Future Yukino: "..."
If Lucy had reacted like that right after the gate opened, she might have believed it.
"Lucy, your acting is too exaggerated. You should be more natural."
Erza placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder and gave her serious feedback.
Seeing Erza's completely earnest expression, Lucy's mouth twitched. She covered her face with her hands. "This is the one thing I absolutely don't want Erza's advice on."
"So, what exactly is going on here? And what is this Eclipse Gate thing?" Gildarts approached Mirajane.
The dragon's roar had brought back memories of his encounter with Acnologia. The old injuries in his body throbbed with pain.
Having only arrived in Crocus yesterday afternoon, he knew nothing about Chase's Eclipse Gate operation.
His question voiced the confusion of most people present.
Mirajane pulled her gaze away from Chase and thought for a moment. "Hmm... where should I start?"
"Allow me to answer everyone's questions."
After physically calming Natsu down, Makarov turned to face the confused and panicked crowd. He cleared his throat and gave a concise explanation of the Eclipse Gate and why dragons had appeared here.
Meanwhile, inside the Fourfold Magic Array.
Motherglare raised its claw and wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth. Its dragon eyes scanned the shimmering energy barrier surrounding it before looking down at Chase.
It snorted, its voice dripping with disdain. "Human, you don't think this little toy can trap me, Motherglare, do you?"
"Don't misunderstand. This is just a stage I've set up where we can fight freely."
Chase's lips curled upward. He met the dragon's brutal, savage gaze without a trace of fear.
This was a rare opportunity. He wanted to test how far he could go against a dragon without using all-card amplification, Second Origin, or summoning the Gods.
"Fight freely?"
Motherglare paused, then burst into laughter as if it had heard the funniest joke.
The dragon's laughter was harsh and piercing. The energy alone was enough to shake the ground, sending debris tumbling back and forth.
After a few seconds, Motherglare stopped laughing, its gaze turning cold. "Are there no dragons in this future world?"
"An ant like you dares to challenge a dragon?!"
A hurricane howled. Terrifying pressure followed.
"Is that so? I thought that punch earlier was enough as a greeting."
Chase furrowed his brow, putting on a troubled expression as he pointed at the blood-stained dragon fang lying nearby.
This provocation—killing the dragon's pride—sent Motherglare into a rage. It slammed its claw down, shattering the ground. "Then I'll tear you apart first, and then dominate this magic-filled world!"
As a supreme race possessing both powerful physical bodies and immense magic, its perception was also keen. It knew this man wasn't as weak as the humans it was familiar with.
But in Motherglare's eyes, he was still just a slightly larger ant.
Ants should be full of fear and reverence, groveling before a dragon's claws and wings. Even meeting its gaze was an unforgivable sin!
This was the main reason Motherglare stood firmly with the faction opposing peaceful coexistence with humans. It was the same belief shared by all opposition dragons.
No one would willingly live peacefully with ants!
With that thought, Motherglare extended its claws, crouched low like a lizard, and aimed its massive maw at Chase.
VWOOM!
The surrounding air spiraled rapidly into its mouth. Terrifying energy gathered deep in its throat, forming a brilliant sphere of pure danger.
It was a real dragon's breath!
In the tearing winds, the dragon's breath annihilated everything in its path. Chase's small form was completely engulfed.
BOOM!!!
The destructive energy of the roar exploded instantly. A massive fireball rose slowly. The shockwaves erased everything around them.
All of Crocus trembled under this single strike, like a small earthquake!
And this was after the Fourfold Magic Array—constructed by the four mages—had weakened most of the energy!
A casual breath attack carried such destructive power.
The mages watching from outside were horrified. They had witnessed firsthand just how terrifying a dragon could be.
Even Jura, the fifth-ranked Ten Wizard Saint, felt a twinge of fear. If that roar had hit the city center without any obstruction, the consequences would have been catastrophic!
"How is Chase?" Wendy asked weakly, her big eyes filled with concern.
Everyone looked up. Amid the scorched, cratered ruins, a holy barrier stood within the billowing smoke.
The Mirror Force was now covered in cracks. A gentle breeze shattered it into countless floating motes of light.
Two long grooves stretched backward. At their end, Chase slowly lowered his crossed arms.
"As expected, not a creature you can handle so easily..."
Chase sighed softly. He tore off his tattered clothes, revealing his strong, well-proportioned musculature.
The roar hadn't been reflected back. That meant in terms of raw magic power alone, Motherglare surpassed him in his normal state.
After all, in the original story, these dragons had crushed humanity's forces without resistance. This level of performance was only to be expected.
So Chase showed no surprise. Instead, his eyes burned with excitement as he stared at Motherglare. His dormant fighting spirit surged higher and higher.
He had been in the future world for so long. Finally, he could have a real fight!
In contrast, Motherglare's expression was far more varied. Its slit pupils contracted, its dragon face a mask of disbelief.
"I see. It seems I underestimated you."
With that, Motherglare changed its crouching posture, slowly straightening its body and raising its massive head.
SWOOSH!
Its wings, blotting out the sky, snapped open. Hard scales stood slightly on end, rubbing against each other with an unsettling sound.
Dragons were a species even more battle-hungry than humans. Before a fight, they would typically release a breath attack as both a greeting and a test of the opponent's worth.
No words were needed. Having blocked the roar, Chase had been elevated in Motherglare's eyes from a "laughable ant" to a worthy "opponent."
It had entered full combat mode!
"Setting aside our stance, I quite like your attitude," Chase said with a calm smile.
Then his gaze sharpened. He stepped forward, and an ancient dark golden magic circle blazed beneath his feet.
A pentagram pattern formed behind him. The five components of Exodia appeared one by one, perfectly assembling onto his body before rapidly expanding to match Motherglare's height.
From a distance, Chase standing amid the ruins looked like a miniature Exodia, radiating a dense and oppressive magical aura!
***
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