Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. Anything I write in this story is purely from my thoughts

Chapter 27

Swords and kunai clashed against each other. Erza and Naruto were getting nowhere. Anything they tried was countered, and they ended up wounded and disarmed. Somehow the swordswoman's swords could destroy their weapons leaving them unarmed.

"We're getting nowhere!" Erza said through gritted teeth.

"I think it's time to change up our plan," Naruto said. "Maybe using your armor is not the approach here."

"No!" Erza snapped. She was shaking as the pieces of her armor fell, but she staggered up to her feet. "My armor is all I need!"

A bright light enveloped Erza's whole body. As before, the Katana-wielding Wizard remained unfazed. When the light died down, she was in her Purgatory Armor.

"Nobody who has seen this armor has lived to tell the tale," Erza stated, her voice somehow getting deeper.

"Oh? Interesting…." Ikaruga raised an eyebrow, getting slightly amused. "Let us put that to the test shall we?"

"Erza! Wait!" Naruto warned, but it fell into deaf ears as the two women charged at each other.

A regular human wouldn't be able to follow what happened, but with Naruto's experienced eyes was able to see countless miniature slashes that came with two wide swings of her sword.

The aftermath was Erza being flung back. Naruto leaped to his feet and caught Erza in the air. The force sending the S-class Wizard blew the debris of her armor leaving her in her inner-wear. Despite the tense situation, Naruto resisted the urge to nose bleed.

"That was it?" Ikarga smirked with her back turned to the duo. "I expected more from the two of you."

Naruto breathed in deeply. Erza tried to get up but Naruto held her down.

"Save you strength, Erza," Naruto said with worry in her voice. "You will need it to fight Jellal."

Erza smiled fondly at the blonde. She was touched. She had pretty much been pushing her friends away, but deep inside she didn't want them to go. In fact, she didn't want to go yet, but she had to pay for the sins of her past.

Naruto stood up ready to finish the fight. He took a deep breath and flared his magic power.

"Hmmm, getting all riled up, are we?" Ikaruga taunted. "Try as you might. You will never win."

"Are you sure about that?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at the cockiness the girl was showing, but he had to give credit where credit is due. She had been mopping the floor with them up until now.

"That changes now!" He declared as the wind picked up around them. Lightning came alive around his closed fist holding a kunai he pulled from his holster. The sounds screeched making it similar to that of the sounds of a thousand birds chirping at once.

"Are you ready to face death then?" She smirked, brandishing her sword. "Well, then...Come!"

It was a tense couple of minutes. None of the two wizards wanted to make the next move. It was as if they were both daring each other to attack first.

Being the impatient wizard he was, Naruto decided to move. Ikaruga decided to charge as well, reacting to the boy's actions.

They met in the middle, their weapons clashing. It was a vicious fight wherein neither side was giving an inch.

Eventually, they separated and landed with their backs turned from each other a few feet apart. A wound sprouted out of Naruto's arm. The Trinity Raven member smirked, believing she won.

"Hmp, you are all-" She began to speak, but she suddenly stopped talking.

Suddenly, her sword broke into pieces the way Erza's armor did before, and she felt pain sprout from all over her body.

"B-but how?" She asked.

Naruto knelt beside her and looked her straight in the eye. "It seems you have been complacent, yourself."

Those were the last words she said to her as she passed out from the pain she was feeling all around her body.

Not giving it a second thought, Naruto rose and moved over to Erza who was leaning next to the wall, "So, how are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine," Erza tried for a smile.

"Have you rested enough to go fight Jellal now?" Naruto asked.

"I think I will manage," Erza got up.

"What are you going to do now? Almost all your armors are destroyed," Naruto said, genuinely concerned.

"I have decided…" Erza requipped once again, but this time she didn't go for any armor. She now wore an outfit that was primarily red with some gold, black, and white. The outfit consists of a white sarashi round the upper chest and a red hakama with a gold flame-like pattern at the bottom with black highlights, tied by white strings, and no shoes to cover her feet. Her hair was tied up in a high tail at the back by a green headband. For weapons, she wielded a pair of double-edge, golden-hilted katanas. "I won't hide inside my shell anymore. It is time for me to break free."

