CHAPTER 758: STRANGE HEX AND ALCHEMY

"What do you all think?"

"It’s astonishing."

"As expected of the creatures said to have once ruled this continent."

The Councilors’ Thought Bodies stood by the window, watching as Rhodes and his group soared away on the great dragon.

Its vast wingspan, overwhelming aura, and breathtaking speed made even these veteran mages tremble in quiet awe.

The Councilors were already gathered in the conference chamber. They hadn’t planned to arrive so early, but after receiving word that Saint Ten Rhodes had unexpectedly brought guests to the prison, they came at once, just in case something happened.

The two guards had been sent out merely to prevent a clash between Rhodes and Jieman, yet they returned describing a scene straight out of legend: a dragon that could blot out the sun.

Gran Doma’s expression was grave. "I’ve been considering something," he said. "If Rhodes can summon such a creature at will, then how powerful must Acnologia truly be, the dragon that even he cannot defeat?"

Silence fell over the chamber.

Acnologia the Black Dragon, and Zeref the Black Wizard, these two names had always hung over them like dark clouds. They were the Council’s ultimate targets, beings that absolutely had to be destroyed.

But now, after witnessing what they had just seen, everyone felt a chill run through them.

If even that blue metal dragon was beyond comprehension, then Acnologia’s power might be far more terrifying than any of them had imagined.

"Would Magic Cannon even be effective against such a creature?" someone murmured.

"Or will we be forced to consider... other measures?" another added quietly.

Org finally cleared his throat, cutting through the unease. "We can’t find an answer to that right now. Let’s focus on resolving the immediate issues first."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

A Councilor asked, "What’s the background of that girl, Flare?"

"Judging by her mark, she appears to be an ordinary human from the Sun Village."

"But isn’t that a village of giants? Why would there be a human there?"

"Perhaps she was adopted. You know how the giants are, gentle to a fault."

Several nodded knowingly.

Though the giants were formidable in battle, they had no ambition for conquest. Their quiet, peaceful nature had made them fade into legend over the centuries. Few even knew they still existed.

According to the frog-men’s report, Rhodes had shown no hostility, only curiosity about Flare’s origins, likely due to her connection to the giants. The Council decided it wasn’t a matter requiring deeper concern.

Then Org raised another question. "Should Rhodes’s ranking among the Saint Ten be adjusted?"

The others hesitated only briefly before nodding.

They had seen his strength with their own eyes. In terms of achievements, he had single-handedly pacified a nation’s banditry.

And in terms of intelligence value, he had provided firsthand information about both Acnologia and Zeref, something the Council had failed to accomplish for years.

That alone, they agreed, outweighed the combined work of their entire intelligence division.

"Then let’s raise his ranking to fourth or fifth," Gran Doma decided. "We’ll finalize the details later and send our recommendation to Hyberion."

The Councilors exchanged approving looks. Rhodes’s strength had now reached the level of the Ishgar Four Heavenly Kings.

And with Serena’s situation still giving them endless headaches, any reinforcement of the Council’s image of power was welcome.

Still, they all silently agreed, it was best not to announce this just yet. The political waves it could cause across Ishgar would be too unpredictable.

If there was a reliable young man strong enough to replace Serena, that would be excellent.

"Report! Sabertooth’s Guild Master, Jieman, has arrived."

"Let him in."

Meanwhile, high in the air

"R-Rhodes... was that really just a mode of transportation?" Natsu covered his mouth, still hung up on what Rhodes had said earlier.

"How could that be possible?" Lucy protested. "That was clearly a dragon! He must’ve said that just to scare them."

"Aye!" Happy agreed with a little salute.

But Rhodes thought for a moment, then said quite seriously, "If I had to be precise, it’s half and half. You could call it a mode of transportation."

"Ugh..." Natsu’s face turned green. "L-let me down..."

Rhodes tilted his head. "Is your motion sickness physiological or psychological?"

Natsu could only groan in response, while Happy patted him reassuringly. "It’s a dragon, Natsu. You love dragons, remember?"

Lucy, curious despite herself, asked, "Half and half? What do you mean?"

Rhodes smiled. "The Hextech Dragon is a special fusion of dragon and Hextech engineering. You can think of her as... a modified dragon. She’s both a living being and a machine. Her consciousness isn’t entirely whole. When I’m talking to outsiders, it’s fine to call her a ’vehicle,’ but when we’re among friends, she’s a companion."

To everyone’s surprise, this simple statement seemed to calm Natsu immediately. His dizziness vanished, and he straightened up, patting the dragon’s metallic back.

"So you’re a companion, huh? How about a little spar when we get home?"

The Hextech Dragon slowly turned her head, her voice emerging as a soft, feminine electronic hum. "Don’t... like fighting..."

Her tone was gentle, almost hesitant, like static carried by a breeze.

Rhodes chuckled. "See? She’s quite strong, but she doesn’t enjoy combat. I’ll introduce you to a more hot-blooded one another day."

He explained that the Alchemy Dragon and Hextech Dragon were of similar origin, both modified dragons whose souls had been fused with magical machinery. Their minds weren’t as complete as those of elemental dragons.

Alchemy’s temperament leaned toward destruction; Hextech’s toward protection.

"She sounds kind of pitiful," Lucy murmured, reaching out to touch the dragon’s scales. The metal plating was cool beneath her fingers. "Why was she modified in the first place?"

Rhodes’s expression softened. "Because they were gravely wounded in battle. Without modification, they would’ve died. The people who repaired them probably wanted to create weapons as powerful as dragons themselves. But the attempt failed, they couldn’t control them completely. In the end, both dragons returned to the Dragon’s Lair by their own will."

He smiled faintly, remembering the others.

"Cloud thinks they’re dull, too slow to react, so she doesn’t bother with them. Purgatory finds Hextech boring and only fights with Alchemy when he wants some fun. But Alchemy is reckless and wild; once she starts, she never stops. Even Purgatory gets tired of her."

"Mountain doesn’t care either," Rhodes went on. "He’s lazy, he spends most of his time asleep. Sometimes he entertains the hatchlings, but he’s not interested in comforting these two. He’ll only talk to them if he happens to feel pity that day."

He smiled a little. "Ocean’s better. She likes to joke around, and even though Hextech and Alchemy never really get the jokes, they still laugh along with her. That’s enough for her."

...

Bonus @800 PS

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