Western Continent, Alvarez Empire…
"Gentlemen, advance! Advance toward the distant continent of Ishgar! Everyone, please remember our goal. We are the warriors of the empire, warriors of Emperor Spriggan, subjects of the great Black Mage Zeref! And our goal is only one: crush the continent of Ishgar, obtain victory in war for our emperor, and bring glory to His Majesty!"
Before thousands of warships, Larcade, as the commander-in-chief of this Alvarez Empire attack toward the continent of Ishgar, was emotional and excited. Looking at the soldiers before him, he shouted inspiringly!
And as Larcade's voice fell, his image, the words he spoke, everything, was broadcast to the terminal in every warrior's hands, allowing every warrior of the Alvarez Empire to hear Larcade's inspiring speech!
"Oh!!"
As Larcade's voice fell, thousands of warships all released excited shouts.
"Larcade, although we have a ninety-nine point eight percent chance of winning this operation, we must not be careless! I think what August said still has some truth…"
"Winter General" Invel Yura wore a blue military coat, and his entire body radiated piercing cold air. It was hard to imagine that such an incomparably cold-looking man was actually a main war faction member.
Yes, Invel Yura had always been main war faction. He believed that only on the battlefield could his talents best be displayed!! Therefore, from the beginning, Invel Yura had always stood on Larcade's side. Of course, this was not to say that he liked Larcade, only that Yura knew that only by standing on Larcade's side could war be set off, and only then could he fully display his role!
"Hahaha, I wonder how many casualties this battle will cause again, and what interesting history it will let me see~"
Compared to Invel Yura, Neinhart was purely a fun-seeker. His reason for liking war was completely different from the others here.
Neinhart liked war because war would come with countless dead people, and the more people died, the stronger and more interesting his magic would become!
Neinhart's magic, Historia of the Dead, could peer into the enemy's heart, then materialize the powerful enemies the enemy had once fought against, or Mages who could produce psychological shadows in them, and make them fight~
However, this seemingly powerful magic had a weakness that was not quite a weakness, which was that he could only materialize people who had already died. Therefore, Neinhart liked war and liked seeing strong people die…
Because of his love of fighting, Neinhart had always leaned toward Larcade's side in this power struggle between Larcade and August in the Alvarez Empire! He wanted to launch an attack against Ishgar…
"I am only a hired fighter. As long as I can fight strong opponents, I will be satisfied."
Bloodman, who had the title 'Grim Reaper' and wore a pitch-black cloak, crossed his arms before his chest. Compared to the others, he was more like a pure martial artist. Compared to everyone else here, Bloodman liked battle more! Battle with the strong! Bloodman enjoyed battle…
At the same time, although Bloodman and Larcade were both demons created by Zeref, his relationship with Larcade was not particularly good. In the power struggle between Larcade and August, Bloodman had always remained neutral and did not intend to lean toward either side…
"Battle? Compared to battle, I want to go back and continue my research more…"
Wall looked at these eager companions before him, his expression without any waves. He let out a huge yawn, his eyes incomparably tired.
Wall was not human, but a member of the Machias race. He was a super genius of the Machias race, and also the current patriarch of the Machias. He himself did not have much interest in battle. He preferred silently researching alone, strengthening himself, making up for his own shortcomings, and making himself perfect!
However, to deal with battle, he had upgraded himself with a battle-loving personality…
And in the power struggle between Larcade and August in the Alvarez Empire, he had always maintained a neutral position!
"Sigh…"
"I still believe that what Mr. August said must have his reasons."
Jacob Lessio wore a black suit, with a skull tattooed on his forehead. His appearance was like that of a gentlemanly uncle. Among all the Spriggan 12 present, he was the only one leaning toward August. He had always respected August. It was just that in the current meeting of the Spriggan 12, Larcade had obtained victory, so he had no choice but to follow Larcade to attack the continent of Ishgar.
"Hehe…"
"Do not think too much, Jacob Lessio. August is merely considering his own interests!"
"Whether his heart is still with the empire is still unknown! But the fact that he stopped us from attacking the continent of Ishgar has clearly already harmed our empire's interests and harmed His Majesty's interests…"
"Jacob Lessio, I know you still do not believe me now, but that is fine! As long as we take down the continent of Ishgar, as long as we can take down the Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia Town, and Fairy Tail, and take out that thing that is vitally important to the emperor, then everything will become clear!"
