23

The small group that had managed to flee the Tower Of Heaven before its obliteration at the hands of Etherion, could only gape in shock. The blast from Etherion was still going, a full minute after it had first engulfed the entirety of the Tower, and its surrounding island, leaving no doubt in the minds of those present that there would be nothing left in its wake.

Gray couldn't even speak, his thoughts turning toward the unconscious Erza, and the hard task of informing her about Natsu's death. If what Simon said was true, she already knew he stayed behind to fight Jellal, but it was doubtful she could have predicted such a catastrophic death for the man.

"Gray," Juvia whispered, as she placed a gentle hand on the man's right shoulder. "I know you might not wish to speak right now, but just know that you aren't alone in this."

"Me being alone isn't what I'm worried about Juvia, its Erza," Gray replied tiredly, as all eyes turned toward the Ice Make Mage. "Ever since Natsu left with Gildarts, Erza lost a part of herself. She always denied it, but when you grow up with someone, and share things with them, in a way only a family can … you can tell. Erza was only just starting to properly recover from Natsu's long time away, and now he's dead. This will tear her apart ..."

"She truly loves him, doesn't she," Simon asked quietly, as Gray looked up to face the much larger man. "When Natsu told me to take her from Jellal's throne room, even as severely weakened as she was, I could feel her struggling to stay. I could hear the desperation in her tone not to let him go through with what he was planning …"

"Even as we brought her back, she kept telling us that Natsu would come for her," Milliana chimed in sadly, as they all looked back toward the light engulfing the island. "I thought she was just being desperate, and trying to spook us, but then I nearly died when Natsu came crashing right through my window. It was at that moment that I knew that they truly had feelings for each other."

"Natsu and Erza's relationship isn't normal," Gray replied, as he took a deep breath to compose himself. "Honestly, they fight a lot about stuff, and they hurt each other to the point that any normal couple would've given up by now-."

"But neither of them are normal, are they," Eliza chimed in knowingly, as all eyes snapped toward the War Goddess. "Both Natsu and Erza's pasts are full of trauma. They are both fundamentally broken individuals who aren't capable of comprehending emotional relationships like most others. They hurt each other, and fight, because it is all they know, all they have ever experienced. The love that most take for granted was cruelly stripped away from them at an early age..."

"Like Eliza said, they're basically toxic for one another, but at the same time, they complement each other perfectly," Gray sighed as everyone looked toward Erza's unconscious form. "If those two had been given the chance they deserved, they probably could have healed each other though, I always believed that. But now …"

"I dare say that Natsu and Erza still have a good shot at it Gray," Eliza replied with a glint in her eyes, as Gray narrowed his own. "Look toward the blast, and tell me what you see?"

The group all looked toward the Etherion blast, and noticed it had begun to die down. As it did, a slight twinkle began to shine through, as the first signs of some sort of crystalline structure started to appear.

"What the hell is that," Gray muttered in a mixture of shock, and disbelief. "Eliza, what's going on!?"

"I knew from the moment I took control of Elise that the entire structure felt familiar," Eliza muttered darkly, as her eyes shifted Galaxy Blue, putting everyone on edge. "To think that's what Jellal was building though… Such a poor and misguided fool."

"Hey Eliza, mind explaining to the rest of us what the hell is going on right now," Gray asked as politely as possible, trying not to snap at the Goddess. "How the hell did the Etherion Cannon turn that weird Tower into whatever that is!?"

"Do you not know what you are looking at Gray," Eliza asked curiously, as she set her gaze squarely upon him.

"Uh … no?"

"What you see before you, is an extraordinary piece of Lost Magic from a time long before any of you could even comprehend," Eliza replied, as she looked back toward the now crystallized Tower. "Lost Magic that falls under the Black Arts, the very same Black Arts that the Black Wizard Zeref once wielded upon this world."

"The Black Arts!?"

"Indeed. What Jellal has done is create a device that is capable of resurrecting the dead. That is the true purpose of the R System. However, in order to be activated, it needs a level of power that not even all Mages on the entire continent can produce."

"But Etherion can," Juvia gasped as they all looked up at the fading light of the super-weapon. "So, the Tower absorbed the full blast of Etherion!?"

"Indeed it did, Juvia dear And with it, the R System is now but one step away from being capable of fulfilling its sole purpose."

"W-What's the second step," Milliana asked shakily, as the Goddess looked back toward the Tower with a hard gaze.

"The sacrifice of a powerful Mage. One of such strength, that it will allow for the full revival of another."

"Is that why Jellal kidnapped Erza?"

"Indeed it was dear," Eliza replied to Gray, who looked down at Erza with a scowl, before suddenly realizing something.

"But wait, Natsu's still-!"

"Oh yes, Jellal now has a much more potent sacrifice within his grasp. But I wonder, will it go the way Jellal wishes it to, or will Natsu rise up, and put an end to his plans?"

"Assuming he survived the blast at all," Gray replied, eliciting a soft laugh from the War Goddess.

"Currently, there are three people alive at the Tower right now dear, Natsu is assuredly one of them."

"So, what should we do now then? Do we go back and help Natsu take down Jellal?"

"I would advise not getting in the way of that fight Gray," Eliza replied bluntly, as she turned back to face the group as a whole. "The scale of their battle may even eclipse the one Natsu had with Jose Porla. You would most certainly perish, were you to set foot on that island once more."

"So, back to the mainland it is then," Gray sighed, as Eliza nodded, and began directing the boat toward the coast. "You'd better kick that bastard's ass Natsu!"

The group could only murmur in agreement, as they inched further and further away from the giant crystallized Tower. As they sailed, Eliza narrowed her eyes, as she pondered the consequences of what was to come.

***POTD***

Natsu slowly regained consciousness, his senses almost immediately assaulted by powerful Ethernano that seemed to be all around him. He forced his eyes open, pushing past the pain his brain felt, as his eyes struggled to adjust to the light.

"W-What!?"

Getting to his knees, he was shocked to see that the entire throne room he'd been fighting in until moments prior had been converted entirely into a single, massive Lacrima. Looking around, the spires outside were also crystallized, and it was then that he put the pieces together.

"It isn't just here; the entire Tower has been transformed."

Looking over to his left, he saw Jellal also rising to his feet, also clearly recovering after having been knocked out after the bright light engulfed them. However, the man was smirking, as he staggered toward the crystallized form of his destroyed throne and roughly tossed himself into the chair, panting slightly, as Natsu felt his knees quake.

"Hard to endure it, isn't it Natsu," Jellal asked in what was clear amusement. "The fact you can even remain conscious in this place, despite the amount of raw Ethernano, proves that I drastically underestimated you."

"So, this was your end goal? Turn this Tower into a giant Lacrima Crystal," Natsu asked, as he finally managed to stand. "I suppose if you wanted to revive someone as mythical as Zeref, you'd probably need this much raw power at your disposal."

"Oh yes, and it seems the Council were stupid enough to provide it for me," Jellal smirked, as he gently patted the chair he sat in. "With power like this, only one step remains-!"

"A strong Magical Core."

"I assume Simon told you of my plan for Erza then? No matter. As long as there's a powerful Core for me to use, the plan doesn't change."

"And I suppose you expect me to just keel over and let you win, huh?"

