The aftermath of the dual-annihilation was silent, the silence far more terrifying than any explosion.
The sky was clear, the sea was calm, and the gigantic Tower of Heaven stood utterly intact, its surface only slightly scorched where the conceptual barrier had met the Etherion and Sema.
Erza Scarlet, though safe, was trembling.
Her Adamantine Armor was unnecessary, yet the sight of Arthur, completely unscathed, having absorbed an attack meant to wipe out nations, forced a new, profound level of awe and inspiration into her heart.
The focus, however, was on Jellal Fernandes.
He stood frozen, his crimson tattoos seemed to pulse with desperation, his prodigious Heavenly Body Magic utterly useless.
The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the complete absence of the magic that had just been there.
Jellal's entire life since the escape from the Tower had been built on a single, monstrous lie: that the only way forward, the only way to atone for their sins and create a new world, was through the power of the Dark Mage Zeref.
He believed Zeref was the ultimate messiah, the supreme being whose power transcended everything.
Now, standing before him was a figure who had not only deflected the power of Zeref's potential resurrection system but had also effortlessly nullified the Council's ultimate weapon.
A figure who did not flinch, did not sweat, and did not even draw a weapon.
His entire manufactured belief system collapsed.
Jellal's eyes, wide and vacant, darted between Arthur and the unscathed Erza.
The terrifying realization struck him with the force of a thousand Meteor spells: the Zeref he sought was irrelevant.
The true supreme power was standing right in front of him, and it was a power he had not prepared for, a power that did not adhere to his fanaticism.
He didn't launch an attack. He didn't flee.
He simply dropped his hands, the energy of the Heavenly Body Magic dissipating from his form.
"This... this isn't possible,"
Jellal whispered, his voice cracking, devoid of its twisted, confident fervor.
"The R-System... the Etherion... they are the peak of this world's magic. They cannot be... nullified..."
His mind, already fractured by years of delusion, overloaded.
The weight of his immense crimes—the manipulation, the kidnapping, the near-resurrection of a Dark Mage, the betrayal of Erza—all rushed in now that his magical confidence was irrevocably shattered.
He had done all of this for a power that was clearly insignificant compared to the quiet man who stood before him.
Jellal swayed, his legs giving way, and he crumpled onto the platform. He didn't just surrender; he fell into a state of profound psychological breakdown, his mind unable to reconcile the fact that he had dedicated his life to a lie while true, cosmic authority stood calmly waiting.
Arthur walked calmly toward the kneeling Jellal, the air vibrating with his authority.
He knelt down to meet his eye level, his gaze firm but merciful.
"The peak of this world's magic is still merely a single floor in a much larger tower, Jellal,"
Arthur stated, his words carrying the conceptual weight of the truth he had just demonstrated.
"You sought power and a savior in the wrong places."
He looked at Erza, whose eyes pleaded for the life of the boy she once loved.
"The R-System is deactivated,"
Arthur announced, standing up and scanning the tower.
"The Etherion blast was absorbed. The threat is neutralized."
He then focused his attention back on Jellal.
"Your punishment will not be death. Your punishment is life, Jellal. You will face the consequences of your crimes, and you will do so with a clear mind."
Arthur gently touched Jellal's forehead, not to harm, but to conceptually cleanse the delusion.
He didn't remove Jellal's magic, but he burned away the influence of the "Spirit of Zeref," leaving behind a shocked, terrified, and utterly sane young man who was instantly aware of the monstrous acts he had committed.
Arthur turned to Erza, his expression softening.
"The threat is gone, Erza. We have a lot of clearing up to do."
He then snapped his fingers, and a massive, instantaneous warp gate—a conceptual shortcut—opened right on the platform, leading straight back to the Celestial Forge in Magnolia.
"Let's go home."