Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

The Tower of Heaven was a single integrated system, and precisely because of that, Charles could directly see the battles taking place inside it.

Three screens floated before him, each showing one of the separated battlefields.

Erza's old companions had clearly demonstrated the saying: "A character gets nerfed after redemption." Despite giving Natsu and Gray a hard time during their surprise attack at the inn, they were now utterly ineffective against the Trinity Raven.

Wally and Milliana were defeated one after another, and Hugh, who used card-based magic, bizarrely insisted on facing the strongest of the Trinity Raven—Ikagura—alone. The result: he was downed in a single strike.

But Charles wasn't troubled. He'd never expected them to resolve this incident on their own.

Up to this point, everything had proceeded exactly as Charles had anticipated.

Natsu's opponent was Owl, an elder with the head of a giant owl. Owl used a jetpack-like magic device that granted him immense mobility.

His magic was Digestive Magic, which allowed him to swallow opponents and gain access to their abilities.

He cleverly exploited Natsu's weakness—his motion sickness—by taking to the skies, rendering Natsu helpless before swallowing him whole.

Charles was left speechless. Natsu's performance was, frankly, embarrassing.

Thankfully, there was still Gajeel. Gajeel proved that his defeat to Natsu earlier wasn't because Iron Dragon Slayer Magic was inferior to Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.

He defeated Owl even after the latter had absorbed Natsu's powers. Natsu was thus freed.

On the other battlefield, Vidaldus's Nightmare Rock magic allowed him to forcefully control a single opponent's actions.

He initially tried to control Juvia to turn her against Gray. But Juvia, unwilling to hurt Gray, resisted the spell by inflicting pain on herself—shattering Vidaldus's control.

Gray and Juvia then used a combination attack to win their battle.

The most crucial fight, of course, was Erza's.

Her opponent: Ikagura, the Trinity Raven's captain, who fused magic into her swordsmanship.

Whether it was the Heaven's Wheel Armor, Flame Empress Armor, or even Erza's strongest—Purgatory Armor—Ikagura sliced them all apart.

Despite the dire situation, Erza refused Lucy's help.

Instead, she equipped the Clear Heart Clothing—an outfit with no magical power whatsoever.

Erza's Requip magic, The Knight, allowed her to don armors with various abilities.

But the Clear Heart Clothing was the only exception—it had no abilities, not even defense. Compared to real armor, it was just scraps of fabric.

Yet equipping it meant Erza was now using her strongest weapon—her own will.

She had cast off the armor that concealed her confusion and fear and chose to face herself head-on. As expected, she defeated Ikagura.

With all three battles concluded, Fairy Tail had secured complete victory.

But at that exact moment, Faal—who had been curled on Charles's shoulder—raised his head and cried toward the ceiling.

Charles patted him gently. He had already sensed the massive magical energy gathering above.

High above the Tower of Heaven, intricate magic circles began to unfold layer by layer, illuminating the entire sky with blinding magical light.

Though Jellal's subordinates were defeated, he stood up, exhilarated. There were fifteen minutes left until Etherion descended.

"Looks like losing the game hasn't dampened your mood," Charles said.

"Lose?" Jellal laughed, voice twisted. "Have you forgotten the conditions for winning? This game isn't over yet!"

"Then allow me to end your pathetic game!"

The voice came from outside the door—followed immediately by a blade cleaving the thick doors to pieces. Erza, clad in her Clear Heart Clothing, stepped through the splinters.

Without a word, she lunged toward Jellal, her crimson-bladed demonic sword slashing down mercilessly.

But Jellal had anticipated this and leapt back in time.

The table before Charles, the chessboard, and Jellal's chair were all sliced in two.

Touching a fresh cut on his cheek, Jellal smiled. "After so long, you greet me with a blade. So heartless."

Erza's voice was cold. "Didn't we already meet at the Council? Jellal... or should I say, Siegrain?"

"Oh, you noticed?" Jellal said, a bit surprised. "But that's irrelevant now. Siegrain has already fulfilled his purpose."

Erza gritted her teeth. "Just how many people have you manipulated?"

Jellal responded with scorn, "As many as necessary to achieve my ideals—"

But before he could finish, Erza rushed in again—this time even faster.

Even Charles didn't immediately track her movements. All he saw were a flurry of blades sealing off Jellal's every escape route.

But Jellal wasn't slow either. His body shimmered with astral energy as he dodged her attacks with ease.

Jellal's magic: Heavenly Body Magic, a style that mimicked celestial bodies with magical force.

He seemed like a meteor streaking through the air—too fast even for Erza's strikes to connect.

In his hands, magic condensed and then burst forth as beams of light, like falling stars, raining down on Erza.

They were too fast for Erza to react, hitting her one after another.

This spell had a second phase—it could lock the opponent's movements.

But to Jellal's shock, Erza sliced through the magic.

The Erza he remembered—the one who had once trembled before him—was gone.

That brief moment of disbelief cost him.

Erza's next strike broke through his defenses and sent him crashing to the ground.

She pinned him there, her demonic blade Red Ribbon pressing against his throat.

Her hands trembled.

"What's wrong? Not going to kill me?" Jellal asked, voice steady.

All it would take was one flick of her wrist, and the blade would slit his throat. Yet Jellal showed no fear.

The Tower of Heaven began to tremble slightly. A deep, resonating rumble followed.

"Hear that? The satellite magic array has been deployed. Etherion is about to descend. Are you going to die here with me?"

"No! I want to live—live with my comrades. That will never change! But Jellal… even if you've fallen too far to save, I still… I still want to save you.

I'm ashamed of my own weakness. I thought I'd made peace with ending this, but here I am… still hesitating."

"That's your kindness." Charles walked over and patted her shoulder.

Jellal burst into laughter. "So you haven't changed at all, Erza! It's over now—everything's over!"

Blinding light surged through the window, bleaching even Charles's vision in white.

Etherion…

Had arrived.

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]