"This attack..."
"I see! So you are a Dragon Slayer from Earthland!"
While Gajeel was wondering why his magic was ineffective against the mechanical dragon, the old king inside the mechanical dragon was first stunned, then overjoyed.
"Hahaha! A Dragon Slayer! For infinite magical power, I must capture you today!"
As soon as the old king finished speaking, Gajeel's elongated iron arm slammed directly onto the mechanical dragon.
"Iron Dragon's Club!"
Bam~
The moment Gajeel's iron fist landed on the mechanical dragon, the sound of clashing metal echoed through the air.
"So hard!"
"Hahaha, it's useless! No matter what kind of magic you use, it's ineffective against Dorma Anim!"
Bang-
While the old king laughed maniacally, Gajeel kicked the mechanical dragon again.
"I said it's ineffective!"
"Shut up! You've been yammering nonstop since the beginning!"
A very displeased Gajeel launched another attack against the mechanical dragon.
"Iron Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Gajeel's fist, covered in iron dragon scales, slammed onto the mechanical dragon with a dunking motion.
Boom-
A loud sound echoed through the air at that moment.
And the mechanical dragon's huge body actually staggered backwards a few steps.
"That last strike actually caused some damage to Dorma Anim?!"
"Is this the power of Dragon Slayer Magic?"
"But... I want you even more now, Dragon Slayer!"
The old king inside the mechanical dragon roared madly, then manipulated the mechanical dragon to counterattack the charging Gajeel.
Bzzzt-
Just as Gajeel's fist was about to hit the mechanical dragon, it opened its mouth, and a huge beam of magical energy shot towards Gajeel.
In just an instant, the magical beam struck Gajeel.
Boom-
Gajeel's body was sent flying several meters back by the impact of the magical beam.
Finally, the magical beam exploded, and Gajeel's figure was swallowed by the explosive flames.
A few seconds later, the flames dissipated, and Gajeel's figure reappeared in the air.
Gajeel was panting heavily, with numerous injuries visible on his body.
"Oh? You can still stand? Quite impressive!"
"Then let's give you another..."
The old king was about to say he'd give Gajeel another strike.
But before he could finish, a stream of light from the sky, like a dragon plunging into the sea, crashed onto the mechanical dragon's back.
Bang-
At that moment, a terrifyingly loud sound reverberated throughout the plaza.
At the same time, the earth cracked, and the mechanical dragon's huge body instantly sank into the ground.
This sudden turn of events stunned Gajeel.
However, when he clearly saw the person who attacked the mechanical dragon, he grinned: "Gihi, still as strong as ever!"
The person in Gajeel's field of vision was, of course, Kenichi.
While Gajeel was speaking, the old king inside the mechanical dragon had a dramatically changed expression.
Although Kenichi's strike didn't destroy the mechanical dragon, the devices inside were already sparking and flashing, looking like they were about to explode.
"How is this possible?"
"He caused so much damage to Dorma Anim?"
"Just who is this guy?"
The old king looked at Kenichi, feeling immense shock and awe in his heart.
He knew if Kenichi launched a few more attacks like that, the mechanical dragon would really fall apart.
"Damn it! Constantly getting in my way, again and again!"
The old king roared with a distorted face, then directly launched an attack against Kenichi.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
A large number of missiles were fired from the sides of the mechanical dragon, hurtling towards Kenichi on its back.
Boom! Boom!
Soon, those shells converged and produced a series of explosions.
But the moment the explosions occurred, Kenichi's figure vanished from the spot as if by instant movement and reappeared not far from Gajeel.
"You dodged quite quickly. In that case..."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
Under the old king's control, eight more missiles were fired from the mechanical dragon's sides.
The eight missiles traced arcs in the sky, then all converged towards Kenichi's location.
"Tracking missiles?"
Seeing the eight missiles in the sky could adjust their direction on their own, Kenichi's expression shifted slightly.
The old king said with a ferocious expression: "Let's see you dodge this time!"
"An attack of this level doesn't require dodging at all!"
Boom-
As soon as Kenichi finished speaking, the eight tracking missiles struck him.
For a moment, violent flames engulfed Kenichi's figure.
But before the old king over there could rejoice, the flames began to vanish at a visible rate.
Soon, both Gajeel and the old king saw that all those flames were being devoured by Kenichi.
Gajeel knew Kenichi was a Fire Dragon Slayer, so seeing this, he just grinned.
But the old king looked as if he'd seen a ghost: "He actually ate the explosion's flames?"
Bzzzt-
While the old king was stunned, an even more violent crimson flame suddenly erupted around Kenichi's body.
The moment the flames appeared, the temperature of the surrounding air rose sharply.
And the rocks on the ground at Kenichi's feet actually began to melt continuously.
Furthermore, the space where Kenichi was seemed distorted from the intense heat.
"What in the world is this...?"
Looking at the person within the flames, the old king felt as if he were seeing a real dragon.
While the old king was fearful, Kenichi used the [Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic] again.
At that moment, violent golden lightning also flickered within the crimson flames around Kenichi.
And at this moment, Kenichi entered Lightning Fire Dragon Mode.
"This guy is a monster!"
"A real monster!"
"But... I haven't lost yet!"
The old king inside the mechanical dragon directly pressed a red button in front of him.
Bzzzt-
In the next second, the magical power from the magic guns of the royal soldiers lying on the ground around them all converged towards the mechanical dragon.
Additionally, the magical power stored in the royal palace also converged towards this location.
As a massive amount of magical power converged, a dark purple glow rose from the surface of the mechanical dragon's body.
"That guy is absorbing the nearby magical power!"
Gajeel, seeing the immense magical power gathering on the mechanical dragon, immediately showed a grave expression on his face.
In the sky, Mirajane on the beast had her hands clasped together, her face full of worry: "Kenichi!"