Chapter 78: Nirvana's Collapse, the Unfulfilled First Love (2)
Wendy, separated from the others, urged her partner forward.
"Charle, hurry!"
"This is the fastest I can go."
The girl and her Exceed companion raced toward the looming shape of Nirvana. Wendy couldn't fight, but she couldn't stand by and watch her comrades get hurt either. Determined, she decided to rejoin the others.
As the fortress drew closer, a sharp, metallic tang hit her nose. Wendy gagged, covering her mouth and nose with both hands.
"This smell… it's blood. And not from just one person. What happened in here…?"
Collapsed buildings, scarlet stains, and the thick, cloying stench of blood filled the halls. With unease gnawing at her, Wendy followed the trail deeper inside.
....
"Ciel! Your arm—!"
The moment she entered the citadel, Erza—now awake—ran to him, Jellal close behind.
"It's nothing," Ciel replied evenly. "I only pushed myself a little too far."
But he wasn't looking at them. His eyes fixed on a figure lying in a pool of blood. He walked over, knelt, and placed his hand on Sorano's chest.
Her shallow breathing faltered—and stopped.
"…Too late?"
"Is she…?" Erza whispered.
"She just passed."
At those words, Jellal's face darkened with guilt. He bowed his head and spoke in a heavy voice.
"I'm sorry. Because of my recklessness, Nirvana was unleashed… and now your precious one has been taken from you."
"Ku… fufufu… hahahahaha!!"
"Ciel?!"
Erza and Jellal froze at the sudden, unrestrained laughter.
Precious one.
He had called Sorano Ciel's precious one.
What a joke.
"She was precious to me? Don't be absurd. She was nothing more than property—a slave. You speak as though I should mourn an object. Do you weep when a tool breaks?"
"Ciel…"
"She was our enemy from the start. She got tangled in foolish sentiment and paid the price. Nothing more, nothing less!"
His voice rose into a bitter shout, words spat like venom.
Behind him, a small voice trembled.
"That's a lie!"
Ciel stiffened and turned.
"…Wendy?"
"Ciel-sensei isn't like that. You would never speak such things!"
"And what could you possibly know?" he snapped, unable to hide the agitation that bubbled up. He didn't even know why Wendy had come here, but her words cut deeper than he expected.
At that moment, Erza raised her voice at me.
"Enough, Ciel!"
"Erza, this isn't something you should interfere with—"
"Don't wound yourself any further!"
I faltered. Wendy stepped forward and threw her arms around me, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at me. Erza, Jellal, even Charle standing beside Wendy—all of them were looking at me with pained expressions.
"Why… why are you all making those faces…?"
"Ciel," Erza said firmly, "lying to yourself only cuts you deeper."
"Sensei, I'm sorry," Wendy sobbed. "You're hurting, but… I can't do anything to help you."
"You say those words," I muttered hoarsely, "but why do you look as if you're about to cry?"
They said I was hurting. That I was wounding myself. I couldn't understand. Yet when I raised a hand to my face, I realized it was true.
My mask was breaking.
Despite the words I had shouted, my heart ached—aching because I had failed to save Sorano.
I had never grieved for anyone's death before. Comrades, subordinates… they were tools. But now, for the first time, I felt sorrow for the death of someone who had once been my enemy.
And because I couldn't admit it, I lashed out, raised my voice, spit venom to deny it. But my body betrayed me—my heart betrayed me.
"Hah… why must I feel such infuriating emotions?"
"Ciel…"
"Sensei…"
I sat down beside Sorano's still body and, with a trembling hand, brushed her cheek. The contrast to my earlier words was so stark that a weary, helpless laugh slipped from my lips.
I didn't know what this feeling truly meant. I didn't know if this choice would become a regret. But in that moment, reason gave way to instinct.
"…I never wanted to use this."
"Ciel—that's…?"
"A ring?"
"It's beautiful."
From my coat's inner pocket, I drew out a pair of rings set with blue diamonds, crafted as though animal claws clutched the gems.
The Anello di Promessa Blu—the Blue Promise Rings.
I slipped one onto Sorano's right ring finger, and the other onto mine.
