So sorry for the long wait, but we're back with another chapter for Son of the Primordial Dragon. I would like for those who were waiting patiently on the new post and for all the reviews you guys gave me. Anyways I will skip all the spinning rims and get to the story. Also this is a double update.


The fight between Naruto and Tobita was heating up at a fast pace. Naruto drew his head back for another breath attack "Bofūryū no Hoko (Gale Dragon's Roar)" Naruto called out as he released a powerful vortex of air from his mouth at the assassin.

"HA!" Tobita yelled out as he waved his arms out and formed a protective wall out of his wire's in front of him to part the powerful gust of wind on either side. He slid against the wall and landed on a lower level before looking up to see Naruto standing on the floor above and across from him.

"Do you see now, young man?" Tobita said as Naruto looked at him with burning eyes at the man with the steel wires dancing behind him. The Death's Head Caucus master smiled and tilted his head "This is an execution. And you were a fabulous prey while you lasted." he said to the downed blond. One of the wires shifted forward and unwound at the tip into the numerous wires that formed it "But just like a spider... I'm done playing with my food. You're in my web... and it's time for the last bite." Tobita said to the blond.

Naruto lifted himself up to stand straight as he ignored the exhaustion lingering through his body. Erza was in danger... His friends were in trouble... They were all going to die and he was just sitting down here like an idiot. His hands lowered to his side as he looked over the bottom level he stood in... he couldn't allow himself to fail here. And just like that, a memory flooded into Naruto's head of a promise he made years ago after burying Lisanna... the first time he met her... the time Cyclone hatched from his egg... the night of passion he and Lisanna shared before her last job... asking her to stay with him until the end of their days...

"I won't lose anyone again... I'll protect everyone I care about, and I'll never let them die... I'll become strong... the strongest there ever was! I'LL NEVER BE WEAK AGAIN!" the God of Ishgar roared out. He wasn't always able to keep that promise he made years ago... He lost the love of his life... He wasn't always able to protect the people he cared about... He wasn't the strongest he knew that... He just beared a title saying he was... But this wasn't going to be one of those times... No... it wasn't like those other times... for today... was a new day...

The God of Ishgar stood up and covered his fist in Earth dragon slayer magic "Gankutsuryū no Darakuchikyū (Cavern Dragon's Fallen Earth)" and he slammed it down in the floor, causing a quake to shake the whole tower. Tobita staggered on his platform as the Wizard Saint continued to slam his empowered fist down on the ground over and over. The walls, platforms, ground level, and ceiling all started to break part before an avalanche of stone started coming down around them. Naruto turned around before swinging an Ironclad arm turned sword upwards and creating a cyclone of debris that filled the entire room.

Tobita's platform broke apart beneath him and he was left falling through the air before he landed on a stray slab to steady himself in the tornado of debris. He tried to stand up but quickly flicked out his hands to destroy some rocks that were coming in to crush him. He continued to leap between boulders as he realized he was trapped. Inside the cyclone of debris, he was blocked off on all sides and in constant danger of being crushed. The Wizard Saint was merely waiting for the moment he was crushed between two massive rocks like an insect. It was cowardly but a smart move to trap him inside a certain death trap of stone and rock... But it wasn't going to be enough.

He was Tobita... Guild Master of Death's Head Caucus... The Ruby Spider. He couldn't be taken out like this. The older man jumped off a rock and spun through the air before channeling his String magic. The makeshift spider legs on his back separated into their respective wires and whirled around at breakneck speeds to obliterate the debris floating around him. The rocks were reduced to pebbles and then reduced to dust as the wires sliced through them with ease. The Ruby Spider smirked in the midst of his rampage as he knew his strength and skill were proven with this. He was the greatest killer in his rank- *Schwip* Tobita's eyes widened his shock as he suddenly felt the magic going through his wires disappear.

He looked over his shoulder to see Naruto falling through the eye of a tornado and reducing his wires to shreds with his iron dragon's sword. Tobita panicked as he realized he had lost his offense and defense trying to destroy the rubble around him and left himself wide open. With no wire remaining and with him now freely falling through the air, Naruto ignited the soles of his feet and flew towards him at high speeds and sent the a flaming fist back as his body glowed with magic. Tobita turned in the air and pulled out knives to counter-"Tetsūryū no Go Ken (Iron Dragon Dragon's Hard Fist)" Naruto called out. A barrage of heavy punches easily shattered the knives and landed squarely on the assassin's torso. He gasped and felt blood fill his mouth as his body bent with the rapid strikes. Naruto pulled his fists back before concentrating his magic into his right until it glowed bright.

He landed the devastating right into Tobita's stomach and roared, "Shakūryū no Tekken (Scorch Dragon's Iron Fist)" Naruto yelled out as he struck Tobita with an immense amount of power.

"GAH!" Tobita gagged as he was launched clear down the room and cratered the ground from the force behind the punch. Naruto righted himself in the air before landing in a crouch and falling to his knees. He hunched over a little and tried to catch his breath before looking over the cuts along his body.

They were healing thanks to his powerful healing factor. It was slow but they were definitely closing. He could make it go faster with his healing spell but... no. He needed to conserve and regain as much magic as he could right now. The blonde took a moment to compose himself before pushing himself up to his feet with a huff and walked towards the crater he had created. He walked to its edge and looked in to see Tobita lying in the center motionless. The blond man waited for a moment before slowly walking down the crater to the center before standing over the defeated ninja and speaking sternly, "I know you're breathing. Your chest is barely rising at all but I can still see your nostrils moving." he said looking down at his former enemy.

A small smile cracked on Tobita's face before a modicum of blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth "Was it convincing?" he asked the blonde. His broad chest seemed to contort and shake before it broke apart to reveal a coat of wire that had been colored to match his skin tone "I wore of vest of wires over my chest like chainmail armor. It reduces the damage I receive from physical attacks to my form. Although it didn't seem to do much good this time since you kept hitting so much I'm certain you broke my ribs." he said in between gasps.

"I just decided to take the opportunity." Naruto said.

"No... you made yourself an opportunity to strike..." Tobita said to the blond accepting the truth. "You took advantage of my pride by giving me a challenge that forced me to act as wildly as possible. Then you ate my wires before they could return to me and attacked me before I could retaliate. Although if I were you, I would have sliced me up with that pretty arm sword of yours." he told the blond. He tilted his head up from the floor, "Are you going to finish me now?" he asked the blond.

Naruto shook his head no "I told you... I don't follow your methods." he said.

"Well maybe you should." Tobita told him. "Take it from someone who's taken more lives than you can count. It's useful to tie up loose ends." the assassin said.

Naruto responded by roughly gripping the man's shoulder and lifting him off the ground, gaining a groan from the injured ninja "Well take it from someone who doesn't give two shits... I won't ever use the methods you do." Naruto said to Tobita.

Naruto then started to drag him along the floor, pulling him over rocks and debris and ignoring the pained moans it resulted in. Naruto tossed Tobita into a small row boat and pushed him through the waterway and towards the ocean. The immobile ninja could only lay in the boat silently before Naruto turned around and walked back towards the walls. Tobita's voice reached out before he floated out of the Tower "What are you going to do now, young Wizard Saint?" he called to the blond.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the floor and looked up to the ceiling. His eyes narrowed in deep thought... "I'm going to keep my promise... for her..." Naruto said to the injured man and ignited his feet and began to fly up the side of the tower. He was going to save Erza, and defeat Jellal right before he destroyed the tower.

Before he could actually start to fly he heard Cyclone call out to him "Naruto wait!" causing the blond to stop where he was while he looked down at the black cat he called friend.

"Cyclone! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked the cat.

"I came to help. Friends stick together until the end right?" the cat asked rhetorically.

"Sorry pal, but not this time... this is only something I can do. Go find Happy and get outta here while you still can." Naruto told the cat.

"B-but we were supposed to do it together..." Cyclone said quietly. Naruto sighed... he didn't mind that his friend wanted to help him, he really didn't, but this was something that only he could do.

