"Jellal———!!"
Erza swung her sword at him with fury.
BOOM!!
The throne Jellal had been sitting on split in two under her strike.
"Jellal! Sho and the others trusted you with everything! And this… this is how you repay them?! You didn't just deceive them—you crushed their dignity and spat on it!"
Her voice trembled with rage.
Erza had suffered these past eight years—but it was nothing compared to what Sho and the others endured. And the one responsible for it all… stood there, grinning. Without guilt. Without shame.
"Erza…" Sho's voice cracked as tears streamed down his cheeks.
He had spent so long enduring in silence. But now—finally—someone was standing up for him.
Jellal spread his arms and laughed.
"Dignity? What dignity? Haven't I treated them well all these years? I gave them food, clothes, even magic lessons. I promised them a future!"
"But you stole their freedom!" Erza shouted.
"Freedom?" Jellal laughed wildly. "Hahahahaha! Tell me—where in this world does true freedom exist? Outside, people are shackled by family, by marriage, by work. Is that freedom? Have you seen anyone truly free? Only Zeref's world offers true freedom. And I—I'm leading them there."
The moment he spoke Zeref's name, a flicker of madness sparked in his eyes.
"That's nothing but your delusion," Erza growled.
"You never once asked them what they wanted."
"Hah. Their opinion?" Jellal sneered.
"Why would the strong care what the weak think? You've been out in the world all these years, Erza—and you still don't understand? It's survival of the fittest."
"Jellal, you bastard!" Sho roared.
He flung a flurry of spell cards at Jellal.
"Hmph! I'm the one who had those spells taught to you. You think I wouldn't know how to counter them?"
Jellal raised a hand. Shadows surged—Dark Wraiths—and shattered Sho's cards before slamming into his chest.
"Ugh—!"
Sho collapsed in a heap.
Erza rushed to his side and caught him.
"Sho! Are you alright?!"
"I… I'm sorry, sis…"
He had known the truth deep down. But hearing it from Jellal's own mouth—so cold and casual—had broken something inside him.
"Don't apologize," Erza said gently.
"You've done nothing wrong."
She turned to face Jellal, eyes cold and focused.
Jellal smiled faintly. The idea of apologizing to people like them was laughable to him.
"...You seem awfully calm," Erza said coldly.
"Does that mean all your talk about Etherion was a bluff?"
"No," Jellal replied.
"Etherion will fall. In ten—no, nine minutes, it will hit."
Erza frowned. She couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not, but the precision in his timing was… suspicious.
"Sho. Get out of here. Tell everyone else to evacuate the tower."
"What about you, sis?"
"I'll deal with Jellal. Eight years of pain and betrayal… it ends today."
"...Alright. Be careful."
Sho staggered off. He'd wanted to be the one to end this himself—but the reality was clear: Jellal had crushed him in one blow. If he stayed, he'd only get in Erza's way.
Jellal watched him leave, indifferent. Sho was just another pawn—disposable once spent.
"Eight minutes left," he said.
"Let's make them count."
"Eight minutes is more than enough."
"Hah. You're all bark, Erza. Have you forgotten how I banished you from this island eight years ago—tail between your legs?"
With a smirk, Jellal launched another wave of Dark Wraiths.
Erza danced between them, slashing them apart one by one.
BOOM! BOOM!
The wraiths collided with pillars and walls, shattering them.
"...You used to value this place. Now you're destroying it yourself."
"Just some columns," Jellal said flatly. "Decoration."
"And yet Sho and the others trusted you… for eight years… for those stupid decorations!"
"Spare me your lectures!" Jellal barked.
"The R-System is complete! Those fools have served their purpose!"
More wraiths surged and coiled around Erza's limbs.
"People aren't just tools! They're not useful or useless!!"
With a roar, Erza activated Requip Magic. A flash of armor gave her just enough resistance to break free.
"Fairy Blade Dance!!"
She lunged at Jellal, blade flashing, and carved a deep wound across his stomach.
"Urgh!"
Shing!
Her sword stopped at his throat.
"Tell me. What's your real goal?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie to me. The R-System was never completed, was it?"
Erza's gaze burned.
"I've been investigating it these past eight years. The structure of this tower—yes, it matches the original blueprint. But to activate something on that scale? It would require at least 2.7 billion Ether Units of magic. Even if every mage on the continent contributed, you'd fall short."
"And you knew the Council was planning to strike. Yet you didn't flee. So what are you really trying to do?!"
Jellal smiled.
"Five minutes left until Etherion falls."
"Jellal!!" Erza shouted.
"Your delusions ended long ago! Do you plan to just die?!"
"Ahh… Maybe that's fine too."
His eyes turned vacant.
"My body's already been claimed… by Zeref's spirit. I can't fight it. I'm just a vessel now—meant to revive Zeref in the flesh. I can't save myself. No one can."
"That's why I said… freedom? Paradise? None of it exists. It was all doomed before it even began."
"I know the R-System won't work. But Zeref's spirit won't let me stop. It's too late. I'm just a runaway train now."
He looked up at Erza and smiled.
"You've won, Erza. Kill me—and escape with the others."
Clang.
Erza let her sword fall to the floor and sank to her knees across from him.
"You're a victim too… of Zeref."
Jellal's face dimmed.
"This is punishment. For my cowardice. For the gap between my dreams and reality. I hurt you… and Sho… and all the others."
Erza shook her head.
"No. It's not your fault. You saved me once—but I couldn't save you. So let me take your burden."
"Erza… you've alread—"
"BLEURGH!"
Suddenly, a loud retching noise echoed from the window.
Erza turned, startled.
"Kaien?!"
He was sitting casually on the windowsill.
"Sorry… couldn't hold it in. But seriously, Erza—you're way too easy to fool. Haven't you heard the saying? 'A man's mouth is full of lies.' And you're buying all this crap? What an idiot."
"...What?"
Erza blinked in confusion.
Kaien turned his attention to Jellal and gave him a mocking grin.
"But you—man, you're good. Just spouting bullshit left and right. No wonder so many people fell for it."
Jellal stared at him, bewildered.
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"You don't?" Kaien said, voice sharp.
"Erza—kill him."
Erza didn't understand what was going on, but she trusted Kaien. She reached for her sword.
WHAM!
Jellal lashed out with a sudden kick, knocking her across the room.
"Urgh!"
She crashed to the floor and looked up, stunned.
Jellal adjusted his hair and grinned.
"Ugh, and the mood was just getting good. Why'd you have to show up and ruin it?"