Makarov Grew Up Wrong
The raging triple dragon-slaying magic, coupled with Wahl's destructive beam, tore the surrounding sand and clouds to shreds.
The entire side armor of the Christina was violently twisted and turned red under the terrifying heat, and the metal supports emitted a teeth-grinding cracking sound.
"It's not a serious problem; it can be treated."
His flat, languid voice, devoid of any warmth or charisma, pierced through the deafening storm.
As the words fell, the Christina, which was supposed to be crashing, vanished instantly, and the raging magic beam missed its mark entirely.
Boom--
The chaotic beam of light, having lost its target, smashed through the rolling sand dunes thousands of miles away, carving a bottomless chasm of lava into the earth, and the churning sand waves surged up to a height of a thousand meters.
At the top of the palace, a long robe woven with black and white fluttered slightly in the wind.
Zeref stood on the edge of the terrace, looking down at the deep, empty pit, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"That's how it should be; this game is getting more and more interesting."
Invel, who was next to him, adjusted his glasses, his face grim, the lenses reflecting a cold gleam.
"Your Majesty, I will go and prepare the army immediately."
"Um."
Zeref nodded and turned to leave the terrace.
Thousands of meters above the gale-force winds, the Christina emerged from the distorted space and hovered steadily beside a thick, dense cloud.
Less than thirty meters away from it, hovered a huge, strange airship that resembled a mobile aerial garden.
The Christina appeared next to the Sun.
"You guys are so lame! You almost got stuck here."
Riyao sat cross-legged on the railing of the Sun, grinning as he watched Laxus and the others.
His flashy Hawaiian shirt fluttered in the strong winds, and he held half a cucumber in his hand.
Laxus turned his head and looked over.
These guys, who had just survived a life-or-death escape, were seeing the Sun Riyao the first time. After the guild made arrangements, Laxus went back to Blue Pegasus to borrow the Christina.
The two airships set off separately and did not meet; this was still a formal meeting between the two airships.
The Riyao is like a vibrant primeval forest transported directly to the sky.
The Sun is entirely covered with various flowers and plants, with colorful flowers and fruits interspersed among the lush greenery. The hull is made from a section of Parasol Tree branch, and a small Parasol Tree extends from the stern.
On the Christina.
Gajeel had been largely useless throughout, slumped against the railing of the Christina, looking like he was about to collapse. Levy gently patted his back.
Iron Dragon's face turned as green as rotten cabbage leaves. His stomach was churning. He gripped the side of the boat tightly with both hands, his lips trembling. He didn't even have the strength to curse.
Levy helped him catch his breath, she tilted her little face up to look at the enormous creature in front of her.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw the Sun.
"Riyao Bro and Mira's Sun is so beautiful!"
At the edge of the Sun's deck, Lucy, who had changed into a refreshing floral dress, was leaning on the railing, waving excitedly at Levy.
"Levy-chan! Let me tell you, we just ran into..." Lucy waved her hand.
Before he could finish speaking, Riyao's figure seemed to have been coated with oil, and he moved out of thin air from the Sun to the deck of the Christina.
"Grandpa! What happened to you?! You're not as cute as you used to be!"
Riyao appeared in front of Makarov at some point.
He squatted down in front of the short old man, resting his chin on his hands, tilting his head, and his eyes darting back and forth across Makarov's face.
These words immediately drew everyone's attention.
The tense and oppressive aftershocks of the rescue were instantly washed away.
Laxus and the others also looked over. They hadn't noticed before, but now that Riyao had mentioned it, they were all suppressing their laughter.
"You brat, don't you know about respecting elders and caring for the young? And what does it mean to have gone astray?!"
The veins on Makarov's forehead bulged instantly, and his eyes widened in shock.
Riyao didn't take it seriously at all, and even stuck out a finger to poke Makarov's round cheeks in disgust.
"Look at your chin, looks like you've been eating well over there all year, hahaha... Ouch."
A crisp snap!
Makarov was so angry he couldn't hold back. He jumped up and slapped Riyao on the forehead, making Riyao clutch his head and wince.
That kid is still so annoying.
