Rather than borrowing the abilities of his card monsters, Chase typically summons them directly to fight.
To put it simply he might know a bit of the Dark Magician Girl's spellcraft or the Black Magician's apprentice-level black magic, but his mastery of it is nowhere near their level. And to improve? He'd have to spend time and effort to learn and train like any normal wizard.
Sure, having more skills is never a bad thing but trying to learn too many at once?
That's like trying to eat more than you can chew. It's inefficient and clumsy.
In fact, it almost feels like taking the long way around when the shortcut is right in front of you.
And in a high-stakes battle where opponents are on the same level, trying to cast complex magic himself would place enormous mental strain on Chase. That, in turn, would make it harder to calmly and efficiently chain his cards together, something that comes naturally to him when commanding from the rear.
After all, his Magic Duelist Soul doesn't just house monster cards it also contains a wide array of spell and trap cards!
There's also one critical detail.
If a card monster falls in battle, they can just return to the deck and hibernate for a while.
But if Chase dies?
That's it. Game over.
So under normal circumstances, Chase only borrows card monster abilities when he's completely out of magic power or too drained to summon for example, when he delivered the final blow to Jose using Thunder Roar.
But
The Sky Dragon is a different story altogether.
Its strict magic requirement means Chase can't summon it casually. It's a trump card, a last-resort god-tier move used in do-or-die moments.
However, the "God-Slaying Magic" he now possesses, derived from the Sky Dragon, changes everything.
This was the true divine might of a god!
Thanks to his guild life, Chase already had a strong foundation in close-quarters combat, and he wasn't bad at physical fighting even without cards, he could hold his own. Now, with divine power flowing through his limbs and the Right Arm of the Forbidden One steadily gaining strength with each battle, he could potentially reach S-Class power without even summoning a single monster!
Just picture it
When an equally strong opponent works tirelessly to bypass his cards, only to charge forward thinking Chase is defenseless…
Only to catch a Sky Dragon-powered iron punch to the face.
What a spectacular counterattack that would be.
"Once the Council interrogation is over… I have to seriously study the Sky Dragon's power."
Putting away the grand images in his mind, Chase politely declined the Dark Magician Girl's offer to "warm his bed" and returned to the real world.
It was deep into the night.
The entire temporary base was peaceful, broken only by the occasional chirp of insects.
…And the murmuring of Natsu, who was lying in the next bed talking in his sleep.
"Mistgun, I challenge you again…"
"Erza… I'm gonna beat you this time…"
"…Where are we going, Dad?"
Chase smirked under the covers.
He wondered how the old man hiding inside Natsu's body would feel hearing that last line.
With that amusing thought, Chase tugged the blanket over himself and fell asleep.
The next day.
After a quick breakfast courtesy of the Council and shipped in from Magnolia the long and dreadfully boring interrogation began.
Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were both being questioned individually, one person at a time, each in sealed rooms.
On Fairy Tail's side, the interrogation was led by Lahar, the commanding officer of the Council's Compulsory Inspection Unit.
As for Phantom Lord, they were handled by that clam-faced messenger from the Council.
Why the division?
Simple.
That toad-like Council official really didn't want to be left alone in a room with Chase.
This method of interrogation targeting individuals separately was effective. It allowed the Council to gather as much factual detail as possible while filtering out any exaggeration or blame-shifting that could come from group testimonies.
But the downside?
It was slow. Painfully slow.
So slow that Chase suspected even the Dark Magician Girl would've fallen asleep halfway through it.
The first round of questioning dragged on so long that by the time it was finally Chase's group's turn, it was nearly noon!
"Who among you will go first?" asked the officer guiding them toward the tent.
"Me! Me! Me!" Natsu shot his hand into the air and darted forward in a few quick strides.
Though he'd always had a strong dislike bordering on open hostility toward the Magic Council, this time he was surprisingly enthusiastic.
Why?
