Ladies and Gentlemen, it's finally time. To be completely honest with you, out of all of the chapters I've written for this story, this is the one that I've put the hardest work and effort into by far. The reasons why will be evident soon enough but I spent well over 2 months working on this chapter in particular. I almost literally feel like I poured my heart and soul into it. So I'm truly hoping that you'll all experience this chapter with the feelings and emotions that I used to write this chapter. More than any other chapter thus far, I eagerly await your reviews.

LET'S STARTED, FIGHTERS ALL SET, READY, GO!

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and Weekly Shounen Magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun!


"So, you're Jellal, huh?" Bambietta could barely contain the anger in her voice. "I've heard quite a bit about you these last eight hours. Apparently, you're the reason those jackasses kidnapped Erza and made us come all the way over here for some payback. Gonna be honest, not how I wanted to spend my vacation!" She then punched her left fist into the palm of her right hand as she narrowed her gaze. "But now all your henchmen have either gotten their asses kicked or they work for us now, so all I gotta do now is kick your ass, save Erza, and I can go back to enjoying my vaca-" Before Bambietta could finish her rant, however, she caught Siegrain out of the corner of her eye, before looking back at Jellal, then back to Siegrain, then back to Jellal before finally looking over her shoulder at Erza and Liltotto. "This is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them."

"Of course, there are two of them!" Erza snapped, the stress of the situation causing her to lose her composure, her frustrations growing. "Bambietta, I swear, if that was a reference to one of your movies, I'll…I'll-"

Bambietta heard it in Erza's voice, the Quincy once more realizing how much everything about this place was getting to Erza. She had merely wanted to bring some levity to it for her own sake, but… "N-No, no it isn't," Bambietta blatantly lied, her eyes looking into Jellal's own, though she kept Siegrain within the corner of her eye. "But now it's just the two of us against just the two of you bastards."

The red-headed mage gasped then as she misinterpreted Bambietta's words, her thought process scattered from all of the stress. "Just us… what do you mean just us!? What about the others!? Did they-"

Bambietta quickly shook her head as she looked at Erza. "What? No, no, no! They're totally fine, Erza!...Well, okay, no, not fine, they got beat to shit by that one jackass guildmaster, but they're now plenty far away on a boat, safe and sound! I can still sense their energy, so I think Wendy's doing her job right!" Seeing Erza let out a sigh of relief, the Quincy turned to Jellal once more. "So, you know what's gonna happen now?" Bambietta raised her left hand then, The Explode at the ready and giving rise to several orbs that floated about her hand. "I'm gonna kick your asses all the way down to the bottom of this tower!"

"Bambi, hold it," Liltotto interrupted. "I know that you're gung ho about putting these assholes down. Trust me when I say I know how you feel, but if I recall right, that guy," she pointed at Siegrain, "was a Wizard Saint, and he was just one rank below Jose. I don't need to tell you how close it was when we dealt with someone of that kind of power, and last time, we had almost the entire guild. This time… it's just the two of us."

Bambietta frowned as she looked at Siegrain, memories from her brief visit to the Magic Council flashing through her mind. 'Oh, great, I recognize this asshole now. Fuck, just what we needed. Another powerhouse to deal with.' Bambietta had grown as a fighter since her last fight with Jose, but not enough for her to think victory was so casually within reach. She then looked back at Liltotto before she smirked. "Um, Lil, I know we're not exactly in an ideal situation but we still got Erza with us. With those new armors of hers-"

"Bambi, her power's been sealed. She's powerless." Liltotto said as she walked over to her. "Fortunately, it's not permanent, but from what I saw when I grabbed her, it's going to take a long time before it wears off."

Bambietta's eyes widened with concern as she looked back at her friend. "...How long are we talking?"

"If I were to be extremely generous..." Liltotto paused before she answered. "20 minutes."

Bambietta froze up on the spot, her voice a quiet voice, little emotion evident in it. All that ringed true from her tone was a quiet reservation, the Quincy knowing full well what troubles she and Liltotto had gotten themselves into. "Oh no."

"Yeah, not exactly what I'd call a winning scenario," Liltotto said as she stared at the two blue-haired mages. "That said, if we focus all of our firepower on the original, we should be able to take it. If we knock him out, it's possible the Wizard Saint should fade away."

"Oh, and just how did you deduce I was a thought projection so easily?" Siegrain asked. "No one among the Magic Council nor the Wizard Saints was able to do that. Tell me, what gave it away?"

"I can tell that this tower was made specifically to absorb magical power. Luckily for you, it was able to absorb that large blast of magic...but it also has its own share of side effects." Liltotto then pointed at his hand. "Take a look."

The Wizard Saint looked down, only for his eyes to widen as he noticed his hand beginning to turn translucent. "What!?"

"Because you're just a thought projection, the magic that created you is also being slightly absorbed into the tower. You may not have lost any of your power, but your structural integrity is falling apart. If we just knock out your original self, then you'll just fade away."

"You really think we can take him out so easily?" Bambietta asked. "I mean he may not be as strong as the Wizard Saint guy, but he's no pushover."

"Maybe, but it's the best chance we got." Liltotto informed her. "So when they start their attack-"

(Song of choice: Birth of Fused Zamasu)

Jellal smiled. "Oh, I do believe you two interlopers scarcely understand the situation."

"And a lack of such knowledge could prove fatal," Siegrain added as he walked towards Jellal, his body becoming translucent and incorporeal. To the twin Quincy, it appeared as if his form was fading away, his particles of being flowing into Jellal. Then, he was gone... and white light flared about Jellal himself, mingling with the darkness.

"Light and darkness are one... I am whole once more..." Jellal hissed, his left eye flaring with the mark of Zeref. "This power... I had almost forgotten..." He grinned wildly as he looked at Bambietta and Liltotto. "Bow in reverence, and begone! Lord Zeref's hour draws near, and only Erza and I, the Chosen Ones, are to be a part of it!"

Bambietta and Liltotto took a step back as they felt the sheer power emanating off from Jellal as the two beings had become one. Compared to any of the enemies they had fought before, Erigor, the hollowfied monster of Clover, even Jose Porla, Ikaruga, and Dyspute, all of them paled in comparison to the power they were sensing from the mad man who reigned over the Tower of Heaven. It wasn't very often when Bambietta would consider running away from a fight. Most of the time, her pride simply wouldn't allow it. She could count on one hand the times she had ever run away from a fight. And the sheer difference in power she could feel right now would have normally forced her to do just that.

Liltotto was of a similar mindset. She knew better than to take on a foe far above her level. She wasn't full of pride like Bambietta and Candice were. She was a woman of logic, first and foremost. It's what had allowed her to survive and climb the ranks of the Wandenriech, as well as this new world she lived in. If this was a normal situation, she was sure that she and Bambietta would have made a run for it.

However, there was one thing, one single distinct and important fact that prevented them from making that rational choice. One person, who had done so much for them in the months they had spent in Earthland. To one, she was like an idol, a person to look up to and admire for the strength, courage, and kindness that she possessed. To another, she was a reminder of her past, of the one person in her family who ever truly cared for her. The first person she had ever considered family to her since her family had so cruelly thrown her away to save their own hides.

And for both, she was a woman that they both owed a great debt. For saving both of their lives, for her commitment to making sure that they fit in with the guild, for helping them move on from their own dreadful pasts. It was only appropriate that they did everything they could to help her move on from her own.

No matter what.

The two Quincies looked at each other momentarily before vanishing from Erza's sight and appearing above Jellal, Bambietta firing an arrow from the right while Liltotto fired an arrow from the left.

(Song of choice: Haja no Sen Kaze; Fairy Tail OST)

Jellal's body glowed then, shining like gold across the sea of chaos that was the battlefield. He slid between the arrows with little effort, his speed breathtaking.

"Hirenkyaku?" Bambietta asked as she began to fall back down to her feet. She hadn't even seen him move out of the way as he dodged their attacks. One moment he was there and the next...he just vanished before the arrows hit their target.

"No, it's... faster-?" Liltotto was caught off guard as Jellal appeared before her, kicking the Quincy away with a spin. He turned back to Bambietta then, glaring at her.

"I told you both to leave," Jellal said. "I gave you a chance and you two squandered it. Well, so be it. I'll simply spill your blood in tribute to the grand resurrection."

"OH, SHUT UP!" Bambietta yelled before she vanished with Hirenkyaku once again, appearing right before Jellal with her sword held up high above her head in her right hand. She swung it down, but Jellal simply dodged backward with little effort. Snarling, she tried to strike at him with her sword once more. Again and again she tried, but each time, her strikes were nowhere close to landing a hit.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Bambietta cried out before she swung her sword once more. "Fuck off!" She smirked as it came close to hitting Jellal's neck...only for him to grab the blade in-between two of his fingers. "What!?"

"Is this all that you've got?" Jellal shook his head. "And to think I wished for Ultear to bring in one of your kind, but even Quilge was a disappointment. Not like that... other one."

"Other one?" Bambietta furrowed her brow.

"It doesn't matter!" Jellal threw Bambietta and her blade aside, watching as she skid across the floor. "Once my lord is resurrected, even that fool will be nothing more than a footnote in the history we will create!"

