So... shall we summon the Purgatory Sub-Dragon too?
He could hold on for a while against one dragon, but if there are two, he'd have to grit his teeth and endure.
He grasped the pendant in his hand, but immediately felt his shoulders being pressed down by someone.
"Let us go!"
Natsu and Gajeel each pressed down on one of Rhode's shoulders, walking forward from both sides.
"If the opponent is a dragon, it's precisely the time for us Dragon Slayer Mages to shine."
Natsu's arms and waist were still wrapped in bandages, and Gajeel's injuries were worse, with even his forehead and cheeks bandaged.
The two young men were full of spirit, but Rhode did not want them to go sacrifice themselves.
Usually, they couldn't even break through the defense of the Mountain Sub-Dragon, and now they were rushing in to deal with an even stronger Black Dragon?
Laxus and Wendy, hearing what they said, also stepped forward: "Then we should..."
"Roar!!!"
The Mountain Sub-Dragon let out a painful roar, with a small piece of flesh torn from the Black Dragon still in its mouth.
Its neck, originally rugged and rocky, was now missing a large chunk, exposing raw, bloody flesh.
Its hind legs powered forward, kicking the Black Dragon away, then it too flew into the air to confront the Black Dragon.
At that moment, as if aware others were planning to help, the Mountain Sub-Dragon hurriedly conveyed its thoughts to Rhode: 'Call the Cloud, escape!'
Even the Mountain Sub-Dragon was telling them to flee!
No more hesitation, Rhode immediately shouted to his companions: "Everyone, gather around me, quickly!"
Wendy was the most obedient and came straight over.
Makarov called back Laxus, and Kildas grabbed both Natsu and Gajeel with one arm each.
The others quickly gathered around Rhode.
Ultear and Melty hesitated briefly but also joined them.
The Black Dragon seemed to have already ignored the little bugs on the ground, fixing its eyes firmly on the Mountain Sub-Dragon.
Its previously somewhat vacant eyes now glowed red, and when it spoke, it was unclear whether the tone was angry or mocking:
"There are still dragons alive.
"There are still dragons that dare to fight me."
The Black Dragon Acronologia, who used to casually bring destruction to humans, was actually speaking today!
...
"Summoning, Cloud Sub-Dragon!"
A blue and white giant dragon appeared right beneath everyone, lifting them all up.
"Take us away!"
"Hold tight!" The Cloud Sub-Dragon, true to its swift and decisive nature, opened its wings without wasting a word.
At the same time, the Mountain Sub-Dragon ignored whatever the Black Dragon was saying, inhaling and gathering strength, then unleashing a powerful storm of rocks towards the Black Dragon.
The breath was like a super colossal sandstorm, blotting out the sky and covering the Black Dragon in a massive brown storm.
Hidden within the brown sandstorm were gigantic stones charged with magic power.
The Black Dragon stood fearless, opening its mouth to unleash a beam of bright light.
The magic power, powerful and potent, drew everyone's attention, yet neither of the two dragons nor anyone else could discern its element.
It seemed like the Advisory Council's trump card—Magical Elf Power, which combined various elemental magic—yet it also felt like pure magic without any element.
Yet this very magic caused wind to scatter wind and stone to shatter stone.
Mountain Sub-Dragon's expansive breath was pierced through, the dazzling white light crashing into the Mountain Sub-Dragon, engulfing its form entirely.
"Roar!!!"
Mountain Sub-Dragon resisted with all its might but still couldn't defend against the immense power, its form flickering within the light, on the verge of vanishing at any moment.
Boom!!!
Amidst a loud crash, the Mountain Sub-Dragon fell beside the newly appeared Cloud Sub-Dragon, a gaping wound on its chest.
The urgent voice of the Cloud Sub-Dragon rang out: "Mountain!"
"I won't die." The Mountain Sub-Dragon, with blood spewing from its mouth, hurried, "Go quickly!"
The group looked pained; they wanted to stay and fight alongside it but didn't want to waste the time the Mountain Sub-Dragon was risking its life to buy for their escape.
