Tower of Heaven, Part Twelve
Jellal tried his best to dodge, but the Azure Dragon's Cang Roar covered too much area, and he was still hit and fell to the top of the tower.
Half of his body was charred black, his robes were burned to ashes, his exposed skin was covered with scorch marks, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.
Riyao smiled smugly, put his hands behind his head, and floated loosely in the air, his dark green dragon tail wrapped around his waist, like a lazy snake.
He tilted his head, looking at the disheveled Jellal atop the tower, his tone flippant.
"The little Ten Wizard Saints, easily defeated."
Jellal staggered to his feet, his charred half-face contorted in pain, his eyes bloodshot as if they had been completely set ablaze.
"Your magic is Life Magic! It's Life Magic! Truly a perfect offering for Lord Zeref!"
He appeared completely deranged, with runes extending from his eyes and covering his face like wriggling worms, making his appearance distorted and terrifying.
That wasn't his own will; it was the implanted demonic consciousness that was completely taking over his body.
Riyao clicked his tongue, tilted his head to examine the incantation on Jellal's face, and muttered to himself.
"Oh, looks like we triggered a hidden boss? Was there such a thing?"
He scratched his dragon horns and muttered, "I should have rewatched Fairy Tail a few more times. I only remember the gist of the later plot; I've forgotten all the details."
Jellal's magical power surged, the golden astral magic mixed with a dark aura, the two forces colliding wildly within him, making his aura more than twice as strong as before.
"Don't underestimate my obsession with Lord Zeref!"
[Seven Star Sword]
Seven golden beams of light descended from the sky, the Riyao down, each carrying destructive power and covering the entire sky.
Riyao swam through the air, its graceful form like an Azure Dragon playing in the water, easily dodging the incoming Seven Star Swords.
The beam of light flew past him, slammed into the top of the tower, blasting out large craters, and sending rubble and fragments of Magic Crystal flying everywhere.
"When you yell like that, it makes me sound like a villain."
Riyao dodged while simultaneously making sarcastic remarks.
"You were the one who kidnapped people first, and then you performed cult rituals. How come it's like I'm the one bullying you?"
After saying that, he turned around and charged towards Jellal, his claws crackling with blue lightning.
[Azure Dragon's Claw Blade]
Riyao's claws lashed out, blue lightning transforming into sharp blades of light as it slashed towards Jellal.
Jellal activated [Nine Thunder Stars], and nine golden thunder swords roared out.
He reached out and grabbed the two lightning swords, directly blocking the attack of the Riyao Dragon Claw. The golden lightning swords and the blue dragon claws collided, sparks flew, and shockwaves spread in all directions.
The remaining lightning swords attacked Riyao's main body from the side.
Riyao glanced at the incoming lightning sword, but instead of dodging, he stepped forward, opened his mouth, and performed a feat of swallowing the great sword whole.
The lightning sword flew into his mouth, golden lightning crackling in his throat before being completely absorbed and transformed into the magic power within his body.
Riyao gripped the two thunder swords in Jellal's hands with his claws, abruptly closing the distance between them.
Their faces were almost touching. Riyao's mouth was filled with blue lightning, and his teeth crackled as if he were gathering strength for a roar.
Jellal's eyes widened in terror. Seeing that Riyao was about to unleash another roar, he immediately released his Thunder Sword and tried to run away.
But it was too late.
Riyao grinned, and his dragon tail lashed out from his waist, striking Jellal hard.
Bang!
Jellal experienced the exhilarating feeling of being struck by a superhero once again, flying horizontally through the air, tumbling several times, and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Jellal managed to adjust his stance and activate [Meteor], drawing a golden arc in the air to avoid crashing into the Magic Crystal Tower wall.
After regaining his balance, he put his hands together, raised seven fingers, and summoned seven magical pillars of light in the shape of the Big Dipper.
[Seven Star Sword]
Seven golden beams of light descended from the sky once more, but this Riyao did not dodge. Instead, it followed closely to Jellal, its legs crackling with blue lightning, moving as fast as a bolt of blue lightning.