They were cursed with an Absolute Pact: once bound, they could never be removed for a lifetime. Unless both bearers died together, even the Reaper of Hell could not drag them down—the rings would drag their wearers back, again and again, cursed with a mockery of immortality.
The price was steep. Each ring shackled half the soul of its bearer to the other, binding them in eternal servitude.
From the beginning, the wiser choice would have been to summon Hepsiel, whose powers of healing could have saved her. But the Orders and the Spirits forbade breaking such contracts.
Today was not a day I could summon Hepsiel, and even if I did, it was night.
Hepsiel could only act beneath the sun, and at night he had no power to use his healing gift.
I couldn't even understand these feelings driving me to save Sorano.
Surely, one day, I would regret this choice.
And yet, I activated the ring.
I surrendered myself to the emotions raging inside me.
"Now, by binding each other's souls, the two of us forge an unbreakable pact."
"Wha—?!"
"This light…?!"
"So bright…!"
From both rings burst dark-blue flames. The twin fires intertwined, then were drawn into the jewels, dazzling the air around us with a radiant glow.
Moments later, from Sorano's wounds bloomed flames of mist, her body regenerating even as the heavy beat of her heart resounded loudly in her chest.
"Good morning, Sorano."
"Eh?"
Awakening, Sorano let out a sharp scream and bolted upright. She touched her chest, realizing the wound was gone, and looked around in confusion.
"What—what happened? I was sure Brain's attack killed me!"
"Don't ask us, we don't know either."
"Ciel-sensei saved you, Sorano!"
"You… saved me?! A resurrection spell? That's impossible…"
She turned to me, about to demand an explanation—when suddenly Hibiki's voice echoed in all our minds.
[If anyone's there, answer me.]
"This voice… Blue Pegasus's…"
"Hibiki!"
[Erza, Wendy—it's you? Where are you right now?]
"We're inside Nirvana."
[What?! There was just a massive explosion—are you all right?!]
"Hibiki, everyone's safe."
[Ciel!]
I answered through Hibiki's Archive telepathy, and immediately I could hear Natsu and the others' voices alongside his. From the loud racket, it seemed they were all safe as well.
I quickly summarized the situation and asked Hibiki to find a way to destroy Nirvana.
"At present, the Oración Seis are annihilated. Their master, Brain's other persona—Zero—I've killed him. The explosion just now was the aftermath of that."
[I see… so the Oración Seis are completely defeated. Oh, that reminds me—we've taken out three members on this side too. One of them… changed, you could say. Enlightened by Nirvana—just like Angel beside you, Ciel.]
"Is that so? Hibiki, more importantly—do you know how to destroy Nirvana? I used my Dragon Slayer secret art to obliterate half its core, but it quickly regenerated."
[That's to be expected. You've noticed Nirvana's six great legs, right? They're not just supports—they're valves, drawing magic directly from the land. Each one is anchored by a magic crystal near its joints.]
"Magic valves, huh…"
[If you destroy all six at the same time, Nirvana's functions will stop. Don't destroy them one by one — the other mana cores will simply repair the damaged section.]
So that was why the core recovered even though we'd already destroyed more than half of it.
Unless you take out all six simultaneously, it will never stop.
After Hibiki finished explaining Nirvana, Natsu and Gray's voices came through.
[Screw it — let's blow them all up at once!]
[I didn't get to do much last time, so let me join in this time!]
"Natsu, Gray. Elsa and I are here, but please escort the non-combatants away from this area."
[No problem — Christina's flying over Nirvana right now. I'll take the non-combatants. Ma~an!]
"Ichiya, please."
After finishing the telepathic link, I spoke to Wendy, Charle, and Sorano.
"Non-combatants, please get out now. From here on it's our job."
"But you hurt your arm. Can you really break Nirvana in that condition?"
"Don't underestimate me. I'm still fine."
"Ciel-sensei, are you sure?"
"Yes. After everything is over, Wendy will personally treat me, okay?"
"All right!"
Outside the fortress Christina hovered. A ladder came down and the non-combatants — Charle and Wendy — climbed up first.
Next, Sorano grabbed the ladder and hesitated, glancing at me.
"Th… thank you, really."
"For what?"
