The originally clear, cloudless night sky rapidly turned gloomy as they approached the island.
Heavy, dark clouds converged from all directions, pressing low over the island.
Dark purple lightning occasionally flashed within the clouds, yet there was no thunder, creating an eerie silence.
At the island's center, a malformed tower pierced the cloud layer.
The tower's shape completely defied all architectural logic, and the very existence of this structure was the most malicious mockery of the word "paradise."
The tower was built from a dark gray stone that seemed to absorb light, its surface covered in twisted magical runes.
These runes were not carved but looked as if they had "grown" from within the stone, forming grotesque reliefs on the tower's surface.
Some runes resembled tormented human faces, others were twisted limbs, and still others were indescribable geometric patterns, all combining to form a tapestry of hell.
The entire tower emanated an unsettling aura. It wasn't pure evil, but rather a deeper contamination at the soul level.
Despair, pain, madness, twisted hope, and a kind of morbid piety—these emotions swirled around the tower like a tangible substance, forming a "miasma" invisible to the naked eye but clearly perceptible to the soul.
"The Tower of Heaven..."
The aura emanating from the tower made Erza find it hard to breathe.
She whispered the name, her voice filled with complex emotions.
Her grip on her sword tightened unconsciously, her nails nearly digging into her palm.
The tower's silhouette overlapped with a nightmarish shadow from the depths of her memory.
HerculesKabuterimon hovered in the air a kilometer away from the island's coast.
Ace stood on its back, gazing at the malformed tower as the perception of his Digital Soul spread out like a tide.
"Seventy-three people inside the tower," he said with his eyes closed, his voice so calm it was almost cold.
"Thirty-four on the lower and middle levels. Their magical power fluctuations are weak and unstable, and their vital signs are generally low."
He paused, then continued, "Twenty-seven guards, distributed from the first to the tenth floor. They are well-trained, with moderate magical power, but their emotions are a mix of fanatical loyalty and deep-seated fear."
Erza's lips pressed into a thin line.
"There are eight people on the top floor." Ace opened his eyes, a dark golden light slowly swirling in their depths.
"Wally, Simon, Sho, Millianna."
"And four unfamiliar, powerful sources of magic—one is sharp as a blade, another is strange as sound, and one is as violent as a beast. And..."
His gaze pierced through the tower, locking onto the very core.
Erza's body trembled slightly.
"...Jellal."
"Should we sneak in?" Ace asked.
Erza was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head.
She requipped into her Flame Empress Armor.
The crimson mail gleamed with a cold metallic light in the dimness.
Gripping her sword, her eyes became resolute once more.
"There's no need," she said. "Jellal set this trap to lure me here. Sneaking in would just make it seem like we're afraid."
She looked at Ace with a hint of apology in her eyes. "Besides... getting you involved in something like this..."
"I came of my own free will," Ace interrupted her, leaping from HerculesKabuterimon's back and landing on the sea below—no, he landed on the head of MetalSeadramon, which had appeared on the water's surface at some point.
MetalSeadramon let out a low roar, its massive body cutting through the waves as it rapidly approached the island.
HerculesKabuterimon followed in the sky, its wings beating as golden lightning danced among the clouds.
Erza also jumped down, landing beside Ace.
The two stood side-by-side on MetalSeadramon's broad head, the night wind blowing through their hair and clothes.
As MetalSeadramon carried Ace and Erza toward the island's coastline, the once-clear stars and moon were devoured by rapidly gathering dark clouds.
These were not natural clouds—dark purple magical patterns flowed deep within them, like the vascular network of some giant creature, pulsing slowly in the darkness.
The clouds hung low, almost touching the tip of the tower at the island's center.
Each flash of dark purple lightning cast a brief, eerie silhouette of the entire island.
Five hundred meters.
Three hundred meters.
One hundred meters—
"Intruders!"
A warning shout suddenly came from the watchtower at the base of the tower.
Immediately after, a piercing magical alarm echoed across the entire island!
The magical runes on the tower lit up simultaneously, their dark purple light pulsing like a breath.
"Intruders spotted! It's Erza Scarlet! And that summoner!"
"Stop them! Lord Jellal has ordered that they must not be allowed to approach the tower!"
"Activate the defensive Magic Circle!"
"And the 'Barrier of Pain,' 'Arrow Formation of Despair,' and 'Flames of Penance'!"
The main gate at the tower's base boomed open, and over twenty mages in uniform black outfits rushed out.
They were well-trained, quickly forming a formation on the beach, their wands, staves, and grimoires all glowing with light.
A three-layered defensive formation appeared on the beach—the front row consisted of heavily armored guards with tower shields engraved with defensive runes; the middle row was composed of staff-wielding mages whose magical crystals were already charging; the back row had archers and spearmen, their arrowheads and spear tips coated in a dark purple poison.
A storm of basic magic from four elements rained down toward the sea.
Fireballs lit up the night sky, ice lances pierced the waves, wind blades sliced through the air, and earth spikes thrust up from the seabed.
But this was just the beginning.
On the first to fifth floors of the tower, all the narrow windows suddenly swung open.
At least two guards appeared behind each window, armed with crossbows, slings, and magical launchers, locking onto the two targets on the sea from every height and angle.
But MetalSeadramon's cold eyes were locked straight ahead, the massive cannon on its snout beginning to charge.
"Ultimate Stream—Sweep Mode."
Deep blue energy compressed to its limit at the cannon's muzzle, and then—
VMMMM—!!!
A continuous high-pressure water cannon swept out, precisely mowing through the incoming magical attacks.
The ice lances didn't melt; they directly "disintegrated" into fine points of light, as if they had never existed.
The wind blades dissipated into silent air currents.
The earth spikes turned to dust before they could even reach the barrier.
Physical arrows and javelins turned to ash before they were touched by the Ultimate Stream.
Magical arrows and bombs were not spared either.
The tracking arrows of the "Arrow Formation of Despair" trembled frantically before being hit, then extinguished one by one; the "Flames of Penance" couldn't even get close, dissipating on their own three meters away.
Not only that, but the water cannon, its power undiminished, continued forward and slammed viciously into the magical formation on the beach!
"Arghhh—!"
"Defend! Quickly, defend—!"
A mixture of screams, the impact of waves, and the shattering of magical barriers filled the air.
The magical formation of several dozen people instantly collapsed under one sweep from MetalSeadramon!
Half of them were sent flying by the water cannon, crashing into the sea or against the rock walls, knocked unconscious.
The rest barely managed to hold up their shields, but all were injured, their faces pale.
"A mon-monster..."
"How is that possible... That was a joint Magic Circle..."
"Notify the upper levels! We can't hold them back!"
Ace and Erza didn't even slow down.
MetalSeadramon carried them directly onto the beach, its massive body crushing the gravel and plowing deep furrows in the sand before stopping in front of the tower's main gate.
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