Amid Gerard's frenzied scream, ominous magical sigils immediately seeped into the interior of the tower, and at the same time, identical sigils appeared on his body.
The dense sigils interlinked, forming an extremely intricate magical array, whose massive magical energy gradually began to spiral out of control, boiling.
The tower shook violently, large spider‑web‑like cracks spreading across it. Watching this, Makarov's face turned pale. "This is bad! He used the self‑discipline rupture magic on himself too; he's going to bring the Tower of Paradise down with him!"
'Self‑discipline Rupture' is a spell that was only created in the past twenty years, a powerful destructive magic that can completely shatter the target of the spell.
The drawback of this magic is its extreme mana consumption; once a caster activates 'Self‑discipline Rupture', they are essentially left powerless in the aftermath.
The advantage, however, is that once triggered, the spell cannot be halted.
Only a magus who also knows 'Self‑discipline Rupture' and whose mastery surpasses that of the caster could possibly interrupt the rupture before the array completes.
But clearly, neither Makarov nor Hop would dabble in such an obscure spell, let alone Elusa, who favors swords and armor.
"Hahaha… let's destroy everything together!"
Gerard spread his arms, allowing the sigils of the array to spread over his whole body; the complete collapse of his plan drove him into utter madness, deciding on a mutual annihilation.
Yet his expression looked both like a laugh and a cry.
The self‑discipline rupture array truly cannot be stopped, but the time required to activate it is enough for Hop, Elusa, and Makarov to leap out of the tower.
Gerard should have been well aware of this.
Nevertheless, he still triggered the spell.
Watching the rupture sigils crawl over Gerard's half‑smiling, half‑crying face, Hop sighed inwardly, suddenly recalling that Elusa had once mentioned Gerard used to be a kind person.
Perhaps a sliver of conscience still lingered deep within him.
Hop shook his head gently, feeling the destructive energy gathering wildly within the tower of crystal, about to turn everyone at the top—and the tower itself—into nothing.
"President, Elusa, we should leave now."
Grabbing the two, Hop pushed off the ground, leapt, and carried them out of the tower; the little mana he had left was just enough to cast a brief 'Wings' spell.
Behind them, the Tower of Paradise emitted a nauseating sound of disintegration.
The massive crystal structure began to glow from within; cracks spread like a spider web, and blinding light burst from the fissures.
Then a deafening explosion roared across the sky.
The colossal crystal tower crumbled layer by layer, its dazzling light mingling with raging magical turbulence that shot upward, turning the sky into a chaotic mess.
Shards of the breaking tower rained down like a miniature meteor shower, striking the calm sea and stirring up rolling waves.
Hovering in mid‑air, Hop, with Makarov and Elusa, felt the magical wings behind him flutter faintly; hot wind battered them, tossing their hair and clothing.
Elusa stared blankly at the Tower of Paradise, now completely collapsed in the explosion, reduced to countless fragments that sank with the island below into the ocean, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.
The prison that had held countless memories of her pain and despair was now vanishing from the world in a cataclysmic way.
It had buried her painful recollections.
It had buried Grandfather Rob, who had given her hope and encouragement.
And the brave, kind boy who once risked his life for his comrades, now fallen into darkness, was also interred with the tower beneath the sea.
Hatred, relief, sorrow… all these feelings tangled in Elusa's heart, finally turning into a single tear that said goodbye to the past.
Makarov watched Elusa's expression and instantly relaxed; his primary goal on this journey was to help her untie the knot in her heart.
As for honoring Rob… eight years ago, when Elusa joined the guild, he had already learned of his longtime friend's death from her.
Helping Elusa step out of the shadows would be the best tribute to Rob.
"President, Elusa, congratulations. One of you has said goodbye to the past, the other has not let a dear friend down."
"But now I have some bad news for you."
Hop interrupted their thoughts, flashing an awkward yet polite smile as the magical wings behind him grew noticeably thinner.
"What bad news?"
Makarov frowned in confusion; Gerard had sunk with the tower, and the gravely wounded Brunot hadn't escaped either.
Could there be another enemy?
"President, you're overthinking it."
Seeing Makarov's contemplative look, Elusa whispered, "Hop's bad news is that the little mana he just regained is about to run out; we're about to fall."
Hop nodded, his wings turning even more translucent, "Exactly, that's it."
Only then did Makarov realize the perilous position they were in—at a height equal to the former tower's highest floor, several hundred meters above the sea.
He finally understood that they were now at the same altitude as the former tower's top, still a few hundred meters above the water.
Falling from that height, even into the sea, would be painful.
At that moment, the magical wings behind Hop vanished completely, turning into specks of light that faded into the night sky. The three stood silent for a heartbeat, then began their free fall.
"You little brat—why didn't you have enough mana? You were just hovering there a moment before!" Makarov shouted over the roaring wind.
Hop, with a scowl, "I'm not doing this just to impress you two; I just didn't want to disturb you."
'Still trying to talk back? Then I'll use your sturdy body as a cushion for the old man!' Makarov shouted half‑jokingly, though he had already cast a light spell to shield the two youngsters.
'Elusa, you better keep an eye on the President, that old man is about to assault me…' Hop shouted feigning panic, finally making Elusa turn her head.
Listening to Hop and Makarov's bickering, Elusa said nothing, but a faint smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
Farewell… to the Tower of Paradise, and to Gerard.
The wind howled in her ears, the sea surface below drawing nearer, yet Elusa felt an unprecedented calm. From now on, she could finally let go of the past and walk the path toward a happy future.
Living for herself, for the Fairy Tail and her comrades, and even for that increasingly irresponsible fellow… With a splash, the three, shielded by the light sphere, fell into the sea unharmed. Spotting Mira‑Jen, Gray and others rowing toward their own ship, Elusa whispered, "Let's go home."
"Go home? Of course we're heading back to the resort to keep having fun."
Watching Hop push the light sphere to roll across the sea, Elusa gave a helpless laugh. This guy really is… delightful.
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