But this decision wasn't for them to make, for the Cloud Sub-Dragon sprang into the air, knowing that if Rhode died, they were truly finished.
Gusts of wind erupted from the Cloud Sub-Dragon, shearing through obstructing treetops, then it vigorously flapped its wings, swiftly soaring skyward and heading off the island.
"Ugh..."
On the dragon's back, everyone felt a fierce wind rushing at them, almost rendering them breathless.
The swift acceleration nearly flung Carla, Hapi, Wendy, and Melty off, but fortunately, their companions were there to support them.
The Black Dragon's gaze left the fallen Mountain Sub-Dragon and fixed on the fleeing Cloud Sub-Dragon.
Its pitch-black wings flapped violently, pursuing the Cloud Sub-Dragon.
Mountain Sub-Dragon's wings struck the ground hard, causing a tremor, and it also seized the chance to lift itself up.
It knew its own state: Heavy wings and an injured body couldn't catch up once the Black Dragon went past.
So the Mountain Sub-Dragon decisively opened its mouth, biting hard onto the Black Dragon's tail.
This was a very dangerous move in a dragon vs. dragon battle, as it used its own best weapon to clamp onto a non-lethal part of the opponent.
In terms of dragon's body construction, the opponent had every opportunity to turn around and bite through its throat.
Yet the Black Dragon assumed the Mountain Sub-Dragon wouldn't live long with its current injuries and didn't want to waste time on it.
It opened its mouth, avoiding its own tail, and targeted the Mountain Sub-Dragon's body with another breath.
The bright white light blasted against the Mountain Sub-Dragon, its overwhelming power causing it excruciating pain, face muscles twitching.
Yet the tighter the bite, the firmer it held, until with a crack, a section of the Black Dragon's tail, caught in its teeth, snapped off.
"Roar~~~"
"Roar~~~"
Two resounding dragon roars echoed almost simultaneously.
The Mountain Sub-Dragon's body flew backward, falling.
And the Black Dragon, now enraged, its black wings beating more furiously, closed the distance quickly with the Cloud Sub-Dragon.
The group on the dragon's back watched nervously behind them; both were dragons, yet the Mountain Sub-Dragon had fallen so quickly. Just what was this Black Dragon?
Lucy screamed in panic: "It's catching up!"
"Bania!" Wendy cast additional magic to increase speed with all her might.
The Cloud Sub-Dragon also called upon the skies' wind.
But the Acronologia, uninjured for years, was now fully driven to madness, his eyes blood-red, flying faster than ever.
Furthermore, even that speed was not enough for him; he only wanted at this instant, at this second, to strike the dragon ahead down together, completing 'Dragon Slayer' fully.
He opened his mouth, gathering terrifying energy swiftly.
The group on the dragon's back grew tense, Makarov, Kildas... everyone began preparing Defense Magic.
That breath, signifying destruction, was unleashed, its power surpassing everyone's expectations.
Only by facing such an attack directly could they understand just how immense the pressure was.
Even with all their gathered magic power, it felt like clutching a straw in a great flood.
This seemingly effortless series of moves by the Black Dragon, in their eyes, was akin to an unstoppable natural disaster.
The Cloud Sub-Dragon sharply turned, narrowly evading the attack.
But no one had a moment to rejoice, for their speed was down, distance reduced!
The menacing Black Dragon lunged forward, and Rhode gritted his teeth: "Purgatory Sub-Dragon!"
Mira grabbed Rhode's arm, worried he might get thrown off from exhaustion.
A fiery red giant dragon appeared behind them, without hesitation, directly crashing into the Black Dragon's head.
Boom!!!
An explosion resounded, sparks scattering like a blazing meteor exploding in the sky, with massive magma balls only counting as tiny sparks.
The Purgatory Sub-Dragon seemed somewhat dizzy, shaking its head and releasing a scorching breath.
But the Black Dragon seemed even more frenzied, charging into the magma with reckless abandon, extending its head to bite at the Purgatory Sub-Dragon's throat.
It was the first time the Purgatory Sub-Dragon faced such a frenzied opponent, with this type of fighting style showing utter disregard for injury, like a relentless foe!