"One dragon, two dragons, three dragons, four dragons…"
"Larcade, what should we do next?!"
'Grim Reaper' Bloodman looked panicked. As he gazed at the several dragons soaring through the sky, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. If there were only one young dragon on the opposing side, they could still fight. After all, they stood at the pinnacle of human combat power. In a one-on-one fight, or even several against one, defeating a young dragon would not be a major problem…
But the powerful and majestic auras filling this space clearly belonged to fully grown dragons, and Dragon King-level dragons at that. Even four hundred years ago, they had stood at the very top of the food chain. They were absolutely not existences that could be defeated by them…
"This situation is something even I never imagined…"
Larcade kept his palms pressed together, still maintaining the appearance of an enlightened monk. However, the slight trembling of his hands revealed that his heart was anything but calm.
Even in his dreams, Larcade had never imagined that after witnessing the black Wings of Despair slaughter dragons into extinction, he would one day see such a scene again.
Before him now, dragons danced across the skies!
For a moment, Larcade felt as though he had returned four hundred years into the past, to the era when dragons still ravaged the world of Earth-land.
In that age, whether it was Ishgar or the Western Continent, the rulers standing atop the food chain and the pyramid of power were neither humans nor demons.
They were dragons!
Before dragons, all life in the world was equal. Whether human or demon, no matter how hard one trained, defeating a dragon was impossible!
During that era, even humanity, now the protagonist race of Earth-land, could only survive by sheltering beside the massive bodies of dragons.
Even Zeref's greatest creation, Etherious Natsu Dragneel, could not compare. In fact, if E.N.D. truly possessed power surpassing dragons, Zeref would never have made his younger brother learn Dragon Slayer Magic.
In the world of Earth-land, dragons were synonymous with power.
Without exception.
"So this is why August forbade us from attacking Ishgar?"
'Winter General' Invel Yura suddenly understood. Hidden beneath his glasses was a gloomy expression.
Staring at the dragons outside the battleship window, Invel clenched his fists tightly.
If the reason August opposed the invasion of Ishgar was because of these dragons, then every plan they had made and every effort they had invested would be meaningless.
Because no matter how clever his strategies were, there was no way he could defeat these dragons.
At the same time, the war between the Alvarez Empire and Ishgar would effectively be over.
Yes.
The war had already ended.
As long as these dragons existed, the Alvarez Empire would never conquer Ishgar. In fact, even Alvarez itself might no longer be safe.
And with that, the meaning of Invel Yura's existence would also disappear.
Without war, what use was a military strategist?
There would no longer be a stage upon which he could display his talents.
"Damn it…"
Thinking this, Invel gritted his teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot.
He began wondering whether he should gamble everything.
After all, the power of dragons existed mostly in legends. How strong were dragons really? Were they truly invincible?
No one knew.
But if—just if—he could defeat a dragon here today, everything would change…
"..."
Once the thought of challenging a dragon appeared in Invel's mind, it spread like weeds.
It grew uncontrollably, covering every corner of his thoughts.
As the desire to compete against dragons took root, Invel stared fixedly at the dragon hidden within the thunderclouds.
His finger slowly rose.
He seemed ready to unleash his magic upon the dragon in the sky.
"Calm down."
Just before Invel activated his magic, Bloodman's eyes narrowed.
He had noticed Invel's raised arm.
Without wasting words, Bloodman immediately grabbed the arm preparing to cast magic.
Frowning deeply, he spoke softly.
"Invel…"
Looking at Bloodman standing before him, Invel's expression became dazed.
He knew desire had clouded his judgment.
Yet stopping here left him unwilling.
His gaze locked onto Bloodman, hoping the other man would say something.
"..."
But Bloodman said nothing.
He merely held Invel's arm and gently shook his head.
"But are we really just going to sit here and watch these dragons do whatever they want?"
"In that case, how will Alvarez's soldiers view us? They'll think we're cowards! Cowards who don't dare challenge dragons!"
"If we continue letting these dragons do as they please, morale will collapse. Then what will we use to attack Ishgar afterward?"
Invel stared at Bloodman and questioned him heavily.
"Invel Yura, I think you've misunderstood something."
"Now is not the time to save face before the soldiers."
"Nor is it the time to think about how we'll invade Ishgar afterward."
"The most important thing right now isn't fighting these dragons."
"It's figuring out how to escape from them!"
