothing!" Gray's eye twitched.
"Aside from showing off when we first arrived at the villa, did this guy actually defeat any member of Oración Seis?" Lucy wanted to ask.
"HEY HEY HEY HEY!"
"Master Ichiya!"
"HEY HEY HEY HEY!"
"Winning big!"
Ichiya and his three disciples completely ignored the looks of disdain from the Council troops and started dancing a shameless victory dance.
Wait? Chase and Natsu and Happy have joined in too? And Ur?!
Even Wendy and Minerva are...
By the time Lucy finally noticed something was wrong, it was far too late. The strange dance seemed to have some kind of power. Her body was moving to the rhythm of the chant against her will.
"I-I never expected Mr. Chase to be so... so supportive..." The serious Jura looked on in disbelief.
"That is just the kind of man he is," Erza said, a faint smile appearing on her lips. Chase's figure reflected deep in her sparkling eyes.
Lahar, on the other side, cleared his throat.
Not knowing how to interrupt the scene before him, he pushed up his glasses. He decided to simply pretend not to see it. Regaining his composure, he went straight into the proper procedure.
"With that said, for your contributions to maintaining the stability of the magical world, I will report them truthfully. The corresponding honors and awards should be distributed shortly."
"Now then, please allow us to escort Oración Seis and the members of their subordinate dark guilds back to the Council to stand trial!"
Hearing This, Chase, Lucy, and the others finally stopped their silly celebratory dance.
No one present had any objections to Lahar's request. After all, this was originally a mission assigned by the Council.
They were the most suited to clean up the battlefield. It also saved the trouble of transportation.
After a few brief exchanges, Chase handed over Sorano, who was still sealed in a card, to Lahar.
With that, every member of the evil Oración Seis was fitted with Magic-Sealing Cuffs and loaded onto prison wagons bound for the Council's dungeons.
Watching Richard's lonely, dejected figure, Chase thought about telling him the whereabouts of his long-lost younger brother, Wally, but ultimately decided against it.
At this point, Richard had not been turned good by Nirvana's influence like in the original story. As Richard himself said after learning the truth, "This is a miracle given to those who believed in the light."
If he could eventually see the error of his ways during his long imprisonment, then even if Chase said nothing, the two long-separated brothers would eventually reunite.
"Well then, the Oración Seis subjugation mission is finally complete!"
Watching the Council's troops gradually disappear into the distance, Lucy could not help but sigh.
The others also looked relieved. They excitedly discussed the honors and awards Lahar had mentioned.
Since this was a mission directly assigned by the Council to the legal guilds, the reward would certainly be substantial!
"Say, where is Chase?" Erza suddenly asked.
"Aye~ He and Natsu went over there."
Happy pointed a paw at a raised hill in the distance. "They said something about activating Nirvana."
"Those two. We have already defeated Oración Seis, so why do they still have to..."
Mid-sentence, Erza froze. Her eyes went wide. "Wait, Happy! What did you say?!"
At the same time, Ur, Jura, Ichiya, and the others who had been chatting also realized what was happening. They all looked alarmed.
"Activate... NIRVANA?! " everyone exclaimed in unison.
***
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