Seeing Sho and Millianna's reaction, the two of them burst into laughter.
"Release them? Impossible. Give up on that idea."
"That's right. Impossible, impossible, meow, Sister Erza."
Erza sighed.
"I know you resent me, but I'm sorry."
The instant she finished speaking, she had already appeared behind them.
Before Millianna and Sho could react, two crisp smacks rang out.
Their eyes rolled back simultaneously, and they collapsed to the floor with two heavy thuds.
Erza expressionlessly withdrew her knife-hands.
Lucy hurried forward and picked up the cards containing the sealed Gray and Natsu.
Although the two had been trapped inside the cards, they were still full of energy.
"Let me out! Hurry up and let me out!"
"That's right! Get us out of here!"
The two continuously attacked the cards from within, but it had no effect.
"Let me take a look."
Cana walked over.
She also used Card Magic, so Sho's magic immediately caught her interest. She took the cards from Lucy and attempted to dispel the spell.
However, after trying several times, she discovered that nothing worked.
The magic was peculiar. It appeared similar to her own Card Magic, yet there were subtle differences.
For the moment, she had no idea how to release Natsu and Gray from the cards.
"I'll do it."
At that moment, Rowan walked over after copying Sho and Millianna's magic.
He took the cards from Cana and casually dispelled the spell.
The cards immediately released a brilliant light, freeing the trapped Gray and Natsu.
"Finally, I'm out!"
Regaining his freedom felt wonderful to Natsu, and he could not help stretching his body.
Although he had only been sealed for a few minutes, it had felt as long as several years.
Lucy could not help commenting, "You were only trapped for a few minutes."
Natsu argued confidently, "That place was tiny and miserable! It was unbearably uncomfortable."
Gray nodded in deep agreement.
That place truly had been uncomfortable.
Erza said, "Enough. Let's keep moving."
Everyone nodded and continued onward.
Before long, they encountered another person Erza knew.
Simon.
When Erza saw Simon, her expression became complicated.
Having read the story, she naturally knew that Simon had not been deceived by Jellal like the others. He even knew some crucial information.
Among her childhood companions, Simon was probably the only one who remained clear-headed.
But at the same time, he was also the most tragic.
In the original story, Simon had been killed by Jellal while protecting Erza.
His death became a thorn buried deep within her heart.
Fortunately, Simon was still alive now.
There was still time to change everything.
"Simon, I'm back."
"Ah, Erza. Welcome home."
Simon looked at the confident and spirited Erza she had become and smiled faintly.
He stepped aside to clear a path.
"Go, Erza. Shatter our nightmare once and for all."
"I will. Thank you, Simon."
Erza began walking forward.
As she passed him, she heard Simon whisper,
"Be careful, Erza."
"I will."
Erza replied, then ran toward the highest floor of the Tower of Heaven without looking back.
Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Cana followed close behind.
Rowan leisurely walked at the very back.
The rest of the journey was completely unobstructed, and the group successfully reached the highest floor of the Tower of Heaven.
The members of the assassin guild Trinity Raven, who had once forced Fairy Tail into a difficult battle, never appeared.
Rowan estimated that Erza's invasion had been far too sudden this time.
The Tower of Heaven was not even complete, and Jellal's plan had not yet begun.
Therefore, he had not hired Trinity Raven.
As a result, the Tower of Heaven's defences were extremely weak and were easily broken through by the members of Fairy Tail.
At the top of the Tower of Heaven,
Jellal sat in a chair, staring expressionlessly at Erza and the others who had charged inside. His fingers were gripping the armrests so tightly that they were almost crushed.
In fact, he had received word the moment Erza first invaded the Tower of Heaven.
But what could he do?
The Tower of Heaven had been constructed on an isolated island overseas specifically to avoid detection.
Even if he wanted to summon reinforcements now, there was no time.
At this point, he had no choice but to fight personally.
No matter who it was, no one would be allowed to stop him.
He would complete the Tower of Heaven and fulfil his objective.
"Jellal, I'm here."
Erza entered the hall and looked at Jellal as he slowly rose from his chair, her expression complicated.
"Erza, what a surprise. I never expected you to return today."
Jellal looked at her with a smile.
"I thought you had completely forgotten this place."
"How could I possibly forget?"
Erza's gaze flickered as though she had fallen into her memories.
However, her will was firm, and she quickly broke free from those emotions. She stared resolutely at Jellal.
"Stop this, Jellal. It isn't too late to give up. Otherwise, you'll regret it."
Having read the story, she naturally knew what Jellal would become later.