"Not this time... I'm sorry... I just don't wanna see you get hurt alright." Naruto told him.

"I hear ya, but I'm still- Cyclone tried to say but Naruto raised his hand to him causing the cat to fall silent.

"I'm sorry... but please... go find Happy and get outta here... for me..." Naruto told him. That's when Cyclone saw the tears that were about to fall down the side of his face. His friend was just looking out for him... as he always did...

Cyclone nodded his head "Alright... I'll go... but you better kick Jellal's ass you hear me." Cyclone told his partner.

Naruto smirked at his friend "You got it man. See you soon." Naruto said as he began to fly up the side of the tower. Cyclone listened to what his friend said and left to search for his own friend.


Erza looked around the hallway Shō had been leading her through to ambush Jellal. This passageway was much less refined and well decorated as the hallways she had been running through before. This was simply a long hallway made entirely of stone with old torches and lanterns lighting the pathway. She knew this section was different than the others because this was like a remnant of the older version of the Tower. She remembered carrying buckets of mud and rock in line with dozens of other slaves down pathways like this years ago when she was just a little girl.

"Just a little further... We're almost there I'm sure of it." Shō stated as he lead the redhead through the halls. She trusted Shō... She didn't want to leave him alone anymore. He knew he must be in pain but despite the confusion he still wanted to help her. She still loved him, and she was sure he loved her too. But she couldn't do this... Erza spoke up, "Shō, what are you doing?" she asked the dark skinned man. The dark-skinned man spoke over his shoulder "I'm leading you through the catacombs. I don't know why these are here but they cover the entire structure of the Tower of Heaven. We could effectively reach any spot in the Tower without fail-" the man started to explain but was interrupted by Erza.

"Shō stop." Erza said. The Fairy Mage and her younger brother figure stopped in the dark hallway with a tense silence. Shō didn't turn around as Erza spoke up, "Shō, we've passed by several connecting pathways already. If we wanted to go to the top we would have traveled up somewhere but all we've been doing is going down. I followed because I thought you wanted to tell me something but you haven't said a word. This place might have changed over the years... but I know...you're leading me to the beach, aren't you?" she said as her eyes narrowed with concern and she asked, "What are you doing?" she asked the man.

Shō kept his back to her before turning around and looking at her with as firm a look as he could "I'm leading you to the beach so you can take a boat... to protect you... from Jellal..." the man said. Erza showed no reaction, probably having already guessed that so he lowered his eyes to the floor "I want you to get on one of the boats and leave this hellhole once and for all." he urged the redhead with a begging look in his eye's.

Erza shook her head, "Shō I can't do that... Gray, Lucy, Naruto and the others are all still in here... And I'm not abandoning them. And we need to stop Jellal as well-" she started to say be this time he stopped her.

"I'll stop him..." Shō's voice went rigid as he gripped his fist so tightly his arm started to shake while his palms bled. He growled through his teeth "I'll kill him if I have to. I'll make him pay for lying to us and keeping us here and-" he continued to growl, but Erza stopped him once again.

"Shō." Erza's voice broke through his mad muttering before she gave him an apologetic look. "Shō, I'm sorry you had to find out like that, but fighting Jellal by yourself is suicide... You can't beat him on your own." she told the man. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to face him either but she couldn't focus on that right now. Shō looked conflicted by what Erza had said to him but closed his eyes knowing she was right.

His shoulders trembled before they went slack and he looked up at her sadly "I should have known that he was lying... I should have known you weren't hiding away from us like that but I listened to him... I tried to be strong... I tried to be like you because... because I was just too scared to face this world by myself. I wanted to believe what he said about being able to set everything right once we were done here." he said quietly. He shook his head in self-loathing and spoke in a solemn voice "I wanted to see you again. I wanted us to be happy once more... for us to be a family. But I was living in a dream and I was willing to bring you back to hell...back here...to do it." he started to cry.

Her eyes softened in pity "Shō..." she whispered softly.

"You're new family... Fairy Tail, you said, right?" he asked as he looked up at her before she nodded. "Then go back to them. Don't let them end up like us. Be there for them. I'll try to warn your friends to leave this place before anything happens but I just...I want to make sure at least you can get away." he said honestly.

Erza looked at her friend sadly before she shook her head. He looked at her with slight confusion before she looked at him with a firm stare "Shō, I won't leave this place again. Me leaving here left you, Simon, Wally, and Milliana to stay and suffer here by yourselves. It's because I left that I wasn't able to stop Jellal when I could and get you all back to freedom." she stated. She frowned and shook her head, "I left once before...I'm not leaving here again." she said to him.

Shō looked at her in shock before his eyes started watering with gratitude. He closed them and gulped before he continued, "Er-chan... I-I love you. I want you to be happy. And I know you being here and fighting this battle won't do that. So if I have to..." he then held out his hand and prepared to capture her in a card as a last resort, "I'll force you on that boat myself and make you leave this place." he told the redheaded knight.

Erza looked between his outstretched hand and his panicked, confused expression. She frowned and warned him "I need to stop Jellal. And I won't back down from that. So if you are going to stand in my way, I won't hesitate to push you away." she said. Shō tried to keep composed but his arms started to shake. His voice hitched "I don't want you to suffer because of us anymore. I'll sneak up on Jellal, I'll force him to let you go, and if I have to-" he didn't get to finish as as a new voice stopped him from finishing what he had to say.

"You will do what exactly, young man?" a new voice asked him.

Erza and Shō froze before the blond teen turned around and stood by Erza's side away from the silky voice that echoed through the hallway. They heard something clap loudly against the rock ground before a figure finally appeared in the faint light of the torches. The person approaching them at a slow and reserved pace was a beautiful woman with long pink hair and bright red lips. She had beautiful piercing eyes that settled into a small, intrigued stare at the duo she approached. She wore a white kimono with flames and skulls decorating its sides with the sleeves so far down they revealed a generous amount of cleavage.

Her high-platform sandals clicked against the ground and the long katana secured to the nape of her back swayed slightly with her saunter. She stepped up to stand across from them and tilted her head quizzically "You make it sound like you are prepared to fight Jellal-sama by yourself, but how in the world do you think you will be able to handle him alone?" the woman asked the dark skinned teen curiously. Shō was frozen in fear and Erza stepped in front of him protectively as she narrowed her eyes at the strange woman. She acted refined and cordial... but her bloodlust was flowing off her like a river.

The pink-haired woman gave a formal nod to the defensive redhead "You are Titania Erza Scarlet correct? The Queen of the Fairies." she said. A small smile came over her lips, "I have been very eager to meet you face-to-face." she told the scarlet haired woman. Erza kept her glare and spoke with a heavy tone, "And who are you?" she asked the woman. "Oh, my apologies. It is rude for someone to approach a stranger like this without giving a name." she said in mock apology. She gave a small bow to them "My name is Ikaruga. I am an assassin of Death's Head Caucus and a member of Trinity Raven." she said as she stood up straight with the same smile on her face. "My associates and I were hired by Jellal-sama to make sure that this evening went off without any mistakes or altercations. Unfortunately, you escaping and the arrival of your guildmates set the clock back ever so slightly. But not far enough that it cannot be salvaged."

Shō gulped loudly facing the strange woman and asked, "How did you find us?" Shō asked the assassin.

"Did you not think it strange that these pathways and systems cover the entire Tower?" Ikaruga looked around, seemingly fascinated by the complex catacombs they were traveling through. "Jellal-sama had these paths built through the walls for some special reason. And he knew you traveled through them regularly. He noticed you leading Titania through this way and sent me down here to make sure you did not escape. I must return her to Jellal-sama's side... and no one is going to stand in my way." she told them.

Erza stepped forward and scowled at the woman as she smiled 'kindly' at her "And just how does Jellal plan to make the Tower function?" Erza asked the woman.

The assassin shrugged her shoulders at the redhead "I am not exactly sure. I was merely told to retrieve and deliver you to his side." the woman answered her.

