Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 301: Evan Steps into the Pre-Dragon God Level

"Revenge! Avenge me!!"

"Kill! Kill that cursed human..."

"Beware of Acnologia, his power is unfathomable..."

"Even if it's just once, we must wound that bastard!"

"No use, only Igneel, the Flame Dragon King, can stand against him. Our power is far too inferior..."

"Our kin, this is our last strength!"

"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it..."

"If only we hadn't joined this war and had gone to Giltena with them!"

"Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate!"

Countless emotions flooded Evan's mind. These were the final thoughts of the dragons who fought Acnologia before they died. Released now, they seemed to manifest as ghostly dragons whispering in Evan's ear, trying to disturb his sanity.

"Silence, you losers! Become my sustenance and transform into my power!"

"Then watch closely as I defeat Acnologia and crown myself the new king..."

Wrapped in countless dragon spirits, Evan remained calm and cold. His eyes glinted with ice as he angrily rebuked the souls, labeling them as failures.

"What?! You..."

"Don't get too arrogant!!"

"The power of Acnologia is beyond your imagination, foolish descendant!"

The spirits seemed enraged by Evan's words, roaring furiously at him.

"Enough nonsense, become my power already!"

Evan had no patience for their chatter. He opened his massive jaws and swallowed the entire Dragon's Tear crystal, absorbing the spirits cleanly. Despite their size in ghost form, they were no match for Evan's several-hundred-meter-long Azure Dragon form. They were devoured, becoming nourishment for the dragon.

"Argh..."

"ROAR!!"

As Evan devoured the Dragon's Tear and all the dragon spirits, his body turned crimson, overflowing with infinite magic power. The immense strength caused him immense pain, and he roared in agony. His cries evolved from human shouts to the ferocious roars of a dragon.

"BOOM!"

Terrifying magic surged through Evan, releasing bursts of potent energy. The extreme dragon's aura combined with his Conqueror's Haki, causing the heavens and earth within a radius of several kilometers to tremble. Thunder and lightning filled the sky, the ground shook with earthquakes, and a fierce wind blew across the land. Trees bent and mountains quaked. Fortunately, Evan had set up a massive anti-magic barrier, preventing his magic from spreading and attracting unwanted attention.

This upheaval lasted for an entire week before gradually subsiding...

When the magical energy ceased to pour from Evan's body, the enormous Azure Dragon descended, lying on the ground with eyes closed in deep slumber. At this moment, Evan's consciousness was in a state of deep synchronization, merging his soul and body further to avoid the awkward separation of body and soul, like what happened to Acnologia after gaining immense power.

Although Evan's awareness was submerged, his ever-present Observation Haki continued to monitor his surroundings vigilantly, ensuring his safety and ready to wake him if danger approached.

In reality, with Evan's current power, aside from allies like Irene, the only being in Ishgar who could pose a threat to him was the Black Dragon King, Acnologia.

Time flew by...

A month had passed since Evan gained the power of the Dragon's Tear and fell into slumber. On this day, Evan slowly opened his eyes, releasing a burst of golden light. The terrifying magic caused the entire earth and atmosphere to tremble!

The immense power within the Dragon's Tear now belonged entirely to Evan, unlike the original dragon, who wasted much of its power and was ultimately defeated by Natsu, Evan completely absorbed and integrated the Dragon's Tear's power, transforming it entirely into his own.

"Over a month has passed, and I've finally completed the absorption of the Dragon's Tear. This power is truly terrifying, as King Toma said, a dangerous force that has made me stronger than I ever imagined..."

Evan looked down at his body, murmuring to himself. His human form had changed little, with slightly longer hair, a more muscular frame, and a few centimeters of additional height, but his internal transformation was immense. He was now fundamentally different from the Evan of a month ago.

Evan's system status now read:

(Dragon Slayer) Zoan-Type Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Type, Azure Dragon Form: LV14 (+)

Not only had his magic power increased from level 11 to level 14, but his physical abilities and resistances had also seen a huge boost, reaching level 13. His Additional and Separation Magic, evolving with his magic's qualitative leap, had also risen from level 10 to 11, nearing the peak of high-tier Additional Magic.

Overall, Evan's power had skyrocketed in all aspects due to the Dragon's Tear!

Although his Light-Light and Gravity Devil Fruit powers hadn't advanced beyond level 10, this was a minor regret that didn't significantly impact his overall strength.

"The me of now and the me of before are on completely different levels!"

"With my current strength, even facing the Lunar Dragon God Selene, the outcome wouldn't be clear."

"If I must categorize my power level, perhaps I'm at the pre-Dragon God level. I'm invincible below a true Dragon God, and facing Selene or Irene, I'm not certain of the result, but I'm sure I won't lose."

Reflecting on Selene and Irene's power levels, Evan realized that he was now on a comparable level. Before, he was like a child, but now he can stand his ground against Selene and Irene.

"Now, I need to continue collecting mission medals. With my current progress, by the year X784, I can likely boost one of my abilities to level 15. With extra effort, I might even elevate two abilities to level 15 or one to level 16, reaching or surpassing the Dragon God level!"

"At that point, the only one who could be called my opponent on this continent would be Acnologia. Given time, I'll have no rivals..."

Evan pondered his next steps, determined to continue growing stronger.

"First, I'll return to the guild. It's been a month since I last visited..."

Stretching, Evan dissolved the barrier and vanished in a flash of dark light.

In no time...

After a few elemental transformations, Evan arrived at the Fairy Tail guild.

"Brothers, drink up!"

"Ha ha ha..."

"Cana, you're slacking! You've barely drunk anything..."

"Joking aside, while I'm not great at fighting, when it comes to drinking, no one here can match me!"

Macao, Cana, and Wakaba had become close drinking buddies.

"Bastard! Natsu, give me back my underwear..."

"Ha ha ha, come and get it! Catch me if you can, and I'll return it..."

"Aye~"

Gray, naked and chasing Natsu all over the guild, was infuriated. Natsu had stolen his underwear when he took it off.

Happy, supporting Natsu, joined in the fun at Gray's expense.

"Gray, you're useless! I've evolved past the need for underwear!"

Leon, sitting naked with a basketball on his head, mocked Gray.

"Your perversion has evolved, that's all!"

Cana, hugging a keg and chugging, couldn't help but retort.

"Who's next? None of you stand a chance!"

Kurnuki stood on the arena stage, arms crossed, laughing. Laxus lay defeated at his feet.

"Damn, I lost again?"

Laxus, sweating and panting, lay on the stage floor. Despite training for over a month, he had lost to Kurnuki again.

"You've worked hard, Laxus!"

"Yeah, keep it up!"

"Go, Laxus!!"

The Thunder God Tribe cheered for Laxus, moved to tears by his effort.

The guild was as lively as ever, filled with peace and joy.

Evan looked around, noticing the absence of Erza and Mirajane. He assumed they were off on a mission together and didn't give it much thought.

"Evan, I need to speak with you urgently..."

As Evan was about to greet Master Makarov at the bar, an urgent voice called out behind him.

"Hm?"

Evan turned to see Ultear, drenched in sweat and looking anxious.

"What's wrong? Is there news about the Second Master?"

Evan's eyes narrowed a hint of understanding in his expression.

"The situation is critical..."

"Follow me outside."

Ultear, seeing the crowded guild, quickly approached Evan, pulling him outside.

"Something big is happening!"

Unbeknownst to them, Kagura, hiding in a corner, watched everything unfold.

Frowning, Kagura took out a remote communication lacrima to relay what she had seen...