Boom! Boom! Boom!
Near the seaside forest, a chaotic chase was unfolding. Lucy sprinted through the trees, barely dodging the relentless attacks of two massive tree puppets. On a nearby cliff, the rose-haired Sherry smiled brightly, her fingers dancing through the air as she controlled the puppets with precision.
"I already told you, miss—you should just surrender obediently," Sherry said sweetly, her hands never pausing. "That way, you won't have to suffer like this. After all, everything is for love~"
"What are you even talking about?!" Lucy leapt backward, narrowly avoiding another strike, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"I'm not just going to keep dodging. Open, Gate of the Bull—Taurus!"
Lucy pulled out the Golden Key of Taurus and summoned her Celestial Spirit.
"I'm not perverted—I'm just loyal to my desires!"
With that infamous declaration, a muscular, axe-wielding minotaur appeared beside her.
"The tide's turned—go, Taurus! Take them down!" Lucy pointed forward, her voice full of momentum.
"Leave it to me!" Taurus roared, swinging his massive double-bladed axe in a brutal arc. The two tree puppets were instantly cleaved in half.
"Nice work, Taurus!" Lucy grinned, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Moooo! Miss Lucy has the best figure!" Taurus shouted passionately.
"I did not tell him to say that! And I'm not happy about it either!" Lucy protested loudly.
"A Celestial Spirit Mage? And one who can summon a Zodiac spirit?" Sherry looked genuinely surprised for a moment. But then, hearing Taurus's words, her expression turned disdainful. "Letting your spirit say things like that to please you… how shameless."
"I said I didn't tell him to say that!"
"Hmph. Well, it doesn't matter. Just because you summoned a spirit doesn't mean you'll win. In fact… that spirit might become my ally instead."
Lucy frowned. "What are you talking about? Even if you're a Celestial Spirit Mage, you can't control my Taurus."
"Oh? Want to test that?" Sherry smirked. "Puppet Strike—String Puppet!"
A red magic circle flared in her hands. She pointed at Taurus—
His body froze.
Lucy's eyes widened in shock as Taurus suddenly turned around, his eyes glowing pink. He raised his axe and swung directly at her.
"Wha—?! Taurus, what's wrong?!" Lucy ducked low, barely dodging the sweeping strike, panic rising in her voice.
"Close one… If I hadn't stayed cautious, I'd be done for," she muttered, clutching her chest.
"Oh my, you dodged," Sherry teased.
"What did you do to him?!" Lucy demanded angrily.
"My magic allows me to control anything that isn't human," Sherry explained smugly. "And Celestial Spirits aren't human, are they? So of course I can control them. Now let's see—does your spirit listen to you… or to me? Attack her."
"Seriously? That's such a cheap ability!" Lucy complained while dodging another swing.
"Run all you like. Let's see how long you can keep it up," Sherry mocked. "Fairy Tail wizards? What a joke."
Lucy's stamina began to wane. After dodging again, she quickly pulled out the Taurus key.
"Return!"
She forcibly closed the gate, recalling Taurus to the Celestial Spirit World.
"Oh? You can forcibly close a Zodiac gate—impressive," Sherry admitted. "As expected of Fairy Tail. But it won't change the outcome. As long as you summon spirits, they'll fall under my control."
"Is that so?" Lucy smirked faintly, pulling out a silver key. "I've got plenty of other spirits."
"Go ahead. If you don't mind them turning against you again," Sherry replied confidently.
"As you wish. Open—Gate of Canis Minor, Nikora!"
A small, trembling creature appeared.
Sherry's eyes lit up. "Oh my, how adorable! Such love~ But now, it belongs to me. Puppet Strike—Control!"
A red glow shot into Nikora.
It turned and weakly lunged at Lucy… though the "attack" was hardly threatening.
Sherry blinked, stunned. She hadn't expected such a weak spirit—it felt like a complete waste of magic power.
Lucy seized the moment.
She cracked her whip through the air, the sharp sound cutting through the battlefield as it lashed toward Sherry.
Sherry's expression changed instantly. She leapt aside just in time—the whip struck the ground, leaving a deep mark and kicking up dust.
"Damn it… release," Sherry muttered, canceling her control.
Lucy quickly comforted the apologetic Nikora, then looked back at Sherry with a grin.
"Well? Back to square one. You use your puppets—I'll use my spirits."
"Square one? Don't flatter yourself."
Sherry raised her hands again.
"Puppet Strike—Rock Puppet!"
This time, she manipulated nearby stone. A massive rock giant formed, towering over the battlefield—with Sherry sitting atop its head.
"Wha—?! That's cheating!" Lucy's face went pale. "What do I even use against something like that?!"
She scrambled mentally through her spirits… and came up empty.
"Ahahaha! Accept your judgment—this too is love~!" Sherry laughed gleefully.
Lucy turned and ran again, this time truly in danger. The rock puppet's attacks were far more powerful than the tree ones.
Then—
A sea breeze brushed her face.
Lucy's eyes lit up.
"The ocean… that's it!"
An idea clicked.
"There's one spirit… strong enough to turn this around."
Sure, that woman was violent and loved to complain—but her strength was undeniable.
With that thought, Lucy changed direction, sprinting straight toward the coastline.
Behind her, Sherry pursued without realizing—
She was running straight into a trap.
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