Dragon Knight

Everyone stared at the giant metal egg on the ground, their faces filled with confusion. They looked at each other, unable to explain what it meant.

King Faust delivered a pre-battle declaration from the giant egg, his voice echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

Riyao said he didn't want to listen to what Riyao was babbling about, crossed his arms, and yawned.

The giant metal egg slowly unfolded, revealing its dragon form.

The giant metal dragon was entirely silver-gray, its mouth slightly open to reveal the deep, dark muzzle of a cannon.

"This is the power of a king!"

Faust's voice emanated from within the dragon, filled with an arrogant and overbearing tone.

The higher-ups of the Exceed were all horrified when they saw the metal dragon; even the whiskers of several cats trembled.

"This is impossible, how could this happen?"

"That's it, this magic, this appearance."

"Dormaanim, also known as the Dragon Knight."

Mystogan was also shocked, never expecting that such a powerful weapon was hidden in the capital. He clenched his fists.

"That's enhanced armor in dragon form."

Coco helped explain, her voice urgent.

"The reinforced armor is made of Magic Crystals specifically designed for magic resistance. These Magic Crystals are crafted into a metal that can completely nullify external magic; it's a type of armor that you ride."

"His Majesty is controlling the Dragon Knights from inside there."

Erza's eyes lit up when she heard about armor, a glint of excitement flashing in them.

Faust spoke again, his voice filled with madness.

"My loyal soldiers, seize all the Exceed!"

Upon hearing this, the soldier riding the Legion immediately sprang into action, piloting the Legion towards the cat, raising the Magic Crystal Conversion Cannon in his hand and firing it at the cat, streaks of blue light piercing the sky.

Mystogan shouted, his voice urgent.

"Run, everyone!"

The cats listened to the advice and all flew away, hundreds of them scattering and creating chaos in the sky.

With short hair Erza gave orders to all the soldiers, her voice cold and decisive.

"Don't let them get away!"

One after another, the laser beams from the Magic Crystal conversion cannons struck the cats, turning them into cat-shaped Magic Crystals that fell like a crystal rain, clattering and clanging as they hit the ground.

On the ground, Faust piloted the Dragon Knight and fired a verbal attack at the dragon Natsu and the others were riding.

A blue beam of light shot out from the dragon's mouth, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

"None of you are getting away!"

Riyao appeared in the middle, its emerald green dragon claws extending to catch the laser beam with its bare hands.

The beam of light struck his palm, and the shockwave spread to both sides, overturning the rubble on the ground.

"That's it? You can't even tickle me."

It hurts, it hurts, but I can't lose my spirit.

Riyao's lips twitched slightly, and a scorch mark appeared on the dragon scales in his palm. A healing green light surged beneath the scales, repairing the damage.

The Second Origin wasn't fully charged yet; it overdid it.

Mirajane covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes curving into crescents as she watched Riyao's defiant act.

Riyao down to the ground, it became clear that the metal dragon was truly enormous, resembling a small mountain, with its top invisible even when looking up, and its massive shadow covering the entire area.

"This is huge! It must be so exciting to take it apart."

Riyao rubbed his hands together, a fighting spirit igniting in his golden vertical pupils.

Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy also landed with a dull thud.

The three of them had been itching to fight the metal dragon ever since they saw it; Dragon Slayers, they were definitely going to have to fight it.

Mirajane's voice came from high above, and the wings of the Satan Soul flapped behind him.

"Riyao, Erza and I will go stop those soldiers."

"Okay!!" Riyao responded, tilting his head back in a loud voice.

Natsu and his companions rushed forward impatiently, their three figures shooting towards the Dragon Knight like three sharp arrows.

[Fire Dragon's Iron Fist]

Natsu ignited orange-red flames in his hands and punched the Dragon Knight in the chin. The flames exploded on the metal surface, and the Dragon Knight staggered a few steps, cracking the ground beneath his feet.

[Iron Dragon's Steel Club]

Immediately afterwards, Gajeel's right hand transformed into a steel rod and swept across the Dragon Knight's feet. The sound of metal clashing was deafening, and a white mark was smashed into the Dragon Knight's ankle, leaving him teetering on the verge of collapse.

[The Sky Dragon's Talon]

Wendy pressed her advantage, her hands swirling with whirlwind as she leaped high into the air and slammed the Dragon Knight the head, the gusts of wind exploding above his head.

The Dragon Knight was attacked by the three of them and fell down. His huge body crashed to the ground, shaking the earth and raising clouds of dust.

Faust let out a cold laugh, his voice, emanating from within the Dragon Knights, filled with disdain.

"This attack only caused minor damage to the Dragon Knight. Those arrogant and ignorant mages actually have the nerve to call themselves dragon hunters."

The Dragon Knight stood up, his joints emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound, and began to absorb the free magic in the air. Multicolored streams of magic converged from all directions and were greedily devoured by the Dragon Knight's armor.

Part of the armor fell off, revealing the Dragon Knight's second form.

He stood upright, his right hand gripping a massive greatsword covered in magical runes, while his left hand extended a shield, its surface also covered in runes.

This form doesn't look like a dragon at all; it's closer to a knight, more like a dragon-headed knight clad in heavy armor.

"Let you taste the power of Dormaanim Black Heaven!"

The Dragon Knight continued to absorb the magic in the air, and the surrounding magic was visibly drained. Riyao could feel the magic on his body leaking out slightly.

Riyao tilted his head, clearly puzzled, a hint of confusion flashing in his emerald green vertical pupils.

"Isn't this just hastening Edolas's demise? And how does Edolas know what a dragon looks like?!"

The Dragon Knight's greatsword emitted an unsettling purple light, its tip pointing towards the ground as he slashed down.

The explosion sent several people flying backwards. The shockwave, carrying debris and dust, swept in, knocking Natsu and Gajeel to the ground, while Wendy was swept away by the blast.

Riyao reached out his right hand to catch Wendy and held her firmly in his arms. Gajeel flew past and did several somersaults in the air.

"You bastard Riyao, catch me, you idiot!"

Gajeel's voice was full of anger.

"Ugly rejection."

Riyao didn't turn his head; his golden vertical pupils remained fixed on the Dragon Knight.

"Wendy, Enchantment Magic on us."

Riyao transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the Dragon Knight. The Dragon Knight raised his hand and used his shield to deflect Riyao away.

Several gashes opened on the Dragon Knight's body, and more than a dozen missiles flew out.

The missile landed around the four of them, and both Riyao and Natsu opened their mouths to absorb the flames.

"Hey, Riyao, don't try to steal my firepower!"

"It's already quite a strain for me to keep the Life Link active for you guys, and you still like to tank damage head-on."

Gajeel watched the two eat the fire, then quickly ran to the Dragon Knight's tail and began gnawing on the iron tail.

Wendy also wanted to eat some air, but the air in the arena wasn't pure enough. Eating it wouldn't restore much of her magic, and she'd just end up with a mouthful of dust.