A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to a new chapter!

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, I only own my OC.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: ETHERION

Natsu still feels sick from the fight. "Are you awake, Natsu?" Simon is carrying Natsu on his back while climbing the stairs outside the tower.

"I remember I was caught by some weird moving vehicle and..." Natsu is about to throw up on Simon's shoulder.

"Stop! You can't get nausea from memories!" Simon shouted. "After that you were eaten by Fukuro, and Aira had to save you."

"Aira?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"But Aira took a lot of damage." Simon informed.

"Erza..." Aira is carried by Cain by his tail.

"You're heavier than usual... Didn't I tell you to cut back on the sweets, Aira?" Cain sweat drops as he struggles to carry his partner by his tail.

"Shut up..." Aira weakly said.

"That cat is taking him out of here." Simon said.

Happy sees the ships leave the tower. "The ships are leaving...!"

"Look below you!" Aira said.

Happy looks down and sees a boat. "I found a ship!"

"That's the one we came on." Aira stated.

"I can't believe this! I lost, and Aira won?!" Natsu argued.

"You didn't really lose. You were eaten." Simon commented.

"He's gonna hold this over me for a month! He's really petty like that... Damn it!" Natsu panics as he realizes that he's the weaker Dragon Slayer.

"Come on now..." Simon added.

"There's only one thing to do! Revenge! I'll fight that birdbrain again and get my revenge!" Natsu plans out his attack while furiously screaming.

Simon yanks Natsu's scarf, dragging him along the stairs. "We don't have time for that!"

"Oh yeah... Who are you?" Natsu asked.

"Simon. An old friend of Erza's." He replied.

"Oh, okay. Nice to meetcha." Natsu greeted. Simon feels a sharp pain in his abdomen. "You're injured?"

"Don't worry about me. Listen carefully, Natsu. Wall sent me a message before. He said he found Lucy and Juvia collapsed, along with a defeated member of the Trinity Raven." Simon stated. "They didn't know what was going on, so they took your two friends outside the tower."

"Weren't these the enemy?" Wally asked as he carries Juvia on his back.

Millanna drags Lucy with a rope tied around her body. "But Simon said they're our allies."

"So then, why is she tying me up and dragging me?" Lucy asks herself.

"And I've already been contacted by Sho that Trinity Raven have all been defeated." Simon informed.

"I didn't do a thing!" Natsu commented, upset that he wasn't able to beat anyone.

"All that's left is Jellal himself. Erza is heading toward him now." Simon stated. "She is trying to end this all by herself. Those two have been connected by date for 8 years. Their destiny may be to do a battle." Erza is making her way towards Jellal. "However Jellal is too powerful. Please... save Erza."

"Hell no." Natsu refused.

"What?!" Simon screamed, shocked to hear that Natsu refuses to help.

Whist the others are arguing, Erza reaches Jellal. Jellal seems calm, even though he is very much aware of the immient collision. Erza's final hope is to keep Jellal busy for as long as it takes for Etherion to fall, so that they may both perish together. Jellal brushes her off, claiming that it is her destiny to be used as Zeref's sacrifice. Erza then questions whether Etherion will fall at all, but Jellal insists that it will. The two then begin their fight.

"Damn it! Turn the ship around!" Aira demanded.

"I can't do that, okay?" Wally replied.

"We were told to get away from here." Millianna said.

"But Erza is still inside..." Lucy argued. "And Natsu, too!"

"I'm sure she will be fine." Sho replied. "I have to trust her."

"I can't leave her to just Natsu!" Aira argued.

"There's nothing to be done. Simon is also with him... They'll handle it somehow." Wally stated.

"Somehow? What's that supposed to mean?!" Lucy yelled.

"Don't yell!" Millanna yelled.

"Everyone, calm down!" Sho said.

"Shut up! Turn the boat around now! I've got to save Erza!" Aira demanded.

"Hurry, there's no time!" Lucy said.

"I said it's no use!" Wally stated.

"Shut up!" Happy screamed at everyone which quiets them down. "What's with you?! I want to go back, too! But there's no point... Etherion will be fired at any moment! I just know that Natsu will bring Erza back! That's what Simon told me! If Salamander's true power awakens, even Jellal wouldn't..."

