"Dragon Slayer Seal—Enchant!"
The instant the live rounds were fired, Irene enchanted them with Dragon Slayer Magic.
Even bullets enchanted with the Dragon Slayer attribute could only do minimal damage to Acnologia's scales, but that did not matter.
If they could harass Acnologia and make him angrier, then they had done their job.
The Mages from Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth were not willing to fall behind either.
Whenever the others had a gap between attacks, they threw themselves into the assault with everything they had.
Ichiya especially, after using Power Perfume, joined Elfman's group and started giving Acnologia a very aggressive massage.
The strength they could add was tiny, but Ichiya and the others were still giving it their all.
Even when Acnologia's tail swept them away, none of them backed down.
They simply stood back up and charged at him again with another roar.
After witnessing the combined roars of two dragons and several Dragon Slayer Mages, followed by August's composite Dragon Slayer beam, everyone now understood one thing clearly.
Pick up a weapon and fight Acnologia in close combat!
There was no point expecting things like Etherion to work on him.
Clang, clang, clang—
The sound of weapons striking Acnologia's body rang out again and again, sparks flashing from time to time.
There was even someone using his own iron head.
"Fire Dragon King's Sword Horn!"
Igneel's flames had already been used up, but Natsu could still activate Fire Dragon King Mode.
In giant form, flames wrapped around his entire body until he looked as if Igneel himself had truly appeared on the battlefield, and he rammed straight into Acnologia's abdomen.
Raizel thrust his lance from Acnologia's other side.
By all logic, Acnologia needed to deal with Raizel first.
But he could not.
Irene and Selene kept harassing him from the side.
Whenever he tried to use his roar, Irene, Selene, and even Kurnugi would slam their bodies into him and knock his aim off, leaving Acnologia unable to properly target Raizel.
The same was true whenever he tried to deal with Irene and Selene. Raizel, August, and even Natsu would restrain him in turn.
The fiercest of them all was still Natsu.
To help Kurnugi escape, he directly wrapped an arm around Acnologia's neck.
Giant Laxus grabbed Acnologia's tail and pulled backward as well.
Acnologia could not even change back into human form, because his strength would also drop sharply in that state.
Ultear drove her Arc of Time forward.
The snow on the sacred peak had already been removed by Irene, and seeds from the flowers and grass had scattered during the battle.
Under Ultear's acceleration, those seeds sprouted and grew, binding Acnologia's body.
Whenever Acnologia struggled free, new vines grew to take their place. On top of that, Ur's Ice Rose Garden also began restricting Acnologia's movements.
Everyone seized the chance and unleashed their own skills again.
August leaped high, spinning his magic staff before driving it toward Acnologia.
"Purifying Evil, Manifesting Truth: One Heaven!"
After gathering his strength, Gildarts punched Acnologia.
Lyon and Gray fired Ice Demon's arrows, while Sheria and Orga rushed in with close-range God Slayer Magic attacks.
Kagura slashed with a blade and sword in a crossing strike, while Erza gripped her halberd with both hands and brought it down like she was splitting a mountain.
Mira's claws raked across Acnologia's back in a trail of sparks and lightning.
The Dragon Slayer Mages attacked up close, while Irene, Selene, and Kurnugi tore at him with their claws.
Then Acnologia raised his right claw and swept his tail across the battlefield, forcing everyone back and crushing Ultear's thorns and Ur's Ice Rose Garden to pieces.
Seeing that even this still had not brought him down, everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
"Don't give up! He's already injured! He can't keep this up much longer!" Raizel shouted from the sky.
His enormous shadow blotted out the light, and the overwhelming Magic Power around him, along with the lance in his hand, once again stirred everyone's courage.
"That's right! Give it everything you have! Behind you stands all of us! Your comrades!" Makarov's whole body glowed gold, and his giant form grew even larger.
"Now I'm taller than you!"
After this battle, Makarov's Giant Magic had improved again, and his Magic Power had increased somewhat as well.
He grabbed Acnologia's tail and pulled hard, actually dragging Acnologia back several steps.
But that was not the important part.
What mattered was what Makarov had said.
As the head of Fairy Tail's great family, Makarov was the one most suited to inspiring its members.
"Yes!"
Natsu, Laxus, Erza, Ultear, and the others answered loudly as their Magic Power surged again.
"As expected of Natsu-san!"
Sting and Rogue looked at Natsu and Gajeel, their own Magic Power beginning to rise sharply as well.
"Even I'm fired up for the first time in ages, Master! Purifying Evil, Manifesting Truth: Absolute Heaven!"
Gildarts bared his white teeth in a wide grin, his face full of excitement.
"Hahaha!"
Acnologia's eyes, however, shone with a savage crimson light.
He raised his head and took a deep breath, drawing on all the Magic Power in his body before firing another sweeping Black Dragon roar across the battlefield.
His roar raked over the field.
Everywhere it passed, it sent Jura, Jellal, Ur, Precht, and other once-famous Mages flying.
Fortunately, they had defended themselves with Magic, so at least their lives were not in danger.
But Raizel, Irene, Selene, and Kurnugi roared and slammed into Acnologia again, forcing him back into close combat and cutting off his roar.
Natsu, empowered by Fire Dragon King Mode and his giant form, stood in front of Acnologia alongside Laxus, the two of them pushing against him with all their strength.
They even had time to exchange a grin.
"I'm fired up!"
Natsu's emotions rose even higher, and with the fire of his feelings driving him, the temperature of his flames climbed as well.
When those words came from Natsu, they simply hit differently—bright, fierce, and stirring enough to pull everyone forward.
Laxus and Natsu held the front line.
Behind them, Makarov and Elfman pulled at Acnologia's tail.
Raizel drove his lance straight toward Acnologia's heart, while Selene, Irene, and Kurnugi followed immediately with claw strikes.
But Acnologia's strength was still far too overwhelming.
He dragged Makarov and the others along and smashed past Natsu and Laxus.
Raizel's lance failed to strike his heart, brushing past him instead and leaving a vicious scar across his shoulder.
Irene, Selene, and Kurnugi's claws flashed coldly as they raked across Acnologia's injured areas.
By now, there were not many places on Acnologia's body that were still untouched.
Raizel had punched more than a dozen round wounds into him with the lance, and those wounds were still bleeding.
There were sword wounds from Erza and Kagura, claw marks left by Mira and Kurnugi, and blackened burns on his face from Natsu and Laxus's Demolition Fists.
His abdomen even seemed slightly caved in.
That was from the hard-headed charges of Natsu and Kurnugi.
But Acnologia had his own results as well.
His sweeping tail had already knocked Wolfheim, Jura, and others out of the fight.
Younger or slightly weaker Mages like Sting, Rogue, Sherry, Sheria, Yukino, and Rufus were already exhausted, their Magic Power drained dry.
Covered in injuries, they had retreated to the rear to recover.
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