First was Ultear.
Although Jellal had already suspected it, seeing her truly betray him and lead outsiders onto the island still filled him with fury.
That anger, however, vanished the moment his eyes fell on another crimson figure in the image.
"Erza… the little mouse I let slip away. I did not expect you would one day dare to come back on your own."
"Still, your timing could not be better."
Jellal let out a chilling laugh, then turned away from the screen and slowly walked back to his bone like throne, satisfaction in his eyes.
He had been troubled over who to send with him to infiltrate the Magic Council. He had not imagined that Erza would deliver herself right to his door.
In Jellal's mind, he understood this girl better than anyone. As long as he still held her weak point, as long as he used the lives of Simon, Sho and the others as leverage, Erza would absolutely obey him and follow his every command.
"Heh, but before that, I should let you all meet again. It will be quite the touching reunion."
Murmuring to himself, he reconnected the magic communication and issued an order to his subordinates.
"Simon, Wally, our guests this time are Erza and her new companions. Go greet them properly. Remember, do not hit them too hard."
His words were carried through thought transmission magic, echoing in Simon and the others' ears on the lower floors.
They too had just learned that intruders had appeared and were preparing to move out and deal with them, but once they heard who the "guests" were, all of them froze.
"E Erza? She has come back?"
Simon, his head wrapped in a cloth and his chin bound with a metal guard, stared in disbelief, muttering in shock.
Beside him, Wally, whose square head and body made him look like a walking block toy, subconsciously pushed his sunglasses up his nose.
"It has been a long time since I heard that name. I wonder how much she has changed."
"Little Erza must be really different now. Come on, let us hurry and go see her."
The cat girl Millianna, with a pair of cat ears on her head and a tail swishing behind her, spoke excitedly.
She was cut off an instant later by an angry shout from a tanned, blond young man.
"What is there to be happy about? Do you not remember she is a traitor, the one who blew up our escape and abandoned us here, Millianna?"
Sho's features twisted with rage.
"Sho…"
Seeing his ferocious expression, Millianna's joy crashed straight down into despair.
Six years ago, they had united all the slaves and launched a revolt, defeating the Dark Mage cult that had guarded this place.
At that time, they had a real chance to escape from this prison.
What none of them had expected was that Erza would betray them at the final moment, destroy the ship they were going to use to flee the island, and leave the Tower of Heaven alone.
At least, that was the "truth" Jellal had told them.
All these years, Wally, Sho and Millianna had believed it without question.
Only Simon, though he wore the same mask of anger as the others, did not fully accept it in his heart.
After a brief silence, he spoke.
"Now is not the time to argue about this. We cannot let them keep wrecking the Tower of Heaven. We go down and stop them first."
With that, he turned and strode quickly toward the lower levels. Sho, Wally and Millianna followed silently, their steps fast and heavy.
...
On the floor below, Kabe blasted another group of rushing guards flying with a single ki blast, then suddenly looked up toward the spiral staircase that coiled upward.
"Four auras that are at least decent are coming down. If I am not wrong, those should be your old companions."
"It is Sho and Wally and the others."
Erza guessed who it was in an instant. Her fingers tightened slightly around the hilt of her sword.
Although everything Jellal had told them, about her blowing up the ship and betraying her comrades to escape alone, was a lie, the fact remained that she had not come back in these six years to rescue them.
That was something Erza had always carried as a weight in her heart.
Since they knew the four were coming, the three of them simply waited where they were.
They did not have to wait long. Four familiar silhouettes soon appeared within Erza's field of view.
"Sho, Wally, Millianna, Simon… it really is you. Have you all… been well these years?"
Sho, Wally and Millianna had charged down with full momentum, but when they heard the warmth and concern in Erza's voice, the accusations on their lips stalled.
For a heartbeat, Sho's mind went blank, as if he had been pulled back to the past, seeing the gentle, strong Erza who had always looked after him.
That fleeting moment vanished as he shook his head hard, forcing the memories away. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Erza and roared,
"You still dare to ask that? Are you not the one who made it so we could never leave this island, Erza?"
"Sho…"
Looking at the boy, now much taller than in her memories, Erza felt a stab of pain in her chest and lowered her head in shame.
That expression, that silence, only made Sho and the others more certain that what they believed was true. Their hearts grew even heavier with anger and resentment.
Before they could continue questioning and condemning her, Kabe stepped forward and blocked their view of her with his body.
"Shut it, you bunch of idiots. Erza is soft hearted and loves to shoulder guilt that has nothing to do with her, that is her problem. But I am not about to let you keep spouting crap at her."