"Exactly. I've already gathered enough intel within the Council. This identity is no longer useful. You should retreat as soon as possible."
Ultear's voice sounded rushed. Chaotic footsteps and distant shouts echoed in the background.
"Mm, I got it."
Wes Elwin responded casually, his eyes fixed on the massive Tower before him. He could feel the immense energy within it fluctuating wildly.
"Do as you like, but hurry. The Council has already dispatched a large force—and among them are two of the Ten Wizard Saints."
The moment Ultear finished speaking, the communication abruptly cut off, leaving only silence.
Wes put away the communicator.
Having absorbed 2.7 billion units of conceptual magic, the Tower of Heaven now resembled a colossal magical crystal—radiant, dazzling, and a once-in-a-lifetime treasure.
Wes judged that the Magic Council was unlikely to launch Etherion again. The power he desired was right here, within reach.
"In that case, I won't be polite."
"Shatter and Divide!"
He drove his staff deep into the ground.
With a heavy rumble, the enormous mass of magic crystal—large enough to fill an entire floor—was sliced into countless brick-sized fragments.
His suitcase became like a bottomless abyss, swallowing every precious crystal piece one by one.
From the outside, it looked as if the top floor of the Tower of Paradise had been sliced clean off by an invisible blade, leaving behind a hollow gap.
Erza and Jellal didn't even have time to understand what happened before the floor beneath them gave way, sending them plummeting downward.
When they regained their footing on a lower level, they finally realized how dire the situation had become.
"STOP!!" Jellal roared.
Wes seemed completely detached, ignoring Jellal's warning altogether.
He needed to collect the entire tower's magic crystals before the Council's army arrived. Time was tight—every second mattered.
"Heavenly Body Magic: Meteor!"
Jellal dashed forward, leaving a trail of afterimages as he shot toward Wes, determined to stop the madness.
"Armor Ward."
A silver suit of armor materialized around Wes, blocking Jellal's punch with ease.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"
Jellal shouted again, fury burning in his eyes, but Wes paid him no mind and continued his task.
A blinding bolt of lightning shot from the tip of Wes's staff, streaking toward Jellal.
Jellal flickered out of the way—his speed like a shooting star.
"Binding Web!"
The lightning transformed into a massive net, sweeping toward Jellal from all directions, cutting off every escape route.
Jellal was caught at the center of the giant net.
"Dark Paradise!"
Jellal crossed his arms upward, summoning a black vortex above his head.
Like a miniature black hole, it unleashed a devouring force so strong that even light couldn't escape—much less a net woven from lightning.
Wes's spell was swallowed whole, but he knew Jellal couldn't maintain the technique for long.
This guy isn't someone I can take down quickly.
Wes's goal wasn't to defeat Jellal—it was to recover as many of the Tower's magic crystals as possible.
I'm not fully practiced yet, but stalling him shouldn't be a problem.
Wes began casting a new spell. His figure gradually blurred, accompanied by an intense vibrating distortion.
A second Wes separated from his original body like a phantom emerging from fog.
This was no ordinary clone magic.
It was a technique that evenly divided Wes's own strength and magic, giving the clone the exact same power as the original.
No matter how powerful the attack, this clone would not disperse easily.
The only drawback—every wound the clone sustained would be reflected directly on the real body.
But for the current situation, that much support was more than enough.
The two Wes Elwins shared the same mind. Without exchanging a single word, they reached perfect synchronization.
The real Wes charged toward the furious Jellal, while the clone immediately sprinted off, rapidly collecting the scattered magic crystals around the area.
This action completely infuriated Jellal. Veins bulged across his forehead as his rage erupted like wildfire.
"You think this will let you slip out of my grasp?!" he roared, unleashing another wave of magic.
A torrent of celestial power burst from him.
"Heavenly Body Magic: Grand Chariot!"
Seven radiant lights appeared in the sky, arranged exactly like the Big Dipper, shining with blinding brilliance.
Moments later, seven stellar beams crashed down like meteors, aiming straight for Wes—powerful enough to rival real starfall destruction.
Facing such annihilating force, Wes was already prepared.
A mysterious stream of water materialized around his body, spiraling upward in a rapid, swirling motion.
The current grew faster, stronger, larger—until it defied gravity and shot skyward in a towering water column that pierced into the clouds.
The two opposite forces clashed violently in midair.
Steam exploded everywhere as the water was vaporized by the intense energy, blanketing the entire Tower of Heaven in a thick mist.
"Frozen Domain!"
Wes let out a low command as magic surged from him.
In an instant, the environment transformed.
The air temperature plummeted far below zero.
Snowflakes drifted from the sky.
Even breath condensed instantly into frost-filled mist.
Jellal's speed dropped sharply, his movements sluggish for a split second.
Wes seized the moment—he hooked his left index finger.
A pillar of ice shot up from under Jellal's feet, launching him skyward.
In the air, with nothing to brace against, Jellal lost equilibrium.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A killing curse whistled through the air, locking onto Jellal with a chilling aura of death.
Jellal sensed the fatal threat instantly.
"Triple Magic Array – Mirror Water!"
Three magic circles—black, purple, and red—appeared before him, forming a perfect defensive barrier.
Wes's killing curse struck the first circle—and bounced back at even greater speed.
Wes teleported away, leaving only fading afterimages.
Jellal gathered power at his palms.
"Nine Lightning Stars!"
Nine condensed spheres of powerful magic shot toward Wes from every direction, forming a full-range assault.
But Wes dodged all of them with fluid ease.
His slippery, relentless movement exceeded even Jellal's expectations.
If he keeps collecting those magic crystals, all my years of planning will be ruined…
At this moment, Jellal desperately needed a powerful ally.
"Damn it! Why hasn't Ultear arrived yet?!"
°°°
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