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The story opens in a dark, sunless building.
Young children and elderly people were captured by evil forces and sold to the Black Magic Cult, becoming slaves who toiled day and night in this sunless place.
To prevent the slaves from thinking of escaping, the guards only gave them meager food and very little rest.
But where there is oppression, there is resistance.
Facing a cruel fate, a red-haired girl among the slaves conceived the idea of resisting the guards and leading everyone to escape, and she received support from a blue-haired boy.
The unyielding will of the two children brought hope to those who shared their misfortune, like a faint glimmer of light appearing in the darkness.
However, in the darkness, how much can a faint light illuminate?
Time and again, their escape attempts and resistance ended in failure. As the leader, the girl endured multiple inhuman tortures, the most severe of which was the cruel blinding of her right eye by the guards.
Until the last failure, the boy chose to take the punishment in place of the scarred girl, and before he left, he didn't forget to whisper encouragement to the girl not to give up.
To free everyone and to save the boy, the red-haired girl and her companions made one last stand, willing to fight to the death.
All the enslaved people engaged in a desperate struggle with the guards who enslaved them, but due to the disparity in strength, the slaves suffered heavy casualties, and even the old man who cared most about the children died saving the girl.
The tragic sight of her companions constantly falling stimulated the girl's nerves—the mental anguish awakened her Magic, allowing her to successfully turn the tide of battle and achieve victory.
However, when the girl went to save the boy, she found that after an unknown ordeal, the gentle boy had become incredibly cruel. He even decided to continue building the Tower of Heaven.
The girl naturally refused to agree, but facing the boy, who had also awakened his Magic, the girl, whose body was already overdrawn, was cruelly ravaged.
Perhaps it was a final shred of his true self at work, but the boy did not kill the girl. Instead, he threatened her with the lives of her remaining companions, demanding that she keep everything here a secret and never return...
At this point, Simon and the other three already believed Erza.
Or rather, they had always harbored doubts in their hearts about Jellal's claim that "Erza abandoned everyone and left alone."
It was only their trust in Jellal, and the blow of Erza's sudden departure at the time, that prevented them from raising questions.
Now, having heard Erza's explanation, the four of them believed her without hesitation.
"Jellal... why would you do this to us?"
Wally's square gun had reverted to an arm, and he slammed it against the wall. By now, how could he not understand that it was Jellal who had destroyed the ship back then?
For seven years, Jellal had kept them fed, clothed, and well-rested, taught them Magic, and made them work hard to build the Tower of Heaven, claiming it was for the freedom that only darkness could bring.
But that longed-for freedom was within reach seven years ago!
It was Jellal who, to use them to continue building the Tower of Heaven, personally destroyed their path to freedom!
"Erza, I'm sorry."
Looking at the teary-eyed Millianna, Erza generously gave her a hug. She had never been angry about the past unpleasantness.
Shô, who regarded Erza as his older sister, also wanted to hug Erza, but was too embarrassed to compete with Millianna, so he could only wipe away tears of excitement from the side.
"By the way, Simon, do you know what Jellal wants to use the Tower of Heaven for?"
Erza looked at Simon, whose emotions were relatively stable, and Simon did not betray Erza's trust, revealing information Jellal had kept from the four but which Simon had investigated.
"Jellal wants to use the Tower of Heaven to resurrect the Black Mage."
"What?!"
Both Erza and Millianna's group of three showed shocked expressions.
Even Millianna and the others, who had been in the Tower of Heaven for a long time, knew who the Black Mage was—he was the idol worshipped by the Black Magic Cult they hated.
Black Mage Zeref!
Jellal actually wants to resurrect him!
Amidst her shock, Erza also breathed a sigh of relief and revealed the news of Jellal's capture to her former companions.
With her testimony, although Simon and the others helped build the Tower of Heaven, as victims deceived by Jellal, they were very likely not to be punished by the Council and would even receive a resettlement fund from the Council.
This immediately made Millianna cheer. Her dream was to raise a group of cats after gaining freedom.
Wally and Shô also imagined what would happen after leaving the Tower of Heaven—one wanted to find his brother who had been taken from the Tower of Heaven, and the other wanted to see the world.
Even the usually steady Simon couldn't help but plan to find his sister, with whom he had been forced to separate.
It seemed everything was turning for the better, yet a sudden flash of a sword shattered the joy of reunited friends.
Fortunately, Erza's vigilance had not relaxed due to her joy, and she timely drew her sword to block the sword flash, which could only be considered a warning.
Clack... clack... the unhurried sound of wooden clogs approached.
The newcomer wore a chest-high kimono, with long cherry-blossom colored hair reaching her waist. Her looks were not exceptionally striking, but the two red moles beneath her eyes and her red lipstick gave her a stunning impression.
The woman, wearing high wooden clogs, held a half-human-sized longsword in her arms and elegantly bowed slightly to Erza and the others, her voice soft:
"My name is Ikaruga. It is a pleasure to meet you."
From the first glance, Erza knew that the opponent was definitely a rare swordsman.
In this world of Magic, there are many Mages who use swords as weapons, but only a few can be called swordsmen.
"Be careful, she is Ikaruga, the captain of the assassination squad 'Trinity Raven.' Even Jellal has praised her strength."
Simon stood in front of his companions, looking at Ikaruga with a grave expression, calculating whether his body could withstand her sword long enough for his companions to escape.
Wally immediately saw through Simon's idea of sacrificing himself and quickly transformed his arms into square guns, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Don't even think about it, Simon."
"We must leave here together!"
Shô drew a Magic Card and stepped forward with Millianna. Having finally gained freedom, they certainly didn't want to see their companion face a powerful enemy alone.
A warm current flowed through Simon's heart, but he also knew how terrifying Ikaruga was. A few second-rate Mages like them were no different from watermelons in her eyes.
Just as Simon thought, although Ikaruga was very polite, she indeed did not take them seriously. Only one person was worthy of her attention.
"Fairy Queen, I've heard much about you."
Ikaruga lowered her gaze, holding her red longsword horizontally across her chest. "Jellal once said you are the best sacrifice, so please stay."
Hearing these words, Erza's eyes narrowed, becoming serious. "I would very much like to know what you mean by 'sacrifice,' but I suppose you won't tell me."
"So, I'll just use my sword to make you speak."
As soon as her words fell, silence filled the air.
Ikaruga held her sword in her left hand by her side, her right hand lightly resting on the hilt.
Erza reached for one of the swords at her waist.
The next second, the sound of metal clashing echoed, and the surrounding walls and the ground beneath their feet almost simultaneously showed several thin, long sword marks.