"You're the one who killed Karen!"
A sudden roar echoed through the air.
Lucy turned to see Hibiki, a member of Blue Pegasus, arriving just in time to hear this shocking revelation.
Karen had been his girlfriend!
"You bastard!" Hibiki charged at Angel with fury blazing in his eyes.
"Hmph, so what?" Angel replied indifferently.
*Crackle crackle.*
Gemini transformed into Natsu, flames erupting from its fists, and delivered a powerful punch straight toward Hibiki.
"Now!" Lucy seized the moment, commanding Leo to strike Angel.
"I'm sorry," Aries whispered apologetically as she stepped in front of Leo to block him.
"Happy, let's go!" Lucy swung her whip at Angel.
"Not bad, but—" Angel sneered confidently.
*Boom!*
Hibiki was knocked down by Gemini disguised as Natsu. Meanwhile, Angel caught Lucy's whip and yanked hard.
"Huh?" Angel paused, surprised that it didn't budge.
"Happy!" Lucy lunged toward Angel while Happy arrived first, wielding a stick-like dried fish and smashing it against Angel.
*Bang!*
Angel kicked Happy away, but Lucy was already closing in.
One punch!
Just one punch, and I'll knock her flat on her back!
Lucy's gaze hardened—this newfound confidence in her strength came from weeks of training by restraining a fire dragon!
She wasn't some fragile Celestial Spirit Mage anymore!
"Nice plan, but too bad." Angel remained unfazed.
*Boom!*
Flames erupted from the side, engulfing Lucy.
"Ahh, hot hot hot!" Thankfully, they were near the riverbank. Lucy dove into the water to extinguish the flames.
Gasping for breath, she looked up only to find Angel standing right in front of her, delivering a swift kick.
*Thud!*
Caught off guard, Lucy was sent flying backward, landing awkwardly on the riverbed.
"Damn it!"
Hibiki tried to stand again but was once more struck down by Gemini-Natsu's flames. This time, he couldn't get back up.
As Lucy struggled to rise, Angel landed another punch squarely on her face.
"Finally got you close enough!" Blood trickled from the corner of Lucy's mouth. Soaked and battered, she ignored everything else, grabbing Angel with sheer brute force and pinning her to the ground!
"How is this possible? How can your strength be so overwhelming?!" Angel stammered in disbelief. They were both Celestial Spirit Mages—where did Lucy get such monstrous power? Was she secretly training?
"I've been suppressing a fire dragon every day!" Lucy finally understood the satisfaction Natsu felt when overpowering enemies with raw strength.
"Let me go, damn it!" Angel thrashed wildly.
But Lucy held firm like an immovable mountain!
Every struggle from Angel was futile compared to the effort required to restrain Natsu.
And Lucy still had energy to spare!
*Smack!* Lucy punched Angel square in the face.
"How dare you hit my face!" Angel screamed, almost losing her mind.
"What about it?!" Lucy punched her again.
Elsewhere...
Happy and Carla desperately tried to hold off Gemini, but their efforts fell short. Both exceed cats were eventually overwhelmed.
By then, Angel's entire face had swollen under Lucy's relentless assault.
In the end, she shared the same fate as her comrades—getting beaten until unrecognizable.
*Boom!*
Gemini finally intervened, kicking Lucy hard in the abdomen and sending her flying.
Lucy clutched her stomach as she staggered to her feet.
"I'll kill you!" Angel snarled furiously.
"Caelum Gate." She pulled out a silver key.
"Caelum, kill them both!" Despite her rage, Angel retained some composure—first, eliminate Lucy's strongest spirit.
"I'm sorry!" Aries, controlled by Angel, grabbed Leo.
"Leo!" He shouted in alarm.
*Whirr.* Caelum fired a magical cannon blast, piercing through both Aries and Leo.
"Damn it... Lucy..." Leo vanished reluctantly.
"What?! What did you do?!" Lucy and the others could hardly believe their eyes. As a Celestial Spirit Mage, how could Angel attack her own spirits?!
For Lucy, this act shattered all sense of morality.
