Titania and The Hunter

by Master Attlon

Born as a human. Treated as a demon. Gathered as a slave. Viewed as a leader. Traveled as a Mage. Grew as a Legend. The journey and life of The Hunter, Naruto Uzumaki

43. Fury of Hell

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 43: Fury of Hell

I'm so glad I finally reached this point with all of you.

Thanks for 1 Million Views.

Here we go.

########Hunter########

It was like a million bombs had gone off directly in front of them. The ocean seemed to crater under the force of the incomparable blast as massive waves rippled out from the center of the destruction. They were so violent that the small boat the Fairies and Tower refugees were on was nearly completely engulfed by the tidal wave before Juvia created a bubble to protect them. Even with the Water Mage's protection the bubble bounced over the waves like a roller coaster and everyone fell out of the boat in a heap. Even with their injured and broken bodies and the pain of tumbling so violently like that, they could only stare at the worst of what had happened.

The Tower was gone now.

A massive cloud of steam, dust, smoke, and water vapor created a pillar that dwarfed where the Tower of Heaven once stood. It traveled high up into the sky and even merged with the clouds as the water settled and ground zero continued to smolder.

The survivors could do nothing but look at the cloud of smoke in silence as their thoughts were so rampant that they didn't know what to do.

They had failed.

Their friends had failed to evacuate when they could and they had failed to save them.

It was gone. It was all gone.

Milliana found no joy in the fact the Tower of Heaven was finally gone because her friends were gone now too. Her knees buckled and she fell down in the bubble before tears filled her eyes, "Er-chan. Na-chan. Simon." She whimpered before she hopelessly shook her head, "No."

Wally lowered his head to hide his crying as Shō sat on the floor of the bubble and stared at the destruction in horror. Erza went back in there to fight because he had agreed with her wish and told her to go. He should have tried to convince her again! He should have tried to get her to leave! He should...he should have tried something.

"Natsu." Happy cried softly as tears started rolling down his face and slipped down his whiskers.

Lucy cried and covered her mouth to stifle her sobs, "No. Please no."

Gray fell back and panted lightly before slamming his fist down on the bubble in unbridled anger. He seethed before whispering pitifully, "God dammit. God fucking dammit."

...

"What is that?"

He looked up from the bottom of the bubble and craned his head back to see Juvia looking at the same thing as them in confusion. She blinked with a blank stare at the sight that captivate her attention, "There...there's something in the cloud."

Gray blinked in confusion before looking back up at the massive cloud as it began to travel with the wind. Taking a moment to stare at the obstructing figure and letting his eyes adjust to it allowed him to see something still standing in the midst of ground zero.

Something...survived obliteration?

########Hunter########

The Council members watched the screen projected with an image of the destruction they had caused to their target. The atmosphere was tense and no one said a word as they just stared at the carnage they had brought down on the last remaining R-System. Org gave a solemn nod, "We've done it. Let us hope the backlash is kind."

Michello shook his head, "There's no reason to be so dramatic."

"He's not." One of the other Councilmen pointed out while looking over at the short man, "We'll be lucky if we get any sleep for the next week considering all the complaints and questions we'll be receiving."

"We decided to do this. We made our bed and now we are sleeping in it." Someone else stated before they turned around, "We should prepare the statements-"

*HOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

A room-shaking alarm started to go off and everyone in the hall looked around in panic. One of the Council guards looked over the console monitoring the R-System location and called back in worry, "S-sir, our monitors are saying we missed our target! There's something still there!"

"What?!" Org yelled in disbelief before looking back up at the screen, "That's impossible! Nothing can withstand a blast from Etherion! How-"

They were finally given their answer when the smoke cloud dissipated over the area they attacked. What stood was no longer a monument of stone and metal but instead a jagged, uneven tower of crystal that pierced the clouds.

Every person in the room just stared at the screen in shock and horror as realization slowly started to dawn on them. Org struggled to swallow the lump in his throat as he turned to the boy who had warned them about the R-System in the first place, "Siegrain! Did you know about this?! Did any of those reports tell you the R-System was prepared to do this?!"

Org was taken aback when he saw the small smile on Siegrain's face while looking up at the screen. Another look and they noticed that Ultear had a complex magic formula hovering above her hands as she concentrated on something.

The whole room started to shake violently. And then the entire building. All of the Era Magic Council started to crumble and break apart. The people inside started to scream and run in a panic to escape the collapsing structure as Siegrain and Ultear quietly stood in the middle of calamity.

The blue-haired man turned around and faced his assistant/partner-in-crime as she focused on bringing the Magic Council crumbling down into pieces. This would be the last time he ever saw her before bringing his new world to life. He ignored the falling debris around him and spoke only loud enough that she could hear him, "You did wonderfully. Thank you for helping set up our new world."

A small smile grew on the gorgeous woman's face as she looked up at him, "Not bad for a pawn, don't you think?"

He stepped forward and gently cupped her cheek. A fruitless effort they both knew but he believed it was still appropriate to thank her for her help, "You have always been my queen."

The raven-haired Time Arc Mage smiled warmly before the man in front of her disappeared in the blink of an eye. She slowly closed her eyes and let the falling rubble surround her as the last of the Magic Council escaped.

And in an instant, the leading, most influential force in magic came crashing down.

########Hunter########

Erza kept her eyes shut for a few moments more after everything had stopped around her. What she had felt was almost indescribable. There was an intense, almost unnatural light that bathed over them until they had to close their eyes to avoid going blind. It felt like a weight had started bearing down on them until she was worried they might crack the floor from the force. And the piercing hum was so loud she could still hear the ringing pulsate through the back of her head. It was a horrible experience to go through before being reduced to nothingness.

Which made it all the more strange that she was still feeling anything. And that the room was now much more frigid than it was moments ago.

The redhead woman carefully opened her eyes and felt them widen at the sight around her.

Erza looked around in disbelief as the chamber room they were fighting in had transformed completely into space filled with blue Lacrima in all shapes and sizes. She looked up at the crystal ceiling and back down at the floor beneath her that had transformed without her even noticing.

"Hehehe..."

She looked down at the man she was comforting in their last moment as he gently held her arm and slipped out of her hold. He stood up and walked a few feet away as he looked around and admired the unusual sight around them. "Hehehehe..." Another chuckle escaped his throat as his shoulders relaxed.

He turned back to her with a relieved smile, "I'm so glad this actually worked."

"W-what?" Erza mumbled in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"This." Jellal motioned to the surrounding room, "This all worked in theory but this is the first time we had to test it out. It was either going to work or...well, the other option."

"Jellal..." Erza was still too stunned to properly process everything, "What is all of this? What did you do?"

"Erza, did you really think that just because I couldn't find a way to produce the magic necessary to make the Tower work that I would just give up?" He asked with a raised brow towards the flabbergasted Mage, "If I couldn't make the magic, then I would just have to find a way to get it. So I made the Tower of Heaven completely out of Lacrima." Jellal nearly boasted in pride as he looked around fondly, "It wasn't easy. It took a lot of preparation and time. I had to call in some advice from an old teacher of mine for ideas about proper magical storage and methods in return for some information about an old magic the Council was hiding. I had created pathways between the walls so I could align transmutation patterns along the insides so that the moment an immense magic coursed through it, it changed from rock and metal to Lacrima. It had to be perfect."

Erza slowly shook her head in disbelief, "B-but how did you know this would happen? How did you prepare for Etherion? You couldn't have known they would use it!"

"So we made them use it."

Erza stood up startled and turned around to see Siegrain suddenly appear behind her with a carefree smile over his face. He saw the shocked expression on Erza's face as he walked past her to stand by Jellal's side, "I infiltrated the Magic Council at a young age when I discovered they had a weapon with more than enough magic power to power the Tower of Heaven. I slowly worked my way into the graces of the other members and finally got a position on the Magic Council where I could get more influence. After that, I just had to keep diverting the Council's attention away from the Tower of Heaven long enough for it to be rebuilt and then scare them into using Etherion on it." Siegrain shrugged, "It was a long and hard job but it's all been leading to this moment."

Erza looked between the two brothers in horror as she aimed her spite at the Council traitor, "You've been in on this the whole time Siegrain?!" She looked at the Wizard Saint in disgust, "So when you said you wanted to help your brother and that you didn't know where he was, that was all just a lie? Did the idea of hurting and betraying people just sound all too appealing for you to pass up on the chance?"

Jellal and Siegrain looked between each other before laughing with a lighthearted tone despite the disdain Erza was emenating. Their laughing died down before Jellal addressed the woman, "Erza, I don't think you quite understand everything just yet."

Erza looked at him with confusion before she noticed Siegrain start to twitch and fade from the light. Jellal stepped forward and into his brother as a small light glowed over his body as he was complete once again. The horror on Erza's face was enough for him to know his intention got through, "Siegrain isn't my brother. He never existed. He was just a Thought Projection I used to fool the Magic Council. Of course sometimes I had to give him a more physical body to avoid suspicion but he still got the job done."

Erza just stared at Jellal silently as she processed what had just happened. Siegrain wasn't real. He never was. He was just an illusion Jellal created to infiltrate the Magic Council. To fool all of them.

She thought...for so long...that she had never gotten to see her friend for eight years because he had disappeared. But he was right in front of her...this whole time...watching...toying with them...

Her shoulders started to shake with anger before she growled out, "How long?"

Jellal perked up at her voice, "How long what?"

A sword appeared in Erza's hand and she gripped it tightly before leveling the most venomous stare she could muster at the blue-haired liar, "How long are you going to toy with peoples' emotions and lie to them Jellal?! How long?!"

Jellal's smile flattened into a line as he finally took notice of the rage behind her voice. He turned to her with a firm stare, "Erza, that was my last lie. With Siegrain finished and Etherion done firing, I have completed my task. I no longer need to cheat, manipulate, or lie to reach my goal. Because I've finally reached it." He gently placed his hand on his shirt and coat, "From this point on, I will say nothing but the truth to you and everyone else. And here's my first promise to be held true..."

He tore off the damaged shirt and coat to reveal a sleek black undershirt that clung to his form tightly. He flexed out his hands before stepping forward with one foot to match the S-Class Mage in front of him, "I will catch you...and we will resurrect Zeref together to change this world. Count on that."

"..." There wasn't any choice now. The Tower of Heaven was fully operational. If he caught her and made her into the sacrifice then the world would suffer unimaginable damage. So the only way to stop this from happening...was to stop him. Permanently. Erza shook her head, "Sorry Jellal, but I'm going to have to make a liar out of you once again." Her magic flared dangerously as she firmly yelled, "I won't ever submit to you or your dream!"

Jellal finally gripped his fists and nodded, "Yes...you will."

Erza's foot dug into the ground until she made a furrow and dashed forward as she came down on a prone Jellal with a yell. She swung her sword towards his head-

Only to hit nothing as Jellal seemed to disappear and reappear just a foot away from her blade in an instant. Erza looked at him in surprise before she landed on one foot and launched herself with a spin with her sword out to slice him. This time Jellal was more animated with his movement as he slid back away from the sword and its vehement wielder. He started quickly moving and weaving his way through Erza's precise sword strikes as the redhead did not give him a moment to think before he had to react. Jellal took a chance and reached out to grab Erza's hands around her blade, forcing her to stop and gaining him a chance to catch her. However Erza didn't let this hinder her as she flipped backwards and forced Jellal's grip to weaken and release her. She landed and immediately turned around to kick at his head as he ducked, Jellal jumping up to punch her stomach before she turned around and threw the sword at his head.

