"Swish—swish—swish—"
As soon as they stepped into the Tower of Paradise, hundreds of Magic Soldiers armed with various weapons surged from all directions, surrounding them.
The atmosphere instantly solidified, and at the same time, a familiar voice, amplified by some kind of magic, echoed through every corner of the tower.
"Intruders... and traitors Simon, Sho, Wally, Mirajane Strauss."
The voice was devoid of emotion, as if reading an insignificant list.
"Purge them all."
"Leave no one alive."
Wally and Mirajane Strauss instantly turned pale, unable to believe what they had heard.
Sho was completely stunned, standing rooted to the spot, his face filled with disbelief.
"Jellal..."
He murmured to himself, as if his entire worldview was collapsing at that moment.
Why?
Why would this happen?
Jellal, who had promised to lead them to true freedom, the leader they had always followed, why would he order their deaths?
"Fire!"
Someone shouted.
The next second, an overwhelming barrage of magic bullets came whistling from all directions!
Fireballs, ice lances, wind blades, lightning... a colorful torrent of elemental attacks instantly engulfed the area where Lorne and the others stood.
"Sho!"
Erza's sharp cry rang out, and before Sho could react, a Crimson figure had already blocked in front of him.
"Clang—!"
With a flash of light, heavy metal armor instantly covered Erza's entire body.
Adamantine Armor!
"Boom boom boom boom—!"
Countless magic bullets slammed heavily onto the giant shield, erupting in deafening roars, and the violent explosions stirred up rolling smoke and furious air currents, but Erza's figure remained as still as a mountain.
Behind the shield, Sho stared blankly at Erza's back, his mind a complete blank.
It was Erza-jie... who protected me?
And the one who ordered to kill me... was Jellal?
"These bastards!"
Natsu's roar came from the other side.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
His fist, engulfed in raging flames, smashed into the ranks of the Magic Soldiers like a cannonball!
"Boom!"
Flames exploded, instantly sending seven or eight Magic Soldiers flying.
"Ice-Make—Ice Lance!"
Gray clapped his hands, and dozens of sharp ice lances condensed out of thin air, shooting towards another group of enemies like a rainstorm, pinning them firmly against the wall.
"Erza-jie!" Mirajane Strauss cried out, her voice filled with tears.
"Don't just stand there!" Simon roared, shielding the terrified Wally and Mirajane Strauss behind him, deflecting a few stray magic bullets. "Prepare to fight!"
Jellal's objective was clear: use the word 'traitors' to disturb Simon and the others' minds, throwing them into confusion and infighting, then use a massive number of cannon fodder to stall for time, draining their stamina and magic power.
It would be best if he could use this opportunity to separate Erza and Lorne; as long as he could capture Erza, the ritual could proceed immediately.
Even if he couldn't capture her, as long as he could stall until Anima was fired, there would still be substitutes to take her place!
His plan was well-calculated, but unfortunately, he miscalculated one person.
"This is... noisy."
"This is taking too much time."
He said softly, then gently raised one hand.
The next moment.
"Crack—snap—"
Bone-chilling cold, centered around him, spread wildly in all directions like an invisible tide. The moisture in the air instantly condensed, and a layer of glistening white frost covered the ground.
The Magic Soldiers, who were preparing to launch their second wave of attack, suddenly froze. They discovered in horror that their feet had been frozen to the ground by ice at some unknown point, unable to move. Immediately after, the cold rapidly spread upwards along their ankles!
"What is this?!"
"I can't move! My body!"
"Help! It's so cold!"
The panicked screams lasted less than two seconds. The ice layer covered their entire bodies at a visible speed, freezing them all in that instant.
The entire hall, except for a few meters around Lorne, was completely frozen.
Hundreds of Magic Soldiers turned into hundreds of lifelike ice sculptures, standing silently in place, maintaining various attack poses.
Natsu and Gray stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, which resembled a work of art, their mouths agape wide enough to fit an egg.
"In... in an instant..." Gray stammered.
Simon, Sho, Wally, and Mirajane Strauss were stiff all over, as if they had seen a ghost.
They looked at the guy standing calmly in the center of the ice sculpture forest, and a chill ran from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.
Simon's pupils suddenly contracted; this was simply... a monster!
