For people in the world of magic, flying through the sky was nothing rare.
Take Erza for example. Her Black Wing Armor also had the ability to fly.
However, neither she nor Ultear had ever experienced flight as brutal and fast as what they were going through right now.
Whoosh!
With the air being torn apart by sheer force, the world below turned into a wildly retreating blur of rivers, fields, and forests.
The two women held tightly in Kabe's arms had long since forgotten about Jellal or the Tower of Heaven. Terrified out of their minds, they clung to him, just a step away from screaming at the top of their lungs.
"T too fast, slow down a little!"
Thanks to the thin layer of white ki like flame wrapped around her body, Ultear could still speak normally.
Erza did not say anything, but her pretty face had gone pale with tension. Her hands were clenched so tightly into Kabe's clothes that it looked like she might rip them right off.
Feeling the two bodies in his arms as stiff as iron bars, Kabe, who was not even flying at full speed yet, had no choice but to ease up a little.
"Can you two manage this or not? If you really cannot take it, we can go down and take a train."
"S stop nagging. Just fly."
Erza stubbornly refused to admit defeat, but her hands were very honest, tightening their grip as if Kabe might vanish if she let go even a little.
Kabe was speechless, but he did not speed up again.
Even at this "slower" pace, his speed still far outstripped any vehicle in the world.
Like that, with Ultear and Erza occasionally pointing the way and correcting his course, the three of them hurtled toward the Tower of Heaven at terrifying speed.
...
At the same time, inside the Tower of Heaven, Jellal had no idea that trouble was already racing toward him from the sky.
He was still brooding over the conversation he had had with Ultear a few days earlier.
That woman, the one he had discovered, trained, and trusted, the one who had always been absolutely loyal and obedient to his commands, had suddenly gone mad out of nowhere.
Two days ago, she had actually told him that everything was a lie, that he had been brainwashed, that him being Zeref's emissary was nothing but a fabricated illusion.
Jellal, who believed in Zeref's existence with unshakable conviction, naturally dismissed Ultear's words as nonsense.
He had even wanted to capture her and interrogate her, to find out who had put such ridiculous ideas in her head and sent her to joke with him about something so blasphemous.
Unfortunately, it was as if that woman had already predicted that he would take action. What she sent to him had been nothing but a thought projection.
Being challenged like that had left Jellal simmering with rage. What worried him even more was something else.
Without Ultear, the piece he had carefully placed inside the Magic Council, his plans had suffered a heavy blow.
The two of them were supposed to become Council members together, guiding the Council, when the time was right, into firing Etherion and activating the R System.
Now that Ultear was gone, that plan would be delayed by a great deal.
The Tower of Heaven would be completed in at most two years, yet the most crucial step in activating it had suddenly gone awry. How could Jellal not be furious and distressed?
"Wally, Simon, Sho, Millianna..."
He silently recited those names, but none of those companions truly reassured him.
If he had to act alone, he was not sure he could persuade the majority of the Council members to approve the firing of Etherion.
Yet that was the key to reviving that man.
"Heh, you really have given me quite the headache, Ultear."
Gnashing his teeth as he muttered this, Jellal hesitated briefly before waving a hand and opening a magic screen.
At first, the surface of the screen was completely black. After a flicker, a faint light finally appeared.
Then a deep, slightly surprised voice came through the screen.
"Jellal, how unexpected. I did not think you would contact me of your own accord."
As the voice spoke, the light on the other side of the screen grew brighter, revealing the speaker's face, covered in dark tattoos.
Jellal's expression changed instantly. The troubled look disappeared and was replaced by warm, false concern.
"It has been a long time, Master Brain. I heard you ran into some trouble recently, so I thought I would check in on you."
"Hmph."
Brain snorted disdainfully. His cold gaze looked at Jellal through the screen as if staring down something unpleasant.
"If you contacted me just to mock me, then this conversation ends here. I have no time for useless chatter."
"Heh, do not be so impatient, Master Brain. In fact, I have run into a rather troublesome problem myself and was just thinking of asking you for a favor."
Jellal did not waste time with flourishes and cut straight to the point.
"I want one of your children to infiltrate the Council with me. Given you are close to becoming the magic world's public enemy, I imagine you would also benefit from having eyes inside the Council, to watch their every move."
Deep in the remote mountains, Brain's brows knit at the request, then slowly loosened.
"Heh heh heh, how interesting. It seems that compared to me, your situation is even more urgent. Jellal, the arrogant brat who cares about no one, actually came to ask me for help."
Jellal's smile did not waver. He seemed completely unaffected by the mockery.
"So, what is your answer?"
"Unfortunately, my children will not be entrusted to anyone. As for the Council, I already have my own eyes there."