Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Knight vs Knight

Powerful magic collided. The resulting hurricane tore at the earth, uprooting grass and sending a maelstrom of gravel spiraling into the air.

The moment the storm broke, dust settling back to the scarred ground, a cold light flashed. Erza, clad in her signature Heart Kreuz armor, struck first. Her blade cut a clean arc through the settling dust as she charged Chase with terrifying speed.

Chase didn’t flinch. A golden magic circle spun lazily at his fingertip. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a card spinning toward the charging S-Class Mage. The card erupted in a blinding white light. A valiant figure clad in polished steel armor leaped from the glow—Queen’s Knight. She wielded a gleaming broadsword in her left hand and a heavy crimson shield in her right, stepping fearlessly into Erza’s path.

Sparks showered the battlefield. The piercing, metallic shriek of their blades violently clashing echoed across the plains.

“Is that… Queen’s Knight?” someone from the guild shouted.

“Ah, I get it! Erza’s magic is ‘The Knight’, so Chase uses a Knight to block her. Clever bastard.”

Erza gripped her longsword with both hands, grinding against the continuous pressure of the summon’s blade. Her sharp gaze slid past the steel to meet the newcomer’s eyes. “Queen’s Knight. Your physical strength seems even greater than before.”

“Because my master’s magic reserves have grown, little Erza,” Queen’s Knight replied, a calm, almost teasing smile gracing her lips.

“Then how about this?!”

Erza’s empty left hand blurred, drawing a second blade from her pocket dimension. She slashed viciously at Queen’s Knight’s exposed flank.

The summon’s eyes narrowed. She smoothly angled her crimson shield to intercept the blow.

Thud.

A dull impact rang out. Erza had feinted. Instead of bringing the second sword down, she pivoted her hips, raising her slender right leg. Her steel-plated boot slammed directly into Queen’s Knight’s abdomen. Though the heavy armor absorbed the brunt of the kinetic shock, Erza let out a sharp breath, forcing her weight forward. Queen’s Knight skidded backward, her boots carving twin trenches into the dirt as she struggled to find her footing.

Erza flipped her sword into a reverse grip. She stepped forward, ready to press her advantage, but abruptly froze. Her chin jerked up, sensing the immediate danger.

A shadow plummeted from the sky, bringing with it the oppressive hum of a descending blade. A fierce golden broadsword cleaved into the earth where Erza had just been standing. Gravel exploded outward in a thick cloud of dust.

Deep within the smoke, Erza executed three rapid, graceful backflips, landing lightly on her feet. She held her swords horizontally, eyes locked on the crater. A heavily muscled man in dazzling golden armor stood beside Queen’s Knight, raising his own sword and shield.

“Queen’s Knight. King’s Knight,” Erza murmured, her eyes narrowing as she looked past them. Chase stood casually in the distance, holding a third card high above his head. “Which means next is…”

A brilliant flash of light tore through the dust. A third armored warrior materialized. When King’s Knight and Queen’s Knight were on the field, Chase could summon Jack’s Knight without expending a single drop of magic!

“If the Three Knights are gathered, this base armor won’t be enough.” Erza had sparred against this trio more than once; she knew their relentless, synchronized fighting style perfectly. “Re-equip! Black Wing Armor!”

A crimson magic circle flared beneath her feet. The silver steel of her armor melted into a sleek, jet-black hue. Leathery, bat-like wings erupted from her back, and her scarlet hair whipped into a fierce, high ponytail.

“Black Wing: Moon Flash!”

The Black Wing Armor granted a massive surge in agility. Erza became a dark blur, skimming inches above the ground. In a fraction of a second, she closed the distance to the Three Knights.

Jack’s Knight, standing at the vanguard, slammed his heavy boot into the dirt. He raised his massive shield, bracing to absorb the incoming slash. But the Black Wing Armor wasn’t just for speed—it maximized the destructive payload of a single strike. The heavy shield held for exactly half a second before Erza’s black blade sheared straight through it, shattering the metal into countless glowing fragments!

Before Erza could follow through, cold light flashed in her peripheral vision. Queen’s Knight and King’s Knight flanked her flawlessly. Their swords descended from sharp, lethal angles, sealing off every possible avenue of escape.

