Igneel and Ignia threw themselves into battle without the slightest restraint.
Two equally powerful, explosive seas of flame twisted around each other, devouring and colliding until they resembled a pair of orange-red suns hanging dangerously close to the earth.
Battles between dragons were brutally straightforward.
Flame burned against flame. Claws and fangs crashed into flesh.
Draconic combat techniques wrapped in fire were hurled at each other's faces with absolutely no regard for self-preservation.
Ankh, suddenly without an opponent of his own, found himself with nothing better to do than watch the father and son beat the hell out of each other.
"Hard to tell whether they're family or mortal enemies…"
Ignia's objective was obvious.
He wanted to force his way into Ishgar, draw Acnologia out, and challenge him directly.
Part of it was undoubtedly to prove that he was the strongest.
Part of it was probably an attempt to finally erase the nightmare and humiliation of being hunted by Acnologia four hundred years ago.
And perhaps…
He also wanted to prove that he had surpassed his own father.
But the moment Ignia tried to invade Ishgar, dragons like Igneel—who genuinely cared about humanity—would never stand aside.
And as for Ignia wanting to challenge Acnologia alone?
To those ancient dragons…
Putting it harshly, wasn't that basically suicide?
Ankh had previously estimated that Ignia and the other Five Dragon Gods might be capable of matching Acnologia as he had been four hundred years ago, before his later evolution.
Igneel and the others, however, clearly believed even that was impossible.
The Five Dragon Gods were unquestionably among the strongest members of dragonkind.
But dragons of that caliber had existed four hundred years ago too.
The Fire Dragon King. The Lightning Dragon King. Plenty of others had once stood at the pinnacle of their race.
And how had that ended?
One was gravely wounded and forced into hiding.
Another had his pride as a warrior completely shattered by Acnologia, declined from his prime, and was eventually killed by humans.
Countless other Dragon Kings had vanished so thoroughly that even their names had been lost to history.
So this battle was ultimately the result of two equally stubborn tempers.
The younger dragon saw his father as a coward who had lost his edge.
The older dragon saw his son as an arrogant fool rushing toward his own death.
Neither side had the slightest intention of listening.
"Another family brawl. Not really something outsiders should interfere with…"
Ankh sighed quietly.
Happy, who was carrying Natsu nearby, happened to be close enough for the Fire Dragon Slayer's unusually sharp ears to catch that.
Natsu immediately raised one hand.
"ME! I can interfere!"
Ankh ignored him.
Absolutely not.
With Natsu's current body, charging into that battlefield would probably get him roasted alive by the leftover flames before he even reached either dragon.
"Where are Metalicana, Grandine, and the others?"
Just as Ankh started wondering about the remaining dragons, several dark shapes appeared in the distance and rapidly approached.
A closer look confirmed that they were indeed the other four dragons who had been hiding inside the Dragon Slayers.
Gajeel jumped down from Metalicana's back, and Panther Lily quickly caught him before he could fall into the sea.
Gajeel immediately complained,
"How the hell did Salamander and his old man get this far ahead? Were you even trying to race them?!"
Metalicana laughed in exactly the same obnoxious way as Gajeel.
"I'm famous among dragons for being slow. Besides, I'm not a Dragon King."
Wendy, Sting, Rogue, and the others were carried over by their Exceeds and reunited with Natsu.
After a quick explanation, both the Dragon Slayers and their foster dragons understood what was happening.
"Igneel's son became this strong?"
Grandine stared at Ignia in surprise.
Ignia had not been exaggerating earlier.
Whatever divine power he had inherited seemed to have granted him flames even more terrifying than Igneel's.
In a direct contest of fire against fire, Ignia was visibly overpowering his father.
His physical strength had also clearly inherited the Fire Dragon King's monstrous constitution.
Even when the two dragons resorted to biting and tearing at each other, Ignia did not lose ground.
However…
A father was still a father.
Ignia might possess better raw power, but when it came to experience, Igneel completely outclassed his son.
