Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 277: Selene's Desire for Evan

The divine fox gracefully stepped through the air, soaring across the sky. Bathed in the soft golden moonlight, it seemed to glow with brilliance and beauty...

"This is bad! Really bad! That woman, my mother, actually won..."

Kurnugi looked up at the sky, seeing the divine fox flying above. The fox's eyes were locked onto him.

Feeling the oppressive aura from the fox, Kurnugi's address for the fox changed from 'that woman' to 'mother.'

This was Kurnugi's last struggle, hoping that acknowledging his mother might make the impending beating a bit lighter.

"What? Evan actually lost?"

Mystogan, holding the unconscious Natsu, felt the overwhelming pressure from the sky, his face changing drastically.

Mystogan couldn't believe that Evan, who had seemed invincible by defeating a Super Dragon Knight with a single punch, had been defeated by the Moon Dragon God.

This left Mystogan in silence, contemplating if there was anyone in this world who could deal with that platinum-colored divine fox.

"As expected, Lady Selene is victorious..."

In the depths of the forest, the three Moon Beauties knelt on one knee, looking at the beautiful fox in the sky. Their expressions were calm, as Selene's victory was a given to them. They believed there was no existence in this world that Selene could not defeat.

"Boom!"

At the moment Mystogan was shocked, the Moon Beauties knelt in reverence, and Kurnugi looked up to meet the fox's gaze. Accompanied by a series of sonic booms, the fox descended from the sky, landing in front of Kurnugi.

Fear shadowed Kurnugi's entire being, and the oppressive aura made both him and Mystogan shiver...

Despite Kurnugi's massive body, with broad wings and strong limbs, he seemed insignificant compared to the giant divine fox before him.

It was like a whale shark, ruler among fish, encountering a fully grown blue whale, the true giant of the ocean...

Kurnugi, usually arrogant in the guild, now looked panicked, his face pale, lowering his head instinctively, not daring to meet the eyes of the giant divine fox, his mother, the Moon Dragon God Selene.

Even so, Kurnugi still shielded Mystogan and Natsu behind him, choosing to face his invincible mother, the great Moon Dragon God, alone.

"Boom!!"

Just as Kurnugi instinctively lowered his body to avoid angering his mother, the nine large fluffy tails behind the fox shot up, each one as large as Kurnugi!

This made Kurnugi take a few steps back, using his tail to toss Mystogan into the forest.

Kurnugi knew that when his mother's tails shot up, it meant she was angry. He should avoid provoking her.

"Kurnugi, do you know your mistake?"

Selene looked down at her unworthy child, noticing his small actions but not caring. She was focused on one thing: disciplining her child. She opened her mouth, breathing out cold air, and asked coldly.

"I, I know my mistake!"

Kurnugi didn't dare argue with his mother, admitting his fault with his head lowered.

Past experiences taught Kurnugi that the more he talked back, the worse the beating.

"Kurnugi, you brought outsiders to challenge your own mother. Heh, you've really grown, haven't you~"

Selene sized up her child. She could see that Kurnugi had grown a bit and his magic had become much stronger since she last saw him, which comforted her.

At least there was some good news. It showed that Kurnugi had lived well and worked hard to grow, gradually moving towards adulthood...

But discipline was still necessary. Children needed to be corrected when they misbehaved...

"Uh, Evan... he's my master. I don't think he counts as an outsider, right?"

Kurnugi nervously looked at his mother, timidly retorting.

"Oh?! Are you saying that I, your mother, am wrong?"

Selene didn't expect Kurnugi to grow physically and dare to talk back. Her eyebrows raised, and her voice rose.

"Uh..."

Feeling his mother's rising tone, Kurnugi lowered his head even more, almost burying it in the ground.

"Kurnugi, do you know what's coming next?"

Selene raised her front paw, looking at Kurnugi with lowered head.

"Mom, please go easy..."

Kurnugi's eyes welled up with tears, looking like a scolded puppy, begging in his last form of resistance.

"Hehe..."

