"Harm them? That would be meaningless and too easy for them."
Ryoma merely tilted his head, looking at the trio of Wally, Simon, and Sho, who were huddled together in fear. A tiny, extremely cold ice crystal materialized in thin air at his fingertip, and then he flicked it.
Whoosh!
An almost imperceptible whooshing sound echoed as the ice crystal, now a white streak, flew past Sho's ear.
Sho's body stiffened abruptly. He could feel that extreme chill.
The ice crystal didn't hit anyone, it simply landed on a distant wall of the entertainment city. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an extreme coldness that instantly spread.
Crack—Crack—
Under the terrified gazes of the three, the distant wall was instantly covered by a thick layer of frost. Then, as if unable to withstand the terrifying cold, the entire wall exploded with a boom, turning into countless flying ice fragments.
That terrifying destructive power plunged the entire space into a deathly silence.
Sho, Simon, and Wally stared blankly at the huge hole in the distance, their bodies trembling like sieves.
They had no doubt that if that attack had been aimed at them, they would now share the same fate as that wall.
Ryoma slowly exhaled a puff of white air. With a thought, the heavy magical pressure, like a mountain pressing down on everyone, instantly vanished.
Thud!
Sho, Simon, and Wally's legs immediately went soft. Unable to support themselves, they all slumped to the ground, huddling together and gasping for breath, their backs drenched in cold sweat.
Ryoma no longer looked at them. With a casual wave of his hand, the destroyed wall and ground in the distance swiftly returned to their original state, as if time had flowed backward, under everyone's incredulous gazes.
It was as if that world-destroying strike had never happened.
Ryoma's gaze fell on the pale-faced Sho, and he ordered, "Release all those people."
Sho's body trembled violently. Faced with this unquestionable command, how could he dare to resist even an inch?
He struggled to his feet and, trembling, released all the ordinary citizens who had been sealed inside the cards.
"Ahhh!"
"Run!"
The released crowd immediately let out terrified screams, fleeing out of the entertainment city without looking back. They scattered in all directions, and in a blink of an eye, not a single person remained.
The noisy entertainment city fell completely silent.
"You damn bastards!!"
"What do you want to do to Erza?"
Just then, Natsu and Gray staggered to their feet, accompanied by two roars filled with anger.
Clutching their aching necks, they charged over with burning fury. Upon seeing Simon and the others, their eyes turned even redder.
"It was you who ambushed us, wasn't it! Take this!"
Ice-Make: Battle Axe!
The two roared, one on the left and one on the right, carrying scorching flames and icy coldness, rushing towards Simon and the others who were slumped on the ground.
"Stop!"
Erza's expression changed, and she immediately flashed forward, blocking Natsu and Gray, pulling them back.
"Erza?"
"What are you doing! They're the enemy!" Natsu said urgently.
Gray also frowned. "Move aside, Erza. Let us avenge you."
"No…" Erza shook her head, looking at her old acquaintances with a complicated expression, then at her guildmates.
Her voice carried a hint of pain. "Natsu, Gray, please wait. Things aren't what you think."
Seeing that the battle wouldn't erupt again, Simon slowly stood up. He first glanced at the expressionless Ryoma, then at the pained Erza, took a deep breath, and began to speak.
He recounted everything that had happened at the Tower of Heaven after Erza left.
He spoke of Jellal's claim that Erza had betrayed them by blowing up the only ship to escape for herself.
He spoke of how they had spent the past eight years under Jellal's rule, building the Tower of Heaven frantically, fueled by resentment towards Erza and a misguided desire for freedom.
As Simon and his companions narrated, every word was like a knife plunging deep into Erza's heart, causing her fists to clench involuntarily, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
Jellal… that once gentle companion, that figure who had left a ray of light in her heart, had now become so twisted.
After Simon finished speaking, Erza, suppressing her inner grief, told everyone the truth as she saw it, in full detail.
After listening to Erza's account, Wally and Millianna, who was still being held by Ryoma, both showed confused expressions.
The two completely different versions plunged their minds into chaos.
Only Sho, after a brief moment of being stunned, shouted, "You're lying!"
He pointed at Erza, his face filled with fanatical anger. "It was you, nee-san, who betrayed us! Jellal told us himself it was you! You blew up our only hope to escape for yourself!"
"You betrayed Jellal! You betrayed all of us!"
The term "nee-san" spoken from his mouth was filled with sharp accusation.
Erza's body swayed, her face instantly turning ashen. This accusation caused her more pain than any magic attack. However, before she could react, a dark shadow flashed past.
Bang!
A dull thud of flesh hitting flesh rang out.
Sho, who had just been screaming hysterically, arched his body, his eyes bulging, spitting out a mouthful of sour liquid. He flew backward and crashed heavily onto the ground several meters away.
This sudden kick stunned everyone.
Ryoma had appeared at Sho's original position at some point and was slowly retracting his right foot.
He looked down at Sho, who was coughing violently on the ground and unable to get up, his face devoid of any emotion, his voice chillingly devoid of feeling. "Hopelessly stupid."
"You believe whatever others tell you."
"And now you've turned into an abuser, inflicting the suffering you once endured, with interest, upon innocent people."
Ryoma's gaze swept over Sho, then over Wally and Millianna.
"It seems your minds are left with nothing but the hatred Jellal instilled in you."
Sho's face turned from green to white from the scolding. He struggled to lift his head, wanting to retort, but as soon as his eyes met Ryoma's extremely cold gaze, all words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single syllable.
"Ryoma…" Erza wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin.
Just then, Simon, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. His voice was hoarse but unusually firm.
"Ryoma… is right."
He looked at Sho, Wally, and Millianna, his eyes filled with a trace of pain and relief.
"We were the ones who were deceived all along."
"I… I always believed in Erza. She would never betray her comrades."
These words were like a clap of thunder in the minds of the trio, Sho, Wally, and Millianna, who looked at Simon in disbelief.
"Simon! You…" Wally looked at him incredulously.
"How could it be… even you, Simon…" Millianna's cat ears drooped even lower, her eyes full of confusion.
Sho struggled even harder to get up but fell again due to the sharp pain in his abdomen, only able to stare at Simon with an uncomprehending gaze.
"Enough."
Ryoma impatiently interrupted their impending internal argument.
"No more nonsense."
His gaze swept over the four of them: Simon, Sho, Wally, and Millianna.
"Now, as captives."
Ryoma's voice wasn't loud but it clearly reached everyone's ears, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Just take us to the Tower of Heaven."