Dragons, as a race, lacked the concept of family. As such, young dragons were raised solely by their mothers during the breeding season, and would rarely, if ever, meet their fathers.
Therefore, Drake had no idea if Igneel had ever even laid eyes on his son.
However, from what Drake knew, Ignia, unlike his father, was a more "typical" dragon.
Igneel possessed immense power, capable of leveling mountains and evaporating lakes with ease. But this power hadn't robbed him of his gentle nature.
He respected all life, human and dragon alike, which was why Drake held him in such high regard.
Ignia, on the other hand, sought power, and yearned for destruction and battle.
He might not view humans as mere food or playthings like other dragons, but the cold indifference he displayed was enough to warrant caution.
Drake didn't want to believe that Ignia, who had inherited Igneel's blood, was a heartless individual, but the available information forced him to approach Ignia with the utmost caution.
Therefore, Drake had firmly refused anyone else's company, setting off on his journey to find Ignia alone.
Drake actually found some of the plot points in the 100 Years Quest arc rather baffling.
For example, Gildarts had also taken on a 100 Years Quest before, but why had he ended up at the Spirit Peak of Zonia?
The Five Dragon Gods were all located on Guiltina, and Touka, the White Mage, had learned the location of the Water Dragon God in the port town of Ermina, also on Guiltina.
You'd think even Gildarts couldn't be that clueless… though with that old geezer, you never knew.
That aside, let's talk about Touka. Despite her obsession with the Five Dragon Gods, she had remarkably little information about them, making one wonder what she'd been doing for the past hundred years.
She couldn't seal them, but couldn't she at least gather some intel?
Putting aside the Gold Dragon God, who was said to be a conceptual being, and the Moon Dragon God, who could traverse dimensions, the other three shouldn't have been that hard to find, yet she'd only managed to track down the Water Dragon God.
The Wood Dragon God was so massive, with several towns built on its body; did Touka and Acnologia both go blind and miss it?
What, did the main character have to show up before the plot could advance?
And then there was the Flame Dragon God. Drake didn't know what Touka had been thinking, but he had a clear idea on how to find him.
Dragons were living beings, and thus had their own preferences when it came to their living environment. Igneel had created a volcanic pocket within Natsu's body to make himself comfortable.
Ignia, being a fire-attribute dragon, would likely choose a location with a high concentration of fire elements as his habitat.
Rather than relying on maps, Drake used his senses to locate suspicious areas.
There weren't that many places that fit the criteria.
A high concentration of fire elements, and enough magic power to mask the magic signature of a dragon; such places were rare.
So, Drake quickly located a potential target. Looking at the volcanic mountain range before him, Drake could understand why there was so little information about the Flame Dragon God.
Who would willingly come to this hellish place? It would be stranger if Ignia was seen here.
Drake dismissed Chongming, and entered the nameless volcanic range.
Breathing in the scorching air laced with the scent of sulfur, Drake felt his magic power stirring. This only strengthened his conviction that Ignia was hiding deeper within.
Sure enough, as he continued to advance, Drake could more clearly sense the oppressive magic power.
Dragon Slayers were said to be mages who could contend with dragons, but their physical prowess and magic power couldn't compare to those of a true dragon.
Especially when that dragon possessed the name of a god.
Drake could sense the dragon's magic power, and he also smelled that familiar scent. But that also meant that he had been discovered.
Drake stopped. Just as he expected from Igneel's son, the scent was almost identical to Igneel's.
Boom!
Just as Drake was reminiscing about the time he had spent with Igneel, a volcano in the distance erupted.
Lava shot into the sky, piercing the ashen clouds that constantly shrouded the area. Lava rained down, painting the volcano's slopes a dark red.
And Drake noticed a black shadow dancing with the erupting lava in the sky above.
Even as just a shadow, its movements exuded immense majesty and power, because that silhouette belonged to a dragon.
The shadow rapidly grew larger in Drake's vision, becoming clearer.
For a moment, Drake thought he was seeing Igneel, but as it drew closer, he noticed the differences between father and son.
Igneel, as the Fire Dragon King, had been through countless battles, and bore many scars.
The approaching dragon, however, lacked such battle scars, and its scales had black markings that Igneel didn't possess.
The dragon flew straight towards Drake, the resulting wind dispersing the sulfurous fumes.
Hovering above Drake, a smile appeared on its face, a face that bore a striking resemblance to Igneel's.
"That magic power, that scent… you must be one of the children Igneel raised, then?"
Drake looked directly at Ignia, replying, "So you recognized me! It seems you've been paying attention to Igneel's affairs."
Ignia let out a deafening laugh, saying, "Of course! Igneel was the Fire Dragon King, the strongest dragon I knew, and the goal I set for myself. Of course I'd pay attention."
Drake clicked his tongue, "I thought it was because he was your father, bound to you by blood, that you couldn't rest easy!"
Ignia said disdainfully, "Emotions are for weak humans; dragons don't need such cumbersome things.
Surpassing Igneel; that's all he means to me."
Saying this, he glanced at Drake, "Perhaps there's one other thing: which is stronger, Igneel's biological son, or the child he raised? I'm hoping you can help me answer that question."
Drake shook his head, saying, "It seems we won't be able to communicate through words. Since we're both Igneel's children, let's settle this in a more direct way!"
Ignia threw his head back and laughed, his expression turning cold: "Well said! I'll admit it; having inherited Igneel's power, you're worthy of being called my brother!"
Just as Ignia spoke, Drake appeared before him in an instant, a full-power Fire Dragon's Iron Fist slamming into Ignia's face.
The force of the punch was immense, sending Ignia's massive body staggering backwards.
Drake exhaled a plume of white breath, saying coldly, "What a joke; you're no brother of mine!"
Ignia righted his head, which had been knocked askew, saying, "Not a bad punch; as expected of Igneel's child! But you're still far from my level. Very well, then…"
Saying this, Ignia's massive body flickered, shrinking and transforming, eventually taking on a human form.
Ignia's human form was that of a young man, his bare torso and face covered in black markings.
Drake frowned; for dragons, their true form was where they could unleash their full power. Taking on a human form would only limit their strength.
Ignia's decision to fight him in human form was a blatant display of contempt.
Although he was annoyed, Drake had to admit that Ignia in his dragon form had been far too oppressive.
At least with Ignia in human form, Drake didn't feel like he was guaranteed to lose.
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