The sword flew down quickly and imbedded itself in the floor halfway down the blade. But it missed its target as Jellal had disappeared once again.

Erza righted herself and stood firmly as she caught sight of how Jellal evaded her attacks. The sword was coming down at his head one moment...then he glowed and vanished the next, leaving a sharp gust of wind behind him.

Erza slowly looked over her shoulder to see the blue-haired man standing across the room from her with a bright yellow aura surrounding his entire body. He stared her down, "My Heavenly Body magic increases my power and makes me faster than anyone can see. You won't be able to catch me off guard with a thrown blade."

Erza narrowed her eye at him in thought. Her armors were broken and she didn't have one to counterattack his magic like this. She couldn't just throw a blade at him.

But she did have hundreds to offer.

Another two blades slipped into her hands before she spun around quickly and threw them like javelins across the room. Jellal activated his Meteor again and quickly dodged the projectiles that had enough force to shatter and destroy the ground. But Erza didn't stop there as with each throw a new weapon immediately appeared in her hand so she could throw it at her speedy opponent. He disappeared in a golden ball that left a light trail behind him as he avoided and danced between the onslaught of weaponry. Erza kept tossing her weapons as fast as she could, returning them to her Requip when they impacted the ground before throwing them again. Just as she was about to throw again she realized that she had lost sight of Jellal for just a moment-

A gloved hand shot out behind her, locking one of her arms to her back and letting the other arm wrap around her neck in a chokehold. Erza struggled against the powerful lock as Jellal whispered pointedly, "Please don't destroy the surroundings. This took a lot of planning so-GAH!"

He was interrupted as Erza threw her head back and slammed it into the bridge of his nose. With his focus broken and his grip slightly lessened, Erza forced her locked arm out of his hand and grabbed the arm around her neck. She pried it off and turned to lock his arm tightly before he quickly covered himself in Heavenly Body and spun in her grip, forcing her to turn off her feet and release him before separating from each other.

Erza landed first and thought of her options of how to fight. If she couldn't keep up with Jellal, then she was going to have to do what she could to wreck this plan. If causing damage to the Tower would ruin the process...

Erza pulled a massive broadsword about as long as her body out of her Requip before turning around with it still over her head. She brought it down as hard as she could, "AHHHHHHHHH-"

...

Erza stopped just an inch away from the blade connecting and smashing the ground. The massive sword shook in her grip as her arms and entire body started to tremble. She was so close to hitting but...

Her whole body just felt like it froze and went rigid.

Erza struggled to move at all and was barely able to look down to see a serrated black snake tattoo twist around her body. The tattoo moved over her skin and restricted her arms, legs, shoulders, neck, and chest until she couldn't move and barely breathe. She choked before looking up to see Jellal holding his hand out towards her while the snake constricted. He droned out lowly, "I told you this took a lot of planning. I'd appreciate if you didn't destroy it so quickly."

He had set seals on her? Erza's mind started racing as she thought back to when she comforted Jellal, when he gripped her wrist, and when he had her in a lock. He was preparing for this. She choked out in a raspy voice as the tattoo cut off her air, "Dammit. Damn you, Jellal."

The blue-haired man flashed forward and slammed his palm into her chest and sent her flying backward into a massive crystal. She slammed into it and gasped in pain before she suddenly felt something smother her back and limbs. She looked aside to see her arms and legs slowly being sucked into the Lacrima like it was liquid. Erza struggled to escape but couldn't find the strength with the seal restricting her movement. She yelled, "N-no!"

Jellal lowered his hand and his face formed into a small smile in relief to watch her being assimilated by the Lacrima. Her body would be deconstructed into the magic, making her one with the magic and the Tower of Heaven. Then he would use that to take Zeref's soul back, reconstruct his body through the magic, and finally resurrect the Black Mage.

This was it.

His mission was complete.

"FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!"

Jellal held his hand out defensively as a massive burst of intense flames engulfed him almost completely. The fire quickly died out after a moment and the smoke cleared to reveal Jellal with one of his gloves now completely burned off. He looked down at it silently before looking over to the figure that dashed over to Erza's side when he was distracted.

"Erza!" Natsu came up to the crystal Erza was being assimilated into and snaked his arms under her armpits. He braced his feet against the Lacrima and with a huff pulled Erza out of the crystal before she was fully absorbed. They stumbled back and Natsu made sure that Erza was okay as she laid motionless in his arms, "Hey Erza, you alright?!"

Erza struggled to move her head before looking up at the Dragon Slayer that saved her. She gave a small laugh and the concern in his face disappeared with a relieved sigh, "When did you get here? I thought you would leave before the Etherion came down and hit."

Natsu grinned and shook his head, "Nah, I wasn't gonna leave before breaking that dude's face for messing with you. I just really, really thought I'd make it out before that big light thing hit. Lucky for me this whole place just sorta...turned into a crystal. That was so weird." He then raised an eyebrow at the redhead, "How did you get here before me? I was running up here as fast as I could!"

"Paths inside the walls. I took a shortcut." Erza responded jokingly when she saw the surprise on Natsu's face before he hung his head in defeat. She looked up at him and smiled, "Thanks for saving me Natsu."

He looked back down at her before he smirked, "No problem." He finally noticed the intricate black tattoo that wrapped around her body before asking quizzically, "What the hell are these things?"

"Seals. Around my whole body." Erza responded with a flinch before looking at Natsu with a firm gaze, "I need you to help me get up. I have to finish this fight with him."

Natsu took a moment to answer as he looked her over from head to toe. She was littered with cuts and bruises and injuries that probably would have made anyone else topple over already. She looked tired and she couldn't even move right now. And all she wanted was to stand up and keep fighting this guy.

Natsu carefully shuffled backwards and dragged Erza further away to the side of the room. He carefully laid her sealed body on the ground as she looked around in confusion, "Natsu? Natsu what are you doing?"

He stood back up and turned to face the man silently watching them from the center of the room. Natsu asked without really waiting for an answer as he stepped forward, "This is the guy causing all the trouble, right?"

"Natsu! Natsu don't! You can't fight him! He has the power of a Wizard Saint!" Erza shook and writhed on the ground to get any sort of traction to move but failed. She yelled out, "Jellal! Your fight is with me! Take this seal off me and leave him alone!"

"It's okay Erza. You've fought enough." Natsu slammed his fists together and released a heavy wave of flames off both when they impacted, "I'll handle it from here."

Jellal watched the other young man step up to face him as they stared each other down. The blue-haired man smirked and looked his new opponent over, "Natsu Dragneel. I've been itching to meet you face-to-face."

"Oh?" Natsu grumbled.

"When you've read so much about Dragon Slayer legends and the incomparable power they wield, you want to put a face to the legend. And you've garnered quite a lot of attention and fought a lot of impressive opponents." Jellal noted, "So of course I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"Well cool, I've been wanting to meet you too." Natsu turned his head to crack his neck while frowning at Jellal, "I finally get to see who the dick that's been toying with us and watching us through the walls looks like." He looked him over before glaring vehemently, "I didn't know what I was gonna see when I heard about the guy who was trying to hurt his best friends for no good reason after all this time."

That comment actually struck a chord as Jellal's smile thinned into a line. He defended, "I do have a good reason. Naruto and Erza left this place together. I decided to bring them back here to usher in a new world, together."

"That doesn't look like you're doing anything together!" Natsu angrily stated while pointing back at the condition Erza was in, restrained and injured after fending off the attacks of his assassin. Natsu growled with venom aimed at the blue-haired man, "You hurt Erza and Naruto! You tortured your friends! How the hell can you say you're doing anything for their sake when all you've done is cause them pain?! HOW THE HELL COULD YOU CALL YOURSELF THEIR FRIEND?!"

Jellal was silent as his eyes narrowed slightly in cold contempt for the pink-haired man seething in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath before speaking, "I suppose it was silly of me to believe I could negotiate with the 'Slamander' of Fairy Tail. I suppose in the end you best communicate through-"

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"

Jellal was knocked back at the sudden strike to his face as he was sent back by the explosion. Natsu roared in fury and let his fire burn hotter than he had ever let it burn before. He dashed after the blue-haired man and quickly landed a series of punches at his flying form. He clasped his hands together and brought them down on Jellal's back like a hammer.

The blue-haired man's body slammed roughly into the ground as Natsu came into his side and landed a flaming kick into his gut, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" The Dragon Slayer sent the Wizard Saint flying before puffing up his cheeks and blasting out a pillar of fire to engulf the man, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

*BOOM*

The explosion rocked the entire room and Erza lowered her head to shield herself from the intense heat. The blast rang through their ears and they were blinded by the cloud of smoke that raised up in their vision. Natsu stood firmly as the wind caused his scarf and vest to flap while he focused on the smoke cloud. He waited with baited breath and furrowed his eyes in expectation...

And watched as Jellal slowly emerged out of the cloud. He had a few bruises and some blood trailing down his chin from the attacks but didn't look winded from the combination hits. Jellal stepped forward and came to a stop before wiping the blood off his chin. He rubbed it between his fingers for a moment before gazing back up at Natsu. His body started to emanate a faint glow and he spoke in a disdainful tone, "Was that all you had to offer?"

Natsu stayed quiet before a small smirk came on his face, "Not even close." He didn't waste another moment before he immediately threw his arms out to his side and created an intense source of fire around his hands. They started extending into large pillars as Natsu brought them together to attack, "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame-"

"Meteor."

The Dragon Slayer's words died in his mouth as Jellal came barreling forward through the gathering torrent of flames and dispersed them with the air pressure of his move. Natsu's eyes widened in shock and before he could move he felt a staggering fist slam into his sternum, making his eyes constrict in pain and a muffled gasp leave his lips.

Natsu's body spiked back and he bounced off the ground like a rag doll before Jellal disappeared in a flash of light and appeared again landing a sidekick into Natsu's side. Natsu's body skipped off the ground and the Fairy Mage tried to regain his senses after the almost instantaneous attack.

In an instant, Jellal was just standing there preparing to take the attack head-on. The next he was like a ray of light, vanishing forward and attacking him before he could even react. He couldn't even see him anymore. He was just that fast.

Natsu pushed through the pain and landed on the ground before leaping towards Jellal and swinging his arms to envelop him in fire, "Fire Dragon's Wings!"

Jellal's body was covered by his light again and he effortlessly flipped over the wave of fire like it was nothing. He landed behind Natsu and charged forward to land a knee in his back. Natsu let out a pained gasp before Jellal wrapped his arm around his neck and hefted him off his feet. Jellal turned and threw the Dragon Slayer across the room before speeding after him and slamming him into the floor. Natsu's eyes widened in agony before Jellal smiled and vanished again.

