"Uh, what kind of bad intentions could I possibly have?!"
"I'm just a kind-hearted God Dragon…"
Ignia scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly as he spoke to Irene, Erza, Selene, Acnologia, and August.
Seeing that his grand plan had been exposed by Irene, Ignia had no choice but to play dumb in his panic!
At this moment, Ignia looked exactly like Natsu on a normal day! One really had to say, they truly were raised by the same father…
"Do you think the righteous me would believe your bullshit?"
Irene's eye twitched slightly as she looked at Ignia with the kind of gaze one would use to look at garbage.
"Irene, that's not quite right!"
"You and I are both mages of the Fairy Tail Guild, so you should understand that as a mage of Fairy Tail, how could I possibly do anything detrimental to the guild? I believe that there should be some basic trust between people."
Seeing Irene's expression, cold sweat poured down Ignia's forehead. Facing the doubts of Irene and the others, he attempted to defend himself.
"You indeed wouldn't do anything that would be detrimental to Fairy Tail…"
"But the problem is, what you're doing really isn't beneficial to Fairy Tail!"
"Rather, it's what you think isn't detrimental to Fairy Tail…"
"If I'm not mistaken, you probably reached some dirty deal with that Earth God Dragon, Dogramag. For example, you asked him to help you obtain the position of Fairy Tail's guild master? Or perhaps, to put it more simply, you want to become our leader, right?!"
Irene directly saw through the plan that had been devised by Ignia's walnut-sized brain.
"Eh? How could you…"
Ignia's face was filled with shock. He hadn't expected the plan he had spent countless hours painstakingly devising to be seen through by Irene so effortlessly.
"Sigh…"
"Looks like you still don't understand your current situation, Ignia!"
Looking at Ignia's guilty expression, Irene sighed helplessly, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Everyone, I think it's time we let Ignia understand his current situation."
After a while, Irene stretched her neck and joints, warming up as she spoke to everyone beside her.
"Together?!"
Erza asked upon hearing this.
"Together!"
Irene gave Erza a definite answer.
"Good!"
Erza revealed a charming smile.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"
Selene stretched her proud, voluptuous body and smiled as well.
"Although I don't know what happened, we're beating up Ignia again, right?"
Acnologia thought for a moment before analyzing the situation before him and reaching a conclusion.
Although Acnologia had no idea what Ignia had done to offend Irene and the others, that had never been important. To be honest, Acnologia didn't want to know what Ignia had done at all. He only wanted to know whether he could beat the hell out of Ignia…
For Acnologia, the pleasures of life right now were eating, spacing out, and beating up Ignia!
"No! Wait, give me a chance…"
Seeing the tremendous magic power erupting from Irene and the others, Ignia's expression changed drastically. He knew very well that he was about to receive another righteous group beating from Irene and the others.
"A chance?! Heh…"
Irene chuckled and gave the people beside her a meaningful look.
"Everyone, get him!"
The next second, August, Acnologia, and the others behind Irene flew toward Ignia.
"No! Wait… Eh?!"
"AAAH!!"
Facing the people attacking him, Ignia had thought about resisting, but it was obvious that against a group of opponents at his own level, he was completely powerless. Almost in the blink of an eye, he was subdued by their combined efforts.
And so, Fairy Tail Guild, where Ignia was the only one getting injured, was born!
A mere hour later…
Inside the enormous Fairy Tail Guild, Ignia lay on the ground covered in injuries, constantly twitching. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his eyes were utterly unfocused.
"Ignia, by now, you're already powerless to turn the heavens upside down. Are you still going to be stubborn?"
Selene looked at Ignia lying on the ground, raised her clean, fair jade-like foot, whose toes were as plump as pearls, and planted it directly on Ignia's cheek. She angrily questioned him, "I'll give you one more chance! Are you going to talk or not?!"
"Why are you rewarding him?!"
Makarov, who had been sitting in his seat drinking tea the entire time, stared wide-eyed at the scene. The tiny bit of sympathy he had originally developed for Ignia completely vanished after Selene's kick.
What remained deep within his heart now was nothing but profound jealousy toward Ignia.
"Talk? Talk about what?! You people beat me for a whole hour without asking me a single question!"
