A Painful Blow
Riyao raised his hand to release Healing Magic.
A verdant magic circle unfolded from his palm, instantly spreading across the entire plaza and enveloping everyone within it.
The green light rippled outwards like water, brushing over the wounds on everyone's body.
The scrapes, bruises, fractures, and the exhaustion from the depletion of magic all vanished completely in a few breaths.
The mages, who were still panting heavily, were stunned. They looked down at their unharmed bodies, then looked up at Riyao, their mouths agape, as if they could fit an egg in them.
"This is too powerful! Mr. Riyao's Healing Magic is terrifying."
A chorus of gasps of amazement rose and fell around them.
Toma nodded to Riyao with a solemn gesture.
He turned around, bowed deeply to the hundreds of mages in front of him.
Please, everyone.
He straightened up and added another sentence.
Please make sure to protect this city.
Without further ado, the mages from each guild followed orders and rushed off towards the royal capital.
The footsteps faded away, and the figures disappeared at the end of the street, each going to intercept the giant dragons that were circling and approaching from the sky.
[Life Mimicry - Azure Dragon]
A vibrant green magic emanated from Riyao's body.
With Lucy in each hand, he pushed off with his feet, transforming into a green rainbow that shot into the sky, heading straight for the Eclipse Gate.
The speed was outrageous; all you could hear was the whistling wind, and the buildings on the ground shrank into small cubes as they sped backward.
"Lucy, prepare to use the Celestial Spirit Key to force the door shut."
"Ah?!"
Lucy's face was distorted by the wind, and her mind went blank.
In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the Eclipse Gate.
A massive doorway stood before them, its surface covered with densely packed ancient characters.
An eighth dragon was emerging from the crack in the door, its head resembling a dog peeking out with protruding fangs and drool dripping down.
Riyao rushed over, without using any magic, relying solely on his physical strength, and punched the dog's head.
A fist slammed into the dragon's face, sending its head snapping back and its neck twisting at an unnatural angle. The entire dragon was forcefully slammed back into the doorway.
A muffled thud came from inside the door, and the dragon crashed into the ground on the other side of the door, causing the earth to tremble.
"Don't just stand there, Lucy, Yukino!"
Lucy and Yukino stood together, exchanged a glance, and both saw confusion in each other's eyes.
But they did not hesitate, and simultaneously raised their respective Celestial Spirit Keys.
Although they didn't know exactly how to do it, their bodies started moving on their own, as if something was guiding them.
The twelve keys to the Twelve Gates of the Zodiac flew out of their hands, floating in a ring in mid-air, their surfaces gleaming with golden light.
The twelve Celestial Spirits appeared one by one, their figures coalescing from the golden light, and they circled Eclipse Gate.
They flew towards the Eclipse Gate at the same time, placed their hands on the gate, and pressed their palms against the surface of the door.
The gate began to close slowly, the hinges creaking dully, and the light of the ancient characters gradually dimmed.
Another dragon tried to escape, half its body already squeezed through the door crack, its claws gripping the door frame, desperately trying to push its way out.
Riyao jumped up and kicked the dragon in the face, his shoe sole stomping into the dragon's nose. The dragon let out a scream, rolled backward, and fell back into the doorway.
"Get the hell back here!"
The door slammed shut, the two doors closing with a heavy thud.
The ancient writing went out completely, the last glimmer of white light through the crack in the door dissipated, and the whole world fell silent for a moment.
Riyao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned to look around; he had arrived in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to see what was going on.
The surrounding soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, some with most of their armor shattered, others with their weapons broken in two, but none of them were fatally wounded.
Deep claw marks were visible on the ground, and several gaps were punched into the wall, with rubble scattered everywhere.
Arcadios stood before the Princess Hisui, his sword dulled and his armor dented in several places, making it difficult for him to stand steadily, yet he refused to take a single step back.
Jellal and his two companions were also in a sorry state.
His clothes were tattered, his face was covered in bruises, his hair was full of ash, and he was panting heavily.
Riyao looked at the three of them with disdain in his eyes.
The three men, feeling embarrassed by his gaze, quickly looked away.
Jellal coughed and scratched the tip of his nose with his finger.
"The Future Rogue is much stronger than we imagined. We were unable to unleash our full power before the Eclipse Gate."
Riyao sighed and turned to look at Princess Hisui.
"Is there any way to turn back time and put those seven dragons back in the sky?!"
"I have no idea."
Princess Hisui lowered her head, her voice muffled, her chin almost buried in her chest.
Riyao reached out and poked her forehead, tapping her forehead with his finger, one tap after another, causing the princess's head to tilt back a little with each tap.
"Huh? You don't know?! You've been studying the Eclipse Gate for so long, and you still don't have a single solution?"
Princess Hisui crouched down, covering her forehead with both hands, curling up into a ball, her voice tinged with grievance.
"I didn't build this door, so how would I know?"
Riyao sighed again and rubbed his temples.
Then we can only solve it using the method from the original work.
The Hisui Dragon was given a 'command' by Rogue to guard the Eclipse Gate.
It landed in front of the gate, its massive body crouching down, causing the ground to sink half an inch.
It looked down at Riyao and his group, licked its lips, and saliva dripped from between its teeth, making a small crater in the ground.
"It's quite lively here. It's been a while since I've had any human food. Perfect timing, I'll treat myself to some meat today."
Riyao turned to look at the large, fat dragon, sized it up, and grinned.
"Hey, isn't that Big Fat Dragon? You're still alive?"
"Of course I'm alive. What? Have you seen me dead?"
Guess~
Riyao replied in a cheeky tone, his lips curling into a wide grin that almost reached his ears.
The Hisui Dragon stared at the Riyao for a long time before finally sighing, its breath sending the pebbles on the ground rolling far away.
It guessed a less-than-pleasant truth.
"In that case, I'd better eat more, otherwise I won't be able to eat anymore if I die."
The Riyao and the Hisui Dragon were locked in a stalemate, the air thick with tension, neither making the first move.
The dragon's massive body contrasted sharply with the Riyao's slender figure, but neither was inferior to the other in terms of imposing presence.
Just then, an astonishing turn of events occurred.
Riyao felt a chill run down his back, and a sharp pain shot from his back to his chest.
He looked down and saw a blade tip protruding from his chest, the blade stained with blood and reflecting a cold light in the moonlight.
Future Lucy stood behind him, her hands gripping the hilt of the sword, the blade already completely embedded in Riyao's back.
Everyone present was stunned; the air seemed to be choked, and even breathing stopped.
Arcadios's sword nearly slipped from his hand, Jellal's pupils constricted sharply, and Princess Hisui covered her mouth, her legs buckling as she collapsed to the ground.
Even the Hisui Dragon was stunned, its huge head tilting slightly, its dragon eyes filled with confusion.
They haven't even fought yet, how come there's internal strife?
The Azure Dragon Form of the Riyao Radiance faded, blood flowed across the ground, and the guild emblem was stained red with blood.
Mirajane, who was fighting in the capital, felt his heart skip a beat.