Simon broke into a sprint, and the others followed closely behind him.
To be honest, the tower really was like a maze. All the twists and turns were enough to make Noel dizzy.
They exited through a door on the left, re-entered through a door on the right, and finally emerged into a long corridor.
"Can we really trust this guy?" Gray muttered warily. "I'll admit he didn't try to kill us, but still…"
"I'm not asking you to make excuses for me," Simon replied evenly.
"You heard that?" Gray was startled. He had spoken so quietly, yet Simon still caught it.
"Assassins don't just have sharp eyes," Noel explained. "Their hearing is keen as well."
"You heard it too…" Gray sighed, feeling exasperated.
"Of course. I use wind magic. The wind carries your words to me." Noll added lightly.
"Actually, he was testing your strength," Noel continued thoughtfully.
"That's right. If someone at that level couldn't survive, then they'd never stand a chance against Jellal." Simon nodded. "But one thing I'm certain of—Natsu will never die."
"What about me?!" Lucy cried, clearly feeling ignored.
"You still haven't realized Natsu's true power," Simon said. "But when he unleashes the power of the dragon, evil will be destroyed."
"Dragon power?" Noel's professional curiosity sparked instantly. "Sounds fascinating…I'd love to study it."
For a fleeting moment, he even considered hiring Natsu as a research subject. But then he remembered Natsu's monstrous appetite. On second thought—better not. He couldn't afford it.
"You're interested in dragon power?" Simon asked curiously.
"An alchemist is interested in anything unusual in this world. That's simply our creed," Noel said naturally.
Suddenly, a broadcast echoed throughout the Tower of Heaven. Noel couldn't quite figure out the mechanism behind it.
"I am Jellal, ruler of this tower. All the pieces are in place."
"What's going on?" Gray frowned.
"It's a kind of magical device. Didn't you see something similar in Jose's Magic Giant?" Noel reminded him.
Gray nodded vaguely—he got the idea.
"It's time to begin—the Paradise Game." Jellal's voice boomed. "The rules are simple. I intend to use Erza as a living sacrifice in the resurrection ritual of Zeref."
"So it really is that…" Noel muttered.
"You know something?" Simon looked at him intently.
"Of course. To bring someone back from the dead requires an equivalent price." Noel paused, then explained, "This tower is, in my eyes, an alchemical construct. Its very principles follow the law of Equivalent Exchange."
Simon listened intently as Noel went on: "He said he wants to resurrect Zeref. That means, as a price, he'll need a body of similar value to serve as the exchange."
"Of course, this only follows the rules of alchemy. Theoretically it could work…but in reality, it will never succeed." Noel's tone was firm.
"Why are you so sure? Do you know something?" Simon pressed.
"It's not that I know some hidden truth—it's that this magic is too logical."
Simon was baffled. Too logical? Isn't magic supposed to be logical? If it weren't, how would it even function?
"You don't understand," Noel explained patiently. "Magic of this kind cannot be rational. It always requires special sacrifices as a catalyst—only then do the hidden magic circuits reveal themselves."
"This one, though, is too rational. Even without sacrifices, it could function—at least superficially. That makes it a failure."
"And even if Erza were used as a sacrifice, it still wouldn't make sense."
"Zeref's power is on a scale far beyond us. To think Erza alone could suffice as a price is ridiculous. More likely, this whole setup is just a façade."
Noel rattled off one technical term after another, leaving the others looking dazed, struggling to follow his train of thought.
Then the broadcast continued.
"In other words, if the Gate of Paradise opens, I win. If you manage to stop it, you win."
"But that alone would be boring. So I've deployed three warriors."
"If you cannot overcome their defenses, you will never reach me."
"It will be a three-versus-nine battle. One more thing—the Magic Council may decide to unleash Etherion."
"The ultimate destructive spell that annihilates everything—Etherion!"
"The time is uncertain…but once Etherion strikes, there will be no victor. The game will end in destruction."
"What is he thinking?!" Lucy gasped, horrified at such madness.
"Etherion…?!" Erza was shaken as well.
"Of course. The Council again." Noel scowled. "As if things weren't troublesome enough, now they want to make it worse."
"I've said it before—the Council has no right to exist. I'll admit, their magical research is worth referencing."
"But those fools can't think. How could they even consider firing something so dangerous at will?"
"People will die! Is this really how that magic is meant to be used—?" Noel launched into an unending tirade.
"Is he always like this…?" Lucy sweat-dropped.
"Don't worry. Whenever it involves the Council, he gets like this." Gray explained.
"This mood will probably last a while. Best we just endure it."
Then, without warning, Sho whipped out a card. Before anyone could react, Erza was sealed inside it.
"Jellal is mine to defeat—alone!" he shouted, then bolted away.
"Stop! You can't do this by yourself!" Simon dashed after him.
"There'll always be reckless ones…" Noel sighed, then followed as well. "Be careful, all of you! Stay safe!"
Lucy and Juvia nodded, then disappeared into another chamber.
Noel and Simon crossed paths briefly.
"Which way leads to the top floor?" Noel asked.
"You're going to challenge Jellal?" Simon said.
"I suppose so," Noel answered uncertainly. Then added, "But more than that…I need to confirm something. There are things that bother me."
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