Chapter 81: Etherion
"BOOM!"
Jellal screamed as Dino's fist connected, sending him hurtling backward into the Tower of Heaven's spire. The impact shattered the structure into countless fragments before he managed to stop himself mid-air.
Hovering there, he stared at Dino in disbelief, his face twisted in frustration. "Damn it! How is this possible?! How can you be that fast?!"
Dino looked up at him with a casual expression. "You know, you really love the sound of your own voice. As someone who prefers civilized conversation, I didn't want to be rude and interrupt your monologue. But I never said I was slow—where did you get that idea?"
"Bastard! I don't believe you can match my speed! Meteor!" Jellal's body became engulfed in golden light as he accelerated to incredible speeds.
"Heavenly Body Magic: Grand Chariot!" While zipping through the air, Jellal quickly launched his spell at Dino, six orbs of concentrated stellar magic shooting toward him.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!"
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!"
The explosions lit up the sky, but Dino burst through the smoke and flames, appearing instantly beside Jellal with his fist cocked back.
"What?!" Jellal barely had time to react before Dino's punch crashed into him.
"Tch!" Jellal snarled, the golden aura around him flaring even brighter as he pushed his Meteor spell to its limits, barely dodging at the last second.
"CRASH!" Dino's fist slammed into the ground instead, leaving a massive crater.
The two figures became blurs of motion, their clash sending shockwaves throughout the Tower of Heaven. The entire structure groaned and trembled from the force of their battle.
Jellal appeared behind Dino, sweeping his leg in a vicious arc. Dino kicked off the ground, leaping into the air with practiced ease.
A triumphant grin spread across Jellal's face. "Fool!"
The sky is my domain. Anyone who can't fly has just sealed their fate. In the air, there's no way to dodge!
"Die! Heavenly Body Magic: Altairis!" Jellal appeared above Dino, dark energy swirling between his hands as a black hole-like sphere began to form.
In a flash, Dino's figure vanished and reappeared right next to Jellal.
"Wha—?! Impossible! How did you get here so fast?!" Before Jellal could complete his spell, Dino's foot crashed into his side.
"GAAAHHH!" Jellal's scream echoed across the tower as he was sent flying, smashing through several stone pillars before finally coming to a stop.
After a long moment, he crawled out from the rubble. His once-pristine robes were torn and bloodied, his body clearly suffering from serious injuries.
"I'm a bit curious," Dino said, walking toward him with measured steps. "Why did you specifically invite me here? Got a death wish or something?"
"Guh…!" Jellal coughed up blood at those words, his face flushing with rage.
Struggling to his feet, Jellal glared at Dino with fanatical eyes. "Cough… Everything… everything is for the great Dark Mage Zeref! You are to be the sacrifice! Only by offering your body can we achieve the complete resurrection of the great Zeref!"
Dino raised an eyebrow. "Zeref? The Black Wizard Zeref is alive and well, you know. He literally can't die even if he wants to. Last I heard, he's ruling an entire continent as its emperor, living quite comfortably. What exactly are you trying to resurrect?"
"What did you say?!" Jellal's head snapped up, his eyes wide and bloodshot as he stared at Dino.
"Oops. Got my timeline mixed up there."
"What do you mean by that?! Tell me clearly!" Jellal shouted, desperation creeping into his voice.
"It's better if you don't know. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss."
So that's what's going on, Dino thought to himself. If I'm not mistaken, Ultear must have manipulated this idiot into targeting me. Some kind of revenge plot? Though knowing her, she's probably just following orders from whoever's pulling her strings. Being used as a pawn… how annoying.
"Dino!"
He looked up to see Erza and the others arriving, all of them sporting various injuries. Apparently, Jellal had prepared quite the welcoming party for them as well.
"Jellal!" Erza's eyes widened, and she immediately rushed forward, pressing her sword against Jellal's throat before anyone could stop her.
Jellal looked at her with surprising gentleness, his voice softening. "Erza… it's been so long. You've become even more beautiful."
Dino's eye twitched at the display. No man wants to watch another man look at his woman like that.
He decided to cut through the romantic tension. "Actually, it hasn't been that long. After all, you've been attending Magic Council meetings under your fake identity as 'Siegrain,' haven't you? Quite the promotion, becoming a Council member."
"What?! That's you?!" Erza's face went pale. She'd met Siegrain multiple times—had even tried to attack him once, convinced something was wrong, only to be stopped by the other Council members who insisted he was Jellal's twin brother. She'd never found the evidence she needed, always suspecting something was off. "So it was you all along!"
Jellal glanced at Dino with narrowed eyes. "I'm impressed you knew about that." The admission hung in the air—he wasn't even trying to deny it.
"Kill him, Erza-nee!" Sho shouted, tears streaming down his face. "This bastard betrayed you! Betrayed all of us! He's been lying for years—he has to pay for what he's done!"
Simon's voice was cold as ice. "Do it, Erza. Don't hesitate! This man is a monster! As long as he's alive, he'll come back to haunt us!"
Millianna and Wally both stared at Erza with the same desperate intensity, silently begging her to end it.
Dino and the rest of Team Natsu remained silent. Dino had deliberately left Jellal alive for exactly this reason—this was Erza's decision to make. He would respect whatever she chose.
Suddenly, Jellal began to laugh—a mad, unhinged sound that echoed through the tower. "Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!"
"Kill me? Go ahead then! It doesn't matter—you'll all be dying with me anyway!"
"What are you talking about?!" Erza pressed the blade forward, drawing blood from Jellal's neck. The crimson trickle made his already pale face look almost ghostly.
Jellal's grin widened into something manic. "Heheheh… what do I mean? Well, as you now know, I am a member of the Magic Council."
"Not long ago, I called an emergency session with all the Council members. I successfully pushed through a motion to fire the Etherion satellite cannon… aimed directly at this tower. In five minutes—no, probably three minutes now—everything here will be reduced to ashes!"
"BZZZZTTT!"
As if responding to his words, the sky above suddenly erupted with light. A massive golden magic circle materialized in the heavens above the Tower of Heaven, humming with incomprehensible power.