Naruto smiled at her new found confidence and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Took you long enough. I'm just glad you decided to face everything without hiding behind your armor."

"It's thanks to you," Erza smiled. "For the longest time, I always found safety and protection in my shell, but now...you made me realize that I can feel safe in the family I found in Fairy Tail."

"That's the spirit!" Naruto grinned and gave Erza a thumbs up. "So, what's next?"

"I go get Jellal, while you get the others off of this tower," Erza ordered. "We have to make sure everyone is off this island when Etherion wipes this place off the map."

"I'll come back for you too, Erza," Naruto said, not wanting to leave the girl behind. "You know that right?"

Erza nodded.

"I'll be right back,"

WITH ERZA

After Naruto left, the knight followed the halls of the tower with one goal in mind, her estranged friend, Jellal.

She could remember it just like yesterday.

They were plotting to escape the tower and gain their freedom, but something went wrong. Their little plan was foiled by their captors. The head of the operations was asking them who was the little mastermind of their escape plan. She was about to speak up, but Jellal...oh, that sweet, poor boy...he went in her place to be punished for our actions that day. Those who were left in the cells got out of that easy; they have just been deprived of dinner that night. But Jellal, he wasn't so lucky. That night, he was tortured. Erza couldn't help but feel guilty. It was like she could hear the boy's screams of pain through the hallowed walls of the tower. Someone else was taking the fall for her. It should have been her in that torture room.

After what seemed like forever, the rest of them hatched another plan. This time, they were going to fight back. They were going to fight for the freedom that they oh so deserved.

And so, they fought. They fought with everything they got. They fought through the hordes of cultists that were caught off guard by the mutiny that was launched by their prisoners. They fought to get to their tortured friend to free him from the agony he endured just for their sake.

But when Erza got to him, it was too late.

It was like something inside of him snapped. Right then and there, Erza knew that she wasn't talking to the same sweet boy who complimented her red hair. She was now face to face with a monster.

"It's been a while, Erza," She was broken out of her thoughts once she entered the final room.

The voice was the same. He still sounded like her old friend, but looking at him now, it was clear. It was the same monster that twisted the mind of the friends that she held dear.

"Jellal…" She said, keeping her emotions in check.

"I commend your companions for defeating the Trinity Raven Guild. I never doubted them for one bit," The blue-haired man looked up from the scattered pieces from the board.

"Then, why did you still send them, knowing they would lose," Erza asked.

"Didn't I tell you?" Jellal held out his hands. "It was to play the Heaven's Game, is it not?"

"Was it worth it?" Erza asked. "Working those people to the bone just to build this blasted tower?"

"But of course!" Jellal laughed like a mad man. "Those were mere insignificant sacrifices to revive Lord Zeref!"

"Insignificant?!" Erza's anger was at a boiling point. "They had families they were separated from! They had lives to live and you deprived them of that!"

Jellal shrugged. "Like I said, sacrifices, pawns to do my bidding."

"I will cut you down and avenge everyone you have kidnapped for that blasted dream of yours," Erza tightened the grip on her twin swords.

"Oh, no Erza…" Jellal shook his head. "You will fulfill your destiny. You will be a sacrifice to awaken Lord Zeref."

"Not if I stop you," Erza said.

"Oh, that was no bluff," Jellal smirked. "Etherion will fall. That much I can guarantee."

"If it comes to that…" Erza's voice trailed off. "It is a necessary sacrifice for your downfall."

Erza steeled her nerves for the battle. "Now...Come!"

WITH NARUTO

Naruto went through the halls once again, searching for his guildmates. Seeing them battered and bruised like that worried him for a second. They must have had tough fights. He had to hand it to Trinity Raven. He hadn't faced any wizards like this before. In any case, he was looking for a challenge.

"Urgh...Nee-san," The blonde was broken out of his thoughts when the tan teen stirred from unconsciousness.

"Don't move too much, Shou," Naruto said. "Save your strength."

"But, nee-san…" The boy struggled.

"She'll be okay," Naruto answered.

"Did she go to fight Jellal herself?" Shou's eyes widened. "We have to help her."

"I know," Naruto consoled the boy. "I'll go back for her."

