A month has passed, and Acnologia and Irene have joined forces to fight the evil dragon, surviving countless life-or-death crises.
After discussing it, the two felt that fighting a group of dragons was too dangerous. Even if they could escape unscathed every time, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't fail. So they changed their strategy to hunting lone dragons, which would be much easier.
Looking back, I realize how foolish I was to always try to fight so many dragons head-on.
Meanwhile, the dragons went mad, searching the entire world for the two. No one wanted to be targeted and killed if they were alone, and they couldn't always travel in groups.
This resulted in them living in constant fear for just one month, and the number of dragons in Ishgar has now dwindled to only five thousand.
If the number of dragons were reduced by half, they were certain that Acnologia, that madman, would immediately wage war against the dragons.
...
Kingdom of Fiore
On this day, a young boy walked into the castle of the Anna Heartfilia family.
He had a kind and gentle face, short black hair, and wore a black high-collared robe with a pendant on his chest. He exuded an eerie aura, as if he were a mixture of life and death.
Anna Heartfilia looked at the newcomer with a hint of surprise: "Zeref, is it about to begin?"
"Perfect timing!"
The black-haired boy Zeref spoke softly and gently; no one would guess that he was the one who would later be known as the progenitor of dark magic.
"Wait a moment, I'll go and bring Natsu and the others!"
Anna Heartfilia didn't hesitate and hurriedly ran into the castle. She had already made arrangements for some family matters, and now she could just take Natsu to the Eclipse Gate.
After Anna led the five children out, Jelf noticed that she was also holding a girl with short, scarlet hair and asked in surprise, "Who is this girl?"
Anna explained, "Little Erza is the child of Queen Irene of the Kingdom of Doragunov. She entrusted her to me some time ago, hoping that I could take her with me to the future."
She didn't say that Erza was Acnologia's child, since Zeref might still have some misunderstandings about her.
Whether little Erza will grow up to be good or bad is a matter of education, and she believes that she should not be judged as good or evil based on whether she is someone's child.
Of course, she didn't think Jelf would be that unreasonable; she was just trying to avoid any potential trouble.
Jelf nodded slightly and said, "Okay, let's go together then."
He could sense that this little girl had great potential, and her talent was probably no less than Natsu's. In the future, she might become one of the important forces in the fight against Acnologia.
Soon, the two led the six children to the gate of the solar eclipse. What they saw was a metal gate with mysterious patterns on it, like clocks. If one had a strong sense of perception, one could tell that it contained an immense amount of spacetime power.
Anna Heartfilia reached out and touched the Eclipse Gate, her gaze resolute. With a wave of her hand, the key to the zodiac appeared in mid-air, spinning and radiating golden light, illuminating a patch of sky.
At the same time, the magic power belonging to her strongest Celestial Spirit Mage suddenly erupted, and terrifying power surged forth.
"Open, Gate of Eclipse!"
Anna called out, and the mysterious door slowly opened, followed by a heavy voice and endless white light, obscuring the path ahead.
Zeref sensed the spacetime magic contained within, then turned to Anna, his voice gentle: "Go, Anna, the future lies ahead!"
He looked down at Natsu, his eyes filled with tenderness and reluctance: "Go, Natsu, my brother. We will meet again in the future. I hope that by then you will have the power to kill me, the power to kill Acnologia."
"This is the key to the zodiac. Please keep it safe. In the future, the celestial spirits will be free to choose their masters."
"good!"
Anna Heartfilia handed over the twelve golden keys, gave the dark mage, who was determined to die, a deep look, and then led the six children into the white light.
See you in the future!
...
"Little Erza is gone!"
Eileen murmured softly, recalling how the terrifying magic she felt when the Eclipse Gate opened was something she could clearly sense even from thousands of miles away.
Acnologia nodded slightly, looking at Eileen's somewhat disappointed expression, and put his arm around her shoulder: "Don't worry, I've already seen the future. It's a wonderful place. She'll meet many friends to grow up with and many loving family members."
"For that bright future, we must quicken our pace and eliminate all evil dragons."
Eileen was silent for a moment, then reached out and stroked Acnologia's chest: "Are you alright? I can clearly sense that you're on the verge of madness. I'm worried that if you keep killing, you won't be able to handle it."
As the killing continued, Acnologia began to lose control of his violent killing intent. On one occasion, he became indiscriminate in his attacks, not only harming ordinary people but also harboring murderous intent towards her. If she hadn't stopped at the last moment, she would probably be dead.
Acnologia was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I'm fine. As long as I eliminate all the evil dragons, I will begin to absorb the souls I have devoured. At that time, I will definitely be able to completely control the murderous aura."
He had previously conducted an experiment, spending ten days erasing the memories of a dragon soul, and the situation did improve after he devoured it.
"Acunorokia, get out here!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the sky. The terrifying sound waves were so powerful that they could shatter the earth with just the sound waves.
Acnologia suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the golden and white dragon soaring through the sky, his killing intent rising again: "Sky Dragon King!"
This is the strongest dragon king among the evil dragons, with strength almost equal to that of the previous Red Dragon King, Osta. Moreover, its speed and defense are extremely powerful. I have fought it twice before, but failed to kill it either time, making it a formidable opponent.
"He must be killed today!"
Acnologia stood up, his magic surging forth, and dark wings unfurled behind him, instantly sweeping away the surrounding boulders.
He looked down at Eileen: "You don't need to make a move this time. Don't expose yourself. Just give me a chance, a chance to kill the Sky Dragon King."
As long as he can kill the Sky Dragon King, then the evil dragon side will have no more dragon kings to fight back, and then he can go on a killing spree without any scruples!
Eileen was aware of this situation and nodded seriously: "Go ahead! I'll provide support when it matters most."
Acnologia said nothing more, flapped its wings, and instantly soared into the sky like a black meteor, crashing into the Sky Dragon King.
"Good timing!"
The Heavenly Dragon King laughed loudly, fearing that this monster might be hiding in the shadows and resorting to underhanded tactics.
"Go to hell!"
Both sides roared, their violent killing intent clashing together. The deafening roar ripped through the silent night sky, and a terrifying storm of destruction instantly tore everything apart.