Chapter 139: Trinity Raven
At the very top of the Tower of Heaven, the grand throne room was a cavern of crystal and shadow. The ceiling, a massive lacrima, pulsed with a dim, internal light, casting shifting, watery reflections across the polished floor. Jellal Fernandes sat on his throne, his chin resting on his fist, the very picture of serene, god-like patience.
The heavy doors to the chamber burst open, and Vidaldus Taka, his long, gaudy-green hair flying, scrambled in, his face pale with panic.
"This is bad, Lord Jellal! This is very bad!" he almost shrieked, skidding to a halt before the throne. "We're under attack! It's Fairy Tail! They've landed on the beach and... and Natsu Dragneel just blew up the main gate!"
Jellal didn't even open his eyes. A small, amused smile played on his lips. "Calm down, Vidaldus. Your noise is unbecoming."
He had felt the explosion, a faint tremor that rattled the tower. It was an ant, he thought, trying to shake a mountain.
"I had anticipated this," Jellal continued, his voice smooth and cold. "The pieces are moving exactly as I willed. How could those fools like Sho, blinded by their pathetic, eight-year-old trauma, possibly bring Erza back, especially right under that man's nose, without him following?"
Vidaldus's panic shifted to confusion. "Are you saying… Sho and the others betrayed us?!"
"Betrayal is such an ugly word," Jellal mused, finally opening his eyes. His gaze was distant, as if looking at a complex game board only he could see. "They are simply playing the part I wrote for them. They were weak-willed, easily broken, and just as easily manipulated. They were the perfect lure."
"Those guys!" Vidaldus growled, his confidence returning. "They actually dared to betray Lord Jellal! They deserve to die!"
"It doesn't matter," Jellal said, waving his hand dismissively. "They have already completed the task I assigned them. Their purpose is fulfilled."
Suddenly!
The faint tremor from before was nothing. This new event was not a tremor; it was a cataclysm.
CRACK!
The sound was not an explosion. It was the sound of the world itself breaking. A terrifying, deep, grinding noise filled the air as the entire Tower of Heaven, a structure built over eight years to be an indestructible monolith, groaned and tilted violently.
Dust and crystal shards rained from the ceiling. Jellal, his divine composure vanishing in an instant, was thrown from his seat. He barely managed to grab the arm of his throne to steady himself, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Vidaldus was less fortunate. He screamed as he was tossed across the polished floor, slamming hard into a far pillar.
"Wh-what's happening?!" Vidaldus shrieked, his voice cracking with pure terror. "An earthquake?! Is the Tower of Heaven going to collapse?!"
He scrambled to the grand, open-air archway, his hands clutching the frame. He looked down... and his brain simply ceased to function.
"Wh-what is that?!"
Jellal, his heart pounding with an alien feeling—surprise—was already at his side. He too was bewildered, his mind racing to comprehend the input from his senses. He looked out and stared, and the sight that met his eyes was one that would be etched into his memory forever.
The sea... the sea itself was fractured.
As if a god had taken an invisible axe to the very ocean, the water was split open, pulled back into churning, impossible cliffs of water that stood hundreds of meters high. In the chasms between them, the dark, sandy ocean floor was visible. The entire island was tilting and shaking, not from an earthquake, but from the very air vibrating.
"How... How is this possible?!" Jellal whispered, his voice hoarse.
At this same moment, on the beach below, the world had ended.
"Is this an earthquake?! A seaquake?! What in the world is happening?!" Lucy screamed, clinging to a stone block from the shattered gate.
The Fairy Tail mages had been thrown from their feet. Natsu and Gray, who had been in the middle of their usual bickering, were on their backs, staring at the sky with wide, terrified eyes. Erza was on one knee, her sword planted in the sand, her face pale as she stared at the impossible, fractured ocean.
Many of the tower's guards, who had been pouring from the entrance, lost their footing. Their screams were thin and short as they fell into the newly-formed sea-canyons, disappearing into the churning water like dumplings.
After a long, terrifying minute, the world slowly, agonizingly, settled. The tremors subsided, and the impossible cliffs of water collapsed back in on themselves with a sound like a thousand cannons. The island returned to a (mostly) normal state, though the sea was now a violent, churning mess.
Sho, Wally, and Millianna were so scared they couldn't speak. They were huddled together, shaking, staring at the man who stood calmly in the center of it all.
Ren, in his massive Whitebeard form, had not moved an inch. His white coat fluttered in the wind he had created, his bisento resting on his shoulder. He hadn't even looked at the tower when he did it.
Natsu and the others also looked at Ren as if he were some terrifying, unknown monster. They knew Ren was strong. They had seen him fight. But this... this was different. This wasn't magic. This wasn't a "spell." This was just... power. The power to break the world.
An island! This was an entire island, and Ren had almost flipped it over with a single, casual gesture.
No, Erza thought, her heart pounding... it wasn't 'almost'. It was that Ren didn't want to flip it over. They could all feel it. That had been a greeting. A warning. If Ren had truly wanted to, he could have sunk this entire island to the bottom of the sea.
