Chapter 503: Target Acquired. Time to Go.
Meanwhile, using the excuse of managing his emergency tasks, Yajima covertly sent a telepathic communication to Makarov, asking for an update on their situation.
Makarov quickly replied, providing a brief summary of their current status.
Learning that the entire guild was safely hidden within the confines of Tenrou Island, protected by a massive, multi-layered barrier, and that they had prepared specific countermeasures, Yajima secretly let out a massive sigh of relief.
He also learned that Noah was merely stalling and engaging Acnologia in a dogfight to lead it away, fully acknowledging he possessed no means to actually kill the beast.
With his mind at ease regarding his old friend's safety, Yajima returned to his official duties while listening to the other Councilors frantically debate ways to handle Acnologia. However, every single proposal was systematically shot down.
Looking at the absurd, reality-breaking telemetry data scrolling across the screens, it was mathematically obvious that conventional magical weaponry and standard tactics would be completely useless against the Black Dragon. They could only rack their brains, desperately searching for any obscure or forbidden method that might stand a chance.
Under their frantic orders, the Magic Council's military forces rapidly deployed toward the affected coastal regions to provide disaster relief. Simultaneously, the Council issued emergency requests to all Legal Guilds in the vicinity, mobilizing thousands of mages to assist with the evacuation and seawall reinforcement efforts.
As the crisis unfolded and the true cause of the apocalyptic tidal waves became known, the names 'Fairy Tail' and 'Noah' reached the ears of high-ranking government officials and guild masters across the entire continent for the first time.
ROAAAAR!
Acnologia roared, firing another devastating magical beam at Noah while simultaneously flapping its colossal wings, charging forward to close the distance.
BOOM!
Noah raised his hand, firing a golden beam to intercept the attack while violently throwing himself backward.
BAM!
Acnologia didn't even bother dodging the resulting explosion. It smashed straight through the raging fireball, its massive claws swiping viciously at Noah.
Having anticipated the brutal charge, Noah gracefully altered his trajectory, narrowly dodging the lethal swipe.
Missing its mark, Acnologia immediately banked, fired another point-blank magical blast from its maw, and charged at Noah again.
Noah continued to retreat, weaving erratically through the sky. A high-speed, lethal game of cat-and-mouse ensued.
Noah quickly realized that Acnologia's attack intensity and physical speed were steadily increasing. The Black Dragon was clearly losing its patience; it was starting to get serious.
Feeling the mounting pressure, Noah was forced to further increase his own speed and focus entirely on evasion to avoid a lethal hit. Consequently, his opportunities to counterattack dwindled. Soon, the vast majority of the magical artillery raining down on the ocean below was blue, with only the occasional golden flash of Noah's retaliation.
From the safety of the Tenrou Island barrier, the Fairy Tail mages could clearly see the shift in the battle's dynamic. The sky was dominated by blue light, and Noah was visibly being pushed onto the defensive.
"Be ready. The moment Noah steps inside the barrier, activate it immediately," Mavis ordered, her expression incredibly grave.
"Understood," Lucy nodded firmly, placing her hand securely over her celestial key pouch.
"Mhm!" Yukino nodded vigorously beside her, her small face tight with focus, gripping her own keys tightly.
The rest of the guild stared anxiously at the violently exploding ocean in the distance. Noah and Acnologia had traveled incredibly far from the island. Aside from Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel—whose dragonified vision allowed them to barely track the blurring silhouettes—the others could only see the blinding flashes of magical artillery illuminating the dark storm clouds and the massive fireballs erupting on the sea surface.
They all knew that the shift in momentum meant the battle was nearing its climax. Noah would be returning soon. None of them dared to blink, terrified of missing the critical moment.
KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!
Acnologia's relentless magical bombardment pummeled the ocean. Kilometer-wide fireballs bloomed across the sea's surface, the explosions growing larger and more destructive with every passing second.
Noah blurred through the chaotic, explosive minefield, constantly checking his six to avoid being swatted out of the sky by Acnologia's massive claws. It was a terrifying, razor-thin margin of error.
Despite the overwhelming pressure, Noah remained entirely expressionless. His eyes were locked onto Acnologia, his focus absolute. He couldn't afford a single microsecond of distraction.
After dodging another vicious claw swipe, Noah rapidly calculated their current status.
Acnologia was definitively ramping up its power. Its physical speed and magical output were increasing exponentially. To survive, Noah was forced to continuously push his own speed higher, rapidly accelerating his magic consumption.
