Faust

Riyao swallowed the last of the flames, his tongue licking his lips with lingering satisfaction. His golden vertical pupils reflected the towering Dragon Knight before him, and he grinned, giving it the highest praise.

"Truly the ultimate weapon of a civilization, awesome!"

The moment the last word landed, his magical power exploded, and the shockwave swept outwards like a tangible force, lifting rocks off the ground and causing the air to hum and groan.

The Azure Dragon's horns emitted a dazzling blue light, and the dark green dragon scales shone with a luster more than twice as bright as before.

The dragon's tail lashed out behind it, the tip scraping across the ground and carving a deep furrow, sparks flying everywhere.

Riyao's golden vertical pupils were fixed on the Dragon Knight, his eyes surging with pure fighting spirit, and the curve of his lips looked utterly irritating.

His calf muscles tensed slightly, the stone slab beneath his feet shattered, and he transformed into a dark green afterimage as he charged forward.

Then, he crashed headfirst into the broken wall.

"Hmm, I used too much force."

Riyao pulled his head out of the rubble, dusted himself off, and remained calm as if nothing had happened.

Wendy, Natsu, and Gajeel all froze, their expressions oscillating between "tense" and "speechless."

Wendy opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately kept it silent.

The Dragon Knight's body suddenly became extremely hot, and his iron-gray shell emitted a dark red halo of high temperature, distorting and deforming the air.

Gajeel gripped the Dragon Knight's back armor tightly with both hands, his palms sizzling from the heat. He gritted his teeth and endured it for two seconds, but eventually, he grimaced from the burn and loosened his grip.

He was thrown out like a piece of iron that had been flung away, rolling and bouncing before finally regaining his footing after creating a series of craters in the ground.

"Get out of my way, you little bug!"

Faust's roar boomed from the Dragon Knight's chest.

With Riyao -fast reflexes, Riyao leaped forward.

He gripped the base of the Dragon Knight's tail tightly with both hands, his fingers digging into the metal gaps. He exerted force from his waist and abdomen, letting out a low roar, trying to swing the entire Dragon Knight up and smash it to the ground.

Faust wasn't about to let him succeed. He manipulated the Dragon Knight to whip its tail violently, the tail drawing a semicircle in the air like a steel whip, the enormous centrifugal force lifting Riyao off the ground.

Riyao's feet were dangling in the air, his arm muscles bulging, and he held on tightly, swinging back and forth in the air.

"Are you swinging on a swing here?!"

Gajeel climbed out of the pit, cursing as he charged forward.

Natsu and Gajeel exchanged a glance and moved simultaneously.

Two streaks of light, one red and one gray, pierced the air, weaving back and forth across the Dragon Knight's massive body. Fists, kicks, elbows, knees, flames, and iron blades—the full range of Dragon Slayer Magic techniques poured out like a torrential downpour.

Natsu's Flame Fist exploded into an orange-red ball of flame on the Dragon Knight's chest, while Gajeel's Iron Rod struck the Dragon Knight's joints with a piercing metallic clang.

The two of them, one above and one below, one to the left and one to the right, worked together with such perfect coordination that it was as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times.

Sparks flew from the Dragon Knight's body, and metal fragments fell in a flurry.

Wendy stood behind, her hands raised high, chanting incantations, and spells of Enchantment Magic fell precisely on the three of them like halos.

Several battles in a row had drained Natsu and the others of their magical energy. Natsu's flames had become thin, and Gajeel's iron arm had lost its luster. The two were panting heavily, their foreheads covered with fine beads of sweat.

Riyao kicked out, his instep striking the side of the Dragon Knight's head with pinpoint accuracy. The metal shell emitted a sickening creaking sound, and the dragon's head tilted to one side.

Using the momentum, he did a backflip, spinning twice in the air before landing steadily. He then casually clenched his right hand at his side, conjuring an air ball the size of a fist, which he tossed towards Wendy.

"Wendy! Say thank you."

Wendy tilted her head back and opened her mouth, and the air balloon transformed into a semi-transparent stream of light that fell into her mouth.

The next second, magic surged from her petite body, the airflow making her skirt flutter. She took a deep breath, her eyes shining like two stars.

"Thank you, Brother Riyao."

Riyao puts his hands together, palms touching, fingertips pointing upwards.

