As the elderly old man entered the meeting room, the Spriggan 12 meeting officially began...
To put it simply, the Spriggan 12 had not come into existence because of the six people currently seated in the conference room. Rather, it existed because of the white-haired old man standing before them.
Yes, it was the Magic King August who had granted the Spriggan 12 their authority—not the Spriggan 12 who had granted authority to the Magic King.
"August, why are you only showing up now?!"
"You were the one who set the meeting time. Don't you even follow your own schedule?!"
The moment August entered the room, the Desert King, Ajeel, looked at him with obvious displeasure and immediately voiced his complaints.
"My apologies~"
"I was delayed by some trivial matters, so I arrived a little late."
After hearing Ajeel's words, August revealed an apologetic smile.
"Hah?!"
Ajeel's eyelids twitched slightly, his dissatisfaction becoming even more obvious.
"Hey, hey, hey! As the Regent of the Alvarez Empire, no matter what else is happening around you, shouldn't the Empire's affairs always come first?!"
Ajeel shouted angrily at August.
"Hehe..."
August merely smiled faintly.
"In theory, as Regent of the Alvarez Empire, I should indeed place the Empire's affairs above everything else."
"But not absolutely."
"In fact, the reason I was late today—and the reason I summoned all of you here—is because of His Majesty."
"Now that I've said that, I'm sure you all understand what I mean, don't you?"
August's smile faded as he looked seriously at the gathered members of the Spriggan 12.
"His Majesty?!"
"Are you saying... you've met with His Majesty?"
Winter General Invel asked nervously, his expression changing dramatically.
"Of course."
August answered without changing expression.
"What instructions did His Majesty give?"
The Grim Reaper, Bloodman, also became serious.
Unlike the others, Bloodman was a great demon personally created by Zeref. His loyalty to Zeref was absolute.
Unfortunately, despite being Zeref's own creation, he rarely ever got to meet his creator and usually had to rely on August for news regarding the great man who had given him life.
"There is something I must tell everyone."
"You may find it difficult to accept..."
"But unfortunately, it is the truth."
"Our Majesty has completely abandoned the Alvarez Empire."
"To put it simply..."
"You've all been discarded."
August bluntly informed the Spriggan 12 that Zeref had become disappointed in the Alvarez Empire and believed its power could no longer help him fulfill his long-cherished wish.
"What kind of joke is that?!"
The moment August finished speaking, the Desert King Ajeel shot up from his seat and roared.
"I'm not joking."
"I'm merely conveying His Majesty's decision."
"Nothing more."
August replied coldly.
"But if His Majesty abandons us..."
"Who else can help him fulfill his wish?!"
"We're the final—and strongest—card in His Majesty's hand!"
Winter General Invel was equally unwilling to accept it.
If he had known Zeref would abandon the Alvarez Empire, he would have followed Neinhart's example long ago and defected to Fairy Tail on the Ishgar Continent.
"Hehe..."
"Invel Yura... you're far too full of yourself."
"When exactly did you come under the illusion that His Majesty actually needs your insignificant strength?"
"Remember this."
"It isn't His Majesty who needs you."
"It's you who need Lord Zeref."
"It isn't His Majesty surviving under your protection."
"It's you who have only managed to continue existing because of His Majesty's protection."
"Never forget..."
"You are nothing more than a group of losers."
August sneered coldly.
"..."
The expressions of Invel and the others immediately changed.
They recalled the battle years ago...
How they had confidently gathered the armies of the entire empire to invade Ishgar...
Only to be utterly crushed by Fairy Tail's dragons.
Ordinary dragons alone had reduced them to complete defeat.
Not to mention the legendary Black Dragon King Acnologia, who had ended the Age of Dragons four hundred years ago.
Compared to Fairy Tail...
Compared to dragons...
The proud Spriggan 12 truly were nothing more than defeated losers.
Even Invel couldn't deny that.
"Although you have indeed failed..."
"You should be grateful."
"You should thank His Majesty for his mercy."
"Even though your strength is insignificant..."
"It isn't entirely meaningless."
"You can still provide some assistance."
"So..."
"His Majesty has made a final decision."
