Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 47

Chapter 47: The Devil in Zeref’s Book

After a brief exchange of words, Chase tightened his fist. A sharp, competitive glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at the scarlet-haired knight.

“Speaking of Erza, let’s have that long-awaited fight!”

A year ago, he had acquired the Trap Card [Mirror Force] directly from a spar with her. Now, twelve months later, Erza’s Magic Power had clearly deepened. If his luck held out, crossing wands with her today might yield an even more devastating forbidden card.

Standing a few paces away, Lucy stared at him, her eye twitching. Are you that impatient? she screamed internally. Read the room! Look at the situation we’re in!

But as the thought settled, she hesitated. A fight between Chase and Erza… that actually sounded incredible.

Even though she felt terrible for treating a potential disaster like a spectator sport, Lucy couldn’t suppress her mounting curiosity. She had followed them all the way through the Eisenwald incident, personally witnessing Erza’s absolute, terrifying suppression of both Natsu and Gray.

Still, there’s no way Erza would agree to a duel right now, right? Lucy reasoned.

“A challenge after a year? No problem. I accept.”

Erza’s interest ignited instantly. Her beautiful eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she rolled her shoulders. The heavy steel of her armguards ground together, ringing out with a sharp, metallic clank.

Lucy nearly choked on her own breath. She actually agreed just like that!

“Hahaha! A fight? Now I’m fired up!”

Catching the scent of battle, Natsu bounded over, a manic grin stretching across his face. “This is a rare opportunity! Let me drag both of you down from the S-Class throne!”

“In your dreams, ash-brain,” Gray muttered, stepping up right behind him. He had already stripped off his shirt, and a faint, freezing mist was beginning to vent from his open palms.

Lucy stood frozen in the mountain breeze, completely bewildered. In the blink of an eye, the only normal person in the vicinity had somehow become the odd one out.

Click.

Just as the four mages were about to tear into each other, the hollow clatter of wood striking stone echoed from the nearby bushes. The intense, suffocating battle aura instantly evaporated.

Through the parted foliage, Kageyama was half-kneeling in the dirt. His face twisted in agonizing conflict. The memory of Natsu’s furious roar about the meaning of companions kept echoing through his skull, drowning out his dark ambitions. In the end, he simply couldn’t cross that final line. His trembling fingers had dropped the wooden flute.

Makarov watched the young man’s internal war. The Guild Master let out a soft sigh and slowly approached.

“Nothing will change,” Makarov said, his voice gentle but carrying the weight of decades. “The weak will always be weak, no matter the era. But weakness itself is not a sin. Humans are born fragile creatures.”

Kageyama kept his eyes glued to the dirt, his breath hitching.

“Because being alone breeds terror, we seek out Guilds. We find companions,” Makarov continued, stopping just a few feet away. “We support each other as we walk forward. Clumsy people might hit more walls. They might take longer detours. But if you believe in taking a single step forward tomorrow, and if you stick to your own path… power will continuously surge forth.”

Makarov paused, his gaze drifting down to the discarded wood. “Even without a flute reeking of curses.”

The last of Kageyama’s defenses shattered. He buried his face in his hands, pressing his forehead to the earth as he broke down into bitter, racking sobs. “I’m sorry… we lost…”

“Ohhhhh!!”

The moment his surrender echoed through the clearing, a massive cheer erupted from the bushes.

“Huh? Natsu? Gray? What are you doing hiding over there?” Makarov blinked, startled by the sudden noise.

Before the old man could process the situation, a blur of silver steel slammed into him.

“That was a truly inspiring speech, Master!” Erza cried out, deeply moved as she pulled Makarov into a crushing embrace.

Clang!

Makarov’s face smashed directly into her solid iron breastplate.

“My… my neck…” Makarov wheezed, his muffled voice barely escaping the metal as his right arm twitched weakly in the air. “It’s going to snap, Erza…”

Watching the Fairy Tail Master suffer, the other Guild Masters standing nearby simply shook their heads and chuckled. The heavy, oppressive tension of the Eisenwald crisis finally dissolved into a relaxed, cheerful breeze.

“Everyone. It seems things aren’t over yet.”

Dark Magician Girl’s sweet, urgent voice sliced through the laughter.

The mages froze, turning their attention to where the blonde spirit was pointing. On the ground, the three hollow eyes of the skull carved into the flute suddenly ignited with a piercing, blood-red glow.

A foul, oppressive aura flooded the clearing. From deep within the wood, a hoarse, grating voice hissed.

“Enough is enough. Every single one of you takes entirely too long! If you weren’t going to blow it, you should have said so earlier!”

Buzz!

Violent purple lightning erupted from the flute, shattering the wood into splinters. The dark currents surged upward, weaving together into a massive, pulsating Magic array in the sky.

