"This is a technique I created for you. Enjoy it!"
Drake, transforming into a red comet, sped towards Patri.
"Light Magic: Condemnation's Light Sword!"
Patri, realizing Drake now posed a threat, attacked with full power. To his surprise, the light swords shattered upon impact with Drake.
If Drake's body had been wood before, it was now the strongest alloy.
While Patri was stunned, Drake approached, crushing an incoming light sword. Patri dodged Drake's kick and retreated.
Drake's kick shattered the already damaged mountainside. Amidst the falling rocks, Drake looked at Patri.
"Thinking you can escape?"
Their speed was too great; others only saw two streaks of light—red and gold—colliding. Each clash sent down rocks.
Luckily, Finral had already moved the injured to safety.
"Amazing!" Asta watched, unable to see clearly.
"I can't see anything! Damn it! If I had magic…" Asta lamented.
Yami, serious, slapped Asta's head. "Idiot, use your ki!"
Yami began teaching Asta about ki and its use in combat.
While this "friendly" lesson was happening, Drake and Patri were nearing the end of their fight.
Their final attacks shattered the cave ceiling.
Drake stopped, exhaling white breath. He tore off his damaged shirt and looked at Patri.
Patri's robe sleeve was burned, and he had scorch marks. He was no longer calm; his face was grim and confused.
Drake said, "Confused? This is the result of my training after losing to you. I call it… Dragon Blood Mode!"
Three days after the capital's unrest, Drake, despite his injuries (mostly superficial, though he'd lost a lot of blood), had recovered. He found Yami and asked about a location.
The Mana Zone, Ultime-Volcano Mountain Trail! In this world, areas with extremely powerful mana caused magical phenomena.
Ultime-Volcano Mountain Trail was a Mana Zone in the Clover Kingdom, its interior a hellish landscape due to concentrated fire mana.
Powerful mana burdened mages; weak mages would die simply entering. For strong mages, it was a training ground. The mana enhanced magic power and forced improvement in control, even strengthening the body.
Drake came here to train. Seeing the flowing lava, he knew the first step was to climb the volcano.
His initial goal was to master the technique known as Magic Skin—precisely controlling one's magic to constantly enhance the body and imbue it with elemental attributes. Further refinement leads to Magic Territory, allowing for powerful attacks surpassing one's normal capabilities.
The Mana Zone was ideal. But Drake was more extreme; he climbed without using magic.
His magic power was too high for external training; he needed the volcano's interior. He suppressed his magic, relying solely on his physical strength to withstand the mana.
Since learning Dragon Slayer Magic, Drake's body had developed resistance to various environments, especially heat. Ordinary flames felt like warm water.
But Ultime-Volcano Mountain Trail was different; the heat was from the mana. It wasn't heat but the pressure of the mana.
Even Drake felt pain; his steps were heavy. His skin turned dark red, like iron in a forge.
He could release his magic to alleviate the pain, but he persevered.
The capital's unrest had greatly impacted Drake. His actions were beyond reproach, but he couldn't forgive himself, especially with Fuegoleon's injuries.
Drake believed he could change the tragedy, but he couldn't. He hadn't told anyone, but he wanted to change Igneel's fate—defeating Acnologia, the Black Dragon.
But if he couldn't defeat Patri, how could he defeat Acnologia?
He could tell himself he had time to grow, that he wasn't at his peak. But thinking of Acnologia's power, he doubted he could defeat him.
In the original story, Acnologia, consuming the power of the time rift, split into human and dragon forms. The dragon form was sealed using Fairy Sphere, a super magic requiring the power of all the continent's mages. The human form was defeated by Natsu and seven peak Dragon Slayers.
Thinking of this, Drake felt ashamed of his complacency. His sense of superiority as a time traveler vanished.
The physical strain affected his mind; various thoughts flooded him, culminating in a single sentence.
"I… am too weak!"
Blood dripped, creating smoke. Drake had dug his nails into his palm.
Crack!
Drake heard something break inside him.
In the Fairy Tail world, a similar fiery space.
Two lights appeared—a dragon's eyes.
"Awakened, at last!" The dragon's voice was filled with joy and pride.
"Dragons are proud, but… realizing one's weakness brings true pride. Acknowledge your weakness and move forward!"
Drake realized what had happened; his Dragon Seed was sprouting. A more intense power flowed through him; his Dragon Force was awakening.
(Igneel: But what's going on? Why can't I sense Drake's location? Where did he go?)
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