"He intends to combine the two cards in his hand..."
"Into a single card."
August continued with satisfaction after seeing Invel's dejected expression.
"Your meaning is..."
"In addition to the Alvarez Empire..."
"His Majesty has another force under his command?"
Being a smart man, Invel quickly understood.
"That's right."
"And it's a force all of you should be quite familiar with."
"Its name is..."
"Fairy Tail."
August smiled and directly revealed Fairy Tail's name.
"..."
The moment Fairy Tail's name was spoken...
Everyone froze.
Especially Winter General Invel Yura...
Assassin Jacob Lessio...
Judge Wahl Icht...
And Grim Reaper Bloodman...
The four Spriggan who had personally fought Fairy Tail were completely dumbfounded.
"You're saying Fairy Tail is also one of His Majesty's cards?"
Invel stared at August in shock.
"Oh?"
"Didn't I ever tell all of you..."
"That the four founders of Fairy Tail—Mavis, Warrod, Yuri, and Precht..."
"Were disciples accepted by His Majesty Zeref nearly one hundred years ago on the Ishgar Continent?"
August calmly asked.
"You never told us that at all!"
The entire Spriggan 12 complained simultaneously.
"Really?"
"Well, never mind then."
"The important thing is that now you know."
"Since you understand Fairy Tail's origins..."
"I'm sure everything makes sense now."
August shrugged indifferently.
"It doesn't make sense at all."
"If I remember correctly..."
"Fairy Tail has always been the enemy organization we intended to destroy."
Ajeel rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"In reality..."
"Fairy Tail has never been our enemy."
"Otherwise..."
"I wouldn't have hung Fairy Tail's flag right beside the Alvarez Empire's national flag."
August shook his head.
"Ah!"
"So that strange flag hanging beside our national flag..."
"Was Fairy Tail's guild emblem all along!"
Ajeel suddenly realized.
He had wondered why such a strange flag was displayed beside the Empire's banner.
But since he wasn't very sociable and had poor relationships with others, nobody had ever explained it to him.
"So..."
"Do you understand now, Ajeel?"
August asked with a smile.
"Understand what?"
"I still don't understand why the enemy suddenly became our ally."
Ajeel remained dissatisfied.
"I see..."
Just then...
The Winter General, Invel—who shared Little Di's habit of believing himself to be the smartest man in the Empire—suddenly understood.
A look of enlightenment appeared on his face.
"Oh?"
"So you've figured it out again?"
Ajeel frowned.
"It's actually very simple."
"As Lord August said..."
"Whether it's Fairy Tail..."
"Or the Alvarez Empire..."
"Both are merely cards in His Majesty Zeref's hand."
"If you think about the timeline..."
"The Alvarez Empire has existed for roughly one hundred years."
"And His Majesty accepted Fairy Tail's founders as disciples around one hundred years ago."
"Isn't that far too much of a coincidence?"
"Indeed."
"Both we..."
"And Fairy Tail..."
"Are nothing more than tools prepared to oppose Acnologia."
"We are His Majesty's card on the Western Continent."
"And Fairy Tail is His Majesty's card on the Ishgar Continent."
"But unfortunately..."
"His Majesty has no need for so many cards."
"He only requires one truly supreme card..."
"One powerful enough to destroy the Black Dragon King Acnologia..."
"And fulfill His Majesty's wish."
"In other words..."
"He seeks the strongest card."
The lenses of Invel Yura's glasses gleamed brightly as his mind rapidly pieced together every clue August had revealed.
At this point...
He deliberately paused.
He observed the shocked expressions around the room with satisfaction.
Seeing everyone's astonishment, he smiled proudly.
He greatly enjoyed seeing fools marvel at his intelligence.
Only then did he continue.
"So..."
"The reason His Majesty originally told us Fairy Tail was our enemy..."
"Is very simple."
"He was raising poisonous insects."
"Just as the Alvarez Empire grew stronger by defeating every other power on the Western Continent..."
"Fairy Tail grew stronger by absorbing the resources of the entire Ishgar Continent."
"Once both organizations stood at the peak of their respective continents..."
"His Majesty intended for the Alvarez Empire and Fairy Tail to devour one another..."
