Chapter 340: Acnologia’s Shadow and the Ripe Cowgirl
Magic power.
To Finn, it was simply another form of combustible energy, no different from the mana or aura found in countless other universes. But in the world of Earthland, mages romanticized it. To them, magic was intrinsically tied to abstract concepts like love.
According to the core members of Fairy Tail, with enough "love" and the power of Nakama, anything was possible. A mage could supposedly defeat apocalyptic villains purely through the sheer power of friendship.
Finn firmly pushed that delusional thought aside. He needed a reliable, quantifiable way to increase his energy reserves, and relying on the power of friendship in a world full of dragons was a quick way to get slaughtered.
Hmm... should I force an evolution, too?
The possibility was high. Through his multidimensional connection to the Tensura Finn, he had access to a pathway that allowed a mere mortal to evolve into a higher being. But to trigger that evolution, he needed an astronomical amount of energy.
Fortunately, the mechanics of Earthland’s magic system supported this. Unlike universes where mana was an ambient, limited resource, mages here possessed a literal "container" inside their bodies.
His explanation was entirely scientific, devoid of Fairy Tail’s emotional fluff. To grow stronger, there were only two logical methods.
The first was to violently expand the internal container. Imagine a mage’s capacity in childhood is the size of a glass of water. As they train, it stretches into a bucket. For the absolute elite, that container expands to the size of a sprawling lake, or even an ocean. While storing an ocean of energy inside a human body defied normal biology, the existence of spatial magic—which allowed mages to store massive weapons inside tiny pocket dimensions—proved that internal human biology could easily harbor vast spatial anomalies.
The second method was to drastically increase the rate of recovery, bypassing the container’s limits entirely. Natsu, the Fire Dragon Slayer, achieved this by literally eating fire. A more extreme example was Hades, the former Second Master of Fairy Tail and leader of Grimoire Heart. Hades had completely bypassed his human limits by surgically connecting himself to the "Devil’s Heart"—an organic generator hidden within his airship. This device granted him pseudo-immortality and functionally infinite magical power.
If I think about it, the Devil’s Heart is exactly like the ’King Piece’ from the DxD universe, Finn mused, tapping his pen against his mahogany desk. Or even Fairy Heart—the ultimate secret weapon that grants infinite magic.
"It seems I have been too narrow-minded."
When he thought of the DxD Finn, or Finn Balam, he realized he didn’t want to rely on an external generator hidden in a ship. He wanted innate, infinite energy. Like a dragon, whose mere existence generated limitless power.
He needed to evolve. But while Earthland was rich in magic, it wasn’t infinite. Entire realms, like Edolas, had burned through their finite magical resources, leading to desperate dimensional wars just to steal more.
However, thanks to the Manager’s stored knowledge of the original plotline, Finn knew of another realm. Elentear.
Elentear was a parallel world completely overflowing with absurd, suffocating levels of magic power.
If I cross dimensions and travel there, wouldn’t it be easier to trigger my evolution?
Submerging himself in Elentear’s overflowing mana might allow him to bypass the intermediate stages and evolve directly from a Human into a Divine Human. It made perfect biological sense. It was just like Earth’s Carboniferous Period, where massive concentrations of atmospheric oxygen allowed prehistoric insects to grow to the size of eagles.
It was exactly why Selene, the Moon Dragon and one of the Five Dragon Gods, had chosen to reside there.
Finn paused, a cold chill running down his spine.
Selene.
He had just Taken Over the body and soul of Kurunugi, the Sword Saint Dragon. And if he remembered the lore correctly, Kururugi was Selene’s biological son. If he stepped foot in Elentear radiating her dead son’s magical signature, she would undoubtedly hunt him down.
"The Five Dragon Gods, huh?"
The protagonists of Fairy Tail might have blindly believed they could befriend or defeat these calamitous beasts, but Finn saw them differently. In Tensura, Rimuru had reached the apex of power by absorbing and merging with Veldora Tempest. What would happen if Finn absorbed one of the Dragon Gods?
"No, that’s way too far out of my league right now."
Attempting that in his current state was pure suicide. He needed to be patient. Even if Selene was a looming threat, Acnologia was an infinitely larger one. Acnologia, the Dragon King, was the entire reason the Five Dragon Gods had fled Ishgar four hundred years ago, hiding on the continent of Guiltina just to survive.
If I openly use Kurunugi’s Dragon Take Over, Acnologia will sense it. I will instantly become a target.
Unlike the core members of Fairy Tail—who enjoyed absolute, impenetrable plot armor—Finn was a terrifying anomaly. He didn’t exist in the original story. He couldn’t confidently say he wouldn’t be instantly annihilated by the Dragon King.
"....."
Finn closed his eyes, suddenly feeling the crushing, suffocating weight of his own ambitions. It felt as though he had just spent years climbing a treacherous mountain, only to reach the peak and realize he was merely standing at the foothills of an even larger, more impossible summit.
Yet, unlike the rigid, unchangeable potential in the DxD universe, Earthland rewarded relentless training. A dragon took four hundred years to become a God. As a human, did he have that kind of time?
Everything is possible, he resolved.
His path to the top was clear, and with the Manager system guiding his calculations, it was only a matter of time. Exhausted from the mental strain, Finn allowed his head to rest against the back of his plush leather chair, drifting into a light, dreamless sleep.
Hours later, the cold chill of the early morning crept into the office.
Finn’s consciousness slowly stirred as the heavy, comforting warmth of a thick wool blanket was gently draped over his shoulders. His nose twitched. The stale air of the office had been replaced by the rich, bitter aroma of freshly brewed black coffee, heavily mixed with the sweet, distinctly mature scent of a woman’s floral perfume.
He opened his eyes slightly, the soft morning light filtering through the blinds.
Leaning over his desk was an incredibly beautiful, ripe woman. Her long, vibrant green hair was tied into a thick, heavy braid that cascaded over her shoulder. She was wearing her signature, rugged cowgirl outfit—a tight top and denim that did absolutely nothing to hide the heavy, voluptuous sway of her ample curves.
But over her rugged attire, she was wearing a frilly, meticulously clean maid’s apron.
She paused, her full lips, painted in her signature bold red lipstick, parting slightly in surprise.
"Bisca?" Finn murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
"Ah..." Bisca Connell gasped softly, her cheeks instantly flushing a deep crimson. She quickly pulled her hands back, clasping them nervously over the white apron resting against her heavy chest. "I’m so sorry, Master... Did I wake you up?"
During the seven-year disappearance of Fairy Tail’s heavy hitters, the guild had fallen into absolute, crushing poverty. To feed her family and ensure her young daughter didn’t starve, Bisca had been forced to swallow her pride.
The proud, gun-slinging sniper of Fairy Tail was now working as a domestic maid, entirely at the mercy of the White Devil.