Chapter 50: The Paradise Game – The Beginning of the Counterattack (4)
"…W-What the hell are you?! A Spirit?"
"Ku…fufufu… A Spirit? Do I look like one to you?"
With Ciel's sudden appearance, Vidaldus staggered back a step.
Despite his long history of assassinations and battles, his instincts screamed—this man is dangerous.
From Ciel radiated a suffocating aura of death and terror unlike anything he had ever felt.
He had fought Spirit Wizards before. Even combat-type Spirits never carried such dreadful weight.
Then what, exactly, had been summoned through that key?
Panicked, Vidaldus threw Juvia forward.
"J-Juvia! End him!!"
Gone was his rockstar bravado; his voice cracked with desperation as he commanded her.
Still bound by his spell, Juvia transformed into water and surged toward Ciel without hesitation.
But Ciel only smiled calmly. He did not even raise a hand.
"Ciel! Watch out!!" Lucy cried.
"Well, well… and here I thought it was someone else. So it's you, from Phantom Lord…"
"DIIIEEE!!!"
The wave crashed toward him—yet before it could hit, lotus flowers burst from the ground, rising like walls to block Juvia's torrent.
Ciel snapped his fingers.
Vines of lotus coiled, slipping into Juvia's watery form and blooming inside.
"KYAAAAAAH!!"
"You are not so foolish as to fall to a cheap trick like this," Ciel said, voice soft but edged. "Element 4's Juvia."
"M-my… my mind…!"
"Allow me to free you from this shackle."
Lucy gasped, about to intervene—but before she could, a soft light blossomed.
The lotus vines cradled Juvia gently, lowering her back to the ground.
Ciel caught her in his arms and laid her carefully before Lucy.
"Juvia!"
"Lu-Lucy… s-s-senpai…"
"Are you okay?!"
"Yes… my strength is drained, but my body is fine… Ciel… you… you're—"
Juvia's voice shook with guilt.
Though it had been Jose who bound her, she still bore the shame of having dragged a soul back from death.
To disturb the rest of the dead—it had haunted her since.
But Ciel seemed to know her heart. He spoke with a gentle warmth.
"This is not your fault. Jose has already paid for his sins. As for me—I am at peace."
"…Ciel…"
"Lucy, please take care of her."
"Y-yes!"
In truth, had Jose not meddled with necromancy, Ciel would never have been able to aid Fairy Tail before. Nor would he be standing here now. For that, he felt—ironically—some small measure of gratitude.
Rising slowly, he turned his crimson gaze on Vidaldus, who stumbled backward in terror.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"What are you so afraid of? I haven't even touched you."
"Stay BACK, damn you!!"
Vidaldus lashed out, his long hair whipping forward to ensnare Ciel, desperation twisting his face.
This man—whatever he was—could not be fought head-on.
If he got too close, death was certain.
Panic and fear took over. Vidaldus wrapped Ciel in his blood-drinking hair, grinning manically.
"Kh…HAHAHAHA! Got you now! My hair loves the taste of blood—let's see what YOURS—w-wait… wha—?!"
He had expected to drink in the man's lifeblood instantly.
But something was wrong.
No scream.
No weakness.
Only silence… and that calm, mocking smile.
At that moment—when Vidaldus thought he had secured victory—
"Ku…fufufufu…"
Instead of triumph, a scorching dryness burned through his throat. His body shriveled, every drop of blood vanishing as his strength fled.
Then the realization struck him like a dagger:
His hair had not coiled around Ciel.
It had wrapped around himself.
He was drinking his own lifeblood.
"P-please… spare… me…"
"Why beg me? That's your body, not mine. It's your hair—so unravel it yourself."
Ciel's voice was calm, almost mocking, as he stepped closer.
"The assassin guild Grimoire Conclave's special strike unit… Trinity Raven. Accept the sins of every soul you've slain."
He smiled faintly.
Vidaldus's hair writhed, growing lustrous as it feasted—not to sustain him, but to consume him. None of the blood returned to his body.
In his fading consciousness, Vidaldus stared at Ciel's serene face, the crimson gleam in his eyes, and thought:
"A true devil… no, a reaper stands before me…"
Those were his final thoughts.
His body collapsed, shriveled into a dry husk like a mummy. Yet his hair, paradoxically, gleamed silk-like, shining as if thirsting for more.
....
"Damn it all!"
From his chamber, Jellal slammed his hand onto the chess piece representing Vidaldus, veins bulging in his forehead. Cold sweat trickled down as fury twisted his face.
"This is impossible… he should have been dead! I saw it with my own eyes! How is he here now?!"
The plan had been unfolding exactly as foreseen—until that man appeared.
Ciel Illusian.
The one obstacle Jellal had believed erased.
He had annihilated him—soul and all. Even if fragments remained, they would take time to recover. Yet here he was, already manifest, tearing through a member of Trinity Raven without lifting a finger.
For a moment, Jellal faltered.
But then… he smiled.
"…As I suspected. That woman was right—it was wise to make preparations for the unthinkable."
All across the Tower of Heaven, he had carved wards and sigils—severing Ciel's link to his full power.
Here, within this labyrinth, the Illusionist could not fight as himself. He would be forced to rely only on the scraps of lingering mana that clung to him.
"You cannot unleash your full might here, Ciel. Not in my tower."
His eyes gleamed with manic light, lips curling upward into an eager grin.
"Come to me, Ciel Illusian. I'll be waiting. Let's see if you can defeat me under these conditions."
....
"What... what is this... is that person dead?"
"H-hiiiih!"
Seeing Vidaldus' mummified corpse, Lucy and Juvia screamed in shock. I turned my head toward them and sat down in front of them.