"Shou, Naruto!" called a new voice, stopping the two boy's conversation.

"Naruto-samaaaaa~~," followed another voice. "Don't leave me again~~"

"You guys!" Naruto greeted them back. "You're all-"

Naruto wasn't able to finish his statement as a crying Juvia tackled him to the ground causing him to drop the injured teen.

"Ugh," Shou grunted as he landed with a thud. "Hey! Watch it!"

Juvia looked away sheepishly. "S-sorry…"

"So anyway, did you guys beat the others?" Naruto asked.

"Sure did," Lucy answered with a smug expression on his face. "I even broke Juvia out of a spell!"

"Lucy, that's great!" Naruto praised his longtime teammate.

The former Phantom Lord though wasn't having it. She stood in front of the two and whined, "Praise me too, Naruto-sama~~"

"Uhh...Good work, Juvia," Naruto said with a nervous smile.

"Urk…" A certain pink-haired dragon slayer groaned who was also being carried by Gray.

"Put a sock in it, Natsu," Gray scolded the boy who seemed to be suffering from motion sickness.

"What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked, curious at what led to the boy's predicament.

"He got eaten by that weirdo with an owl head, and now, he's been like that ever since," The ice wizard explained.

Naruto stifled a laugh, "As much as how funny that was, we have to get out of here. Fast! Etherion is going to come down upon us at any time now."

"You're right," Simon nodded. "But what about Erza?"

"I'll go back to help her once I get you guys out of here," Naruto said.

"We better get out of here, so you would have enough time to get back up," Simon added.

Thanks to Simon leading the group, they were able to get out in no time. After defeating the remaining guards outside of the building, the party was able to take one of the larger boats on the dock, and they were soon on the way to safety.

"Now, to get back up there," The blonde muttered to himself as he gazed upon the full height of the tower.

ERZA VS JELLAL

"So, you've come…" The owner of the tower spoke as the knight walked into the room. "Long time no see, Erza…"

"Time to end this, Jellal," Erza said, showing no emotion to him despite the history they both shared.

"My, my," Jellal said, rising from his throne. "Is that how you greet an old friend?"

"I see no friends here," Erza flatly answered. "My friends are on a boat getting as far away from here as possible."

"Yes, you and your friends," Jellal grinned. "I could care less about their escape now that the tower is complete."

"Will your tower still stand after the blast obliterates us?" Erza asked. "Or was that just a bluff? You look very unconcerned right now. "

"Oh, do not misunderstand," Jellal let down his hood revealing his blue hair. "Etherion will fall upon us."

"That is all I need to know," Erza maintained her glare. "Your soldiers are all gone. Now, you are next."

Jellal held out his hands around him, "Big words. You only have seven minutes left until Etherion is fired. Will you be able to defeat me by then and get away by then?"

"Regardless of the outcome, I will not fear, even if Etherion rains down on us, I have no doubt that I will get out of here alive." The knight said as she slid into a stance.

"Fine then! Come!" Jellal roared as their battle began.

Being the ranged fighter he was, Jellal fired off his first move, a swirl of dark energy spreading outward from his hand.

That attack was nothing for the S-class Wizard as she danced around the beams of energy by spinning in the middle of the spinning energy.

Jellal smirked as she caught the knight in her potentially fatal mistake. A ray of concentrated dark energy was fired from two fingers that were pointing at her.

She realized too late the predicament she was in. Barely in time was she able to move her swords to block the ray. The beam met her sword as she hung in the air. She wasn't prepared for the force though, and she was sent flying through the wall behind her.

"Tsk," She clicked her tongue, berating herself for getting hit by such a cheap shot.

She felt the air behind her and the tug of gravity pulling her to depths below. She shook herself out of the self-pity and righted herself up on one of the falling debris. With her quick thinking, she used the broken pillars as footholds to leap back up to the tower. Not long after that, she burst through the hold she made with her body and flew straight for Jellal sending a downward slash at the councilman's twin.

Jellal was quick on his feet though, so he was able to evade the strike. Erza was relentless, though. She chased him through the hall trying to get a decisive blow. Jellal was quite nimble. He weaved through the swiped and hid behind the pillars which Erza sliced through like they were butter.