"Whether I know nothing about the power of Ishgar, or whether that fellow August is deliberately hiding something, I think all of you will understand when the time comes…"
After hearing Jacob Lessio's words, Larcade coldly laughed. He disdained Jacob Lessio's words. In Larcade's eyes, August merely did not want him to make achievements. August feared that he would further obtain Zeref's trust and receive His Majesty Zeref's love…
"I-Is that so?"
After hearing Larcade's words, Jacob Lessio's lips moved slightly. He wanted to say something, but all of it got stuck in his throat, and in the end, he could not say a single word.
"Set out…"
Larcade did not explain anything. He directly announced the order to attack to the entire army.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by bursts of roaring sounds, those warships suddenly took off! Thousands of warships carried an army of millions and attacked toward the continent of Ishgar! The most fatal part was that every one of these millions of soldiers was a Mage!
This terrifying strength could not be produced by any country on the continent of Ishgar, not even the Kingdom of Fiore. To deal with the western continent, only all the countries on the continent of Ishgar uniting together would work…
Otherwise, before their Alvarez Empire, it would have no meaning! At least in Larcade's view, it was like this! This was also why Larcade had always shouted about attacking. Because in Larcade's eyes, the continent of Ishgar was completely unable to withstand a single blow before their Alvarez Empire!
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Accompanied by the shouts of the Alvarez Empire's soldiers, those warships charged toward the continent of Ishgar!
In truth, Larcade's thoughts were not unique to Larcade. In the eyes of these Alvarez Empire soldiers, who had long been brainwashed by the empire, the continent of Ishgar was also weak and completely not their opponent…
Then…
"Whoosh!!"
Accompanied by a burst of colorful light, a sharp slash directly cut the dozens of warships flying at the front into pieces!
"Ah!!!"
Accompanied by a burst of shouting, countless warriors of the Alvarez Empire directly flew out from the warships and fell into the sea beneath them.
"Splash! Splash!"
Immediately, flowers of spray splashed on the originally calm sea…
"What is going on?!"
For a time, Larcade, who had originally been sitting inside the flagship's command room, froze completely. They had only just left the Alvarez Empire and arrived above the nearby sea. How had they already suffered an enemy attack?
"Sorry! Originally, we planned to wait for you in Ishgar, but we waited left and right and still could not wait for anyone. So we came to block your gate…"
Kurnugi flew in midair. He held his katana and looked at the Alvarez Empire soldiers before him as he smiled.
"Who are you?!"
Countless Alvarez Empire soldiers looked at Kurnugi, who had suddenly arrived above their heads, their expressions horrified as they questioned aloud.
"Hah? You actually ask me who I am?"
"My answer is, I am fundamentally not human…"
Kurnugi, who had originally been flying in the sky using Evan's Enchantment Magic, suddenly grinned after hearing the words of the Alvarez Empire soldiers. He smiled savagely and spoke to the Alvarez Empire soldiers.
"You say you are not human?!"
As Kurnugi's voice fell, the soldiers of the Alvarez Empire all froze.
"I said I am not human…"
"Because I am…"
Kurnugi moved his neck. He had already greeted Evan.
Master Evan had already told him that on the western continent, he could transform into a dragon and use magic power without restraint, and it would not attract those black wings of despair! Because the nearby sea area had already been enchanted with a barrier that cut off magic power. Moreover, in order to give Acnologia something to do today, Evan had made a dozen more baits for Acnologia, which could guarantee that Little Black would have something to do and have no time to manage other matters…
"…A dragon!"
The instant Kurnugi's voice fell, his amber human eyes had already disappeared. Replacing them was a pair of crimson beast-like eyes…
Immediately afterward, Kurnugi's body was instantly covered in scales. Majestic dragon horns grew from his forehead, fangs grew from his mouth, and his body became sturdy and enormous! Heaven-reaching wings grew from his back! In the blink of an eye, Kurnugi's body continuously changed from the original young man into that ferocious terrifying beast!
"A dragon, it's a dragon!"
The Mages of the Alvarez Empire looked at that terrifying beast, over ten meters long and whose spread wings could cover the warship deck, their bodies continuously trembling.
