Chapter 146: It's Going to Explode
Magic Council Headquarters, Era.
Inside the dark, central command room, the atmosphere was one of pure, unadulterated panic. The dozens of mages and technicians monitoring the lacrima screens, who had been praying just moments before, were now staring in stunned, terrified silence.
All the Council Members, who had been watching the main projection screen, were pale. Through the satellite magic array, they had a clear, real-time image of the Tower of Paradise.
When Etherion fell, they had all braced for the inevitable, catastrophic explosion. They had expected to see the Tower of Paradise, the entire island, and a significant portion of the surrounding sea reduced to ashes. They had steeled themselves for the necessary evil.
But... nothing had happened. The Tower of Paradise was completely intact, still standing against the night sky.
Councilor Orga, his face turning a dangerous shade of purple, slammed his massive fists on the console. "WHERE'S ETHERION?! WHERE IS OUR COUNTRY-DESTROYING STRIKE?!"
"I... I don't know, sir!" the head technician stammered, his entire body shaking as he frantically re-checked the data feeds. "This... this has never happened before!! The magic power signature... all 2.7 billion Edeas... it just... it vanished!"
The technical staff were all in a panic, their hands flying across their lacrima screens, trying to find an explanation. Not just the staff; the Council Members themselves were extremely flustered.
Etherion was the ultimate weapon of the Magic Council. It was their final, absolute deterrent. It was the "big stick" that kept rebellious nations and dark guilds in line. If this ultimate weapon could... fail... or be stopped... the deterrent power of the Magic Council would be greatly reduced. This would completely shake the foundation of their power on the Ishgar continent.
Tower of Paradise, Summit.
While the Council panicked, Ren was laughing.
"Hahahahaha!! What a thrill! What a thrill!!"
Ren, still in his Fourth Hokage form, spread his arms and laughed wildly, a genuine, exhilarated laugh that echoed across the ruined tower. He was incredibly excited, every pore on his body feeling invigorated.
Etherion. The ultimate weapon of the Magic Council, a single shot capable of destroying a country. In terms of raw power, it was comparable to the Tailed Beast Bomb of the Nine-Tails. When Ren saw that huge, sun-like mass of pure destruction approaching him, he felt both nervous and excited. It was stimulating. It was a true test.
Of course, he had a backup plan. Even if his Fūinjutsu had failed, it didn't matter. Jellal's entire plan was to absorb the Etherion blast with the tower itself. This was why Ren hadn't simply destroyed the tower with a Hollow: Purple from the start, and why he'd even played along with Jellal's boring 'Paradise Game'. He had been waiting for this. The Tower of Paradise was, at most, a level 50 dungeon boss. He was a level 100 player using the dungeon's own mechanics against it.
But his own plan... his preferred plan... had succeeded.
"As expected of the Fourth Hokage!" Ren grinned, looking at his hands. "The Flying Thunder God Technique... is amazing!"
[Akarin's Note: Ren is referring to the Jikukan Kekkai (Space-Time Barrier), an advanced Fūinjutsu (Sealing Technique) used by Minato Namikaze. By creating a barrier in space, he can teleport any attack that hits it to another, pre-marked location. It's the same technique he used to teleport the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb away from the village.]
Whoosh!
In a yellow flash, Ren instantly appeared beside the still-bound Erza. He put his arm around her, and the dark, snake-like chains of Jellal's Binding Snake magic dissolved under his touch. "Get ready," he said with a grin. "It's going to explode."
"What?!" Erza was still in a state of profound shock, her mind unable to process... well, anything that had just happened. "Explode? What's going to—"
"Etherion," Ren explained simply, pointing out into the dark, distant ocean. "I had to send it somewhere. So I transferred it to the sea, a few miles out."
Erza looked in the direction Ren was pointing. And then she saw it.
A new sun was born on the surface of the distant sea.
"Boom-------!!"
A silent, blindingly dazzling light spread rapidly in all directions. Seconds later, the sound hit them—a low, earth-shattering roar that shook the heavens. A terrifying impact, a shockwave that dwarfed Ren's earlier "greeting," began to race across the water. A colossal, mountain-sized wave, a tsunami of impossible proportions, rose on the sea, and the sky itself was set on fire.
Rumble—----!!
The powerful shockwave finally reached them. The entire Tower of Paradise, already damaged, shook violently, groaning as if it would be torn apart. Ren, still in his Hokage robe, stood in front of Erza, his body acting as a shield, blocking the worst of the wind and stinging spray for her.
"Ohhhhhhh!!"
"What was that?!"