"Licht Regen!" Liltotto yelled out as she appeared above him with Hirenkyaku, her bow firing upon the mad man with thousands of arrows. 'I may not be able to land a hit with just one arrow, but we'll see how well you handle a thousand!'

"Heavenly Body Magic; Meteor."

Jellal paid the attack no mind, his body glowing gold once more as he began to move subtly through the hail of arrows, his every motion deliberate and quick. As he did so, he kept his focus on Liltotto, his eyes never looking anywhere but into her own. And he drew closer still, shifting about, never being struck down as he drew closer.

Then he was before Liltotto, leaning over to look her dead in the eyes, his expression cold. "How quaint. With my spell, I can walk between the raindrops. Compared to that, your attack means less than nothing."

Her eyes widening just as he closed the gap between them, Liltotto quickly activated Blut Vene to defend herself before Jellal landed a powerful right punch to her stomach. Despite using the defensive technique, Liltotto was sent flying through the air as she felt the blow shatter her ribs. She skid across the surface of the tower as she landed, and nearly fell off the tower had it not been for her right hand grabbing onto the lacrima's surface and halting her momentum at the last minute. She took a few painful gasps of air before she tried to stand up, her feet wobbling from the effort. 'I don't believe it… with just one punch, he's already broken some ribs. It was like I never used Blut Vene at all!' She then felt something rise up from her stomach before she felt herself puke up blood.

"Liltotto!" Erza cried out as she watched on. She tried to stand up, tried to summon one of her armors, but the instant she tried, she felt her magic snap right back into her body thanks to the seal Jellal had placed onto her several moments ago. 'Damn it all! I still can't use my magic!' She looked at Liltotto then before she spoke. "Listen, you have to-"

"We're not going anywhere, Erza!" Bambietta said as she jumped up into the air. "We already told you earlier, we're not going to leave 'til you're back with us, safe and sound!" She then narrowed her eyes at Jellal before she formed some "Explode" orbs in her hands. "Here! Try! These! On! For size!" She then began to throw orb after orb of her destructive Schrift as fast as she could, desperate to finish off the former Wizard Saint.

"Fools!" Jellal began to bob and weave through the orbs, drawing ever closer. "I gave you all chance after chance to leave, but all of you remain out of some foolish bond with Erza! So be it! Your deaths are your responsibility!"

"Oh, fuck off with that holier than thou bullshit!" Bambietta roared, lobbing more of The Explode at him.

"Stupid, foolish woman!" Jellal replied, once more evading them. "Haven't you realized by now that I'm untouchable?"

"Oh, I bet I wasn't the first woman you've said that to, ass clown!" Bambietta said, raising both hands up, giving form to a larger Explode orb. "But what about this stupid, hellhole tower of yours!?"

"What?" Jellal looked back for a moment, keeping his guard up. He could see explosions ringing out, as well as the remnants of previous ones. As the smoke cleared, he could see craters forming along the surface of the tower. "You..."

"Looks like now that it's absorbed all that power from the Etherion that it can't absorb anymore! So, that gives me an idea! I'm gonna tear this place down one explosion at a time if that's what it takes!" Bambietta shouted, throwing another orb forward and creating yet another crater.

"You're bluffing!" Jellal shouted, turning back.

"Dumbass prick!" Bambietta retorted. "I never bluff!" She prepared to throw another orb of "The Explode" but before she could, Jellal glowed gold once more before he vanished from sight and delivered a powerful right punch to her left cheek. Before she could even think of retaliating to attack, he quickly sped around behind her and delivered a powerful left kick to her back, her spine cracking in ways it never had before as she was sent flying.

As she hurtled towards the ground, Jellal appeared before her yet again and delivered a powerful right punch to her chest, sending her up to the sky. As soon as she managed to stop her ascent into the air, she was soon pelted with a quick succession of punches from all sides. Each hit was as if she was being hit by a freight train and they were all leaving her in pain, disoriented, and completely unable to fight back. Finally, Jellal grabbed her by her long brown hair and threw her to the ground, the Quincy screaming out in pain as her back hit the massive lacrima.

She let out a low groan as she tried to get up to her feet, wobbling as she did so. 'Damn if that guy doesn't know how to throw a punch! If it weren't for Blut Vene I might have...no, I DEFINITELY would have died from all those attacks.' She narrowed her eyes as Jellal slowly descended, and grit her teeth. 'But the worst part about fighting him isn't even how hard he hits. It's his speed!' Bambietta slowly turned over to look at Liltotto before she spoke. "Lil, use Blitzrakete Schritt! Now!"

Liltotto's eyes widened as she heard Bambietta's suggestion. "But Bambi, that's-"

Bambietta rolled her eyes in annoyance before she quickly interrupted. "Yeah, Yeah, I know, I know, it's forbidden and could fuck up our bodies. Look, me and Candi had to use it earlier to pressure some geisha swordswoman assassin and we were fine. Right now, as things stand, we aren't even going to be able to land a hit on this asshole, let alone win. We need speed, Lil. Blut Vene isn't going to last us forever."

Liltotto looked down at herself, not sure if she could follow along with Bambietta's rationality so recklessly. On the one hand, it would provide them with the speed and power needed to win, but on the chance that it didn't work, they would be helpless. She looked back at Erza then, and upon seeing the S-Class wizard's distraught face, she clenched her fists before she nodded. "Yeah, alright. Let's do it! For Erza."

Bambietta nodded back. "For Erza."

(Song of choice: Extremum Belli Code Vein)

"Blitzrakete Schritt!" The two cried out in unison. The two Sternritter glowed with reiatsu then as the veins in their legs glowed with power. They took off after Jellal, their speed far greater than it was before, blades drawn. Jellal smirked, only for his eyes to widen in surprise as they came at him much faster than expected, the blue-haired mage barely dodging out of the way of the attack on time. Quickly adopting a more stoic expression as they continued to strike at him, the mage moved back just in time to narrowly avoid getting cut.

"Get back here!" Bambietta shouted as she and Liltotto chased after him with their new speed. Jellal kept his distance but his opponents were constantly within a few feet of his presence as they continued slashing at him with precise and synchronized attacks, never ceasing for a second until one or both of them would finally manage to connect their weapons to Jellal. So far, their attacks hadn't landed, but they were getting closer and closer with each strike. It was enough for Bambietta to smile with satisfaction. "What's wrong? Are we too much for you to handle, you smug bastard?!"

From where she was lying, Erza hopelessly watched on. She grunted in desperation, seeing something that the two Quincy couldn't with their desire to win clouding their judgment. 'No… damn it. From their perspective, it might look like they've got Jellal on the ropes, but... but he doesn't look even the least bit concerned.'

"Come on now, you bastard! You've gotta realize nobody wins a fight with defense, alone! You can't keep avoiding us!" Liltotto said uncharacteristically mad before Jellal hit his back to a wall of the lacrima structure. She and Bambietta slashed in unison the moment they had an opportunity. Right as it looked like they'd cut him, all they saw were a couple of gash marks in the lacrima wall. "What?! Where did he go?!"

"He couldn't have just disappeared!" Bambietta said in surprise when she and Liltotto looked for any sign of the man. "Even if he did, we literally had him up against a wall! How could he slip by us?!"

Upon hearing a chuckle, the two turned around, surprised to see he was almost at the other edge of the platform they were all standing on. The young women were completely surprised and practically speechless at the distance he moved. It was insane to think that he could escape them without any detection at all. Upon seeing their shock, Jellal chuckled once more before answering the unasked question he knew they wanted. "Well, well, well. I move as fast as I can for just a fraction of a second, and you two end up stupefied. Guess those enhanced forms aren't so strong after all."

Though taken aback, Bambietta and Liltotto quickly prepared themselves and moved even faster as the reiatsu around them glowed brighter while bursting out more. They were gone in flickers as Jellal stayed where he was, unfazed by their pseudo-vanishing.

Just after turning his head to his right, Bambietta emerged above him with her sword swinging down but he grabbed her wrist, surprising her. In the next instant, Liltotto crouched with an upwards diagonal swing at Jellal's left side, but she felt Bambietta slammed on top of her before both of them were kicked back by him. They stood again and with their eyes on Jellal once more, the pair moved themselves as far away as they could to get themselves at a safe distance but once more realized he had vanished once again. Right behind them then, they felt something akin to air pressure momentarily brush behind them before they heard Jellal's voice almost directly in their ears. "Is this the full extent of your 'Blitzrakete Schritt', you called it? I suppose if I was just Siegrain, I'd be struggling, but as I am now… This is mere child's play."

Somewhat out of fear, the Quincy pair turned while attempting to strike him down, but one more did Jellal vanish behind them with an amused grin and arms crossed. 'Alright, if close combat isn't going to work, we'll just use ranged attacks!' Bambietta thought before she continuously used her Explode powers to release volleys of bombs while Liltotto, quickly catching onto her ally's plan, fired as many arrows at once from her bow. Using Blut Arterie in the hands and arms, the projectiles were much faster but Jellal's confidence stayed the same. A massive dust cloud was in place of where he stood but he quickly emerged unscathed from it. Gritting her teeth in fury, Bambietta began shooting anywhere she saw him, but it was futile. None of them came even close to hitting Jellal.