These soldiers even widened their eyes. They would absolutely not mistake it. This winged, imposing lifeform before them had a resounding title in this world—dragon!
"A dragon?! What kind of joke is this? Haven't all dragons already run to the northern continent Guiltina? That kind of existence should have already gone extinct on the western continent and the continent of Ishgar!"
At this moment, Larcade inside the flagship looked somewhat unable to stay calm.
Larcade had been created by Zeref four hundred years ago. At that time, dragons had not disappeared yet, and the world was filled with those terrifying creatures! No one understood the strength of dragons better than people like Larcade who had once lived in the same era as dragons.
"A dragon! Truly troublesome thing! But from the looks of it, this dragon's size seems not yet adult…"
"Fortunately, what we encountered is a dragon that has not yet reached adulthood. Otherwise, even if we took action, we would feel extremely strained…"
The era in which 'Grim Reaper' Bloodman was born was even earlier than Larcade's, so he naturally understood the power of dragons. Without question, dragons were synonymous with magic and power. Among them, those terrifying monsters crowned with the name Dragon King were even more undefeatable existences. After all, those black wings that made their master feel despair were also one of the great Dragon Kings!
"One dragon is not worth fearing!"
"No matter how one says it, one million against one, the advantage is ours!"
Larcade's expression was calm. He clasped his hands together. It was merely a young dragon. One million Mages making a move together, even if only through attrition, would be enough to exhaust the other side to death.
"Boom!!"
Just as Larcade clasped his hands together and once again regained his saintly posture, a great sun whistled and ignited above everyone's heads in the azure sky!
"The! Sun! Another sun has actually appeared in the sky!"
The sudden appearance of this sun attracted all the soldiers' gazes. They were shocked by this supernatural phenomenon before them.
However, before these soldiers could figure out why two suns appeared in the sky at the same time! The endless light and heat waves released by that sun came straight at them!
The blazing light released by that sun directly burned the nearby magic warships to ashes. Even the clothes on those soldiers' bodies began to spontaneously combust uncontrollably, continuously burning and turning into countless green smoke…
"Hot! So hot!"
"Jump off the ship! If we continue staying here, we will be burned to death…"
On the warships, the Alvarez Empire soldiers were immediately burned by their melting clothes and burning warships. They did not dare think too much and no longer dared look at the sun above their heads. They directly jumped off the warships toward the sea beneath them. They could no longer care about too much. Before life and death, nearly everyone's choice was the same.
"What is that?!"
And with another great sun suddenly appearing in the sky, such a major event naturally also attracted the attention of Larcade and the others inside the flagship. They looked at that huge sun in the sky and widened their eyes…
"How could two suns appear in the sky? I have lived in this world for so long and have never seen this before…"
'Grim Reaper' Bloodman stared solemnly at the sun in the sky, his brows tightly locked.
Even 'Grim Reaper' Bloodman, who had already lived in the world of Earth-land for four hundred years and experienced countless storms, had never seen the sight of two suns sharing the sky. And most importantly, as far as he knew, the world of Earth-land should only have one sun.
"No, that is not the sun. That is magic, magic used by a human!"
"There is actually such a powerful fire-attribute Mage in this world? Before him, I cannot even use my magic. The ice I create would evaporate the instant I summoned it. It is truly too terrifying…"
'Winter General' Invel Yura stared solemnly at the sun that had suddenly appeared in the sky, his pupils filled with shock.
In Invel's eyes, beneath that newly appeared sun above everyone's heads, a short middle-aged man with his upper body bare and mysterious patterns tattooed on his body was standing there astonishingly. At this moment, the corners of that short middle-aged man's mouth rose, like the great Sun God, constantly declaring his existence to the world.
"No! That magic power, and that posture, could it be…"
Just as Invel Yura discovered the human standing beneath the 'sun,' Larcade, standing beside the Winter General, also noticed that middle-aged man. After Larcade saw the appearance of that middle-aged man, a trace of panic flashed through his eyes, and then he subconsciously stepped back several steps.
Larcade, as a demon who had lived for four hundred years, and also the second-to-last demon created by Zeref, as well as the demon closest to perfection, knew many secrets others did not know…
He had once followed Zeref and had the fortune to see this great existence before him, whose name was…
"That is not human, that is Fire Dragon King Igneel!"
