The raging magic storm raged for nearly a full minute before finally beginning to fade.
When the last tremors stilled and the sea settled back into uneasy calm, the towering Tower of Paradise was gone.
In its place, the island was blanketed in glittering fragments shards of pure magic crystal. These were the very crystals Jellal had embedded deep within the tower, meant to draw in the Council's Magical Pulse Cannons twenty-seven billion units of conceptual magic power to fulfill his ultimate goal.
The resurrection of Zeref.
Although the clash between Chase and Jellal had fallen short of that destructive magnitude, the crystals had still absorbed a massive amount of energy. From a distance, the small island shimmered with an otherworldly blue glow, like a frozen dream suspended in time.
On that crystalline battlefield, Chase and Jellal stood facing each other, bodies bloodied, chests heaving, each at the ragged edge of exhaustion.
Silence reigned broken only by the sound of their heavy, labored breathing.
"You… actually forced me to this point," Jellal muttered hoarsely, his voice dripping with fury. "Even Purgatory Shattering… and you're still standing…"
His gaze swept across the ruined ground, drinking in the sight of his shattered ambitions. The Paradise Plan eight years of scheming, sacrifice, and ruthless construction was dead. Irrecoverably dead.
The grief in his heart twisted into rage.
"Magic or no magic… I'll kill you with my bare hands! I'll smash your skull in piece by piece until nothing's left! Chase!!"
His fists clenched, knuckles raw and bloodied, his eyes burning with a madness that could swallow the world.
From arcane grandeur to primal violence it was a dangerous shift. But Chase only smiled, lips tugging upward despite the blood on his face. His voice was steady, his presence domineering.
"Sorry, Jellal. I'm not in the mood for that right now."
Because in their ultimate clash just moments ago, something had happened two new cards had awakened from Jellal's magic.
He could barely contain his excitement.
Jellal's aura flared, his sneer venomous. "Afraid now? It's too late! Your magic's gone. Mine's gone. We finish this with our fists whether you like it or not!"
"You think my magic is gone?" Chase tilted his head, a glint in his eyes. "That's just what you think."
A faint glow sparked at his feet, spreading outward in the outline of a concealed card. Slowly, the image solidified a card designed to flood the body with power in an instant.
Trap Card – Stamina Booster: Super Z!
A low hum filled the air as the card activated. From within a sinister bottle, a shimmering liquid poured forth, vanishing into Chase's body.
A sudden gale whipped across the crystalline field. Chase's weary aura surged, expanding violently, rising higher and higher.
Super Z could not mend torn flesh or clear the fog of exhaustion but the raw magic it restored was more than enough to turn the tide.
More than enough to send Jellal spiraling into despair.
"Y-You're kidding! This… this is impossible! How can a card like that exist?!"
His voice broke into a ragged scream, the disbelief twisting his features into something monstrous. If he could rewind time, he would never have stepped into this fight. Not against a man wielding such impossible power.
Chase's smirk deepened.
"Never underestimate the bond between a Card Mage and his deck."
Chase took a long, steady breath, rolling his shoulders as his magic flared faintly. Stretching out his arms, he beckoned Jellal with an infuriating smile.
"Aren't you going to smash my head with your fists? Well… now's your chance. Come over."
Jellal froze. His lips trembled, no words forming only a long, bitter silence.
Then, with the last threads of his resolve unraveling, he made his choice. Burning his life force, he severed the fuel feeding the magic cauldron and unleashed what remained of his magic in one final, desperate blaze.
The golden light that had been fading now roared back to life, flooding the battlefield in a blinding surge.
Chase didn't move. Arms crossed, he simply watched, silent and patient, as Jellal's dying struggle reached its peak.
When the light was at its brightest, Chase lifted a hand, his voice calm almost playful.
"My turn. Draw a card."
A sharp violet flare sliced through the golden glow. Between his fingers appeared a card unlike any seen before dark, ominous, and humming with power.
"Come forth… from the depths of hell itself. The king of ultimate destruction. The apex of the demon realm's hierarchy "
His voice cut like a blade.
"Halfas!"
A deep, intricate magic circle bloomed beneath them, swirling with dense, abyssal energy. From the vortex rose a figure, her presence radiating both beauty and terror.
