Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 189

Chapter 189: The Phoenix and the Demon King, Ancient Monsters!

Outside the village gates, nearly a hundred residents gathered in a tight, anxious cluster. Aside from Éclair and Momon, who were currently away, the entire population had turned out. Their eyes remained glued to the heavy wooden doors, a desperate mixture of hope and determination etched into their weathered faces.

Behind those walls lay their homes, their livelihoods, and the friends and family they cherished. Thanks to the elderly Village Chief, they knew the Mages taking on this request hailed from the most renowned guild in the entire Fiore Kingdom.

This was their last, best hope. If even the great Lucy-sama couldn’t solve the crisis, they would be forced to abandon the homeland that held all their memories.

The heavy gates groaned as they slowly pushed open. Chase, Lucy, and Dark Magician Girl stepped out of the village boundaries, coming to a halt before the expectant crowd.

“Lucy-sama! How is the situation?” The Village Chief hurried forward, his voice trembling with fragile optimism. “Has the magic egg’s abnormality been resolved?”

He had witnessed the bizarre, violent tornado that had suddenly touched down earlier. Seeing the thick black mist that had plagued their streets finally showing signs of dissipating, he couldn’t suppress the flutter of excitement in his chest.

As the nominal “captain” of the team, Lucy bore the full weight of their desperate gazes.

Looking at the raw hope shining in the villagers’ eyes, she let out a soft sigh and shook her head. “I’m sorry. It might still take a little more time.”

Though she had no idea what Chase was planning to do next, she possessed an inexplicable, rock-solid confidence that he would complete the request. Because of that, she didn’t look particularly defeated. Internally, however, she was screaming, ‘Can they please stop calling me Lucy-sama?! It feels so incredibly awkward!’

“I… I see.” The Village Chief and the surrounding residents didn’t share her unwavering faith. Their shoulders slumped, and their expressions darkened as they lowered their heads.

“So, Lucy-sama, what should we do next?” Chase looked down at her, a faint, teasing glint in his eye.

“Ah—ha! Right, right, what should we do?” Lucy’s eyes darted around nervously, and she forced a stiff, awkward laugh.

Chase dropped the teasing and furrowed his brow, his tone turning analytical. “The magic egg seems to have the ability to absorb Magic Power. The closer you get to it, the stronger the drain becomes. To investigate the anomaly, we have to enter the underground passage. But if we go down there ourselves, we might be walking right into a trap.”

He paused, rubbing his chin. “Damn it. Is there any way to get inside and scout it out at the cost of only a little Magic Power?”

Just as Lucy was about to admit she was completely clueless, a spark of inspiration flashed in her eyes. She caught the deliberate hint in his words. “Wait! I know!”

Her demeanor flipped instantly. Brimming with renewed energy, she unclipped a silver key from the ring at her waist.

“Open! Gate of the Canis Minor, Plue!”

A golden magic circle illuminated the dirt path. Plue appeared, trembling slightly on his stubby legs. The little snowman-like spirit raised a hand high, greeting the bewildered crowd. “Puu puu~!”

Absolute silence answered him.

Seeing Lucy act with such overwhelming confidence, the villagers had braced themselves for a blinding, devastating display of magic. Instead, they got a shivering little white dog-thing. Even Momon the bird could probably kick this creature across the yard!

In stark contrast to the heavy disappointment written across the villagers’ faces, Chase nodded in deep satisfaction. A faint smile touched his lips.

This was exactly what he had wanted to guide her toward. To understand the magic egg’s condition, someone had to handle the unknown underground passage. Going in blind meant risking severe Magic Power drain and unpredictable traps. Under those circumstances, sending a low-cost Celestial Spirit to scout ahead was the most tactically sound method.

If Chase were alone, he wouldn’t bother with such caution. His sheer power meant he could just bulldoze his way through any trap. But Lucy didn’t have that luxury. She needed precise judgment and cautious planning to survive complex, high-ranking requests. This was the mindset of an elite Mage—a lesson he wanted to impart during this SS-Class mission, alongside hard combat skills like the Star Dress.

Receiving his exploration orders from Lucy, Plue nodded with a look of fierce determination and marched bravely toward the gates. However, his waddling pace—roughly equivalent to an eighty-year-old man with a bad back—didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

To gather more complete intel, and to give Plue a companion so he wouldn’t be too terrified in the dark, Chase summoned Kuriboh.

Under the utterly baffled stares of the entire village, the two adorable mascots waddled side-by-side toward the underground altar in the center of the settlement.

