Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Gildarts

The chaotic energy of the impromptu dance party eventually burned itself out, leaving the Fairy Tail members to spend another two days at their temporary base. The Magic Council required supplementary testimonies to compile their official reports, and the guild obliged.

Since the cause and progression of the Phantom Lord incident were entirely straightforward, there was no room for the usual bureaucratic debates. The overwhelming evidence meant the Council’s strict oversight was lifted a full two days earlier than anyone anticipated. By the afternoon of the fifth day, the mages were finally granted permission to move freely, though they remained on standby for any subsequent summons.

Led by a weary but proud Makarov, the Fairy Tail procession marched back into the heart of Magnolia.

“Hey! Master Makarov, you guys made it through okay!”

“When that massive Magical Giant loomed over the lake, my heart nearly stopped. Thank the heavens it didn’t smash the town to pieces.”

“You were so cool, Chase! Tearing down a giant like that!”

“Cool is one thing, but please, do us a favor and don’t wander down our street when you’re bored!”

“Mira, Erza, you both look absolutely stunning today!”

The cobblestone streets buzzed with life as residents leaned out of windows and gathered on street corners to enthusiastically greet the returning mages. Even though Fairy Tail was the primary target of the war, the guild’s swift evacuation efforts and their absolute blockade of the Magical Giant’s indiscriminate cannons had earned them a deep sense of gratitude. The town felt safe.

Lucy walked near the center of the group, listening to the overlapping shouts. She caught the name echoing most frequently and let out a soft breath. “His popularity in Magnolia is seriously off the charts.”

Happy flew up beside her, raising a small blue paw. “Aye. Even the toddlers around here know to keep a safe distance from Chase when he’s got nothing better to do.”

“So even notorious infamy still counts as fame…” Lucy rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

“Regardless of how you look at it, Chase is one of the only two mages in our entire guild who receives special treatment from Magnolia.” Mira walked gracefully beside them, a flawless, angelic smile gracing her lips as she glanced over at Chase. The S-Class mage was currently sporting a grin so fiercely competitive that a small child on the sidewalk had burst into terrified tears.

Lucy blinked, her brown eyes wide with genuine confusion. “Special treatment? What kind of special treatment?”

She had been in the guild long enough to know their destructive tendencies, but this was entirely new information.

Erza adjusted the strap of her luggage and stepped smoothly into the conversation. “It is a town-wide protocol known as the Chase Code. Every single resident of Magnolia is required to memorize it and strictly adhere to its safety regulations.”

A heavy silence fell over Lucy. She pictured a massive, leather-bound rulebook dedicated entirely to surviving a bored Yu-Gi-Oh duelist. “Wow. Only Chase could inspire an entire town to draft emergency legislation just for him.”

“You are still far too inexperienced to warrant such special treatment, Lucy. You must remain grounded and work hard,” Erza advised, her tone deadpan and entirely serious.

“Do I look like I want that kind of motivation?!” Lucy pointed a trembling finger at her own face. “Besides, having a disaster code named after you doesn’t sound like an honor!”

She paused, her mind catching up to the rest of the conversation. “Wait a second, Erza. You said one of the only two.”

Her gaze swept over the chaotic group ahead. Natsu and Gray were currently trying to trip each other, completely oblivious to any town protocols. Mira was universally adored, so she didn’t fit the disaster profile. Mystogan was a phantom.

“Could it be Laxus?” Lucy muttered, trying to piece the puzzle together.

“No, it’s Gildarts,” Mira corrected, holding up a single finger. “His strength is second only to the Master. Magnolia actually has a dedicated Gildarts Shift.”

Mira’s smile softened into something a bit more respectful. “His magic is so overwhelmingly destructive and his power so far above everyone else’s that he usually isn’t even included when people debate who Fairy Tail’s strongest mage is.”

“Leagues apart?” Lucy swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of her neck. “You mean… he’s even stronger than Chase and Erza?”

Given the absolute monsters she had watched tear Phantom Lord apart, her brain struggled to comprehend a ceiling higher than that.

“Compared to him, I am nothing but an ignorant child swinging a stick,” Erza admitted quietly, shaking her head.

Chase, having successfully finished traumatizing the local youth, strolled over to the group. His eyes sparked with a dangerous, surging battle intent. “Gildarts, huh? If I ever get the chance, I really want to fight him.”

He knew his current deck and magic reserves probably weren’t enough to secure a victory against the legendary crash mage. But as Fairy Tail’s absolute strongest card, Gildarts was bound to drop some incredibly rare, high-tier Duel Monsters cards upon defeat. Even getting thoroughly beaten into the dirt might be worth the loot drops.

Chase had arrived in this world two years ago, while Gildarts had departed on his Century Quest over three years prior. Their paths had never crossed.

“Chase, even you would meet a miserable end if you rashly challenged him,” Erza warned, her armor clinking as she shifted her weight.

“Damn it! I’m definitely going to beat that old monster into the ground next time I see him!” Natsu punched his own palm, flames licking at his knuckles.

Happy swooped down, landing directly on Natsu’s head. “Aye. Did you already forget how Gildarts knocked you out for three whole days with a single punch last time?”

“Shut up, cat! I’m way stronger now than I was three years ago!”

Gray scoffed, crossing his arms. “Give it thirty years, you idiot fireball, and you still won’t even catch a glimpse of Gildarts’s shadow.”

“Hearing you guys talk about him like this just makes him sound even more terrifying,” Lucy whimpered, hugging her arms.

“Gray, your clothes,” Mira chimed in pleasantly.

Gray looked down. “Huh?! When did that happen?!”

Amidst the familiar, comforting noise of Natsu and Gray bickering over missing pants, the procession finally reached the edge of the lake.

The laughter died in their throats.

After five days of wind and sun, the guild hall—which had at least retained a skeletal outline before they left—had completely collapsed into a jagged pile of rubble. The iconic Fairy Tail sign lay snapped in two, half-buried in the dirt. Out on the water, the colossal remains of the Magical Giant had vanished, either sinking into the murky depths or hauled away by Council enforcers.

It was a home that held decades of memories. Staring at the dilapidated mountain of crushed stone and splintered wood, a heavy, suffocating silence gripped the mages.

Kana gripped her arm. Mira’s smile faded entirely. Natsu stood frozen, his fists trembling at his sides. They had grown up within those walls.

Makarov stood at the front of the group, his aged eyes reflecting a deep, quiet sorrow. Seeing the ruins of his life’s work forced a bitter thought to the surface. At eighty-eight years old, he really needed to consider retirement.

He had agonized over the issue for years, but the perfect successor simply didn’t exist. His own son, Ivan, had the age and experience, but his heart had rotted into darkness, leading him to build a dark guild. Gildarts was a free spirit who couldn’t be tied down to a desk for more than three days a year. Laxus was a rebellious, arrogant headache who viewed his own comrades as disposable trash.

When weighing raw power, combat experience, and a genuine love for the guild’s members, Chase was undeniably the most logical choice for the Fourth Guild Master.

Makarov rubbed his temples. An image flashed through his mind of Chase sitting in the Master’s chair, casually deciding to obliterate the Magic Council headquarters over a minor dispute.

A sharp throb pulsed behind Makarov’s eyes.

Too difficult. Finding a successor is just too damn difficult.

He let out a long, ragged sigh, deciding to simply carry the burden for a few more years.

Makarov spun around, his sorrow instantly replaced by a thunderous scowl. He slammed his staff into the dirt. “You brats! What are you standing around for?! The reconstruction of our new home starts right now! If you don’t clear out this pile of trash by sundown, none of you are eating tonight!”