At one of the tower's topmost floors, Natsu lay unconscious on the ground, having spectacularly lost his fight with Fukuro, who had eaten him; fortunately, he was saved by Gray. From the distant hall, a flying bluish figure could be seen; it was Happy. He had been searching for Natsu ever since Gray defeated Fukuro, and finally, he had found him.
Landing on the ground, Happy approached Natsu's head and began to shake him with his paws. "Natsu! C'mon, Natsu, wake up!" Despite Happy's desperate shaking proving ineffective, the Fire Dragon Slayer showed no signs of waking any time soon, though in the distance, from where Happy had initially come from, faint footsteps echoed down the hall; emerging from the shadows was Simon.
Happy, oblivious to Simon, who was standing behind him, suddenly punched Natsu in the stomach, causing him to snap his eyes open while his expression contorted into one of pain. "Urgh, t-that hurts!" "N-Natsu!" Grabbing his stomach with a pained expression, Natsu was hugged by Happy, relieved at seeing his best friend alive and well.
"Oi, c'mon, we don't have time for a tearful reunion." Simon, watching a foot away, crossed his arms while glancing between the two, causing Natsu to groan as he slowly climbed onto his feet. "Man, the hell happened? I don't really remember anything." His casual, almost nonchalant tone seemed to irritate Simon as he clicked his tongue.
"You got eaten by Fukuro, and Gray defeated him, saving you. Gray's in bad shape, so I handed him off to Sho to take him out of the tower." Since Gray and Natsu were rivals, the thought of being saved by him pissed him off slightly. "Tch, I lost, and Gray saved me? Hmph, I refuse to allow that! Where is Fukuro!? I need to get my revenge!"
Narrowing his eyes, Natsu clenched his fist, determined to get his revenge, and he turned around, walking away, though Simon promptly grabbed the back of his collar. "We don't have time for that, Natsu! Lillianna and Wally have taken Cana, Juvia, and Lucy out of the tower; they're no longer able to fight from their battle with Taka. Sho also informed me that Erza has already gone to confront Jellal! We're the only ones that remain, we have to go help her!"
Simon's plan was sound; unfortunately for him, he was dealing with the most hardheaded and reckless member of Fairy Tail. "Yeah, yeah, we can go help her later. Just tell me another one of those enemies is, there are supposed to be three, right? Gray defeated Fukuro, and the three ladies beat Taka, so only the girl remains. Yosh, I'll get my revenge on her." Holding three fingers out, Natsu closes two of them before eagerly pumping his fist.
However, Natsu is barely able to take another step before he's slammed into the wall by a furious Simon. "You don't fucking get it, Natsu! Erza can't win! She'll never win against Jellal!" Glaring at Natsu, whom he grabbed by the collar, he leaned closer, yelling at him. "Tch, do you know how stupid you sound? Erza and losing? Those two words shouldn't even be spoken in the same sentence. Erza won't lose."
Natsu's expression was one of utmost trust and resolve. He didn't simply believe Erza wouldn't lose; he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Erza would emerge victorious. Simon, reeling back from his slight surprise, rapidly shakes his head, his anger calming somewhat. "No, that's not it, Erza, she won't bring herself to kill Jellal. That's why she'll lose, Natsu. She'll never be able to finish the job; Jellal knows that, and he'll no doubt take advantage of that."
Understanding that something deeper lay within Simon's words, Natsu furrowed his brows and frowned. "The Etherion will fire within minutes; anyone in the tower will surely die. Erza has already tasked Sho with evacuating everyone; only the three of us remain… You should know Erza well enough to see through her plan." Solemnly eyeing Natsu, who deeply frowned, Simon bit his lip, spelling out Erza's plan.
"Knowing Erza, she'll take advantage of the Etherion and die, taking Jellal with her." At his words, a shocked gasp tears free from Happy's mouth while Natsu's expression morphs into one of fiery fury as he grabs Simon's wrist, prying his wrist free from his collar. "Where is Erza?"
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Arriving at the top of the tower, Erza cuts through the solid, steel doors blocking her path and steps into the room, ignoring the large lacrima in the center, as all her focus was on the man donned in a cloak, sitting before a chessboard. "With Ikaruga defeated, the game is over… Congratulations, you've won." Standing up, Jellal, knocked over a white, feminine chess piece before standing up and facing Erza.