"If these dragons truly decide to attack us, how many of us do you think will survive? That's what we should be considering!"
Bloodman shook his head.
The other man was still too young.
Seeing dragons and still thinking about attacking?
What a joke.
Simply escaping alive from dragons should already be considered a blessing.
Especially when Dragon King-class monsters stood among them.
One of them was even the legendary Fire Dragon King Igneel.
If they could escape from Igneel's hands alive, it would be enough to boast about for the rest of their lives.
"Are dragons really that powerful?"
"Are dragons truly unbeatable?"
After hearing Bloodman's words, Invel clenched his fists.
His body trembled slightly as he stared at the dragons outside.
"Are dragons really that powerful? Are they truly invincible?"
"Heh."
"You're still too young, Invel Yura."
"If you had been born four hundred years ago, you would never ask such a question."
Bloodman laughed at Invel's innocent question.
In Bloodman's eyes, Invel was naïve.
So naïve it was almost adorable.
"Invel Yura."
"You only need to understand one thing."
"Dragons are far stronger than you can imagine!"
"When facing dragons, don't think about victory."
"Think about how to escape from them."
"That is what we should be doing."
Bloodman patted Invel's shoulder.
As a veteran who had survived the Age of Dragons, he offered his advice.
"..."
Bloodman's words shook Invel deeply.
His lips trembled.
He wanted to say something.
Yet in the end, no words came out.
Standing there silently, Invel seemed to contemplate many things.
Finally, he loosened his tightly clenched fists.
It appeared he had understood something.
"I understand…"
No one knew how powerless Invel felt.
But facing those roaring dragons, he could only temporarily bid farewell to his ideals.
"Everyone experiences powerlessness."
"Invel Yura, you should be grateful that this day arrived so early."
"Because you still have a long future ahead of you to change yourself."
Bloodman looked at the pained expression on Invel's face and offered a few words of guidance like a mentor.
Ironically, the great demon Bloodman from the Books of Zeref, feared by countless humans across the world, seemed to understand humanity better than Invel himself.
And this also demonstrated Zeref's brilliance.
The later demons he created became increasingly human-like.
Larcade Dragneel, his second-to-last creation and near-perfect work, and Natsu Dragneel, his ultimate masterpiece, were practically indistinguishable from humans.
"We absolutely cannot stop here!"
Just as Bloodman nodded in satisfaction upon seeing Invel abandon the idea of attacking dragons, Larcade suddenly made a decision.
Within his deep eyes, endless malice writhed.
It was as if some wicked scheme was taking shape inside him.
"Larcade, stop now!"
"Outside are all dragons!"
"Even if we send all our soldiers forward, they'll only die for nothing!"
"Setting aside the fact that these soldiers are living people with families waiting for them back in the empire…"
"If they die here for nothing, countless families will lose loved ones."
"More importantly, they carry the mark of Alvarez."
"They are His Majesty Zeref's subjects. They are His Majesty's assets!"
"We absolutely cannot waste His Majesty's assets like this!"
"Larcade, listen to me."
"Perhaps you don't want to hear it, but the facts have proven that Mr. August was right."
"The waters of Ishgar run deeper than we imagined."
"We can't control them."
"I don't believe now is the right time to invade."
"Let's retreat."
Jacob Lessio, dressed in a black suit and looking every bit the gentleman, could not bear to see these soldiers die meaninglessly.
Thus, he tried to persuade Larcade.
Although Jacob was an assassin, he understood the weight of life.
Or perhaps because he constantly dealt with life and death, he understood life's value better than most.
He did not wish to waste the lives of these valuable soldiers.
Furthermore, Jacob had always leaned toward August's side.
Now that dragons filled the skies, proving August right, there was no longer any reason to continue this invasion.
"Heh…"
The moment Jacob finished speaking, Larcade suddenly laughed.
A confident laugh.
"Jacob Lessio, you've become confused!"
"Not just you!"
"Neinhart, Invel Yura, Bloodman, Wall Eehto—you've all been fooled by that old man August!"
Larcade laughed with complete confidence.
As though he had seen through everything.
"Hmm?!"
The Spriggan members he named all changed expressions.
None of them understood what Larcade meant.
"Don't you understand yet?"
"Yes, August opposed our invasion of Ishgar."
"Yes, he warned us of tremendous danger."
"And yes, his words have been proven correct."
"But don't you find it strange?"
"Why did we encounter this group of dragons the very moment we sailed toward Ishgar?"
