Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 395: What Demon? Just a Tool for Relieving Stress

"BOOM!!"

An endless pressure erupted from Evan and Irene!

For a moment, it felt as if heaven and earth were splitting apart...

The soldiers of the Alvarez Empire who were directly facing the pressure released by Evan and Irene stood frozen in place, staring blankly ahead.

Before their eyes was a terrifying Azure Dragon larger than a battleship, alongside a beautiful heavenly maiden whose every movement seemed capable of shattering heaven and earth. Just looking at them felt suffocating.

"So the legends about dragons are real!"

This was the last thought remaining in the minds of these soldiers after facing the Conqueror's Haki released by Evan and Irene. The next instant, they collapsed to the ground, all color fading from their eyes.

In an instant, the thousands of warships of the Alvarez Empire began falling toward the sea. The million mage soldiers gathered from across the entire Western Continent, each possessing at least B-Rank strength and an average magic power above Level Three, all collapsed unconscious...

A million-strong army was wiped out in an instant.

The Alvarez Empire was on the verge of collapse!

"It's real... Dragons are real..."

At this moment, only the Spriggan 12 aboard the flagship, those standing at the pinnacle of humanity, remained conscious. Of course, this wasn't because they could maintain their sense of self before Irene's Conqueror's Haki. Rather, if Irene had increased the intensity even slightly, not a single one of the million soldiers of the Alvarez Empire would have survived. Irene was showing mercy...

"Larcade, is this the illusion you were talking about? Open your eyes and take a good look!"

Bloodman stared at the falling warships. Turning toward Larcade, he demanded an explanation.

Others might be intimidated by the Dragneel surname carried by Larcade Dragneel, but Bloodman would not...

They were all demons created by His Majesty Zeref. They all knew each other's origins...

"How could this happen?! How could this happen?! Forget Guiltina—even the dragons on Ishgar weren't completely exterminated!"

"Acnologia, take a good look at what you've been doing all these centuries! Once the dragons stopped gathering together and fighting like they did four hundred years ago, you couldn't find them anymore?!"

"You need to work harder! Since you made such a grand vow, you should exterminate every dragon in this world! Do your job properly!"

Larcade frowned deeply, placing all responsibility for his current failure squarely on Acnologia's lack of professionalism.

"Complaining is meaningless now. Those things aren't fake. They really are dragons. For the sake of the Alvarez Empire, and for the sake of His Majesty, we have to survive..."

Neinhart's face was filled with terror. Fight dragons? What a joke! Right now, only one thought remained in his mind: run. Run as far away as possible. As long as he didn't have to stay here and face those dragons, anything was acceptable...

Yes, Neinhart had lost his nerve. But even in his extreme cowardice, he managed to find a respectable excuse for himself.

That's right. He wasn't trying to survive for his own sake.

He was surviving for His Majesty.

For Emperor Zeref.

That was why he had to live...

"If escaping is even possible..."

After hearing Neinhart's words, Bloodman broke into a cold sweat. He barely dared breathe.

Because a pair of crimson-yellow eyes had unknowingly pressed themselves against the glass of their flagship.

Those eyes were as large as millstones, perhaps even larger. The pupils moved slowly, sweeping across the members of the Spriggan 12 inside the flagship cabin, as if the owner of those gigantic eyes were observing everyone present.

"..."

Gulp~

Following Bloodman's warning, everyone noticed the gigantic eyes.

For a moment, whether it was Larcade, the Winter General Invel Yura, or the other members of the Spriggan 12, all of them froze in place. None of them dared breathe too loudly, afraid of provoking the colossal beast before them.

Tap~

Just as Bloodman's fear reached its peak, the gigantic eyes suddenly vanished from sight, disappearing once more into the black storm clouds surrounding the flagship.

Whew...

As the owner of those eyes disappeared, Bloodman and the others finally let out a sigh of relief.

"What overwhelming pressure! Just being stared at by those eyes made it feel impossible to breathe..."

Jacob Lessio muttered to himself. He was certain that the assassination magic he had spent half his life cultivating would be utterly useless against that creature.

"That's a monster. We have absolutely no chance of winning."

As Jacob finished speaking, Neinhart's legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees. Cold sweat poured down his face as his scalp turned numb.

"Shh..."

Bloodman looked toward his teammates who were whispering among themselves. Panic filled his face as he raised a finger to his lips, signaling them to stay quiet.

"Hehe, don't be so nervous. After all, we're not demons."

Just as Bloodman was at the height of his tension, a voice suddenly echoed throughout the cabin.

An unknown youth with reddish-brown hair had somehow appeared inside the command room. With his hands behind his back, he stood calmly before everyone, smiling at Bloodman and the others.

"Who are you?!"

The members of the Spriggan 12 inside the flagship command room were stunned by the sudden appearance of the youth.

They collectively took half a step backward in perfect unison. Even Bloodman, a demon himself, retreated. A bitter smile appeared on his face. If the youth really were a demon, he wouldn't be afraid. After all, he himself was one of the strongest demons in the world.

What he feared was that the youth wasn't a demon at all...

