BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under the relentless barrage of the Holy Light Meteor Stream, a massive explosion engulfed the spot where Nagrez stood.
The terrifying energy rippled outward in all directions, racing across the frozen lake's surface toward the shore, shaking the ground violently beneath everyone's feet.
Chunks of ice split apart, the frozen crust giving way as water erupted upward, sending massive shards flying into the air.
The Fairy Tail members on the shore craned their necks, scanning the lake. But there was nothing Nagrez was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn! Did he just get blown to pieces?!" Lucy's face went pale. She clutched her head and let out a shocked scream.
"Mada mada! The strongest wizard in Fairy Tail right now wouldn't go down that easily!"
Even as those words rang out, a burst of blazing fire erupted at the lake's edge.
Nagrez shot up from the water in an explosive leap, sending a spray of droplets glistening in his wake.
Flames roared along both his arms, his expression fierce and predatory.
"He dove under the lake to evade the meteor barrage… and used that time to ready a counterattack?"
Mira, standing beside Lucy, caught on instantly. "Reacting that quickly the moment Mirror Force was triggered… that's exactly what you'd expect from a fusion of Natsu and Gray."
Natsu might act like an airhead most of the time, but in combat, his instincts and reaction speed were razor sharp.
Combine that with Gray's cool-headed analytical mind, and Nagrez became an opponent that was brutally difficult to deal with.
Worse yet, he was intimately familiar with Chase's magic Duelist Soul. He could identify card effects almost instantly and come up with countermeasures on the spot.
"If Chase doesn't go all out, he might actually lose this one~"
Mira's voice was light and calm, even as she made her assessment.
"The fusion of Natsu and Gray is that powerful?!" Lucy, still new to the guild, found it hard to believe.
She knew exactly how strong Brother Chase was.
As she stared in awe, the flames around Nagrez's hands flared even hotter, burning to their limit.
"Hey, with such a short charge time, there's no way you'll have enough space to dodge, right, Chase?!"
Nagrez grinned, swinging his arms together. The flames in each palm merged into a roaring Fire Dragon's blaze.
Then, with a burst of Ice-Make Magic, he forcibly compressed the blazing fireball onto his ice-coated right fist.
"Take this Ice Flame Dragon's Exploding Frost Fist!"
Twin streams of fire burst forth, blasting from his back like rocket boosters and propelling him into a high-speed dive straight toward Chase on the shore.
Once again, his intimate knowledge of Chase's fighting style and weaknesses came into play he knew exactly where to strike.
As long as he could bypass the cards and close the distance, victory over Chase would only be a matter of time!
Or so Nagrez thought.
What caught him off guard was that Chase simply stood there, calm as ever, making no move to draw a single card.
He's given up because it's too late?
No this wasn't Chase's style. If he was standing still, it meant he was planning something.
Because Nagrez knew Chase's magic so well, he'd been wary the entire time. But he was certain absolutely certain that there were no set cards hidden anywhere on the field.
Even with that suspicion gnawing at him, Nagrez wasn't the kind to hesitate. He was the fusion of Natsu and Gray timid caution wasn't in his nature. Whatever Chase had in store, he'd face it head-on.
As he closed in, waves of ice and fire crashed forward, the heat and cold so intense that even the spectators far from the fight felt it prickling against their skin.
At the very front, Chase watched the rapidly approaching Nagrez, the pupils in those draconic eyes growing larger with each heartbeat. Still, he didn't move an inch.
Finally, the devastating Ice Flame Dragon's Exploding Frost Fist came down hard
BOOM!!
The impact ripped outward in a violent shockwave, turning the neatly laid stonework of the lakeside embankment into dust in an instant.
Smoke, flames, and shards of ice billowed together, completely obscuring the battlefield.
The Fairy Tail members didn't care about the destroyed shore. They held their breath, eyes locked on the swirling haze, desperate to see if Chase had been felled by that crushing blow.
"There really weren't any traps… and it hit dead-on!"
Inside the smoke, Nagrez's fist was still clenched tight. But instead of celebrating, his face twisted in horror.
"Oh no… I overdid it. Don't tell me… Chase is "
I… I killed Chase?!
"Don't flatter yourself. You're still far from that level."
Chase's voice rolled out slowly, followed by a violent gust that tore the smoke away in an instant.
Nagrez's vision cleared and his pupils shrank sharply.
Chase stood firmly in place amid the scorched and frozen ground. The area under his feet was untouched.
My fist… was stopped with just one hand?!
"Am I seeing this right?!" one of the guild members gasped. "Chase neutralized that insane attack with nothing but his strength?"
"But even if his physical power isn't weak, his opponent is the fusion of Natsu and Gray!"
The Fairy Tail mages erupted in astonished whispers.
"No look at his arm!" Kana's voice cut through the noise.
All eyes turned to Chase's right arm, the one holding Nagrez's fist and they all saw it. His skin was no longer bare; instead, it gleamed with a crimson layer, like armor forged of living fire.
Those are… dragon scales?!
Nagrez, closer than anyone, could feel it even more vividly. Through the clash of their fists, he sensed an indescribable, divine aura radiating from Chase.
"Pay attention, Nagrez…" Chase's eyes narrowed. "What I'm about to use next
is the power of a god."
As if answering the unspoken confusion in Nagrez's and the others' hearts, Chase narrowed his eyes slightly and drew in a deep, steady breath.
He pushed the Sky Dragon's God-Slaying Magic to its very limit.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!!
A dark-golden storm of magic erupted from his body then, in the blink of an eye, it deepened into a fierce, burning scarlet.
Even just watching from the sidelines, his companions felt their hearts pound in their chests, an instinctive fear welling up from the divine pressure radiating off him. Their bodies shook slightly without them even realizing it.
"Chase's magic… it's changed completely. This is something I've never felt before "
Among them, only S-Class Mira remained composed. Even so, her delicate brows drew together, her expression turning grave.
"Well… if I'm not mistaken, this should be "
Behind her, Lucy cautiously peeked around, her wide eyes fixed on the scarlet aura coalescing around Chase, shaping itself into the towering shadow of a dragon. "Osiris the Sky Dragon!"
"Love! It really does look like the God Card Chase mentioned before!" Happy swooped down from above, pointing excitedly.
Everyone: "God Card?!"
Out on the battlefield, Nagrez possessing Natsu's memories recognized the fearsome silhouette of the Sky Dragon immediately.
After a heartbeat of shock, his awe shifted into exhilaration and burning anticipation.
"I don't know exactly what's going on, but…"
Nagrez's lips curled into a grin. "Chase… you've basically become a Dragon Slayer now, haven't you?"
"Correction," Chase replied evenly. "I'm a God Slayer."
With that, he stepped forward heavily, gathering the entirety of his released magic into his right arm.
"And this… is the Sky Dragon's Divine Vision Judgment!"
Thunder roared. Holy light blazed.
Chase thrust his palm forward, and Nagrez was blasted away instantly, his body swallowed by a torrent of force so absolute it turned him into a streak of light.
He tore through the frozen lake, smashing apart the massive ice floes as if they were nothing but foam.
In an instant, he crossed thousands of meters, his trajectory ending in a deafening crash as he slammed into the mountains on the far side of the lake!
....
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