Igneel's fighting style had been forged through countless brutal battles.
That was something Ignia, who had grown up in the relatively "peaceful" environment of the northern continent, simply could not match.
Even when Ignia won a direct clash, Igneel knew exactly how to turn the exchange into something ugly enough to tear a chunk of flesh from him in return.
Skiadrum watched the battle in silence before murmuring,
"If he cannot even overcome the Fire Dragon King, then his claim that he can defeat the Black Dragon is nothing but empty boasting…"
Ankh, meanwhile, carefully studied the power flowing through Ignia.
He had more or less guessed what kind of divinity the Fire Dragon God had inherited.
"The God of Judgment and Scorching Flame…"
"A god who created hell to imprison the wicked and used its flames to pass merciless judgment upon all living beings."
Ankh murmured to himself.
He had noticed something strange lately.
Whenever he encountered something related to the divine powers he had inherited, fragments of old knowledge seemed to sprout naturally inside his mind.
"How did you recognize the divine power Ignia inherited?"
A soft, languid female voice suddenly sounded beside him.
Ankh turned.
Then froze.
Who the hell was she?
A stunning woman sat casually atop a silver-blue ring of light.
Long golden hair fell around her shoulders, while curious pink eyes studied him with amusement.
She wore a sensual kimono with pale violet patterns, its fur-lined neckline low enough to expose her collarbones and a generous amount beneath them.
A hood rested over her head, decorated with a crescent-moon ornament.
Overall…
She looked a little like the glamorous high priestess of some suspicious cult.
Ankh sensed the aura surrounding her and blinked.
"You're the Moon Dragon God?"
The breathtaking woman, who looked no different from a mature human beauty, nodded with a faint smile.
"You may call me Selene."
The moment they heard that, Natsu and the others immediately tensed and assumed fighting stances.
The older dragons, however, had seen far more in their lives and remained calm.
Selene had shown no hostility whatsoever.
Ankh looked curiously at the woman who had casually wandered over as though she were joining an ordinary conversation.
"Aren't you with Ignia? Why did you come over here?"
Selene had done nothing earlier besides warn Ignia that his father was approaching.
She had not released even a trace of killing intent.
Because of that, no one had paid much attention to her.
Apparently, taking their eyes off her for a moment had been enough for her to casually stroll over to the enemy side.
Selene covered her mouth and laughed.
"The Five Dragon Gods are not particularly close to one another. I merely heard that Ignia intended to visit Ishgar, and our routes happened to overlap."
Natsu remained wary.
"Then why did you come to Ishgar?"
Selene continued smiling with perfect harmlessness.
She lightly ran her tongue across her lips, then turned her gaze toward Ankh.
"I heard that you would be here."
"Hm?"
Natsu and Gajeel immediately turned toward Ankh.
Their expressions became incredibly strange.
Ankh looked equally confused.
"What do you want with me?"
A flash of excitement passed through Selene's eyes.
She suppressed it as she asked quietly,
"I heard your power can alter the human body…"
"So I was wondering…"
"Can you alter the body of a dragon as well?"
Even the older dragons suddenly looked at her strangely.
Ankh stared at Selene with an odd expression.
For some reason, that request sounded extremely familiar.
It reminded him of what happened after he first displayed his Life God power.
He had once used it to remove his own dark circles, Erza noticed, and he casually helped brighten her complexion as well.
That had been the beginning of a disaster.
From then on, certain guildmates would occasionally approach him in private over some tiny physical insecurity and quietly ask for a little "adjustment."
Selene's tone just now sounded exactly like those clients.
Ankh immediately raised a hand.
"Just so we're clear, yes, I can smooth skin, remove blemishes, erase wrinkles, enlarge breasts, lift asses, lengthen legs, and all that."
"But I'm not doing it!"
"Natural beauty is best. It's not about the money!"
Selene stared at him.
"…"
Realizing that Ankh had completely misunderstood her, she hurriedly clarified,
"That isn't what I meant."
"I'm asking whether you can turn a dragon into a human."