The magic crystals were cleared out at a visible pace, and the threat of the Etherion explosion vanished. The happiest people weren't those on the island but the old geezers at the Magic Council. Their headquarters, though, was in chaos—satellite imagery had gone haywire, leaving them blind to what was happening.
The angriest person in all this? That would be Jellal. Eight years of hard work, and now he was back to square one. Who could stomach that?
"Kira Hopelight!!!" Jellal's furious roar echoed through the area, his rage palpable to everyone nearby.
Gone was the cool, commanding boss vibe he'd started with. His cloak was in tatters, shredded by Erza's attacks, leaving him in just a blue-and-white bodysuit.
"Why're you yelling so loud?!" Kira shot back, putting away his megaphone and stepping forward. "It's not like the loudest voice wins!"
"You get it, right? At this point, all you've got left is humiliation."
Kira's smug attitude was too much even for Dispel, who muttered, "I'm outta here for a bit." He walked off, thinking, This guy's such a troll… what a waste of a good face!
Erza struggled to her feet. "Kira, what'd you do with the magic crystals?"
"Oh, I stashed them," Kira said casually, as if he'd just picked up some pebbles off the ground. "Once we're back, I can sell—uh, I mean, use them to make some new gear."
The scene felt oddly familiar to Erza, especially Kira's nonchalant vibe. It reminded her of the Lullaby incident not long ago.
"That was Etherion-level magic power. Is that really okay?" she asked, concerned.
Kira flashed a confident grin. "Relax! It's not gonna blow up!"
"Would you two knock it off?!" Jellal snapped.
A golden beam of starlight shot toward them from a distance, but Kira and Erza each dodged with a quick step back.
"Huh, you're still here?" Kira taunted. "I thought you'd have bolted the second things went south."
Jellal's veins bulged, his teeth grinding. He hadn't been this furious in eight years. "You bastard! You dare touch what's mine?!"
Kira glanced at the white sack full of magic crystals in his hand, then at the battered Erza nearby, unsure which Jellal meant. His gut told him it was probably the crystals.
"Look, I think it's finders-keepers, right? Sure, you got to them first, but I've been waiting eight years too."
It was a flawless comeback. Kira had waited eight years for the Tower of Heaven to be completed—at least, that's how he saw it. Whether Jellal was misinterpreting something wasn't his problem.
"Nonsense! How could you have known about the Tower of Heaven eight years ago?!" Jellal spat.
How'd I know? Should I tell you I'm a transmigrator? Yeah, right, Kira thought, smirking. "I'm a tra—cough—I mean, so what if I didn't know? You've been waiting eight years too, haven't you? And don't tell me you built this tower with your own hands!" Kira's voice swelled with righteous indignation, like an internet warrior from his past life. "Child labor building your tower while you reap the rewards? Jellal, tell me, which brick did you carry? As a no-wage, child-exploiting, brainwashing, pyramid-scheme-running, no-wage black-hearted boss, your sins are too many to list!"
Okay, Kira's argument wasn't entirely fair. Jellal may not have laid the bricks himself, but he'd organized the whole thing, set up the magic arrays, and gathered the crystals. He wasn't completely without contribution. But right now, Jellal wasn't in the mood to argue semantics.
Taking a deep breath, Jellal reminded himself to stay calm. The tower was gone, but revenge wasn't off the table. Erza was still here, and while he was at a disadvantage against both her and Kira, he had one last card to play.
"I'll end you in an instant," Jellal said, his eyes blazing with fury as he regained some composure. "Regret what you've done and die in hell!"
If he could channel his anger into magic like Natsu, Kira figured Jellal might actually be unbeatable without some serious cheats.
"Here I come!" Jellal shouted, his hands weaving a spell. Countless magical energy blades shot out like sharp knives, aimed not at Erza but at Kira. He knew beating Erza wouldn't matter now—targeting Kira was purely for revenge.
It's a feint! Kira saw through it instantly. Jellal's tactic was to overwhelm with relentless attacks, forcing the opponent to dodge until they slipped up, then hit with a big move. Pfft, I stopped using that trick three years ago.
"This guy's practically begging me to take him down," Kira muttered, sighing. "I didn't even want to fight, jeez."
With a quick raise of his right hand, Kira called out, "Energy Blast!"
A familiar magic circle flashed white, and a massive energy beam, as thick as a person, engulfed Jellal's magic blades like a drop of water in the ocean. Jellal's attack didn't even make a ripple.
"Disperse!"
At Kira's command, the massive beam split into dozens of smaller streams, weaving through the air like snakes, shattering Jellal's blades one by one.
If the initial attack was like an ocean's wave, this was like a dozen rivers—less powerful individually but overwhelming in number.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Since Jellal used that kind of attack, Kira would return the favor with the same style.
"Merge!"
The dozens of energy streams coiled around Jellal like serpents, striking from all directions—left, right, front, back, above, below—sealing off every escape route.
"Meteor!"
It was a solid attack, but Jellal wasn't some brainless brute like Natsu. His stats were well-rounded, with almost no weaknesses. He instantly boosted his speed, turning into a streak of light and slipping through a gap in the energy net.
But before he could even land, Kira's next attack was already coming.
That last move? A feint.
The probing attack was never meant to finish the fight. Kira knew those energy snakes wouldn't beat Jellal or even trap him. So, before the first move was even done, he'd launched the next.
That gap? Just a deliberate trap to let Jellal escape, thinking he'd outsmarted him.
Kira's knack for staying one step ahead came from guiding his opponent's actions. Every move left a subtle backup plan. Even if the enemy slipped through one attack, another would be waiting.
"Sealing Chains!"
Chains etched with sealing magic arrays shot up from the ground, aimed right at Jellal's landing spot. While he was still in mid-air, the wrist-thick chains were already waiting below.
For anyone else, it'd be too late to react. But Jellal wasn't ordinary. His body suddenly accelerated mid-air, twisting to change direction and landing on the chains, using them to leap back into the sky.
Too bad for him—Kira loved fighting in the air.
His combat style was to always plan three steps ahead. Most people could handle one or two tricks, but the third? That's where they faltered. The first escape feels great, the second makes you cautious, but no one can predict when the third strike will hit.
Ever since their encounter at the Magic Council, Jellal had studied Kira's fighting style. He knew Kira loved to set traps, leaving backup plans that caught opponents off guard. He also knew Kira was a master of Gravity Magic and Earth Magic, often forcing enemies into the air to crush them with gravity or stone.
Jellal wasn't worried. His Meteor Magic let him accelerate multiple times. He was confident he could slip out before Kira's gravity field or rocks hit, then flash in close to pummel him.
Come on, Kira, Jellal thought.
Clearly, Jellal knew Kira's fighting style but not his personality.
Kira's favorite move wasn't landing a third strike when his opponent was airborne. It was being sneaky.
As Jellal leaped upward, still on guard for Kira's third attack, he suddenly realized his lower body wouldn't move.
What's happening?!
Panicked, Jellal looked down. Purple-black magical runes were creeping up from his shoes, spreading at an alarming speed. In a blink, they reached his waist. Wherever the runes touched, his body went limp, powerless.
I'm done for!
"That sneaky bastard!!"