Chapter 702 - 702: Returning to Guiltina

Since everyone was already gathered for the tournament, they immediately turned the VIP viewing room into a war council.

Mira and Ultear began by explaining Aldoron, Viernes, and Dogramag's abilities, along with their approximate levels of strength.

Ultear added one final note.

"As for Ignia... we still haven't fought him directly, so we can't say exactly how strong he is. His abilities should be fairly similar to Igneel's, though."

Gildarts chuckled.

"No need to make it complicated. Just imagine Natsu going all-out, except much stronger."

Laxus immediately raised a thumb.

"Good comparison."

Selene took the magic pen from Mira and continued.

"As for our own forces, we have Raizel, Zeref, Irene, August, myself, Mercphobia, the Spriggan 12, Diabolos, the Signario Sisters, and Fairy Tail. That should be more than enough..."

And those were only the people Selene had specifically named.

Jellal and the former Oración Seis would be joining them as well, along with Sting, Rogue, and Minerva.

Irene, August, and Wendy could temporarily Enchant everyone with Dragon Slayer properties before the battle, meaning even ordinary Mages would be capable of damaging the Five Dragon Gods.

As long as someone possessed enough combat ability to contribute, the more fighters they had, the better.

Aldoron in particular was the sort of opponent who benefited from being attacked by large numbers.

His offensive power was not overwhelmingly high compared with the other Dragon Gods, but his sheer durability was absurd.

"Based on what we know right now, Helios, the Sun Dragon God, should be the strongest of the Five Dragon Gods."

Selene turned toward Raizel.

Raizel nodded.

"I'll handle him."

There was currently no reliable way to measure Helios's full strength, but judging from Selene's earlier assessment, they would temporarily treat him as being roughly comparable to Igneel at his peak.

Ignia wanted Natsu specifically.

And with Natsu fired up about teaching Igneel's son a lesson on his father's behalf, Raizel figured he would probably manage somehow.

The other three Dragon Gods could be dealt with by Selene, Irene, Zeref, August, and the others.

On paper, at least, the advantage was firmly on their side.

Selene continued.

"As for the actual matchups, we should prioritize compatibility and elemental advantages whenever possible. Mercphobia, for example, would obviously be most useful against Ignia or Helios."

...

Using everything Mira and Ultear had explained about the Dragon Gods, combined with what Mavis had observed during the tournament and her understanding of everyone's teamwork, Mavis began assigning opponents and groups.

Once the arrangements were finished, she gave everyone one final reminder.

"The battle is three days from now. Until then, get some proper rest."

...

Northern Guiltina.

Ignia, Helios, and the other three Dragon Gods had gathered there, currently maintaining their human forms.

Helios's human appearance bore some resemblance to Ignia's.

Long white hair fell loosely around his shoulders, and a sun-shaped marking covered his chest as well, though his was located over the right side.

Helios looked around at Ignia and the others.

"I slept for four hundred years, and Acnologia is already dead?"

Selene's theory had been correct.

Aldoron, Viernes, and Dogramag had indeed been resurrected by Helios.

His Magic bore some resemblance to Neinhart's Historia of the Dead.

However, the three resurrected Dragon Gods could not regain the full strength they had possessed while alive.

Their continued existence was also tied directly to Helios.

As long as he lived, they could remain.

If Helios died, all three of them would die with him.

Ignia nodded.

"That's right. Acnologia was killed by Mages from Ishgar and Alakitasia working together."

A smile curled across Helios's lips.

"Interesting..."

That revelation genuinely made him look forward to the coming battle.

He understood Acnologia's strength far too well.

Helios had not simply vanished four hundred years ago without explanation.

He had fought Acnologia.

And he had been so badly injured in that battle that he ultimately chose to seal himself away and enter a deep sleep.

Strictly speaking, Helios had already been as good as dead back then.

But he possessed one extraordinary ability.

Nirvana.

He could only use it once.

When mortally wounded and on the verge of death, Helios could place himself into a state of suspended rebirth.

The longer he remained dormant, the stronger he would become after awakening.

No one had known where he slept.

Ignia had only managed to locate and unseal him by using Dogramag together with the power contained in Elefseria's stolen heart.

Helios's resting place had not actually been especially well hidden.

The problem was reaching it.

It lay somewhere so saturated with fire and magma that probably only a creature like Ignia, who had no reason to fear either, could have approached it safely.

Helios had never been particularly sympathetic toward humans either.

Even his original battle against Acnologia had not been motivated by some noble desire to protect humanity.

He had simply been arrogant enough to believe there was nothing in the world he needed to fear.

Ignia gave him a warning.

"Irene, Selene, Mercphobia, and that man Raizel are all dangerous. Don't underestimate them."

Helios smiled confidently and clenched one fist.

"The only being in this world I have ever feared was Acnologia at his peak."

"No one else concerns me."

Apparently, nearly being killed by Acnologia and spending four hundred years asleep had done absolutely nothing to cure Helios of his arrogance.

If anything, his long dormancy had made him stronger than before.

At this point, Helios even believed he had surpassed Acnologia at his peak.

Ignia offered no opinion.

"My target is Natsu Dragneel."

He did not particularly care whether Helios lived or died.

Helios, Aldoron, Viernes, and Dogramag only needed to keep Raizel, Selene, and the others occupied long enough for Ignia to fight Natsu without holding anything back.

Ignia's obsession with Natsu had never been without reason.

First, he wanted to prove that he was Igneel's strongest son.

Second, he wanted to prove that Igneel had been wrong.

That choosing Natsu had been a mistake.

Igneel had all but ignored Ignia, his own son, yet he had taken in a human child brought to him by Zeref and raised that boy with extraordinary care.

Ignia had never been able to understand it.

...

The following day—

Raizel, August, Selene, and Zeref each took responsibility for a portion of the army and used teleportation and Spatial Magic to transport everyone directly to Guiltina.

This time, nearly all of Fairy Tail had mobilized.

Even Macao and Wakaba were coming.

Yukino and Sherria would also be participating.

That had been Mavis's decision.

Makarov had hesitated for a while, but ultimately agreed.

Sherria was already a capable fighter, and after receiving guidance from Mavis, Ur, and the others during her time at the guild, her strength had improved by leaps and bounds.

Yukino, meanwhile, primarily fought through her Celestial Spirits.

And she had recently obtained the key to Ophiuchus.

In a sense, the key had practically come looking for her.

While Yukino and Sherria were out on a mission together, they had encountered another Celestial Spirit Mage who possessed the Ophiuchus Key.

That Mage had acquired it some time ago, only to discover that it did not correspond to any of the Twelve Zodiac Gates.

More importantly, she had been completely unable to form a contract with Ophiuchus.

But the moment the key encountered Yukino, it began to glow.

Realizing that the key had apparently chosen its own master, the Celestial Spirit Mage simply gave it to her.

After all, keeping a key she could never use would only allow something extraordinary to gather dust.