Lucy's question was answered almost immediately.
Wraith explained, "Guild Master Georg Reizen sent us to destroy the five crystals sealing the Wood Dragon God. Once Aldoron regained his divine power, Georg planned to devour him."
"The crystals... Don't tell me you mean that one?"
Ultear pointed toward the crystal the residents had been worshiping.
"What happens if it's destroyed?"
"According to Skullion, destroying all five crystals will fully awaken the Wood Dragon God and restore his original power."
Erza hurriedly asked,
"How many have you already destroyed?"
"Four. That was the last one..."
"No!"
Ultear's pupils contracted sharply.
But it was already too late.
The crystal suddenly exploded and crumbled into dust.
Ultear immediately realized what Skullion had done.
"He must have planted Magic Power inside it earlier and set it to detonate after he'd been gone for a while!"
At the same moment, a deafening roar tore through the sky.
Even from inside the church, the sound was so overwhelming that it sent chills through everyone.
Cold sweat ran down Natsu's forehead.
"What was that?!"
Wendy cautiously answered,
"I think... that was Aldoron."
"The ground is shaking!"
"I can barely stand!"
The earth convulsed violently, nearly throwing Lucy to the floor.
"Everyone out of the church!"
Raizel reacted immediately, teleporting the entire group—including the unconscious Nebaru—to an open area outside.
Buildings were collapsing everywhere.
When they looked toward Aldoron's head, they saw that the colossal dragon had awakened and was roaring into the sky.
The cities on his left and right hands, both shoulders, and back began crumbling apart.
The ground split open into countless enormous fissures, and the residents tumbled into them.
With no other choice, Raizel had Kagura use Gravity Magic to lift some of the people into the air.
However...
They rejected Raizel and Kagura's help.
One woman smiled calmly and shook her head.
"There is no need to worry. We have always waited for this day."
"What?!"
"We are part of Lord Aldoron. From the very beginning, we were beings entirely different from you."
She raised her hand.
Fresh shoots were already sprouting from her palm, yet her face and voice remained perfectly peaceful.
Just as she had said, she appeared to have prepared herself for this long ago.
She spread her arms and allowed branches to grow freely from her body.
"Lord Aldoron spent many long years recovering from his wounds. He connected his body to the five crystals and deliberately sealed his own movements."
Her feet rooted themselves firmly into the earth, while her arms transformed into tree trunks. Behind her, countless other residents were undergoing the same change.
"We 'seeds' were born here, and here we shall meet our deaths. In the end, we will become part of Lord Aldoron once more..."
Lucy frowned.
"Seeds?"
They spoke as though this were the most ordinary thing in the world.
"Yes. We are nourishment meant to heal Lord Aldoron."
Raizel, Ultear, Mira, and the others had more or less understood what had happened.
These people had probably been brainwashed.
Or rather, assimilated.
"We don't know who destroyed the five crystals in an attempt to defeat Lord Aldoron, but they made a terrible mistake."
"Destroying the crystals means releasing his restraints and awakening him!"
The residents, now transforming into plants, shouted together,
"Our king! We offer our prayers to the great divine tree!"
Aldoron threw back his head and roared.
With a body that enormous, every step he took caused the heavens and earth to tremble, more than earning his title as a calamity.
Perhaps because of his immense size, Aldoron's roar was even more overwhelming than Acnologia's.
Even covering their ears did little to stop the pain.
"Reduce everyone's hearing!"
There was no saving these people.
They appeared alive, but in truth, they had died long ago. Aldoron had likely used some kind of assimilation to alter their minds.
The original residents of Drasil had been transformed first, followed by tourists drawn to the city.
Even after assimilation, they could continue living normally.
That was why news about Drasil had never spread beyond its borders.
"Retreat for now! Whatever happens, we can't stay on Aldoron's body while the buildings keep collapsing!"
After moving everyone beyond Drasil, Raizel used Super Archive Magic to contact Selene.
The Wood Dragon God was simply too enormous.
It was time to call for reinforcements.
'Selene, bring Mr. August, Brandish, Laxus, and the others here.'
Ultear's Spatial Magic was not advanced enough to summon anyone she pleased across continents the way Selene could.
She could manage it within Ishgar over a reasonable distance, but crossing continents was another matter entirely.
Selene had been watching the situation from afar and answered through telepathy.
'I understand. I'll bring them, along with Irene.'
Ultear, Erza, and the others narrowed their eyes at the roaring Aldoron.
"It seems what we need to do next is obvious."
Natsu slammed one fist into his palm, his face lighting up with excitement.
"Slay a dragon!"
There was no defending Aldoron.
No one knew how many humans he had killed over the past three hundred years.
At the same time, formations of magic patrol cruisers appeared in the sky, flying toward Drasil.
Raizel's group could already make out their shapes, which meant they were rapidly closing in.
Lucy shaded her eyes from the sun and looked upward.
"Are those magic patrol cruisers?"
Wendy nodded.
"Yes. Judging from the flags, they should belong to Guiltina's Magic Council, MNP."
She and Natsu had the best eyesight among them, but Natsu had never seen the MNP's flag before.
...
Aboard the Council cruisers—
One soldier stared at the distant dragon and muttered,
"So the ancient monster has finally awakened."
Commander Rube Rud of MNP's Twenty-Third Division raised his voice.
"Authorization to attack has been granted! The operation to subjugate the Wood Dragon God begins now!"
The Council had always monitored every Dragon God whose location was known.
They had detected Aldoron's abnormal activity immediately, and the Twenty-Third Division, stationed closest to him, had been the first to deploy.
"Prepare to fire!"
"All batteries of the Magic Convergent Cannon—Uranus have reached critical output!"
"Fire!"
They moved too quickly.
By the time Raizel tried to warn them not to approach, it was already too late.
Dozens of Uranus cannons fired simultaneously, their beams tearing through the sky toward Aldoron's head.
Uranus possessed even greater destructive power than Jupiter.
Ultear's pupils tightened as she shouted,
"That many Uranus cannons?! Everyone, get down!"
Raizel had already Taken Over Alphamon and raised a defensive barrier around the group, while Ultear used Ice-Make to form a massive wall of ice.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every Uranus blast struck Aldoron's head without restraint.
A continuous series of explosions thundered across the land.
The violent tremors beneath their feet forced Lucy, Wendy, and the others to crouch.
Even through the enormous ice wall and Raizel's green barrier, they could still see the blinding light and towering flames.