News of Erza, Lucy, and Kagura's arrest spread to a local bar in Hargeon Town. Inside, music danced from a song-selecting machine near the counter, and patrons bopped along with it while they played some games and drank root beer.

"Hey, you're cheating!" exclaimed Rayule, one of the sailors from the Eisenwald, who was playing cards with crewmates Byard, Kageyama, and the captain Erigor.

"No, I'm not," Kageyama shook his head.

"I'll play that card there," Byard offered, holding a card.

Erigor said, "Well, the least you boys can do is put a head on it."

Rayule pouted, "It's not fair. I always lose a game, and I had to pay for drinks!" He then stood up and left the table for the bartender.

"About what you said, Captain… Is it true?" Kageyama asked Erigor.

Erigor replied, "I just heard the news from a guard earlier this evening. King Toma arrested Erza, the girl who crashed the Grand Magic Ball. She's at the Tower of Heaven, and she'll be executed at daybreak." He then chuckled amusingly, "What a savage." His laughter grew louder, and his crewmates joined him, "I bet that Jellal wishes he never laid eyes on the likes of Erza Scarlet!"

Unbeknownst to the Eisenwald sailors, a lone man in a black cloak whose face was concealed by a hood overheard the conversation at a table. At that moment, a small light glowed in his pocket, and he took out a communication lacrima from it. It whispered to the hooded man in an urgent voice.

"It's me. Erza and her friends are in trouble. We have to help them, and fast!"

"I'm on my way," the hooded man nodded. In a flash, he left the bar and rode a horse on the way out, catching the sailors' attention and stopping their laughter.

"What's gotten into him?" Erigor asked, puzzled.

Jellal was in complete disarray. He worriedly paced back and forth in his backyard, and Ooba, Millianna, Wally, and Shô watched with concerned looks. The news of Erza's arrest had not been so kind to them; at daybreak, Erza will be brought to the castle grounds and her execution will be carried out. At the same time, Jiemma will set sail with the armada to invade the New World.

Wally sighed, "Well, that didn't go the way we hoped."

"I think I'll put on some tea," Ooba offered, and she left to get another spot of tea.

Shô stated, "It's been an hour since we heard of the big disaster at the Grand Magic Ball. Erza was thrown into the slammer."

Millianna sighed sadly, "Poor Erzy… We wanted to follow her, but that crazy old blind lady stopped us before we can even join the party. And what have we been doing since then?"

"Nothing," Wally groaned. "Absolutely nothing. Three hours wasted on nothing but tea and tea and tea…" He added with a sigh, "…and tea."

Unable to pace around anymore, Jellal sat down on the grass and picked up a flower. Thoughts of Erza echoed in his mind, and he began to wonder what to do to help her. So far, there's been no plan. He turned to the three animals, "I'm sorry, you three. I really am. I should've figured it out sooner."

"It's okay. You did what you could to keep us safe," Millianna said, before her eyes watered with tears. "Erzy… Poor Erzy…"

Wally sighed sadly, "If only we had been with her back then… That way, she wouldn't be in so much trouble…"

Shô whispered softly, "Sister…"

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Jellal shook his head. "I was so looking forward to peace and prosperity between this land and yours, and I was willing to put Erza in harm's way to get there. Nothing should be worth that." He sighed regretfully, "I'm sorry I couldn't return home with your friend, guys."

Millianna sniffled, "What are we gonna do?"

Wally suggested, "We gotta rescue Erza from that Tower of Heaven, stop Jiemma and his armada, and everything's back to the way it was."

"But how?" Shô worried. "The Tower of Heaven is the most heavily fortified dungeon in Fiore. Breaking in and going out would be suicide!"

Wally pouted, "C'mon, Shô. There has to be a way…"

As if to answer their prayers, the mysterious hooded man jumped over the brick wall and landed on his feet into the backyard.

That caught Jellal and the animals' attention. He demanded, "Who are you?" He got into a defensive stance, "What do you want?!"

The figure didn't say a word. Not yet. But he would explain all there is.

The Tower of Heaven, the most fortified dungeon in the kingdom, was enveloped in a silent white fog. Hundreds of guards and watchdogs marched around every corner, while security systems droned out, bewaring any intruder or prison rioter that dared to go in or out. Prisoners were trapped in their cells, some mournful, others tormented, the rest remaining silent. The night was unusually cold, so the Tower's guards all wore black scarves around their faces.