"For using such an absurd thing to save me. My prayer was already answered…."
"That's none of my concern. Forgot? You're my property. I won't allow you to die on your own."
"Hohoho… what's that supposed to mean…?"
"Hurry up and get on. Then go live and atone for your sins. I think one of your comrades is up there — it might be good to talk to them."
"…Thank you."
When Sorano climbed the ladder, Natsu, Gray and Lucy came down.
Natsu glared at Jellal, but after Elsa and I explained things he stopped his attack and watched him warily.
They'd fought before, so it was impossible to shake their suspicion immediately.
Still, we needed his strength right now. Ichiya and Jura had been injured fighting Midnight — they were not fighting but supplying magic to keep Christina moving, so they couldn't be deployed. That left Natsu, Gray and Lucy to send.
Three who disembarked from Christina and the three of us inside Nirvana — six in total — headed down the channels leading to each of Nirvana's mana cores.
....
Arriving at Nirvana's first mana core, Natsu disembarked and, thanks to the Troia charm Wendy had placed on him, could move even on the vehicle without getting motion sick.
Not feeling nauseous, energy overflowing, Natsu reached the core ahead of the other five.
"All right! Attack starts in five minutes! We'll smash it to pieces in one go!".
Natsu spread flames from both hands, overflowing with the will to destroy Nirvana.
....
The second to arrive was Erza.
Though injured from her battle with Zero, she was still in the best condition among the allied members after Natsu, and thus reached the mana crystal.
"This ends here."
Clad in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, Erza summoned hundreds of blades and leveled them at the crystal.
....
At the third mana crystal, Gray arrived, slightly breathless, three minutes before the planned assault.
His magic was depleted from fighting Racer earlier and clashing with Midnight, but fueled by sheer stubbornness — and the dread of how much Natsu would tease him if he failed to pull his weight — Gray had pushed himself to make it here.
"If I don't do something here, I can already imagine that idiot Natsu mocking me forever. Just the thought makes my skin crawl."
Gathering what magic he had left, Gray prepared his attack.
"Ice Make—"
....
"Haa… haa… seriously, why did the ancients make these passages so damn complicated?!"
Two minutes before the coordinated strike, Lucy stumbled up to the fourth mana crystal, panting heavily.
Exhausted from her battle with Midnight, she had little stamina left — but leaving her guildmates to fight alone was unthinkable. She forced her legs forward until she arrived.
Wanting to prove her worth in this mission, Lucy raised her key high.
"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!!"
....
While Lucy summoned Taurus, Jellal reached the fifth mana crystal.
Though his memory was gone, one truth remained clear in his mind: Nirvana had to be destroyed.
Seeing Erza and Ciel's faces had stirred something within him — fragments of recognition — yet still, the memories would not return.
Even so, he stood here, guided by the voice echoing inside his mind.
"Erza… this is all I can remember… but I—"
....
And lastly, to everyone's surprise, Ciel was the final one to arrive.
Most had assumed he would be the first to reach his crystal, but he showed up last, thirty seconds before the operation began.
He steadied his breathing, raised his right arm, and conjured a spear of mist.
"Always working myself to the bone… Will there ever be a day I can take things easy, I wonder…."
Summoning indigo mist, he inhaled deeply.
For most dragon slayers, absorbing the byproducts of their own magic wouldn't restore them — taking back what was already spent yielded nothing.
But for Ciel, it was different. The mist-flame he generated wasn't just magical residue — it was his own unique ability. By consuming it, he replenished the stamina and mana he had lost.
In other words, by consuming the byproduct of his illusion—not something fueled by mana—Ciel was able to unleash his dragon-slaying magic one more time.
Having recovered some of his stamina, he poured his strength into the Spear of Mist, steadying his stance.
"Illusionary Demon Dragon: Scale-Breaker!!"
The mist's power sharpened into a lethal point at the tip of the spear. Ciel hurled it with all his might at the mana crystal.
At that very moment, attacks rained down on the other five mana crystals as well:
"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fist!!"
"Ice-Make: Cannon!!"
"Celestial Magic: Nine Lights!!"
"Requip! Heaven's Wheel Armor!!"
"Moooooo!!"