The young man grumbled on the floor and struggled to turn over before pushing himself up to his feet. He tried to spot his enemy again and felt a strong blow land on his shoulder before he could react. He threw his fist out to try and catch him but Jellal disappeared and passed by him again while leaving another strike. Natsu tried to retaliate and counter but Jellal's speed was so overwhelming that every time he came close to landing a hit the speedster had evaded and landed another strike instead.

Natsu felt all kinds of strikes land over his body at blinding speeds as he powered through the pain. Even with each hit causing a flare of pain and a white flash go in the corners of his eyes, he could hear Erza yell at Jellal to stop. But despite her pleas the blue-haired Mage made no attempt to stop as Natsu felt another kick land on his back.

He closed his eyes for a moment and let his senses calm down despite the situation around him. For a moment he felt his breath fill his lungs and his blood slow down as his ears blocked out all other distracting noise around him. He focused...and focused...

And heard the sound of a man moving so fast he was causing the air to barrel around him.

"GOT YOU!" Natsu turned on his feet and threw his fist out to catch Jellal in a sucker punch. But the Wizard Saint changed directions at the last possible moment to get behind Natsu, "WH-AAHHHH!"

Jellal kicked Natsu and knocked him to the floor before slamming his foot down on his back. The floor cracked slightly from the force as Natsu groaned and tried to lift himself up but couldn't get any leverage while pinned to the crystal ground. Jellal sneered at his enemy and patronized over him, "I expected more from you Natsu Dragneel. This is a rather lackluster performance so far."

"Fuck you." Natsu muttered into the ground as he did what he could to lift himself up under the pin. He struggled to get off his stomach before seething in anger and glaring at Jellal over his shoulder, "If you want a real fight, stop running away and fight me you jackass."

"I can say with certainty that my interest in watching you fight has been slated. And I am tired of toying with you." Jellal held his hand out and aimed his palm at Natsu's head as a small light started gathering at the point, "Goodbye, Salamander."

"WRAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Natsu roared and a massive pillar of fire enveloped him, forcing Jellal to jump back and away for safety. The Dragon Slayer pushed himself up to his feet and proclaimed loud enough to shake the whole room, "NO WAY I'M GOING OUT LIKE THAT! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU GET YOUR WAY!"

"Sorry. But that isn't you choice."

A brilliant light and magic circle appeared over their head and Natsu looked up just in time to see it shine even brighter. An identical magic circle appeared directly under him. Jellal hovered over the light and seven more magic circles appeared over the light, aiming down at the Dragon Slayer before he whispered, "Grand Chariot."

And he was enveloped by the overwhelming light and weight of the attack.

########Hunter########

Gray and the others struggled to get back into the boat as the waves had finally started calming down. The injured Maker Mage fell roughly into his seat and groaned from his injuries before pushing back to the other side to assist the others. Wally gently passed Shō over to the Maker Mage as he helped move the crippled young man into the dinghy.

The injured blond teen let out a quick gasp of pain from his severed leg before settling into his seat carefully. He caught his breath and nodded to the raven-haired man, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

*BOOOOM*

The Fairy Mages and Tower dwellers looked up to see a bright light burst from the very top of the crystal structure before a massive explosion followed immediately after it. The shockwave spread out and caused a small surge of waves that they quickly had to adapt to before they looked back up at the smoke coming from the top.

Everyone felt a sense of dread fill their stomachs as Gray shook his head, "Dammit you jerks...get out of there."

########Hunter########

Erza's eyes were shut as the massive air pressure and smoke cloud washed over her before it started to calm down. She felt the billowing wind finally come to an end and she slowly opened her eyes to look up at the result of the immense attack.

The smoke finally cleared and revealed Natsu sprawled out in the middle of a crater, blood and burns covering his limbs as he laid facedown unconscious. She felt her insides go cold and she whispered out, "Natsu..."

She wanted to reach out to him but felt the seal over her limbs restrict her movements completely. She grit her teeth and forced her hand out before she heard shuffling boots and looked over to see Jellal landing off to the side. He looked down at Natsu's defeated form and gave an impressed nod, "That attack had the power of a meteor directly falling down on its target. The fact that you aren't a bloody smudge on the floor is quite amendable. I suppose you were quite a formidable adversary while you were still alive, Natsu Dragneel. Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough to face me at this point."

"Jellal!"

The blue-haired man looked over to see Erza glaring at him furiously for hurting Natsu like that. He gave a small smile and turned to her, "To be honest, I was expecting someone else to stand in my way before I finish my plan." He turned and started making his way towards her while a smirk started forming on his face, "Oh well. We work with what we're offered."

"H-hey."

Jellal stopped his trek torwards his target and looked back when he heard Natsu's weary, tired voice call out to him. They watched the injured Dragon Slayer struggle to lift himself up before tumbling over to one side and catching himself before falling. He coughed up some blood and panted before finally making it up to his knees. His eyes were half-lidded in pain and he clutched his ribs before glaring at the blue-haired psychopath, "W-where do you think you're going? I'm just getting started."

Erza looked at her friend in fear before shaking her head, "No, Natsu, stay down! You can't fight him! He's too strong!"

"W-what are you talking about, Erza?" He gave a hoarse laugh through the pain and smirked before locking eyes with Jellal, "I'm just getting started."

Jellal shook his head and scoffed, "Do you live in your own little world?"

"WRAH!" Natsu leapt forward and released a torrent of flames at Jellal as he quickly moved and vanished from sight. Natsu followed his scent and ran as fast as he could in his injured state to intercept him again. But each time he threw a punch or strike, Jellal simply sidestepped or avoided it my a huge margin. Despite his injuries, Natsu kept throwing as many attacks as he could to ensnare his foe in fire but to no avail. His body was getting slower while Jellal was possibly getting faster with each movement.

The Dragon Slayer threw a wide kick out to catch the Wizard Saint's head but Jellal moved and appeared on the other side of the room. Natsu made a weak landing and nearly fell to his knees from exhaustion as Jellal held himself up with his magic still flaring powerfully. The Dragon Slayer gave a ragged cough and Jellal merely smiled at his pained expression, "It was a good start while it happened...but you've reached the end of the line, Salamander."

Natsu felt sweat start to run down his chin and drip to the floor as his vision started to go black in the corners. He heard Erza's voice call out to him in panic, "Natsu, you're going to die if you don't stop! There's nothing else you can do like this! You can't beat him!"

Natsu's cloudy eyes focused and aimed at the floor beneath him before he repeated what she said, "Can't beat him..." He clenched his hands and let his fingers roam over the Lacrima floor for a moment before they became fists. He gave a relieved sigh...

He brought his arms up, let them catch fire, before slamming them down on the floor with fury, "WRAAAHHHHHH!"

*BOOOOOM*

A massive explosion rocked the room and Jellal's eyes widened as a web pattern spread out beneath where Natsu struck. The Lacrima around the whole room seemed to flash in a dozen different colors like a spectrum before disappearing and resulting in a rumble. Jellal looked around in alarm before narrowing his eyes at the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu let out a ragged chortle before he grinned with his sharp teeth. He gave a cocky smile to the Wizard Saint and mocked his angry expression, "What's wrong man? Wasn't I reaching the end of the line? Cause let me tell ya, tired or not..." He lit his hands on fire again, "If there's one thing a Fairy Tail Mage can guarantee to do..." He brought his fists down and created another pair of craters that destabilized the magic contained within its body, "It's wreck important shit!"

"STOP IT!"

Jellal came flying over and kicked Natsu over the head, sending him sliding across the floor and into a tired heap on the ground. The pink-haired man gasped and attempted to push himself up to his feet before he felt a massive surge of air pressure swirl around them again. He looked up and saw Jellal standing across the floor from him while creating another ball of intense light. He gathered his magic power and declared furiously, "Enough! I will not let you put everything I've worked for in jeopardy out of retaliation, Dragon Slayer!" He roared in anger, "I will end you-"

"Dark Burst!"

A blast of Darkness magic came careening over the top level and impacted against Jellal's side as he made no effort to dodge or block. The blue-haired man focused on finishing his magic attack and just let the pain from the surprise attack fade away before he spared a look in the direction it came from.

He saw a bruised and tired Simon panting heavily with one hand outstretched. Simon looked around at the injured Natsu and incapacitated Erza looking over at him. The scarred man composed himself before yelling out at Jellal, "Jellal! Stop this! You've gone too far!"

Jellal looked back at Natsu and spoke up so he could be heard, "Simon, I need to focus on taking out this man first. If you want to stand in my way, like I know you've been dying to for so long now, then you'll need to wait."

"Is this really what you wanted, Jellal?!" He motioned over the entire room, "Terrorizing Erza?! Torturing her friends?! Now that you've got the Tower of Heaven to function, do you just think you can act like this without consequences?!"

"I never once believed I could do this without consequence." Jellal answered lowly, "But I've already bared every sin imaginable to reach this point. What's one or two more?" He sent a quick look towards his old friend, "Beside Simon...you were the one who put your faith in the Fairy Tail Mages solely because they were Erza and Naruto's friends. Whatever terror they may have faced or injury they may have suffered...that's because you chose to bring them here."

The large Darkness user stood there silently and grit his teeth as he couldn't find a response to what he said. Jellal was right. He was the one who planned Erza's retrieval and left Naruto aware of where they were going. He was the one who wasn't strong enough to handle this fight alone and needed support. All the fighting that had gone up to this point was on him.

Simon seemed to shake the thoughts away before looking over at Natsu. He resolved himself and went sprinting over to the Dragon Slayer's side before helping him up, "I won't let anyone else get hurt because of this fight! It's over!"

"Well, you're right about that." Jellal answered before he finished charging his spell and aimed at the two men, "Forgive me, Simon. Grand-"

"JELLAL NO!" Erza pleaded out.

"-Chariot."

As if her senses had been super jolted, Erza saw Jellal's attack activate and start to leave his hand. It was aimed directly at Simon as he helped Natsu get to his feet. Jellal said that attack had the force of a meteor, and if it hit Simon and Natsu as they were...

Dread filled her stomach and panic gripped her brain.

And that was just the thing she needed to realize what she had to do to escape.

Doing the best she could to turn her hand towards herself, Erza summoned Kusanagi out of her Requip space and sent the remainder of her magic towards her palm. The blade appeared in her hand and pierced her flesh once it had materialized, stabbing the black seal on her leg that was binding her and negating the magic that had created it. Erza ignored the searing pain from the gash in her leg and pushed herself up to her feet before using the last of her strength to dash towards her friends.

She gripped her father's sword and felt its nullifying power start to radiate as she tried to reach the devastating attack before it hit them.

But she was coming too slow.

She wasn't going to make it.

With as much strength as she could muster, Erza leapt across the floor and desperately reached out to block the light attack before it hit her weakened friends...

And then...just before they were engulfed by the brilliant light...

A shadow dove in front of them and screamed-

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Jellal watched silently as something impacted against his magic attack and caused it to erupt. A powerful gust of wind spread out in every direction and caused his hair to billow over his eyes rapidly. He narrowed them in quiet focus as the smoke started to part and he got a better look of the man that defended against his powerful attack.

