The scene unfolded just as Kira had expected. Jellal was indeed a step above Erza in strength. Plus, he needed time to recover the magic power he'd just expended and to wait for the arrival of Etherion.
Their blades clashed in a dance of attack and defense, advancing and retreating. Amid the flurry of intersecting sword strikes, Jellal spotted an opening. A lightning-fast blast shot from his joined fingers, shattering the two massive, sturdy-looking swords in Erza's hands and striking her square in the stomach, sending her hurtling toward the tower's outer wall.
During their fight, Jellal had deliberately maneuvered Erza toward the wall, which had already been weakened by Kira's earlier magic. Now, under Jellal's attack, it crumbled like paper with the slightest touch.
Erza twisted her body midair, landing on a tiny foothold of stone and leaping back into the fray. When she reappeared, she wielded a slender tachi.
"You're willing to destroy the Tower of Heaven for this?!" she shouted. "You're really going all out!"
Jellal dodged her downward slash with a backward leap. "It's just a decoration."
Erza closed in, gripping her sword with both hands for greater force than her single-handed strikes. "Just for this 'decoration,' Sho and the others trusted you blindly for eight years!!"
"Stop nitpicking every little thing I say," Jellal retorted, sidestepping again while forming a spiraling orb of energy in his hand, reminiscent of a Rasengan. "I spent eight years building it!"
"Since you already know the true purpose of the Tower of Heaven—that it's a magic crystal to store power—then as long as I can have you, a few imperfections don't matter!"
Erza, enraged by Jellal's fall from grace, attacked relentlessly, each swing of her blade fearless and unyielding, yet Jellal dodged with ease. Jellal, surprised by Erza's strength, struck back with deadly magic, each move merciless, only for his attacks to be sliced apart by her sword.
Jellal knew the Trinity Raven he'd sent hadn't worn down Erza's stamina or magic power. Meanwhile, he wasn't at his peak, having already burned through a chunk of his magic fighting Kira. So, from the start, he held nothing back, going all out.
This was exactly why he lasted longer than in the original story.
Kira vaguely recalled that in the original, Jellal faced an Erza fresh off her fight with Ikaruga and couldn't even hold out for seven minutes, resorting to emotional manipulation to buy time. But now? After clashing with Kira and facing a near-full-strength Erza, he was holding his own longer than in the original!
"Looks like even if most of his power is tied up in Siegrain, his main body is still formidable! This world's logic is pretty solid after all!"
Otherwise, what? Was he the one giving Jellal a buff? No way.
Ten minutes passed in a flash. As the two remained locked in their stalemate, Etherion finally arrived!
In the Magic Council, Siegrain and Ultear's plan had gone off without a hitch. With his persuasion and Ultear's enthusiastic support, the ten councilors voted, and with a nine-to-one result, they approved the use of Etherion.
Etherion was a massive magical convergence cannon, guided by a satellite magic circle, capable of striking anywhere in Ishgar. Its destructive power was said to be enough to wipe out an entire nation! But as for what size nation, that wasn't clear. From what Kira knew, no book he'd found recorded Etherion destroying a country—likely because such records had been erased.
Every time he thought about it, Kira couldn't help but sigh. The Council, unable to face their own dark history or bear the weight of the lives lost, could only cover up their sins this way.
It was like the blank history from 800 years ago—erase the records, leave only awe-inspiring legends, and over time, no one remembers what really happened.
People only knew of this powerful weapon, not who created it or what it was used for.
That said, Kira knew the Council's actions made sense. Etherion's power and influence were simply too great.
The only problem? An organization with just ten councilors was far too easy to infiltrate. Case in point: hadn't a fifth of it already been compromised?
(If Siegrain can get in, then I…)
Kira stood, patting Dispel beside him. "Sixth Brother, time for us to swoop in and clean up!"
Dispel gave him a weird look. "Sixth Brother? What's that about?"
"Nothing, just get to work! Don't forget why we're here!"
Using Kira's wing magic, the two slipped outside the tower, hovering in the air, quietly awaiting the baptism of holy light.
"It's here!"
A howling wind roared, clouds churned, and a radiant beam descended like divine judgment, unstoppable as an angel's verdict. It pierced through the atmosphere and clouds, striking the Tower of Heaven dead-on.
Kira clicked his tongue in awe. "Now that's a sight!"
"You don't see something like Etherion every day…" Dispel added.
It wasn't just Kira and Dispel. Even the group that had retreated to a small boat gasped at the spectacle.
"It's insane—stronger than Gramps' [Fairy Law]!" Gray exclaimed.
"Is this really okay? Can the Tower of Heaven actually absorb Etherion? No matter how you look at it, no one could survive that kind of magic!" Lucy fretted.
Though Kira and Dispel had explained that Etherion was meant to charge the tower's magic crystal, they couldn't help but worry for those still inside.
What if Kira's intel was wrong? What if the tower's crystal couldn't absorb all of Etherion's power?
Lucy suddenly spotted something in the sky. "Look! It's Kira and Dispel!"
Following her pointing finger, the others saw two figures floating high above, their vibrant red hair and massive wings illuminated by the massive beam of Etherion, making them impossible to miss.
"What are they up to?" Gray wondered.
As they watched, Dispel slowly drew his twin swords.
After a long moment, the blinding white light finally faded, and a cloud of dust enveloped the island, obscuring everyone's view. Whether it was Gray and the others on the boat, Natsu, Happy, and Simon racing toward the tower's top, or the councilors watching via satellite from afar, no one dared look away, afraid to miss what came next.
Council Chairman Crawford's face was heavy with grief. "This was a last resort. By doing this, we've all become sinners in history!"
"Etherion's power is extraordinary. Even though it's out at sea, coastal residents will likely be heavily affected. Hurry and start assessing casualties!"
After a burst of static, a councilor monitoring the satellite feed shouted, "The image is back!"
"Wait… what's this?!"
"Etherion didn't destroy anything—the Tower of Heaven is still standing!!"
"What did you say?!"
Despite their age, the councilors were quick to react, realizing they'd been deceived.
"Where's Siegrain? What's going on?!"
But when they turned around, they were shocked to find Siegrain, who had been there moments ago, was gone.
At the same time, the Council's building began to crumble. Support pillars snapped one by one, cracks spiderwebbed across the once-pristine ceiling, and chunks of stone rained down. The ground split into sand, leaving no solid footing.
"It's Ultear's Arc of Time! She's in on it too?! Those two bastards!!"
While the Council descended into chaos, Jellal and Erza remained far calmer.
"That's right—Siegrain is my thought projection! Not some twin brother!" Jellal declared.
Having cleared up his lie to Erza, Jellal felt a rush of satisfaction. Toying with people like they were fools was quite the thrill.
"You bastard! How many people have you deceived all this time?!" Erza roared.
Furious, she charged with her blade, but Jellal, now at his full strength, was no easy opponent. It was his turn now, and even against Erza, he could dominate with ease.
Unbeknownst to them, a magic crystal Kira had deliberately left behind was still active nearby, quietly recording the scene.