Ignia was completely breaking down. He had figured it out. These people had merely found an excuse to beat him up, and as for what kind of deal he had actually made with Earth God Dragon Dogramag, they didn't care about it at all!
"Uh…"
As Ignia's words fell, everyone in Fairy Tail froze.
Everyone's eyes twitched slightly, and the atmosphere gradually became strange.
"You bastard! If we don't ask, don't you know that you're supposed to tell us?! Ignia, I really misjudged you. You don't understand our painstaking efforts at all!"
Just as the atmosphere was becoming awkward, Selene angrily scolded Ignia. She then used her fair foot to stomp repeatedly on Ignia's face.
Yes, at this moment, Selene was simply venting the boundless hatred she had accumulated toward Ignia over these four hundred years…
"Ignia, tell us about your plan with Dogramag."
At this moment, Irene spoke up and directly asked Ignia about it.
"Actually, it's nothing…"
"Just as you said, I really do want the position of guild master of Fairy Tail. That's why I reached an agreement with Dogramag. I hoped to use the power of his labyrinth to separate all of you, and then I would defeat you one by one, thereby proving that my strength is the strongest in Fairy Tail, and that I'm the most suitable person to lead you forward…"
Ignia had no choice but to explain his entire plan with Dogramag in one go.
As the saying went, better to sacrifice a fellow Daoist than oneself. As for what would happen to Dogramag in the future, that wasn't something Ignia needed to consider right now…
"How childish!"
After hearing Ignia's words, Irene sighed helplessly.
"Childish?!"
Ignia, sprawled on the ground, trembled when he heard Irene's words, and disbelief flashed through his eyes.
"It really is childish…"
Selene nodded lightly, expressing her agreement with Irene.
"Even you think I'm childish, Selene?"
Ignia's lips moved slightly. His trembling body showed just how agitated he was at this moment.
"Even Kurunugi wouldn't come up with such a boring plan, would he?"
After a moment, Selene added another sentence.
"You're saying that even that Kurunugi guy is better than me?"
Ignia clenched his lips tightly. He could feel the disdain coming from Selene!
He, the mighty Flame God Dragon Ignia, had actually been looked down upon—and by the Moon God Dragon Selene, whom he looked down upon the most?!
"Irene wouldn't have been this childish when she was five… No, even when Irene had just been born, she wouldn't have been this childish. Ignia really hasn't improved at all!"
Erza sighed, her words expressing her boundless disappointment in Ignia.
"Irene was stronger than me from the moment she was born?!"
Just as Ignia's body trembled slightly, Erza's words were like a steel spear piercing directly into his chest.
"To put it simply, Ignia is nothing more than a brat who possesses nothing but strength!"
Finally, the usually taciturn Acnologia delivered the finishing blow to Ignia.
"Uh…"
Ignia's body trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with dejection. The intelligence of Flame God Dragon Ignia had been looked down upon.
Most importantly, he was completely unable to refute them.
"Ignia, it's okay!"
Just as Ignia was feeling dejected, Irene patted Ignia's head as though he were a pet dog. Looking at Ignia, she smiled warmly as she comforted him.
"Irene…"
Feeling the goodwill Irene was showing him, Ignia's face immediately brightened, and his spirits lifted.
"Although you really are stupid, Ignia, we will absolutely never abandon you!"
As she said this, Irene was still comforting Ignia. Ignia was equally moved.
Then, in the next second, Irene suddenly changed the subject.
"However, I hope you'll have some self-awareness in the future. Since you're not smart, learn to obediently listen~ After all, you wouldn't want to end up like Igneel now, would you?!"
Irene leaned close to Ignia's ear and spoke softly.
"Uh…"
As Irene's words fell, Ignia suddenly felt cold all over, while endless fear rose from the depths of his heart.
"Yeah~"
After a while, once Ignia had calmed down, he looked at Irene and nodded lightly.
At this moment, Ignia looked exactly like Happy, as well as Natsu after being thoroughly beaten by Erza and choosing to surrender tactically…
"Very good~"
Irene revealed a satisfied smile.
"Not bad~"
Erza looked at Irene with a satisfied smile, and she too revealed a satisfied smile.