All six strikes landed perfectly in sync, shattering the mana crystals and draining Nirvana of its light.
As the colossal city crumbled, everyone—spent of magic and strength—rushed desperately toward the outside.
Ciel, too, tried to follow them out.
But—
"Khuhk… my strength…"
After countless battles and the toll of lost spirit, even just destroying the mana crystal left Ciel crushed by exhaustion.
Staggering forward, nearly collapsing, he was caught and supported by none other than Jellal.
"Jellal…"
"You saved me. Now it's my turn to repay that debt."
"You…"
"Talking can wait. Surviving comes first."
"…Then I'll be in your care."
With a faint smile at Jellal's words, Ciel allowed himself to be helped toward the exit.
....
The massive city of Nirvana, now shattered, plummeted to the ground.
From amidst the wreckage, Gray and Lucy were the first to emerge.
"Is everyone okay?!"
"Phew~"
"Haa… we're safe here."
"Erza! Thank goodness you made it out!"
"Wha—what's with your body?!"
As Christina landed a short distance away from the collapsing ruins, Erza burst through the debris—only to be startled when Ichiya came charging toward her, muscles flexing, clad in nothing but his signature briefs.
Horrified, Erza flinched back just as Natsu smashed through the rubble next, shouting:
"Aaaaghhh!!!"
"Natsu!"
"Oh, you're alive!"
"But… where's Ciel?"
"I don't see him!"
"And Jellal's missing too!"
Relieved to see Natsu safe, Lucy quickly noticed that both Ciel and Jellal were absent. Gray and Erza, sharing the same unease, kept their eyes fixed on the rising clouds of dust, hoping to catch sight of them.
A dark silhouette emerged—Ciel, leaning on Jellal's shoulder for support, finally stepped out from the ruins.
"Ciel!"
"You're safe!"
"Ciel!"
With that, it was proven: the allied forces had survived, and Nirvana's activation had been stopped.
Relief washed over everyone, and the members of the alliance collapsed where they stood, letting out heavy sighs as the tension drained from their bodies.
....
Some time later, Lucy and Gray exchanged uneasy words as their eyes shifted toward Jellal.
"But… is it really okay? That person… being Jellal…"
"Losing his memories sounds suspicious."
"No, I think Jellal really did lose them."
"Yeah. He isn't the same Jellal we once knew."
Lucy and Gray's doubts were gently answered by Erza and Wendy, who assured them. The matter was, for the moment, put to rest.
While the others took a moment to rest, Ciel sat against a tree, catching his breath. Soon, Sorano quietly slipped down beside him, cheeks faintly flushed as she edged closer.
"…I told you before, but… thank you for saving me."
"There's no need for such words. I hold no feelings toward you."
"Still, that doesn't excuse you shackling yourself with such a ridiculous curse!"
Her voice carried a sharp edge as her eyes fell on the ring clinging to Ciel's finger. Ciel only gave a faint smile, strangely welcoming the scolding—as if it reminded him of Pheonixia's words long ago.
Even now, he couldn't understand why he had saved her. His body had moved before reason.
Was this the love she had spoken of?
As he mulled over the thought, a sudden disturbance broke the calm.
"Ma!"
"What is it now, old man?!"
"I was just heading to the bathroom, but ran into something~"
"Now that you mention it, there are strange markings on the ground…"
"This… this is… a magic circle?!"
Everyone stiffened as glowing runes expanded outward, sealing them within a wide circle. Before they could act, the sound of countless footsteps echoed through the forest.
Armored soldiers marched into formation, surrounding the alliance on all sides. Their disciplined ranks parted, and from within stepped a composed young man—neatly dressed in a white uniform, glasses gleaming faintly.
"There's no need for violence. I simply ask that you remain where you are for the moment."
"You are…?"
"…It's been a while, Ciel Illusian."
"Ciel, do you know him?" Jura asked.
"Yes. He is—"
But before Ciel could finish, the man cut in smoothly, announcing himself.
"I am Lahar, Captain of the Fourth Enforcement and Detention Corps of the New Council."
Lahar—once a Rune Knight commander—now stood before them, reborn as a captain under the authority of the newly formed Magic Council.
----------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky