Pursuit and Escape

Upon hearing that the other party had become Dragon Slayer Magic by killing Sacred Dragon, the Fire Dragon King said coldly, "Kill Sacred Dragon, seize his power, and then become Dragon Slayer Magic? This guy actually dared to do that! I'll kill him!"

"If you want revenge for Acnologia, you should kill the guy next to you! (Black Dragon)"

"Um?"

Seeing Igneel looking at him with surprise and doubt, Zeref closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said, "He's not wrong. I was the one who killed the Sacred Dragon, and I was also the one who extracted the Sacred Dragon's power and injected it into his body. Because at that time Ishgar needed someone who could fight against the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent!"

"What exactly is going on? (Igneel)"

"Igneel, you should remember the Battle of Peterburg City that I mentioned before, right? (Zeref)"

Upon hearing Zeref mention the Battle of Peterburg City again, Igneel nodded with a grim expression.

"On the eve of the Battle of Peterburg City, I received news of Sordil and went to find him. On the way, I met this guy, and he agreed to guide me, but in exchange, I had to help him become Dragon Slayer Magic mage. At that time, I had never been in contact with anyone outside, so I didn't know what Dragon Slayer Magic was, but in order to find Sordil, I agreed. (Zeref)"

"During the rest of my journey, based on his description, I began to attempt to construct Dragon Slayer Magic. After about five days, I finally created a rudimentary form of Dragon Slayer Magic. Just then, a severely wounded Sacred Dragon suddenly appeared in our town and began slaughtering the townspeople. (Zeref)"

Upon hearing that the Sacred Dragon would slaughter humans, Igneel was filled with questions, but in order to understand what was to come, he swallowed them back.

"To rescue the townspeople, I had no choice but to slay the Sacred Dragon. After the crisis was over, this guy demanded I fulfill my promise, but I refused! Because I discovered that Dragon Slayer Magic has extremely strong side effects, causing unimaginable harm to the user. So for the next few days, I've been buried in researching ways to improve Dragon Slayer Magic. (Zeref)"

"Just then, the Battle of Peterburg City broke out. Overnight, Ishgar's defenses were completely breached, and the entire Ishgar fell under the iron heel of the Western Continent. (Zeref)"

"After we learned of the defeat from the refugees, he once again asked me to fulfill our promise. To save the people and to stop the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent, I agreed. But what I didn't expect was that this guy wouldn't go after the Western Continent Evil Dragon, but instead attacked the Ishgar dragons stationed in the Dil'dixiu Mountain Range. (Zeref)"

Upon learning that this guy had actually attacked Ishgar's dragons, Igneel wanted nothing more than to rush up and tear him to shreds. However, for the safety of Zeref and Natsu, he had no choice but to continue to endure and wait.

"What's even more outrageous is that he actually attacked the United Front Alliance, which was tasked with annihilating the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent! After the incident, the United Front Alliance and I went to look for him, but he simply disappeared without a trace, giving us no chance to take revenge!"

After saying this, Zeref and Igneel glared angrily at the Black Dragon in the sky.

"Heh! Even the Sacred Dragon might betray us and become part of the Western Continent. Those dragons who are just watching from the sidelines are even more likely to do so. What's wrong with me making a move beforehand? (Black Dragon)"

"But they didn't betray us! Even if they did, you could kill them, but why target the United Front? They're all human; there's no way they'd Western Continent's side!" (Zeref)

Faced with Zeref's questioning, the Black Dragon coldly replied, "Hmph! Zeref, you should know what happened in the United Front, shouldn't you? If we let them get away with it, they will become the next batch of Evil Dragon from the Western Continent!"

"Yes! Some members of the United Front Army have become extremely violent due to Dragon Slayer Magic, and some have even completely transformed into dragons, but their essence remains human, and they will not harm humans! (Zeref)"

"Heh! Zeref, do you even believe that yourself? (Black Dragon)"

"I believe you! Because over 70% of the Allied Forces use my improved Dragon Slayer Magic, they won't become completely dragonized like the first generation of Dragon Slayer Magic, nor will they go berserk and out of control! (Zeref)"

"Heh! You believe in your invention, but I don't, so I'm going to completely eliminate these hidden dangers! (Black Dragon)"

"Zeref, why bother talking to this guy? Just attack!" (Igneel)

"Hmph! I heard of the Fire Dragon King's name a year ago. Now that we've met, I'll have a good lesson with you before sending you to reunite with your subordinates! (Black Dragon)"

"Arrogant! (Igneel)"

After saying this, the Fire Dragon King charged straight at the Black Dragon in the sky.

Facing Igneel's headbutt attack, the Black Dragon was not intimidated at all and directly used Ignir's own method against him.

"Bang!"

As the two collided violently, a powerful hurricane spread outwards in all directions.

