Acnologia the Black Dragon King
What happened?
What is that sound?
In the camp, the group, who had just been engrossed in the farce of the "final assessment," were instantly terrified by the sudden, terrifying Roar, their faces changing color instantly.
However, three people reacted very differently from the others the moment they heard the sound.
"That's... the roar of a dragon!"
Natsu, who had just crawled out of the pit, suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"A dragon?" Everyone around was taken aback upon hearing this.
"The Fire Dragon is right." Gajeel also stood up, supporting his injured body, his expression extremely solemn.
"Look, everyone, there it is!" Wendy pointed her finger in a certain direction in the sky.
Everyone looked in the direction she pointed.
A colossal dragon, entirely black and so large it blotted out the sky, was flapping its wings, powerful enough to stir up a storm, as it hovered above Tenrou Island.
"Wow... it's so big!"
"It really is a dragon!"
"Really? Dragons really do exist in this world!"
The camp erupted in excitement. Apart from a few individuals, the vast majority of guild members were seeing the legendary creature for the first time, and shock and excitement spread among them.
Especially Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy, the three Dragon Slayer, after their initial shock, even showed an uncontrollable joy on their faces.
For so many years, they have been searching desperately for the dragon that raised them, but have never heard of it.
The appearance of this black dragon undoubtedly gave them great confidence and hope to continue their search for Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandine.
However, amidst the shock and excitement of the crowd, only three people wore extremely solemn expressions.
Jiang Bai, Makarov, and... Gildarts.
Gildarts, in particular, stared intently at the enormous black figure in the sky, his knuckles white from gripping the flask so tightly.
The empty left sleeve and left trouser leg seemed to be aching faintly.
He will never forget it for the rest of his life.
Back when he was on the 100-Year Quest, it was this very black dragon that, in an instant, severely injured him, taking away his left arm and left leg, and even some of his internal organs, forcing him to abandon the mission in a sorry state.
"This is... the black dragon from the Apocalypse..." Makarov's voice was hoarse with fear.
" --Acnologia!"
Hey! You big, dark thing!
Completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation, Natsu excitedly shouted at the black dragon in the sky, "Do you know where Igneel is? And Grandine! Metalicana!"
"Natsu! Shut up! Don't mess with him!" Gildarts roared.
"The one I told you about that day, the one who ruined everything for me... it was him!"
"What?!"
The excitement on Natsu's face froze instantly.
Seemingly sensing the noise from these "little insects" on the ground, the black dragon in the sky slowly lowered its altitude.
Boom--!
Its massive, mountain-like body landed heavily on the ground of Tenrou Island.
The impact of the landing alone caused the ground within a radius of 100 meters to crack and collapse instantly!
"Roar--!"
The black dragon opened its enormous maw, large enough to devour everything, and let out a deafening Roar.
The terrifying sound waves transformed into tangible shockwaves, blowing away and crushing the surrounding trees in large swaths!
It turned its enormous head, its cold, emotionless dragon eyes sweeping over the Fairy Tail members.
In that instant, everyone felt an irresistible and terrifying pressure emanating from the depths of their souls!
That's absolute suppression on a life level!
This feeling... they've only experienced it with one person.
That's Jiang Bai, who's standing to the side right now.
"Oh no! Run!"
Makarov was the first to react. He remembered Gildarts' report: even Gildarts, the strongest member of the guild, couldn't withstand a single blow from this monster, let alone anyone else!
However, just as everyone panicked and prepared to scatter and flee.
A dazzling purple light suddenly shot into the sky from the Fairy Tail crowd, and with a speed that exceeded the limits of visual perception, it slammed into the black dragon's chest!
Virtual form--"".
Boom!!
A burst of purple energy generated a tremendous impact.
But it was merely an impact.
The attack, powerful enough to easily flatten a mountain, landed on the black dragon's scale-covered chest, leaving only a white mark.
Acnologia's massive body was only pushed back two steps by the enormous impact.
"Jiang Bai?"
Everyone turned their attention to the source of the attack.
Jiang Bai slowly lowered his index and middle fingers, which were pressed together.
"You all retreat first, I'll play with him."
As expected of Acnologia, the ultimate victor of the Dragon King Festival four hundred years ago, who was known as the "Dragon King".
This body's dual physical and magical defense is indeed ridiculously tough.
Apart from Dragon Slayer Magic, any other form of magical attack can cause it negligible damage.
"It seems... I'll have to prove myself through force today."
Jiang Bai muttered something to himself, then fired "Zi" repeatedly towards the direction of the black dragon.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Purple light kept exploding on the black dragon's body.
Although there was no real damage, the repeated impacts felt like someone was constantly throwing pebbles at you. They weren't fatal, but... they hurt a lot and were very annoying.
"What?! Even my brother-in-law's attack couldn't break through my defense?!" Elfman was so shocked by what he saw that his jaw almost dropped to the ground.
Erza and Mirajane also looked at Jiang Bai with worried expressions.
"Damn it! I'm Dragon Slayer!" Natsu's blood Boil again as he watched Jiang Bai fight alone.
"I want to fight alongside Jiang Bai!"
As he spoke, he prepared to charge forward.
Don't go there!
Makarov grabbed him.
It was at this moment that Acnologia, who had been thoroughly enraged by Jiang Bai's continuous harassment, finally made a move.
It opened its massive maw, and a black energy blast imbued with destructive power instantly materialized, hurtling towards Jiang Bai and the group behind him!
The black dragon's casual strike made Natsu and the others feel an unprecedented and irresistible aura of death!
However, in the face of this attack, Jiang Bai simply stood there lazily, not even bothering to move.
My attacks can't break your defense?
And aren't you the same?
The black breath, containing terrifying energy, seemed to have crashed into an invisible, absolutely insurmountable wall just before it was about to touch Jiang Bai's body, and was forcefully blocked.
It's Jiang Bai's magic—"Infinity".
The energy blast vanished silently before him, without even causing a ripple.
Only now did Acnologia's cold dragon eyes finally, truly, look at the insignificant human who was constantly attacking him.
It didn't care.
But the next second, it sensed a... threat from this human.
A deadly threat that could jeopardize his life!
This feeling... I haven't felt it since four hundred years ago, when I bathed in dragon blood, transformed into a dragon, and became the "Dragon King" standing at the pinnacle of the world.
But now, I feel it again from a seemingly frail human being.
Acnologia spoke slowly.
It was an ancient, deep voice, filled with the tone of someone who had dominated for over four hundred years.
"Human, what's your name?"
The camp was deathly silent.
"The dragon... the dragon actually spoke!"
Someone suddenly let out an incredulous gasp, breaking the deathly silence.
"Dragons are highly intelligent creatures, and it's normal for them to be able to talk like humans," Wendy explained in a trembling voice.
"Then... why didn't he say anything at first?"
No one has answered this question.
But everyone present had the same answer in their hearts.
Because, from the very beginning, in the eyes of this destructive black dragon, they, this so-called group of mages...
They were simply not taken seriously.
It doesn't even have the right to speak.