Although Irene had managed to block his attack, Acnologia was only briefly surprised before accepting it as a matter of course.
The woman before him was no ordinary dragon.
She was a being from the same era as himself—one who had pioneered Dragon Slayer Magic and personally slaughtered countless dragons. In that sense, she was no different from him.
If someone like her were to fall as easily as an ordinary dragon, that would have been truly unbelievable.
"…Interesting," Acnologia muttered, a twisted grin spreading across his face.
"But how long can you keep resisting?"
"How long?"
At his question, a faint smile curved across Irene's lips. Calm and confident, she raised the wand in her hand high into the air.
"How long do you think you can hold out?"
"God Serena—Star Collapse!"
The sky itself seemed to answer her call.
A massive meteor tore through the heavens, descending with overwhelming force as it locked onto Acnologia and crashed straight down toward him.
"Roar of the Black Dragon!"
Acnologia roared as his magic erupted outward—
But before it could fully detonate—
"God Serena—Stagnation!"
Time froze.
Acnologia's body was locked in place, his roaring halted mid-eruption.
The next instant, the meteor slammed down, completely engulfing him.
"ROOOAAARR—!!"
A furious dragon's wail echoed across the battlefield.
"In my current state," Irene said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion,
"all of my power is doubled. In other words… offense and defense are no longer fixed."
She gazed down at Acnologia as though she were looking at an insect struggling beneath her feet.
Under normal circumstances, Irene's strength might not have matched Acnologia's. But after entering her Goddess form—after her power was amplified beyond its limits—she had reached his level.
No… she had surpassed it.
What followed was not a battle.
It was a one-sided beating.
Of course, even with such an advantage, it was still impossible to completely eliminate Acnologia so easily. That would require yet another leap in power.
But killing him wasn't necessary.
Beating him was enough.
Magic immunity?
Irene scoffed inwardly.
She abandoned magic altogether and struck him down with overwhelming physical force.
If that still didn't work… then nothing would.
Reality quickly proved her right.
The Goddess Irene's strength far exceeded Acnologia's expectations. No—over the next stretch of time, she utterly suppressed him.
For Acnologia, this was the first time since becoming the Black Dragon four hundred years ago that he had been beaten so thoroughly.
It left him… questioning his existence.
...
When Irene and Acnologia clashed, the violent shockwaves unleashed by their battle swept across the entire western continent.
Within the capital of the Alvarez Empire, August slowly raised his head.
Far away, Zeref, traveling alone, halted in his steps.
Both of them turned their gaze toward the same direction.
"Acnologia…"
Their eyes, spanning vast distances, locked onto his presence. Their expressions instantly grew solemn.
In the next moment, both figures vanished, rushing toward the source of the disturbance.
But when Zeref and August arrived at the battlefield, the scene before them left them momentarily speechless.
There was no image of a rampaging Acnologia dominating the field.
Instead—
He was being beaten.
A colossal stone giant, towering thousands of meters high, had Acnologia pinned to the ground, grinding him mercilessly beneath its weight.
It wasn't just painful.
It was humiliating.
"You're here," Irene said casually, noticing their arrival as though greeting old acquaintances.
"Irene…" Zeref murmured, staring at her in disbelief.
"Your strength… has already reached this level?"
He carefully observed the power radiating from her, curiosity and surprise flickering across his face.
"What an extraordinary form of magic…"
Even Zeref couldn't fully comprehend the nature of the power she was wielding.
"…Is this the power you gained after reaching the starry sky?" he asked after a pause.
It was the only explanation he could think of.
The cosmos was infinite—countless stars, countless worlds. Perhaps one of them held a power beyond what this world understood.
"ROOOAAARR!!"
Perhaps beaten too severely, Acnologia finally regained his composure.
Realizing that he was no match for Irene—at least for now—he abandoned any thought of continuing the fight.
No matter how stubborn he was, even Acnologia knew better than to waste time being beaten when victory was impossible.
"BOOM!"
Returning to his dragon form, Acnologia cast a final glance at Irene… then at Zeref and August.
They were familiar presences, but not close ones.
Without a word, he turned and departed.
"…That felt good," Irene said softly.
She made no attempt to stop him.
There was no point—she couldn't keep him here, and forcing a desperate battle to the death would only lead to unnecessary consequences.
Letting him go—for now—was the wiser choice.
After reverting to her original form, Irene turned toward Zeref and August with mild curiosity.
"How did the two of you end up here?"
"I sensed Acnologia's presence and came to investigate," Zeref replied calmly.
"I simply didn't expect to find you like this."
"I see."
Irene nodded, unconcerned.
"As for Acnologia… give me a few more years. When that time comes, I'll have absolute confidence in killing him."
"So the power that was once sealed…" Zeref said slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"…You've reclaimed it."
"There's no mistake," Irene replied with a smile.
"…You're incredible, Irene-senpai," August said sincerely, unable to hide his admiration.
He had once believed the gap between them wasn't that large.
Now he understood just how wrong he had been.
The next moment—
Irene, Zeref, and August vanished together, leaving the devastated battlefield behind.
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