What terrified him most was that the usually ferocious Legion Beast beneath him was now howling in agony!
It was afraid of the man engulfed in flames!
" Nancy, take me there."
Lu Chongwei's voice was completely flat.
Nancy immediately flapped her wings, and with Lu Chongwei, she charged straight towards the last Regios like a golden Legion bolt.
"No... don't come any closer! Help!"
The soldier screamed in despair.
Lu Chongwei showed no mercy, his right hand swinging out smoothly.
"Whoosh!"
A golden streak of fire flashed across the sky.
The last Legion, along with the soldier on its back, was instantly cleaved in two and turned to ashes in the scorching heat.
At this point, all the Kingdom's Royal Army that attempted to obstruct Lu Chongwei were annihilated.
Lu Chongwei flicked the Ryujin Jakka, extinguishing the flames on its surface.
He hovered in mid-air, slowly turning his head, his black eyes coldly fixed on the floor-to-ceiling window on the highest floor of the palace.
Through the glass, he could see Faust's terrified, distorted face.
Lu Chongwei gave a haughty sneer and murmured softly.
"You're the only one left, Faust!"
A massive Floating Island hovered directly above the royal capital.
This island-sized, purplish-blue Magic Crystal emanated a chilling energy fluctuation.
"Finally found it."
Gajeel descended from the sky and landed steadily on the surface of the Magic Crystal.
He twisted his neck, and his joints made a crisp sound.
"Love! Gajeel, it's all up to you!"
Happy folded his wings and landed behind Gajeel, looking at him expectantly.
Leave it to me.
Gajeel clasped his hands together forcefully, and black Iron Dragon scales instantly covered his arms, while violent dragon-slaying magic rapidly condensed in his palms.
He was preparing to infuse magic into the Magic Crystal to restore it to its original state.
"Don't even think about it!"
A rough voice, like muffled thunder, rang out in mid-air.
Immediately afterwards, accompanied by a dull whistling sound, a huge black greatsword descended from the sky and slammed into Gajeel's back.
"Clang--!"
Gajeel reacted extremely quickly, blocking the greatsword with a backhand strike of his Iron Dragon Club.
The powerful impact caused a tiny crack to appear on the surface of the Magic Crystal beneath his feet.
He looked up and saw the person who had come in.
It was a burly black panther-man, dressed in the armor of a high-ranking general of the Royal Army, wielding an exaggeratedly designed Buster Sword.
What's most shocking is that he actually has a pair of pure white wings growing from his back.
"Wing?"
Happy's eyes widened, his little paws tightly covering his mouth, and he let out a sharp cry of surprise.
"You... you are also Exceed!"
Pansa Lily gave Happy a cold look, then exerted force with his greatsword, forcing Gajeel back several steps.
That's all in the past.
Lily slung the greatsword over his shoulder, his eyes filled with coldness.
"I was banished from the Kingdom of the Exceed long ago. I am now the captain of the Royal Army's First Magic Combat Unit, Pansa Lily! With me here today, you won't even touch this Magic Crystal!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the greatsword in Lily's hand emitted a piercing mechanical whirring sound.
The already enormous heavy sword suddenly grew several times larger in an instant, resembling a huge door panel, exuding a chilling destructive power.
Gajeel stared blankly at the proud, powerful black panther-man before him, who had been driven out of his own kind.
A scene from when he first joined Fairy Tail suddenly flashed through his mind.
Back then, he was also a lone wolf, abandoned by his original guild and covered in thorns, just like Lily in front of him.
"Hey."
Gajeel suddenly grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and let out a wild laugh.
"I've made up my mind!"
Gajeel pointed at Lily, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I'm going to beat you down, then tie you up and take you back to the guild to be my cat!"
Lily frowned, furious.
"Arrogant Earth-land rat!"
Lily wielded his enormous Buster Sword, creating a terrifying hurricane as he cleaved straight for Gajeel's head.
" The Iron Dragon's Roar!"
Gajeel's chest swelled, unleashing a black whirlwind mixed with countless steel fragments.
The two collided instantly, unleashing a terrifying surge of magical power.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A dull thud echoed throughout the Floating Island.
Gajeel grew increasingly excited as he fought, and the Iron Dragon scales on his body became even thicker.
He found a tricky angle and threw out his right fist with force.
"Snap!"
A crisp snapping sound rang out.
Lily's prized massive Buster Sword was shattered by Gajeel's punch.
The violent magic exploded instantly, blasting both of them back.
Inside the control room deep within the royal palace.
Byro, the vice-captain of the Second Magic Combat Unit, was staring intently at the enormous magical screen in front of him.
On the screen, the red bar representing the charging progress of the Dragon Lock Cannon is rising rapidly and is about to reach its peak.
"It'll be soon! It'll be soon!"
Byro's face, wrapped in bandages, was filled with fervent excitement.
He gripped a golden start key tightly in his hand, his whole body trembling slightly.
Simply press the start button, and this ultimate weapon will fire a traction beam, pulling the Floating Island toward Extalia.
Just as he was about to insert the key...
"Bang!"
The door to the control room was violently kicked open.
The little girl Coco rushed in, panting, her face full of anxiety and fear.
" Byro! Please wait a moment!"
"Captain Lily is still on the Floating Island! If we activate the Dragon Lock Cannon now, he'll be affected! He'll die!"
Byro Coco cold look, his tone devoid of any emotion.
"A small sacrifice is necessary for the kingdom to gain unlimited magic power."
Coco's eyes widened; she never expected Byro to say such a thing.
She gritted her teeth, rushed forward, and snatched the golden key from Byro's hand.
"I will not allow you to harm Captain Lily!"
Coco grabbed the key and ran out the door.
"Grab her!"
Byro roared in anger.
Several elite soldiers guarding the door immediately pounced on Coco, roughly Coco her to the ground and forcibly snatching the key back.
"Let me go! You bunch of bad people!"
Coco struggled desperately, tears welling up in her eyes.
Byro, holding the key he had just recovered, snorted coldly and turned back to the control panel.
"Now, no one can stop the kingdom's great undertaking."
Just as his key was about to be inserted into the hole.
"Boom--!!!"
The heavy steel door to the control room was kicked into pieces from the outside.
Huge pieces of metal flew into the room like cannonballs, knocking several soldiers flying.
Amidst the smoke and dust, a man draped in a black overcoat and crackling with golden lightning strode in.