Laxus remained silent, choosing not to speak.
For so many years, Laxus had never undertaken missions with other guild members.
His understanding of his comrades was indeed limited, especially regarding the potential they could unleash when facing enemies—something Laxus had never witnessed.
If judged solely by their behavior within the guild, one would inevitably draw completely wrong conclusions.
Both Natsu and Gray were the type who could never exert their full strength against their own people.
In the guild, you could even consider them atmosphere lighteners, comedic characters who occasionally caused some laughs.
But outside, when facing enemies and crises, they often erupted with astonishing power that made others see them in a new light.
Though easily suppressed by the "S-Class Mages" in the guild during ordinary times, outside, they could unleash strength comparable to—or even surpassing—that of "S-Class Mages."
"Charge!!!"
Facing the silver-armored giant dragon "Dorma Anim" whose "invincible armor" had been breached, everyone in the "Expedition Force" was invigorated.
After enduring one of "Dorma Anim's" explosive assaults, they shouted as they counterattacked.
Gajeel rushed forward and started gnawing on "Dorma Anim's" tail.
"Bleh, bleh, bleh! Tastes awful!"
Surprisingly, he actually managed to bite off a piece.
Gajeel swallowed a mouthful and immediately complained about the taste.
"Dorma Anim" was immune to magic, but not to sharp teeth.
Gajeel, with his fangs and a diet usually consisting of iron, found it no surprise that he could chew through this thing.
In fact, the "Iron Dragon" was quite effective against such steel monsters—though the enemy wouldn't just stand still and let him chew.
After only a few bites, Gajeel was flung away.
Still, he had managed to replenish some of his magic power from those few bites.
"Revived!" Gajeel roared.
Natsu's display of power had put immense pressure on him.
As a fellow "Dragon Slayer Mage," he needed to achieve some results too, or he would be completely overshadowed by Natsu!
"Iron Dragon Sword!"
Gajeel charged at "Dorma Anim," his right arm transforming into a serrated sword.
The rotating teeth on the blade resembled a chainsaw sword, clattering noisily.
"Zzzzzzzzzz!!!"
The chainsaw sword struck "Dorma Anim's" body, continuously sparking.
Gajeel's attacks were indeed more effective than others', making him the second person so far to inflict substantial damage on "Dorma Anim."
"Ha-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!!!"
Bacchus and Elfman relentlessly swung their fists, pounding at "Dorma Anim's" legs.
Their strikes made the upright silver-armored giant dragon unsteady, and King Faust angrily kicked about, trying to shake off these "insects."
To evade the mages clinging to him like parasites, Faust had to maneuver "Dorma Anim" to leap around and dodge.
The mech lacked flight capability, but its jumping height was absurdly high, and its mobility was exceptional, causing significant trouble for everyone."Then let's immobilize it!"
Gajeel had an idea - he would make this "Dorma Anim" unable to move, allowing everyone's magic to hit it completely.
King Faust had been constantly dodging, which indicated that even this "Dorma Anim" couldn't continuously withstand their magical assaults.
Although their destructive power couldn't match Natsu's, the combined attacks of everyone present weren't something to be taken lightly either.
"Raaaaah! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon - Iron Spiral!"
After making his decision, Gajeel immediately unleashed his ultimate move.
Having joined Fairy Tail - this intensely competitive guild early on, Gajeel's power had advanced by leaps and bounds compared to before.
His mastery of "Iron Dragon Slayer Magic" was no exception, and this "Dragon Slayer Secret Art" served as proof of his growth.
Gajeel leaped into the air, his legs transforming directly into steel.
Then his entire body began spinning rapidly mid-air, turning into a massive drill that charged toward "Dorma Anim," creating howling gusts of wind with an intimidating presence.
King Faust was startled by this sight.
Since Gajeel had been able to bite through "Dorma Anim's" tail earlier, he had become quite wary of this guy with spiky black hair.
One could only say this was worthy of an "Iron Dragon Slayer Mage" - even a steel construct of "Dorma Anim's" caliber was being countered.
"Don't even think about running!"
Seeing "Dorma Anim" trying to escape and avoid Gajeel's attack, how could the other mages of the "Expedition Force" let it have its way?
Immediately, everyone gave their all, unleashing their remaining magical power to keep "Dorma Anim" in place.
Elfman and Bacchus even went so far as to physically grab and pull on it, determined not to let "Dorma Anim" get away.
"Bzzzt!"
King Faust manipulated "Dorma Anim," making it operate at full magical power as it attempted to jump and evade Gajeel's attack.
But this time, it had barely left the ground when it was forcibly held back.
A group of mages clung to "Dorma Anim's" body, desperately pulling it downward while various spells hampered its movements, preventing it from successfully jumping.
"Get off!"
King Faust's face contorted as he roared in fury, for Gajeel's drill form was already spinning rapidly toward him.
'Someone should add some text here, like 'Gurren Lagann' or something.'
Watching this scene, Marco couldn't help but comment.
This giant drill was just too passionate.
"BOOM!!!"
Finally, an ear-piercing explosion sounded.
Although "Dorma Anim" had tried its best to dodge, it still couldn't avoid the giant drill completely.
A large hole was drilled through "Dorma Anim's" right leg, completely penetrated by Gajeel's attack.
"What a pity! It still managed to dodge!"
Naturally, everyone felt regretful about this outcome.
If they had been able to completely restrain "Dorma Anim," Gajeel could have hit it directly in the head, and they might have already won by now.
"That guy isn't in the head - he's in the chest."
Marco reminded everyone, his eyes glowing as he had already seen through "Dorma Anim's" outer shell, spotting King Faust positioned within "Dorma Anim's" chest cavity.
When it comes to mechs like this, they often give the impression that the "cockpit" is located in the head, but this isn't always the case—some have it in the chest.
This particular mech doesn't seem to rely on its "head" for vision either.
Its field of view is quite broad, likely due to some magical means, so even if the cockpit were in the chest, the view wouldn't be obstructed.
"Then focus fire on the chest!"