The dark-purple beam tore into the heavens, scattering the clouds and plunging the sky into an even heavier, more oppressive gloom.
Thunder cracked across the horizon, each bolt striking the sea with a blinding flash, sending walls of water surging outward. The air was thick with the scent of salt and ozone, as if the world itself was being torn apart.
When two mages of the Ten Saints clashed, the magic alone warped the surroundings sky, earth, and sea.
This was what it meant for everything to be turned upside down.
On the churning sea below, a small boat pitched and rolled violently, each wave threatening to drag it beneath the surface.
"Even from this far… I can feel it," Simon said, eyes fixed on the top of the Paradise Tower where the upper floors had been obliterated. His voice was low, almost reverent, but his face was pale. "That magic it's enough to make your heart stop. Those two… are monsters."
Eight long years of silent hatred and patience, and yet this was the first time Simon had truly witnessed Jellal's strength.
What he hadn't expected… was for Erza's partner, Chase, to meet that power head-on.
"The battle's just getting started," Wally muttered, unable to hide his unease.
Millianna sat curled in a corner, hugging her knees, surrounded by a fortress of cat dolls. "I-I'm scared, meow… what's going to happen next?" she asked in a trembling voice, her eyes wide.
BOOM!
A deafening crack cut through the wind, shaking the boat.
Above the broken crown of the Paradise Tower, two streaks of light one crimson and draconic, the other golden and divine burst through falling debris. They tore into the sky, twisting and weaving in an aerial pursuit so fast that Simon and the others could only hear the relentless, echoing roars of their collisions. The human eye could not hope to follow them.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
After a flurry of impacts that rattled the air, the two figures separated hovering far apart in the storm-darkened sky, both keeping their distance as they assessed one another.
What kind of magic is that? Jellal thought, his jaw tight. He's… draining my magic power. And that right arm of his its power is still climbing.
His chest rose and fell in sharp, shallow breaths. Dozens of bruises and cuts marked his body, each one a testament to the relentless exchange of blows.
Chase's own condition wasn't much better. His breathing was ragged, his muscles tense, the faint shimmer of dragon scales still clinging to his skin.
Only now, in the heart of this battle, did Chase truly grasp why Jellal's magic had earned him the title of Tenth Saint and a seat on the Council.
If I'd fought him before Jose… I'm not sure who would've won.
"Chase!!"
"Jellal!!"
Their voices ripped through the storm as both unleashed their magic again, hurling themselves forward in a blur.
But this time… something was off.
Jellal's movements were slower, his steps heavier, almost deliberate. The blazing speed he'd wielded moments ago was gone. Whether it was caution, distraction, or something more sinister, Chase didn't know but he didn't hesitate.
In a single heartbeat, he drove the Sky Dragon's Iron Fist into Jellal's face.
The impact thundered through the air as Jellal was smashed from the sky, his body plummeting like a meteor before crashing into the Paradise Tower below.
The stone cracked open, debris erupting outward.
From the dust and ruin, Jellal rose. He spat out blood and a broken tooth before fixing his gaze on Chase, who was descending slowly through the haze.
The corner of Jellal's mouth twisted upward into a feral smile. "Heh… I caught up."
The moment Jellal's words left his lips, golden magic circles flared into existence high above Chase's head each one positioned precisely along the path Jellal had danced through moments earlier.
They linked seamlessly, end to end, forming the shape of a vast, mysterious constellation. The sigils blazed so brilliantly they lit the entire storm-wracked sky.
"This is an attack without escape!" Jellal's voice rang like a sentence of death. "Accept the punishment of the Seven Stars Seven Star Sword!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The golden beams rained down in a relentless storm, each one thrumming with lethal destructive power. They came in such numbers that every path of retreat was sealed.
Chase's lips curved into a calm smile. "As expected… you were drawing this magic."
He planted one heavy step forward. A dazzling, multicolored magic circle bloomed beneath him. He knew Jellal's style had predicted this play long before it began and he had already set the trap.
From the circle's core rose the familiar pattern of a card's sigil.
Holy Shield Mirror Force!
