The Anima magic circle was engraved within the palace, but the problem now was that Faust simply didn't have enough magic power to activate the spell.
Under Hopeless's repairs, Edolas's depleted magic power had begun to reverse and recover, but everything takes time; the previous deficit was so severe that the current speed of magic production was still very slow.
Fortunately, Faust still had some magic crystals stashed away in a secret chamber of the palace. After all, as a king who once held centralized power, having a small private vault was perfectly normal.
Just as Faust was about to act, the Sky suddenly darkened.
Acnologia's massive silhouette loomed over the entire palace, those golden vertical pupils scanning the ruined city as if looking down at a swarm of ants.
Finally, he looked at Hopeless, who was lying amidst the palace ruins without a single unbroken bone in his body. "You look exactly like that person, but your strength is far inferior."
Hopeless naturally guessed that the Black Dragon was talking about Hope. He really wanted to flip him off; he was human, so how could he compare to these two monsters who were basically bugs...
Seeing that Hopeless couldn't even stand up, Acnologia raised his dragon claw indifferently, aiming it at the palace. "It seems the strength of you, this bullshit god, is only at this level. You truly disappoint me."
"I said... I... am not a god..." Hopeless raised his head with difficulty.
Despair Emperor Hopless said no more. Magic power gathered, and black light compressed into a tiny point between the dragon claws—a force sufficient to level the entire palace.
Faust's legs gave way, and he slumped to the ground.
Hopeless closed his eyes in frustration.
Just then... the Sky of Edolas tore open at that moment, and a spatial tunnel surrounded by a circular flow of water opened between the Royal Capital and the Black Dragon.
Hope stepped out from the Wings of Water.
Not going to lie, this magic is actually quite useful. In the future, I won't even have to travel when going out; I can just open Wings of Water and reach the destination directly. It feels a bit like the Sorcerer Supreme's portals from Marvel next door.
Just as he stepped out of the Wings of Water, the black light between the dragon claws came crashing down.
Facing the overwhelming pressure, Hope didn't even bat an eye. With a casual wave of One Hundred Thousand Horsepower, he blocked all the attacks that were enough to destroy the palace.
The energy shockwave dispersed in all directions, kicking up a gust of wild wind.
Hope looked up, meeting the Black Dragon's white dragon pupils, and said with some surprise, "Yo~ Isn't this Little Black? Why did you come to the world of Edolas?"
The tone was as familiar as meeting an old friend, but after Hope said those words, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Acnologia's dragon claw stopped in mid-air.
Little Black... you really dare to call me that...
My name is... Eh? What was it again?
Actually, Acnologia wasn't the Black Dragon's original name at all, but the name of a dragon that slaughtered his hometown. It was for revenge that he stepped onto the path of becoming a Dragon Slayer Mage.
But with the slaughter, having bathed in countless dragon blood, he was never able to find his enemy. Gradually, he forgot his original name and only remembered the name of his enemy... Acnologia.
Over time, this name became his...
Recalling bad memories, the Black Dragon suddenly felt a bit annoyed. The mood to fight Hope just now was gone; what a buzzkill.
Seeing that Acnologia had no intention of attacking further, Hope breathed a sigh of relief. If they really fought, he could block the Black Dragon's attacks, but the mere aftershocks of their battle could level this city.
That's just how it is when you're too strong.
The man and the dragon landed. After learning a bit about what happened from the Black Dragon's mouth, Hope didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Ankhseram threw you into a spatial rift, and you just drifted all the way to Edolas?"
"Yes."
"And then you started fighting that guy?" Hope jerked his chin toward Hopeless in the ruins.
"He looks exactly like you and has the aura of a god on him. I was venting a stomach full of anger at the time." Acnologia's voice carried a hint of matter-of-factness.
Hope: "..."
So you bastard just simply wanted to find someone to vent on, huh.
Hopeless is really unlucky to the core...
"Um..." Hopeless's weak voice came from behind. "Are you two done talking? If you're done, can you save me first? I feel like I'm dying..."
Hope looked back at the other version of himself lying in the ruins, with no telling how many bones were broken, and raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, this miserable state of yours... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before?"
"Nonsense. Last time I was possessed by the God of Despair, you also beat my body into this state."
"Hehe... This time it has nothing to do with me. It's just your bad luck, being used as a punching bag to vent someone's anger."
Hope walked over, squatted down to check his injuries, and clicked his tongue twice. "Thirty-seven broken bones, internal organs displaced, magic power exhausted, physical strength overdrawn... It's alright, you won't die."
"This is called 'alright'?!"
"Didn't you also fail to get up last time?"
Perhaps because they were Counterparts, the two seemed to have endless bickering. Hope reached out his hand, and a soft white light of healing magic appeared in his palm.
Hopeless only felt his body lighten, and those broken bones and damaged organs all healed as good as new within a few short seconds.
"Thanks. Please restore the Royal Capital as well." Looking at the destroyed capital, Hopeless spoke without standing on ceremony.
"You're really not being polite."
"Of course, we're brothers."
Hope curled his lip. As expected of another me, this thick skin is actually on par with my own.
He snapped his fingers, and the destroyed city buildings returned to their previous state under the influence of Time Arc.
After handling the trivialities, Hope looked at Acnologia. "You should be able to turn into a human, right? Don't you think a human palace is a bit cramped for a dragon?"
Acnologia snorted coldly and transformed into human form. "Ankhseram's aura leaked out when he was dealing with you. When will you two face off again?"
He wants to use me as bait...
It seems the temptation of killing a god is truly great for the Black Dragon.
Hope hummed in thought. "I resurrected a dead person, which is what led Ankhseram to target me. If you want to lure Him out, let's wait until the next time I resurrect someone."
Hopeless, standing nearby, felt his heart racing. That was resurrecting a dead person—what did his other self mean by that casual tone? Is he already this powerful now?
Hope then said to Acnologia, "I can send you back to Aslant, but I need to bring a few companions over first."
Acnologia ignored Hope. What was the point of telling him this? Was he mocking him for being a loner?
Wings of Water opened again, and Erza and the others were teleported over. When he saw Acnologia's human form, the originally excited Natsu's pupils shrank.
"Black Dragon!"
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