"Hahaha…"
Inside the Fairy Tail Guild, everyone else revealed satisfied smiles. For a moment, the entire guild was filled with laughter and joy, leaving only Ignia sitting on the ground, shutting himself away in misery!
"Hehe~"
Irene chuckled softly, thinking to herself, "See? A world where only one person gets hurt is very easy to achieve, right?!"
Unlike the Great Teacher, who always blew himself up, Irene's main focus was on the academy…
Cough, cough. Rather, it should be said…
Guild bullying!
Meanwhile, inside the enormous labyrinth formed by Earth God Dragon Dogramag.
"Everyone! According to what Big Brother Irene said, our mission isn't to defeat the Dragon Eaters from the Diabolos Guild inside the labyrinth, nor is it to defeat the various monsters within the labyrinth!"
"Our actual mission is to find the heart that Mage Elefseria lost somewhere inside the labyrinth…"
"In other words, this mission isn't actually a combat mission, but a search mission!"
"Everyone, do you understand what I'm saying?"
Fortunately, Lucy hadn't been separated from the mages of the guild. She was lucky enough to arrive at the same entrance as Elfman, Evergreen, Bickslow, Lyon, Juvia, and Erza.
At this moment, Lucy was one of the few mages in Fairy Tail who not only understood the rules Irene had explained but had also seriously listened to them. She was explaining to everyone else what their true mission was inside Dogramag's enormous labyrinth.
"I understand…"
As Lucy's words fell, Elfman immediately nodded vigorously.
"You understand? That's great!"
Hearing this, Lucy looked relieved. She had originally been afraid that none of the mages in Fairy Tail would understand the rules.
Fortunately, everyone in the guild had seriously listened to what she had said.
"In short… we have to find the Grand Mage Elefseria's heart that he lost inside this labyrinth like a real man, right?!"
Elfman crossed his arms before his chest and spoke in an incredibly manly tone.
"Although I don't think this has anything to do with being a man, that's basically what it means!"
After hearing Elfman's words, Lucy's eye twitched slightly before she helplessly nodded.
"I understand! Then without further ado, let's set out now!"
Elfman decided to immediately set off to search for Elefseria's lost heart inside the labyrinth.
"Eh? You've already decided to leave?"
"Which direction are you planning to start searching from?"
Lucy hadn't expected Elfman to make a decision so quickly. A hint of surprise flashed through her eyes, so she asked Elfman.
"Of course, wherever I go, I'll search there! I believe the aura of manliness will guide me!"
Elfman clenched his fists and spoke passionately.
"Eh?!"
Lucy's smile immediately froze after hearing Elfman's words.
"Eh? Wherever you go, you'll search there? Could you be any more reliable?"
"And what exactly is this so-called aura of manliness? Can it really be trusted?"
Lucy was frantically complaining in the depths of her heart.
"No! Maybe I heard him wrong. I'd better ask him again!"
Lucy thought to herself.
"You said where you're going to start searching from?!"
Thus, after complaining internally for a while, Lucy widened her eyes and seriously asked Elfman.
"I said, of course I'm going wherever I go and searching wherever I go!"
"Believe me, Lucy! I'm a man!"
After saying this, Elfman turned around and charged into the labyrinth.
"Lisanna, Mira, watch me! I, Elfman, will definitely be the first to find the heart! Because I'm a man!!"
Elfman shouted as he charged forward fearlessly!
"Ah, I really didn't hear him wrong. This guy is serious. He really thinks the aura of manliness will guide him forward…"
Lucy stared wide-eyed at this, wanting to say something, but when the words reached her lips, she found that she couldn't utter a single word!
"Looks like I can't count on Elfman. Maybe there's still hope with the others!"
Lucy gave up on chasing after Elfman and looked toward the other people beside her.
Meanwhile, the others…
"Bickslow, don't waste time. Hurry up and go find Laxus!"
"Don't let Fried get there first. As for the heart, that's Laxus's job~"
Evergreen thought for a moment and decided that rather than searching for the heart, she wanted to find Laxus first.
