The King exclaimed loudly, "It's him! Mr. Rhodes, he's the one who deceived me!"
Rhodes finally came face to face with the so-called mysterious man from the future.
Thick black bangs concealed the man's right eye and half of his face, while his long hair at the back was stark white, tied into a high ponytail. A black tattoo circled his left eye socket, and a scar ran near the bridge of his nose. His slender frame was wrapped in a high-collared cloak, and he wore rare, retro-styled long boots that gave him a vaguely heroic air.
Unfortunately, that impression was completely ruined by his expression.
It was the unmistakable look of someone whose scheme had just succeeded, the kind that made anyone want to punch him on sight.
Almost as if sensing Rhode's thought, the man's body suddenly melted into a black shadow, flowing like liquid along the ground and reappearing at the far end of the (Motherglare ) Earth Mother Dragon's tail, well out of Rhode's immediate reach.
"So sensitive?" Rhodes remarked, almost amused.
The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That's thanks to you people."
For several days now, he had been hunted relentlessly. One particularly sharp-eared bastard had nearly caught him more than once. If he hadn't stayed alert at all times, he would have already been surrounded and captured.
Of course, he had no intention of mentioning that.
Instead, he straightened and adopted a confident pose, as if everything were proceeding exactly according to plan.
"I know you possess a magic that even Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints can't withstand head-on," he said coolly. "So I won't give you the chance to hit me."
"Oh." Rhodes nodded. "So you're admitting you're weaker than Jura."
"I never said that!" the man snapped, then quickly adjusted his breathing and forced himself to calm down.
"Besides, that comparison is meaningless. I command thirteen Dragons. No one can stand against me!"
Before Rhodes could respond, the man raised both arms and shouted loudly:
"@#%*——————!"
Below, the King, Princess Hisui, and the others exchanged confused looks.
"What is he saying?" the King asked.
Rhodes narrowed his eyes slightly. "It sounds like an ancient language."
He had learned a little from Levy and could barely make out one word, name.
"Hahaha..." The man burst into laughter. "You even recognize that? As expected of the most anticipated Ten Wizard Saint of this era."
Growing more excited, he continued, "I might as well tell you. What I just said means: 'All great Dragons, soar through the sky.'"
He spread his arms wide.
"I am Rogue Cheney, the Dragon King of the new era! I will lead the Dragons to restore their former glory and reclaim this world! Submit to me now, cease this pointless infighting, and starting from this city, wipe out all Magicians!"
Below, the King's face turned pale. "That's his objective?"
"Reclaim the world… eliminate Magicians…" Princess Hisui's lips trembled. "Why would anyone..."
The Knights Commander drew his sword and pointed it toward the sky. "Such an evil ambition will never be realized!"
Future Rogue ignored them completely. His eyes never left Rhodes, filled with equal parts triumph and caution, as if constantly guarding against a sudden strike.
Rhodes, however, was fixated on the name.
Rogue Cheney, Sabertooth's Shadow Dragon Slayer.
If he wasn't lying, then this was Rogue from the future.
How had that quiet, introverted kid turned into this?
Rhodes looked at him as one would look at an idiot and asked calmly, "And then what? What exactly do you think shouting accomplishes?"
"Of course it's..."
Future Rogue's grin suddenly froze. Then, little by little, it vanished.
Before he shouted, Dragon fought Dragon.
After he shouted, Dragon still fought Dragon.
"My Dragon Control Magic…" His voice wavered. "That's impossible!"
Still refusing to accept it, he roared again,
"Stop fighting your own kind! Your enemies are human Magicians!"
In the distance, the thunderous sounds of massive bodies colliding continued unabated.
High above, the Purgatory Dragon slammed head-on into its blazing counterpart, like two flaming meteors crashing together.
Explosions of fire and molten fragments burst outward, trailing burning arcs as they scattered through the night sky. They gradually cooled and faded, resembling a magnificent display of crimson fireworks.
The irony was unmistakable.
Chunks of molten debris rained down around the Earth Mother Dragon, and one piece landed squarely on its back, rolling to a stop at Future Rogue's feet.
The glowing red rock cooled rapidly, hardening into an ordinary black sphere, a thin wisp of white smoke curling upward.
It was as if the world itself were mocking him.
"Why…" Future Rogue muttered. "My Dragon Control Magic, why aren't those six Dragons responding at all?"
According to his plan, he had intended to force the royal family into releasing as many Dragons as possible from the Eclipse Gate.
