Simon shook his head. "No way. The kids left in the Tower of Heaven, aside from Lemir, seem to have pretty average talent."
"Some of them even had their magic forcibly awakened through some weird method."
"Forcibly awakened magic?!" The group froze, almost shouting in unison.
"Yeah," Simon's face darkened. "They'd sit you in a special chair, put a strange helmet on your head, and then—unbearable pain, like something drilling into your brain."
He instinctively touched his temple. "If you could endure it, your magic would be 'awakened.'"
Erza's brows knit tightly. "Your magic… it all came from that?"
Millianna hugged her arms, nodding slightly, her voice quieter than usual. "Yeah, meow. Lemir said when Lord Zeref comes, anyone without magic would vanish, meow."
"We were scared, so… we went through with the 'awakening,' meow." Her body trembled slightly, her cat ears drooping. "It hurt so, so much! But thankfully, I got my magic in the end, meow."
Lucy covered her mouth, her eyes filled with horror and sympathy. "I've never heard of anything like that."
"I always thought magic either came naturally or through hard work and study."
Erza's expression grew serious as she thought for a moment. "Normally, that's true. But when I was a kid, I think I overheard the guild master talking about something like this."
"A long time ago, the Council found research on a forbidden technique that forcibly injects external magic into someone's body to unlock their potential or awaken magic. It's incredibly risky with unknown side effects, so it was banned, and all related documents were sealed."
She glanced toward the top of the tower. "Maybe that magic device Lemir's working on is based on that forbidden research."
Lucy looked puzzled. "But he's been stuck in this tower, right? How would he know about sealed, forbidden research?"
Mira's eyes flickered. "Maybe this 'Lemir' is just a pawn someone's using to run the Tower of Heaven."
"The real mastermind is someone else."
Lucy gasped. "He's just a pawn?!"
"Then… if we do this, won't we piss off the real person trying to revive Zeref?" She swallowed hard. "Kidnapping kids, spending twelve years building a tower, using forbidden research—this sounds like someone really dangerous."
Happy spread his paws, shaking his head. "Lucy, you're such a scaredy-cat. Besides Zeref himself coming back, I can't think of anyone who could stop the people standing right here."
"And if you add the rest of our guild, even the King of Fiore wouldn't dare mess with us."
"=_= That's a bit too dramatic, don't you think?" Lucy said skeptically. "I know our guild's strong, but… the king? That's a stretch."
"Not at all!" Mira chimed in with a bright smile, her tone light but brimming with unshakable confidence. "Right now, our guild has six people at Holy Ten level: me, Erza, Roger, Laxus, Gildarts, and the guild master."
Seeing Lucy's stunned expression, she continued, "Any single Holy Ten mage would be a trump card in another guild. We've got six."
"That's why the Council was so quick to pay us compensation last time—they're scared of our power. Otherwise, we'd be stuck dealing with their endless 'investigations.'"
"Our guild… is that powerful?" Lucy blinked, feeling like she was hearing a fairy tale. But seeing Mira and Erza's matter-of-fact expressions, she couldn't help but believe it.
"Then why not just take down the Council, meow?" Millianna tilted her head. "They don't seem that strong, meow."
Roger answered, "The Council's been around for a century. They might not be strong in raw power, but they've got special secret weapons. Plus, they maintain order in the magic world—imperfectly, sure, but if they were gone, a lot of shady people would cause chaos."
Lucy frowned. "=_= Is it really okay for us to be openly talking about this stuff on someone else's turf?"
"Don't worry," Roger said, a faint purple glow flickering at his fingertips. "I've already used illusion magic to block our voices. Even if there's a surveillance crystal, it'll only see our lips moving—no sound."
As they spoke, the group reached the top floor of the tower.
At the end of the corridor, an ornate door stood wide open.
Through it, they saw a young man with short black hair and a vicious scar over his left eye, lounging casually on a throne-like chair to the north.
Erza narrowed her eyes. "Why does he look like one of the Council members?"
Lucy whispered, covering her mouth, "Is he that confident? Seeing all of us show up and he's just… sitting there?"
"Shouldn't he at least hide for a sneak attack or get ready to defend himself?"
Happy smirked. "Lucy, you're so sneaky, always thinking about ambushing people!"
Lucy's mouth twitched, a vein popping on her forehead. "It's called strategy! You fish-obsessed cat!"
Roger's eyes flickered with a faint white glow. In his vision, the seemingly empty floor ahead revealed countless intricate, interwoven dark purple runes.
A trap set with formula magic, just waiting for us to step into it?
The corner of Roger's mouth curved slightly, but he quickly masked it, stepping into the room with the others as if unaware.