"Sorry..." Erza said as she pulled two swords out and dashed forwards at high speeds while cutting across the woman. She stopped in a stance with both her swords outstretched in front of her after ambushing the pink-haired woman, "But I can't afford to waste time with someone like you." she said seriously.

"No, I am sorry for the inconvenience. But Jellal-sama did say that I needed to return you to his side." the assassin replied to the redhead swordswoman.

*Crack* Erza's swords and armor cracked and shattered apart into scrap metal in an instant as the damage finally settled in. Erza gasped in pain, clutching her chest and looking down in shock to see the blouse she wore beneath her standard armor. Her armor had been cut, and she didn't even notice until it broke. She heard Shō yell her name in panic and slowly looked over her shoulder at the woman she attacked. Ikaruga slowly peeked over at Erza and smiled deviously, her long sword gripped in her right hand.

She gave a quiet giggle and titled her head in amusement at the shocked look on the redhead's face, "He also said that you needed to be alive. Not particularly in a perfect state if necessary. Will that be necessary, Titania?" she asked rhetorically.

"You won't have her!" Shō yelled angrily and threw several cards that shot through the air like bullets. Ikaruga merely raised her sword and blocked the cards without looking away from Erza. The young man looked at the assassin in shock that his effort to protect the redhead didn't work before yelling and throwing several more desperate attacks at her.

Ikaruga turned around this time and her arm flashed so quickly she looked like a blur. By the time her counterattack stopped her sword was back at her side before the cards split apart in thin layers that floated to the ground. He stood there in absolute shock and watched as she smiled, "There is nothing in this world that can withstand my Mugetsu-Ryu and Yasha Empty Flash. Before my blade, everything will fall apart. And everyone shall be cut." she told the young man.

Two deep, bloody gashes crossed over Shō's chest and he gasped in pain before coughing up blood and falling over. Erza jumped to her feet and called out "Shō!" worriedly as she switched her clothes out into Heaven's Wheel Armor and summoned dozens of swords to float behind her. She yelled ferociously and sent them flying at the kimono-wearing woman in an effort to try and stop her from hurting her friend anymore than she already did. Ikaruga merely scoffed before she pulled out her sword in a silver flash and destroyed all the blades instantly.

Erza sprinted through the raining metal and started swinging her broad swords at the other woman in an attempt to cut her down but could only meet her blade as Ikaruga parried. Their sword slashes were faster than the eye could see before Erza jumped back to gain some distance. Only for her swords to break apart again and for her armor to shatter while Erza felt the cuts pass through her body as well. Ikaruga smiled darkly at the exhausted redhead "Did you merely receive your name by chance? Because this is hardly the showing I expected from someone called the Queen of Fairies." Ikaruga told her.

Erza's rage grew and she switched into her Black Wing Armor before running forward to strike. Ikaruga merely turned towards her and prepared to parry but Erza passed by her side and slid along the ground to flank her. She leapt in the air, flying toward Ikaruga with the help of her wings and quickly slashed twice "Moon Flash Dance" Erza called out. The pink-haired assassin let her swordplay do the talking and easily blocked the double attack coming from the redhead with ease.

Erza flew over her head and they turned to face each other as Erza started rapidly swinging her sword and Ikaruga met her blow for blow. The Fairy Mage pulled back to swing again but the Trinity Raven woman acted faster, her sword disappearing in blurs before the black armor around Erza shattered to pieces. Erza felt the near invisible slashes hit and cuts appeared over her body but she ignored them to continue her swing. But her sword was instantly destroyed again before it could even connect with Ikaruga.

The redhead stumbled back, disarmed and unarmored before the hilt of her opponent's sword came up and knocked her in the chin. Erza fell back with a grunt and held her bleeding chin before looking up at the powerful swordswoman over her. Ikaruga stood over the redheaded woman, enjoying in the sight of her panic and confusion. She was probably very strong. And her skills and armor would have worked on just about anyone else... but not her. Her magic. Her swordsmanship. Mixed with her Mugestsu-Ryu... No one could ever challenge her with the blade. There was nothing under the moon she could not slice apart.

The feeling fear and anxiety, both of which were unknown for quite some time, filled Erza's eyes looking up at the kimono-clad lady. A tinge of joy filled her heart seeing the fear she caused with her skill as she smiled. What can the human body withstand? How much pain can one person go through before they died? And how much could she bring back to Jellal to still be considered a sacrifice? She was so...eager to find out... just how much she could endure from her torment.

"Get...get away from her." Shō ground out. Ikaruga stopped stalking towards her prey and looked back at the injured animal she had left behind. Shō slowly lifted himself up on his hands and knees while a small amount of blood dripped out from his wounds. He struggled to his feet, gasping in pain as he tried to steady himself before finally standing up again. His eyes were heavy and he tried to calm himself as he glared up at the swordswoman.

Ikaruga raised a delicate eyebrow in befuddlement, "And how exactly do you plan on making me get away from her?" Ikaruga asked rhetorically.

"I-I'm not going to let you t-to hurt Erza anymore." Shō rasped as a pair of cards slipped into his bloody fingers. "The cult members... Jellal... people like you... I won't back away from them anymore." he said as he raised his arms up and crossed them over his chest in preparation to attack, "I won't run! I promise I will protect her!" he declared with conviction in his voice.

Shō sprinted forward and threw the cards as precisely and fast as he could. The cards disappeared in a white blur and cornered the kimono-clad assassin on all sides. Ikaruga made no move to attack or defend. "You are a fool." she said calmly as she started to swing the blade.

*Swish*Swish*Swish*

The sound of cutting air came and went in an instant before the cards fell apart in shreds. Shō could only watch in silence as the woman's alluring voice reached out to him once again "People as weak as you are need to focus on becoming stronger before they can ever hope to protect something precious to them. Until then it would be more beneficial to back down and run away from the fight before the predators catch you... except now..." the woman told the teen.

*Plop*

The sound of something substantial landing in a puddle drew their attention as Shō slowly looked down. He lost his voice and his eyes started shaking as he looked down to see his right leg severed off just below the knee. A stream of blood was spewing out from the stump and coating the floor beneath him in a crimson sheen. "You may not be able to back away so quickly." the assassin said calmly still acting as if dismembering a person was the most normal thing in the world.

"SHŌ!" Erza yelled out to him. In a flash, Erza sprinted past Ikaruga and caught her injured friend before he toppled over to the floor. She lowered him to the floor carefully and listened to his breathing as it started speeding up and becoming irregular.

He was flinching and twitching as the shock of losing his leg started to settle in. He turned to her but his eyes were wildly looking around like he couldn't concentrate, "E-Erza! W-what happened?" he asked the redhead shakily.

"Shō, calm down! It's gonna be okay!" Erza said as she tried to comfort him while she looked down to see the blood escaping from his wound. He was going to bleed out if she didn't stop it. She quickly undid his belt and tied it around the stump before tightening it as much as possible making a makeshift tourniquet. The blood loss slowed, but only by the smallest of margins.

"N-Nee-San, m-my leg hurts." Shō gasped as he gripped her shoulder and unconsciously started tightening his hold on her, "W-what do I do?" he asked the redhead.

Erza was panting and looking between him and his injury. She closed her eyes and thought quietly before her shredded clothes changed into the red and orange Flame Empress Armor. She held up the red blade and started channeling a small amount of fire magic through it with the armor's help. The blade started releasing a powerful heat and she spoke softly to her terrified friend "Shō, I'm sorry...but it will be okay." Erza declared to her childhood friend.

Without wasting another moment, Erza pushed the burning blade against the leg wound and heard the sound of flesh sizzling against heated metal. "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shō released an agonized scream as his wound was cauterized with Erza's blade. It was the most horrific thing that she had ever heard in her life. He thrashed around and tried to escape her grasp but Erza held what was left of his leg down as she closed the wound until the sizzling stopped. The rapid bleeding finally halted and Shō let out one last gasp before falling back unconscious from the pain. Erza dropped her sword and finally caught her breath again as she panted heavily from the experience.

