"Igneel..."
Selene turned to face the fake mountain in front of her. She could sense the overwhelming flame magic behind it—a power like an active volcano, with endless might and a destructive, deadly aura.
In Selene's memory, only the Fire Dragon King Igneel could wield fire to such an extreme level.
"This magic power? Are you Selene? I didn't expect you to be so grown-up, already a mother of other dragons! I sensed your presence on that little one called Kurnugi and thought it was a mistake. But considering your age, it makes sense. After all, it's been 400 years..."
"Hahaha, now that I think about it, crossing 400 years has changed many things. The past is gone, and what remains are just memories. I guess that's what they call 'time changes everything.'"
Igneel seemed quite reflective. After all, he had crossed 400 years through the Eclipse Gate, arriving in this era. Initially, his thoughts were still rooted in the past. It wasn't until he noticed the magic crystal made from Lightning Dragon King Alexion's heart in Laxus and the dense aura of Selene in Kurnugi that Igneel realized he was indeed in a new era, 400 years later.
"I didn't expect a living fossil like you, lost in the history of dragons for 400 years, to return to this world~"
"The dragon era should have ended 400 years ago..."
"In this world dominated by humans, what can an ancient dragon king like you do? Do you plan to reenact the Dragon King Festival, destroying all those who resist and turning the human world back into a dragon's domain?"
"If that's your purpose for crossing 400 years to this world, then I'm your enemy, Fire Dragon King Igneel..."
Selene didn't seem too friendly toward Igneel; her tone was laced with disdain.
Selene had long been tired of the dragon lifestyle. She invaded Elentear, ruled a territory, gathered followers, hunted males, and held hedonistic parties to immerse herself in human emotions and experiences...
The human lifestyle proved far more enjoyable than that of dragons. Humans sang and painted under the moon, whereas dragons were too barbaric. Over 400 years, Selene concluded that dragons were naturally meant to be obsolete.
"Hahaha, you're quite direct, Selene..."
"Don't worry! As you said, the dragon era is over. You, I, and that red-haired girl over there have all witnessed the end of the dragon era. I don't think anyone wants to return to those barbaric times..."
"Besides, even if I wanted to change this world back into a dragon's domain, I couldn't do it with just my remnant soul!"
"The real threat to this world isn't me; it's the red-haired girl standing next to you, Selene..."
"If I'm not mistaken, you're the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic, right?"
Igneel laughed heartily. As a mere remnant soul, he couldn't achieve much...
But others could. Igneel had once clashed with Irene in Magnolia and felt a familiar power within her.
After thinking for a long time, Igneel recalled someone mentioning that the queen of a kingdom closely tied to dragons had developed Dragon Slayer Magic...
Considering Irene's overwhelming power, even Igneel had to take her seriously. He was convinced that Irene was the one who created Dragon Slayer Magic, the progenitor of the Dragon Slayers.
"Indeed~"
"I am the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic, the mother of Dragon Slayer Magic, Irene Belserion~"
"Technically speaking, all Dragon Slayers after me can be considered my children~"
Irene smiled beautifully, admitting her identity with pride.
"Tsk~"
"So you're the one who created Dragon Slayer Magic. No wonder I disliked you at first sight..."
Selene's expression turned sour upon hearing that Irene was the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic.
"I'm glad to be someone you dislike."
Seeing Selene's annoyed expression made Irene smile even more beautifully, as a blooming crimson rose.
"Since you have so many children, why not give me one?"
Selene, more annoyed, brought the topic back to Evan.
"Evan is special~"
"But I could arrange for you to meet Acnologia~"
"Assuming you survive the encounter!"
Irene's eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled at Selene, seeming eager to help Selene find a suitable partner.
"I'll kill you!"
Selene's eyes flashed with cold killing intent.
"You're welcome to try."
Irene wasn't fazed by Selene's threat, even wanting to crush Selene's flaunting chest and ample hips.
"Try? Who's afraid of whom!?"
Selene's eyes grew colder, emitting a platinum, moonlight-like glow.
In an instant, war was about to break out between Irene and Selene.
"Roar!!"
"Enough!"
"Calm down, you brats. Stop being so restless!"
Just as Selene and Irene were about to fight, Igneel took a deep breath and let out a thunderous dragon roar!
"No, you're the most restless one here, aren't you?"
Evan silently commented to himself.
But with Igneel's intervention, Selene and Irene restrained themselves.
"You're called Evan, right?"
"You see, when women gather, these kinds of things happen!"
"Maybe you don't understand now, but you will as you get older..."
Igneel, after stopping Irene and Selene, looked at Evan and spoke.
"Uh..."
Evan chose to remain silent, not daring to say anything.
"Igneel, someone like you, who didn't even raise your own child, has no right to criticize us!"
"Die, you lousy dragon..."
In an unexpected alliance, Selene and Irene united in berating Igneel.
"Uh..."
"Ahem..."
Igneel's expression changed, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.
"Enough of this pointless talk. Let's discuss the real issue..."
Igneel firmly redirected the conversation.
