"Jellal!"
Even if she realized she might have been deceived, Erza's first reaction was still to worry about Jellal's safety.
But as she ran a few steps, she suddenly stopped: "What is this...?"
The dark red technique was like a serpent, also like chains wrapping around Erza's body.
"Body... can't move!"
Not only unable to move, the ground under Erza's feet suddenly cracked open, revealing the magic crystal buried beneath the floor.
The dark red chains were dragging Erza into the magic crystal; her toes were already merging into it!
Erza couldn't even move a finger, unable to struggle or resist at all.
"Erza?" Mira approached a few steps, "It's the technique, the confining kind! When was it laid down?"
In Erza's mind flashed Jellal's little movements during their conversation earlier; what was thought to be natural twitching due to wound pain turned out to be setting the technique.
Deceived.
'Opening the heart' and 'Twin brothers' were all lies, until the very end, he was deceiving her!
"Ugh..." Erza bit her lip, tears rolling down from her left eye.
The merging into the magic crystal seemed painful but couldn't compare to the pain in her heart.
Mira grabbed Erza's hand, forcefully pulling her out of the magic crystal.
She didn't know how to undo this technique, so she could only hold Erza horizontally, thinking of solutions after leaving.
"Mira..." Erza only lightly called once and bit her lip again, the ever-strong Fairy Queen appearing particularly fragile.
Grievance and helplessness mixed with the tears flowing from her eyes.
Not only did she fail to save Jellal, but she also put companions in danger—if Rhode had been slower, allowing Jellal's Thought Body to return, restoring his magic power.
They would face a powerful opponent not weaker than Joseph. This time, no guild members were joining hands to fight.
Why, why did the gentle Jellal turn out like this?
Mira perhaps felt Erza's wish for others not to see her tears, adjusting her posture to let Erza's face bury in her neck.
She patted Erza's shoulder gently and softly said, "It's okay, it's okay now, we're here, everyone's waiting outside for you, shall we go home?"
First, it was Hapi, then Erza, Rhode found today unlucky, always someone taking his spot.
Who told them to have bad emotions, the magnanimous Rhode decided to forgive them.
At this moment, the three suddenly received a 'call.'
More precisely, it was Telepathy Magic, but this magic appeared more polite than Wolian's.
Because as long as they wished, they could freely reject, even 'block', preventing the other from contacting.
Probably this person's Telepathy Magic level is lower than Wolian's.
The three all chose to answer, Simon's voice sounded: "Can you hear me? It's Simon!"
"Simon?" Erza didn't know Simon was on her side from the beginning, seeming a bit surprised.
"Erza, are you alright, thank goodness!"
Rhode prompted him to say the important part quickly: "What's your situation there?"
"The guards are taken care of, Wally and Mirena... have joined us, Xiu has been carried out, those bugs have started gnawing on the Tower of Paradise, we can leave anytime."
In fact, they didn't know the truth yet, temporarily volunteering under unconsciousness.
No opposition means volunteering, explaining well once they awaken.
"Alright, retreat immediately, the power of Magical Elf Power is unknown, flee as far as you can. Let Jubia use magic to push the ship, if forced let Lucy call Aquarius for help!"
"We'll die!" That was Lucy's voice, interjecting sarcasm.
"We got it, what about you?"
"We are flying out, leaving right away!"
"You won't go anywhere!" Jellal could still stand, steps staggering.
Blood flowed from his forehead, covering the dark red markings on his face. One eye was tightly closed, unable to open. The neck wound bled, staining half his body.
If matched with his ferocious and crazy expression, it seemed like a devil just climbed out of hell.
Erza shouted: "Give it up, Jellal, it's already over!"
But Jellal wouldn't listen, raising his hands high:
"It's not over, my dream has just begun! Great Zeref, I shall present this woman's body here!"
Terrifying magic power surged from Jellal's body, not for self-preservation, but gathered in his hands.
"You'll die!"
"In the Paradise, everyone will unite as one! There's nothing to fear about death!"
Jellal assumed a stance ready to burn the sky, above his head appeared a black sphere over a meter in diameter.
The black sphere rotated, like a black hole, sucking in everything including the light from wall lights and chandeliers.
The previously calm floor stirred up fierce winds.
Rhode and Mira struggled to stand, their shadows extended against the light, not in the direction of the light but against it.
Mira held Erza tightly, trying to retreat, she warned: "Be careful, getting sucked in will crush your body!"
"Let it suck then!" Rhode grasped the pendant on his neck, standing in front of Mira, "Summon, Mountain Sub-Dragon!"
Buzz~
A heart-throbbing earthy-yellow magic power expanded centered on the pendant.
A massive form with folded wings, crouched posture descended. The once spacious room suddenly seemed narrow and cramped.
The pressure on Rhode and the others vanished instantly, while Jellal's remaining eye widened: "Is this... Dragon?"
Like awakening from sleep, Mountain Sub-Dragon opened its eyes, brown vertical pupils stared at Jellal ahead.
Its proud and cold gaze made Jellal shiver, the magic accumulating speed in his hands seemed to slow down.
"Awoo~" Mountain Sub-Dragon exhaled lightly, raised its body, flapped its wings twice.
To it, it might be akin to yawning and stretching, but it shook the floor.
Its wings shattered the walls on both sides, its head crashed through the ceiling, countless rubble mixed with the magic crystal fell, some rolling off its broad back.
Rhode dodged backward a few steps, looked up meeting Mountain Sub-Dragon's gaze turned back to him.
With an enigmatic expression saying 'why summon me here?' unknowingly, such a simple move still held powerful destructive force.
The outer wall of the Tower of Paradise had already been shattered by its wings, now this turn of the head was unruly, the entire tower top was lifted.
With severe tremors and the sound of building cracking, the tower tip, like a broken toy, turned, and began to fall.
That direction... Rhode's first reaction was to shout through Simon's connection: "Run! Get away further! The tower top is falling!"
After shouting, Rhode spoke to Mountain Sub-Dragon:
"That blue-haired enemy, tear this tower down at will! Soon there'll be a strong attack, we're retreating!"
Finally summoned for a justified reason, Mountain Sub-Dragon turned its head back. Now with no obstacles overhead, its movements were smooth.
"To think just casually demolishing what I spent eight years building..." Jellal rages, for Zeref, for creating an absolutely free world...
"Even the Giant Dragon cannot be forgiven!"
"Dark Paradise!"
The black sphere expanded to a diameter of two meters, he forcefully propelled it, the sphere continued to swell, filled with countless stars and crescents.
As if what he threw wasn't magic, but a piece of the universe.
Mountain Sub-Dragon didn't dodge, allowing that piece of 'microcosm' to hit its body, triggering a fierce explosion.