Doranbalt teleported directly into the reinforced Worm horde together with a small dragon, then instantly blinked back to his team. He cursed under his breath, "Damn it, what exactly did Fiore's royalty do? Is this situation also considered 'under control' like they claimed?"
Two members of the Council team had just had their shields shattered. Lahar shouted sharply, "You two, fall back! Don't be reckless!"
He quickly surveyed the defensive line, personally striking down several small dragons, before responding to Doranbalt in a low voice. "This was my oversight. I should have pressed for clearer answers when I went to the palace earlier."
The Council had been dragged into this battle without warning. Aside from the King's public announcement of a Dragons attack, they had received no further information.
The only reason they had not withdrawn was their sense of duty as an organization responsible for maintaining stability in the Magic World.
"Still…" Lahar looked up at the multiple battlefields blazing across the night sky and sighed. "The power of Dragons is truly terrifying."
Seven years ago, he had witnessed the Purgatory Dragon's battle from afar, and that memory was still vivid.
Compared to the full-powered assault that destroyed Nirvana back then, Lahar felt that tonight's Dragons were actually holding back due to their two-on-two engagements. Otherwise, the capital would likely already be nothing but ruins.
Doranbalt observed the situation for a moment before saying, "Fortunately, it looks like Mr. Rhodes's Dragons are gaining the upper hand."
At present, the Mountain Dragon was firmly suppressing the Rock Dragon. The Cloud Dragon's agile movements made the Scissor Dragon appear clumsy and sluggish. The Chemtech Dragon held a slight advantage against the Life Prison Dragon, while the Hextech Dragon and the Dark Dragon had inflicted heavy damage on each other.
From a distance, the most violent clash was clearly between the two Fire Dragons. Massive explosions erupted continuously, painting the night sky with grand, fiery spectacles.
Yet despite the prolonged fight, neither had suffered any real injuries.
The Purgatory Dragon was enjoying the battle at first, but after realizing his attacks were having no effect, irritation crept in. "Damn it, what kind of freak are you made of?!"
The opposing Dragon replied coldly, "I am Atlas Flame, the Hellfire Dragon who governs the flames of hell. You cannot harm my fiery body. My hellfire will reduce you to ashes."
The Purgatory Dragon snorted. "Big talk. Fine, burn me all you want. If I don't die, I'll call you my grandson."
"Crude." Atlas Flame had not expected such vulgar bravado from his opponent.
The two resumed their battle without further words. However, as they clashed, the Purgatory Dragon began to sense a familiar aura from Atlas Flame.
Was it that red-haired little girl?
He recalled Freya, and how he had once instructed Rhodes to ask Natsu about her origins.
That memory led him to another realization. Natsu seemed to enjoy eating flames of all kinds.
With that in mind, the Purgatory Dragon subtly adjusted his movements, deliberately guiding Atlas Flame's trajectory toward a certain direction.
"Help!"
A clear, pleasant cry echoed across the sky.
Many Magicians on the ground heard it and felt their hearts clench, wishing desperately that they could fly up and rescue her.
The one calling for help was none other than the Ocean Dragon.
As she had flown across the capital, spreading healing light wherever she went, she had already gained countless admirers.
If there were a "Most Popular Dragon" vote, the Ocean Dragon would undoubtedly take first place.
Unfortunately, no one could reach her.
They could not fly, and more importantly, Future Rogue and the Earth Mother Dragon were pursuing her relentlessly.
Future Rogue's original plan had been to exploit Rhodes's absence, eliminate one Dragon first, and gradually build an advantage.
But he quickly noticed the Ocean Dragon soaring conspicuously through the sky.
Healing Magicians was one thing. Healing Dragons was another matter entirely.
Because of her presence, his side's Dragons were steadily losing ground, while the opposing side grew stronger the longer the battle dragged on.
Future Rogue made an immediate decision.
The green Dragon had to die first.
At first, everything went according to plan. The Ocean Dragon excelled at healing but lacked combat ability. Upon seeing him and the Earth Mother Dragon, she fled without hesitation.
But her evasion skills were absurdly good.
Whether it was the Earth Mother Dragon's attacks or Future Rogue's magic, she always dodged at the last possible instant.
Every move gave the illusion that the next strike would land if they were just a bit faster, yet they never could hit her.
Lucy and Wendy, riding on the Ocean Dragon's back, felt utterly miserable.