"By now, you all should know that I traveled from the dragon era 400 years ago to this magic-rich era to face Acnologia!"
"I believe you both know, Selene and Belserion, that 400 years ago, Acnologia, who massacred nearly all dragons in Ishgar, transformed into a black dragon through his unique ability to consume all magic in the world and nullify all magic."
"But this isn't absolute. Theoretically, Acnologia's ability to consume and resist magic has a limit. However, during the magic-poor era 400 years ago, no one could break this limit, not even me..."
"In the magic-poor era of 400 years ago, Acnologia's resistance to magic made him invincible."
"But no one remains invincible forever. I wasn't, and neither is Acnologia!"
"In this magic-rich era, our magical powers have significantly increased, but Acnologia's resistance hasn't. This means that in this era, we've become stronger while Acnologia has stayed the same or even weakened due to not consuming dragons for 400 years. We have a chance to defeat him now..."
Igneel explained his purpose clearly to everyone present.
Just like wizards struggled to use magic in the magic-poor Edolas, in the magic-rich Elentear, their magic became much more potent.
The power of wizards' magic fluctuated with the world's magic levels...
In the magic-poor era of Earthland, no one could break Acnologia's magical defense, creating the illusion of his invulnerability. But according to Zeref's research, absolute invulnerability didn't exist. Even Acnologia's magic immunity had a limit, though no one knew where that limit lay...
Everyone in the past understood one thing: their magic couldn't defeat Acnologia in that era, not even Igneel's.
For this reason, Zeref created the Eclipse Gate, hoping to send Natsu and others to a more magic-rich era. The idea was that their increased magical power might break Acnologia's defense in a more magic-rich era, creating a chance to defeat the invincible black dragon.
That's why Igneel crossed to this magic-rich era to face Acnologia. In the magic-poor era 400 years ago, he had no chance against Acnologia, hence the need to escape...
They traveled through time from 400 years ago to this magic-rich era, hoping to defeat Acnologia.
In fact, Second Master Precht's so-called Great Magic Era was essentially the same goal as Zeref's.
Precht realized that the magic of this era wasn't sufficient. He tried to increase the world's magic by eliminating those with magic but no talent, hoping to recycle their magic into the world, thus enhancing the power of surviving wizards.
When the world's magic reached a certain level, even Zeref wouldn't need the Fairy Heart to use magic limitlessly, achieving the so-called Great Magic Era.
In essence, everyone was striving for the same goal, but some were extreme, some too conservative, and some stuck between the two, constantly shifting their views...
"Oh?!"
Upon hearing Igneel's words, everyone in the hot spring fell into deep thought.
"So, according to you, we dragons from 400 years ago have grown so strong in these 400 years not because of our talents, but because the world's magic has increased?"
Selene asked, processing Igneel's explanation.
"Heh..."
Igneel, using Natsu's body, rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Think about it. If there were many dragons with exceptional talent 400 years ago, why didn't they become as powerful as the current dragon kings? The fact that more dragon kings emerged now, when dragons are nearly extinct, is due to two factors. First, you had the potential to become stronger. Second, the world provided the right conditions—like rain for sprouts. The increased magic in the world is that rain, allowing you all to flourish."
Igneel felt exasperated. Did these young dragons really believe they surpassed their predecessors purely due to superior talent? It was the era they lived in that enabled their unprecedented growth.
"I see..."
Selene finally understood. She had always wondered why both she and other dragons grew stronger together. The answer was the world's magic increase that boosted everyone's power.
"If that's the case, if we moved Acnologia to Elentear, where the magic is even stronger, wouldn't our chances of defeating him increase?"
Selene speculated, following Igneel's logic.
"That's indeed a possibility..."
Igneel's eyes brightened. Selene's idea of dragging Acnologia into a more magic-rich world like Elentear might indeed boost their chances.
"I wouldn't recommend it..."
Evan interjected, concern evident in his tone.
"Elentear's magic is extremely potent, almost liquid in form. But because of that, bringing Acnologia here could be disastrous. Unlike us, who can only absorb certain types of magic, Acnologia can consume all forms of magic. If he absorbs Elentear's vast magic, our chances won't increase but decrease."
Evan didn't favor the idea of dragging Acnologia into Elentear. He knew the black dragon's terrifying ability to devour any form of magic. Bringing him into a magic-rich environment like Elentear could make him even more unstoppable.
"Uh..."
With Evan's words, the room fell silent. He had a point. If Acnologia absorbed Elentear's abundant magic, they might stand no chance against him.
"…"
For a moment, everyone felt the weight of the situation. Both Igneel, the Fire Dragon King, and the mother of Dragon Slayer Magic, Irene, and the Moon Dragon God, Selene, all felt the headache of dealing with Acnologia.
No one could devise a perfect strategy against him.
"Sigh, let's discuss the Dragon Gods before Acnologia. Selene, as one of the Dragon Gods, you should have information about the others, right?"
Evan sighed, shifting the topic to the Dragon Gods causing havoc in the Northern Continent, known for their invincible, god-like power.