If Takeshi had been a little more ruthless, there would have been no problem in completely crippling Jellal.
Hearing Takeshi's words, Erza looked at Jellal with complicated emotions.
This boy, whom she once admired, liked, and loved, had changed into someone she no longer recognized.
Whoosh!
A longsword appeared in Erza's hand and she placed the blade against Jellal's neck.
She wanted to strike several times but stopped herself.
Previously, she had wanted to kill Jellal because he had repeatedly deceived everyone.
But now, seeing Jellal in this state, she found it hard to go through with it.
"Takeshi!"
"Erza!"
At this moment, several voices rang out.
Looking in the direction of the voices, Natsu, Lucy, and others were seen running towards them.
Earlier, Shô had informed them to leave because Etherion was about to fall, and their magic was insufficient, so they all left by boat. Later, they saw Etherion being diverted, so they didn't flee.
Seeing the battle subside, they all rushed over to check the outcome.
Seeing Takeshi and Erza standing, and Jellal lying on the ground, it was clear that Takeshi had won.
"Jellal!"
Shô saw Jellal lying on the ground, and his eyes immediately became ferocious. He instantly wanted to finish Jellal off.
"Be careful, Shô!" Simon quickly warned him.
It was still uncertain what the situation was.
"What's wrong with him?" Lucy asked doubtfully.
At this moment, Jellal's eyes were open, not as if he had fainted, but rather as if he were in a daze.
Takeshi said, "Nothing, I've temporarily paralyzed his brain."
"Paralyzed his brain?!"
What did that mean?
"Just consider him an idiot for now."
"An idiot?!"
Everyone was startled.
He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints. To turn one of the Ten Wizard Saints into an idiot like that...
What a dangerous magic.
Takeshi seemed to be becoming more and more terrifying.
"Kill him, nee-san!"
"Yes! Kill him, Erza!"
"He deceived us for so many years! And he made us misunderstand Erza, kill him!"
Shô, Wally, and Millianna all looked at Jellal with hateful eyes. After learning the truth, they all wished they could kill Jellal.
Simon didn't speak, his gaze fixed on Erza, clearly leaving the decision to her. However, he supported killing Jellal. Jellal was too dangerous. He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints at such a young age.
If it weren't for a monster like Takeshi, they might not have won.
Erza heard their words and couldn't help but hesitate. She found it difficult to strike someone who was utterly defenseless.
Finally, she put away her sword. "Forget it, hand him over to the army."
"Nee-san?!"
"Erza?"
"Erza?!"
Shô and the others didn't expect Erza to let Jellal go just like that, especially after all the terrible things Jellal had done to them.
"I know he's unforgivable and deserves to die, but he was our companion, leader, and supporter during our hardest times. I can hate him, but I can't kill him."
"Since that's the case, let the Magic Council judge him."
"..."
The others said nothing.
Erza was right. They wished they could tear Jellal to pieces, but as Erza said, the old Jellal was their comrade, someone they admired.
To actually kill him, especially under these circumstances, was difficult.
"Then let's do that." Takeshi made the final decision.
Hearing Takeshi say that, the others had no objections. After all, Takeshi was the one to defeat Jellal.
When Takeshi had finally acted, he had held back. The anime plot had some underlying influence on him.
In the anime, a repentant Jellal had helped Fairy Tail several times at critical moments, so he ultimately didn't kill him. Otherwise, he could have turned Jellal into a permanent idiot.
He just hoped this guy would truly repent in the future. If he dared to scheme against Fairy Tail again, he would kill him.
Everyone returned to the resort hotel by boat.
Before they even reached the shore, they already saw Mirajane waiting there.
"Everyone, welcome back." Mirajane looked at everyone with a radiant smile.
She was very worried about them, so she had been waiting by the sea before dawn.
Takeshi said, "I'm back."
"Welcome back."
Everyone returned to the hotel together, and Mirajane also asked about the events of the day.
Upon hearing that everyone had been attacked by Etherion, her face instantly turned pale, losing all color.
Even seeing everyone safe and sound, she was still filled with lingering fear.
She tightly gripped Takeshi's arm and sternly warned him not to do such dangerous things again.
She had already lost her sister Lisanna, she didn't want to lose Takeshi too.
Seeing Mirajane so worried, Takeshi readily agreed, promising there wouldn't be a next time.
As for Jellal, he had been handed over to the army.
Perhaps because Jellal was already severely wounded, he hadn't woken up during this time.
For the next few days, everyone enjoyed their vacation.
On the last day, they parted ways.
"Are you really not coming back to Fairy Tail with us? You don't know anyone else out here besides Erza, do you?" Gray asked the group.
Although there were some initial conflicts between them, once resolved, it was fine. They had spent the past few days eating, drinking, and having fun together, getting along quite well. Their true nature was kind, they just hadn't been guided correctly.
Shô shook his head and said, "No, we've always lived in the tower. Now that we've come to the outside world for the first time, we naturally want to see it properly."
"Although we don't understand anything and feel very uneasy, we want to see this world with our own eyes."
"From now on, we won't rely on anyone to live, nor do we want to live for anyone anymore. We will live for ourselves, and use our own strength to do what we want to do. This is our freedom."
Wally said, "What Shô wants to say is what we all want to say. We plan to accompany Simon first to find his sister, who has been missing for many years."
"Sister?"
Erza looked at Simon in surprise.
She hadn't known Simon had a sister, Simon had never mentioned it.
Simon nodded. "Yes. Because our parents died young, my sister and I relied on each other. Eight years ago, when the Black Magic Cult was capturing slaves, my sister and I got separated."
"I originally thought she was also captured, but later I didn't find her, and I don't know how she is now. No matter what, I have to go look for her."
"As for Shô and the others, you don't need to worry. I will teach them well during the time I'm searching for my sister."
"Alright. Then I'll leave them to you."
Although Erza was reluctant, as they were parting again after meeting for the first time in eight years, she respected their wishes.
She couldn't use herself to imprison their freedom again. If she did, what would be the difference between her and Jellal?
"Everyone, take care."
"Until we meet again."
After saying their goodbyes, Takeshi and the others embarked on their journey back.