Long snow-white hair danced in the wind beneath a crown of icy-blue horns. Elegant wings and a sinuous tail of the same hue swayed with a predatory grace, framing a form both flawless and dangerous.
"That's right," she purred. "I am the legendary Demon God Halfas Mirajane form."
The missing demon goddess stepped forward, tilting her head with a faint smile. The sweetness of her expression contrasted sharply with the crushing wave of magic she exuded a smile beautiful enough to freeze the blood.
If Lucy had been here, she would have spun around with a groan, muttering about how childish Chase's summoning lines were.
But Mira? She would never complain. She would only follow his lead without hesitation because to her, fighting side-by-side like this was thrilling. She enjoyed every second of it.
"Go," Chase commanded, pointing straight at Jellal. "Demon God attack directly!"
With the Tower of Paradise in ruins and a new card finally in play, Mira who had been waiting patiently moved to deliver the perfect finale.
Jellal's face twisted, veins bulging at his temples. To be toyed with like this, twice, was an insult beyond measure.
"Die! Meteor!!"
He launched forward in a golden streak, the wind howling, murder in his eyes. But his body was spent he was no match for a demon at full strength.
Especially not one whose greatest weapon was speed.
Boom!
They clashed for only a heartbeat before Mira's magic beam sent Jellal hurtling backward, crashing onto the glittering crystal floor.
A shadow fell over him. Mira stepped onto his chest, pinning him in place.
She leaned forward, one clawed finger poised above the space between his brows.
"Eyes," she said evenly. Her fingertip drifted closer.
Jellal's pupils shrank, his head jerking to the side. His consciousness snapped and from his mouth, a ghostly wisp of energy slipped free.
According to Elfman's own account, when Mira first accepted the power of Demon God Halfas, she destroyed half a city simply by performing this exact move.
Makarov had been left fuming over the damages… and the loss to the guild's pension fund. From that day on, this technique was strictly forbidden.
Of course, Jellal hadn't literally been scared into unconsciousness.
The truth was far simpler his body and will had already been pushed beyond their limits.
"It's not satisfying!"
Demon God Mira pouted, turning to Chase with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Her gaze equal parts cruel and eager spoke of someone who wanted the fight to last just a little longer.
"Uh… please go easy on me. I'm seriously injured here," Chase said, instinctively taking a half-step back.
"Well, for the sake of "
A wisp of icy-blue smoke curled off Mira's body as the demonic form faded. In its place stood the familiar, gentle big sister of Fairy Tail. She shot Chase a sidelong glance and smiled playfully.
"I'll let you off… because you're handsome."
The wind quieted. Shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds, painting Mira's sweet, charming smile in warm gold. Just like that, the battle for the Tower of Paradise was over.
Yet Chase's mind was on something else entirely.
One strike from Mira had completely emptied her magic. The "blue bar" was too short.
At this rate, how was he supposed to draw more cards from her?
No he needed to find time to train her, to push her limits.
"Chase!"
The sudden shout pulled him from his thoughts.
Turning, he saw Natsu, Lucy, and the others making their way across the island's glittering crystal floor. Erza led the group, her steel boots crunching over the shards.
From Simon, she had learned everything. Her expression was tense far more serious than when she usually scolded Natsu and Gray.
"Oh, Erza. You're here," Chase greeted with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry about back in prison. I know I promised… but I ended up destroying the place tied to your childhood memories."
Erza didn't answer. She lowered her head, her pace quickening, crystal shards snapping beneath her steps.
When she stopped in front of him, her voice shook. "Chase, you idiot… why did you do something so dangerous!"
From the moment she'd heard Chase and Mira had gone to the Tower of Paradise, she'd been in shock. She had spent the entire trip here in fear. No one knew better than her how deadly the tower was or how far gone Jellal's madness had taken him.
If her personal past had dragged Chase or Mira into danger… or worse… she didn't even want to imagine the outcome.
As she'd once told herself she was a coward.
So cowardly she could only pray nothing would happen.
For Natsu, the trip had been nothing more than seasickness.
For her, it had been an endless storm of dread, guilt, and regret.