Just then, coming up with a plan, Liltotto's eyes widened. She glanced to Bambi then to Jellal before reaching behind herself, taking out a handle of some sort then ran another direction. When Bambi noticed, she smirked before she went back to blasting at Jellal more. However, firing the Explode without end was something even she couldn't do after all the damage Jellal had inflicted, and eventually, the Sternritter panted heavily from exhaustion as she slouched. "Fucking...hell. Just sit still...you bastard."

"Finally done?" Jellal said in a taunt. "Looks like your 'spray and pray' technique didn't work after all. The fact of the matter is neither of you is fast enough to damage me."

"You think so?" Liltotto said firmly from behind Jellal.

Looking back at her, Jellal smirked at the sight of her holding what seemed to be a sword with a glowing blue blade. "You already tried using swords. What difference will that one make?"

Liltotto smirked. "Oh trust me, this one will make a BIG difference," she said before stabbing it to the ground. A little surprised, Jellal saw the energy from it expand upon the ground. Just as he tried stepping away, he found his legs unable to move. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw his entire lower half was covered by the same energy that pooled from five streams, each coming from a blade planted in the ground, each like the one Liltotto had, and all symmetrically forming a Quincy Zeichen. "You're done for, Jellal," Liltotto said as she took out a capsule and opened it before pouring a droplet of glowing blue light over the hilt of the sword nearest to her. "This is what you get for being so damn cocky! Sprenger!"

The moment the droplet touched her blade, the entire weapon glowed brighter with more power and sent a stronger stream of rising flame-like reishi towards Jellal. He couldn't move away no matter how he tried as the other parts of the trap glowed and rushed towards him. A column of energy consumed him as the symbol he was centered in turned more into a pentagon shape that was quickly filled to the brim with the power blasting Jellal. A massive smoke cloud rose as it ceased, Liltotto and Bambi sighing with relief before the explosive brunette spoke, "Good job, Lil. We really showed him."

"I told you it was a good idea to have a backup plan in case yours didn't work," Liltotto said as she walked to Bambi. "If we could find some way to make Jellal move about, I knew I could plant the Seele Schneider while he wasn't paying attention. Then, Sprenger could finish him off. Though I'm surprised you were able to ensure he was moving in a way I could line them up perfectly so he could be in the middle while you were throwing your tantrum. Guess you're smarter than I gave you credit for."

"Hey! Shut up, Lil! I'll have you know, outside of Algebra and Geometry, I got straight A's and B's in the Wanden Academy!" Bambietta growled as she glared at her ally before turning back where they kept Erza safely at bay. "Anyway, let's get Erza out of here."

Once they picked her up over their shoulders, they were about to leave, but the pair heard footsteps coming from the clearing smoke. Bambietta and Liltotto were shocked as they saw Jellal come out with only a slightly singed look. He smirked before he clapped his hands. "Well well, that was a rather clever ploy. I must say, if I didn't merge with my thought projection, you could have done some damage with that attack. But if that's the best you can do, then it's pointless to resist further."

He quickly dashed forward then, faster than their eyes could track, before he grabbed Liltotto around her neck and dashed to the other side of the tower. The petite Quincy was left dangling over the tower as he looked into her eyes. "Oh yes, getting a better look at you, you're the one that Erza seems to have some fondness for. I wonder, what would her reaction be if she saw you perished before her eyes?"

Using Blut Arterie, Liltotto tried to kick at Jellal best she could while she used her arms to try and pry herself free, but it was no use. Her kicks did little more than annoy the dark mage, and her attempts to loosen her grip were just as pointless. She even tried using the Glutton to take a bite out of his hand, but her teeth crunched down harmlessly against his skin. The blue-haired mage laughed as he watched her struggle. "I see, so that's the power you were given by that man, was it? What tripe." He then punched her stomach as hard as he could, creating a loud crunching sound, the small Quincy coughing up blood as her mouth went back to normal. "Now then, how's about-"

"Let her go, you monster!"

Turning his head, Jellal was surprised to see Erza charging at him, sword raised above her head in an attempt to strike him down. As powerless as she was, however, Jellal simply raised his spare hand and caught the sword with little effort. "Oh, please, Erza. If you couldn't defeat me when you had all that power of yours, what really makes you think you have a chance as you are now?"

Kicking her body as he let go of her sword, Erza tumbled across the ground before she slowly managed to get back to her feet. "I don't care how powerful you are, or how weak I am now. I promised to myself after Grandpa Rob died protecting me that I would never allow someone I care about to ever die for my sake ever again. You could be 10, no, 100 times stronger than me, and I'd never back down! These aren't just my guildmates. No, these two are something much more than that, they're my precious comrades, and I'd sooner die before I would even consider giving up!"

Jellal shook his head before he chuckled. "You talk as if dying to protect these two is some noble cause. Please, what this really, truly is, is you trying to throw your life away to appease the guilt you've felt for all these years. Far as I'm concerned, there's nothing noble about any of that. If anything, I'd say it's pathetic. You simply lived your day-to-day life for the sake of one, measly guild. My thought projection worked from the Magic Council, as a Wizard Saint, for a goal far grander than that title! Yes, being a Wizard Saint is nothing compared to my true aspirations! Everything I've done since the day I've seen the truth is to bring about the revival of the great lord Zeref and reshape the world as we know it! A world where everyone is free to do as they please! No more would we need to be shackled down by the Magic Council, or fear being enslaved by dark guilds!" He then gave Erza a maniacal grin. "That, Erza, is a true cause! You could never understand the grandeur of my-"

(Song of choice: Passionate Duelist. Japanese Yugioh OST)

"Oh, shut up!"

Just then, Jellal felt it, a massive pressure weighing down on him and a gust of wind blowing behind him before he turned to see Bambietta Basterbne, her left hand's fingers curled as her other hand held onto her wrist, her hair billowing into the wind. She had taken the moment since Liltotto had been snatched away to charge up her attack, fueling power into it faster than she normally would. Her left hand was slowly burning away at itself from how much energy she had generated in such a short period of time. It was sloppy, and crude, but more than effective in charging up a powerful attack as fast as she needed. As the seven magical circles appeared before her left hand, she looked at Liltotto. "Now, Lil!"

Her eyes narrowing, Liltotto managed to hit Jellal with her right knee as hard as she could with Blut Arterie. Distracted from the power Bambietta was generating, the mad man was forced to let go of her. Quickly using Hirenkyaku, she soon appeared right next to Erza.

Jellal looked over at the pair before he narrowed his eyes. "Why, you-"

"Super Atomic Blast!"

A massive, torrential blast of magical energy, easily comparable in size and power to that of the Jupiter cannon, fired towards Jellal at speeds that far exceeded anything the Quincy had managed thus far. His body quickly glowing gold, Jellal thrust his right hand forward in an attempt to block the attack, but to his surprise, the attack had far more force behind it than he anticipated, and he was almost immediately thrown off the tower. The overwhelming momentum of the attack kept him pinned to the magical blast, unable to escape its range. Jellal quickly added his other hand to try and hold back the attack, but to his surprise, the attack still pushed him back. He gritted his teeth in frustration as he tried to divert the attack, his magical power pouring into his arms, but the blast of magical energy began to build up towards his end, and it was only a matter of time before it would finally burst. Letting out a mighty shout then as he finally realized that he wouldn't be able to divert the attack, he was soon consumed by the blast which was quickly followed up by a massive explosion, one so massive that it filled up the night sky with light.


"What...was that?" Levy asked as she and the other members of Fairy Tail watched on from the boat as they continued to sail away from the tower.

Candice grinned as she looked at the attack. "That's one of Bambi's moves. Considering what that did to that pink-haired bitch we fought, I'd say she just won that fight."

"Most impressive," Ulquiorra stated as he watched on. "If I hadn't known any better, I'd have thought the attack was a Gran Rey Cero from Nnoitra."

"It's not nearly enough."

Everyone looked over at Quilge, the Quincy having watched the entire fight intensely, and without a word until, just then.

Gray frowned as he tried to get back up to his feet and glared at him. Are you kidding me!? You saw what Bambietta just hit him with! There's no way-"

"It was a powerful attack; that, I cannot deny," Quilge answered the ice mage. "But I fought Jellal before I joined his forces...and I know full well what his true strength is once he's fused with his other half. I've done the math. It's not going to be enough...Not even close."

"If...something like that won't be enough...then how in the world are they supposed to win!?" Totomaru yelled.

Lucy slowly walked over to the edge of the boat then, one hand gripping onto the boat's handrails as she stared back at the tower while the other clutched at her chest. 'Bambi...please...come back to me.'


Bambietta panted as she fell to her knees, her left hand covered in first-degree burns. She had known the risks of attempting to gather so much power so quickly, but the pain she was feeling was more than she had expected. Still, she couldn't help but grin with some satisfaction. Finally, after all this time, they could go home and-

"Impressive. That one actually had me concerned."

Her eyes widening with terror, Bambietta turned around only to find herself being punched hard across the face as she skid on the surface of the tower. Looking up, she could see Jellal Fernandes. He had some minor lacerations around his entire body, as well as a few singe marks, but nothing more. Slowly, he made his way over to the Quincy, floating just a few inches off the ground as he did so.

