Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 177

Chapter 177: Fantasia Parade

“Speaking of which, Chase, are your injuries really going to be alright?” Mira asked, her brow furrowing with genuine concern.

The memory of yesterday’s devastating battle, which had effectively leveled most of Magnolia’s suburbs, remained vividly etched in her mind. Chase had forcefully caught Laxus’s final, desperate strike barehanded. Taking the ultimate technique of a Lightning Dragon Slayer head-on had left his arm severely scorched by residual high-voltage magic. Had it not been for Porlyusica’s immediate and aggressive medical intervention, he likely wouldn’t even have basic mobility in that limb right now.

“It’s just a minor scratch. A good night’s sleep and I’m as good as new.” Chase waved his uninjured hand with breezy dismissal.

Mira offered a sweet, silent smile. She stepped closer, her flawless white finger extending to gently poke Chase’s firm bicep.

“Hiss—”

The effortless cool on Chase’s face shattered instantly, replaced by a sharp intake of breath. Given his monstrous recovery rate and Porlyusica’s salves, a normal touch shouldn’t have registered at all. That was exactly why he had confidently let Mira poke him. He hadn’t accounted for the cunning white-haired barmaid secretly channeling a concentrated spark of Magic Power directly into her fingertip.

“See? Overdoing it isn’t a good thing.” Mira’s eyes curved into happy, innocent crescents.

Let this smug card-slinger try to act tough in front of her.

Watching from the sidelines, Lucy felt a cold sweat break out on her neck. ‘Mira is terrifying. If she were his girlfriend, he wouldn’t survive a week.’ She couldn’t help but shoot Chase a look of deep pity.

A brilliant magic circle flared to life on the floorboards just in time to save Chase from further embarrassment. Dark Magician Girl materialized in a dazzling swirl of blue and pink robes, her blonde hair bouncing as she landed. Before the magical light even faded, she practically launched herself into Mira’s welcoming embrace.

“Finished with work already?” Mira asked, catching the energetic spirit.

“There’s still a ton to do, but I had to get ready for tonight’s Fantasia Parade, so I sneaked out early!”

As the current most popular cover model for Sorcerer Weekly, Dark Magician Girl was a highly anticipated guest for the festival. Half the tourists in town had traveled solely for a glimpse of her. The sheer volume of her popularity was obvious—Max’s entire inventory of Dark Magician Girl merchandise had sold out before noon.

“I see. And where is Mr. Dark Magician?” Mira looked around the empty space behind the girl.

“I asked him before I came over, but he shot me down immediately.” Chase spread his hands, answering for his spirit.

The ultimate wizard’s personality leaned heavily toward the aloof and disciplined side. Getting him to casually lounge around the chaotic guild hall was rare enough; convincing him to perform street magic on a parade float was entirely out of the question.

“Is that so? What a shame.” Mira sighed, though she didn’t look particularly surprised.

“Setting that aside…” Gray swept his gaze across the bustling guild hall. Most of the members running around carrying props were sporting fresh bandages and plaster. “Is it really a good idea to hold Fantasia so soon after… everything?”

“We must trust in the Master’s decision. The townspeople have been looking forward to this, and Fairy Tail will absolutely not disappoint them!” Erza declared. Her face, though bearing a few healing scratches, radiated an unmatched, heroic intensity.

“Ahahaha! I’m getting fired up! I’m gonna cover the whole main street in a sea of flames!” Natsu roared, punching the air.

“We’re trying to meet the residents’ expectations, not burn their houses down! Keep your dangerous ideas to yourself!” Lucy snapped, karate-chopping the back of the Dragon Slayer’s head.

Fueled by Erza’s dedication and Natsu’s sheer volume, the lingering fatigue in the hall evaporated. The guild members threw themselves into the final preparations with explosive passion.

As for Laxus…

Having received his formal notice of excommunication from the old man, he no longer showed his face in the main hall. He had quietly packed his meager belongings and slipped out through the back door.

The streets of Magnolia were already a sea of vibrant activity. Local residents paraded around in homemade Happy and Plue costumes. Tourists clutched an array of Fairy Tail souvenirs, children chased each other through the cobblestone alleys, and elderly couples walked leisurely with their grandchildren perched on their shoulders.

Laxus walked through the crowds in complete silence. He absorbed the cheerful, warm atmosphere of the town—an atmosphere that, as of today, no longer belonged to him.

Memories of his childhood, of watching the Fantasia floats with wide eyes, flickered through his mind. His stoic expression finally cracked, a subtle ripple of emotion breaking his hard facade as he reached Magnolia’s central park.