"Calm yourselves. If things had gone even slightly wrong, you both could have been the ones to die."
I reached out, took Lucy's and Juvia's hands, and helped steady them.
After some time, Lucy regained her composure and pointed at the black gate I had emerged from, asking about it.
"Mr. Ciel... what happened? What is that door... and how can you touch my hand?"
"C-could it be... you're a ghost?!"
Having just recovered from the shock of seeing the corpse, now they widened their eyes, thinking I might be a ghost.
I gave a wry smile and explained the situation to them.
"Kufufu... an amusing thought. Perhaps I am a ghost."
"Really?!"
"Well, something similar, you could say. For now, I am in a temporary state as a Spirit."
"A Spirit... what do you mean by that...?"
"Lucy, what I gave you long ago, during my research in magical studies with a friend, is something we created—an Artificial Spirit."
"An Artificial Spirit?!"
The Artificial Spirit [Cerberus].
A gate that connects the human world and the spirit world simultaneously.
…..
About 400 years ago, during the correction of an error in the Eclipse's transmission system, this artifact was created. The moment I first used it, I was sent to the Spirit World.
There, I met the Spirit King and the Celestial Spirits of the Zodiac.
Since I had created something that was both a spirit and not a spirit, they attacked me to eliminate me.
But rather than fight, I persuaded the Spirit King and earned a direct contract with him.
That contract bound my soul to the Spirit World, turning part of myself into a Spirit.
Through this, I was recognized as a Spirit while also proving my trust by swearing never to harm them.
And so, I placed the condition that the key could only be used once.
Having already gauged each other's strength, the Spirit King realized that further fighting would risk rupturing the Spirit World. Thus, he accepted my proposal.
From that point on, I became an existence both Spirit and not Spirit—welcomed as their guest and forging ties with them.
Cerberus, the artifact born from this, was originally intended to be handed over to Anna after she traveled to the future through Eclipse.
It was meant to protect her, who had no combat ability, by giving her a key that could summon me as a Spirit.
But along the way, things went awry, and I lost track of her whereabouts. So, I ended up keeping it until I later entrusted it to Lucy during the Phantom Lord battle.
There was no deep connection between me and Lucy as Anna's descendant.
But since she was Anna's descendant, I felt compelled to repay the debt I owed Anna by giving Lucy the key.
I couldn't constantly follow her when she was always putting herself in danger, after all.
Yet, ironically, that ended up working in my favor.
Ultear's strike should have completely erased my soul.
But as my soul's annihilation began, the Cerberus contract activated, forcibly transmitting my soul to the Spirit World.
Had there been no contractor capable of opening Cerberus' gate, the conditions wouldn't have been met, and my soul would have perished completely.
I left out details about Zeref and Eclipse, but with that, I finished giving Lucy a simplified explanation.
....
Afterward, Lucy explained the current situation, allowing me to at least grasp the gist of what was happening.
"Long ago, through my contract with the Spirit King, I gained a chance to temporarily manifest in this world once more as a Spirit—if a contractor were to summon me."
"That's impossible… A human… no, a human soul being recognized as a Spirit… Mr. Ciel, just what on earth did you do in the past?!"
"Kufufufu… Well, never mind that. Lucy, let me thank you."
"Huh?"
Lucy tilted her head in confusion at my words.
She had no way of knowing that it was thanks to her that I had survived. But at the same time, what I meant was also an apology—for from this point onward, I would have to use her magic power.
"Though you've become my contractor… it seems I cannot exert my own strength here on my own."
"What do you mean you can't use your strength?"
"This entire tower weighs down on me with binding pressure, and this pain in my eyes… it seems that man called Jellal anticipated my appearance. A magic circle that shackles souls has been activated across this whole place."
"No way…!"
"That's why, from here on, I'll be fighting by drawing on your magic. Is that acceptable?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Lucy nodded.
She knew that for me to wield power through her meant that the more I fought, the less strength she herself would be able to use.
And yet, she said it was fine—she wanted me to fight.
"It's okay. Someone like me… I'd be of less use anyway. But if you fight, Mr. Ciel, it'll be a huge help in defeating Jellal. So please! Save Erza… save our comrades! Please, defeat Jellal!"
"Lucy…"
Looking at the girl voicing her conviction so clearly, I saw Anna's image reflected in her.
Yes… Anna, too, had answered without hesitation, even knowing her life would be erased through Eclipse…
I placed my hand lightly on Lucy's head for a moment, then rose to my feet.
This child resembled Anna far too much.
"Yes, my lord. If that is the order you give…"
"Ah… no, please don't be so formal! That would just make me feel pressured… You're my benefactor, after all, Mr. Ciel."
"…Kufufufu… Really now… you're making me sink into nostalgia."
"Huh?"
"Well then, I'll be off."
Standing up, I left the two of them behind and walked forward.
If I took along those who couldn't fight, it would only hinder the coming battle.
Not only was my connection to my true body severed, preventing me from properly supplying magic—
—the Eyes of Samsara could not unleash their full power either.
Here, I could not fight as an Illusionist. I would have to battle as a dragon slayer.
Wiping away the tears of blood flowing from my eyes, I allowed a smile to curl on my lips.
It had been so long since I struggled this much in this world— not since Zeref and Acnologia.
I understood the gravity of the situation, but… how long had it been since my heart had raced like this in battle? Within this tower… Jellal…
I licked my lips, savoring the thrill of tearing down the foolish ideals he clung to.
"To deliver judgment upon a foolish king who sits upon his throne awaiting challengers… how very delightful this promises to be."
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