"Are you even worthy of calling yourself a Celestial Spirit Mage?!" Lucy roared angrily.
"They won't die anyway," Angel shrugged carelessly. "Now worry about yourself. Caelum, aim at her."
"But they still feel pain!" Lucy shouted indignantly.
"Oh well, no need to rush. You'll feel pain soon enough," Angel taunted.
"Kill her."
Though giving the order, Angel subtly reduced Caelum's output power.
She wasn't stupid. That guy might have said, "Use full strength; if they die, it's their fault," but killing his teammates would surely mean her death too. Trusting a Trick Magic user's words? Impossible!
Even enraged, Angel dared not kill Lucy.
*Whirr.*
The magic cannon fired.
"Lucy!" Despite his injuries, Hibiki struggled to shield her.
"Hibiki!" Lucy cried out in shock.
With great effort, Hibiki turned around, placing his hands on Lucy's shoulders. Eyes filled with hope, he whispered hoarsely, "Please... avenge me..."
"This is all I can do..."
"Countless stars far and wide, reveal thy true form unto me. I am the master of the heavens, command thee to open the gates of chaos. All eighty-eight constellations, shine forth—the Star Chart Saga!"
*Boom boom boom boom!*
The combined might of all eighty-eight constellations locked onto Angel, unleashing devastating magical attacks one after another.
"Ahhh—"
Angel collapsed, screaming in agony.
---
Inside the prison cell:
"Mr. Jehfrit? Is this duck intestine overcooked?" Wendy asked curiously as she watched Jehfrit holding a piece of duck intestine with chopsticks, boiling it for quite some time.
"Hmm? Oh, I like it chewy," Jehfrit responded absentmindedly, lifting the duck intestine with a smile.
The Star Chart Saga, huh?
It seems like a powerful spell, but using it drains a lot of magic power—not very practical.
Jehfrit disliked spells that consumed massive amounts of magic in one go. Such tactics left him vulnerable in complex situations, which was why he avoided learning Fairy Law. By the time someone needed to use Fairy Law, enemies wouldn't give them the chance—it would expose his true identity and leave him defenseless. Pure suicide.
If he couldn't win, he could always run. If push came to shove, he'd risk getting close to deliver a decisive blow with Hani's blade. If even Hani couldn't break through, then Fairy Law wouldn't help either.
So, the spell needed adjustments. Perhaps turning it into something akin to "Ball Girl" mechanics would work better.
That way, Lucy's overall combat ability would improve significantly.
"Has Gray figured it out yet?"
Jehfrit shifted his attention to Gray's battlefield.
Gray had lost the motorcycle race against Racer, but their fight wasn't over—one side had to fall.
Fortunately, Lyon happened to be nearby. Seeing Gray being chased relentlessly, Lyon intervened, creating a balanced five-five standoff between the two of them.
After some observation, Lyon finally uncovered the secret behind Racer's magic. He signaled Gray to look up at the sky.
Gray glanced upward and spotted birds flying at incredible speeds.
Instant enlightenment struck him—Racer's magic wasn't about speed itself but sensory manipulation, similar to Jehfrit's Deception Magic!
Magical battles worked like duels between armed warriors.
One wielded a spear—no hidden tricks, just solid fundamentals.
The other used strange weapons, leveraging the opponent's unfamiliarity to gain early dominance.
But once the flaw was exposed, the saying went: "The weirder the weapon, the faster you die."
Without exchanging words, Gray and Lyon divided their roles seamlessly.
*Boom!*
Lyon froze Gray solid, muttering disdainfully, "I don't need your help anymore."
"Oh? In-fighting?" Racer grinned maliciously, chasing after Lyon instead.
Lyon endured the beating, dragging Racer farther away from Gray until the latter determined he was out of the magic's range based on environmental cues.
Breaking free from the ice, Gray constructed a tall ice tower and aimed an icy cannon at Racer.
"Ice Geyser Cannon!"
*Boom!*
The unsuspecting Racer took the full brunt of the attack, collapsing heavily wounded.
"Phew..." Lyon sighed in relief.
