Chapter 221: The Black Dragon
"Yeah, it must have been. It was a black dragon.
"It happened in an instant. My entire left side was hit. The result is what you see. If it weren't for the protection magic you put on the guild mark activating in time, blocking most of the attack, I probably would've lost my arm and leg. And then the teleportation magic kicked in, and it sent me here."
Gildarts's voice was still trembling as he recounted the experience, clearly not yet recovered from the shock.
He shook his head, steadying himself, and continued speaking to Noah with a grave expression, "Natsu is always looking for Igneel, and Wendy is looking for Grandeeney... I don't know what kind of dragons they're searching for, but that black dragon is, without a doubt, an enemy of humanity. And it's not something humans can defeat."
"The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, Acnologia... To run into him... I don't know if you're lucky or unlucky," Noah said, looking at Gildarts.
He remembered that in the original story, Gildarts had also met the Black Dragon on Zonia, and in that encounter, he had lost his left arm, his left leg, and suffered severe internal injuries. Noah had thought his influence might have changed that, but Gildarts still ran into him on Zonia. It was likely the Black Dragon had been staying on the mountain, and Gildarts just had the bad luck to run straight into him.
But, thanks to Noah's preparations, Gildarts didn't lose his limbs, only suffering relatively minor injuries. In that sense, his luck was incredibly good.
"Yeah, I don't know if it's good luck or bad," Gildarts said with a laugh. "Based on that dragon's power, I shouldn't have survived. Even if I did, I should be critically injured. But because of the magic you left on the guild mark, I got away with just light injuries. So, looking at the result, I guess my luck is pretty good."
He was relieved to have escaped so lightly.
Noah nodded. "So what's the plan? Are you going to continue the 100-Year Quest?"
Gildarts thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. In my current condition, I can't. I have to give up. The 100-Year Quest is no joke. I'm still not strong enough to complete it."
He was injured before he even saw the real objective. He would need time to heal, and after this encounter, Gildarts felt his own strength was still insufficient. He decided to abandon the quest and focus on training.
"Alright. I'll take you back to the guild. Your injuries will heal faster there."
But Gildarts shook his head, refusing the offer. "No, I can't go back to the guild. Not yet. I just ran into it. I'm afraid it might have some way of tracking me, find out I'm still alive, and come after me. If I go back now, I could lead that danger straight to the guild. For Cana's sake, and for everyone else, I can't go back."
Noah saw the serious look on Gildarts's face and knew he wouldn't return until he was sure he wasn't being followed. Noah considered it and couldn't deny the possibility. After all, Acnologia was insane. There was no telling what it would do. They couldn't take that risk. If it did follow him, the guild would be annihilated.
"So you're going to stay away for a while?"
"Yeah. I'll lay low in a remote, uninhabited place. Once I'm certain it's not coming after me, I'll come back."
Noah agreed with his decision. "Okay. But I'll come check on you regularly to change your bandages and help you heal faster."
"That works. But you be careful, too. After seeing an enemy that strong, I realize I'm still not strong enough. I'm going to use this time to train. At least next time I face that thing, I won't be so helpless."
"In that case," Noah said, "let me upgrade the enchantment on your guild mark right now. My magic has improved a lot these past few years. The next time you take a hit like that, you should be fine."
Gildarts nodded. The enchantment had saved his life; an upgrade was a good idea.
Noah upgraded the mark's magic, strengthening its defensive power and increasing its reaction speed, aiming for it to deploy instantly at the moment of a fatal attack.
After everything was done, Noah teleported Gildarts to a remote wasteland, left him a large pile of supplies and enough potions to treat his injuries, and then returned to the guild.
Gildarts began his new life of training in isolation.
Noah appeared in the guild and was immediately spotted by Makarov. Seeing Noah return alone, he panicked.
"Where's Gildarts? Is he okay? Why isn't he with you?"
Seeing Makarov's panic, Noah quickly walked over and explained in a low voice, "Gildarts is fine, Gramps. He's not back for his own reasons."
He quietly told Makarov everything that had happened. Makarov fell into deep thought.
"If he's worried about that... we have to respect his decision. We can't be sure it won't happen. But we can't let him bear this alone. Since you'll be checking on him, you let me know if he needs anything. I'll handle it."
Noah nodded. If Gildarts needed anything, he would definitely ask Makarov for help.
With the situation temporarily resolved, Makarov relaxed, though he was still deeply worried.
"Gildarts running into the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, Acnologia... I don't know what its appearance could mean..."
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