Gajeel froze for a moment before taking out the culprit responsible for the labyrinth's earlier transformation—the brown stone sphere.
"This is a fragment of the Earth Dragon God Dogramag's power. A Dogramag Core."
Selene briefly showed the brown sphere to Raizel and Irene before crushing it in her hand.
She turned to Raizel.
"Notify everyone. Tell them to find and destroy the remaining Dogramag Cores."
"No problem."
Raizel immediately used Super Archive Magic to establish a link with the others.
Every portable communication Lacrima began glowing as a yellow window appeared above it, displaying an image of the Dogramag Core and a message:
[All members are to locate and destroy the Dogramag Cores. Seventy-one cores remain. Their locations will shortly be transmitted directly into your minds as data.]
The message was also read aloud in Raizel's voice.
Once the notification had gone out, Raizel activated [Take Over: Omnimon.] and teleported back underground.
He could sense that Natsu was reaching his limit.
Dogramag was completely overwhelming him.
Raizel swept his left arm downward, extending the Grey Sword before slashing horizontally and forcing Dogramag back.
When he saw the cut left across the Earth Dragon God's arm, Raizel immediately stopped underestimating him.
'Even his human form is this durable? He really is tough.'
Dogramag stared at the wound on his arm in mild surprise.
Even such a shallow cut was enough to astonish him.
For the last hundred years, he had drawn nourishment from the earth through the Dogramag Cores while also absorbing the Magic Power stored within Elefseria's heart.
He had become even stronger than he was in the past.
He had only just awakened and still needed time to adjust to his regenerated body, yet Raizel had already managed to wound the flesh of a Dragon God.
Natsu's strength, on the other hand, left Dogramag confused.
He was far too weak.
Why was Ignia so obsessed with someone this feeble merely because he was supposedly Igneel's son?
Dogramag soon dismissed the question.
'No, why am I even trying to understand it? Ignia has always been a strange bastard.'
Raizel's Grey Sword collided with Dogramag's right arm once more.
"You're a pretty strange one yourself," Raizel taunted. "You came all the way down here just to play dead for a hundred years?"
Dogramag flexed his arm and shoved Raizel backward.
"No. I truly did die once."
"Elefseria... I never expected a human old man to possess that kind of power. Though he only managed to kill me because I let my guard down."
Natsu drew in a sharp breath.
"That old man was really that strong?"
"But my life did not end there," Dogramag continued. "After devouring his second heart—the heart he possessed as a dragon—I returned to the earth."
"Once I ate that heart, a miracle occurred within me. Another life was born."
"Almost none of my power remained, but I survived. I accumulated strength beneath the earth and spent a century regenerating my body."
'So Elefseria's heart was what allowed him to resurrect.'
Selene had been watching the battle through a magic water mirror.
She had wondered how Dogramag returned to life when his race possessed no natural ability to revive through rebirth.
She had little time to consider the matter now, however. She needed to help the others destroy the Dogramag Cores.
With both her and Ultear providing spatial transportation, the search would proceed far more quickly.
Until the cores were destroyed, any damage inflicted on Dogramag would be meaningless.
The earth would continuously replenish his Magic Power and repair his wounds.
Suzaku suddenly raised a question.
"Question! What does any of that have to do with constructing the Dogramag Labyrinth?"
Dogramag seemed surprisingly willing to answer.
"Building the labyrinth was Ignia's idea. While I was gathering strength, he asked me to create an enormous underground maze."
Suzaku immediately followed up.
"For what purpose?"
"You have no need to know!"
That concerned the secret plan shared between Ignia and Dogramag. He had no intention of revealing it.
Dogramag raised one hand.
Dozens of stone pillars erupted from the ground.
Raizel could fly and cut through the pillars with his Grey Sword, but Natsu was not so fortunate.
One pillar launched him upward, sending him toward the stone ceiling.
Omnimon's body flashed into white light.
Raizel caught Natsu and pulled him out of danger.
"Thanks, Raizel!"
The moment Raizel rescued him, dozens of enormous rocks came crashing toward them.
Raizel immediately switched Take Overs.
[Take Over: Magnamon.]
An earthen-yellow barrier surrounded him and Natsu.
Some boulders smashed against the shield while others collided with one another, shattering into countless fragments.
Irene, who had been about to intervene, lowered her antlered staff.
However, she continued pouring her crimson Magic Power through the staff and into the Dogramag Labyrinth itself.
...
After Selene and Ultear gathered everyone together, Selene looked around the group.
"You all heard Raizel's message, correct? I'll now transport each of you near one of the remaining seventy-one Dogramag Cores. This location will serve as our central transfer point."
Mira tapped a finger against her cheek.
"I don't completely understand, but if we don't destroy those cores, it'll be almost impossible to kill Dogramag, right?"
Selene nodded gravely.
"Correct. Those seventy-one Dogramag Cores are like the roots of a plant buried throughout the earth. They continuously supply Dogramag with Magic Power and restore his stamina."
"As long as they remain intact, Dogramag can quite literally claim that while he stands upon the earth, he cannot be defeated."
That was the main reason Selene had not joined the battle against him herself.
"There's no time to waste. Everyone, move out!" Ultear said, waving her portable communication Lacrima. "Ask whatever questions you have while destroying the cores."
"Let's go!!!"
Erza drew her sword and issued the command like a general leading an army.
"Yeah!!!"
Magic water mirrors opened in every direction around Selene.
Each person rushed into a different portal.
"There! I found one!"
Lucy immediately spotted a brown sphere clutched in a giant stone hand.
"Hmm... How am I supposed to destroy it?"
She rested her chin on one hand in thought.
"I've got it!!! Lucy Kick!!!"
Lucy accelerated forward and kicked the Dogramag Core into the air.
It shattered before it even hit the ground.
At the same time, Wendy used Sky Dragon's Claw, Gajeel formed an Iron Dragon's Sword, Kagura swept Archenemy through her target, and Erza Requipped a magical blade.
Mira used Take Over and struck with BlackWarGreymon's claws.
Ultear shattered one with Ice-Make Magic, while Laxus simply destroyed his with a punch.
Everyone worked as quickly as possible to eliminate the Dogramag Cores.
Lily, Happy, and Carla each contributed in their own way as well.
"Sixty-one remaining!" Selene announced.
"I destroyed the one over there!"
Wendy ran back through a magic water mirror.
"Good. Take this portal next!"
The coordination between Selene and Wendy was flawless.
Less than two seconds after emerging from one mirror, Wendy charged straight into another.
Elsewhere, Mira frowned when she noticed a figure standing in the corner.
That person was already holding the Dogramag Core in one hand.
"Someone's here... Did Selene send two people to the same location?"
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"She shouldn't make a mistake like that."