These only served to raise Erza's anger. "YOU!" She roared. "Shou and the others spent years building this tower, and yet you allow it to be destroyed just like that!"

"It's only a pillar or two," Jellal said, without worry. "They only serve as decorations. So, as long as the tower serves its purpose, I can afford to lose a prop or two."

"Decorations?" Erza's anger rose even more. "Your slaves worked to the bone to build those for you, and you say they're mere decorations?!"

"Don't play your little word games with me," Jellal said, with a smile on her face as she dodged another slash by a hair while building magic on his palm. "Anywho, I got you now!"

Erza's gasped as the dark magic surrounded her, covering her whole body.

"Now, it's finally complete! I can now-" Jella's gloating died in his throat at the sight of his former friend's fighting spirit.

She never gave up despite getting almost wrapped by the dark energy. A couple of slashes later, she was freed from her bindings, and she landed nimbly on her feet.

Jellal couldn't react in time as Erza dashed forward and slashed him diagonally on the torso. Not giving him time to breathe, she flipped him to the ground and pinned him at sword point.

"Now, you're finished," the redhead said deadset on finishing the job. "But before I deliver justice, tell me. What are you really after in this tower?"

"I told you! You are the final piece of the puzzle!" Jellal said. "You are the sacrifice I need to complete the R-system!"

"Don't lie to me!" Erza snapped, digging the sword tip into Jellal's neck, drawing a bit of blood. "I did my research. Magic of this scale needs 2,700,000 units of magic power, far more than you can gather from every wizard in the continent."

"..."

Jellal was silent. Only a smirk graced his lips.

"ANSWER ME!" Erza's anger was reaching a fever pitch. "YOU ARE PERFECTLY AWARE THAT THE MAGIC COUNCIL WILL OBLITERATE THIS AREA! YOU ARE DONE, FINISHED! ARE YOU REALLY JUST GOING TO SIT DOWN HERE AND DIE?!"

"Three minutes till Etherion fires…" was the blue-haired man's only response.

"FINE THEN!" Erza tightened her grip on Jellal's arm. "IF YOU'RE SO EAGER TO DIE, I'LL HOLD YOU DOWN HERE AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE GONE FROM THIS WORLD!"

"Y-you're right…That doesn't sound so bad..." Jellal said his voice trailing off, and Erza softened as she recognized the look on her old friend's face. It was like the boy she knew from her childhood was back.

"Wh-what?" she didn't expect that. She was expecting more defiance from this villain, but this…

"I was possessed by Zeref in that torture room long ago," the blue-haired man continued. "Zeref became my only salvation, that I made it my mission to revive him."

"Possessed?" Erza clarified.

"Yes, in the end, I couldn't save myself, and my friends could not either." Jellal resigned himself. "Finish the job; avenge everyone. That's why you came back right?"

"Oh, Jellal," a clang signified that the S-class Wizard dropped her sword and sat the man up, wrapping him in a hug. "There's no need for that. We are both done for anyway."

"Erza…" The man smiled and returned the embrace.

The two shared in each other's embrace as the clouds gathered above the tower, forming a magic circle in the sky.

WITH NARUTO

"Er…How do I get to the rooftop again?" Naruto asked no one in particular as he navigated the halls to get to his friend.

He was broken out of his musings as a familiar deep voice spoke from within him. "Head's up, kit. There is an extremely dense about to drop on this building at this very moment."

"Shi—" Naruto wasn't able to get out his statement as a beam of light beamed down upon the tower, destroying everything in sight.

Time seemed to go slowly as Etherion tore through everything the slaves had spent eight years to build with their blood, sweat, and tears. Naruto just raised his hands in an attempt to shield himself from the bright lights.

ON THE BOAT LEAVING THE TOWER OF HEAVEN

"No way!" Sho gawked at the gathering clouds and magic circle forming above the tower of heaven. "Nee-san is still in there!" He screamed trying to jump out of the boat, but he was held back by Wally and Gray.

"Oi, there's nothing we can do," Gray scolded.

"Sit down!" Wally added. "We can't go back!"

"Er-chan...No…" Milliana stared at the tower teary-eyed. She had just reunited with Erza, and now she's going to lose her just like this.