"Oh no, not at all," Jellal replied, as he slowly rose from the ruined throne, and reached for the clasp on his coat. "On the contrary, I expect you'll be quite resistant to what I have planned!"

Unbuckling the clasp of his coat, Jellal tossed it aside, leaving his upper body clothed only by a black undershirt which he then also removed and tossed aside to expose a well-kept upper body.

"You are the last obstacle in the way of my plans, Natsu," Jellal continued, as he pointed at the Dragon Slayer. "Once I defeat you, I'll use your Magical Core, and revive Lord Zeref, and with his return, a new age shall fall upon the world!"

"That's just it though Jellal," Natsu muttered, as he banished his coat and shirt to his Requip Space to reveal his muscular, scarred, upper body. "I'm the last obstacle, so it falls to me to stop you!"

"Heh. In a way, I suppose you are correct. There is a chance I could fail here; I'm not going to underestimate you like that fool Jose did. I know full well just how strong you are when pushed to your limits, Natsu Dragneel …"

The entire Tower began to shake as Jellal's body started to glow a bright yellow color. A series of sphere-shaped balls of light started to manifest behind Jellal as he powered up, until they formed a constellation.

"But don't think that you've got a shred of hope left now, not once I unleash this power I've honed in service to the will of Lord Zeref!"

Natsu stood firm before Jellal, before suddenly opening his own reserves, pushing back almost immediately against the absolute sea of power Jellal was outputting. The Dark Mage was shocked, as Natsu clenched his fists and re-entered the Dragon Force, a flame apparition of a Red Dragon manifesting itself behind him.

"You might have had a shit childhood Jellal, and if you hate the world then honestly, I can't blame you," Natsu said as he slid into an offensive stance. "But that doesn't give you a free pass for all the evil things you've done! Not just to Erza, but to all the people you've bound to this place!"

"Foolish Fairy… I struggled, just so that I would be worthy of Lord Zeref's gaze! When he returns, I will be absolved of any and all sin," Jellal snapped back as he clasped his hands together, and began to slightly levitate off of the ground. "I WILL BE SEEN AS A HERO!"

No more words needed to be said, as the apparitions behind the pair vanished, the pair eyeing one another, as the entire Tower shook from the raw power mixing with that of the two powerful Mages.

"I'm gonna make you pay for everything you've done … JELLAL," Natsu roared as he charged toward the Dark Mage who smirked evilly in response.

"Just try it Dragneel, your blood will write my legacy!"

Jellal shot toward Natsu with his right leg becoming coated in a thick shroud of Dark Magic, a stark contrast to the golden light surrounding the rest of his form. The pair cleared the distance between them almost immediately as everything started to move in slow motion.

Jellal slowly spun around in mid-air and went to kick Natsu with the Dragon Slayer digging his left heel in as he spun around whilst igniting his right leg. The pair both grit their teeth as their legs inched closer, Jellal striking from above and Natsu from below.

"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Talon!"

"Darkness Magic – Dark Drop!"

Fatal Battle

Bharam Alliance, R – Genesis

Jellal Fernandes

The pair clashed, shaking the entire room, as the Ethernano reacted to their attacks. Both Mages grit their teeth, before being blasted back by an explosion at the core of their clash, Natsu skidding backward, with Jellal flipping mid-air and landing in an offensive stance.

"Not bad Natsu, not bad at all," Jellal smirked, as he shifted his stance slightly. "But let's see how you handle THIS!"

Jellal's body lit up a bright golden color, mere moments before the man vanished. Natsu barely had the time to widen his eyes at this, before he was slugged across the face, and sent flying into a crystallized wall.

Bouncing off, he immediately hit the deck and felt a sharp gust of wind pass over him, and knew it was Jellal. Rolling, he avoided a strike, and leapt back to his feet, already blocking a strike that sent him skidding backward, as Jellal momentarily reappeared, a sadistic smirk on his face.

"True Heavenly Body Magic – Meteor!"

Vanishing again, Jellal shot toward Natsu whose eyes darted all across the room, his breathing quick as he pushed his senses and instinct to their extreme.

Right as Jellal was about to strike him in the face, Natsu sidestepped the attack. Jellal flew past, before quickly adjusting his trajectory, and trying again. This time, he tried it from behind, as he rushed his surprisingly still form.

Again, he got close to Natsu, before the Dragon Slayer sidestepped the attack, and he was forced to sail past. Narrowing his eyes, Jellal tried again from the front, and watched every movement Natsu made with a calculative gaze.

Again, he rushed forward, and again, Natsu dodged. This time, however, Jellal saw it, and was honestly more impressed than annoyed, as he flew into the wall behind Natsu and bounced off.

'He's using the senses of smell and sound to track me,' Jellal hissed inwardly, as he now bounced around the room, rather than at Natsu directly. 'His Draconic hearing can detect the shift in the wind made by my movements, and his Draconic nose can pick up my scent! With just those two senses alone, he's able to deduce my precise location!'

It was truly an impressive display, a skill only veteran Mages like them could possibly hope to achieve. Even weaker Wizard Saints like Jose couldn't do it, a testament to how difficult honing the five senses to such a degree were.

But he wasn't without his own skills, and now that he knew what Natsu was up to, he could adapt accordingly.

After bouncing off several more walls, Jellal suddenly shot upward with Natsu immediately taking notice of the sudden shift. Halting in place, both Mages' eyes locked for a brief moment, before Jellal smirked in his direction, and made several circular motions with his arms in a clockwise direction.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect you to be skilled enough to rely on your senses to such a degree, but that won't be enough for this," Jellal grinned as a large golden Magic Circle appeared before him. "True Heavenly Body Magic – Carolium!"

From the center of the Magic Circle, dozens of chains made from light shot their way toward Natsu, the Slayer immediately leaping backward as several pierced right through the crystallized ground where he stood.

Dodging several more of the chains, he looked up, only to notice Jellal was already on the move again. The chains continued to target him, forcing him to keep moving, and refusing to give him a moment to try and detect Jellal.

'One direct hit from those chains would clearly skewer me, but they aren't as strong as they initially appear to be,' Natsu mused, as he eyed the latest set of chains rushing toward him. 'I wonder what would happen if I did this?'

After dodging the latest set of chains, he dug his right heel in, and watched as the next set shot out, noticing that none of them had disappeared yet. Based on this, he knew that he could use them to his advantage.

Shooting off to the right, he smirked, as the chains changed their direction, and continued to try and run him through. Just that one observation further solidified the plan in his mind, as they smashed into the ground behind him.

"You think these things are gonna be enough to stop me Jellal," Natsu shouted over the sound of chains rapidly smashing into the crystallized floor. "Big mistake!"

Jellal initially dismissed his cry as his foe trying to bait him into changing tactics. It was obvious that he was getting closer and closer to hitting the annoying man, yet something in the back of his mind was trying to convince him to cease his current strategy, and try something else.

But the forefront of his mind quashed those rebellious thoughts as soon as they arose. He wouldn't be outwitted with his own attack, not by Dragneel!

Launching several more chains out to his left and right, they moved to envelop the Dragon Slayer on both sides, as they smashed into the back throne room wall. Seeing that Natsu was now boxed in, Jellal charged another Dark Drop and charged toward his enemy, not noticing the slight twitch of his lips.

"Gotcha-!"