The Thunder God Tribe's job was merely to find Laxus. As for Elefseria's heart, that was Laxus's job…
Yes, the division of labor among Fried, Evergreen, and Bickslow was incredibly clear…
Fried, Evergreen, and Bickslow of the Thunder God Tribe were all supporting characters! They were shadows…
Of course, they had voluntarily chosen to become supporting characters and shadows!
And the mission of supporting characters and shadows was to find the protagonist! Because shadows could only appear beneath the light!
As for completing the mission and shining brightly, that was the protagonist's job.
"Okay!"
Bickslow nodded lightly before snapping his fingers. A full twelve dolls floated around him.
Yes, with Bickslow's increased magical power, he could now steadily control twelve dolls to help him attack.
"Looks like I don't have time to waste here either!"
"Since we're inside a labyrinth… I suppose it doesn't matter what I wear, right?"
Lyon thought about it before taking off his clothes in one motion.
"I'm going to find Lord Gray. Lord Gray must be lonely because he's been away from me, right?"
Juvia clenched her hands tightly together while continuously praying inwardly, praying that she would be able to find her Lord Gray smoothly.
"Not a single person here can be counted on!"
"I was wrong. Expecting anything from Fairy Tail was a mistake!"
"Looks like in the end, I'll have to rely on myself to find the heart."
On the other side, Lucy looked at the various mages of Fairy Tail around her and sighed helplessly. She had already fallen into despair. She knew very well that relying solely on these people, there was absolutely no way they could find Elefseria's heart.
With this in mind, Lucy decided to rely on herself and try her luck. Maybe Lucy would finally have some good luck today?!
"You guys! Wait a moment!"
Just as the mages of Fairy Tail were about to set off in different directions, a clear voice carrying a hint of domineering authority reached everyone's ears.
"Hm?!"
As the voice fell, the Fairy Tail members who were about to depart all froze.
Everyone turned around and saw a beautiful woman wearing knight's armor, with scarlet hair and the pride of a queen, standing with her arms crossed before her chest as she coldly spoke to the guild members.
"Erza?!"
When everyone saw the beautiful woman's face, they were all stunned.
Yes, the person who had arrived was Erza…
"Right! There's also Erza! Erza was assigned to our door too! As long as Erza is here, we can definitely find the heart without any problems."
Seeing Erza, Lucy slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yes, Erza was the kind of person who could make others feel this reassured. After all, Erza was one of the few serious people in Fairy Tail…
"Stay safe!"
Then, under Lucy's expectant gaze, Erza seriously and earnestly told Evergreen and the others.
And then there was nothing else…
"Eh? And then? That's it?"
Lucy looked nervously at Erza, who had fallen silent after merely saying "stay safe."
"That's it!"
Erza thought for a moment before answering Lucy with utmost seriousness.
"Uh, Erza, shouldn't we work together and search for the heart first?!"
Lucy fell silent. She had originally thought Erza would organize everyone into working together to search for the heart.
Thus, Lucy directly asked Erza the question that had been puzzling her.
"We aren't one team, after all. Rather than working together to search for the heart, wouldn't it be better for everyone to split up and choose different paths? That way, the probability of finding the heart will increase greatly, right?"
"Besides, I've heard that this labyrinth is enormous. Super enormous…"
Erza crossed her arms before her chest as she explained to Lucy.
"Uh, that does make sense!"
After hearing Erza's words, Lucy was stunned. Only then did she understand Erza's intentions.
"Relax! Who do you think we are? We're mages of Fairy Tail! How could we possibly encounter any danger…"
As Erza's words fell, Bickslow crossed his arms before his chest and laughed proudly.
"Exactly!"
Evergreen and Lyon nodded in agreement with Bickslow's words. They were mages of Fairy Tail. How could they possibly encounter danger?
They were only afraid that this dungeon wouldn't be dangerous enough.
"Right, if we're going to split up, then…"
At this moment, Bickslow seemed to think of something. He snapped his fingers lightly, and two of the babies beside him immediately separated and landed around Juvia and Lyon, and Lucy and Erza respectively.