Kurnugi's display did not sway Selene. She knew her child's nature; Kurnugi needed regular discipline to keep him in line.

"Boom!!"

Just as Selene was about to act, Evan, who should have been defeated, soared into the air with a burst of green light, using the moonlight to lift himself up!!

"What?"

Selene felt the surge of magic power from Evan in the air, surprising her.

"Selene, continue the battle!"

Evan's body emitted a fierce aura, glowing with green light. It looked more like a raging beast than a human.

Though Evan's form was still human, his powerful muscles and overwhelming energy hinted at immense hidden power.

Evan resembled a humanoid dragon more than a mere human.

"Battle? What makes you think you can fight me? I don't know what power you used to recover, but do you think that just because you've recovered, you can beat me? No matter how many times you fight me, the result won't change..."

Selene laughed coldly, her eyes flashing fiercely. She leaped into the air, the ground beneath her caving in.

Instantly, she appeared before Evan, making him face the giant beast!

Before Evan could react, Selene's thick arm swung at him, splitting him in two with a sound-breaking swipe...

"Hmm?"

Selene was puzzled, as she had intended to knock Evan unconscious merely. Though Evan harbored no malice, it wouldn't have mattered if she killed him on the spot.

"Hmph, foolish creature..."

Selene turned her gaze away from the bisected Evan, coldly looking at Kurnugi on the ground.

"Kurnugi, your foolish master is dead. It's time you woke up and stopped associating with weaklings. As a dragon, you must grow strong by staying with strong beings. From now on, stay by my side..."

Selene declared coldly, not asking but commanding Kurnugi.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

However, this time, Kurnugi didn't obey as usual. He stood up, tears streaming down his face.

"Mom, why did you kill Master Evan? He saved my life. He was the only one who cared for Kurnugi after you left..."

Kurnugi cried, looking at the air where Selene had defeated Evan.

"This child..." Selene was stunned by Kurnugi's words. She hadn't realized Evan's importance to him, leading her to doubt herself. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yasakani no Magatama!!"

While Selene was distracted, countless black lights suddenly struck her back.

"Roar!!"

Selene felt a sharp pain, looking up to see Evan's body, which she had sliced in half, reforming from countless black lights.

"You won't easily defeat me with the same trick twice..."

"The first time I was caught off guard, but this time, it won't be so easy."

In his awakened Dragon Slayer form, Evan had predicted the future and used his elemental powers to avoid Selene's attack.

"Interesting..."

"No wonder Kurnugi, my unworthy child, made you his master. It seems you have some potential..."

Selene, still in her dragon form, looked up at Evan, a sinister smile forming.

"Master, you're alive?!"

Kurnugi, on the ground, shouted in joy upon seeing Evan alive.

"When have I ever been so fragile? Facing Dragon Eaters, I didn't back down. A mere female dragon doesn't scare me. Watch closely as I handle Selene..."

Evan looked seriously at Selene but spoke lightly, trying to unsettle her and find an opening for his attack. His keen senses made him adept at exploiting his opponents' mental lapses.

"Mm!!"

Kurnugi, raised by Selene, grabbed a large tree from the forest, stripped it of its leaves, and wiped his tears and nose with it.

"A mere female dragon? Haha, you're quite bold!"

"But I'm growing more interested in you~"

Selene's smile turned mysterious, and her nine giant tails swung at Evan with great speed.

"Uh..."

Evan immediately went into his elemental form.

"Buzz!"

In the instant Evan transformed, Selene's tails shattered his body into countless pieces.

However, those pieces quickly reformed before Selene entered Evan's new body.

"Don't think that just because you can transform into elements, I can't harm you~"

"Boy, Dragon Gods aren't as weak as you think..."

Selene laughed, her fluffy tail flashing and sweeping past Evan.

"So fast..."

Evan felt a stinging pain on his face, touching it to find blood flowing.

"A terrifying opponent indeed."

Evan looked at Selene with a serious expression. She was the greatest challenge he had ever faced, without a doubt...

Selene was a perfect opponent in every aspect, whether it was her magic, combat power, or unshakeable mind.

