Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Steel-Flame Dragon! The Perfect Fusion of Dragon Slayers!

While Mystogan clashed with Laxus in the heart of the city, a different standoff took shape in the eastern forest. The gentle breeze weaving through the trees stirred up a thin veil of dust, fluttering the coats of the four figures facing each other on the outskirts of Magnolia.

Just as expected, Freed and the Dark Magician stood squarely in the path of Mira and the Dark Magician Girl.

“Stop this, Freed. So many people are already injured. They need treatment immediately,” Mira pleaded, her voice soft but strained with worry. “You aren’t the kind of person who would hurt your own comrades. You have to know this civil war is entirely meaningless.”

A fleeting shadow of conflict crossed Freed’s eyes. His jaw tightened, and his grip on his rapier grew white-knuckled.

“I am truly sorry about this, but Laxus’s will is my will. Whatever Laxus desires, I will see it through to the bitter end, no matter the cost.” Freed raised his blade, leveling the gleaming tip directly at Mira. His expression hardened into unyielding resolve. “His priority stands above the Guild Master and everyone else. So forgive me, Mira. If you wish to pass, you must strike me down!”

As the self-proclaimed loyal shadow of the Lightning Dragon Slayer, Freed was Laxus’s most devoted follower. In some ways, their bond ran even deeper than the one shared between Natsu and Happy.

Mira lowered her head, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. “If that is your answer… then I have no choice but to force you to calm down.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Mira’s eyes narrowed. A terrifying, suffocating wave of dark purple magic erupted from her core. Her elegant burgundy dress whipped violently in the sudden gale, tearing and shifting as the oppressive, demonic armor of her Satan Soul took form.

Freed didn’t hesitate. He swung his rapier, carving glowing purple runes into the air to cast a Dark Écriture enchantment upon himself. Beside him, the Dark Magician uncrossed his arms, twirling his emerald-tipped staff as an equally immense aura of magical energy flared to life.

“I don’t know how that green-haired guy tricked you, you smelly Master, but your opponent is me!”

The Dark Magician Girl stepped forward, a vibrant pink light illuminating her silhouette. She pointed her staff forward, her chin raised with absolute arrogance.

The Dark Magician’s eyes narrowed slightly beneath his pointed hat. He quickly identified the source of his foolish apprentice’s newfound confidence—a dark brown, leather-bound tome floating right beside her shoulder.

It was the Magic Formula, an Equip Spell Card exclusive to their lineage. It drastically expanded the user’s magical reserves and raw output. Judging purely by the numerical increase provided by the card’s effect, the Dark Magician Girl’s raw power had temporarily eclipsed his own!

“A battle between spellcasters is not decided solely by the brute strength of one’s magic, my foolish disciple,” the Dark Magician said, his tone perfectly calm and measured.

“We’re enemies right now! Don’t try to lecture me!” The Dark Magician Girl puffed out her cheeks. Her staff flared with blinding pink energy as she launched the first strike.

At the exact moment the master-and-apprentice duel commenced, the demonic Mira and the rune-enhanced Freed clashed in the sky, a blur of high-speed strikes and parries.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shockwaves of colliding magic tore through the sparsely populated forest. The deafening roars echoed all the way back to the city. The ordinary citizens of Magnolia, looking up at the flashing lights in the distance and the hovering lacrima of the Thunder Palace above, simply smiled and praised Fairy Tail for putting on such an extravagant fireworks display this year.

Under Chase’s constant, chaotic “training,” the civilian hearts of Magnolia had truly grown forged of steel.

Meanwhile, inside the Fairy Tail Guildhall.

Makarov sat slumped in a chair, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. A small bottle of heart medication rested on the table beside him.

Just moments ago, Levy had successfully rewritten the barrier runes Freed had left behind. The old man had fully intended to charge out into the city, ready to fight alongside Natsu and Gajeel and beat some sense into his ungrateful grandson.

Unfortunately, the sheer spike of rage and adrenaline had triggered a severe heart palpitation. While it wasn’t life-threatening, stepping onto the battlefield was now a physical impossibility.

“Master, please rest easy here in the guild. Even if Natsu and Gajeel struggle, Chase absolutely won’t just stand by and watch!” Levy said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I really have to admit… I’m getting old.” Makarov let out a long, rattling sigh. “How is Bisca?”

