Juvia's oxygen bubble proved remarkably effective.
As everyone dove into the sea, they remained completely unaffected, with ample oxygen supply eliminating the need to frequently surface for air.
Led by Marco, the group swam all the way to the island's shore.
The island's security was relatively tight, with patrolling guards visible everywhere.
Their uniforms gave off a distinct cult army vibe, at least demonstrating consistency in attire.
"Let's go ashore first."
Marco guided everyone onto the island. Soaked from head to toe, they naturally needed to find a way to dry their clothes.
Erza and Juvia didn't have to worry about this.
Erza directly used "Requip Magic" to change into new armor, while Juvia was naturally impervious to water - droplets slid smoothly off her body as if she were part of the water itself.
"Everything's soaking wet. Natsu, let me warm up by you quickly."
Gray had already stripped down to just his underwear.
He approached Natsu, planning to use him as a human furnace.
"You're only wearing underwear! What exactly are you trying to dry?!"
Seeing Gray approach him, Natsu spoke with disgust.
He didn't mind being used as a human heater, constantly emitting flames to help everyone dry off, but Gray had stripped almost completely naked before coming near him, which he found ridiculous!
This guy took off his clothes way too fast!
"Huh? When did I...?" Gray looked surprised.
Well, there was no helping it - his clothes were too wet to wear, and this excuse was so perfect that he'd automatically stripped upon reaching shore without anyone even commenting on it.
"You guys dry off first. I'll go scout the situation."
Marco wasn't joking around but had switched to work mode.
Natsu and the others maintained their carefree attitudes, able to laugh in any situation and still find time to tease each other and play around - this was actually an excellent quality, showing they could handle any major events.
"I'll go with you." Erza immediately offered, as she didn't need drying.
"Me too!" Juvia quickly volunteered as well.
"No need. I just want to figure out our next move." Marco waved his hand, rejecting the girls' company.
To approach the "Tower of Heaven" and enter the still-unfinished structure, they could certainly charge straight in.
But their goal wasn't just to break in or destroy the "Tower of Heaven." Marco glanced at Erza - one of their mission objectives was to help Erza rescue her former companions and resolve her emotional burdens.
Otherwise, they wouldn't need to go through all this trouble.
"Juvia will do whatever Marco-sama says."
Though somewhat disappointed by Marco's refusal, Juvia obediently nodded and stayed behind as requested.
"Be very careful."
Erza bit her lip but ultimately chose to follow Marco's arrangement.
"Don't worry. They're the ones who should be concerned." Marco smiled slightly before leaping onto the nearby cliff.
Their landing spot was at the base of a cliff, quite concealed. This wasn't an ideal landing area, which explained why there were no guards nearby.
The "Evil Cult" simply didn't have enough personnel to monitor the entire island's perimeter.Marco scaled the cliff and immediately felt his field of vision broaden.
Naturally, he also became highly conspicuous in others' eyes.
A patrol squad was conducting rounds not far from the cliff. Marco's sudden emergence naturally drew the guards' attention.
"Grrrowl!"
The leading guard was tugging a strange monster—a mutated canine variant that looked utterly terrifying, with a snarling, gaping maw that nearly consumed its entire head.
The monster hound was the first to detect the presence. Even if Marco hadn't revealed himself, the patrol would have inevitably discovered him once they drew closer, as the hound would have caught his scent.
"Who goes there?!"
The patrol squad swiftly encircled Marco.
Comprising eight members plus two monster hounds, they saw no reason to fear a lone figure on the cliff—ten against one, the odds were in their favor!
Marco remained motionless, allowing them to fully surround him.
A golden light shimmered across his body as he directly equipped the Gemini Gold Cloth.
"It's a Mage! Thats a Requip Magic!"
The guards instantly recognized the magic upon seeing the sudden appearance of the radiant golden armor.
"It seems you guards have also been confined to this isolated island."
After observing the guards' reaction to him, Marco quickly concluded they clearly didn't recognize him.
Even in the Kingdom of Caelum, he was well known.
Anyone with contact to the outside world would know of him, so these guards must have been living on the island all along.
It made sense—this was a clandestine operation.
To maintain secrecy and avoid exposure, the guards' movements were likely restricted.
Only the most loyal or those with compromised leverage could freely enter and leave the island.
In a way, Erza also fell into the category of "having leverage held against her."
Yet, upon reflection, it was remarkable that Erza managed to escape—especially since Jellal was aware of it.
Unless Jellal had been powerless to stop her at the time, letting her flee was quite absurd.
"Enough talk! Capture him first!"
These guards truly had no idea who Marco was. Brandishing their spears, they moved to apprehend and haul him away.
"Hah—"
Marco took a deep breath, mana surging within him. The symbol of "Gemini" materialized, causing the star chart itself to tremble.
"Phantom Demon Emperor Fist!"
Facing the guards, Marco unleashed the "mind-control fist."
The Phantom Demon Emperor Fist was a genuine "mind-control fist."
A powerful wave of psychic energy enveloped the group, directly assailing their brains and influencing their neural pathways.
After a brief struggle, all eight men settled into docility. Even the two "monster hounds" gradually quieted down.
They weren't mind-controlled—they simply sensed Marco's overwhelming power.
Even though they weren't his targets, the oppressive aura left the "monster hounds" gasping for breath.
"Marco! Are you alright?!"
Marco had just managed to subdue the guards when more figures began scaling the cliff behind them.