Jellal was wholly unprepared for Natsu to suddenly stop in place, the chains looping back around through the back wall and darting toward his position. It took Jellal mere moments to reach Natsu's position, the same amount of time it did for the chains to arrive, and he immediately knew what had happened.

'He waited until I boxed him in before stopping, knowing full well I'd follow up with a strike to capitalize. Impressive battle intuition … but not unexpected.'

Natsu ducked right as the chains made to pierce his torso, their solid blades of light now mere inches from Jellal's face, as the Dark Mage smirked.

Natsu couldn't help but gape as he watched Jellal jump off of the air itself at the last possible moment, the blast from his Dark Drop propelling him further, as he flew right over his position.

The chains finally vanished, no doubt dispelled by Jellal, as the Dark Mage landed several stories above, and sat down over the railing of the balcony, clearly amused.

"Impressive strategy Natsu, but remember that this isn't a fight between ordinary Mages, nor even the 'mighty' S Class, either," Jellal chuckled tauntingly, as Natsu clenched his fists. "It will take more than basic evasion strategy to bring me down, though I will admit that the same is clearly true for yourself."

"Keep your praise," Natsu spat in response, eliciting little more than a slight twinkle from the eyes of his foe.

"I can tell that something like Carolium is a bit too … elementary, for a Mage of your caliber," Jellal continued, as his body began to glow bright gold once more as he shot to the skies. "Let's see how you handle this!"

Crossing his arms and raising them high above his head, a large golden Magic Circle appeared in the air as the entire area started to shake. Natsu could feel the very presence of the attack, as a powerful force began to latch onto him, along with everything else around him, as broken Lacrima shards started flying toward the Magic Circle.

"Be erased by the twilight of the stars," Jellal's voice boomed, echoing across the destroyed throne room, as a black swirling mass shot out of the Magic Circle, and toward Natsu's position. "True Heavenly Body Magic – Altairis!"

Gritting his teeth, Natsu shrouded his form in his Magic, orange sparks ripping his surroundings apart into miniature cubes, as his right arm was coated with an orange hue. Cocking back his fist, the ground beneath him fractured, Jellal's eyes narrowing at the power focused in his right fist, as the Dragon Slayer prepared to counter.

"You think that attack is gonna be enough to stop me," Natsu roared in defiance, his right arm vibrating to the point that it was now barely visible to the naked eye. "Compared to some of the crap I've faced in Scarlione, this is nothing!"

Jellal was shocked as Natsu shot directly at Altairis, the fractured ground beneath his feet being completely shattered, which left a gaping hole in the floor. Looking back to Natsu, his body had been fully picked up by the pull of Altairis and was now hurdling toward its dark depths.

"Crash Arts Secret Technique: Crushing Evil – Barrigan!"

Right as Natsu was about to hit Altairis, he threw back his own attack that immediately halted him in place. Altairis immediately shuddered as it was infected with Crash Magic, however, that wasn't even remotely what Jellal's full attention had landed on.

Natsu had struck Altairis directly at its center, the core of the all-consuming void. As Altairis shuddered, its direction slowly began to shift from facing Natsu, as the Crash Magic tore it apart, and restructured it to move in the direction Natsu wanted.

Directly below him.

"NO-!"

Jellal shot toward Natsu, knowing full well what he intended to do with both Altairis, and Barrigan. He would break apart Altairis, and reform it, facing directly below him, infusing it with even more power than before. This would make Altairis highly unstable, as it hurdled directly toward the tower itself.

'The amount of power in that would blast the entire Tower Of Heaven apart,' Jellal seethed, as his body was coated in a bright golden light. I won't allow him to destroy this place with my OWN ATTACK!'

Unfortunately for Natsu, he wasn't as skilled as Gildarts with Crash Magic yet. Due to this, he couldn't wield Barrigan as effectively as his mentor, which forced him to require full concentration to pull off his plan.

A sudden knee to the face was more than enough to snap his concentration, sending him flying across the room, and into one of the back walls, at high speed. Striking the wall, Natsu coughed up blood, as his internal organs were jostled, his wounds further being aggravated, before a boot to the stomach had him lurching forward in pain.

"Did you really think I would be so foolish as to not cotton on to what you were planning," Jellal sneered, as he flew back and landed on a raised crystal spire. "I won't let you destroy all that I've worked for!"

As he spoke, Altairis had begun to expand and contract rapidly, with large orange cracks around its edge. Both Mages knew that it was about to explode, yet neither gave it any more than a scant second of focus.

Natsu ripped himself free of the wall and charged at Jellal, with his body coated in crimson fire. He smashed into Jellal, and the pair fell down onto the main floor, right near the large hole Natsu had created earlier.

"You won't win this one Natsu, Lord Zeref favors my victory," Jellal roared, as both Mages shot toward one another, and smashed their foreheads together, teeth grit and right hands cocked back to deliver blows.

But before those blows could be delivered, Altairis exploded, its effects on the area immediate.

The entire throne room was immediately engulfed in a blinding light, as powerful winds knocked both Mages over. The ground around them all but crumbled, along with the roof, as massive chunks of broken Lacrima rained down around the pair, as they fell deeper into the depths of the tower.

Jellal was the first to recover, flipping mid-air, and landing on a broken piece of the roof that had reached his general position. Natsu recovered moments after, and grabbed onto a broken spire, and flipped onto its side, entering a defensive stance.

"Not doing a very good job protecting this tower, are you," Natsu taunted in response to Jellal's previous statement. "I'd say enough damage has already been done to make this place useless!"

"No, not useless," Jellal huffed back, as the golden glow around his body increased. "From this, I shall build a new R-System, no matter how long it takes!"

"My body's still warm Jellal, ain't gonna happen," Natsu snarled, as they both simultaneously leapt from their respective perches and lunged at each other.

"Darkness Magic – Black Rondo!"

"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Demolition Fist!"

The two mages clashed mid-air, their attacks setting off a massive explosion that knocked both through the rubble that was in free fall around them. Natsu managed to slide over a smooth piece of Lacrima, and pushed himself up into a spin, before landing on another piece, just as Jellal struck one of the side walls.

"Fire Dragon King's Roar!"

Taking a quick breath, Natsu fired a moderately powerful blast at Jellal, who simply glared at the attack, as several golden Magic Circles formed around him.

"Heavenly Body Magic – Pleiades!"

From each of the Magic Circles, six golden rays of light shot out toward Natsu's breath attack. The rays quickly coiled around one another to form one giant attack that immediately smashed through Natsu's hasty attack before splitting off into six again and moving to attack him from all sides.

Natsu immediately went on the defensive as he hopped between the pieces of rubble, whilst dodging the rays of light. As he went, he started redirecting his power toward his hands as he came face to face with one he couldn't dodge.

"Crash Repulse!"

Extending his right hand outward, Natsu fired a charge of Crash Magic directly into the ray of light, shattering it instantly, before spinning around and doing the same with his left hand, shattering a second that had moved to strike him from behind.

"Not good enough Natsu," Jellal's voice cut in, as he was struck through the back by two more of the golden lights, before a third and fourth struck him through the chest, sending him flying down toward the ground where Jellal was already waiting, another attack charged between his two hands.

Blood seeped through Natsu's grit teeth as he shrugged off the pain. As he fell, fire exploded from both his right and left hands which only elicited laughter from Jellal.

