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Clang, clatter, clang~
That was the sound of a sword breaking into several pieces and falling to the ground.
"Impressive swordsmanship, to actually keep up with my Mugetsu-Ryu."
Ikaruga slowly returned her longsword to its sheath. "It's a pity your sword is too ordinary—it couldn't withstand my strike."
Erza dropped the broken sword in her hand. Indeed, ordinary weapons were insufficient to contend with a powerful swordswoman like Ikaruga, but what she lacked least were weapons.
Requip: Black Wing Armor.
In the blink of an eye, the ordinary knight's armor on Erza's body was replaced by black armor with a pair of wings, and she held a Black Wing Sword, pointing it at Ikaruga.
Seeing the Fairy Queen use her true power, Ikaruga dared not be careless.
Holding her sword in her left hand by her side and lightly pressing her right hand on the hilt, Ikaruga slightly lowered her upper body, then unleashed a sword technique capable of tearing through space.
Mugetsu-Ryu: Yasha's Empty Flash!
The sword technique was so fast it left no trace. Even Simon and the others, who had been constantly vigilant of Ikaruga, couldn't clearly see the speed of her draw.
The characteristic of Mugetsu-Ryu swordsmanship is its speed—so fast that it can hit the target before they fully realize it. Further advanced, it can even sever the target's nerves without harming their physical body.
If it were the Erza of the past facing such terrifyingly fast swordsmanship, she would undoubtedly find it difficult to parry.
However, today was different from the past. Erza, whose swordsmanship and physique had both improved, easily captured the brilliant sword light with her eyes.
Mugetsu-Ryu swordsmanship was indeed fast, but the current Erza was even faster!
A sharp metallic clang echoed, and the surging sword aura cut a huge gap in the corridor ceiling.
The kimono-clad figure floated backward. Since leaving her master, it was Ikaruga's first time seeing someone successfully block a serious strike from her. The long-lost joy made her hands, which held the sword, tremble slightly.
There were too few swordsmen in this world. Ikaruga yearned to fight pure swordsmen.
Unfortunately, Ikaruga's expectation could not be realized through Erza. Although she possessed exquisite swordsmanship, Erza was still more of a Mage.
Drawing her sword to attack again, Ikaruga took a step and swiftly moved several meters forward. Although she wore heavy geta, it didn't affect her light footsteps and movements in the slightest.
"Mugetsu-Ryu: Yasha's Empty Flash—multiple strikes!"
It was an extension of the previous sword technique. The multiple slashes were swifter and more powerful than before.
Erza was expressionless. With a flick of her wrist, the Black Wing Sword, wreathed in a dark luster, swung down, unleashing an X-shaped slash that cut through all the approaching sword aura.
As if she had anticipated this, Ikaruga leaped into the air, using the twist of her body to drive her longsword, unleashing a full-force, crescent-shaped slash.
"Mugetsu-Ryu: Yasha's Empty Flash—crescent strike!"
With the crescent moon above her, Erza swiftly drew another Black Wing Sword from her Magic space. The combined power of the two swords instantly made the "crescent moon" above her head vanish like a mirage.
Seeing her attack neutralized again, Ikaruga no longer held back and unleashed her strongest technique, returning her longsword to its sheath and then striking out again.
"Mugetsu-Ryu Secret Art: Garuda Flame!"
This sword strike was surprisingly accompanied by a large amount of high-temperature flames and contained astonishing sharpness.
However, just like Vidaldus's misjudgment of Gray, thanks to Natsu's frequent challenges, high-temperature flames were nothing new to Erza.
With a flap of her armored wings, Erza showed no fear, twirling her two swords to create a vortex of air, breaking through the fiery sword momentum that burned so intensely it began to distort space.
"Black Wing Sword: Eclipse and Waning Moon!"
In an instant, crimson and ethereal blue sword marks bloomed on Ikaruga's chest. Her kimono, reaching to her chest, shattered on the spot, leaving intersecting wounds on her fair skin, and splashing blood bloomed like scarlet flowers.
Ikaruga fell with a thud, and her twenty-plus years of life experience replayed before her eyes.