Erza covered her eyes after the attack exploded and opened them again to see what had happened. She saw a tall figure with blond hair standing just in front of her after blocking the attack with his black blade. Her and the others looked at his back as it gave a quick heave and tried to regain his breath. Erza stared at him as he lowered the sword to his side and stood there in silence while facing Jellal.

"Naruto..."

The blond perked up and turned around once he heard Simon say his name. When he turned around, his mismatched eyes immediately met with Erza's own pair of brown and blue.

...

The two just silently stared at each other after what felt like months of being separated. And it was obvious this trip through hell had left some marks on them.

Erza's eyes had bags underneath them and her hair was a mess with dust and dirt. Most of the bandages wrapped around her chest were ripped and torn away with traces of blood and her pants torn almost to her knees. She had cuts and bruises all over her body with dry blood covering her skin. And there was a nasty gash she had inflicted on herself to escape the snake seal that was still letting out a fair amount of blood.

Naruto looked tired. His eyes were heavy and he was panting after all the fighting and panic that had been going on. His clothes were torn to shreds and the remains had blood stains on them that made her fear the worst. His healing factor may have closed the worst of his injuries but his reserves and stamina had probably taken a pretty big dive after all the fighting he had done.

The two lovers just stared at each other in silence as words seemed to fail them. Naruto regained his breath and seemed to struggle with the right thing to say to her. He took a deep breath in...

He was silenced when he saw a small tear start to form in the side of her eye. Naruto went silent when he saw that and Erza merely wiped it away before he could say anything. A relieved but sad smile came over her face before looking up at him, "I'm sorry I made you come back here..."

He immediately wrapped his free arm around her in a hug and held her tightly against him. She seemed surprised by his quick move before his body relaxed like a great weight was lifted and he whispered, "I'm glad I got to see you again."

Erza's eye started to water before she just eased into his embrace and hugged him in return.

The two shared a quick moment together before the whiskered blond looked up to see Simon and Natsu standing by in wait. He asked them tentatively, "Are you two okay?"

Natsu made sure he could support himself, slipping from Simon's hold before giving a small nod and powering through the pain, "Been better, but no real complaints."

Simon asked, "How did you get here so quickly?"

Naruto kept his arm around Erza and spoke softly, "I was running up the side of the Tower. I was about halfway up when the sky split open and Etherion came crashing down. When I saw the top of the Tower start to change and withstand the whole blast, I sorta just moved on reflex and dove inside. Lucky me, huh?"

Natsu grinned, "Lucky bastard." His smile seemed to falter as he motioned his head towards the foe behind them, "We've still gotta deal with that guy though."

The blond looked over them and asked the two males, "Can you move?"

Natsu seemed confused by his question as Simon gave a quick nod, "Yes. I can still move and do whatever is necessary."

"Good. Simon..." He grip on Erza's shoulder seemed to tighten before he addressed his scarred friend, "I want you to take Natsu and Erza and get them out of here."

Erza's eyes widened in horror as Natsu verbally fought the idea, "ARE YOU AN IDIOT?! I AIN'T LEAVIN'! THIS WAS MY FIGHT BEFORE YOU GUYS CUT IN!"

Erza pulled back from Naruto's hug and looked up at him as he had a somber expression on his face. Her eyes focused dangerously and she firmly shook her head, "I'm not leaving here without you."

"I'm sorry."

*Schwup*

Erza's eyes widened as the feeling in her limbs vanished at the swift chop to her neck. She fell to her knees, hands still gripping his shirt desperately to stay awake as Naruto gently lifted her up. Her heavy eyes looked at him and he whispered out, "But I can't protect you against him. I can't protect any of you while fighting him. And I won't lose you again."

She pleaded with a weak voice, "D-don't-"

"Simon, you need to take her and get off the island." Naruto carefully handed the injured woman off to his friend who took her in a bridal carry to not exasperate her wounds.

Simon looked down at the redhead teetering on consciousness in his arms before looking at his old friend, "Naruto...even if I take Erza away...all Jellal needs now to complete the Tower is someone with the sufficient amount of power. That means he could use you too." Simon spared Jellal a look as the Wizard Saint just seemed to stand away from them in silence. The Darkness Mage was confused by his lack of action before addressing the blond once more, "You can't let yourself get caught by him. If you have to-"

"I know Simon." He interrupted before giving him a firm look, "But I can't let Erza get stuck in this anymore. So please...get out of here."

Simon was conflicted as he looked between Naruto and Erza in silent contemplation. He spared a look towards Jellal as he merely stood there in wait before lowering his head. He turned around and started carrying Erza away to safety at the request of his old comrade, condemning him to a fight against his best friend and silently begging for his forgiveness.

Naruto watched them walk off before speaking lowly, "Natsu...you need to go too."

"No way in hell." The injured Dragon Slayer spat back with a growl, "Don't think just because you pop in and say so that I'm just gonna walk away. This was my fight first."

Naruto gave a mirthless smile, "Technically it's been my fight for the last eight years."

"Tough shit." Natsu argued as he started stepping forward to pass the blond and continue the fight, "I ain't gonna let you take this fight all by yourself-"

"Natsu..." Naruto immediately held out his hand to stop Natsu's stomp forward as the pink-haired man turned to look at him. Natsu's eyes eased a little once he saw the plight on Naruto's face as his old friend confessed to him, "I need you to go with them...because you need to protect the others in case anything goes wrong. I'll give everything I've got but against him...I'm not sure it will be enough. You need to be there for everyone...because I might not make it back this time."

...

"You don't get to fucking say that you prick."

Naruto looked up at the angered glare Natsu was locking in on him as the Dragon Slayer spoke, "You don't get to take my fight and then say you might die. That's not you. That's this place messin' with your head. I know this place was hell, and it probably hurts coming back here...but you're stronger than it. And you're stronger than him." Natsu pointed at the blond accusingly and almost growled out angrily, "You don't get to die in this place. You don't even get to let that thought cross your stupid head. We are making it back to the guild. You have to make it back to play with Koyuki and finish the guild and get rent money for Lucy...plus Erza still needs to kick your ass for knocking her down like that."

Natsu stood up straight and placed his fist aginast Naruto's chest before sternly stating, "You win this fight...and you leave this place for good. No exceptions."

"..."

A small smile came back over Naruto's face, still without any real conviction behind it but with a ghost of admiration aimed towards Natsu. He nodded, "Okay. I'll see you soon then."

"Damn straight." Natsu lowered his fist and started to move towards the stairs before saying one last thing, "Naruto...kick his ass."

Naruto just nodded before Natsu made his way down the stairs to follow after Simon and Erza. The blond stood there silently, his sword at his side and his hand slowly uncurling from the fist he had unconsciously made. He waited another moment in silence before asking over his shoulder, "You're just going to let them go?"

"They won't get far. I'll make sure of that."

There was...something unnerving hearing Jellal say something so callous like that so casually.

He took in a deep breath before finally turning around to face the blue-haired friend he had lost so many years ago. The two old friends stood across from each other, taking a moment to size the other up. There was so much to say but they knew there was nothing else that could change the paths that had set them down this far.

Naruto spared a look around the room made of shimmering Lacrima and blankly droned, "You definitely changed things up since last time, huh?"

"Had to make some serious changes in order to make this thing work in the first place." Jellal said before narrowing his eyes and looking around with disdain in his voice, "I don't know how those morons from the cult were ever hoping to make this work in their lifetime. They were probably going to push it on their descendants to finish after generations of slavery."

"And you did it in eight. All it took was forcing your friends to work tirelessly for all that time and lying to them." Naruto spat out sardonically, "How does it feel to finally finish?"

"No reason to be so derisive, Naruto." Jellal countered, "I know no matter what I did and for what reason, as long as it involved the Tower of Heaven then I was putting myself at odds with you, Erza, and everyone who knew the true threat of the R-System."

"So what are you going to do about the Magic Council?" Naruto inquired while looking around at the floor, "If they can't use Etherion on this place anymore then they'll probably send a small army or the Wizard Saints to attack you instead."

A wry smile came to Jellal's face, "That won't be a problem considering I've destroyed their headquarters and dismantled Etherion in the process." His old friend looked shocked by that bit of news as Jellal created a quick Thought Projection of Siegrain at his side that quickly waved and disappeared. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as Jellal continued, "Nothing left to chance."

Naruto's grit his teeth and bottled his anger before taking in a deep breath and sighing. He looked at Jellal silently, "Simon said that you only need someone with enough power to finish the Tower now, right? He said I'd be enough to finish...but you aren't going to use me, are you?"

Jellal softly shook his head, "When I think about the new world in my mind, I can't imagine you being the key to ushering it in. You're too stubborn. Too determined. Vindictive to a fault when you want to be. And I'm certain you'd somehow screw up the whole plan if I put you in it."

"And you really think Erza isn't stubborn enough to change something like that if she tried?"

"Oh no." Jellal let out a dry laugh and shook his head, "If there was one person I thought could be more stubborn than any of us if she wanted to be, it's Erza. But I believe if I could tell her how this new world could be beneficial...how good it would be to start over, then maybe she'll do this willingly." Jellal spread his arm out towards the sea and what laid beyond it, "I could rid the world of all the Dark Guilds that corrupt it. I could stop all the needless pain and suffering people are put through by others. I...could stop people like the cult members and Alexander Sorrento from killing others. I could bring Erza and the others parents back to them. They don't need to suffer anymore."

Naruto's shoulders slumped at hearing Jellal talk about the benefits of what he was doing. He said he wanted to fix the world. Bring back the ones they've lost. Protect the people out there that couldn't be reached in time when they needed it the most. It sound nice. It sounded peaceful...

But a world built on sacrifice and pain would always demand more. He knew that better than anyone. Danzō always spoke like the murders he committed and the pain he caused was for the benefit of the village. But it merely led to fear and war. And a world created with the help of Zeref, the Black Mage that's warped history and created so much death after all this time would be too risky.

And if Jellal wanted to complete this plan...by letting Erza die...

"Do you remember a girl named Wendy?"

Jellal raised his eyebrow, "What?"

"A few years ago I was traveling through the Woodsea to reach a guild at the edge of it. And on the way there I met this little girl...she was young but she was doing her best to become a Mage." Naruto's eyes wandered to the floor as his voice took on an edge of fondness remembering the little girl and cat he met by chance in that dense forest, "She was nervous and frightened and scared and a bit of a mess...but she didn't want to give up because she wanted to reach two people she had lost. Her mother, who had disappeared after taking care of her for so long..." He slowly looked at and straight into Jellal's eyes, "And a boy with blue hair and a tattoo over his eye that had rescued her from loneliness when she felt abandoned."

Jellal didn't make any reaction to what the blond said but it was clear that he was listening intently to see where he was going.

Naruto continued, "She admired and wanted to meet that boy again, to say thank you for saving her. And she told me his name...Jellal." Naruto furrowed his eyes in desperation, "It was when she said your name that I knew you were still alive. And hearing her speak so fondly of you...I had hope...that maybe you had returned to who you were before the Tower changed you. Seeing you like this is strange and confusing but..." He swallowed the lump in his throat and almost pleaded with the man, "Jellal, tell me why you did that. Tell me why you chose to help her."

