Just as everyone was preparing to continue climbing, the tower's broadcast suddenly rang out.
After a harsh static sound, a deep, magnetic voice echoed in every corner of the entire Tower of Paradise.
"Welcome everyone to the Tower of Paradise. I am Jellal, the ruler of this tower."
Everyone's footsteps came to a halt.
Jellal's voice was unhurried, as if he were hosting a grand banquet rather than a game of life and death.
"The pieces for both sides have arrived. I think it's about time to begin: the Paradise Game."
Erza's fists clenched, her knuckles turning white and her lips thinning into a line.
"The rules of the game are very simple. I will use Erza as a sacrifice to resurrect Zeref. You can try to stop me."
Lucy gasped. Erza's body trembled slightly, but she didn't speak.
...
Jellal paused, his tone becoming more cheerful, as if he were talking about an insignificant trifle.
"By the way, let me remind you that the Council's Etherion will soon descend."
Static hissed from the broadcast, followed by silence.
Lucy was the first to speak, looking bewildered. "What is Etherion?"
Riyao's voice suddenly turned sinister and cold, like a demon's whisper, each word sounding as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar.
"Etherion, simply put, is equivalent to more than ten times the power of Phantom Lord's Magic Cannon from last time. It can easily destroy a city."
Lucy's eyes widened in horror, her mouth forming an 'O' shape, and her voice shifted in pitch.
"In other words, if we don't retreat in time, we're dead?!!"
(꒪⌓꒪)
Riyao gave a thumbs-up and flashed a brilliant smile, which looked exceptionally creepy.
❛˓◞˂̵✧
Lucy wailed, clutching her head and squatting on the ground, feeling as if her life had come to an end.
Gray tossed his clothes aside, revealing his sturdy upper body with a serious expression.
"Then we just need to defeat the enemies quickly and evacuate early. What's the use of wailing here?"
Just then, the dark-skinned, blonde-haired Sho started causing trouble again.
Clutching playing cards in his hand, he tried to seal Erza into a card while everyone was distracted.
The card spun in the air, carrying sealing magic, and was about to touch Erza.
Mirajane grabbed Erza's waist and, with a graceful spin, swung Erza out like a hammer, her foot landing a precise kick on Sho.
Bang!
Sho was sent flying and crashed into the wall, his playing cards scattering all over the floor.
Mirajane stood her ground, clapped her hands, and looked down at Sho in the corner, her voice cold. "What are you trying to do?"
Riyao looked at Sho on the ground and shook his head, speechless.
This crazy, yandere, dark-skinned blonde had an underdeveloped brain and an incomplete cerebellum. It was one thing to be fooled by Jellal for eight years, but now he was still acting like a fool.
"It's not the bad guys being bad that's scary; it's the ones who are both stupid and hardworking."
Slumped in the corner with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, Sho still shouted stubbornly, "I won't let anyone touch Big Sister! I'll be the one to defeat Jellal!"
Everyone looked at Sho, whose mental state was clearly unstable, and they were all at a loss for words.
The shock of the truth just now, combined with the lies Jellal personally admitted to, was too heavy a blow for a boy who had been deceived since childhood.
His worldview had collapsed in just a few minutes, and he was now in a state of semi-madness.
Riyao thought for a moment, found a reasonable excuse, and pointed at Simon.
"You're Simon, right? Take this dark-skinned blonde to find that Blocky Guy and the Cat Girl. Go to the shore first and find a boat to prepare to pick us up."
Simon hesitated, looking at Erza and then at Riyao.
Erza also spoke, her voice calm but firm.
"Just do as Riyao says. If we can't solve this, then it's useless for you to be here."
Simon was silent for a moment, then nodded, hoisted Sho onto his shoulder, and turned to leave.
Riyao set off to find Natsu, sensing that Natsu had encountered an enemy.
Riyao thought to himself, it's that Muscular Macho Owl! He has a magic that can devour others to gain their abilities. The final material has arrived.
He turned to look at Mirajane, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Mira, I'm going to have some fun too. You take care of Erza."
Mirajane nodded and reached out to straighten Riyao's collar.
"Be careful."
Riyao took a deep breath, and the magic power within him began to surge.
[Life Link - Low End]
Golden light flowed between them, linking everyone's life force together. Think of it as a health-locking cheat, though it only locks a thin layer of health.
[Life Mimicry: Demon]
Black magic erupted from Riyao's body, demon wings unfurled from his back, and sharp horns sprouted from both sides of his forehead.
[Hundred Battles Technique]
Golden patterns emerged on Riyao's body.
After finishing his buffs, Riyao's figure turned into a black stream of light, speeding toward Natsu's direction.