Erza didn’t panic. She tapped her toe against the ground, launching herself straight up. Crimson magic circles flared around her calves. In mid-air, her heavy steel boots morphed into twin longswords, violently parrying the dual strike from below.

Sparks rained down on the combatants.

“Re-equip! Flight Armor!”

A flash of white light consumed her legs. The boot-swords vanished, replaced by light, aerodynamic leather. Sporting a pair of cute, cheetah-like beast ears, Erza landed gracefully on the flat blades of King and Queen’s Knight. Using their locked swords as a springboard, she launched herself forward.

Under the explosive acceleration of the Flight Armor, she turned into a streaking comet. She completely bypassed the Three Knights, her eyes locked onto her true target: Chase.

Through the chaotic clash of magic, Erza’s sharp senses picked up a subtle fluctuation. Chase was chanting, preparing to set a Trap Card. As a fellow S-Class Mage, she knew exactly how obnoxious his Trap Magic could be. She had to close the gap immediately. She couldn’t give him the time to lock that card onto the field!

The plains blurred past her. Chase’s relaxed posture grew larger in her sights. Just as she tightened her grip on her hilt, preparing to strike, she saw Chase smile. He casually flipped the card between his fingers, revealing its face.

Withered, skeletal wings snapped open. A massive, ferocious beast tore its way out of the glowing magic circle. Curse of Dragon roared, its skeletal maw already dripping with molten fire. An overwhelming tide of flames erupted from its jaws. The inferno completely swallowed Erza’s small figure, turning the entire plain behind her into a scorching, rippling wasteland of heat!

It was Curse of Dragon’s signature strike—Hellfire!

“Erza?!” Lucy screamed from the sidelines. She threw her arms up to shield her face from the blistering heat radiating off the battlefield, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the sea of fire. Compared to their recent battle against the Lullaby demon, Chase’s Duelist’s Soul magic felt infinitely more terrifying to the blonde celestial mage.

“Don’t worry, Lucy. If it’s a flame attack…” Mirajane smiled warmly. The raging firelight reflected in her serene blue eyes; she didn’t look the least bit concerned.

The rest of the Fairy Tail peanut gallery was equally unfazed. If anything, the sheer destruction only made them cheer louder. Lucy looked around, utterly bewildered. But the S-Class Mage inside the inferno quickly provided the answer.

A vertical crescent of pure sword light cleaved the roaring flames perfectly in half. Erza stood proudly in the center of the parted inferno. She had swapped out her gear for a stunning, fiery-red breastplate, gripping an elegant, emerald-green longsword in her right hand.

“Exactly! Against fire magic, she uses the Flame Empress Armor to cut the heat, paired with the Sea Empress Sword to counter the flames!” Loke chimed in, finishing Mira’s thought. The playboy mage was so thoroughly engrossed in the high-level clash that he completely forgot to keep his usual terrified distance from Lucy.

“She can mix and match like that?!” Lucy gaped at Erza’s imposing silhouette, her entire understanding of magical combat being rewritten in real-time.

“You can pick your jaw up off the floor later. The real fight just started,” Gray muttered, his eyes glued to the field.

During that brief exchange, the Three Knights had already regrouped. They formed a tight vanguard and charged the fire-parting Erza.

Erza closed her eyes. She took one slow, measured breath, letting the chaotic rhythm of the battlefield wash over her. When her eyes snapped open, a massive magic circle bloomed at her back. Two pairs of magnificent, silver-white steel wings unfurled into the air.

“Re-equip! Heaven’s Wheel Armor!” She ascended, hovering above the scorched earth. “Heaven’s Wheel: Bladestorm!”

A storm of steel descended. Blade shadows blurred into a chaotic, blinding vortex as the four figures violently crossed paths.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The deafening sound of shattering steel echoed across the plains. The Three Knights froze, their bodies riddled with phantom cuts. With smiles of quiet admiration, they dissolved into a shower of golden light.

Erza floated back down to the earth. She lowered her gaze, glancing at her own twin swords and the plating of her Heaven’s Wheel Armor, which were currently fracturing inch by inch, unable to withstand the sheer kinetic force of the clash. She offered the fading golden light a faint, respectful smile.

“Next up… Curse of Dragon.”