"Had I not gotten out of the way just before that massive explosion and instead taken the full brunt of your attack, you likely would have done some real damage there. In fact, were I merely using Siegrain's power, you probably would have even won. You have my praise, Miss Basterbine, for being able to unleash an attack with that kind of power." He looked down at his right hand then, his hand having taken more damage than any other part of his body, covered in light burns. "But all you've done in the end is prove why I am Lord Zeref's chosen warrior. Now… where were we?"

Bambietta grit her teeth and prepared herself for the worst, but just as Jellal was about to rush forward with his magic, the two felt an immense pressure followed by a mighty gale of wind from the other direction of the tower. Turning around, the two could see a massive pillar of light, the structure of reishi topped by a five-pointed cross. Bambietta's expression quickly took on one of concern. "Lil, no! You can't!"

Soon, the massive pillar faded to reveal Liltotto Lamperd, complete with halo and wings. She gave the blue-haired madman an intense glare filled with contempt before she looked over towards Bambietta. "Go to Erza, right now."

"Liltotto." Erza spoke quietly. She knew full well what the side effects her current form had on the petite woman. While it gave the user an extreme boost in power, it came at the cost of wreaking havoc on the user's body without the use of a lacrima to reign in the excess power. "You don't have to do this Liltotto, I-"

"Yes, I do." Liltotto interrupted Erza as she glanced over to her. "You've done too much for me these last few months for me to just turn tail and run because it's dangerous. You didn't do that with Jose, and I'm not going to do it here. You and Bambietta helped me out of my self-loathing and guilt. To remind me what it means to truly live. If I just ran away to save my own skin...I'd regret it for the rest of my life. So, don't worry about anything Erza...I won't let him hurt you or Bambietta ever again."

Jellal grinned then as he looked at Liltotto. "Ah yes, the Quincy holy form known as Vollstandig. I had Quilge demonstrate its powers to me once he joined my side. It's a rather impressive power increase. If I recall correctly, it's this very form that allowed you to fight on par with Jose briefly. But I am not Jose Porla. The man was the superior of my thought projection, but I doubt that he would give me a challenge as I am now. You're only prolonging the inevitable-"

Before he could continue his rambling, however, Liltotto had vanished from sight only to launch him into the sky with a Blut Arterie-enhanced uppercut. He glared down at Liltotto before he felt a sharp pain on his nose. Unconsciously rubbing his hand against the injured part of his face, his eyes widened as he noticed blood on his arm. 'Blood? But how? Quilge was stronger than that girl was before she entered that form, but now her power is greater than his would have been in his own holy form. How is this possible?

His eyes widened as the revelation came to his mind. 'I see. Quilge was only able to use his because the lacrima absorbed the excess amount of power that his body normally wouldn't be able to handle. Since she lacks a lacrima to protect her body from this excess power, her overall increase is far greater.'

"Lil, you have to get out of that form right now!" Bambietta tried to reason with the empowered Quincy as she appeared next to her with Hirenkyaku. "Even with vollstandig, there's no way you'll be able to beat him, your body can't hold it for long enough for you to-"

"I know." Liltotto interrupted Bambietta. "But right now we need to buy enough time for Erza to break free of that seal, and fighting him two-on-one just isn't working. So, while I hold him off, I want you to do whatever you can to try to weaken it. In this world, we Quincy subjugate magic and draw it into ourselves. We then convert it into reiryoku for our own techniques, replacing our former usage of reishi with our own reiatsu. If you use that same power of subjugation to try to weaken the seal on Erza's body, we just might help her break free of it before it's too late."

"And if I can't?" Bambietta asked trepidly.

"...You will." And with that, Liltotto vanished into the air to confront Jellal once more. Realizing time was of the essence, Bambietta rushed over to Erza and knelt next to her, focusing her effort on trying to break apart the magic chains sealing her power away.

"Don't worry about me!" Erza chastised Bambietta. "There's no way she'll be able to win against him, even with that power! You need to go to Liltotto right now and-"

"How many times do we have to tell you this? We're not leaving you," Bambietta returned as she looked at Erza. "You have consistently stopped me from doing some really stupid things. Things that would have ruined my second chance at life, even if I didn't see it that way at the time. Well, now it's about damn time I returned the favor!" Bambietta kept her focus on Erza's chains, but her eyes unconsciously shifted towards her fellow Quincy. "We're both willing to risk it all, because to us...you're worth it."

Erza turned her gaze upwards at Liltotto as well, the wizard touched beyond words at how much she meant to them. 'Liltotto...Please, be safe.'

Jellal's eyes followed Liltotto's form as she finally reached the same height as him in the night sky. He scoffed before he spoke to her. "Not a bad punch, but don't let that get to your head. You may have gotten me off guard once, but that's a mistake I won't make twice. No matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, neither of you is a match for my divine power!"

Liltotto clenched her fists as she glared back at Jellal. "Yeah, you're probably right...Without a doubt, you're the strongest person Bambi and I have faced in Earth Land. I'm not expecting to win this, frankly. But, for her sake-" Several memories of her bond with Erza flashed through Liltotto's mind: the meals they shared; the missions they took; the comfort they provided each other in their moments of need; all of these moments and more were a blur across her vision before she finally glared back at Jellal. "I have no choice but to give it my all!"

(Song of choice, Tears of Passion (Unexpected Feelings): Code Vein)

The two warriors burst forward with inhuman speed before they clashed, their elbows pressing against each other as one tried to overwhelm the other. Liltotto threw a right punch at Jellal's face only for Jellal to dodge backward and tried to hit Liltotto's head with his left elbow, the determined Quincy quickly ducking underneath the blow. She then tried to hit him in the stomach with her left hand, followed up by another punch to his face with her right after the first blow was dodged as he flew back, only to miss Jellal yet again. He then punched her hard in the gut with his left hand and sent her skidding back in the air.

Liltotto quickly rushed back at him and tried to land a kick, but Jellal blocked it with his right arm before returning the favor with a left roundhouse kick. She managed to dodge underneath the oncoming kick only for his fist to meet her halfway, uppercutting her with a quick blow to the chin as he flew below her. Liltotto tried to retaliate with a flurry of punches once she stopped her ascent, but Jellal blocked each one with his arms before he delivered a series of powerful left and right punches of his own to her head, each one causing her skull to be jolted from one side to another. She let out a furious yell before she attempted to throw another right punch at Jellal's face, but Jellal easily caught the blow with his left hand before counterattacking by punching her across her face with his right.

Liltotto snarled right before disengaging from her opponent and ascending high into the air to gain an aerial advantage. Upon reaching a satisfactory altitude, the winged archer pivoted in mid-air before she began to let loose a hail of arrows. Jellal dodged and weaved through these bolts of light as he flew upwards to close the distance. Liltotto responded by flying up even higher, beyond even the clouds themselves, but Jellal continued to give chase. Just as he broke through the clouds, however, he was met by yet another barrage of arrows from mere meters away. This significantly diminished distance gave him a similarly diminished amount of time to dodge despite his speed and forced him to actively defend himself, much to his frustration. His body glowed golden with the use of Meteor before he waved his arms about in a defensive manner, deflecting each of her arrows until the barrage stopped. He smirked with confidence upon having fended off the attack only for Liltotto to appear right above him with Hirenkyaku and send the mage plummeting below the clouds with an axe-kick to the head. She immediately dove in pursuit, firing arrows as best as she could while falling at high speed to keep up the pressure.

To her annoyance, Jellal recovered in time to stop his descent and activate his Meteor spell, augmenting his speed once more and allowing him to fly through the barrage of arrows with ease. Before Liltotto could even catch her breath from loosing so many arrows, the lord of the tower had joined her in the air once again. She saw him place his hands before his face for but a moment before her world turned white, a short burst of his Heavenly Body Magic rendering her momentarily blind. Almost immediately, Liltotto was sent tumbling through the air and gasping for breath, air and spittle escaping her body. If she didn't know any better, she'd think she were sparring The Superstar himself! Thoroughly winded, she blinked back the remaining stars clouding her reddened vision and rocketed towards the bastard. The Quincy prodigy tried to land a flying kick at his face, but the Wizard Saint simply flew around her and landed a spinning kick of his own to her back to send her plummeting down to the tower below.

The winged woman barely managed to stop herself from hitting the tower before she flew back to Jellal, screaming as she ascended. Her anger at the man overtaking her, Liltotto's rational mind faltered as she tried to deliver a flurry of punches. While some of her blows did connect, for each punch she managed to land, Jellal's reach and speed allowed him to return the favor tenfold as he sidestepped and countered her barrage with a golden flurry of his own. Liltotto grimaced through the pain. In such a physical exchange, Jellal had every advantage, and she knew it. Thus, she decided to switch tactics before she got herself killed and used Hirenkyaku to get some distance.

"Sankt Bogen!" Pushing past the strain on her body, Liltotto conjured a massive bow about the size of a small house before firing three massive arrows at Jellal. This advanced form of the basic Heilig Bogen was simple in both execution and purpose: to utterly erase the enemy. She hadn't used it up until now for that very reason, but right now, the petite Quincy was more than willing to take her opponent's life for all that he's taken from Erza!