Seeing the familiar shouting and yelling in front of him, Makarov felt a slight tingling in his nose, but he didn't hold back at all, rubbing his sore arm in annoyance.
"You're still as annoying as ever, you brat. Get home now."
"Alright! Time to go home!"
Riyao rubbed his head, chuckled, lightly touched the deck with his toes, and jumped back onto his Sun.
He leaned back on the deck, and a tree branch reached out and caught him.
The soft, emerald-green vines gently supported his back like a natural recliner, and even served him a glass of chilled coconut juice.
The disheveled and oil- and sand-covered crew members on the neighboring Christina were practically grinding their teeth in frustration at the sight.
Riyao chewed on a sweet orange, raised one eyebrow, and whistled at Makarov.
"How about we have a race to see who gets home first?"
Makarov stood at the bow of the ship, his mustache sticking up high, and was immediately ignited by the kid's arrogance.
"Great! Whoever's late has to treat everyone to a banquet!"
No sooner had they finished speaking Sun accelerated and sped off.
The emerald green wooden airship made not a sound of its engine, and the small Parasol Tree at its stern swayed, emitting a large halo of emerald green light, turning into a streak of green light, and in the blink of an eye, it glided hundreds of meters away!
Makarov watched the rapidly shrinking stern of the ship, and flew into a rage, his short legs pounding loudly on the deck.
"That brat! Laxus, quick! Accelerate!"
Laxus, standing at the cockpit door with his hands in his pockets, glanced coldly at the hopping old man, and his lips twitched.
Laxus rolled his eyes.
"Childish."
However, the one standing in front of the steering wheel didn't care about any of that.
His short, stocky body suddenly struck an extremely alluring and athletic pose in front of the control panel, his thick eyebrows twitched violently, and he pushed the main thrust lever all the way to the bottom!
"Man~ This is a man's romance, Christina can't possibly lose!"
Rumble--
The entire airship lurched violently like a wild horse and hurtled into the sky!
Everyone was nearly thrown off, and they quickly grabbed onto whatever was beside them to steady themselves.
The end has come for the Dragon Slayers.
A white spirit emerged from Gajeel's mouth. He looked like he was about to die, his eyes rolled back, and his limbs lay limply on the deck, his entire body turning into a sheet of metal.
Even more deadly was that the Iron Dragon Metalicana, who had run out with them, had completely lost the majesty of an ancient dragon.
Metalicana lay sprawled on top of Gajeel, feeling like he was about to die too.
The enormous dragon body pressed heavily on Gajeel's belly, and white foam kept coming out of its mouth.
Levy her forehead.
She looked at the two Iron Dragons, one large and one small, lying on the ground like a human pyramid, and shook her head helplessly.
Are dragons defenseless against vehicles?
Laxus, standing on the ship's side, tried his best to maintain a tough-guy image, gripping the railing tightly with both hands.
Laxus leaned against the fence with his eyes closed, looking perfectly normal, but his pale lips betrayed him.
Two airships cut through layers of clouds high in the sky, speeding along at breakneck speed.
The two airships, Christina and Sun, sped through the skies and soon returned to the Continent of Ishgar.
The magnificent coastline rushed past below, and familiar mountains and plains came into view again.
Thanks to its relentless, all-consuming magical overload, the Christina managed to stay a few hundred meters behind the Sun, and they were about to run side by side.
On the deck of the Sun, Riyao shook the empty juice glass in his hand and stood up straight.
Riyao chuckled as he watched the Christina closely following behind, a green light appearing on his hand.
A surging life force flows gently into the hull beneath your feet.
"Let me show you why the Sun is called the Sun. Hold on tight, everyone, for this free dinner!"
The moment the words left his mouth.
At the stern of the Sun, the leaves of the small Parasol Tree shimmered with an eerie green light.
The golden sunlight seemed to be forcibly pulled into the veins of the leaves, transforming into pure propulsion wings.
With a soft whooshing sound, the airship's speed instantly increased several times, leaving a dazzling emerald trail in the blue sky before disappearing into the horizon of the sea of clouds in the blink of an eye.
"Man~"