[Azure Dragon's Rider Kick]
Riyao kicked Jellal in the chest, and blue lightning erupted at the point of contact, sending Jellal flying.
Jellal tumbled in the air, but Riyao followed closely behind, delivering another tail lash that sent him flying in another direction.
Jellal gritted his teeth, clasped his hands together, gathered dark magic power, and released a shockwave.
[Darkness Impact]
The dark shockwave slammed into Riyao head-on, knocking Riyao back several meters.
Jellal seized the opportunity to raise his hand and release the black restraints.
[Darkness Bind]
Black restraints bound Riyao's hands, feet, and body tightly.
Jellal manipulated the restraints, swinging the Riyao like a meteor hammer, spinning it several times in the air before slamming it down onto the top of the tower.
Boom!
Even the hard Magic Crystal was smashed into a crater, with shards of rock flying everywhere, and the Riyao was smashed into the crater.
Jellal, panting heavily, looked at the Riyao in the pit, a smug smile just about to appear on his lips.
As a result, Riyao stood up as if nothing had happened, dusted himself off, and flicked his dragon tail.
Even the frenzied Jellal was stunned for a moment. That hard Magic Crystal had been dented, yet this guy acted as if nothing had happened?
Riyao instantly closed in on Jellal, tossing him around in the air like a ball.
With a slap of its left claw, a hook of its right claw, a lash of its tail, and a thrust of its knee, Jellal was tormented in the air like a mouse being played with by a cat, utterly powerless to retaliate, blood and rags flying through the air.
[Azure Dragon's Claw Blade]
[Azure Dragon's Roundhouse Kick]
Boom!
He slammed Jellal hard onto the top of the tower.
Blue lightning exploded at the top of the tower, shattering the Magic Crystal beneath Jellal.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, the thick clouds hanging low, and the dragon-shaped phantom could be seen faintly in the clouds, like a Sleep dragon surging in the clouds.
Heavy rain poured down, thunder roared, and lightning flashed through the clouds, illuminating the entire sea area.
The magic of the Riyao reached its peak.
More dragon scales appeared on his body, spreading from his arms to his chest, neck, and cheeks.
The dragon's horns gleamed with a bluish light, shimmering in the rain.
He stretched out his right hand, palm facing upwards, with blue lightning dancing in his palm, and then clenched it tightly.
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, drawn by the Riyao; the blue lightning grew larger and brighter.
[Azure Dragon's Secret Technique - Yin Wood Divine Lightning]
The blue lightning transformed into countless bolts of lightning, sweeping across the sky and striking Jellal.
Lightning raged, one after another, relentlessly, each bolt carrying destructive power, affecting an area several miles around the Tower of Heaven.
The lightning-induced jets of water shot skyward from the sea, and waves crashed against the distant reefs.
Rain and lightning intertwined, turning the entire sea into a blue inferno.
Rumble!
The Royal Army ships, which had been watching from a distance, saw this devastating scene and quickly turned around and fled.
The captains were pale and desperately urged the sailors to speed up, fearing they would be caught in the blast.
"Who's fighting up there?! Is this even a human being capable of?!"
Under their watchful eyes, the Tower of Heaven met its moment of destruction.
The continuous bombardment of the Yin Wood Divine Lightning caused the Magic Crystals in the tower to break down, and countless cracks spread from the top to the bottom of the tower, covering the entire tower like a spider web.
The immense magical power within the Magic Crystal surged forth from the crack, its golden light growing brighter and more dazzling.
Boom!
The Magic Crystal tower exploded violently, and a golden magic storm swept across the entire sea area. The shockwave from the explosion created huge waves, some as high as ten meters.
Even from the shore, you could see the enormous light, like a small sun exploding on the sea, illuminating half the sky.
The waves crashed against the shore, tossing Simon and his crew about, who clung tightly to the hull to avoid being swept into the sea.
Mirajane stood at the bow of the small boat, watching the burst of light, his hands gripping the gunwale tightly until his knuckles turned white.
"Riyao..."
Her voice was drowned out by the sea breeze and thunder, but her gaze never left that direction.