The three arrows hurtled towards Jellal as though loosed from a ballista. He barely had time to marvel at their sheer speed and power before they were almost upon him. The mage rushed to form a defensive spell, any spell! Fast as he could, he clapped his hands together, an icy-blue magic circle springing to life beneath his feet as he shouted, "Six Stars: Pillars of Padma!" Six frozen orbs appeared and laterally surrounded his body for a moment, one orb forming between his hands, before six icy pillars were erected in their places, the pillars enveloping the evil prodigy and forming a frozen barrier. This was a technique primarily designed for sealing the enemy within five pillars of ice, but Jellal found that it performed just as well as a protective spell in a pinch. The ice had barely finished forming before the spiritual arrows collided with the foremost pillar in a cloud of frozen mist, the resultant shockwave creating massive waves in the ocean and even blowing Liltotto back a few paces.

Eventually, the mist cleared, but much to Liltotto's dismay, while the barrier had been cracked open, and the former Wizard Saint had indeed taken some damage as evidenced by the new cuts and bruises that now covered his body, he was mostly unharmed.

"Not bad, Quincy. If I hadn't protected myself, that might have done some real damage," Jellal complimented Liltotto before he smirked. "I might actually have to try a little." The Heavenly Body Mage held both arms before himself, his right palm on top of his left. The index, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand and the index and little fingers of his left hand were all splayed outwards.

"Now, I do believe it's my turn. Five Stars: Heavenly Flame Assault!"

Five balls of fire grew from each of Jellal's extended fingertips until they were each as big as Liltotto herself. launched in her direction. The Quincy fired arrows at the flames, hoping to cause them to burst but to her horror, her arrows disintegrated as they came into contact. She quickly raised up both of her hands to defend herself, as all five fireballs made contact. She let out a wail of pain, the flames burning her skin. When the attack finally finished, the Quincy was much worse for wear, tears flowing from her eyes from the pain of her newly inflicted wounds as both of Liltotto's arms were covered in 2nd degree burns.

"No...no! Damn it all!" Erza spoke as she watched the fight from the tower's surface. The difference in power between the two wasn't that large, she could tell from how many blows Liltotto could take from Jellal, but the gap in versatility, speed, and Liltotto's current emotional state hampering her ability to think clearly was certainly giving Jellal the edge. If things continued like this… "Liltotto!"

"I'll admit you're certainly skilled to have lasted this long!" Jellal spoke as Liltotto tried to land one more punch aimed at his face with her right hand, only for the madman to grab her by the wrist with his left. "But if this is all you can do, then you're no match for the likes of me!" He then brought her arm down hard on his left knee, creating a loud snapping sound as he broke her arm.

The Quincy squealed in pain, but before she could retaliate, Jellal proceeded to punch her again and again in the head with both of his hands, each blow now starting to leave a new painful bruise on her face with every strike. Liltooto tried to open her mouth in an attempt to take a bite out of Jellal, but the dark mage simply grabbed a hold of her extended mouth and yanked her body forward before he punched her hard on the face with a left handed jab, breaking her nose.

Down an arm and thoroughly disoriented, Liltotto was doing all she could just to stay in the air, much to Jellal's amusement. The madman cackled as he grabbed her broken arm and squeezed, a sickening crunch filling the air. Biting down on the scream that threatened to slip out, Liltotto reached for his head with her remaining hand in a desperate maneuver, grasping nothing but air. The Quincy had barely enough time to register that Jellal had even vanished before he reappeared behind her in a golden flash and delivered a powerful chop to her left arm, breaking her only working arm and eliciting yet another painful wail.

"No… Lil…" Bambietta whispered. She had known her friend was in for a rough time fighting Jellal one-on-one, even with Vollstandig, but to see her being beaten to a pulp like this…It…it made her sick.

Erza fared no better; far worse in fact. Her entire body was trembling as she helplessly watched her friend being beaten by the former Wizard Saint. Half of it was due to the sheer rage she was feeling at Jellal for tormenting her friend… The other half was the sorrow of knowing Liltotto was suffering only because of her. 'No…NO! It's supposed to be the other way around!' Erza cried out in her mind. 'I should be the one up there protecting them! Liltotto, please…please…!'

"JUST RUN AWAY, LILTOTTO!" Erza screamed with all her heart.

"Ha! It's time to end this!" Jellal flew above Liltotto and hovered in place before thrusting his arms out before himself. He placed his right hand on top of his left, the middle and index fingers of his right hand held out while his left hand remained completely splayed open.

"May the seven stars bring judgment upon you! Grand Chariot!"

Seven magic circles appeared behind him, forming into a construct that looked like the Big Dipper. Each of the circles fired on Liltotto with a mighty blast of light, this sevenfold onslaught of power blasting the weakened Quincy out of the sky and sending her smoking body careening towards the tower until a fresh crater formed in the giant lacrima with a resounding crack. For a moment, as she struggled to regain her breath, Liltotto couldn't tell whether that noise had come from the tower or her body. However, upon trying to move, it became abundantly clear. Her whole body felt… fuzzy. She tried to push herself up, but she merely fell back down with a fresh gasp of pain, her limbs refusing to listen to her.

"So, you're still alive? Consider me impressed," Jellal mocked as he slowly floated down to look at Liltotto. "You Quincy are indeed a powerful warrior race. However, I'm sure you realize that, in your condition, victory is completely beyond your reach. Give up now, and I'll see to it that you'll have a place in my new world."

His words barely even registered in her mind. Pain. Pain far greater than Liltotto had ever known in her time in Earth Land racked her entire body. Her pitiful attempt at standing up earlier had done nothing but shock her body into exchanging its fuzzy feeling for all-encompassing pain. No mere words could have been adequate enough to describe it. Any ordinary person would have at least considered Jellal's offer at this point. Victory was beyond impossible now, and she knew it.

Even so, even as Liltotto acknowledged the inevitability of her defeat, thin blue strings of light surrounded the broken Quincy in increasing numbers. Her body screamed in protest, yet her focus on Ransotengai did not wane. She whimpered in agony as strings pulled on her broken body, yet still did she rise. Finally, she glared at Jellal with disdain, her determination not having faded in the slightest. Liltotto spit to the side before offering a reply.

"No."

(Song of choice: Soundscape to Ardor, Bleach OST)

"Liltotto..." Bambietta breathed. She had known that Erza and herself had meant quite a bit to the Quincy, but… to see her friend, the brilliant yet lazy Liltotto Lamperd, continue to rise despite the sheer amount of punishment she had taken… She didn't know the Quincy had it in her.

Erza, for her part, could only clasp one hand over her mouth as tears streamed from her left eye. Part of her felt overwhelmed by just how much the Quincy was willing to put up with for her sake, but more than anything else, she was in utter despair watching her close friend suffer such horrendous torment. This had long ceased being a battle. This was a beating, plain and simple. She felt as if a small hole were forming in her stomach, her distress growing with every cry of pain until this torture, this brutal massacre of one of her comrades was simply too much for her to bear. 'No...No, Liltotto, please, you can't win this! Just run away!'

Liltotto took a weak step forward before she spoke. "You think...something like this...is going to keep me down? To abandon the people I care about more than anyone else? This pain… These wounds… are nothing. Erza has...gone through far too much in this tower…and I will not let her suffer anymore! I am Liltotto Lamperd, a former member of the Wandenreich's Sternritter, and a current, proud member of Fairy Tail, and you will not land so much as one more hand on her as long as I live!"

Jellal for his part could only shake his head. "You reject my mercy? Fine. So be it."

Flashing over to her faster than she could possibly hope to react, Jellal punched her hard across the face, grabbed her by the shoulders, and slammed his knee into her stomach, Liltotto puking up blood as a result. He followed this up by lifting Liltotto up by her throat and burying his fist deep into her stomach over and over and over again, each punch contributing to an increasingly dark purple blotch over her stomach. Liltotto kicked at him as best she could, but he held her up too high and far away for her to do anything. Finally, after using her broken body as a punching bag for well over a minute, he admired his handiwork with a malicious smirk.

"Well? Regret your decision yet?" Jellal sneered. He could easily kill the Quincy in his grasp right now...but no. Torturing her before she died would be the perfect way to break the spirits of both the other Quincy and his perfect sacrifice to Lord Zeref. There would be no more resistance from either of them after such a horrific display. However, much to his surprise, two hands then weakly grasped his arm with the aid of Ransotengai.

The battered blonde's first words came out as little more than a bloody cough. "Ugh...Not yet...I...can't lose…! I'll perish before I lose!" Reaching deep inside of herself to claim the last embers of power she had previously thought she had extinguished, the Quincy opened up her mouth, its depths burning with a mighty blaze. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Jellal's eyes widened for a moment before they, and the rest of him, were consumed by the dragonic fire. The Wizard Saint actually grunted out in pain as he was forced to release his opponent and dash backward from the emotion-fueled flames. Because of the emotional nature of these flames, as well as the fact that they were released point-blank, she managed to injure Jellal far more than any time previous, first-degree burns covering his body. Liltotto's Vollstandig faded upon her attack's completion, the Quincy convulsing in pain once the technique took its toll on her body even as she collapsed to the ground.

