Kyria's pupils reflected Charles's incoming fist. Her deepest instincts screamed at her to dodge, but her body refused to move.
Charles's punch landed squarely on her face, launching her straight through the air.
Watching from the sidelines, Sting and Rogue winced just seeing it—their jaws aching as they recalled the punches they had taken during their own training.
Charles didn't feel like he had gone too hard. If there was one thing Dragon Slayers had in common, it was ridiculously tough bodies.
Sure enough, Kyria got back on her feet quickly. She wiped her bruised cheek with the back of her hand and, instead of being angry, started laughing.
"That's it! Someone like you must taste delicious!"
With that, Kyria charged again. Magic gathered around the joints of her limbs, forming razor-sharp blades.
Like a terrifying killing machine, she launched her most frenzied assault on Charles.
But every strike from Kyria missed by just a hair's breadth. Charles casually weaved through the onslaught as if out for a stroll.
"Damn it, is dodging all you can do?!" Kyria stopped and shouted, slashing the ground in frustration, leaving a massive gash behind.
Charles also came to a stop and said, "I was hoping to get a better look at the power of a Fifth Generation Dragon Slayer, but I'm not seeing much. Oh well, just as you wished."
Kyria's pupils shrank. She instinctively raised her arm to block.
But what happened next was beyond comprehension. The magical blade extending from her wrist shattered into pieces, and a hand covered in armored gauntlets seized her wrist and slammed her into the ground.
Drawing on her beast-like instincts, Kyria adjusted her posture mid-fall and counterattacked the moment she hit the ground.
"Blade Dragon's Rending Roar!"
The very air was torn apart by the wave of slicing energy Kyria unleashed. Everything around her was shredded into pieces—everything except for Charles, whose arms were crossed in front of him.
Every single blade of air dissolved upon contact with Charles's forearms, not even leaving a scratch on his gauntlets.
A dragon's roar was their most powerful attack, converting the immense magical power of dragons into overwhelming destruction.
For Dragon Slayers, aside from their ultimate secret arts, it was their most powerful magic. But honestly, Charles was disappointed in Kyria's roar.
Despite its apparent destructive force, the attack was too dispersed. If her magic were closer to that of an actual dragon, it might've been more impressive. But with her level of magic, it was barely a threat to Charles.
Charles lowered his arms, looked at the dumbfounded Kyria, and said, "You call that a roar? Watch closely—this is a roar!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A crimson magic circle opened, and flames erupted forth.
This time, Charles went all out to completely incapacitate Kyria. The fire spread out in a fan shape, engulfing the already ruined valley, blowing away nearly a quarter of the surrounding mountain terrain.
The moment the flames reached her, Kyria suddenly understood how this valley had ended up like this. Unfortunately, she had no time to think further before the flames engulfed her.
Just as Sting and Rogue were wondering when they'd be able to do something like that, Charles walked over carrying the unconscious Kyria.
"Don't just stand there. Mission accomplished—we're heading out."
With that, Charles summoned Zhongming, picked up both of them, and flew toward the group's base.
Two days later, Diabolos sent members to the valley after failing to receive a report back from Kyria.
Unfortunately, aside from the utterly destroyed terrain, there were no clues left behind.
A square-faced man in armor said, "There are traces of Kyria's magic here. She definitely fought someone."
A man adorned with skeletal decorations replied, "The enemy was strong. The destruction around here was clearly caused by them."
The armored man said in awe, "Terrifying… Could it really have been the Flame Dragon God?"
The skull-clad man shook his head. "We don't know yet—but it's highly possible. Either way, they won't escape. One of our guild's strongest is on the case now."
As he spoke, the man turned toward another figure wearing a kimono.
The man said nothing, simply placing his hand on the hilt of the long sword at his waist.
He was confident that even if it was the Flame Dragon God—one of the Five Dragon Gods—he could cut it down. After all, he was a member of Diabolos's strongest unit: the Black Dragon Slayer Knights.
Charles had anticipated that there would be a conflict with Diabolos, so he had no concern about being pursued. What mattered most to him now was researching Kyria, the Fifth Generation Dragon Slayer.
Charles had to revise his view of Guiltina as "wilderness"—it was only the southern region that was desolate. The farther north they traveled, the more signs of human activity appeared.
Charles had even heard that in the far north, an entirely different power system from the other two continents was popular: alchemy.
In his previous life, Charles hadn't finished reading the Hundred-Year Quest arc before transmigrating, so he didn't know what this so-called alchemy actually entailed. He was planning to check it out after completing his current objective.
Thanks to the convenience brought by alchemical development, Charles managed to gather all the research equipment he needed in a town where they'd set up camp.
"Damn it! What the hell are you trying to do?! Let me go!"
Strapped tightly to a metal platform, Kyria screamed furiously.
Charles reached over to a nearby table and realized all the anesthetic was used up. Fed up, he chopped the side of her neck with his hand, knocking her out the old-fashioned way.
Dragon Slayers had ridiculously resilient bodies. Even specially formulated anesthetics were metabolized too quickly. The rate of consumption was higher than expected.
But it didn't matter. Charles had gathered most of the data he needed.
As he had suspected, the differences between Dragon Slayer generations weren't in how they learned their magic.
At their core, Dragon Slayers were human mages who wielded Dragon Magic. The real difference between the generations lay in the type of dragon magic.
That's right—dragon magic came in different forms. More precisely, it could be divided into two types: soul magic and body magic.
The First Generation Dragon Slayers learned magic directly from dragons. Because the human body is different from a dragon's, the magic they acquired was of the soul type.
However, since the soul ultimately influences the body, as the Dragon Slayer grew stronger, their body would begin to transform—becoming more draconic.
The Second Generation, who used implanted Dragon Lacrima, received magic made from a dragon's heart—body magic.
The Third Generation combined both, inheriting both soul and body magic. That's why Sting and Rogue had every reason to be proud—they could control dragonification at will, something extremely difficult for First Generation Slayers.
The reason was simple: in addition to soul magic, they also possessed body magic.
As for the Fifth Generation, like the Second, they obtained body magic—but in a far more brutal way.
By directly consuming dragons, they allowed the body magic to invade and fuse with their own being.
This resulted in a deeper integration with body magic—but also much greater risks.
Without soul magic, and with their bodies corrupted by dragon power, once they stepped into dragonification, they couldn't return. They would inevitably transform into dragons… no, into mindless monsters with dragon bodies.
This also reminded Charles of Acnologia. Perhaps by hunting too many dragons and constantly bathing in dragon blood, the body magic of those dragons corrupted him—causing him to turn into the Black Dragon so quickly.
As for why Natsu and Gajeel were special—having inherited the powers of Laxus and Rogue's lacrima—they likely absorbed their body magic, which then fused with their own soul-based magic.
That was the direction Charles sought for his own enhancement. In theory, he could now obtain body magic from Sting, Rogue, or Kyria.
But if he was going to enhance himself, Charles wasn't going to settle for anything less.
After all, the magic of a Dragon Slayer couldn't compare to that of a true dragon.
Ignia, the Flame Dragon God—if counted properly, he was Charles's elder brother, the biological son of Igneel, the Flame Dragon King. He was the one Charles had his sights on.
First time realizing how comfortable it was to sleep without a ventilator!
Well, anyway—here's wishing everyone good health!
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]