Fist clashed head-on against the giant bone blade, and a thunderous explosion rent the heavens and earth!
A violent surge of gold and emerald energy erupted instantly. The piercing sound of shattering echoed through the woods as the massive bone blade—strong enough to cleave a mountain forest—was smashed to pieces by a single, simple punch from Riyao. Shards of bone flew everywhere, and a thick cloud of dust instantly swept across the battlefield, obscuring all vision.
Amidst the churning dust, Riyao's appearance completely transformed.
His golden hair stood straight up, sharp and defiant, while his entire body was enveloped in a dazzling halo of interwoven gold and emerald light. The gilded patterns of Hundred Battles crawled across his frame, entwined with the vibrant green life-force of the forest, the two reflecting off each other with a sharp, imposing aura. The youth's presence had shifted drastically, his body erupting with a wild and frenzied combat power, looking exactly like a certain battle-loving race that transforms when enraged and enjoys dyeing their hair.
Terrifying shockwaves of power swept outward in all directions. With the two of them at the center, massive ancient trees snapped like twigs and crashed down, while the ground split open with several deep gashes. Rubble and broken branches flew everywhere, and the vast dense forest was reduced to ruins in the blink of an eye, a scene of total devastation.
Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tail guild thousands of miles away—
Makarov was sitting with his legs crossed, slowly sipping the fine wine in his glass, looking relaxed and at ease.
Suddenly, his heart tightened once more. That inexplicable sense of unease abruptly multiplied several times over, weighing heavily on his chest, impossible to shake.
His brow furrowed deeply. He hadn't sensed the life-or-death crisis in the distance at all; instead, he instinctively and frantically clutched the wallet at his waist. His face turned pale with heartache as he wailed inwardly:
"Oh no, oh no... The last time I felt like this was the last time... It's definitely those three brats causing massive destruction out there! Repair fees, compensation... My wallet is completely unsafe now!"
Amidst the swirling dust, Riyao's figure suddenly accelerated.
Wrapped in a glow of gold and green, he moved so fast he left only afterimages, weaving back and forth through the Skeleton King's massive frame.
He didn't focus on raw power but specifically targeted weaknesses. A dense rain of fist shadows hammered down repeatedly on the Skeleton King's neck, elbows, waist, hips, knees, and ankles—every single joint.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Muffled explosions rang out. Each strike from his fists, imbued with the life-force of the forest and the power of Hundred Battles, caused the white bones to crack inch by inch. The Skeleton King swayed heavily, its massive body stumbling repeatedly. Its painstakingly reassembled limbs were once again sent flying in shards, its movements becoming increasingly stiff and clumsy.
Standing atop the Skeleton King's head, the Villain Leader watched with eyes nearly splitting from rage. His madness completely broke all bounds, and his voice—a rasping, high-pitched screech—exploded in fury:
"Curse you! You persistent brat! Stop! Crush him! Grind him into meat paste, now!"
Like a madman, he squeezed out his remaining magic power to force bone regeneration. His face was deathly pale, and his magic was rapidly depleting.
Meanwhile, as Riyao wove through the chaotic bones, there was no malice in his eyes. Instead, his eyes were curved in a smile, a nonchalant smirk playing on his lips as he spoke slowly, every word a piercing taunt:
"Panicking?"
"The power you went through so much trouble to get—sucking your comrades dry and tearing apart their skeletons—turns out it's quite useless, isn't it?"
"You built this giant frame on betrayal and plunder. It looks intimidating, but it's actually hollow and weak."
"Stolen life-force and borrowed bones... they don't hesitate at all when it's time to shatter."
He smiled, accelerated again, and threw another heavy punch, slamming it hard into the Skeleton King's lumbar joint.
The Villain Leader watched helplessly as the giant Skeleton King became stiff and restricted, its clumsy body unable to catch even an afterimage of Riyao. All its brute force hit nothing but air. His eyes turned bloodshot, and a desperate malice took hold of him.
He decided to go all out and roared, "Release!"
With a thunderous boom, the mountain-like Skeleton King instantly collapsed and disintegrated. Countless white bones scattered through the air and reassembled in an instant, turning into dozens, even hundreds, of small, agile skeleton soldiers.
Having discarded their massive size, these skeleton soldiers saw their speed multiply. Like a dark tide, they swarmed toward Riyao in a frenzied wave.
One after another, the bony bodies piled up, instantly burying Riyao before he could dodge. They formed a towering mound of bone, trapping him completely within.
Seeing his opponent trapped, the leader's face twisted. His hands moved rapidly to form seals, death energy coiling around his fingertips as he cast an instant-kill spell:
"Bone Make: Soul-Locking Bone Burial!"
The pile of bones burying Riyao suddenly constricted. Countless fine bone blades and spikes erupted from all directions, thrusting, twisting, and locking inward through the gaps. The layers of white bone formed a lethal cage, simultaneously restricting his body and hungrily devouring his magic power, intending to crush Riyao within the bone mound and grind him into nothingness.
Outside the forest, Gray and Cana watched the bone mountain suddenly snap shut. Their hearts sank to their stomachs, and they prepared to rush back regardless of the cost.
Deep within the bone pile, darkness and a bone-chilling cold swept in. But around Riyao, the interwoven gold and green light grew even more intense.
The bone tomb tightened ruthlessly, thousands of spikes twisting inward as death energy frantically gnawed at everything around it.
Riyao channeled all the accumulated forest life-force and the power of Hundred Battles. His fists began to rotate, striking out with the force of a violent storm.
One punch, ten punches, a hundred punches—
The dense force of his fists was unstoppable, smashing through the layered white bone cage from the inside out!
With a massive explosion, the entire bone mountain shattered, and shards of bone scattered across the sky.
Taking advantage of the breach, Riyao's figure burst out like a streak of light. In an instant, he caught up to the villain in mid-air, his large hand reaching out to seize the panicked leader by the throat before slamming him hard into the forest floor and pinning him down.
Then, a gale-like barrage of rapid strikes suddenly descended:
"Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!"
The wind from his fists was vicious. Each strike precisely shattered the villain's bone patterns, severed his magic conduits, and cracked the bones throughout his body, destroying the very foundation of his Bone Make magic.
Yet, at the same time, the gold and green healing light swirling in Riyao's palms was continuously washing over the man.
Bones that had just been broken were mended in the blink of an eye.
Internal organs that had just been ruptured were instantly smoothed over.
Exhausted stamina slowly flowed back.
He was beating him to death while simultaneously healing him.
The pain wasn't diminished in the slightest, but the injuries never accumulated. He couldn't die even if he wanted to, and he couldn't even pass out.
The Villain Leader's expression became incredibly vivid:
At first, it was crazed fury and murderous intent, howling to tear his opponent apart;
Then, intense pain swept through his body, his features contorting as he convulsed in agony;
Next, he realized his wounds were healing instantly, his pupils shrinking as only terror and confusion remained;
Finally, after being repeatedly pummeled and repeatedly healed, his resistance was ground away bit by bit. Nothing was left but total collapse, despair, and mental numbness. He lay slumped on the ground, unable to even let out a scream.
The power he had sacrificed everything and all his companions for was completely dismantled. Now, only endless torture remained, trapped within a body that was physically intact yet utterly broken.
Outside the forest, Gray and Cana stared at this bizarre and overbearing scene. They stopped in their tracks, a single thought remaining in their minds: Who was the villain again?