"I've decided…I will fight Jellal." Erza's voice trembled, heavy with suppressed tears.
Noel had never seen Erza like this before. Ever since they entered the tower, she seemed like a different person. The Erza he knew was always so strong and unyielding—yet now, she appeared fragile, vulnerable, even helpless.
Lucy sensed it too and suddenly asked, "About your past… I just can't understand it. If there's really a betrayer, shouldn't it be Jellal, not you, Erza?"
"Maybe…after I disappeared, Jellal twisted their thoughts somehow." Erza said guiltily. "But the truth is, for eight years I abandoned them. If they call me a traitor, they're not wrong."
"But you did it for their sake! And yet they…" Lucy's voice rose in indignation.
"Enough, Lucy." Erza's gaze sharpened, firm once more. "If I can defeat Jellal, everything will end."
But Noel doubted it. Would it really end just by defeating Jellal?
What if Jellal was only a pawn? Now that the Tower of Heaven was complete, perhaps his usefulness had already diminished. He could be discarded at any moment.
Worse yet—the true mastermind still hadn't revealed themselves.
And there was another thing gnawing at Noel's mind. Erza's earlier words: "No matter win or lose, I'll vanish from the outside world." What exactly did she mean by that?
"Sis…what did you mean by those words?" Sho stepped forward, trembling as he faced Erza, disbelief in his eyes.
"So you're the card dealer who ambushed me earlier." Noel gave him a cold glance.
"Are you trying to play on their sympathy with your lies? Don't joke with me—the truth is completely different!" Sho snapped.
"You blew up our ship and escaped alone, didn't you? If Jellal hadn't noticed your betrayal, we would've all sunk to the bottom of the sea! Jellal told us himself!" Sho's voice shook with hatred.
"This is the fate of those who never learned the proper way to use magic," he added bitterly. "You drowned yourself in magic's power, and now you want to abandon our past."
"Does that sound like the Erza you know?" Lucy shot back.
"Sure, Erza causes massive property damage during missions, and I've had to repair plenty of it…" Noel smirked, then added earnestly, "But in all seriousness, she's a good person. She cares about the guild's unity, looks after her juniors…I can't believe someone like her would ever do what you claim."
"And besides—don't you think what you just said is laughable?"
Noel remembered clearly: in the past, Erza often vented her emotions by the riverside, always wishing for her former companions to live well.
"What do you know? You don't know anything! You have no right to judge me!" Sho shouted angrily.
"There are things you carry in your heart for a lifetime," Noel replied calmly. "I may not understand everything between you all, but I see my own reflection in you."
"I was also a child of the slums. And I never once thought of abandoning my past. Because that's what shaped us. That's why we have to face it head-on."
"Even in those circumstances…friendship existed, didn't it? Doesn't that warmth mean something to you?" Noel pressed.
Sho's eyes wavered. "So…you're saying…these eight years, this whole tower…was built on a lie? Then…the one who's right is Erza, and the one who's wrong is Jellal?"
"Yes."
A sudden black mist filled the room, and from it emerged a man.
"You—!" Gray recognized him instantly as the one who had attacked him before. He readied himself for battle.
But Juvia quickly stopped him. "Please wait, Gray-sama. At that time, this man attacked only because he realized you were a double."
"What?!" Gray was stunned.
"It's possible," Noel explained. "His magic seems to belong to the assassination type—he can clearly see his target even in complete darkness."
"That's right. Juvia also sensed it." Juvia nodded. "I came here to confirm his true intentions."
"As expected of the famous Element 4 of Phantom Lord…and Fairy Tail's alchemist." The man spoke calmly.
"What's going on?" Sho was still in the dark, utterly confused.
"Sho…we were deceived. All of us, tricked into gathering inside this tower."
"Why…? Why would he do something like this?" Sho's voice cracked, unable to comprehend.
"Because Jellal fooled us all. Until the time was right, I pretended to be deceived as well." Simon placed a hand on Sho's shoulder.
"Simon…you…"
"I always believed in you, Erza. These eight years, I never doubted you." Simon clasped Erza's hand tightly. "Being able to see you again…it makes me truly happy, Erza."
The two embraced, their bond spanning eight long years.
"Why…why can everyone believe in her? Why can't I?!" Sho dropped to his knees, pounding the floor.
"What's the truth? What am I supposed to believe?!"
Noel pulled him up by the collar. "Sometimes, what your eyes see isn't the truth. What your ears hear isn't the truth. If you want to know what's real, then use your heart."
He ruffled Sho's hair firmly. "Only the judgments you make with your own heart are the ones you can truly believe in."
Then—bam!—Noel brought both fists down on Sho's head. A massive lump swelled instantly.
"W-What the hell was that for?!" Sho grabbed Noel's collar, ready to fight back.
"Now we're even," Noel grinned. "That ambush you pulled on me at Akane Resort? Consider it settled."
Sho's anger cooled a little, and he slowly released his grip.
"Good. Now's the time." Simon spoke up, his expression firm. "This is the moment I've been waiting for—when powerful mages are finally gathered here."
"Powerful mages?" Lucy blinked in confusion.
"To defeat Jellal, we'll need all our strength combined." Simon continued. "First, we must prevent Wally the Fire Dragon and the others from clashing with us."
"That's…not likely." Noel winced. "Natsu holds grudges like no one else. Forgiveness won't come easily this time."
"Even so, we have to stop it." Simon's tone left no room for argument.
"By the way—you know where Happy is, don't you? Can you take us there?" Noel asked.
"Of course. That's the first place we need to go." Simon nodded. "Follow me."
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