Erza deactivated her Adamantine Armor, looking at Lorne with a complex expression, but more of relief.
Lorne did not look at the frozen soldiers but turned his gaze to Sho, who was still in a daze.
"Now, do you see clearly who the enemy is?"
Lorne's voice was devoid of emotion.
"Is it Jellal, who wants to dispose of you like trash?"
"Or is it Erza, who stood in front of you without hesitation?"
Sho's body trembled violently. He suddenly lowered his head, gripping his hair tightly with both hands, making muffled whimpering sounds in his throat.
"Let's go."
Lorne ignored him and walked forward.
"Jellal wants to stall for time, but we can't let him have his way."
"Let's finish this quickly."
His figure walked at the very front, clearing a path through the ice sculpture forest for everyone.
Meanwhile, inside the Magic Council's huge circular meeting hall, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
"...That's how it is."
Siegrain's low voice echoed in the meeting hall.
"A lost forbidden magic, the r system, is being rebuilt on this island. Its purpose is to resurrect Zeref, the most evil Dark Mage in history."
Looking at the content in the video footage, everyone in the hall was astonished.
The Council Chairman looked at Siegrain, "What is your recommendation?"
"Immediately dispatch the Council's army to completely destroy that tower and arrest all involved personnel!"
A councilor immediately stood up and proposed.
"That's right, we must stop it before it's completed!"
"I agree!"
Most councilors favored deploying the Council's direct subordinate Magic Knight Squad.
However, Siegrain shook his head.
"Too slow."
His cold gaze swept over everyone present.
"According to the intelligence I received, that tower is already nearing completion and could be activated at any moment. Deploying an army, from assembly to sailing and then landing operations, would take too much time."
"We don't have that time."
The meeting hall fell silent again; everyone felt the urgency in his words.
"Then what do you mean?" asked Regi.
A barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Siegrain's mouth; he had been waiting for that question.
"Use... Anima."
A short sentence, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in the meeting hall!
"What did you say?!"
"Are you insane, Siegrain?!"
"That's our ultimate weapon! It's not something to be used casually!"
A councilor stood up agitatedly, pointing at Siegrain and scolding angrily:
"To use it for just one r system? Do you know what that means? Once Anima is fired, the entire island will be wiped off the map! What about those innocent people on the island?!"
"A bunch of indecisive doves!"
Siegrain slammed his hand on the table, unceremoniously scolding his colleagues, his face filled with urgency and impatience.
"To instantly destroy that massive structure before the r system activates, this is the only way!"
"To avoid greater sacrifices in the future, a small sacrifice now is necessary!"
His words were highly inflammatory, causing some councilors' faces to show signs of wavering.
Just as both sides were in a deadlock and the situation was about to spiral out of control, a clear, cold female voice suddenly spoke.
"I personally agree with Lord Siegrain's proposal."
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Ultear.
"According to Council regulations, activating Anima only requires the consent of more than half of the councilors."
Her words cut to the core of the issue like a precise surgical knife.
Siegrain immediately followed up.
"Everyone, please think carefully! That is not ordinary magic! That is a taboo left by Zeref! Once he is resurrected, the entire world will plunge into darkness! By then, it won't be just the people on one island who die!"
He looked around, his tone heavy with grief.
"I know this decision is difficult, but we are the Council, and our duty is to protect the order and peace of this world!"
"No matter the cost!"
These righteous words struck hard at the heart of every councilor.
Many councilors who were originally hesitant began to show complex expressions on their faces.
Yes... if Zeref truly revives... no one can bear that consequence.
Compared to the safety of the entire world, the sacrifice of one island... perhaps, it's not entirely unacceptable?
The meeting hall fell into a deathly silence.
Time passed by minute by minute, each second feeling like it was scorching the souls of everyone present.
Finally, after a long silence, a councilor sitting in the corner let out a heavy sigh.
He slowly raised his hand.
Indicating approval.
A barely perceptible smile flashed across Siegrain and Ultear's faces simultaneously.
The scales were beginning to tip.
Agitama looked at the raised hand, his aged face filled with helplessness and sorrow.
He knew that once the first person compromised, everything that followed would be unstoppable.
Indeed, as if by a chain reaction, another councilor, after a fierce internal struggle, also slowly raised his hand.
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