Grimoire Heart headquarters.
With the defeat of Azuma and the others, the fighting around the dark castle gradually subsided. Although explosions from magical clashes still sounded from time to time, their intensity was far less than at the start of the war.
Fairy Tail had broken through with overwhelming force and had taken absolute dominance.
On the Nirvana, the howling wind made the Fairy Tail flag sway constantly. At the top of the main tower's spire, many people had gathered around Makarov, whose sudden heart attack had been relieved.
"Haha, I can't believe you died even faster than me. Macao, you're way too lame!" Wakaba said, a smoking pipe in his mouth.
Despite being covered in wounds and having blood at the corner of his lips, he wasn't about to miss the chance to mock his old partner.
"Bastard! If the floor hadn't been so slippery, there's no way that sneaky retainer follower of the Seven Kin would have gotten me!" Macao defended, his face red.
He was also covered in wounds, his breath was sluggish, his magic power long since exhausted.
"If I remember correctly, Wakaba, you only lasted three seconds longer than Macao. Nothing to brag about," Jet of Team Shadow Gear said with a laugh.
Now it was Wakaba's turn to be embarrassed. "I-I'm different from this idiot! The space was too small. My smoke magic couldn't show its full power!"
"Hey, hey, does smoke magic really get affected by the size of the space?"
"One says the floor was too slippery, the other says the space was too small. No wonder you two ended up together."
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing Macao and Wakaba trying to save face, the surrounding comrades couldn't help but laugh.
That's right. They had all triggered the Kuriboh's effect and been force teleported back to the Nirvana.
In a sense, they had "died on the battlefield."
This wasn't to say that Macao and the others were weak. On the contrary, with the help of Dark Magician's customized training guide, they were all somewhat stronger than their counterparts at this point in the original story.
It's just that this time, they were facing a Grimoire Heart with all its elites present!
Leaving aside the lucky ones who had encountered the Seven Kin right away, even the powerful retainer followers were quite tricky. As could be seen from Cavats and Yomazu of Zoldeo's unit, who could contend with Gajeel, these retainers would be at least A-Class mages or above in ordinary guilds.
Although Fairy Tail had advance information on the Grimoire Heart mages, they were still outnumbered. On average, each member had to face several times their number of elite mages!
So, the fact that they had managed to achieve such a basic suppression situation was a testament to the performance of Macao and the others.
"Alright, everyone quiet down. The battle is far from over!"
Makarov's voice cut through the relatively relaxed and lively atmosphere.
The old man stood with his hands behind his back, his solemn gaze fixed on the battlefield ahead, filled with furious magic power.
There, the evenly matched battle between Chase and Hades was still ongoing. And until the two of them decided the victor—or rather, until Chase found a way to crack Hades's infinitely powered Grimoire Heart—Fairy Tail's situation remained quite dangerous.
Compared to that, the comprehensive advantage they currently held seemed somewhat insignificant. If they didn't deal with Hades, even wiping out every single Grimoire Heart mage would be useless!
To prevent potential accidents, Makarov felt it was necessary to activate the initial emergency plan.
Keep the Nirvana operational, ensuring the Magic Chaos Cannon could be fired at any moment... or evacuate quickly.
Hearing Makarov's reminder, the group, who had been competing over who had defeated more enemies, immediately fell silent. They all turned their gazes toward that most intense battlefield.
CRASH!!
God Slayer Magic and Amaterasu Magic clashed violently. The blast of terror forced Chase and Hades to retreat repeatedly.
"Even Makarov couldn't push me this far, yet you've managed to do so. The younger generation truly is formidable," Hades said, steadying himself and offering unreserved praise.
After a series of fierce battles, his demon helmet had been knocked off, revealing his white hair. Through his tattered armor, one could see the lines of his muscular body.
Although he looked somewhat embarrassed, his aura remained completely unaffected. His magic power was still unfathomably strong.
In contrast, Chase's condition seemed much more drained. His bloodstained chest heaved up and down. Even the phantom of Slifer the Sky Dragon condensed around him looked somewhat dim.
Chase's expression was serious. He had truly seen just how perverted the Grimoire Heart, this Ultra-Magic, really was.
Magic power gushes out like an endless bottomless pit. Even the fatal wounds caused by Slifer's God Slayer Magic could be restored in the blink of an eye, bringing him back to his peak!
The only thing that had any effect was the thunder attribute inherent to God Slayer Magic, which slightly weakened the power of Hades's magical attacks.