Since Lucy had already cleared out most of the demonized villagers, Plue and Kuriboh faced zero resistance. Upon reaching the central square, the two exchanged a solemn glance. They hyped each other up in a highly encrypted language of “Kuri Kuri!” and “Puu puu puu!” before stepping through the stone archway, descending the damp, pitch-black stairs.

Above ground, Chase closed his eyes, tapping into Kuriboh’s vision through a magical link.

Through the spirit’s eyes, he watched as they handled the long, narrow steps. The flickering shadows eventually gave way to a massive, open cavern. The space was shaped like an inverted bowl, its walls constructed from pale yellow stone bricks. Ancient, faded runes were carved deeply into the masonry.

In the center of the chamber sat a square, moss-covered altar. Suspended directly above it was a massive, black-and-purple egg.

According to the Village Chief, this egg was supposed to be a lifeless, gray-white fossil. Now, it pulsed with a sinister rhythm, looking as though the creature inside was preparing to shatter the shell at any second.

A dome of crimson energy enveloped the altar, acting as a defensive barrier and casting an eerie red glow across the cavern.

Chase didn’t immediately order Kuriboh to test the barrier’s strength. Instead, he focused his attention on the altar and the surrounding stone walls.

The faded runes and the architectural style gave him an intense wave of déjà vu. The layout was an exact replica of the Moon Temple ruins on Galuna Island—the very same ruins Lyon had used to collect the Moon Drip!

If the demonized villagers merely looked similar to the demons of Galuna Island, he could have chalked it up to a bizarre coincidence. But seeing this architecture, Chase was absolutely certain. There was a direct, obvious link between the two locations.

This was a massive clue. It might be the key to solving the mystery of the magic egg and clearing the SS-Class request.

With the reconnaissance complete, the rest of the plan was simple.

Kuriboh extended its little brown paws and scooped Plue into a hug. Understanding the assignment, Plue straightened his cone-shaped nose, aiming it directly at the crimson barrier.

“Kuri! Kuri!” (Brother Plue, let’s show this weird thing our passionate combination attack!)

“Puu puu~ Puu!” (Understood, Brother Kuriboh! This is the drill that will pierce the heavens!)

Suspended in mid-air, Kuriboh suddenly accelerated. With unyielding determination burning in their eyes, the two mascots launched a kamikaze dive.

With a fierce battle cry, the two adorable creatures slammed headfirst into the crimson energy dome.

Naturally, they instantly dissipated into scattered points of light, failing to cause even a single ripple on the barrier’s surface. Chase’s shared vision immediately went black, snapping his consciousness back to the village outskirts.

He opened his eyes, smiling as he shook his head. He had no idea what those two were getting so fired up about, but he silently praised their dedication. They truly were the best partners.

“How is it? What’s the situation down there, Chase?” Lucy leaned in close, her brown eyes wide with curiosity. She didn’t have his convenient visual-sharing magic; all she knew was that the Gate of the Canis Minor had just been forcibly closed.

The Village Chief and the residents quickly crowded around them. Ever since the egg had started acting up, they hadn’t dared to approach the altar. The Mages who had taken the request previously had all failed to even reach the bottom of the stairs. They were desperate to know what had changed.

Chase cleared his throat and gave a concise report of the underground chamber.

“What?! The magic egg turned dark purple? And there’s a terrifying living creature inside?!” The villagers broke out in cold sweats. Several of the more timid children began to cry, hiding behind their parents’ legs.

Lucy, who had already suspected something bad was brewing, latched onto the more critical piece of intel. “Wait, Chase, you said the altar looks exactly like a miniature version of the Moon Temple ruins on Galuna Island?”

“Identical,” Chase confirmed.

“Then that means we can head to Galuna Island right now to find clues about the egg!” Lucy declared, ready to pack her bags.

“In theory, yes. But we don’t need to go through all that trouble.”

Chase pulled a standard card from his deck, materializing a Communication Lacrima in his palm. “I have Ultear’s contact information.”

Driven by a morbid curiosity to watch Lyon resurrect the Demon Deliora, Ultear had stayed on Galuna Island for an extended period. She had thoroughly studied the Moon Temple ruins., as a former member of the Magic Council, she had access to ancient secrets far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Asking her directly was vastly more efficient than sailing across the ocean.

As for why he had her number? Back at the Tower of Heaven, when Ultear had prepared to die, she had given it to him just in case, ensuring he could track the movements of Grimoire Heart and Hades. He hadn’t expected it to come in handy for a historical consultation.