"We're going to find Laxus. Juvia and Lyon are going to find Gray and Ur. As for Lucy and Erza, although I don't know what you two plan to do, I'm still giving you a baby. Once we find our guild members, we can use these babies to contact each other. The babies can also sense one another, so as long as we have them, we definitely won't get lost…"
Bickslow smiled as he explained to Lucy and the others.
"Great!"
Lucy was delighted upon hearing this, but then she seemed to remember something and nervously said, "But Elfman has already entered the labyrinth. What if Elfman gets lost?"
"Don't worry! Elfman can't get lost! That guy's nose is comparable to a magical beast's. He can determine our location from ten kilometers away! In other words, everyone else might get lost, but that guy is the only one who absolutely won't…"
Bickslow knew what Lucy was worried about and directly revealed the secret behind Elfman's daring to advance alone.
"Aura? So this is the reason Elfman said the aura of manliness would guide him? Elfman can actually smell people's aura!"
Lucy was shocked upon hearing this. She had originally thought Elfman was just fooling around, but Elfman actually possessed such an ability!
It seemed that although Elfman and the other members of Fairy Tail all looked somewhat unreliable, every single one of them was actually hiding extraordinary abilities and was incredibly reliable!
"Lucy! Don't just rely on everyone else being reliable while you're always unable to help!"
"From now on, you have to do your best too!"
With that, Lucy clenched her fists.
"Then, let's move forward!"
Erza said as she held her knight's sword and swung it toward the labyrinth before them.
"OH!!"
For a moment, whether it was Lucy or Juvia and the others, everyone shouted enthusiastically along with her.
Then, under Erza's leadership, everyone entered the largest living labyrinth in the world of Earth-land.
Meanwhile, at the center of Dogramag's enormous labyrinth, a powerfully built middle-aged man was watching the situation inside the labyrinth through countless crystal balls.
"Hahaha…"
"How interesting! It seems that the little bugs Ignia mentioned have entered my labyrinth. Since that's the case, it's time to proceed according to the plan…"
The middle-aged man as strong as an ox laughed loudly before snapping his fingers.
Suddenly, the labyrinth that had originally been lifeless seemed to come alive!
"Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild! Entertain me to your heart's content! You will offer this God Dragon the most perfect feast for my resurrection!"
The middle-aged man—in other words, the recently resurrected Earth God Dragon Dogramag—spread his arms wide as he stood inside his grand hall, laughing wildly at the crystal balls before him.
"BOOM!!"
In an instant, the entire Dogramag Grand Labyrinth seemed to come alive and began moving!
Meanwhile, Lucy and the others had just entered the labyrinth when the walls suddenly began moving, crushing toward them!
"Babies, fire!"
"Fairy Missiles!"
"Ice-Make: Ice Dragon!"
"Water Flow Slash!"
The instant the walls began moving, Bickslow, Evergreen, Lyon, and Juvia waved their magic circles and attacked the labyrinth walls.
"BOOM!"
However, despite the endless magic power landing on the labyrinth, it didn't leave even the slightest dent, as though their attacks were completely meaningless against the labyrinth.
"Not good! The walls of this labyrinth are comparable to a dragon's hide! Our attacks can't break through them!"
Lyon seemed to realize something and shouted in shock.
"Dodge the labyrinth walls. Give up attacking."
Erza's response was decisive. She seemed to have realized long ago that these labyrinth walls couldn't be destroyed.
In fact, the moment Erza arrived at the entrance to the labyrinth, she had already tried to destroy the walls surrounding the labyrinth.
However, no matter how Erza attacked, the labyrinth walls didn't suffer the slightest damage.
"Okay!"
As Erza's words fell, Lyon and the others nodded and shouted in unison.
Although Lyon and the others' attacks were ineffective against the walls, dodging them was no problem. After all, everyone possessed Observation Haki. Mere walls were simply incapable of posing any threat to them.
"Next, left! Then right, left, left, right!"
The members of Fairy Tail moved like ghosts, easily dodging every single wall.
Thus, after the labyrinth had shaken and trembled for a full ten minutes, the entire labyrinth finally came to a stop.
"Is everyone okay?"
Standing at the very front and having led everyone in dodging all the labyrinth walls coming from every direction, Erza asked the people behind her.
