Sho's face contorted with resentment as he heard the words. Yes, it was Jellal—Jellal who had deceived him, leading him to believe his sister was a traitor.
It had taken them eight long years to construct the Tower of Heaven, eight years of their lives poured into its creation.
He had once taken pride in this accomplishment, but now it was nothing more than a mark of his foolishness and shame.
The tower would forever stand as a testament to his disgrace.
To rid himself of this resentment, Jellal had to be eliminated, and the Tower of Heaven must be destroyed.
Kyros turned to Erza and asked, "Erza, what are your thoughts?"
Erza nodded firmly, "It was my weakness that led to Sho's severe injury. I won't run away this time."
"Additionally, the Tower of Heaven is a grave threat. Zeref's resurrection must be prevented at all costs."
"Zeref?!" Natsu frowned, his curiosity piqued.
Lucy spoke up, "Zeref is the legendary dark mage. Have you forgotten that the Lullaby of Eisenwald and Deliora from Galuna Island were both connected to Zeref's demons? He can create such horrifying creatures—it's truly terrifying!"
The thought sent a shiver down Lucy's spine.
Gray's expression darkened at the mention of Zeref. His fists clenched in anger. Zeref's demon, Deliora, had destroyed his hometown and killed his teacher, Ur. Ur had sacrificed herself, using Iced Shell to end Deliora's life. Gray had hoped that would be the end of it.
But Gray still harbored a deep hatred for Zeref's demons, and by extension, for Zeref himself. If Zeref had not created such monsters, his family would still be whole.
Kyros frowned at the mention of Zeref. The idea of Zeref being resurrected was troubling. Zeref was incredibly powerful—perhaps the most talented wizard in the Fairy Tail universe.
Kyros, however, had little regard for Zeref. If he became an enemy, Kyros would not hesitate to kill him, provided he could first break the life-link magic connecting Natsu and Zeref.
"Tell me the location of the Tower of Heaven," Kyros demanded, "and I will take him down."
"Be cautious," Simon warned. "Jellal is incredibly strong, and victory can only be assured if we work together. Many in the Tower of Heaven were deceived by Jellal just like us. They need to be rescued. The best strategy is for everyone to join forces and launch a surprise attack."
After enduring eight long years, Simon was more cautious than ever.
"Sneak attack? Just kill him directly!" Natsu said with determination. Sneak attacks weren't his style, and Kyros agreed wholeheartedly.
Sho clenched his teeth in frustration. "I'm going to take down that bastard Jellal with my own hands!"
Meanwhile, at the Magic Council headquarters...
"How is it possible that the R system is still operational?!" Councilor Org slammed his fist on the conference table, visibly enraged by the news.
The Intelligence Department had just uncovered the existence of the R system, prompting an emergency meeting with all the magic judges.
"Eight years ago, a Dark Cult invested heavily to reconstruct the R system."
"Are you referring to the seven towers? Those were supposed to be destroyed by the Magic Council. They should be gone by now."
"And the eighth tower, located off the coast of Caelum Kingdom."
"No... it hasn't been completed."
"The field investigation team wouldn't joke about this."
"It's already been built."
"Why has the R system reappeared now?" Siegrain suddenly asked.
Org roared in frustration, "I don't care what it's called! The R system is forbidden magic! It disregards the laws of human life and death and can generate extremely dangerous thoughts, leading to severe chaos! No matter who's in control, we must deploy troops immediately! There's no time to waste; it must be suppressed right away!"
"Incompetent fools," Siegrain muttered.
"What did you just say?! Siegrain, you insufferable fool!" Org's anger boiled over.
"Deploying the army is just a desperate measure by you incompetents. It's too dangerous. You haven't even grasped the situation properly!" Siegrain retorted.
"Right now, the only way to completely destroy the Tower of Heaven is to use the Etherion to unleash magic power to completely destroy it!"
"What are you getting so worked up about!"
All the commentators were stunned by this revelation. The Magic Council's ultimate weapon, Etherion, was known for its devastating capacity—so powerful it could obliterate an entire country.
This magic weapon was typically used as a deterrent, much like a nuclear weapon.
The Magic Council's authority and its ability to keep both countries and wizards in check across the continent stemmed from its immense magical power.
Even when Kyros had threatened the Council, they refrained from using this power, acknowledging that its destructive force was too extreme.
It became clear after Kyros's departure that while some Council members were injured, none were critically hurt or killed. This realization indicated that Kyros's intentions were more about intimidation than actual destruction.
"You're suggesting using Etherion?!"
"Are you out of your mind? This is insane!"
"The extent of this magic's destruction is unpredictable! It could potentially level an entire country!"
"Etherion is our ultimate weapon! It's even more dangerous than the R system."
Siegrain said with a sense of urgency, "But only Etherion can effectively target any location on the ground and destroy massive structures. There's no other magic capable of that kind of devastation."
"No time to waste! We must prevent the R system from being activated!"
"I agree," Ultear said, raising her hand in affirmation.
Top floor of the Tower of Heaven.
"Lord Jellal, we've just received news that Erza has been successfully captured and is on her way here." A long-haired man approached Jellal with the update.
"Captured Erza… It seems those underlings are proving useful after all. With Erza arriving, the real sacrifice needed to resurrect the great Zeref should also be within reach."