Jellal's primary magic was Heavenly Body Magic—a destructive style balancing offense and defense.
Coupled with his substantial innate magic power, this secured his position among the Ten Wizard Saints.
However, Ankh wielded the magic of the gods.
Though not fully matured, it already far surpassed Heavenly Body Magic.
Thus, even with Jellal's power boost, he gained little advantage when they clashed again.
When Jellal summoned Heavenly Body Magic's Grand Chariot from the sky, Ankh easily shattered it with a roar.
Before Jellal could react, his handsome face was mercilessly struck by Ankh's fist.
Staggering back from the punch, Jellal roared incredulously, "Impossible! Why does it still end like this?!"
Ankh's eyes gleamed crimson as he calmly raised his death scythe toward Jellal.
"Your strength is decent, but if you want to defeat me, show me something real!"
Jellal's expression darkened as he lowered his arms, black and golden magic power brewing around him.
"Fine then! I'll show you true Terror!"
Black magic gathered above Jellal's head, instantly unleashing overwhelming pressure across the tower summit as a formation resembling a black hole slowly appeared.
The eerie dark purple patterns on the tattoo over Jellal's right eye suddenly glowed, seemingly fully activating his killer instinct.
"DIE... ALTAIRIS..."
'If I remember correctly, this was the move that killed Simon in the original storyline...' Ankh thought as he bent his long legs slightly, growing more serious.
Just as Jellal prepared to strike and Ankh braced to counter, terrifying disturbances erupted in the sky!
Layer upon layer of magic circles, large enough to envelop the sea, appeared in the darkness above, containing turbulent, runaway magic power.
The terrifying magic flow hung like an executioner's blade judging humanity, poised to strike down upon the Tower of Heaven!
Jellal frowned, his Altairis disrupted by the chaotic magic fluctuations.
"Damn it! Etherion is descending, and I haven't even secured the sacrifice yet..."
Ankh, however, smiled, carefully sensing this catastrophic-scale magic source with growing excitement.
[Enduring an attack of this level will definitely force your Life God Power to emerge!] Seram also sensed the magic power, speaking with slight excitement.
Meanwhile, others who had finished battles elsewhere in the tower were rushing toward the summit, witnessing the disastrous spectacle in the sky.
Erza, clad in her Clear Heart Clothing and wielding twin swords, stared at the turbulent magic power in the distance, feeling a sudden unease.
She knew the extent of Etherion's destructiveness...
'How could the Council deploy such a nation-destroying strategic weapon?'
Behind Erza, Juvia supported Gray while Lucy—having changed into Celestial Spirit World attire—pulled Natsu along.
All instinctively looked toward the tower summit where Ankh was.
Watching the descending Etherion light, Juvia hesitated before whispering, "Ankh-san... couldn't have lost, right?"
Gray immediately shot her a sharp glare upon hearing this. "What nonsense are you speaking! Don't speak if you don't understand Ankh!"
Juvia lowered her head aggrievedly.
Recognizing his harshness, Gray softened his tone. "Trust Ankh. He's never let us down."
"Indeed," Erza stated firmly, her gaze sharpening. "Always!"
Back on the summit, the two combatants simultaneously withdrew their magic.
Jellal sneered at Ankh while laughing, "Etherion is about to strike! It seems this paradise game will end with all of you buried with me!"
Knowing the truth, Ankh couldn't help rolling his eyes.
This guy was really committed to his role...
If Etherion struck, the Tower of Heaven—essentially a giant Magic Crystal—would absorb all the energy, fully charging the R-System.
Jellal's scheme specifically relied on Etherion's immense power to meet the R-System's massive energy requirements.
Thus, everyone on the tower would actually be unharmed by the blast.
Jellal thought Ankh was unaware of this and was trying to intimidate him...
Little did he know, Ankh had understood from the start, and his goal here was precisely to intercept the plan!
As the magic power continued building, the Etherion blast finally fully formed within the magic circles and shot down toward the Tower of Heaven!
