Inside the tower, more footsteps could be heard.
The windows from the first to the fifth floor suddenly all opened again, and behind each one appeared guards armed with magical weapons.
They wore the same black uniforms, with the emblem of the Tower of Heaven on their chests—a twisted crown entwined with chains.
"Fire!"
"Magic bullet volley!"
"Binding spells!"
Arrows, magic bullets, and binding chains rained down from every floor and every angle.
Just as Erza was about to requip into defensive armor, Ace raised a hand.
"Let me."
He simply took a gentle step forward.
From the palm of his right hand, dark purple death magic surged out like a living thing—it was Jose's magic, now completely refined and under his control.
The magic formed a translucent, dark purple barrier in front of him, its surface flowing with complex runes of death.
"Wall of Death."
The moment they touched the barrier, all the attacks "died."
The arrows decayed into ash, the magic bullets extinguished and dispersed, and the binding chains snapped and fell.
They weren't blocked, nor were they shattered; their very existence was forcibly "terminated."
Even the magical power contained within those attacks was devoured the instant it touched the barrier, becoming a part of Ace's own power—the Authority of Gluttony was operating silently.
The guards inside the tower were stunned.
"Wh-what kind of magic is that..."
"Our attacks... are completely useless..."
"And my magic is draining! He's absorbing my magic!"
Panic began to spread.
Ace ignored them. He looked up, his gaze piercing through the layers of floors, locking onto the top of the tower.
"Jellal, I know you're watching." His voice wasn't loud, but amplified by magic, it echoed clearly throughout the entire tower.
"Stop sending out cannon fodder of this level to die."
"If you have the guts, come down yourself."
"Or—"
He raised his left hand, palm up.
Golden Digital Soul began to gather and compress, forming a sphere the size of a fist that radiated terrifying energy fluctuations.
"—I'll tear this tower down, floor by floor, to find you."
As his voice fell, the sphere of light shot from his hand, flying straight at the tower!
"BOOM—!!!"
The tower shook violently, and rubble rained down.
The floor hit by the sphere—the third floor—had its entire outer wall blown open, creating a ten-meter-diameter hole that exposed the internal room structures.
Guards screamed as they fell.
"Let's go," Ace said to Erza, heading into the tower first.
Erza followed behind him with a complex look in her eyes as she watched his back.
'This man is stronger than he was a few days ago.'
'And his strength is... almost unreasonable.'
The resistance inside the tower was weaker than expected.
Perhaps they were intimidated by Ace's earlier display, for although the guards were still attacking, they were clearly timid, and the power of their magic was greatly reduced.
Erza didn't even need to go all out; she just parried a few stray attacks with her sword as she followed Ace upward.
First floor.
Third floor.
Fifth floor.
They moved at a steady, but not fast, pace.
Ace didn't even attack proactively; he just maintained the Wall of Death, "terminating" and absorbing all incoming magic.
Erza, meanwhile, dealt with the guards who tried to get close.
The higher they went, the stronger the guards became, but they still couldn't stop them in the slightest.
Finally, at the staircase of the eighth floor, they stopped.
Because the path ahead was blocked by three people.
....
At the top of the Tower of Heaven.
Jellal stood before a giant crystal ball, which reflected the scene at the eighth-floor staircase.
His handsome face was devoid of expression, only his deep purple eyes stared intently at Ace in the crystal ball.
"They really came..." he muttered to himself. "And he's stronger... than the reports described."
"Jellal," Wally's muffled voice came from behind.
The cubic armor on his back had been repaired, but the cracks were still clearly visible
"Do you need us to intercept them?"
Simon stood in the shadows, the frostbite on his left leg temporarily suppressed with dark magic, but his movements were still somewhat sluggish.
Sho leaned against a wall, toying with his cards, but his eyes were grave.
Millianna was perched on the windowsill like a real cat.
"No need," Jellal said. "You are no match for him. The battles on the beach and at the tower's base have already proven that."
He turned to face the other side of the room.
Three people were sitting there.
No, to be precise, they were three humanoid silhouettes, hidden in the dim light.
"Trinity Raven," Jellal said slowly. "It's your turn."
The three revealed their true appearances.
The leader was a woman.
She wore a Japanese-style kimono, with a long, slender tachi at her waist.
Her long was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore a half-fox mask that revealed only her elegantly shaped chin and pale lips.
Her entire being radiated a cold, sharp aura, like a blade.
Ikaruga.
Captain of the Trinity Raven, the ace assassin of the special guerrilla unit of the Death's Head Caucus and a master swordsman.
Vidaldus Taka.
A sound mage who could manipulate sound with his guitar, create illusions, and directly shatter internal organs.
Fukuro.
A beast-soul mage who possessed the attributes of an owl, with monstrous levels of strength, speed, and the ability to consume opponents to steal their magic.
"Lord Jellal," Ikaruga spoke, her voice as cold and crisp as her demeanor. "You paid a sufficient price, so we will naturally complete the commission. However..."
Information about Ace flashed through her mind.
"This target is trickier than you described. Immense magical power, holy purification abilities, and the powers of those summons... This is not the level of an ordinary S-Class Mage."
"That's why I hired you," Jellal said. "The Trinity Raven of the Death's Head Caucus is the top assassination team in Fiore's underworld. If even you can't take him down..."
He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.
Ikaruga was silent for a few seconds, then slowly rose.
Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her movements as graceful as a dance.
"Vidaldus, Fukuro."
"Here, Captain," the two responded in unison.
Ikaruga's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Leave no one alive."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The three figures flickered and vanished into thin air.
Jellal looked toward the door, a cold smile touching his lips.
"Erza... and Ace..."
"Let's see how far you can get."
...
Eighth-floor staircase.
Ace and Erza stopped, not out of fear, but because the three before them were completely different from the cannon fodder they had faced.
"Please stop right there," Ikaruga said, standing at the front with her hand on her sword hilt.
"This path is closed."
"Who are you?" Erza frowned.
She could feel that each of these three was incredibly dangerous, especially the female swordswoman, whose sharp aura made her skin tingle.
"Trinity Raven," Ikaruga said flatly. "We were paid to take your lives. Please cooperate, and your deaths will be swift."
"Such big words coming from a small fry," Ace laughed, a laugh devoid of warmth.
"Just the three of you?"
"Just the three of us." Ikaruga's hand tightened on her sword's hilt as the air suddenly froze.
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