The moment the last person crossed the threshold, everything changed!
The hidden dark purple runes on the floor flared to life, floating into the air like living things, weaving into a massive rectangular barrier that trapped them all inside!
In an instant, most of the runes vanished, leaving only a single ominous glowing line hovering at the top of the barrier.
"What the—?!" Lucy's eyes widened. "What is this?!"
She leaned closer to read the text: "Only the victor may leave the barrier?!"
"A barrier?! We're trapped!" She reached out, pressing against what seemed like empty air but felt like an impossibly solid, transparent wall. Dark purple runes flared where her hand touched.
"Those runes didn't disappear! They turned into an invisible wall! Is this formula magic?"
The man on the throne, Lemir, finally cracked a triumphant smile. He snorted. "No use struggling. This is a formula. If you don't follow its rules, you'll never get out."
He looked down at them, his tone mocking, like a cat toying with mice. "That means you'll have to fight each other until only one's left. Then the barrier will lift. Otherwise, you'll be stuck here until you starve or die of thirst."
Simon frowned, slamming a fist against the invisible wall and glaring at Lemir. "You hid a second type of magic?"
"Of course," Lemir said, standing and looking down with cold disdain. "Did you think I'd show all my cards?"
"Simon, I knew you weren't fully devoted to Lord Zeref, but I never thought you'd betray us and team up with outsiders!"
His voice rose with rage. "We spent twelve years building the Tower of Heaven, and you brought these people to destroy it? You're a traitor to the tower!"
"No way, meow!" Millianna shouted, her tail puffing up. "You're the one who brainwashed everyone to worship Zeref, meow! If it wasn't for you, we'd have left this awful place and lived normal lives, meow!"
"Me?" Lemir laughed coldly. "If it wasn't for me, you'd still be slaving under the cult's whips! I gave you rest. I gave you good food, nice toys!"
His gaze shifted to Millianna. "That cat plushie in your room—didn't I give you that?"
"Well…" Millianna's fire dimmed, her ears drooping. "Yeah, you did, meow…"
"Exactly," Lemir's tone softened, as if recalling fond memories. "And Wally, those projection crystals you watched for years? I got those for you, didn't I?"
Wally touched his hat, thinking of the countless nights those projections kept him company, and lowered his head in silence.
Roger crossed his arms, his calm voice cutting through. "Sure, you saved them from the cult. But if you hadn't kept them locked in this tower, they could've gotten those things themselves—better things, earned with their own hands."
"You're just a fake savior, handing out crumbs to control them, turning them into puppets for Zeref's revival. Fear and small rewards to make them lose themselves and become your fanatics. Am I right?"
He lifted his head, enunciating each syllable. "Or should I call you… Lex?"
At the name "Lex," Lemir's fake warmth froze, his pupils shrinking as if a mask had been shattered.
"Ha… haha!" He chuckled, then burst into wild laughter, clutching his forehead. "Yes! YES! I can't believe you saw through me! Too bad a thoughtform can't change its appearance easily—what a misstep!"
He threw his arms wide, his face twisting with unmasked pride and madness. "So what if I'm a hypocrite?! I'm the master of the Tower of Heaven! Soon, Lord Zeref will be revived!"
"And I'll follow him to rule the new world! Lord Zeref will grant me supreme power!"
He glared at Simon, Millianna, and Wally, roaring, "Everything you have is because of me! You should be grateful! You should obey me without question, not defy me like this!"
"I was the first to awaken magic! I have power! And those with power make the rules and control everything!"
Lucy stumbled back, startled by his sudden madness. "This guy… it's like he's a completely different person. He's insane…"
"No," Mira said, shaking her head. "This is his true self. That reasonable, caring act was just a mask to guilt-trip people."
Simon, though prepared, hadn't expected this level of insanity. He frowned and asked one final question. "What about Britney? You said she died from a recurring illness. Was that true?"
"Of course not!" Lemir sneered, his eyes blazing with hatred. "That fool! If she'd just obeyed, she could've lived comfortably in the tower. But she kept wanting to leave, asking questions she shouldn't have, nearly stirring up the others!"
"So…" His face twisted into a bloodthirsty grin. "I killed her."
He licked his lips, savoring the memory. "She was crying, snot and tears everywhere, begging me not to kill her. If she'd learned to be a 'good girl' sooner, she wouldn't have lost her life."
"Watching the light fade from a rebel's eyes, feeling their warm blood drip down my wrist… it's so satisfying."
"That lunatic," Erza said, her voice icy. "Yajima said he was just 'a bit short-tempered.' That's a massive understatement."
