"See how powerful I am!" Wally roared, bringing his staff down and knocking out a supervisor who charged at him.
"Thanks to you all, I've had plenty of training every day!" On the other side, Simon shouted as well, slamming his shovel hard against a supervisor's forehead, instantly knocking him unconscious.
The others were similar, grabbing their weapons and fighting the supervisors. It proved that the power people unleashed under extreme oppression was absolutely unimaginable! Even though the supervisors were strong, including several low-ranking Mages, they couldn't stand against the overwhelming fury of the angry crowd fighting for freedom! No matter how hard they fought to suppress the uprising, they couldn't withstand the surge of people.
Under the violent revolt initiated by the impassioned crowd, the supervisors felt like small, fragile boats. The former sacrificial laborers, whom they had viewed as lambs for slaughter, were now bursting forth with a terrifying, tidal wave-like power, relentlessly crashing against their brittle defenses.
Even though they managed to organize an effective resistance, under this unstoppable, terrifying force, they could only struggle desperately, unable to launch any effective counter-attack! They were like small vessels fighting the power of nature in a stormy sea, precarious and seemingly ready to be swallowed by the merciless ocean at any moment…
"Damn it! This won't work! This revolt started by these cursed sacrifices is far greater than we imagined! This is no longer something we can easily solve on our own. If we're not careful, we might all be wiped out here!" A supervisor, who looked like a small leader, took shelter behind a large rock. While organizing his people's defense, he instructed a subordinate: "We must report the situation to the Lords immediately! Request the Lords' reinforcement—"
Meanwhile, in the other location.
A pained Jellal Fernandes was tied up, his hands bound behind him, against a thick pillar. If you looked closely, it was the exact same pillar used to restrain Erza!
That's right, this was the same dark room that Erza had been in—the room feared by everyone.
Head lowered, Jellal leaned weakly against the pillar, his listless appearance clearly showing he had endured immense torture.
"Hmph hmph hmph, you little brat, still daring to play the hero? You even injured quite a few of our comrades! I think you truly have a death wish, boy!!!" The fat Mage, his face twisted with anger, pointed his magic staff forward. A burst of dark purple electric energy shot out from a purple magic circle above his head, once again enveloping Jellal on the pillar!
"Aah—" As the electricity violently crackled across his body, the pain-stricken Jellal couldn't help but look up and scream in agony.
"Confess honestly, do you have any other accomplices?" The fat Mage took a step forward, grabbing Jellal's sapphire-blue hair and demanding fiercely, "Judging by the destroyed Magic Soldiers, you must have at least one other accomplice! Otherwise, there's no way you could have run so far carrying another person while surrounded by Magic Soldiers!!!"
Hearing this, Jellal's body suddenly shook, and a glint of surprise flashed in his eyes, as if he had just heard wonderful news!
The reason was the fat Mage's interrogation. From the Mage's words, Jellal realized they hadn't captured anyone other than himself and Erza! Otherwise, they wouldn't be bothering with this elaborate interrogation.
Jellal knew exactly whose work those destroyed Magic Soldiers were! But he never expected that Big Brother Calvin, after destroying so many of the enemy's troops and covering their retreat to buy them time, still hadn't been caught by these despicable bastards!!!
This was the best news Jellal could have received after enduring so many blows today!
Big Brother Calvin is alive! Was there anything better than that?!
Thinking this, Jellal couldn't help but let a look of excitement and relief shine through.
"Hey, brat! Confess your accomplices immediately!" After waiting for a long time and seeing no sign of the stubborn boy speaking, the fat Mage finally grew impatient. "If you confess willingly, not only will you suffer less physical pain, but I might even be extra merciful and give you a quicker death!!!"
"Ha." Jellal strained to lift his head, pulling free from the thin Mage's grip on his hair. Then, with mocking eyes, he looked at the thin Mage, parted his lips, and softly spat: "Idiot. Fat pig…"
"You brat!!! I'll kill you—" Enraged, the fat Mage, his tender spot struck, raised his magic staff, ready to give the hateful boy a lifelong lesson. But before he could finish his threat, he was suddenly interrupted by a subordinate who stumbled into the room!
"Report!!! Disaster, my Lords!" The supervisor stammered quickly, "Outside, the—the sacrifices have all rebelled! We are on the verge of collapsing!" His voice trembled, and his eyes were filled with terror, showing he was completely terrified.
"Fool! Why are you panicking?! What is there to panic about?!" The fat Mage, already furious, became even more enraged. Especially seeing his subordinate's frantic expression, he roared furiously at the subordinate kneeling on the ground: "Pass on the order! Deploy the Magic Squad! Suppress those arrogant sacrifices immediately!!!"
"Yes!" Relieved, the supervisor was overjoyed and scrambled away to relay the Lord's command.
"Hey, forget about him. How about we go take a look ourselves?" The thin Mage, who had been observing coldly, suggested with a smile, "I'd really like to see the despairing look in the eyes of those ignorant mongrels when they are suppressed by the Magic Squad, hahahaha—" He couldn't help but laugh maniacally.
"Heh heh heh, indeed! Then let's go take a look—" Hearing this, the fat Mage's anger subsided considerably. Rather than sulking here, he preferred to go and enjoy the look of despair in the eyes of those who dared to rebel before they died…
"As for you, until you truly grasp the greatness of our God, you will stay here and reflect quietly! This ritual will continue until you learn to revere God—"
With that, the fat Mage didn't hesitate, no longer bothering with Jellal tied to the pillar, and laughed as he quickly walked out with the thin Mage.
"God? Hmph—" Head lowered, Jellal seemed to be mulling over the fat Mage's words, muttering: "A God who cannot even save a child, even if such a thing exists, I do not need it…"
It was at that moment that a pair of eyes, unseen by anyone else, fixed coldly upon Jellal from the shadows. With the appearance of these eyes, a strange, sinister power filled the entire room.
Jellal, enveloped by this eerie power, was immediately and gradually eroded. Already harboring a faint resentment towards this dark, endless life, Jellal's initial resentment was infinitely magnified under the influence of this power.
"I hate—" Jellal muttered to himself. Under the power's influence, the expression in his eyes slowly began to twist into something sinister.
"Hate…" The owner of the eerie eyes spoke softly, with a voice full of temptation.
"I despise everything. Them, and the so-called God. I despise everything in this world—" As if the erosion by the power grew more severe, Jellal's muttering grew louder, and the expression in his eyes became increasingly malicious and strange.
"Hate, then. I will devour your hatred. Human suffering makes me stronger…" The owner of the strange eyes continued to tempt him.
"Fortunate Jellal. You are able to perceive my existence because of the intense resentment in your heart. You are far more fortunate than those who only know to worship me but do not know that only those with intense hatred can see my true form—" Blocks of dark red magic slowly gathered before Jellal, eventually forming a massive, demonic, scarlet entity. The eerie voice emanated from inside this thing, "Ah ha ha ha ha! Come now, indulge in your hatred! Indulge in your resentment! My name—Zeref! Only hatred can sustain my existence—" As it finished, a large, sinister scarlet eye suddenly opened at the top of the entity!
"Ah, yes…" Jellal muttered to himself. Simultaneously, strange scarlet markings suddenly spread across his right eye. His lips stretched into a wide smile, a smile more evil than ever before.
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield, Erza Scarlet was leading a group of impassioned people forward. Their goal was clear: to rescue the captured Jellal! And to find the person who had disappeared without a trace—Calvin Unknown!
So, what was our protagonist, Calvin Unknown, doing now? Was he truly missing, his fate unknown as Erza and the others feared, or had he successfully escaped, as the fat and thin Mages speculated?
All is unknown.