"What do we do? What do we do?!" The Fat Mage paced back and forth restlessly, his face etched with anxiety. "Those guys are about to break through! What on earth are we supposed to do now?!?"
"How about we run away?" the Thin Mage suggested. Although he looked just as anxious, he was relatively calmer than the Fat Mage. After seriously considering the pros and cons, he continued, "While losing the R-System might infuriate the higher-ups, causing them severe displeasure towards us regional managers, and they might even inflict a harsh punishment for the crime of losing the R-System! But, no matter what, any severe punishment is better than possibly losing our lives right now!!"
"Yes! Yes! You're absolutely right!" The Fat Mage nodded vehemently. Having grown accustomed to a comfortable life, he cherished his own existence immensely! He quickly responded, unable to contain his impatience, "Then there's no time to lose! Let's get out of here quickly!" With that, he turned to run out the door.
But just then, the door to the room was suddenly split in two from the outside. With a loud "thud," the two halves of the door crashed to the floor, and a resolute-looking Erza Scarlet appeared in the doorway.
"Jellal—" Her eyes immediately found Jellal Fernandes tied to the pillar with his head bowed. Erza couldn't help but let out a joyful gasp. However, she didn't lose her head; she also saw the Fat and Thin Mages in the room! Erza utterly loathed these two! Whether it was because they were two of the main leaders of the Tower of Heaven construction site, or because they were responsible for blinding her right eye, Erza hated them both deeply!! Especially since Jellal was captured and tortured, and Big Brother Calvin Unknown vanished without a trace, all because they tried to save her…
The thought made old and new hatred surge in Erza's heart! Without hesitation, she directly attacked, knocking the two Fat and Thin Mages to the ground, stripping them of all fighting ability.
"Jellal! Are you okay, Jellal?" After dealing with the Mages, Erza rushed excitedly towards Jellal, who was tied to the pillar. With two quick slashes, she cut the ropes binding his hands. Supporting his body, Erza spoke with a slightly excited tone: "I have news, Jellal! For freedom, everyone rose up and fought back, just as you said! Although some people died in the fighting, including Grandpa Rob…" At this, Erza's voice dropped, and a trace of sorrow appeared in her expression, clearly grieving for those who had perished.
"But in the end, we won! We won against the evil Mages who enslaved us and stole our freedom!" However, Erza's expression quickly became excited again as she told the bowed Jellal, "And, and, Wally and the others seized those bastards' ship! We'll be able to leave this place soon and gain the true freedom that belongs to us!!!"
"Ah, I think we probably don't need to leave, Erza," Jellal, who had been silent with his head bowed, suddenly spoke. "Because this place is the freedom we were searching for…" Saying this, Jellal slowly raised his head, looking at the stunned Erza with a wicked smile. His eyes were filled with intense malice.
"Stay and help me, Erza!" Jellal made a sinister suggestion to the frozen Erza: "Let's complete this R-System… No! Let's complete the construction of the Tower of Heaven!!"
"Y-you… what crazy things are you saying, Jellal?" Erza stared blankly at Jellal, her face a mask of disbelief. She was clearly shocked by his mad words! This… is this still the Jellal I knew before? If he was, how could he suddenly say something so—crazy and utterly evil?!! Build the Tower of Heaven? Did he want to steal the freedom the others had fought so hard for and force them to serve him unconditionally, to continue toiling day and night without freedom, hope, or a future, to build that inhuman forbidden magic structure—the Tower of Heaven?! The mere possibility sent a shiver down Erza's spine! This was terrifying! The thought of that hopeless, futureless life made Erza tremble!
Was it because he was severely tortured here, causing him to lose his mind? Erza desperately tried to reassure herself. But what if Jellal is serious? What then?! No matter how much she tried to comfort herself, that horrible idea kept popping up. Thus, while infinitely worried, Erza secretly thought, If only Big Brother Calvin were here! He is mature and could help Jellal regain his sanity!
"Don't misunderstand, Erza." Seeing Erza lost in thought, her face alternating between fear and worry, Jellal smiled and said, "I am not like those fools! I will give everyone enough food, clothing, and I will try my best to meet all their living needs! While fear can be effective for a while, it ultimately delays a long construction schedule! And those ignorant fools only infinitely worship and believe in their God, but I am different! I have been acknowledged by the strongest, most wicked Dark Mage in human magical history—the great Zeref!!! And what I will do is revive the great God Zeref! To achieve true freedom!!! A ha ha ha ha—" He threw his head back and laughed maniacally again, yet his expression remained utterly sinister and—evil!
Just then, the two Fat and Thin Mages exchanged glances, then imperceptibly nodded to each other. They intended to seize the opportunity to sneak away! They would escape quietly before these two terrifying brats noticed! Who knew what else might happen if they stayed here?! Being killed would be a huge loss! After all, as two of the highest leaders in the construction of the Tower of Heaven, many people hated them…
The thought made them even more terrified! Although they didn't understand why these two seemingly ordinary children were now exuding such overwhelming pressure, this was undoubtedly the best time to flee! Having decided, the two Mages no longer hesitated and stealthily tried to slip away before Jellal and Erza noticed.
However—
"Thump—" A hint of a sinister, scornful, wicked smile played on Jellal's lips. He simply waved his right hand backward! And the Thin Mage was instantly sent flying by a massive force!
"Boom—" His body, like a discarded rag doll, heavily slammed into the high wall! Then he silently slid down, coughing up blood, his body limp, landing with a dull thud. The Thin Mage was dead instantly!
"Mercy, please—" Seeing this, the Fat Mage was instantly scared out of his wits! He let out a shriek and bolted towards the door, desperate to escape Jellal's clutches!
"Hmph, do you think you can escape?!" Extending his right hand with a wicked smile, Jellal was about to kill the man instantly! But he was stopped by Erza, who had just recovered from the shock that Jellal had also awakened magic!
"Please spare him, after all…" Erza looked at the Jellal before her, who felt utterly unfamiliar, and pleaded with a slightly desperate tone. Of course, the plea wasn't for the Fat Mage, but to keep Jellal from staining his hands with more blood. After all, polluting his hands for an utterly wicked person was simply not worth it!
"Don't you hate them, Erza?" Jellal asked, tilting his head, his tone filled with malice.
"Of course I hate them! I hate them for stealing my freedom…" Erza replied instantly, without hesitation. "But…"
"Enough! Since you hate them, then let them—" Completely disregarding the meaning Erza was trying to convey, Jellal immediately cut her off. He whispered in a cruel, emotionless, and sinister tone: "All die!!!" With that, he suddenly clenched his outstretched right hand!
"Mercy, please—Boom!" A large, dazzling purple magic circle appeared beneath the Fat Mage's feet, spinning rapidly amidst his pleas! The Fat Mage's body suddenly swelled up, filled to the bursting point with immense magic power! Then, with a chilling "pop," the Fat Mage was exploded alive!
"Aah—" Erza screamed, turning her head away in horror, clearly terrified by the bloody, cruel sight! But what she was thinking more than anything else was: How could this happen? How could this happen?! Jellal, how could he suddenly become like this?!!
"Have you decided, Erza?" Jellal suddenly asked the still-shocked Erza. "Have you decided to join me in completing this great dream? Or are you still stubbornly going to pursue that—false freedom?!"
His tone was filled with intense malice and—killing intent! It was as if he would kill her instantly if Erza shook her head!
At this point, Erza was truly in crisis!!!