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Even though life and consciousness had long vanished, and flesh and blood had long rotted away, even with only a skeletal puppet remaining, its power was not to be underestimated.
This was once the world's overlord—the Dragon race.
Natsu looked at the fierce Bone Dragon, his excitement evident. He had only seen three Dragons in his life.
One was his foster father, Igneel.
The second was the Hellfire Dragon, Atlas Flame.
The third was the nameless Dragon corpse in front of him, controlled by the Necromancer Devil.
Natsu could barely suppress his excitement. He had never neglected his Fire Dragon Slayer training, and now he could finally test his Dragon Slayer abilities.
Even if it was a Dragon that was as dead as could be.
But to be so defiled by a demon after death, you must be unwilling. Let me free you.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Flames roared on Natsu's fist, and his entire body's Magic Power surged like boiling magma. A volcanic eruption of a strike heavily slammed into the giant Bone Dragon's skull.
The Bone Dragon was struck so hard its head tilted significantly. Several fine cracks appeared on its grayish-white skull, followed by black-red flames violently burning on the Bone Dragon's head.
A corpse feels no pain.
The Bone Dragon, now with a flaming head, paid no mind to the spreading hellfire. Its lower jaw opened wide, and immense wind Magic Power rapidly gathered in its mouth—the classic Dragon's Roar.
A fierce wind rose, and a silent roar churned the air.
Seeing this, Natsu fully channeled his Magic Power. The flames on his back suddenly expanded, forming the shape of gigantic Dragon wings.
The flaming Dragon wings brushed the ground, leaving a scorched mark. The heat waves generated by the flapping wings collided with the Bone Dragon's Wind Roar, producing a sharp explosion.
The Bone Dragon's claws were as fast as lightning. One claw tore through the air, leaving four gouges in the ground. Coupled with the enormous size difference, even with his enhanced physical abilities, Natsu dared not directly confront the giant bone claw, nor did he have the strength.
However, the Bone Dragon was ultimately just a corpse. Without thought or flesh, how could it keep up with the cunning Natsu?
Easily dodging the descending Dragon claw, Natsu leaped directly onto the Bone Dragon's body, climbing up its bumpy bones while not forgetting to set fires all over its frame.
The Bone Dragon had no intelligence. It couldn't catch Natsu, who was swinging between its bones, and even accidentally broke a few of its own ribs.
"You're just too clumsy..."
Having seen through the enemy's true nature, Natsu felt a bit disappointed. He had thought he could finally have a thrilling Dragon-slaying battle.
But the seemingly mighty Bone Dragon turned out to be a paper tiger.
Losing interest, Natsu only wanted to end the battle quickly. His entire body was engulfed in crimson magical flames, and spiral flames ignited on his arms, like two fiery blades.
Attacking with both hands, the Bone Dragon was soon dismantled into pieces.
However, being controlled by necromancy, even with its bones scattered everywhere, the Bone Dragon could not find release.
"Natsu, finish it completely."
Atlas Flame's deep voice echoed in Natsu's mind. The Bone Dragon may not have been a dragon coexistence advocate in life, but as a fellow dragon, Atlas Flame couldn't bear to see a kinsman find no peace even after death.
Natsu acknowledged with a sound and then leaped up, spinning at an astonishing speed toward the Bone Dragon. The flames formed a dazzling fiery tornado in the air.
Blinding white light erupted, and a shockwave spread in a ring, sweeping away the surrounding corpse army. The centuries-old dragon remains gradually annihilated in the flames.
Vaguely, Natsu saw a giant dragon nod to him, seemingly expressing gratitude.
Having dealt with the enemy, Natsu then checked on his other companions. To his surprise, the once formidable corpse army now had not a single one left standing.
Erza alone had eliminated most of the corpse army, with the rest divided among the Thunder God Tribe, Gray, and Juvia.
However, despite such a victory, Erza felt no joy.
She could tell that although the corpse army was vast, they moved chaotically, purely by instinct, as if they hadn't received specific commands. That's why they were able to cut down the massive enemy numbers like grass.
But since it was a Necromancer Devil who desecrated the dead, how could it make such a low-level mistake?
Erza worried there was a trick and looked at Noah and Mira, who were directly confronting the Necromancer Devil. "How are things on your side?"
"You'd better come down and see."
Noah's expression outside the Magic Circle was a bit strange, and Mira next to him hadn't even used her Take Over Magic. So Erza's curiosity drove her to descend from mid-air.
Inside the barrier.
Since summoning the corpse army, the Necromancer Devil had remained motionless in one spot, staring in a certain direction, stiff like a wooden puppet, as if it had lost its soul.
Looking at the unmoving enemy, Erza frowned slightly and asked, "Noah, what's going on?"
"Nothing much. It's just that Keyes's soul or consciousness isn't in this body anymore."
Noah's tone was relaxed, but the content of his words surprised Erza and Mira. The Necromancer Devil in front of them was merely an empty shell.
Since it was a Necromancer Devil, and its body was also a skeleton, perhaps the opponent had the ability to transfer its consciousness to other corpses.
But one thing puzzled Noah: after summoning the entire corpse army, the Necromancer Devil's attitude just now didn't seem like it wanted to flee.
The other companions who had cleared the area also noticed the anomaly here and quickly gathered, equally puzzled after learning of the strange situation.
Compared to Gray's worry, Natsu, however, enjoyed the spectacle and wasn't bothered by the situation. "You guys are just overthinking it. What if the Necromancer Devil saw how powerful we were and literally scared itself to death?"
What an... illogical thought.
Only Natsu could say something like that.
Seeing no one respond to him, Natsu scratched his head and walked straight into the barrier, mischievously pushing the Necromancer Devil.
With just that gentle push, the Necromancer Devil not only fell over but its entire skeletal body dramatically shattered into dust on the ground.
It shattered upon touch, and upon shattering, it died.
Its fragility was as if it had been decaying for a very long time.
Mira tried to locate the Necromancer Devil through Take Over Magic, but she couldn't sense any demon's soul.
Noah recalled that the Necromancer Devil's final posture seemed to be looking at something. So, following his memory, he looked in the direction it had last gazed.
Beyond the low wall on the outskirts of the village, Lucy stood alone, looking bewildered, holding an ancient-looking book.
Through the enhanced vision brought by his Magnetic Field Power, Noah clearly saw the name on the book's cover—Necromancy.
Instantly, Noah understood what that book was.
Legend has it that the true forms of Demons from the Books of Zeref are mostly books containing profound magic, and those demons are born with the magic in the books as their core.
So... the Necromancer Devil was reverted to its original form?