"Let them go, Jellal." Narrowing her eyes at Jellal, he raises his head before faintly chuckling, his laughter bouncing off the walls of the room. "Sure, they're of no use anyway… The Tower of Heaven is complete anyway." "It'll be destroyed in minutes; Etherion, remember." "Fufu, true." Jellal's casual remark causes Erza to bite her lip as she brandishes her blade before lunging towards him.
"A foolish move, you should be escaping, though I suppose it doesn't matter, it's your destiny to die… The Dark Wizard will resurrect thanks to your sacrifice." Smirking, Jellal leaps backwards, causing his hood to fall, revealing his face, a sight that sends a sharp jolt of pain to Erza's heart, though her resolve stays firm.
They began a fast, dangerous battle on the topmost floor; Erza donned her hakama, slashed her sword, forcing Jellal onto the defensive as he utilized darkness magic, creating massive arms with darkness as he blocked and deflected her swift blade. Outstretching his hand, Jellal summoned numerous dark, ghost-like beings, prompting them to charge at Erza from every angle.
Erza, the masterful swordswoman, manages to take down every ghost-like enemy with a single slash. Tossing her sword into the air, Erza kicked the hilt with the heel of her foot, flinging it directly at Jellal, who narrowly managed to dodge the unexpected fast attack. However, Erza's attack was a diversion as she lunged at him, tackling him to the ground and mounting him while she used re-equip, causing the previously thrown sword to reappear within her hand.
"Ho, I didn't expect this." "Shut it! What are you truly after? The R-System, this tower, if you want any of this to work, you'll need an absurd amount of magic power." Threateningly lowering her sword, Erza glared at Jellal, who flashed a sadistic smirk. "There are only a few minutes until Etherion is fired."
"Do you mean to die!?" Gritting her teeth, Erza rests the sword directly above his neck, only for his expression to suddenly soften.
"Haa, just give up, Erza. I'm nothing. Just a vessel, a slave to the Dark Wizard. It was over from that fateful day; you never had a chance." His words caused Erza to furrow her brows, her grip ever so slightly lessening as she suspiciously eyed Jellal, whose expression was one of despair. "I knew I'd never be able to finish the R-system, but I had no choice in the matter. He wouldn't let me stop. I was just something for him to use and throw away when I stopped serving my purpose."
"What? What the hell are you talking about!?" Erza, consumed by turbulent emotions, stared at Jellal with shaking eyes, only for him to suddenly seize her sword and bring it closer to his neck, causing her to halt instinctively. "End it, Erza. End my life as a slave, please." With a gulp, Erza drops her sword and pulls Jellal into a tearful hug. "N-No. We'll go together."
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Outside, on the boat they had used to get here, Gray, Lucy, Cana, Juvia, Lillanna, Wally, Sho, and Happy, who had arrived a few minutes ago, were floating across the sea, staring at the tower in concern while the sky faintly glowed despite it being night. "W-Where are they? Happy, didn't you say, Natsu and Simon were going to assist Erza?" Lucy, deeply concerned for her friends, gazed at Happy, who was staring at the tower.
"Yeah. T-They should be leaving soon." Happy's voice filled them with faint hope, but as the moments passed, the hope was quickly replaced by dread, causing Gray to grit his teeth. "Fuck it! I'm going after them!" "Gray, you can't!" Latching onto Gray's shoulder, Cana and Juvia tried to stop Gray, who was climbing onto the edge of the boat.
However, just before he could freeze the ocean, the sky was brightly illuminated, only for a beam of blinding light to smash down upon the island, the force from the collision creating a massive wave while Gray was flung back into the boat. Juvia, quick to act, manipulated the incoming tsunamis of water, creating a small gap within them, allowing them to harmlessly pass through it.
After several seconds, the blinding light receded, and the aftershocks began to calm down, yet, instead of the destruction of the island, there now stood a massive lacrima crystal where the Tower of Heaven previously was.
During all of this, Cooper had finally managed to make it to the second floor, and the anger that had consumed him from the poorly designed tower had fizzled out, leaving behind only an empty shell.
"Haa, fuck this, I'm going through the ceiling. After that massive spike in magic power, I need to make sure everyone is okay."