"So that the ultimate and strongest trump card would emerge."
"But unfortunately..."
"We lost."
"We lost to Fairy Tail."
"And once we lost..."
"We also lost our reason to exist."
He paused dramatically once again, a smile spreading across his face.
Everything had reached its climax.
"Fortunately..."
"His Majesty is merciful."
"He didn't abandon us outright."
"Instead..."
"He wishes for us to unite with Fairy Tail..."
"And form an even greater force."
"In other words..."
"His Majesty wants the two strongest organizations from the Western Continent and Ishgar..."
"To merge into one..."
"And become the greatest force in the entire world of Earth-land."
"At that point..."
"There will be no enemy standing before us."
"Not even the Black Dragon King Acnologia from the Apocalypse..."
"Will be capable of defeating the combined might of us and Fairy Tail!"
Invel roared passionately.
His voice echoed throughout the conference room.
At this moment...
He genuinely believed that the combined strength of the Alvarez Empire and Fairy Tail would be invincible.
After all...
If he and Evan Belserion joined forces...
Wouldn't they be unstoppable?
"..."
August was completely speechless.
Originally...
He had been wondering how to cover up the lies he'd told earlier.
Now there was no need.
Because this "great genius" had already done all the work for him.
If August himself didn't know the truth...
If he hadn't personally participated in so many of Evan's plans...
He might actually have believed Invel's ridiculous theory.
"I assume..."
"My deduction is correct, great Magic King?"
Invel asked proudly, seeking confirmation.
"Hahaha..."
"Hahahahahaha..."
August burst into loud laughter.
"Invel is absolutely right."
"That's exactly how it is."
"As expected of the man known as the Alvarez Empire's greatest intellect..."
"I mean..."
"Its greatest strategist."
"In terms of intelligence..."
"You're the equivalent of me within the magical world."
August laughed loudly before confirming Invel's deductions.
At the same time...
He completely removed Invel Yura from his mental list of trusted advisers.
This idiot was simply too stupid.
August genuinely feared that if Invel ever participated in plans against Acnologia—or even the great God Ankhseram—he would perform an endless series of brain-dead operations.
"So it really was like that."
After receiving August's confirmation...
Invel smiled proudly.
He knew it.
His deductions had been flawless.
When it came to intelligence...
He, Invel Yura, was unmatched.
"Oh..."
After Invel finished speaking...
The other members of the Spriggan 12 all revealed enlightened expressions.
Only now did they finally understand the profound intentions behind the great founder of the Alvarez Empire...
Lord Zeref.
"So that's how it was..."
"Since it was all part of Lord Zeref's plan..."
"It's no longer difficult to understand why Ishgar possessed overwhelming strength."
Jacob Lessio, elegantly dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, crossed his legs while sipping black tea, looking enlightened.
He had always wondered why Fairy Tail possessed such terrifying strength.
If Fairy Tail had also been one piece of Lord Zeref's grand plan...
Then everything finally made sense.
"Since both the Alvarez Empire and Fairy Tail became the strongest organizations on their respective continents by monopolizing all available resources..."
"Then our defeat at Fairy Tail's hands becomes perfectly understandable."
"It simply proves that..."
"Although the Western Continent and Ishgar exist within the same world..."
"Their available resources differ tremendously."
"The Western Continent simply possesses far fewer resources than Ishgar."
At the same time, Winter General Invel gave everyone what he believed was the true explanation for their crushing defeat.
In his opinion...
The Spriggan 12 had already reached the absolute limit of what the Western Continent could produce.
They couldn't possibly become stronger.
Since they had still been overwhelmingly defeated by Fairy Tail...
The problem wasn't them.
It was that the Western Continent simply lacked enough resources.
"Hehe..."
August merely smiled without saying anything.
The truth was...
While the Alvarez Empire had obediently remained on the Western Continent carrying out Zeref's orders...
Fairy Tail, under Evan Belserion, had already extended its reach into the Northern Continent Guiltina...
As well as the parallel worlds of Edolas...
And Elentear.
Fairy Tail had two entire alternate worlds backing them.
There was no conceivable way the Alvarez Empire could ever compete.
