"What nonsense is this brat talking about? Who's his defeated subordinate?"
"Ridiculous! How could I possibly lose to that little brat?"
Igneel and the Iron Dragon immediately began to loudly protest. They absolutely had not lost to Kei—this was pure slander!
"But the children you two raised were both defeated by the child I raised. By that logic, it's basically the same as you two being defeated."
Grandeeney said with a smile.
"That doesn't count! That's just because that brat Natsu was too weak! It doesn't represent my strength at all!"
"Me, the Flame Dragon King Igneel, losing to a little brat?! If word of this got out, my reputation would be completely ruined!"
Igneel shouted in frustration!
"Don't worry, word won't get out. The dragon race has already been slaughtered by Acnologia. No dragon will ever know about this."
The Shadow Dragon spoke calmly.
While others spoke grounded words, this guy spoke straight from the underworld, turning the mood grim and making all the dragons fall silent.
After a long pause...
"That little brat will probably go back to 400 years ago again, won't he? He might even run into the versions of us from that time."
The White Dragon said thoughtfully.
"And when that time comes, I'll definitely give him a good beating!"
Igneel added confidently.
"That's right! Then he'll truly know how powerful I, the Iron Dragon, am!"
The Iron Dragon added.
"I'm really curious about what sort of impact that child will have if he truly returns to 400 years ago. Will he actually become the Dragon King and bring peace to the world?"
Grandeeney pondered aloud.
"No, if the future had changed, we would have sensed it. But clearly, we have no such memories."
"Which means the future hasn't changed at all."
The Shadow Dragon spoke again.
"Shut up!"
"Get lost!"
"Kick this guy out! He's not allowed in our conversation anymore!"
The dragons who were finally enjoying a pleasant chat were immediately irritated by the Shadow Dragon's words.
...
The Outside World.
Kei descended from the sky and approached the Hellfire Dragon.
"Do you surrender?" Kei asked.
"Surrender? We will never surrender!"
"If you want to kill us, just do it! Stop wasting words!"
The dragons struggled to stand up, but their strength had already been drained by Kei, and their injuries were severe.
Right now, even standing was difficult for them.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it already."
"Power determines respect. You admit I'm stronger than you, right?"
After Kei finished speaking, the dragons fell silent. Their pride wouldn't allow them to deny Kei's words, but they couldn't bring themselves to say that he was stronger.
After a brief pause...
"You are indeed stronger than all of us."
"But that's only because we were holding each other back—"
"Shut up! Losing is losing! It was seven against one and we still lost. Stop making excuses, it's shameful for dragons!"
"You've won. You're stronger than all of us."
The Hellfire Dragon admitted. They all acknowledged that Kei was stronger, with no room for argument. It was a seven-versus-one battle; the truth was undeniable.
"Then, how about you all follow me back to 400 years ago?" Kei asked.
"Go back? For what?"
The Jade Dragon asked. "I heard from those humans that there are no dragons left here, only weak humans."
"It's not like we can just rule this place easily!"
The Jade Dragon continued.
"What's the point of bullying a bunch of weaklings? The real thrill is fighting against powerful enemies."
"I want to go back and defeat all the dragons! To become the strongest!"
Kei continued, "If you're willing, then come with me. If not, I'll just roast you all on the spot!"
"I am willing to follow you!"
The Hellfire Dragon answered. He was originally confused and brought here, his consciousness influenced by Rogue's magic.
In essence, he never intended to come here. Moreover, he admired strong beings, and Kei's goal ignited his flames even more fiercely!
"I'm willing as well! But you better think it through! In our era, it's not just a few dragons, but tens of thousands of them!"
"When you arrive, you might just be torn to pieces!"
A black dragon spoke with a sinister tone.
"If I was afraid, I wouldn't be going. Anyone else want to come? If you don't speak up, I'm starting the barbecue!"
"I-I-I will!"
The Jade Dragon quickly replied.
"I'm willing!"
"Me too!"
Very quickly, all seven dragons surrendered and chose to submit to Kei. If they were told to submit to humans, they would never accept it.
But submitting to someone raised by a dragon and who seemed to be as much of a dragon as they were? That was different.
Especially when Kei had proclaimed his goal of becoming the strongest among dragons!
"Good. Once the gate opens again, we will head back to 400 years ago!"
After Kei finished speaking, he went over to where Wendy and Lucy were standing. Opening the Eclipse Gate required the keys of the Golden Zodiac.
As for the dragons, there was no need to worry. After a short rest, they would naturally regain their strength.
"Could you help us open the gate again?" Kei asked Lucy.
"Yes!"
Lucy was initially going to refuse because no one knew what would happen if the gate was opened again. But after meeting Kei's gaze, she immediately changed her mind. She couldn't resist him! Kei was simply too terrifying!
"Brother, are you leaving again?"
Wendy looked at Kei with a sad expression. They had just reunited, and now he was leaving again.
"It's not that I'm leaving again, it's that I didn't go to the right place before."
"I was originally heading to 400 years ago, but when your gate opened, it messed up the time corridor."
"Your gate linked to 400 years ago, and when I traveled, it pulled me here instead."
Kei pondered for a moment, feeling this was the most likely explanation. There was no other solution, so trying again should allow him to return to 400 years ago.
"Whoosh!"
"The dragons are flying again!"
"Roar!"
"They're recovering so quickly! In this world, the dragon race is truly favored. As long as they still breathe, they can absorb elemental energy to restore themselves."
"Open the gate. We're leaving."
Kei sighed, then realized he had become even stronger. Well, in that case, there was nothing to worry about.
"Open! Gate of the Golden Zodiac!"
Lucy and another Celestial Spirit Mage summoned the Golden Zodiac Spirits, and the twelve spirits together reopened the gate.
"Even though I've already said it once, I'll say it again. See you all in 400 years!"
Kei flew into the sky and landed on the Hellfire Dragon's back.
As the Eclipse Gate opened, all seven dragons entered as they had promised. None of them tried to pull any tricks. They were actually looking forward to seeing if Kei could achieve his goal.
Would he be able to defeat all the dragons and become the Dragon King?
"Remember to close the door once I'm inside."
Kei and the dragons entered the Eclipse Gate.
"Roar!"
Accompanied by a resounding dragon roar, Kei's figure disappeared. Lucy and the others immediately closed the Eclipse Gate.
The Dragon King's Festival was completely over!
[You have entered 400 years ago and are ready to begin a new journey.]
[Simulation Ended. Do you want to save the simulation?]
"Yes."
(End of Chapter)
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