Anna

High in the sky, the wind howled, and the rift in the distorted light resembled a tattered sack that had been torn open, with turbulent currents still seeping out from its edges.

Riyao, covered in dust and dirt, emerged from the space-time rift, clutching Parasol Tree, his clothes still stained with streaks of black ash scorched by magic.

He looked up and saw the gaudy Christina hovering not far away, then smelled the lingering, pungent perfume scent in the air.

It became clear what was going on immediately.

What a coincidence!

He wiped the dust off his face and remembered that there seemed to be a scene in the original story where Blue Pegasus was driving an airship around Black Dragon, and there was also an ancestor of Lucy on the ship.

When the Black Dragon charged in, it was met with a devastating dragon breath that hit him in the face. If he hadn't reacted quickly, the potted plant in his hand would have been charred on the spot.

"Well, there's no harm in giving it a try."

Although he knew it might be useless, what if it happened?

Since we're already here...

Riyao turned around and raised his free hand, swirling emerald green life magic mixed with spatial laws in his palm.

Like Leila up a zipper, it forcefully closed that menacing spacetime rift, and even tied a reinforced knot.

After finishing all this, he sealed the crack, flapped his wings, and flew to the spacious top deck of the Christina. He stared speechlessly at the two people who poked their heads out of the hatch with a dark expression.

The orange-haired woman's eyes lit up the moment she saw him. She twirled around on the deck with an extremely flamboyant waltz-like gait, casually brushing her bangs aside.

"Oh, Mr. Riyao, what a coincidence!"

Bang!

Without even lifting his eyelids, Riyao reflexively swung his right leg upwards, landing a solid kick on Yi Ye's face, which was filled with ecstasy.

He kicked the ship out, sending it flying in a graceful arc through the air before splattering onto the railing behind him.

Honestly, this wasn't intentional revenge. It was just my body automatically triggering defensive muscle memory every time I saw that face coming close.

Riyao patted off non-existent dust from the soles of his shoes and rolled his eyes at the bow of the boat with annoyance.

"I was perfectly fine inside, but you guys lured the Black Dragon in. It roared as soon as it came in, and I almost died inside."

Keep in mind that he was at a crucial juncture in trying to unite the forces of Zeref and Irene into one.

Suddenly, the Black Dragon smashed through the door and spat out a mouthful of water, almost causing him to go berserk and explode into a giant firework on the spot.

The blonde woman standing at the bow of the ship was clearly also bewildered by this sudden turn of events. Only after hearing Riyao's complaint did Anna realize what the scream from the crack had been all about.

She quickly suppressed her surprise, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed slightly to Riyao with utmost poise and politeness, her face showing sincere apology and gratitude.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect there to be anyone inside... in the spacetime rift."

After all, according to common sense, the space of time is an absolute void where even living things cannot stand. Who would have thought that not only is a living person squatting inside, but also doing manual work inside?

Anna paused, gazing gently at the blond youth before her, and added a sentence.

"There's one more thing, thank you for saving my descendants."

"Ah?"

Riyao scratched the back of his head, making a perfectly timed confused expression on his face, and blinked at her.

Although he had already guessed who the other person was from that face that was cut from the same mold as Lucy's.

However, the two had never formally met before, and it would be a bit strange to reveal each other's secrets right away. It would be safer to play dumb.

Seeing Riyao's blank expression, Anna smiled gently and took the initiative to explain.

"I apologize for my abruptness. I am Layla's ancestor, Anna Heartfilia."

She had known about Fairy Tail for a long time and had heard a story about what happened in Fairy Tail. So she knew that the young man in front of her had taken good care of her few somewhat confused juniors.

Riyao then clapped his hands as if suddenly realizing something, looked Anna up and down, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Oh! I must say, the genes of your Heartfilia Family are exceptionally strong. After more than four hundred years, you still look about 80 or 90 percent similar."

This is far from 80-90%. If you replaced Anna's slightly old-fashioned long dress with the short skirt Lucy usually wears, and added a string of jingling Twelve Gates of the Zodiac keys to her waist, even Natsu and Happy wouldn't be able to tell them apart back in the guild.

Instead of being angry at such a direct joke about her family's appearance, Anna covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes crinkling just like Lucy's when she was happy.

"Haha, I was surprised by this too. Layla looks almost exactly like me when I was young; it's like seeing a younger version of myself."

Having traversed four hundred years of time, to be able to see her children, whose bloodline has been passed down, living peacefully in this world is the greatest comfort for this ancestor who bears a heavy mission.

Riyao looked at the Parasol sapling still throbbing wildly in his palm. The death energy of Zeref and the dragon power of Irene within the trunk were starting to clash restlessly again. He didn't have time to continue chatting and waved his hand.

"Let's talk after we deal with the Black Dragon; I need to get back to my own business."

After saying that, Riyao sat down in the middle of the deck, crossed his legs, placed the golden Parasol Tree neatly on his knees, and continued to forge the Parasol Tree.

