BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
One after another, explosions rang through the entire Tower of Heaven.
Seen from the outside, sparks, electric light, and energy rays kept erupting, visibly spreading upward.
Under the unstoppable assault of the card monsters, the tower's defensive forces were completely helpless. It was a one-sided massacre.
Mira, who had been itching for a fight, was even more vicious. Pushing forward all the way, almost no one could last two rounds against her!
At the top of the Tower of Heaven, in the dimly lit command room.
"Three useless wastes. Not only did they fail the assassination, but they also exposed this place to the outside world."
Jellal, draped in a cloak, stared darkly at the image magic crystal showing Chase casually strolling forward.
"Heh. But the outcome isn't bad."
"Knowing about the Tower of Heaven's existence, instead of reporting it to the Magic Council, they came here to die."
"Should I call you foolish or confident in your ability to defeat me, Chase Lin Edgarhall?"
Just moments ago, his doppelgänger Siegrain had received news that Makarov had brought the Three Crows to the Magic Council.
The old man had only briefly explained what had happened, without mentioning the Tower of Heaven.
Jellal had been thankful that the Three Crows hadn't leaked anything and then Chase suddenly attacked.
"Fine. Since you want to settle this your way, I'll play along!"
Jellal turned his gaze away from the magic crystal and looked at the figures who had arrived before him after receiving his orders.
They were Shō, full of resentment; Simon, wearing an eyepatch and a metal jaw; Millianna, in a cat costume; and Wally Buchanan with his blocky face.
These were Erza's closest childhood friends!
"You should all be aware of the situation. The invaders are from Fairy Tail the guild Erza joined."
Here, Jellal's expression twisted into one of pain. "Even now, Erza still refuses to let us go..."
Shō's resentment was immediately triggered. He gritted his teeth, his scarlet eyes filled with madness. "I will never forgive that heartless traitor who abandoned us!"
"She wants to do this herself, but doesn't dare face us?" Wally was relatively calmer, his voice cold.
"Erza... why has she become so strange..." Millianna's eyes dimmed as images of her past with Erza floated in her mind. She couldn't accept this cruel "reality."
Simon: "..."
"I'm going to kill her. Kill those two damned invaders!!"
Shō charged out, murderous. Wally and Millianna followed close behind.
After a brief hesitation, Simon, his face full of anger, also followed.
Once they had all left, Jellal finally dropped his mournful expression, revealing his ugly true face.
"Heh. Before I can recall my doppelgänger, I'll leave it to you fools to buy me some time."
Only by eliminating the damned Chase could Ultear possibly return to normal become the devoted follower who would even sacrifice her life to support him.
That was the most important part of reviving Zeref and creating a free magical country.
Therefore, he absolutely could not let Chase walk out of the Tower of Heaven alive!
To achieve this ultimate goal, even sacrificing important pawns like Shō and the others in advance was worth it!
The explosive shockwaves inside the Tower of Heaven soon reached the upper levels.
By this point, there was almost no resistance left. Most of the guards, along with several hundred laborers, had all been sealed into cards by Chase.
"I can hardly believe it. Erza grew up in an environment like this..."
With a moment to spare, Mira looked around gravely, taking in the dark, messy interior of the tower.
"Whether it's regular common magic or the black magic that people fear — at their core, both are paths to the peak of wizardry."
Dark Magician Girl sighed and shook her head. "The Zeref cult that created this R-System is just terrible."
After the rampage, all the other card monsters had been returned to the deck by Chase, saving them for the fight with Jellal.
"That's how magic is. It can bring people bright hope, but it can also drag them into the abyss of darkness," Chase said.
He really wanted to see Jellal's face when he found out that the Zeref he was trying so hard to "revive" was currently ruling as emperor in Alvarez!
The three chatted as they advanced toward the upper levels, occasionally beating up the remaining guards who popped up here and there.
Until they reached a wide passage near the very top. Four figures blocked their path.
"Fairy Tail — GO TO HELL!!"
The moment he saw Chase and Mira, Shō's eyes filled with bloodshot fury. Without a word, he charged at them, a magic circle blazing around him.
Poor kid, completely brainwashed by Jellal...
Chase sighed softly. Then he exploded with magic power, vanishing into a blur.
THUD!
A dull sound. Thin dust spread.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Shō — the brother Erza mentioned, right?"
Chase grabbed Shō's head with one hand and slammed him onto the cracked floor. His voice was low. "Feeling a little calmer now?"
"Don't mention that disgusting name in front of me!"
Shō struggled madly, his face full of frenzy. Not only did he fail to realize Chase was holding back, but he secretly twisted his hand and used his own card magic on Chase.
