King of Red Dragons, Osta flew all the way north when suddenly a black light collided head-on with him. With a boom, a terrifying explosion erupted amidst the clouds, whipping up wild winds and ripples of destruction that instantly cleared the sky.
King of Red Dragons, Osta felt a wave of dizziness and fell straight down, crashing into the earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.
He shook his head, his giant eyes staring at the black shadow beneath the blazing sun in the sky.
Suddenly, he recognized the shadow. His pupils shrank abruptly as a sliver of fear welled up in his heart: "Acnologia!"
This blue-haired man was his nightmare; in countless Midnight dreams, he would dream of the scene where his body was torn apart.
This tyrannical magic power—he could never mistake it!
The newcomer was indeed Acnologia. Even from the Kingdom of Fiore, he could sense Erza's presence. Upon discovering her battle with the King of Red Dragons, he had rushed over.
To his surprise, King of Red Dragons, Osta hadn't managed to kill a single person and had left so dejectedly.
Compared to leading a swarm of Evil Dragons four hundred years ago, his prestige had dropped significantly.
Acnologia landed on the ground and mocked, "If it isn't King of Red Dragons, Osta. Haven't seen you in a long time; why have you become so pathetic?"
King of Red Dragons, Osta's expression turned ferocious. "Acnologia, do you intend to fight me to the death here?"
He had grown stronger; as long as he didn't want to die, no one could kill him!
"Fight to the death?"
Acnologia stretched his limbs and said indifferently, "Don't make me laugh. You were qualified to say that four hundred years ago, but now you're no longer worthy."
His figure flickered, arriving in front of King of Red Dragons, Osta's head in an instant. He slammed a fist into the dragon's head, the domineering force instantly sending Osta flying tens of thousands of meters away.
Without a moment's pause, Acnologia turned into a streak of black light and followed closely. He grabbed King of Red Dragons, Osta's tail with both hands and slammed him violently into the earth, burying the entire dragon body underground.
"How is this possible?"
The King of Red Dragons flew up, his eyes full of disbelief. He hadn't expected Acnologia to possess such terrifying power even in human form; just two attacks had left his entire body in searing pain.
It wasn't just him who had grown stronger; this Black Dragon had become even more powerful too!
And it was several times stronger!
"Are you surprised?"
Acnologia stood in the sky, looking down, and laughed loudly. "Don't forget, I only studied Dragon Slaying Magic for two years before I could kill Dragon Kings. Now that four hundred years have passed, do you think I've stayed in the same place?"
Although his cultivation speed had slowed down after reaching the world's limit, his steps toward becoming stronger had never stopped.
Hearing this, King of Red Dragons, Osta's heart skipped a beat. It was true; not only was this monster powerful, but his speed of growth far exceeded his own. The gap between them now might be even wider than it was four hundred years ago.
Osta knew that fleeing was the best option. He opened his mouth and frantically condensed magic power, unleashing a Crimson Roar. The pillar of destructive light shattered everything in its path.
This time he used his full strength, making it even more powerful than the strike against Dragnof Royal City!
Seeing that Acnologia dared to extend a single hand to block the Roar's magic power, Osta hesitated no longer. His entire body turned into a sky-covering red mist and dissipated into the distance.
There was no need to see the result; since that monster dared to take it head-on like that, it proved the Roar would definitely have no effect.
And indeed... Acnologia was blasted back over a thousand meters by the terrifying magic Roar before finally stopping mid-air. He shook his slightly blackened palm. "One hand is still a bit of a struggle. As expected of the King of Evil Dragons' Roar."
"However..."
He looked up at the dissipating red mist filling the sky, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "His courage is getting smaller and smaller."
Although that red mist transformation ability just now was a bit troublesome, it wasn't impossible to break.
Next time King of Red Dragons, Osta uses that ability in front of me, I'll transform into my Black Dragon Form and use Devouring Magic to swallow all the red mist. We'll see if that guy dies then... Dragnof Royal City.
