Directly behind the dark castle, the magic airship sat on an open field.
The Grimoire Heart elite mages left to guard this location had been completely eliminated, lying sprawled across the spacious deck and quiet corridors.
Chase, Demon Mira, and Ultear advanced without obstruction, reaching the core room deep within the airship where Hades's "Heart" was stored.
The faint purple glow emitted by the magical equipment preserving the Heart illuminated the dim room. In the central area, a large device connected to a dense network of cables was spilling out a strangely colored nutrient fluid.
The inside of the device was completely empty.
"We've been outmaneuvered..." Chase sighed softly, tossing the Grimoire Heart mage he had been holding like a ragdoll aside.
Through the domination of his magic card Brain Control, he had learned that the guards here had no idea when the "Heart" had gone missing. They were completely unaware.
"So he transferred the Heart in advance..." Mira's expression was somewhat grave as she looked at Ultear, who was likewise frowning. "Ultear, do you know of any other storage locations?"
The "Heart" was Hades's greatest trump card, providing him with an endless supply of magic power and even allowing him to recover instantly from fatal wounds.
If they couldn't destroy it, Fairy Tail would have a very difficult time winning this war. The master and their comrades would be in extreme danger.
For this very reason, the old man had entrusted this crucial mission to her and Chase. But they hadn't expected this outcome!
"Aside from here, there is a temporary storage point inside the dark castle, but..." Ultear stared blankly at the empty preservation chamber before her.
"Since Hades took precautions in advance, he probably wouldn't be stupid enough to put the Heart somewhere we could guess," Chase said, picking up where she left off and shaking his head with a sigh. "Just as expected of our guild's second-generation master."
That crafty old fox had probably already taken preventive measures when he first noticed Ultear's unusual behavior!
Although disappointing, this unexpected situation wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, no one would expose their biggest weakness to a subordinate who might betray them!
"Chase, what should we do now?" Mira asked instinctively.
She, who should have been a fully independent Fairy Tail S-Class mage, had unconsciously come to rely on Chase.
"Let's still give it a try. You two go to the temporary storage point and try your luck."
"And you, Chase?"
"I was hoping the old man could finally have his moment in the spotlight and enjoy a good fight. But now it looks like I'll have to steal the show after all..." Chase's eyes flickered with intense fighting spirit.
Familiar with the original story, he knew even better than Ultear how terrifying Hades was with unlimited magic power. Once Hades activated his dark magic, even the old man, with his life-saving Kuriboh, would be in danger of dying at any moment.
So, he had to get support as quickly as possible!
Mira immediately understood the hidden danger. Although she was very worried, she chose to trust him. "Be very careful."
At that level of battle, even if she and Ultear went, they would only be dead weight. It was better to focus on finding the Heart.
"Don't worry." Chase replied with a bright smile. "I am the man you love, aren't I?"
Although the situation had become quite serious, since he had supported Makarov's decision to declare war on Grimoire Heart, he naturally had the confidence and cards to win this battle, even against a Hades with the Heart.
When it came to dark magic, he had far too many people on his side who could counter it!
Unlimited magic power? Pseudo-immortality?
And if they really pushed him to the limit, he would just summon Slifer the Sky Dragon and let Hades witness the power of a god!
"Huh?" Mira's face turned bright red. She hadn't expected the card nerd to suddenly say something like that. But she quickly regained her usual composure as Demon Mirajane and said with a smile, "That's true. I'll leave it to you, then!"
"You two..." Ultear suddenly felt a bit redundant.
"Oh, Ultear, there's one more thing I need to ask of you."
Chase put away his relaxed expression and said seriously, "Whether you find the Heart or not, help me get all of Hades's magical books."
Aside from the various powerful Lost Magics and theoretical concepts, Hades's collection might also contain information about the "Heart's" operating principles. If he could get all of that to Dark Magician for study, it would definitely take his magical attainment to the next level.
This was an unimaginably valuable treasure. It couldn't be left to be buried in the fierce battle!
"I understand." Ultear nodded firmly.
Their three-person action plan was completely finalized.
However, before Chase could leave to find Hades and start the fight, there was one more thing to take care of.
"You've been listening for quite a while. Isn't it time to show yourself?" Chase looked up at the wooden ceiling.
Mira and Ultear's expressions were calm, clearly also having sensed the person's presence.
Creak.
After a brief silence, the wooden ceiling bulged downward like a fluid, gradually materializing into a sturdy man with long brown dreadlocks and earrings.
The man leaped lightly and landed in front of Chase and the others, blocking the exit.
"Azuma?" Ultear was startled.
