53. Solution

Smog offers a solution for Ben's problem with Dragon Seed. Ben gets serious and listens to Smog.

'You know about Dragon Seed, so I believe you've also known the solution. Which is having a Dragon reside in your body so it can adapt to Dragon Slayer's power. That's why the best Dragon that needs to reside in a Dragon Slayer's body is the one who gave you the power,' says Smog.

"Yeah, I know that much. That's why it become a problem for me because Escanor had died," says Ben.

'Yeah, that's why you can only have another Dragon to do that job. But you won't find any dragons again because almost all of us have disappeared. However, you don't need to worry because you have another option, me,' says Smog.

"You? But you only have your soul right now," says Ben confusedly.

'That's right, but even my soul has the remnants of my power. Furthermore, as a Heat Dragon, my power has similarity to Escanor. So it will be more effective rather than if you have another type of dragon in your body. It's a matter of compatibility,' says Smog.

Smog explains that as a Sun Dragon Slayer, Ben will get a better result if he has a Dragon with a similar type of power like fire, heat, or even light. It will be less effective or even ineffective if he has another type of Dragon that doesn't have a similarity with Sun Dragon's power.

But Smog says that Ben also has another problem. That is the power of his Dragon Slayer Magic. Sun Dragon Escanor was said to have immense power that scared the other Dragons, even Dragon Gods & Kings.

That's why as Sun Dragon Slayer, Ben's magic can grow that powerful. To nullify the effect of such powerful magic, he needs equal or stronger magic. Without it, that effect won't disappear at all.

'I must say this to you before we continue. My power is a lot lower than Escanor, so I won't be able to fully cure you even in my perfect form. But at least I can slow the process of Dragonization because I have the same type of power as Escanor,' says Smog.

"Hmm, temporary is better than nothing I guess. I can search for the permanent solution later," says Ben.

'Don't worry I've already thought about the permanent solution. That is to have Acnologia in your body.'

"WHAT?! Are you serious now?"

'Yeah, he is the closest to Escanor's level, or maybe even surpass prime Escanor, I don't know for sure. But what I know, Acnologia is the strongest right now.'

"I can understand that, but he is a human, a Dragon Slayer. So it won't be effective, right?"

'He is not a human, although he was a human. So he's not quite a human because he has turned into a dragon. But he is not quite a Dragon too because he was a human.

'However, that's not the point here. The point is that he have Dragon Slayer magic and he overused it until he became a Dragon. His power is immense too, so he is very suitable for your problem,' says Smog.

"But what's his element? That will affect the process too."

'I don't know what kind of element that he has. But he has immense power, so the element doesn't matter anymore. You just need his power to nullify the Dragon Seed's effect.'

Ben thinks about it and asks AI Chip to calculate the possibility. AI Chip tells him that the possibility is quite high. It's a lot better than Ben's initial method to get Demon Seed & God Seed to nullify the Dragon Seed.

However, there is a very big problem with this method. His target is Acnologia, someone who got the title of Dragon King. That means that he is the strongest among all Dragons, proved by his feat to slay many Dragons.

What worries him is that his Dragonization might happen before he can defeat Acnologia. There's no way Acnologia will agree to live in his body. So he needs to defeat Acnologia first.

Ben doesn't know exactly how strong is Acnologia. But he knows to reach that level of power isn't easy and needs a long time. He doesn't even reach S-Class now, so his way is still long.

That's why Smog's offer to live inside Ben's body is very good. It will only slow down the effect, but it will also give him more time to be stronger than Acnologia. But Ben still has something that he wants to ask Smog.

"Why're you helping me?"

'I've said it to you, I admire your foster father Escanor.'

"I don't believe that admiration can make you agree to help me," says Ben seriously.

Smog gets silent and Ben just waits for Smog to talk.

'Sigh, fine. My admiration is also one of the reasons. The biggest reason is that I want to see Acnologia's defeat. If I just stay here like this, then my soul will disappear in 5 years at most. But if I live inside your body who has Dragon Slayer Magic, my soul won't disappear easily.'

"Did Acnologia killed you?"

'Me & my family. He kill my wife & 3 sons years ago. He injured me badly and force me to hide in this cave. I want to have my revenge on him, but I couldn't even stay alive. That's why I used a technique to preserve my soul.'

Smog used a technique to preserve his soul in his body parts. He choose his bones because they have the best durability. But the price is he loses his skin, flesh, etc, and only leaves his bones.

The drawback is that he can't leave this cave because he only has bones & a soul. Furthermore, if he leaves the cave, then Acnologia might sense him and hunt him again. He won't have sufficient power to fight Acnologia.

'This cave has a high amount of Ethernano, and it even formed into these crystals. That's why it can mask my presence and hide it from Acnologia.'

"Wait! Then won't he detect me too if you enter my body?"

'No, your presence will mask mine, so don't worry. Acnologia won't be able to sense you except if he is close enough. Your presence is a human, not Dragon, so it will be harder. You're also not strong enough for him to notice you.'

"Hmm, I guess you're right. Fine, I will accept your offer."

Ben accepts the offer after AI Chip concludes that Smog doesn't lie. There's no ill intention too, so Ben can trust Smog. Besides, Smog can't take over Ben's body after he enters it.

AI Chip has ensured this because Smog's Heat Magic is inferior to Escanor Sun Dragon Magic. He is also has gotten weaker after keeping his soul in his bones for years. So he won't be able to overpower Ben's Sun Dragon's essence.

Smog then tells Ben the procedure to make his soul enter Ben's Body. They will use Dragon Soul Technique like what the other Dragons used on their Dragon Slayers.

Ben approaches Smog's skeleton and puts his hands on it. Then he closes his eyes and flows his magic power on the skeleton. The skeleton glows red and gets heated up a little before it gets absorbed by Ben and enters Ben's body.

'My soul has entered your body, son of Escanor. Now I will enter a slumber so my power will focus on suppressing your Dragon Seed and you will get the full benefit of it. I will awaken at the day when you fight with Acnologia come. Until then, I hope you will grow strong like your father.'

Ben can feel Smog's consciousness starts to fade and he will enter his slumber.

"Yeah, I will grow strong, stronger than even Escanor. Good night, Smog."

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