From such a height, the surface of the sea would feel as hard as concrete.
Falling at that speed would shatter a person into pieces.
Wes Elwin felt nothing toward this.
If they can't save themselves, then they can simply be left to die.
His gaze soon returned to the fierce battle between Jellal and Erza.
At this moment, Erza had completely taken the upper hand.
Every one of her strikes forced Jellal to defend with everything he had.
He could barely hold on—counterattacking was no longer possible.
"You really are terrible. Even now, you refuse to reveal your true strength?"
As a bystander, Wes could clearly see it—
Jellal was stalling for time.
He was only using dark magic against Erza, deliberately refusing to unleash his full power.
When Erza's sword rested against Jellal's neck, she gave him one final chance:
"You've lost, Jellal! Your plot has been exposed. Stop this!"
Jellal's eyes dimmed.
"You're still as gentle as ever, Erza… but it's far too late."
"It's not too late!" Erza refused to abandon her childhood friend.
She believed Jellal was inherently kind and brave.
"Erza…"
Jellal suddenly lifted his hand and softly touched her cheek.
He whispered beside her ear:
"Everything is over.
I've already won!!"
By the final word, his voice twisted into manic laughter.
The once-cold expression warped into something crazed and arrogant.
Erza froze, then instantly realized—she had been tricked.
"Jellal!! You're the one person I will never forgive!"
Fueled by fury, she swung her sword to strike off his head.
Jellal no longer bothered pretending.
With a flick of his finger, Erza's blade flew from her grasp.
Under her shocked gaze, Jellal calmly sat back onto his throne and pointed toward the sky.
"Erza, you've gotten slow. Haven't you sensed what's about to descend?"
Erza looked upward—and her eyes widened in disbelief.
A massive magic circle had formed in the heavens, radiating an overwhelming, terrifying power.
"What… is that…?"
She had never felt magic this horrifying.
Wes Elwin's expression grew solemn.
He stood and locked his gaze onto the colossal spell above.
Only someone who had faced the destructive force of Etherion firsthand could understand the true weight of this power.
Cold sweat trickled down Wes' forehead.
"So this is it… the Etherion, the attack said to be powerful enough to destroy an entire nation."
"It seems someone does know," Jellal said casually.
Sitting comfortably on his throne, he seemed completely unfazed by the imminent threat.
He leisurely explained Etherion to Erza as if discussing the weather.
As Erza struggled to understand why the Council would unleash such devastation, Wes suddenly said:
"It's coming."
Both Erza and Jellal turned their eyes toward the sky.
Erza's gaze was filled with terror and unwillingness.
Jellal's expression, however, was full of anticipation.
Wes, who already understood everything, did not show a hint of panic.
The massive magic circle suddenly halted its rotation.
The world fell silent—unnaturally silent.
Even time itself seemed frozen.
A suffocating, deathly stillness.
"BOOM!!"
A thunderous roar exploded across the heavens as the attack descended, engulfing the Tower of Heaven entirely.
The aftershock of the attack stirred up towering waves. Even the sky trembled as the sea surged violently, swallowing the surrounding ships one after another.
When the attack finally ceased and the smoke dispersed, the Tower of Paradise still stood unshaken.
"Hah~ hah~ hah~!" Jellal covered his face and burst into wild laughter, his voice echoing through the wind. "It can finally begin! Zeref is about to be revived!"
Wes dispelled the magical barrier and stood atop a transparent crystal floor.
He could clearly sense the magic within it. Though it was insignificant to him, the entire Tower of Heaven had completely transformed into this high-density magical crystal—over a hundred meters tall, crystal-clear, like a massive gemstone.
At that moment, a man who looked exactly like Jellal appeared before everyone.
The only difference was that the tattoo on his face was reversed, and he wore a white robe.
Erza, as if seeing a sliver of hope, shouted, "Siegrain! Stop Jellal!"
"Idiot," Weiss couldn't help but complain. "Can't you see they're the same person?"
"You're naïve to the point of being laughable," Jellal sneered, the corner of his lips curling.
Siegrain's body gradually merged with Jellal in a glow of light until he was completely absorbed.
Jellal's stamina and magic fully returned to their peak.
He stood up and casually stretched, his joints cracking crisply.
The next moment, Jellal vanished and reappeared right in front of Erza.
Before Erza could react, his heavy punch struck her squarely in the abdomen.
Erza collapsed to the ground, curling in pain, her face pale as cold sweat dripped down her forehead.
Weiss connected to Ultear's communication link.
"What is it?" Ultear's voice came from the other side—quiet, strained, and accompanied by hurried movement, as though she were evading pursuers.
"Not a good time?"
"My identity's been exposed. I'm fleeing from the Council." Though she spoke calmly, tension underlined every word.
"I don't understand my purpose here," Weiss asked bluntly. "Even without me, Jellal's plan would've gone smoothly."
"It was just a test—to see whether you were a mole planted by the Council," Ultear answered truthfully.
"And the result?"
"Obviously, you're not," she replied succinctly.
"Then what was the purpose of constructing the R-System?"
"There has never been a successful case of constructing the R-System in history. Lord Hades found that unfortunate."
"In truth, we didn't have any specific goal in building the R-System. We simply had the opportunity and wanted to try."
Weiss understood. The construction of the R-System wasn't driven by a strategic need—it was merely an experiment because the opportunity presented itself.
After all, Hades was Zeref's disciple and revered his teacher deeply.
Perhaps it was nostalgia. Perhaps tribute. But there was no concrete purpose behind it.
"So that's how it is. In that case, I won't hold back."
"What are you planning?" Ultear's voice sharpened instantly.
"You've abandoned Jellal and the R-System, haven't you?"
Weiss spoke while stretching lightly.
Just standing around doing nothing wasn't his style.
°°°
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