This was the designated meeting spot.

Because Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen had shown genuine remorse and understood the gravity of their actions, Makarov had spared them the ultimate punishment. They were allowed to stay. Laxus alone bore the full weight of the expulsion.

The Thunder God Tribe had been frantic, begging to leave the guild and follow him into exile. Laxus had shut them down with absolute finality.

Now, as the evening sun cast long, orange shadows across the park, tears spilled freely from the eyes of his three most loyal followers. They stood rooted to the spot in agony, watching Laxus’s broad back slowly recede down the path until he vanished completely from sight. They didn’t know when, or if, they would ever see him again, but they carved the hope of that day into their hearts.

Time slipped away, and the sky deepened into a rich, starry black.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Massive magical fireworks launched into the stratosphere, detonating into colossal, multicolored blossoms of flame. The deafening cheers of the crowd signaled the official commencement of Fairy Tail’s annual Fantasia Parade.

Confetti cannons fired, raining glowing stars, hearts, and geometric lights over the streets. The massive, carefully designed floats rolled out from the guild’s staging grounds, beginning their slow, triumphant march along the main avenue.

An oversized, mechanical Happy doll led the procession, waving its paws at the screaming audience. Right behind it rolled a sleek, elevated platform.

Cana stood at the edge, dressed in a striking, glittering outfit. She flicked her wrist, and a deck of fortune-telling cards spiraled into the air, instantly transmuting into a cascading shower of luminescent blades. Flanking her, Macao and Wakaba exhaled synchronized streams of purple and blue smoke, shaping the vapor into the massive, swirling letters of “Fairy Tail.”

The crowd went wild, shaking their glow sticks and cheering props.

“Dad actually looks pretty cool for once!” Romeo cheered from his spot on the sidewalk, a massive grin on his face.

Next came a rolling jungle diorama. Jet and Droy darted through the artificial foliage, battling mechanical monsters, while Max and Alzack provided covering fire in sharp hunter uniforms. It was a flawless, high-speed simulation of a wilderness subjugation quest.

Before the audience could fully process the kinetic action, a collective gasp swept through the street. The beauty stage had arrived.

Lucy, Bisca, and Levy stood atop a tiered platform, adorned in stunning, flowing gowns. Their ribbons trailed through the air as they performed a synchronized dance, instantly capturing the undivided attention of every male in the front row.

A burst of golden starlight erupted from the center. When it cleared, Lucy had shifted into her Canis Minor Star Dress, the adorable, frilly outfit sending the crowd into a frenzy of flashing cameras.

“Sob… this is magnificent. Truly magnificent. To think I would live long enough to see the young miss shine so brightly!”

Tucked away on the sidelines, the disguised staff of the Heartfilia Estate clung to each other, weeping openly. Stella, the head maid who had practically raised Lucy, was completely overcome with emotion.

In a different timeline, the Heartfilia Konzern would have already collapsed under financial ruin, and these servants would have been scattered to the winds.

“Stella, pull yourself together. You’re causing a scene,” Jude’s deep voice rumbled nearby.

To avoid drawing unwanted attention to a major corporate president, Jude wore a cheap plastic Happy mask over his face. The visual was absurdly comical, yet it couldn’t hide the hot, proud tears pooling behind the eyeholes.

Watching his daughter dance freely under the magical lights, Jude felt a deep wave of gratitude. Just days ago, he had uncovered a massive corporate conspiracy aimed at liquidating his entire empire—a plot that had been abruptly abandoned by his rivals out of sheer terror upon realizing the Heartfilia heir was under the absolute protection of Fairy Tail.

Jude looked up at the night sky, his heart swelling. ‘Do you see her, Layla? Lucy is the greatest treasure we ever created.’

A booming roar shattered the tender moment. Elfman flexed atop the next float, fully transformed via his Beast Soul, sending a group of toddlers into a screaming panic.

Not to be outdone by her younger brother, Mira emerged from a massive, blooming lotus flower. With a graceful twirl of her white hair, she shifted her form—instantly transforming into a grotesque, giant python sporting a single, ridiculous tuft of white hair on its head.

The tourists who had traveled miles specifically to see the beautiful Mirajane stood frozen, their jaws unhinged in sheer horror.

Thankfully, a streak of pink light swooped in to heal their psychological damage. Dark Magician Girl rode her staff like a broomstick, doing loops around the ugly python and leaving trails of glowing pink hearts in her wake. She struck a perfect peace-sign pose at the edge of the float, drawing a deafening roar of approval.