But a dragon!

"This guy isn't right!"

The expressions of the Spriggan 12 changed immediately as they looked at the youth.

Their eyes became more serious than ever before.

Although none of them could sense any magic power from the youth, not a single one of them relaxed their guard.

The youth had no need to display his strength.

The mere fact that he had appeared inside their command room without any of them noticing already explained everything.

"Evan, why are you still wasting words? If it were up to me, I'd beat them first and talk later..."

Just as the Spriggan 12 were staring intently at the youth, the air inside the room suddenly grew dry and hot.

A deep, aged voice echoed through the chamber.

The moment that voice sounded, the hearts of the Spriggan 12 sank.

Because beside the youth, another figure had appeared.

A short, middle-aged man stood there bare-chested. His long hair burned like living flames. Since the flames never ceased burning, no one could tell the true color of his hair. They could only make guesses based on the color of the fire itself...

Yet the most eye-catching feature wasn't his burning hair.

It was the pitch-black sun tattoo emblazoned upon his chest.

"Fire Dragon King Igneel!"

Bloodman immediately took a large step backward, his expression filled with tension.

"Oh? There are still people in this world, four hundred years later, who recognize me? Interesting..."

Igneel looked toward Bloodman with surprise.

He had not expected anyone in this era, after his journey through the Eclipse Gate, to still recognize him.

After all, he had been gone from the world for many years. Everything he once knew had become history. The world itself had changed beyond recognition.

So being remembered still brought him a certain degree of satisfaction.

"You are... one of those demons created by Zeref?"

After examining Bloodman for a moment, realization flashed across Igneel's face.

"If you're one of Zeref's demons, then it isn't strange that you know who I am..."

Igneel nodded.

The demons created by Zeref belonged to the same era as him. Naturally, they would know him.

Though few people recognized him today, four hundred years ago he had been one of the most famous figures in all of Earth-land.

"Lord Fire Dragon King, you had an agreement with my father, Zeref. Why are you stopping us from invading Ishgar?!"

Just as Igneel was reminiscing, Larcade suddenly exploded with anger and shouted his question.

"You are?"

"Ah! I remember now. You're that kid Zeref created right before reviving Natsu! Because you turned out too perfect, Zeref granted you the surname Dragneel..."

Igneel paused for a moment before suddenly recognizing him.

He immediately exposed Larcade's origins.

"Uh..."

The rest of the Spriggan 12 were stunned.

They exchanged glances.

None of them had expected the origin of Larcade's Dragneel surname to be like this.

"..."

Larcade's eyes twitched as he felt the way everyone around him was looking at him change.

"Hmph! I am different from the other demons created by His Majesty!"

"I am not one of Zeref's experiments. I am his masterpiece!"

"After all, I was granted the surname Dragneel! I am His Majesty's son!"

Larcade snorted coldly, emphasizing his uniqueness.

"..."

Bloodman said nothing.

But his brows furrowed.

The only reason Larcade had received the Dragneel surname was because he had been created later.

Had Bloodman been created a little later, perhaps he would have been the one carrying that name instead.

"Enough."

"Whether you're Zeref's son or grandson has absolutely nothing to do with me."

Igneel looked at Larcade with complete disdain.

Even if Larcade really were Zeref's son, so what?

What did that have to do with him?

"Uh..."

Larcade froze.

He had assumed that mentioning Zeref would at least earn him some respect.

After all, even if Igneel didn't care about him personally, shouldn't he respect Zeref?

"You seem to have misunderstood something."

"I am not Zeref's subordinate."

"We were partners."

"And the one I partnered with was the Zeref from four hundred years ago."

"As for the Zeref of this era, I have no idea what he's thinking or whether he's still the same man I once knew."

"Frankly, I don't care."

"As for you lot, if it weren't for Natsu's relationship with Zeref, I'd have roasted all of you with a single breath already."

Igneel's temper was as explosive as ever.

His attitude toward Larcade and the others was cold and irritable.

After all, he was the great Fire Dragon King.

Not some gentle dragon.

It seemed that every ounce of warmth in his life had been reserved exclusively for his son, Natsu Dragneel.

"What..."

Larcade's face twisted in anger.

He could not believe that Igneel would show such disrespect toward the great Emperor Zeref.

"Evan, what exactly do you plan to do with these little fellows~?"

At that moment, a seductive voice suddenly echoed through the room.

A beautiful woman with long golden hair appeared behind Evan.

She wore a modified shrine maiden outfit that exposed much more skin than normal and a shrine maiden hat atop her head.

"That's a monster..."

The hearts of the Spriggan 12 trembled.

Even under the dim lighting of the cabin, they could feel the overwhelming presence emanating from the woman.

Her magic power was so immense it was almost visible.

"August's request was simply to preserve the foundations of the Alvarez Empire."

"We've already spared the lives of those million ordinary soldiers."

"As for these people... why not just kill them all?"

Before anyone could react, another mature female voice echoed through the chamber.

A crimson-haired beauty appeared without warning.

No—

It was more accurate to say she had been standing there all along.

Until she spoke, no one had noticed her presence.