Jellal grunted in more annoyance than pain as he made his way over to her. "Insignificant pest. Do you think wounds like these will do you any favors? You are nothing compared to me. I am the Dark Lord's chosen, and you? You're just some lost little Quincy who had the misfortune of befriending the wrong woman. Now..." Jellal's right hand glowed a brilliant yellow as he looked down at Liltotto. "It's time to finally remove this piece from the game! Prepare to-"

However, just before he could finish his rant and execute the Quincy, Jellal was suddenly kicked in the side of his head, the wizard skidding back across the ground before he saw the perpetrator. He snarled in contempt. "That's the second time you've done that to me today. There won't be a third, Bambietta Basterbine!"

Liltotto just barely managed to muster up enough strength to look at Bambietta before she spoke. "Bambi...Why? You were supposed to get Erza free of those chains! You should have just-"

"Let you die? Yeah, no thanks," Bambietta replied without looking at her friend. "I made about as much progress as I was going to anyways. The majority of the seal's been eroded away, but the rest was like a brick wall. I wasn't going to crack it any time soon. All we can do now is just buy Erza the time she needs. Besides..." She then gave Liltotto a grin. "You'd do the same for me."

Jellal shook his head in utter bafflement. "So, yet another fool rushes in to die? What do you hope to possibly accomplish? Even if you do succeed in freeing Erza of the spell I placed on her, the two of you would still be no match for me. All you're doing is just wasting my time, and your life."

"You don't know that, or just how strong Erza really is." Bambietta answered. "Do you really think you fought Erza at her best? Not even close, buddy. Before she fought you, I could sense Erza had already gone toe-to-toe with Quilge. She might have regained her magic since then, but she still wore herself out. Act high and mighty all you like, but you can't deny those facts. This is Erza's fight, so listen up! I'm not just fighting you as a member of Fairy Tail, and I'm not just fighting you as a Quincy. I'm fighting you...on Erza's behalf!"

(Song of choice: He who howls and rages, Naruto Shippuden)

Reappearing in front of the madman with Hirenkyaku, Bambietta tried to swing downwards at Jellal's head, but he simply shifted slightly to the left to dodge her blow. Undeterred, Bambietta continued her assault with a flurry of sword slashes.

"And just what do you think you could possibly accomplish all on your own?" Jellal genuinely asked as he casually dodged and weaved through her swings. "Compared to your friend from earlier, your strength and speed aren't even close to her level, not to mention-" Jellal immediately shifted and delivered a powerful punch to Bambietta's stomach, sending her rolling across the ground. "Your durability is nowhere near your friend's after she entered that form."

"Agh...D-Damn it all." Bambietta sputtered as she slowly got to her feet. 'Much as I hate to admit it, the bastard's right. If I keep fighting him as I am now, I'm not going to even last a minute! No choice, then… Looks like I'm going to need to do "that" after all!'

The Quincy closed her eyes as she slowly began to take in the surrounding Ethernano still present in the air as fallout from the Etherion. She, and Liltotto as well, she suspected, didn't want to even consider trying this earlier due to the volatile nature of the power she was trying to control. If its mere presence was enough to affect Siegrain who, despite being a thought projection, was still a Wizard Saint, then the odds of it wreaking havoc on their bodies was quite high. Not to mention, the amount of Ethernano she'd need to take in to be enough for a significant boost would almost certainly be too much for the condition her body was in.

The theory quickly proved itself sound as the headstrong Quincy lurched forward in pain and multiple cuts opened up throughout her entire body. Her body was already rejecting the unstable Ethernano, and she had barely even begun taking it in! Bambietta heaved with both hands on her knees, trying desperately to remain standing while she focused on taking in this power. Suddenly, one of those hands shot up to her mouth, cheeks bulging before she couldn't hold it in any longer and a cascade of crimson bile fell to the floor for longer than she felt comfortable with. It seemed even attempting to control a small portion of that kind of calamitous power was dangerous at the level of strength she currently possessed.

However, despite these injuries and the pain wracking her body, Bambietta could indeed feel herself growing in power. It was far from enough, Liltotto's Vollstandig still proving to be her superior, but at least for a few moments before it inevitably wore off, she would have more power than even Ikaruga had. She just prayed that would be enough.

Jellal was less than impressed by both her power and appearance. "I see… so, you decided to absorb the power of the Etherion to give yourself a temporary boost in power. I can't tell if you're a genius for pulling it off as well as you had, or a fool for the damage you took. But in the end, it hardly matters. I doubt you managed to absorb enough to truly make a difference."

"Oh yeah? We'll have to see about that!" Bambietta protested before using Hirenkyaku to rush forward.

However, despite her increase in power, Jellal was still perfectly capable of outspeeding the bombastic Quincy even on her best day. He vanished from her sight before grabbing Bambietta by her long brown hair and yanking it backward with his left hand, bringing the Quincy's back into contact with a powerful right kick. Bambietta quickly turned around in an attempt to horizontally slash at him with her sword, but Jellal easily dodged under the attack and gave Bambietta a fierce right uppercut to her chin, sending her flying into the air and coughing up more blood.

The Fairy Tail mage eventually managed to stop her ascent, though her body protested the exertion. She bombarded the surface of the tower with her Schrift, but the attempt was futile. Flying through the air faster than a falling meteor, Jellal quickly closed the distance and grabbed Bambietta's face with his right hand before dashing down with his Meteor spell and slamming Bambietta onto the surface of the tower. Before she could even attempt to remove herself from his grasp, Bambietta then felt Jellal press the back of her head harder against the tower's lacrima and drag her along at high speed, her body grinding painfully against the hard material. She kicked and punched him as best as she could to get him to let go, but the madman only laughed at the pain he was causing her before he finally picked her up and kicked her upwards, Bambietta barely managing to land safely on the ground.

"Okay, that's it, no more games!" Bambietta yelled out as she concentrated her power into her legs. This was a stupid idea, trying to use Blitzrakete Schritt in the terrible condition she was in, but right now, she needed every bit of speed she could get! She simply hoped that she would survive to make use of it before her body well and truly gave out on her. Bambietta burst forward with a speed like none other she had ever possessed while in this world, the power of Etherion fueling her Lightning Rocket Step to further heights. "Blitzrakete Schritt!"

It was almost overwhelming. The Quincy could already feel the bones in her legs cracking from the strain, but she paid the pain no mind. She was so close to him now, and with his eyes full of surprise, he clearly wasn't expecting her to go this fast. Her right fist was less than a fraction of a second away from him now, and soon he'd–!

"Phugh-!"

Bambietta couldn't breathe! Looking down, she could already feel bile rising up again as she saw Jellal's left hand retract itself from where it had slammed into her abdomen. Bambietta instinctively hugged her wounded middle before once again vomiting blood, her bloodshot gaze returning to Jellal's. She attempted to grab onto his arms only for her entire body to be pelted by a barrage of blows, her stomach and face feeling like they were getting hit by a jackhammer. The attacks were less than a blur in her eyes, even in her enhanced state, and with one final kick that she could barely see coming, she was sent skidding across the tower in a bloody heap.

"Well, well, that wasn't half bad momentum you had there," Jellal told her. "I'd say you were almost half my speed. But even if you were my equal in that regard, it's not hard to counter your opponent when they move in such a predictable fashion."

Bambietta panted for a few seconds, wobbling between conscious and not, before she leveled at Jellal a gaze overflowing with intense ferocity rarely exhibited since she had arrived in Earth Land, her murderous intent clearly evident. "Fuck off with your holier-than-thou bullshit!" Once more did she try to intercept Jellal with Blitzrakete Schritt only for the man to appear right in front of her and deliver a brutal right hook to her face, sending her flying through one of the tower's crystal-like structures and right over the edge of the spire.

Bambietta stopped herself from moving any further, solidifying the air just a few feet short of the tower's surface. "Why, you son of a–" Before she could even finish speaking, Jellal had already kneed Bambietta's gut, further cracking her bones and bruising the organs within, before he clasped both of his hands together and slammed them down onto the Quincy to send her hurtling down towards the ocean. Bambietta was able to stop her fall about halfway down the tower, but just as she regained her foothold, she noticed a growing source of light above her. She looked up to see Jellal with one hand lifted above his head and a smug grin on his face. "Oh, fuck me–"

"Heavenly Body Magic: Pleiades," he calmly uttered. Six rays of light fell from the sky before crashing into Bambietta, consequently causing her to crash into the dark waters of the ocean below. Jellal smirked just before he looked back at Erza and Liltotto. "One down–"

Only for him to hear something burst from the sea, his body instinctively moving to the left just in time to dodge Bambietta lunging forward as she rocketed past him. Unsurprisingly, the Quincy was looking much worse for wear, her entire body now covered in blood. "Not… dead yet… asshole."

Jellal raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Quincy with befuddlement. "Even after all that, you're still trying to defeat me? Haven't you realized yet that it's hopeless?"

Bambietta smirked as she brandished her sword once more, the blade taking more time than usual to appear. "'Do or do not, there is no try,' dickhead. I'm not fighting because I think I'll save Erza. I'm still fighting because I will save Erza!"

Jellal scoffed before lifting his offhand and summoning forth a large blue orb of pure water magic. As one orb became three, one on either side of the middle, he calmly cast, "Three Stars: Raging Baptism." Massive torrents of water erupted from each orb before combining, the deluge flowing forth at such speed that the bloodied Quincy could do little but hope for the best. Bambietta weakly crossed her arms in front of herself to defend herself from the attack, but the force of the water was simply too great. Bambietta tumbled along what felt like a torrential flood before her back slammed against a spire. She would have gasped at the impact had there been any air to be spoken of, but the water simply kept coming. This quality of magic… This was like if Juvia had a Vollstandig of her own! Even if some part of Bambietta appreciated the fact that his spell had managed to wash off most of the blood from her outfit…

'This asshole is just going to drown me at this rate!'