Operating the Lacrima was simple. By injecting a pulse of Magic Power and dialing the specific magical frequency, it functioned like a two-way video call.

Bzzzt… Bzzzt…

Chase kept his hand pressed against the crystal sphere. After a few seconds, the snowy static cleared, and the visual feed connected.

Thick steam clouded the other side of the screen. Ultear was sitting casually in a bathtub, a layer of white bubbles strategically covering her most vital areas.

“Chase? I didn’t expect you to contact me on your own initiative.” Ultear held her own crystal sphere in her palm, an amused, slightly surprised expression on her face.

She was taking a bath, yet she answered the call without a shred of embarrassment!

Lucy’s face instantly flushed crimson. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the screen, thinking to herself, ‘Ur’s daughter is absolutely shameless! How is she so calm?!’

Naturally, Lucy was the only one present who cared about the nudity.

“Yeah, there’s something I need to ask you regarding Galuna Island,” Chase said, getting straight to the point. There was no need for pleasantries with someone like Ultear.

Hearing his business-like tone, Ultear glanced past him, noticing Lucy, Dark Magician Girl, and the unfamiliar village in the background.

“Fairy Tail submitted an SS-Class request for the Boundary Forest yesterday. I take it you’re the ones handling it?” Ultear asked, leaning back against the porcelain tub. “Tell me, what do you need my help with?”

Chase quickly organized his thoughts, relaying the visual data from the underground altar, the crimson barrier, and the striking similarities between the demonized villagers and the inhabitants of Galuna Island.

As she listened, Ultear lowered her gaze, her delicate eyebrows knitting together in thought.

“I didn’t expect the magic egg in that village to have such a history. It seems that ancient legend was true after all.”

“So you really do know why the egg is acting up?!” Lucy asked, leaning into the frame impatiently.

Prompted by her urgency, Ultear slowly recounted a rumor buried deep within the Council’s restricted archives.

Roughly five hundred years ago, a catastrophic monster known as the “Phoenix” brought immense devastation to the world. During that same era, another entity of equal, terrifying power existed—a creature known simply as the Demon King.

Driven by a desire for absolute territorial dominance, the two ancient monsters engaged in a brutal, century-long war. In the end, the Demon King—who possessed the terrifying ability to absorb Magic Power and demonize other living creatures—was defeated and annihilated by the Phoenix.

However, the Phoenix was severely weakened by the battle. Seizing the opportunity, the Fire Tribe, a clan renowned for their sealing magic, permanently trapped the beast within the Phoenix Stone. To this day, the Magic Council still guarded a magical artifact registered by the Mage Kalard—Éclair’s father—which was designed to completely destroy the immortal Phoenix. It was known as the Dispelling Arrow.

Because both the Phoenix and the Demon King had vanished from the world centuries ago, the Council eventually stopped monitoring the lore, writing it off as nothing more than a dark fairy tale.

As for why the demons in the Boundary Forest shared the exact same traits and altar architecture as Galuna Island?

The answer was chillingly simple. The demons on Galuna Island were the direct descendants of humans who had been corrupted and demonized by the Demon King five hundred years ago. This perfectly explained why the Galuna Island demons, when their memories were scrambled by the Moon Drip, specifically believed they were humans under a curse.

Because their ancestors were human.

“Chase, Lucy… if my deduction is correct, that magic egg is the remnant of the Demon King that ravaged the continent centuries ago. It managed to survive in a dormant state,” Ultear said, her voice dropping to a grave whisper. “I don’t know what triggered its sudden awakening, but it is clearly showing signs of a full resurrection!”

With a splash, Ultear suddenly stood up from the bathtub, her expression turning deadly serious. “This is a catastrophic threat. I need to inform the old men at the Council immediately.”

After strictly warning Chase not to act rashly, she rushed to change her clothes and abruptly cut the communication feed.

“The Demon King…”

“There’s something that terrifying sleeping right under our village?!”

Lucy stood frozen, her mind spinning as she regretted ever thinking she could handle an SS-Class request just because Chase was with her.

The villagers were in an even worse state. Every face had drained of color, leaving them trapped in a suffocating, terrified silence.

“Um… regarding the trigger that the young lady just mentioned… I think I might know what caused it.”

The elderly Village Chief stepped forward, his frail body trembling like a leaf in the wind. His cloudy eyes were filled with a complex mix of horror and realization as he slowly voiced his deduction.

“According to Éclair… the half-stone she wears around her neck… is the Phoenix Stone.” He swallowed hard. “Perhaps the Demon King sensed the aura of its ancient enemy, and that is why it began to stir…”