"So, could I trouble you to call the others here? If I went over, their outcome might not be so good."
Zorn turned and smiled as he spoke to Shu and Millianna.
"You're not qualified to order me around. I won't betray my comrades like Erza did!"
"Oh, quite the backbone, aren't you! But this isn't something you can decide!"
As soon as Zorn finished speaking, golden light erupted from Shu's body.
"Damn it, what did you do to me? My body won't move."
No matter how Shu twisted his body, it wouldn't obey his thoughts, directly sending messages to the other two according to Zorn's instructions.
"Zorn?"
"Don't worry, Erza, I just made him send a message."
Zorn turned his head to comfort Erza, who was a bit flustered at the moment.
...
Meanwhile, at Gray's location.
"What, you've found it already?"
"Is that so? I understand. I'll be right there."
Juvia was also blocking the masked man, and the area around them had already been bombed by this masked man, so both of them were in a fighting stance, staring at the enemy in front of them.
"I'm Raymon, Erza's former comrade. Come with me, something seems to have changed," Raymon suddenly changed his attitude and spoke to Gray in a calm tone.
"What, Erza… former comrade."
When Gray heard this, he suddenly recalled seeing Erza when he was a child. At that time, Erza seemed to be silently crying by the river, which should be related to the person in front of him.
"You can trust him, Lord Gray. When the explosion happened just now, he held back," Juvia whispered into Gray's ear.
Gray and Juvia followed Raymon from behind, but what Gray didn't notice was that he unconsciously took Juvia's hand.
This sudden action made Juvia blush, and she shyly followed by Gray's side.
...
On Natsu's side, the block-man, Wooly, also received the message.
With a "bang~" of a gun, he knocked Natsu to the ground, then used blocks to confine Natsu in the air, carrying Happy along as he headed towards Shu's direction.
"Alright, now that they've all come, you, Shu, have also backstabbed your comrades. Do you still want to accuse Erza?"
Zorn clearly perceived the situations in both directions, and after seeing that the messages had been delivered.
He turned to Shu, who was glaring at him with wide eyes, and asked.
"You forced me to do this; it wasn't what I originally intended. Big Sister Erza is different; she ran away on her own. She was the one who betrayed us first."
Shu lay on the ground, angrily refuting Zorn's point of view, and even glared fiercely at Erza.
Erza dared not meet Shu's gaze, her hands helpless, clutching her arms, her face filled with pain.
"Then, I can tell you now that Erza, at that time, was just like you now, subjected to Jellal's coercion, and he even used your life as a bargaining chip to threaten Erza. Jellal isn't as good as you imagine him to be, and if you think carefully, is the Big Sister Erza in your heart capable of doing such a thing?"
"What, impossible, impossible."
Zorn squatted down and spoke to Shu word by word. The more he spoke, Shu's expression first showed doubt, then shock, and finally, he recalled Erza's kindness to him when he was a child, and his inner resolve also loosened somewhat.
"That's right, he's correct. Jellal is indeed not as good as we thought he was."
A tall figure suddenly appeared at the doorway, speaking out in agreement with Zorn's statement.
"Simon, you…"
"Long time no see, Erza."
"Who are you people? Shu, Millianna, how are you doing?"
The block-man, Wooly, also walked in through the door with Natsu and Happy, immediately untying Natsu, then nervously ran to Shu and Millianna, shielding Zorn with his body.
"Alright, everyone's here. Now is the best time to lay everything out."
Zorn stood up, looking at the room. Besides Jellal, all relevant personnel were present, and it was indeed the best time to explain the reasons to each other.
"Zorn, how do you know so much?"
Erza looked at Zorn's meticulous arrangements and how he had just revealed something only she and Jellal knew. Her doubts surged, and even Lucy seemed to realize that the matter was definitely related to Erza and these enemies. She remained silent, waiting for the rest of the story.
"Erza, I just saw Jellal. He used the lives of everyone in the town to hold me back, so that they could take you away."
"Is that so? I understand."
Erza's pupils constricted when she heard Zorn's words, and her chest heaved slightly. Finally, she seemed to have made a decision.
She lowered her hands, and a flash of light enveloped her body, a standard armor now covering her entire form.
"Shu, Millianna, Raymon, Wooly, then I will explain the whole story!"
"The whole thing started with the Dark Arts Guild. To build the Tower of Paradise, also known as the R-System, they captured a group of villagers and children on a small island, forcing them to work day and night on its construction."
"This was merely to activate a forbidden magic that could awaken the dead, and of course, for this purpose, many sacrifices were needed."
"Shu and I met on that island. After that, every day we lived in darkness. Those who tried to escape and those who defied orders disappeared without a trace."
When Erza spoke to this point, even Lucy and Kana, who had not heard of it before, looked at Erza with shock and disbelief.
Not to mention Shu and Millianna, who seemed to be reliving that terrifying scene, both leaning slightly into Simon's embrace seeking warmth.
"During that time, among the people I knew was also Jellal. He was truly kind back then, leading us in resisting everything there. However, we still couldn't escape the encirclement of the magic soldiers. He was captured while trying to save me."
"But it was him who awakened our spirit of resistance. However, we were still very weak, no match for those supervisors. We were defeated, and an old man who often took care of us finally stepped forward and successfully defeated them, but… but he sacrificed himself for it."
"It was then that I awakened my magic and once again led the people to defeat those supervisors. I told Shu and the others to wait for me on the ship, and I went alone to rescue Jellal."
"However, Jellal seemed like a changed person; an evil aura filled his soul. To revive Zeref, he took control of the entire island again."
"Finally, he even threatened me that if I revealed even a little bit about the Tower of Paradise, he would kill Shu and the others first."
"I, I couldn't… Shu, Simon, Millianna, Wooly, I'm sorry, I ran away from this, I betrayed you."
By the end of her speech, Erza was looking at her former comrades with teary eyes.
"I don't believe it, how could it be?"
"What a joke, then what was all these years for? Why, why?"
Shu refused to accept this reality and collapsed to the ground, wailing in pain.
"That's how it is, Shu. What Erza said is the truth," Simon, who was beside him, suddenly spoke out, patting Shu's back in comfort.
"Big Sister, my dearest Big Sister, why wouldn't I believe it? Damn it, what have I done?"
"Don't worry, Shu, I will settle things with Jellal. These past years, you've truly suffered, Shu."
Erza held Shu in her arms, just like when he was a child, comforting the frightened Shu.
Lucy, Kana, and Juvia watched this scene, also wiping away tears.
To be continued~
Note:
Hello everyone!
First of all, I want to send my warmest wishes to you and your families. May your Lunar New Year be filled with warmth, reunion, and joy. I hope you all stay healthy and have a wonderful year ahead!
I have a small announcement: I will be taking a Lunar New Year holiday starting on February 15th, 2026, and will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this time, I want to rest, spend time with my family, and enjoy the traditional New Year atmosphere.
Don't worry! During this break, I will prepare new chapters so I can post them regularly when I return. So please be patient and wait, the upcoming story will be even better!
Thank you so much for your support. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!