Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 144

Chapter 144: New Card, The Legendary Strongest Soldier!

By the time the conversation with Master Makarov finally drew to a close, the night had deepened considerably. A bright, solitary moon hung in the sky, surrounded by a sparse scattering of stars.

Inside a cramped, rented apartment by the riverside.

“Ahhh, I’m dying to know who else is joining besides Jupiter!”

Natsu, acting entirely like the true owner of the house, lay sprawled out on the floor by the coffee table. He puffed his cheeks out into two round balls, kicking his legs in frustration. “The Master is such a pain! He just kept saying ‘you’ll know when the time comes’ over and over!”

“I want to know right now!”

Opposite him, the house’s self-proclaimed second owner, Happy, sat comfortably by the fireplace. He rubbed his little paws together toward the flames. “Natsu, you’re talking about that perverted rain woman, right? Jupiter is the magic convergence cannon from Phantom Lord, you know.”

Watching the two of them lounge around with absolutely zero sense of personal boundaries, Lucy, the actual owner of the apartment, finally snapped.

“Whether it’s Jupiter or the perverted rain woman, those nicknames are incredibly rude to give to a girl!”

She stomped her foot, pointing an accusing finger at the duo. “And more, this is my house! Why did you guys follow me here in the first place?!”

“You dead cat! Get your stinky paws off my rug!”

As her rant sped up, spit practically flew from her mouth. She glared daggers at the intruders, her chest heaving with indignation.

Just then, the ajar bathroom door slowly pushed open, accompanied by a thick cloud of warm steam.

Erza stepped out, shaking her long crimson hair. A few stray water droplets clung to her strands. Even wrapped in nothing but a simple white bath towel, her stunning figure and flawless skin were impossible to ignore.

With a look of absolute contentment, she walked over slowly and waved at the Card Player, who was sitting quietly on the sofa sipping a cup of hot tea. “Sorry, Chase, for keeping you waiting.”

“It’s fine, it took exactly the time needed to finish one pot of tea.” Chase set his teacup down on the saucer and stood up.

The Trinity Raven of the Dark Guild had carried a hefty bounty from the Magic Council. Makarov had already used that exact amount to cover the massive property damage caused by their recent battle. However, Chase’s own house was completely unsalvageable. It remained a pile of rubble even now, waiting for a construction crew to rebuild it from the ground up.

Under these circumstances, with nowhere else to go, Lucy’s place across the river had naturally become an excellent, free haven for the displaced mage.

“I can let it slide with Chase, but why is Erza, who literally lives in the girls’ dormitory, appearing here too…” Lucy muttered, truly on the verge of a mental breakdown.

It was true that these guys not treating her like an outsider was something to be happy about, but this was crossing the line into blatant trespassing! If she had a choice, she would really appreciate just a tiny shred of personal space.

“Well, I just feel much more relaxed at Lucy’s place.”

Erza seemed to finally realize that her behavior might be crossing a line. She offered a gentle, apologetic look. “Sorry, Lucy. Am I causing you trouble?”

The sudden, genuine seriousness in Erza’s tone made Lucy freeze up in embarrassment. “I-it’s alright. I’m used to it anyway.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. The little person inside her brain began screaming and pulling its hair out: ‘Ahhh! Why! Why didn’t I just firmly refuse her?!’At the exact same time, the angelic little Lucy popped up on her shoulder:’We are all partners, and Erza has given us so much help. Kicking her out into the cold night like this would be way too rude!’

In the end, the soft-hearted Lucy gave up the internal struggle. She plopped down heavily onto the sofa and let out a long, defeated sigh.

“Don’t worry, Lucy. I won’t freeload for nothing. I’ll cover the rent for this month and the next,” Chase said, glancing back over his shoulder as he walked toward the bathroom door.

“Mm, I can help out with some of the utility bills too,” Erza added with a nod.

“Really? That’s awesome!”

Lucy, who had been drowning in financial despair just moments prior, instantly perked up. Her beautiful big eyes blinked rapidly, sparkling with the unmistakable luster of a hopeless pauper who had just struck gold.

“Then, Chase, please feel free to make yourself at home! Stay as long as you… er, stay for a month if you want!”

“And Erza, the bathroom in this house is always open to you!”

Happy watched this shameless, money-grubbing display from the fireplace. He curled his tongue in disgust and muttered quietly, “Natsu, I’ve just witnessed the ugly face of humanity with my own eyes.”

