Chapter 337: A Fatal Threat, Acnologia!

"Cannot?"

Outside the barrier, countless people were whispering to one another, some unable to understand what Erin meant by "cannot" in the dark world.

Clearly possessing even greater strength, yet unable to unleash it?

And forced into a tug-of-war with the enemy?

What kind of logic was this?

However, the barrier soon provided the answer.

【"Cannot?" Black Natsu also looked at Erin, his face full of confusion.】

【"Yes."】

【Erin helplessly placed the bowl and chopsticks in her hand onto the ground.】

【Then, her eyes fixed on the Black Natsu before her.】

【"You still remember... Acnologia, who shone brilliantly at the Dragon King Festival three hundred years ago, right?!"】

【Hearing this, Black Natsu's eating motion paused.】

【"Acnologia..."】

【He narrowed his eyes slightly.】

【How could he possibly forget such a thing?】

【He, who had always regarded it as his goal, remembered the name Acnologia at every moment.】

【It was also the culprit that forced Igneel and the other dragons to choose to survive by lingering in the bodies of Dragon Slayers.】

Outside the barrier, countless people sat up straight at this moment.

Especially within the Fairy Tail guild.

As those who had once truly encountered Acnologia and were sealed for seven years because of it.

They could better grasp the terror of Acnologia!

That was a... despair that truly led by a cliff-like margin over all other living beings!

In the scene.

【Black Natsu nodded silently.】

【Erin continued: "Three hundred years ago, shortly after you disappeared, the war between humans and dragons across the entire world reached its end."】

【"Amidst this stalemate, Acnologia officially appeared. None of us knew how Acnologia had evolved to such a powerful level."】

【"But without a doubt, the strength of Acnologia at that time already presented an overwhelming terror. By then, there was no longer a single dragon that was a match for that guy."】

【"And its goal was also extremely bloody; it wanted to exterminate all dragonkind, whether they were hostile to humans or helping them."】

【"Therefore, the giant dragons existing within our empire were also on Acnologia's hunting list."】

【Speaking of this, Erin could not help but sigh.】

【"It felt as if this was not a battle on the same level at all."】

【"The arrival of Acnologia accelerated the end of the war, and all dragons that still existed met their doom at its hands."】

【"At that time, I made a decision: to let the Galaxy Empire go into hiding, never again to ask about worldly affairs, nor participate in anything on the continent."】

【"And to announce to the outside world that the Kingdom of Dragnof had perished."】

【She gave a self-deprecating smile.】

【"You could also interpret it as us being afraid, and thus hiding away."】

【"However, this decision allowed us to continue to this day very well."】

【"In fact, until this war, no one knew about the existence of dragons within our empire, until... the beginning of this war."】

【"So, you mean that the reason you don't send out all the giant dragons is for fear of attracting Acnologia's attention?"】

【Black Natsu asked aloud.】

【Erin nodded: "Yes."】

【"That guy is just that exaggerated; even while traveling all over the world, it can still sense the aura of a Title Dragon."】

【"Therefore, we can only use a small number of weak dragons to barely maintain the war situation. Once too many dragons are used, or if they are too strong, it is possible to attract Acnologia."】

【"It is even possible... that our current actions have already attracted Acnologia's attention!"】

【Erin sighed lightly: "So, being suppressed by such a top-tier powerhouse is truly frustrating."】

【"Acnologia... what exactly is going on with that guy? Tell me about it."】

【Seemingly interested, Black Natsu asked Erin.】

【Truth be told, Black Natsu's understanding of Acnologia was still limited to the records in the Apocalypse, and the brief mentions by Igneel and others.】

【But, on either side, the descriptions of Acnologia were not comprehensive, only saying how terrifying this guy was.】

【How ruthless it was, and so on.】

【However, it seemed no one knew how this guy was born.】

【No one knew what its code of conduct was.】

【It was almost like a mechanism given by the world, a... mechanism that existed only for slaughter.】

【"Acnologia, huh..."】

【Erin's brows furrowed slightly.】

【"I have learned a lot about this guy. Simply put, this guy was actually just like us four hundred years ago!"】

【"As a human Dragon Slayer!"】

Laxus: "Dragon Slayer??!!"

Laxus, with his arms crossed, widened his eyes instantly!

Sting: "Dragon Slayer? Are you kidding? That guy... isn't he a dragon?"

Rogue: "I think... it should be something similar to Dragonification, right?"

"Before, whether it was Erin of the dark world or Mr. Black Natsu, weren't they always working hard for some perfect Dragonification?"

Gajeel: "Before, Metalicana and the others said that during the time they were hidden in our bodies, they also helped us suppress the budding of the Dragon Seed, preventing things like Dragonification."

"Could it be that... the result after Dragonification is the same as the so-called Acnologia?"

Metalicana: "To be precise, that is indeed the case. However, you don't need to worry about this aspect. From the moment our work was completed, you would no longer have a tendency toward Dragonification."

【In the barrier, Erin's words continued.】

【"None of us know what this guy experienced, but what is certain is that his Dragon Slayer Magic went down a wrong path."】

【"At least, in my opinion, that is a wrong direction."】

【"It relies on hunting dragons to strengthen itself, just like leveling up by killing monsters."】

【"The essence of magic is emotion, even for Dragon Slayer Magic."】

【"Every time it kills a dragon and bathes in a dragon's blood, Acnologia becomes tainted with a dragon's resentment, and this resentment makes it stronger."】

【"But, at the same time, it will also cause it to gradually lose its humanity."】

【"The desire for slaughter will also become increasingly intense. This is like an abyss; once you step into it, there is no way to turn back."】

【"Until this resentment, fury, anger, and countless other negative emotions accumulate on it, causing it to completely transform into a giant dragon."】

【Seilah covered her mouth in horror and muttered: "So, it can also be understood that Acnologia is simply a collection of the resentment of countless dragons?"】

【Black Natsu frowned: "This Acnologia is completely different from the person he was before, right?"】

【Erin nodded gently: "You can understand it that way. In short, Acnologia can no longer be considered the human he once was."】

【"Or rather, the Acnologia of the past died long ago, and what remains is the current Dragon of Apocalypse..."】

【"This is the wrong ending caused by wrong evolution."】

【"Therefore, I am not surprised that Acnologia could reach today's level. That guy..."】

【Erin's voice paused, and she spoke with a solemn expression.】

【"Is the evil of dragonkind! The pure evil... created by gathering all the negative emotions of the entire dragon race!"】

【"Does the dragon slayer eventually become an evil dragon?"】

【Black Natsu, having learned this information, could not help but let out a sigh.】

【Dong, dong, dong...】

【The tightly closed door was knocked upon.】

【Interrupting everyone's conversation.】 ===== CHAPTER 338 =====