"Run!!"
"Get away from those monsters!!"
The soldiers of Alvarez scattered in terror.
The smoke cleared, revealing Su Yan and Acnologia still standing, unscathed. That clash had only been a probe, yet it carried enough power to annihilate entire armies.
With a single exchange, both had already measured the other.
Acnologia's eyes glimmered dangerously. This human… his power has multiplied. Even a careless blow now carries the weight to wound me.
Eight years ago, he would have crushed Su Yan easily. But now? The thrill of destruction burned hotter.
"I'll tear you apart!!" Acnologia roared, wings unfurling as he lunged.
Su Yan's gaze sharpened.
"You've brought nothing but sorrow to this world. It ends here."
The two dragons charged.
BOOM—!!!
They didn't even touch before the air between them exploded, rippling like a barrier.
The sheer force of Su Yan's Conqueror's Haki clashed with Acnologia's dragon might, birthing arcs of black-and-red lightning that split the skies.
Acnologia's claws glowed with dark power as they raked forward—
but Su Yan's scales blackened under Armament Haki, stopping the strike cold.
Reading his foe with honed Observation, Su Yan twisted, his massive tail whipping around like a mountain-sized club.
CRASH!!
Acnologia was hurled across the battlefield, smashing into the earth and carving a crater.
"Dragon's Roar!!!"
A torrent of black death surged from Acnologia's jaws.
"Humph."
Su Yan crossed his claws, Haki crackling over them, and shoved. The black beam warped sideways, tearing into Alvarez's marching ranks instead.
BOOM—!!!
The blast swallowed tens of thousands. Screams echoed, soldiers evaporated by the dragon's fury.
Su Yan's eyes stayed cold. This is war. They came to invade—then they'll be crushed.
Inside Fairy Tail's guild hall, alarms rang.
"Su Yan and Acnologia are in direct combat!!" Warren shouted over the radar feed. "A huge portion of Alvarez's army—gone in an instant!!"
The map showed two massive lights—blue for Su Yan, black for Acnologia—colliding again and again. Around them, countless lesser lights winked out.
"Damn brats…" Makarov muttered, his brow tight with worry. "To stand against that beast at the end of an era… even Su Yan…"
But the First Master spoke firmly, eyes full of conviction.
"Believe in him. Su Yan is a man who always fulfills his word."
Though her body looked that of a young girl, her wisdom far surpassed most. She could not see the limits of Su Yan's strength, and at times, even she felt as though his gaze carried insight into everything.
"With him there, the western front will hold," she continued. "Zeref and Acnologia are contained. That alone relieves the greatest pressure on all of us."
Yet peace was fleeting.
"Report from the south!!" Warren's voice cut through the hope. "The joint forces of Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus, and Council troops have been defeated at Hargeon! The port has fallen to Alvarez!!"
The guild went silent.
A hundred thousand mages had stood there, but they faced three hundred thousand enemies—along with three of the Twelve Shields. Bombardments from Alvarez's fleet had devastated the town before the fighting even began.
The southern front was collapsing.