“Lucy has always been that kind of person.” Natsu nodded heavily, his tone filled with absolute conviction.

Lucy’s eye twitched violently. “…Hey! I’m talking about you two freeloading idiots!”

In the end, Erza, who had originally claimed she was going back to the girls’ dormitory, stayed the night anyway. Her reasoning was that she felt worried about leaving Lucy alone with two and a half males.

Natsu and Happy had wanted to take this rare sleepover opportunity to play an exciting round of the King Game, but everyone had been running around fighting and dealing with the Council all day. Exhaustion quickly took over, and the potential late-night antics came to nothing.

Moonlight spilled onto the silent street outside, bringing a sense of tranquility and comfort to the slightly crowded little apartment.

As the girls, Erza and Lucy naturally took the bed, while Chase, Natsu, and Happy made makeshift beds on the floor.

Listening to the rhythmic, rumbling sound of Natsu’s snoring right beside his ear, Chase rested his head against Happy’s soft fur. He closed his eyes slightly and let his consciousness sink deep into the Card Space.

After taking down Jellal, there had been the complicated matter of Ultear, followed by the grueling investigation by the Magic Council, and finally the long conversation with Makarov. Only now did he finally have the leisure time to properly meet his new partners.

At this moment, the Card Space was also draped in the dead of night, the artificial sky dotted with twinkling stars.

There was actually no real concept of day and night in this realm. The environment simply simulated a weather cycle synchronized with reality to give the card monsters a relatively normal routine.

After greeting the various monsters who immediately sensed his presence, Chase transformed into a streak of dark golden light, soaring toward a newly opened sector of the space.

This was a domain filled entirely with swirling light and suffocating darkness.

Just standing on the perimeter, one could feel an impossibly sharp fighting spirit radiating from the chaotic radiance.

Similar to Lucy’s Celestial Spirit Magic, whenever he obtained a new card monster, Chase needed to establish a formal contract with it. However, this type of contract didn’t come with a laundry list of mandatory clauses or summoning schedules. It was simply a more formal greeting between warriors.

After all, Chase was the absolute master of the deck. That authority, of course, came with the prerequisite that he possessed sufficiently strong magic power to command them, just like when he dominated Slifer the Sky Dragon.

The two new cards that had dropped from Jellal this time belonged to a matching, bound set.

They were the monster card “Black Luster Soldier” and the spell card “Chaos Ritual”!

Black Luster Soldier: An eight-star monster card born from the chaos field where light and darkness intertwine. Possessing overwhelming attack and defense, it stood as the legendary strongest soldier.

Chaos Ritual: A ritual spell required to specially summon the Black Luster Soldier. Judging from the background lore, if the Magician of Black Chaos was the absolute pinnacle of the magical abyss, then undoubtedly, the Black Luster Soldier was the supreme powerhouse in the world of warriors.

If it had been in the past, Chase might have needed to expend a massive amount of effort just to step foot into the space where the Black Luster Soldier resided. But now, contracting an eight-star monster with magic power rivaling the Ten Wizard Saints was no longer a difficult task.

The moment he stepped through the chaos barrier, a suffocating aura of slaughter rushed toward him, heavy enough to choke a normal mage.

What came into view was a desolate battlefield set against a chaotic, swirling sky. The ground was littered with broken swords, shattered spears, and abandoned halberds.

On the only intact hill in the center of the plain, a mighty warrior holding a curved blade and a heavy shield, clad entirely in magnificent black and gold armor, slowly opened his eyes.

Bathed in the ethereal light of chaos, the Black Luster Soldier shifted his gaze to Chase. His voice rumbled out, slow and commanding.

“Obeying the contract summon. Are you my Master?”

Back in Lucy’s room.

Lucy, having tossed and turned violently for the past hour, finally couldn’t take it anymore. She threw off her corner of the quilt and sat bolt upright in bed.

“This won’t do! I can’t sleep at all!”

She stared down at the floor with slightly bloodshot eyes. Natsu’s snoring sounded like a malfunctioning train engine echoing off the walls.

“This guy… he’s really just like he was when we first met. He won’t quiet down when sleeping unless someone physically forces him to.”

Erza, noticing the sudden commotion, opened her eyes in the dark.