"You really are nothing more than a bloodthirsty idiot," Jellal laughed, as a massive golden Magic Circle appeared out in front of him. "You won't survive this one!"

A massive arrow made of golden light slowly emerged out of the Magic Circle, poised directly at Natsu's position. The arrow held great power behind it, a testament to Jellal's strength, as the entire tower groaned in protest upon its emergence.

"With this attack, I put an end to you, and claim Erza for my own! Lord Zeref's will shall be enacted, no matter how long it takes," Jellal roared, as more of the arrow emerged. "True Heavenly Body Magic – Orion!"

"You really think … I'd let you," Natsu huffed as two massive crimson Magic Circles appeared over his wrists. "I won't let you hurt Erza, or anyone else, ever again!"

"What-!?"

"The flames of vengeance devour everything in their path, rending the world to ash," Natsu snarled, as his entire body was engulfed by crimson fire. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Fire Dragon King's Purgatory Bullet!"

Panicked at the amount of power Natsu's attack was putting out, Jellal fired Orion at him. The golden arrow vanished, and immediately reappeared directly in front of Natsu, clashing against the flames surrounding his head, as it tried to pierce through the attack.

The arrow started to push Natsu back slightly, Jellal slowly beginning to grin, as he felt the first signs of victory approaching. His grin faded as soon as it had emerged, however, when the small distance the arrow had managed to make was suddenly conceded, and Natsu started pushing back against Orion with more and more power.

"H-How," Jellal spluttered, as he took a step backward in shock. "How can you keep generating more and more power!?"

"This," Natsu's voice boomed, as Orion was suddenly shattered, revealing that Natsu had infected it with Crash Magic to destabilize it. "THIS IS FOR ERZA!"

Jellal had no time to react, as Natsu immediately closed the distance between them, and delivered a fierce headbutt to Jellal, the very ground beneath the man being blasted apart by the sheer force of the blow, as they both plunged into the lake beneath the island.

The entire island shook violently at the conclusion of Natsu's attack, as large cracks slowly started opening up all around the tower. The tower shook visibly, but still refused to fall, as the crystal was using what little of itself that was still embedded into the earth to remain upright.

Down in the lake beneath the tower, Natsu shot out of it, and landed on the nearby shore. Immediately dropping to his hands and knees, he vomited a rather alarming amount of blood, before falling onto his side, and looking out at the lake itself.

Panting heavily, he could see a trail of crimson in front of him, and knew that his wounds were certainly severe. The four shots from Pleiades that had managed to hit him had left sizeable holes through his torso, just barely missing his vitals.

"Fuck," Natsu hissed as he squeezed his eyes shut. "You've really done it now Natsu …"

"You … certainly have …"

He wasn't surprised. Despite the attack he'd used, and the amount of force behind it thanks to the free-fall, he knew that Jellal wouldn't have been out for the count. The man was a Wizard Saint, a man who could reach such a position with only half his power.

"Figures," the Dragon Slayer huffed as he rolled onto his front and shakily rose to his knees. "No way you'd have died from that."

Jellal had emerged from the lake, his face bloodied from a massive gash across his forehead where he'd been struck, and his entire upper body burnt badly. The man was panting heavily and was clearly not faring much better than he was, which still brought Natsu little comfort.

"Funny, isn't it? I went into this fight not underestimating you, and yet you've somehow reduced me to this," Jellal chuckled softly, as he shakily rose to his feet. "To think that you had an attack that could match Orion, despite how wounded you are?"

"The mind does funny things when your inches away from death," came the dry response that had Jellal smirk in turn. "Still, you're not gonna stop, are you?"

 "Stop? Why would I stop, when I'm about to win?"

"What makes you think you're on the verge of winning?"

"I can tell that you've got almost nothing left to give. Your body is practically falling apart at the seams," Jellal responded, as he motioned to Natsu's shaking form. "I might be badly wounded, but you'd be on the verge of death!"

"Maybe I am," Natsu huffed, as he shakily rose to his feet. "I may very well die here, but I'm sure as shit not going alone Jellal..."

Jellal met Natsu's gaze. And, despite how bad the Dragon Slayer's current condition looked; the glare being directed at him was just as powerful as when they'd first started the fight.

His will had not wavered. His resolve to do what needed to be done, was absolute.

Both men stared each other down, the shaking of their bodies slowly fading to the occasional shiver. With heavy breaths, they took firm steps forward.

Neither could produce so much as a spark of Magic after the absurd amount they'd dumped into their previous attacks earlier, yet they still had one weapon at their disposal.

Both men grit their teeth and ran at the other, Jellal's right fist was poised to strike first, however, Natsu tripped and fell at the last moment. Jellal lurched forward as a fist made contact with his gut and knocked him flat on his back right as Natsu fell flat on his face, the Dragon Slayer having purposely tripped to both avoid Jellal's punch, and catch him off guard.

In retaliation, Jellal kicked Natsu in the head several times as hard as he could from his prone position, before rolling onto his front, and trying to get to his feet. As he managed to get to his knees, he spun around and looked toward Natsu who was also on his knees and started to shuffle forward.

"I … must win … for Lord Zeref …"

Just as Jellal managed to gasp out what he'd wanted to say, his eyes suddenly widened, as something sent a jolt throughout his entire body. It felt like every cell in his body was on fire, as the pain centralized around his left eye.

Natsu was shocked as Jellal collapsed and started to scream, whilst clutching the left side of his face. He had assumed Jellal would try and attack him again, yet here the man was, thrashing about on the ground like he was dying.

Natsu's shock was only further cemented as he scrambled away upon the emergence of a black misty substance from Jellal's left eye. The strange thing shot over toward the far side of the cavern, where it entered a small bottle and vanished entirely.

"What …?"

"So, this is what over a decade of work gets you," an unfamiliar voice hummed contemplatively. "I suppose we shouldn't have expected this much from one that Ultear had her paws on though …"

"Who the hell are you," Natsu shouted, as he tried and failed to get to his feet. "Show yourself!"

"I suppose there isn't any harm at this point," the voice replied, as a man clothed in a form fitting black bodysuit emerged from the shadows looking amused at the situation.

"Who the hell are you," Natsu snarled, only for a hand to grab onto his arm. "Jellal!?"

Natsu was shocked to see Jellal was back up, though his eyes were completely different than what they had been only moments prior. No longer did he appear crazed like a maniac, but now he appeared scared, confused and angry.

"He's Kidomaru," Jellal said shakily as he rose back to his knees. "Guild Master of Death's Head Caucus, and right hand to the Guild Master of the Oracion Seis, one of the three main leaders of the Bharam Alliance!"

Natsu sucked in a sharp breath as his mind quickly put the entire situation together. Looking between Jellal and Kidomaru, he quickly deduced that the blue haired man next to him might not be the true enemy here.

"I'm afraid that I've come with a bit of bad news for you, Jellal," Kidomaru grinned, as he placed his hand into one of the pouches on his belt, and pulled out a Lacrima crystal. "I have a message for you, from the Masters."

Jellal's eyes widened in shock, as the man before them tossed the Lacrima into the air, where it promptly shattered, and the images of three shadowed figures appeared over them, shrouded in black smoke.

"The time for games has long since passed. Yours was one of great amusement to us, Jellal."