Earlier, Bisca had taken aim at the Thunder Palace with her sniper rifle, hoping to shoot the floating lacrima down. Instead, she had triggered the organic link magic, suffering a massive backlash of lightning that left her unconscious on the floor. Trying to destroy three hundred independent, counter-attacking lacrima with conventional methods was suicide.

“She isn’t in any mortal danger, but she’ll need time to recover,” Levy replied softly.

Remembering the devastating lightning strike she had witnessed on the roof, Levy’s hands curled into tight fists. Her eyes darkened. “Laxus… he’s really gone too far this time!”

“I am sorry, Levy. I’m sorry for frightening you all. This only happened because I indulged that boy for too long—”

“No! This isn’t your fault at all, Master!”

Across town, inside the cavernous abandoned factory.

Chase sat cross-legged on the elevated duelist platform, his eyes half-closed as he waited for the next challenger. Ever since a thoroughly defeated Lucy had dragged herself away, the factory had remained quiet. With the guild’s numbers dwindling, only a handful of members were even left standing.

Suddenly, the heavy iron doors of the factory were kicked off their hinges, slamming into the concrete floor with a deafening crash.

“Damn it, Chase! Hurry up and fight me!!”

Natsu stormed inside, stepping right over the dented metal doors, his fists ignited and a feral grin plastered across his face. He scanned the empty lower floor, his fiery enthusiasm dimming into confusion.

“Huh? That’s weird. Is that guy not here?”

Frustrated, Natsu jogged up to the edge of the duelist platform. Spotting a figure sitting with his back turned, Natsu cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled politely, “Hey! You there! Young man with the crab haircut! Have you seen a guy who likes to play cards around here?”

“Before you ask a question that stupid…” Chase sighed, genuinely amazed by the Dragon Slayer’s natural idiocy. He slowly stood up and turned around. “Care to take a closer look at who you’re talking to?”

“Ch-Chase?! Whoa, what a cool haircut!” Natsu’s eyes practically turned into sparkling stars. “Where did you get it cut? I want one exactly like it!”

“Mr. Tony’s Hair Salon, down on South Street 6,” Chase replied, a dry smile tugging at his lips.

“Awesome!” Natsu spun on his heel and sprinted back toward the ruined doorway.

Halfway outside, his boots skidded against the concrete. He blinked, the actual purpose of his visit finally rebooting in his brain. He whipped back around, pointing an accusing finger at the platform.

“Wait, no! The haircut can wait! Right now, I’m gonna beat you, then I’m gonna beat Laxus into the dirt, and I’m gonna take the championship of this strongest competition!”

“A noble goal.” Chase casually dusted off his coat and held up two fingers. “Just like everyone before you, you have two choices. We can battle, or we can play a game of—”

“I choose battle!”

Before Chase could even finish the sentence, Natsu launched himself off the floor, roaring as he brought a blazing Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist straight toward Chase’s face.

Chase didn’t even shift his stance. He simply raised his right hand.

With one effortless block, a slight shift in momentum, and a casual flick of his wrist, Natsu’s entire forward charge was redirected. The Fire Dragon Slayer was sent hurtling backward like a discarded ragdoll. He crashed headfirst into a towering pile of rusted steel beams, his neck bending at a comical angle as he instantly fell unconscious.

“Well, you brought that on yourself. Next!”

“It’s already over?!” Evergreen shrieked from the corner. Still securely bound by magical ropes, she had officially taken over Lucy’s role as the resident spectator.

“Heh. I told you to use your brain before charging in, and look at you. Making a complete fool of yourself.”

The heavy thud of steel-toed boots echoed through the factory. Gajeel strolled through the broken doorway, a wicked smirk on his face as he stared at Natsu’s twitching legs sticking out of the scrap pile.

Triggered by the insult, Natsu’s eyes snapped open. He ripped himself out of the metal debris, his sharp teeth bared as he screamed at Gajeel. “Shut up! If you’ve got so much guts, why don’t you go fight him?!”

“He was literally giving you two options, you idiot! Couldn’t you wait three seconds for him to finish talking?!”

“A coward like you would probably choose a card game over a real fight anyway!”

“You wanna die, you damn salamander?!”

“Bring it on! If I can’t beat Chase, I’ll just beat the scrap iron out of you instead!”

“Say that to my face, you bastard!!”