When was it?
She, who pursued the righteous path of the sword, unknowingly became a despicable assassin.
And what made her recall her original intention was a complete defeat.
"I have lost."
Ikaruga shakily stood up, clutching her chest. She knew the reason Erza hadn't killed her. As a defeated opponent who had been shown mercy, Ikaruga spoke without reservation.
"I don't know the specifics, but Jellal said that to revive the Black Mage using the R-System, in addition to immense Magic Power, a sacrifice with the qualification of a Ten Wizard Saints is needed."
"The sacrifice Jellal chose is you, Fairy Queen."
Before Erza could speak, Wally, with his fiery temper, was already loudly cursing Jellal.
"Seven years ago, he threatened Erza with her comrades' lives to make her leave, and seven years later, he wants to use Erza as a sacrifice to revive the Black Mage."
"That bastard! What does he take Erza for!"
Simon and Shô also hadn't imagined that Jellal would have such a diabolical idea.
Millianna, however, was quite carefree. Jellal had already been captured, and even Ikaruga, the captain of Trinity Raven guarding the Tower of Heaven, had been defeated, so the other two were probably not doing well either.
Freedom was within reach, and Millianna was very happy. She was already impatient to leave this sad place and then raise many, many cats.
"Eh! Kitty!"
The cat girl suddenly charged forward, wanting to embrace the snow leopard-colored kitten that suddenly appeared in her sight, completely ignoring the white-haired young man holding the kitten.
Noah held Millianna's head with one hand. If he hadn't detected no ill will, he almost couldn't resist knocking her out with a slap.
Looking at the cat girl, who was eagerly hoping to pet his cat, Cheese friendly extended a small paw and touched her hand.
"Wow! So soft!"
Millianna was so excited she almost bounced off the ceiling. Her love for cats was the obsession that kept her going in the Tower of Heaven.
Now that she finally touched a cat, Millianna was incredibly excited, picking up Cheese and rubbing her face against it.
Erza came to Noah's side, watching the happy Millianna with relief, and asked the person next to her, "When did you arrive?"
"When you were telling them stories."
Noah didn't say much, only thinking that he must beat up Jellal if he got the chance—not for anything else, but just to vent Erza's anger.
As if seeing through Noah's thoughts, Erza shook her head and said, "He's already been taken to the Magic Council and will receive his deserved punishment."
"Hard to say."
Noah shrugged, his gaze turning to Ikaruga. "You answered Erza's question about the sacrifice, so answer one more question for me."
"Where does the Tower of Heaven get the Magic Power it needs?"
Ikaruga nodded. "The Magic Power required to activate the R-System is too vast. Only the Magic Council has the ability to mobilize Magic Power of that scale."
As soon as she said this, Erza immediately understood why Noah's earlier words had felt so profound.
Within the Magic Council, only Magic Councilors had the authority to mobilize large-scale Magic Power, and currently, among the Magic Councilors, there was a person who claimed to be Jellal's twin brother.
"Siegrain—he's with Jellal!"
"Not with him. They are the same person."
Noah immediately told Erza about the Thought Projection Magic. Because a Magic Councilor's identity was difficult to touch, Makarov personally went to the Magic Council headquarters to keep an eye on Siegrain and Jellal.
And Noah was responsible for finding the last Tower of Heaven and obtaining evidence that could expose Siegrain.
With Ikaruga as a witness, Jellal's last layer of disguise was useless.
Under Erza's introduction, Noah and the four others, including Simon, got acquainted, and then prepared to call Natsu and the others who were wandering around the tower. It was time to leave.
Just as Noah turned around, a strange and deadly sense of crisis suddenly surged in his heart.
Clouds surged high above the Tower of Heaven, and a fierce wind howled.
A sacred light, like a judgment, descended from the sky, irresistibly piercing through the atmosphere and clouds, falling straight and powerfully toward the Tower of Heaven.
Snow the hamster, leisurely munching on potato chips on the ship, immediately bristled with fear when she saw that light.
Snow recognized what it was. She had seen that light once in her hundreds of years of hamster life, and she remembered it deeply.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak! (Etherion!)"