"The construction of the R System, the destruction of the Magic Council, and even luring Natsu Dragneel to a remote island for us..."

"Our losses, thanks to Dragneel, must be repaid, in nothing less than blood."

"With the destruction of the Magic Council, and Natsu Dragneel being within reach, you have outlived your usefulness to our cause, Jellal."

"The R-System was a mere experiment into potential avenues … And, it was one we discovered held no value several years back. That was, until Natsu Dragneel came along …"

Some of the shadows faded to slightly reveal one of the Masters, though only piercing red eyes and a gaunt face managed to cut through enough for Natsu to remotely identify him.

"You were an amusing experiment Jellal, a shame it had to come to this. From our lessons together, I must admit that you could have truly become as great as we, had you the true stomach for the Dark …"

"Brain," Jellal hissed as the shadowy figure of Master Brain chuckled darkly.

"Still, being a liability in the end meant you were never destined for true greatness like we who are truly devoted to Zeref's cause. I shall make good use of the data collected by Kidomaru from the Tower for my future project..."

"Damn you …"

"Goodbye Jellal. For what it's worth, I considered sparing your life for but a few moments," Brain grinned, as his face was again shrouded in shadow. "Perhaps you may take some small comfort in such information!"

The laughter of Brain slowly faded to a mere echo, as the shadows dispersed, and both Natsu and Jellal slowly looked back toward the amused form of Kidomaru.

"Well, you heard it from the higher ups for yourself. As of this moment, you're disposable," Kidomaru chuckled softly, as he slowly drew a red crystal shard from his right-side pocket.

"No," Jellal hissed as he tried to stand, but quickly dropped back to one knee. "What have you done!?"

"Isn't that a piece of the Tower," Natsu asked slowly, as he looked toward Jellal, who nodded stiffly. "Why's it red?"

"He's enacting the will of the Masters of the Bharam Alliance," Jellal snarled, as he shot a piercing glare Kidomaru's way. "He's set the Tower to self-destruct!"

"What," Natsu gasped in response, as he looked between the two in shock. "But a Lacrima of this size would-!?"

"Oh yes, the subsequent explosion would be immense, catastrophic in nature," Kidomaru cut in, as he twirled the red shard between his fingers. "A Tower's worth of Lacrima, charged by the immense blast of the Council's Etherion Cannon, will produce an explosion that shall wipe out everything along the coast of Fiore!"

"You bastards," Natsu growled, as he shakily rose to his feet. "There's no way I'll let that happen!"

"You're already too late Dragneel, nothing can stop it now," Kidomaru laughed cruelly. "Even I have already long since vacated the Tower, the moment you all arrived, in fact! What you converse with now is nothing more than a mere Thought Projection!"

"Damn it," Natsu hissed, as he looked back toward Jellal, who seemed strangely calm, despite how concerned he had been moments prior. "This is your Tower; how do we stop this!?"

"There is no way to stop it Dragneel, not now," Kidomaru cackled with glee, only for a slight chuckle to cut him off.

"You really think that you've outwitted me," Jellal muttered, as he managed to rise to his feet, albeit shakily. "No wonder Brain doesn't trust you with complex plans..."

"What are you on about brat!? You've lost! This entire Tower is about to blow, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Tell me, Kidomaru, what the first lesson every Dark Mage learns is?"

"What kind of question is that boy," Kidomaru snapped in response, as Jellal grinned defiantly toward the man. "The first lesson is not to die!"

"Wrong. The first lesson," Jellal replied, as he looked toward Natsu. "Is to not trust anyone else isn't out to kill you."

Natsu immediately realized what Jellal was getting at, as the blue haired man turned back to fully face Kidomaru who was also putting two and two together, a vicious, rage-fueled glare morphing onto the previously playful Guild Master.

"No …"

"Did you really think I was stupid enough not to plan for if the Bharam Alliance tried to kill me? I knew full well what kind of people the Alliance had in it, I literally trained at Valtheim's Headquarters, and saw members from all three of the leading Dark Guilds all the time!"

"There's no way … You'd have to be as smart as Master Brain to see something like this coming!?"

"Not really," Natsu cut in, as he cautiously looked toward Jellal, hoping that the man wasn't using all this as a ploy to catch him off guard. "Most Dark Mages are, by definition, evil. The code encourages them to backstab each other to rise amongst the ranks, so that only the strongest may lead and survive, as the weak are weeded out and sacrificed."

"I knew that Brain would one day betray me. The man would sell his OWN soul, let alone mine. Knowing that, I prepared a contingency plan for if such a day would come that he'd actually try."

"No," Kidomaru muttered darkly as his form began to vanish. "I won't allow it! You won't succeed!"

Kidomaru vanished, as Jellal sharply turned toward Natsu, a grim smile on his face, which wasn't reciprocated.

"You might be skeptical about me for the moment, and I don't really think I blame you," the man sighed, as he ran a hand through his hair. "But we don't have time to argue about if I'm on your side or not. If the Tower goes off, countless innocents will be killed, and the Bharam Alliance will have struck a major blow to Fiore."

"I'll help you for now Jellal," Natsu replied slowly, as he held out his hand for the man to shake. "But if you try and double cross me, I'll cave in your face with one of these shards."

"Understood," Jellal nodded, as the two former enemies shook hands. "Now then, we need to get back up to the top of the Tower."

"Can we make it in our current condition before this place blows?"

"Definitely not," Jellal replied instantly, before walking over to where some of the shards had landed when they'd smashed their way down to the base of the Tower. "But I have an idea."

***POTD***

"What the hell happened to the Tower," Gray asked aloud, as the entire thing lit up a bright red color, the luminosity rising and falling like that of a heartbeat. "And what's this power I can feel …?"

"Someone has set the Tower to detonate," Eliza replied calmly, as everyone around her looked severely alarmed. "Panicking will not help, even at this range, you would all be vaporized, and would likely feel no pain."

"Eliza! What the fuck!?"

"Ah, my apologies Gray," Eliza replied with a slight smile. "I tend to forget that being vaporized can kill most mortals."

"That … aside," Simon replied slowly, as he struggled to process what Eliza had just said. "Jellal likely set the Tower to blow because Natsu is beating him."

"Yeah. He made sure to wire in a self-destruct in case something ever happened," Milliana added quickly, as they all felt the power being put out from the giant Lacrima steadily increase. "We don't have long before it blows, that's for sure!"

"Was he really that batshit crazy," Gray asked in disbelief, only for Simon to shake his head slowly.

"Jellal was many things, but he was right on the money with that particular idea. Dark Mages by nature like to betray one another at every turn to further grow their own agenda and power. Jellal simply made sure only he would profit from the R System."

"I dare say this fight is still far from over," Eliza muttered to herself, as her eyes watched what was really going on in the Tower, a misty Galaxy Blue glow to them that when unseen by the others.

***POTD***

"You know, that was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done," Natsu huffed as they reached the last set of stairs, and quickly continued ascending toward the throne room. "You realize if we consume even a single piece more of that stuff, we're gonna die an agonizing death, right!?"

"I'm well aware," Jellal panted in reply, as they stopped before the entrance to the throne room to catch their breath. "But what other alternative is there?"

"I dunno? Maybe next time, you could simply not make the safeguard to the giant bomb tower be at the very top of it maybe?"