Of course...
August only thought that to himself.
There was no need to explain any of it to Invel and the others.
"Um..."
"I think I understand the overall situation now..."
"But there's still one thing I don't understand."
Just then...
The Desert King, Ajeel, raised his hand with obvious dissatisfaction.
"What is it?"
August turned toward him.
"I don't particularly care whether the Alvarez Empire merges with Fairy Tail."
"But there's one thing I absolutely want clarified."
"After the merger..."
"What will our organization be called?"
"Fairy Tail?"
"Or the Alvarez Empire?"
Ajeel asked coldly.
"What do you think..."
"Our merged organization should be called?"
August narrowed his eyes.
"Heh."
"The answer seems obvious."
"Whichever side is stronger..."
"Uses its name."
Ajeel grinned fiercely, battle intent blazing in his eyes.
"Oh?"
"And what exactly are you proposing?"
August continued asking.
"It's simple."
"Let me fight those people from Fairy Tail."
"If I win..."
"Then from today onward..."
"Fairy Tail changes its name to Alvarez."
"But if I lose..."
"I'll willingly become nothing more than an ordinary mage of Fairy Tail."
Ajeel declared coldly.
"Idiot."
"You actually think you can defeat Fairy Tail?"
Before August could respond...
Invel sneered.
"You think I'm the same as trash like you..."
"Who got beaten senseless by Fairy Tail?"
Ajeel immediately shouted back.
"You..."
Invel's eyes twitched as he abruptly stood.
"What?"
Ajeel fearlessly rose as well, confronting him head-on.
Boom!!
The instant both men stood...
An overwhelming surge of Magic Power exploded from their bodies.
Their terrifying Magic Power far surpassed that of an ordinary Wizard Saint.
The two immense magical forces violently collided...
Twisting even the surrounding air.
A devastating battle seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
"Enough."
Just then...
The silent August finally spoke.
Only two words.
Yet the terrifying magical clash instantly vanished.
At the same time...
An overwhelming pressure radiated from August...
Descending upon both Invel and Ajeel.
"..."
Cold sweat covered both men's foreheads.
Without another word...
They quietly returned to their seats.
No matter how arrogant either of them might be...
Neither would ever forget...
Who the strongest person in this room truly was.
When the man known as the Magic King spoke...
Everyone listened.
That was the rule.
"If Ajeel wishes to challenge Fairy Tail..."
"Then let him."
"I approve."
"But remember your oath."
"If you lose..."
"You'll obediently become an ordinary mage of Fairy Tail."
August calmly brought the farce to an end.
"Phew..."
As August finished speaking...
Everyone quietly sighed in relief.
"Yes, sir!"
At the same time...
The Spriggan 12 all respectfully bowed toward August.
"My Lord August..."
"If you'll allow me one more question..."
The Battle Maiden, Dimaria, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"When exactly are we leaving for Fairy Tail?"
"I mean..."
"This happened so suddenly..."
"Shouldn't we at least be given some time to prepare?"
"Hehe..."
"Of course."
"I'll definitely give all of you some preparation time."
August smiled.
After all...
He wasn't a devil.
"Thank you for your understanding..."
"About how much preparation time will we have?"
Dimaria asked with relief.
"Hehe..."
August simply smiled without answering.
Instead...
He silently raised five fingers.
"Five days?"
"Or... five hours?"
Dimaria looked at the five fingers August had raised, momentarily stunned.
If it were five days, that would certainly be enough time for them to think things through.
Even five hours, while rushed, would still give her enough time to settle some matters.
"..."
Before Dimaria could continue wondering, August gave his answer.
Still smiling silently, he slowly folded one finger.
In an instant, only four fingers remained raised before Dimaria.
"Don't tell me..."
Seeing those four fingers, Dimaria's eyelids twitched as an ominous premonition rose within her.
"This isn't a discussion. It's a notification."
"Five seconds is more than enough time for you to accept it."
The moment August finished speaking, he closed all of his fingers into a fist.
Buzz!
As his hand clenched into a fist, dazzling white light instantly filled the entire Spriggan meeting room.
BOOM!!
