BOOM—!!
"Gwaaaaah!"
With a single, explosive strike, Natsu shattered the massive main gates of the Tower of Heaven. He stormed into the entrance hall, his aura radiating heat.
"Jellal! Get your ass out here right now!" Natsu roared, his voice echoing through the hollow stone corridors.
As his shout died down, something grotesque began to happen. Dozens of magical, disembodied mouths began to manifest across the walls, stretching the very stone into unsettling grimaces.
Lucy recoiled, her skin crawling. "What are those?! That is so gross!"
"Mouths?" Gray narrowed his eyes, shifting into a combat stance. "What the hell is this?"
"It's Jellal's magic," Erza explained grimly. "He uses them to broadcast his voice to every corner of the tower."
Right on cue, the mouths began to speak in unison, their voices overlapping in a haunting drone.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Tower of Heaven. I am Jellal, the ruler of this domain. Now that the chess pieces have all taken their places on the board, let us begin. Welcome... to the Paradise Game."
Natsu tilted his head, looking more annoyed than intimidated. "What kind of game?"
"The rules are quite simple," Jellal's voice glided through the air. "It is a stage-by-stage gauntlet. I have stationed guards on every floor of this tower, and they have been given a specific task: guarding the hostages. These 'hostages' are the very people who spent years building this tower alongside Sho and the others—the same people who fought that dark guild at Erza's side."
The atmosphere in the room plummeted. The expressions on the faces of Sho, Simon, and the others twisted into horror.
"Jellal, you bastard!" Erza snarled, her fists trembling. "It wasn't enough to deceive those poor people? Now you're using their lives as bargaining chips?!"
Eight years had clearly stripped away whatever humanity Jellal once possessed. He was far more twisted than she ever imagined.
"To be honest," Jellal continued airily, "I originally planned to dispose of them all. After all, the tower is complete, and they are no longer of any use. If I let them go, they might expose this location to the world. But now, I've decided to give you a chance to save them. Consider this my final act of mercy."
"You call that mercy?!" Lucy yelled at the walls, her face pale with fury.
"In addition to the standard guards, I have deployed three elite warriors. Only by defeating them will you be granted passage to the top floor for our final confrontation. But remember: if you break the rules, I will order the execution of every hostage. Whether you play the hero and save them or charge straight for my head—the choice is yours."
Simon's expression turned somber. "This guy... he knew we were going to turn on him all along."
Simon had hoped to use Sho's magic for a surprise raid on the top floor, but Jellal's meticulously prepared 'game' proved that he was ten steps ahead.
"One more thing," Jellal added, his tone becoming dangerously playful. "I don't want my tower damaged. It took eight years to build, and I'm quite fond of it. If the structural damage becomes too severe, the hostages pay the price. And finally... a special note for our players."
The mouths curved into wider, more sinister smiles.
"The Magic Council is currently debating the use of the Satellite Square: Etherion. It is the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, capable of reducing this entire island to ash in an instant."
The revelation hit the group like a physical blow. Etherion was the Magic Council's trump card—a weapon designed to deter entire nations.
High above in the tower, even Vidaldus looked stunned. "Hey! You didn't mention that, Jellal! If that thing hits us, we're all going to hell!"
Ikaruga glanced at him, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Are you scared, Vidaldus?"
Vidaldus's eyes bulged, and he began to tremble with a manic, drug-like intensity. "Quite the opposite! The opposite! I'm higher than a kite! I live for this kind of danger!"
Jellal's broadcast continued. "We don't know when the strike will come. When Etherion falls, none of us survive. There will be no winner—only 'Game Over.' So, let us enjoy ourselves while we still can."
With those final words, the mouths melted back into the stone walls.
"Is he insane?" Lucy's voice shook. "How can he play games when his own life is on the line? He's a lunatic!"
"Etherion? The Council?" Erza looked lost, her mind reeling. "No... that can't be right. They wouldn't..."
"He's probably bluffing," Gray muttered, though he didn't sound entirely convinced.
Clap, clap!
Kael clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention. He looked remarkably calm despite the threat of orbital annihilation.
"Bluff or not, it doesn't change our objective. People need saving. Let's split into teams."
Kael looked at Simon and the others. "Simon, you four know the layout of this place. We'll split up and assign one of you to each group."
"I'm going with Lord Gray!" Juvia chimed in immediately, stepping close to him. "My water magic is the perfect complement to his ice."
Simon nodded. "Then I'll join you two. We've already met, even if the circumstances weren't the best."
Wally adjusted his glasses and looked at Natsu. "In that case, I'll take Natsu's group."
"I don't care who comes along," Natsu shrugged, "as long as Happy is with me."
"I'm staying with Sis," Sho said, stepping toward Erza. He felt a crushing weight of guilt for doubting her and was determined to protect her from any further harm.
"Then I..." Millianna looked at Kael with lingering fear. The memory of almost being crushed by his power was still fresh in her mind.
"To be efficient, each team will be responsible for a set of floors," Kael commanded. "Simon, what's the count?"
"Forty-eight floors in total, including Jellal's inner sanctum at the top," Simon answered.
"That's twelve floors per team," Happy calculated, tapping his chin.
"He's trying to drain us," Gray realized. "He gave us a vague timeline to keep us from resting. He wants us reaching the top floor with zero magic and zero stamina. He's stacking the deck."
"He's a coward!" Lucy added indignantly.
Erza turned to Kael, her eyes filled with concern. "Kael, your magic power... the burden on your body is immense. You aren't built for long, drawn-out battles like this."
She knew Kael's Take Over was devastating, but she also knew it was an all-or-nothing style of fighting. Jellal's 'game' seemed perfectly designed to bleed him dry.
"Don't worry about it," Kael said dismissively. "This isn't even a warm-up."
His magic capacity was leagues beyond what it had been a year ago. Besides, he still had several high-tier cards in reserve. If things got desperate, he could always sacrifice one, but he doubted it would come to that. If I can't handle a guy like Jellal at this stage, he thought, then all these cards were for nothing.
The groups quickly finalized their routes and checked their gear.
"Listen up! Everyone, stay safe and get those people out!" Erza commanded, her voice regaining its authoritative edge. "Move out!"
"OHHH!!"
---
There are 50 advanced chapters on Patreon, which I'm currently rewriting and polishing for a better reading experience. Thank you for your support and patience.
https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396