"Safety isn't something we need to worry about! But the path behind us has disappeared…"
Having accidentally taken a spectacular faceplant, Lyon now stood up and dusted the dirt from his body. He turned around and looked at the sealed-off exit behind them before speaking helplessly.
"Looks like someone doesn't want us to leave! Interesting…"
Hearing this, Erza revealed a faint smile. In an instant, the situation had become interesting.
"Yeah!"
As Erza's words fell, Lyon and Bickslow also laughed.
For a moment, the tense atmosphere disappeared without a trace…
"Um… Lucy has disappeared!"
Just as Erza and the others were getting eager for action, Juvia seemed to notice something and helplessly spoke up.
"Lucy disappeared?"
"Don't worry about her. We'll just keep moving forward…"
Erza smiled lightly upon hearing this. She didn't seem concerned about Lucy's disappearance at all.
Especially those eyes of Erza's, which were currently emitting crimson flashes of electricity like stars.
Yes, she had already clearly seen the future…
"Okay!"
After hearing Erza's words, the others exchanged glances before agreeing.
As for suspecting that Erza had done something to Lucy, none of them would ever think of such a thing.
That was the prestige Erza possessed within Fairy Tail!
However, the truth was…
"Ouch! That hurts!"
"Damn it, why did Erza push me just now?"
Lucy was currently sitting in front of a wall. She had originally been hiding perfectly well, but Erza suddenly called her over.
Of course, Lucy didn't suspect Erza at all, so she foolishly walked over!
After Lucy foolishly walked in front of Erza, Erza gently pushed her against the chest.
With Erza's strength, Lucy was sent flying, and before Lucy could react, the passage between her and Erza was sealed by the wall.
"My butt hurts…"
"Forget it! No matter why Erza pushed me, I have to see her first before I can ask her!"
Lucy gently rubbed her butt before standing up from the ground and walking toward the only exit from this dead end.
After Lucy walked out of the passage, she arrived at a dark corridor…
There were five or six pitch-black openings in the corridor, seemingly connecting to other rooms or pathways.
"Which one should I choose?!"
Looking at the various tunnels before her, Lucy's indecisiveness immediately kicked in.
"Sniff, sniff~"
"How strange. I think I can smell Lucy's scent~"
Just as Lucy was wondering what to do, one of the tunnels suddenly lit up with a fiery red glow.
The next second, a pink-haired young man walked out of the tunnel.
"Eh? Natsu!!"
The moment Lucy saw the pink-haired boy, she was startled. Then, she understood everything.
She immediately realized why Erza had suddenly pushed her.
"Lucy!!"
Yes, the pink-haired boy was none other than Natsu, who had previously fainted.
"Natsu!!"
Lucy looked at Natsu, her eyes moist and shining brightly.
"Lucy!!"
Natsu called out Lucy's name once again, and then…
An evil smile appeared on Natsu's face.
"Little ones, come quickly! I've found an enemy of the Fairy Tail Guild!"
Natsu turned around and looked at the people inside the cave behind him before shouting loudly.
"President Natsu, we're coming!"
"Defeat Fairy Tail!"
"Kill!"
As Natsu's voice fell, noisy shouts immediately came from the cave behind him.
"Uh…"
Lucy's smile, which had originally been full of happiness, immediately collapsed after hearing the noisy voices from the cave behind Natsu.
She screamed furiously inside her heart:
"Damn you, Natsu! Give me back all the worry and emotion I felt for you!"
Thinking this, Lucy didn't dare waste any time and immediately ran toward one of the tunnels in the labyrinth.
"Eh? Lucy's running away! Hurry, chase her…"
Seeing Lucy run away, Natsu immediately chased after her.
"Chase her! Charge forward behind President Natsu!"
As for the late-arriving underlings behind Natsu, they all came running over and followed closely behind him.
For a moment, a dramatic scene unfolded inside Dogramag's enormous labyrinth: a beautiful blonde girl running ahead while a group of hooligans continuously chased after her!
"Lucy, where are you going? Stop running~ No matter where you go, even if it's Heaven or Hell, I'll definitely catch up to you~"
Natsu followed behind Lucy with a wicked grin as he spoke.
"Aye~"
The stupid cat Happy flew beside Natsu, excitedly agreeing with him.