"Oh, no Naruto…" Lucy held her hand to her mouth. She just stayed on the boat knowing that if she jumped out now, she'll be too late anyway.

Suddenly, a massive amount of magic energy rained down on the tower. The light produced by the magic was so bright that the wizards had to shield their eyes, but that was the least of their worries. The force from the beam of energy kicked up the waves around them almost capsizing the boat.

Juvia stood despite the wobbly foothold provided by the boat and raised her hands around her. Around them, a sphere of water formed around the boat. Thanks to that, the group was saved from the giant waves that almost consumed their little seafaring vessel. Juvia held up her barrier until she felt that the waters around them had calmed down.

When that moment came, she willed her air bubble to the surface and dispelled it, causing the boat to plop back to the water surface.

"Urk…." Natsu groaned louder. He seemed greener than before. It must be because of the capsizing waves.

"Nee-san!" Sho recovered quite quickly due to his worry for the S-class Wizard and shifted his gaze back to the tower, but he was dumbfounded by what she saw. "No way! The tower is still standing!"

The others perked up at Sho's declaration and whipped their heads to look at the tower. The smoke was dying down now, and they could still see the outline of the massive building through the dwindling smoke. When they got a clearer view, everyone's mouths, hang agape as they stared at the still-standing building; even the wizards who spend most of their lives building the tower were completely surprised.

"I-is that—"

BACK WITH NARUTO

"Huh?" Naruto looked around. He was confident that he would survive that blast; he worried more about Erza who would take the brunt of the magic at top of the tower. He also expected that his surroundings would be obliterated by the magic council's foolish attack, but it felt like the tower was still standing.

He shook the blurriness from his eyes and saw that he was surrounded by crystals. "What the?" was the only thing that came to his mind when he saw it, but he didn't dwell on that thought any longer as he remember he still had to help his friend at the top.

As soon as he reached the top floor, he marveled at the sights he was seeing. What was once a throne room full of crystals was now an open field of open crystals. He ignored the ongoing chanting of a man that was also within the room.

"Oh, great Zeref! I am here before you offering this woman's body as a sacrifice!" Jellal droned not really giving notice to the new comer. His plans were almost complete. There was nothing this clown could do to stop him now!

He was broken out of his musings when he heard something important, Erza's screams. He looked for the source and saw that she was getting consumed by a crystal. Was he too late? He immediately willed his muscles to move. He made for a dash for the crystal that was slowly internalizing his friend.

"No, Naruto!" Erza tried to stop the blonde from coming. "Let me do this! I deserve this!"

"What are you talking about?!" Naruto argued. "I thought you agreed that you will live for your friends?!"

"I had to tell you that to convince you," Erza said. "This was my plan all along, so let me—"

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped. He made a mad dash for the crystal and grabbed onto Erza's hand, the only part that was sticking out of the crystal at this point. When the girl felt Naruto's hand, she grabbed on for dear life, showing Naruto what she truly felt. Naruto pulled his friend out of the crystal and jumped away, letting her rest on his lap for the moment.

"Oh?" Jellal watched the scene amused, but didn't interfere. He really had to fight some more to complete his plans.

"Why would you go so far for me?" Erza asked as she tried to catch her breath. "We only met two months ago."

"Because there's just no way I'm letting my comrades die," Naruto said with a genuine smile on his face. He couldn't stay mad at Erza for lying to him. She was just trying to protect everyone; she just needed to learn to rely on her friends as well.

"Now, rest," Naruto said raising his hand into a half ram seal, causing Erza to groggily fall into a peaceful slumber.

Jellal finally let himself be known by slow clapping at the scene he just watched. "I am touched." He wiped a fake tear.

"Jellal, what I'm going to you, I hope your twin brother would forgive me," Naruto threatened.

The other man laughed out loud. "How naïve of you! Siegrain and I had always been one and the same, not that the knowledge would do you any good. I will defeat you here and now for my plans to come to fruition."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Naruto stood up and slid into a stance.

Jellal's lips slid into a grin. "Come then…"

A/N: I'm sorry if I took too long writing this. I'm only now getting back on the grind. Hope I can keep this up