Suzaku quietly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Raizel's answer.
It seemed he truly intended to let him live.
Of course, even without Take Over, Raizel could still teleport directly in front of the severely injured Suzaku and finish him at any moment.
"That sword of yours is interesting."
Raizel glanced at the blade Suzaku had dropped. Its hilt curved like the edge of a saber.
Suzaku answered honestly,
"It was forged from the sword horn on a Sword Dragon's head."
Raizel had already turned to leave when he took another look at Suzaku's injuries.
In that condition, Suzaku would not survive if he ran into another mechanical beast or triggered one of the labyrinth's traps.
'Better take him along and see whether we can find his companions. It'll be troublesome if he dies here after I spared him.'
Raizel jerked his head toward the passage.
"Follow me. We'll see if we can find the others from your guild."
"You have my gratitude!"
Suzaku's face brightened.
He had been wondering how he was supposed to leave.
The labyrinth was difficult enough to navigate while healthy, let alone with a wound stretching across most of his torso.
At first, Suzaku was curious how Raizel intended to find his way out.
Then he realized Raizel was also wandering around without any idea where he was going.
The only difference was that whenever they reached a dead end, Raizel simply used [Take Over: Jesmon X.] and cut straight through the wall.
The same walls Suzaku had found completely indestructible parted before Raizel as smoothly as tofu!
Staring at the perfectly flat cut left behind, Suzaku was once again reminded of the enormous gap between their abilities.
He had the distinct feeling that even all four Black Dragon Slayer Knights fighting together would not be able to defeat Raizel.
'So this is what people mean by carving a road through mountains and building a bridge across rivers...'
Suzaku silently followed behind him.
...
Elsewhere, after becoming separated from Lucy, Natsu and Wendy suddenly noticed the temperature in their corridor rising.
"Natsu-nii, doesn't it feel like it's getting hotter?"
The moment Wendy finished speaking, familiar fire Magic rapidly spread around them.
"!!! This Magic Power..."
Natsu froze.
It felt remarkably similar to the Magic of the Fire Dragon King Igneel.
"I recognize it too."
Cold sweat ran down Wendy's forehead as she nodded.
"And this presence... it's definitely a dragon!"
Natsu and Wendy looked at each other and nodded firmly.
At that moment, the wall to their right began melting, exposing molten rock that resembled magma beneath the surface.
"What the hell?! Weren't these walls supposed to be completely indestructible?"
"Only to humans."
A young man stepped through the melted opening.
His long, curved hair swept upward as though it had been drenched in styling gel.
Red flame markings covered both cheeks, while his bare upper body bore a blazing sun-shaped symbol across the left side of his chest.
"What is this Magic Power?"
Elsewhere in the labyrinth, Laxus felt the vast presence and immediately went on guard.
"Has someone else invaded the labyrinth?"
Ultear, Erza, and the others sensed it as well.
"Yo, Natsu."
Ignia greeted him with the familiarity of an old friend.
"You know me? Who are you? And your scent... Why does it smell so much like Igneel?!"
Natsu frowned as question after question poured from his mouth.
Ignia laughed softly.
"You've already figured it out."
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ignia, the Fire Dragon God—and the son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel."
After sensing Ignia's Magic Power, Selene casually created a water mirror and observed the corridor where he had appeared.
"Why is he here? What does he want?"
"The Fire Dragon King Igneel's child?"
Irene immediately became fully alert. Wendy was standing right beside Natsu, after all.
Selene nodded.
"That's right. Igneel's son, the embodiment of destructive flame."
"Is he after the heart as well?"
Raizel was also observing through Super Archive Magic, prepared to intervene at any moment.
"Igneel's son? Don't talk crap! Igneel's kid is—"
Ignia interrupted Natsu before he could finish.
He spread his arms and laughed dismissively.
"I know. He raised you as though you were his own flesh and blood."
"But I am his true biological son—the child who shares the Fire Dragon King's blood."
Natsu clenched his fists.
"Igneel was a real dragon! He couldn't transform into a human!"
Ignia calmly turned the question back on him.
"Do you honestly believe that yourself? You've already met Mercphobia and Selene in human form."
"A transformation this simple is possible for any dragon who wishes to use it."
Ignia spoke of his family as though discussing complete strangers, without the slightest emotion in his voice.
"Dragons are not like humans. We have no custom of forming families. A child is usually raised by its mother for a time, and never seeing its father again is perfectly ordinary among dragons."
"So when Igneel went to the future with those humans and threw away his life, I felt nothing."
"We escaped Acnologia four hundred years ago and came here to Guiltina. My goal was always to kill him—but not to avenge Igneel."
"I simply wanted to test my own strength."
A cruel smile spread across Ignia's face.
'So he was already alive four hundred years ago. Judging from the way he talks, he must have already been fully grown.'
Raizel silently revised his earlier assumption. He had previously thought Ignia might not have been born yet at the time.
"So what?" Natsu asked, looking confused. "Why did you come here?"
Ignia raised two fingers.
"I came for two reasons."
"First, to declare war. Once you grow stronger, you and I will fight one-on-one."
"And that guy watching us right now—Raizel, was it? Once all of you become stronger, let's have a battle that truly sets our blood boiling."
"A fight to the death, until one side is reduced to charcoal!"
When he mentioned Raizel, Ignia glanced directly toward the place from which Raizel was observing.
"Second, there is something here worth burning."
When Natsu started to move, Ignia shook his head dismissively.
"Get stronger. You still aren't qualified."
"You're far too weak to fight me now."
With that, Ignia waved a hand and turned to leave.
Having been personally called out, Raizel remained quietly out of sight.
'What a pain... Don't tell me Igneel acted like this when he was young too.'
"Wait! Are you running away?"
Natsu shouted at Ignia's retreating back.
"The son of Igneel is fleeing from a human?"
"Huh?"
Ignia stopped and looked back with a frown.
He was already beginning to regret showing himself to Natsu this early.
"Natsu-nii, stop talking!"
Wendy hurriedly grabbed Natsu before he could sprint any farther toward an early grave.
"She's right, Natsu!"
Happy also clung tightly to the leg of his trousers.