Larcade's lips were roasted incomparably dry in this fiery air, to the point that they cracked open and flowed with crimson blood.
"Fire Dragon King Igneel?!"
As Larcade's voice fell, all the Mages inside the cabin revealed shocked expressions.
Although some of them had not heard of Igneel's name, just the three words Fire Dragon King were enough to shock everyone.
"Fire Dragon King Igneel. Four hundred years ago, before the Black Dragon King Acnologia appeared, he was the strongest dragon living in this world! Even in that era when dragons roamed freely, he was a terrifying existence known as invincible. How could such an existence suddenly block our path?! I cannot understand…"
'Grim Reaper' Bloodman stared fixedly at Igneel in the sky, who was like the Sun God. His face was ashen as he told everyone present about Igneel's terrifying strength.
"Uh…"
As Bloodman's voice fell, the Mages' expressions changed one after another. When they originally heard the name Fire Dragon King, they had already guessed that the middle-aged man would be difficult to deal with, but they had not expected Igneel to be this terrifying. He was a terrifying monster known as invincible in the era when dragons were still alive…
"Inhale, exhale…"
At this moment, even Larcade's expression did not look good. Although he knew Igneel had offspring and would most likely be affected by his Curse, with Igneel's strength, he was afraid that Igneel could climax while burning him to death with one mouthful of dragon flame.
"Our enemies are two dragons?"
Neinhart revealed despair on his face. He did like seeing other people's deaths, but he did not like seeing his own death! Making them deal with two dragons, one of which was known as a Dragon King and was the invincible Fire Dragon King of the dragon era? Stop joking…
"Roar!!"
Just as Neinhart and the others looked at the sun in the sky and despaired, the sky suddenly darkened!
Endless night covered half the sky, and a golden bright moon illuminated heaven and earth like this! That was the great celestial body that had eternally accompanied the world of Earth-land! At this moment, that golden bright moon suddenly became enormous, like the great sun created by Igneel, hanging above everyone's heads like this…
For a time, above the coastal sea surface of the western continent, one half of the sky had a blazing great sun releasing endless light and heat, while the other half had night fall, with a golden full moon hanging in the sky and reflecting radiance! For a time, above everyone's heads, a rare spectacle difficult to see in thousands of years was created, the sun and moon shining together!
"What happened again?"
At this moment, these millions of soldiers were trembling in fear. They had already forgotten what they were supposed to do and where they were supposed to go…
They only hoped that everything before their eyes was a dream, a dream that would soon wake up!
Unfortunately, this was not a dream.
"Roar!!"
Just as the soldiers could not understand what exactly was happening before them, a dragon roar seemed to come from that golden full moon. They saw a beautiful nine-tailed divine fox dancing wildly beneath that moon. Every tail of that divine fox was so beautiful, and every inch of that divine fox's skin produced endless temptation toward the soldiers…
"Another dragon! A Dragon King-level dragon…"
Bloodman had already become dumbfounded. He seemed to have already foreseen his own ending. Today was probably the death of the Grim Reaper.
"Two Dragon Kings."
Larcade was also dumbfounded. Even four hundred years ago, he had never seen such a scene!
"Rumble!!"
Before the minds of the Spriggan 12 inside the flagship could settle…
Accompanied by endless lightning, at some unknown time, dark clouds had already filled the sky above everyone's heads. Those dark clouds covered the moon in the sky and also blocked the blazing sun.
"Roar!!"
However, before everyone could thank the arrival of the dark clouds, another dragon roar came from within those dark clouds. Using the continuously roaring flashes, everyone could see that within those dark clouds, a colossal creature was shuttling through! Without question, this was also a dragon.
"Roar!"
"Roar!!"
"Roar!!!"
As the dragon roar within the dark clouds sounded, endless dragon roars suddenly came from between heaven and earth. One, two, three, four…
At this moment, the warriors of the Alvarez Empire, including the Spriggan 12 inside the flagship, were all dumbfounded. Had they broken into a dragon's nest? They had not even seen the fairies, but they had seen plenty of dragons instead…
"..."
At this moment, Larcade's face was dim, and his eyes were lifeless. Right now, he only wanted to find Acnologia and properly ask him how exactly he had exterminated the dragons back then. Too unprofessional!