As the Red Dragon King Austa flew north, a black light suddenly crashed into him. With a deafening boom, a terrifying explosion shattered the clouds, unleashing a whirlwind and destructive ripples that instantly cleared the clouds.
The Red Dragon King, Austa, felt a sudden dizziness and plummeted straight down, crashing into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
He shook his head, his huge eyes fixed on the dark figure under the blazing sun.
Suddenly he recognized the shadowy figure, his pupils contracted sharply, and a sense of fear surged within him: "Acnologia!"
This blue-haired man was his nightmare; countless times in the dead of night, he would dream of his body being torn apart.
He would never mistake this tyrannical magic!
The person who arrived was indeed Acnologia. Even in the Kingdom of Fiore, he could sense Erza's presence and rushed over as soon as he discovered her fighting with the Red Dragon King.
To his surprise, the Red Dragon King Osta left in such a sorry state without killing a single person.
Compared to leading a horde of dragons four hundred years ago, this is a huge drop in prestige.
Acnologia landed on the ground and mocked, "Isn't this the Red Dragon King Osta? Long time no see, what's gotten into you?"
The Red Dragon King, Osta, his expression ferocious: "Acnologia, are you going to fight me to the death here?"
He has become even stronger; no one can kill him unless he wants to die!
"A desperate fight?"
Acnologia stretched his limbs and said calmly, "Don't make me laugh. You had the right to say that four hundred years ago, but you don't anymore."
His figure flashed, and in an instant he arrived in front of the head of the Red Dragon King, Austa. He slammed his fist into the dragon's head, and the domineering force instantly sent Austa flying tens of thousands of meters away.
Without pausing, Acnologia transformed into a streak of black light, followed closely behind, grabbed the tail of the Red Dragon King Osta with both hands, and slammed it into the earth, its entire dragon body sinking into the ground.
"How is that possible?"
The Red Dragon King leaped into the air, his eyes wide with disbelief. He hadn't expected Acnologia in human form to possess such terrifying power; just two attacks had caused him excruciating pain all over his body.
Not only did he become stronger, but the black dragon also became stronger!
And it will become several times stronger!
"Are you surprised?"
Acnologia stood in the sky, looking down, and laughed loudly: "Don't forget, I only studied Dragon Slayer Magic for two years and was able to kill the Dragon King. Now, four hundred years have passed, do you think I would have stood still?"
Although his cultivation speed slowed down after reaching the world's limit, his pursuit of becoming stronger never stopped.
Upon hearing this, the Red Dragon King Osta was immediately alarmed. Indeed, this monster was not only powerful, but its rate of growth far surpassed his own. The gap between them might be even greater now than it was four hundred years ago.
Knowing that retreat was the best option, Austa frantically gathered magic power and unleashed a crimson roar, shattering everything in his path with a beam of destructive light.
This time he used all his strength, even more so than when he attacked the capital city of Doragunov!
Upon seeing Acnologia dare to extend a hand to block the Roaring Magic, Osta did not hesitate any longer. His entire body transformed into a sky-covering red mist and dissipated into the distance.
The result is already clear; since that monster dared to take the hit head-on, it proves that the roar had absolutely no effect.
And that is indeed the case...
Acnologia was blasted back thousands of meters by the terrifying magical roar, finally stopping in mid-air. He shook his somewhat blackened palm: "It's still a bit strenuous to use one hand. It's truly worthy of being called the Roar of the King of Dragons."
"but..."
He looked up at the disappearing red mist and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "He's getting more and more timid."
While that red mist-like ability was a bit troublesome, it wasn't unbreakable.
When the Red Dragon King Osta uses this ability in front of him again, he will transform into a black dragon and use devouring magic to swallow all the red mist. Then he will see if that guy dies.
...
Castle of Doragunov
After General Number One led everyone back to the royal city, all the people came to greet him. Upon hearing that the Red Dragon King Osta had retreated, everyone cheered with joy.
Natsu asked, "Does this mean our mission failed or succeeded?"
Their mission was to slay the dragon, but the evil dragon that was harassing the kingdom didn't even exist, and they were no match for the Red Dragon King. So, it's hard to say whether they've completed their mission.
Erza shook her head and said, "I don't know either, but we should go back. If the Red Dragon King attacks again, we'll probably have to send a more powerful mage to take on the mission."
Gajeel agreed, "That's right."
Seeing the three people and two cats come to say goodbye, General Number One smiled and said, "A victory banquet has already been held at the palace. You can go back after tonight."
"In any case, your mission is complete. The Red Dragon King Osta was not part of the mission."
Since learning that Princess Erza had no interest in the throne, Number One, though unwilling, gradually gave up the idea.
Of course, his biggest fear was that the Red Dragon King would attack again, putting the princess in danger.
Seeing Erza, Natsu, and the others so happy, Number One's obsession gradually faded. Perhaps for the princess, being able to live freely was the most important thing.
Natsu and Happy excitedly asked, "Will you grant us one wish?"
Erza covered Happy's mouth and punched Natsu, yelling, "You two, stop talking nonsense!"
They completed the SS-level mission by just going through the motions, and were too embarrassed to even take the money, let alone make any demands.
How did these two shameless bastards even open their mouths?
General Number One laughed and said, "It's alright, mission accomplished is mission accomplished. Ten billion J is ready. Just tell me your wishes."
Even if there's no mission involved, they'd grant any request just because they're Her Highness's companions.
He also hoped that Her Highness could take Lord Acnologia and Queen Irene back to the kingdom for a visit.
Number Two said, "You have defeated the Red Dragon King, so you are heroes of the kingdom. No matter what happens in ten or a hundred years, you will always be benefactors of the kingdom."
After some persuasion, Erza could only nod, hoping that Natsu and the others' demands wouldn't be too unreasonable.
Soon, the kingdom banquet began, with an incredibly lavish spread of all kinds of delicacies.
Natsu's wish is for the most delicious flame in the kingdom, Happy's wish is for the most delicious fish, Gajeel's wish is for the hardest iron, and Lily's wish is to make the previous sword even stronger.
The First General looked at Erza and asked, "What is Your Highness's wish?"
"desire..."
Erza stroked her chin thoughtfully, but couldn't think of anything she wanted to say for the moment.
She is actually quite content with her current life and has no further desires.
The number one general thought for a moment, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Wait a moment," before walking out.
Two hours later, he returned, and under Erza's questioning gaze, the First General took out a magnificent purple suit of armor.
"After much thought, since Her Highness's ability is to change clothes and she likes to collect powerful armor, I'll use a few of my dragon scales to forge a suit of armor. It will not only be incredibly sturdy, but it will also possess the poisonous dragon-slaying attribute and have a strong weakening effect on magic."
Erza took the Poison Dragon Armor, covered it with magic, and was deeply moved: "What powerful armor!"
This is the true Dragon Armor, the most powerful of all her armors.
She was deeply moved and said earnestly, "Thank you, I really like it!"
Now that the armor is complete, the best course of action for her is to accept it and use it in battle, so as not to disappoint the First General's kindness.
Upon seeing the princess accept the gift, General Number One said happily, "No need to be polite, I'm glad Your Highness likes it."
This armor not only uses his most robust dragon scales, but also employs the most skilled craftsmen, making it absolutely top-notch in terms of aesthetic design.
Although it took a lot of effort, he was satisfied to see the princess smile.
"Your Highness, let's go to the banquet together. Some of your friends have already gone."
"good!"