"Isn't that just a little too convenient?"
"Almost as though these dragons knew we were coming and deliberately waited here to ambush us."
"Of course, you could argue these dragons attack all fleets heading toward Ishgar."
"But then explain this."
"Why can civilian merchant fleets travel freely between the two continents without issue?"
A wise light shone in Larcade's eyes.
"You mean…"
The other Spriggan members changed expressions.
"The answer is simple."
"These dragons are probably working together with August!"
"Right now, August is probably hiding in some room, laughing while watching us through a communication crystal."
"And haven't you noticed?"
"Besides the initial attack, these dragons have mostly been intimidating us."
"They haven't truly attacked."
"What does that mean?"
"It means they don't actually want to attack us!"
"No."
"More accurately, they can't attack us!"
"As for whether these dragons are real or fake, that's still unclear."
"I personally witnessed Acnologia slaughter dragons four hundred years ago."
"So, everyone!"
"Do you understand what I'm saying now?"
"Advance!"
"Continue advancing!"
"We absolutely cannot allow that old man August's plan to succeed!"
At this moment, Larcade looked like a sage who had seen through all deception.
His eyes shone with intelligence.
Within them burned the ambition to conquer Ishgar.
"My order is simple."
"Attack!"
"Use our imperial battleships to smash through these illusions and clouds!"
Larcade pointed forward.
His gaze was sharp and fearless before the dragons.
"Sigh…"
After hearing Larcade's speech, the Spriggan members behind him sighed helplessly.
Though they did not wish to obey him, Larcade remained the supreme commander.
"Attack?"
Bloodman frowned and looked toward the others.
"Mm…"
The other Spriggan members hesitated.
They could not determine whether Larcade was right or wrong.
According to him, everything before them was an illusion.
Yet the dragons felt far too real.
Far beyond anything an illusion could replicate.
"We have no objections…"
After much thought, the Spriggan members quietly replied.
"Excellent."
Larcade was very satisfied.
He never needed their opinions.
In his view, the Alvarez Empire and even the Spriggan 12 existed only to serve the Dragneel family.
"Full army advance!"
"Do not fear!"
"Everything before you is merely an illusion!"
After obtaining the approval of the Spriggan members, Larcade picked up the communication device and transmitted his voice across the thousands of warships.
"Lord Larcade has given the order! Everything before us is an illusion!"
"Hahaha! I knew it! I guessed it from the start!"
"Dragons are extinct! How could they appear before us?"
"Exactly!"
"Didn't the Black Dragon King Acnologia wipe them all out?"
"Advance!"
"Break through the illusion and clear the path for Lord Larcade!"
"For the Empire!"
"For His Majesty!"
As Larcade's voice spread, the warships of Alvarez seemed injected with stimulants.
They stared fanatically at the dragons dancing beyond the clouds.
Their expressions grew crazed.
Their spirits surged.
Meanwhile…
"How strange."
"Have these humans gone mad?"
"After witnessing my king's dragon might, they still dare attack?"
"Unforgivable!"
Animus, currently borrowing Sonya's body and fully releasing his Dragon Force, appeared as a dragon-human hybrid.
Horns grew from his head.
Dragon wings spread behind him.
A long tail swayed at his back.
His face twisted with anger.
He was clearly enraged by Larcade's advance.
"Interesting…"
The gigantic azure dragon Evan naturally noticed the scene.
Black lightning flickered within his eyes.
"Since they attacked first…"
"They should be prepared to be attacked in return~"
Just as Evan was preparing something, Irene's voice suddenly rang out.
Unlike the others, Irene had not transformed into a dragon.
Instead, she sat lazily upon a floating throne beside Evan.
One elegant leg crossed over the other.
Watching everything comfortably.
Yet murderous intent filled her violet eyes.
Originally, their plan had been simple intimidation.
After all, Evan still had uses for these soldiers.
But now that intimidation had failed, some offensive measures were necessary.
"Then let them fall into the sea."
Evan and Irene exchanged a glance.
Mother and son instantly understood each other's intentions.
The next moment—
Boundless Conqueror's Haki erupted from Evan and Irene's eyes.
It surged toward the Alvarez Empire forces charging forward aboard their warships.
"Ugh…"
With only a single clash—
The army of millions collapsed instantly.
Countless soldiers lost consciousness the moment they sensed something wrong in the atmosphere.
They dropped to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.