— — — — — — —
Erza wrapped her arms around Uchiha Kitaro and said, "I do!"
A smile spread across Uchiha Kitaro's face as he lifted Erza's chin with his fingers and gently kissed her lips. When they finally parted, Erza was completely flustered—this was her first kiss.
Jellal, on the other hand, was furious. "Damn it! You shameless couple!"
Even at a time like this, they were showing off their love.
"You agreed to this, so no backing out now."
"Head back first—I'll take care of things from here," Kitaro said.
Swoosh—!
Before Erza could react, she found herself standing on Akane Beach.
"Erza!!"
Lucy spotted her and called out excitedly.
Turning around, Erza saw Lucy, Natsu, and the others.
"Lucy… This place is…?"
She looked around at the familiar surroundings.
Lucy explained. "This is Akane Beach! Did Kitaro teleport you back too?"
"Teleport?"
Lucy nodded. "Yeah! That guy knows way too much. He set a space-time marker on the island because he heard the Magic Council was planning to attack with Etherion. So, he teleported all of us back here first."
"Erza, where's Kitaro? Didn't he come back with you?"
Panic surged in Erza's heart. "I… He told me to go first, and the next thing I knew, I was here. He's still in the Tower of Heaven!"
"Don't worry! He's Uchiha Kitaro. He's probably planning to defeat Jellal first before coming back."
"But the Etherion array is already activated! The attack might have already hit by now!"
"What?!"
"The Magic Council had really fired Etherion at the Tower of Heaven."
— — —
Tower of Heaven
"Damn it! Where did Erza go?!"
Seeing Erza suddenly disappear, Jellal's face twisted in shock. He had planned to destroy the tower, taking both Uchiha Kitaro and Erza down with it.
But now, Erza was gone. If Uchiha Kitaro also vanished, wouldn't he be the only one left behind? He was supposed to be in control, yet now he was nothing more than a joke.
"I sent Erza away. There are some things she doesn't need to see."
Jella was shocked. "You… You can leave too?!"
"Yeah. I can leave anytime I want. But letting you die so easily feels like too much of a mercy."
Kitaro smirked. "Besides, I want to see if the so-called 'ultimate magic' of this world can actually kill me."
"What?! Are you insane?!"
Jellal was utterly shaken. Compared to this man, his own madness was nothing. Kitaro was actually staying behind just to test if Etherion could kill him?
Uchiha Kitaro pulled out a kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God technique and positioned himself at the highest point of the Tower of Heaven.
Above him, the Etherion array had fully activated. A massive energy sphere loomed, crackling ominously.
This was Etherion—a powerful fusion of multiple magic attributes, formed through highly sophisticated instruments into an unstoppable force.
"What the hell is he planning?!"
Jellal couldn't comprehend Kitaro's actions. That was Etherion—no countermeasure existed against it.
"Activate!!!"
With a loud shout, Uchiha Kitaro spread the Flying Thunder God seals into the air.
Swoosh—!!!
Etherion, a miniature sun in its own right, plummeted toward the tower.
The enormous magic blast collided with the space-time seals Kitaro had set.
Then, just like that, Etherion vanished.
Far off on an uninhabited island—
BOOOOOM—!!!
Etherion erupted like a nuclear explosion, obliterating the entire island. Towering waves surged outward, sending shockwaves across the ocean.
"W-Whoa—!! That's insane!!"
Uchiha Kitaro watched the explosion, awed by its sheer power. It was as destructive as a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Having a weapon like this that could strike from the heavens… That was terrifying.
Jellal, meanwhile, was dumbfounded. He had been prepared to face death—yet in the blink of an eye, Etherion had exploded somewhere far away.
— — —
Magic Council – ERA Headquarters
"Etherion has struck its target!!"
"Repeat! Etherion has struck its target!!"
"Was the tower destroyed?! Confirm immediately!"
"The magic energy concentration is increasing! Anomaly detected!"
Org rubbed his temples. "I wonder how many people were inside that tower…"
Michello replied, "It doesn't matter. This was necessary to stop Zeref's resurrection. Some sacrifices were unavoidable."
Thirty minutes earlier, the first vote had failed. But after Siegrain claimed the tower was intended to revive Zeref, the second vote passed with eight in favor and one against.
"No matter what justifications we use, we can't undo the pain of those who lost their loved ones."
Minutes later, as the explosion's magic fluctuations settled, the projection crystal once again showed the Tower of Heaven.
It was still standing. Untouched.
"The target is still there!!!"
"What?! But Etherion hit it directly!"
Panic spread among the Council members. They had seen the direct hit—so why was the tower still intact?
"We're investigating! Please wait!"
"We found something! Just before impact, for some unknown reason, Etherion was suddenly displaced—ten kilometers away to a deserted island!"
"WHAT?!"
"How?! Why was Etherion redirected?!"
"No… Could it be… Has Zeref already been resurrected?!"
"No… That's impossible!!"
.
.
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