ingdom deliberations:
In the heart of the majestic Union Kingdom's fortress, amidst an atmosphere thick with anxiety, Emperor Ryohei Yamamoto and his trusted advisor, Ritsu Okai, convened with the heads of the twelve powerful families and the commanders of the military divisions. The meeting was dedicated to investigating the catastrophe that had rocked Divine Mountain the day before, leaving behind a colossal crater and utter chaos.
The Emperor began speaking in a solemn tone, his voice heavy with the weight of the situation: "Zerf, how do you explain what happened? You were supposed to be watching over your second son, Leo. This sacred trust is a vital pillar of the kingdom's security."
Zerf Takahashi replied with obvious distress, his face contorted with shame and apology: "Your Majesty, I never expected him to act this way. It never crossed my mind that he would take such a dark path. I apologize to you all; the responsibility for this failure rests solely on my shoulders." Togashi Sato interrupted the conversation in a calm but firm tone.
His piercing gaze scanned the faces:
"What's done is done, and there's no point in assigning blame now. We need to think carefully. Perhaps someone tricked and manipulated that boy. Awakening Lucifer isn't as simple as it seems."
"Listen, the whole world is talking about what happened. We're facing a major global crisis. Now everyone will start to act."
Haile Aramaki said:
"That's true. All races will try to exploit this, but it's very strange. How could a child do all this?"
Kuroko Suzuki:
"Most likely, someone brainwashed him. It's impossible for Zeref's son to do this. Could that mysterious organization have orchestrated this?" (He wondered.)"
Cecilia Tsubaki replied:
This matter must be investigated with utmost secrecy. I am aware of the ongoing conflict between all the noble families in Union, but we must unite. This is truly dangerous. (All the leaders exchange mysterious glances.)
Rebecca Uzumaki:
We haven't found any evidence yet. This raises questions. Furthermore, other kingdoms and empires will be moving along the border.
The Emperor thought for a moment, then said slowly, his eyes gleaming with a hint of suspicion,
"You are right. There is a possibility of a traitor deep within the kingdom, someone with sufficient knowledge of the forbidden history."
Takumi Mutsu, head of the Mutsu family,
interjected firmly, his fist clenched,
"Your Majesty, we must be prepared. Other kingdoms will not miss this opportunity. Rebecca is right; the enemy is exploiting our obvious weakness. The border must be fortified now more than ever, for the threat of war looms." Marcus Fujiwara:
Comrades, are we supposed to be afraid of them because of Zeref's unruly son? We, the people of the Union Kingdom, fear nothing.
Zerf looked at Marcus, clenching his fist.
Yona, the Special Forces Commander: Your Majesty, we must prepare and train our members in the kingdom and equip them with even greater strength.
Minato Kobayashi entered.
The Tankio Academy Commander said:
What you said, Princess Yuna, makes perfect sense. I've investigated some matters; it seems there are traitors within the kingdom.
Everyone was surprised by what Minato said.
Ryota Tsubaki, the First Division Commander:
He nodded and spoke confidently and calmly:
"We have fortified the borders well, Your Majesty. But according to our intelligence, there are suspicious movements in the north. The Belgrade Kingdom has begun to invade some ruins on our borders, as if waiting for the right moment." The emperor sighed deeply, then said in a quiet but heavy voice, realizing the consequences were far more serious than he had imagined:
"Pay close attention. Each of you must perform your duty to the fullest. The danger is not only external; it could lurk among us. The meeting is adjourned. Everyone be on alert."
Zerf paced angrily, muttering, "Damn that disgraceful boy! He's the reason I'm in this situation. If I hadn't met that woman, none of this would have happened." (He glared.)
We see everyone's reaction to what happened in the Kingdom of Yonjun, starting with the Troy Empire and the other kingdoms. At Tankio Academy, everyone is mocking what happened, saying that he brought shame upon a distinguished family and his brother, Kono Takahashi.
