War Begins

The enemy's ship must have been outfitted with magical enhancements. Despite pursuing it through the night, they still hadn't managed to catch up.

They had set sail after sunset, with the red glow of the sun fading over the horizon. Now, the distant sky was beginning to brighten with the first light of dawn.

In the pale twilight, the outlines of distant mountains came into view—alongside a towering, foreboding silhouette that pierced the clouds above.

Simon pointed toward the colossal shadow. "That's the Tower of Heaven."

Lucy's eyes widened. "It's enormous!"

Simon nodded. "Of course. It's a thousand meters tall."

A height of one thousand meters, easily hundreds of floors. It was like stacking two of Fiore's tallest magic towers on top of each other. The fact that it had taken only eight years to construct was impressive in itself. And during that time, they had also installed intricate magic circles, embedded lacrima crystals, and set up the core components of the R-System. The effort was immense.

Rhodes squinted at the horizon, calculating their course. "Feels like we're about to cross into foreign waters again."

Rhodes nodded in agreement, recalling a world map he had once studied. "The Tower of Heaven was built near the coast of the Kingdom of Caelum, right?"

The Kingdom of Caelum was a large island nation known for its thriving seafaring economy and powerful navy. It frequently experienced friction with the Kingdom of Minstrel to the northeast.

However, Fiore maintained neutrality and conducted trade with both countries.

That said, this stretch of sea wasn't part of any major commercial route. Pirate activity was frequent, and the region wasn't known for its scenery or local exports. Because of that, few merchant ships passed through, and tourists rarely came this way.

The surrounding coastline was covered with rocky mountains, and for nearly 100 miles inland, there wasn't a single village or settlement. Clearly, the cult that had built the R-System had chosen the location carefully to remain hidden.

"I couldn't say for sure what country it's in," Simon admitted. "I was captured when I was a child and haven't left the tower since."

Simon and his companions had spent their entire lives confined within the Tower of Heaven. Their days consisted of endless labor, occasional sleep, and just enough exposure to magic to learn how to use it. They had no real knowledge of the outside world.

Most of what they knew about Erza had likely been leaked deliberately by Jellal, feeding their hatred and mistrust.

If they were ever thrown back into society, they might only fare slightly better than Rhodes had when he first arrived in Fiore.

"That's fine," Rhodes said. "You might not know which country we're in, but you do know how many people are still inside the tower, where Jellal stays, and where the ceremony will be held—right?"

Simon nodded. "Yes. Besides Wally and Milliana, there used to be a few hundred guards and laborers."

"Used to be?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow.

"A few days ago, Jellal ordered the laborers to be temporarily relocated. He said too many people would disrupt the ceremony."

"And when does this ceremony begin?"

"Tomorrow at noon. That's when the guards will gather in the tower to await Zeref's arrival."

That actually simplified things. With fewer people around, infiltration would be easier.

Rhodes followed up, "Are there surveillance lacrima inside the tower?"

Simon nodded grimly. "Yes. And lots of them. Jellal has eyes on everything that happens in that place."

"Alright," Rhodes said. "How's everyone's magic power and stamina holding up?"

Mira gave a reassuring nod. "All good here."

Gray flexed his fingers. "No problem!"

Natsu cracked his knuckles with a fiery grin. "I'm ready to go wild!"

"Juvia will definitely support everyone," she said sweetly, eyes locked on Gray.

"I… I'll do my best!" Lucy chimed in, clutching her keys with determination.

As the Tower of Heaven came into view in the distance, just within reconnaissance range, Gray created a broad ice platform for staging. At the same time, Rhodes summoned Voidgrubs.

"When in doubt… drop troops first," he muttered to himself.

Juvia spread her arms, casting a shimmering, one-way water veil over the group. The film bent light around them, cloaking their presence from any magical surveillance.

Their infiltration strategy was simple and classic: a frontal distraction and an aerial sneak-in. Natsu would be the bait, charging in from the front gates with enough chaos to draw every eye in the tower.

Nobody questioned whether he'd succeed. If causing a scene was an art, Natsu was its undisputed master.

