Although there are many worms, for Precht, they aren't much of a problem.
It's just a bit annoying.
Clear a swarm, another quickly rushes over; it's simply endless.
For a moment, Precht suspected that the opponent had mastered the same "Inner Magic" as he had, capable of creating things from thin air.
But these individuals were too weak, not worth worrying about.
Precht waved his hand, a purple arc of light shot out, sweeping away the Void Worms ahead and cutting down dozens of large trees.
"Boring." He was already feeling bored, dealing with such things was simply a waste of time.
Just as he was about to move forward, he sensed an incredible heat coming from mid-air.
Though it was already dusk and it was raining, suddenly no raindrops fell on him anymore.
Looking up, a red silhouette swooped down from the sky.
"...A dragon?" Precht was stunned, unable to maintain his composure, "Are there still dragons in this era?"
"Roar!!!"
A dragon's roar, crimson flames and lava pouring down as if an upside-down volcano, the scene resembling a natural disaster.
"Hmph, such a thing!" Precht raised his hands, erecting a thin purple Magic Shield.
The shield seemed like a thin layer, yet it withstood the corrosiveness of lava, keeping Precht safe beneath the breath of the Purgatory Sub-Dragon.
After the breath ended, lava flowed through the forest, trees ignited upon contact, and the forest quickly turned into a sea of fire.
"What formidable power!" Sweat appeared on Precht's forehead as he recalled the ancient records of the Dragon King Festival, exclaiming, "Did ancient people wage large-scale wars against such creatures?"
He prided himself on mastering magic to the pinnacle of this era, but could it be that many people of that time had reached his level?
If so, then though Demon Path seems to flourish now, it's far inferior to ancient times.
"Indeed, opening the Great Magic Realm is imperative!"
Precht's resolve hardened, he lightly swung his arm, pointing at the Purgatory Sub-Dragon in the sky: "Even a dragon can't stop the arrival of the Great Magic Realm!"
Intricate purple scripts formed an enormous Magic Array, encircling the Purgatory Sub-Dragon.
"Amaterasu Formula 100: Super Giant Type!"
Boom!!!
The massive Magic Array exploded violently with Precht's gesture, roaring through the entire Celestial Wolf Island, the heat and gale from the explosion almost sweeping away the clouds above.
The ground shook lightly merely from the noise, leaves on the trees rustling loudly, and thinner trees were bent by the strong winds from above.
"Roar!!!"
A dragon roar sounded, seemingly pained or angry, a huge crimson silhouette burst out of the smoke, charging straight at Precht on the ground.
"No effect?" Precht couldn't tell whether the dragon was injured, but there was no time to think.
Facing the massive figure pouncing down, dodging was impossible, with such a size and speed, as soon as it began its dive, Precht could already feel the wind pressure carrying a heat wave.
He raised his hands, a small purple Magic Array appeared, a chain shot out from the center of the Array, aiming straight for the throat of the Purgatory Sub-Dragon.
This was his signature magic, the Dark Chain.
The piercing form of the Dark Chain was enough to pierce through Makarov's giant form.
The Purgatory Sub-Dragon didn't dodge, merely focused on pouncing down, as its forepaw pressed on Precht, the chain skewed slightly, only piercing its shoulder.
Bam! Boom!
Precht was slapped entirely into the ground.
The ground cracked, lava splashed, accompanied by a violent explosion, as if a boulder had been thrown into a lava sea.
And where the Purgatory Sub-Dragon was pierced by the chain, a few dragon scales shattered, and a few sparks flew.
The Purgatory Sub-Dragon glanced around nervously, only slightly relieved upon seeing the sea of fire around it.
It bared its teeth: "Too embarrassing for a dragon, that old guy in the mountain range should withstand it."
"Hahaha… so that's it." Precht chuckled climbing out of the pit, "Even a dragon isn't invincible!"
"What the heck?!" The Purgatory Sub-Dragon was stunned, was this old guy really this tough?
If it was merely unsure of killing him, it wouldn't be this surprised, the key was that Precht simply dusted off his clothes and extinguished the flames upon climbing out of the pit, standing before the Purgatory Sub-Dragon as if nothing had happened.
This guy took two direct hits yet remained unharmed!
The breath was shrugged off, seemingly absorbed by some magic, but that claw strike just now had indeed hit solidly.
However, a light flashed over Precht, his slightly disheveled hair and beard turned clean and tidy again; his tattered clothes and cloak were also as good as new!
"Dark Fluctuation!"
Gaining confidence, Precht decisively conjured a black Magic Ball over one meter in diameter with his hands. The surge of magic power sent a purple energy wave shooting toward the Purgatory Sub-Dragon's head.
You're asking for it, aren't you? This was the second overbearing human the Purgatory Sub-Dragon had encountered in this world.
It opened its mouth, spewing forth crimson lava.
Precht's magic was immediately engulfed by the exaggerated scale of the breath, even his entire self was enveloped by the lava, then blasted away by the powerful impact.
Along the way, neither trees nor rocks could stop this breath, viewed from above, it was like a thick fire line drawn on the circular island.
Extending from its center all the way to the shore.
Precht turned into a figure of fire, continuously pushed by the breath into the sea.
His white beard and hair were scorched, his clothes burned to tatters, and the flames on his body only extinguished upon being fully submerged in the sea.
Yet when he resurfaced, his body, which should have been utterly battered, was still intact.
Magic power surged, his hair, beard, and clothes, all restored to their original state!
This time Precht was much calmer.
Frowning in thought for a while, he wasn't afraid of this dragon, but winning against it might not be easy either.
And, this dragon came in a quite odd manner…
It's it!
Precht remembered the scenes he witnessed through the Eye of the Demon when Kaburico and Rastillos failed.
This isn't a real dragon, but was summoned by that kid named Rhode?
The impulsive brute in Precht disappeared, intelligence came online.
If this was magic, then even killing this dragon would be pointless, better to go directly after that kid.
Moreover, most importantly, finding Zeref, exterminating Fairy Tail is just incidental, not necessary.
Hmm.
Precht clarified his thoughts, deciding to put his actions back on track.