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, August, Ajeel, Bloodman, Invel Yura, Dimaria, Wahl Icht, and Jacob Lessio all disappeared from the conference room.
BOOM!
A moment later, another deafening explosion echoed.
When the white light faded, the entire group of Spriggan Twelve members—along with the conference table, chairs, tea, and desserts—appeared inside the Fairy Tail Guild Hall in Magnolia Town, Fiore Kingdom, on the continent of Ishgar, having crossed the vast ocean in an instant.
"..."
The moment they appeared, they were immediately surrounded by Fairy Tail's wizards.
"Who are these people?"
"They look pretty strong."
"Are they acquaintances of Guild Master August?"
Natsu, Gajeel, Mirajane, and the others gathered around August, asking curiously.
"They're the new members I brought to Fairy Tail."
"Don't underestimate them."
"Every one of them possesses strength comparable to an S-Class Mage of our guild. They're all extremely powerful."
August smiled as he introduced them.
"They're all new members?!"
"Six at once? That's incredible!"
As the assistant to Fairy Tail's assistant guild master, Mirajane was overjoyed to see August recruiting so many people.
That meant she had finally met this month's recruitment quota and no longer had to go raid Dark Guilds to forcibly bring people back for Fairy Tail's initiation ceremony.
Indeed...
With Fairy Tail's severe talent shortage, the guild had resorted to rather underhanded methods just to maintain its membership numbers.
Such as abducting wizards from foreign guilds...
Or capturing powerful Dark Guild mages and forcibly branding them with the Fairy Tail guild mark.
After all...
Foreign guilds and Dark Guilds weren't protected by Fiore's laws anyway.
"Each of them is as strong as an S-Class Mage?"
"Are they really that powerful?"
"I'm getting fired up!"
Meanwhile, after hearing August's introduction, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, and the others immediately became eager to spar with Ajeel and the rest of the Spriggan members.
At the same time, the Spriggan members who had been teleported directly from the Alvarez Empire were also observing Fairy Tail's guild hall.
"What incredible long-range teleportation magic..."
"Lord August's mastery over spatial magic far surpasses my own."
Jacob Lessio sighed in admiration.
After all, his assassination magic was fundamentally spatial magic as well, allowing him to fully appreciate just how terrifying August's teleportation spell truly was.
"So this is Fairy Tail?"
"It doesn't seem particularly extraordinary."
Dimaria carefully observed everything inside the guild hall.
Her eyes were filled with scrutiny.
To her, the Fairy Tail that everyone kept praising didn't seem especially impressive...
Until she spotted a head of emerald-green hair among the crowd.
"Hm?!"
Her eyes instantly widened.
"Brandish?!"
Even though she didn't want to admit it, she still called out the girl's name.
"Hm?"
Brandish, who had been quietly drinking fruit juice at the bar, completely unconcerned by the commotion, finally turned around after hearing a somewhat familiar voice.
Then she saw the familiar blonde figure.
"Dimaria?!"
Brandish froze before calling out her friend's name.
"Brandish, why are you in this guild too?"
The moment Dimaria stood up, she seemed to teleport beside Brandish and nervously asked.
"It's... a long story."
Brandish's eyelid twitched as she casually brushed the question aside.
Even she couldn't properly explain her situation.
She couldn't very well admit that she'd been blinded by property...
Or more accurately, Candy City...
Then captured by the evil Lucy and the others.
"..."
Thinking about it made Brandish want to cry.
She had it way too rough.
"Who's the strongest among you?!"
"Send out the strongest person in your guild and fight me!"
Just as the Spriggan members and Fairy Tail's wizards were sizing each other up...
An incredibly arrogant voice echoed throughout the guild hall.
The 'Desert King' Ajeel leapt onto the conference table and shouted across the entire guild.
"..."
The atmosphere inside Fairy Tail instantly changed.
"Oh no..."
"Is that guy an idiot?"
"Doesn't he know that's the one question you should never ask in Fairy Tail?"
The Fairy Tail wizards all turned pale, looking at Ajeel as though he had just signed his own death warrant.
Everyone knew...
Inside Fairy Tail, asking who was the strongest was absolutely forbidden.
Because the moment that question was asked...