Buzz!
The barrier of radiant light expanded instantly, catching the downpour of golden death. For a heartbeat, it held firm then, with a pulse of holy energy, hurled every last beam back toward its caster.
Jellal's eyes contracted sharply as the heavens he'd summoned turned against him. The reflected barrage slammed into his position in a blinding eruption.
"Impossible! That's my magic!" he snarled.
Golden magic circles shimmered into place above him, holding back the wall of flame and smoke. Pouring in magic equal to his own original attack, he forced the reflected power to shatter, his hands weaving into a precise seal.
At the same moment, Chase shifted his stance, angling his right arm forward.
His fingers splayed. The magic circle before him spun, compressing power until it roared into the form of a great sky dragon's head, jaws parting wide.
"Celestial Magic Six Stars!" Jellal bellowed.
"Sky Dragon's Thunderbolt!" Chase countered.
Six golden meteors burst forth from Jellal's array only to be instantly tracked by crackling bolts of lightning, each spark dancing with an almost sentient precision.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The thunderbolts didn't just explode on impact they unraveled the meteors entirely, erasing them as if they had never been summoned.
Jellal froze mid-gesture.
That wasn't destruction… he erased my magic.
The last of the golden circles faded into nothing before they could fully ignite.
He wields power equal to, perhaps even greater than, Dragon Slayer Magic… power that weakens, amplifies, and even dispels magic itself.
Even Jellal, ever-composed, felt a curse rise to his lips. In all his years in the magical world, he had never encountered such a force.
Could I actually… lose?
"No!" His roar split the sky. "Eight years of preparation! The free world of magic is within my grasp! I will not cannot fall here!"
The golden light around him flared violently, raw power surging past all restraint.
Until now, he had fought with the intent to preserve the Paradise Tower.
Now, that restraint was gone.
If destroying Chase meant obliterating the entire tower… so be it.
Jellal's eyes blazed with madness. "Meteor!!"
Jellal's "Rage" ignited. His speed became monstrous so fast that his golden afterimage still shimmered in midair while his true body had already materialized right in front of Chase.
Chase's eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms over his chest just as
Boom!
A blinding golden flash detonated. Even though Chase had tracked the trajectory and braced himself, the sheer force of the explosion hurled him backward, his boots gouging two deep trenches across the stone floor.
Jellal, wreathed in golden light, bent low, ready to press his advantage
Then something flickered at the edge of his vision.
A card, spinning lazily through the air.
Thunder cracked. From the card emerged a towering demon clad in white armor, arcs of lightning writhing across its body. Above its raised arms, the power of the storm coiled, restless and lethal.
Without hesitation, the demon unleashed its wrath.
Sizzle!!
A pillar of thunder split the sky, shattering Jellal's hastily-formed defensive array. The bolt smashed down, blowing holes clean through the tower's floors, each layer erupting like brittle glass.
Jellal fell, tumbling through the chaos, until at the last moment he wrenched himself free in a burst of golden light magic.
He streaked upward again, a comet of gold ripping through the gaping holes he'd fallen past, his right fist compressing magic into a dense, lethal point.
Above, Chase descended like a meteor of his own, his fist sheathed in the roaring, devouring power of God-Slaying magic.
Amidst the maelstrom of falling steel and stone, the two lights red and gold converged.
When they met, the world shook.
Bang!!!
The collision birthed a tearing storm. Red and gold energies clawed at each other like rabid beasts, and the shockwave that erupted ripped the surrounding structures into nothingness, leaving only a scorched, empty arena.
"Don't you see? We're only one step away from ending this world of tragedy!" Jellal's voice was raw with strain, his hair whipping wildly in the gale. His bloodshot eyes locked on Chase, teeth bared in a snarl. "We can create a new era an era of freedom! Why are you standing in my way, Chase!?"
Chase's right arm trembled with the force of the clash, but his voice cut through the storm, steady and unyielding.
"If you want a free world, build it yourself. Pinning your so-called salvation on someone you've never even met… that's not freedom. It's cowardice."