[Azure Dragon Sword]

The Azure Dragon Force gathered wildly between his arms, and the azure magic poured down like a waterfall, forming a huge greatsword above his head, its blade as smooth as jade.

The greatsword was as long as the Dragon Knight's size.

Gajeel's mouth watered when he saw the greatsword. Although it looked like jade, his intuition told him that it was definitely metal!

Faust saw this scene through the Dragon Knight's sensors, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

No, those three minor squabbles are one thing, but to make such a big deal out of it, isn't that a bit excessive?

Just as the Dragon Knight was about to dodge to the side, Gajeel suddenly appeared from the side, his hands transforming into iron rods that pierced through the Dragon Knight's feet. The iron rods penetrated the metal deck and were deeply embedded in the ground, pinning the Dragon Knight to the spot.

"Damn mage!"

Faust's voice finally betrayed a hint of fear.

"Hehe, go tell Riyao's big sword."

Gajeel grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Natsu leaped onto the spine of the greatsword, his feet firmly planted, and orange-red flames erupted from his body, spreading along the blade like vines, instantly transforming the Jade Greatsword into a burning behemoth, radiating intense heat.

"Haha, I've come to add a little something to the greatsword!"

Natsu stood on the sword's spine, hands on his hips, laughing like a mischievous child who had just set off a firecracker.

Wendy raised both hands, aiming at the greatsword, her eyes focused as if she were completing a work of art.

"Enchantment Magic: Increased Quality!"

The greatsword suddenly sank, its weight doubling, and the downward speed of the blade visibly increased, causing the air to be squeezed and produce a muffled popping sound.

Faust completely lost his temper, yelling at the top of his lungs that these young people had no sportsmanship, four against one, where was justice? Where was the law?

The Dragon Knights' breastplates flipped open in unison, and dozens of missiles, trailing white smoke, roared out, Riyao. The explosions roared incessantly, and flames and smoke instantly engulfed the area where the Riyao was located.

"Die! Everything I did was for eternal magic, what's wrong with that?!"

Faust's roar echoed amidst the explosions.

But the jade sword continued to fall, showing no sign of stopping.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Riyao stood there, his clothes torn to shreds, revealing his well-defined muscles.

But there wasn't even a scratch on its skin, and the luster of the Azure Dragon's scales remained cold and sharp.

He tilted his head, his expression as if he were listening to a story he had absolutely no interest in, and his tone as casual as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today."

"What do I care? I just want to beat you up. Is that reason enough?"

The Dragon Knight raised his arms, mobilizing all his magic power to form a defensive iron wall against the greatsword.

Magic coalesced into a thick barrier on the surface of his arms. Faust gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead; he had staked everything on this.

The heavy jade sword fell.

The Dragon Knight's knee shattered first.

The metal joints couldn't withstand the immense pressure from the multiple layers of buffs and collapsed to their knees, creating a crater tens of meters in diameter in the ground, with cracks spreading wildly in all directions like a spider web.

The greatsword's blade slowly sliced into the Dragon Knight's metal arms, the ear-piercing cutting sound making everyone's teeth ache.

Sparks gushed out of the cut like a waterfall, illuminating Faust's face, which was filled with resentment.

Faust did not back down until the very end.

He always believed he was right, that everything he did was to free the kingdom's inhabitants from the domination of the Exceed, and to make magic available to everyone.

What did he do wrong?

Everything I have done is just.

Upon hearing this, Riyao's lips curled into a villainous smile. He lowered his voice and laughed like a true demon king.

"That's right, I am the Demon King from Earth-land! Hehehe."

He suddenly realized an interesting blind spot: the gods of Earth-land shouldn't have any control over Edolas, right?

Otherwise, this blasphemous act of turning living people into Magic Crystals should have been enough to incur the curse of the god Ankhseram.

Tsk, cross-border law enforcement is indeed a difficult problem.

The jade greatsword severed the Dragon Knight 'Dragon Knight arms and cut diagonally into his body, the metal shell flipping open like a can being opened with a can opener.

Faust was filled with horror, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints, his lips trembling uncontrollably, his entire body frozen in the shattered cockpit like a still statue.

Ri Yao glanced inside, stunned for a moment, and then his expression changed from curiosity to some kind of subtle emotion.

"So this is what the old man looked like when he grew taller. He was definitely cuter when he was small."