Jellal rowed a single boat towards the Tower's entrance in a lake, with the hooded figure enchained. To most guards, it looked like the hooded man was captured, but in reality, it was a ruse planned by the figure. He had told Jellal, Millianna, Wally, and Shô of his plan to rescue Erza, Lucy, Kagura, and some "very important" people from the Tower, but he didn't say why. Millianna, Wally, and Shô hid under the cape the hooded man was wearing around his cloak.

"Halt! Who goes there?" shouted Kama, the head of the Hungry Wolf Knights. "The Hungry Wolf Knights demand your business, lest you will be executed along with the savage girl who attacked the King."

"I'm Jellal Fernandez, a member of the Royal Court," Jellal explained. "I have a prisoner. You can add him to your execution list." He made a slice-throat gesture to make his point.

Kama and his guards chuckled evilly at this. Another prisoner to be executed next to Erza wasn't so bad. "Open the gate!"

The guards obeyed Kama's order, and grabbing a wooden mechanism, the large steel gate opened, allowing Jellal and the hooded figure entry. As the gate closed, Kama and a small squadron approached the two getting out of the boat.

Kama took a closer look at the new prisoner, "For a new prisoner, he sounds so frail."

Suddenly… BOOM! The "prisoner" broke free from the restraints with a powerful burst of white magic from his body, knocking out a few guards. He then punched Kama in the face and sent him flying into the water. In the middle of the confusion, the hooded man ran off.

"He's escaping! Catch him!" Jellal shouted, and the guards chased after the unknown figure. The first phase of the plan was complete. Grabbing a set of keys from a knocked out jailer, he ran upstairs with Millianna, Wally, and Shô. "Go find her, Wally."

"You got it," Wally nodded. "My hummingbird senses can catch Erza's scent from a mile away. The sooner we find our red-haired friend, the better."

"Don't worry, Erzy-Werzy! We'll save you!" Millianna cried, but before she could catch up to Wally, she stopped and saw a metal helmet on the floor. Once again, her curiosity got the better of her. "Oooh… So that's what those Fiore people call a helmet. That's some quality hat! I'd like to wear it myself!"

"There you are!" Shô caught up to Millianna. "I was hoping you wouldn't let me catch up."

"Look! It's called a helmet!" Millianna cried happily. "Would you like to try it on?" She placed it on the dog's head. "Wally, wait for me!" She ran upstairs after Wally.

Shô smiled, "Hey, I think that helmet looks good on me. Maybe next time, I'll…" The helmet suddenly fell on top of him, covering his upper body. "I can't see a thing!" Shô cried from underneath the helmet. He tried to catch up, "Wait for me! I can't see!"

In the Tower of Heaven's thirteenth floor, Jellal followed Wally, the hummingbird's senses drawing closer to Erza's scent, while avoiding the guards. Shô tried to catch up, but due to his helmet stuck in his head, he bumped into several walls. One by one, Wally searched every cell, but there was no sign of Erza.

By a stroke of luck, Wally found a familiar person in a single cell. The hummingbird cried, "We found her! She's here!" He flew inside the cell, reuniting with the crimson-haired girl. "Erza!"

Erza exclaimed happily, "Wally!" The door was unlocked and opened. By looking at the man in front of her, she was more happy and relieved than ever. "Jellal!" She raced to Jellal and crushed him in a tight embrace. "I knew you'd come!" Jellal was startled at that reaction, but he smiled and hugged her back. "How did you get here?"

Jellal said in concern, "There's no time to explain. We have to go." He and the others weren't sure how long their cloaked friend can distract the guards.

Speaking of which, the figure in question arrived at the doorway, catching Erza and the others' attention. Who was he? Slowly reaching the hood, the man removed it and revealed the face of a familiar man. A man who was thought to be lost forever. It couldn't be… Could it?

Erza gasped in complete and utter shock at the identity of the mysterious cloaked man. "Sting…?!"

Sting greeted, "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Erza?"

Erza couldn't believe her eyes. The man she loved was still alive! Trembling, she slowly placed her hand around his cheek. "I… I thought… I thought… I thought you were dead."

"Greatly exaggerated," Sting smiled. Just then, the shouts of multiple guards came from a distance away. "We gotta get going! But first thing's first. We have to pick up my friends."

Jellal paused, and said confused, "Your friends?"

