The clash of sharp steel and swift magic filled the air.
Even as the environment around them transformed dramatically, Erza and Jellal's battle raged on without pause.
Back and forth, it was a contest of speed and strength, a clash of justice against evil.
Magic crystals? So that's what Jellal meant by the true nature of the Tower of Heaven? The energy source Kira said was essential for the R-System?
Erza swung her swords with precision, her eyes darting around to locate the core of the revival array. If she could find it and destroy it, Zeref's resurrection could be stopped.
"You're fighting me and still looking around?" Jellal sneered, noticing her intent. He threw a heavy punch, then pointed skyward. "Triple Star!"
With a cocky smirk and flashy magical effects, Jellal radiated villainous flair. Three radiant magical orbs spiraled upward before shooting toward Erza in unison.
"Ugh…!"
Erza reacted quickly, but the force of the attack sent her flying, skidding across the crystalized floor like a ragdoll.
Clang! She jammed her twin swords into the glossy surface, the metal screeching against the magic crystal in a high-pitched, skin-crawling wail.
When Erza finally skidded to a halt, gasping for breath, Jellal was already on the move. "Starfall!"
"Meteor!" he shouted, transforming into a streak of light, aiming to close the distance and bind her with his Restraining Serpent spell. If he could trap her, sacrificing her for the ritual would be effortless.
But just as his attack was about to connect, something unexpected happened!
Whoosh!
A blade of light sliced through the air between them, cleaving Jellal's Starfall spell in two and halting his advance.
The slash came from the left wall, pierced through the right, and vanished into the horizon as if it had never been. Yet the ceiling, floor, walls, and magic crystals—everything in the room—was split cleanly in half.
It was as if the entire world had been bisected, separating Erza and Jellal.
"What? Who's there?" Jellal shouted, stunned by the sudden interference. Worse, his precious Tower of Heaven, the key to reviving Zeref, had been damaged.
Erza, however, knew exactly who it was. Only Dispersal had swordsmanship like that.
Seeing Jellal's frustration, Erza allowed herself a relieved smile. "Looks like even if you capture me now, your revival plan's done for!"
"Damn it!" Jellal roared.
---
Meanwhile, Kira was practically drooling over the magic crystals surrounding him, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Look at this! The size, the color, the shine, the texture, the energy… Hey, Dispersal, you know how to carve, right?"
"Of course!" Dispersal replied confidently after a moment's thought. "Carving? I'm a pro at that."
"Really?" Kira looked at him, surprised. This guy's got that kind of skill?
"I'm a swordmaster!" Dispersal bragged. "For a proper swordmaster, carving cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular pyramids, or prisms is child's play. Spheres, cylinders, and cones are a bit trickier, but they can't stop me."
Kira's face fell as Dispersal's smugness grew. "But my real specialty is irregular, abstract carving art. Shame not many people in this world get it."
Get it? That's the weird part! Kira thought. You're just saying you can't carve! Chopping stuff up doesn't count as carving! Carving's not that easy! Even Happy's claw scratches would look better than your 'art'!
But outwardly, Kira just nodded calmly. "I get you."
So much for hoping Dispersal could help him win a carving contest.
Swish, swish!
Dispersal circled the Tower of Heaven, picking his spot before swinging his sword. Two more aerial slashes flew out, slicing the crystal tower into several pieces. The cuts were clean, the surfaces smooth as glass.
Destruction was way easier than creation. In mere seconds, the tower was reduced to fragments.
"Wahaha! Jellal's gotta be furious right now!" Kira laughed, imagining Jellal's face.
They were both twenty, both magical prodigies, yet the Magic Council had stripped Kira of his rightful title as a Wizard Saint because "having two Wizard Saints in Fairy Tail might make the guild too powerful." What a load of nonsense!
Jellal didn't deserve to get off easy! Did he have any idea how much effort Kira had put into earning the title Wizard Saint's Shop? Did he think Kira made all those magic tools and opened trade routes for fun?
And the Council was no better!
Did they not realize Fairy Tail didn't need a fancy title to be extra full of themselves? They were already plenty cocky without it!
To become a Wizard Saint, strength wasn't enough—you needed contributions too. Otherwise, Gildarts would've been one ages ago. Siegrain only got the title recently because he was a Council member—classic "we need a Wizard Saint to prove we're the ones running the magic world" move.
Back when the Council picked the Wizard Saints, Kira was young and naive, thinking strength alone would cut it. By the time he'd made enough contributions to boost the economy, they hit him with the "no two Saints from the same guild" excuse.
Talk about bullying the honest guy!
"One more slash, and the balance of this tower's done for. It'll collapse for sure," Dispersal said, eyeing the crystal tower—already carved into pieces but still standing, as if it hadn't caught up with its fate. "You sure the magic in here won't explode? The R-System needs 2.7 billion units of magic, but Etherion's got way more. What if…?"
It was a valid concern. Magic crystals were valuable, but not worth risking their lives.
"No worries!" Kira said confidently. "As long as it's not completely pulverized, cutting the crystals off is fine. I've got a ton of magic crystals to store the excess energy anyway."
His confidence was well-founded. After all, there was that time Natsu ate an Etherion crystal, and nothing catastrophic happened. Simple destruction wasn't an issue.
"Even if it does go out of control and explode, I've got magic absorption and spatial transfer spells. Plenty of ways to handle it."
His calm tone reassured Dispersal.
"How long do you think these magic crystals could last?" Dispersal asked.
"How much do you think these magic crystals could sell for?" Kira said at the exact same time.
They froze, staring at each other in surprise.
"Wait, you're seriously thinking about selling them?" Dispersal exclaimed. "Didn't you say you wanted to use them for…?"
Wait, Kira hadn't actually said what he wanted the magic for!
"I get a cut of the profits, right?" Dispersal added, looking ready to draw his sword if Kira said no.
Kira quickly backtracked. "On second thought, maybe I won't sell them. I'll stick to my old trade."
Kira's old trade? Magic tools, of course. Using these crystals as power sources for magic tools would be like Tony Stark's arc reactor.
"So, what're you planning to make this time?" Dispersal asked. "Normal magic tools can't handle that kind of power."
You couldn't make products too good, or people wouldn't need to buy new ones. Every merchant knew that. Dispersal might not be a businessman, but he'd bought enough to understand.
Kira rubbed his chin, thinking. "I'm planning to use spatial magic to make a device that can take you anywhere in Ishgar or even to places like Alvarez. Maybe even connect to other worlds. How's… Anywhere Door for a name?"
---