She looked down at her armor, knees, and hands to see they were all covered in blood. She tried to regain her senses and gently placed her fingers against his neck to feel his heartbeat. She couldn't find one and believed she had failed before finally noticing a pulse after her senses had stop flaring. Shō needed medical assistance... And she couldn't give him any... not without Naruto's healing spells... She wasn't good at helping people. She wasn't skilled at saving them. All these years after the Tower-after all the atrocities she had seen and Erza decided to take up the one answer she could find... to fight. The redhead gentle dragged Shō under his armpits and over to the wall before placing him against it. She checked on him one last time before slowly standing up and showing her back to her enemy.

Ikaruga merely stood there patiently before stating "He doesn't look good." rather obviously.

"WRAHHHHHHHHHH!" Erza yelled as she concentrated, and a large amount of flames ran down the hallway towards the assassin and picked up her sword on the way. She charged the woman in the sea of fire and swung down- *Crack* The flames were swiped away. Her sword broke apart. And her armor fell to pieces once again. Erza stumbled behind her before yelling and switching into her Giant Armor. She turned and threw her mighty fist-

*Crack* Ikaruga broke that armor as well. Erza switched into another- *Crack* Broken. Into another- *Crack* Broken. Another and another and another and another- *Crack*Crack*Crack*Crack* Broken. Broken. Gone. Gone. Broken. Broken. Broken. More and more cuts and injuries started to show up over Erza's body as she was left wearing only the black underwear she wore beneath her armors. She was breathing heavily and Ikaruga hadn't been hit once.

Erza panted a bit more before turning around as her hair flared and her eyes focused with anger. Her body glowed with light once again before she was finally wearing a spiky, bulky, almost demonic black armor from the neck down. And incredible pressure poured off her and Erza's voice was filled with desperation and anger "My Purgatory Armor. The strongest armor in my inventory. I have never worn this armor and prepared to let my foe walk away again." she declared to her enemy.

Ikaruga raised an eyebrow in intrigue before she sheathed her sword. She let her hand rest on its hilt in anticipation before smirking at the redhead, "Well all right then Titania...show me the most of what you have to offer." she told her.

"AHHHHH!" Erza jumped forward and raised her arms up to crush her enemy. Ikaruga pulled out her sword to defend as Erza's fists came down, "WRAAAHHHH!" Erza yelled out. The ground cratered and the hallway cracked beneath the immense strength and pressure behind Erza's strike. The entire hallway shook and even the Tower seemed to quiver beneath them as a massive dust cloud exploded down the corridors.

Erza stood up from the ground, panting heavily while her shoulders fell up and down with each breath. That was the strongest strike she could offer at this time. If that didn't do it- "My my, was that not intriguing." Ikaruga's voice sounded through the halls. *Crack* The Purgatory Armor, the strongest armor she had in her arsenal, shattered and split apart into junk before it fell to the ground. It took a moment for Erza to realize she had been defeated again before she fell to her knees in disbelief. Ikaruga's sandals clapped against the floor as she emerged from the dust cloud with a few scuff and bruise marks from taking the attack. She smiled and tilted her head, "That was your best effort yet. I must admit that last attack was strong...but not strong enough." she told Erza.

She knew that now. Every armor she had...every sword in her possession...everything was moot before this woman and her sword. All the years of gathering the strongest items in the land to protect herself...reduced to nothing... again... She was unprotected. In...in the Tower of Heaven Her eyes widened in horror as her voice hitched in fright. In an instant, all the horrors she had tried to forget flooded into her fear. The loneliness. The hate. The doubt. Watching her friends get tortured. Getting tortured herself. Threatened to be killed and eaten if she didn't follow their demands. Losing old man Rob. Losing everything she ever knew. In an instant Erza thought she had changed. She wasn't the woman who had become a Fairy Tail Mage...

She was a cowering little girl once again. Curled up with her knees to her chest and crying under her arms to hide from the world around her. Alone... in the darkness. She hadn't changed at all... The little girl felt someone approach her and looked through the darkness to see Old Man Rob standing over her with a smile. Slowly he was followed by Milliana, Shō, Simon, Wally, and Jellal all standing before her. And then...there were more... Naruto. Natsu. Gray. Lucy. Happy. Cyclone. Mira. Lisanna. Elfman. Makarov. Cana. Levy. Jet. Droy. Gildarts. Porlyusica. Laxus. Macao. Wakaba. Reedus. Max. Warren. Laki. Naruto, now all grown up and joined by his friends, turned back to the redhead and smiled before offering his hand. Erza looked over herself to see she was grown up again. With a moment of hesitation she reached up and took his hand before getting pulled to her feet. Her friends and family greeted her with warm smiles.

Ikaruga approached the frozen woman slowly before Erza's body glowed with light again. The brightness faded to reveal the Fairy woman wearing simple red gi pants with flame details and wrappings around her chest. Her cuts and wounds were still very visible as her hair was tied in a ponytail and she slowly pushed herself to her feet. Two lights shined from her hands before a knight sword and a katana appeared in her grip.

Ikaruga gave a small hum before inquiring, "So, what do these garbs do to enhance your abilities?" she wondered aloud.

"Nothing." Erza responded in a quiet voice as she looked down at the floor in thought. She took a deep breath and followed up, "My armors and defenses are worthless before you. In the end anything I wear will merely be stripped away and leave me exposed here." Erza said as she closed her eyes. "I wanted to hide behind my armors because the thought of this place touching me again...taking everything from me again was just terrifying. But even without my armor...I am protected... What my loved ones have given me to keep stepping forward...to keep fighting on no matter what I am faced with..."Erza said to her enemy. Erza's eyes opened to reveal her anxiety and fear had been completely abandoned. Her brown eyes burned with a powerful intensity as she leveled a glare at her opponent.

"They are the one's that protect me even when I am bare and trapped in this place. And if I cannot beat you with my armors..." she held the katana up and aimed its tip at the kimono-clad killer, "Then I will let my swordplay lead me through this." she told the pink haired assassin. Ikaruga was annoyed that she was being underestimated again, the redhead woman believing now that she was solely relying on her swords that she'd be able to win.

But she stayed calm, preparing to crush the woman's hopes, and motioned to her mismatched swords, "And what will you do with those? They do not match well. What may they be exactly?" she said to the woman.

"My last resort." Erza said calmly. "Veritas and Requiem. The forbidden swords of light, justice, truth, and honor. I have practiced with these swords a few times when I was younger but never actually used them to fight." Erza told her enemy. She had kept them in her Requip space so she always had a piece of Old man Rob with her wherever she went. They were memento's from the elderly man that had given his life so she could experience hers. They were keepsakes. And she never wished to risk breaking them in battle. But in this place... before her enemy with no other option...she entrusted these swords with her life. She wasn't sure if it still worked or if it would work with her but... she felt stronger with them in her hands.

Ikaruga smiled before nodding and pulling out her katana. She turned it in her hand before pulling it back to strike, "Well then...let us see how your last resort fairs, Titania." Ikaruga stated. Her arm flashed with a silver blur before she whispered out, "Yasaka Void Slash." the assassin said calmly.

The invisible air strike flew through the air directly towards Erza as she raised her swords up in the air. She closed her eyes and let her breathing be the only thing in her ears. Right now she could do only one thing... Fight. "HA!" Erza cried out.-*Schring*-Erza brought her swords down on the invisible attack as it broke apart and destroyed the ground on either side of her. Erza slowly opened her eyes to look down at her blades as they released a faint light from their metal. Ikaruga was perturbed by the sight of her attack being unsuccessful before she sent several more attacks that flew through the air at the redhead.

Erza looked up and jumped to her feet to retaliate against the barrage. She swung her swords out and destroyed each attack before they even reached her. She turned and slashed out against all of the staggering attacks that were useless against her pair of mismatched swords. Ikaruga looked in shock as the Fairy Queen rendered her attacks useless and charged towards her. Erza brought her swords up and slashed at her with a firm strike that Ikaruga faltered and poorly blocked against.

