The group wasted no time, splitting up to cover the tower's massive layout. Millianna took the lead, guiding Kael toward the floors assigned to them.
They didn't have to search for long. As soon as they stepped onto the designated level, the opposition was already waiting.
"There are so many of them!" Millianna gasped, her eyes widening.
Her combat prowess was modest at best, specialized for utility rather than open warfare. Her magic allowed her to bind an opponent and seal their abilities—lethal in a one-on-one ambush, but almost useless when faced with an entire battalion of armed soldiers.
"Full-Body Take Over: Portgas D. Ace!"
Kael's form shifted into that of the legendary "Fire Fist." Ace was a Purple Card, meaning the mana consumption was significantly lower than his Gold-tier transformations. More importantly, the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit was the perfect tool for clearing out waves of fodder.
"Kill him!" a captain roared, pointing a saber at Kael. "Lord Jellal has put a bounty of a hundred million Jewels on his head! Charge!"
A tide of guards surged forward. These men weren't just common thugs; they were the elite forces Jellal had spent years cultivating, many of them veterans from various dark guilds. Driven by the promise of wealth, they threw themselves at Kael with reckless abandon.
"Fire Fist!"
Kael's arm transformed into a torrent of swirling, high-intensity flames. With a single punch, a massive column of fire tore through the hallway, incinerating the air and blasting the guards backward.
"Gwaaaaah!" "Aaaaaagh!"
The screams were cut short as the shockwave sent them flying. In the blink of an eye, the entire floor had been cleared.
"That... that's incredible!" Millianna stammered. Even though she knew Kael was a monster, seeing him dismantle an army with such casual indifference was still breathtaking.
Kael walked over to the nearest iron cage and placed his hand on the bars. Intense heat radiated from his palm, liquefying the metal instantly.
"Millianna?!" "What's happening? Why did Jellal lock us up?"
The prisoners huddled inside were a mess of panic and confusion. Seeing a familiar face, they scrambled toward the opening.
"You were all deceived," Millianna said, her voice heavy with regret. "Jellal was the one who betrayed us eight years ago, not Erza. Now that the tower is finished, he plans to kill everyone to keep his secrets buried."
"What?!" "How could he do this to us after everything we gave him?"
The realization hit them like a physical blow. The facts were undeniable; they were locked in cages, waiting for an end that Jellal had orchestrated.
"Damn him! All those years... for nothing!"
"Go! Get out of here while you can," Millianna urged. "This place is a powder keg."
Knowing they would only be a burden, the former workers thanked her and fled toward the lower levels.
Kael continued his ascent. On the next few floors, the routine remained the same. Another "Fire Fist," another wave of guards neutralized, and more hostages freed. As he climbed higher, the quality of the soldiers improved, forcing him to put in slightly more effort, but nothing truly slowed his pace.
Suddenly, Kael came to a halt in the middle of a corridor.
"Hey. Haven't you seen enough yet?" Kael asked the empty air. "You've been tailing us for three floors. Are you going to make a move or just keep watching?"
Millianna blinked, looking around in confusion. "What? Someone is following us?"
A shadow detached itself from a dark corner. A bizarre creature stepped into the light—it had the muscular body of a man but the head of a massive owl.
"Hoot hoot... As expected of the legendary Kael. Your infamy has even reached the ears of our guild!" the creature announced, striking a dramatic pose. "I am Fukuro, the warrior of justice! Today, I shall purge this evil from the world!"
Fukuro hunkered down, and the mechanical jet packs on his back began to hiss and sparks flew.
"Jet Ho Ho Hou! Hoot-hoot-hoot-hooo!"
Fukuro's body became a blurred projectile as he shot toward Kael with incredible speed.
Kael raised a palm, his voice calm. "Kagero."
Whoosh—!
A wall of shimmering heat erupted from Kael's hand, forming a massive barrier of flame. Fukuro reacted instantly, banking ninety degrees upward to soar over the fire. He circled in the air and dived, aiming a powerful kick at Kael's head.
Kael tilted his head, letting the foot whistle past his ear, then spun on his heel and delivered a sharp counter-kick to Fukuro's face.
"Hoot?!"
Fukuro was sent skidding back, but he managed to stabilize himself quickly, landing on his feet.
"Hah! You've got some moves," Fukuro boasted.
Ace's physical stats were solid, but they weren't Kael's highest. He was slightly surprised the owl-man had shrugged off the hit so easily.
"Hoot hoot! Kael, I've done my homework! I know your weakness!" Fukuro pointed a wing-fingered hand at him. "Your Take Over is peerless—you even took down a Wizard Saint. But that power comes at a cost. The stronger the form, the faster your mana drains. Your biggest flaw is your stamina!"
Fukuro puffed out his chest confidently. "Every second you spend in that form, your magic leaks away. You've been fighting through half the tower; you must be nearing your limit. I'll just keep you busy until you're exhausted, and then I'll deliver the final blow! Justice will prevail!"
Kael raised an eyebrow and let out a dry chuckle. "Oh? You've certainly done your research. But do you really think you can last that long?"
Fukuro pounded his chest. "The warrior of justice, Fukuro, shall never fall to evil!"
"Full-Body Take Over: Satoru Gojo."
The flames of Ace vanished, replaced by a tall, lean figure with white hair and a blindfold. Kael's presence shifted from the wild, roaring heat of a volcano to a cold, infinite void.
"Have you 'researched' this form yet?" Kael asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Hoot? A new identity? It matters not! Justice does not care for your disguises!" Fukuro shouted. "Missile Ho Ho Hou! Hoot hoot hoot!"
Two rocket launchers mounted on Fukuro's back fired, screaming toward Kael.
Kael didn't move. He didn't even raise a hand. The missiles streaked forward, only to freeze inches from his chest. They hung there in mid-air, vibrating violently as if hitting an invisible, unbreakable wall.
"What?! What is this?!" Fukuro's eyes bulged. He throttled the controls, pushing the missiles to their limit, but they couldn't bridge the final inch. It was as if the space between them and Kael had become infinite.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
Kael reached out and gently tapped the warheads. In a flash of distorted space, the heavy metal of the missiles twisted and compressed, collapsing into a dense ball of scrap metal that clattered uselessly to the floor.
"Impossible!" Fukuro froze, his mind struggling to process the sight.
In the heartbeat that followed the iron ball hitting the floor, Kael appeared directly in front of him.
"Too slow," Kael whispered.
Fukuro's instincts screamed at him to retreat, but his body couldn't react in time. Kael's fist, wreathed in a terrifying, unstable shroud of cursed energy, slammed into Fukuro's solar plexus.
Black Flash.
CRACK—BOOM!!
A violent discharge of black and red lightning erupted at the point of impact, distorting the very air.
"Gwaaaaaaaah!"
Fukuro felt his internal organs scream. His body arched like a cooked shrimp, blood spraying from his beak as the sheer force of the blow launched him backward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fukuro crashed through wall after wall, a human wrecking ball, until he was finally blasted clean out of the side of the tower, plummeting toward the sea below.
Kael adjusted his blindfold, his expression bored. "You talk too much. I was trying to conserve energy, but I guess every second-rate trash thinks they can test me today."
---
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