She gave Lucy a silent, reassuring look that clearly communicated, ‘Leave it to me.’ Slipping out from under the covers, she walked quietly over to the floor bed. Moving with the practiced familiarity of a daily routine, she grabbed Natsu by his trademark scarf, hoisted his limp body up into the air, and delivered a brutal, muffled punch straight into his abdomen.

Natsu crumpled to the ground without a sound. A small, translucent white soul floated out of his open mouth, drifting toward the ceiling.

Erza casually backhanded the little soul figure right back down his throat. She dusted off her hands with a satisfied clap and climbed back into bed.

Lucy watched the entire sequence in stunned, horrified silence. ‘No… as expected of Erza…’

“Lucy, if you still can’t sleep, just let me know. I’m actually very good at coaxing people to sleep.” Erza clenched her fist, a confident, proud smile on her face.

“No need! No need at all!” Lucy was completely wide awake now, shaking her head so fast it resembled a rattle-drum.

‘That method of coaxing someone to sleep would absolutely kill a normal person if used on me!’

“Even without using my armor to hide myself, I can now treat my partners with sincerity like this.”

Erza shifted closer, gently pulling Lucy into a warm embrace. She smiled softly, letting out a quiet sigh of relief against the pillow.

Lucy froze, her face instantly turning bright red in the dark.

The next day, the bright morning sunlight finally pierced through the lingering darkness.

At the Fairy Tail construction site.

Workers continued to dismantle the heavy scaffolding that couldn’t be finished the day prior. The interior renovation team had already entered the scene, and the sounds of shouting foremen and heavy machinery operations echoed one after another over the dirt lot.

“Good morning, Mira!”

In front of the temporary outdoor bar, Lucy greeted the white-haired barmaid with boundless energy.

Looking at her bright expression, she must have actually slept very soundly in Erza’s gentle embrace last night. But more, the crushing anxiety of not being able to pay her rent had completely vanished!

In stark contrast, Happy floated through the air looking entirely listless. “Aye… It’s so strange. That awful feeling of back pain from Galuna Island has suddenly returned.”

“Damn it! I couldn’t even beat Erza in my dreams last night, and my stomach is still aching for some reason. I definitely have to get revenge for this!” Natsu grumbled, rubbing his abdomen with a deeply displeased expression.

Hearing their complaints, Lucy offered an awkward but highly polite smile. ‘Have you idiots never considered the possibility that you actually got beaten up in real life?’

“Oh? I can’t exactly pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Erza, now fully equipped in her daily Heart Kreuz armor, walked over from behind them. She planted her hands firmly on her hips. “Do you want to challenge me right now, Natsu?”

“Aye! I was just joking!” Natsu instantly transformed into Happy number two, sweating bullets.

“Heh, how shameful.” Gray appeared from the side, a smug smirk on his face.

“Gray, you need to get along well with Natsu!” Erza commanded sharply.

“Yes! Lady Erza!” Gray snapped to attention, his smugness evaporating instantly.

Chase, who had strolled over with the rest of the group, sat silently at a nearby table, thoroughly enjoying the warm breakfast Mira had carefully prepared for him.

Seeing the food, Natsu immediately bounded over, acting entirely like a starving child as he loudly demanded to eat too.

Mira smiled her usual sweet smile and agreed. She brought out a leftover piece of cake that hadn’t sold yesterday, heated it up with a simple spell until it literally caught fire, and handed the blazing dessert to the Dragon Slayer.

Looking at that dark, sizzling cuisine engulfed in open flames, Lucy quickly retreated three steps, subconsciously shifting her chair away from the hazard zone. Having skipped breakfast at home, she and Erza ordered some milk and fresh bread that looked relatively normal. Happy, as always, received his unchanging plate of raw sashimi.

“What about you, Gray?” Mira asked, looking over at the ice mage.

“I… I don’t need any. I actually found a lunch box sitting on the side of the road on my way here. Although the design looked a bit strange, the taste was alright.” Gray raised a hand and patted his stomach contentedly.

He hadn’t been taking many job requests lately. Even when he did, the reward money usually went straight toward paying off the collateral damage he caused. His wallet was painfully tight right now, so he had to make do with whatever free meals he could find.

“You’re really not particular about where your food comes from, are you?” Mira glanced toward a pile of construction materials not far away, a deeply meaningful smile playing on her lips.

“By the way, Mira, you guys already brought in a new billiard table so quickly.”