Rhodes would then summon his own Dragons to oppose them.
At that moment, Future Rogue would reveal himself and seize control of all Dragons, those from the past and those summoned by Rhodes, eliminating Rhodes, the greatest variable, and achieving his dream of world domination in one stroke.
Yet now, only the seven Dragons that emerged from the Eclipse Gate clearly responded to him.
The six Dragons summoned by Rhodes showed not the slightest reaction.
Future Rogue clenched his fists and screamed,
"What are those Dragons you summoned?!"
Dragon Control Magic?
Rhodes felt it was utterly absurd.
He had seen control-type magic before. Bickslow's Figure Eyes could be activated through eye contact, forcibly manipulating another person's body. Jellal of Lamia Scale possessed Doll Attack, a spell capable of controlling non-living objects and even temporarily interfering with Lucy's summoned Celestial Spirits.
But neither of those magics could ever control Dragons. If such a thing were possible, battles like this would have ended long ago.
Dragons possessed physiques and spiritual strength far beyond those of humans. By all logic, they were beings that should be immune to control-type magic.
Especially the man standing before him. His magic power was not particularly impressive. How could someone like that possibly control seven Dragons at the same time?
Future Rogue seemed irritated by Rhodes's calm gaze and faint look of disdain. His voice rose with anger.
"It doesn't matter if you refuse to answer. I still have the advantage in numbers. Motherglare, finish him."
The Earth Mother Dragon opened its massive jaws, breath gathering deep within its throat.
Rhodes did not dodge.
Instead, he calmly drew in a breath of his own.
Dragon breath erupted from both sides at the same instant.
Future Rogue was about to laugh at Rhodes's arrogance when his vision was suddenly swallowed by blinding white light.
A thunderous explosion followed.
The shockwave slammed into him like a wall, nearly tearing him from the dragon's back.
"What is this supposed to be…"
He lowered his body immediately, fingers digging into the gaps between the Dragon's scales. The violent wind pressure made it impossible to lift his head or even open his mouth.
His cloak, clothes, and long hair were dragged violently backward, as if he would be torn away the moment he loosened his grip.
As a Dragon Slayer, Future Rogue knew better than anyone how vast the difference was between a Dragon Slayer's breath and a true Dragon's breath.
Yet this man had clashed head-on with the Earth Mother Dragon and survived.
Was he even human?
Above the Royal Palace, a sphere of blinding light more than a hundred meters in diameter bloomed into existence. It was the violent result of the two breaths colliding.
Below, the King, the Princess, ministers, and soldiers were all pressed flat against the ground. The Knight Commander activated the defensive enchantments on his armor, barely managing to shield the royal family from the storm of flying debris.
Even the five Magicians of the Garou Knights, far stronger than ordinary soldiers, could only grit their teeth and endure the gale, unable to take a single step.
The palace spire was torn clean off and flung somewhere into the distance. The rear garden, already devastated once by the Earth Mother Dragon, was stripped almost entirely bare.
Stone walls were riddled with impact craters, saved only by their thickness. Countless fragments slammed into the Eclipse Gate, producing a constant metallic clang.
When the wind finally died down, the scene resembled the aftermath of a massive typhoon.
No one paid attention to the destruction.
All eyes were fixed on the sky.
Rhodes had been pushed back slightly, but he stood completely unharmed.
Princess Hisui gasped in disbelief.
"This is Mr. Rhodes's true strength…"
Arcadios swallowed hard.
"He's practically a human Dragon."
Danton muttered dazedly,
"Now I understand why he said earlier that one or two Dragons would pose no threat to him."
The King felt a wave of shame.
He had failed to decisively deal with Dragons Treasure. If he had acted sooner, Lucy could have closed the gate without interference, and the situation would never have escalated this far.
The destruction of the capital rested squarely on his shoulders.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness," Yukino said softly. "We should retreat to a safer location. If we remain here, we may only hinder Lord Rhodes. If he has to worry about protecting us, he cannot fight freely."
The King looked toward the Hungry Wolf Knights.
"Is there truly nothing we can do?"
Commander Kama answered without hesitation.
"As frustrating as it is, this battle has surpassed our ability to intervene. At this point, causing no interference may be our greatest contribution. Your Majesty, Your Highness, please prioritize your safety."
...
STONES PLZZZzz 💎💎
You can support me and read 30 chapters ahead @Keepsmiling 818 p@reon