He walked on without reacting, while Hana Sato and Dan Watro sat elsewhere.
"Damn that idiot! I wasted my time because of him," Hana said.
A New Beginning
In a distant place, while everyone thought God Mountain had been destroyed and erased from existence, the reality was different; the entire mountain had been instantly transported to an unknown spot in the heart of nothingness. Inside this silent mountain, Leo awoke in a state of disorientation and confusion.
"Where am I? Is this hell?" Leo whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
As he lay on the crumbling ground, he opened his eyes with difficulty, to see before him a black mirror reflecting his horrifying image. He was shocked by his reflection: his body had transformed into a glowing skeleton,
evil black flames licking at it, dancing like the very spirit of hell itself. He struggled to his feet, contemplating the situation that surpassed all his nightmarish imaginations.
As he began to wander inside the mountain, he froze with terror that coursed through his veins. Before him lay an unbelievable, breathtaking sight: the legendary black dragon, Balerion, enormous and majestic.
He was bound by massive chains, the claws of other mythical dragons deeply embedded in his flesh, immobilizing him as if he were groaning under the weight of an ancient betrayal.
"What is this? How can a dragon be here? Am I dreaming?" Leo asked, bewildered and terrified, barely able to speak.
Suddenly, the black dragon opened its eyes, blazing with a crimson light, and addressed Leo in a roaring voice that shook the very foundations of the mountain:
"A human? How did you end up in this cursed place? I seem to have been lucky. I haven't eaten in the thousands of years I've spent in this dark prison."
Leo realized that the end was near, that his fate lay in the clutches of this mythical beast. As he tried to escape, Balerion struck him hard with his massive tail, knocking him to the ground and shattering his remaining bones. Balerion: (He laughs mockingly, his laughter echoing like thunder) "You won't escape. You'll be my first meal in ages. Ha ha ha! I can't wait to taste you, mortal flesh!"
"It's the end... I was right. I'm just scum... I don't deserve to live..." Leo thought to himself, as pain raged and robbed him of consciousness.
As the pain raged, and before darkness swallowed him completely, he saw the severed arm of the enormous dragon beside him, pulsating with a mysterious force. In a moment of utter despair and a rage that shattered his being, he seized the arm and began to devour it ravenously,
all the while remembering the betrayal that had torn his heart apart, and the pain he had endured throughout his life. Suddenly, every bite of Balerion's flesh seared Leo's throat with a demonic fire, yet it was colder than Hannah's gaze. Each time he was on the verge of succumbing to death, he saw Zeref's face slapping him with shame, and the pain transformed into a predatory instinct. He wasn't eating to live; he was eating to sink his fangs into the neck of the fate that had mocked him.
His body began to transform in a way the Nine Realms had never witnessed before.
The Black Dragon was stunned by what was happening, his eyes widening in horror:
Balerion: (in a frenzy of anger and panic) "What are you doing, you cursed creature?! Stop!"
But Leo didn't respond; his body had transformed into a black egg.
Dark, it glowed with an eerie sheen. Moments later, the egg hatched, releasing a new being, a slimy-black creature, glowing with dark energy. This being began to absorb the black blood splattered on the ground—Lucifer's own blood, which had seeped from the depths of the mountain.
Balerion, appalled by the situation, tried to attack the new being, but Leo (now no longer the old Leo) swallowed the attack and deflected it with even greater force, a power Balerion had never witnessed before.
The battle between them was fierce, an epic struggle between a newly arrived being and an ancient, imprisoned dragon. The battle raged for a full year within the mountain, shaking its foundations and altering its contours. But in the end, Leo, in his transformed form, was able to defeat the black dragon. As the dragon lay dying, it gazed at Leo in utter disbelief, its eyes reflecting incredulity:
Balerion: (stunned, his voice barely audible) "Defeated by a mortal?! This is unbelievable... impossible... What kind of power is this...?" The new creature advanced toward the dragon and began to devour it completely, absorbing every last vestige of its strength. Balerion cried out in a trembling voice, desperate in his final moments:
"What is this thing? It's no longer human! What curse are you?!"
