Chapter 206: Erza's Heart-Calming Attire
"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
At this moment, the owl-headed man spewed out Dragon Slayer flames, and Gray used Ice-Make Magic. One fire, one ice—the two were clashing in a fierce magical duel.
Nearby were Erza's childhood friend Simon and Happy, both injured.
"Simon, what on earth is going on? Weren't you chasing after Sho and Erza?
And Happy, where's Natsu?"
Lucy looked at the owl-headed man using Dragon Slayer Magic in utter shock, completely thrown into confusion.
Only Natsu could use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, and that tuft of hair looked very much like Natsu's—but what was with that owl head?
"Lucy, Natsu got eaten by that owl!"
Happy wailed loudly as he spoke.
Simon, clutching his stomach and kneeling on the ground, explained:
"That's not Natsu. He's Owl, one of the Trinity Raven S-Class Mages of the Skull Guild. He has a terrifying ability that allows him to gain the magic of those he eats."
"In just ten more minutes, Fire Dragon Natsu will be completely digested by me, and I'll gain another Dragon Slayer Magic!"
On the other side, the owl-headed man suppressed Gray with his flames and then let out an arrogant, sinister laugh.
George was about to step in, but before he could, Juvia, who had feelings for Gray, saw him being overwhelmed by fire and immediately shouted and rushed forward.
"Gray-sama, I'll help you—Water Slicer!"
Several sharp blades of water slashed toward the owl-headed man, who hurriedly dodged.
Juvia was an S-Class Mage. Her water blades could easily slice through rock. If they struck a person, the body would be instantly chopped into several pieces.
"Nice one, Juvia!"
Seeing the owl-headed man expose an opening while dodging, Gray quickly set up a cannon:
"Ice-Make: Blizzard Cannon!"
A powerful avalanche-like force burst forth from the cannon, blasting the owl-headed man through several walls before he collapsed dazedly to the ground—vomiting Natsu out in the process.
By the standards of other magic guilds, Gray also possessed S-Class strength. Two S-Class mages, one with ice and one with water—their combined power was truly formidable.
"Ice-Make Magic is worth adding to the list of spells I need to learn."
Watching the power of the Blizzard Cannon, George secretly nodded.
On the Marvel main body side, he had just crafted a new wand using the World Tree and the Frost Giant King's heart nerves. Besides the normal twenty-five times magic amplification, it also provided an extra boost to frost-type magic.
If he could learn this Blizzard Cannon, then later, using the wand, its power might be no different from a real avalanche.
"Ten minutes left before Etherion fires. Lucy, you and Simon take Erza's other friends out of the tower first. Wait for us at sea, off the island.
Happy, you grab Natsu and come with me to find Erza."
Seeing that Natsu was only a little dizzy and otherwise fine, George quickly made arrangements.
Simon had been injured by Owl and was no longer of much use. It was better to have him gather their companions and retreat. As for Lucy's Celestial Spirit of Aquarius, her greatest power could only be unleashed at sea—so it made sense to have her on standby there.
[Translator: sauron05]
He would take the S-Class-level Natsu, Gray, and Juvia to search for Erza. With so many S-Class mages together, even a serious threat could be swiftly dealt with.
"Alright. Be careful, all of you."
Lucy helped the wounded Simon and began descending the tower.
Happy grabbed Natsu, and George took hold of Gray and Juvia. They once again flew outside the tower, heading straight up in a direct line.
Following the guidance of the tracking spell, they arrived at a floor close to the top of the tower.
"This should be the place!"
George pointed forward with his wand, wrapped in his tail.
"Boom Burst!"
A new hole blasted open in the tower.
It had to be said—this Explosion Spell was incredibly effective for demolishing buildings.
After all, this tower had taken eight years to construct. It wasn't some ordinary structure—it had been fused with countless magical materials and etched with many enchantments. Its exterior walls were extraordinarily tough.
Ordinary magic probably couldn't even scratch the surface.
Only the Explosion Spell, which had special effects against structures, combined with the wand's amplification, could blast a hole straight through.
"Wow!"
As soon as they entered through the newly created hole, George, Natsu, and Gray couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
This level of the Tower of Paradise was incredibly spacious, a massive open chamber. In the middle stood a single bridge, and only by crossing it could one reach the entrance to the top floor.
Guarding this bridge was the strongest among the Trinity Raven—an Equip Magic user named Ikaruga.
She was a woman dressed in a cherry blossom kimono, wielding a red magic longblade.
What the three exclaimed at, however, wasn't the space or Ikaruga, but Erza standing opposite her.
When they burst in, they just happened to witness Erza, clad in her Purgatory Armor, having it shattered by Ikaruga. That instant flash of exposed skin was indeed quite a sight.
But it was just a moment, for as soon as the armor shattered, Erza switched to a new outfit.
This time, it wasn't armor—it was only a chest wrap and two long swords.
"Erza, need a hand?"
George landed behind her with the others. Anyone who could shatter the magical armor of the top-tier S-Class mage Erza was not to be underestimated.
"George, you're here too."
Erza nodded toward him:
"No need. Let me handle this myself. Against an opponent like this, I shouldn't focus on defense. Only by releasing my heart and going all-out on the offensive can I achieve victory.
Let's settle this in a single decisive strike!"
In a flash, Erza gathered all her magic power into her two long swords and charged toward Ikaruga.
Ikaruga drew her blade and met Erza head-on.
Though it appeared they passed each other in midair in an instant, in reality, they had exchanged over a hundred blows.
"You truly live up to your name... Titania, Queen of the Fairies... Erza."
Upon landing, Ikaruga murmured, then her magical sword shattered with a bang, and she collapsed silently to the ground.
In that momentary clash, she had been struck fatally by Erza, who focused only on attacking.
"Erza, there are eight minutes left before Etherion fires. It's time to leave."
Seeing Erza had defeated Ikaruga, George stepped forward and said.
Erza shook her head again:
"George, take them and leave first. Today, I have to settle things with Jellal.
I have to understand why he's doing all this!
Don't worry—if I stop him within these eight minutes, his entire plan will fall apart."
She still couldn't understand why such a kind and reliable Jellal had suddenly changed so drastically.
"Alright."
Seeing the firm resolve in Erza's eyes, George realized nothing he said would convince her to leave. She had likely already made up her mind to perish alongside Jellal if necessary.
He reached out to stop Natsu and the others from protesting. The moment Erza turned her back, he cast a spell at her.
"Sleep!"
(End of chapter)