Chapter 74: FTRJ: Chapter 74

“King versus King”

Inside the Tower of Heaven.

Jellal stared at the chessboard, lost in thought.

Vidaldus, glancing at the time, said anxiously, “Master Jellal, we should capture Erza and perform the ritual. We haven’t got time for games.”

Jellal continued moving his pieces calmly. “Is that so? Then, will you make your move, Vidaldus?”

Vidaldus narrowed his eyes. “If you say so.”

“Then…it’s our turn to attack,” Jellal placed three chess pieces on the board.

Vidaldus let out a derisive chuckle. His magical power surged, causing his waist-length hair to billow upwards. His refined appearance was replaced by a fierce battle-ready persona.

Spiked pauldrons materialized on his shoulders, his face now heavily made up. He exuded a wild and untamed energy.

Simultaneously, two more figures appeared before Jellal.

One was a woman in a kimono, with two beauty marks beneath her eyes, and a long sword hanging at her waist.

The other was even more unusual, possessing the head of an eagle atop a human body, with a rocket-propulsion system strapped to its back.

Jellal smiled, observing the trio before him. “The Trinity Raven, an assassination guild. Vidaldus, Fukuro, and the captain, Ikaruga…”

Ikaruga opened her eyes, revealing amber-colored pupils. “Tonight, we celebrate in grand style!”

The three placed their hands on their chests and performed a slight bow. “Special Raiding Squadron of Assassins, the Trinity Raven…all present and accounted for.”

Jellal’s voice, low and resonant, filled the chamber. “It’s your turn to make your move. Go.”

Watching the three depart, Jellal gazed at the chess piece bearing the symbol of the sun, murmuring to himself, “Finn…the sun, you say? Ho ho, the sun, in the end, is merely a celestial body. Then, who truly reigns supreme…?”

“I am quite eager to find out,” he added with a hint of anticipation.

Meanwhile, Finn and his companions were navigating the long corridors. Since entering the Tower of Heaven, they hadn’t encountered a single soul, which thwarted Finn’s plan to quickly apprehend someone and extract Jellal’s location.

Finn had questioned Shô and the others, but they claimed ignorance, explaining that they were now close to the upper levels, an area strictly forbidden by Jellal.

Their only course of action was to continue along the path leading to the summit.

Lucy, walking in the center of the group, remarked, “These portraits around here are rather unsettling, wouldn’t you say?”

Natsu, intrigued by her comment, poked one of the portraits on the wall.

Suddenly, the eyes of the portrait before Natsu began to glow with a menacing red light, and instantly, every portrait lining the corridor ignited with the same eerie red luminescence.

“Whoa!!” Natsu exclaimed, stepping back in surprise. “I didn’t do that!” he insisted, frantically waving his hands in denial.

Happy, ever the loyal companion, promptly betrayed him. “Oh, we saw you, Natsu.”

Finn gestured for the others to remain silent. “Alright, everyone, let’s keep quiet and observe what happens next.”

Jellal’s voice resonated throughout the corridors. “Welcome, everyone, to the Tower of Heaven. I am Jellal, the ruler of this tower, and the pieces on both sides of this game are now finally in place.”

“Jellal…” Erza ground her teeth, her anger barely contained.

Simon’s voice was grim. “That’s Jellal alright. He wants everyone in this tower to hear him.”

Jellal’s voice echoed once more. “It’s about time we began, shall we? Let the games begin!”

Natsu bellowed at one of the portraits, “What kind of ridiculous game is this?!”

Jellal, unfazed by Natsu’s outburst, continued his explanation. “The rules of this game are quite simple. I intend to use Erza as a living sacrifice, performing the ritual necessary to resurrect Zeref.”

“In other words,” Jellal continued, “if I succeed in opening the gate to the Tower of Heaven, then I am declared the victor.”

“However,” he added with a sly smile, “should you find a way to prevent me from accomplishing this objective, then you shall be declared the victors.

But such a straightforward game would be far too dull, wouldn’t you agree? Therefore, I have arranged for three formidable warriors to engage you all.