Thankfully, the deluge eventually came to an end, Bambietta succumbing to gravity and falling to the ground from her place against the lacrima. She coughed and sputtered, her lungs working overtime to replace the water inside of them with air. She attempted to get up only for Jellal's left foot to slam itself onto the back of her head, keeping her low to the ground as he glared at her with contempt.

"You two have kept my destiny from me long enough," Jellal growled as he ground his heel against the back of Bambietta's head. "Now, if you want to live, kneel before me and grovel for forgiveness, and I might consider letting you live as one of my enforcers in the brand new world Lord Zeref and I will create."

(Music of choice: Inishie no Mahou, Fairy Tail ost)

Bambietta could feel the lacrima shards digging into her face. Even so, she made sure to turn her head enough to look Jellal dead in the eye before she gave her response. "Go...to Hell. You have...no idea what Erza and I have been through! Erza's the main reason I've had... such a good life up until now in Earth Land. I've met so many people I've cared about...because of her! Changed so much because of her! I've made so many mistakes in my time in the guild, like trying to take an S-Class mission before I was ready, or trying to kill someone over a fit of rage on… more than one account. Lots of things that could have gotten the guild into some pretty deep shit. And yet...And yet, every time I did, she always told me that she never made a mistake when she brought me to the guild. I came as far as I did in this damn place for only one damn reason, and that's to take her back home!"

She started to get up to her feet before Jellal pushed down harder on the back of her head. Even still, however, her determination did not fade. "She made no mistakes bringing me to this guild, and I'm not making one right now! You might as well just kill me now, because I'll never, ever, betray her just to save my own skin!"

Jellal scowled then before he placed his left hand in front of him, pointing it directly at Bambietta. "Then perish, you worm. Heavenly Body Magic: Hyades!" His hand pulsed with energy before a rapid barrage of golden-yellow blasts erupted from his palm, each eliciting a piercing scream from Bambietta. Her body shook as much as it could underneath Jellal's heel, but despite this, every blast hit its mark. Finally, after blasting her hundreds of times, he took a step back. Bambietta's back was covered in blood and blister burns, not a single speck of her pristine skin remaining unharmed. Believing her to be either unconscious from the sheer amount of pain she had experienced, or having passed on to the afterlife, Jellal stepped over Bambietta's body before slowly making his way over to Erza. "Now that that eyesore's been properly dealt with, I believe it's about time we got back on schedule."

Erza slowly rose to her feet, her fists clenched with rage. All the pain and misery he had caused her had been one thing, but the complete and utter thrashing she had watched him give to her friends was another matter entirely. "I won't let you get away with what you've done to them," Erza promised coldly. "I assure you, you will pay for all the suffering you put them through."

Jellal chuckled at her threat. "In the condition you're in right now, your attempt at intimidation is about as terrifying as a little kitten. Just give up now, and I promise you your last moments won't be full of pain and–"

"How… How could you do it?"

Jellal whipped around as he heard the unexpected voice, his eyes widening as Bambietta slowly got to her feet. She was breathing heavily, and the Quincy couldn't help but clench her teeth from the sheer amount of pain her body was in. Still, she stood before him, and somehow, she looked as determined as ever.

"Hmm, what nonsense are you going on about now?" Jellal asked with annoyance. Just what would it take for these damn Quincy to die!?

"You know what I'm talking about! How could you betray her!?" Bambietta demanded with anger. Her lips parted into a snarl, and she clenched her hands as she expressed her emotions clear as day. "You two were friends for so long in this hellhole! Erza told me all about it! I don't know the exact specifics, but I sure as hell do know that you don't go through something like that and not cherish the people you do have!"

"Oh? And what would you know of it?" Jellal wearily asked. "Were you a slave as well?"

"Not like you and Erza were...but I may as well have been with my own bastard of a father," Bambietta spoke. "The only things I had for comfort growing up were my mother and step-siblings. It may not have been the same kind of hell you two endured, but I had my own hell. One where failure to meet his standards was met with starvation, beatings, and, if my father willed it, death. My mother did everything she could for me growing up, but I lost her far too soon. After that, all I had were my half-siblings...until he made me kill them."

Everyone's eyes went wide from that revelation, even Jellal's. Liltotto was most surprised of all, the broken Quincy having never known that part of Bambietta's past until now. 'He made Bambietta do what!?'

"Your father...made you kill your siblings?" Erza asked with shock and horror. "Why on earth...How could he ask you to do such a vile act!?"

"My father was a madman who wanted the ultimate progeny to one day surpass the father of all Quincy, that's why," Bambietta spat. "It was all part of a cruel, sadistic process to weed out his weak children. He was a monster, through and through. But this isn't about me. No, this is about you, Jellal."

She glared back at the former Wizard Saint before she continued her rant. "You betrayed her right when you could have all gone home! You could have left this entire nightmare behind you, yet for some goddamn reason, you decided to stay and make her suffer for it! Your best friend! She suffered for years blaming herself for everything that happened to you, and for not being able to save everyone! I may not have shared the same experiences you did with her, but I know Erza is one of the kindest, loyalest, and best kinds of friends you could ever have! A friend who would always be there for you, to fight with you, to comfort you, to die for you! So, why in the Hell did you do it, Jellal!? Why would you continue in the very same footsteps as the same people who caused you to suffer so much in the first place!?"

"You want to know why?" Jellal asked as his eyes narrowed. "It's because the world that we live in is a farce. When Erza and I tried to escape this tower with the help of my friends, I had believed that we would be free. But the truth is that true freedom doesn't exist in this world. For people with power such as us, the laws that the Magic Council has in place are bars on the cage of society that keeps us confined in our daily lives! I didn't understand this until Lord Zeref's spirit spoke these words into my ear! Magic shouldn't operate under such limitations, nor the mages who wish to use those powers! But it's not just mages, no, but even the people without magic who are restricted by rules and laws! In the world that I will bring about with Lord Zeref, I will eliminate such laws that constrict the people! When I finally revive him, he and I will bring about a world ruled by only the strong! A world ruled by strength, not the corrupt elected committee that uses their positions for their own gain! A world where the laws can suit the individual, and not simply to please the masses! A world where the power is back to where it belongs! In the hands of not the government, but the people whom they lord over!"

He then gave Bambietta a nasty sneer before he continued. "That's why I betrayed her: to embrace my true destiny! Simply living a life of mediocrity is a fate worse than death in my eyes! I deserve nothing short of being the new messiah who brings about this new world. Living with my friends, being a Wizard Saint, it all pales in comparison to my true purpose! Everything I've done since I met Lord Zeref, since I have seen the world for what it really is, has been for this one purpose!"

"That's it?... That's it?" Bambietta growled as she slowly took a step forward. "You betrayed Erza, and lied to all of your friends, just because you wanted to fulfill some damn fantasy that you came up with!?" She clenched her fists then as she continued. "All that pain, all of that suffering, all of that guilt she felt for years was just because you decided to listen to some damn ghost, is that it!?" Slowly then, a flame-like aura of brilliant crimson and dark yellow began to surround her. "You damn monster! I can't stand people like you! Anyone who betrays their friends for their own gains, they're the absolute worst scum of the earth in my eyes! You're going to pay for everything you've put Erza through, do you hear me!? I swear to God, you're going to pay!"

She shined with a brilliant light then as her voice reverberated, the others atop the tower having to shield their eyes from the all-consuming light before it faded. Jellal's eyes slowly adjusted before they snapped wide open at the sight before them. Bambietta was now fully healed, her hair now partially taking on a golden-orange appearance as two energy-like pauldrons covered her shoulders, her eyes glowing with an orange hue.

Jellal felt himself sweat slightly, the lord of the tower recognizing the form she had taken on. 'This must be...the power she used to defeat Ikaruga!'

(Song of choice. Flaring Fighting Spirit ~ Overcoming A Detestable Fate (G Gundam) )

"JELLAL!" Bambietta cried out as she burst forward at a speed that impressed even him.

'She's fast!' The mage scrambled to get out of the way of her attempt to grab his face with her right hand before quickly taking up to the sky as he glared down at her. "Ha! Your form is still nothing more than a parlor trick compared to my power! Now, be judged by the seven stars! Grand Chariot!" Just like before, seven magical circles surrounded him before each fired down a powerful blast of energy. The seven attacks converged on Bambietta, but, to Jellal's surprise, Bambietta simply jumped into the attack and flew straight through it!

"What!?" Jellal cried out as she rapidly closed the distance. While she wasn't uninjured from the attack, the Quincy singed from head to toe, the attack didn't slow her in the slightest! "That's impossible!"

"SHINING FINGER!" Bambietta cried out before she grabbed onto Jellal's face in the palm of her right hand, the former Wizard Saint grabbing it with both hands as he tried to lodge himself free, but it was no use. The glowing Quincy now possessed strength greater than even his own! Jellal yelled out in pain as he felt the holy energy in Bambietta's palm sear his flesh!

