Acnologia's roar was almost instantly erased.
As Ankh's glowing finger pointed out, an indescribable pressure suddenly descended from the heavens.
Silent, without any energy fluctuation, the devastating breath simply disappeared into the void, and even the physical damage inflicted upon Tenrou Island was instantly restored.
But Acnologia remained tense, not relaxing in the slightest.
In his dragon eyes, a wave of killing intent akin to pure divine punishment was clearly surging toward him.
Crossing his Dragon Claws over his chest, he redirected all accumulated energy inward.
Acnologia, in his terrifying form, abruptly dodged to the side.
Yet the divine punishment remained unavoidable.
As if a black eraser had silently appeared in space, a dark light brushed against the Black Dragon for a mere moment, then instantly erased half of Acnologia's body!
"ROAR——!!"
The deafening, agonized dragon roar pierced the heavens, once again stirring the rolling waves of the sea.
Anyone could hear the pure pain within Acnologia's furious roar.
Three seconds—yet Ankh could only manage to lift a hand with great effort.
When the brief time elapsed, the black Death God Power burned viciously through his body like inextinguishable flames.
BAM!!
Without warning, Ankh, having been forced out of his divine mode, plummeted from mid-air and crashed heavily onto the ground.
The black aura around him continuously eroded his physical body.
The celestial phenomena in the sky vanished instantly, and the two strikingly conspicuous auras that had dominated the continent disappeared simultaneously.
Gasping violently, Ankh desperately mobilized his remaining Life God Power to resist the agonizing backlash of the Death God Power.
Seram's voice in his mind sounded exceptionally weary.
[I need to rest for a while too... Ankh, be careful from now on...]
The voice faded, and Seram could no longer be reached.
Ankh forced a bitter smile and muttered, "This mode... is such a trap..."
Opposite Ankh, Acnologia's massive form curled up on the dirt.
It was unimaginable that this Dragon King, having lost his left arm, left leg, and a significant portion of his torso, was actually still alive.
Yet, he appeared utterly disheveled.
The severed parts of his body were unnaturally smooth, with black death energy burning at the wounds, relentlessly corroding his form like maggots feasting on bone.
Then, the Black Dragon's body began to shrink rapidly.
Within moments, it transformed into a young man with deep blue long hair, resuming his human form.
Acnologia lay on the ground, his remaining right hand slamming down violently.
Immediately, a dark, intricate magic circle emerged from the earth beneath him.
Within the circle, dense runes floated upward, and the dark gray Death God Power ceased its advance.
Acnologia then retrieved a pitch-black pill from his pocket, shoved it into his mouth, and the agony wracking his body diminished considerably.
At that moment, a ring on Acnologia's right hand began to emit an eerie green glow.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he opened his mouth and inhaled the residual Death God Power forcefully!
The consequences of forcibly absorbing such high-quality Death God Power were highly predictable.
After the first epic inhalation, Acnologia choked uncontrollably, spewing Death Waves as he coughed, his face turning dark red.
Yet, he did not stop.
The inhaled Death Waves began to ravage and corrode his body from within.
Cracks of black light surfaced on his skin, making him resemble a bomb about to explode and dissolve...
However, the ancient ring on his hand flickered with an unnatural green light repeatedly, assisting the Black Dragon in suppressing the violent turmoil within his body.
Struggling to open his eyes, Ankh watched Acnologia, who looked like a half-dead zombie yet continued to inhale the Death Waves desperately.
A tremor ran through his heart.
'This damned dragon... using magic circles, pills, and tools... Damn it, he is even more prepared than I am!'
Grabbing a nearby branch to prop himself up, Ankh found it instantly turning to ash upon contact, corroded by the Death Waves leaking from his body.
Resigned, Ankh mustered his remaining strength and staggered toward the bastard who looked like he'd just smoked something highly illegal.
'I have to finish him off! If I don't, it's unclear who'll end up dead later...'
Acnologia trembled as he absorbed the Death Waves clinging to his body.
Watching Ankh slowly stagger toward him, his expression tightened instantly.
Then, he made a decision entirely unbefitting a terrifying Dragon King...
He turned, crouched low, pushed himself up, and began crawling away from Ankh.
Ankh: ...
'You bastard, stand still and fight me in an exhilarating death battle!'
With both man and dragon dragging their half-crippled bodies, a painfully slow-paced chase began.
The scene appeared somewhat comical, yet... both parties involved were inwardly cursing.
Ankh's breathing grew increasingly faint as he gritted his teeth, firm in his conviction: I must eliminate this greatest threat!
Acnologia's long-unused throat felt dry and hoarse, his mind equally agitated.
'I'm about to lose consciousness... Need to find a safe place quickly to digest the Divine Power...'
After a moment, though Acnologia appeared more physically battered, in terms of actual condition, Ankh was far worse off.
The absurd and pitiful chase ended when the pale-faced Ankh finally collapsed completely from exhaustion.
The Black Dragon could absorb higher-quality Death God Power because he had various protective preparations and, crucially, no internal power imbalance.
He only needed to endure the raw Divine Power and cope with his physical injuries.
Ankh, though without external wounds, felt like an alchemical furnace about to violently explode internally.
Once his borrowed time ran out, he would instantly be destroyed.
The only way to restrain it was for Ankh to continuously mobilize and strengthen his Life God Power to resist.
The moment his concentration slackened even slightly, he would be annihilated immediately.
Ankh lay on the ground, his consciousness on the verge of fading. Only his subconscious mind reinforced the Life God Power in defense. His breath was as faint as a candle about to burn out.
Acnologia had long disappeared, leaving Ankh entirely alone on the battlefield.
After a while, as Ankh struggled to simply hold on, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the dense forest.
The disheveled Zancrow, who had been hiding and kneeling on the ground, slowly stood up and emerged.
"This must be what they call... reaping the spoils of victory..."
Zancrow staggered toward Ankh, greedily reaching out his hand.
"With your power, Guild Master Hades should be able to..."
Boom!
Thunder roared across the sky.
Just as Zancrow reached out, a massive golden lightning bolt descended from the horizon and struck right beside him.
Laxus stood grimly in front of Ankh, glaring down at Zancrow.
"Take your filthy claws back!"
His fist, wrapped in lightning, shot out, violently sending Zancrow flying.
Dazed, Zancrow saw a large group of people running toward them.
'Fairy Tail... Why have they returned?!'
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