"You okay?"
Gray approached Lyon, offering a hand.
"Hmph, I'm your senior. Of course, I handled it better than you," Lyon replied haughtily but accepted Gray's hand, allowing himself to be pulled up.
"Thank goodness," Sherry observed, relieved. "I thought you two were fighting again."
Back in the prison cell:
Wendy placed a perfectly boiled tripe into Jehfrit's bowl, noticing how much he enjoyed it.
"Thank you." Jehfrit smiled warmly.
"Mr. Jehfrit has been zoning out occasionally since earlier. Are you thinking of a way to escape?" Wendy inquired curiously.
"Not really, just pondering insignificant matters."
Clearly evasive, but Wendy decided not to press further. If he chose not to share, there must be a reason.
Jehfrit, of course, kept monitoring all battlefields closely.
Angel and Racer were manageable opponents.
Cobra? After hours of fighting, realizing Natsu's physical prowess surpassed his own, Cobra started resorting to cheap tactics.
Jellal? He was deliberately holding back, refusing to admit defeat. His bruised face hidden beneath heavy armor meant social death if revealed during a loss to Erza. Jellal had plans—he believed Oración Seis could still defeat Natsu and company, giving him an excuse to flee later.
Concern for Erza and the others?
Unnecessary. Oración Seis was terrified of Jehfrit, too scared to kill anyone.
Only Midnight and Hoteye posed real trouble.
Of course, this wasn't due to Ichiya or Jura lacking strength. However, Brain, the leader of Oración Seis, was heading toward their battlefield.
Without surprises, the duo would lose.
This would lead to Oración Seis surrounding Fairy Tail—a scenario Jehfrit anticipated eagerly. Such a massive wave of experience would strengthen Natsu and the others significantly.
*Boom boom boom*
Natsu and Cobra continued clashing, but it was evident Natsu's potential vastly exceeded Cobra's.
Unable to handle the pressure, Cobra resorted to cheating.
*Boom!*
Suddenly, Cubelios appeared behind Natsu, knocking him away.
Cobra climbed onto Cubelios' back, flapping its wings and taking flight.
"Damn it!" Watching Cobra soar above, Natsu felt helpless.
"Natsu!"
At that moment, Happy arrived at full speed.
Accompanied by Lucy and Carla, carried by two exceed cats.
"Hurry, help Natsu!" Lucy urged.
"I'm running low on magic power, Natsu. Finish this quickly!" Happy grabbed Natsu and flew upward.
"I understand. I know how to counter his magic now." Natsu wasn't foolish. His battle IQ and instincts were top-tier.
"Can you hear every thought I have?"
Natsu charged straight at Cobra.
"That's right." Cobra read Natsu's thoughts.
Thinking of attacking left?
Then I'll dodge right.
*Boom!*
To Cobra's shock, Natsu suddenly kicked him flying.
"What?! Wrong reading!"
"Fighting without thinking—I can do that too. It's simple when facing someone like Jehfrit." Natsu stated calmly.
When dealing with Jehfrit's Deception Magic, Natsu often found clarity elusive. Instead of overthinking, he relied purely on instinct.
Acting solely on intuition and reflexes often brought him closest to the truth.
Now, Natsu applied this method against Cobra.
The results were remarkable.
Cobra's greatest advantage was his hearing, but it proved ineffective against Natsu now.
*Boom boom boom*
Their fight returned to a hyper-speed exchange of blows.
Pressure mounted on Cobra.
At one point, he smirked, "Hey, don't you feel your strength waning?"
"I noticed, so what?" Natsu's eyes gleamed with determination. "I just need to defeat you before my strength runs out completely!"
Natsu knew he was poisoned, and Happy's magic reserves were nearly depleted. Yet, he remained confident—he'd defeat Cobra before succumbing to poison or exhausting Happy's magic!
"Hahaha, talk big, will you? Where does this confidence come from? Just because you're a Dragon Slayer?" Cobra laughed mockingly, transforming his arms into dragon claws.
"Natsu, he's also a Dragon Slayer!" Happy exclaimed, stunned.