The Birth of Ivan
After Leo had consumed the dragon's body entirely, his own body began to decompose once more, transforming into a second black egg, larger and darker than the first. He remained inside for a full month, in a deep slumber, gathering and fusing the scattered powers within himself. On the final day, the egg slowly cracked open, and Leo emerged, but this time he was entirely different.
His emergence was a truly legendary sight: sparks of black lightning danced and surrounded his slender body, his hair had turned a shimmering silver, and his eyes burned with a distinctive crimson light.
He emitted a powerful and terrifying aura, felt by everyone in the realm of Earthus, across all its continents. We see the reactions of the holy heroes, the kings, even the gods in their distant realms, all sensing this new being born, along with the holy angels.
"Who am I? Was I born here?" Ivan asked himself, his voice deep and different.
He walked to the black mirror and gazed into it, studying his new reflection. Then, with resolute seriousness, he said,
"I need a name. Ah, yes... memories of that boy... his name was Leo. But now, that time is over, over with betrayal and pain. My new name is Ivan." With his newfound awareness and powers, Ivan began forging two legendary swords from the fangs of the defeated Black Dragon and the claws of other dragons. "When I forged my swords, they were more than just weapons; the Kuti Sword (made from Balerion's fangs) became a vessel for the Black Dragon's flames, mingled with black and crimson lightning, while the Shinto Sword (made from the claws of other dragons) gained the power to shatter magical barriers. The crimson aura that now surrounds me is a 'fusion,' marking the moment of truth—the birth of a legend. I infused them with the very essence of Balerion's power. After completing the two swords, he named them Kuti and Shinto. Then he crafted a magnificent robe from the Black Dragon's own wings, a striking black and red color, strong and fitting for his new self.
"First, I must strengthen my body and learn new fighting techniques," he said. "I must explore this place full of secrets," Ivan told himself, taking his first steps as a new being. He ventured deep into the sprawling mountain, where he engaged in a bloody battle against all the monsters lurking there. "Come forth with all your might, beasts!" he cried. After annihilating them all with his immense power, a mythical scene unfolded: he and all the monsters before him began to devour their edible flesh and absorb the power of their gems through his swords. Then, in a moment of pure magic, his aura began to harmonize, and the legendary dragon tattoo appeared on his arm. He continued his journey deeper into the mountain until he encountered two petrified Minotaurs, ancient creatures. At that moment, Ivan noticed an ancient book, strangely wrapped. As he tried to touch it, the two beasts stirred. "I understand," Ivan said. "You are the guardians of the book." A fierce battle ensued, and in the end, he defeated them.
He picked up the book, only to find it sealed with an ancient magic. He tried to open it, but it was incredibly difficult. Finally, he managed to open it and discovered it contained information about the legendary fire phoenix, Shura, who lived in the great Jura Forest.
Ivan: So that's it. (A majestic, regal look)
After finishing the book, he burned it so no one else could possess it, keeping the knowledge for himself alone. Ivan continued his training for a full year, beneath a wall of steel he had built himself. He practiced every technique within it and then began to master the control and concealment of his magic so that no one would know about it.
He was now thirteen years old.
He emerged from the mountain and cleverly destroyed it so that neither his location nor what had happened within it could be discovered. He said,
"Well, here we begin."
Between the borders of Oriana and the Kingdom of Union, a mysterious old man sat on the edge of a high hill,
gazing at the horizon with an enigmatic smile on his wrinkled face, as if he saw what others could not. A cold wind whips through his long robe as he whispers in a hoarse voice that holds ancient secrets: "Finally... (a smile and excitement) the one who will bear it has appeared. The end of an era... and the beginning of a new one..." I have waited so long.
His bright eyes gleam as if concealing years of knowledge and secrets beyond human comprehension.