But in the face of unlimited magic power, even that effect was just a drop in the bucket.
"What's wrong? Didn't that brat Makarov tell you that the young should have a more fighting spirit?" Hades crossed his arms arrogantly and taunted, seeing Chase silent. "In your current physical condition, you won't be able to find me a good plot of land."
"The warm-up has just ended, and you're already jumping to conclusions. Isn't that a bit hasty, Second Generation Master?" Chase cracked his neck joints, tearing off his tattered shirt with a smile. "Or are you already sensing your own defeat?"
BOOM!
With that, several Magic Cards flew out from a rotating magical array, transforming into Book of Secret Arts, Pot of Greed, Unicorn Horn, and other objects, suspended in midair.
An invisible energy surge overflowed. Amplified by the Magic Cards, the phantom of Slifer around Chase's body became solid again, his momentum even stronger than before!
"So you weren't bluffing. You damned card brat." Hades was momentarily stunned. He obviously hadn't expected that, aside from his exceptionally powerful God Slayer Magic, Chase still had tricks like this up his sleeve.
If he weren't here, perhaps just this brat alone could have destroyed the strongest dark guild he had so carefully built!
No wonder Makarov dared to come and challenge him...
After a brief shock, Hades regained his composure. He shook his head regretfully. "But no matter how much you strengthen yourself, if you cannot understand the true essence of the abyss of magic, you are nothing more than a flash in the pan, destined to dissipate into dust."
"You're just an old man who doesn't even have the courage to explore magic on his own, blindly following Zeref. Stop spouting nonsense about truth and essence," Chase said.
Hades could indeed be called a once-in-a-century super genius. Not only had he read countless forbidden magic tomes, but he had also invented Lumen Histoire—Fairy Tail's "Fairy Heart"—an Ultra-Magic that even Zeref desired.
However, this old man's obsession with Zeref was simply too great. He had lost himself in the so-called "Great Magical World," unable to break free.
"You're still just a brat who's just wet behind the ears..." Hades spread his arms, a devout expression like that of a believer appearing on his aged face. "Only by deeply understanding that man's terror can one glimpse the true face of this world and recognize one's own weakness!"
"Sorry, but I prefer to believe that magic is the power of the heart and bonds," Chase said, unmoved.
"Heh. Trying to convince me with the philosophy I taught Makarov? How utterly boring!" Hades said, his face full of disdain.
"No, no. That's just the basic setting of this world," Chase said calmly, stating a simple truth.
But to Hades, who had nearly descended into madness, this sounded like meaningless sophistry—foolish and ridiculous.
"A brat who doesn't know the abyss of magic... I'll show you—"
With that, Hades had no more desire to continue the conversation. He raised his arm and lightly snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
In an instant, over a dozen intersecting Amaterasu magical arrays appeared around Chase.
"If you have the ability, try blocking them with your prized cards!"
Having suffered losses before, Hades had already figured out Chase's card magic during the battle. He knew that Chase hadn't set any "Traps" in advance.
"Amaterasu: Formula 180!!"
The magical arrays trembled, emitting a light filled with the aura of destruction that completely enveloped Chase.
"Hey, old man. Did you really think I've never been exposed to so-called black magic?"
Chase showed no signs of panic. In the second before the Amaterasu arrays' power burst, he smiled and held up a card pinched between his fingers.
"Witness the true 'Abyss of Magic'!"
Rolling black fog overflowed crazily, blotting out the open space. A thick, mysterious, chaotic energy shook out from within.
Dark Magician of Chaos, his expression cold, descended. He merely lightly tapped his gem-studded staff, and the scattered Amaterasu arrays, as if controlled by some force, quickly converged in front of Chase, overlapping each other.
Then, golden light shone. Runes symbolizing light replaced the ancient text of the Amaterasu arrays, completely rewriting their black magic nature, transforming them into sacred light magic!
"Completely reversing the core structure and principle of Amaterasu Magic in an instant... and achieving such a perfect balance..." Hades was greatly shocked. "H-how is this possible?!"
From an outside perspective, Dark Magician of Chaos had merely transformed one spell into another. But in the eyes of Hades, a genius of magic, this should have been impossible. The knowledge involved far exceeded imagination!
"Destruction Incantation: Amaterasu Light."
Dark Magician of Chaos swung his staff expresslessly.
BOOM! CRASH!
A dazzling golden light shot forth, instantly striking Hades, who had yet to recover from his shock!
***
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