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The others in the camp caught the sudden gravity in Gildarts's expression. Erza turned to him quietly and asked, "Gildarts, do you know those four dragons?"
With his companions watching and the situation already what it was, Gildarts saw no point in holding back. "You all know why I've been away from the guild all these years, don't you?"
Everyone nodded without thinking.
Gildarts having taken on the Hundred-Year Quest was no secret within Fairy Tail.
Mirajane caught on quickly. "Could it be that those four dragons are connected to that quest?"
"Exactly."
Gildarts continued, "The objective of the Hundred-Year Quest is to defeat the 'Five Dragon Gods' that have been terrorizing the northern continent of Guiltina for hundreds of years."
"Five dragons, each controlling a different element — water, wood, gold, moon, and fire. According to the client, every one of them possesses power comparable to Acnologia's."
"That said, looking at things right now... it seems the client may have overestimated how they'd hold up against the real thing."
With Gildarts's explanation, everyone now understood the origin of the four dragons that had appeared so abruptly in the skies above Mount Zonia.
The Fire Dragon God, Ignia.
The Moon Dragon God, Selene.
The Golden Dragon God, Viernes.
The Water Dragon God, Mercphobia.
As for the fifth, the Wood Dragon God, who was nowhere to be seen... Everyone looked at the four Dragon Gods, who were clearly in poor condition, their bodies bearing wounds of varying severity that spoke of a brutal recent battle. It was not difficult to guess why the fifth had not come.
Either gravely wounded, or already gone.
In the sky above, Acnologia's crimson eyes swept coldly across the four Dragon Gods and he let out a contemptuous snort.
"So it's Guiltina's four worms again. Since you've come looking for death a second time, I'll finish all of you here."
The moment the words left him, the Black Dragon opened its massive jaws. The breath attack that came forth was even more concentrated and destructive than what had been unleashed on Guiltina, and it surged outward like a torrent toward the four Dragon Gods.
Having already witnessed what that breath could do, the four Dragon Gods did not even consider meeting it head-on. Each moved to dodge or defend by their own means.
The Water Dragon God raised a colossal curtain of water. The Golden Dragon God erected a barrier of shimmering gold. The Moon Dragon God bent space itself to deflect the attack. The Fire Dragon God met force with force, launching a roar that collided directly with Acnologia's.
Yet the resistance of all four looked pitifully fragile against the Black Dragon's attack. The water curtain evaporated in an instant. The gold melted. The distorted space fractured and gave way. The fiery roar was swallowed whole.
All four Dragon Gods were thrown back. The injuries they were already carrying worsened.
"You bastard!"
The Fire Dragon God Ignia roared, abandoning any regard for his wounds. His entire body erupted in towering flames as he transformed into a blazing meteor and hurled himself at the Black Dragon.
The other three knew as well as he did that retreat against the Black Dragon meant certain death. They unleashed their most powerful attacks simultaneously: a towering tsunami, a blaze of golden light, and a sweeping moonbeam, all directed at Acnologia at once.
The great battle erupted in a way that had completely exceeded every expectation of the Fairy Tail members below.
It began, and it began with dragons fighting for their lives.
But desperate as the four Dragon Gods were, their attacks amounted to nothing more than an inconvenience for Acnologia. He did not move from where he hovered. The black scales covering his enormous body were all the armor he needed.
He swatted Ignia's blazing charge aside with a single beat of his wing.
A sweep of his tail shattered the Water Dragon God's towering wave.
For the golden light and the moonbeam converging from either side, he simply let out a roar. The sound alone, saturated with destructive power, obliterated both attacks clean.
The gap in strength could not have been clearer.
Watching Acnologia bat the Fire Dragon God aside and brush off the Water Dragon God with equal ease, Kuro, standing at the summit of Mount Zonia, did not hesitate.
Where had these four even come from? It didn't matter. Their enemy was Acnologia, and the enemy of an enemy was at least a temporary ally. He could not afford to let them be cut down before the real fight had even begun.
He moved.
Kuro released the full force of his new Dragon Slayer Magic and threw himself into the battle in an instant. The five-attribute Dragon Slayer Magic, a fusion of five Dragon elements, carved through the darkened sky like a streak of chaotic light, driving between Acnologia and the four battered Dragon Gods and forcing a separation.
The Fire Dragon God stared at the figure who had forcefully inserted himself into the fight, and let out an indignant roar.
"Human! Get out of the way! This is no place for a worm!"
The Water Dragon God and the Golden Dragon God exchanged a glance. Had Ignia taken too many hits to his head? Was he genuinely unable to tell the difference between an opponent and an ally? The human who had just intervened was plainly stronger than any of them.
The Moon Dragon God, for her part, extended goodwill without hesitation.
"I apologize for Ignia. His judgment has always been questionable." Her voice was composed. "For now, let us join forces against Acnologia. If we do not, none of us walk away from this."
"You don't need to tell me that."
Kuro's voice was flat. He had no particular warmth toward these four dragons who had appeared from nowhere without warning or context.
But Selene was right. Their common enemy, and the only one that mattered right now, was Acnologia.
Kuro's entire body blazed with brilliant, churning light. Five colors of Dragon power spiraled together, coalescing in his grip into a massive dragon spear. He launched it with unstoppable force directly at the Black Dragon.
The power behind the attack was such that even Acnologia chose not to take it straight on. He raised one enormous Dragon claw and slashed through the air with Dark Magic.
The massive claw strike and the Dragon spear collided. The resulting shockwave was enough to make even the still-furious Fire Dragon God fall silent.
That single exchange seemed to signal the charge.
Deep within the mountain range below, the Fairy Tail members abandoned their concealment formation and emerged.
Five pillars of Dragon Slayer Magic shot into the sky simultaneously.
Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar. Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Sword. Wendy's Sky Dragon's Roar. Sting's White Dragon's Flash. Rogue's Shadow Dragon's Roar.
Empowered by the blessings of their respective Dragon parents, their Dragon Slayer Magic far surpassed what it would have been otherwise, and the five strikes crashed into Acnologia without mercy, hitting him while he was locked in contest with the Dragon spear.
Caught off guard, Acnologia let out a muffled grunt. The Dragon Slayer Magic unleashed by those tiny figures below had actually produced a sting he had not felt in a very long time.
That made him angry.
What answered his anger were several powerful magical lights rising from the ground below like a meteor shower flowing in reverse, all aimed at the Black Dragon darkening the sky.
Erza, Mirajane, Laxus, Gray, Lucy, and the other guild elites launched their attacks without reservation.
Zeref and August struck at the same moment, their vast, ocean-deep Magic constructing complex ancient Magic circles that locked down Acnologia in an instant.
Every attack had been imbued with Dragon Slayer properties by Irene. The sudden coordinated barrage, coming while Acnologia was already entangled with the four Dragon Gods, caught him off guard a second time.
Above the clouds, higher than the battle.
Noah sat at his ease on a cloud solidified by Magic, legs swinging idly, watching the chaotic and brutal battlefield below with a faint smile.
"There is nothing quite like a coordinated fight."
"It seems I won't need to act until that one who's been hiding shows itself."