"You're a real comedian," Jellal sighed in response. "Either way, we're here now. Based on what Kidomaru said before he vanished, I'd wager he's also up here too."

"But he'd only be half as strong because he's just a Thought Projection, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle, right?"

"Ordinarily, yes. However, Kidomaru is the Guild Master of one of the greatest Assassination Guilds in Fiore, so I highly doubt he'll confront us directly…"

"That's what you want me here for then, I'm guessing?"

"Yes. I can't try and stop this if Kidomaru is lurking around, so I need you to keep him occupied long enough for me to try and fix this …"

"You'd better damn fix this," Natsu sighed with a shake of his head. "And if we somehow live through this, you'll be answering to Erza for what you've done."

"I understand," Jellal replied with a slight bow of his head, his eyes clearly showing remorse, which somewhat simmered Natsu's rage toward the man.

It wouldn't be forsaken entirely though, not until Erza had her own chance to speak to the blue haired man that had betrayed her all those years ago.

"Right then, are you ready Natsu?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," was the grumbled response, as the pair burst into the throne room. "Figures."

"He'll no doubt be lurking somewhere, waiting for the precise moment to strike," came the muttered response, as the two cautiously made their way across the room.

After circling the massive hole in the floor made by their battle earlier, the pair made it to Jellal's broken throne. Looking around for a minute, Jellal went behind it, and motioned for Natsu to join him.

"What is it," Natsu asked as Jellal pointed to a section of the now red colored throne that was a faint golden color. "Is this your little fail-safe?"

"It is a fragment of my own power I placed into the device at a separate magical frequency, so that it wouldn't interfere with the true purpose of the Tower, should it be activated according to my wishes," Jellal explained, as his hand glowed the same golden coloration. "However, should the Tower be taken, misused or set to detonate like this, I can interfere with it like so."

Placing the hand that was glowing the same gold color onto the crystal, it started to sink in up to the wrist, where Jellal winced in pain.

"Not the most pleasant experience, but necessary."

"So, what can you do from here?"

"I'm going to try and stop the Tower from blowing up at all, that's the first step," Jellal began as more of his arm was absorbed by the crystal. "Barring that, I'll try to reduce the size of the detonation to be as localized as possible-."

Natsu grunted as Kidomaru appeared behind him mid attack and sunk a dagger directly into his lower back. Spinning around, he went to kick the man but the strike was blocked, sending Kidomaru skidding away.

"Do whatever … you need to do," Natsu winced as he ripped the dagger out and looked at its edge. "I'll take care of this bastard!"

A task easier said than done as he eyed the dagger momentarily, before tossing it aside. He didn't even have a fourth of his reserves remaining, and the dagger Kidomaru got him with was laced with a poisonous substance.

'Not a massive concern. My body should be able to handle that level of poison. The real problem is catching a crafty little shit like this guy …'

"Do you really think I'll just let the two of you stop this," Kidomaru spat as he summoned two more daggers through Requip Magic. "All of Fiore will be plunged into chaos, and the Bharam Alliance will rise from the ashes that follow!"

"You Dark Mages are always nothing but talk," Natsu huffed in response. "Let me show you how a real Mage fights!"

Kidomaru vanished right as Natsu closed the distance between them, his leg ablaze, as the Guild Master reappeared behind him, with both daggers poised to strike his right side. Natsu however had predicted that Kidomaru wasn't going to face him directly, and was already spinning on his left heel, his right leg coming to connect with both daggers.

"Fire Dragon's Talon!"

Both blades were shattered, and Kidomaru was struck across the face, and sent flying across the room. Before he struck the wall, however, he started spinning mid-air, and expertly landed, before vanishing and reappearing nearby, with several more blades already out.

"You stealthy types are all the same," Natsu scoffed as he entered a defensive stance. "Talk a big game, but can't fight directly for shit!"

"Count yourself lucky that you only face me at half my capability Dragneel! Greater men have fallen to my blade than the likes of you," Kidomaru spat in response, as he vanished once again.

"Fell to the blade of a coward who can't fight his opponents head on!"

Natsu and Kidomaru continued to fight, as Jellal's arm continued to sink further and further into the crystal, a rather grim expression on the man's face, as he came to realize just how dire the situation had become.

'Did Brain suspect my fail-safe? What is this strange Magic mixed in with the Tower?'

He looked over to Natsu, who was still fending off a frustrated Kidomaru, his eyes narrowing in thought, as he recalled Erza's defiant stand against him, and Natsu's subsequent defense of her shortly after.

Chuckling softly to himself, he realized what he had to do. He had committed great crimes, was played expertly by Brain and the rest of the Bharam Alliance …

"But there's a man who might be able to make this mess right," Jellal muttered to himself, as he delved deeper into the Magic within the Tower. "Good… I still have one last trick."

As Jellal pondered his options, Natsu sent Kidomaru flying across the room once again, with the man crashing into the crystalline wall, becoming embedded into it in the process. Just as he was about to advance on the duplicate, Jellal's voice cut him short.

"Natsu!"

"What," Natsu huffed as he looked over his shoulder to see the man was now elbow deep into the Tower. "You fix it!?"

"I'm afraid not," Jellal replied softly, as he met the Dragon Slayer's gaze, a foreboding feeling slowly beginning to seep its way into the pit of Natsu's stomach. "There's only one option left to me now …"

"What are you talking about," Natsu hissed in response as he ran over to Jellal, skidding to a stop next to the powerful man. "What are you gonna do!?"

"I did terrible things under their control Natsu, yet I was consciously aware of all of it. I had control until I went to make a move they didn't like … I'm not wholly innocent for all that has occurred under the Dark Guild R-Genesis…"

"…"

"But still," Jellal sighed, as he seemed to look beyond Natsu, at something that brought a small smile to his face. "I never wanted Erza to suffer like this, not like what that thing wanted. Even as kids … I cared for her."

"Jellal …"

"I can stop the Tower from harming Fiore," Jellal continued sharply, snapping Natsu back to reality, as the man grabbed onto Natsu's arm and dragged him closer. "But I need you to do two things for me!"

"Y-You really think you're in the position to demand anything from me now, Jellal!?"

"Heh. Don't worry, I think you'll agree to these two conditions … especially the latter," Jellal chuckled lightly in response, before adopting a completely serious facade once again. "The man behind this entire Tower project, wanting Erza to be used as the catalyst, and their attempted murder of you … was Master Brain, Guild Master of the Oracion Seis."

"One of the big three of the Bharam Alliance …"

"But not only that, you need to watch out for Ultear Milkovitch, one of the Seven Kin Of Purgatory, who you undoubtedly know well by now," Jellal continued, as Natsu nodded stiffly in turn, fully knowing who they were thanks to his previous run ins with their number. "Ultear was fully on board with this entire thing, and she no doubt has her own agenda, no doubt due to her Mother."

"Ur," Natsu muttered, knowing full well that there was history there he hadn't even scratched the surface of just yet. "So, I'm guessing you want me to do something about them?"

"I couldn't care less about what you do to Ultear, but I want you to put a stop to Brain," Jellal replied with a deep frown. "They've recently started searching for something, something that may give them an edge against the Ten Wizard Saints."

"I'll do what I can against them, but only because of the potential threat they pose," Natsu replied, with Jellal nodding in understanding. "Now, what's this other thing you want of me?"