An complex castle of solid ice glided forward next. Gray and Juvia stood at the highest balcony, wearing perfectly matching dark blue formal wear. They locked eyes, raised their hands in perfect synchronization, and unleashed a torrent of water that instantly flash-froze into a glittering, crystalline Fairy Tail emblem.

“Oh my, how adorable! Is that lovely water mage Gray’s girlfriend?” Ur clapped her hands from the crowd, her eyes narrowing with the intense, calculating scrutiny of a mother-in-law evaluating a prospect.

Having recently taken the reins of the Sabertooth guild, she was buried in administrative hell. She had blatantly abused her authority to sneak out on an “official diplomatic business trip” just to watch her foolish pupil perform.

Standing a few feet away in the crowd were Lyon, Sherry, Yuka, and Toby from Lamia Scale.

“Juvia…” Lyon murmured, gazing blankly at the water mage on the float, completely entranced.

“Lyon-sama…” Sherry whispered, gazing blankly at Lyon’s profile, her hands clasped to her chest.

Ur caught the exchange from the corner of her eye. Her mouth twitched. ‘Well, this is going to be a massive headache.’

The Fantasia procession marched on. Erza dazzled the crowd with a rapid-fire requip dance, her hair tied into four long ponytails. Natsu and Happy breathed streams of interlocking fire. Vijeeter, Nab, Warren, and Reedus spun wildly on a rotating mini-castle, while Laki cheerfully demonstrated the mechanics of medieval wooden torture devices to a deeply confused section of the audience.

The festive, chaotic rhythm of the parade was suddenly overtaken by a heavy, pulsating musical beat.

The music itself was incredible—a grand, sweeping, passionate melody that made the blood boil. The issue was the source. Gajeel the Iron Dragon sat at a grand piano atop a float made entirely of riveted steel, dressed in a crisp white suit and black sunglasses, hammering the keys with terrifying intensity.

“Gihi! Keep your eyes peeled, punks! Next up is the passionate Duelist!” Gajeel barked into a microphone, snapping his fingers.

A colossal blue magic circle expanded behind him. A throne forged of dark metal slowly rose from the floorboards. Blinding golden light erupted from the throne, forcing the audience to shield their eyes.

From within the hurricane of light, a dark blue cloak snapped in the wind. Chase sat casually on the throne, his signature spiky hair defying gravity. He raised his right hand, a single card pinched between his fingers.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.

Three distinct streams of light—crimson, azure, and gold—shot from the card, piercing the clouds. The sky above Magnolia warped.

Three towering, apocalyptic phantoms materialized in the heavens. Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra looked down upon the mortal realm. Even as pure magical projections, the sheer, crushing divine pressure radiating from the Egyptian God Cards caused out-of-town tourists to scream and scramble backward in primal terror.

Why only the tourists?

Because the local residents of Magnolia, intimately familiar with the destructive consequences of the “Chase Rules,” had already evacuated the immediate blast radius the second they saw his face.

“Ooh ooh ooh! You flashy bastard, that’s amazing!”

“Damn it, Chase, you nearly gave me a heart attack! You’re paying my medical bills!”

“I guess I’ll admit this is pretty cool! B-but don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not like I’m cheering for you!”

Realizing they weren’t about to be obliterated by a divine laser beam, the locals surged forward again, screaming their lungs out. Familiar faces dotted the cheering masses: Dave the tavern owner, little Tom, Lambert the merchant, and even a few battered members of the Black Teal’s Foot guild.

Following the overwhelming spectacle of the God Cards, the grand finale belonged to Master Makarov.

The tiny old man bounced around his float in a ridiculous, oversized jester costume, performing slapstick routines that had the entire town roaring with breathless laughter.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A final, overwhelming barrage of fireworks—heavily sponsored by the Heartfilia Konzern—illuminated the night sky, turning it as bright as day.

It was the signal.

Every single Fairy Tail member on the floats, from Makarov to Chase to Lucy, stopped their performances. In perfect unison, they raised their right arms high into the air, extending their index fingers toward the heavens, their thumbs pointed outward.

It was the guild’s silent vow. ‘Even if I cannot see you, no matter how far away you may be, I will always be watching over you.’

No one in the parade looked around to see where Laxus was standing. They simply knew, with absolute certainty, that he was watching. The gesture had been created by a young Laxus to convey the love and farewells he couldn’t bring himself to say out loud. Tonight, they returned it to him.

Miles away from the bright lights of the main street, hidden deep within the shadows of a quiet alleyway.

A tall, blonde man looked up at the glowing sky, his hand trembling as he forced it into his pocket. The tears he had held back for so long finally broke, streaming silently down his face as he wept in the dark.