'The R-System seems to be just an experiment by Hades.'
'I have a vague feeling that he probably knows the R-System is useless, or perhaps his expectations for it aren't very high.'
Raizel agreed with Jellal's assessment.
Precht, the second Guild Master of Fairy Tail who later became Hades, had left the guild over 40 years ago.
In his quest for the abyss of magic and the origin of the "One Magic," he had likely attempted experiments to awaken Zeref many times, so it was normal for him not to place much hope in a single tower.
After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Perhaps having no hope made the inevitable failure easier to bear psychologically?
Jellal continued using his magic to transmit his voice directly to Raizel's mind.
'In my opinion, his main goal this time is to cause the current Council to collapse.'
This was Jellal's speculation.
After joining the Council, he had often been in contact with Hades and sometimes returned to the airship of Grimoire Heart.
Having followed Hades for so many years, he had a good understanding of the man and knew that Hades never fought unprepared battles.
However, this R-System experiment gave Jellal the impression that Hades was being unusually casual about the tower's actual success.
'To cause the current Council to collapse? Why?' Raizel asked.
'It's just my guess, but it might be because the Council has recently taken action against Dark Guilds, disrupting the Balam Alliance's operations,' Jellal replied.
Raizel had some doubts.
'Weren't you personally taught by Hades? Why aren't you siding with him? And why involve Erza and Kagura?'
'I didn't want to drag you into this, but involving Erza and Kagura was his direct order. I had no choice but to obey.'
'Hades is pursuing the abyss of magic, and I don't agree with some of his methods. But to me, he is still my teacher, so I will follow some of his orders.'
Jellal felt somewhat helpless about this.
To ensure compliance, Hades had even sent another member of the Seven Kin, Azuma, to supervise the operation.
'However, I did go easy where I could. I didn't want to harm them, I was the one who tampered with the Magic Shackles, and I knew when you arrived on the island.'
'Another member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory wanted to intervene, but I stopped them.'
'Once the Etherion launch was confirmed, they returned to the Grimoire Heart airship to report the success.'
'No wonder, I was wondering why Erza was able to remove the Magic Shackles,' Raizel noted.
This cleared up one of Raizel's doubts.
Given the material of the Magic Shackles and the absolute restriction on magical power, it was surprising that Erza and Kagura, with their hands tightly bound, could simply pull them apart on their own.
'So, are you now one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory?'
Having heard Jellal mention another member of the Seven Kin, Raizel asked this question.
'Yes, I am currently the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. Though, in reality, they don't really listen to my orders,' Jellal admitted dryly.
Aside from Meredy, whom he had saved as a child, and Azuma, whom he had defeated in a duel, the rest of the Seven Kin were all troublemakers.
Even if they appeared to follow orders, they often only pretended to comply.
To put it bluntly, the Seven Kin were essentially equals in strength and ego.
The title of "leader" was just for show.
'Then, what is your true goal?'
'Once the Etherion is successfully launched, and my Thought Projection causes chaos within the Council while revealing my affiliation with a Dark Guild, that will be enough.'
Siegrain remained inside the Council at this moment.
Once the Etherion was successfully launched, he intended to destroy the Etherion launcher from the inside and cause chaos along the way, effectively crippling the Council's military power.
'Is this Hades' order?'
'Yes, he said these objectives must be achieved at minimum.'
The two were still performing their act for any lingering surveillance.
Raizel swung his Grey Sword and severed several stone pillars.
Jellal retaliated in kind, using Meteor to fly around and blast a large hole in the wall with Grand Chariot.
"You're really something, Jellal, destroying the tower you worked so hard to build with your own hands," Raizel taunted aloud.
"Just a pillar or two, they're merely decorations anyway."
"How many lives were lost to build these decorations?"
"I can't refute that point," Jellal admitted quietly.
Jellal truly felt guilty.
He had done his best to control the laborers and used his own subordinates to recruit those who committed evil deeds for the construction, but some innocent laborers still died during the harsh building process.
This was something he genuinely couldn't deny.
"The most important thing is the R-System! Everything these past eight years has been for it! And now this system is finally complete!" Jellal shouted for effect.
Raizel sent Jellal flying with a sword swing, then pressed his blade against Jellal's neck and said.
"Didn't I tell you the R-System isn't complete yet? I do know a thing or two about the R-System."
"In terms of structure and principles, this R-System is indeed built without flaws—one might even say it's identical to the original design."
"However, to complete the R-System, it's still missing the most crucial element."
"Didn't I say? We need Erza and Kagura as living sacrifices."
"It's something more important than that. What you truly lack is... magical power, a massive amount of magical power!"
"To activate such a colossal magic, an enormous amount of magical power is absolutely necessary."
"But even if we gather numerous Mages, it's not certain we could accumulate enough magical power."
The magical power required for the R-System couldn't be calculated numerically.
The magical power of even one of the Ten Wizard Saints would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket compared to the ocean required.
Jellal didn't refute this, merely continuing with a glance at the sky.
"Only three minutes remain until the Etherion launch."
...
Magic Council Branch (ERA)
A broadcast echoed throughout the Council headquarters:
"Etherion launch preparations complete!"
"Begin deploying satellite magic circle!"
"Displacement Magic Crystals functioning normally."
"Coordinates locked, attribute fusion complete, no rejection phenomena detected."
"Begin countdown!"
"Let us offer prayers."
"Let us offer prayers."
The council members and the frog messengers closed their eyes and chanted silently, hoping their decision was the right one.
...
Outside the Tower
"What is that light?"
"Etherion???"
"Raizel, Erza..."
Happy and Lucy sat in a small boat bobbing on the waves, looking toward the island where the R-System was located.
A massive, terrifying magic circle appeared in the overcast sky, piercing the clouds with divine light.
...
Inside the Tower
"It can't be stopped anymore. The satellite magic circle has already been deployed overhead."
Raizel moved the Omega Sword away from Jellal's neck, sensing the immense pressure from above.
"Offer prayers to the sacred light... release the Etherion," Jellal whispered.
The four-colored magic circle in the sky continuously poured magical power into the giant central magic circle, and a mixed-attribute pillar of magical light poured down like the wrath of god.
BOOM!
"This light... did we still fail to make it in time?" Ultear looked up at the unbearably bright radiance engulfing the tower.
"RAIZELLLL!" Erza and Kagura frantically climbed the stairs, rushing toward the top floor.
...
Magic Council Branch (ERA)
"Etherion has hit the target."
"Was it successfully destroyed? Please confirm immediately."
"Etherion, fusion concentration rising... abnormal weather predicted."
Org pursed his lips and said somewhat guiltily, "There are still people inside that tower..."
Michello stated coldly, "We have successfully prevented Zeref's revival. To achieve this goal, sacrifices were unavoidable."
"No matter how we justify our actions, the hearts of the sacrificed families can never be comforted," Leiji murmured.