Natsu looked back at the spreading Death Hunt, his expression growing subdued.
'Zeref suffered so much pain and despair because of that power, and now I'm using it like this... That feels pretty cruel. Sorry, big brother.'
If the situation had not demanded it, Natsu would never have chosen this method.
"Natsu, he'd understand. Besides, he's free from the curse now, isn't he?" Happy said, noticing the look on his face and trying to comfort him.
Raizel and the others temporarily halted their attacks after sensing the power of Ankhseram's Curse.
Even Aldoron suddenly let out an agonized cry.
August, still under Evil Thought Possession, frowned deeply.
"Ankhseram's Curse? Why is its power here?"
Natsu heard him and shouted back, "I did it! It'll be gone soon!"
"Take advantage of this!"
As Raizel spoke, he fired the Garuru Cannon into Aldoron's leg.
"Sword Saint Dragon's Demolition Fist!"
"Moonlight Flame!"
"Enchant: Composite Dragon Slayer Beam!"
"Sage Dragon's Roar!"
Wolfen, still transformed into Tree Zeref, clutched his head as excruciating pain tore through him.
"This is bad! At this rate, Aldoron will wither away too!"
"ERASE!"
Wolfen made the decision immediately and destroyed himself.
"Tch. He can just make himself disappear? That's cheating."
Natsu planted his hands on his hips and grinned.
"Still, if any more tree people show up, I'll just make them turn into Zeref again. I'm almost looking forward to it."
A tiny sprout suddenly pushed out of the ground.
Natsu tried to crush it beneath his foot, but it grew at astonishing speed and instantly wrapped around his ankle.
"Wh-What the—? Whoa—AAAAAH!"
The ground beneath him suddenly collapsed, and Natsu fell into the opening.
"Natsu!!!"
Happy tried to dive after him, but he was too late. The hole that had swallowed Natsu sealed itself in an instant.
...
With Wolfen's self-destruction, the tree soldiers throughout the surrounding cities began to change.
Every tree person Wolfen had summoned vanished.
In the city on Aldoron's right hand, Magic Power rose from the bodies of the surrounding tree soldiers before they disappeared one after another in front of Lucy and Cana.
Gray frowned in confusion.
"What's going on? Why are they suddenly disappearing?"
In their place stood a strange tree person with green leaves growing from its head and arms.
"I am Metro, one of the God Seeds. I shall take Wolfen's place and eliminate all obstacles."
Cana placed one hand on her hip, looking baffled.
"Who's Wolfen?"
Lucy shook her head and offered a guess.
"I don't know. Maybe he was the one controlling those tree soldiers?"
Metro's voice remained icy.
"I will not rely on tricks like Wolfen. I will crush you with overwhelming strength."
He swept out one hand, and dozens of wooden giants nearly ten meters tall rose behind him. Every one of them contained an immense amount of Magic Power.
"They're huge!!!"
"And there are so many of them!"
Meanwhile, Gray's group only had four people.
...
The tree soldiers around Ultear and Mira also vanished.
Ultear rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Those creatures said they could create the strongest people in our minds. It seems someone may have caused them to summon a being even Aldoron couldn't endure."
"That's possible, but there's something more important right now. There aren't any enemies left here, so let's see whether the others need help!"
As she spoke, Mira grabbed Ultear and flew into the sky.
...
After Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe destroyed another massive wave of tree soldiers, the remaining enemies began to disappear.
The one who appeared before them was Gears, one of the God Seeds—a man with an enormous afro who claimed to eliminate the unnecessary gears within Aldoron's system.
The figure that appeared before Wendy, Kagura, and Erza was far stranger. It resembled a short, grotesque doll with a wide, unnatural smile.
"I am Doom, one of the God Seeds. I command the power of death."
...
After falling through the opening, Natsu landed on the ground and sat up to look around.
The area was completely bare. Other than a vast network of roots, there was nothing in sight.
"Where am I? Inside Aldoron's stomach?"
"The five crystals each housed one of the five guardian God Seeds. Wolfen could read the human mind. Metro commands an army of strength. Gears is a strategist who excels at calculation. Doom brings death."
A voice came from the darkness, accompanied by the slow sound of approaching footsteps.
Natsu looked genuinely tormented as he complained,
"Wait! You only named four! You said there were five, then stopped after four! That's seriously uncomfortable!"
"I am the fifth."
"The God Seed Aldoron."
A figure slowly stepped out of the shadows.
Before Natsu stood a tree person wearing a crown and a cloak made of leaves.
"Are you Aldoron's real body?"
The God Seed Aldoron crossed his arms and nodded.
"You could say that. I am Aldoron's brain. I am both a God Seed and Aldoron himself."
Natsu excitedly raised his fists, eager for a fight.
"Then what was I worried about? I had no idea how to beat that gigantic monster, but if you're human-sized, I can actually fight you!"
The God Seed Aldoron's gaze turned vicious, and he gave a cold snort.
"You appear to misunderstand something, human. Every ounce of power within that colossal body originates from me."
Before he even finished speaking, a deep wound suddenly opened across Natsu's right arm.
Blood poured from it.
Natsu had no idea when he had been attacked.
A disturbing smile curled across Aldoron's lips.
"You will not touch me even once."
Several more wounds appeared across Natsu's body.
In the span of a single exchange, he had already suffered severe injuries. Natsu clutched his wounds and dropped into a half-crouch, roaring through the pain.
Aldoron did not continue attacking.
Instead, he spread his arms with visible excitement.
"Aldoron has waited a very long time for this moment—the moment of his awakening!"
"The moment when he will trample the lands of Guiltina and transform them into our earth!"
Despite his pain, Natsu frowned and locked his eyes firmly onto him.
Aldoron accepted the glare without concern.
"Several centuries ago, Aldoron was gravely wounded in his battle against Acnologia and came here to rest. His body was not yet this enormous, though even then, he was already the size of a city."
"To recover his strength, Aldoron built a small town upon his body and survived by absorbing nourishment from the humans who lived there."
"His body continued to grow, eventually surpassing mountains and clouds themselves."
"Then Aldoron realized that his strength had become too powerful to suppress. To restrain that power, he created the five crystals and the five guardian deities!"
"Aldoron has grown tired of sleep."
"Now that he has awakened, this entire land shall collapse!"
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