A colossal, demonic foot slammed down from the array, crushing the earth and sending violent tremors through the entire mountain range. Dark brown muscle and twisted bark followed, pulling itself free from the magical light. A giant demon towered over the forest, three glowing eyes glaring down as it exhaled a thick, suffocating miasma.

“W-what happened?!” Lucy shrieked, the blood draining from her face. “A monster came out of the flute?!”

“That is not merely a cursed item meant to harvest human souls,” Goldmine, the Master of Quatro Cerberus, said grimly. He crossed his arms, his face hardening. “It is a living Magic Power that has existed for centuries. The demon itself, recorded in the Book of the Black Mage Zeref—Lullaby!”

“Centuries?! The demon itself?!” Lucy whimpered, quietly shuffling backward until she was safely behind the S-Class mages.

“Useless, trash humans!” Lullaby roared, its voice like grinding boulders. “In the end, I’ll just have to eat all your souls myself!”

The sheer force of its bellow whipped up a violent gale, snapping the trunks of nearby trees.

Down in the valley, the Fiore Kingdom army had finally arrived. Fully assembled and heavily armed, they marched forward to subdue the reported monster.

“Raise your weapons!” the commanding officer shouted. “Let these arrogant mages see the true power of the Kingdom’s army!”

The synchronized shouting echoed up the mountain, thoroughly annoying the newly awakened demon. As if swatting a fly, Lullaby turned its massive head toward the valley. Terrifying, concentrated Magic Power gathered in its maw before blasting outward in a blinding beam of destruction.

BOOM!

An entire mountain peak in the distance evaporated into a cloud of dust and hellfire.

The army halted. Dead silence fell over the ranks.

“Report!” a guard screamed, his voice cracking. “The mountain peak has been blown away!”

“Good! Retreat!”

The commanding officer’s survival instincts overrode his pride in a fraction of a second. He blew his whistle frantically, waving his arms. In the blink of an eye, the entire imposing military force turned and vanished into the dust.

Are these guys just here for comedic relief?! Lucy screamed in her mind. Where were your grand words a second ago?!

“The small fry are gone,” Lullaby rumbled, highly satisfied with its own deterrent. It turned its greedy, three-eyed gaze back toward Makarov and the Guild Masters. “Now, let me have a good taste of your souls, mages!”

Natsu tilted his head, staring up at the behemoth. “Hey Chase, what does a soul taste like? Is it delicious?”

Lucy buried her face in her hands. “I knew you’d ask something that stupid…”

“I don’t know what a soul tastes like,” Chase replied. He stepped forward, leaning into the violent wind as he casually stretched his shoulders. A dangerous, thrilled smile tugged at his lips. “But it’s definitely not as delicious as beating this big guy into the dirt.”

He glanced back at the others. “Let’s change the rules for that fight we couldn’t have. How about we see who can land the final blow on this thing?”

The suggestion was like throwing a match into a powder keg. Erza, Natsu, and Gray instantly ignited.

“The final blow, huh?” Erza’s eyes flashed. “Then I won’t hold back. Requip! Heaven’s Wheel Armor!”

“Sounds pretty good,” Gray smirked, slamming his fists together. “But you guys don’t stand a chance anymore. The winner is definitely me. Ice-Make…”

“Hahahaha! I’m fired up!” Natsu roared, flames erupting from his jaw. “Fire Dragon’s…”

Brilliant Magic arrays of silver, pale blue, and crimson flared to life side-by-side, casting blinding light across the forest. The Guild Masters standing in the rear widened their eyes in sheer admiration. Erza’s Requip, Gray’s Ice-Make, Natsu’s Dragon Slayer Magic—each one possessed a terrifying, overwhelming presence. They had heard the rumors of Fairy Tail’s destructive youth, but seeing it in person was entirely different.

And right beside them, radiating an entirely unique pressure, was Chase’s card magic.

“Dark Magician Girl, get ready!”

Chase’s body surged with golden Magic Power. A stream of light danced across the cards between his fingertips.

“Yes, Master!”

Dark Magician Girl gave a bright, cute snap of her fingers, pulling her signature staff from the void. A vibrant pink sphere of pure, destructive energy began to brew at the tip of her wand, humming with lethal intensity.

“Dark Burning Attack!”

“Heaven’s Wheel: Blades of Chaos!”

“Ice-Make: Cavalry!”

“Roar!”

Four devastating torrents of Magic Power launched simultaneously, tearing through the air and slamming directly into Lullaby’s massive chest. The demon barely had time to widen its eyes.

BOOM!

A cataclysmic explosion ripped through the sky, bathing the entire mountain range in a blinding, scorching shockwave of fire and light.