Tower of Heaven, Part Eight
Seeing that Natsu was still unconscious, Riyao asked Happy to continue taking care of him.
"Happy, keep an eye on Natsu. When he wakes up, tell him not to run around. I'm going upstairs to see how good Jellal."
(´◊ω◊`)
Happy nodded and patted Natsu's face with his little paws.
Natsu, wake up!
Riyao spread its demonic wings and flew directly from outside the tower to the top.
Lucy has encountered another bizarre enemy, one that seems somewhat targeted.
Without Juvia, the Celestial Spirit would likely be controlled, leading to a dead end.
Lucy is not yet able to Double Gate Opening, and she doesn't have enough magic power to activate the Star Dress.
This isn't the same puppet magic as last time, which allowed the Celestial Spirit to break free so easily.
Erza and Mirajane encountered Ikaruga. Erza was in a daze today and was overwhelmed by Ikaruga.
Mirajane was indirectly harassing Ikaruga, but he was mainly slacking off, hoping to make Erza see her true feelings.
Ikaruga's bizarre spatial slash is merely bizarre, not powerful enough to be considered strong. It was probably something Jellal found to target Erza.
As expected of someone who infiltrated the Magic Council, their intelligence capabilities are extremely strong.
However, Riyao rarely makes a move in public, so there is no information available for reference.
As for Gray, his performance was a bit weak; he was still struggling to climb the stairs and had only just reached Natsu.
Riyao quickly reached the top of the tower, pushed open the heavy iron door, and entered the throne room where Jellal was.
The hall was spacious and empty, with purple magic stones embedded in the walls, emitting an eerie glow.
Jellal stood in the center of the hall, his back to the door, his hands behind his back, as if waiting for someone.
As soon as Riyao entered, he spoke in a sarcastic tone, his voice drawn out and every word sharp and barbed.
"Hey, isn't this our famous councilor Siegrain, the Ten Wizard Saints? Your Heavenly Body Magic is unparalleled, what brings you here as the main villain?"
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Jellal slowly turned around, looking at Riyao, his face showing no anger, still maintaining the elegance of a major villain in his early stages.
He smiled slightly, put his hands behind his back, and spoke calmly.
"Heh, Riyao, I didn't expect you to have such strong combat abilities. I always thought you were only good at support."
Riyao didn't give him a chance to continue speaking.
He charged straight in, knowing that others would soon be trying to steal the monster. He needed to quickly deal some damage to avoid ending up with the lowest DPS, which would be embarrassing.
Buzz!
As Riyao accelerated forward, he unleashed a powerful punch, black magic coalescing on his fist and blasting it out with terrifying force.
Jellal had originally intended to make some empty promises to buy time and avoid disturbing the Thought Projection outside, but Riyao didn't give him a chance to speak at all.
Jellal raised his arm to block the punch, and the moment their fists collided, a shockwave spread outwards from the point of impact, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the floor.
His body was smashed directly into the wall, sending shards of stone flying and dust billowing everywhere.
To be fair, this tower is quite sturdy.
Riyao looked at Jellal, who was embedded in the wall, and sneered.
"You're so rude!"
Jellal broke free from the wall, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he still maintained his elegant posture.
He raised his hand and gathered stellar magic, seven beams of starlight shot out from his fingertips, and the Riyao shone brightly upon him.
Riyao dodged to the side, but didn't retreat at all; instead, he closed in even closer.
Adhering to the principle of striking a fallen dog, he continued his charge before Jellal could retract the special Thought Projection and recover its magic power.
"Ora ora ora!"
☄☄(◣д◢)☄☄
Riyao's fists rained down on Jellal, alternating between left and right punches, each carrying demonic power and striking Jellal's body with pinpoint accuracy.
Jellal managed to protect his vitals with his arms, but Riyao's attacks were too dense and he couldn't block them at all.
Not only its fists, but also its feet, wings, and tail were all used by Riyao to attack.
The wind blades unleashed by the demon's wings grazed Jellal's cheeks, the tail lashed his waist like a whip, and the knee struck his abdomen—every blow was merciless.
Jellal gritted his teeth and endured the damage; his robes were mostly torn, but his magically enhanced body withstood a significant amount of harm.
Riyao chuckled as he played, his tone as relaxed as if he were doing morning exercises.
"So young and already so weak? Is this all the Ten Wizard Saints are capable of?"
Jellal didn't answer, but gritted his teeth and desperately maintained his defense.
Riyao continued his onslaught, his fists and mouth never stopping, verbally harassing and attacking simultaneously, and, crucially, he had a particular fondness for slapping people in the face.
"Look, Erza is here."
Jellal glanced instinctively toward the doorway, but there was nothing there, just an empty corridor.
Taking advantage of the moment he was distracted, Riyao punched him in the nose, causing blood to splatter.
"Hehe, just kidding."
Jellal's expression twisted for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
Riyao continued his harassment, his tone carrying a hint of gossip.
"I heard you were a jerk when you were a kid? Not only did you deceive Erza's feelings, but you also betrayed everyone?"
Jellal remained silent, but the veins on his forehead bulged, clearly enraged by Riyao's words.
"Aren't you going to fight back? It's pointless if you don't fight back. Am I hitting a person or a punching bag?"
Riyao punched Jellal in the face again, this time hitting his left cheek, which swelled up instantly.
"It's outrageous that you have a tattoo on your head, oh wait, I mean, you've been imprinted with magic that influences your consciousness."
Riyao tilted his head, as if he had discovered something interesting.
"No wonder you're so crazy, you've been influenced by magic. But even if you were, what you've done is just too despicable!"
Jellal had reached his limit.
Since the Etherion had already been activated, it was only a matter of time before he decided not to hold back any longer.
He retrieved the scattered Thought Projection had been circulating outside, and that portion of the magic returned to his body, causing his aura to surge instantly.
Boom!
The magic erupted, shattering the Riyao. The shockwave propelled the Riyao more than ten meters away, its feet carving two deep furrows in the ground.
Jellal stood still, his magic burning like flames, golden astral magic swirling around him, and seven stars encircling his body, like a miniature galaxy.
That's enough.
Jellal's voice was cold.
"You are indeed very strong, Riyao. But this game no longer needs you."
Riyao steadied himself, nimbly somersaulted in the air, and when he faced Jellal again, jet-black flames had gathered in his hands, the flames dancing in his palms and radiating scorching heat.
As he watched Jellal's magical power surge, a more dangerous smile crept onto his lips.
"Oh? Finally getting serious?"
Riyao pushed his hands forward, gathering the dark flames to their fullest extent in his palms before releasing them suddenly.
[Ink Flame Heaven-Burning Kill]
A massive pillar of pitch-black flame erupted from the palm of the Riyao, measuring three meters in diameter, carrying destructive power as it hurtled straight toward Jellal.
Wherever the pillar of flame passed, the air was burned away, the ground was scorched black, and the purple magic stones emitted a piercing cracking sound under the high temperature.
Jellal pushed his hands forward, and the seven stars converged into a stellar shield in front of him.
The pitch-black flames and golden starlight collided in mid-air, the two forces fiercely battling each other, shockwaves spreading in all directions, and the entire tower trembled violently.