Fairy Tail: The Journey
Chapter 4
The shrill sound of alarms echoed throughout the Tower of Heaven as hurried footsteps of guards thundered through the stone corridors. The entire tower seemed to awaken in chaos.
Inside the dim prison cell, Kai and Rob exchanged quiet sighs.
Moments later the iron door slammed open and several guards stepped inside, their expressions full of mockery.
"Oh, two brats had a brain and stayed behind," one guard chuckled cruelly.
Kai didn't even look at him.
His eyes were fixed on the faint blue window floating before him.
{Character Card Fusion 99.9%}
Kai waited silently.
He had been preparing for this moment for an entire year.
From the whispers of the guards, he had already learned that their leader, Zero, had left the tower earlier that day. Once the Youriichi Tsugikuni Character Card reached one hundred percent, Kai would gain the peak abilities of the legendary swordsman.
That would be the moment he would finally fight back.
Another guard stepped forward, glancing at Kai and Erza with a smirk.
"Take them too."
Erza stiffened slightly beside him.
Kai's eyes narrowed.
He had stayed behind specifically so Erza wouldn't lose her eye like in the original timeline.
But if these bastards tried to hurt her—
Kai quietly grabbed Erza's hand.
"Stay close," he whispered.
Erza nodded silently as the guards shoved them out of the cell and dragged them down the corridor.
They were taken to the discipline chamber.
The moment they entered, Erza gasped softly.
Shô, Simon, Millianna, Wally, and several other children were already there, chained and being brutally tortured by the guards.
Whips cracked through the air as painful cries echoed through the room.
But one person was missing.
Jellal.
Kai's gaze shifted slowly across the guards surrounding them.
Transparent World — active.
Every muscle movement, every heartbeat, every breath became visible in his mind.
If anyone made a move toward Erza—
He would kill them.
Erza's hand trembled inside his grip as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Kai…" she whispered weakly.
Then the system voice finally rang in his mind.
{Ding! Youriichi Tsugikuni's Character Card Fusion 100%}
Kai's breathing slowed.
The world around him became clearer.
Sharper.
Calmer.
One of the guards suddenly pointed at Erza with a wicked smile.
"This girl must be the one who planned the escape," he sneered. "Take her here to discipline too."
Something inside Kai went completely silent.
He entered the Selfless State.
Before anyone could react—
Kai moved.
The sword from a guard's waist vanished from its sheath.
Steel flashed through the air.
His blade danced like sunlight.
Using the Transparent World, Kai cut through their muscles and nerves with terrifying precision, disabling them before they even realized what had happened.
One guard collapsed.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds the room filled with screaming guards clutching their useless limbs.
Erza stared at him in stunned silence.
"K-Kai…?"
Then her eyes hardened.
She grabbed a fallen sword from the ground and charged forward.
"I'm not staying weak forever!"
At that moment, another window appeared before Kai.
{Ding! Mission Available — Escape the Tower}
{Rewards — ???}
Kai didn't hesitate.
He quickly unlocked the chains binding the children.
"Everyone listen!" Kai shouted. "Move now!"
The children stared at him in shock.
Kai grabbed Erza's shoulder.
"Take everyone. Free the others from the cells and head to the port."
Erza nodded immediately.
"What about you?"
Kai smiled faintly.
"I'll clear the path."
Erza clenched her fists before turning toward the others.
"Everyone listen!" she shouted. "We're going to escape!"
The exhausted children stared at her uncertainly.
Erza raised her sword high.
"Everyone we are gonna die here anyways so why not die fighting. Let's march to freedom!"
A spark of courage ignited in their eyes.
They began running through the prison corridors, freeing every captive cell they could find.
Meanwhile guards rushed toward Kai from every direction.
Kai exhaled slowly.
Sun Breathing.
His body now possessed the full strength and abilities of peak Youriichi Tsugikuni.
His experience was lacking.
But the guards were mostly non-mages.
They never stood a chance.
His blade moved like blazing sunlight, cutting down every attacker in his path.
One by one the guards collapsed.
But more kept coming.
Too many.
Then a familiar voice echoed from the distance.
"Kai! Let's go!"
Kai turned and saw Erza leading the children toward the exit.
He immediately sprinted toward them.
Together they fought through the last wave of guards as they rushed toward the port.
The supply ship was already waiting.
"Everyone get on!" Kai shouted.
The children quickly climbed aboard as the ship prepared to leave.
Suddenly several guards appeared at the dock holding magical weapons.
A blazing fireball shot directly toward Erza.
Kai reacted instantly.
He stepped in front of her.
Boom.
The explosion shook the dock.
Erza's eyes widened in shock.
"Kai!"
When the smoke cleared, they were both unharmed.
But someone else had stepped forward.
Rob.
"Grandpa Rob!" Erza screamed.
The old man collapsed slowly with a gentle smile on his face.
"…Live… freely… children…"
Erza's tears poured down her face.
Suddenly the weapons lying across the battlefield began floating into the air.
Her magic had awakened.
Hundreds of blades launched toward the guards like a storm.
Kai wiped his own tears and looked toward the departing ship.
"Go! Don't stop!"
The ship sailed away from the port.
Kai grabbed Erza's hand and pulled her toward a small abandoned boat at the dock.
Erza launched the final wave of floating weapons before collapsing from exhaustion.
"Kai…" she whispered weakly.
Kai caught her before she fell.
"You did good."
He laid her gently inside the small boat and began paddling away from the tower.
His breathing remained steady as Sun Breathing continued flowing through his body.
The Tower of Heaven slowly disappeared into the distance.
Kai pulled Erza into his arms and laid her head on his lap.
The ocean waves rocked the small boat gently.
His eyelids slowly grew heavy.
His body was strong.
But his mind was exhausted.
Kai finally fell asleep while holding Erza tightly.
Unconsciously, Erza wrapped her arms around him.
The small boat drifted silently across the endless sea.
Then the system voice echoed quietly.
{Ding! Escape Tower of Haven mission complete}
{Reward — Flying Thunder God Magic + 10 Senzu Beans}
Kai and Erza slept peacefully while hugging each other.
{Ding! Rewards Stored In Inventory}