Chapter 151: The Return Journey Begins
If Ren had been a little more ruthless, there would have been no problem in completely crippling Jellal.
Erza, hearing Ren's words echo in the silence of the ruined tower, looked at the paralyzed man on the ground with a storm of complex emotions. This boy... this man... whom she once admired, liked, and even loved. He was her first friend, her first hope in that dark, hellish prison. She didn't know how he had become this... this monster, someone she didn't recognize at all.
Swish!
A long, sharp sword appeared in Erza's hand. She raised it high, the polished steel glinting in the dim light, its point aimed directly at Jellal's throat. Her hand trembled.
Kill him. A cold, furious voice in her head, the voice of eight years of pain, demanded it. He deceived Sho, Wally, and Millianna. He turned them against you. He tried to sacrifice you. He tried to kill Ren. He is a monster who deserves to die.
Several times, her arm tensed to deliver the final, killing strike. But each time, she stopped.
Before, she had wanted to kill Jellal because he was a threat, because he had deceived everyone.
But now... seeing him like this, his eyes open and completely blank, his body as limp and defenseless as a doll, she found herself unable to act. This wasn't a battle; it was an execution.
"Ren!!"
"Erza!!"
At this moment, several voices rang out from the broken stairwell below. Looking in the direction of the voices, they saw Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and the others, along with Simon's group, running towards them, their faces a mixture of exhaustion and relief.
Earlier, Sho had stumbled down the stairs, frantically telling them to leave, that Etherion was about to fall. Their magic power was all but depleted from fighting through forty-eight floors of guards, so they had all made the agonizing choice to flee, helping the last of the hostages onto the boat.
Later, when they saw the Etherion blast diverted and explode harmlessly (relatively) in the sea, they had stopped fleeing. And when the cataclysmic second explosion—the one that vaporized half the tower—subsided, they had all rushed back, fearing the worst, to check the outcome.
Seeing Ren and Erza standing, and Jellal lying motionless on the ground, they knew without a doubt that Ren had won.
"Jellal!!"
Sho was the first to see him. His grief, confusion, and eight years of misplaced faith erupted in a single, hateful scream. He instantly wanted to move in and kill Jellal himself.
"Be careful, Sho!"
Simon, his face grim, quickly put a massive hand on Sho's shoulder, holding him back. "We don't know what the situation is."
"What... what happened to him?" Lucy asked, her voice trembling as she looked at Jellal's vacant, staring eyes. It was almost more terrifying than if he were unconscious. "He doesn't seem to be asleep... he just seems... dazed."
"Nothing," Ren said, stretching his neck. "I temporarily paralyzed his brain."
"Paralyzed... his brain?!"
Gray and Lucy stared at him. What did that even mean?
"Just consider him an idiot for now," Ren simplified.
"An idiot?!"
Several of them were startled. This was one of the Ten Wizard Saints! The man who had orchestrated this entire continental crisis! And Ren just... turned him into an idiot? What kind of terrifying, hax-level magic was that? Ren seemed to be becoming more and more terrifying every day.
"Kill him! Big Sister Erza!" Sho screamed, his voice cracking.
"Yes! Kill him, Erza!" Wally agreed, his blocky hands clenched.
"He deceived us for so many years! Meow! And he caused us to misunderstand little Erza! He deserves it! Kill him!" Millianna pleaded, her eyes burning with a deep, eight-year-old hatred.
Simon didn't speak. His gaze was fixed on Erza, clearly leaving the decision to her. However, his hand was on the hilt of his own sword. He supported killing Jellal. This man was too dangerous. If it weren't for a monster like Ren, they would all be dead or enslaved.
Erza heard their words, and her hand, still holding the sword, trembled. She looked down at Jellal's empty face. To strike at someone who was completely defenseless... even him... she found herself unable to do it.
Finally, with a sigh that seemed to carry eight years of pain, Erza made her sword vanish.
"Forget it. We'll hand him over to the Rune Knights."
"Sister?!"
"Erza?"
"Little Erza?!"
Sho, Wally, and Millianna were shocked. They hadn't expected Erza to just... let him go. Not after everything he had done.
"I know," Erza said, her voice heavy, "I know he's an unforgivable villain who deserves to die. But... but he was our companion during our hardest times. He led us, he supported us, he gave us hope when we had none."
"I can hate him. I can hate what he became. But I can't... I can't be his executioner. Not like this. Since that's the case, let the Magic Council judge him."