If he gave a valid reason...a reason for helping that little girl when she needed it most-

It was the right thing to do or he felt sorry for her or he needed her help with something.

Anything...

If he could just know that somewhere in this man was the same good-natured, kind-hearted friend he had made in this hell all those years ago, then maybe-

"I don't know any girl named Wendy." Jellal answered, "I only ever traveled to the mainland to learn how to use more magic by a teacher of mine, but I never met a girl named Wendy."

...

Naruto's eyes showed so much pain the instant Jellal had said that. He felt his heart sink and the last bit of hope he had that there was good in his friend was gone. The last hope that he could resolve and talk with his friend again...

Naruto lowered his head so his eyes were out of sight. Jellal looked aside and saw the hand holding the black blade grip the handle so tightly his knuckles started going white. Jellal wasn't sure who the person Naruto mentioned was or how she could have known his name, but he knew what Naruto was hoping for when he answered...

"Just focus Naruto." Naruto's fists stopped shaking as Jellal spoke calmly, "I've played this scene out in my head so many times over the years. And no matter which scenario I think of, we still come out at odds. You can't convince me to stop doing what I've been preparing for so many years and I can't make you see how creating this new world would be for the betterment of Earthland. No matter what, we always seem to come to odds. And if we must fight, then just focus on hating me again like you have this whole time. Forget about the friend you once had-"

"That's the problem Jellal...I've tried."

Naruto lowered his head as his voice became angered and short, "I remember how you attacked Erza and tried to kill me years ago and I get so mad. How you've been watching us in secret and manipulating the Council from the inside. When I think about all the horrible things you made Shō and Milliana and Wally and Simon do I can't forgive you. And knowing you caused so much pain for my friends and that you're willingly going to sacrifice Erza...I need to stop you...even if I need to hurt you." His shoulders shook, "But even knowing that..."

Naruto looked up at his friend with a melancholic expression and sad eyes as his voice nearly hitched, "I can't hate you. No matter how hard I try, I can only think of you as my friend and brother. And that just won't change."

The stoic look Jellal had adopted to face his old friend was pained and took on a tinge of regret hearing him say those words before shaking his head. He took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "I need to kill you and get you out of the way, Naruto. Then I will take Erza back and complete the Tower of Heaven. I will take Zeref's power, fix this world, and bring peace to this world. Once I am done, I will be the only remnant of this old and corrupted world left. I will sacrifice myself and in the process..."

He opened his eyes again and met Naruto's mismatched pair, "I will bring you and Erza back to life. And you can be together again in peace. So please...don't fight it..."

Naruto knew Jellal's promise was sincere. The blond felt tears almost fill his eyes before closing them and calming his thoughts.

He wanted to believe that was true...but he couldn't risk letting the world fall into the hands of someone that powerful...

If Jellal was going to keep moving to this goal...

...

...

Naruto immediately dropped into a stance and grabbed his sword with both hands. He swung it around at blinding speeds and roared, "VACANT EYE!"

He swung the black blade a dozen times in an instant and created a wave of slashes that flew across the room at Jellal. The Wizard Saint immediately activated Meteor, covering his body in light and dashing forward through the sword attack. He weaved and dodged through the onslaught of invisible attacks before emerging from the other side unscathed.

He charged forward and barreled directly into Naruto's chest, earning a grunt from the blond before they crashed into the crystal wall behind them. Jellal tried to dig his fist deeper before his eyes widened when he realized Naruto had caught his wrist before it could go any deeper. He looked up in surprise as Naruto raised his sword and prepared to bring it down on top of him.

Jellal jumped and turned in the air, slamming his knee against the Fairy Mage's temple and painfully pulling his hand out of the iron grip. Naruto quickly composed himself and looked up as Jellal flew into the air and hovered over him for a moment before his hands quickly glowed black. Jellal started spinning around at impossible speeds and unleashed a flurry of Darkness blasts down at Naruto, "Dark Archery!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped back furiously as the blasts of Darkness magic rained down and merged with the ground. He started to quickly dash, turn, flip, and somersault out of the way as the hundreds of magic blasts followed after him. The whiskered man furrowed his eyes and pulled his sword back before swinging out and dispersing the attacks as quickly as they came down. After several moments of swiping the numerous attacks away, they seemed to stop-

"GAH!"

His head jerked back violently and he let out a pained grunt as Jellal appeared beneath him and shot his foot up into Naruto's chin. The blue-haired man seemed content with his attack before the blond immediately grabbed his shin before he could disappear again. Jellal's eyes widened in shock as he was lifted up and slammed into the floor with enough force to crack the Lacrima beneath him.

The blond followed through and raised his foot up high to slam it down on the Wizard Saint's chest before Jellal disappeared completely. Naruto grit his teeth and gathered Wind around his feet before jumping and twisting in the air before kicking out in both directions, releasing two massive blades of Wind that flew across the room at incredible speeds.

Jellal appeared at the other side of the room and looked back just in time to see the blades of Wind coming to slice him apart. He leapt up and over the attack with relative ease and landed on the other side just as Naruto came charging forward to attack him. Naruto yelled and swung his sword out as Jellal jumped over the blade and behind Naruto to get in his blind spot. He threw a kick out and struck Naruto's back-

Only to receive a similar back kick into his sternum as the blond attacked on reflex. The two were thrown back by the attacks before they righted themselves and faced each other again in preparation. They dashed forward as quickly as possible as Jellal held up his hands and grabbed Naruto's wrist and hand before he could bring his sword down to attack.

The two struggled to gain any ground against each other as Jellal kept Naruto stationary and Naruto pushed against Jellal's charge. They gritted their teeth as Jellal groaned out, "Even if you don't believe you defeated Jose solely by yourself, it is still a remarkable feat and I expected nothing less of you. I also knew that you would be able to defeat the Red Spider, despite his boasting. But..." He looked down at the small cuts along the blond's arms that reopened from the pressure, "It looks like his efforts weren't wasted. Your strength seems drained."

"You still don't know when to shut up, huh?" Naruto growled out before he grinned, "Well it looks like you aren't doing that much better. Guess that's what you get for underestimating Erza and Natsu, huh, dick?"

"I suppose we are both going into this a little less than perfect. Just like old times I suppose." Naruto's grin disappeared as Jellal knocked his arms out of the way and landed a devastating punch into the blond's stomach. Naruto gasped and doubled over, but used that chance to grab the tattooed boy's shoulder and land a headbutt into his nose.

Jellal pulled back as Naruto kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying across the room. Naruto fell back on the floor and did a kick-up while firing a blast of Armor off his feet to chase after the Saint. Jellal skid across the floor and knocked the heavy magic attack aside with a mighty swing of his arm.

"Storm Step!"

Jellal's eyes widened in surprise as he leapt high into the air and avoided the sonic charge of his blond opponent. A shockwave exploded in every direction around Naruto as he came to a stop and swung his arm out at the flying Mage. Dozens of Copy kunai flew out of his Requip space and covered Jellal's field of vision in an instant.

"HA!"

Jellal roared at the top of his lungs and released a shockwave that knocked all the kunai away until they evaporated into magic. Once the knives had disappeared, he realized the whiskered man had vanished in the confusion.

He turned around in an instant and caught the sword coming down on him between his palms. The two stayed prone in the air as Jellal furrowed his eyes, "I saw how you fought against Red Spider. The same tricks won't work twice."

"How about this?"

Jellal sensed a strong magic moving through the light blue blade as a gust of wind surrounded him. It started cutting up his palms and he separated from the blade as quickly as possible as Naruto spun and released a storm of wind blades in every direction, "Infinite Storm Blade!"

Cuts and scratches and trenches dug into every inch of the Lacrima room as dozens of wind slashes flew from his sword. He created a variable cyclone around himself that damaged the foundation and caused the magic inside the crystal to become unstable. Naruto continued attacking and covered every inch of the room so Jellal couldn't hide even at the speeds-

*Crack*

The cyclone he had created disappeared in an instant as the sword was reduced to scrap. Naruto looked down at his broken dragon sword before a looming shadow came over him. He looked up and saw Jellal looking down at him menacingly as his hands bled from breaking the sword. He gripped his fist as tightly as possible before landing a hook down into Naruto's stomach.

"GAH!"

Naruto coughed up a glob of blood before his body was sent crashing down into the crystal floor. He bounced off the Lacrima several times and finally landed in a crouch before he looked around desperately for Jellal. He felt a chill go down his back and looked around just as the Wizard Saint came flying down and planted his foot down in the blond chest as the ground cracked beneath him.

Naruto gasped in pain and struggled to move the foot pinning him down as Jellal put more force down on him. Jellal narrowed his eyes as the blond let one arm swing around desperately, "Just stop Naruto. I don't want to fight you anymore. Just close your eyes...and this can all stop."

Naruto stopped jerking around, and Jellal had believed that he had accepted his fate...until he tightly grabbed the foot on his chest as a small gust formed around his fist.

"Not a chance in hell! STORM FIST!"

Jellal felt a barrage of quick blasts of wind cover his whole body, leaving cuts and grinds along his form as his movement was halted by the attacks. He let out a silent scream of pain before yanking his foot out of Naruto's grip and escaping away with Meteor.

Naruto spun on the ground and started releasing blasts of Wind in every direction. Injuring Jellal and gaining enough space away from him made it just perfect to attack. The blond kicked up to his feet and summoned his earth cleaver into his hand before bringing it down, "Rumbling-"

*Crack*

The elemental sword broke apart as Jellal came sliding in and snapped the blade in half before it could make contact. The Wizard Saint spun over the floor and landed an ax kick against the Fairy Mage's head before jumping back up to his feet, "If you think I'm going to let you break the Tower, then think again Naruto! Meteor Dash!"

Jellal's form was emanating a brilliant light as he dashed forward and landed a quick strike on Naruto's head. The blond's body jerked back and forth as Jellal started coming in and attacking from every direction before he could react. The S-Class Mage was overwhelmed by the onslaught of strikes that shot his senses to hell before he could even react. But even though he couldn't counter the Wizard Saint's attacks, he covered himself in Armor strong enough to take the worst of the hits.

With some of his sense regained from his defense, he grabbed a dark and grim-looking sword from his Requip and passed magic through it. A massive cloud of Shadow magic expanded in every direction around him, "Dark Shroud!" As the black cloud expanded, Jellal's usually speedy form came in from one direction at a much slower velocity as he was halted by the shadow.

The Wizard Saint's eyes widened in shock before Naruto spun around and landed a devastating right into his chest. Jellal groaned in pain as the Shadow around them exploded away and he was sent flying backwards into a wall. He cratered it on impact and grit his teeth before dislodging himself and jumping up as Naruto followed through with a kick where he was stuck.

"HA!"

The blond spun around and swung his sword upward, creating a wave of Shadow magic that flew up after and around him. Jellal was blocked by the shadow strikes on all sides and couldn't escape before they singled in from all directions. The tattooed man let out a scream of pain as he was engulfed by the attack that blocked him from sight for just a moment. Naruto caught his breath and looked up at the cloud of black magic hovering in the air with his opponent.

