— — — — — —
While Kazuma was locked in battle with the Black Dragon, the dragons slipped out of the Shadow Kingdom one after another. They gathered at a distance, silently watching the clash unfold.
"Damn it… lost again." The Fire Dragon King's eyes still burned with fighting spirit. Igneel hated losing and clearly wasn't convinced. But he wasn't stupid either. Charging in like this would only hand Acnologia free nourishment.
Not to mention it would make things even harder for Kazuma instead of helping.
"That human is incredibly strong and brave." Grandeeney's eyes were filled with worry as she watched Kazuma. "But he's alone. No one is helping him."
Even dragons struggled against Acnologia, and many simply froze when they saw him. Fear choked their throats before they could even think of fighting.
Yet one human had charged in without hesitation. That kind of courage even dragons had to respect.
"Nothing we can do now." The White Dragon sighed. "Whether he lives or dies is up to him."
Kazuma and Acnologia kept trading blows. Both took damage, both regenerated almost instantly. Hours passed. By nightfall the sky was full of glittering stars, as if trying to tell Kazuma something.
"Starlight, descend upon me! Reality Marble!"
[Celestial Star Map:
[Effect 1: Summon all celestial spirits, including the Spirit King.]
[Effect 2: Directly channel and absorb starlight to attack foes.]
[Effect 3: Create a Reality Marble, a small Celestial Spirit World where starlight is infinitely amplified.]
In an instant Kazuma unleashed the Star Map. All eighty-eight constellations lit up across the sky.
The spirit forms themselves didn't materialize. They were astral entities whose bodies were made of magic after entering this world, like the shadow dragons. Summoning them was pointless. But they could still lend Kazuma their power.
"My friend, the sword in my hand is now yours. Take our strength, and fight with us!"
The Spirit King's Galaxy Longsword dissolved into a streak of starlight and merged into Kazuma's Fang of Damocles.
The power of all eighty-eight constellations wrapped around Kazuma, forming a radiant star-woven mantle. The constellations shimmered across the fabric, whole and complete.
Kazuma's aura exploded upward. Every swing of his sword felt like it dragged the stars along with it. Every breath made the world tremble.
His battle with Acnologia raged on.
Far out over the ocean, figures approached. It was Fairy Tail — Natsu and the others. They had followed the dragons flying this way, only to stumble upon a terrifying scene.
The air around the Black Dragon reeked of pure annihilation. Just looking at him made their bodies rigid and sent their hearts racing. Kazuma looked like a heroic warrior out of legend, clashing with the Black Dragon again and again. The shockwaves alone felt like they would tear everyone apart.
Not "felt like." They actually would in a few seconds.
The Fire Dragon King moved quickly, shielding Natsu and the others before carrying them away from the battlefield.
"Igneel, what the hell is going on? Who is Kazuma fighting? And why did you and other dragons leave?" Natsu yelled without thinking.
"Our situation is complicated. We'll explain later… if there is a later."
"As for that dragon — that's the Black Dragon Acnologia. He used to be human. Then he became the Apocalypse Dragon."
"He wants to erase everything. We were supposed to stop him, but we failed. So now it's up to that human. If he wins, the world lives. If he loses, the world dies."
Igneel finished the bare-bones explanation and stared back at the battlefield.
"Then I'll help! I'll go help Kazuma beat that stupid Black Dragon!"
Natsu rolled up his sleeves, ready to sprint straight into certain death.
"You idiot! You're way too weak. If I wasn't shielding you, the shockwaves alone would have killed you already!"
Igneel's voice thundered. In all this time, he had only seen one human even remotely capable of standing against Acnologia. Kazuma might be the strongest human alive. No one else could fight that monster.
"So we're just gonna stand here and watch? We have to do something!" Natsu shouted. "Kazuma is my friend. I can't leave him fighting alone."
"I want to. I really do. But there's nothing we can do right now. Staying out of the way is already the best help we can offer."
Igneel sounded defeated. He hated his own uselessness.
Right then Kazuma took a brutal hit and skipped across the ocean surface like a stone, bouncing again and again.
He spat out seawater and roared, "Fang of Damocles— Draconification!"
[Fang of Damocles:
[Effect 1: Absolute sharpness.]
[Effect 2: The Fang is tainted with Damocles's blood, carrying the king's aura. It can command weaker dragons.]
[Effect 3: All things burn. When activated, it releases heat strong enough to incinerate any energy it touches.]
[Effect 4: Dragonification. When activated, the user's body partially transforms into dragon form, increasing strength, speed, and durability.]
Using Dragonification, Kazuma shot back up into the air. His eyes shifted into slitted dragon pupils. His aura turned savage and wild.
Flames that could burn all creation erupted across his body. His physical power climbed even higher.
Kazuma slammed back into close combat with Acnologia. His Flame didn't manage to burn the Black Dragon away. Acnologia's power of reducing all things into raw magic and absorbing them countered the flames perfectly.
Neither side could overpower the other.
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.
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