On the other side of the Eclipse Gate.
Whether they were mages who hadn't joined the battle or those who had been forcibly teleported back—Natsu, Lucy, and the others—everyone stared wide-eyed at the visual sharing screen as the camera angles switched rapidly.
The Dark Magician quartet shot through the dragon horde like streaks of light, magic circles blooming in their wake, high-density energy orbs exploding into waves of fire.
Thunder roared. Flames howled. Gandora, Summoned Skull, Archfiend of Gilfer, Curse of Dragon, and Guardian of the Fortress—all capable of flight—repeatedly crashed into the dragon horde.
With Chase's magic supply sustaining them, they abandoned all excess defense. Even if a dragon's roar hit them head-on, they made sure their own attacks dealt devastating damage in return!
Various spells burst like magnificent fireworks, densely filling the entire sky with heart-pounding energy fluctuations.
On the ground, the battles weren't as flashy, but the close-quarters violence was even more visually striking.
Buster Blader cut through the horde with unstoppable momentum. His rich dragon-slaying experience and absolute effect advantage made him unstoppable. Every swing of his Dragon Fang Greatsword brought shattered scales and spraying blood. One dragon after another crashed to the ground with bitter unwillingness and terror.
Chaos Soldier was no less impressive. Light shattered dragon scales. Darkness destroyed dragon souls. His chaos slashes shattered the dragons' arrogant disdain for humanity!
Card Spirits like Celtic Guardian and Big Shield Guardna, limited by their stat panels, didn't shine as brightly. But with divine power and "infinite magic" support, they could still hold their own against dragon claws and fangs without falling behind.
Maca-Ultimate-Ov's visual sharing magic broadcast the entire battlefield in perfect clarity. The battle between dragons and Card Spirits was presented with seamless camera work, like an epic fantasy blockbuster, constantly stunning the spectators.
"Wait—what's with that little dragon being chased around?"
Suddenly, someone noticed a scene completely out of place amid the explosive spells and roars.
There, a small orange-yellow dragon cub was being chased by several larger dragons, tears of fright streaming from its watery eyes. It had even forgotten it could fly, its two legs running so fast they left afterimages—a comical sight.
"That child is... Baby Dragon?" Wendy quickly recognized the little one.
During the intense training in Chase's card space before the Grand Magic Games, she had held this adorable dragon cub living alone in a cave. The memory was vivid.
"That card nerd is going too far! Gandora and the others are tough enough, but he's even bringing a kid into battle!" Lucy clenched her fists indignantly.
"That's child labor!" Future Lucy echoed, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Aye~ I see a bit of Lucy in Baby Dragon~" Happy popped up with a cheeky grin.
"We're not that pathetic!"
"You're the useless cat who got eliminated first—you have no right to say that!!"
Both Lucys turned with jagged-toothed fury.
"Speaking of which, Lucy, how many dragons did you two defeat?" Mirajane blinked her beautiful eyes and leaned in curiously.
At that, both Lucys deflated like punctured balloons, their spirits wilting as they sighed deeply.
Putting aside Zirconis the Emerald Dragon, given their state at the time, they definitely could have taken down those ordinary dragons wounded by Five Gate Opening.
But the sudden appearance of Shizalansa the Iron Sound Dragon had thrown everything off.
Though they'd eventually blasted Shizalansa away with Natsu and Atlas Flame's help, the cunning Zirconis had escaped—and before they could give chase, Chase and Bahamut's ultimate clash had sent them back home.
So strictly speaking, their team's kill count was zero.
"Ahaha! Anyway, Mira-san, are you hurt?" Lucy clumsily changed the subject with a concerned tone.
"Not too bad. I don't have much of a passion for fighting—the dragons I've beaten can be counted on two hands~" Mirajane covered her mouth with a light laugh.
Her tone was natural and calm, but to the two Lucys, it sounded like a lethal blow.
They wore awkward but polite smiles while internally screaming: She's showing off, isn't she? Definitely showing off!
Others overhearing their conversation also pulled their attention from the visual sharing screen, starting to discuss their own dragon-fighting experiences and kill counts.
And so, the floodgates opened.
Mages from different guilds compared notes—openly or subtly. Even those who hadn't participated joined the heated debates, giving the illusion that the Grand Magic Games were still ongoing.
"Speaking of which, where's that idiot Natsu?"
Gray looked around, his smooth, round rear exposed, and asked with surprise.
"He couldn't still be over there, could he?" Future Gray, equally naked, added.
Normally, that fire-breathing idiot would have been the first to jump in. Yet he was nowhere to be seen.
Truly, best friends—their first thought was each other's safety.
"They exhausted their magic fighting dragons and are sleeping soundly over there."
Erza walked over slowly, pointing to the two Natsus lying prone on the ground nearby.
Future Erza, who had come with her, looked indifferent and casually clapped her hands. "In any world, Natsu is still the same..."
Seeing the iron fist marks on Future Natsu's exposed belly, both Grays instantly realized what had happened. Their eyes became clear as they instinctively stepped back.
Here's what happened. When Natsu was forcibly teleported back, he'd been frantic, demanding to return and keep fighting dragons.
Since Kuriboh's protection had already been used, and the number of dragons was increasing, making it far too dangerous, both Erzas—knowing Natsu's reckless nature well—had wasted no time in using physical means to "pacify" him.
"Sleeping soundly? Their souls are coming out of their mouths!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Gray-san... your clothes..."
Both Wendys covered their burning red faces, their shy expressions perfectly synchronized.
"What?! When?! Damn those dragons—they secretly used some low trick on me!" Gray panicked.
"Though such perverted dragons do exist, you definitely took those off yourself!" Future Lucy said with conviction.
***
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