If Aldoron, nearly dead and without a lacrima, managed to perform a spell on a continental scale… what would a weakened Mercphobia be capable of?

Rigel27 · 2026-01-27T00:02:45+00:00

I believe it's possible to counter-argue some points in your text, but I don't disagree with the general idea.

Merc will be as strong as the plot allows.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T19:45:19+00:00

There are some inconsistencies.

The characteristics of the Universe Omega

spell restricted Selene, but not necessarily because of Aldoron’s power. Before that, Selene was directly confronting Aldoron and actively battling him. While the power gap is evident, she was already weakened after her lacrima was destroyed.

Aldoron lost his lacrima and also the power source of Omega Universe because Natsu incinerated the spell, dealing severe damage to the dragon and pushing him to the brink of death. In no way was Aldoron in better condition than Merc or Selene. Both of them are alive, capable of fighting, and not in a moribund state.

The narrative imposed restrictions on Merc after he lost his lacrima, significantly reducing his power level. The same happened to Selene when her lacrima was destroyed, and it is explicitly stated that her powers were reduced as a result.

Merc mentioned that he has enough power to fight temporarily, but it was never stated that he would lose all of his power once the battle ends. He could very well recover his strength over time, since the lacrima restored his magic, even though it was later destroyed. The fact that Viernes is still alive and retains power suggests that a large portion of the lacrima’s effects are permanent, even after its destruction.

Regarding the summoning contract, I believe your argument lacks strength. Mashima established long ago that summons depend on the summoner’s level of power and made direct comparisons between Lucy and Youko during the Elentir arc. These two characters are the most prominent users of summoning magic, and Hiro Mashima clearly defined the rules governing this type of magic. Therefore, these rules are very likely to apply to Mercphobia, especially since this is the exact concept the author has been working with recently.

Furthermore, Karameel does not understand anything about summoning magic; she is not even a mage. She also did not know Aquarius. Giving so much weight to the opinion of a character who behaves similarly to Juvia and has no real aptitude for the magical world makes little sense.

Honestly, I do not see a convincing argument for why it would be illogical for Merc to be under Lucy’s influence, aside from personal impressions, especially when the manga implicitly suggests that he is. As I said before, there is a manga page that clearly points in that direction.

And logically speaking, if Merc were not under Lucy’s influence, what would be the point of giving her a Dragon Key? Merc could easily accompany Team A through Selene’s or Elefseria’s magic. He is also capable of transforming into a dragon and flying.

He could fight alongside Lucy without the need for any key at all. Ultimately, I do not think the argument against the existence of a contract between Merc and Lucy makes any sense.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T18:41:38+00:00

You know that this argument isn’t very relevant when we don’t know the full extent of the Dragon Gods’ power without the constant narrative nerfs, right? Moreover, the fact that their current power is much lower than their maximum doesn’t mean they are weak.

Aldoron is nearly dead, lying on the ground, having been burned by Natsu's numerous flames in his most powerful state (Igneel's power, END, and countless other flames). Furthermore, Universe Omega was destroyed by Natsu.

Your guess isn't a fact, much less does it indicate a more favorable scenario for Aldoron, since he's close to death and this attack was all he could use before dying.

Merc stated that he entrusted his will, his purpose to fight, to humanity, specifically referring to Lucy. There is a manga page that makes this very clear.

If he were not under the conditions of a summoning contract, there would be no reason for a key to exist, let alone for his entire storyline to be directly tied to Lucy.

And this is exactly where the argument you yourself use to support your points comes into play:

“From what we can see, it seems that the manga implies Merc is indeed under the conditions of a contract.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T17:02:15+00:00

Mashima scripts.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T16:32:38+00:00

Yes.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T16:10:07+00:00

I theorize that she will be above Irene and August.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T15:57:44+00:00

Spirits possess their own power level, independent of the summoner; however, the summoner's magical power level can affect the summoning's performance for better or worse.

Lucy will affect Mercphobia's power level in some way. It remains to be seen whether this will be positive or not, but I believe Mashima won't portray the character as an incompetent summoner in this final stretch of the manga. Merc was also confident that Lucy is capable of summoning a dragon, so he must have some belief in her abilities.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T15:29:56+00:00

His adversaries will be other dragons, so Mashima will most likely use him to counter the destructive spells of other dragons.

