— — — — — —
"Hah… huff… hah…"
Erza gasped for breath. She pulled bandages from her Requip space and hastily wrapped her wounds. After recalling Demon Blade Benizakura, she pressed on deeper into the Tower of Heaven.
The battle was far from over. There were fifteen minutes left before Etherion fell.
Ignoring the pain tearing through her body, Erza pushed herself to the limit and rushed forward, finally reaching Jellal.
"Erza, it's been so long," Jellal said, lounging on his throne. A chessboard sat beside him, pieces neatly arranged. He smiled as he looked at her. "Why greet me with a blade? Aren't we companions?"
"The moment you started treating your companions like chess pieces, you stopped being the Jellal I knew," Erza replied coldly. "I don't want to hear your excuses."
"I'm here to kill you. To end everything from the past."
Her eyes were unwavering. She truly believed she was ready. She would kill Jellal. She would not hesitate.
"Is that so?" Jellal stood, holding the final chess piece in his fingers, the one representing Erza. "There are ten minutes left before Etherion strikes. You'll die, you know."
"I'm not afraid," Erza said. "Even if I die, as long as I take you with me, that's enough."
She launched herself at him the instant she finished speaking. The fight erupted.
"Erza, you can't do anything," Jellal mocked as he attacked. "Beating me is impossible. Just look at yourself. You're already covered in wounds. Your magic is nearly exhausted. You're no match for me now."
Magic blasted through the chamber, shattering pillars and walls. Jellal laughed wildly, as if victory were already in his grasp, as if he stood above all else.
"The Tower of Heaven you spent eight years building is being destroyed, and you're still laughing?" Erza grit her teeth, enduring the pain as she dodged his attacks. The earlier battles had drained her badly. Facing Jellal now was overwhelming.
"It's just a pillar," Jellal said indifferently. "It has no value. Only the system matters."
To him, the tower was nothing more than a tool to resurrect Zeref. Now that it was complete, the structure itself no longer mattered.
"Not important? No value?" Erza roared. "Do you have any idea how they believed in that so-called heaven? They gave eight years of their lives for it! And all that effort, all that faith, you dismiss as meaningless!"
Rage and killing intent burned in her eyes. As her emotions erupted, the magic buried deep within her surged out.
Benizakura flared with terrifying power. Her battered body moved faster and struck harder than ever before.
In an instant, she broke through Jellal's magic. The next heartbeat, her blade was pressed against his throat.
"Jellal, tell me the truth!" Erza demanded. "What are you really trying to do? What are you planning?!"
"Of course it's the system…" Jellal began.
"Stop lying!" Erza cut him off. "I've investigated everything over the years. Building the R-System requires an absurd amount of magic. Even gathering the power of every mage in the country wouldn't be enough."
"What are you really after?! Your so-called dream is over. Stop clinging to it! Or do you just want to die like this?!"
Erza didn't fully understand his plan, but she knew it was dangerous. Whatever he was plotting could threaten countless lives. She had to stop him.
"…That wouldn't be so bad," Jellal murmured. "Ever since Zeref's spirit possessed me, I lost control. Dying like this might be a good ending."
He smiled, the same smile from long ago, and began talking about the past.
Erza hesitated. Her grip on the sword loosened, just a little. Then, in the next instant, she felt an overwhelming surge of magic.
Etherion descended from the sky.
In that moment, Erza understood everything. She tightened her grip and tried to strike Jellal down, but it was too late.
Jellal's magic exploded, blasting Erza away. He rose from the ground, laughing wildly. "Erza, you're still the same as ever.... So easy to fool."
"The R-System is finally complete. All that's left is to fuse you, the sacrifice, into it. Then Zeref will be revived!"
Siegrain, Jellal's astral projection infused with his magic, reappeared and merged back into him.
Jellal's power surged to its peak, reaching the level of a Wizard Saint.
---
At the Fairy Tail guild…
"Ok. Thirty minutes. I'm going," Kazuma said calmly.
Timing it perfectly, he summoned the Shadowkhan and vanished from the guild in an instant.