The force seemed to tear a rift through the sky as terrifying, overwhelmingly destructive magic power devoured everything in its path.
Even the pitch-black sea was illuminated bright as day by the intense magical collision.
Bathed in brilliant white light, Jellal laughed maniacally as if seeing his grand ambition within reach.
"Come! Etherion!"
Simultaneously, Seram's excited voice echoed in Ankh's mind.
[It's finally here, Ankh! Let's go!]
The small flame of desire within Ankh blazed fiercely as he grinned confidently and charged skyward without hesitation!
Under Jellal's astonished gaze, Ankh shot upward like a meteor to meet the descending magic.
Ankh flew toward the sky, raising his hands as if holding up the heavens. A massive magic circle spawned in his palms, blooming like a snow lotus amid the brilliant light!
The magic power of Etherion converged into a raging waterfall, crashing irresistibly downward—only to meet Ankh's fully-powered defensive magic circle.
Instantly, earth-shattering shockwaves surged outward whipping up massive tsunamis once more!
On the Tower of Heaven, Jellal and the strongest team watched speechless with jaws agape.
A single person resisting catastrophic-level magic power—it was a shocking and domineering sight!
But unlike the spectators' amazement, Ankh was suffering immensely.
He had poured nearly all his magic power into this defensive barrier, pushing his Death God Slayer Magic almost to the brink of rampage!
As the Etherion beam pressed downward, Ankh's sturdy body began bleeding; countless wounds appeared as his flesh started fracturing.
Yet Ankh gritted his teeth, clearly feeling a mysterious power within him struggling to break free from its constraints.
His innate Life God Power was on the verge of complete awakening!
BOOM—!
The final explosive roar erupted as Ankh's figure was utterly swallowed by this world-class magic power.
The defensive line he'd built with all his magic was ultimately forced back onto the Tower of Heaven by the impact, and the massive energy began absorbing into the tower.
The Tower of Heaven started transforming; deep blue Magic Crystals were exposed to the air, emitting dazzling light that revealed their immense stored energy.
When everything quieted, Jellal stared dazed toward where Ankh had fallen.
A flicker of respect inexplicably surfaced in Jellal's trembling eyes as he murmured, "He actually blocked... nearly half of Etherion's full power!"
As the smoke cleared, Jellal examined the Magic Crystal rubble before him.
Hearing no movement, he finally relaxed, laughing hoarsely. "Is he dead? He must be vaporized. But such a miracle... monster... he is an absolute monster."
At this point, Jellal abandoned any thought of using Ankh as a sacrifice—that person was beyond his ability to kill alone.
'Dying here was fine, too...'
After recovering from the shock, Jellal prepared to implement his backup plan targeting Erza!
But just then, another change occurred before Jellal's eyes.
A large mass of silvery-white light emerged from nowhere, shimmering mid-air before swirling into a silver vortex that engulfed the rubble burying Ankh.
Countless glowing particles and fragments swarmed in, assembling in the air as if reconstructing something...
Jellal stood frozen, watching blankly.
Soon, the Magic Crystal rubble exploded outward as a familiar figure emerged calmly.
Mysterious white light flowed continuously around Ankh, these luminous forces surrounding him like a noble king being respectfully welcomed.
The white light emanated from Ankh's body, silvery specks like mirror fragments quickly merging with his torn skin and healing it completely in moments.
Jellal's face twitched, his worldview seemingly refreshed as his voice cracked.
"Resurrection?!"
"You've got to be... kidding me!"
Ankh smiled, his features appearing more refined and handsome than before.
His previously deathly aura had grown more complex, now carrying a gentle, reassuring quality.
Not only had his temperament and appearance subtly evolved, but even his magic power felt different.
However, the joy of awakening his Life God Power still filled Ankh's heart, leaving him unaware of these changes.
Unable to suppress his smile, Ankh looked proudly at Jellal while speaking softly.
"To you, death is a one-way state. But to me now... death is just another mode I can switch between."
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