VWOOM!
A spatial magic circle expanded. Multicolored light enveloped Obituus the Spatial Dragon King, teleporting him to a safer position further back.
The gale subsided. Obituus glanced at the bloody gash on his chest, then raised his head to stare at Buster Blader, who was still striking a pose with his Dragon Fang Greatsword. Shock and disbelief were written across his savage dragon face.
More than the pain he hadn't felt in years, what troubled him more was that a human's slash had pierced through his roar and wounded his scale-covered body.
To a human, this would be like an ant suddenly flying up and carving a dozens-centimeter gash on their arm—utterly incomprehensible!
"I was hoping to cut it in half."
Buster Blader rolled his shoulders. His voice from within the steel helmet carried both disappointment and barely concealed fighting spirit. "Not bad at all, these dragons of this world."
For a "Dragon Slayer" like him, the more and stronger the dragons, the more excited he became!
Black dragon wings beat, stirring a gale. Gandora flew up from the ground.
Hearing Buster Blader's words, though it knew Dragon Kings weren't so easily dealt with, it couldn't help but sneer. "Pathetic. I should have done it myself."
"What did you say?!" Buster Blader fired back instantly.
As the bickering duo traded insults, Bahamut had already moved to Chase's side, taking the initiative to introduce the opponents. "That's Obituus the Spatial Dragon, ruler of the northern continent. He commands spatial power—ordinary magic has little effect on him."
"Above is Chronos the Wind King Dragon. Heading this way is Ragnarok the Earth King Dragon."
It wasn't the type to hold back. Having decided to honor the bet and follow Chase, it would see it through, standing firmly by his side.
Besides, it had always had its own minor conflicts with the other Dragon Kings over territory, resources, and influence.
The opposition faction only maintained unity against the coexistence faction. Without that common enemy, they would hardly cooperate—far from being "comrades"!
Chase couldn't be bothered with the politics. Right now, he just wanted to fight freely. "How do they compare to you?"
Bahamut paused, then puffed out its chest with a claw. "Slightly weaker than me, but not to be underestimated."
The next second, it sucked in a sharp breath, its expression turning pained. Its chest was still bleeding, and that pat had nearly killed it.
Chase took in this pretentious display and silently labeled it: Prideful Nether Dragon King.
In the span of a few words, Obituus had recovered from his shock and regrouped with Chronos and Ragnarok.
The combined aura of the three Dragon Kings was terrifying, their pressure immense.
"Bahamut, have you defected?" Ragnarok spoke slowly, its rocky maw like a deep valley crack.
"Defeated and now siding with human ants? Do you still deserve the title 'Nether Dragon King'?" Chronos's sky-darkening wings stirred fierce winds.
The later arrivals didn't know the full story, but the flattened primeval forest and Bahamut's stance said enough.
Obituus, however, remained silent. Calming down, his spatial sensitivity drew most of his attention to the temporal passage suspended in midair. These humans didn't belong to this era.
"Defect? Don't misunderstand."
Bahamut showed no hesitation or guilt. "I've simply chosen the right path to go further!"
Whether human, dragon, or any other being, it had always respected only the strong. Especially after their fist-to-fist exchange, it had clearly felt Chase's powerful conviction!
"Isn't that just the same foolish thinking as the coexistence faction?"
Ragnarok stepped forward, its overwhelming magic power shaking the earth. Its arrogant voice echoed across the field. "Dragons are absolute rulers! How can we coexist with mere ants?!"
"In the past, perhaps. But now, maybe the coexistence faction was right all along," Bahamut said with a sigh.
"Bahamut, have you been brainwashed?" Chronos demanded.
In terms of hostility toward humans, Bahamut was no less than any of them. Even if that dangerously radiating young man matched a Dragon King in power, it couldn't explain such a complete change in attitude.
The only possibilities were some kind of manipulation—or a mysterious power that even Bahamut craved!
"Brainwashing? The devastation here is proof enough."
Bahamut glanced at the desert-like battlefield.
Setting aside Chase the "monster," the other humans had all shown enough strength to match or even defeat dragons.
Despite inferior physical constitution, magic conversion efficiency, and lifespan, they had achieved such feats.
Bahamut had a strong intuition that if it could understand the reason, it could break through its own stagnant power—even without following Chase.
Unlike Igneel, it didn't know that the future world had higher magic concentration, nor that Natsu and the others had been enhanced by the God Seal and card buffs.
And it certainly didn't know the core rule of the Fairy Tail world: that magic came from the power of heart and will!
"If what you say is true, then humanity must be exterminated all the more."
Obituus beat his wings. Spatial ripples spread in all directions. "I will never allow mere ants to end the reign of dragons!"
Through the Eclipse Gate, he seemed to have realized that the future world had no dragons—and naturally blamed Chase.
The sharp roar instantly made the atmosphere tense and oppressive. Ragnarok and Chronos also erupted with terrifying magic power, their crimson eyes burning with killing intent.
They were wary of Chase, who had defeated Bahamut, and sensed danger from the Card Spirits.
But so what?
Three Dragon Kings and tens of thousands of dragons stood with them. Losing was impossible!
"Bahamut, this is your last chance."
"If you still have any Dragon King's pride, join us in killing that man. Make the humans behind that gate taste despair—and then dominate their world without restraint!"
***
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