On the top floor of the Tower of Paradise, Jellal sat on a throne-like chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest as his gaze fell upon the magic surveillance monitor in front of him.
In the monitor's display, Riyao and Mirajane were wreaking havoc at the base of the tower; black flames and purple energy waves bombarded the area in turns, causing the lackeys to fall like cut wheat, leaving the entire ground floor hall riddled with holes.
Watching this scene, Jellal couldn't help but sneer, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly, his eyes filled with contempt.
"Do you think you can destroy the R-System like this? Naive."
His fingers stopped tapping, and he leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"This tower took eight years to build and uses special magic stones capable of absorbing magic power. The attacks of a mere two demons are nothing but a way to charge it."
Erza, who was scrambling through the tower, also sensed a familiar fluctuation in magic power and paused for a moment.
That dark magic power, carrying an aura of destruction, was Mirajane's Satan Soul.
And the other, more ancient and dangerous magic power, was Riyao's demon form.
She gritted her teeth and continued running forward, but felt a slight sense of relief in her heart. They had come.
Happy was locked in the cat room, which was furnished with soft cushions, cat food, and dried fish; the treatment was actually quite decent.
But Happy wasn't worried at all. He crouched in the corner, feeling the tower shake in waves, and figured Natsu had come to rescue him, muttering to himself.
"Natsu, hurry up and save me."
Riyao and Mirajane weren't actually trying to destroy the tower; they were simply trying to draw the enemies to them so they wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of fighting their way through.
The two flew up after clearing the base of the tower, their demon wings weaving through the corridors inside. Their speed was countless times faster than taking the stairs, and they soon caught up with Natsu and the others.
Mirajane landed in the corridor, retracted her Satan Soul, and pouted with dissatisfaction, looking as if she hadn't had enough.
"Ah, no way, that's it? I haven't had my fill of fighting yet."
Riyao also retracted his demon form, let out a long sigh, stretched his neck, and wore a satisfied smile on his face.
"It's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying mowing session. The last time I enjoyed it this much was on Karna Island."
Lucy's mouth hung open as she looked at the two who had descended from the sky, her face full of disbelief.
"You guys fought your way up and caught up to us this quickly?! We've been running the whole way!"
Natsu said sourly from the side, "You guys can fly, big deal."
Riyao patted Natsu on the head, "Eh, you're right about that; it is a big deal."
Natsu was so angry he wanted to bite him, but his stomach suddenly growled, and his momentum vanished instantly.
Just then, everyone noticed a room off to the side of the corridor with the door half-open, revealing a table laden with a feast inside.
Roast meat, bread, fruit, desserts, and drinks—everything was there, steaming hot, with the aroma wafting out.
Riyao and Mirajane exchanged a glance, then simultaneously walked inside, pulled out chairs to sit down, picked up their cutlery, and began to eat.
Natsu and Gray followed closely behind, and the four of them sat around the table, digging in with gusto.
Only Lucy and Juvia didn't eat; the two stood at the doorway, looking at each other.
Looking at those four people with absolutely no sense of crisis, Lucy couldn't help but complain.
"No, why are you guys just eating? What if it's poisoned?"
Riyao stopped his chopsticks and looked at Lucy with a speechless expression, while Mirajane chuckled and wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
"Did you forget that there's a Healing Mage present?"
Lucy was stunned for a moment, then scratched her head and gave a sheepish laugh.
"Sorry, sorry. I was just seeing how powerful you guys were in battle and momentarily forgot Riyao had that ability."
Riyao criticized her sternly, pointing his chopsticks at Lucy.
"Don't get so caught up in complaining that you forget the setting!"
╮(╯_╰)╭
Lucy shrank her neck, quickly pulled Juvia to sit down, and picked up a piece of bread as well.
Juvia ate in small bites, stealing glances at the way Gray ate, her face blushing like a ripe apple.
Gray was devouring the meat, completely oblivious to Juvia's gaze.