Juvia looked at Ren, her heart pounding. In Onibus, she had personally witnessed Ren, in this very form, defeat Jose, the powerful Guild Master of Phantom Lord. At that time, she thought that was the limit of Ren's strength, the pinnacle of what a mage could achieve. Now she saw the truth. Against Jose, Ren had been... holding back. Completely. This power was on another level entirely.
"Just now… what was that…" Simon finally managed to ask, his voice a hoarse whisper.
Ren's voice boomed, imbued with Whitebeard's power, as he turned his gaze from the sea back to the tower. "Nothing. Just a simple application of the power of vibration."
Millianna and the others were all dumbfounded. This... this was the kind of monster they had offended back at the casino?
Back at the top of the Tower of Heaven, Vidaldus was sprawled on the floor, his body still shaking. That last shock had completely scared him. He truly thought the Tower of Heaven was going to collapse. No, it was even more terrifying than that. Just now, it wasn't just the tower; it was the entire island and the sea itself. What kind of power could cause such a terrifying sight?
"Ren… that bastard…"
Jellal clenched his fists, his knuckles white. He had to admit, he had been truly frightened. Not just by Ren's strength, but by the implication. He was terrified that his Tower of Heaven—his life's work, his divine plan eight years in the making—was going to sink into the sea. In that one instant, everything he had strived for almost vanished. How could Jellal not feel afraid?
But beneath the fear was a white-hot, cold-steel rage. This... thing... had dared to interfere with his game.
He couldn't let that bastard continue to run wild.
Jellal understood Ren's combat power. He had also understood the other party's "greeting" just now—it was a message. It was Ren telling him, "I can end this at any time."
From his understanding of Ren, although the Tower of Heaven was built incredibly sturdy, it truly couldn't withstand this man's attacks. The opponent's unreasonable power of vibration, the Gura Gura no Mi, had terrifying destructive power against structures. As long as this monster wanted to, he could destroy the Tower of Heaven with a single punch.
This meant... his 'Paradise Game' had a new, unintended time limit.
Jellal turned to Vidaldus, his eyes cold. "Vidaldus. Are you all ready?"
"Oh? Can I go?" Vidaldus asked, scrambling to his feet, his fear instantly replaced by a manic glee.
"That guy has declared war on us. It's our turn to counterattack. Otherwise, he'll really think we're cowards."
"Then I won't hold back! Haa—!"
Vidaldus's magic power erupted, and his entire body glowed. Soon the light dispersed, and his appearance changed completely. He now had very heavy, smoky eye makeup and wore an outrageous outfit, like a hellish rock star, complete with a bass guitar strapped to his back.
"Assassin's Guild, Skull Society! Special Commando Unit, Trinity Raven, reporting for duty!!"
[Akarin's Note: The "Skull Society" (or Skeleton Society) and "Trinity Raven" are references to the anime/manga Jujutsu Kaisen. In this fanfiction, they are an elite assassin unit working for Jellal.]
Beside Vidaldus, two other figures appeared from the shadows. One was a squat, bizarre monster with an owl's head, round, unblinking eyes, and a human body, who hooted softly. This was Fukuro.
The other was a beautiful, graceful woman with alluring pink hair, wearing an elegant pink kimono and holding a long, sheathed katana at her waist. This was Ikaruga.
"HELL!! I'm going to let them experience the most terrifying, most tragic hell—!!" Vidaldus shook his head back and forth, making a rock gesture with his fingers, looking completely wild.
Ikaruga, the captain of the trio, smiled faintly, her voice as smooth as silk. "What happened just now? It truly gave this little lady a fright."
Just now, the Tower of Heaven, and even the entire island, had almost plunged into the sea. The sea churned in layers, as if heaven and earth were overturning. Such a scene would make anyone feel immense shock. To say it was naturally formed, she wouldn't believe it. But if it was caused by human power... that was far too exaggerated.
The owl monster, Fukuro, tilted his head and hooted, "Ooh—ooh ooh aow. (It was very shaky, hoot.)"
Fukuro was also bewildered. Witnessing such a scene, everyone's feelings were actually quite similar.
"It was that guy, Ren," Jellal said, his voice cold. "He inherited that Whitebeard old man's power and unleashed his vibration ability, causing an earthquake and a seaquake."
Ikaruga's expression changed, her smile fading for the first time. "Ren?! You mean the Ren who directly defeated Jose, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, in Onibus?!"
The battle between Ren and Jose was an event that shook the continent. Anyone who had the means had watched that fight. After all, the Ten Wizard Saints rarely made public appearances, and the Trinity Raven, as elite assassins, had all studied the footage.
Jellal nodded. "It's him."
"He truly is a terrifying monster," Ikaruga mused. "So, are we going to fight him?!"
"What? Are you scared?" Jellal asked, a slight taunt in his voice.
Ikaruga heard Jellal's words and her lips curled slightly into a beautiful, dangerous smile. "Scared? Of course. After all, even a Ten Wizard Saint was no match for him."
"But while I'm scared," she continued, "I'm also a little... excited. Because this one is a legend, after all."
Ikaruga gently stroked the hilt of her long, sheathed sword. "To be able to cross blades with that man, to test my steel against a force that can break the world... even if I'm killed, it would be my greatest fortune."
"Drifting with the wind is the destiny of love and life. Tonight," she said, her eyes flashing, "will be a grand night of celebration."
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