The two Dragon Slayers lunged at each other, pressing their foreheads together as sparks literally flew between their glaring eyes. They looked entirely ready to abandon the civil war just to brawl in the dirt.

Evergreen’s eye twitched violently. I can’t believe I was actually worried Chase might lose to these two idiots…

“I have to ask, what exactly are you two doing here?” Chase yawned, stretching his arms over his head. “If you just want to kill each other, please take it outside.”

“Stay out of this! It’s none of your business!” Natsu barked over his shoulder.

The interruption, however, seemed to cool Gajeel’s temper just enough. He shoved Natsu back, crossing his arms.

“Listen, Fire Dragon. Let’s put our personal garbage on hold. Finishing the job the old man gave us is more important right now.” Gajeel shifted his crimson eyes toward the duelist platform, a dangerous grin stretching across his scarred face. “Neither of us can take this monster down alone. So… how about a team-up?”

“Huh? Team up? Didn’t you literally just say the sky isn’t big enough for two dragons?” Natsu spat, crossing his own arms. “Wait, no, Happy said that! But I meant the same thing!”

Gajeel clenched his iron-scaled fist, his magical power flaring as his battle lust spiked. “Yeah, well, if the guy standing across from us is basically a ‘god,’ making a slight exception makes sense, doesn’t it?”

During his time sulking in the dark corners of the guildhall, chewing on iron mugs, Gajeel had overheard Mira and the others talking. They claimed Chase possessed God Slayer Magic—an ancient art even rarer and more destructive than their own Dragon Slayer Magic.

Natsu stared at Chase’s relaxed, utterly unbothered posture. He slammed his fists together, igniting a fresh burst of flames. “Fine. But let’s get one thing straight. This is a one-time deal.”

“Obviously. I’m still gonna kick your teeth in when this is over!”

Taking a deep breath in perfect synchronization, the two Dragon Slayers unleashed their absolute maximum magical power.

A roaring blue cyclone of iron and a blistering red tornado of fire erupted from their bodies, tearing through the abandoned factory and shattering the remaining glass windows!

Just as Natsu and Gajeel stepped forward, ready to launch a devastating combined assault, the magical storms surrounding them suddenly warped. An invisible, gravitational force seized their magic, twisting the fire and iron together into a violent, swirling vortex.

Beneath their boots, a massive, glowing magical circle materialized. The complex, intersecting lines perfectly matched the backing of a Duel Monster card.

“Since you two are so conflicted about the whole ‘two dragons’ issue, allow me to help you out.”

Chase smirked, casually flipping a spell card between his index and middle fingers.

Polymerization!

The Ice-Flame Dragon, born from the fusion of Natsu and Gray’s polar-opposite elements, had already proven to be a terrifying force, easily matching the destructive output of an S-Class Mage. So, what would happen if he fused Natsu and Gajeel—two genuine Dragon Slayers?

Chase had entertained the idea the moment Gajeel joined the guild, but he’d never found the right excuse to test it. Now, with Laxus’s civil war raging and both dragons standing right in front of him, the opportunity was simply too perfect to pass up.

“W-Wait! Hold on! I don’t wanna merge with this metal freak!!”

Feeling his body begin to stretch and distort into the familiar, terrifying pull of the fusion vortex, Natsu panicked, thrashing wildly against the magical current.

“What the hell?! Merge?! Me and this damn salamander?!!!” Gajeel, experiencing the unnatural phenomenon for the first time, let out a genuinely horrified scream.

But against the absolute authority of the spell card, their resistance meant nothing. The vortex violently dragged both screaming slayers into its epicenter. A blinding pillar of white light erupted, illuminating the entire industrial district!

“Wh-What just happened?” Evergreen gasped, her pupils shrinking as she stared into the fading light.

Standing in the center of the crater was a heavily muscled warrior. His long, wild hair was split perfectly down the middle—half pitch-black, half cherry-blossom pink. Iron studs lined his eyebrows and the bridge of his nose, while Natsu’s signature white scale-patterned scarf whipped around his neck. His coat was a chaotic patchwork of their respective outfits, and symmetrical Fairy Tail guild marks were branded onto both of his shoulders.

He stood tall, his gaze sharp and piercing. Just looking at him, one could feel the incredibly dense, devastating aura of a supreme warrior—

Smack!

“Ahhh! So hot! Did someone turn on a furnace in here?! Why am I boiling alive?!”