After General No. 1 led everyone back to the royal city, all the citizens came to welcome them. Upon hearing that King of Red Dragons, Osta had retreated, everyone erupted in joyful cheers.
Natsu asked, "Do we consider this a failed mission or a completed one?"
Their mission was dragon slaying, but the Evil Dragons harassing the kingdom didn't actually exist, and they couldn't possibly defeat that King of Red Dragons. Looking at it this way, they didn't know if it counted as completing the mission.
Erza shook her head and said, "I don't know either, but we should head back. If the King of Red Dragons attacks again, we'll probably have to let even more powerful Mages take the mission."
Gajeel agreed, "That's right."
Seeing the three people and two cats coming to bid farewell, General No. 1 smiled and said, "A victory banquet has already been set up in the palace. You can all head back after tonight."
"In any case, your mission is complete. King of Red Dragons, Osta was not part of the mission."
Since learning that Princess Erza had no interest in the throne, although General No. 1 was somewhat reluctant, he gradually abandoned the idea.
Of course, his biggest fear was that King of Red Dragons attacking again and putting Her Highness the Princess in danger.
Watching Erza, Natsu, and the others looking Happy, the obsession in General No. 1's heart gradually faded. Perhaps for Her Highness the Princess, being able to live freely was the most important thing.
Natsu and Happy asked excitedly, "Will you grant us a wish?"
Erza covered Happy's mouth and floored Natsu with a punch. "You two, stop talking nonsense!"
They had completed an ss-class mission just by going through the motions; they were already too embarrassed to take the money, let alone make demands.
How did these two shameless guys even manage to open their mouths?
General No. 1 laughed and said, "It's fine. A completed mission is a completed mission. The one billion J is already prepared, so feel free to state any wishes."
Even if there were no mission, just because they were Her Highness the Princess's companions, all their requests would be granted.
He also hoped Her Highness could bring Lord Acnologia and Queen Irene back to the kingdom for a visit.
No. 2 said, "By repelling the King of Red Dragons, you are heroes of the kingdom. Whether ten or a hundred years pass, you will always be the kingdom's benefactors."
After some persuasion, Erza could only nod, hoping that Natsu and the others' requests wouldn't be too excessive.
Soon, the royal banquet began, with all sorts of incredibly abundant delicacies.
Natsu's wish was for the kingdom's most delicious flames, Happy's was for the best fish, Gajeel's was for the hardest iron, and Lilly's was to have his previous sword forged to be even sturdier.
General No. 1 looked at Erza and asked, "What is Her Highness the Princess's wish?"
"A wish..."
Erza held her chin in thought; as for her wish, she really couldn't think of one for a moment.
In fact, she was already very satisfied with her current life and had no more wishes.
General No. 1 thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up. He said, "Wait for me a moment," and walked out.
He returned two hours later. Under Erza's puzzled gaze, General No. 1 brought out a magnificent set of purple armor.
"After some thought, since Her Highness's ability is Requip and you like collecting powerful armor, I used a few of my dragon scales to forge a set of armor. Not only is it incredibly sturdy, but it also possesses Poison Dragon Slaying attributes and has a strong weakening effect on magic."
Erza took the Poison Dragon Armor. After coating it with magic power, she couldn't help but be moved. "What powerful armor!"
This was a true Dragon Armor, among the most top-tier and powerful of all her armors.
She was deeply moved and said earnestly, "Thank you, I like it very much!"
Since the armor had already been forged, the best thing for her to do was to accept it and use it in battle later, so as not to let General No. 1's kindness go to waste.
Seeing the Princess accept it, General No. 1 said happily, "You're welcome. As long as Her Highness likes it."
This armor not only used his sturdiest dragon scales but also involved the finest craftsmen, and its aesthetic design was absolutely top-notch.
Although it took quite some effort, he was satisfied just to see Her Highness the Princess smile.
"Her Highness, let's go join the banquet together. Your companions have already gone."
"Alright!"
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