"Jellal, you..."
Erza trembled as she stared at Jellal in disbelief. Just moments ago, hadn't Jellal asked her to kill him? Yet now, when she was truly ready to strike, he was fighting back. It made no sense.
Jellal suddenly clutched his head, let out a pained scream. "No! ...It's not me... Erza... It's Zeref... Zeref is controlling my body... I'm lying! Hahaha!!"
Just as Erza began to worry for him, a smug, triumphant grin spread across Jellal's face.
"Jellal! You... you lied to me...!!"
Erza couldn't believe this man was still capable of such deceit at a time like this.
Jellal replied smugly, "That's right! I've been lying to you the whole time!"
"But Erza! You really are too easy to fool, and too cute for your own good! As I thought, women blinded by love are all idiots. You'll believe any lie I spit out."
"I'll kill you!!"
Erza summoned a giant sword with Requip, intent on rushing forward and hacking Jellal into pieces.
But immediately, a black, snake-like runic script manifested across Erza's skin, binding her entire body.
"Gwah! What is this?! My body... I can't move!! What is this?!"
"The Bind Snake. I left it on you when I touched you earlier."
"Why be angry? If you got fooled, that's on you. It's because the victim is so stupid that my lies work."
"You bastard!!"
Erza fought with all her might, but her body refused to budge.
"Ugh. I've seen enough of this. You'd even stoop to lying to a woman."
Seeing Jellal act like this made Kael's blood boil. Erza was his comrade and friend. To him, Jellal was just a character from a story—and now, an enemy. This blatant trampling of Erza's feelings filled Kael with genuine killing intent.
Jellal seemed to sense the killing intent radiating from Kael.
He spoke immediately, "I'd suggest you don't make a move. Erza, haven't you always been curious about where those 2.7 billion Edeas of Magic Power were going to come from?"
Erza's gaze snapped toward Jellal. She was indeed curious.
The corners of Jellal's mouth curled upward as he pointed an index finger toward the sky.
VROOOM—!
At that moment, the winds shifted and the clouds swirled. The massive surge of magic power churned the atmosphere as a magic circle slowly unfurled in the sky.
"Etherion?! Is the Council actually going to fire Etherion?!"
The sudden change above the Tower of Heaven immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
"Etherion... unless?!"
A terrifying suspicion crossed Erza's mind.
Jellal confirmed her fears. "Exactly! It's Etherion!"
"The Tower of Heaven itself is a massive reception and conversion device. Once it successfully absorbs and converts the Etherion blast, we'll have our 2.7 billion Edeas! The R-System will be complete!!"
"There's less than a minute left before Etherion strikes. Join me in witnessing this historic moment—! Hahahaha!!"
Jellal spread his arms wide, laughing like a maniac.
"You... you're a complete lunatic!!"
Erza couldn't believe it. Jellal was insane. Absorbing Etherion—the Council's ultimate weapon capable of deleting a country in a single shot—was a gamble that could lead to total annihilation.
"What does that matter compared to my ideal?!"
At that moment, the magic circle in the sky grew blindingly clear.
"Kael, run away—!!"
Erza was overwhelmed with regret. She never should have dragged her guildmates into her own mess. If her friends died because of her, she would never forgive herself, even in death.
"It's useless! Etherion's strike zone is wide enough to wipe out an entire nation. You'd better pray the R-System succeeds so you might actually survive. If it fails, then we all die together. Isn't that a poetic ending? Hahahaha!!"
Then, Kael's voice rang out.
"No. There is actually a third option: the R-System fails, and we stay alive!"
"Kael?!"
Erza looked at Kael, bewildered.
"Take Over: Minato Namikaze!!"
Kael's hair shifted from black to a bright yellow. His pupils turned a deep blue. Then, a forehead protector representing the Leaf Ninja appeared, followed by his attire: a blue suit, a green flak jacket, and blue pants. Finally, a white haori with red flame patterns along the hem—emblazoned with the words 'Fourth Hokage'—draped over his shoulders.
"This is..."
Erza and Jellal had never seen this form before.
Clearly, just like Satoru Gojo before, this was a new character Kael had added to his arsenal.
SHUA—!
In the next instant, Kael was standing horizontally on one of the crystal pillars at the tower's peak.
Jellal couldn't help but sneer at Kael's actions. "Whatever you're doing, it's futile! Etherion isn't something a human can resist!!"
Magic Council, Era.
"Final launch preparations for Etherion are complete."
"Deploying Satellite Magic Circle!!"
"Pray!"
"Pray—!"
Everyone closed their eyes in prayer. After all, once this attack hit, countless innocent lives within that tower would be extinguished.
"Offer your prayers to the holy light!!"
"Release Etherion!!"
SHUA—————!!
A colossal orb of magic, shining like a miniature sun, manifested out of thin air above the Tower of Heaven, radiating a blinding light.
By fusing various magical attributes, the power of the spell was increased exponentially.
Transmitted through the satellite array, Etherion could be fired anywhere in Ishgar with pinpoint precision. It was the Council's ultimate weapon—a deterrent capable of erasing nations.
SHUA—————!!
Etherion plummeted toward the Tower of Heaven at terminal velocity.
A spark of excitement flashed in Kael's eyes. "Come on then! Let's see if the Council's ultimate toy can actually kill me!!"
Kael's hands blurred as he wove signs. Pitch-black runic script began to spread across the empty air surrounding him.
"Kael—!!"
Erza screamed his name. She was drowning in regret. If she had just killed Jellal at the start, Kael might have had a chance to run. Her own softheartedness had doomed her comrade. Just as she prepared to squeeze her eyes shut, unable to watch the impending tragedy, something impossible happened.
The massive Etherion blast was about to collide with Kael, but it suddenly screeched to a halt right in front of him. Runic script manifested in the air, and the Etherion blast began to be swallowed by the void. In an instant, the world-ending orb of magic vanished into thin air.
"Wh... What—?!!!"