Seeing Gray and Cana surrounded by several Mages, Riyao's eyes darkened, and his Super Strength Mode roared to life!
The lines of his muscles tightened instantly, his bones emitting a dull, cracking explosion. His youthful physique radiated an explosive power that could not be underestimated. Riyao suddenly raised his leg, his foot heavy as if filled with lead, and slammed it down onto the carriage floor with the force of a thousand catties!
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, the carriage floor cracked, web-like fissures spreading rapidly. Then, the piercing sound of tearing metal split the air as the entire train carriage was stomped in half by this powerful blow! The steel at the break twisted and deformed, wood and iron shards flying everywhere. Everyone inside the carriage suddenly swayed, completely losing their balance and crashing into one another.
Meanwhile, back at the Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia, Makarov took a sip from his glass. Suddenly, his heart tightened for no reason, as if something important was about to leave him. The sense of unease came sharp and strong. He subconsciously clutched the wallet at his waist, his brow furrowed as he muttered to himself, "Strange, why do I suddenly have such an ominous premonition... Could it be those three brats getting into trouble?"
The train broke into two. The front half, losing its traction but still propelled by inertia, sped away and vanished into the distant horizon. The rear half was jolted violently by the massive impact, wheels screeching against the rails with sparks flying, until it finally came to a slow halt on the wilderness.
Gray and Cana crawled out from the pile of scattered debris, shaking their dizzy heads. Thanks to the protection of Riyao's "Life Link," neither of them had a single scratch. They were just a bit lightheaded from the violent vibration, only managing to stand steady by leaning against the broken walls.
In contrast, the Dark Mages of the Ghost Bone Cult were in a much more pathetic state. Without magical protection, they collided and trampled over each other in the chaos of the carriage splitting. Many were pierced by flying bone shards, while others had their clothes torn and skin cut by splintered wood, blood seeping from their wounds as they looked completely disheveled.
"Damn it! You damn brats!"
The lead villain crawled out from the twisted steel wreckage, his hair disheveled and blood foaming at the corners of his mouth. His already eerie face was now even more hideous and terrifying. He glared at Riyao and the other two, his eyes bloodshot as he let out an uncontrollable roar. His voice alternated between a raspy sound like a broken gong and a high-pitched screech like a ghost, radiating a frenzied murderous intent. "Today, you ignorant brats will all die in this wilderness!"
Before his voice even faded, the bone magic around him surged again. Broken bone blades reformed, sharper than before, and the surrounding death energy grew even denser. The wilderness wind swirled with withered grass and debris as the broken train wreckage lay tilted by the tracks. The screeching of twisted metal had not even faded before a new round of slaughter exploded!
Riyao's Super Strength Mode was still active, with golden patterns and power fluctuations intertwining. He suddenly ducked, his hands gripping a section of a broken steel beam from the train. He forcibly overturned the multi-ton steel wreckage and hurled it violently at the Ghost Bone Cult lackeys! With a massive "Boom," the steel beam smashed into the ground, creating a spiderweb of cracks. Three Mages who could not dodge in time were crushed underneath, coughing up blood in agony.
Seeing this, the lead villain's eyes turned so bloodshot they almost seemed to drip blood, his bone magic surging wildly. "Bone Make: Bone Dragon Fangs!" The bones in his arms completely disassembled and restructured, turning into a giant bone blade dozens of meters long. The blade was covered in hideous bone spikes and wrapped in the foul aura of the undead as it swept across. Wherever it passed, the grass instantly withered and turned black, and even the air was torn with a piercing shriek.
Riyao's gaze sharpened, and instead of retreating, he stepped forward, crossing his arms in front of him. "Clang!" The soil beneath Riyao's feet was forced down half a foot. "Gray! Cana! Find a chance to pin him down!"
Gray had already steadied himself, ice-blue magic flowing rapidly in his palms. He stared at the approaching lackeys and shouted deeply, "Ice Make: Shield Wall!" Several thick ice walls instantly rose from the ground, blocking the rain of bone shards fired by the enemy. Then, he flipped his hands as ice blades extended from the edges of the walls. "Ice Make: Ice Scythe Slash!" The crescent-shaped ice scythes whistled through the air, accurately severing the Bone Chains condensed by two Mages and slicing through their arms in the process.
But the Ghost Bone Cult lackeys did not retreat. One of them grinned and raised a hand: "Bone Make: Bone Spike Array!" Dozens of thick bone spikes suddenly erupted from the ground, surging wildly toward Gray and Cana, their sharp tips glinting coldly. Cana reacted instantly, leaping off the ground as cards flew rapidly through her fingers. "Wind Card: Tornado!" A green whirlwind formed instantly, grinding the incoming bone spikes to dust. Then she threw another card: "Thunder Card: Electric Net!" Purple lightning wove into a net, descending upon the Mages below. Several lackeys failed to dodge and were hit by the lightning, collapsing to the ground in convulsions.
On the other side, two Mages took the opportunity to circle behind Cana, condensing short bone blades to strike: "Bone Make: Bone Dagger Ambush!" Out of the corner of her eye, Cana spotted them. Just as she was about to turn, Gray arrived in time. "Ice Make: Ice Lancers!" Several ice spears shot through the air, accurately hitting the two Mages in the back and pinning them to the ground. "Thanks!" Cana shouted crisply, throwing out another binding card. A golden rope of light bound the limbs of the last lackey, leaving him unable to move.
Meanwhile, the struggle between Riyao and the villain leader had reached a fever pitch. Seeing his lackeys defeated one after another, the leader fell into a complete frenzy, his voice switching wildly between raspy and high-pitched: "You're all useless! Become my power! Bone Make: Skeleton King!"
The guild marks on the Ghost Bone Cult members lit up as their magic and life force were drained, leaving them as thin as skeletons. One by one, they cried out, "Ah, you... you bastard!"
The surrounding bones converged to form a massive Skeleton King holding a giant bone blade. At the moment of its formation, the Skeleton King let out a roar—"Roar!" Heaven knows how a skeleton makes a sound.
The villain leader stood on the Skeleton King's shoulder, directing it. Riyao rushed forward and shattered the Skeleton King's ankle with a kick, but it recovered almost instantly.
Cursing under his breath, he returned to Cana and Gray's side and said, "This isn't working. This thing has absorbed the magic and life force of its companions. We can't win a war of attrition."
Gray added, "Then what do we do? There are still passengers from the train here."
Cana, holding her cards and watching the Skeleton King warily, said, "The Council's Rune Force won't be here for a while."
The three could not abandon the passengers and flee, so they had no choice but to brace themselves and fight.
The opponent gave them no time to discuss. The leader on the Skeleton King's shoulder flew into a rage, his mind completely deranged. His raspy and high-pitched voices mixed together in a shrill, piercing cry: "Shut up! Crush them!"
The massive Skeleton King raised its giant foot in response and, with the power to destroy everything, stomped down heavily toward the three once more.
Riyao did not dare delay. He hooked his arms around Gray and Cana, picking them up cleanly and rushing back. He retreated far away from the train wreckage, fearing the aftershocks would affect the innocent passengers taking refuge behind them.
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