Not only would he regret everything he had done, but he would even establish the guild Crime Sorcière to atone for his sins.
She truly did not want to watch her childhood companion continue walking down the wrong path.
Hearing this, Rowan rolled his eyes.
The man had already fallen into darkness, yet she actually hoped to make him realise his mistakes through words alone.
Did she think she was Naruto?
Even Naruto only used his speeches after defeating his enemies.
Erza had not even fought Jellal yet, but she already expected him to surrender.
How could that possibly work?
"Impossible."
As expected, Jellal immediately rejected Erza's earnest persuasion.
He had already fallen too deeply into darkness. No one's words could reach his heart.
Not even Erza's.
At the same time, Natsu had heard enough.
He had come here to fight, not listen to the two of them exchange speeches.
"What are you two mumbling about? Eat my fist! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!!!"
Natsu roared and leapt into the air. His flaming fist descended toward Jellal like a meteor falling from the heavens.
Jellal's body flickered, instantly avoiding Natsu's attack.
Heavenly Body Magic—
Meteor.
This magic allowed Jellal to move as swiftly as a meteor.
Natsu's punch missed and struck the floor with a tremendous crash, creating an enormous crater.
Before he could react, Jellal had already rushed in front of him and punched him squarely in the face.
Bang!
Natsu was launched away like a cannonball, his brain ringing violently.
"Natsu!"
Gray roared.
"You bastard! Ice-Make Mag—"
Whoosh!
Before he could finish speaking, Jellal shot toward him like a meteor and drove a fist into Gray's abdomen.
The tremendous impact instantly sent Gray flying.
Although his life was not in danger, the force made him cough violently, almost causing him to vomit everything he had eaten the previous night.
"He's so strong! This is completely ridiculous!"
Lucy was greatly shocked, her face turning pale with fear.
Both Natsu and Gray were among Fairy Tail's finest mages, yet neither could withstand even a single attack from Jellal.
Wasn't the difference between them far too great?
"That's normal," Rowan calmly said. "This guy is also one of the Ten Wizard Saints. It's only natural for him to possess this much strength."
Lucy's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly asked, "Then what do we do now?"
Rowan patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Watch Erza's performance."
Meanwhile, after watching Natsu and Gray be defeated one after another, Erza could no longer remain still.
She equipped the Heaven's Wheel Armour and slashed toward Jellal.
The two immediately became locked in battle.
Jellal was indeed extremely powerful, but Erza was not weak either.
More importantly, Erza had been injected with the Superhuman Serum and had consumed three Devil Fruits.
Her strength had already advanced by leaps and bounds.
She appeared completely at ease against Jellal's attacks.
In particular, she had eaten the Warp-Warp Fruit, granting her mobility that surpassed even Jellal's.
She handled every one of his attacks effortlessly.
"Heavenly Body Magic—
Grand Chariot!"
Jellal roared.
The Big Dipper appeared beneath the sky, and each of its seven stars released a pillar of light descending from above.
Each pillar possessed power comparable to a meteor.
The entire hall was devastated by the pillars of light, while violent shockwaves swept outward like collapsing mountains and surging seas.
Rowan snapped his fingers and released a barrier, blocking the incoming shockwaves.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The waves of force crashed against the barrier like a catastrophic flood, but they were ultimately stopped.
Cana could not help exclaiming, "Amazing."
It was unclear whether she was praising Jellal, Rowan, or both.
Elsewhere, although Jellal's Grand Chariot possessed tremendous destructive power, Erza casually avoided it using the Warp-Warp Fruit.
Whoosh!
At the same time, Erza appeared directly in front of Jellal and swung her sword toward his head.
Jellal hurriedly used magic to block the strike.
But in the next instant, Erza disappeared again.
She then attacked Jellal from his left, right, front, rear, and every possible direction.
Her attacks were astonishingly fast, yet followed no discernible pattern.
In an instant, Jellal was driven steadily backward.
"Don't underestimate me, Erza!!!"
Jellal crossed his hands above him and roared,
"Heavenly Body Magic—
Abyss Break!"
In an instant, a black hole that devoured everything appeared from thin air, pulling all things into endless darkness and destroying them.
Erza decisively retreated and avoided the attack, giving Jellal an opportunity to catch his breath.
Jellal sneered.
"Erza, take everyone with you and die!"
The instant he finished speaking, the black hole released an endless gravitational force, dragging everyone around it toward its centre.
It attempted to completely destroy them all, including Erza.
When a mage at the level of a Wizard Saint went berserk, the destructive power they unleashed was enough to devastate heaven and earth.