The cracks on the Dragon-man statue grew denser, and fine stone debris fell with a rustling sound as green light continuously gushed out from the fissures.
Crack.
The statue burst open from within, sending fragments flying everywhere. Riyao stepped out from the rubble, blinked, and stretched his stiff neck, which let out a few crisp cracks.
"Being a statue actually feels pretty good; it's like taking a nap."
Makarov peeked out from behind the bar, looking over with pleasant surprise, his mustache twitching with excitement.
"Riyao! How come you weren't completely petrified?!"
Riyao tilted his head, rubbed his chin in thought, and spoke casually.
"It's probably because my Life Magic and Azure Dragon form mitigated most of the petrification. After all, my Life Magic can naturally dispel curses, even in its passive, permanent state. Plus, Dragon Force can also negate curses. Curses and I, well, we're naturally at odds."
Makarov slapped his thigh and ordered urgently.
"Then hurry up and undo their petrification!"
Riyao nodded, stretched his muscles, twisted his waist, rotated his wrists, and then snapped his fingers.
A flash of emerald green light appeared; the qipao on his body dissolved into streams of light and vanished, replaced by a loose white shirt and dark shorts.
His appearance also restored within the light; his soft features became sharp and rugged again, his jawline becoming well-defined as he returned to being that handsome man.
He walked to the center of the stage, and an emerald green magic circle appeared beneath his feet. The magic circle expanded rapidly, and ripples of life force spread outward, covering the entire stage.
Cracks appeared on the statues one after another, and emerald green light shone through the fissures, as if they were being infused with new life.
With a flash of light, all the statues shattered, the debris turning into specks of light that dissipated into the air.
The girls were Freed from petrification one by one, their bodies regaining their softness and warmth.
Mirajane looked down, touching her arms and waist to confirm her body had returned to normal, then blinked, looking bewildered.
"Ara, what happened? We were just performing on stage, how did we suddenly..."
Riyao trotted over, naturally wrapped his arm around Mirajane's waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and grinned.
Mirajane was stunned by his body warmth for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curled up, and she leaned into his embrace.
Makarov cleared his throat and explained everything Laxus had done from beginning to end.
From Evergreen's petrification eyes to Laxus's hostage threat, and from the rules of the Fairy Tail civil war to the three-hour time limit—the more he spoke, the angrier he got, his mustache shaking like a sieve.
Far away at the top of the church, Laxus saw the broadcast formed by the Runes: "12 people remaining." His face darkened, and with a flick of his finger, lightning danced on his fingertips.
He activated the Palace of the Thunder King.
Golden lightning orbs shot up from the church spire, and countless lightning orbs rolled and gathered in the sky above Magnolia, surrounding the city.
Laxus's voice carried through the lightning, echoing throughout all of Magnolia and reverberating against every wall in the guild hall.
"Since you've undone the petrification, I'll just use all the residents of Magnolia as hostages."
"Old man, you should know about the Palace of the Thunder King, right? Hahahaha..."
Makarov's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and a sharp pain struck his chest.
Covering his chest with one hand, he tremblingly pulled a small pill bottle from his pocket with the other, unscrewed the cap, poured out two vitamin C tablets, popped them into his mouth, and swallowed them dry. Only then did he feel much better.
He raised his head, his cloudy old eyes burning with rage, his voice hoarse but firm.
"Riyao, Mirajane, Erza, go and stop that bastard!"
Mirajane was toying with the dragon tail behind Riyao that he hadn't had time to retract yet, her fingers gently stroking along the texture of the scales, causing Riyao's tail to sway involuntarily.
Erza had already changed back into her armor, her expression serious and her brows tightly knit.
Riyao flicked his tail and replied nonchalantly, "Alright then."
He was actually calculating other things in his mind.
Just now, while pretending to sleep inside the statue, he suddenly remembered that Erza's eyes were currently her original, real eyes, not the artificial one, so she couldn't simply close them to counter Evergreen's petrification eyes.
