The Etherion are, in essence, a vast reservoir of magical energy that exists within the natural world, akin to the very source of magical power for humanity.
However, even a mage of Zeref's caliber is no match for the power of nature itself. Therefore, the sheer magnitude of the Etherion and the magical energy wielded by mages are not on the same level.
According to the Council's assessment, the Etherion possess a strength of at least 2.7 billion jewels. This is a level of magical power that humanity can never hope to attain.
Even without any special attributes, just as raw magical energy, such a colossal amount of power inherently possesses destructive capabilities on a catastrophic scale.
Furthermore, the Etherion are inherently unstable, and even the slightest external stimulus could trigger a devastating eruption.
Therefore, the Council's method of utilizing this power is quite simple: they employ a satellite magic array to transmit the Etherion to the designated target location, resulting in devastating damage to the target.
And the current target is the Tower of Heaven. The entire Tower of Heaven is enveloped by the Etherion.
The radiant magical light dissipated, yet the Tower of Heaven remained shrouded in a thick cloud of dust, a testament to the collapse of its outer structure.
Soon, the true form of the structure that Jellal had referred to as the "Tower leading to the Future" was revealed.
As a system designed by Zeref to defy the laws of life itself, the Tower of Heaven was far from a simple structure.
Standing in place of the original tower was not a simple tower, but a colossal magic crystal.
Only such an unprecedentedly large magic crystal could fully absorb the Etherion.
"Finally... finally complete, the Tower of Heaven, symbol of freedom!"
Jellal erupted into maniacal laughter, his twisted expression causing Erza to completely abandon any hope of saving him.
The surge of magical energy emanating from Jellal sent Erza flying backward, before he rose to his feet.
Then, a figure identical to Jellal, yet clad in the robes of a Council member, materialized beside him.
This was Keyes, Jellal's thought projection, who had only moments ago been present at the Magic Council headquarters.
As the thought projection merged with its original form, the magical energy emanating from Jellal intensified dramatically. Having reclaimed half of the magical energy previously channeled into his thought projection, Jellal finally restored his full power.
"Next, I shall use Erza as a sacrifice, disassembling her body to create a physical vessel for Zeref. However, before I proceed, I must first deal with you," Jellal stated, his gaze shifting from Erza to Drake. He understood that the greatest obstacle to the success of his plan was not Erza, but Drake.
"Jellal!"
Erza roared, a giant sword reappearing in her hand as she prepared to unleash a devastating attack upon Jellal.
Jellal, however, did not even glance in her direction, merely stating, "Erza, simply remain where you are and await the arrival of the new world. That is all that is required of you."
The moment his words left his lips, the symbol etched onto Erza's ankle sprang to life.
It was a coiled bone serpent, which began to writhe across Erza's body, extending upwards towards her torso.
Erza's attack was instantly disrupted; her body was immobilized, rendered completely incapable of movement.
Curse Mark: Binding Serpent—this was the curse mark Jellal had subtly imprinted upon Erza earlier. It was this very curse mark that gave Jellal the confidence to control Erza.
Drake flexed his wrists, and Fal, perched upon his shoulder, let out a joyous cry, clearly anticipating the upcoming battle.
BOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion shook the very foundations of the Tower of Heaven, causing the ground beneath Drake's feet to tremble violently.
Not only Jellal, but Drake himself displayed a look of utter astonishment. Their impending confrontation was abruptly interrupted.
Neither the original storyline nor Drake's previously devised plans had accounted for this unexpected turn of events; Drake was genuinely at a loss to explain what had transpired.
Suddenly, Drake seemed to recall something crucial, turning his head towards Erza. "Erza, where are Natsu and the others?" he asked urgently.
Erza, while struggling to break free from the Binding Serpent's constraints, replied, "I feared the possibility of unforeseen complications, so I instructed them to evacuate the area."
Drake raised an eyebrow, a hint of exasperation in his voice, "That's fine for the others, but do you honestly believe that Natsu is the type to obediently follow instructions?"
Erza's eyes widened in realization, as she finally grasped the crucial detail she had overlooked.
Leaving the entire burden of combat to their teammates while she herself escaped—such a course of action was utterly inconceivable for Natsu.
Moreover, during the previous conflict with Phantom Lord, it was Drake who had ultimately vanquished Jose. Given Natsu's impulsive and competitive nature, it was highly improbable that he would readily stand idly by while his comrades faced a formidable opponent of Jellal's caliber, a fellow Saint Ten mage.
If Drake's deduction proved accurate, then the recent commotion must have been the handiwork of Natsu himself.
As if to confirm Drake's suspicions, not long after Erza's words, a figure burst through a newly created breach in the wall.
"Where is Jellal?! Come and settle the score with me!"
Natsu bellowed, his fists ablaze with fiery magical energy.
Jellal's voice was laced with fury, "You damned fool! Do you have any comprehension of the gravity of your actions?!"
Natsu grinned, his lips curled into a mischievous smirk, "You deceived Erza and her comrades, all for the sake of this dilapidated tower! In other words, if this tower were to be destroyed, it would be disastrous for your plans, wouldn't it?
We, the mages of Fairy Tail... are, after all, masters of destruction!"
Under normal circumstances, witnessing Natsu's audacious provocation of their enemy would have elicited nothing but a thumbs-up from Drake, but the current situation was far from ordinary!
"Natsu, you colossal idiot!"
Before Jellal could even utter a word, Drake's voice cut through the air, sharp and filled with urgency.
Although the Etherion had been entirely absorbed by the magic crystal within the Tower of Heaven, their inherently unstable nature remained unchanged.
In other words, the seemingly solid magic crystal had transformed into a veritable magical bomb, and Natsu's reckless actions could potentially trigger the detonation of this colossal explosive device.
There was no time to reprimand Natsu; Drake swiftly vaulted through the newly created breach in the wall, landing amidst the ruins caused by Natsu's earlier assault.
A gaping chasm had been created, from which unstable magical energy was now leaking uncontrollably.
For some inexplicable reason, Drake experienced a sense of déjà vu, as if he were witnessing the aftermath of a car accident with a ruptured fuel tank—a scene fraught with the imminent threat of catastrophic explosion.
"Fal, we'll need your assistance once again," Drake muttered, his voice strained.
Drake could think of no other viable solution. Even he, with his considerable magical prowess, could not hope to contain such an immense surge of natural magical energy.
Fortunately, Fal was present. As an elemental spirit representing one of the fundamental aspects of the world's very essence, Fal's unique abilities were essential for filtering and redirecting the volatile magical energy.
However, even Fal's capabilities had their limits; Drake could only mitigate the pressure by sharing the burden through their magical contract, thereby stabilizing the flow of magical energy.
Drake felt like an overinflated balloon, teetering on the brink of bursting at the slightest provocation.
At that very moment, Drake perceived a distinct fluctuation in magical energy emanating from above. It appeared that Natsu had already engaged Jellal in combat.
Drake let out a wry chuckle, "That blasted Natsu... he didn't do this on purpose, did he? He destroyed the magic crystal to distract me so he could fight Jellal."
Although Drake had stated his intention to handle any unforeseen incidents, he certainly hadn't anticipated an incident of this magnitude.
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