Acnologia looked at the devastation caused by his roar, a satisfied expression on his face. After the fusion, he had regained his sanity and also become stronger. Even a coordinated ambush by Dragon King Level dragons might not necessarily be enough to kill him.
In the original story, the Fire Dragon King Igneel could sever one of his arms at the cost of his own demise, but dragons as powerful as Igneel were as rare as phoenix feathers; there were no more than ten in the entire world, and they certainly couldn't be gathered together.
Therefore, in this world, he had nothing to fear!
In the distance, people who witnessed this scene were scared stiff, collapsing to the ground. They screamed 'monster' one after another and fled in panic.
Although Acnologia was in human form, that terrifying power exceeded their comprehension. They could only think of him as a monster stronger than any dragon.
Acnologia had no interest in dealing with these insignificant passersby either. He walked over to the two remaining dragon corpses, gathered a pile of firewood, lit a fire, raised his hand to sever a remaining dragon leg, and propped it over the flames to roast.
Food was scarce in this era. If you wanted to grow crops, you had to rely entirely on magic to accelerate ripening, but the yields were still pitifully low. So, Acnologia had also survived by eating dragon meat, and by now he was utterly sick of it.
He looked down at his clothes. Although his power was peerless in the world, his quality of life was quite ordinary. This cloak and these trousers had been worn all the way into the future, four hundred years later.
"I might be the most slovenly villain in history. I should find a chance to change my clothes somewhere."
He took a bite of the slightly charred dragon meat and muttered to himself in a low voice.
"Hello..."
At that moment, a soldier in armor walked over, trembling. Even though he was trying hard to appear calm, his legs kept shaking uncontrollably, as if he might collapse at any moment.
Acnologia glanced at him and said casually, "What? Do you want some?"
"No, no, no, no, no! I am... I am... I am... from Dra... Dragu..."
The soldier was shaking so badly he couldn't even form a complete sentence.
Acnologia frowned as he listened. He had only killed dragons and hadn't really harmed humans, so why was this guy so terrified?
Actually, he didn't know. Although he didn't exude killing intent, having slain so many dragons, he naturally carried an aura of cold-blooded, an imposing presence that commanded fear without anger.
"Step aside. Come back when you've sorted yourself out."
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Upon hearing this, the soldier hurriedly retreated, hiding to one side to psych himself up.
He had already taken the first step. If he didn't speak up now, this whole trip would have been for nothing.
And... this person in front of him didn't seem to have any intention of killing him.
Soon, he calmed himself down and mustered his courage to approach again.
"Lord Acnologia, our Queen invites you to our Dragunov Royal City to discuss matters of resisting the dragons together."
"The Dragnof Kingdom?"
Acnologia raised an eyebrow, asking in confusion, "Your Queen is Irene Belserion? The founder of Dragon Slaying Magic?"
"Yes!" the soldier quickly nodded.
Acnologia fell into thought. He did remember that part of the story.
Irene was Erza's mother. Due to Dragon Slaying Magic, her body underwent Dragonification. Later, her husband Rung treated her like a monster and locked her in a dungeon, where she was denounced and hunted by the kingdom's subjects.
After fully transforming into a dragon, Irene regained her freedom, killed Rung, and later encountered the Black Wizard Zeref, becoming one of the Spriggan 12, known as the scarlet despair.
Acnologia actually thought Irene's life was quite tragic. Not only did she encounter a scumbag, but in the future, she was also beaten half to death by her own daughter, although she was obviously holding back.
This was a woman whose entire life was lived in tragedy.
"I heard your Queen married a general from a neighboring country, right?" Acnologia asked.
The soldier was taken aback and said, "No, she hasn't. Although General Rung has brought it up, the Queen hasn't agreed yet."
Acnologia nodded, wondering if he should help this woman. As a loyal fan of Fairy Tail, he was quite inclined to change Irene's tragic fate.
However, if Irene's tragedy were averted, what about Erza?
Would she even be born?
Would the future world still be the Fairy Tail he knew?
Acnologia didn't know. Such things were hard to predict. Since he had already regained his sanity, perhaps the plot had already changed. It was best to take things one step at a time.
He looked at the soldier and said, "Lead the way. I'd also like to see what kind of existence the founder of Dragon Slaying Magic is."
"Yes, Lord Acnologia!"
The soldier hastily responded... Dragunov
Upon hearing that Acnologia was arriving, Irene immediately ordered the city gates opened and led several generals and ministers to respectfully welcome him.
"Lord Acnologia, welcome to our Dragnof Kingdom!"
Acnologia stood before Irene, carefully examining this woman.
The current Irene was still somewhat youthful and naive, lacking the mature fullness of the future scarlet despair. Her personality also leaned towards kindness and brightness.
"Lord Acnologia..."
Irene blushed under Acnologia's gaze, momentarily at a loss. As the Queen of a nation, few people usually dared to stare at her like this.
"Make arrangements for me. I'd like to take a bath first and change clothes while I'm at it. The clothes should be black."
Acnologia withdrew his gaze and strode towards the royal city. Many commoners gathered along the road to watch, but not a single one dared to speak.
The rumors about him were too terrifying—some said he had three heads and six arms, others that he used dragon bones to pick his teeth. There were all sorts of versions. He appeared in human form now, but who knew if he might suddenly transform into a demon.
Soon, Irene led Acnologia to an open-air hot spring, where two maids were also present, arranged to serve.
"Lord Acnologia, if there's anything you need, you can instruct the maids to do it," Irene said with a smile.
"That won't be necessary. Leave the clothes on the ground. All of you, get out!" Acnologia shook his head and said.
Whether it was Aegon or Acnologia, neither had ever been with a woman. Being watched while bathing by others was genuinely uncomfortable.
Seeing Acnologia's expressionless face, Irene was inwardly surprised. Acnologia looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven. Could it be he had never been with a woman?
"I feel like you're thinking something rude!"
Seeing Irene lost in thought, Acnologia felt somewhat displeased. Women would only slow down my dragon-slaying speed.
"My apologies, Lord Acnologia. We shall take our leave immediately!"
Irene smiled slightly, saying this as she led the maids out. In her heart, she was already contemplating arranging a woman for Acnologia, or perhaps a romance.
Although the Dragnof Kingdom wasn't particularly large, it wasn't lacking in beauties. If necessary, she, the Queen, could step up herself.
For the sake of the kingdom, she could sacrifice everything.
Moreover, she felt Acnologia's personality wasn't bad; he wasn't as domineering and vicious as the rumors suggested.
"Finally, they're gone!"
Acnologia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew how to kill women, but when it came to communicating gently with them, that was truly asking too much of him. As for Aegon, the transmigrator, he wasn't any good at it either—otherwise, why hadn't he found a girlfriend in college?
He discarded his clothes, jumped into the water, swam a couple of laps, and then settled in to soak quietly. Being alone and free wasn't so bad.