— — — — — —
High above the sea, far from Tenrou Island, the Black Dragon Acnologia tore through the sky at breakneck speed.
He felt it.
The presence of dragons.
And not just any dragons—this aura was overwhelmingly strong. For a split second, Acnologia hesitated.
Should he go hunt down those dragons…Or should he head to Tenrou Island and kill that ominous Slayer whose presence felt so wrong?
That moment of hesitation was all it took.
Igneel and Grandiney had already arrived. No words were exchanged. There was no need.
What followed was only roars.
The Fire Dragon King's roar. The Sky Dragon's roar. The Shadow Dragon's roar. The Iron Dragon's roar. The White Dragon's roar.
Five dragon roars fused together in an instant and slammed straight into Acnologia, their power so immense that the sea below evaporated, leaving behind a vast, empty crater.
When the explosion faded, Acnologia remained completely unscathed.
Every trace of magic—fire, wind, shadow, iron, white—had been swallowed whole.
The Black Dragon… The Dragon King of Apocalypse.
A monster that should never have existed, a being that fed on all magic itself.
"Go," Kazuma said softly as he watched from Tenrou Island, a smile spreading across his face. "Let the Dragon King Festival be held once more."
Behind him, the Shadow Kingdom unfolded.
Countless massive dragons burst forth from the darkness, roaring as they soared into the sky before charging straight toward Acnologia.
They would fight. They would wash away their past defeat. They would kill the monster they themselves had created.
"Green Dragon. Ice Dragon. You old bastards," Igneel laughed as familiar figures appeared at his side. "Four hundred years… never thought we'd meet again."
"Hah! Fire Dragon King, you've gotten sluggish," the Green Dragon shot back with a grin. "And your flames are weaker than they used to be."
"And dragon breath doesn't work on Acnologia," the Ice Dragon added calmly. "We figured that out ages ago. If we want him dead, it has to be pure physical force."
"Then everyone," the Sky Dragon roared, "let's go all out! Stake our lives and end the Dragon we created. Let this be the final curtain for the dragon race!"
The battle escalated into pure chaos.
With Igneel at the forefront and the others supporting him, thousands of dragons launched relentless attacks against Acnologia.
The fight raged for seven days and seven nights.
The sky and earth lost all color. Every nearby island was reduced to rubble. The sea itself was smashed open, leaving only a vast, exposed seabed—its waters long since boiled away by their terrifying power.
And yet…
Acnologia still fought on.
Dragons fell one after another. By the end, even the dragons from the Shadow Kingdom could no longer continue.
"The bodies of those Shadow Kingdom dragons are made entirely from my natural energy," Kazuma muttered, shaking his head. "Against a monster that devours all magic, they're nothing more than snacks."
"And Acnologia doesn't even need that," he continued. "He can draw energy from the air, the wind, the sea, the land itself."
"Trying to drown him in numbers was never going to work. The ancient dragon race didn't lose unfairly."
What made Acnologia truly terrifying was this: he could draw magic directly from the world.
As long as the world existed, he possessed an endless power source.
Realizing this, the Shadow Dragons withdrew from the battlefield. Their attacks did nothing, and worse, they were being devoured to replenish Acnologia's strength. Staying any longer would only make things worse.
Once they retreated, only the Dragon Kings remained.
One by one, they fell.
First the Iron Dragon. Then the Sky Dragon. Then the Shadow Dragon. Then the White Dragon.
At last, only the strongest remained—Igneel, the Fire Dragon King.
Before his defeat, he unleashed his final, greatest attack. His claws tore a deep gash across Acnologia's chest.
But in return, Igneel's body was shattered.
He lost all strength to fight ever again.
"…My turn."
Kazuma gathered the fading consciousnesses of the fallen Dragon Kings into the Shadow Kingdom, letting them become its residents.
Then he reached into his Treasury.
The Fang of the Damocles emerged.
In an instant, a savage, terrifying aura erupted outward.
"More-More Fruit. Hundredfold Amplification."
Kazuma pushed himself to his absolute peak.
His presence exploded to its limit.
Conqueror's Haki burst forth unchecked, black-and-red lightning tearing through the air around him.
"A dragon… such powerful dragon energy!" Acnologia roared as he sensed the pure dragon aura carried by the Fang. "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Slaughter all dragons!"
Provoked beyond reason, Acnologia gathered the Black Dragon's Roar in his maw, intent on erasing everything.
The breath attack erupted.
Kazuma raised the Fang of Damocles and sliced forward. Its peerless sharpness cleaved the roar in half.
The next instant, ripples spread across the sky. From them poured countless Dragon-Slaying Noble Phantasms, each one shooting toward Acnologia like a storm.
"ROAR!"
Acnologia felt pain—but no real injury.
"So it really is useless," Kazuma muttered. "Firing those treasures turns them into magic attacks, and magic means nothing to him. Sigh~ My Gate of Babylon is a magic after all."
"Tsk. It's only good for bullying weak enemies now.... Guess Ea will have to be my last resort—I'm not even sure it'll work anymore."
With that, Kazuma gripped two swords and charged forward.
If magic wouldn't work, then it was time for close combat.
Now they'd see which came first—him being torn apart, or the Demon Dragon being hunted down and slaughtered.
.
.
.