Something terrifying was about to happen.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me?"
"I asked who's the strongest in Fairy Tail!"
Seeing everyone remain silent, Ajeel frowned and repeated his question.
"What a stupid question."
"If you're asking who's the strongest in Fairy Tail..."
"Obviously it's me—Igneelia!"
"Who else besides me deserves that title?"
Just then, Natsu's older brother, Igneelia, stood up from his seat.
Originally, he'd nearly fallen asleep because the atmosphere in Fairy Tail had become too dull.
But now...
If this was the topic...
Then he wasn't sleepy anymore.
"So you're Fairy Tail's strongest?"
Ajeel looked at the tall man with long hair, his muscular upper body exposed and covered in mysterious black markings.
"Naturally."
Igneelia cracked his neck and walked over until he stood directly before Ajeel, looking down at him from above.
"..."
Originally, Ajeel had prepared to deliver some intimidating words.
Yet...
The instant Igneelia stood before him...
Not a single word came out.
The two merely stared at each other...
For three short seconds.
Ajeel had already lost.
"No..."
"I absolutely can't beat this guy!"
"He's too powerful!"
"That magic power... that strength..."
"Neither belongs to a human!"
"I understand now..."
"He's not human at all..."
"He's a Dragon!"
Cold sweat poured down Ajeel's forehead.
His heart pounded violently.
His entire body trembled instinctively.
Just one glance...
Just one look from Igneelia...
And Ajeel felt death itself closing around him.
Within Igneelia's golden eyes, he seemed to see a blazing sun.
Surrounding it were scorching flames.
No...
Those could no longer be called flames.
They were plasma created by temperatures beyond imagination.
At the very center of that blazing sun slumbered a crimson dragon.
The unbearable heat capable of melting everything couldn't even scorch its scales.
It treated the sun itself as a bathing pool.
What kind of terrifying existence was that?
At that moment, Ajeel understood.
Even if he gave everything he had...
He could never defeat this being.
Because the creature before him wasn't human.
It was a lifeform that had stood at the pinnacle of Earth-land since ancient times...
The beloved children of magic...
The children of the world...
Known throughout countless legends by one noble name—
Dragon.
"Hey, Igneelia."
"You can't really call yourself Fairy Tail's strongest, can you?"
"Zeref, August, Irene, Selene, and Evan are all on your level... or even stronger."
Just as Igneelia's overwhelming aura was pressing Ajeel into an illusion...
The resident troublemakers of Fairy Tail casually shattered the tense atmosphere.
"Huh?!"
Igneelia immediately abandoned Ajeel.
"What did you just say?!"
"If you've got the guts, say it again!"
Compared to arguing with Ajeel...
Igneelia cared far more about Fairy Tail's opinion of him.
He absolutely had to be Fairy Tail's strongest.
"Igneelia, forget Evan."
"I'm not even sure you can beat August or Zeref."
The first troublemaker, Wakaba, puffed on his pipe as he grinned.
"Ridiculous!"
Igneelia's expression darkened.
"August might be the strongest among humans..."
"But at the end of the day, he's still only human."
"Dreaming of defeating dragons?"
"Unless he learns Dragon Slayer Magic."
"But does he dare?"
"Someone afraid of Dragon Slayer Magic's side effects could never defeat fearless dragons like us."
"August?"
"A coward. He's beneath me."
Igneelia dismissed August with complete confidence.
"As for Zeref..."
"Haha! He's a joke!"
"Besides taking a beating and refusing to die, what methods does he have that could threaten Dragon Kings or Dragon Gods?"
"What?"
"Is he going to fall in love with us and use Ankhsaram's Curse of Contradiction to kill us?"
"And even if it truly is a god's curse..."
"It might not even work on me, the Fire Dragon God."
"After all..."
"In Guiltina, I'm also worshipped as a being equal to a god."
Igneelia completely belittled Zeref as well.
"Igneelia, don't get so full of yourself!"
"As long as our guild still has the Moon Dragon God Selene..."
"You can't call yourself the strongest!"
Macao raised his beer while speaking.
"Heh."
"Selene?"
"That promiscuous dragon who mates with dragons everywhere and has so many children she can't even remember them all?"