"White Dragon's Teleport!" Sting's body flashed with a burst of holy light that enveloped Erza and Jellal into it, before they vanished into thin air.

A squadron of guards caught sight of the light, and suspected that Jellal was helping the prisoners to escape. Entering the prison cell, they discovered it was empty. And then the next thing they knew, Millianna was seen outside, waving tauntingly to them before she ran off, "So long, suckers!"

The guards were about to chase Millianna, but they saw Sting quickly closing the door and locking them in. "Hope you enjoy the accommodations, boys. Later!" Giving a mock salute, he went to regroup with the others.

Jellal asked incredulously, "What do you mean, 'your friends?'"

Sting answered, "What I mean is, my fellow explorers that were framed and captured by Jiemma. You know, the Magnolia Company?"

Jellal stretched his head, "Captured? Framed? The Magnolia Company?!"

"Luckily, the guys are in individual cells closer to Erza's," Sting explained. "Before the plan started, I told Lector to survey a map of the whole Tower, and that's where I found them. The cells' doors are made of anti-magic metal, but only on the inside, and they can be destroyed on the outside by magic. That gives us enough time to bust all the doors and get us all outta here! Hang on!"

"White Dragon's Holy Breath!" Sting breathed a tremendous stream of light, simultaneously destroying many cell doors in the hallway through a straight line. Emerging out of the destroyed cells was five of Sting's friends and crewmates: the Shadow Dragon Slayer Rogue Cheney, the Lightning God Slayer Orga Nanagear, the Memory-Make Wizard Rufus Lore, the ninja Dobengal, and Minerva Orlando's former assistant, Yukino Aguria.

The five were excited and relieved to see Sting Eucliffe, their captain and friend throughout their adventures in the New World, after six months of delay and inconvenience. Rogue, Rufus, Orga, Dobengal, and Yukino swarmed around Sting, hugging and laughing.

"Sting!" Rogue cried excitedly. "You're back! We're so happy to see you!"

Orga shouted proudly, "Heck, yeah! Sting's back! The gang's all here!"

Rufus sighed in relief, "We were so worried about you. We heard the news that you died when you tried to save us, and then all of a sudden, you were back. It's a miracle!"

Yukino nodded, "To think that the Prime Minister stooped so low into framing us for Mistress Minerva's death…" She then smiled and hugged Sting, "But it's so good to see you again."

Sting rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "And she came so highly recommended."

Erza turned to Rogue, Rufus, Orga, Dobengal, and Yukino. She recognized, "I know you… You're Sting's friends! You were there when Sting was injured and you had to take him back here so his wounds would heal."

"Well, well, if it isn't Erza Scarlet, the not-so-savage Fairyndian princess," Rufus smiled. "Your timing couldn't be better."

Erza asked, "What happened to all of you?"

Dobengal explained, "Six months ago after we returned home, Prime Minister Jiemma used fake evidence to frame all of us for treason against the kingdom. And he made everyone think that Sting murdered Minerva in cold blood."

Rufus nodded, "It would appear that Fingers' suspicions were right. Minerva wasn't the puppet mastermind, but Jiemma is. He tricked his daughter into attacking the New World and deceived everyone into thinking there is gold."

Rogue added, "Only to realize there is no gold at all. Not a trace of it ever existed. If only Minerva should've realized it before it was too late…"

Sting assured, "You don't need to worry about it, guys. Minerva's still alive."

Rufus and Orga exclaimed in unison, "What?!"

Rogue and Dobengal asked, "Really?!"

Yukino exclaimed, "Mistress Minerva still lives?"

"I'll explain later," Sting replied. "Let's get outta here, and fast!"

"Wait!" Erza stopped them. "What about Lucy and Kagura?"

Sting pointed to a different direction, "That way! They're in Cell 13-LU and Cell 13-KM!"

"Follow me! I'll help you!" Jellal motioned, and Erza followed him to Lucy and Kagura's cells.

Suddenly, a huge magical explosion interrupted, and out of it emerged all five of the Hungry Wolf Knights: the leader Kama, Cosmos, Kamika, Uosuke, and Neppa. Accompanying the five was an endless sea of guards.

"Sting Eucliffe!" Kama glared. "I always knew you'd still be alive, you filthy traitor. Surrender immediately, and you and your friends' lives will be spared. If not, you will all be executed!"

Sting scoffed, "We'd rather go home in boxes before we'd surrender to you, punk."