The swords scrapped against each other before Erza's blades slipped past and slashed against Ikaruga's shoulder and arm. The kimono-clad woman looked at the blood over her arm and felt her eyes start to shake before seething out in anger, "T-those swords. T-they can nullify magic?!" she gasped out in shock. Erza looked down at her blades as the glow from the swords slowly faded out. A small smile came over her swords were used to protect. Which meant that the runes written on them had to be powerful if they had been designed to nullify magic.

Their swords were forged with Magic-Nullifying Lacrima in their temper. In the right hands they would activate a null field that neutralized some magics that came in contact with the blades. But apparently they were only made to work for her, because they hardly ever worked for Rob, and when they did it didn't do it good enough. But she was the old man's friend. And they worked for her. The keepsakes of her guardian were no longer heirlooms she could let rust in her inventory. They would become the masterpieces of her fighting style. And right now they leveled the playing field against this assassin with ease so that was good enough for her.

Ikaruga growled through her teeth before unleashing a flurry of air attacks that flew towards Erza. Titania wasted no time and dashed forward through the barrage, letting her instincts and swordplay take charge as she countered each strike she felt come her way. Some of the attacks were too blunt and left small scratches and cuts that drew blood over her body but still she continued to fight. Ikaruga could no longer hold off her nemesis from a distance and held her sword in for a close fighting stance. Erza pounced and struck down as Ikaruga guarded and let their swords clash before parrying her knight sword and thrusting forward in retaliation.

Erza used her katana to block and redirect her sword and swiped forward to catch her other shoulder. Ikaruga felt a deep slash rip through the skin of her top breast before she retaliated and quickly left a deep gash along Erza's side. The two women passed over each other before turning around and charging once again. The swords flashed in silver light as their attacks moved faster than normal in a shower of sparks. Erza and Ikaruga both yelled furiously as they continued slashing at each other with the intent to tear the other woman apart. Cuts started to appear over their bodies but they were paid no mind as they focused on fighting.

Erza felt slashes cut her legs, stomach, sides, chest, shoulder, and dodged as the blade cut open her cheek. Ikaruga felt cuts open up on her legs, her arms, her waist, and felt a chunk of her pink hair get lopped off but focused solely on the redhead. She didn't care if she was supposed to bring her back to Jellal anymore! She was going to make this woman pay! Their blades crossed and they tried to force the other back in a stalemate. Ikaruga pushed with her sword, her hair disheveled and the calm smile she used to bear now changed to a look of crazed determination. Ikagura yelled out, "I will not fall to someone else's sword! You are beneath my blade!" to the Fairy Queen.

Erza met her fury with her own push back, "I don't care if you're better than me. Right now there is nothing in this world that can stop me from pushing forward! From winning against you!" she yelled out. Erza knocked Ikaruga back and turned on her feet to strike the woman with both swords as she blocked. The assassin dashed in and started waving her sword around wildly as Erza had to quickly repel each strike but struggled to keep her strength with the cuts along her arms. Her sword was knocked aside and Ikaruga came in to slice her but the redhead twisted and fell before kicking her leg out and catching Ikaruga's chin.

A glob of blood came out of her mouth before Erza braced against the floor and kicked out again, catching the woman in the stomach and knocking her back several feet away. Ikaruga nearly doubled over and gripped her sword tight as Erza held her dual blades out in a combat stance. They yelled, charging at each other and crossing paths as they swung their blades down to strike. The two ladies skid along the floor for a moment before stopping in place and keeping their backs towards one another in waiting. Two bloody gashes opened on Erza's body, cutting a wound beneath her ribs and down her shoulder. The Fairy Mage grit her teeth tightly to stifle her painful groan before lowering her head and panting heavily.

She had taken damage. And it had hurt a lot opening herself up like that. But in return for leaving herself open to a strike... *Crack* Ikaruga's sword broke apart into pieces and two long gashes appeared down her body from her shoulder to her chest. The assassin let out one last pain filled moan before falling back unconscious. Erza's shoulders relaxed after having defeated her opponent and she let out a long sigh. Her breathing was slowly coming back to her as she looked herself over. She was covered in bruises, cuts, slashes, and blood. It hurt but she wasn't shaking in fear anymore. She relaxed a little before panic filled her thoughts again and she turned "Shō!" She quickly ran over to her friend's side to check on him and saw that his face had lost a little color. Her mind went to the worst place as she held his cheeks and patted them "Shō? Please wake up. Please!" she begged him.

Shō remained motionless before his eyes slightly fluttered and looked towards her. His eyes were tired and almost clear but there was still some life in them. She almost cried in joy as his ragged voice responded to her, "E-Er-chan?" he asked groggily.

"Yes. It's me." Erza happily answered before looking down at his injury. The blood had stopped but the cauterized wound was still badly injured as he had lost a lot of blood. If he wasn't in shock then he must have been numb to the pain at this point. She looked around and planned to move "Shō, just hold on. I'm going to move you. I need to get you some medical attention from Naruto as soon as possible." she told him.

"No don't." Shō muttered out as he held her hand and squeezed it tightly, "Erza please...you need to go and face Jellal. There's isn't any more time to waste." he told her weakly.

"It's not a waste of time helping you." Erza reprimanded as she argued with what he said, "I'm not leaving your side to go and fight. Not when you are left like this." she said to him.

"You can't...risk letting him escape from here." Shō said as he tried to rationalize with the redheaded woman.

"Even if Etherion comes down on this place and wipes it from existence, if Jellal escapes and lives on to try again...then another Tower of Heaven will reappear somewhere else in the world. It will just keep going on and on for the rest of our lives. This place and all the horrible things it represents will never vanish from the world. So please...even if it means forsaking me and the others...put an end to this nightmare..." Shō's voice started becoming hoarse and tired as tears filled his eyes, "Put an end to Jellal...you're the only one who can." he told her as he passed out.

Erza could only look at her friend in shock as his eyes slowly shut and his head tilted to the side. He was right. If Jellal continued like this, he would just make another Tower somewhere else. The Tower would be destroyed by the cannon... But they needed to stop him first. Erza felt disgust fill her mind at the idea of leaving her friend as she grit her teeth. She summoned a dozen blades that channeled her magic and created elements around them.

With a wave of her hand she sent the blades careening down the hallway in the direction they came from so they would leave a trail leading back to Shō. Hopefully her comrades would notice this pattern and come pick him up. It might not happen but she had to hope for the best... Erza stood up and looked in the direction Ikaruga had emerged from. Her eyes narrowed with intensity before she sprinted down the corridor to climb to her destination... Jellal


Wally and Milliana kept marching forward and tried to ignore their followers before they spoke back, "Why are you still following us?" Wally asked them.

Lucy answered from Juvia's piggyback, "Because we want to help you! You guys are Erza's friends, right? Her family before she came to Fairy Tail! And you saved us too!" she said to the block like man.

Juvia nodded, "Juvia concurs. She owes you both greatly for stopping that man and helping her back to clarity." she said in agreement.

"Don't bother thanking us." Milliana sadly muttered, "We don't deserve any thanks. Not from you or anyone." she said with a whimper.

Lucy's shoulders slumped sadly, "Don't say that." she told them. Wally and Milliana turned back towards them, an annoyed and miffed expression on their respective faces as they glared the girls down.

The block man pointed out, "Look. Just stop. Stop whatever you think you're doing by trying to convince us to stick by you. We don't...we can't be here anymore. We can't see Erza or anyone else anymore. So just leave us alone." he said harshly.

"But why?" Lucy implored, "You're their friends. Friends can't just ignore and forget each other like that. Erza doesn't resent you guys for anything that happened. She still loves and cares about all of you so there's no reason to be so reluctant to see her again." she told them. Their conflicted expressions persisted as she became irritated, "What is so wrong about seeing the people you love-" she didn't get to finish as she was interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Lucy! Juvia! There you are! I've been looking all over for..." he stopped when he noticed the two extra people in the room with them.

