Four hundred years ago.
Towering trees that blotted out the sky rose from the earth, forming a treacherous primeval forest.
Endless mountain ranges and great rivers divided the forest, but the tracks of ordinary beasts and magical creatures were scarce. The silence was oppressive.
Countless dragons perched among the jungles, by the rivers, atop the peaks. Even the vast sky was occupied by dense, massive shadows.
Pairs of dragon wings, varying in shape, blocked out the sun, casting deep shadows below.
Drawn by the Eclipse Gate's unique magical energy, dragons from the surrounding area had all gathered here.
Their numbers reached into the hundreds, and more were still converging from all directions!
On the highest mountain ridge, the air thundered under the weight of their oppressive aura. Several dragons in various postures huddled together, their gazes fixed on the distorted space before them, where faint ripples still lingered.
They were the other six dragons besides Motherglare, who had passed through first.
Opening the Eclipse Gate required Celestial Spirit Mages, immense magical power, and a specific "solar-lunar alignment." But for precise and safe point-to-point temporal transport, another condition was needed:
Two Celestial Spirit Mages working together to open both the "past" and "future" Eclipse Gates simultaneously.
The Eclipse Project clearly lacked this condition.
The result was that the Eclipse Gate had directly opened a temporal passage.
And that was the root cause of the Dragon Graveyard beneath Crocus. Both sides were the same location in different eras!
"So what's going on now? Has the passage to the magic-rich era been completely severed?"
Asoubit the Rock Soul Dragon spoke slowly, its dragon eyes gleaming with golden light. Its back was covered in extremely hard rock fragments, making it look like a small mountain as it crouched.
"Motherglare already crossed over. I'm sure after it deals with the humans over there, it will reopen the gate," said Livia the Prison Dragon, its voice low and heavy, thick foul air seeping through its fangs.
"It's been a long time. I think it's doubtful. The humans over there seem strange," Anka the Sea Prison Dragon said, a strange glint in its eyes.
"Hmph. Don't make excuses. If I had gone second, there's no way I would have been pushed back and let them close the passage!"
Atlas Flame the Hellfire Dragon scoffed, its body wreathed in terrifyingly hot flames.
"What did you say?!" Anka's gaze turned sharp as surging water burst forth.
Though they were from the same faction, these two—one water-attributed, one fire-attributed—had never seen eye to eye.
"Enough. This is no time for infighting," Shizalansa the Iron Sound Dragon interrupted.
"What a pity. I was hoping to taste what humans from a magic-rich era would be like."
Zirconis the Emerald Dragon stroked its long whiskers, a look of regret on its ugly face.
The coexistence faction only wanted to live peacefully with humans. But the opposition faction had more complex motives. Some dragons simply looked down on ants. Some disdained living alongside weaker beings. Others viewed humans as food.
Zirconis clearly belonged to the latter.
Beyond these seven, a great number of dragons were watching from the perimeter.
"Wait—this magic fluctuation... the passage is reopening!" a dragon suddenly shouted, its voice unable to hide its excitement.
In an instant, all the dragons stopped their bickering and fixed their eyes on the rippling spatial gate.
Under the gaze of countless excited and greedy dragon eyes, a vertical white line appeared, slowly extending outward.
Vaguely, a deep, solemn voice could be heard from the other side:
"When the sky thunders in chaos, gather the ancient grimoires in the chain—their power knows no bounds."
"When good and evil converge, begin the ritual to summon the Underworld Judge."
The seven leading dragons didn't notice this voice, or rather, their attention was entirely consumed by the rich magic power seeping through.
If they could reach that world and strip all its resources, they would undoubtedly become stronger—perhaps even reach "Dragon King" level and utterly crush those fools in the coexistence faction!
Opportunity was fleeting. This time, the seven dragons weren't as patient and leisurely as the first opening. They beat their wings and lunged forward in a frenzy.
At the same time, a crimson light burst forth, replacing the white.
"Descend! Slifer the Sky Dragon!!"
BOOM!!
A massive, fearsome head forced its way through the gate. An overwhelming shockwave exploded, sending the seven dragons flying backward, coughing blood as they crashed into the distance.
Slifer's long body didn't pause. It shot out like a red streak, coiling high in the sky with an air of utter dominance!
Divine pressure radiated across the entire area!
The dragon horde was thrown into chaos. From this red "dragon" bathed in divine light, they felt an endless terror surging from the depths of their bloodline.
Before they could react, Slifer's eyes flashed. Its upper jaw slowly opened.
"Rain of Thunder Force!!"
Amid the lightning-lit sky, a colossal magic circle spanning the entire heavens materialized.
Energy orbs crackling with dense arcs of lightning rained down like a meteor shower—targeting every dragon within ten thousand meters!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Whether in the sky or on the ground, every dragon struck by the Thunder Force let out agonized roars. The divine power that penetrated to their very core steadily sapped their strength.
Some of the weaker ones even exploded into bloody mist!
Sending Slifer out first to clear the field was a decision Chase had made after learning the specifics from Motherglare.
With so many dragons gathered here, even with the enhancements, the others would have been swarmed and killed.
That wouldn't give them the chance to grow through fighting dragons.
Moreover, Thunder Force's weakening effect would tip the scales in their favor, further closing the gap between them and the dragons.
By the same logic, he also wanted to fight to his heart's content in this "Dragon King Festival" and collect as many cards as possible.
So after unleashing the Thunder Force Rain, Slifer dissipated into the wind, returning to the card space.
Chase, who had arrived in the past world with Slifer, hovered in midair. With no support, gravity pulled him down toward the ground.
The tearing wind stung his face. As he watched the dragons below slowly rising from the devastation of the Thunder Force, Chase took a deep breath.
SHING SHING SHING.
Crimson and deep blue magic power surged, carving intersecting patterns onto the surface of his sealed Exodia set.
The three energies merged rapidly. Sky Dragon wings and Obelisk's armor manifested, pushing Chase's aura to its peak.
The enemy was a swarm of dragons. There was no need for pointless probing. So from the very start, he used his strongest form—Dual God Slayer Magic combined with the Exodia set!
Just before landing, Chase clenched his fist, wreathed in tri-colored light, and swung it with full force at the dragon horde below!
BOOM!!!
The punch struck with the force of a meteor impact. The shockwave tore the earth apart. Abyssal cracks spread in all directions from the point of impact.
The entire primeval forest was split asunder!
In the deep crater, Chase slowly straightened up. His gaze swept across the ruined forest, his smile barely containing his excitement.
Not because he was surprised by the punch's destruction, but because he could finally fight freely without worrying about towns or civilians!
"The path is paved. Now, let's raise some hell!!"
"OOOOOHHH!!!"
Accompanied by the passionate background music, battle cries echoed across the field.
Natsu and the others, who had been waiting impatiently, charged out of the Eclipse Gate passage and stormed toward the dragon horde!
***
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