After a long while, the holy white light finally faded.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy scent, swept over the churning waves.
Inside the ship shielded by Julia's magical water bubble, as they stared at the smoke‑shrouded island in the distance, Mira's fingers clenched the rail until her knuckles turned white, Lucy's breathing halted in her chest, and Gray and the others turned ashen, barely able to keep their footing.
In the council hall, the satellite magic‑circle's image was obscured by swirling dust.
Every councilor wore a heavy expression, as if they were already convinced that the Tower of Paradise had been destroyed.
'It's over… under the Mage‑Spirit Power, no one could survive,' murmured a councilor.
Councilor Ogg, his face sorrowful, began, 'We don't know how many people were inside that tower…'
Another councilor sighed, 'Even though it was done to prevent Jelf's resurrection, we are all sinners in history for such an act.'
'Moreover, no matter how justified the pretext, it cannot soothe the grief of the victims' families…'
As the smoke in the satellite feed gradually cleared, the monitoring officer stared at the crisp projection, pale with shock, and reported, 'Target not eliminated!'
Seeing the image sent back from the satellite magic circle, all the councilors' expressions froze.
In the satellite footage, the Tower of Paradise, which should have been struck down, not only remained intact but had fully absorbed the Mage‑Spirit Power.
Gazing at the tower, now a massive pure magical crystal, the elderly councilors quickly realized—they had been deceived!
Yajima stared intently at Zikrein, who stood on the council hall's rooftop with his back to the crowd, and shouted, 'Zikrein! What on earth is happening?!'
Zikrein turned, a faint smile of a plan fulfilled curling his lips, and vanished before the councilors' eyes.
'Vanished?'
'Bad! It's a thought‑form!'
A councilor snapped to attention and immediately ordered his intelligence unit, 'Find out where Zikrein's true body is, now!'
But the next second, the council headquarters aged rapidly; ceilings, walls, floors, and even the supporting pillars erupted with countless cracks.
Soon after, the entire council headquarters collapsed abruptly.
Beruno stared in shock at Ulutia nearby, 'The "Arc of Time"… Ulutia, why did you destroy the council?'
Ulutia opened her hand, watching a small stone fall into it, and said, 'It's all for Lord Zikrein. Now his ideals are about to be fulfilled…'
Compared with the chaotic Magic Council, the side of the Tower of Paradise remained noticeably calm.
When Zikrein appeared beside Jeral and the two identical men merged, Makalov and Elusa instantly grasped his scheme.
The Tower of Paradise was merely a vessel to hold the massive mana required to trigger the 'R System,' and only the Magic Council's Mage‑Spirit Power could amass such a quantity on this continent.
Thus Jeral used most of his mana to create the thought‑form 'Zikrein,' and with a 'Saint‑Ten' level combat rating, he successfully infiltrated the Magic Council and orchestrated the activation of the Mage‑Spirit Power.
'That's it—Zikrein is my thought‑form.'
Jeral gleefully admitted it, enjoying the feeling of toying with people like fools, especially those high‑and‑mighty councilors who were being spun around.
Brunot finally stopped underestimating Jeral, saying, 'Not bad, looks like you can fly too.'
It was Brunot's quirk to use 'fly' as a synonym for 'powerful.'
But the restored Jeral had no interest in deciphering others' quirks; he simply needed this powerful ally now.
The Tower of Paradise, infused with 2.7 billion units of conceptual mana, had become a massive pure mana crystal, leaving only the final step of the 'R System.'
Sacrifice a body of Saint‑Ten Mage rank.
Jeral originally planned to sacrifice Elusa; if that failed, the fire dragon Naz was a backup.
However, compared with the two youths whose bodies met the strength criteria but lacked enough mana for 'Saint‑Ten,' Makalov standing before them was undoubtedly a more suitable offering.
Moreover, the only person present capable of threatening the tower's final step was Makalov himself.
Jeral looked at the gravity‑wielding Brunot and said, 'Help me take down Makalov; his body is the optimal sacrifice for Lord Jelf's resurrection.'
'Alright.'
Brunot agreed without hesitation, not for the grand plan of reviving the black mage, but simply to defeat Makalov.
As the villains united, the atmosphere grew tense once more.
Just a moment ago they were beaten into a scramble, but now the reins were firmly in their grasp; the exhilaration of this reversal lifted Jeral's spirits.
'You bastard, how many people have you deceived up to now?!' Jeral's smile widened as Elusa, furious, lunged with her blade, only to be blocked by Makalov.
Restored to his original strength, Jeral was a genuine 'Saint‑Ten' combatant; Elusa's rash advance would only be toyed with by the opponent.
Moreover, Brunot was also a Saint‑Ten mage; unless they invoked the 'Law of the Fairy,' Makalov stood little chance.
Seeing Makalov's cautious stance and Elusa's clenched‑tooth fury, Jeral couldn't help but burst out laughing, 'Exactly—that look, wanting to take me down yet feeling helpless! Hahaha!'
'Hehe~'
A discordant laugh suddenly rang out, cutting Jeral off; the others turned toward the sound and saw Hope bracing a magical crystal wall, one hand covering his mouth, as if restraining something.
Hope forced a grin, clenched his teeth, holding back… again and again, but such a hilarious sight was impossible to endure.
'He… hehehe…'
'Hehahaha—'
At last, he could hold back no more; a maniacal laugh erupted from Hope, sending a strange chill through the onlookers.
'You bastard, are you scared or just having a nervous breakdown?'
Jeral sneered, 'Don't worry, I won't let you die that easily.'
'Die?'
Hope suppressed his laugh, but his face burned with fervor, 'Jeral, I thank you for delivering exactly what I needed into my hands.'
'These 2.7 billion units of pure mana—no need for politeness.'
Before the words finished, Jeral witnessed a sight that made his eyes water with rage.
He saw the magical crystal wall that Hope's palm touched begin to absorb the massive pure mana derived from the Mage‑Spirit Power, draining it at an astonishingly rapid rate.
The once crystal‑clear tower, radiating colossal energy, dimmed entirely in the blink of an eye.
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