"Oh, a rather simple request," Jellal muttered quietly, as the golden glow from where his arm was embedded started to spread out from the contact point, and across the throne room itself. "Take care of her …"

At those words, Natsu knew what Jellal planned to do. Looking at the resolve in the man's gaze to set things right, or as right as he could, by sacrificing himself at the end, he sighed and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Let me be very clear on this Jellal, all is not forgiven for this. You've done some truly terrible things and have hurt countless innocents in the process …"

"I know," Jellal sighed, before suddenly feeling the grip on his shoulder tighten considerably.

"That being said, I can tell you're genuinely remorseful, something many in this world aren't," Natsu continued, as he rose back up to his full height. "I can't forget what I know you've done, but I won't speak ill of you for this last act of your life. What I'm trying to say, I suppose, is … you have my respect."

"Natsu," Jellal muttered, as Kidomaru started prying himself out of the wall, drawing the attention of the pair momentarily before they looked to one another again. "You need to go; the Tower will still explode even with what I'm going to do."

"The blast radius?"

"I can halt it before the coast, you have my word."

The two men looked at one another for a tense moment, as the entire room started to shake. During this, Kidomaru finally broke free, and dropped to the ground, only to notice the golden light overtaking the red one, as a snarl wormed its way onto his face.

"Damn you brats," the Dark Mage hissed, as his body began to shimmer and twist. "Mark my words … the Bharam Alliance will have their vengeance for this! Our rise is inevitable!"

Kidomaru's Thought Projection faded, leaving the pair alone, as the shaking grew more and more violent by the minute.

"Go on now Natsu … Go and give Erza the life she deserves!"

"I will," Natsu nodded, as he took several steps back from Jellal, right as a massive crystal shard from the roof crashed down between them, cutting the pair off from the other. "Goodbye, Jellal!"

Turning around and sprinting toward one of the windows, his body morphed back into the Dragon Force, as two scaled wings emerged from his back, and he took flight, burning through what reserves he'd managed to regain earlier in the process.

As for Jellal, the man turned back to face the part of the crystal his arm was embedded into, and he sighed tiredly. Almost two decades of life wasted upon the whims of a man who couldn't care less about him.

"Heh. Guess you were right after all, Erza," Jellal laughed bitterly, as he pushed his other arm into the crystal. "Guess I really was nothing more than a fool…"

With a grin, Jellal pushed the entirety of his body into the crystal, the entire Tower beginning to visibly shudder, as sizeable cracks started to appear across its exterior.

And, as the man's head was absorbed, the last thought on his mind, was the color of scarlet … and the small girl who had momentarily blessed his otherwise worthless life.

***POTD***

"Now the Tower is gold," Juvia muttered quietly as she turned toward Eliza, who hadn't so much as blinked the entire time. "What could it possibly mean?"

"It means that Natsu has won, more or less," Eliza commented, as they saw a small speck begin to form on the horizon. "Speak of the Devil …"

"Is that him," Gray asked hopefully, as everyone started to run toward the shoreline, only to be blown right onto their backs, as the Tower suddenly exploded.

A blinding bright light that lasted a mere moment was the only warning the group received, as the first shock-wave of many knocked them all flat. Eliza was the only one entirely unaffected, as she leapt out and caught Natsu, who had been caught up in the shock-wave, his body flying at blinding speed.

"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you," Eliza joked lightly at Natsu's exhausted form that was already reverting from the Dragon Force.

"Just wouldn't be me if I didn't," came the tired response, as they landed back on the beach, and Eliza placed him down gently. "Thanks."

"Think nothing of it," Eliza responded with a wave of her hand. "What happened in there shall be your secret to tell, Natsu."

"You saw all of it," Natsu asked, as he rose into a sitting position, eliciting a nod in response. "Figures. Still, thanks for keeping quiet. Honestly, I'm not really sure how to explain all this just yet, if I'm being perfectly honest."

"Take some time to think before you discuss it with anyone, Erza included, then make an informed decision," Eliza replied in a gentle tone, as the others began to get to their feet once again, and noticed his presence. "Perhaps consult Makarov on the political ramifications of the knowledge you have gained?"

"I might just do that. Thanks Eliza," Natsu replied softly, as the rest of the group reached his position. "Hey everyone, I'm not dead!"

"Shut up Natsu, you reckless bastard," Gray snapped as he kicked sand at him. "This has to be the dumbest thing you've done yet!"

"Dumber than running off on a Century Quest Gray? Really?"

"Besides that, you moron!"

"Really feeling the love Gray, truly," Natsu joked only to receive another serving of sand in response. "Alright, enough of that! Where's Erza?"

"Still unconscious, but alive," Simon cut in, as he moved out of the way to show Erza still unconscious nearby. "You dealt with Jellal?"

"Yeah, he's dead," Natsu muttered, as the entire tone of the area grew deathly silent. "We fought hard, then Kidomaru showed up, and some stuff happened, which I'm still processing myself to be honest… But yeah, he's definitely dead."

"I see," Simon hummed, before turning to the rest of his friends, who all nodded in grim understanding. "For what it is worth Natsu, we must thank you for putting an end to this madness.

"So, you really did kill him then?"

All eyes turned toward Erza, who was still laying there, eyes now open however, as she gazed up at the stars with an unreadable expression on her face. Almost immediately, Natsu scrambled across the sand until he reached her position, and hovered over her whilst inspecting every square inch of her body, bringing a small smile to the S Class Mage.

"I'm fine now Natsu, no life-threatening wounds."

"You sure?"

"Positive," Erza giggled, before noticing just how beat up he actually was, as she rose into a sitting position. "You really did go all out against him, didn't you?"

"I had no choice, he was a tough bastard," Natsu joked, as Erza gently placed a hand on his cheek and the pair pressed their foreheads together. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for a thing Natsu, you saved me," Erza muttered in reply before, separating from him, and motioning toward Simon and the others. "Not just me, but Simon, Wally, Sho and Milliana too. You've finally put an end to that damn Tower once and for all!"

"If it's alright with you Erza, I'd rather not talk about Jellal or the Tower for now," Natsu replied, which garnered a raised eyebrow in turn, though she ultimately conceded and nodded. "I promise you'll hear the full story of what happened once I've processed it for myself."

"I'll hold you to that," Erza sighed, before poking his nose. "Besides, I know where you live mister!"

"That you do," came the chuckled response, as Erza slowly turned toward the others.

"I'm glad you all came to your senses in the end and helped us put an end to Jellal's crazy plan. It honestly hurt me more than you know to see you all working to complete that horrible place …"

"We're really sorry Erzy! Jellal tricked us all into thinking you were the bad one," Milliana cried in response, to which Erza merely smiled sadly in turn.

"The past is the past Milliana, this time for sure. I'm just grateful that my friends from so long ago managed to survive this long."

"You'd still want to be friends with us Erzy!? Even after everything we've done," Milliana gasped in shock, to which Erza nodded firmly.

"Of course I do Milliana, how could you even doubt our bonds we forged all those years ago," Erza replied, as the younger girl leapt at Erza for a hug, which was quickly reciprocated. "It would have to take something far greater than this to break the bonds we forged back then. And that goes for the rest of you three as well."

"I am truly glad to hear that Erza," Simon replied, with the first true smile many of them had seen from the man. "Perhaps someday soon we can all sit down and speak of our pasts, but like you said yourself, we must first look toward the future."

