Dark gold magic power and deep purple magic power faced off across the distance. The collision of these formidable energies formed a constantly compressing special force field that made the icy ground creak and crack, plunging even the air into a restless, oppressive state.
Pulled by this energy field, cracked chunks of ice exhibited an anti-gravity phenomenon, slowly floating upward, bobbing and sinking around Chase and Silver.
A terrifying oppressive presence enveloped the entire village. The rookie Lucy's pupils contracted. She gritted her teeth against the pounding of her heart and shuffled her feet, quietly retreating to a safe area.
Though she still couldn't quite figure out why the two had suddenly started fighting, after spectating Chase's battles several times, she knew that the most important thing to do at a time like this was to keep herself alive.
When monsters started blasting each other, it could easily catch a "mere mortal" like her in the crossfire!
Chase and Silver seemed to reach an unspoken agreement. After Lucy evacuated, the two exchanged a glance and slowly withrew their released magic power back into their bodies.
The ice chunks, no longer restrained by the force field, paused briefly before plummeting downward.
Crack.
The fragile ice smashed against the frozen ground, shattering into countless tiny fragments.
In that instant, Chase and Silver vanished from their spots simultaneously.
When they reappeared, they were already face to face, each swinging a clenched fist with full force!
BOOM!!!
Fist met fist in midair with an overwhelmingly domineering impact. In an instant, a gale erupted. A violent shockwave exploded outward from the two like ripples, spreading in all directions and obliterating the frozen village buildings around them, leveling everything into a chaotic, rubble-strewn wasteland!
Amid the swirling ice crystals and debris of shattered houses, Chase and Silver locked eyes. The clash of their violent magical power held them in place, their capes billowing fiercely behind them, snapping in the wind.
"Oh? How impressive. To possess such formidable power at such a young age."
In the storm, Silver maintained the force behind his fist, a calm smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Thanks for the compliment, middle-aged man from Tartaros."
Chase's expression was equally composed. "I just remembered I haven't introduced myself. I'm Chase, from Fairy Tail."
"So it's you. The mage who defeated the Eighteen Demon Gods on the Ruins Island." Silver immediately understood.
Though Tartaros was a guild built around finding their master E.N.D., as an overt opposing force, they naturally kept tabs on the legal guilds.
Moreover, Silver spent most of the year outside destroying demons and rarely returned to Tartaros's headquarters. He frequently received information from the outside world, so the name Chase left an impression on him.
"But that doesn't really matter anymore. I've already decided to freeze you solid!"
With that, Silver's gaze sharpened. Pale purple ice crystals suddenly formed on the surface of his outstretched right fist.
A bone-chilling cold invaded along his fist. Chase felt as though his entire arm was about to freeze over, and even his magic power release slowed considerably!
Capitalizing on this advantage—his power rising as Chase's fell—Silver's fist slowly pushed forward.
Just as he was about to send Chase flying, however, he suddenly frowned, sensing a sharp increase in resistance.
Golden light coiled around the dark gold arm as broken chains swayed with a faint clinking sound.
"Don't underestimate me, old man. I have plenty of experience fighting ice mages."
Chase summoned the Right Arm of the Forbidden One, violently dispelling the freezing magic that had been transmitting through his fist. He raised his eyes to study Silver. "Up close... you really look a lot like our guild's Ice-Make mage..."
That sentence twisted Silver's calm expression into something contorted.
All these years later... of course he had looked into his son's whereabouts—though with all the commotion Gray had caused on his quests, he probably wouldn't have needed to investigate anyway.
Silver was terrified of his son finding out what he had become. In an instant, his right leg exploded with power, driving his knee up toward Chase's abdomen, forcibly cutting off his words.
Chase's eyes narrowed. He bent his right leg, tensed his muscles, and returned the gesture with the same motion.
CRACK!!
Their knees collided heavily. The tremendous force traveled downward, shattering the already spiderwebbed icy ground into fragmented pieces that spread farther and farther in all directions.
At the same time, a magic circle suddenly lit up beneath Chase's feet. Using the flying ice shards as cover, Silver had successfully completed his spell chant.
