ROAR!
Before the Black Dragon even arrived, its deep, terrifying roar reached Tenrou Island first, making the ground tremble slightly.
The herds of magical beasts living on the island instinctively sensed the aura of death. They panicked and fled in all directions. Flocks of birds frantically flapped their wings, desperately trying to escape.
"Wait... what was that sound?"
At the temporary camp, the noisy crowd was startled by this sudden, thunderous roar. They stopped punching each other and looked around in confusion.
"It's obvious, isn't it? It must be Lucy's stomach," Gajeel said, smirking maliciously.
"Huh?! Lucy's stomach in Earthland can make that kind of noise?!"
Lisanna actually believed him. Her eyes wide in disbelief as she looked at Lucy.
"Hey, Lucy, even though they're guildmates, that kind of behavior is still very rude, you know~" Happy added mischievously.
"Oh my, Lucy's appetite is bigger than I imagined. I'll grill some more meat then," Mira said, smiling as she hoisted a magical beast leg larger than her entire body and shoved it onto the grill.
For some reason, when it came to teasing and tormenting Lucy, everyone, regardless of who, found endless amusement in it.
Feeling insulted, Lucy loudly protested. "It wasn't me! And Mira-nee, my appetite isn't big at all! And I haven't gained any weight lately!"
"I can vouch for that. Last time we slept over at Lucy's, Happy and I saw a broken scale," Natsu said, raising his hand.
"You have the nerve to mention that?! You insisted on sleeping on my bed, and I kicked you off, which broke it!" Lucy angrily retorted, quickly explaining herself, afraid of being misunderstood.
Weight was an absolute taboo for any girl.
"It really doesn't seem like Lucy's doing. I heard a strange, grunting kind of panting," Gray said with certainty.
"Hey, Gray. Want to take a look at what you're sitting on?"
Bickslow couldn't help but remind him, pointing at Juvia, who was squirming under Gray.
"What?! Juvia? Since when?!"
Gray was horified. He quickly stood up and leaped several meters away.
Perhaps influenced by the banquet atmosphere, they were still immersed in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere, not yet realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Gildarts, his old wounds aching, clutched his chest, breathing rapidly. His gaze toward the sky was serious, mixed with rare uneasiness.
Cana was the first to notice something wrong with him. Her heart tightened. That bastard dad... Gildarts... is actually... scared?
Not far away, Chase, who had been casually chatting with Makarov and Mavis, suddenly shot to his feet, his expression changed dramatically.
No one present understood better than he did what this roar meant.
Without Grimoire Heart interfering this time, why was this thing still appearing?
Had their scents lingered from the battle at Grimoire Heart's headquarters?
No. Gandora had leveled the entire forest. What smell could possibly remain?
The unique magic fluctuations of Tenrou Island? Mavis's "awakening"?
Or had it just happened to pass by and been attracted by the battle?
In the fleeting moment of his daze, the dragon's roar grew closer. It was filled with brutality and despair, shrouding the entire island of Tenrou Island.
"No! That's the roar of a dragon!!"
Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy, the three Dragon Slayers raised by dragons, finally realized what it was.
Almost simultaneously, a massive, robust black shadow descended from the sky, landing near the camp and kicking up an incredibly violent hurricane, crushing everything around it!
Black wings blotted out the sky. Sharp dragon claws glinted coldly. A foul, smelly saliva dripped from its gaping maw...
Even though everyone present had already seen real dragons, they were still suffocated by the cold, utterly evil aura emanating from this one, their faces pale.
This thing was absolutely not the same as Gandora the Dragon of Destruction. This was humanity's enemy!
Without any verbal exchange or demonstrative action, just one glance into Acnologia's pale white dragon eyes, they all recognized this fact.
With Gandora as a comparison, even Natsu, who usually lost all reason when facing dragons, stood frozen in place, unable to rush over and demand to know the whereabouts of Igneel and the other dragons.
Acnologia didn't give him the time to do so either. After landing, it slightly lowered its body and opened its mouth to roar toward the group.
BOOM!!
Even for an ordinary roar, the erupted energy storm was quite terrifying, like a magical heavy cannon.
Though they quickly reacted and stirred up their magic power, they still couldn't resist. They were all sent flying.
By the time the commotion gradually subsided and they struggled to their feet, looking back, the temporary camp and the surrounding forest had already vanished.
All that met their eyes was barren, desolate flatland!
Amidst the swirling dust, Acnologia took a step forward. Its arrogant, condescending gaze looked down. Its dragon lips curled up slightly, as if in a grin.
Its expression was exactly like a human facing ants it could casually crush—contemptuous, dismissive!
The result was clear. It had nothing to do with the previous Grimoire Heart incident.
This thing had simply been passing by Tenrou Island, sensed some powerful auras (by human standards), perhaps including the auras of Dragon Slayers, and had been moved to descend out of amusement.
Unfortunately, even so, for the current Tenrou group, this was absolutely a massive disaster. Acnologia's killing intent wasn't particularly strong, but it was utterly pure!
"There's no escaping it, is there..."
Realizing this, Chase pushed the boulder off his body. He clenched his fists. Deep in his eyes flickered determination and resolve.
No matter what reason Acnologia had for being here, he had only one goal now: to get all his comrades safely back to the guild!
"First Master, I need your help with something extremely important!"
Just as he found Mavis to urgently discuss a countermeasure, the arrogant Acnologia had already begun playing cruelly with its victims.
Its powerful claws tore the earth apart. With a sweep of its pitch-black tail, someone was sent flying, crashing hard to the ground.
Seeing this, Makarov, as the master, was utterly enraged. Bathed in golden light, he transformed into a giant and shielded everyone behind him.
"Whatever you are, 'Evil of Nature' or 'black lizard,' what you've done to my beloved children is absolutely unforgivable!!"
Giant Makarov let out a bellow. A magical array appeared on his chest. His heart, strengthened by the Heart magic, beat violently, continuously gushing magic power.
A vast amount of magic power gathered and compressed in the space between his palms, emitting a blinding golden light.
According to Fairy Tail's rules, before using this Ultra-Magic, the user must give the enemy three seconds to kneel and repent.
But this embodiment of ultimate evil before him clearly didn't qualify. So—
The moment the magic power reached its limit, Giant Makarov didn't hesitate. He slammed his palms together.
"Fairy Law... ACTIVATE!!"
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!