Before he could react, a storm of black magic blasts shot out from the cloud and swarmed around Naruto. The Fairy Mage guarded and defended as best he could, swiping away and avoiding the worst of the attack before the blasts became more numerous and heavy.

As Naruto escaped the onslaught, several blasts hit his body and destroyed his elemental blade. He let out a groan as the sword reverted back into bare magic.

He was losing his arsenal. His blades were destroyed and he couldn't focus on making them again while fighting.

All he had was Light and Water.

And his black blade.

He skidded along the floor, his wounds opening up and splashes of blood staining the shimmering crystal as he summoned the sword from his Requip. He braced against the ground and yelled out in a rage, "WRAHHHHHHH!"

The cloud of shadows finally dispersed to reveal a partially injured Jellal who flared his magic and screamed, "AHHHHHHHHH!"

The two vanished in a burst of speed before colliding together and sending a massive shockwave out in every direction, splintering the Lacrima around them.

Naruto's hands and blade disappeared in a flurry of black slashes as Jellal pushed his screaming body to its limit and sped up to dodge every strike. Despite missing his opponent, the blade continued to leave trenches and cuts with just the sheer pressure.

Jellal ducked in and landed several powerful jabs into the blond's side before he covered his body in Armor to strengthen himself. He slammed his foot down, cracking and cratering the floor as he continued to try and land an attack on Jellal's form. The Wizard Saint looked at the damage the blond was causing and yelled, "DAMMIT! STOP ATTACKING THE TOWER!"

"NOT A CHANCE!" Naruto yelled back as he continued to throws attacks and strikes in every direction, in hope of either hitting Jellal's speedy form or leave lasting damage on the Lacrima. The blond yelled out, "THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM JELLAL! YOU CAN'T KILL ME AND PROTECT THE TOWER AT THE SAME TIME! BUT ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DESTROY THIS PLACE AND THAT'S THE END OF IT! YOU LOSE EITHER WAY!" He swung his sword and left a deep trench along the length of the room, "GIVE UP JELLAL! THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN FIGHT ME IS TO SACRIFICE THE THING YOU'VE GIVEN EIGHT YEARS TO COMPLETE! CAN YOU HANDLE THAT JELLAL?! CAN YOU REALLY RISK THIS FIGHT?!"

Jellal froze in a corner of the room and watched as Naruto merely focused on destroying the surroundings and destabilizing the magic. And it was working. The Lacrima continued to shimmer and shake unstably as waves of magic started to release from their containment.

This was what Naruto wanted.

In order to avoid fighting his friend any further, he was willing to destroy the efforts and work he and his friends had been giving for eight years.

And he was right. That was the only way this fight was going to end. If they continued, the Tower of Heaven would be destroyed in the process. It would all start back from square one. So what was he going to do? What could he do faced with this option in front of him.

Naruto yelled and roared at the top of his lungs, releasing a flurry of his fastest and heaviest attacks in every direction possible to destroy what he could of the top floor. If the container was broken and the magic was released, then this place would become useless. If he destroyed the Tower, then everyone would be safe. If Jellal ran away from this, then they would just follow and capture him by whatever means necessary. He wouldn't be able to run anymore. No matter what corner of the world he escaped to, they would find him.

Naruto continued to attack-

Before Jellal came flying in from one direction and slammed a hammer fist down into Naruto's side.

"GAAAH!"

The blond let out a scream of pain as he was sent careening down into the floor with such force that he cratered it on impact. The blond struggled and tried to lift himself up out of the center of the crater before Jellal came rocketing down and landed both feet into his gut, Naruto letting out a pained gasp as blood spewed out from his lips. The force behind the drop was so powerful that the entire floor beneath the blond's body fell apart and they went falling into the level below them.

Naruto landed in a heap amongst the falling debris as it shattered and released a wave of multiple magics around him. He flinched back and tried to protect himself as he looked around for his enemy-

He felt a tight grip come around the hand holding his sword and looked over to see Jellal grabbing his hand tightly. The blue-haired man's voice came out in a low growl, "I can rebuild. No matter how long it takes or how much I must toil, I will remake this system again if I have to. And no matter where she runs, I will find Erza again. But right here...right now..."

A bright light started to glow out from where Jellal was grasping his sword hand and the tattooed man looked up at him, "I'm finishing this fight with you."

*BOOOOOO-*

########Hunter########

*-OOOOOOOOM*

Gray and the others looked up again as another massive explosion happened at the top of the Tower. Everyone looked up as the tip of the structure started to crumble and fall into itself as debris started to fall into the ocean.

Wally stood up in the boat and looked up at the destruction happening inside the Tower. He asked, "What's going on up there?"

"They're fighting." Juvia answered, "They are fighting again at the top of the building. And it's toppling down because of it."

"B-but that doesn't make any sense." Milliana muttered while looking up at the destruction and smoke, "Jellal always wanted this place to be finished. Why would he risk breaking it after so long?"

No one knew how to answer the cat girl's inquiry before Gray noticed something fly out of the smoke. He squinted his eyes to focus on the object that flew a far ways away from the Tower before he recognized the black blade. He moved to the edge of the boat, "Naruto's sword!"

The others looked up at where Gray was staring and watched the blade drop into the raging waters of the ocean. Happy flew out of the boat and quickly sped towards the ripple the blade had made before he dove into the water after it. Milliana called out in worry, "Kitty!"

"Happy!" Lucy yelled out as well in concern for the blue cat's reckless action.

The group watched in a pregnant silence as they waited for some sign that the little blue cat would come up for air. After a brief moment, Happy breached the surface again and had the large black blade awkwardly held in his little arms and paws. He struggled to right himself and carry the sword properly over to the boat again before he felt it knock into the wood and it clattered into the boat.

Lucy felt her throat hitch in panic and shook her head, "T-that is Naruto's sword." She shook her head and looked up at the towering structure, "Is he fighting at the top?"

Shō tried to sit up, "What happened to Nee-San and Simon?"

Happy immediately grabbed as much of the sword as he could as he tried to fly up before he was roughly halted. He looked down to see Gray had grabbed the handle before he could go any further, "Where are you going?"

Happy looked down at the blade he was carrying and spoke in a anxious tone, "I gotta get this sword back up to Naruto! He needs it to fight!"

"If you go up there, you'll get yourself killed. In our current state, all we'd be is a burden." Happy's wings slowed down and he came to a quick descent into the boat before releasing the blade. Gray laid the black blade down in the boat's floor before looking up to the sky.

"Will he be all right without it?"

"Naruto's strong. And he'll do whatever it takes to protect Erza and the others." Gray said confidently as he waited for his friends to return, "Just watch...and hope for the best."

########Hunter########

*Thwonk*

Natsu grit his teeth as a large piece of Lacrima fell from above and cracked on his head. The Dragon Slayer stumbled and fell against a wall for support as Simon slowed down to a halt with Erza still lying in his arms. The scarred man was about to ask the injured Mage if he was all right before Natsu groaned, "God dammit!" He looked up and saw the Lacrima above them start to crack and shift around, "What the fuck is going on around here?"

"It's Naruto and Jellal." Simon noted while looking around at the destruction being caused by their fighting. He shook his head in despair, "This place was supposed to hold in all that magic until Jellal used it for his purposes. But if the Lacrima breaks and the magic seeps out...the Etherion will escape and-"

"Up shit without a paddle! I get it!" Natsu yelled out, ignoring the pain in his body as he noticed the shimmering light shine through the crystal. He could feel the unstable magic through every fiber of his being and knew that this thing was about to go up like a firework. The Fairy Mage furrowed his eyes, "We need to keep moving."

"That's right." Simon nodded, "We're almost there."

"Simon..."

The one-eyed man looked down at the woman in his arms when he heard her moan out weakly. Her eyes barely opened up and she tried to register where she was as she whispered, "Naruto...he..."

"I'm sorry Erza. We couldn't do anything to help fight Jellal like this." Simon explained to her in hopes that she would understand.

She still seemed delirious and blinked her eyes a few times before looking over at Natsu. The pink-haired man met her eyes and growled, "I hate it too. Jackass took my fight...but he's gonna make it back." Natsu nodded, "He promised he would."

Erza still seemed teetering on the edge of consciousness before her head dipped lower once again. They had thought the redhead had passed out again before they heard her mutter something under her breath. Natsu looked confused and leaned in to hear her speak-

Erza's hand shot out to grab Natsu's scarf and Simon's turban. The two men couldn't register what was happening before they were suddenly lifted off their feet and thrown into the breaking wall, shattering it on contact and sending the two flying out of the Tower.

Natsu: "WHA-AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Simon: "ERZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The S-Class Mage was still crouched on the floor after sweeping the two off their feet unexpectedly and throwing them out of the Tower of Heaven. She waited a moment before she heard two consecutive splashes hit the water below.

She knew that was dangerous but she had hope they would be okay. They were both strong. And she understood why they would want to get her out of here. She understood why Naruto did what he did.

But she was still pissed about it.

And she wasn't going to leave.

This needed to be finished.

Erza struggled to stand up on her feet, the pain through her leg become more apparent with each moment but she ignored it completely.

The redhead looked back up the stairs with a burning determination settling in her eyes. She grit her teeth before sprinting up the stairwell and back up to the fight.

########Hunter########

"Grrrrahhh! Fucking! Fuck!" Naruto yelled in pain as he stumbled around in the smoke while cradling his injured and steaming hand. He looked down at his left hand, seeing the side of it was bleeding and the rest of it was somewhat burnt after Jellal had blown the sword out of his grip.

Luckily he had braced himself with some Armor to avoid the absolute worst possibility. He had just gotten this hand back. He wasn't ready to lose it again so quickly.

The whiskered man slowly opened and closed his hand to make sure he still had control of it. It stung like a bitch to make a fist but it was still possible. Just as he was testing the movement of his hand, he jumped to his feet and quickly looked around to try and spot Jellal in the carnage.

He disappeared.

He was hiding somewhere in the smoke.

His presence wasn't obvious...but he was there.

...

Naruto turned and threw a fist behind him that struck Jellal's cheek as the Wizard Saint's punch crossed his and buried into his face.

The two powerful opponents blasted away from each other from the force of their punches. Naruto bounced off the floor and created a furrow along it as Jellal was sent back crashing into a wall.

Naruto recovered first, spitting up the blood on his tongue before sprinting across the floor as quickly as possible. He spotted Jellal trying to push himself out of the wall and leapt up like an animal before crashing into the man's body. Jellal gasped in pain before Naruto pinned his movement on both sides and started throwing a barrage of jabs and strikes across Jellal's face.

*THWACK*THWACK*THWACK*THWACK*

Jellal's senses were completely overwhelmed by the flurry of punches as his head jerked back and forth rapidly. The Wizard Saint struggled to focus through the punches before roaring at the top of his lungs and releasing a magic shockwave that halted Naruto attacks for a moment. Jellal ripped his legs out of the wall and kicked Naruto off of him before he could attack again. In one fluid motion, Jellal ripped his arms out of the wall, dashed up into the air to grab Naruto, and brought him down in a brutal body slam on the floor.