Lucy and Juvia looked up in surprise as Wally and Milliana froze from the new voice that appeared in the hallway. "Ok... are we going to fight or is there something I'm missing?" he asked them.

Wally shook his head "Nah man we were being played all this time. We don't know what to think now so we're gonna make our way outta here." he told the blond man. Naruto sighed in relief. He didn't really want to fight again especially when he just finished one of his own.

"Well I wish you both best of luck out there." he told them.

Juvia looked at the blonde in both respect and fondness before Juvia suddenly dropped Lucy on her butt before she yelled, "Naruto-sama! What happened?!" as she ran up to the blonde. Naruto turned to face the water mage and scratched the back of his neck. "It's all right. I got knocked around a little but I made the bastard who did this pay. So it all works in the end." he told her as she began to look over him for any sort of energy. He didn't know why she was doing this but he was sure it was nothing special. He wasn't hurt all that bad just a few minor scrapes to his body, it was mainly his clothes that were damaged but they could be changed later.

At this time Gray came limping over towards them with some support on Simon's shoulder. Happy was resting tiredly on his head as the Maker Mage tried to walk in a steady line. Cyclone brought up the rear of their little group like the back of a locomotive. Naruto seeing the Ice-Make Mage could only ask "What the hell happened to you?" with a curious look on his face.

"I got my ass knocked around, flew several hundred yards, but in the end we made the bastard who did this pay. So it all works in the end." Gray said.

"Well I just caught up to them a few minutes ago as they came walking down the hall. Happy was already with them so I decided to tag along." Cyclone said.

"Yeah but you weren't tortured by a maniac dressed as an owl." Gray said while Simon nodded in agreement.

Juvia however was still on the words Naruto had said earlier when he had first arrived, and she was not happy "It most certainly does not!" Juvia shrieked angrily as steam started coming off her form confusing all of them. What in the world was this chick talking about? Probably something stupid. "Tell Juvia where this bastard is! She shall go and teach him a lesson herself!" she yelled as her flaring hatred disappeared before she shook her head side to side "N-no, what's more important is to help Naruto-sama! Naruto-sama, is there anything Juvia can do to help you?" she asked the blonde dragon slayer.

"Uh... we moved past that not even five minutes ago." Happy said.

"Maybe she's just dumb or something." Cyclone said.

"I don't know women are weird that way." Gray said, and once again Simon nodded in agreement.

Naruto once again shook his head "I said that I'm fine so don't bother. Besides I can heal my own injuries with my magic." he told the bluenette as he shrugged her off him. Simon looked up from the man he helped carry down to this floor before his eye met with Naruto's.

The two older men just stared at each other before Simon gave a small nod, "I'm sorry for ambushing you all. But I had to make it convincing so you could come here and help bring everyone back." he said to the blond Wizard Saint.

Naruto was silent for a moment before nodding, "Well it was super convincing. You got us better than I originally thought." Naruto said.

"Thanks..." Simon said.

Lucy slowly got to her feet and rubbed her butt before looking around for a missing someone. She looked confused and worried before asking, "Where's Natsu?" she asked.

Happy finally opened his eyes from atop Gray's head and answered, "Natsu ran off to fight that Jellal guy. He said he was gonna make that jerk pay for the stuff he's done. We tried to stop him but he was too fast." he told the blond woman.

"Yeah but then again it is Natsu." Cyclone said causing them all to nod their heads.

"That idiot!" Gray yelled out. Simon moved Gray's injured form for Naruto, where he began to heal the injured Ice-Make Wizard, to support before he started stepping back down the hall, "I have to go catch up to him! The rest of you need to go!" he said.

Naruto who was busy trying to heal Gray looked at the giant man "Wait!" Naruto called out to him.

"I was the one who couldn't stop this! You're all here because of me! I can't risk losing any of you to this fight so go!" he ordered them and left before they could argue. Naruto clicked his teeth, "Shit!" he yelled out. He looked between the party they had gathered and thought about what to do, "We can't go back into the basement because I ruined everything in my fight against that one guy." Naruto said with grit teeth.

Wally shook his head, "The guards and members are all gone now too so that's all the boats. I don't think there are any left." the man said in thought.

"Yes there are." Gray pointed out as he looked between them, "We still have our boat floating on the shoreline of the island from when we snuck in. We might be losing space but we can all still fit if we try." he said.

"That's our best chance." Lucy said nodding her head.

Milliana looked around in worry, "What about the others? Er-chan still isn't here and I don't know where to find Shō." she said.

"I heard and smelled something when we were passing by." Cyclone stated in a hurried voice as he looked down up Naruto from where he stood.

"Where?" Naruto asked.

Cyclone looked back from the direction he came from "There were a lot of explosions and some of Erza's blades sticking out of a wall. They were pierced into the ground down some weird hallway behind the wall. And I...smelled blood in there too." the black cat told his partner.

Naruto's eyes narrowed before he moved recovered Gray's arm over Wally's shoulder and looked between them,"Get everyone on the boat and prepare for takeoff!" he ordered before he started running down the hall, "I'm gonna go find Shō!" he yelled out as he looked back while Cyclone followed the blond.

"What about the others?!" Gray asked the blond.

"Just go!" Naruto ordered his friends while he and Cyclone continued to run down the hall of the tower.


Shō's eyes were heavy and he couldn't move at all. He didn't know whether he was alive or dead at the moment but he was still in pain. So that was probably a sign that he was still alive. He remembered...losing his leg...and telling Erza to leave before he passed out. And now...his leg wasn't hurting nearly as bad. He opened his eyes to see a light blue glow emanating from his lower region and relief come from his fresh wounds. He looked over to see Naruto kneeling beside him with a hand out beside his leg while he healed him. He tried to feel his dry throat and whispered, "W-what happened?" he asked Naruto.

Naruto looked up in relief, "Shō! Fuck, I thought I was too late!" Naruto said as he released a deep sigh of relief before looking down at the horrible amputation and burning he had suffered "How did this happen? Who did this?" he asked the teen.

"It...it was that woman over there." he said trying to point to where Ikaruga was lying at.

"What woman?" Naruto asked clearly confused at what he was being told. Shō turned his head to look over the floor to see Ikaruga had moved and vanished from the hallway. Damn... She escaped while he was unconscious. "Look Shō, I healed this as much as I could but I'm out of time." Naruto said as he stopped using his healing spell before hefting the younger boy over his shoulder and moving through the hallway again. "How the fuck do I get out of here!" Naruto demanded.

"Wait N-Naruto-san!" Shō tried to find the strength to speak and gripped Naruto's back "Er-chan is still up there! We have to help her!" he said weakly.

"We have to get you out of here before anything like that can start to happen." Cyclone said to the teen.

"B-but she'll die if she doesn't get help either, please go save her." the dark teen begged Naruto.

"Not now!" Naruto argued as they finally ran out the front entrance of the Tower of Heaven and onto the beach. He looked around for the boat he had come on and quickly moved around the shore "Erza would say getting you out of here is our top priority so that's what I'm going to do!" Naruto said.

"B-but-" Shō tried to say but another voice called out.

"Guy's!" the voice of the cat-girl called out to them causing him to turn around.

"Hey!" The blonde dragon slayer called out to his the teen once he saw them preparing the dinghy for their escape. He finally arrived at its side and stepped into it, "I found him but he ain't doing so good." Naruto said to them.

Milliana cried out when she saw the state he was in, "Shō! O-oh no!" she said as she placed a hand over her mouth in shock and worry.

The dark-skinned teen was slowly lowered into the center of the small boat and Wally looked up at Naruto in worry, "Is he gonna be okay?" he asked Naruto.

"He needs help better than I can currently provide." Naruto said to them as he pulled out a Healing Lacrima, one of his own inventions from his pocket and gave it to Wally, "I need you to channel your magic into that and hold it over Shō. It will do the rest." he told the gun user.

Wally took the orb and followed orders as Naruto jumped in and pulled out the oars. He started getting them ready before Gray groaned through his injuries, "W-wait, where's Erza?" he asked Naruto.