That was why he had rushed to undo his own petrification and come out.
Mirajane reluctantly let go of Riyao's dragon tail, her fingertips tracing the scales one last time before she turned and walked toward the gate, the aura unique to the Demon rising slowly.
"I'm going to loosen their skin."
Erza changed back into her armor and gripped the hilt of her sword.
"This isn't a joke. You two, be serious."
Riyao clapped his hands and waved at Makarov.
"We're off, old man."
Everyone set out, their footsteps echoing in the hall.
Riyao walked out of the guild gate and onto the street, his gaze sweeping over the guild members lying on the ground. Some were still unconscious, some were groaning while clutching their wounds, and others were trapped in place by the Runes, unable to move.
The buildings on both sides of the street were battered and scattered, the walls covered in scorch marks and cracks left by magic.
Who knows how much the old man will have to pay for damages this time.
A passing resident of Magnolia saw Riyao and waved enthusiastically.
"Hey, Riyao! What is your guild playing at this time? Fighting everywhere, making such a ruckus."
Riyao responded with a smile, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting about daily life.
"A kid in his rebellious phase brought his little friends to give everyone a surprise. Don't worry, don't worry, it'll be over soon."
To avoid getting trapped by the Runes and being forced to fight each other, they all acted separately, heading in different directions.
Mirajane walked quickly along the street, but when she saw the petrified Elfman, her steps faltered.
Her brother was frozen in a punching pose, an angry expression still on his face, his whole body turned into a gray-white stone statue.
Mirajane's fists clenched, her knuckles cracking, her magic power surging violently, causing the surrounding air to distort.
She searched the vicinity and quickly found Evergreen.
Evergreen had no intention of hiding; she stood swaggeringly in the center of the town square, hands on her hips, chin held high, with an "I own the world" attitude.
She saw Mirajane walking over and curled her lips into a mocking arc, looking extremely arrogant.
"I am the most beautiful fairy in the guild; you, Mirajane, are already a thing of the past."
Mirajane stopped, her magic power surging to the extreme. Her long silver hair whipped about in the magical pressure as she performed a full-body Take Over: Satan Soul.
Dark magic power surged from within her. Her silver hair flew, her white dress was consumed by darkness and replaced by a purple form-fitting battle suit, bat wings spread behind her, and her eyes burned with rage.
She walked toward Evergreen step by step, her voice playful.
"Evergreen! You really look quite a bit older than me. Riyao said you look old for your age."
In the distance, Riyao sensed Mirajane's volatile magic power, paused slightly, and couldn't help but light an incense stick for Evergreen in his heart.
The three members of the Thunder God Tribe didn't actually want to kill their guild members; they were just bluffing. After all, they were all comrades from the same guild, and no matter how crazy they were, they wouldn't go for the kill.
The troublesome one was Laxus, who had been brainwashed by Ivan. They had exchanged some letters over the past few years.
Laxus had harbored resentment toward Makarov for expelling Ivan from the very beginning.
Riyao had tried to reason with him with his fists a few times at the start, but that stubborn mule wouldn't listen at all.
Riyao thought as he walked, "Should I change the script?"
A Dragon Slayer created by a magic crystal can also trigger Dragon Force; the lower limit is high, and the upper limit depends on the quality of the magic crystal and individual talent.
Full Dragonification shouldn't be possible. For Laxus to be able to trigger Dragon Force at his age shows extremely high talent—damn second-generation Dragon Slayer.
If anyone knew what Riyao was thinking, they would definitely curse, "You bastard, look at yourself."
Just as Riyao was thinking this, he suddenly sensed the clash between Erza's magic power and Freed's in the distance. The two magical energies collided, stirring up waves of power.
And Lucy, who had also run out, was facing off against Bickslow, who was the most prone to holding back.
Riyao's mouth twitched. Lucy, this Child of Destiny, was truly terrifying; she always managed to get perfectly matched with the most suitable opponent.
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