The ultimate warrior suddenly backhanded himself across the left cheek. “Control your own body heat, you flaming idiot! Turn the temperature down!”

“Isn’t fire supposed to be hot?! And why does my skin feel like a rusty door hinge?! This stiffness is driving me crazy!”

The warrior raised his right fist and delivered a brutal uppercut to his own right jaw.

“I’m an Iron Dragon Slayer! Of course my body is hard, you moron! Damn it! If you get any hotter, I’m actually gonna melt!!”

Thud! Whack! Crash!

The intimidating aura lasted for exactly three seconds. Amidst a schizophrenic shouting match, ‘Nagiru’ began violently beating himself up, rolling around in the dirt and throwing haymakers at his own face.

“I… I see. So this was your master plan.” Evergreen looked up at Chase, genuine terror swimming in her eyes. “You truly are a diabolical man.”

To completely neutralize two immensely powerful Dragon Slayers with a single card by forcing them to destroy themselves from the inside out… it was terrifyingly brilliant.

Chase, however, was staring at the dust cloud where Nagiru was currently trying to bite his own arm off. His smile had completely frozen. He didn’t even bother correcting Evergreen.

This shouldn’t be happening, Chase thought, a bead of sweat dropping down his temple. They’re both Dragon Slayers. Their magical compatibility should be flawless. Even if their personalities clash, the physical fusion shouldn’t reject itself like this. The Ice-Flame Dragon worked perfectly, and Natsu and Gray hate each other just as much!

Unless…

Chase’s eyes widened slightly as a sudden realization hit him.

Deep within a crimson, metaphysical realm, rivers of molten magma flowed endlessly beneath erupting volcanoes.

A cluster of shimmering blue light descended into this hellish landscape, hovering just above the bubbling lava.

“I did not intend to intrude, but I certainly didn’t expect our reunion to happen under these circumstances… Fire Dragon King.” The blue light pulsed, projecting a deep, metallic voice.

Within the dense curtain of fire, a pair of colossal, oppressive reptilian eyes slowly opened.

“It has been a long time, Metallicana.”

“Care to explain what exactly is happening right now?” the Iron Dragon demanded. Up until a few moments ago, Metallicana had been in a state of absolute hibernation. He had no idea how his consciousness had been dragged into Igneel’s soul space.

“The answer is right in front of you. Your child and my child have been temporarily fused together.” Igneel exhaled, sending a rolling wave of superheated air across the magma. Having already witnessed the fusion of Natsu and Gray, Igneel knew exactly whose magic was responsible.

“Human magic has advanced to this absurd degree?!” Metallicana sounded genuinely shocked.

“No. That is not human magic. It is an ability entirely unique to that man.”

Igneel shifted his massive head, peering through Natsu’s shared vision at the human standing on the duelist platform. “Earlier… I sensed an aura radiating from him. An aura that made even my scales crawl.”

“An aura that frightened you? Is it Acnologia?”

“No. It may be something even higher than Acnologia.” Igneel’s rumbling voice grew deathly serious. “A god.”

“A god? Impossible! How could a mortal possess the presence of a god?!” Metallicana roared in disbelief. As a ruler of the ancient era, he knew the myths. Gods were forbidden, catastrophic entities capable of wiping out continents with a mere thought.

“I am not certain myself. But if it is true… our hopes of destroying Acnologia have just increased exponentially.”

Sensing that Metallicana was about to bombard him with more questions, the Fire Dragon King let out an irritated growl. “Enough! That is merely my speculation. Now get out of my domain!”

This arrogant old lizard… Metallicana cursed internally. Though furious at the dismissal, he knew better than to pick a fight with the Fire Dragon King inside a volcano. Suppressing his temper, the blue light shot upward, leaving the magma realm behind.

The moment the two ancient dragons concluded their meeting, the violent rejection within Nagiru’s body vanished completely.

The clashing temperatures equalized. The stiff iron and volatile flames synchronized perfectly, weaving together into a terrifying, skyrocketing pillar of magic!

“Ohhh yeah! I’m back in action!!” Nagiru roared, his dual-toned voice echoing with immense power.

He cracked his knuckles, the sound like grinding steel, and pointed a fiery finger at the platform. “Get ready to be beaten into a pulp by the Steel-Flame Dragon, Chase!”