The Battle in Worth Woodsea
The surface of the energy sphere was burning with jet-black flames that flowed slowly like oil, forming strange patterns as it rotated.
The energy ball grew larger and larger, expanding from the size of a fist to more than a person's height.
The surrounding air began to distort and deform under its intense heat, and the rubble on the ground was pulled in by the suction force, evaporating into nothingness the moment it approached the energy ball.
Then, the energy ball began to shrink.
It grew smaller and smaller, the ink flames on its surface becoming thicker and thicker, the color deepening until it transformed from pitch black into an absolute darkness that seemed capable of swallowing light.
When the energy ball shrank to the size of a fist, it no longer emitted any light. Instead, it resembled a black hole, greedily devouring all the light and heat around it.
[Demon's Ultimate Technique - Scorching Earth]
The jet-black sphere landed in front of Riyao. He flicked his finger, and the sphere instantly disappeared into the cave ruins, like a pebble sinking into the water, without making a sound.
Then, the stones were ignited like dry tinder.
A dark light emanated from the crack, starting as a thin wisp and gradually growing denser, as if something was awakening from within the stone.
Cracks began to appear on the surface of the ruins, and a dark light burst forth from the cracks, enveloping the entire ruins in a dark halo.
In an instant, a towering pillar of black fire shot into the sky from the cave ruins.
The pillar of fire shot straight into the sky, reaching a height of tens of meters. The pitch-black flames surged and roared in the night sky, like a black dragon rising from the ground.
The intense heat emanating from the pillar of fire caused trees within a radius of 100 meters to wither instantly; their leaves curled and turned yellow in the heat, then spontaneously combusted into ash.
The soil on the ground was burned to a glassy state, reflecting the eerie light of the pitch-black flames.
The pillar of fire could be seen throughout the entire Worth Woodsea.
Throughout the forest, those engaged in battle all looked up at the towering pillar of black fire.
Jura stood on a high ground, looking at the pillar of fire in the distance, her hands behind her back, and sighed softly.
"Riyao's strength is indeed greater than mine."
Carla squatted on the treetop, watching the dark pillar of fire. The cat breathed a sigh of relief, and its fluffy tail swayed gently.
"Looks like that scheming guy is alright."
Happy, holding Wendy, also saw the pillar of fire, and his two cat eyes lit up.
"Aye! Riyao is very strong."
Natsu was chasing Cobra with Gray when he saw the pillar of fire and stomped his feet excitedly, drool spitting from the corner of his mouth.
"That fire smells delicious, I want to eat it. I must ask Riyao to let me try it when I get back."
Erza stopped in her tracks, her gaze fixed on the pillar of fire, lost in thought.
"Riyao must have rescued Wendy and Happy, and sent a signal specifically for this."
Lucy held the Celestial Spirit Key, looking at the pillar of fire, her face filled with a complex expression.
"Does that guy Riyao, really think that way? I have a feeling he just wants to blow it up for fun."
Cobra's lips twitched.
"Tsk, the sound of these flames is really scorching; I can't hear Brain and Midnight anymore."
Riyao gazed at the scorched cave ruins, where dark flames still surged, devouring everything flammable.
He touched his chin, tilted his head, and muttered to himself.
"It should be dead by now, right? Oh well, I'd better go check on Wendy."
He retracted his Demon Form.
The pitch-black flames slowly dissipated like the receding tide, the sharp claws retracted to their tips, and the wings on its back gradually faded away.
The golden patterns, reminiscent of Hundred Battles Spell Formula, flickered one last time before fading from his skin, like a painting being erased.
Riyao turned around and chased after Wendy in the direction she had left, his steps light and quick, as if he were taking a stroll.
Racer, who was sent flying by the Riyao's blast, flew through the air for quite a while before landing, just in time to bump into Ye Yi, who was lost in the forest.
One night, he was standing on a rock striking a pose, with lights shining from who-knows-where and special effects at their maximum, preparing to give a grand self-introduction to a group of underlings from a dark guild.
Racer's body crashed to the ground beside him like a meteorite, the shockwave scattering his carefully posed posture and making his hair a mess.
The henchmen of the dark guild seized the opportunity to swarm him and pin him to the ground.
He struggled and screamed all night.
"Men~ You guys have no sense of aesthetics! At least let me finish posing!"
Racer ignored the fact that it was such a weak night, but sensing that a battle was about to break out, she rushed over.
On the other side, Erza saw Jellal, who was all alone.
His figure appeared and disappeared among the trees, his steps unsteady and confused, like someone sleepwalking, not fully awake from a dream.
Erza's body jolted violently, her hand gripping the sword began to tremble slightly, and her breathing became rapid and unsteady.
Her gaze was fixed on that figure, her mind uneasy, as if she were being pulled by an invisible thread, involuntarily following after him.
Lucy turned around and found that he was gone.
"Erza! Don't leave me alone!"
Her voice held a hint of panic as she turned to chase after him.
"Erza! Don't leave me alone!"
An identical voice rang out beside her.
Lucy looked in horror at the Gemini version of Lucy that had suddenly appeared beside her.
It wore the exact same clothes as her, held the same whip, and had the same smile as Lucy, but its eyes gleamed with a cunning and malice that Lucy didn't possess.
Oh dear, I'm in for another bad day.
Jura and his two companions faced off against Hoteye and Racer.
Hoteye manipulated the earth, turning the ground into a sticky swamp, while simultaneously controlling rocks to spurt out from underground, attacking from tricky and vicious angles.
Although Jura is also a top-tier earth mage, he was clearly suppressed under Hoteye's offensive.
With Racer constantly harassing him from the sidelines, using his perception-weakening magic to interfere with Jura's judgment, Jura was temporarily overwhelmed.
"That three-second guy! Riyao said you're the weakest of the Oración Seis, not even worthy of being one of them."
Lyon acted decisively; he gave Racer a defiant look, then turned and ran.
Enraged, Racer chased after Lyon, leaving Hoteye alone.
Lyon's plan was shrewd; he lured away the weakest of them, Racer, so that Jura could focus all her efforts on dealing with Hoteye.
It's unclear whether this weakness applies to Lyon.
Natsu and Gray faced off against Cobra.
Cobra stood atop the Cobra, hovering in the air with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the two people on the ground with a smirk that infuriated anyone who saw it.
Natsu and Gray were furious on the ground, but they couldn't hit Cobra in the air.
Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar was dodged by Cobra beforehand, and Gray's Ice Lance also missed. The two had no coordination whatsoever and instead frequently interfered with each other.
"You stupid Fire Dragon, get out of my way!" Gray roared.
"Get out of my way, you ice block!" Natsu yelled back.
Riyao learned of the battle situation in the Worth Woodsea through the trees.
His Life Magic allows him to sense the presence and location of all living beings within a radius of several kilometers, and the situation on every front appears in his mind as clearly as a map.
The intelligence capabilities of the Waste Magic Council are truly rubbish.
It's one thing to be unaware of the Oración Seis's detailed abilities, but to be completely oblivious to the presence of so many dark guilds is also unbeknownst to them.