By the seaside.
Mirajane and Cana lay on the beach, panting for breath.
On the other side, another game of "Killer Volleyball" had completely turned into a magic war. The volleyball traced all sorts of incredible trajectories in the air, occasionally accompanied by explosions and flashes of magic.
With a perfect spike from Erza, the ball streaked through Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel in one go. The three were instantly sent flying high into the air before finally landing in the nearby sea.
Erza finished her second game of beach volleyball for the day just like that, though from her expression, she didn't seem satisfied yet.
"That's... way too violent."
Lucy shrunk back, watching Erza who clearly hadn't had enough. She whispered to Levy beside her, "First it was Mirajane and Cana, then Natsu and the others. Erza won't target us next, will she...?"
Levy looked at Lucy on her left and Juvia on her right, saying with a bitter smile, "It's very likely. Once Erza gets fired up, she's capable of anything."
"Is that so?"
A volleyball dropped between the two of them. Lucy and Levy turned their heads stiffly, only to be grabbed by the hands and twisted back by Erza behind them. "You two... were just saying bad things about me, weren't you?"
Levy and Lucy wanted to cry but had no tears.
Only Juvia was full of momentum; she wanted to win back the field for her dear Gray.
Makarov, who had been admiring the beauties playing in the sea, snapped out of it. "Oh, is everyone finished exercising? Then let's come eat some watermelon."
Everyone felt a wave of relief; they finally had an excuse to escape Erza.
Taking the watermelon Mirajane handed over, Erza wiped the sweat from her forehead and glanced inadvertently toward the hotel. "Honestly, how long has he been playing for..."
Just then, a security guard came running over in a hurry.
"Are you the Mages from Fairy Tail?!"
"One of your companions was attacked in the hotel's underground casino!"
Everyone's expressions changed, immediately thinking of Hope who wasn't present. They stopped eating their watermelon and rushed back to the hotel, heading straight for the casino on the first basement floor.
However, the devastation they expected from a major battle didn't appear; they saw a perfectly intact casino.
Beside a gambling table, four strangers were tied neatly to chairs in a row. Hope was sitting with his legs crossed, idly tossing chips for fun.
"Oh, you're here."
Hope casually tossed away a chip. He wasn't surprised by his companions' quick arrival. He pointed to the row behind him. "Just in time. Let me introduce you; these four are old friends of Erza's."
Everyone looked over curiously.
When Erza's gaze fell upon the four bound people, her body shuddered violently. The color drained from her face instantly, and her pupils contracted sharply from shock.
"Shô... Simon... Wal... Millianna... it's you..."
Erza's voice trembled with disbelief. "How can it be..."
The burly man called Simon raised his head, looking at Erza with a complex gaze.
A flash of surprise and joy crossed Shô's face. He opened his mouth but said nothing.
The Cat-girl Millianna gave a "tch" and turned her head away.
Only the hot-tempered, square-faced Wally stared fixedly at Erza with a gaze full of resentment. "Erza, it's been a long time, you traitor!"
"You bastard! What are you saying?!"
Natsu had been curious why these old friends of Erza's would attack Hope, but hearing Wally's words, his short temper flared up.
He grabbed Wally by the collar and shouted, "Erza is not a traitor! She would never do anything to betray her companions!"
Wally snorted coldly and ignored Natsu.
Makarov looked at Erza, who had suddenly become distraught, and the four so-called old acquaintances. Finally, he turned his gaze to Hope. "Kid, explain clearly. What exactly is going on?"
Hope walked to Erza's side and said in a low voice, "I've looked through their memories with magic."
Erza's body visibly trembled.
Her reaction was noticed by everyone, and they all showed expressions of disbelief. Even Makarov's face darkened. Could it be that Erza really had betrayed those four in the past?
Hope brought over a chair and took Erza's suddenly cold hand, helping her sit down. Then he said, "Everyone, don't misunderstand. Let me tell you a story first."
"By the way, do you know about the Tower of Paradise?"
Natsu and the others looked at each other; clearly, they hadn't heard of it.
But Makarov's expression tightened as he explained to his bewildered juniors, "The Tower of Paradise is actually a black magic of the 'Black Wizards' called the 'R System.' It's said that this magic can bring the dead back to life."
"What!"
"There's actually magic like that!"
"Is that for real?!"
"..."
Makarov pressed his hand down, and everyone immediately stopped talking. He continued, "This magic requires the construction of a massive high tower, followed by a one-time infusion of a massive amount of magic power, turning the entire tower into an enormous magic crystal. Finally, by offering a sacrifice within a Magic Circle, the dead can be resurrected through this vast energy."
"Because it is black magic and resurrecting the dead is unethical, it was banned by the Magic Council."
"But some people didn't think so. Over a decade ago, a cult founded out of worship for the 'Black Wizard Zeref'—the Dark Magic Cult—secretly kidnapped many ordinary people to build the 'R System' and resurrect the Black Wizard Zeref."
"To prevent discovery, they renamed the 'R System' to the Tower of Paradise as a disguise. By the time the Council finally noticed, the Dark Magic Cult had already completed nine Towers of Paradise."
"Although the Council gathered orthodox guilds and the army to quickly destroy the Dark Magic Cult and those nine Towers of Paradise, according to intelligence, there should have been one last Tower of Paradise that had just begun construction."
"Unfortunately, no matter how they searched, they couldn't find the final Tower of Paradise. Considering the Dark Magic Cult had been destroyed, even if a few stragglers remained, they wouldn't have the ability to continue, so the Council ended the operation."
"Could it be..."
Makarov finally realized why Hope mentioned the Tower of Paradise. He then looked at Erza with heartache, thinking of how she was covered in wounds when she first came to the guild eight years ago. "Child, you've really suffered too much..."
Makarov's reaction made the others realize as well. Erza was once a victim of the Tower of Paradise. In that case, weren't the four including Simon also...
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