Three Dragons Issue a Challenge!
King Faust, seeing that all was lost and that even his most trusted Warren was no match for Jiang Bai, and was even going to thwart his grand plan, was filled with extreme panic.
He glanced at Jiang Bai and Warren, who were talking, and then at the terrifying void passage pierced by "Zi" that seemed to divide the world in two. A thought began to grow wildly in his mind.
Run!
We have to run!
Before they noticed him, Faust quietly and slowly moved toward the inconspicuous side door behind the throne.
His movements were extremely light, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest.
Closer, even closer!
Just as he was about to touch the doorknob, he suddenly turned around, used all his strength to pull open the door and rushed inside, running wildly into the depths of the palace's underground without looking back.
Jiang Bai had actually noticed his little trick long ago, but he didn't stop him.
Perfect, saves me the trouble of searching myself. Let him reveal his final trump card and solve all the problems at once.
King Faust raced through numerous traps and secret passages, finally arriving before a massive steel gate sealed with countless thick chains and runes.
This is the deepest part of the Kingdom of Edolas, the sealed land that holds the kingdom's ultimate weapon and its greatest taboo.
"Ha ha..."
Faust, panting heavily, pulled an ancient and complex key from his pocket with trembling hands and inserted it into the keyhole in the center of the door.
"Click... click..."
With a sickening clanging sound, the chains wrapped around the gate came loose one by one, and the ancient runes dimmed.
"Boom--"
The heavy steel gate slowly opened, revealing a vast and empty space behind it.
In the center of the space, a colossal creature lay dormant.
It was a colossal mechanical dragon, entirely crafted from jet-black metal, exuding a grotesque and beautiful aura.
Its size far exceeds that of any known creature; its cold, metallic shell is engraved with intricate magical runes, and its tightly closed mouth seems poised to unleash a breath of annihilation at any moment.
This is the strongest anti-magic weapon ever created by the Kingdom of Edolas, using all its national resources and researched and manufactured on the remains of an ancient dragon race—the Forbidden Magic Armor: Mechanical Dragon 'Dromar Arnim'!
Because its activation requires an enormous amount of magic power, potentially draining Edolas' already meager magic power in a short period, it has always been considered taboo and sealed here.
But now, Faust can't care about that anymore.
"You... all must die!"
His eyes gleamed with madness as he staggered to the belly of the mechanical dragon, opened the cockpit entrance, and crawled inside.
As the king entered, Droma Arnim's tightly closed eyes suddenly blazed with a scarlet light!
"Roar--!"
A mechanical dragon roar, powerful enough to tear the sky apart, resounded throughout the entire royal capital.
Immediately afterwards, the ground of the palace began to shake violently, and a huge black shadow smashed through the thick layers of earth and the magnificent palace, soaring into the sky from the ground!
The enormous mechanical wings blotted out the sky, plunging the entire capital into darkness.
Faust's voice, amplified by a magical amplifier, came from the mechanical dragon's mouth, carrying a condescending madness and savagery.
"Those who defy me! Those who stand in my way! Whether you are Fairy Tail or a traitor to the kingdom! Today, I will annihilate you all!"
Accompanied by a mechanical dragon roar powerful enough to tear the sky apart, the forbidden magical armor, the mechanical dragon 'Dromar Arnim', finally revealed its ferocious full form to the world.
The enormous mechanical wings blotted out the sky, plunging the entire capital into darkness.
A terrifying surge of magical energy emanated from it; the mere pressure caused countless Royal Army and civilians on the ground to go weak in the knees and collapse to the ground in a sorry state.
"What... what kind of monster is that...?"
"It is His Majesty the King's ultimate weapon! 'Droma Arnim'!"
"Great! With this, those Earth-land mages are doomed!"
Only a small number of the Royal Army's soldiers cheered; most were worried about their own general.
Erza Knightwalker, Jiang Bai Warren, and the others stared at the colossal steel dragon that blotted out the sky, their expressions turning extremely solemn.
However, amidst this solemnity and panic, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
"Oh oh--!"
Natsu looked up, his eyes shining, his excitement even greater than when he saw roasted meat; he was practically drooling.
"A dragon! It's a dragon! So cool--!"
His blood Boil instantly, his magic surged uncontrollably, and flames rose up like fighting spirit.
He completely forgot about the king and the conspiracy.
Right now, all he could see was this incredibly cool-looking behemoth in front of him!
This is the instinct of Dragon Slayer!
"Jiang Bai!"
Natsu whirled around, slammed his fist into his palm, and shouted impatiently:
"You've already fought a battle, now you should rest! I'll handle this guy!"
Hehehe...
Gajeel, standing nearby, let out his signature laugh, arms crossed, looking at the mechanical dragon in the sky with equal excitement.
"The Fire Dragon is right. It's better to leave things like dragons to us professionals."
He stretched his neck, making a series of cracking sounds.
"Perfect! Let me test whether my iron is harder or this tin can is harder!"
Even Wendy, who is usually the most well-behaved, had a slightly flushed face, clenched her little fists, and her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation.
"Brother Jiang Bai!" she mustered her courage and called out loudly.
"Wendy... Wendy is very useful too! I want to fight alongside her!"
Looking at the three "younger brothers and sisters" in front of him who were acting like they were on steroids, Jiang Bai helplessly touched his forehead.
"Sigh, a dragon slayer seeing a dragon is like a dog seeing a bone..." he muttered to himself.
No way.
My younger siblings have all volunteered, and as their eldest brother, I can't let them steal the spotlight.
"Alright, alright."
Jiang Bai waved his hand impatiently, but a doting smile appeared on his face.
"Since you've both said so, then this big guy is yours to keep."
After saying that, to everyone's astonishment, Jiang Bai turned around and walked to Erza of Earth-land, even putting his arm around her waist.
Then, using his Telekinesis, he conjured a recliner and lay down with Erza, looking relaxed and ready to watch the show.
The feeling was as if the weapon in the sky wasn't the ultimate weapon capable of destroying the kingdom, but rather a giant firework about to take off.
"Oh!!"
Having received "approval," Natsu let out a loud roar of excitement, unable to contain himself any longer.
With a sudden burst of power from his legs, he shot into the sky like a cannonball, heading straight for the enormous mechanical dragon!
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!!"
"Hehehe! Don't try to steal the spotlight, Natsu!"
Gajeel followed closely behind, his feet transforming into jets that Iron Dragons, and he too flew up!
"Wendy! Let's go too!" Carla reminded her from the side.
"Um!"
Wendy nodded, Carla unfurled small magical wings on her back, carrying Wendy as they followed the two battle maniacs.
Three Dragon Slayer from Earth-land charged head-on into the massive, sky-covering steel dragon.