They were currently dogfighting at over Mach 10, and their speed was still climbing.
Coupled with the astronomical magic required to maintain and constantly strengthen his stack of extreme enhancement buffs, Noah's magic expenditure was finally outpacing his absurd regeneration rate, even with his reduced attack frequency.
If this dragged on any longer, his physical and magical condition would begin to rapidly deteriorate.
It's about time, Noah thought as he dodged another magical beam. He had analyzed the situation and realized he was approaching his absolute limit. He couldn't sustain this hit-and-run tactic much longer. Furthermore, Acnologia had clearly lost its playful demeanor; the beast intended to swat him out of the sky permanently.
Well, I've gathered almost all the combat data I need anyway. There's just one final step left.
During this extended dogfight, Noah had collected a monumental amount of raw telemetry and magical data on Acnologia. Because he was engaging it directly, his data was infinitely more accurate and detailed than whatever the Magic Council was picking up from their orbital satellites. Moreover, there were certain physical metrics that could only be acquired through close-quarters combat.
ROAAAAR!
Acnologia roared, its wings snapping shut as it lunged forward. Its right claw hooked around in a blindingly fast swipe, nearly catching Noah off guard.
Snapping back to reality a fraction of a second before impact, Noah violently reversed his momentum, barely slipping past the lethal talons.
Missing the swipe, Acnologia instantly unhinged its jaw. A massive magical beam erupted from its maw, aimed directly at Noah at point-blank range.
Noah tried to dodge, but realized he was too slow; he was caught dead center in the blast radius. With no other option, he dumped massive amounts of magic into a multi-layered golden barrier right in front of him.
KABOOM!!!
The magical beam slammed into the barrier with a deafening roar. An apocalyptic explosion swallowed Noah's position, instantly blooming into a colossal fireball several kilometers in diameter.
Seeing Noah take a direct hit, Acnologia halted its pursuit, hovering in the sky as it watched the raging inferno.
SWISH!
Suddenly, a glowing golden sphere tore through the flames, rocketing away toward the horizon.
Seeing its prey survive, Acnologia flapped its wings and immediately gave chase.
Inside the golden sphere—which was actually his heavily reinforced barrier—Noah panted heavily. He dispelled the shield, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. Blocking that point-blank blast had consumed a terrifying amount of magic. Luckily, he had been near the edge of the beam; if he had taken the brunt of the attack dead center, his reserves would have been critically depleted.
However, the massive expenditure had definitively shattered the delicate balance between his consumption and regeneration.
Seeing Acnologia rapidly closing the distance, Noah accelerated, simultaneously pulling another vial of potion from his spatial pocket and downing it in a single gulp. He tossed the empty vial back into his pocket and pushed his speed to the absolute limit.
The moment the high-grade potion hit his stomach, its effects flared. Noah's physical stamina and magic rapidly regenerated, and a wave of clarity washed over his strained mind. He had crafted this specific potion using incredibly rare, priceless magical herbs precisely for moments like this—rapid, total-body restoration in the middle of a lethal crisis.
ROAAAAR!
Sensing Noah's sudden burst of vitality, Acnologia pushed its speed even higher, diving aggressively toward the retreating human.
Forced to match the Dragon's acceleration, Noah pushed his enhancement buffs even further, massively increasing his magic drain. Thankfully, the active effects of the potion barely managed to keep his regeneration slightly ahead of the expenditure.
Noah kept his right hand hidden behind his back, only occasionally raising his left hand to fire a distracting golden beam at his pursuer. However, the beams were either casually dodged or completely ignored as Acnologia simply smashed through the resulting explosions, relentlessly hunting him down.
Due to the sheer, catastrophic volume of magic he was outputting, Noah's entire body was radiating a blinding golden light. His breathing grew harsh and ragged, the intense heat of his aura instantly evaporating the sweat forming on his brow.
ROAAAAR!
Acnologia let out another furious roar, its speed crossing into a terrifying new threshold.
Noah rapidly calculated their velocity. They were currently flying at over Mach 15, and Acnologia was still accelerating.
What an absolutely absurd physical constitution, Noah thought, his eye twitching as he glanced back at the pursuing behemoth.
Acnologia was flying at these incomprehensible speeds without utilizing a single defensive spell or aerodynamic barrier. It was relying entirely on its raw, physical flesh and scales to withstand the catastrophic friction and atmospheric pressure.