Naruto yelled, "AHHHH-"

Jellal pinned the blond's head to the floor before dashing forward and dragging him along. Naruto let out a bloodcurdling yell as he felt his face and head dig into the Lacrima as Jellal sped around the room. The Fairy Mage screamed in pain as he gathered Wind around his palm and threw it out to catch Jellal's side, shredding through his shirt and skin as he blasted the Wizard Saint back with immense power.

The two men took a moment to reel back and get their bearings after their attacks. Naruto was clutching part of his face to make sure he wasn't bleeding badly after the drag as Jellal held his hand over his light but freshly bleeding abdomen wound.

Jellal recovered first and dashed across the room with the help of Meteor. Naruto perked up when he felt Jellal charging towards him and quickly fell to the ground before kicking his feet out around him and spinning rapidly like a ball. He created a fierce wave of air around him that quickly picked up speed and channeled up into a tornado, releasing torrents of wind in every direction to hold Jellal at bay. As Naruto hit the peak of his turning he pushed up and released the tornado in every direction.

As Jellal braced himself against the blast, Naruto sweeped his foot along the ground and kicked up dozens of Lacrima stones off the floor. He dashed in and spiked the stones up to riddle Jellal's body as raw magic exploded against him. He quickly braced himself against the ground and launched himself upwards at sonic speed, "Storm Step!"

He charged into Jellal's chest and winded the Wizard Saint as he coughed up blood from the blow. He didn't get any time to recover as Naruto grabbed his arm, spun them both around several times to gain momentum, and threw Jellal straight into the ground to crater the floor. Naruto gathered his wind around his hands and came falling down towards Jellal to attack but the tattooed man threw up his feet to intercept his hands before they could land.

*FWOOM*

There was a resounding shock as the two attacks negated each other and the combatants were separated. Naruto landed in a crouch, his eyes focused with determination before dashing forward and catching Jellal with a hook as the Wizard Saint started getting up.

Naruto found his opportunity. He had caught Jellal before he could escape with his speed. The blond started landing staggering punches back and forth across Jellal's cheeks as the man grunted in pain with each strike. Naruto ignored the pain shooting through his body as he yelled, "IT'S OVER JELLAL!"

He stopped for just a moment and watched Jellal stumbled on his feet but still not fall. He grit his teeth and struck his friend before yelling, "JUST STOP! WE'RE DONE!"

*THWACK*

"THE TOWER IS BREAKING!"

*THWACK*

"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ERZA!"

*THWACK*

"I WON'T LOSE!"

*THUD*

There was a resounding smack as Naruto's fist impacted against Jellal's palm. The blond looked at him in surprise and tried to pull back before the Wizard Saint clamped down on his fist like a vice. Jellal slowly stood up, his brown eyes peering into Naruto's with more will and determination than ever before. Jellal scowled and slowly pulled back his fist, "Don't think...for even a second...THAT YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE NOT WILLING TO LOSE!"

*BAAAAM*

Jellal's fist dug deep into Naruto's gut and had enough force to lift him off his feet. Jellal released his fist and watched as the blond doubled over in pain, grasping his stomach in an attempt to alleviate the pain and a choked moan escaping from his lip.

Naruto's eyes shuddered in pain before a mix of bile and spit spilled out of his mouth. He had taken strong punches before...and he had gotten hurt enough that he felt it through his body...

But Jellal's punch...it was so much stronger than he thought. It was so much heavier than he remembered.

Before he could look up again, Jellal came in with another hook across Naruto's face and sent him flying across the room. The whiskered Mage's body flew before Jellal chased after him quickly, landing dozens of devastating strikes over his prone body before striking him down into the floor. Naruto's eyes went white from the pain before Jellal kicked him up into the air, "I WON'T JUST FORFEIT EVERYTHING I'VE CHASED AFTER! I WON'T JUST GIVE UP! IF I MUST REBUILD, SO BE IT! BUT I WON'T ABANDON THIS CAUSE! NOT FOR ANYTHING!"

He jumped up with Meteor, appearing over Naruto at the top of his arc before clasping his fists together and bringing them down on his chest, "EVEN AGAINST YOU!"

*BAM*

Naruto's body rocketed down and nearly shattered the entire floor from the force as Naruto laid sprawled out from the heavy attack. He gave a pained cough and tried to lift himself up as Jellal stayed hovering over him and crossed his hands over his head. A massive black mass of magic started to swirl and gather over him with spots of light peering through the powerful darkness. An immense suction of air started swirling into the magical attack as Naruto pushed himself to his hands and knees.

Erza struggled to climb the stairs before finally reaching the top and feeling the massive surge of air cause her red hair to billow. She looked up and saw Jellal flying overhead, a massive surge of Heavenly Body magic collecting and gathering over him. She looked on in shock before her gaze traveled down and she saw Naruto trying to lift himself to his feet.

Her eyes widened and she reached out to grab him, "NO! NARUTO!"

"ALTAIRIS!"

Jellal threw the mass of black magic down on top of Naruto as a deafening explosion rocked the entire floor. The blond's entire form was engulfed by the extraordinary attack as a shockwave spread out and cracked the entire room from the force.

Ezra's eyes looked on in horror as her hair blew back from the explosion. She stared hopelessly at the center of the blast before the smoke was blown away by the gust of wind passing through the broken Lacrima. The black shroud passed and revealed the massive scorch mark that covered the deep and brunt crater in the Lacrima. And in the center of it was a facedown Naruto, unmoving and completely unresponsive to the shimmering magic around him.

Erza stood in shock and silence, her mismatched eyes void of all light as she stared at Naruto's body. He wasn't making a move. His chest wasn't even moving. The injured Requip Mage just stared down in apprehensive dread at her dearest person's defeat.

She felt empty. Cold. Like everything was lost. Like at that moment...there wasn't anything left in her world.

Erza forgot about her injuries. She forgot about the pain that had crippled her and the fatigue that had gripped her. Everything that had made her slow and caused her to arrive late to his side was forgotten as she merely stepped forward with her gaze focused on his form. She reached out and muttered in an empty voice, "Naruto..."

And slowly she watched as Jellal descended directly in her path and stood between her and Naruto. Erza seemed to acknowledge his presence as she stopped and lowered her hand.

Jellal kept his eyes firmly on Erza as he recognized the emptiness in her once vibrant eyes and the anguish that would soon take its place. He wouldn't dare look back at Naruto's corpse. Naruto had fought and died for his cause. Jellal's was just stronger. He would mourn his friend...and find some way to give him peace in the future...but not now. He had to finish what he started. He would not make his death in vain.

"I've won." Jellal announced without a shred of pride or joy to be found in his words. His gaze was sad but focused as he looked at the despondent redhead in front of him. Despite the Tower breaking and crumbling apart around them, Jellal spoke in a quiet voice as he knew Erza could hear him, "But the Tower of Heaven is breaking. Soon enough this whole place will come crashing down and the magic will be released." He spoke with a disappointed voice at the destruction of his work before he looked down at Erza, "I'll need to rebuild...and I'll need to take you with me."

"..."

Erza didn't respond as her head lowered and her bangs covered most of her face.

Jellal knew he wasn't going to get a response from her like this. He was taking her away from everything she knew...and he had just taken the most precious thing in her life away from her.

He closed his eyes before opening them up with a bit of hope, "I can bring him back." He noticed Erza react shuffling around on her feet as he tried reason to her, "Once I make this new world, I can find a way to bring you and him back to life. You can live in peace and tranquility for the rest of your lives. If you just come-"

"How could we live in that world?"

Her shaky voice finally spoke up and interrupted the Wizard Saint's speech. She looked up, her eyes a mix of sadness, despair, and anger with tears forming in her brown eye. Her voice hitched before she shook her head, "This world you want-any world you want-if it can only be built upon the pain and death of other people, can not be considered a paradise! If I had the choice, I'd rather stay dead than live in it! And if I'm the last key to realizing it..."

She summoned a sword into her hand and raised it as the tip nearly punctured Jellal's chest, keeping him at bay before he could step any closer. The tears streamed from her eye and Erza grit her teeth in contempt as she shook her head, "Then I will keep resisting. As long as my body has blood and my will has a purpose, I shall stop your cause however I can."

Jellal slowly blinked and looked down to see a drop of blood going down his chest where the blade breached the skin. He closed his eyes, steeling himself for whatever he had to do next as he started raising his hand, "Fine..."

"To the bitter end."

Suddenly, he felt a powerful grip wrap around his wrist as Jellal looked back in shock. He was pulled off his feet and lost his balance as he saw a bruised and bloody fist come down on him-

"HAAAA!"

Naruto's punch struck Jellal's cheek and slammed him into the Lacrima at their feet, splintering it under the force as the man's cheek ripped from the force. Jellal's body immediately reacted to the attack and he leapt as far away from the attacker as possible. His vision was blurred for a moment and he lost feeling in his face before he looked up in shock at his opponent.

Naruto's fist lowered in front of him, his body covered in bruises, burns, and blood as he painfully gasped and wheezed for air. There was a very faint glow of magic around him as his Armor finally faltered and his reserves depleted completely. Naruto's held himself like he was covered in lead and sweat was dripping down his face from the exertion of fighting.

Even so...even after taking Jellal's destructive blast with the last of his magic and his healing factor keeping the wounds from getting worse, he looked up with a fiery focus in his eyes.

Even with one foot in the grave, the whiskered blond clenched his fists as a steady wave of wind started to cover his hands.

Jellal just stared at the blond man before his felt his anger start to rise. He was still fighting. He was still going this far to defy him.

He was willing to put himself through this pain and suffering...to stop this new world from being made.

Why?

Why?

Why? Why? Why?! Why?! WHY?!

"WHY?!" Jellal roared out as his body shined with Meteor and he dashed forward at blinding speeds. Naruto grit his teeth through the pain as he yelled and started throwing punches and blasts of wind as quickly as he could. The Saint's rage was so unyielding that Jellal didn't even bother dodging the blasts of wind, tanking the attacks as he charged forward with a scream. He struck Naruto with a full-body charge that blew the blond and Erza off their feet from the sheer force. The Fairy Mage somehow landed on his feet before swiping his hands out and releasing a wave of sharp wind to catch Jellal.

The blue-haired Mage paid them no mind as he barreled through them to reach the blond once again. Naruto saw the charge and raised his guard as Jellal started landing powerful punches against his form, "WHY?! WHY DO YOU KEEP PERSISTING?!" He struck Naruto's arms, "WHY DO YOU KEEP FIGHTING?!" He grazed Naruto's ribs, "WHY DO YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS WORLD?!"

He struck Naruto's head and sent the blond tumbling back again as Jellal went to finish him, "THE WORLD YOU WERE TORTURED IN! THE WORLD WE SUFFERED IN! THE WORLD WE LOST EVERYTHING IN! WHY DO YOU WANT TO SAVE IT?!"

Naruto's eyes opened and he lurched forward, landing a devastating punch in Jellal's sternum and yelled, "BECAUSE I LOVE THIS WORLD!"

