If Kael had been a bit more ruthless, he could have easily crippled Jellal permanently.
Erza looked down at Jellal, her eyes swirling with a complex mix of emotions. This was the boy she had once admired, liked, and even adored. She couldn't fathom how the person she once knew had become so completely unrecognizable.
Swish!
A longsword materialized in Erza's hand, its cold edge resting against Jellal's throat. Her hand trembled as she considered delivering the final blow, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Before, she had wanted Jellal dead for the countless lies and the pain he had caused everyone. But seeing him in this broken, vacant state, her resolve wavered.
"Kael!"
"Erza!"
Several voices called out from the distance. Natsu, Lucy, and the others were sprinting toward them. Sho had previously warned them to evacuate before Etherion struck, and since their magic was nearly depleted, they had retreated by boat.
However, after seeing Etherion redirected and the battle subside, they hadn't fled. Instead, they hurried back to check on the survivors.
Seeing Kael and Erza standing while Jellal lay motionless on the ground, the result was obvious. Kael had won.
"Jellal!"
Seeing his former captor, Sho's eyes turned murderous. He lunged forward, intent on finishing Jellal off once and for all.
"Careful, Sho!" Simon shouted, stopping him. They weren't sure if Jellal was still a threat.
"What's wrong with him?" Lucy asked, sounding confused. Jellal's eyes were wide open, but he didn't seem to be looking at anything. He wasn't unconscious; he just looked... empty.
"Nothing permanent. I just temporarily overloaded his brain," Kael explained.
"Overloaded his brain?" Happy tilted his head. "What does that mean?"
"For now, he's basically in a catatonic state. He's a total vegetable," Kael replied.
The group was taken aback. This was a mage on par with the Ten Wizard Saints! Kael had turned a mage of that caliber into a "fool" with a single move. Every time they saw Kael fight, he seemed to become more terrifying.
"Kill him, Erza-san!" Sho urged.
"Yeah! Do it, Erza!" Millianna added, her voice trembling with resentment. "He lied to us for years! He made us hate you! He deserves it!"
Simon remained silent, his eyes fixed on Erza. He clearly supported the idea of ending Jellal—Jellal was too dangerous to be left alive, especially given how young he was to have power to rival a Wizard Saint. If Kael hadn't been there, none of them would have survived.
Erza hesitated. Her grip on the sword tightened, then loosened. Striking down a man who couldn't even defend himself went against everything she stood for.
Finally, she dispelled the sword. "No. We'll hand him over to the Magic Council."
"Big Sis?!" Sho cried out.
"Erza, why?"
"I know he's committed unpardonable crimes," Erza said softly, looking at her old friends. "He deserves to die ten thousand times over. But despite everything, he was once our companion. He was the one who led us and supported us when things were at their worst. I can hate him, but I cannot be the one to kill him. We will let the Council pass judgment."
The others fell silent. Erza was right. They wanted revenge, but deep down, the memory of the "old" Jellal—the boy they looked up to—made it impossible for them to deliver the killing blow to this hollow shell of a man.
"Then it's settled," Kael said, making the final call. No one objected; after all, Kael was the one who had actually defeated him.
Kael had shown a bit of mercy, partly influenced by his knowledge of the future. From what Kael knew of the future, a repentant Jellal would go on to help Fairy Tail during several critical moments. He hoped this Jellal would find that same path of redemption. But if he ever targets Fairy Tail again, Kael thought, I won't stop at just a mental overload.
The group took a boat back to the resort. Before they even reached the shore, they saw Mira waiting for them.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Mira greeted them with a radiant smile. She had been waiting at the docks since before dawn, her worry mounting with every passing hour.
"We're home," Kael said as he stepped onto the pier.
Mira's smile was warm, but as they recounted the events—especially the part about being targeted by Etherion—her face turned deathly pale. Even though everyone was safe, the "what ifs" terrified her. She clung to Kael's arm, her expression uncharacteristically stern as she made him promise not to do anything so dangerous ever again.
She had already lost Lisanna; she couldn't bear the thought of losing Kael too. Kael, seeing the genuine fear in her eyes, quickly promised he'd be more careful next time.
As for Jellal, he was handed over to the Rune Knights of the Magic Council. He remained in a deep coma, his mind still reeling from the effects of the Unlimited Void.
Over the next few days, the group finally enjoyed some much-needed relaxation. On their last day at the resort, it was time to say goodbye.
"Are you sure you won't come back to Fairy Tail with us?" Gray asked Sho and the others. Despite their rocky start, they had bonded over the last few days. "You don't really have anywhere else to go, do you?"
Sho shook his head. "No. We've lived in that tower our whole lives. Now that we're finally out, we want to see the world for ourselves. We're nervous, yeah, but we want to experience freedom on our own terms. We don't want to live for anyone else anymore. We want to live for ourselves."
"What Sho said goes for us too," Millianna added. "But first, we're going to help Simon."
"Simon?" Erza looked at him, surprised.
Simon nodded. "I'm going to look for my sister. We were separated eight years ago when the cult took us as slaves. I always hoped she'd been spared, and I have to find out if she's okay. I'll look after Sho and the others while we travel."
"I see," Erza said, her voice full of emotion. "Then I'll leave them in your hands."
Though she was sad to lose her friends again so soon after reuniting, she respected their choice. She couldn't trap them in her world any more than Jellal had trapped them in his. They deserved to find their own path.
"Take care, everyone!"
"We'll meet again someday!"
With final waves and bittersweet smiles, Kael and the Fairy Tail mages began their journey back to Magnolia.
-----------
Unlock 400+ chapters across 7+ different novels on
Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396