The dragon's power was still far too overwhelming.
Even with multiple layers of reinforcement from Rhodes and Wendy, Elfman nearly exhausted all his magic power after attempting to Take Over the Rock Dragon.
He never even reached a "complete form." Instead, he briefly transformed into a towering stone giant before collapsing with a deafening crash, smashing a crater into the street as he reverted to his original body.
The Purgatory Dragon looked down at Elfman with clear disappointment.
Seeing that no fight was forthcoming, it reluctantly shifted its gaze toward Lisanna instead.
Lisanna shivered under that stare and hurried to her brother's side.
Rhodes applied healing magic to Elfman, allowing his condition to stabilize. After checking him carefully, he turned to Mira.
"It's nothing serious. He just fainted," Rhodes said calmly. "My brother-in-law still needs more training."
Mira finally relaxed and smiled.
"I'll make sure to keep a close eye on him."
Rhodes then turned his attention to Lisanna.
"Next is you."
"I..I can't," Lisanna said with a wry smile. "Even Elfman struggled this much. My magic power isn't nearly as high as his, and Animal Soul isn't exactly suited for dragons."
Even so, this opportunity was too rare to ignore.
Rhodes brought her to the Life Prison Dragon, whose fish-like characteristics were unmistakable.
Lisanna tried several times, pushing herself to exhaustion, but no matter what she did, the Take Over failed to take hold.
Breathing heavily, she lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, brother-in-law. I wasted your time."
"There's no need to force it," Rhodes said gently. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work."
He then handed her a magic crystal.
"Keep this Dragon magic crystal. If you want, you can choose to become a Dragon Slayer in the future."
"Eh?" Lisanna froze. "Then why did Elfman have to Take Over the Rock Dragon?"
Rhodes explained patiently.
"A successful Take Over grants immediate combat power. Even if your magic reserves are limited, you can use partial transformations and reserve full Take Over as a trump card."
He continued,
"Implanting a Dragon magic crystal, on the other hand, only gives you the potential to learn Dragon Slayer Magic. How strong you ultimately become depends entirely on your own effort."
Even with the same magic crystal, implanting it into Laxus would produce a completely different result than implanting it into someone like Macao.
The initial boost might be significant, but long-term growth was individual.
Additionally, Rhodes had only recently learned from the Jade Dragon's lingering consciousness that Dragon Slayer Magic carried the risk of dragonification.
He wasn't sure whether second-generation Dragon Slayers faced the same danger, but that concern was far in the future, Lisanna would first need to reach Laxus's level.
"I see…" Lisanna nodded slowly. Becoming a Dragon Slayer didn't sound so bad after all.
And as for training, there were plenty of Dragon Slayers in the guild she could learn from.
Rhodes patted her shoulder lightly.
"Don't worry. Your sister will be very free soon. Perfect timing for her to supervise your and Elfman's training."
"Ah."
Lisanna suddenly felt the urge to withdraw that thought entirely.
With no further need for the magic crystals, everyone dispersed to help eliminate the remaining small dragons scattered throughout the city.
At Rhodes's command, the Purgatory Dragon and the others also moved out, primarily to protect the exhausted Magicians.
After such prolonged combat, many of them were dangerously low on magic power.
As Mira prepared to leave, Rhodes called after her.
"Tell Erza that the dragon corpses are located at specific sites. If she's interested, she can collect scales, teeth, and other materials to craft weapons and armor."
He added,
"The hearts were turned into magic crystals, so the remaining magic power will dissipate quickly. If she arrives too late, the material quality will degrade."
Mira nodded.
"Understood."
"One more thing," Rhodes continued.
"The Jade Dragon mentioned that Acnologia grew stronger by bathing in dragon blood. If Natsu and the others are interested, they can try preserving some."
He paused briefly.
"Though it might not literally be about bathing in blood. It's more likely about absorbing the unique magic within it to enhance Dragon Slayer Magic. Either way, they'll need to be careful about side effects."
He waved it off lightly.
"Let the Dragon Slayers research that themselves."
"Mhm." Mira nodded and made a mental note.
Rhodes then added, "Tell Future Lucy not to rush. After we interrogate Future Rogue, if we uncover anything useful, she can take that information back with her.
"Someone should also keep watch over the Eclipse Gate, let the Master arrange that. And tell Wendy not to push herself too hard. The Ocean Dragon has already treated most of the injured; the rest can be handled by the royal capital's medical teams."
Mira sighed softly and reached up, gently touching Rhodes's face."You worry far too much. You're the one who's the most exhausted, yet you keep telling everyone else not to overexert themselves."
"…"
Rhodes smiled faintly. "I'll rest once I finish this last bit."
True to his word, Rhodes continued working without complaint, methodically refining the remaining magic crystals before finally heading back to rejoin his companions.
Along the way, whenever he passed other guilds still engaged in cleanup, he couldn't help offering brief assistance. Each time, he was met with stunned looks of admiration.
When he returned to Fairy Tail's temporary encampment, Mavis, Chico, Asuka, Future Lucy, and Mira, the old, the weak, the young, the disabled, and the pregnant, were all gathered in the most conspicuous spot in the square.
Others who had either overexerted themselves or lacked combat strength, Romeo, Kinana, Marcus, Reedus, and a few more, were also resting there.
Warren stood beside Mavis, acting as a liaison and awaiting further instructions.
Not far behind them lay Future Rogue, bound securely, with three Voidgrubs still quietly spawning nearby.
Rhodes raised a hand with a smile.
"Is everyone alright?"
"It's Rhodes!"
"You're back!"
"I've been fighting all night, I'm basically dead!"
"And you still had the energy to help other guilds?!"
"You're seriously way too strong, you know that?"
A single greeting sparked a flood of overlapping responses.
Rhodes glanced around. Everyone looked exhausted, but their expressions were bright, spirits high despite the long night.
Mavis stepped forward and summarized calmly, "It's good timing that you returned. No one in the guild suffered serious injuries. The King's Army has expanded their search, and the remaining enemies are nearly all cleared out.
"However, please make them stop. Reports came in that many of the reinforced Worms have started chewing on buildings because they can't find any enemies."
"Ah." Rhodes waved his hand. Instantly, the three Voidgeubs, and countless voidmites throughout the royal capital, vanished without a trace.
He then asked, "So the dragons aren't needed anymore?"
"That's right," Mavis nodded. "There are no remaining threats that require dragon-level intervention.
"Atlas Flame promised Natsu that he would leave the royal capital and seclude himself in a place far from humans. As long as humans don't disturb him, he won't attack them."
She smiled faintly.
"Natsu believes him, so there's no need to remain wary."
Rhodes nodded. As expected of the First Master, she had perfectly anticipated his concerns.
But then;
"He doesn't plan to return to his original era?"
Mavis shook her head slightly.
He believes life here is more stable, at least without constant wars between dragons."
She studied Rhodes carefully.
"Were you worried that history might be disrupted because of this?"
Rhodes nodded, then shook his head again.
"I was worried at first. But after killing the Jade Dragon, I realized it didn't seem to have any effect."
...
STONES PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
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