What do you think? Rather intriguing, wouldn’t you say? Hahaha!” Jellal’s laughter echoed throughout the Tower of Heaven.

“And one final point I should add,” Jellal’s voice resumed its calm, measured tone. “The Magic Council will be deploying the Etherion here to destroy this entire structure.”

“What…? Etherion?!” Erza exclaimed, her voice filled with horror.

Jellal’s voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, rang out once more. “The remaining time is uncertain, but the moment the Etherion is activated, it will signify ’destruction’, meaning that neither side will emerge victorious.”

Lucy expressed her utter bewilderment. “What in the world is he thinking?”

“Well then,” Jellal concluded, “do enjoy yourselves.” With those words, the ominous red glow emanating from the portraits gradually began to fade.

“A game, huh…” Finn stroked his chin thoughtfully, his mind already formulating a strategy that would disregard any notion of adhering to Jellal’s established rules.

Shô slammed his fist onto the cold stone floor, his voice filled with rage and betrayal. “Damn it, Jellal!…”

In this moment, the truth of Jellal’s deception finally crashed down upon him, shattering the beliefs he had held steadfastly for eight long years.

Shô’s voice was filled with a mixture of anguish and righteous fury. “Nee-san…I won’t allow Jellal to harm you…I will be the one to defeat Jellal!!”

With a defiant roar, Shô buried his head and raced forward, his determination unwavering.

Erza shouted after him, “Shô! You’re no match for Jellal!”

However, Shô’s figure had already vanished around the bend in the corridor.

Seeing this, Simon and the others immediately set off in pursuit of Shô.

Erza placed a hand to her forehead, then turned to Finn. “We should go as well.”

Finn, after a moment of contemplation, said, “I suspect Jellal is most likely on the topmost floor.

You and Gray should go and find Simon. Natsu and I will use Happy to get to the top floor directly and take a look around.”

Turning to Happy, he asked, “Happy, you think you can handle another two consecutive flights?”

Happy responded confidently, “Aye sir! Don’t worry, Finn. I’m a Fairy Tail mage, after all.”

Natsu, brimming with impatience, urged Happy forward. “Alright then, Happy, let’s get going! Finn, you can catch up later!”

With that, Natsu and Happy shot off into the air, their movements swift and hurried.

Finn couldn’t help but let out a sigh at their hasty departure. “What’s the rush?” he muttered under his breath.

Outside the Tower of Heaven, Natsu, his clothes firmly grasped by Happy’s paws, was propelled upwards at breakneck speed.

Natsu let out a joyful laugh. “Haha, Happy, thank goodness we got out quickly! If Finn had gone first, I probably wouldn’t have gotten a chance to do anything!”

“Aye!” Happy replied, his voice echoing in the wind.

Suddenly, something appeared to be rapidly approaching from the distant sky.

“Whoooo~~” a whistling sound cut through the air.

Natsu looked towards the source of the sound, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What in the world is that thing?”

“It’s incredibly fast…it looks like a person,” Happy remarked, straining to make out the approaching figure. However, the figure was already closing in on Natsu and Happy at an alarming rate.

Natsu’s eyes widened in disbelief as he finally made out the figure’s distinct features. “It’s got an eagle’s head…?!” he exclaimed, utterly perplexed by the sight of this unprecedented creature.

The newcomer was none other than Fukuro, one of the Trinity Ravens.

Fukuro’s speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, he was behind Natsu, bringing his fist down with tremendous force…

Erza addressed Finn, “We should get going now. Finn, be careful.”

Finn nodded, only to be interrupted by a scream from outside. He quickly turned his head to see Natsu and Happy, who had just taken off at high speed, now plummeting downwards at an even faster rate. A figure was pursuing them, and had already managed to seize Natsu in its grasp.

Fukuro let out a light chuckle. “I know your weakness, you see. You have a fear of vehicles, don’t you?” He carried the now semi-conscious Natsu towards a large opening in the side of the Tower.