"You don't understand Zeref's mystery! His greatness!" Jellal's voice cracked into madness. "I am chosen by fate! Only I can hear his will! Only I know the beauty of the world he'll bring!"
Chase's gaze hardened. A hopeless fanatic.
Words would not reach him.
Chase exhaled, a quiet sigh lost to the roar of magic. Then, abruptly, he pulled back dropping his fist, letting the gathered energy dissipate.
For an instant, Jellal's face lit with triumph. His golden fist surged forward unopposed
But in that fraction of a heartbeat, light flared behind Chase.
Purple. Pink.
The Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl materialized in unison, their staves aligned and aimed downward.
"Black Explosion Destruction Magic!!"
Jellal's victory-smile froze. His vision filled with a swirling black sphere laced with crackling arcs of violet lightning.
The impact crushed his celestial magic mid-cast, driving him down the very meteor path he had blazed earlier straight into the lowest depths of the Paradise Tower.
Boom!!!
The detonation rocked the tower's foundations. Stone screamed and split; the entire structure shuddered, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Through the searing inferno, a streak of gold tore upward, blazing past Chase at breakneck speed and soaring higher into the sky.
The light unraveled, revealing Jellal clothes in tatters, face streaked with blood, yet eyes burning with manic resolve.
"Chase… you've forced me to this!" His voice cracked with fury. "Eight more years no, three years this time! That's all I need to build another Tower of Paradise!"
His hands blurred through the air, weaving lines of power into a vast magic circle that pulsed with destructive intent. The intricate design was unmistakable identical to the one the Phantom's Magic Giant had unleashed years ago.
The Council had branded it a forbidden spell.
Purgatory Shattering.
Chase hung in midair, watching, not yet striking. There was a reason. This battle had a second goal one that hadn't been fulfilled. He still needed a new card from Jellal. Everything would hinge on this last exchange.
With a deep breath, Chase dismissed the Magic Cylinder trap he'd hidden earlier. If the card was to awaken, he'd have to meet this head-on.
Scarlet magic surged around him, swirling tighter, denser until it took shape. A colossal sky dragon, solid and gleaming with god-slaying energy, coiled at his side. Its head lifted, eyes locking onto Jellal, and its open maw exhaled a heavy, suffocating breath of pure power.
"Let the entire tower burn to ash!" Jellal roared. "Shatter the Inferno!!!"
Chase's voice thundered in reply. "God's Wrath Superconducting Wave!!!"
Two lances of annihilation shot forth at the same instant. The leaking edges of their power alone ripped the Paradise Tower to shreds, erasing it into dust.
When the beams met, the world erupted.
BOOM!!
The explosion rang across the sea, its shockwave rolling outward in a monstrous storm. Waves rose like walls, hammering everything in their path.
Far away, Simon and the others clung to the deck of their ship as it bucked violently, the deck littered with overturned crates and scattered gear.
"This is insane! Are they even human?!" Wally shouted, his square face pale with fear. That tower had taken eight years to build nearly a thousand meters high and it was gone in seconds.
Simon and Hugh braced against the rail, grim-faced, while nearby, Millianna scrambled to grab the cat dolls tumbling across the deck.
She didn't make it. A sudden gust from the shockwave lifted her clear off her feet.
"Millianna!" Simon shouted.
He spun to grab her, but froze. Behind them, riding the chaos of the waves, a small, battered wooden boat was cutting through the spray. Several figures stood aboard one of them leaning over the side, vomiting.
Simon's heart stopped.
The wind whipped long crimson hair across his vision, framing a face he knew better than his own memories.
Erza.
With a splash, Millianna's flight ended in a collision straight into the armored woman's chest.
"Hhhn ! So hard! That hurts!" Millianna winced, clutching her forehead, too busy wincing to notice whose arms she'd landed in.
Erza looked down, eyes wide.
Memories she'd buried deep clawed their way to the surface the laughter of children, whispered promises in the dark, the faces of friends she thought she'd never see again.
The blurry image in her mind sharpened until it matched the girl before her perfectly.
Her voice trembled. "Are you… Millianna?"
....
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