Noah's physical body hadn't reached that level of absolute invulnerability yet. If he didn't constantly maintain a highly streamlined, aerodynamic magical barrier around himself while flying at Mach 15, the sheer atmospheric friction would physically tear his body apart.
"HRAAAH!"
Suddenly, Noah roared. He thrust his left hand forward. The blinding golden light radiating from his entire body instantly surged and compressed entirely into his left arm. A colossal, dozens-of-meters-wide magic circle materialized, and an absolutely massive, hundred-meter-wide golden beam of pure destruction erupted toward Acnologia.
Caught off guard by the sudden, massive retaliation at such close range, Acnologia took the apocalyptic blast dead center.
A catastrophic explosion instantly engulfed the Dragon. A colossal, ten-kilometer-wide fireball bloomed in the sky, illuminating the entire world in blinding light. The resulting kinetic shockwave slammed down into the ocean, creating a terrifyingly massive, bowl-shaped crater in the sea.
Riding the massive recoil of his own attack, combined with his already absurd flight speed, Noah shot several kilometers away before skidding to a halt mid-air. He stared intently at the raging, ten-kilometer-wide inferno.
ROAAAAAR!
A furious, deafening roar erupted from the center of the fireball. Noah's highly attuned senses instantly picked up a distinct shift in the Dragon's tone. It was no longer apathetic or annoyed; it was dripping with genuine, burning rage.
A vicious smile spread across Noah's face. While he knew his attack hadn't done any real damage, he had successfully pissed the Black Dragon off. That was a victory in itself.
SWISH!
The raging inferno was violently torn in half. Acnologia burst through the flames, its wings spread wide, roaring in pure fury.
Watching the furious Dragon emerge, Noah's eyes lit up. This was it. The preparations were complete. The perfect, split-second opportunity he had been waiting for had finally presented itself.
Noah's figure blurred and vanished.
A microsecond later, he materialized directly in front of Acnologia, hovering perfectly aligned with the Dragon's exposed chest and underbelly—the exact spot where the white scales resided.
Acnologia instantly registered Noah's presence. It cut its roar short, its eyes flashing with murderous intent as it prepared to unleash a devastating counterattack.
But Noah was faster.
He whipped his right hand out from behind his back.
His entire right hand and forearm were completely engulfed in an impossibly dense, blindingly concentrated blade of golden magic, the light focused entirely along the edge of his palm.
Noah raised his right hand high above his head, his fingers tightly pressed together, forming a perfect, rigid knife-hand.
"HRAAAH!"
With a savage roar, Noah swung his arm down diagonally, slicing from the top-left to the bottom-right with everything he had.
The concentrated magical blade instantly tore through the sound barrier, emitting a high-pitched, ear-piercing shriek.
Simultaneously, the blade tore through Acnologia's chest.
A meter-long gash was carved directly into the white scales on the Dragon's underbelly. A massive geyser of scorching, dark-red dragon blood instantly erupted from the wound.
Having anticipated this exact outcome, Noah sidestepped to avoid being drenched. With lightning speed, he pulled a massive, magically sealed containment vat from his spatial pocket, perfectly catching the erupting geyser of dragon blood before tossing the full vat back into his inventory.
Without losing a millisecond, Noah raised his right hand again. With another brutal, surgical strike of his palm-blade, he sliced off a massive, incredibly thick chunk of raw dragon flesh directly from the gaping wound. He produced a second massive containment unit, sealed the flesh inside, and instantly stored it away.
Finally, he pulled a small vial of golden liquid from his pocket, downed it in a single gulp, and tossed the vial back into his inventory.
This entire sequence—slicing the scales, harvesting the blood, carving the flesh, storing the materials, and drinking the potion—was executed in a mere fraction of a second. It was a breathtaking display of practiced, surgical precision that left Acnologia entirely unable to react.
It was glaringly obvious that Noah had privately rehearsed this exact sequence of actions countless times, purely to execute it flawlessly within this infinitesimal window of opportunity.
ROAAAAAAR!!!
Acnologia's roar returned, but this time, it was laced with absolute, apocalyptic fury and genuine pain. It snapped its head down, its right claw swiping toward Noah with a speed that completely defied physical logic.
The Black Dragon had finally dropped all pretenses. It was genuinely, terrifyingly serious.
But Noah just smiled. His primary objective was complete. It was time to go.
~~~
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