Charles fully acknowledged that the responsibility for this incident lay with him.

To probe the mysteries of Dragon Slayer Magic, he had to find a Fifth Generation Dragon Slayer as a research subject.

So Charles set a bait and captured Kyria.

That said, "research" didn't mean he treated Kyria like a lab rat. Though he restricted her movements, he made sure she was well fed and cared for—she wasn't mistreated in the slightest.

Besides, Kyria had been the one to provoke him at their first meeting, not even giving Charles a proper chance to discuss cooperation.

Even so, Charles didn't think what he did was exactly right. So if Diabolos showed up demanding compensation, as long as it was reasonable, he'd accept it.

And if they wanted a fight, he'd oblige—and he wouldn't hold a grudge over it.

But they shouldn't have harmed anyone else—especially endangering his comrades' lives.

Whether as Fairy Tail or as Charles himself, comrades always came first.

Even if it meant defying the whole world, Fairy Tail had always acted boldly for their own. In this situation, there was nothing to discuss—only one conclusion: battle.

So when the Dragon Eaters returned to Teka Town looking for Charles's group, Charles was already waiting for them on the road with Stella and Kagura.

Charles's gaze swept over the group ahead and quickly settled on a slight, youthful figure. Strangely, it was as if only Charles could see him—among the three, only he took note of the boy, while Stella and Kagura remained wary of the other three Dragon Eaters.

So that explained why Sting and Rogue's condition was so strange—it was because of him.

Wraith, the Fifth Generation Spirit Dragon Slayer. A special existence visible only to Dragon Slayers.

He was an incorporeal spirit, and the dragon he had devoured was the Spirit Dragon. Only he could have sealed Sting and Rogue's souls.

Charles didn't know how Wraith had managed to preserve his soul after death, nor how he had devoured the Spirit Dragon to obtain Dragon Slayer Magic.

But he did know that Wraith had once been a member of Fairy Tail—a peer of Master Makarov from the same era.

That wasn't bad news. Wraith had no memories of his life; if Charles helped him retrieve them, Sting and Rogue's problem could be solved.

Far better than leaving their awakening dependent on someone else—and risking a mutual-destruction outcome if something went wrong.

With that thought, Charles turned to the other three, each with distinctive traits. He didn't need introductions to recognize them.

Skull Dragon Skullion, Armor Dragon Madmole, and standing between them—Sword Saint Dragon Suzaku.

Suzaku stepped forward. "I thought you would have fled. Yet you still have the courage to appear before us. This gentleman, however, I did not see last time… I see—so this is the source of your confidence."

Charles studied one of Diabolos's strongest and said, "Apologies—perhaps there was a better way to resolve this. But I'm very angry right now, so let's skip the chatter."

Suzaku rested a hand on his hilt. "It seems you have no intention of releasing my comrade easily. Very well—just as you wish."

As a member of Diabolos's strongest squad, the Black Dragon Slayer Knights, Suzaku was formidable across the board.

He had been ready to fight from the moment he saw Charles, yet even so, he couldn't follow Charles's movements.

The instant his words fell, Charles was already in front of him. A straight punch that broke the sound barrier slammed into Suzaku's abdomen, sending him flying.

Before Skullion and Madmole could even react, Charles was already pursuing Suzaku through the air. The two tried to give chase, but Stella and Kagura barred their way.

"Let's settle our score from last time," Stella said, summoning the Feilong Sinblade and pointing it at them.

Off to the side, Wraith sighed and moved forward to subdue their opponents with his ability.

Skullion and Madmole's expressions didn't change. They preferred to deal with enemies by their own strength—but that didn't mean they'd reject a comrade's help.

But the moment Wraith stepped within three meters of them, the bracelet on Stella's hand lit up.

Following Charles's instructions, Stella activated the magitech device he'd left behind.

A hexagram flared under Wraith's feet. Six light screens rose from the hexagram's points, forming a cell that imprisoned Wraith on the spot.

Wraith pressed his palm to the light screen. Confirming he couldn't pass through the magic barrier, he said to the two, "My apologies. It seems they were prepared for me. I won't be able to help in this fight."

"Don't worry," Skullion said. "We can handle this."

Stella didn't know who Skullion was talking to, but she understood that Charles's setup had worked.

No need to worry about the invisible enemy—now they only had to deal with the ones they could see.

…

While Stella's side engaged, Charles had already caught up to the distant Suzaku.

Suzaku flipped midair and landed on both feet, sinking into a crouch and taking a draw stance.

"Iaido, huh?"

Seeing Suzaku's posture, Charles recognized the technique at a glance.

To be honest, Charles had no idea what kind of dragon the Sword Saint Dragon was, nor what its powers entailed. But Suzaku, who devoured it, certainly deserved the title of Sword Saint.

Just from his stance, Charles could feel a hint of danger.

"Netherworld-Style Iaido: Netherworld Fall!"

A massive arc of magical slashing force appeared, as if to cleave the very land in two.

And Charles faced that world-toppling slash head-on.

"Perfect. Time to test the new power. Mode… Flame Dragon God!"

He hadn't integrated Ignia's newly acquired power into his Dragon King Form yet—but it would suffice.

Suzaku was strong; eight years later, he would even defeat the Moon Dragon God in a frontal battle by himself.

Granted, the Moon Dragon God had held back to draw out Diabolos—but given a dragon's pride, her human form likely couldn't withstand the single stroke Suzaku had honed through his own training.

But that was eight years from now. The current Suzaku had not yet reached that level. Judging by the magic he could sense from Suzaku, Charles was confident in that assessment.

"Flame Dragon God's Crushing Fist!"

Behind Charles, Ignia's draconic form roared, and with Charles's motion, drove a titanic punch.

Suzaku's fearsome slash was smashed to pieces in an instant.

Only then did Suzaku realize he had underestimated his opponent. Despite his youth, this man was clearly in the same league as their own guild master.

If Charles had known Suzaku thought that, he wouldn't have been pleased. Comparing him to the guy who got stomped to death by the Moon Dragon God? That was selling him way too short.

Even without knowing that, it didn't stop Charles from taking down this still somewhat green Sword Saint Dragon.

(End of Chapter)

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