Gray, still completely in the dark about his mysterious stalker, turned his gaze toward the large, pristine billiard table resting next to the temporary bar area.

“That’s right. This is a sample sent over by the merchant. A little spoiler for you all: the new Guild’s basement is going to be renovated into a full entertainment venue,” Mira explained cheerfully.

“I see. That sounds like it could be quite nice.”

Gray nodded in approval. He walked slowly toward the green felt table, picked up a polished wooden cue from the rack, and weighed it in his hand a few times to test the balance.

“Gray knows how to play billiards too?” Lucy picked up her glass of milk and took a sip, genuinely surprised.

“Mm-hmm, he’s actually quite an expert in this area. His skills are even a bit better than Wakaba’s.”

Mira held a finger up to her cheek thoughtfully. “Oh right, I remember Natsu seems to be quite good at it too.”

“Pfft! Even Natsu, who can’t even ride a simple bumper car without getting motion sickness, can play billiards?!”

Lucy was completely stunned by this revelation. She lost control of her mouth, and the milk she had just sipped sprayed out in a fine white mist.

Chase, who had the misfortune of sitting directly next to her, took the hit perfectly. He absorbed one hundred percent of the splash damage right to the side of his face.

“Ah?! Sorry! Sorry, Chase, I really didn’t mean to!” Lucy waved her hands frantically, her face flushing with panic as she tried to apologize.

“It’s fine.”

Chase calmly reached out, accepting the small teddy bear handkerchief Mira offered him. He wiped the milk off his face in absolute silence.

It was only because it was Lucy. If it had been Natsu or Gray who spat on him, he would have instantly summoned a monster in attack position to physically reason with them.

“Billiards, huh? Ahahaha, I’m fired up!”

Natsu threw his empty, scorch-marked plate away and sprinted over excitedly. “Bastard Ice-block! You dare to compete with me?!”

“A challenge from a former loser? No problem, I accept.” Gray’s mouth curled up into a confident smirk.

“Bastard! Last time I just wasn’t familiar with the rules!” Natsu argued, crossing his arms unhappily.

After making his excuse, he snatched the wooden cue right out of Gray’s hand. He marched over to the break area at the end of the table and lowered his body. Gripping the back of the cue firmly with one hand, he rested the other on the green felt to form a perfect bridge. He stared intently down the shaft at the white cue ball.

The incredibly professional, textbook stance left Lucy completely dumbfounded. ‘Could he actually be good at this?’

“Oh, oh, oh! Watch this! Fire Dragon’s Table Clearance!”

Natsu answered the lingering confusion in Lucy’s heart with immediate, practical action.

With a deafening boom, wooden fragments flew everywhere, and thick smoke swirled into the air.

A massive, visible crack split the brand-new billiard table straight down the middle, spreading all the way to a jagged, splintered gap at the far end. Looking around the disaster zone, the entire tabletop was covered in the shattered, pulverized remains of the billiard balls. Natsu had struck the cue ball with so much raw physical force that it acted like a cannonball.

“Tch, only six!” Natsu scratched his head with the cue stick, looking highly dissatisfied with the destruction.

“Aye, that’s already very impressive, Natsu! You broke Gray’s record!” Happy evaluated from the sidelines, clapping his paws.

“Hey, take a good look! It only takes five to beat me, okay?!”

Gray pointed angrily at a single, partially intact white ball resting in the rubble, looking completely serious. “This one hasn’t completely shattered yet! It doesn’t count!”

This utterly inhuman method of gameplay shocked Lucy so much that her eyes practically popped out of her skull. “Is playing like this really okay?!”

“Interesting. I never knew billiards had this kind of hidden gameplay.” Chase stood up from his chair, stretching his shoulders with a dark glint in his eye.

“A game of comparing who can break the most balls with a single strike? Hmm, I think I’ll give it a try too!”

Erza’s competitive spirit flared up instantly. A magic circle flashed around her body. “Requip! Billiard Girl!”

“There’s no such gameplay! It’s obviously just something those two meatheads created themselves! Don’t take it so seriously!”

Watching Chase roll up his sleeves and the newly re-equipped Erza march toward the wreckage, Lucy felt as if she had suddenly awakened some kind of future-sight magic. She pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed heavily, already mourning the inevitable outcome.

Rest in peace, poor Mr. Billiard Table.