Happy, having finally managed to stabilize himself, immediately called out to Finn and the others for assistance.

Finn sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. “That guy…” He turned to Gray. “Gray, I’ll need you to go and rescue Natsu. He’s unconscious now, and probably wouldn’t be able to fight effectively even if he were.”

Gray grumbled, though he immediately set off towards the location where Natsu had fallen. “Seriously…”

Finn turned his attention back to Happy. “Happy, how are you doing? Are you still able to fly?”

Happy nodded resolutely. “I’m fine, but Natsu…” His gaze drifted down towards the spot where Natsu had fallen, his expression filled with worry.

Finn reassured Happy. “Gray has already gone to save him. The place where Natsu fell isn’t far from here, so Gray should arrive shortly. You should take me to the top floor first.”

“Right,” Happy replied, and with that, he lifted Finn into the air and began to ascend towards the top floor.

Happy’s speed was remarkable, and coupled with the relatively short distance to the top floor, they arrived at their destination in a matter of moments.

Finn expressed his gratitude to Happy. “Alright, Happy, thank you very much. You can head down now.” With that, Finn thanked Happy and proceeded towards the entrance of the topmost chamber.

Happy shouted back to Finn, “Finn, good luck!” before turning and flying towards the location where Natsu had fallen.

Inside the grand hall on the topmost floor, Jellal placed his eagle chess piece atop the fire dragon piece, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “The encounter has begun, it seems. Shall we see if I can successfully hunt a dragon?”

Suddenly, the massive doors at the far end of the hall were flung open with a tremendous force.

Finn’s voice echoed through the chamber. “Jellal, I see you’re here after all.”

Jellal narrowed his eyes, a look of slight surprise crossing his features, though upon further reflection, he seemed to consider it somewhat expected.

Finn’s voice resonated with unwavering determination. “Jellal, your tedious game is about to come to an end.” A brilliant flash of light erupted from Finn’s hand, and the Ryūjin Jakka materialized, its blade shimmering menacingly.

Flames began to spread from Finn’s body, leaving a trail of fiery footprints wherever he stepped, as if the very ground beneath his feet was beginning to ignite.

Magic Council.

A series of tremors shook the very foundations of the building. The unsuspecting citizens of the city stared in stunned silence as four colossal towers slowly ascended from the center of the city, with an even larger magic crystal suspended majestically between them.

Shortly thereafter, the outer shells of the four towers began to disintegrate, revealing that they too were composed of magic crystals, each imbued with a different magical attribute. The magical energy from these four towers began to flow towards the central crystal, causing the crystal to radiate an increasingly intense and dazzling light.

Makarov stood within the Council chambers, observing the unfolding events before him in a stoic silence, yet a flicker of excitement could be detected in his eyes.

Unseen by Makarov, Ultear stood behind him, her head bowed low as she murmured softly to herself, “Though I am truly sorry, things have already progressed to this point, and there is nothing I can do to prevent it.”

“I must remain within the Devil’s Heart. So, despite my reluctance, I must continue to follow the predetermined script.”

Raising her head to gaze at the back of Makarov’s head, she shook her head slightly, “I am truly sorry, Jellal. I have once again burdened myself with a heavy sin.”

With that, Ultear turned and departed, her voice echoing with quiet resolve. “Only by venturing into the Grand Magic World will I be able to prevent these tragedies, only then will I be able to cleanse myself of my sins.”

The final words of the man echoed in her mind, along with the image of his radiant smile. “Then, everything will change.”

…

Jellal rose from his throne, his gaze fixed upon Finn, who was now completely enveloped in a fiery aura.

Jellal removed his hood, revealing a face that was instantly recognizable to Finn. “It seems the game is about to reach its climax,” he remarked with a calm, almost serene tone.

Finn couldn’t help but let out a wry smile. “To be honest, I do find it rather difficult to bring myself to attack a face like that.”

Gazing upon the familiar features, Finn was immediately reminded of Mystogan, finding it hard to believe that someone with such a kind and gentle face could be capable of such malevolent deeds.

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