"No, that's impossible. Millianna loves cats too much—I don't believe she would ever harm Happy." Erza raised her sword to block the way.
"I'll take full responsibility and bring the two of them back. You all need to leave here at once," Erza declared firmly.
"No way. If it's without you, Erza, then…" Lucy protested.
But Erza immediately cut her off, her voice resolute: "This is my problem. I won't drag you all into it."
"Why!" Noel couldn't help but burst out.
"This isn't just your problem anymore—it's ours. You saw it yourself, didn't you? Natsu has already made his stance clear."
"And besides," Noel continued analyzing, "this game has already begun. I doubt we could walk away now even if we wanted to."
"Erza, what exactly is this tower? And who is Jellal?" Lucy pressed, hoping to pry out some crucial information.
But Erza fell silent. Noticing her unease, Noel added, "If you don't want to say, then fine. They claimed to be your old companions, right? But right now, we're your companions. So lean on us a little, won't you?"
"That's right." Gray voiced his agreement.
"Go back," Erza insisted.
Gray frowned. "That doesn't sound like you at all, Erza. Normally you'd just say, 'Don't ask anything—just follow me.' Wouldn't it be better to act like that now too?"
"Yeah. As long as we stand together, we can overcome anything."
"Even someone who's afraid of thunderstorms—if they have company on a stormy night, they'll find courage and won't be afraid anymore." Noel chimed in with a smile.
Then he pleaded earnestly: "Please…let us fight by your side."
Erza turned her head away, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I'm sorry. No matter if I win or lose this battle…I'll vanish from the outside world."
"What do you mean?" Noel asked, curiosity mingled with unease.
"This is a future that can't be resisted."
"So while I still exist…I'll tell you everything."
"This tower is called the Tower of Heaven—its other name is the R-System." Erza revealed.
"I've heard of that," Noel recalled. "It was something built years ago by a cult that worshipped black magic. The Magic Council handled the matter back then."
"They say there were seven towers built, but they were all destroyed, weren't they?"
"Yes. But this…this is the eighth tower. And it's already complete." Erza's words stunned everyone.
"What's it for?" Noel pressed.
"It's a forbidden magic designed to resurrect the dead," Erza answered.
At that, Noel almost laughed. Reviving the dead? What a ridiculous notion.
It was simply impossible. To bring back the dead required an unimaginable price—a price no one knew for certain.
Even if you built a tower and cast the forbidden spell, the person revived might not truly be the same one.
The body could be reconstructed easily enough for ordinary humans, but the soul…that was another matter.
You'd have to pay a price to search the Gate for the correct soul. And even if you did find it, it was still only theoretical.
No one had ever succeeded. Every last person who attempted resurrection had died for it.
And even if success was possible, the odds were slim. Worse, the one resurrected could just as likely be some demon from history—or a powerful sorcerer.
The vessel required for such beings would need to be of extremely high quality, and such bodies were rare.
And during the soul-searching process, there was another problem: powerful beings would never allow their souls to be seized so easily.
Even with protections in place, there was still the danger of a mental backlash.
There was one possible workaround, though—though even that came with risks.
"So they're planning on using living sacrifices, aren't they?" Noll suddenly asked.
"…How do you know that?" Erza demanded, clearly startled.
Judging by her reaction, Noel knew he had guessed right. The skeletal remains in the sea suddenly made sense—they must have been sacrifices.
Erza leveled her sword at him. "You owe me an explanation."
"I'm something of an expert in this field," Noel replied calmly. "I've been researching it for some time. I also inherited my master's legacy—his research findings, his will."
Alchemy was a tradition of passing down unfinished studies from master to disciple, each generation continuing where the last left off. Over time, the knowledge grew, piling higher and higher, until one day the work might finally reach completion.
"…Don't tell me there's some sort of twisted 'god' sealed inside this tower—one that whispers to people in the dark?" Noel speculated, recalling his own experiences.
"I don't know," Erza admitted warily. "But…you might be right."
Her expression told Noel his guess had hit close to the mark. There was something unnatural about all this.
"Ever since that name was spoken…Jellal has never been the same," Erza confessed.
"What name?" Noel asked.
"Zeref," she whispered after a pause.
"You're sure it was Zeref?" Noel's eyes narrowed at the forbidden name.
"What is it? Do you know something?" Erza pressed urgently.
"Have you heard of Zeref's demons? Deliora, and the one we fought in Lullaby—they all came from Zeref's books."
"After that, I tried searching for more about Zeref. I even went to Hargeon's library. But I found nothing."
"Other than the demons, it was as if half the records about Zeref had simply vanished. I searched for hours and came up empty."
Now, though, Noel felt a deeper dread. What they were up against was no longer something simple.
After explaining the Tower of Heaven, Erza also revealed her past—and her personal grudge with the tower itself.
Noel began to piece it together. Perhaps Jellal had succumbed to temptation—had made a deal with Zeref. That must be why he had become what he was now.
But then a chill ran through Noel. What if he had given in back then—what if he had made a pact with the God of Truth? Would he too have ended up like Jellal?
Fortunately, he had resisted. Had he not, he might have been the one building a Tower of Heaven right now…for someone else's resurrection.
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