Chapter 335: You're Threatening Me
"Indeed. There may be no true dragons left in this era… but what if they didn't come from this era?"
"…What do you mean?" Acnologia's brow furrowed, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
"I created the Eclipse Gate four hundred years ago. Due to the eclipse's influence, it connected this age with the age of dragons in the past. Through it, dragons crossed into this era."
The moment Acnologia heard this, murderous intent surged.
All dragons deserved to die. To learn there were dragons in this era made him want to hunt them down immediately.
"Don't be so hasty," Zeref said calmly. "Almost all of the dragons who crossed over have already been killed."
"What?!" Acnologia roared. "By who?!"
He himself had ended the Age of Dragons, exterminating nearly all of them. He understood better than anyone the true terror of dragons. That was why he nearly annihilated every Dragon Slayer mage as well—because without Dragon Slayers, no one could oppose dragons.
Zeref's gaze lowered meaningfully toward the scar across Acnologia's chest.
Acnologia's eyes flared with fury. That scar was a humiliation—an unhealable wound inflicted not by a dragon, but by a human. By that alien anomaly, Su Yan.
"Don't be angry," Zeref said smoothly. "I wasn't mocking you. I was telling you who slew those dragons… and claimed the title of Dragon King."
BOOM!
Magic power exploded from Acnologia, shaking the entire cavern.
"Impossible!!! That man—I already killed him!!"
Of all the foes who had left a mark on Acnologia, Su Yan was one of the few. A human who bore the might of a dragon, and the only one who had scarred him so deeply.
Zeref spread his hands. "Unfortunately for you, no. When you unleashed your roar, the human wizards combined their magic to cast Fairy Sphere. They were sealed away for seven years… and have since emerged unscathed."
"He still lives?!" Acnologia's killing intent surged. "Then I'll finish it. I'll kill him. No dragon can be allowed to exist!!"
He was already preparing to take wing toward Fiore, where he had first crossed paths with Su Yan. To him, razing a kingdom was no more effort than swatting a fly.
"Wait," Zeref said.
Acnologia's glare snapped toward him. "You dare give me orders? Since when have you grown so bold, Black Mage?!"
"I'm not commanding you," Zeref replied coolly. "I'm telling you—the dragon of this era isn't the only one you need to consider."
"…What do you mean?"
"There are five Dragon Slayer children who each harbor a dragon within their bodies. They too came forward from four hundred years ago. Those dragons are near death, but together, they could still stand against you. One among them is the Fire Dragon King—Igneel."
Acnologia sneered. "You think I'd fear them?"
"Of course not," Zeref said softly. "But what if you add that man into the mix?"
"Then I'll tear them all apart as well!" Acnologia's voice thundered. He was the one who had ended the Dragon Era—how could he cower before a handful of survivors?
"I expected nothing less," Zeref mused. "But… wait a little longer."
"What are you plotting?"
"I intend to bring this world to its conclusion."
Acnologia's eyes narrowed with sudden interest.
The two knew each other well—but their bond was far from friendship. Acnologia's obsession was with dragons: to destroy them utterly. Zeref's curse was born from them—his family slaughtered in the Dragon Plague, his life twisted by Ankhseram's curse. Both had suffered, both had become monsters—and both had long used one another.
Zeref wanted death. Acnologia wanted the extinction of dragons. Yet even Acnologia could not kill him.
It had proven one truth: magic alone could not end him. So Zeref created the demons of the Books.
"Yes," Zeref said, meeting Acnologia's gaze. "You've felt it too. His power—Su Yan's—is unlike magic. Perhaps… perhaps he truly could kill me. If I died by his hand, maybe my wish would finally be fulfilled."
"But I've discovered another path. A way to return to the past—not my body, but my consciousness, my memories, carried back to my younger self. If I chose that path, I would no longer be Zeref the Black Mage. I would never study forbidden magic. I would never become immortal. I would live as an ordinary man, grow old with my family… and die."
Acnologia's eyes burned. "Are you threatening me?"
If Zeref truly went back to the past, Acnologia himself might cease to exist. And if Zeref struck him down in his youth, he would have no power to resist.
"I'm not threatening you," Zeref said. "I don't even know what effect it would have—on me, on this world."
"Then what do you intend?"
Zeref's eyes gleamed with finality.
"I will start a war. A war of humans, dragons, and demons. In that war, the fate of this world—and my own fate—will be decided."