— — — — — — —
"Jellal!! Answer me! Eight years ago… was it really Erza who betrayed us? Or have you been lying to us this whole time?"
Sho clenched his teeth, glaring at the magical projection of Jellal as he demanded the truth.
"You're still asking that now? Sho, you guys are really adorable… and so naive. That poorly crafted lie was only ever believable to fools like you."
"I really do appreciate you, you know. Without your hard work, I wouldn't have been able to build the Tower of Heaven so quickly."
"So, to thank you, I let you leave the tower and reunite with Erza. Who would've thought you'd choose to turn against me? You've really disappointed me."
"JELLAL—!!!"
Sho's fists clenched so tightly they shook, his whole body trembling with rage. His voice was low and full of fury—he was livid.
After hearing Jellal's words, he finally understood. For eight whole years, he had been completely deceived.
Just like Uchiha Kitaro had said, he wasn't just a fool—he was a hopeless idiot.
If he hadn't seen Erza again, he might've still believed Jellal's lies without a second thought.
Simon took a deep breath and spoke. "So you sent us to find Erza on purpose?"
"Of course. I knew Erza wouldn't just sit back and do nothing. She wouldn't ignore the slaves still suffering here—especially not if she learned I planned to resurrect Zeref. There's no way she'd let that happen."
"Your job was to lure Erza here. And congratulations, you've successfully completed your final mission."
"Jellal, you bastard!!"
Being mocked like this, Wally and Milliana gritted their teeth in fury.
"Each of the thirteen dark guilds is guarding a certain group of people. Yes, I'm talking about the slaves who built this tower. Originally, they were useless to me after construction was finished, but I was generous enough to let them live—for this very moment."
"If you want to reach the top of the tower and challenge me, you'll have to defeat all thirteen dark guilds and rescue every hostage."
"If you break the rules, I won't hesitate to order the execution of every last slave."
"Oh, and one more thing. I put a lot of effort into building this tower, so I don't want it getting destroyed. If I catch anyone trying to wreck it, I'll have all the slaves killed."
"Lastly, the Magic Council might decide to attack this place using the Etherion satellite magic system."
"WHAT?!!"
Everyone froze in shock.
The most terrifying weapon on the continent of Ishgar—the reason the Magic Council held absolute power—was Etherion.
A spell capable of obliterating an entire country with pinpoint accuracy, no matter where on the continent the target was.
"It's the ultimate destruction spell—Etherion."
"I don't know how much time we have before it's fired, but once it hits, none of us will survive. That means no winners—the game will be over."
"So… let's enjoy ourselves to the fullest!!"
With that, Jellal's projection vanished.
---
"W-What the hell…? What is that guy even thinking? He's willing to play some twisted game even when his own life is at risk?"
Lucy shivered. Jellal's madness was beyond comprehension.
"Etherion? The Magic Council? No… no way!! That's…"
Erza's body trembled as well. Etherion was the Council's ultimate weapon—it wasn't something that could be used lightly.
"Etherion, huh…"
Uchiha Kitaro's eyes lit up with curiosity. A spell capable of destroying an entire nation? Now that was something worth looking into. He had already set his sights on learning it one day. Once he had magic power, he'd definitely make a trip to the Magic Council himself.
Suddenly, Sho raised his hand and sealed Erza inside a magic card.
"SHO!! What the hell are you doing?!"
Simon's face darkened, thinking Sho had betrayed them again.
"I won't let anyone lay a finger on my sister. I'll be the one to take Jellal down!!"
With that, Sho ran off at full speed.
"Damn it!! He can't do this alone!! I'm going after him!" Simon shouted. "Wally, Milliana—you guys handle the dark guilds!"
"Alright! I might not get what's going on, but all we have to do is take out those dark guilds, then beat the crap out of Jellal, right? Hell yeah!! I'm fired up!!" Natsu charged ahead, Happy flying right behind him.
"I'll take them all down!!"
In the blink of an eye, half the group had already scattered.
...
Gray blinked in disbelief. "What the hell?! They're all running off on their own! That's thirteen dark guilds we're up against! Shouldn't we at least come up with a plan—"
"Gray, go after Natsu and stick together," Kitaro said casually. "If things get dangerous, just shout my name—I'll be there instantly."
Gray let out a heavy sigh. "Looks like we don't have much choice… But listen, Kitaro, don't push yourself too hard. I know we're not as strong as you, but we can still help."
Kitaro paused for a moment before flashing a small smile. "I've never looked down on any of you. Strength doesn't matter when it comes to friendship. Besides, none of you are stronger than me anyway."
"You all have a ton of potential, but potential and actual strength are two different things. Right now, you're still weak—that's just a fact. And since I'm stronger, I'll do the heavy lifting. No need to feel bad about it."
Gray's face turned red. "Tch! Who said I felt bad?!"
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