A King Descends from the Sky

The blue flames scorched that spatial node, causing the space to crack like a mirror, with cracks appearing one after another, growing denser and denser.

A cracking sound echoed through the starry sky, and cracks spread across the entire space, like a spider web covering everyone's heads.

"Hey! What's going on now?" Lucy asked in a terrified voice.

"The taste of Riyao."

Natsu said weakly.

Space shattered completely, fragments tumbling and falling, revealing a lifeless starry sky, the starlight so dim it was almost extinguished.

A figure jumped out from inside.

Upon landing, a ring of pebbles was kicked up, the armor colliding with the pebbles with a crisp sound, and the spatial rift behind him closed in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed.

He was clad in silver-white armor, the surface of which shimmered with starlight. In his hand he held a silver-white greatsword, its surface engraved with intricate patterns, the starlight following the lines of the design.

His long pink hair was the most eye-catching feature, gleaming coldly under the starlight, the ends swaying with his movements.

"Oh, you guys are so slow! I've been waiting forever!"

As soon as the familiar voice rang out, everyone present turned to look at the crack.

Mirajane froze for a moment, then leaped forward.

Riyao quickly reached out and caught her, tightening his arms around her as if afraid the armor would hit her, causing Mirajane to bump into her and make her stagger backward half a step.

"Riyao!"

"It's me, it's me, it's your family's Riyao."

Riyao responded with a grin.

It would have been better if he hadn't laughed; the laugh only made Mirajane angrier, and she swallowed back all the tears welling up in her eyes.

She reached out and pinched his waist, touching it twice, but it was all cold armor; she couldn't feel a single piece of soft flesh.

She pinched his face, pulling his cheeks to the sides, making Riyao's face look comical, but he wasn't annoyed at all.

"What happened? How did you suddenly disappear? The key isn't working..."

Riyao suddenly leaned in and kissed her.

Mirajane's grip suddenly gave way, and he stood there stunned.

"I'll explain it all when we get back, okay? Right now, it's all about disrupting the ritual, saving the Celestial Spirit King, and once he's back to normal, the Celestial Spirit World will also return to normal."

As he spoke, he slung the greatsword over his shoulder, the blade clanging with a crisp sound.

"To prevent the situation from becoming irreversible and before he completely fell into depravity, he gave me a portion of his power."

Mirajane then noticed that the armor Riyao was wearing was a miniature version of the Celestial Spirit King, with the exact same patterns, only much smaller in size.

She reached out and touched her nail; it felt cool. Her fingertips traced the lines of her nail and stopped at a faint scratch on her chest.

She stared at the mark and frowned.

Lucy finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"What do you mean by 'degenerate'? You used the right word. Did you consider the feelings of the single people next to you when you suddenly started kissing? Also, don't you feel like you're standing on something?"

Riyao looked down and realized he was standing on Natsu.

Natsu lay on the ground, looking somewhat dead, with the sole of Riyao's shoe still pressing against the back of his head, and small white spirits still escaping from his mouth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, come on, let me treat you right away, hahaha."

He moved his foot away, raised his hand to release Healing Magic, and green light fell on Natsu.

Natsu lay on the ground convulsing for a moment, groaning twice, and then two seconds later, he scrambled to his feet.

He then treated Mirajane as well; the green light swept over the abrasions on her arm, and the wounds healed visibly, leaving no scars.

Lucy raised her hand.

"Me too, me too."

Riyao threw a green orb of light over.

Lucy caught the ball of light, and the warmth flowed from her fingertips throughout her body, instantly relieving most of her aches and pains, and even the sore soles of her feet no longer hurt.

She squinted her eyes and hummed comfortably, "That feels good."

Natsu got up from the ground, stretched his muscles, and his joints cracked.

He looked around and realized Leo was gone.

"Where's that bastard Leo? Where did he go?"

In the distance, on the battlefield of the Celestial Globe, black flames were burning, the firelight dyeing half of the starry sky black, and the flickering black flames could be seen from a great distance.

Natsu's eyes lit up when he saw the flames, and he ran towards them as fast as he could.

Riyao, holding Mirajane's hand, also intended to go and provide assistance.

Mirajane stood still, staring at the armor on his body, his eyes shining as if he were examining a rare treasure.

Riyao poked her forehead.

"We can't use the Star Dress right now, you idiot."

"Oh, I see." Mirajane pouted.

Riyao and his companion flew towards the Celestial Globe.

Lucy on the ground screamed.

"Hey, can you help me out? There are other people here!"

Riyao turned around and glanced at her, then raised his hand and beckoned her with his finger.

Lucy floated up and rushed over at an incredible speed. The wind blew so hard she couldn't open her eyes, and her hair covered her face.

"Wow, why is everything going so fast today? Slow down!"

Riyao deliberately sped up.

Lucy's screams were torn into fragments by the wind, leaving a trail of afterimages in mid-air, making her figure almost indistinguishable.

"Ya... Mei... ge!"

In the blink of an eye, the three of them arrived beneath the Celestial Globe.

The Celestial Globe hung in mid-air, its surface shimmering with an eerie red light that flickered on and off, like a beating heart.

The Fairy Tail members were sprawled out on the ground, some groaning and clutching their arms, others lying flat and motionless, their clothes scorched in patches, looking like they had just finished a brawl.

"It's only been a short time, how come you've gotten so sloppy?"

"Riyao!? Quick, pull me up, I can still fight!"

Gray reached out his hand toward Riyao.

A verdant magic circle slowly unfolded beneath Riyao's feet, its shimmering green light spreading out in concentric circles, enveloping the entire battlefield. The light fell upon the ground, causing even the cracks in the rubble to glow with a faint green light.

The people on the ground felt their wounds healing, the soreness gradually subsiding. Some rolled over and let out a comfortable sigh of relief.

"He's alive!"

"That Celestial Globe reflects damage; it's impossible to break."

Riyao raised his giant sword, pointing it diagonally at the Celestial Globe, a point of starlight condensing at the tip of the sword.

"I'll make the move. Watch closely, this sword strike is going to be really cool!"

When Ophiuchus saw the Riyao, his expression turned solemn, and the mechanical serpent beneath him hissed and flicked its tongue, pushing Ophiuchus even higher.

The giant serpent's scales gleamed with a cold metallic light under the starlight, its vertical pupils locking onto the Riyao below.

"You're still alive? The Celestial Spirit King in that state couldn't kill you."

"You're kidding, aren't you? I'm a healing mage, with incredibly strong vitality. A mere fatal wound is nothing to me."

The Riyao's body surged with magic, shining like stars. Starlight climbed up the sword's blade to its tip, and a layer of cold light condensed on the edge.

"You go and fight the lions, fight the snakes, wreak havoc, destroy this place... what's it called again? Anyway, destroy this very spot right here, and leave the rest to me."

Upon hearing the word "destruction," everyone's eyes lit up.