After placing Natsu in a safe place, an enraged Zeref joined the fight between the two.

"Gale Flame Spear!"

"Thunder Cut Halberd!"

Facing the magical attack thrown by Zeref, the Black Dragon calmly opened its mouth. After swallowing it, the Black Dragon picked its teeth and said disdainfully, "That's all? Not even enough to fill a tooth gap! Any more? Give me some more!"

"Zeref, the Sacred Dragon can devour magical energy of any attribute to strengthen itself, so do not use magic to attack him!" (Igneel)

After reminding Zeref, Igneel exchanged another punch with the Black Dragon.

"Bang!"

"Whoosh!"

Just as the two retreated, vines shot out from below and bound the Black Dragon's hands and feet.

"Igneel, hurry! (Zeref)"

Faced with the perfect opportunity created by his comrade, Igneel did not hesitate and threw a Collapse Fist.

Faced with the combined attack of Igneel and Seref, the Black Dragon first unleashed a breath attack on Zeref, who was controlling the vines. After breaking free, he dodged Igneel's attack with a sidestep, and then lashed out with his tail whip at the Fire Dragon King's waist.

Although the Black Dragon's attack angles are extremely tricky, it is still not enough in front of the veteran fighter!

Igneel flew upwards a short distance, easily dodging the counterattack, and then lashed out with a whip kick at the Black Dragon's head. In desperation, the Black Dragon had no choice but to open its massive jaws and unleash a milky-white breath at Igneel.

"Roar!"

After successfully repelling Igneel and his companion, the Black Dragon instantly realized its advantage. Consequently, in the ensuing battle, the Black Dragon significantly increased the frequency of its magical attacks, while Igneel and his companion, unable to unleash their full power, gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

"Damn it! They're taking advantage of our inability to use magic to launch a long-range attack with their breath! (Igneel)"

After deflecting the opponent's magical attack with a punch, Igneel shouted to Zeref, "Zeref, continuing this fight will only worsen our situation. You take Natsu and leave; I'll stay behind to cover our retreat!"

"No! We'll go together, or we'll stay together! (Zeref)"

"Heh! Want to leave? Did you ask me first? (Black Dragon)"

"Hmph! We can leave whenever we want, and you can't stop us!" (Zeref)

"Radiance Thousand Days (Zeref)"

As Zeref finished speaking, a blinding light suddenly shone in front of the Black Dragon.

"Ah!"

Under the scorching light, the Black Dragon's eyes instantly lost their function. Not only that, but the pain in its eyes drove the Black Dragon into a frenzy, leaving it no time to care about Igneel and the other. By the time it recovered from its agony, Igneel and the other had long since vanished.

"Igneel, Zeref, you can't escape!"

After roaring, the Black Dragon chased after it in a certain direction.

"What's Igneel up to? Why hasn't he come back yet? (Metalicana)"

"Could it be that the gluttonous Dragon King has slacked off halfway and gone off somewhere to steal some delicious food? (Skiadrum)" (Igneel: I, the Dragon King, have been fighting hard here, and you actually suspect me of slacking off? This is infuriating! Waaah!)

"Hmm! It's not impossible, after all, this isn't the first time the Gluttonous Dragon King has done this! (Vyseria)"

Hearing the three's discussion, Anna shook her head and said, "This matter is of great importance. Uncle-Master Igneel shouldn't act so recklessly, right?"

"Although I don't want to believe that Igneel would slack off, this guy has always been thick-skinned, and he hasn't had a drink in over a year, so the possibility is really high! (Grandiere)"

"Oh? What should we do then?" (Anna)

"What else can we do but send someone to bring that guy back, of course!" (Metalicana)

"In that case, I'll go and bring him back!" (Grandiere)

"No way! If Grandiere goes, that guy will definitely play the victim to gain sympathy and then take the opportunity to run away! (Vyseria)"

Listening to the discussion, Anna suddenly realized that Igneel was exactly like her teacher in some ways. At that moment, she suddenly understood why the two of them were so close! (Sordil: Holy crap! This is Igneel's rant session, what's with tagging me?!)

"Since everyone is worried about Grandiere going, then I'll go instead! (Metalicana)"

"Oh no! No way! You and Igneel don't get along to begin with, and now that guy's drunk. He'll definitely say something rude to you. If you don't hold Fire back, you two will probably start fighting!" (Skiadrum)

After listening for a long time, Anna finally figured out what the White Shadow Twin Dragons were thinking.

"Uncle-Master Skiadrum, if you and Uncle-Master Vyseria want to find Uncle-Master Igneel, why don't you just say so? Why make it so complicated?"

After Anna's reminder, Metalicana and the other woman instantly realized that they had been tricked, and they both expressed their contempt for the White Shadow Twin Dragons.