Azuma, a user of the Lost Magic "Arc of the Great Tree," was an extremely powerful mage even among the Seven Kin!
"Master Hades's judgment was indeed correct. You chose to betray us after all, Ultear..." Azuma sighed regretfully, then said, "Don't bother searching. The master has hidden the Heart in a place only he knows. Your mission is destined to fail."
Hearing this, Chase quietly withdrew the magic power that had been surging within him.
He had let this guy eavesdrop for so long in hopes of getting information about the Heart from his mouth. But now it seemed that approach wasn't going to work.
Given Azuma's personality and his near-religious worship of Hades, there was no reason for him to lie. In other words, Chase was going to have to face Hades head-on after all!
"Azuma, we were both wrong. The Great Magical World is not the ideal world we imagined. The—"
As a former comrade, Ultear wanted to persuade Azuma to return to the right path.
But before she could finish, Azuma, who believes in strength above all, waved his hand and cut her off. "How disappointing, Ultear. The once powerful you have become as naive as these self-righteous bastards!"
Sensing his undisguised hostility, Ultear knew that further persuasion was useless.
Just as she sighed heavily and pulled out her magic crystal ball, ready to fight, dark purple light flashed, and Mira, transformed into Demon Satan, stepped in front of her.
"Ultear knows the castle's layout better than we do. I'll handle this guy."
Ultear gave Mira, whose fighting spirit was surging, a deep look. Without unnecessary words, she put away her crystal ball. "Be careful. Azuma is very strong."
Time was urgent. She immediately left to search for the Heart and collect the books.
Azuma didn't stop her. He simply let her pass by.
"Demon Mirajane and the destructive maniac Chase... I really drew the winning lot. I get to encounter two of Fiore's most famous Fairy Tail S-Class mages at once!"
Desiring to fight strong opponents, his attention was completely focused on Chase and Mira. Excitement showed on his face.
Thick magic power kept pouring out, transforming into visible, and the strong fighting spirit that swirled around him, causing the entire floor to tremble.
In terms of his battle-loving personality, he and Chase were kindred spirits.
Unfortunately, his strength was a bit lacking.
"Excuse me. Coming through."
A calm voice reached his ears. Before Azuma could react, his vision went dark.
When his returned sight and a strange sight came into view, he was still a bit confused.
What just happened? Why is the ceiling and floor swapped?
I heard Fairy Tail's Chase can use a wide variety of cards. Did I just get hit by some kind of visual perception confusion magic?
No...
That's not it!
Azuma suddenly snapped awake and leaped up from the collapsed corner of the wall.
"I got sent flying without even realizing it? What a joke!!"
Realizing this, Azuma instantly flew into a rage. He raised his hand and threw explosive vine branches at Chase's retreating back. "Howling Bee!"
"Dark Torrent!"
Pitch-black dark claws howled through the air, intercepting the vine branches heading for Chase.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Amidst the explosions, Chase walked calmly, disappearing around the corner without looking back.
After his fight with Mira on the Nirvana two days ago, he now had a good grasp of Demon King Mira's power. She shouldn't have much trouble defeating Azuma.
So, rather than handle this himself, it was better to leave it to Mira to gain some experience.
Mira's original story fight against Azuma was far too frustrating. Just thinking about it now made him angry!
Besides, the situation with the old man was clearly more urgent. There was no need to waste time here.
"Your opponent is me." Mira smiled, waving at Azuma with a playful expression.
"Demon Mirajane!!"
Although Azuma was furious, he no longer had any intention of chasing after Chase.
He spread his arms and burst out all his magic power. In an instant, thick, sky-covering tree branches grew wildly, covering the entire airship and transforming it into a primeval forest that blotted out the sun and sky.
This was the true power of his Lost Magic: Arc of the Great Tree!
"Looks like he's not an opponent I can defeat easily. I can't betray the trust Chase and Ultear placed in me, then."
Sensing the terrifying energy contained within the forest, Mira's expression turned serious. She took a deep breath and began mobilizing her magic power, preparing to go all out.
HUM, HUM, HUM.
Her magic power caused violent turmoil. As a large magical array suddenly unfolded, the wind whipped her flowing white hair.
"Although Demon King Take Over makes up for the shortcoming of my low magic power, it lacks the speed of Demon God Halphas and the explosive power of Demon Soul Halphas. While fighting Chase, I wondered if I could freely combine them like Erza's Requip magic, integrating all three Take Over forms into one..."
Under the excited, almost manic gaze of the battle-loving Azuma, Mira clenched her fists within the wind and liberated all the magic power she had accumulated to its peak.
"Combination Take Over: Demon God King Shutefas!"
***
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