"Simon's right," Natsu agreed, as he finally managed to shakily stand up again. "With the Tower gone, what are you guys gonna do now?"

"A good question Natsu," Simon agreed, as the others all shared a brief look. "We had been discussing it whilst you were battling Jellal at the Tower, and we agreed that if you won, we would travel and explore this world that Jellal forbade us from truly seeing for ourselves."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Simon," Erza beamed, as the large man blushed in embarrassment.

"Y-Yes … Well, there is still something I plan on doing before all of that," the large man blurted out quickly.

"What's that Simon?"

"I'm thinking of finding Rosemary Village again," he replied, as he quickly shook off his embarrassment. "I always planned on one day visiting to pay my respects to the fallen. There is another reason though, and that would be my younger Sister Kagura, who we never saw at the Tower. I can only assume she survived that horrible day, and managed to somehow make it in this world and so, with Wally, Sho and Milliana, I plan on trying to find her."

"I can understand that perfectly Simon," Erza agreed, as she pondered if Simon's Sister truly had survived. "If you'd like, we could also keep an eye out for her in our travels?"

"Thank you, Erza. I would greatly appreciate it if you did. If Kagura turns out to be alive, then … then maybe all of the suffering I endured might have been worth something after all?"

Many of the others cut in, and expressed their concern with Simon's statement, but Natsu knew full well what the man meant by it, and gave him a nod out of respect. Simon seemed to understand what Natsu meant, and nodded back in turn. A silent understanding between the pair.

"So, I'm guessing you four will want to head out as soon as possible then," Natsu asked suddenly, cutting off the idle chatter, as all eyes were drawn back to the Dragon Slayer. "I know you all might want to head out straight away, but don't rush something like this, and give yourselves a day or so to get ready."

"You can trust the flame brain on that one," Gray snorted in agreement. "He's basically an expert in surviving out in some of the shittiest places imaginable."

"Well then, I suppose we can spare a day, at the very least," Simon chuckled, as the group shared collective smiles. "After all, the world isn't exactly going anywhere, is it?"

"Not at all," Natsu laughed, as the group started making their way back toward Akane Resort, which was off in the distance.

In his mind however, Natsu was anything but smiles.

Thoughts of the Bharam Alliance plagued him, and Jellal's final requests felt much more impactful, now that the man was actually dead. Looking after Erza was one thing, but taking on a Guild Master of the Bharam Alliance …

He would have to speak with Makarov and Gildarts as soon as possible. There certainly wasn't any more time for fooling around in his mind. If Jellal's claims were the truth, and the Oracion Seis were seeking some kind of weapon to match the Ten Wizard Saints, he had to act quickly.

"A day should be enough …"

"What was that Natsu," Erza asked curiously, only for Natsu to grin and shake his head in response.

"I was just thinking that a day before we get back to hard training should be enough!"

"Honestly, I think we should just head back home," Erza replied tiredly, before frowning. "Though we do need to talk about the Armor-."

"We'll sort the Armor out later, just don't use it unless you have no other choice," Natsu replied quietly. "I can't blame you for using it against someone like him."

"Thank you," Erza whispered before the pair returned to looking at the group ahead of them.

"We've all grown on this trip I think, so I'd call it a success."

"You have a rather amusing way of looking at things Natsu," Erza giggled, as she moved closer to him, intertwining her hand with his own.

"And you love me for it," Natsu grinned, returning her gentle squeeze with one of his own.

"Never change Natsu," Erza replied quietly, deciding not to respond to his statement the way she honestly wanted to.

The pair trailed behind the rest of the group, silently walking hand in hand, neither fully aware of the effect they truly had on the other. For now, however, they were merely content with just being alive.

That's all that really mattered.

***POTD***

As the survivors of the Tower of Heaven incident recovered, another was giving his report to the Three Lords of the Bharam Alliance, as well as the mysterious benefactor who was attending the meeting via Lacrima Projection.

"And that is the gist of what occurred at the Tower, Masters," Kidomaru replied shakily, as the three top Guild Masters of the Bharam Alliance pondered the report by the Assassin.

The room was deathly silent, as Kidomaru's eyes travelled between the three powerful figures. Each one not betraying even the slightest hint of emotion, as plans were undoubtedly already being altered and crafted in response.

The only Master that seemed inclined to speak was the Lord of the Oracion Seis, as he finally looked up and addressed the other two, though he didn't appear all that concerned with the disaster that was the Tower either.

"It seems that once again, Natsu Dragneel has defied us," he said quietly, as the others slowly nodded in agreement. "Perhaps it is time we placed a price on his head, just like the those who openly defy us?"

"I concur," the eldest of the three agreed automatically. "At the very least, the price will keep Dragneel distracted, as hordes of upstarts try to slay him for it."

"Do what you will, it shall make little difference what the fodder decide to do," the youngest sighed in boredom. "The Tower was lost, but we still have the data, and therefore, the true victory."

"Indeed. The data is ultimately what we sought from the project. The deaths of a few upstarts was to be merely a bonus," the eldest agreed. "What of the Nirvana Project though? Has it been located?"

"Indeed, it has," the Lord of the Oracion Seis nodded with a grin. "I already have a number of the subsidiary Guilds excavating it as we speak!"

"Then we are one step closer to our ultimate goal," the youngest muttered, as all three eyed the Lacrima Kidomaru had brought them. "That data from the R-System, and the data we shall receive from the Nirvana Project, will undoubtedly bring us close to the revival of Lord Zeref."

"And once Lord Zeref returns …"

"This world shall know true darkness," all three muttered in unison, as they eyed the Lacrima at the centre.

"Do not grow arrogant," the figure from the projection added, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Dragneel has become a legitimate threat to the Bharam Alliance, one that can no longer be underestimated, ignored, or overstated. We could have still used the Tower to fuel the forces of the Dark Guilds, as well as numerous projects. Now, it is gone."

"Better for it to be gone, than fall into the hands of the Legal Guilds, or worse, the Council," the eldest Lord replied.

"Maybe so. However, Dragneel likely now knows that the Oracion Seis are searching for something, and will likely make attempts to intervene in the Nirvana Project. Underestimate him, and we may very well suffer a catastrophic loss-."

"Are you implying that I would lose to some upstart?"

"If you fail to take him seriously like Jellal and Jose, yes," the figure replied bluntly, taking another drag from his cigarette. "He's defeated two Wizard Saints now, and his power is undoubtedly growing at an alarming rate due to his Dragon Slayer heritage. Underestimate him at your own peril…"

The figure on the Lacrima Projection vanished, leaving the three Lords to ponder the man's words. They all knew he was right, since Natsu didn't just beat Jellal during this confrontation, but two of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros as well.

"We will not fail," the eldest muttered, the other two Lords concurring with their colleague. "I think committing a third of our entire forces to the Nirvana Project isn't outside the realm of possibility…"

"Agreed," the youngest nodded. "A mixture from all three factions, to better balance things out."

"Agreed," the Lord of the Oracion Seis nodded, as they all slowly rose to their feet. "Let our next meeting be one of good tidings."

The three Lords all nodded stiffly to one another, before departing. In their minds, they had certainly won, but with Dragneel still being active … it was a solemn victory.

One they would not suffer again