Jellal was blown back as Naruto dashed forward and leapt up to release a quick side and spin kick that caught Jellal in the head. The blond pushed through his pain as he yelled, "THIS IS THE WORLD I FOUND A HOME IN!" He swung his leg out and released a blade of wind that Jellal quickly leapt over, "THE WORLD I FOUND LOVE IN!" He jumped forward and landed an high kick into Jellal's chin, knocking the Wizard Saint high up into the air, "THE WOLRD I FOUND A FAMILY! A WORLD WHERE I FOUND EVERYONE! WHERE I FOUND YOU!" Naruto ran up the wall and blew out a massive gust of wind, "AND I WON'T LET IT VANISH WITHOUT GIVING ALL I HAVE TO PROTECT IT!"

Jellal guarded and felt small but numerous cuts litter over his body. His eyes focused in contempt as he held out his hands and created another magic circle over himself and beneath Naruto. The blond braced against the wall and leapt high into the air as the attack obliterated the spot he once stood.

Naruto hit the apex of his jump, hovering high above the remains of the broken structure as he yelled, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHOSE BEEN FANTASIZING, JELLAL! YOU'VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE THE PERFECT WORLD, AND YOU'RE WILLING TO DESTROY THIS ONE TO DO IT! BUT I WON'T LET YOU!"

Jellal was seething with rage as he looked up with livid fury in his eyes. Naruto started descending and propelled himself down faster with the help of his Wind. A rapid vortex formed around his fist and pulled it back, "JUST WAKE UP! AND COME BACK TO THE WORLD, JELLAAAALLLL!"

Jellal flared his magic and launched himself upward to meet his foe as he pulled back his fist as well, "NARUTOOOOOOO!"

Jellal and Naruto came soaring into each other at incredible speeds. The Wizard Saint was the first to strike, twisting his body and throwing his fist up so quickly he knew it'd break Naruto's neck on contact. He knew he hit, feeling his knuckles hit Naruto's nose and moving through to crush his head-

But was left stunned when Naruto turned his head at the moment of contact and avoid the damage all together by moving with the strike. The deranged man could only watch in silence as Naruto twisted his entire body and his fist came down at his face. In the moment...before his fist struck...a small smile came over Jellal's face...

He remembered...just how strong Naruto really is.

"RAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto's fist hit and Jellal was blasted down towards the Tower, breaking through the floor and barreling through the levels beneath it like a meteor. Jellal's screaming form ruined the remains of the Tower before finally cratering the ground many levels down.

Naruto's body went slack in the air, all the strength and adrenaline that had been pushing him this far suddenly fading from his body. He almost careened into the floor before making a rough landing and feelings his knees buckle underneath him from the weight. He fell to his knees, his breathing ragged and his eyes heavy from exhaustion before he started falling forward into unconsciousness.

Erza came to his side and grabbed him before he could fall, letting him relax and settle against her as she spared a look to the hole their fight had created. She stared at it in amazement before looking down at the blond silently resting against her chest. A small smile formed as she carefully moved a strand of his hair out of his eyes before gently kissing the top of his head. She hugged him and whispered into his ear, "You did it."

*Crash*

Ezra's eyes widened and she looked around in panic as she felt the Tower of Heaven start to break on its foundation. The entire massive structure started to shift in place as the floor cracked and fell to the levels beneath it. The damage from their fight was finally starting to unsettle the magic and Etherion was coming loose. They didn't have time to waste.

Erza looked down at the unconscious blond in her arms and knew that he wasn't going to be able to move without help. Her eyes hardened with resolve as she snaked an arm beneath his knees and lifted him up to carry him out of the crumbling prison.

The redhead turned around and prepared to leave...before solemnly sparing a look back at the hole Jellal had been sent falling through.

She didn't want to leave him. Even after all the horrible things he's done, she didn't want to condemn him to being engulfed by the released Etherion. But considering how injured they all were, she could only risk making one trip to escape.

...

She closed her eyes, "I'm sorry." Before she turned back around and quickly started making her way to the stairs. She descended them as quickly as she could as the walls and steps continued to crack underneath the stress of the unstable magic inside of them.

A portion of the stairs in front of her cracked apart and collapsed into themselves before she could reach them. Suddenly, Erza found herself stranded between an empty gap into the next level of stairs and the collapsing level behind her. The redhead looked down at the blond in her arms and back up to her destination before holding him tightly.

The Requip Mage bent down before leaping up, running along the stable wall for support as she made her way towards the next stable platform. She felt an agonizing pain shoot up her leg to her body and she grit her teeth as she pushed it down and forced herself forward to reach the next floor. One of her feet slipped along the wall as she lost her balance and leapt off the wall for good measure, crash landing on the floor before tiredly lifting herself up to her feet. Erza panted as she made sure Naruto was okay and kept trekking onward.

The Fairy Mage was met with a dozen more gaps and falling sections to jump and dodge through to avoid death. And each one forced her to push through the pain as it all started to accumulate. But she powered through it, making her way down several levels before-

*CRASH*

A massive portion of the Lacrima over their heads broke apart and fell down over them, forcing Erza to quickly step back and trip over a warped portion of Lacrima by her foot. The redhead fell on her butt and looked around to see that their escape route was now blocked. And everything else around them was starting to become deformed and warped by the instability of the Etherion moving around inside it.

Erza looked around in a frenzy for another way out, her chest heaving as she felt like her lungs burn like they were on fire. There were no more places to run through. Every path was blocked by broken rubble or the morphed Lacrima. They had no other clear options.

The redhead looked towards one wall and considered breaking it down and jumping into the ocean. Could the Tower take any more damage before breaking like the time bomb it was? And even if she did manage to break it down, could they survive the jump? She was injured badly and Naruto was even worse. But if she aimed for the water...

...

It didn't matter. Erza's face twisted in anger as she realized that no matter what happened, they weren't going to make it.

They weren't going to be able to escape the blast when the Tower of Heaven finally broke and released the magic. And considering the magic in the air and the glow of the crystal that was similar to when the attack initially happened, they didn't have long before it exploded.

They couldn't escape.

She just hoped her friends had escaped far enough away from the blast to be safe. But considering they were her friends...she doubted they were very far away.

Erza panted before trying to calm her breathing, sparing a look down at the unconscious man in her arms as a wave of regret and sadness overtook her. She didn't want it to end like this for all of them. The Tower of Heaven was finally destroyed. Her friends were freed from their prison. Naruto had stopped Jellal and they were finally relieved of this horrible nightmare.

But now they were all going to die because of this place. Because this stupid place couldn't contain the magic.

...

Contain the magic.

Erza eyes slowly widened before she looked over her shoulder at a massive Lacrima wall at her back. Jellal wanted to use her body to become one with the magic and resurrect Zeref. If she could become one with the magic, could she redirect it? Control it? Make it so it doesn't explode?

She had no idea. But with no other available options...

Erza looked down at her unconscious lover and gently laid a kiss on his lips. She carefully lowered him to the floor, praying that if this worked, he would at least survive. The redhead S-Class Mage pushed herself up to her feet and cautiously made her way to the wall, ignoring the deafening crashes and buzzing through the air as she set herself on her mission. She carefully raised her hand before pressing against it, letting her hand slowly slip into the Lacrima like a liquid once again.

It was unbearably cold for just a moment, before an uncomfortable warmth filled it's place.

She forced herself further in, taking a sharp inhale of air at the stinging and uncomfortable sensation passing through her every cell. The horrifying mix of feelings finally came to an end as she was fully engulfed by the warped crystal, sensing the overwhelming magic that encompassed her.

Naruto's eyes finally peeled open as he felt an unnatural hum through the air before the ground beneath him started to shake and move. He blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he was awake before slowly pushing himself up on his hands and knees, forcing himself to take it slow as his whole body was throbbing with pain. The blond finally looked around at the unfamiliar sight around him as he tried to remember what had happened.

Him and Jellal had fought and Erza came in. He had roared and hit Jellal with the very last of his strength. He was falling through the air before everything just went black. So what happened after that?

As the whiskered man looked around for something familiar, his eyes finally landed on the sight of Erza being taken in by the crystal in front of her. His eyes blinked a few times before they widened in shock, "E-Erza?" His sense kicked back in and he tried to dash after her, "Er-ah!"

Erza turned around in the Lacrima when she heard her name beinging yelled out. She saw Naruto falling over his feet from exhaustion before catching himself. He seemed to move forward in a mix of a run before coming down into a kneel and crawl. He was trying to reach her despite the pain in his body, "Naruto, you need to stop."

Naruto fell on his knees and desperately gasped for air before looking up at her through the crystal, "W-what are you doing?! Get out of there quick!"

Erza sadly shook her head, "I can't." She motioned to their surroundings, "The Tower of Heaven is collapsing. If I don't do anything, we'll all die from it. But at least this way there's a chance I can channel the magic elsewhere and protect you."

"Then let me do it! We can do it together" Naruto exclaimed as he finally reached the wall she was floating in and tried to force himself in to no avail. He kept pressing his hands further against the stone as he strained, "If I can just get in there a help, m-maybe-maybe we can-DAMMIT LET ME IN!"

"Naruto stop!" Erza yelled back, her eye watering as she watched him desperately scrape and press against the wall like he was digging into it. She calmed the tremble in her voice and shook her head, "You can't do everything, Naruto. You're too injured now and you don't have anymore magic." Naruto's struggle steadily started to end before he lowered his hand and slumped down to his knees in front of the wall. Erza stayed floating in the crystal and spoke calmly to ease his pain, "You did it. You freed us, Naruto. You stopped Jellal. And you brought this horrid place crashing down. You finally did what we all have been dreaming for eight years to do. You saved us. So please...let me save all of you as well."

"B-but." Naruto looked up at her through the crystal as his tears streamed down his face unbidden. He shook his head, "I can't lose you. I don't want to lose you too." He shook his head and pressed his palm up against the wall in one last attempt to force himself through. It was for nothing before looking up at her and pleading, "Please don't go."

The redhead struggled to find the will to follow through with her duty as she wanted to go to his side and run. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to run with him and the others back to their home. She wanted to live.

Erza felt the sensation in her arms and legs start to fade as she could feel the magic finally start to assimilate and fuse with her.

The redhead closed her eyes and took in a calming breath before looking down at the crying blond. A beautiful smile came over her face as a tear came down from her eye. She reassured him, "Naruto, it's okay. It'll all be okay. You've protected me for so long. Now please, let me protect you too."

He shook his head, "I don't want to lose you."

"And I don't want to lose you either." She answered back immediately before smiling, "But it will all be okay. I'll protect all of you. So please...just smile. Keep fighting. Keep living...for me."

Naruto's tears overflowed as he leaned his head against the Lacrima, cursing himself for being unable to continue with his injuries. He looked up at her and Erza gave him one last smile, conveying all the love and joy he had given her after all these years before whispering loud enough for him to hear.

"I love you."

The light within the Lacrima finally reached its peak as Erza slowly closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was Naruto screaming furiously as he pounded his fist against the Lacrima wall to try and breach it, screaming out her name despite it being drowned out by the hum.

She felt the unimaginable magic consume her as she closed her eyes and moved it with her mind. She struggled, letting out a soundless scream as she aimed the magic upwards. The light consumed her...the sounded faded around her...

And once again...

The world just disappeared around her.

########Hunter########

Done

Sorry for the delay.

All I have to say for my uselessness.

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