The commotion from the surrounding guards was too loud to go unnoticed, even from the base of the cliff. Erza swiftly ascended the rocky face to lend assistance.
"Don't worry, it's safe now. These men have been… persuaded," Marco said with a smile, gesturing toward the patrol guards standing at attention like disciplined soldiers as he briefly explained to Erza.
"Per… persuaded?" Erza blinked in disbelief, her voice tinged with skepticism. "Is that really possible?"
She scanned the guards carefully but recognized none of them.
Having dealt with the Evil Cult before, she found it hard to believe they could simply repent after encountering Marco. How could they be so easily "persuaded"?
"Just a little trick," Marco replied, opting not to tease her further.
To demonstrate, he gave a command, and the patrol guards obeyed instantly, moving with the precision of hypnotized puppets.
"When did you learn to do this?" Erza's jaw dropped at the sight of the guards' unwavering obedience.
She had no idea Marco possessed such an ability.
"It's the power of Gemini Celestial Spirit Magic. I've had it for a while, but there was never a need to use it until now," Marco explained earnestly, his playful tone gone.
He looked at Erza seriously and made a suggestion.
"Erza, if you have any questions, now's the time to ask it. They might have useful information."
The idea was practical.
Though Erza knew a bit about the Tower of Heaven, her knowledge was superficial. Any additional insight could serve as a valuable starting point.
"Alright, I'll ask then. But will they really answer?" Erza's eyes lit up with interest, though she worried about the possibility of deception.
"No need to worry about that. Right now, they're incapable of lying," Marco assured her confidently.
These low-level grunts were no match for his Phantom Demon Emperor Fist; if they could even resist slightly, it would be a testament to their mental fortitude.
"Okay." Erza nodded firmly, pausing to gather her thoughts before posing her first question. "How much longer until the Tower of Heaven is completed?"
She started with a broad, official inquiry, saving her deeper concerns for later.
The eight patrol guards remained motionless, ignoring Erza as if she hadn't spoken.
"Um…" Erza glanced at Marco, slightly embarrassed.
"Ahem, don't worry. I have to be the one to ask," Marco cleared his throat and repeated the question. Instantly, the eight guards sprang to life.
"Don't know."
"Soon."
Their answers were disjointed and vague, making it clear they had no concrete information.
"Let's try something else," Marco shrugged helplessly.
There was no way to extract answers they didn't possess, especially under his control. If they didn't know, they simply didn't know.
"...Are... Sho, Simon, and Miliana... still alive?" Erza gritted her teeth and finally asked the question that had been weighing heavily on her mind.
She desperately wanted to know what had become of her former companions—whether they were truly still alive.
"Of course! They're all highly valued—important subordinates of Lord Jellal!"
"They're our superiors, high-ranking members of the Tower of Heaven, and incredibly powerful Mages!"
The eight patrolling guards chimed in with overlapping answers, making the truth easy to discern—though this truth left Erza struggling to believe it.
"How could this be..."
Erza's lips parted as if to challenge their claims, but she trusted Marco.
Marco had said these men couldn't lie.
"It seems circumstances have changed. The people we came to rescue have suddenly become enemies—but in a way, this simplifies things." Marco spoke up, admittedly somewhat surprised himself.
Still, when he considered it—eight years had passed since Erza's escape.
Over such a long time, almost anything could happen.
In fact, Marco privately felt the current situation might be easier to handle.
Their cautious approach had been driven by fear that Jellal might truly carry out his threat to "eliminate the hostages" at the slightest provocation, just as he'd warned Erza.
If such an unthinkable tragedy occurred, the blow to Erza would be devastating. As her guildmates, they had to prevent that at all costs.
But now? Everything was different.
Since those Erza cared about had become "cadres"—capable lieutenants under Jellal's command—they no longer needed to worry about that scenario.
There was no way Jellal would eliminate his own valuable subordinates, right?
"Why would they do this..."
Erza remained bewildered, unable to comprehend how her former companions—who had suffered so much under the Tower of Heaven, who knew firsthand how dangerous and evil it was—could now be aiding its tyranny.
"Erza, stop overthinking it. If you don't understand, we'll just ask them directly. Now we can finally act without holding back." Marco approached and ruffled Erza's hair.
This was perfect—they could engage in an all-out battle, settle things through combat, and then properly question their opponents about their choices.
"...You're right! We'll fight first and talk later!"
After a brief hesitation, Erza immediately agreed with Marco.
Overthinking wouldn't bring answers—sometimes direct action was the clearest path.
"Just a shame about the infiltration plan I'd devised." Marco chuckled, a hint of regret in his tone.
He'd already devised a method to infiltrate using these guards controlled by the [Phantom Demon Emperor Fist].
With these "inside agents" leading them, infiltration would have been effortless.
"Still, these men might yet prove useful. Even if those you care about are temporarily safe, there must still be many slaves imprisoned inside. When chaos erupts later, we can have these guards protect the slaves and help them find hiding places." Marco thought for a moment and assigned tasks to these people.
He wanted these "moles" to be responsible for protecting the safety of the slaves.
Logically speaking, once chaos erupted, the slaves would likely rise up in resistance.
However, that would inevitably lead to suppression and possibly many casualties—something that could be avoided.
As long as they did not take advantage of the situation to cause trouble, this "Evil Cult" would not prioritize dealing with them.
Marco's idea was naturally for them to wait obediently until they had dealt with this "Evil Cult" before rescuing them.
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