"The reason's simple," Chase said, meeting her misty eyes. His usual smirk faded into something steadier, more sincere. "Because we're partners. The Master always says a comrade's pain is everyone's pain, and a comrade's sadness is everyone's sadness.
"If this rotten tower and that rotten man brought you so much suffering, then we'll destroy them together."
Hearing him speak so lightly about something that had nearly cost him his life, Erza's anger flared. "That's a completely different matter!"
"The result's perfect, isn't it?" Chase replied with a casual wave.
That was the last straw.
"You reckless fool! Do you even value your own life?!"
Her crimson hair whipped in the wind as her magic surged. The Titania's fist rose high, her fury radiating off her in waves.
"Wait, Erza !"
Lucy's face went pale. She had never seen Erza like this before.
After all the time she'd fought alongside Erza, Lucy had never seen her this angry before.
Sure, Chase had already defeated the enemy and ended the Tower of Paradise crisis, but Erza's fury hadn't cooled in the slightest.
"It's fine, Lucy. Don't worry," Mira said, stepping in front of her with a gentle smile, stopping her from trying to intervene. She cast a sidelong glance toward Chase and Erza.
Natsu, Gray, and Happy stood back as well, watching with relaxed smiles, as if relieved by the sight before them.
"It's not worth worrying about little things like that," Mira murmured.
"Since you're the Fairy Queen, all you need to do is keep that strong, cool image in Natsu and Gray's minds," Chase said over the howl of the magic storm.
He didn't defend himself, didn't even brace. Instead, he slowly turned, deliberately leaving his back exposed to her raised fist.
"I don't ever want to see those tears of fear and helplessness again, Erza. Not like the ones you shed that night in the prison."
With a resigned sigh, he added, "This is your one chance to beat me. If you need to, do it."
But when her fist finally came down, it struck with surprising gentleness.
A moment later, there was a soft, warm weight against his back. Erza had buried her face between his shoulder blades, leaning into him. The tremor in her body had stilled.
Tears trailed down his unguarded cheek, pattering onto the magic crystal underfoot in tiny splashes of light.
This time unlike back in the Council's prison both of her eyes, even the artificial one, brimmed with tears.
"Very good."
Seeing Erza's emotions settle, Lucy let out a long breath, the worry easing from her face.
"That's still not fair, Chase! You didn't take me along for the fight!" Natsu complained immediately.
"Idiot. Are you stronger than Mira? That guy was one of the Ten Wizard Saints same as Jose and the Master," Gray shot back with a smirk. "If I'd brought you, you would've just slowed us down."
After returning from the Council, Makarov had given his own analysis: Jellal and the mysteriously vanished Siegrain were most likely one and the same. The Ten Wizard Saint badge lying nearby all but confirmed it.
"Tch! Even so, I'd be better than a naked pervert like you!" Natsu retorted.
"What was that, you candle-on-a-birthday-cake idiot?!"
"You're bringing that up again? Forget it. I've always seen you as that little brat Ulu talked about on Galuna Island!" Natsu mimicked Ulu's tone perfectly.
Predictably, Gray's temper snapped. The two slammed foreheads, launching into their usual loud, ridiculous scuffle.
"Love~ Before that, can someone help us?"
Happy, still trapped in Millianna's overly affectionate grip, raised a trembling paw toward Mira.
But Mira ignored his plea entirely. She'd just told Lucy not to worry yet now her cheeks were puffed out in clear annoyance as her eyes narrowed on Chase and Erza.
Unhappy.
Super unhappy.
"So… what about him?" Lucy asked hesitantly, pointing toward Jellal's unconscious form sprawled nearby, eyes rolled back.
The image of the magical blast that had obliterated the tower still lingered in her mind, and even now, seeing him unconscious didn't stop the unease that prickled at her skin.
"Leave him to me."
The voice came from behind, low and heavy with an undercurrent of sorrow.
Lucy turned toward it, recognition flashing in her wide eyes.
"Ultear?!"
....
Keep supporting me with you comments and reviews if you like the story please drop a power stone and your support is very much appreciated.
Want to read 40+ chapters ahead , share your fandom thoughts, or just fuel my translation caffeine habit? or if you want to support me please Join me on Patreon here! :
patreon.com/Keep_ItUp