"What on earth happened?!"
Far below, Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and the others, who had just finished evacuating the last of the hostages onto the beach, were all thrown to the ground by the fierce impact. They stared at the distant explosion in dumbfounded terror.
"It... it blew up..." Lucy stammered. "But... it blew up out there!"
They had all seen Etherion appear in the sky above them. They had all thought they were finished. But then, it had disappeared, only to reappear and explode miles away. This had completely, utterly exceeded their understanding.
Gray, shielding his eyes from the blinding after-light, looked at the top of the tower, and a wild, impossible guess formed in his mind. "No... that shouldn't be possible... even if it's Ren... but besides Ren, who else could it be?"
Hearing Gray's words, the others were also in disbelief. But now, besides Erza, only Ren was still at the top.
Ren was a bottomless, unpredictable man who could constantly create miracles. To this day, no one had truly seen all of his trump cards. Whenever they thought that was all Ren had, he would always transform into a new character. Each character was different, but they all had one thing in common: absurd, ridiculous, world-breaking power.
Although it was unbelievable, they all had a feeling deep in their hearts.
Ren did this.
Magic Council Headquarters, Era.
"Boom-------!!"
Everyone in the Magic Council command center also saw Etherion being detonated on the sea through their projection screens. The room was silent, save for the sound of someone being sick in a wastebasket.
Orga roared, his voice cracking. "What on earth is going on?! Why did Etherion appear there?!"
The head technician, trembling, finally found the data log. "I... I found it... sir! Just as Etherion was about to fall on the R-System, there was a massive spatial fluctuation, h-highly localized! It's... it's suspected to be someone using teleportation magic to teleport Etherion away!"
"What---?!"
The room fell into a dead, cold silence.
Someone teleported Etherion away?!
Are you kidding?!
That wasn't a person or a cannonball! That was Etherion! The magic that could destroy a country! To say that it was teleported away by someone... if this news got out, wouldn't the Magic Council become the laughing stock of the entire Ishgar continent? This time it was only teleported to the sea. What if next time it was teleported to a crowded city? Or... or directly above their heads?!
But the scene before them, the recording of the event, forced them to believe that this was the truth. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Etherion, which was about to hit the tower, exploded miles away.
"Who exactly is the guy who built the R-System?!" one councilor whispered, horrified. "He can even transfer Etherion! Did he foresee that the Magic Council would use Etherion to attack him?!"
The Council Members all looked solemn. They all thought that the builder of the tower had created a large, complex teleportation system to transfer Etherion.
As for a single person transferring Etherion with their own magic? They didn't even dare to imagine such a thing.
Ultear looked at Siegrain in shock. She, too, didn't know what was happening. Only Siegrain, who was Jellal, would know the situation.
At this moment, Siegrain's face was ferocious, his body trembling, his hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were white. He let out an angry, guttural roar: "REN!!!"
Siegrain's angry roar attracted everyone's attention.
"Ren?! Isn't that the S-Class Mage from Fairy Tail?"
"Siegrain, at a time like this, why are you calling his name?!"
They didn't understand why he would call Ren's name when such a disaster had just occurred.
Siegrain's eyes were bloodshot. He quickly turned around and glared ferociously at all the Council Members, a look of such pure hatred that it startled them.
And then, in the next instant, Siegrain's body dissolved into golden light and disappeared.
"Siegrain?!"
Everyone was confused. Why was he gone?
At this moment, crackle... crackle...
The building began to crack.
"What happened?!"
"The building... it's rapidly aging?!"
Orga recognized the magic. "It's the Lost Magic, Arc of Time?!"
"No, it's going to collapse!! Run!! Ahhhhh!!"
All the Council Members fled in a panic.
Ultear stood alone in the collapsing room, a cold, satisfied smile on her face. "Jellal-sama... "
At this moment, at the top of the Tower of Paradise.
Jellal, who had just watched his thought-projection's feed before it vanished, had fallen into a frenzy.
"Impossible! Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! This is absolutely impossible!!"
His plan. His perfect eight-year plan. Ruined. Ruined by one man!
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
As a special offer, I've opened a few limited-time tiers at a discounted price! You will get all the benefits of "The Founding Pillars" (normally $20), but at a much cheaper rate.
These slots are extremely limited:
"The Plot Uncoverer": $4.99 (Save 75% / $15.01) - Only 3 slots
"The Dedicated Fan": $9.99 (Save 50% / $10.01) - Only 7 slots
"The Lore Diver": $14.99 (Save 25% / $5.01) - Only 15 slots
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]