"Then your time is up," Kama snarled. "You will repent for your sins!"

Sting said to his friends, "Just like old times, huh?"

Rogue nodded, "Yeah. Just like old times."

Orga cracked his knuckles, "Let's do this!"

Rufus flexed his arms, "For glory, God, and the Magnolia Company!"

Dobengal prepared himself, "I'm ready!"

Yukino got into a defensive stance, "I'm with you all the way!"

Two sides faced each other. It's Sting's group versus the Hungry Wolf Knights and their guards.

"LET'S GET 'EM!" Sting yelled.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!" Kama ordered.

And thus, Sting, Rogue, Rufus, Orga, Dobengal, and Yukino fought against the full might of the Tower of Heaven's security guards, the magic and explosions turning this battle into a brawl of epic propositions. Sting's White Dragon Slayer Magic clashed with Kama's deadly Scythe Magic, Rogue used his Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic to elude Neppa's Acid Magic, Rufus's Memory-Make Magic fought against Cosmos's Plant Magic, Orga's Lightning God Slayer Magic collided with Uosuke's Terrain Effect Magic, and Dobengal used his ninja abilities to dodge Kamika's Paper Blizzard. Yukino, though not a wizard, was an expert in hand-to-hand combat, and she was able to take down a few guards with ease.

"Did I mention I also studied karate?" Yukino asked her friends with a smile.

Sting grinned slyly, "Wow. Look at you go." Yukino's cheeks blushed red in response.

Ten minutes of intense fighting later…

Sting, Rogue, Rufus, Orga, Dobengal, and Yukino defeated the Hungry Wolf Knights and their armies, and made it to the ground floor after an exhausting battle. Erza and Jellal had succeeded in rescuing Lucy and Kagura from their cells, and they regrouped with Sting's group afterwards.

Jellal remarked with a smile, "Very stylish, Captain Eucliffe. You truly live up to your reputation as a White Dragon Slayer. I just wished you would've seen my magic in action."

Sting smiled, "You learn magic, too? What kind?"

Before Jellal could answer that question, the injured Hungry Wolf Knights appeared from the stairway, with more reinforcements at their beck and call.

Orga groaned, "Aw, man! Give us a break!"

Rufus glared, "Why won't you leave us alone?!"

Kama sneered, "You fools! We warned you to surrender, but now it's too late to turn back! Your time to repent is up! Prepare for the ultimate execution!"

Yukino wondered, "Does he always have to say 'execution' all the time?" The others just shrugged.

"Everybody, get to the horses!" Sting shouted, motioning them to a group of horses parked near the Tower's gate.

Kama yelled to the guards, "After them! They're getting away! Close the gate!"

The heroes quickly boarded the horses and rode towards the exit. One guard grabbed the wooden mechanism and was about to close the gate, but he didn't notice Shô jumping from a nearby ledge, his head still covered by the helmet. The dog trampled on the guard, knocking him out, and releasing the wooden mechanism. Shô finally got his head free from the helmet, and was accidentally sent out of the castle by the spinning wooden mechanism. The wooden bridge landed abruptly, the impact breaking it into pieces. However, the group's horses jumped and landed on the other side minutes before the bridge disappeared completely.

"Blast it!" Kama growled, pounding his fist on the wall in frustration. "They got away!"

Shô landed on top of Sting's head, holding tightly onto him. Sting looked up and said, "Hey, long time no see, Cardboy."

Shô sighed in relief, "White Dragon, you wouldn't believe what I've been through."

The heroes rode their horses away from the Tower of Heaven, never to set foot upon its dangerous walls again.

"That's strange. I was expecting high security and booby traps, but why would the Tower of Heaven only send out the Hungry Wolf Knights with an endless militia of guards?" Jellal wondered. "And how did we escape so easily?"

Inside the Tower, Princess Hisui was seen shaking the hands of all five Hungry Wolf Knights, who were exhausted from the battle, though they smiled at the young princess.

"I have to say, Your Highness," Kama remarked. "Pretending to fight Captain Eucliffe and his crew was a brilliant idea. When Lord Fernandez and Captain Eucliffe came, we had to let them in and allow their friends to escape, though we still had to put up a good show."

Hisui nodded, "You've done well. I must return to Mercurius. There is one last matter I'm going to deal with." Boarding her white horse, she rode off to another exit, with the Hungry Wolf Knights wishing her good luck.