Just as everyone was eating happily, rapid footsteps and the sound of clashing metal echoed through the corridor.
Erza arrived in full armor, her armor still stained with the traces of battle, her breathing slightly rapid, but her presence remained sharp.
Seeing Erza, everyone looked up in unison and greeted her.
"Yo, Erza." Riyao waved his chopsticks.
"Erza-chan, do you want a piece?" Mirajane held up a piece of roast meat.
"Erza, are you okay?" Natsu asked with his mouth full of meat.
There was absolutely no sense of crisis.
Erza looked at this group of people, eating leisurely in the enemy's stronghold, her mouth twitching, but she quickly resumed her serious expression.
▼_▼
She took a deep breath and began to speak.
"You should go back. This has nothing to do with you; this is my destiny."
The air went quiet for a moment.
Mirajane put down the roast meat in her hand and slowly stood up. The smile on her face disappeared, replaced by obvious dissatisfaction.
"What do you mean it has nothing to do with us? Stop being so self-righteous!"
Rarely, Erza did not argue back with Mirajane. She lowered her head, said nothing, and gripped the hilt of her sword, her knuckles turning white.
Mirajane frowned, stepped forward, and reached out to lift Erza's chin, forcing her to look up.
What came into view were Erza's reddened eyes, with tears swirling in them, her lips trembling slightly, looking as if she were about to cry.
Titania, for the first time, revealed a fragile side in front of everyone; it was truly pitiful.
Mirajane's expression shifted slightly, from dissatisfaction to heartache, but her words remained unforgiving.
"If you want to cry, then cry! Is it that embarrassing to rely on us for once? You're usually so capable, aren't you? Why are you being so pretentious at a time like this?"
When a person is vulnerable, the more they are comforted, the easier it is for them to cry.
Although Mirajane's words weren't pleasant, every word carried warmth, as if prying open the final line of defense in Erza's heart.
Erza pursed her lips, her eyes welling up with tears, her lips trembling more and more violently, and finally, she could no longer hold it back.
She buried her head against Mirajane's chest, grabbed Mirajane's sleeves with both hands, her shoulders heaving as she began to sob softly.
It was the grievances, guilt, and fear that had been suppressed for eight years, all pouring out in this moment.
Mirajane sighed and reached out to stroke Erza's head skillfully, her movements gentle, as if comforting a wounded little animal.
She didn't say anything else, just stood there silently, letting Erza lean on her.
Riyao sat at the table, viciously biting into a bone, which made a cracking sound; his bite force was terrifyingly high, and the bone shattered in his mouth like a cracker.
ㅍ_ㅍ
Lucy and Juvia silently moved away from Riyao, fearing they might get bitten.
Lucy complained silently in her heart: Are you really going to get jealous of even Erza?! Can you be serious for once!
Natsu had eaten his fill, let out a loud burp, then stepped on the chair with one foot and clenched his fist.
"Since this place makes Erza unhappy, then let's tear it down!!"
Gray leaned back coolly against the chair, crossed his arms, and nodded.
"It's rare for the idiot fire dragon to say something so right."
Juvia looked at Gray's profile, her heart rate accelerating uncontrollably, her face flushed red, holding her hands over her heart, her mind already wandering into wild fantasies.
What should she and Gray-sama's children be named? How many should they have? Should they be boys or girls? Where would they live when they grew old? Where would they be buried after they died?
She had already planned out their entire lives.
Riyao bit through the bone in his hand, fragments falling from the corner of his mouth; he licked his teeth, but his mind was on something else.
Jellal.
He would definitely go and beat that bastard up later to vent his anger.
Letting Mira comfort Erza was one thing, but making Erza cry like this—he had noted this debt.
Lucy looked at the broken bone in Riyao's hand, then at the aura surrounding Riyao, and silently stepped back another two paces.
Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
She felt that Riyao right now was even more terrifying than the unknown enemy.