Sea Dragon Levia was probably the most tragic dragon of them all.
Three Dragon Slayers breathing attacks from above, combined with two dragons tearing viciously at his wings, left him tumbling through the air. In that moment, he barely looked like a dragon anymore, more like a battered lizard falling helplessly from the sky.
Rhodes ended his suffering quickly.
Right in front of Atlas Flame, he calmly and skillfully extracted Levia's heart and condensed it into a magic crystal.
Not much emotion could be seen on Atlas Flame's body, which was entirely composed of flames, yet Natsu couldn't help but feel that the heat surrounding his "uncle" was no longer as intense as before.
"If I hadn't met Natsu earlier, then I…" Atlas Flame seemed to glimpse his own possible fate.
Even with his pride, he had to admit that Rhode's strength was more than enough to qualify him as an opponent.
And when you added those other dragons into the equation;
He truly didn't have much chance of winning.
For Igneel's sake, he decided, it didn't really matter if he didn't side with the opposition.
Natsu, meanwhile, had no objections to Rhodes actions. A dragon that clearly harbored hostility toward humans was no different from the monsters they hunted during normal missions.
Extracting useful materials from a defeated enemy was only natural.
Rhodes stored away the third Dragon Slayer magic crystal obtained that night and said, "Let's go. Finish the rest quickly, then go back to sleep."
The battles that followed were even less suspenseful.
The Purgatory Dragon and the Chemtech Dragon had already dealt with the Life Prison Dragon, leaving it barely alive for Rhodes to finish off personally.
The Scissor-Runner Dragon was firmly suppressed by the Cloud Dragon, then swiftly overwhelmed by the combined assault of the Hextech Dragon, Atlas Flame, Rhodes, Natsu, and Wendy.
He attempted to flee but failed, dying on the spot and becoming Rhodes fourth Dragon Slayer magic crystal.
The final remaining powerful enemy was the Rock Dragon, Asbiote.
After Laxus and Gajeel returned to check on the guild, they chose to assist the Mountain Dragon. Two Dragon Slayers and one dragon battered the thick-skinned rock dragon relentlessly, forcing it back again and again.
The Ocean Dragon, having finished healing large numbers of injured people, wandered over to watch the fight. Encouraged by the Mountain Dragon, she even mustered the courage to assist with a few attacks.
By the time Rhodes arrived, Asbiote was barely clinging to life, completely pinned to the ground.
Rhodes reassigned the Chemtech Dragon to guard Asbiote remains, while the Ocean Dragon resumed searching for injured survivors to heal.
All remaining dragons, including Atlas Flame, gathered at the scene.
Several Dragon Slayers and both Lucys were present as well.
Lucy looked at Rhodes eagerly. "So… is it finally over? Did we win?"
"Yes," Rhodes nodded. "Now only the remaining small dinosaurs are left."
In truth, there weren't many of them anymore. Voidmites were already swarming across the capital, and both the Magicians and the Kingdom's army were cleaning up the rest. It wouldn't take long before everything truly ended.
Everyone understood this, and smiles appeared across their faces.
Only Future Lucy stood frozen, feeling an overwhelming sense of unreality.
Seven dragons, well, six, had been defeated just like that?
Although the Dragon Slayers had all contributed, when she recalled the entire night's battle, it felt as though Mr. Rhodes alone could have resolved everything.
To have such strong and reliable companions…
This guild was incredibly fortunate.
No, this entire world was.
Natsu, as carefree as ever, patted Future Lucy on the back. "Don't worry. Didn't Rhodes say it already? Things on your side will definitely work out too."
Future Lucy looked at Natsu's bright smile and nodded firmly. "Mm!"
"What about this guy?" Gajeel pointed at the Rock Dragon, cracking his knuckles eagerly. "Should we kill him?"
Those brats from Sabertooth were always boasting about slaying dragons, and now his hands were itching.
"Hm… I've got a bold idea," Rhodes said after a moment's thought. "Wait here."
Not long after, Rhodes returned with a bewildered Elfman and Lisanna in tow. Out of curiosity, Mira followed as well.
"So this is the dragon that caused all the trouble today?" Elfman asked, confused. "But… why did you bring me here?"
Rhodes pointed at the Rock Dragon.
"It's simple. I want to ask whether you'd like to try Take Over on him."
Elfman froze.
"T-Take Over?"
Everyone else was equally stunned.
"Take Over… a dragon?!"
Rhodes nodded calmly.
"Yes. I think this rock dragon's temperament suits you quite well. This is a rare opportunity to grow stronger, once it's gone, you won't find another like it."
"This..." Elfman stammered, unable to finish his sentence.
He had never imagined he'd be given a chance to Take Over a dragon, much less one that had just fought so fiercely. And honestly, he had no confidence he could succeed.
Atlas Flame, who had remained nearby to observe, spoke up instinctively.
"This is impossible. A human cannot Take Over a dragon..."
Midway through his sentence, he stopped and looked at Rhodes.
This human's magic didn't resemble Dragon Slayer Magic at all. Instead, it felt disturbingly similar to appropriating a dragon's power itself.
How was that even possible?
Mira frowned slightly, concern evident.
"Isn't this extremely dangerous? Dragons have powerful resistance to magic. Take Over Magic shouldn't work easily on them."
Rhodes replied evenly,
"The Rock Dragon is already in critical condition. If necessary, we can weaken him further. In this state, his resistance will be greatly reduced. Wendy and I can also reinforce Elfman beforehand. The chance of success isn't low."
Lisanna tilted her head.
"Then why don't you Take Over him, brother-in-law?"
"I already possess Mountain Dragon power," Rhodes answered.
"The attribute overlaps too much. Taking this one wouldn't give me anything new."
He then looked at Elfman.
"Didn't you always want power strong enough to protect your family?"
That sentence struck home.
Elfman clenched his fists, lips pressed together. After a moment, he spoke quietly,
"I'm afraid…"
Afraid of losing control again.
Everyone understood what he meant, the Beast King incident, the pain that followed, and the fear that still lingered.
Rhodes smiled faintly and gestured toward the dragons surrounding them.
"It's fine. Even if you lose control, go ahead."
He added lightly,
"I promise I won't kill you."
"That somehow doesn't make me feel better," Elfman muttered, swallowing hard.
Especially when the nearby Purgatory Dragon looked almost interested, as if it were hoping for chaos.
Shaking off the thought, Elfman took a deep breath.
Come to think of it, his brother-in-law had already accounted for every risk.
Just like always, on missions, in battles, Rhodes was the one covering his blind spots.
I need to become stronger.
Finally, Elfman looked at Mira and Lisanna.
"Sister… Lisanna. I want to try."
Mira didn't hesitate. She clasped Elfman's hands firmly.
"Then do it. I trust Rhodes, and I trust you."
Lisanna smiled up at him, squeezing his other hand.
"You can do it this time, Elfman."
Just then, Rhodes added casually,
"Oh, by the way, there's also a fish-like dragon nearby. It still has one breath left. If you're interested, Lisanna, you could try Take Over as well."
"Huh?!" Lisanna's jaw dropped.
...
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