Meanwhile, Simon would be held as a potential bargaining chip. If they could exchange him for Happy, it would be worth it, even if Jellal wouldn't give up Erza so easily.

Once Happy was secured, it didn't matter whether Simon could rally his old companions. Reinforcements were already in place thanks to the Void grubs.

Rhodes and Mira would take to the skies, aiming to infiltrate the tower from the upper structure. Their top priority was locating and extracting Erza. The job of leveling the tower would be left to the summoned worms and frontline support.

Worst-case scenario? They'd have to face Jellal before Erza was free.

Simon had warned them that Jellal was powerful, but his grasp of just how powerful remained vague. Regardless, they didn't have the luxury of delay, Erza's life could be on the line with every passing second.

Both Rhodes and Mira were more than capable of putting up a real fight.

The Tower loomed ever larger as they approached. Its sharp spire pierced the morning sky like a dark needle of dread.

Rhodes extended his hand.

Mira smiled and placed hers over his.

Lucy added hers next, then Natsu, Gray, and finally Juvia—who, as expected, did so with sparkles and red hearts swirling in her eyes.

"Fairy Tail..." Rhodes murmured.

"We'll win!" Lucy declared, eyes burning with courage.

Simon looked down at his still-bound hands and wiggled his wrists a bit. He wanted to join the moment, but… no one had thought to untie him.

Awkward.

"Move out," Rhodes commanded.

He summoned the blue sentinel for support, then placed a buff on both himself and Mira to enhance their perception mid-flight. Finally, he take over the Murk Wolf form to rely on its keen sense of smell to track Erza.

Mira wrapped her arms around Rhodes's waist from behind, and activated her Satan Soul transformation. Wings unfurled from her back, and with a powerful beat, the two of them soared into the air.

She avoided a princess carry—probably to spare Rhodes the embarrassment in front of their teammates.

Juvia extended her arm and layered a shimmering water film around the flying pair. It would only hold for a short while, but hopefully enough to cloak them from view or make them appear like strange birds at a glance.

"Go!" Natsu yelled, yanking at the crabs' tendrils like reins, urging them to speed toward the shore.

The water veil shimmered and vanished as the rest of the team landed directly on the island, right at the front.

From a distance, the Tower of Heaven had looked like a bizarre, vine-wrapped tree. But up close, it was clear those "vines" were thick pipes—each one wider than a grown man—made of strange, unfamiliar material.

The entire island formed the tower's "roots." Tubes and conduits sprawled everywhere, twisting over and under one another in an unplanned, chaotic mess.

The construction gave off a wasteland-tech vibe, like some clunky blend of magic and industry. It looked less like a building and more like a madman's mechanical nightmare.

Though the sky hadn't fully brightened yet, as soon as their boat hit the shore, lights blinked on across the island. Several guards spotted the landing party immediately.

"Who goes there? Identify yourselves!" one of them barked, half out of reflex, half to alert reinforcements.

Natsu leapt onto the sand, fists blazing. "Hand over Erza and Happy—right now!"

"Intruders! Sound the alarm!" the guards shouted as they rushed to mobilize their ranks.

But instead of attacking right away, the group waited—deliberately letting the guards rally. There was a strategy to this madness.

Gray, lagging behind his teammates, knelt beside the seawater and pressed his palms to the surface. Ice rapidly spread from his hands, forming a slick path all the way back to the distant ice platform where Rhodes had stationed the three Voidgrubs.

In under ten minutes, more than five hundred worm-like creatures had already hatched, wriggling restlessly across the crowded ice platform. Despite their impatience, they dared not leave their designated area—orders from the queen worms were absolute.

The moment Gray's frozen bridge reached the platform, the three massive Voidgrubs let out guttural roars. They charged forward, skittering onto the path and surging toward the towering structure ahead like hungry beasts drawn to a feast.

"I can't take it anymore!" Natsu shouted, surrounded on all sides by enemy soldiers. He slammed his fists together and inhaled sharply, cheeks puffing with heat.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A massive torrent of flames burst from his mouth, lighting up the pre-dawn sky and signaling the start of all-out war.

...

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