Night fell, and the ceaseless, whistling cold wind stirred up the sand on the ground, carrying a strange sense of loneliness.
Acnologia sat alone on the sand. The cold wind blew, and he looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky, his thoughts drifting far away.
"Teacher..."
A voice came from behind him. He turned his head and saw Grandeeney, who had transformed into human form, wearing a pink dress, her eyes curved, and a smile playing on her lips.
"Grandeeney?"
"What are you doing here?"
Grandeeney walked over and sat down beside him, smiling innocently, "Seeing you lonely by yourself, I came to keep you company."
Acnologia curled his lip: "Idiot!"
"Hey! I kindly came to talk to you, and that's what you call me." Grandeeney pouted, looking quite unhappy.
Acnologia didn't comfort her; this silly woman could regulate herself. He asked, "How are the four of Igneel doing with their injuries?"
Grandeeney said irritably, "They won't die!"
With hundreds of Human Mages treating an injured dragon, as long as they hadn't breathed their last, they would all be restored to their original state.
Seeing Acnologia fall silent again, Grandeeney thought of something and couldn't help but say, "I saw you slaying dragons during the day. You looked terrifying on the battlefield."
Biting off an Evil Dragon's neck in one go—that insane look made even her tremble with fear, afraid that Acnologia might eat her too.
She hesitated, "I feel like your sanity might be somewhat consumed by the slaughter..."
Hearing this, Acnologia slightly frowned but did not deny it.
When he first fused with the soul, he could completely control his power, but as he bathed in Dragon Blood and his magic power surged, tyrannical emotions gradually accumulated in his heart, and the initial feeling of being unable to control the killing resurfaced.
However, he can still remain clear-headed now. There shouldn't be a problem within a year.
"Do you have any way to strengthen the soul?"
His talent was a notch higher than in the original work; even without cultivation, his magic power and body would spontaneously grow stronger. His only weakness was his soul.
If his soul could keep up with the speed of his strengthening, the situation of becoming tyrannical and demonic certainly wouldn't occur again.
Grandeeney shook her head and said, "No. Few dragons enjoy studying, let alone researching something as ethereal as the soul. You could try asking the humans."
Acnologia nodded. That was true; he could tell just by looking at Fire Dragon King Igneel and the others.
He suddenly remembered that his Devouring Magic could even consume souls. If he could convert the devoured souls into his own soul power, perhaps he could solve this trouble.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar startled everyone. Believing it was an Evil Dragon attack, they all rushed out with their weapons.
Immediately afterward, an unprecedented White Dragon soared up from the center of the camp. A roar of white magic power blasted into the formation, raising a destructive mushroom cloud and instantly causing countless casualties.
Fire Dragon King Igneel was the closest. After reacting, he immediately shot into the sky, using his massive Dragon Claw to press the White Dragon's head, slamming it hard into the ground.
However, the White Dragon's entire body was filled with madness. It struggled wildly, and roars from its mouth erupted recklessly, shooting straight into the sky.
"This White Dragon is insane!"
Fire Dragon King Igneel was horrified and quickly locked the White Dragon's throat, suppressing it firmly.
Acnologia arrived instantly. Seeing the White Dragon whose eyes were filled with scarlet tyranny, he knew it had completely lost all reason.
This White Dragon was a human who had transformed into a dragon, just like him, but it was even more thoroughly insane than he had been initially.
"What's going on? I haven't seen this White Dragon before. It doesn't seem to be one of ours?" Grandeeney asked, confused.
"Is this an Evil Dragon?"
Many Kingdom Generals also gathered. The White Dragon's roar earlier had nearly scared them to death. Fortunately, they had activated the defensive magic circle in time, preventing greater harm.
Acnologia said, "It's Dragonification, a human transforming into a dragon—the final outcome for a Dragon Slayer Mage."
A Dragon Slayer Mage asked in panic, "Are you saying... everyone who learns Dragon Slaying Magic will Dragonify?"
Everyone nervously looked at Acnologia, hoping to get a negative answer from him, but they were disappointed.
Acnologia's expression was cold: "Even I am going to Dragonify. Do you think you can escape it?"
"How could this happen?"
"No! I don't want to become a monster!"
"I am human, this is absolutely impossible!"
Many Dragon Slayer Mages looked terrified, some even going mad. They learned Dragon Slaying Magic precisely to slay dragons, yet they never expected to become dragons themselves.
If that was the case, what exactly did they learn Dragon Slaying Magic for?
"Is there a way to avoid Dragonification?"
Someone asked.
To put it bluntly, they had always considered Acnologia a half-human, half-dragon monster, and if they were also forced to become like that, they simply couldn't accept it.
Acnologia said coldly, "Abolish your Dragon Slaying Magic!"
After speaking, he ignored the panicked crowd and turned to leave.
During this Human-Dragon War era, abandoning Dragon Slaying Magic meant death. He believed they would figure out how to choose.
Fire Dragon King Igneel asked, "Teacher, what should we do about this White Dragon?"
"Kill it!"
Dragonified humans with weak willpower mostly turn into madmen who know only slaughter. Death is their best destination.
Even he went mad until The Very End, so there was no need to save this White Dragon.
Many Dragon Slayer Mages couldn't bear it and pleaded, "Lord Acnologia, this White Dragon is our comrade. Isn't it too cruel to just kill him like this?"
They, too, would Dragonify. The White Dragon's fate today was their future, and no one wanted to die at the hands of their own comrades.
Acnologia looked at the speaker and said casually, "How about I hand him over to you to handle? As long as you can restore his sanity, I can grant any request you have, even if you want to go back and be a King in the rear."
That Mage looked delighted: "Is what you say true?"
Acnologia looked at the other Mages and said lightly, "I'm not so heartless as to give no chance at all. If any one of you can restore the White Dragon's sanity, then you will be the hero of this era, and even I will be grateful to you."
"At that time, you will possess everything you desire!"
Watching the many Mages eager to try, Acnologia also held a slight glimmer of hope.
Three mediocre people are better than one genius—with such a large group, it's hard to guarantee that a true genius won't emerge.
Of course, he also needed to kill a few Evil Dragons and test his method. If he could continue strengthening his soul, he would reach a brand new domain.