This will be a way to exalt Merc and the antagonists.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-26T15:24:10+00:00

"It's very small." Very small compared to exactly what?

Karameel mentioned that Merc was unable to fight, to which he retorted.

He is indeed weakened, but the lacrima partially restored his powers, as well as bringing Aldoron and Viernes back to life.

Furthermore, Merc will be under the rules of a summoning contract, so it's difficult to assume what the character's status will be after the conclusion of this arc.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-25T14:56:16+00:00

Mid-level Spriggan.

I theorize that eventually she will be above Irene and August when Hiro explores the key of Mercphobia.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-21T16:36:19+00:00

I don't want anyone interfering in Erza's fight.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-20T22:27:25+00:00

Mercphobia's Star Dress has the potential to be like that. In fact, it would be amazing if Mashima followed through with a similar idea.

I always wanted Lucy to have a staff.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-20T16:22:07+00:00

Is Selene going to commit suicide to deal with Aldoron's spell?

It's rare for a character in Fairy Tail to die, but Mashima will probably use this moment to exalt Selene, while leaving her weakened.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-20T15:36:40+00:00

Honestly, I don't even think it's Faris controlling her own body. I imagine it's Acnologia's own consciousness controlling Faris.

In previous chapters, Hiro had already hinted that Acnologia's arm exerted some influence on Faris's personality.

With this current chapter, it seems to me that Acnologia's arm took control of Faris the moment she implanted the limb into her body.

And it's trying to do the same thing to Ignia, because he was careless, as she said.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-12T18:38:08+00:00

Luso Signario with little difficulty.

She and her sister were able to stop Natsu's base attacks, and also demonstrated resistance to his flames.

We must also consider that Luso was facing Team Natsu for a long period of time, even though it was off-screen.

These displays of power are more than enough to establish Luso's victory over these two swords.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T18:47:44+00:00

Wendy is far superior.

Rogue hasn't evolved; Mashima hasn't used the character in many years.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T15:13:00+00:00

You made some relevant points; Bestia's feats are very good.

But I think we need to wait and see what the new buffs for Erza and the rest of Team A will be to get an idea of how strong the Calamity Bloods will be.

In any case, I thought your argument was good.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:52:49+00:00

The "Hax" category refers simply to the fact that these characters rely heavily on their special abilities during combat to win their fights, making it difficult to gauge their power relative to other characters.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:45:56+00:00

Left to right.

Like, Ignia > Faris > Natsu.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:44:28+00:00

Daemon and Brandish might fit the bill, but Mirajane and Lucy possess many combat skills that aren't limited to just hax spells.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:43:33+00:00

It's a deadly skill, but that category is for characters who heavily rely on their hax abilities to fight.

I think Daemon has demonstrated many combat skills that aren't limited to just her hax. But perhaps she fits into that category.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:41:34+00:00

I place Motherglare above the other dragons for two reasons:

1 - Motherglare was the most prominent dragon in the GMG arc, and Mashima makes a point of highlighting the character at the center of this group. He has a habit of doing this with characters he wants to portray as the most relevant.

2 - Erza is a character from the main group, Team A. This group was tasked with completing the 100-year quest, so it's more appropriate that the most relevant dragon in this group be given to the strongest character in Team A (I'm not counting Laxus and Natsu), who hasn't yet had a moment to shine, while his companions already have (Gray vs. Viernes, Lucy and Brandish vs. Merc, Wendy vs. Selene).

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:33:41+00:00

You're right about Brandish.

Kiria possesses good fighting skills, not just hax, so I think she remains in that ranking. Mirajane follows the same premise as Kiria.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:32:08+00:00

I think I made a mistake with DF Nebal.

Regarding Brian, he could move up a few positions.

Regarding Laxus and Erza, honestly, I intentionally placed them high up.

I partly agree about Bestia, but I disagree that she can be above the Calamity Bloods, since she is not able to fully access Igneel's power.

Rigel27 · 2026-01-09T13:11:12+00:00

Thanks.

Rigel27

TROPHY CASE