"And what about Natsu?" Lucy asked him.

Milliana looked at him with fright "Simon is still in there too!" she said worriedly.

"Naruto-sama what are you doing? You're not going to leave them there to fend for themselves are you?" Juvia asked shocked he would do such a thing.

Naruto ignored their complaints as he started rowing them off the shore and into the ocean. As quickly and as powerfully as he could he started rowing through the water and putting some distance between them and the Tower ignoring the queasiness in his gut as he moved them across the water. In a matter of minutes he rowed them a few hundred feet away from the island and into the shifting waters of the ocean. Gray grit his teeth and looked at Naruto with fervor, "We aren't leaving them behind! Take us back!" he ordered Naruto.

Happy sat up from his place at the bottom and shook his head, "I don't wanna leave Natsu!" he whined.

"You're not seriously doing this are you Naruto?" Cyclone asked his partner.

"We have to go back for them!" Milliana cried out.

"They need us!" Lucy said. Naruto finally reacted to their worries and stood up in the boat, looking up at the Tower of Heaven that filled the sky. He silently stepped forward on the boat, causing the others to shuffle around to avoid his path and the oars in his hands.

He stopped on the end of the boat before asking, "Juvia?" gaining her attention.

The Water woman sat up, "Yes Naruto-sama?" she asked the blonde.

"Will you be able to push this boat to the mainland if you have enough time?" he asked her.

Juvia blinked in confusion, getting the same looks from the others in the boat before nodding, "Y-yes." she answered hesitantly. She really didn't like where this was going.

"Good." Naruto said quietly. He turned back and faced them. He really had a case of bad timing just like his father did.

Slowly he looked each of them in the eye, "You all have been so brave. And so strong today. I can't tell you how happy I am to see you all alive an mostly intact. But with what's happened to you...how badly you've been hurt...I needed to get you away from the Tower...because I won't risk endangering you any further in this fight now." he told them. Naruto tossed the oars into the water as they splashed and immediately sunk as the others looked up at him, "I'll get Simon, Natsu and Erza all back. I promise. But from this point on...you are heading back to shore... Without me..." he said before he jumped off the boat and into the water, "So please stay safe." he told them as he splashed into the sea.

Naruto suddenly flew out of the water with his feet burning caused a mighty splash that rocked the boat. They all stumbled and strained themselves to stay seated on the boat before they saw Naruto sprinting over the water and heading back towards the Tower. They realized what he was doing and called out to him, "Naruto! NARUTO!" but it was Cyclone who called out to him the loudest The blond pushed their panic out of his head and focused on the shore he flew as fast as he could to reach the tower. He was cutting it close. He was running out of time. He needed to get them all back. He needed to stop this.


The guards were gone. The members were gone. The enemy was gone. His friends were gone. All signs of life were gone. The Tower of Heaven was vacant. Everyone had run away from the threat of complete annihilation at the hands of the Etherion cannon. He was alone. Except there were still a few stragglers bouncing around in the place. Jellal gave a small smile beneath his hood before he leaned forward and knocked the chess board over and let the pieces clatter over the floor. He leaned back in his throne and coyly smiled, "Well then, I suppose the Paradise Match is coming to an end." he said. He had actually hoped it had lasted longer, but oh well.

"Yes. It is." Erza's voice said from behind him. She then drew both her blades *Schring*Schring* "And so is toying with the lives of all the people I care about." she growled at the blue haired man. Jellal froze in place as two different blades pierced through the back of his throne and locked his head in from either side. Jellal didn't seem to mind the close call at all as he remained calmly seated on his throne.

He looked to his side and saw the faint reflection of his eyes in the length of the katana. He turned to look forward again and smiled, "If you were hoping to skewer me then I should probably tell you that you missed." he said sarcastically.

"I'm well aware of that." Erza's voice muttered behind the chair as she held the grip of her blades tightly. She spoke calmly, "This is over Jellal. The fighting is finished. You've lost." she told her once good friend.

Jellal began laughing and had more than enough sarcasm fill his voice, "If you actually believed that then you would have gotten your comrades together and escaped while you could." he told her. He tilted his head a little and let his hood touch the blade, "Come on Erza. We both know that this isn't truly over as long as I'm still in play." he told her darkly.

Erza narrowed her eyes, "Why are there pathways and passages along the inside of the Tower? You wouldn't have made an entrance into your chamber room without a reason. So why?" she demanded of him.

"Erza, this is hardly the time for questions. We are still in the middle of a match. And if you really wanted to assure victory..." he trailed of as a swirling orb of black magic appeared in his hand as he smiled, "You would have killed me from behind." he told her darkly.

*BOOM*

The black orb compressed in his hand before exploding out in a ball of Dark Magic. Erza pulled her swords out and jumped back to avoid getting caught in the blast. She skid across the floor and held her swords out in a fighting stance as Jellal appeared through the fading darkness. He slowly pulled his hood off to reveal his matured face, causing Erza to furrow her eyes at the reserved smile he showed while facing her. The palm of his hands started glowing black and he motioned for her to come, "Well then Erza...shall we begin?" he asked once more. The redhead rushed forward as Jellal released a volley of dark attacks at her at high speeds.

The Fairy Queen started swiping the quick flurry of magic attacks away with her two swords as she pressed forward. Her swords reduced the attacks to nothing as she appeared in front of Jellal and crossed her arms back to strike. The blue-haired man jumped back with surprising flexibility to avoid the slashes towards his body. Jellal landed a few feet back and stumbled in his stance before looking down at the cuts on his coat and shirt. He played with the tears a little before looking at the girl with interest, "Are those the magic-nullifying blades you used to defeat Ikaruga? I'm impressed. They're very special, but you'll need more than them if you want to stop me." he told her intrigued as to how she had them.

"Don't worry. I intend to." she said as light started appearing around Erza in a cloak of energy as she sent swords flying from her Requip space to overwhelm Jellal. The tattooed man looked around at the large amount of weapons headed towards him before he clapped his hands together and created a small army of slithering apparitions around him. The creatures all shrieked before rocketing forward and colliding with the blades to protect their master. Dozens of apparitions and weapons impacted against each other and destroyed the ground around them from the shockwave. Erza gripped her blades tightly and lowered her stance as several ghouls popped out from the smoke and flew towards her.

She leapt off the ground to avoid the first familiar before running along its body to gain some height against the remaining enemies. The ghouls started flying up and attacking the body she was running mindlessly as she leapt off it to keep dodging. She fell to the floor and came up to her feet to cut apart the first apparitions that came flying down at her before she dodged the third. She was left stuck in the air as another pulled up to attack her and she twisted in midair, feeling the creature scrap her hair and untie her ponytail before swinging back and cutting off its head.

Erza sprinted towards Jellal to try and attack him before a dozen apparitions came falling down on her and created a massive explosion that engulfed her. Jellal lowered his hands after his apparent victory- "HA!" Erza roared out. Only to fail to react when Erza burst out of the smoke with minor injuries and slashed across his chest hard enough to draw blood. The blue-haired man staggered back before Erza twisted and jumped, landing a powerful kick on his chest and knocking him onto his back. He hit the floor and groaned before he felt something sharp press to his neck. He opened his eyes to see Erza standing over him, the tips of her swords pressed to his chest, his arms and the base of the blades crossed over his neck.

Erza was panting lightly after taking the powerful attack before glaring down at the man beneath her. She spoke in a pointed tone and looked directly into his eyes, "It's over Jellal. You lose. Stop this now." she ordered the man.

Jellal shuffled on the ground before he felt the blades get pressed further against his neck. He stayed still as a small chuckle escaped his throat even in his hopeless position, "Well...I guess you really did win." he told her. He made a loud gulp before looking at the blades hanging precariously over his jugular and looked up at the exhausted woman pinning him down.

