The Black Dragon's departure was silent and sudden, just like its abrupt appearance. The night breeze began to flow again, dispersing the oppressive atmosphere that had shrouded the top of the tenrou tree.
Hope stood at the top of the tree in silence for a moment, ultimately just shaking his head.
"How disappointing, wasting my time."
His figure faded into the wind, and in the next second, he appeared on the Stone by the hot spring where the dense steam could be seen. The mist was still thick, automatically creating a soft mosaic over the scenery in the pool.
"Where did you go just now?"
Erza was the first to notice Hope's return. She was still sitting by the edge of the pool with a wet towel pressed against her body, only slightly turning her head. Her silhouette was faintly visible through the mist, her red hair damply clinging to her neck and shoulders.
"A stray dog broke into Tenrou Island, so I, the loyal dog guarding the house for you three, went to take a look." Hope sat down on the Stone and grabbed a handful of small snacks prepared by Mirajane.
"A stray dog? Where are there stray dogs on Tenrou Island?" Cana looked up from the water, her black hair spreading out like seaweed.
"He means another intruder has arrived."
Mirajane spoke softly as she walked slowly from the center of the hot spring, ripples spreading out before her. Even with the mist obscuring her, the elegant curves of her figure were still hazily visible.
"For you to take the initiative to head out, Hope, is that intruder very strong?"
"He's alright, just a bit more powerful than Zeref."
Hope's nonchalant tone immediately piqued the curiosity of the three. Erza frowned, "There's actually someone in this world more powerful than the Black Wizard?"
"Small, your perspective is too small."
Hope ate the snacks one by one, his gaze ignoring the mist to look at the beautiful scenery in the hot spring. "Is it possible that the fellow who entered Tenrou Island and then left isn't human?"
Not human? And even more powerful than the Black Wizard?
Does such an existence even exist in this world?
Just as Erza and Cana gave up thinking, a flash of inspiration hit Mirajane, and she asked tentatively, "Could it be... the legendary Black Dragon?"
Hope nodded approvingly.
"That's the only explanation," Erza said.
Seeing her two companions look like they understood everything, Cana looked confused and raised her hand like an elementary school student, "Who is this Black Dragon you're talking about?"
Hope sighed, "The guy who caused Gildarts to lose his limbs before."
It wasn't Cana's fault for not knowing; in terms of strength, the Black Dragon was above the Black Wizard, but in terms of fame, Zeref far outstripped Acnologia.
Because Acnologia's power was too terrifying.
To prevent certain reckless fools from provoking the Black Dragon and bringing about retaliation and destruction, the Ishgar Magic Council had spent the last few hundred years dedicated to hiding information about the Black Dragon's existence.
This plan was very successful. In this era, the general public had no idea who the Black Dragon was, let alone his world-destroying power.
Only the high-ranking members of the Council, the core figures of various kingdoms, the Ten Wizard Saints, and a few powerful S-Class Mages knew some information about the Black Dragon.
As top-tier S-Class Mages, Erza and Mirajane had naturally learned of the Black Dragon's existence through certain channels. In terms of information, Cana, a newly promoted S-Class Mage, was simply no match for them.
While Mirajane was explaining to Cana, Erza stood up. A long towel covered the vital parts of her body, but her slender legs remained exposed to the night air.
She looked at Hope with a serious expression, "It's said that the Black Dragon's size is even larger than an average dragon. If he came to Tenrou Island, it's impossible for there to be no movement..."
"Because he is both a dragon and a human."
Hope smiled and revealed the information that Acnologia was originally a Dragon Slayer Mage, as well as their conversation at the top of the tenrou tree.
The hot spring fell into a brief silence.
"The Black Dragon specifically came to Tenrou Island to ask you about gods?"
Cana gently toyed with the surface of the water, "Hope, I don't see you drinking. Why are you starting to talk nonsense?"
"I think you're the one who's drunk. It's not good to drink too much while soaking in a hot spring." Mirajane tapped Cana's forehead, turned to sit by the edge of the pool, and looked up at Hope. From this angle, Hope could even see her eyelashes glistening with water droplets.
"Speaking of which, why is the Black Dragon suddenly interested in something?"
Hope shrugged.
There were actually many incomprehensible things about Acnologia.
From the information he knew, Acnologia possessed immense strength and looked down on weak creatures; the only thing he wanted to do was destroy.
Acnologia harbored an extreme hatred for both humans and dragons. After the dragon race was personally wiped out by him, he once claimed he would destroy humanity next.
With his terrifying power, in 400 years, let alone eliminating humanity, he could have destroyed the continent of Ishgar dozens of times over.
Yet, Acnologia didn't follow through. 400 years had passed, and the world was thriving; instead, this big shot had gradually disappeared from the public eye.
Despite having the power to become the king of this world, he had spent centuries silently hiding himself, only emerging when he sensed murderous wars or powerful Dragon Slayer Magic.
After eliminating his targets, he would disappear without a trace once more.
This was very strange. One must know that even in the original manga, Acnologia's philosophy and attitude were never clarified by the end; he was simply written out of the story by a plot-mandated defeat.
However, after a brief encounter with him, Hope felt that Acnologia was less of a 'destroyer' and more like a 'bystander'.
Now that the Black Dragon had set his sights on gods... future developments were becoming more and more interesting.
Cana took a large gulp of wine and grinned, "That's enough. Don't you think sitting there discussing a big black lizard with wings is a waste of this hot spring?"
"You're right. Things like the Black Dragon and gods are too far beyond our level. Enjoying the hot spring is the priority right now." Mirajane chuckled and slid back into the water like an elegant mermaid.
Erza also returned to the hot spring. She hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the youth leaning against the Stone and gazing up at the starry sky. "Hope, do you want to come down and soak with us? The water temperature is very comfortable."
"Eh? Is it really okay?"
Hope turned his head in surprise and immediately saw Mirajane leaning against the edge of the pool, looking at him with a smile, while Cana held up her wine cup from the other side in an inviting gesture.
As for Erza... she had turned her face away, but her reddening earlobes betrayed her current feelings.
Is she shy?
Hope's lips curled up slightly as he unhesitatingly shed his clothes. To hell with the Black Dragon or gods; this moment and this scenery were the only things that were true and real.
And so, amidst the swirling mist, one more person joined the hot spring...
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