"..."
The others fell silent. What Erza said was right. They wished they could tear Jellal to pieces, but... as she said, the Jellal of the past was their companion, someone they had looked up to. To actually deliver a killing blow, especially in this situation, was truly difficult.
"Then let's do that," Ren said, making the final decision. Hearing Ren say this, the others had no objections. After all, Jellal was Ren's captive, defeated by him alone.
Ren, in his heart, knew he had also shown mercy. The anime plot had some underlying influence on him. In the canon, a repentant Jellal did help Fairy Tail several times at critical moments. So, he ultimately didn't kill him. Otherwise, he could have permanently turned Jellal into an idiot, not just a temporary paralysis.
'I just hope this guy truly repents in the future,' Ren thought, 'If he ever dares to target Fairy Tail again, I'll kill him. No questions asked.'
Everyone returned to the Akane Resort hotel by boat.
Before they even reached the shore, they already saw a white-haired figure waiting there, pacing frantically on the sand.
"Everyone! Welcome back!"
Mira looked at everyone, her eyes red-rimmed, but her smile radiant. She had been worried sick. She had seen the Etherion blast light up the sky, and then the second, terrifying explosion that vaporized half the tower... she had been waiting by the sea ever since, before dawn, praying.
"I'm back," Ren said, hopping off the boat first.
"We're back!" Natsu and Lucy cheered, exhausted but alive.
Everyone returned to the hotel together, and Mira, after bringing them all drinks, finally asked about the events of the incident.
Upon hearing the full story—that everyone was attacked by Etherion, that the Council had actually fired it at them, and that Ren had teleported it away—Mira's face instantly turned pale, losing all color.
Even seeing everyone safe and sound, she was still extremely scared. She tightly grasped Ren's arm, her knuckles white, and with a serious, trembling expression, warned Ren not to do such dangerous things again.
She had already lost her sister Lisanna. She couldn't... she couldn't lose Ren, too.
Seeing Mira's genuinely terrified, worried expression, Ren's usual playful demeanor softened. He readily agreed, promising there wouldn't be a next time.
As for Jellal, Ren had (unceremoniously) tied the still-paralyzed man up and handed him directly to the local Rune Knight garrison, who had arrived to investigate the explosion. Perhaps because Jellal was already severely injured and mentally "offline," he hadn't woken up during this time.
For the next few days, everyone fully enjoyed their vacation time. On the last day, they also parted ways with Erza's old friends.
"Are you really not coming back to Fairy Tail with us?" Gray asked, looking at the group. "Besides Erza, you don't know anyone else out here, do you?"
Although there were some conflicts at first, once those were resolved, it was nothing. They had spent these past few days eating, drinking, and having fun together, and they got along quite well. Their true nature was actually kind; they just hadn't been guided correctly.
Sho shook his head, a small, sad smile on his face. "No. We have always lived in that tower. It was our whole world. Now that we've come to the outside world for the first time, we naturally want to see it properly."
"Although," he admitted, "we don't understand anything, and... it feels very uneasy. But we want to see this world with our own eyes. From now on, we will no longer rely on anyone to live, nor do we want to live for anyone anymore. From now on, we will live for ourselves. This is our freedom."
Wally nodded. "What Sho wants to say is what we all want to say. We plan to accompany Simon first, to find his sister who has been separated for many years."
"Sister?"
Erza looked at Simon in surprise. She hadn't known Simon had a sister; he had never mentioned it, not once, in all those years in the tower.
Simon nodded, his large frame casting a gentle shadow. "Yes. Because our parents died early, my sister and I relied on each other. Eight years ago, when the Black Magic Cult captured slaves from our village, my sister and I got separated."
"I originally thought she had also been captured, but... I never found her in the tower. I don't know how she is now. No matter what, I have to go look for her. Her name is Kagura."
"As for Sho and the others," he said, putting a hand on Wally's shoulder, "you don't need to worry. During the time I'm looking for my sister, I will teach them well. I'll teach them how to live in this new world."
"Okay! Then I'll leave them to you, Simon."
Although Erza was reluctant to part ways again so soon, after being separated for eight years only to meet and then part again, she respected their wishes. She couldn't use herself to imprison their freedom again; what difference would there be between her and Jellal then?
"Everyone, take care—!"
"Until we meet again—!!"
After bidding each other farewell, Ren and the others also embarked on their journey back.
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