"Damn it!!"
The vast Alvarez army, once confident in their overwhelming numbers, now stood paralyzed. Against Su Yan, numbers meant nothing.
General Winter Invel's face twisted. Years of cultivating soldiers, building up an army mighty enough to conquer entire continents—reduced to uselessness before one man. All of it… wasted.
But Zeref only smiled faintly.
"Calm yourself, Invel. Do you not see his power?"
Invel froze, then exhaled slowly. He understood now why His Majesty had split their forces against Fairy Tail. Before Su Yan, numbers could become a liability.
"Your Majesty, allow me to deal with him personally." His voice was cold and sharp.
But Zeref shook his head. "No. It may be slow, but the reinforcements I summoned will arrive soon."
And then—
"Ao—!!!"
The sky itself seemed to crack from the dragon's roar.
Fairy Tail Guild
Warren's voice broke through the guild hall, panicked.
"On the western battlefield! A massive magical creature is approaching fast—it's headed straight for them!!"
Everyone turned to the projected screen.
Makarov's face went pale. "…No…"
The First Master whispered what they all feared:
"Acnologia."
"Already?!" Gasps filled the guild.
The war had barely begun, yet the Black Dragon had descended. With Su Yan at the western front, their strongest card would now be locked against Acnologia. The Alvarez army could move freely.
Mavis' expression tightened. If Su Yan is bait, then Alvarez's main force is the prey. And everyone else… collateral.
Western Battlefield
Every soldier looked up as a black dot grew in the sky.
The air vibrated, heavy with despair.
Then, with a single beat of wings, it arrived.
The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.
The Feather of the End.
Acnologia.
"ROOOOOAR!!!"
The shockwave alone shattered cliffs and splintered forests. Stones rained down, crushing soldiers where they stood.
"Uwaaahhh!!!"
"Run!!"
"Ughhhh!!"
And then the breath came. A torrent of blackened destruction, swallowing everything before it.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
When the smoke cleared, one-tenth of Alvarez's million-strong army had been obliterated. Screams echoed, bodies fell. At least 20,000 lives snuffed out in an instant.
Back in Fairy Tail
Warren's voice cracked with disbelief.
"On the western battlefield—the Alvarez army—20,000 magic signatures have vanished!!"
"What?!"
The guild was stunned. Acnologia hadn't come for them. He had struck Alvarez's main force.
Mavis' eyes narrowed. No… he isn't on anyone's side. To him, humans are insects. His target is Su Yan, and the rest are merely unfortunate enough to be caught in the storm.
On the Battlefield
The Alvarez soldiers quaked in terror. Even Invel's cold mask faltered, his jaw tightening.
"So this… this is the monster His Majesty fears." His hands trembled despite himself.
But Zeref's face remained unreadable, as though he had expected it all. To him, soldiers were pawns, nothing more.
"Spread out. March on Fairy Tail. Secure the Heart of the Fairy. Only then can we claim victory."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Invel snapped back to duty, though his eyes lingered on the black dragon above.
Su Yan raised his gaze to the cliff where Acnologia landed. His eyes locked on the beast's chest—where a jagged scar still burned.
The scar he had left back on Sirius Island.
"Human…" Acnologia's voice was a rumble of death, his eyes narrowing in recognition. "…You still live."
The dragon's gaze ignored Zeref entirely. For all of the Black Mage's infamy, he was still just a human.
But Su Yan—he was the only one who had scarred the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.
The only one worthy of its attention.