Anna frowned slightly as she looked at the potted plant in his hand that was emitting an eerie aura. She didn't understand what Riyao was talking about, nor did she know how a small tree the size of a palm could possibly deal with a monster like Acnologia.

She had originally wanted to ask about the specific details, but seeing that Riyao had already closed his eyes and mobilized his magic, his breathing slowed down, and he had completely entered a state of focused concentration, she had no choice but to give up the idea and quietly step aside to protect him.

However, the peaceful days didn't even last half a minute.

Click--click--

Behind the Christina, the spacetime rift that had been sealed off by the Riyao's stitching reappeared without warning, with spiderweb-like black cracks, as if an invisible hammer was frantically smashing against the wall inside.

The cracks became increasingly dense, causing the surrounding air to convulse violently.

Bang!!

With a deafening explosion, the entire void shattered like a fragile mirror!

"Roar!!"

A roar filled with savagery and hunger tore through the sky, and a huge, ferocious, pitch -Black Dragon head suddenly emerged from the black hole, its monstrous strength widening the surrounding cracks.

In the blink of an eye, the Black Dragon's entire body forcefully broke free from the space-time rift.

The time gaps didn't exile him; instead, the monster treated him like a buffet and devoured him whole!

The Black Dragon, now back in the mortal realm, hovered in mid-air, its eyes, glowing with a deathly white light, scanning the surroundings blankly.

Finally locking onto the Christina in the air, without the slightest hesitation, it flapped its wings and gave chase. The action was mechanical yet ferocious, a completely instinctive and unconscious behavior.

A strong gust of wind rushed towards him, but Riyao, who was sitting cross-legged on the deck, didn't even open his eyes. The Parasol Tree in his hand was in the final stage of shaping, and he only uttered a cold sentence.

"I need time."

Having just climbed up from the railing, his face bruised and swollen, Yi Ye heard this and rushed back to the cockpit without saying a word. He pushed open the control lever and immediately started accelerating the Christina.

Buzz--

The airship engine roared with a sickening metallic sound once again, and the overloaded magic circuits made the deck glow red. Looking at the red lights flashing wildly on the instrument panel, Yi Ye felt a pang of heartache and two lines of tears streamed down her face.

"Christina, once we get back, I'll give you a thorough overhaul. For now, please hang in there! Man~"

A flashy airship racing at breakneck speed and a world-destroying Black Dragon relentlessly chasing after it once again transformed into two streaks of light in the sky, circling around before quickly flying back to the guild battlefield.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the ground battlefield was extremely tense.

Lucy knelt in the mud, clutching the Book of E.N.D., which no longer shone with any light, tightly in her arms. Large tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed, her shoulders shaking with each sob.

Just now, she used all her strength to rewrite the entry in the book about Natsu's life-linked demonic connection.

When she closed the book and looked up, Natsu, who had been lying on the ground, had vanished without a trace, leaving only an empty mud pit.

"Too slow. Natsu is dead."

Lucy cried until her voice was hoarse, convinced that she had been too slow in writing and had failed to save her companion's life from the clutches of death. Happy next to her was also crying her eyes out.

Just as everyone was enveloped in sadness, Levy suddenly noticed something was wrong.

She wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes, stood on tiptoe to look around, and instantly spotted the blind spot. She quickly shouted towards Lucy.

"No, Gajeel and the others are gone too! And their dragons are gone as well."

Upon hearing Levy's reminder, everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly suppressed their sorrow and looked around.

This discovery was quite alarming. Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, Wendy, and even Laxus, who had been standing at the front of the battle line eager to fight, were nowhere to be seen.

Even the mini dragons Igneel and Grandine, who usually watched the show from their heads and shoulders, vanished without a trace.

These missing people all share one thing in common: they are all Dragon Slayer!

Before anyone could figure out where these guys had gone, Anna's gentle yet clear voice suddenly rang in everyone's heads at the same time.

"What we see now, Acnologia, is just an empty shell. Mr. One Night and I just introduced it into a spacetime rift in an attempt to banish it."

Everyone looked up sharply at the Black Dragon high in the sky, which was chasing the airship and randomly spitting beams of light to destroy the terrain.

"But they failed, which separated his body and soul, and all the Dragon Slayers were drawn into a special dimension to fight him."

Upon hearing this, Lucy was kneeling on the ground, stopped crying abruptly, and blankly wiped the tears from her face. In other words, Natsu was not dead at all, but was just pulled into another dimension to fight!

"In reality, please hold out a bit, Mr. Riyao is preparing his weapons."

As Anna finished speaking, a magnificent emerald green wave spread out from the airship high in the sky and precisely entered the forehead of everyone on the ground.

The Fairy Tail members present felt a warm sensation throughout their bodies. Their nearly depleted magical energy surged forth, overflowing with boundless power, and even their wounds healed in the blink of an eye.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar voice, tinged with a hint of mockery and laziness, rang in everyone's ears.

"Keep it up, everyone!"