Although Natsu and Gray were a bit slow to process the vastly different accounts from Simon and Erza, they trusted Erza.
Since Erza said that guy named Jellal was a bad person, then he was a bad person.
"That bastard Jellal!"
Natsu's fists ignited with raging flames, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Unforgivable! I will definitely beat him up."
"That's right." Gray said with a fierce expression. "We must beat him up."
The two were seething with anger, looking ready to rush out and pick a fight at any moment.
Erza looked at her former companions and then at her guildmates, her expression extremely complex. She opened her mouth as if to stop all of this.
"But..."
"Erza."
Ryoma slowly walked to Erza's side, his gaze calmly fixed on her. His calm voice temporarily quieted the noisy scene.
"Escaping won't solve any problems."
"The only way to end it is to face it head-on, and then crush it completely with your own hands."
Ryoma's words, though not heavy, clearly echoed in Erza's heart, causing her slightly trembling body to gradually steady.
Ryoma paused, a confident curve forming at the corner of his lips.
"Besides, with our current combat strength, what is there to be afraid of?"
Erza looked up into Ryoma's confident eyes, then at Natsu and Gray, who were furious for her behind him. Her last trace of hesitation vanished.
She nodded heavily. "Mm."
Seeing Erza's resolve, Ryoma turned to Lucy and Mirajane.
"You two stay here."
"Immediately contact the guild and tell Master everything that happened here."
"Huh?!" Lucy immediately became anxious. "But we want to help too."
Ryoma shook his head, his tone brooking no argument. "This is a necessary backup measure, and it's part of the mission."
Mirajane held back Lucy, who was still trying to argue, and nodded solemnly to Ryoma. "We understand. You all... must be careful."
...
With Ryoma's absolute display of force and Simon's active cooperation, things progressed unusually smoothly. The group quickly arrived at the ship belonging to Simon and his companions by the sea.
The atmosphere on the ship was unusually oppressive.
Natsu was temporarily knocked unconscious, while Gray's gaze was fixed on Sho, Wally, and Millianna, as if he would pounce on them if they made the slightest move.
Sho huddled in a corner of the cabin, hugging his knees, his face extremely gloomy. He occasionally looked up at Erza, his eyes filled with confusion, anger, and unwillingness.
The kick Ryoma delivered earlier left not only physical pain but also a huge spiritual shock.
Millianna was completely deflated, curled up next to Wally like a kitten who had done something wrong, her cat ears drooping weakly, not even looking at her favorite cats.
Wally's block-like face just stared blankly at the distant horizon.
Simon, the only one moving normally, silently steered the ship. His active cooperation was not only due to Ryoma's display of force but also to actively end this tragedy.
Ryoma sat cross-legged in the center of the deck, his eyes slightly closed as if in meditation, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere around him.
His mind had long since sunk into his own thoughts.
The Tower of Heaven... the R-System.
Information about this thing clearly emerged in his mind. It was a forbidden magic system created by the dark mage Zeref, aimed at resurrecting the dead. However, such magic that reversed life and death inevitably came at a heavy price, requiring a person with immense magical power and a large number of living sacrifices.
'So passive defense is meaningless. Jellal's ultimate goal must be to find a way to capture Erza and use her as that sacrifice.' Ryoma's thoughts were clear.
'To solve this once and for all, the only way is to physically destroy that tower."
...
At the same time, inside the Tower of Heaven, Jellal's face was ashen.
Ryoma's understated demeanor lingered in his mind like a nightmare.
"Damn it..."
He cursed softly, his eyes flashing with suppressed anger and a hint of... fear.
Just then, the space around him twisted, and the projection of a graceful female figure appeared—it was Ultear.
"Jellal, your capture failed." Ultear's voice was as cold as ever.
Jellal's eyes instantly sharpened, and he said in a deep voice, "That man named Ryoma... his magic power has exceeded the realm of common sense."
Jellal suddenly turned to Ultear's projection, a hint of urgency in his voice. "I can no longer rely on those guys. The existence of that man is the biggest variable, he might even turn them against me."
"So, what's your plan?" Ultear asked.
A flicker of madness flashed in Jellal's eyes.
"Advance the plan."
"My thought projection has already gone to the Council. Now I need you to come with me to persuade those stubborn old geezers."
"Fire Etherion."
Jellal suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with pathological madness and arrogance.
"Haha... it's best to make them think that this is the only way to destroy the Tower of Heaven."
"But in reality, the tower itself is composed of materials that can absorb magic power. A direct bombardment of Etherion will not destroy it. Instead, it will instantly provide it with enough energy."
"By then, the resurrection ritual will be finished."
He ignored Ultear and waved his hand, closing the communication projection.
"Act quickly, we don't have much time left."
He was the only one left in the control room. He slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of obstruction to the sky at the top of the tower.
"Erza..."
"Soon... soon we will be truly free in our true paradise."
...
Splash—
Cold waves crashed against the hull, splashing salty spray.
"We've arrived."
Simon's hoarse voice broke the silence on the ship.
Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all looked forward.
At the end of the horizon, an isolated island shrouded in dark clouds appeared. It was an island made up of numerous jagged reefs, and the surrounding sea was turbulent.
And in the very center of the island, a massive, unimaginably large black structure stood like a twisted lightning rod piercing the sky.
The entire body of the tower was wrapped with countless bizarre, thorn-like metal branches.
Erza looked at the tower, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Is that... the Tower of Heaven?" Gray muttered to himself.
Because they were on Simon's ship, they easily avoided the hidden reefs and sentries, smoothly sailing towards the island's shore.
Creak—
As the bottom of the ship made a slight scraping sound against the sandy shore, Ryoma, holding the unconscious Natsu, was the first to leap from the ship and then woke Natsu up.
Erza, Gray, and the others followed suit, one by one stepping off the ship.