Despite her various injuries and cuts she still had an indomitable, unyielding glare that focused solely on him. A genuine, small smile came over his face as he noted, "You really have changed a lot since I last saw you. You've become so much stronger. Like a gallant knight." he said to the redheaded beauty.

Erza furrowed her brow before asking, "Why are you still doing this?" in confusion. She looked around the chamber room and shook her head "Why are you still clinging to make this thing work when you know it can't." she told Jellal.

"Because I'm trying to change the world, Erza. With Zeref's power under my control I can really remold the world and change it to my whim. Create a world of pure freedom. I could create a world for all of us to be happy." Jellal answered, "And I needed someone with a strong body with strong magic and a strong soul to act as the sacrifice to bring him back. That's why I chose you." he told her. Jellal looked directly into Erza's blue and brown eyes, "I chose you to be the one that truly ushered in an age of peace and tranquility for this world. I thought you would at least appreciate that." he said irritatedly.

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Erza stated as her hands tightly gripped the hilts until her knuckles went white, "I mean that no matter what you did, you wouldn't have the magic power necessary to make the Tower of Heaven work." she said. The smile on Jellal's face folded into a line on his face as the flaw in the R-System construction was addressed by his old friend. She didn't understand why he was so obsessed with doing this. It didn't make any sense to her so why was he still doing this. Erza's eyes lost the edge in them as she remembered the research she had done, "The thing needed most for the R-System to work right is a sacrifice with the power on par with at least a Wizard Saint and more magic than is physically possible to gather by one man." she said as she remembered what she read.

She looked him in the eye and scowled, " Then it's true that it also requires enough raw magical power that if you gathered all the Mages from across the country and filled their magic into the Tower that it still wouldn't be enough. You would need to stockpile raw power. Generators that could create ton's of raw magic a second and even then it would take more than seven billion wizards to reach your goal." She shook her head, "Even if you had your sacrifice-" she said but was interrupted.

"Making the Tower function was still just a dream I would never be able to see finish." Jellal finished her thought as he looked up in desolation. He blinked and his eyes seemed to look directly through her. "Of course I know about the magic deficiency issue. I've known about it the whole time. It was the only thing standing in the way of this place finally becoming perfect." he told her offhandedly.

Erza stayed silent before she slowly raised her blades up and held them off at the side. Jellal remained lying on the ground and she asked, "Then why stick around? Why would you stay and create something that did nothing but hurt you?" she asked him.

"Because it was an obsession." Jellal said as he moved a little on the ground and Erza moved off of him as he sat up, "I think my mind was taken over by the spirit of Zeref. When I was being tortured by the cult I heard a voice whisper that name in my head and tell me about how I can save myself, my friends, and this world. It began whispering ideas and I started acting however I had to in order to reach that goal. I lied to our friends. I manipulated people's' feelings like a puppeteer. I toyed with them and planned for how I would move forward." he told her as he slowly stood up and craned his head to look up at the ceiling and he staggered forward.

"The thought of you leaving my side just started burrowing in my head along with his commands and I became...obsessed. Erza, the girl that offered her hand to me even in the midst of my cruelty. The thought of bringing you back to our perfected Tower of Heaven consumed my mind for so long that I didn't even notice until one day..." he said before he collapsed to his knees and his shuddered. "Zeref's voice had disappeared and I...I was still having the same thoughts. I knew how horrible a man he was and I believed I could use him. But then I realized that all the horrible acts and things he suggested for me to do were just my thoughts now. I wasn't being influenced anymore. I was just changed. I had become a broken man obsessed with hurting my dearest friends and rebuilding the hell that treated us like garbage. I couldn't stop no matter what I did. Even faced with unclimbable walls like the lack of magic needed I still continued forward to finish because I couldn't force myself to stop." he told her honestly.

Jellal's hands tensed up and he growled through his teeth in shame, "And now here I am...eight years wasted in rebuilding hell on earth and I can't do anything about it! This is just a monument. A monument to my failed obsession. And everything I have forsaken along the way." he growled out. Erza looked at the broken man with pity for his plight. What he had done was unforgivable. Even if he was manipulated and then obsessed with that outcome, he held this sin upon his back for the rest of his days. But...even so...seeing someone she cherished like a brother and friend having fallen so far...

She stepped forward, "Jellal, come with me. This place doesn't have control on us anymore. Let it stand as a monument that you have finished with your obsession and you can move on now. We can leave the Tower-" she started to say but he didn't allow her to finish.

"No." Jellal interrupted before he hung his head in resignation, "I'm sorry Erza but..." he trailed of and shook his head. Erza noticed a bright glowing start to warp the shadows and fill the outside at an unnatural rate. The room started to glow like the sun was physically coming down closer on them. Erza watched as everything started being obscured in the bright light as Jellal spoke in defeat... "We wasted too much time." he said quietly.


Natsu was sprinting up the next flight of stairs as he panted in exhaustion "The moment I see this bastard Jellal I'm gonna breaking his freakin' nose! Then I'm gonna put my foot up his ass and-" he complained. Natsu had to shield his eyes as an overwhelming light shined through the windows and made the rock tremble. The Dragon Slayer lowered his hands and looked on in shock, "What the hell?" he asked in bewilderment.


Simon was running through the hallway as quickly as he could to catch up to Natsu and Erza and get them out of here. The large Darkness user kept moving until the whole enclosed space started glowing brightly. Even surrounded by concrete and metal on all sides the inside started glowing white and Simon could barely see his outline in the illumination. His eyes shuddered and he staggered back against the wall before muttering out, "I'm...I came too late. I failed." he said slamming his fist into a wall in defeat.


Naruto was flying up the side of the Tower as he made his way to the top. What better way to bypass all the stairs and shuffling when you could fly up the side of a building? Naruto looked up past the peak of the structure before he came to an abrupt halt in shock. The black clouds above the Tower started to spiral around and turn like they were becoming a tornado. But instead of reaching down to the surface the clouds slowly parted away from each other. A brilliant light started to appear in the center of the open vortex and caused everything underneath it to start glowing.

Naruto looked over himself to see he was also bathed in the encompassing luminous that bared down on them. He looked up at the light "Oh no." he said quietly as he watched the light fall from the sky down towards the tower of heaven. He was too late... he had failed to save his friend after all... again...


"Etherion." Erza stated in a neutral tone as she looked around to see everything was aimed down upon with that ultimate weapon. There was no escape... And yet... she wasn't scared. Why? Was the fact that they were now most certainly going to disappear just not scary? Or did she already know she was resigning herself to this fate by staying behind to face Jellal? It didn't matter because it was happening right now...

"I'm sorry Erza." Jellal said. The redhead looked down at the kneeling blue-haired man that was facing away from her. His voice and tone were defeated and he lowered his head, "In the end I've condemned you to oblivion as well." he told her.

Erza looked around sadly at the state they were in. They only had a few seconds left before Etherion hit and destroyed everything. She spoke with a quiet voice, "I always knew that I would one day face my end. I never thought it would be here when it happened..." A ghost of a smile came over her face while looking down at the tattooed man, "And I never thought I'd be by your side while it did." she told the man.

Jellal's head raised up and he looked back at her to see the smile even in their doom. He turned back around before quietly asking, "Erza...I can never ask you to forget my sins or the horrible things I've done. But now, at the end...can you forgive me?" he asked her.

She still wanted to do so many things. She wanted to see Gildarts return to the guild. She wanted to get married. She wanted to start a family. And she wanted to say goodbye to the people she loved most in the world. But right now...she at least didn't want to die with hatred in her heart. She stepped up to Jellal's back and kneeled down as well to gently rub his hair and hug around his shoulder. She felt him tremble in fear and she whispered as she closed her eyes, "I forgive you, Jellal." she told him. The light grew even brighter, becoming so intense she could see the shine even through her closed eyes.

She felt the final weight of the light weapon finally bear down on them as one last thing reached her ears before oblivion- "Thank you." he said.

And then silence engulfed all of them.


And that is a wrap. Anyway's tell me what you think leave a review and I will see you guy's on the flipside Adventreader221 is outta here Peace!