"If you said something like that to me under different circumstances, I would definitely be moved! But given the situation right now, I really can't be moved!"
"And Happy, what's with all the 'aye~'?! Stupid cat, lousy cat, damn cat, go die!"
Lucy's round, slender legs were moving incredibly fast at this moment, like a gust of wind, as she continued racing forward!
One had to admit that Irene's training of the Fairy Tail Guild was showing its effects at this moment!
At the very least, not a single Fairy Tail member had poor stamina…
"I'm hurt, Lucy~"
"We haven't seen each other in so long, and this is how you treat me…"
Happy flew beside Natsu and complained unhappily to Lucy.
"Cut the crap…"
Lucy snorted coldly, but her speed didn't decrease. Instead, she accelerated even more.
Just as Lucy and Natsu reenacted the scene of her running away while he chased her, neither of them able to fly high despite Happy having wings because of the cramped space…
Inside the room where Earth God Dragon Dogramag was located, at the very center of the enormous labyrinth, within the Earth God Dragon's temple, the mighty God Dragon Dogramag sat upon his throne, high above like a god among gods.
Suddenly, he sensed something and frowned deeply.
"Something is coming!"
Dogramag raised his head and looked at the ceiling of the labyrinth above him, his brows tightly furrowed. Clearly, he had sensed some ominous magic power.
"BOOM!"
Just as Dogramag's keen senses detected something amiss, the ceiling above his head was violently blasted open!
The next second, three enormous dragons descended from above!
"Ignia, Selene, and… Acnologia?!"
Dogramag's expression changed drastically as he looked at the three enormous dragons. Then, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! So that's how it is? I never expected you, Ignia, to have even brought Selene and Acnologia over! Is that it? We've reached that moment! It's time to let this world once again answer to the era when dragons ruled everything…"
"ROAR!!"
As Dogramag's voice fell, his human body instantly underwent a transformation.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into an enormous dragon whose entire body was composed of rock!
The size of this rock dragon was comparable even to Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia!
Without a doubt… Dogramag was absolutely a dragon on the level of a God Dragon.
However, perhaps because Dogramag had only just been resurrected, the magic power within his body was still somewhat incomplete and had not fully recovered to the level of a God Dragon.
"So you're the one called Dogramag?!"
Just as Dogramag transformed into a dragon and roared excitedly, a young man with brownish-red short hair stood atop Ignia's head with his hands behind his back, looking at Dogramag with an uninterested expression.
"Huh?!"
Dogramag stared at the red-haired youth standing atop Ignia's head, momentarily stunned.
"Who the hell are you?"
Dogramag frowned and shouted coldly at the young man standing on Ignia's head.
"Me? My name is Irene Belserion!"
The red-haired youth smiled faintly and softly answered Dogramag's question.
Yes, that red-haired youth was none other than Irene.
"Belserion?! A dragon's name? Why does this name sound so familiar? Have we met before?"
After hearing Irene's name, Dogramag froze for a moment and fell into thought.
"Whether you know me or not isn't important!"
"Because from now on, you will definitely know me, and you will never forget me for the rest of your life."
Irene looked at Dogramag and spoke.
"Hah? Who the hell do you think I am? How could I possibly never forget you? Don't get so cocky…"
Dogramag frowned and glared at Irene as he roared.
However, before Dogramag could finish speaking, a huge slap was already flying toward him.
That enormous palm grew larger and larger before Dogramag's eyes along with his voice, before finally landing heavily on Dogramag's face.
"BOOM!!"
Accompanied by endless roaring sounds, Dogramag was slapped directly into the wall by Irene.
"Who am I? Where am I? How did I just get slapped in the face?"
At this moment, Dogramag was completely stunned.
Who the hell knew how much damage one big slap could do to a God Dragon who was less than a thousand years old in actual age and had already died once?!
"Respected Earth God Dragon Dogramag, do you remember me now?"
Irene stood in the air with his hands behind his back and smiled warmly at Dogramag.
Throughout the entire interaction with Earth God Dragon Dogramag, Irene used respectful language.
His philosophy was simple: be polite.
The people of Fairy Tail might love beating people up, but they were polite!