Chapter 601: Black Dragon Acnologia! The World of Edolas!
"Igneel, where did you go back then?" Natsu asked the question he had always wanted to know.
Igneel raised his dragon head and looked at the Black Dragon suppressed by Erza, his eyes filled with complexity. "This story is a bit complicated…"
It was the story between the Dragon race and the Black Dragon. 400 years ago, there was a medical mage whose hometown was destroyed by dragons. He began to learn Dragon Slaying Magic for revenge. At that time, dragons ruled the world, divided into two factions: one that hoped to coexist with humans, and one that opposed it. A war between dragons began.
The coexistence faction made a decision: to teach humans Dragon Slaying Magic. From then on, Dragon Slayers appeared. But the power was too great. Just when victory was in sight, the Dragon Slayers, who had gained too much power, even killed the dragons who wished to coexist with them. Afterward, one man eliminated a large number of dragons. Bathing in their blood, he underwent a strange transformation. His skin grew scales, his teeth became fangs, and his body gradually transformed into a giant dragon. That Dragon Slayer became the new Dragon King. The war that gave birth to him was the Dragon King Festival.
His name was Acnologia, the Black Dragon before them.
"What? That thing was once human?!" Lucy looked at the mad Black Dragon in horror. The others were also astonished.
"!!! Wait!" Gray suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Natsu. "Natsu is also a Dragon Slayer! Will he turn into a dragon too?"
"Ah? Natsu! Don't turn into a dragon!" Happy cried loudly, hugging his leg.
Seeing his companions, Igneel smiled. "Hahaha, don't worry. Natsu won't turn into a dragon so easily. Our disappearance was precisely for that reason."
"Hmm?" Everyone suddenly remembered Igneel seemed to be inside Natsu's body.
Igneel explained. At that time, Acnologia was too powerful. No one in the Dragon race was his match. To defeat him, Igneel, the Fire Dragon King, united with four other powerful dragons: Grandeeney of the Sky, Metalicana of Iron, Skiadrum of Shadow, and Weisslogia of White.
The Five Dragons devised a plan. They would cultivate Dragon Slayers and, through the Eclipse Gate, lie dormant within them, traveling to an era with a large amount of Ethernano to defeat Acnologia. They sealed themselves within the children they raised.
One reason was to create antibodies to prevent the children from turning into dragons. Another was that their souls had been taken by Acnologia. Lurking within the children could prolong their lives. The last was to wait for the right time to emerge and defeat him.
"Huh? Doesn't this mean Natsu traveled through time?" someone exclaimed.
"So Igneel has been helping me all along," tears welled up in Natsu's eyes.
"Roar!!!" Before they could process this, the Black Dragon in the sky let out an extremely mournful roar.
Igneel's mouth dropped open. He could feel it growing stronger again, so strong he couldn't resist.
But this worry seemed unnecessary. Amidst its wails, its tail and limbs were severed by Erza. Blood splattered across the ground.
"You… who are you?!" For the first time, the Black Dragon spoke human words. Anger and terror coexisted; he was thinking of retreating.
Igneel also wanted to know. He turned to look at Ren, only to find he was gone.
"Heh heh, you don't need to know who I am. As for the mastermind, if you come out now, I can let you die a quick death." At some unknown point, Ren was already standing on top of Acnologia's head.
"You!" Acnologia's dragon eyes constricted. He tried to roar, but under Ren's faint gaze, all his power drained away, and he fell straight to the ground.
Erza and Sylvia exchanged a glance and quickly descended. "Ren-kun, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. This guy was about to escape," Ren grinned. "I gave you a chance. Don't blame me if you don't come out." He pointed his hand at Acnologia's head.
"Roar roar roar!!!" His massive maw let out a tearing, heartbreaking roar. Ren was directly extracting a world that he had fused with from his body.
Looking at the white light cluster in his hand, he said faintly, "He ate an entire world… Edolas. Heh heh."
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