After he left—
"Thirty minutes…?" Mira frowned. "Did Kazuma miscalculate? It's already been thirty-two minutes."
She double-checked with Natsu.
It really had been thirty-two minutes.
---
By the time Kazuma arrived outside the Tower of Heaven, Etherion was already descending from the sky.
"Those idiots on the Magic Council have really outdone themselves," he muttered, scowling. "Getting infiltrated is one thing, but they can't even keep to their own schedule."
"They said they'd fire after thirty minutes. Why the hell did they launch early?"
He looked up at the falling Etherion with clear irritation. He had planned to give Erza a little more time alone. The idea was to step in at the very last minute, end everything cleanly, and take everyone home. With his strength, that would have been easy.
But the Council breaking their own timetable ruined it. When he got back, he was definitely going to pay them a visit.
"If that thing fully charges inside the tower, the explosion will be even worse than letting it fall directly," Kazuma said, clicking his tongue. "Fine. I'll just stop it."
He pulled out the newly acquired Fang of Damocles from his Treasury and fixed his gaze on the descending Etherion.
[Noble Phantasm: Fang of Damocles]
[Effect 1: Absolute sharpness. Whether god or dragon, no defense can withstand the Fang's piercing power.]
[Effect 2: The Fang is tainted with Damocles's blood, carrying the king's aura. It can command weaker dragons.]
[Effect 3: All things burn. When activated, it releases heat strong enough to incinerate any energy it touches.]
[Effect 4: Dragonification. When activated, the user's body partially transforms into dragon form, increasing strength, speed, and durability.]
"All things burn. Fang of Damocles."
Holding the blade in one hand, Kazuma finished the chant. Fang of Damocles awakened, erupting with flames that carried the power to reduce everything to oblivion. The fire wrapped itself around the blade, waiting for its master's command.
He even poured natural energy into the weapon and swung it casually.
The flames exploded outward, forming a colossal sword of fire in an instant. At the same time, the Fang's defining trait reached its absolute peak. One slash tore through space itself.
The sword aura crossed the broken void and appeared above the Tower of Heaven, cleaving the Etherion, packed with more than 2.7 billion Edeas of magic, cleanly in two.
Then the flames ignited all that magic at terrifying speed. In moments, fire spread across the entire sky.
The world changed color. The sea below surged into towering waves.
"Good weapon," Kazuma said calmly.
Standing on the sea, he released his power. In an instant, the raging waters calmed. He walked across the surface as if it were solid ground.
Before long, he spotted Happy. The blue cat was frantically rowing a small boat, trying to escape with the people Erza had knocked out.
"Ah! Kazuma! Waaaaah, I was so scared!" Happy wailed when he saw him. He tossed the oar aside and leapt straight into Kazuma's arms.
When Etherion had started falling, he had nearly been scared to death. He was just a cat, after all. Why did he have to go through something like this?
"Alright, alright. Stop crying," Kazuma said, patting his head. "When we get back, have Erza treat you to grilled fish."
"Grilled fish?!" Happy instantly stopped crying, his tail swishing. "Can I have two?"
"Sure. Two. Big fat ones."
Kazuma gave the guild's blue mascot another pat, told him to stay put, and continued toward the Tower of Heaven alone.
With every step forward, the killing intent in his eyes grew heavier. The Fang of Damocles seemed to respond, releasing an increasingly violent aura that felt ready to wipe everything out.
"Hahahaha… what's going on?!" Jellal's laughter turned frantic as he stared at the sky. "Where's Etherion? Why didn't it fall? What is that fire up there?!"
Moments ago, victory had seemed certain. Now his laughter died in his throat, replaced by raw agitation.
He grabbed Erza by the neck, glaring at her with bloodshot eyes. "You did this, didn't you? Tell me what's happening, or I'll kill you!"
The next second, Jellal froze. His expression changed as he abruptly released her and lowered his head.
"What terrifying flames… Just looking at them filled my heart with violence. I lost all control."
.
.
.