Natsu starts arguing with Simon. Simon wants him to go and help Erza, but Natsu refuses, saying that she needs to conquer her own demons. Simon continues by saying that Erza will not beat Jellal, as she wants to save him, and Jellal will try to use it against her. He voices his concerns of Erza's kamikaze plans, and Natsu, at this point furious, demands to be brought to her.

In a room at the top of the tower Erza and Jellal have continue to battle. Jellal is amused by Erza's perseverance, and after a series of small blows he finally cages her with one of his spells. Remembering her comrades of Fairy Tail and the tower, Erza blasts out of the cage and knocks Jellal down. Shocked, he asks himself if this was the real Erza.

Erza questions Jellal's actions. He could not complete the R-System due to the insufficiency of Magic needed to activate it. Despite that and the Magic Council's threat of using Etherion, Jellal choses to hold his place. Erza is however unwilling to kill him, and tells him that she will wait with him for Etherion to fall and end them both. Jellal replies that she can say anything she wants, as her words will not reach him. He states he was possessed by Zeref's spirit and is nothing more than a puppet. He claims that everything was over before it even began and that there is no freedom anywhere.

Meanwhile, Etherion is ready to be fired. Everyone in the Council lowers their heads to pray to the light, and the countdown begins.

When Jellal surrenders his life to Erza, she releases him out of pity and they prepare for Etherion's blast. They both declare themselves sacrifices; Erza because she couldn't save Jellal, and Jellal because he gave in to his weakness. In the final moments before the collision, they hug, wanting to die together.

Etherion is released and in the moment before it hits, Jellal shows his true face, knowing all along that the Etherion would not kill anyone.

However, after the blast clears, everyone in the tower remains conscious and alive. As Erza looks around and questions what occured, Jellal smirks and laughs.

"A crystal...?" Happy looks at the large crystal tower.

"No, it's a magic crystal..." Aira muttered. "A lacrima..."

"They're all right, right?! Natsu and Erza and that Simon guy...?!" Lucy asked, worried for her friends.

It seems that the metal outside of the tower was actually a cover up for the real form of the Tower of Heaven; a giant Lacrima. Having absorbed the incredible amount of Magic Power Etherion possessed, the R-System is completed.

At the council, Siegrain suddenly vanishes.

Meanwhile, Siegrain reappears beside Jellal and is revealed to have just been a Thought Projection made by Jellal so that he could infiltrate the Council and fire Etherion on the Tower of Heaven. After being reunited with his Thought Projection, Jellal's Magic Power returns.

Meanwhile, Ultear is using her Arc of Time Magic to demolish the Magic Council and Etherion's site. She is revealed to be one of Jellal's most passionate followers, willing to give her life for Jellal's dream.

"This is the R-System?!" Aira asked.

"Yeah. It's the true form of the R-System we built. You know?" Wally responded.

"It's active!" Millianna pointed out.

"Active?! Does that mean Zeref is going to be revived?!" Lucy asked.

"We don't know. This is the first time we've ever seen it active too..." Sho replied.

"Natsu and Erza are inside there!" Aira stated.

"Simon, too... And Jellal." Sho said.

As Erza comes close to losing to Jellal, Natsu comes to rescue her and takes the battle into his hands.

"I hope Natsu and Erza are okay!" Lucy's still worried about her friends.

"They're fine! They're both Fairy Tail wizards, after all!" Happy stated.

"Yeah. All we can do now is have faith in them!" Aira added.

As Natsu battles Jellal, anger builds up inside him as he eats Etheiors that contains the element fire. He successfully enters Dragon Force.

The others from the ocean notice that the Tower is being destroyed. "What in the world...?!" Sho is shocked to see the explosions.

"What's going on?!" Wally asked.

"That has to be Natsu!" Happy exclaimed.

"Yeah! I think so too!" Lucy agreed.

"But are they gonna be okay?" Millianna asked.

"I'd like to think so, but he's really going on a rampage...!" Aira said. "So, Natsu finally entered Dragon Force, huh?"

A/N: There you go!

Hope you enjoyed!

~Kyle