Rapid acceleration, sudden braking, sharp turns, spirals, and extreme evasive maneuvers made them feel as if they were riding a roller coaster, a pendulum ride, and a drop tower all at once.
Wendy was certain that if this continued, she would get motion sickness.
"No more time." Future Rogue's expression darkened as he spotted the one person he least wanted to see. "One last attempt. Full power."
Wendy's nose twitched, and her eyes lit up. "Over there! Brother Rhodes is here!"
The Ocean Dragon immediately turned, as if she had seen her savior. Her voice trembled with relief. "Rhodes, help me!"
Rhodes felt a flash of complicated emotion toward this ancient Dragon, who was countless years older than him.
"Listen to me," he said firmly. "Turn around. Breath attack."
Despite her panic, the Ocean Dragon obeyed without hesitation. She stopped mid-flight, spun around, and opened her mouth.
Rhodes happened to land on her head at that very moment. Switching into his Ocean Dragon Soul form, he also drew in a deep breath and opened his mouth.
The Ocean Dragon's Roar.
Head-on came the Earth Mother Dragon's roar, along with Future Rogue's desperate counterattack the moment he realized something was wrong:
"White Shadow Dragon's Roar!"
The Earth Mother Dragon spewed forth a brilliant white breath, the same as before.
Future Rogue's breath, however, was a thick stream of intertwined black and white, like a heavy rope woven from countless fine strands.
Light and shadow, two attributes that should have opposed one another, were strangely fused together, erupting with power far greater than the simple sum of the two magics.
The sensation was eerily similar to the combined magic once used by Rogue and Sting.
By comparison, Rhodes and the Ocean Dragon's breath appeared to be nothing more than water magic.
Yet because the two had spent six long years together, and because their power originated from the same source, their magic merged naturally and seamlessly.
The twin streams of water transformed into an overwhelmingly vast water spell.
It was as if an entire ocean had been lifted into the sky and hurled forward at once, layered with violent rotation and crushing pressure.
Even if the Ocean Dragon disliked combat, she was still a Dragon.
Lucy took one look and knew with certainty that even if Aquarius and Juvia combined their strength, they could never unleash water magic of this magnitude.
When the Earth Mother Dragon's breath and Future Rogue's attack collided with the water vortex, they easily dispersed the outer layer of seawater.
But it was meaningless.
The water was endless.
The vortex rotated continuously, instantly replenishing whatever was scattered, its power never diminishing.
There was no stalemate.
The water vortex rapidly swallowed the opposing attacks and, relying on the nature of water magic itself, ground them down from the inside.
Without any pause, the Earth Mother Dragon's head and neck were engulfed first, followed by her body, wings, and tail.
The usually elusive Future Rogue had no room left to evade. He was dragged into the vortex together with the Earth Mother Dragon.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Their cries of pain dissolved into muffled, distorted sounds, completely drowned out by the thunderous roar of rushing water.
The Earth Mother Dragon was swept away by the overwhelming current, flung into the distance. She smashed through half a street at the edge of the city, then continued tumbling with the torrent until she broke straight through the capital's massive, reinforced outer wall.
The flood surged out through the breach with a deafening roar, though some of the water remained trapped within the city.
Even these remnants placed tremendous strain on the capital's drainage system.
The moat overflowed its banks, spilling into the surrounding wilderness and submerging the drawbridge. Nearby rivers and canals turned violent, nearly triggering floods.
Fortunately, the attack had ended. The water gradually dispersed, and all civilians near the capital had already been evacuated, preventing a greater disaster.
At the breach in the city wall, the Earth Mother Dragon lay on her back, her head tilted awkwardly over the moat.
She spat out several mouthfuls of water and struggled to rise.
Large sections of her scales were shattered, and blood stained the river below, quickly diluted by the current.
"Ugh."
Future Rogue was astonishingly resilient. Even such an attack had failed to kill him.
He tore off his waterlogged cloak, pushed aside the hair blocking his vision, and staggered upright.
His body screamed in pain. His bones felt crushed.
But he had no time to examine his injuries. He knew Rhodes would arrive at any moment.
"Motherglare, take me away!"
The Earth Mother Dragon coughed up another mouthful of water, making no move to comply.
"Hurry, Motherglare!" Future Rogue urged.
This time, the Earth Mother Dragon reacted.
She lowered her gaze and looked down at him coldly, hostility unmistakable in her eyes.
Future Rogue froze.
Could that brief moment of distraction have broken his Dragon Control Magic?
No.
I just need to reapply it immediately.