He sped all the way out of the tower, his demon wings flapping hard as he flew up directly from the outside and entered the floor where Natsu was.
As soon as he entered, he saw Natsu being swallowed by a Muscular Macho Owl.
The muscular macho stood two meters tall, covered in bulging muscles, with an owl's head and a rocket pack on his back. His appearance was so bizarre it was hard to describe.
"Oho, Natsu's been eaten."
Riyao tilted his head, his tone as casual as if he were saying the weather was nice today.
Happy saw Riyao arrive, flapped his little wings, lunged at Riyao's leg, and started crying.
"Riyao! Natsu's been eaten! That Muscular Macho Owl swallowed Natsu!"
Riyao patted Happy's head, signaling him not to worry.
A small tuft of pink hair grew on the Muscular Macho Owl's forehead—it was Natsu's hair, indicating that Natsu was being digested.
Fukuro opened his mouth and spat fire, the color of the flames exactly the same as Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic.
"Digestion has already begun. In ten more minutes, it'll be finished, and then this kid's Dragon Slayer Magic will be mine."
Riyao grinned, revealing two rows of forest-white teeth, his demon horns glinting coldly under the light.
"Your magic is quite interesting. Devouring others to gain their abilities? I really appreciate you."
Buzz!
Riyao's figure vanished instantly, appearing before Fukuro the next second, moving so fast that even his afterimages were blurry.
He delivered a spinning side kick, slamming his foot into Fukuro's side. The massive impact sent Fukuro flying, crashing through half a wall.
In mid-air, Fukuro used the rocket pack on his back to blast flames, barely managing to adjust his posture and land steadily on an iron cage opposite.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and suddenly opened his mouth toward Riyao.
[Fire Dragons Roar]
Scorching flames erupted from Fukuro's mouth, carrying destructive power and a temperature so high that even the air distorted.
These were Natsu's flames, now being used by Fukuro.
"Let's give you a taste of the Fire Dragon brat's flames. As his partner, you should know how strong this fire is."
Riyao stood his ground, watching the roaring flames approach. He tilted his head and grinned.
The flames drew closer.
"Ten minutes?"
Riyao brushed some dust off his shoulder, his tone nonchalant.
"If you tell me the principle behind your magic, I'll consider giving you a quick death. Just kidding, it's the same whether you say it or not."
Buzz! Buzz!
Riyao's figure vanished again, this time appearing directly behind Fukuro, giving him no time to react at all.
With a flap of his demon wings, his body spun, his right leg raised high, and a battle-axe downward kick slammed heavily onto Fukuro's shoulder.
Boom!
Fukuro was smashed down from the iron cage, crashing through several more. The iron bars deformed and twisted, and miscellaneous items from the cages scattered everywhere. Fukuro finally landed on an iron cage, smashing a large crater into it.
Before he could even get up.
Buzz!
"Take my Rider Kick!"
(´◊ω◊｀)
Riyao had already dived down from high above, his right foot enveloped in pitch-black Ink Flames. He kicked Fukuro in the stomach, and the Ink Flames exploded upon contact, burning a charred mark into Fukuro's abdomen.
Fukuro screamed, his body convulsing violently, and his mouth opened uncontrollably.
Natsu was spat out from Fukuro's mouth, soaking wet and covered in slime.
Yuck.
Riyao grabbed Natsu by the back of his collar and tossed him next to Happy like a little chick.
"Watch over him."
Then Riyao turned, walked over to Fukuro, crouched down, grabbed Fukuro's large mouth with both hands, and pulled it open forcefully.
Fukuro struggled desperately, but Riyao's strength was staggering; the grip strength of his demon form was no joke.
Fukuro's mouth was pulled wider and wider. Riyao stuck his head in, carefully observing the structure inside Fukuro's mouth.
"Hmm, interesting."
Riyao's voice came out from Fukuro's mouth, muffled.
He reached in and felt around, as if he were studying an interesting toy.
Fukuro was scared out of his wits, frantically slapping Riyao's arms and letting out indistinct screams.
"You—let go! What are you doing?!"
Riyao pulled his head out, wiped the slime off his hands, and nodded with a satisfied expression.
"I understand now. Thanks for the cooperation."
Then he stood up, looked at Fukuro slumped on the ground, and tilted his head.
"You said ten minutes to digest? Then I'll give you ten seconds to run. Ten."
Fukuro scrambled to his feet, his rocket pack blasting flames as he flew away as fast as he could.
"Nine."
A dangerous curve hooked at the corner of Riyao's mouth. He raised his hand to condense pitch-black flames into a single black dot.
[Ink Flame Heaven-Burning Kill]
Fukuro was pierced through the heart, his body falling into the sea.
He wasn't very strong; he was probably brought in by Jellal specifically to counter Natsu.