Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

Charles no longer had the bandwidth to sense what was happening above. The leaking magic from the Tower of Heaven was intensifying, and the pressure he was enduring was becoming unbearable. Yet, even in this state, he felt a shift on the battlefield—a familiar power awakening overhead.

It was a power Charles himself possessed: the power of the Fire Dragon King, inherited from Igneel.

For Dragon Slayer wizards, only draconic power represented the true source of their strength. Awakening that power marked their passage into maturity. But even with direct instruction from a dragon, unlocking that power with a human body was far from easy.

It required immense physical resilience, magical capacity—and, most crucially, resolve.

Charles had only managed it thanks to the blessing of World Magic, which provided the foundation. But even then, it had taken pushing past his mental limits and truly confronting himself to trigger the awakening.

Natsu had long been teetering on the edge of that awakening. It was a small step, but one that proved the hardest to take.

Charles could guess how Natsu did it—he must have eaten a chunk of the magic crystal infused with Etherion, forcibly stimulating his dragon force to awaken.

Etherion, as a force of nature, contained every magical attribute within it. For a Fire Dragon Slayer, only fire-aligned magic could be consumed safely—any other attribute should have caused devastating harm.

Charles had tested this himself, trying to absorb other attributes. Despite Natsu's feats in the original timeline—consuming Etherion, Laxus's lightning magic, even Jellal's heavenly body spells—Charles had nearly torn himself apart attempting the same. Anything outside fire magic was like poison to him.

Natsu's success could be chalked up to protagonist plot armor, sure—but Charles suspected something more.

Natsu wasn't truly human. He was E.N.D., the most powerful demon Zeref had ever created—named for destruction. Perhaps that was why he could transcend the limits of Dragon Slayers.

Now that Natsu had awakened the true power of Dragon Slayer magic, defeating Jellal was no longer a concern.

No one understood that power better than Charles, who had already awakened his own. Coupled with the fact that Jellal was holding back for fear of damaging the Tower of Heaven, Natsu now had the upper hand.

But that was also why Charles's concerns were shifting.

As the battle grew more intense, the Tower's structure became more unstable. More energy leaked with each tremor. Even Faal cried out in pain. Despite being an elemental spirit, even it was reaching its limit.

And so was Charles. Blood trickled from his mouth, his body sustaining internal damage from the overwhelming magic pressure.

But he couldn't stop—not yet.

In the original story, it was Jellal who, in a final act of redemption, fused with the crystal and redirected Etherion into the sky, saving Natsu and Erza.

Charles knew: this version of Jellal wasn't going to do that. On the contrary, he might take Natsu and Erza down with him in a final, catastrophic blast.

He had to endure. But still…

"This won't work… not like this," Charles gritted his teeth. He needed another way.

Then, an idea struck him. "Faal! Channel all the excess magic into this spell!"

A new magic circle unfurled—far more intricate than the satellite magic array. Black and silver energy intertwined, forming a glowing spell array that looked like a star-strewn sky.

A transformation caused by quantity becoming quality—the surge of input magic triggered a dramatic reaction from World Magic, displaying phenomena Charles had never seen before.

Above, Natsu—battered and bruised—stood across from Jellal, panting for breath. His body was scorched, his arms bleeding, but he still smiled.

Jellal looked worse. His robes were half-burned, his body streaked with soot and blood.

But the reason for his grim expression wasn't the injuries. It was what he sensed from below: the magic power stored within the Tower's core was rapidly draining away.

Simple destruction couldn't explain this. It was as if something was forcibly siphoning magic from the core.

Jellal didn't know what was happening, only that if it continued, his entire plan would fall apart.

"Eight years! I spent eight years building this! And you bastards are destroying it without a second thought!"

His rage was palpable. Reason had left him.

Natsu's expression turned grim. "You spent eight years on this, huh? That means Erza suffered for eight years because of it!"

When Natsu had attacked the Tower earlier, it hadn't been to sabotage Jellal's plan—he just couldn't help himself.

Charles had explained the structure and purpose of the Tower, but he hadn't said much about Erza's history with Jellal.

Natsu had learned the full truth from Simon later—about Erza's complicated feelings for Jellal, and the pain she carried deep inside.

That's when he snapped and smashed part of the crystal.

Now, the more the fight continued, the hotter Natsu's rage burned.

"I'm fired up like never before!" he shouted, fists ablaze.

"Then burn into ashes!" Jellal roared, his fingers tracing a dangerous glyph in the air.

This wasn't his usual Heavenly Body Magic—it was a forbidden spell: Abyss Break.

Abyss Break was a powerful, widely-feared forbidden magic known for its raw destructive force. But it required immense magical knowledge and reserves to cast.

Phantom Lord had used it too—via their magical fortress-turned-golem powered by the Four Elemental Commanders. It could annihilate an entire town in one blow.

Charles had interrupted their plan before they could unleash it. But now, Jellal was preparing a version powerful enough to level the Tower of Heaven—and ignite the magic crystal with it.

Erza recognized the spell and shouted, "You're going to destroy the whole tower with it?!"

Jellal kept drawing the glyph. "It'll only take five years this time. I'll rebuild the Tower of Heaven. Zeref, wait for me! Together we'll find true freedom!"

"You'll never be free!" Natsu roared. Dragon scales spread visibly across his face—clear signs of his awakening.

Jellal's eyes reflected the monstrous silhouette behind Natsu: a blazing fire dragon with wings unfurled, roaring skyward.

"You're shackled by the dead—you'll never be free! You're the one who won't let go!"

Flames erupting from his body, Natsu charged.

Jellal's magic circle was nearly complete.

But just then, his body froze. Pain flared across his face.

Earlier, Erza had slashed him once—and the injury had chosen this exact moment to erupt.

The sudden agony stalled his casting for a heartbeat.

And that single heartbeat was all Natsu needed.

His full-power punch crashed into Jellal, sending him flying and shattering part of the Tower wall.

At the same moment, down below, Charles completed the World Magic spell.

Looking up, he saw Erza holding a wounded Natsu, leaping out through the shattered wall.

With a breath of relief, Charles finally let go.

The magic circle wrapped around him—and he vanished from the Tower of Heaven.

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