"Young man, what I'm using isn't some low-level magic like Ice-Make. This is Ice Devil Slayer Magic—magic that can annihilate even demons!"
Silver raised his free left hand and swung it fiercely. "Ice Devil's Geyser! "
A pale purple light bloomed from the magic circle. However, the anticipated fountain attack formed of ice did not appear.
Light shimmered and crossed. A single card covering the surface of the Devil Slayer magic circle slowly flipped, revealing two patterns with opposing arrow indicators.
That's right—it was the Trap Card Chase had set at the very moment of their fist clash: Magic Cylinder!
Having absorbed the Ice Devil's Geyser, the Magic Cylinder materialized above Chase's head. Its barrel aimed at Silver, glowing with the same pale purple light as the Ice Devil Slayer Magic.
Unfamiliar with this style of combat, Silver was caught off guard. After slamming his right fist forward to force Chase back, he crossed both arms in front of his chest in a defensive posture.
BOOM!!
The frozen fountain crashed down directly. Its explosive force pushed Silver sliding backward across the ice. After smashing through several houses in succession, he finally managed to steady himself!
"Quite an interesting Card Magic. But let me give you a little warning—even if it's my own power, ice-attribute magic is completely ineffective against me."
Amid the dancing ice crystals, Silver lowered his arms unharmed, revealing a face adorned with a confident smile.
This was the power of Slayer-type Magic. Unless the attack was a higher-level version of the same attribute, it was virtually impossible to cause any damage!
"How troublesome. Ice Devil Slayer Magic, huh."
Chase brushed a few ice shavings from his clothes, showing no surprise at the outcome.
Come to think of it, that exchange had just been mutual probing.
Through direct magical confrontation, he had roughly gauged his opponent's strength.
After all, Silver could easily handle Natsu and Gray, who had awakened their Second Origin and trained for another year. He was significantly stronger than Jellal or Laxus at their current stages—the strongest opponent Chase had faced so far, aside from the Flame Dragon God Ignia.
And yet, this gap didn't feel hopeless like Ignia's overwhelming power. So the fighting spirit in Chase's eyes didn't diminish in the slightest. Instead, it burned even hotter.
An opponent who required his full effort was exactly what he wanted right now. There was a good chance it would trigger a new card and make him even stronger!
"As a return gesture... let me show you my other magic."
Chase took a deep breath and struck his fists together. A holy presence radiated from him, completely different from the dark gold magic power of before.
Whoosh!
A crimson torrent surged forth in overwhelming waves. The urgent, deep sonic booms sounded like a great dragon roaring at the heavens.
No... this feeling—
Silver's eyes went wide with disbelief. In the dragon-shaped phantom reflected in his pupils, he deeply felt an oppressive presence that made every muscle in his body tense.
"I see. So you're a Dragon Slayer."
Silver quickly recovered his composure from the shock. He was, after all, a member of Tartaros who had witnessed all sorts of grand spectacles.
"More precisely, a God Slayer." Chase, bathed in the crimson magic power, corrected him.
Looking closely, one could see that a Unicorn Horn now sat atop his forehead, while the Book of Secret Arts and Pot of Greed floated beside him. His physical condition had been pushed to its peak!
Watching from a distance, Lucy noticed something far more confusing: Wait... when did Chase take off his shirt?!
"So it's magic meant to crush gods. Interesting."
Silver glanced at the discarded clothes beside Chase's feet as he spoke. At the same time, he reached up and unbuckled his steel armor, revealing the muscle contours outlined by the black bodysuit beneath.
Though his opponent wasn't the demons he loathed with every fiber of his being, and was even a comrade of his son's guild, Silver—feeling the flames of battle ignite within him after so long—prepared to go all out.
Clang.
The steel armor smashed a dent into the ice. It looked incredibly heavy.
"Then why are you taking your clothes off too?!" Lucy's retort slipped out before she could stop herself.
She stared with wide eyes—not drawn by Silver's robust, perfect physique, but rather... seeing him perform that sequence of movements made him look even more like a certain pervert in the guild!
***
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