Because he didn't want to miss the chance to go before Chase and Mistgun.
It was a pointless and utterly meaningless distinction, but…
Macao and Wakaba were immediately influenced and scrambled to keep up.
When it comes to getting ahead in S-Class matters, the members of Fairy Tail always find some strange inner motivation.
Before long, only Chase, Mistgun, and their so-called "pet" Harpy were left in the tent.
"Chase. You go next," Mistgun said quietly, standing up with his usual calm, composed tone.
Normally, Chase would've put the other three in their place just to remind them who the real boss was.
But right now, his mind was still occupied with thoughts of God-Slaying Magic, and he didn't feel like making a fuss. So, he quietly lined up behind Wakaba.
And so, a group of five made their way toward the interrogation tent.
Up front, Natsu and his two "rivals" marched with their chests puffed out, sporting smug expressions as exaggerated as a king fresh from battle. They strutted like they had something to prove, tossing glances at the other tents along the way.
"Those three are complete idiots," Lucy muttered under her breath, fresh from finishing her own round of questioning.
Inside the same tent, Mira smiled as she watched them parade by, then turned to glance at Chase.
"Ahaha… That doesn't seem like something he'd normally let slide," she commented.
"Mistgun…"
Erza, meanwhile, had her eyes fixed on Mistgun, trailing quietly at the back of the group, still wearing his mask.
Surrounded by the light chatter and commentary from their companions, Chase and the others finally arrived at the Council's designated interrogation tent.
Following the order, once Natsu, Macao, and Wakaba finished, it was naturally Chase's turn.
As he stepped inside, the flap of the tent lifted to reveal a neatly set-up room with a square wooden table at its center.
Across the table sat Lahar, upright in his Magic Council uniform, hands folded neatly over a thick file.
"Oh? Didn't expect you guys to be so polite. You even made tea," Chase said casually, sitting down and picking up the cup of black tea like it was his own living room. He took two generous sips without hesitation.
Lahar pressed his fingers against his forehead, visibly fighting off a migraine as he stared at Chase's nonchalant behavior.
Without wasting another second, he reached for the document beside him and got straight to the point.
"Chase. Male. Twenty-three. S-Class wizard of the Fairy Tail Guild."
"According to testimony from Phantom Lord's side, you're the one who sent Gajeel a Phantom wizard to Oak Town Clock Tower Square in order to provoke a fight. Do you have anything to say about this?"
Chase arched an eyebrow.
Just as expected.
"He attacked our guild members first. I only fought back to protect my friends."
Chase set the teacup down slowly.
"If you investigate West Magnolia Street, you'll find witnesses. Someone must've seen it."
Even if it was the middle of the night, the noise had been loud enough to wake the dead or at least a pig.
"As for how he ended up hanging from the bell tower, I "
"Just a reminder," Lahar interjected dryly, flipping a page in his folder, "Natsu Dragneel, who came in before you, already bragged ahem, admitted to it."
"Yep! That was me!" Chase said, throwing his hands up lightly with a sigh.
Internally, he cursed Natsu for being such a loose-lipped idiot.
But in the end, it didn't really matter.
Not only had Gajeel thrown the first punch, but Phantom Lord had been stirring up trouble all across Fiore targeting guild members, damaging Fairy Tail's base, and even unleashing a walking fortress.
Compared to all that, hanging Gajeel from a bell tower was minor mischief.
Even if some uptight Council members insisted on assigning blame, the worst they could pin on Chase was "causing a public disturbance." It wouldn't change the fact that Sabertooth and Phantom Lord had taken deliberate steps to provoke a full-scale guild war.
And besides
That scenario wasn't likely.
Why?
Because Fairy Tail had won.
In a war between guilds, victory carried a lot of weight.
Lahar understood this perfectly. The questions he asked weren't about uncovering truth they were a matter of official procedure.
In reality, the Council had already formed its conclusions.
They just needed to wrap it in paperwork and make it official.
....
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