HUM.
A magic circle flashed. Chase vanished into thin air, turned into a card that fell into Shō's hand.
"Ahaha! Ahahaha! Fairy Tail's S-Class wizard isn't much after all — pathetically weak!"
Shō taunted Chase, now trapped inside the card.
In his excitement, he failed to notice the expressions on Mira and Dark Magician Girl's faces across from him — looks that clearly said they thought he was an idiot.
"Ara ara. Another card wizard like Chase~" Mira smiled calmly.
"Pfft. What was he thinking, using such low-level magic in front of the master?" Dark Magician Girl couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Over there, Shō's eyes were scarlet. He gripped the card with both hands and squeezed hard, trying to tear the card — and Chase inside it — to pieces.
Just as he was about to do it, Chase, trapped in the blank space, simply snapped his fingers. A dark gold magic circle materialized in the air.
The next second, it was Shō's body that disappeared.
A card with a black-gold vortex pattern on its back slowly fluttered down.
"Kid... are you here to be funny?"
Back in reality, Chase reached out and caught the card between his fingers. He casually glanced at Shō inside, struggling futilely, unable to escape.
"Shō!"
The sudden turn of events shocked Wally and the others. His mastery of card magic was that much stronger than Shō's?!
"Simon! Do it!"
Wally reacted first. He raised his right arm, which had transformed into a cannon barrel, and aimed at Chase, began charging an attack.
Simon nodded and stepped forward without hesitation. "Dark Magic: Instant!"
As the only one who knew the true story of what had happened back then and had always believed in Erza, he also trusted Erza's current comrades.
But the tower was full of surveillance. Until the situation was completely clear, he had to keep up the act.
For the sake of Shō and the others — and Erza's friends!
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH.
Darkness spilled from the magic circle like a pure black curtain. In the blink of an eye, it formed a pitch-black space, engulfing Chase and the others.
"Dark magic? Man, your luck really sucks!"
Dark Magician Girl sat on her staff, laughing even harder.
She stood in the darkness, imitated Chase's gesture, and casually snapped her fingers.
HUM!!
Magic power surged. The closed space condensed by Instant was effortlessly crushed.
At the same time, an even deeper, vaster darkness erupted — in turn covering the horrified Simon and the others!
The dark storm lasted only a few seconds before gradually dissipating.
Dark Magician Girl, now knowing the whole truth from Chase, didn't press the advantage. She just wanted to show off.
The effect was obvious.
"H-How... My dark magic was completely useless..." Simon's pupils dilated in horror.
The dark magic that had burst forth in that instant was too terrifying. It made his heart race, filling him with despair at his inability to fight back.
Even more frightening — its user was just Chase's summon!
"Hehe. Pretty good, right?"
Dark Magician Girl's careless, sloppy nature had kicked in again. She smugly rubbed her nose, puffed out her chest, and said, "I could teach you, if you want~"
"Magic Cannon!"
Wally's fully charged attack was her answer.
The speeding magic cannonball rapidly grew larger in Dark Magician Girl's wide eyes. Just as it was about to hit her, demon wings fluttered slightly. A sexy, beautiful figure stepped in front of her.
Demon Mira reached out with one palm and grabbed the cannonball with overwhelming dominance.
BOOM!!
The cannonball exploded. The resulting firelight illuminated the entire passage!
"Since you were Erza's childhood friends — that makes you guild friends. I don't want to hurt you."
Demon Mira coolly shook off the black smoke rising from her palm, revealing her completely unharmed arm. She smiled. "So... can you give up this pointless resistance and just let us through?"
"So hypocritical! Don't act so fake!!"
Millianna gritted her teeth and shouted angrily, full of hostility. "That traitor Erza sent you here to wipe us all out, didn't she?!"
Wally, in contrast, was more sarcastic. "Heh. Erza sold us out and abandoned us for her own freedom back then. She'll do the same to you someday..."
After this exchange, he fully recognized the gap in their power. He chose to accept his fate.
"Even if you're Erza's friends — slandering my comrade like that is an unforgivable sin."
Mira's gaze sharpened. The smile at the corners of her lips gradually faded. The magic power around her turned fierce and cold.
No one in the entire guild knew better than her how much Erza valued her comrades!
Erza — betray and stab her comrades in the back?
What a joke!!!
"Wait, Mira."
Chase reached out and patted Mira's shoulder, calming her down. Then he s
tepped around her, casually playing with the card holding Shō, and slowly walked toward Millianna and the others.
"Want to hear a different version — the one I heard from Erza?"
***
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