The moment the battle horn sounded, Natsu was the first to charge forward. Leading the pack was his specialty, after all.
Right behind him was Gray, the two of them tearing through enemies like unstoppable beasts. No one could stand in their way—each punch took down an opponent, and no matter how many guards came at them, they couldn't slow Natsu and Gray's advance.
"Get outta my way!!"
"Don't block our path!!"
The dynamic duo bulldozed through the regular guards, storming into the Tower of Heaven with ease. Gajeel and the others followed close behind, mopping up any stragglers or soldiers who tried to get back up.
Of course, they held back just enough. These were ordinary humans, after all—not exactly built for a beating.
"Jellal! Get out here!!" Natsu shouted, running around aimlessly inside the tower, yelling into the empty halls. Every now and then, he'd run into a few patrolling guards, but they were quickly dispatched with a single blow.
Lots of energy, not much progress.
Jellal, the master of the tower, had already noticed the chaos. High atop the Tower of Heaven, he lounged in his exclusive throne-like chair, draped in a black cloak, laughing heartily. "Hahaha!"
"Lord Jellal?" A man with long black hair trailing on the floor and a hooked nose—Vidar—spoke up.
"Heh, Erza really is something else, isn't she? This is getting fun. Will I win, or will Erza? I can't wait to find out!" Jellal chuckled.
"Life and death… past and future… they're all tangled up in this game of paradise!"
Vidar looked puzzled. "Lord Jellal, what exactly are you planning? Are you just going to let these intruders run wild?"
"I told you, it's a game. I want them to struggle, to fight their way up to me. That's what makes it interesting!" Jellal said with a grin.
"But if we don't perform the ritual soon, the Magic Council will catch on," Vidar warned.
"Vidar, you're still worried about that?" Jellal replied dismissively. "No one's going to stop me."
Hearing Jellal's confidence, Vidar raised another concern. "Fairy Tail's no joke. If they keep this up, they'll reach you in no time."
Jellal smirked. "That's what makes the game fun. A one-sided match would be boring."
"Lord Jellal, you should capture Erza and start the ritual now. This isn't the time for games."
"Then go handle it, Vidar," Jellal said casually.
"Understood."
Vidar crossed his arms, and with a puff of smoke, he transformed. His demeanor shifted entirely—he was now decked out in heavy makeup, new clothes, and holding a guitar. Two others appeared beside him.
The Death's Head Caucus, an assassin's guild that took on deadly missions, was one of the dark guilds in the Fairy Tail world. Within it, the strongest team was known as the Trinity Raven.
The Trinity Raven had made a name for themselves during the Caplya War, where they assassinated an entire group of western officers. The trio consisted of Vidar Hawk, the guitar-wielding, long-haired musician with dramatic makeup; Owl, a burly man with rocket launchers on his back who looked like an owl come to life; and their leader, Ikaruga, a female swordsman with cherry-blossom-colored hair, dressed in a kimono.
With the Trinity Raven's departure, the game had officially begun.
Jellal stepped down from his throne. In the empty room, a stone table held a chessboard with black-and-white squares, adorned with cartoonish figurines. He was like a mastermind, playing with people as his pawns for his own amusement.
Moments later, the walls of the Tower of Heaven sprouted countless mouths.
"Welcome, everyone!"
The voice echoed, causing everyone rampaging through the tower to freeze.
"I'm Jellal, the ruler of this tower. Both sides have their pieces in place, so shall we get started?"
Natsu tilted his head, confused by the voices coming from the walls. "A game?"
"The rules are simple," Jellal continued. "I'll use Erza as a living sacrifice to perform the ritual to revive Zeref. If I open the gate to paradise, I win. If you stop me, you win."
"But that alone wouldn't be fun, would it? So I've added three extra warriors on my side. You'll have to get past them to reach me."
"In other words, this is a 7 vs. 7 showdown!"
Gajeel mentally counted the players on both sides. Fairy Tail's team included himself, Dispersal, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Erza, and Happy. Jellal's side had Jellal, Vidar, Owl, Ikaruga, Card Guy, Cat Girl, Diamond Guy, and Simon.
"Wait, isn't that 8 vs. 8?" Gajeel muttered. Even if Happy wasn't counted as a fighter, Jellal's side had four people who might betray him at any moment. Was this guy for real?
Aside from Jellal, Ikaruga was the only one with decent skills, but her swordsmanship was no match for Erza's. And with Dispersal on their side, or even Juvia—who could take a beating for hours without flinching—Gajeel couldn't wrap his head around it. Had Jellal been cooped up so long he forgot how to size up his opponents? How was his team supposed to win?
"One last special rule," Jellal's voice boomed. "The Magic Council might use their Satellite Square to attack this tower. That's Etherion, the ultimate destructive magic that can wipe out everything. No one knows when it'll strike, but when it does, everyone here dies—no winners, just game over."
"So, enjoy the game to your heart's content!!"
Jellal's declaration left everyone stunned, especially the four on his side who were helping him for their own freedom. They hadn't expected him to disregard their lives so casually.
Erza was the most shaken, worried for her former comrades and terrified of Jellal's true intentions.
Gajeel and Dispersal, on the other hand, were unfazed. They knew Jellal's plan and weren't worried about Etherion's threat.
"What the… what's Jellal thinking?" Lucy said, trembling. "Calling this a game when we could all die, even him?"
Not just Lucy—Gray and Juvia were uneasy too. The only one unaffected was Natsu, mostly because he had no clue what Etherion even was.
"Don't worry! We'll be fine!" Gajeel reassured them, explaining the connection between the Tower of Heaven and Etherion. "This tower's basically a giant magic crystal, not much different from my own magic crystals."
"Even so, it's still unsettling…" Lucy mumbled.
Gajeel grinned confidently. "Relax. By the time that happens, the fight'll already be over."
Just then, a commotion erupted ahead. Erza was locked in battle with a group of guards.
"Erza!" Natsu shouted, waving wildly.
Erza noticed them, her expression shifting. "Why… why are you here?"
"We're here to save you!" Natsu yelled, fuming. "That Jellal guy's gonna pay!"
"Go back!" Erza's eyes flickered with hesitation. "This isn't a place for you."
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