"Just a b*tch dragon."
"How could she compare to me?"
"She's beneath me too."
Igneelia mercilessly criticized Selene.
"Igneelia! That's enough!"
"As long as Mother and Big Brother are here..."
"The strongest in Fairy Tail will never be you!"
Erza finally couldn't take it anymore.
She put down her beloved strawberry cake and angrily confronted him.
"Heh."
"Irene Belserion..."
"The legendary mage who created Dragon Slayer Magic four hundred years ago."
"One of the few Dragon Slayers in Earth-land who completely transformed into a dragon."
"In that regard, she's similar to Acnologia."
"I respect her."
"If she hadn't wasted four hundred years..."
"Even I couldn't confidently say I'd beat her."
"But unfortunately..."
"After being betrayed four hundred years ago, she spent four centuries wallowing in despair."
"So naturally..."
"She's beneath me."
"As for Evan..."
"Just a brat."
"I can't be bothered arguing with a kid."
Igneelia continued boasting.
"Since I've already said this much..."
"I might as well say a little more."
"Not only are Evan and the others beneath me..."
"Even my father, the Fire Dragon King Igneel..."
"And the Black Dragon King Acnologia..."
"They're both beneath me."
"I am the strongest being in the world!"
With both hands on his hips, Igneelia proudly showed off to his heart's content.
"Really?"
"I'd like to see whether this old bag of bones can beat you."
The instant Igneelia finished speaking...
August slowly opened his previously closed eyes.
A magic power as vast as the ocean erupted from his body, shaking heaven and earth.
"You?"
"Forget it."
"I'm afraid I'll break your old back."
Igneelia dismissed August with complete arrogance.
"What if you add me as well?"
"I heard you've stopped taking this old man seriously."
Just then, Natsu's body underwent a dramatic transformation.
A scorching aura erupted from him.
At that moment, he looked remarkably similar to Igneelia, though far older and more weathered.
"Father?!"
"So you've finally come out of my foolish little brother's body."
"I'm curious..."
"How much strength can you still display?"
"So what if you join in?"
"Please remember..."
"You're no longer the invincible Fire Dragon King you once were."
"And I..."
"I'm no longer the weak little dragon who had no choice but to flee whenever I met a Dragon King."
Igneelia smiled.
He naturally recognized the being now occupying Natsu's body.
It was none other than his father—
The Fire Dragon King, Igneel.
Even so...
He felt no fear whatsoever.
Restricted by Natsu's frail human body, Igneel couldn't unleash his true power.
Today...
Igneelia would defeat both of them at once and prove his invincibility.
"Igneelia."
"I hear you've become quite arrogant."
Just as Igneelia prepared to fight two opponents at once...
Two teleportation gates opened inside Fairy Tail's guild hall.
The first rippled like flowing water.
Accompanied by a seductive voice, a beautiful woman with long pale golden hair stepped gracefully through.
She was none other than the Moon Dragon God Selene, one of Guiltina's Dragon Gods alongside Igneelia.
The second portal brought not one...
But two people.
One was a woman with long crimson hair and a face strikingly similar to Erza's.
However, this crimson-haired beauty possessed a more mature figure and carried an incomparably regal aura.
If Erza resembled a prince striving toward the throne...
Then this woman resembled an emperor who had already conquered the world.
Beside her stood a handsome young man with short reddish-brown hair.
"Mother! Big Brother!"
Erza happily greeted the newcomers.
"Mm."
The two who emerged from the second portal were none other than Irene and Evan, who had come after receiving Erza's message.
At that moment...
Selene...
Irene...
Evan...
August...
Igneel...
All silently looked toward Igneelia, who was still standing atop the conference table with an utterly smug expression.
"This kid Igneelia..."
"If he goes one day without a beating, he starts climbing onto the roof."
Igneel chuckled as he looked at his son.
"It's fine."
"A good beating will solve it."
As Evan spoke, he was the first to walk toward Igneelia.
"Hehe."
Only then did Irene, Selene, and the others quietly follow behind him.
"AAAAAH!!"
Very soon...
Endless screams echoed throughout Fairy Tail's guild hall.