Mother and Daughter Meet
On the edge of the forest, in a clearing shrouded in mist.
A young woman with long, blood-red hair stood opposite a young female swordsman with equally long, red hair and an iron-willed expression.
Irene's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the antler staff, her gaze fixed on Erza's face for a long, long time.
This was the first time she had ever looked so closely at the child she had conceived herself, only to abandon in her madness.
She has grown up, shedding her fragile and frail appearance from her infancy. Her features even bear seven or eight parts of her former charm, like a scarlet sword drawn from its sheath, sharp and pure.
Deep within my mind, a sliver of reason belonging to a human mother is desperately crying out: those are your flesh and blood, your only bloodline continuing in this cold Despair world...
However, the next second, the surging and roaring dragon transformation curse within his body tore his reason to shreds like a bone-deep affliction!
It was an eternal torment where one could not taste food, could not experience peaceful sleep, and felt as if every second, even one's bone marrow was being repeatedly torn apart by fire and frost.
When she finally gave birth to Erza, she was almost driven mad by the desire to possess her daughter's tender body, so that she could once again become a "normal" person who could laugh and cry.
Before her last shred of sanity completely crumbled, she abandoned her infant at the church entrance like a deserter and fled.
"Oh my... I really didn't expect that."
Irene gently tapped her staff on the ground, her face contorting into a chilling, morbid fanaticism, her voice trembling with a sickening sweetness.
"I thought this little abandoned baby had frozen to death in some ditch long ago, but she's miraculously grown into such a beautiful young woman... I'm so gratified. Do you know how long I endured this ugly, cold dragon body to wait for it to fully mature? Give me your body!!"
Boom!
An extremely twisted malice, accompanied by a magical storm of Spriggan 12 levels, raged wildly, instantly tearing away all the vegetation in the open space!
Erza her longsword tightly with both hands, her slender body standing firm against the raging wind.
There was no retreat in her clear and resolute eyes, only endless vigilance and a complex emotion hidden deep within them.
"Mother? Mira did mention your existence to me... but I have no recollection of ever having a crazy woman who constantly talks about taking away her daughter's body as a mother!"
"Those are hurtful words, my dear Erza."
Irene's smile suddenly turned cold, and she casually pointed her staff forward.
[Additional - Scorching]
Boom!
Without even a pause in the chanting, a colossal fireball, over thirty meters in diameter, appeared out of nowhere right in front of Erza!
The violent shockwave ripped three feet off the ground!
However, at the instant the fireball tore through the air, a Requip light flashed.
[Requip - Flame Emperor's Armor]
Erza, clad in fiery red armor, burst forth from the flames, her twin swords slicing through the fire waves as she moved with lightning speed, charging straight for Irene's center!
"Not bad reaction, how about this move?"
Irene covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her staff tracing an elegant arc in the air.
[Additional - Extreme Cold]
The air instantly froze into a frosty white, and even the falling sparks turned into ice shards in an instant. The temperature of the entire battlefield plummeted below freezing!
Erza remained unfazed, and the magic circle around her began to glow once more.
[Requip - Ice Emperor's Armor]
With her icy blue wings unfurled, a chilling aura formed a solid barrier around her as Erza charged forward, her twin swords unleashing arcs of white frost!
"Oh my, you can switch between resistance armor at will based on attributes, what an excellent child! Mommy is getting more and more wanting to possess you..."
Irene teased him in a sickly, flippant tone, but a barely perceptible hint of approval flashed in her eyes.
However, in the next instant, the approval in her eyes was completely replaced by the indifference of a predator in a high position.
She yawned casually, her slender left hand gently covering her red lips, and a terrifying dragon's might suddenly surged from deep within her chest, shaking the entire earth!
[The Roar of the Sage Dragon]
Boom--
Erza's pupils contracted sharply! Her wrist blurred into a blur as she summoned her strongest shield in a fraction of a second.
[Requip - Adamantine Armor]
Thump--
The deafening roar, like a comet hitting the continent, ripped apart our eardrums!
The two massive, mountain-like shields were instantly riddled with cracks the moment they came into contact with the roar.
Erza's arm bones groaned in agony as she was blasted hundreds of meters away by the overwhelming force of the impact.
He crashed through three massive trees, each as thick as a person's embrace, before barely managing to steady himself, a trickle of bright red blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Cough... Such heavy and domineering magic..."
Erza knelt on one knee, supporting herself with her sword, gritting her teeth.
And on the intact tree canopy, tens of meters high.
At some point, Riyao, who was sitting up there, was sitting with his legs crossed, tossing sunflower seeds into his mouth while watching the mother and daughter's battle below with amazement.
"Oh my, as expected of the bloodline of the Dragon Queen and the Titania, their way of chatting when they recognized each other was a bit violent, but at least they were very honest."
Erza's forehead veins bulged as she suddenly looked up and roared at the treetop.
"Damn you, Riyao!! What the hell are you saying?! Can't you see I was about to be blasted away by her dragon breath?!"
In the distance, Irene narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, her gaze sweeping towards the blond youth in the treetop with extreme hostility.
Watching her daughter interact so familiarly with this gossipy, blond-haired young man, even displaying a tacit understanding in their flirtatious banter, Irene felt a nameless surge of annoyance rising within her.
Sweeping across Irene's chilling killing intent, Riyao suddenly shivered and shrank back.
"Cough, Erza, you're wronging an innocent person. I just risked my life to go to the enemy's lair and take down the Supreme Commander. I'm completely exhausted, okay? But... since you've asked for help, I can afford to provide some off-site sponsorship."
Riyao tucked the melon seeds in his hand and casually pointed at Erza from his high vantage point.
[Additional - Dragon Force]
Buzz!
A dazzling emerald-gold divine light, like a heavenly rain, poured straight into Erza's Edgeless wooden sword!
The surface of the originally ordinary weapon was instantly covered with a layer of ancient runes that resembled emerald dragon scales, with vitality and pure dragon might intertwined and intertwined.
Erza looked down at the Edgeless wooden sword in her hand, which was radiating a surge of vitality. The weariness in her eyes vanished, and her fighting spirit was rekindled like a raging fire!
The magic circle surged violently once more!
[Requip - The Pure Heart Clothing]
Having discarded all her heavy armor and donned light, agile cloth clothes and crimson trousers, Erza, wielding Edgeless, transformed into a streak of red light that tore through the retina, charging straight towards Irene with resolute momentum.
"I'll settle this score with you later, Riyao!"
"No problem! If you win, I'll have Mira make you a three-tiered, extra-large strawberry cake tonight!"
Riyao patted the debris off his hands and continued to lean leisurely against the tree branch, his senses spreading across the entire battlefield like a net.
The Imperial army had already completely collapsed in front of Gildarts and the guild members, while Neinhart was being used as a punching bag by Laxus and others, who beat him mercilessly.
Riyao looked up at the sky, a confident smile curving his lips.
"Sigh, the battle was too loud... It's time for this stage built by the tree world to come to a close."