Despite possessing an overwhelming aura, she had hidden herself perfectly.

The moment the Spriggan 12 noticed her, their expressions changed dramatically.

"What terrifying magic power..."

"It's comparable to August..."

"No... It's even greater than August's!"

"Both of these women are stronger than August?!"

The Spriggan 12 were numb with shock.

In their eyes, August had always been an insurmountable mountain.

The second strongest existence in the Alvarez Empire after Zeref himself.

Yet now, after heading toward Ishgar, they finally understood what it meant for there to always be someone stronger.

The peak of this world was far higher than they had ever imagined.

"Heh!"

Neinhart looked at Evan and the two women behind him before suddenly letting out a cold laugh.

With his hands in his pockets, he walked directly toward Evan.

"Hm?!"

The other Spriggan 12 members were stunned as they watched Neinhart step forward.

"Has Neinhart gone crazy?"

"No! Neinhart is an extremely calculating person. He would never do something so reckless."

"Is he planning to sacrifice himself for us?"

Invel Yura looked at Neinhart's back with admiration.

"That's the spirit, Neinhart!"

Even Larcade became excited.

Who said they should fear those stronger than themselves?

If they couldn't even face opponents like these, how could they ever challenge the legendary Black Dragon King Acnologia?

"Neinhart..."

"I admit we underestimated you."

"We're not true warriors at all."

"You, Neinhart, my friend—you are the real one!"

"Good luck, Neinhart!"

Besides Invel and Larcade, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, and Bloodman all looked at Neinhart with admiration.

Thud!

Just as everyone was moved by Neinhart's heroic back, a loud sound echoed through the room.

The hero they had imagined...

The proud and fearless Neinhart...

Walked up to Irene, stood before her for a moment—

Then instantly dropped to his knees.

"Your Majesty! I'll do anything you ask! Please spare my life!"

Neinhart, one of the strongest Shields and a being standing at the pinnacle of humanity, knelt before Irene and cried out desperately.

"Dignity? What use is dignity?"

"If dignity solved everything, then why would anyone need strength?"

Neinhart lowered his head and quietly awaited Irene's judgment.

"Ara~"

"This one seems rather interesting~"

Irene narrowed her eyes as she looked at the kneeling Neinhart.

Her gaze resembled someone who had just found a new toy.

Speaking of which, she had already grown tired of playing with the mages from Phantom Lord.

It was probably time to return them.

As for their replacements...

It seemed she had found one.

"I'll spare your life, then~"

With that, Irene raised her high heel and stepped firmly onto Neinhart's head.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live Queen Irene!"

Neinhart was overjoyed.

Not only had the Queen spared him—

She had even rewarded him!

"..."

Evan looked at the scene before him without feeling the slightest sense of incongruity.

After all, in the original story, Neinhart had always been someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

He was also Irene's number one loyal lackey.

"Your companion has already set an example."

"Now it's your turn."

Evan cracked his neck and looked toward Larcade and the others, waiting for their answer.

"You idiots had better know what's good for you!"

"If you anger these great beings, you're not going to enjoy the consequences!"

Still pinned beneath Irene's heel, Neinhart shouted angrily at his former companions.

"Damn it, I want to kill that bastard."

The expressions of Larcade and the others twitched violently.

The way Neinhart was shamelessly licking Irene's boots filled them with murderous intent.

If he hadn't already secured protection from these dragons, they would have attacked him together long ago.

"I suppose I have no choice."

"I originally didn't want to use this."

At last, Larcade made up his mind.

"I truly didn't wish to resort to this..."

"But you've forced my hand."

"In that case, allow me to show you my Curse Power!"

A holy radiance appeared within Larcade's eyes as he pressed his palms together.

"Pleasure!"

The instant Larcade spoke, endless light erupted from his body and surged toward Evan's group.

"Heh."

Prepared in advance, Evan immediately cast Enchantment: Purification on himself while extending its protection to everyone nearby.

However—

There was one person who completely ignored Evan's purification and willingly accepted Larcade's magic.

"This feeling..."

"This sensation of my soul trembling..."

"It's wonderful~"

That person was none other than Selene.

A faint blush appeared across her face.

She slowly licked her bright red lips with her delicate tongue while gazing at Larcade with eyes filled with desire.

"Sister..."

"We absolutely have to keep this one!"

A twisted smile appeared on Selene's face.

"How is this possible?!"

Larcade was completely dumbfounded.

Even Zeref could not escape the effects of his magic.

How had this woman resisted it?

"No... that's not right!"

"She didn't resist my magic at all!"

"She was affected!"

"But she's enjoying it!"

"She's actually enjoying it!"

"She even wants me to increase the output?!"

"What an... what an indecent woman..."

After recovering from his shock, Larcade inhaled sharply.

He had traveled across the continent and met all kinds of people.

Yet this was the first time he had encountered someone who not only wasn't troubled by his magic but actually wanted more of it.

At this moment, even Larcade had to admit—

This woman was a true monster.

"A demon?"

"Nothing more than a stress-relief toy."

Selene's lips curled into a faint smile.