After the Battle

The four men surrounded Faust, encircling him like he was a rare species in a zoo.

Faust huddled on the ground, trembling. His magnificent royal robes were crumpled, and his hair was a mess, looking nothing like a king.

Riyao pulled out his camera, and with a click, the flash smeared Faust's face.

He put away his camera with satisfaction and brushed off imaginary dust from his hands.

"I'll go check on Mira. You guys handle it."

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving the three of them with a dashing silhouette.

Natsu squinted, leaned close to Faust's face, looked him over from left to right, his eyebrows almost twisted into a knot.

"Riyao said this is Edolas's old man? He doesn't look like him at all."

Wendy tilted her head, tapped her chin with her finger, and thought seriously for a few seconds.

"The president is... a bit short. This king is tall, so they probably don't look alike."

Gajeel stroked his chin, circled Faust once, his gaze sweeping over Faust's royal robes, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Tsk, if I wore his clothes, would I become king?"

Faust shrank further into the corner, looking at the three men with a terrified expression, like a mouse surrounded by three cats.

While the three were still debating whether they should try taking off the king's clothes, the long black cat Nadi swung its four legs at lightning speed and rushed over like the wind.

Riyao flew on the wind, heading towards Mirajane.

As he passed the spot where the two Erzas were fighting, he looked down.

Both men lay sprawled on the ground, their armor shattered, their hair disheveled, their faces covered in dust, their chests heaving as they gasped for breath, equally disheveled.

He thought for a moment, then leisurely landed on the ground, putting his hands behind his back like a leader inspecting work.

"Hey, Erza, did you two develop feelings for each other while fighting?"

Erza, with her long hair, looked up at the Riyao and rolled her eyes.

"Riyao, treat me."

"I don't have much magic or life energy left either."

Riyao shrugged, looking completely innocent.

Erza, with her long hair, swept her gaze over him. The Azure Dragon's horns were still glowing blue, its scales were still intact, and its tail was still swishing behind it.

"So you've maintained the Azure Dragon Form all this time?"

"Is he handsome?"

"..."

Long-haired Erza shut up, silently turning her head to the side, deciding not to say another word to this person.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, Riyao didn't care. He chuckled and strolled over to Erza with short hair, squatted down, and tilted his head to examine her.

Why did you cut your hair so short?

"Get out of here."

Erza, with her short hair, didn't even bother to lift her eyelids.

Do you need me to help you grow your hair long?

Riyao's tone was three parts sincerity and seven parts smugness.

Erza, with her short hair, tilted her head slightly, a hint of attraction flashing in her eyes.

Then Riyao grinned and added a sentence.

Even if you need it, I won't help you, hehe.

Erza's short hair flushed red instantly. She struggled to get up and bite him, but her whole body ached and she couldn't move. She could only stare at Riyao's back, her teeth grinding together.

Before she could even curse him, Riyao kicked off and flew away, humming a tune so off-key that even he himself didn't know what he was humming.

He flew over half the battlefield and saw two Mirajanes standing together in the distance.

Demon Mirajane, exudes a sinister and alluring aura.

A gentle Mirajane, with a faint smile on her lips.

The two of them standing together create a powerful visual impact.

Riyao's eyes suddenly lit up, shining even brighter than the horns of Azure Dragon.

"Hehehe, I have to take a picture of this beautiful scenery."

He scurried down, happily squeezed between the two Mirajanes, stretched out his arm, pulled out his camera, and took a selfie of the three of them.

The moment the flash went off, his smile was even brighter than if he had won the battle.

The two Mirajanes were quite cooperative; one had a cold and aloof profile, while the other had a gentle, warm smile.

Riyao looked down at the photos in the camera and nodded in satisfaction.

"Nice, this trip was worthwhile."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp claw gripped his ear with just the right amount of force, freezing his smile on his face.

"When you went by yourself before, you didn't take advantage of them, did you?"

Demon Mirajane's voice came from behind, his tone gentle as if asking what we'd like to eat today, but the force in his hand clearly said, "You'd better think carefully before you answer."

"No, Mirajane can testify to that."

Riyao was being pulled by the ear, and he lowered his head slightly, his eyes looking as sincere as a primary school student who had just received protection money.

Gentle Mirajane smiled and helped him out of the predicament.

He didn't do anything to me.

Demon Mirajane then released his grip and flicked Riyao's ear with his fingertip.

"You're smart to know what's good for you, otherwise you'd be sleeping by the door."

Lisanna ran over from a distance, stopped in front of the Demon Mirajane, looked up at her older sister who exuded a demonic aura, and her eyes practically sparkled.

I wish my older sister could be like you.

What's wrong with me?

Mirajane puffed out her cheeks, her tone slightly aggrieved, but her voice remained soft.

"Too easy to bully."

Lisanna was ruthless.

"Hehe, isn't there Lisanna?"

Gentle Mirajane reached out and ruffled Lisanna's hair, her smile growing even more tender.

Demon Mirajane patted Riyao on the shoulder and gestured with his chin toward the Royal Army's army.

"Go and clean up that area."

Riyao sighed helplessly, turned around and charged towards the dark mass of the Kingdom's Royal Army.

He stood in mid-air, cleared his throat, struck what he thought was a very cool pose, and pointed downwards.

"Your king has been defeated! Hands up, all of you! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

If it weren't for Old Mys's sake, I would have crushed them in a heartbeat.

Royal Army ignored him, raising their standard magical spears in unison and continuing their fierce attack, the spear tips gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Riyao's lips twitched, he sighed, and turned to call out to the guild members of Edolas.

"Everyone from Fairy Tail, step back!"

The group looked at each other, speechless, and no one moved.

The hot-tempered Lucy kicked Edolas Natsu and ordered everyone to back off, and only then did the others begin to retreat.

Riyao and the others retreated to a safe distance, took a deep breath, slowly raised their right foot, and then stomped down hard.

The ground suddenly collapsed.

The ground where Royal Army stood seemed to have been struck by a giant hammer, shattering into countless pieces and collapsing downwards.

All the soldiers slid down into a huge, deep pit along with the rubble.

The pit walls were as smooth as a mirror. They used both hands and feet to desperately climb up, slipping and sliding every three steps they took, looking as pathetic as a group of ants that had fallen into a bathtub.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, the people standing at the edge of the pit, whether from Earth-land or Edolas, all gaped and remained silent.

Jet, the strongest candidate for Fairy Tail guild in Edolas, was so wide open that his jaw almost dislocated, and his voice was split.

"Huh? Is the Riyao of Earth-land really that fierce?"

The golden retriever, Riyao, squatted at his feet, barked twice, and wagged its tail rapidly.

Demon Mirajane watched from afar as Riyao posed for a photo by the pit, shook his head helplessly, but couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

"The Demon King? I wonder what identity he's come up with for himself this time."