"Do you want to give up?"

Perhaps because of Kurnugi's plea, Selene didn't attack Evan further, asking if he wanted to surrender.

"It's not over yet..."

Evan's body dispersed into countless black lights, quickly widening the distance between him and Selene. He manipulated gravitational waves, hurling trees and rocks towards her.

"Pathetic!"

Selene faced the incoming attacks with disdain, her tail flicking effortlessly, reducing the trees and rocks to dust.

"Boom!!"

In that brief moment when Selene's view was obstructed, a massive meteorite, burning with fierce flames, plummeted from the sky towards her.

"Don't embarrass yourself by bringing out such toys..."

Selene's slanted phoenix eyes narrowed in contempt as she saw the flaming meteorite, her fluffy tail casually slicing it in half. The two halves fell to the ground on either side of her.

"Kurnugi, watch out for falling debris..."

Meanwhile, on the ground, Mystogan saw the falling meteors and felt a wave of despair.

"Huff~"

"Roar of the Shadow Dragon!!"

Kurnugi saw the meteorite, took a deep breath, and unleashed a torrent of dragon flames from his mouth. The flames collided with the meteorite, reducing it to ashes amidst a roar.

Despite Kurnugi's shortcomings, he was still a dragon. A mere meteorite posed no threat to him...

"Whew..." Mystogan exhaled in relief, witnessing the meteorite's destruction. He thought to himself, "Dragons really are monsters..."

He then noticed the other half of the meteorite being frozen and shattered into countless ice crystals by Byro, scattering throughout the forest.

"Seems Miss Byro is safe too."

Mystogan relaxed upon seeing the frozen and shattered meteorite.

"Meteorites aren't working?"

In the sky, Evan raised an eyebrow as he saw his meteorite easily destroyed by Selene.

He dared not engage Selene in close combat, but his long-range attacks seemed ineffective...

Meteorites would be cut in half by Selene, and their debris could endanger Mystogan and the others. Laser beams were blocked by the moonlight surrounding Selene, preventing them from reaching her body, and gravitational waves couldn't push her. Evan's supplementary magic couldn't harm Selene either...

Evan found himself at a loss.

"What are you worrying about, boy?"

As Evan struggled, he suddenly heard a low voice—it was Selene.

"What?!"

The moment Evan heard the voice, his keen senses warned him. He saw a vision of a giant fox wrapping its tail around him.

"Gotta run!"

The thought of escape flashed through Evan's mind.

However, as Evan prepared to flee, Selene, who had been far away, dissolved into moonlight, transforming into dancing butterflies...

A large fluffy tail instantly wrapped around Evan.

"No elemental escape?!"

When Selene's tail bound him, Evan's expression shifted, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. This was the first time he couldn't use his elemental form to escape an enemy.

"You think you're the only one who can become light? Under this moonlight, there's no place for you to escape!"

Selene's enormous form appeared beside Evan. She used one of her giant tails to bind Evan tightly, speaking coldly to him.

"So, did I fail?"

Evan calmed himself, asking Selene if he had passed her trial and earned the right to continue negotiating.

"No, you succeeded..."

Selene's form began to change. Though her nine fluffy tails remained, her body transformed into a human shape. She gracefully floated close to Evan, her ample chest causing Evan to lean back slightly. But Selene didn't stop; she pressed against Evan, her delicate hand brushing his cheek.

"I've never seen a Dragon Slayer with such strong vitality..."

"No! With the Dragon Slayer power within you, you're more like one of us dragons~"

"Kurnugi is very fond of you. It's the first time I've seen him show such emotions for someone else, almost like a human~"

"Hehe, maybe you have some magic in you that can turn dragons into humans?"

"Life is to be enjoyed..."

"You and I should enjoy it as well. Perhaps together, we can create offspring even more excellent and powerful than Kurnugi~"

Selene's cool hand caressed Evan's chest and abs, her eyes full of affection.

"What?!"

"Eh?!"

Evan's initially stoic expression turned to shock, his pupils trembling at Selene's words.