Lemir basked in their shocked, angry, and disgusted stares, a sick sense of pride swelling within him. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaled, and sat back on his throne, lounging with a gleeful expression.
"Now… the game begins."
"You've got two choices: fight each other until one's left, and the barrier will lift. Or stay here and slowly starve or die of thirst."
"I can't wait to see what you pick."
"Idiot!" Natsu roared, flames erupting around him. "You're so close, I'll just blast you first!"
Fire Dragon's Roar!
A blazing red pillar of fire shot from his mouth, hurtling toward Lemir.
But the moment it hit the barrier's edge, countless dark purple runes flashed, blocking it completely! At the same time, the text at the barrier's top changed: "Attack an outsider, and breathing will be revoked."
"Gah!" Natsu clutched his throat, his face turning purple from lack of oxygen as he collapsed to his knees.
"Natsu! What's wrong?!" Lucy panicked, then saw the new text and gasped. "Why didn't it show that rule before?!"
Lemir burst into delighted laughter, savoring Natsu's pain without explaining.
"Struggle all you want! Then die in despair! That's what you get for betraying me!"
Happy sighed, casually rummaging through his little bag and pulling out a card with dark purple runes. "Natsu's always so impulsive. How many times has this happened?"
"Like the guy's gonna just sit there without a plan and let us hit him."
Natsu snatched the card, pouring magic into it. It dissolved into countless tiny purple runes that swirled around him like living things before merging into his body.
Instantly, Natsu gasped, his color returning. "Hah! Hah! Almost… almost died!"
He pointed at Lemir, furious. "You sneaky jerk! Hiding a secret formula rule!"
"What—?!" Lemir's smile froze, his eyes widening in shock as he shot up from his throne, staring at the dissipated card. "A formula-breaking spell?! A magic item?!"
Gray crossed his arms, smirking at Natsu. "Calling someone else an idiot? You're the biggest one here! Didn't you see Roger and the others haven't even moved yet, moron?"
"Shut up!" Natsu shouted back. "If you're so smart, break this stupid barrier, you stripping freak!"
"What's going on now?" Lucy's brain was struggling to keep up. "That card… was that Cana's magic? Does she know formulas too?"
Happy floated over, explaining, "Formulas are Freed's thing, meow. That was a magic card Natsu won from Freed in a bet. It cancels a formula's effect once."
"Guild members often bet in competitions, so most of us have a few of each other's magic cards. Cana makes them, but you have to trade her a card of your own to get one."
"You could say Cana's got the most diverse attack arsenal in the guild after Roger."
Lucy groaned. "Our guild's got all kinds of weird magic…"
She suddenly froze. "Wait! Does that mean Roger, you—"
"Yup," Roger said, raising his right hand, a familiar purple glow swirling at his fingertips. "I know a bit of formula magic. A barrier like this? Breaking it's no big deal."
Mira raised her hand with a grin, purple magic flickering at her fingertips. "I know some too! I thought it was fun, so I studied it for a bit. I'm not an expert, so cracking this barrier might take me a little time."
Erza, not to be outdone, added, "I've studied it too! Formula magic has some overlap with my requip magic, so I can break this barrier faster than Mira."
Gray calmly raised a hand. "I don't use it, but Freed lost a few cards to me in bets." He pulled out a couple of identical cards and waved them.
Happy dug three more identical cards from his bag, covering his mouth with a paw and snickering. "Oh, meow~ Looks like there's only one guild member here who can't break a formula, meow~ Wonder who that is? So hard to guess~"
"Ugh! If I'd joined the guild sooner!" Lucy wailed, feeling like she'd missed out on so much.
"Impossible! This can't be!" Lemir stared in horror, his confidence crumbling. "Your magic should be illusions, takeover, and requip! How do you all know formula magic?!"
Roger didn't bother responding. His index finger glowed as he swiftly wrote complex purple runes in the air, then pushed them forward.
The runes shot like bullets, slamming into the invisible barrier wall!
Crack! Shatter! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Five sharp sounds, like breaking glass, echoed as the barrier dissolved.
"Perfect timing," Roger said calmly, lowering his hand. "The Council's reached a decision. No need to keep playing along to stall."
"Stall?!" Lemir's pupils shrank again. "You—you knew what I was doing?!"
Before he could finish, Roger flicked his hand, a purple light shooting into Lemir's body before he could react.
"What did you do to me?!" Lemir roared, panicked and furious, trying to sense any change but finding nothing.
Everything was falling apart! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
It was all supposed to be under his absolute control!
These damned mages! This cursed Fairy Tail!
He glared at Roger and the others, his eyes burning with venom and madness, itching to tear them apart.