A blast shot forth from her hand, forcing her to let go of Jellal as he was sent flying back. However, Jellal wasn't a Wizard Saint for nothing, and the crazed wizard managed to maneuver most of his body out of the way just in time with the exception of his left shoulder. The blast continued downwards until it hit the sea, creating a massive explosion that eclipsed the tower in height off in the distance.

Jellal crashed down onto the surface of the tower, creating yet another crater on the already pockmarked surface. Groaning in pain, he struggled to get to his feet. He winced at the pins and needles sensation in his left arm, though his focus soon shifted as his face was in utterly agonizing pain, the likes of which he had never experienced before now. Erza gasped when she finally got a good look at him, as most of his face was scarred by third-degree burns!

"My...face...How...how dare you!?" Jellal screamed at the Quincy with a mixture of utter contempt and agony. How could this have happened to him!? He was supposed to be the chosen one, yet somehow, somehow this woman had actually managed to scar him! He tried to lift his left arm to cast another spell, only to find that it wouldn't move! 'Damn it, she's done far more damage than I thought!'

"There's a lot more where that came from, you son of a bitch!" Bambietta yelled back. "Now that I got this power back, you're as good as dead!" She rushed forward then, fully intent on defeating Jellal with this next attack. Jellal braced himself then, unwilling to let something like the loss of an arm prevent him from fulfilling his destiny. However, just as she was about to make contact with him did the worse come to pass. Her divine power, the last hope she had of defeating Jellal, vanished as suddenly as it had arrived, the golden-orange energy leaving her entirely. 'What!? No! Not now!' Bambietta despaired as she felt the power leave her body.

Jellal, however, could only sneer in sheer delight as he sensed the power his foe once had now leaving her body, his own glowing gold as he began his counterattack. "Meteor!" Like many times before, Jellal vanished from Bambietta's vision before he threw a vindictive punch across her cheek with his remaining arm, launching her across the tower before appearing behind her yet again and delivering a powerful left kick, sending her rocketing off before he flew in front of her and kneed her hard in the stomach, the Quincy coughing up blood before he finished his attack by slamming his right elbow to the back of her head. Bambietta groaned in pain, and weakly tried to punch him back, but Jellal simply kicked her away where she lay still on the ground.

Bambietta tried to get up, tried to move, but she found that she couldn't. Unlike before when she had first entered that special form, Bambietta's reiryoku had not been replenished. If anything, it was at an all-time low. 'Wait, what!? The hell is going on!? The last time, I felt fine as daisies when this form ended, but now I feel weaker than a common hollow! Was it… because I went into this form again so soon? Damn it all!' She wanted nothing more than to keep fighting back, but as she was now, even Ransotengai required too much energy to use. She couldn't even bring herself to absorb the surrounding ethernano.

"I'll give you at least one bit of praise, Bambietta Basterbine," Jellal commended. "In all my years as a mage, I have never been as injured as I am now. For doing that much, I'll acknowledge your strength. However, you'll soon see it was all for naught." He took out a vial, his contemptuous gaze never leaving her prone form. "It seems I was quite fortunate to ask Dyspute for one of these Curse potions after all." He took a long sip from the vial, drinking all of the contents within before he was healed once more, all of the wounds he had obtained prior vanishing completely. He rolled his left shoulder in an exaggerated fashion and brought a hand to his face before he smirked. "See? Good as new. All you two did was simply throw away your own miserable lives."

"Damn it...damn it...DAMN IT!" Bambietta screamed out as she tried to get up. She managed to stand up for a few seconds by using a newly created blade as leverage...only for her to then collapse to the ground. She looked over at Liltotto, then Erza, before glaring at Jellal. 'No...that power Sylphia gave me was our last hope. Is this...is this really how it all ends?' She grit her teeth as images of Levy, Wendy, Rukia, and finally Lucy all ran through her mind. 'No! I…made a promise! That I would see her again! And I won't...I can't…' Images of Lucy passed through her mind then, her girlfriend in tears as she stood over the graves of herself and Erza Scarlet. '...LET HER CRY!' She wobbled up to her feet once more, her legs shaking like a weak tree in a storm, panting for breath before she let out a scream of determination. "No...I'm...Still not done...Not yet...Not until I draw my last breath!"

"Until your last breath, you say?" Jellal took on a crazed look in his eye. "Then let's make you a woman of your word, shall we?!" He had underestimated these two Quincies for far too long. In his attempt to break Erza's spirit even further, the two had gotten far closer to victory than they ever should have. He should have just done this at the start, but his hubris had gotten the better of him.

'This one is far too dangerous to leave alive for even a moment longer. I'll be sure to finish her off with this next attack,' Jellal thought as he crossed his arms above his head. A great shockwave erupted from him then, the wind forcing the likes of Bambietta, Liltotto and even Erza to slowly move across the tower's surface.

'What is Jellal up to now!?' Erza thought as she looked on. While she couldn't sense power like Bambietta and the others from her world, even she could feel the amount of energy Jellal's attack was emanating. However, as she was forced to look down at the ground from the shockwave and the bright light his attack was emanating, Erza's face quickly became one of horror as she noticed her own shadow beginning to bend to the source of the attack. 'Why is my shadow bending towards the light!? The sheer force of gravity required… NO! With a spell this powerful, it's going to kill Bambietta!'

"Now, to plunge you into infinite darkness, you foolish Quincy!" Jellal cried out as the shadows on the surface of the tower began to form into a black orb which was rapidly growing in size. "This is the price that you, your friend, and anyone else who dares to interfere with my grand destiny deserves! Now, perish!"

'This is...far too much!' Bambietta thought as her pupils shrunk in size. Even if she was in peak condition and focused all of her efforts on Blut Vene, she'd have little to no chance of survival. As she was now? There was nothing she could do, and she knew it. 'I guess...this really is the end, huh? Lucy...I'm sorry, but it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to keep that promise after all.'

That was until a lone figure stood before her.

"DON'T DO IT! NOT UNLESS YOU WANT TO KILL ME TOO!"

Bambietta gasped in shock as a blanket of scarlet hair filled her vision, Erza's arms outstretched in an attempt to defend one of her closest friends.

Jellal seemed to hesitate then as he tilted his head down to look at Erza, that look of fierce determination and grit still present on her face as it had when she had first confronted him in the tower. He stopped charging his attack, prompting Erza to speak.

"You don't want to lose your precious sacrifice to Zeref, do you?" Erza asked with vitriol.

"That would be a problem," Jellal admitted. "The ceremony requires the body of a wizard comparable in strength to one of the 10 Wizard Saints. Such a thing is hard to come by. However, it is not impossible. I can find a suitable replacement. You're not the only one who fits that bill. I just wanted to use you simply because I felt you were the most appropriate. But you're proving to be far more trouble than it's worth! I'll worry about your replacement after I kill all three of you!"

Erza felt her eyes begin to mist as she realized that she had nothing left to barter with for the lives of her two friends. Jellal began to charge up his attack once again. 'All this time… All these years that I've prepared myself for this… It looks like it truly was all for nothing.'

"No, Erza! What the hell are you doing!?" Bambietta demanded. "He's willing to kill you now, you know that! Get the hell out of the way, try to swim for shore as fast as you can, something! The others might be able to pick you up, and-"

"No! It's my fault that you two are involved in this mess! The least I can do is protect you to the bitter end!" Erza declared. "As Fairy Tail's Titania, it is my duty to use my body as a shield to protect the members of the guild that cannot protect themselves! I will not let someone else die for me ever again! I refuse it!"

"ERZA, PLEASE DON'T!" Bambietta pleaded. "You're making a huge mistake!"

Erza turned her head then and gave Bambietta a small, heartwarming smile, shocking her fellow Fairy Tail wizard as tears visibly flowed from her right eye before she spoke. "When it's come to you Bambietta...I've made no mistakes."

"NO!" Bambietta screamed. "ERZA!"

"Heavenly Body Magic: Altairis!"

The massive ball of shadow, now filled with small lights like stars dotting the night sky, flew forward at Jellal's command, the lacrima beneath it cracking and shattering as it made its way towards Erza Scarlet. "ERZA!" Bambietta screamed out, hoping that somehow her pleas would convince the woman she respected and admired more than anyone else to move out of the way, but Erza remained where she stood, putting everything she could on the line.

'It looks like this is the end of the road for me.' The scarlet mage mused as the blast approached her. 'Master Makarov, Meifon, Mira, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Liltotto, Bambietta, and everyone else in Fairy Tail...I'm truly blessed to have met you all.' Erza Scarlet closed her eyes then, prepared to meet her end…

Only for a small figure to get in the way of the blast at the last second, intercepting the oncoming attack and forcing it to detonate prematurely. There was a massive explosion, one that shook the entire tower and could be seen even by the escaped members of Fairy Tail and their new allies.

The smoke from the resulting explosion covered the tower's surface, blinding Erza, Jellal, and Bambietta to what had just happened. However, a gust of wind blew by the tower and dispersed the smoke to reveal the true victim of Altairis, much to the abject horror of Bambietta Basterbine and Erza Scarlet.

(Song of choice: Requiem of Silence.)

There stood Liltotto Lamperd, the Quincy's arms outstretched just as Erza had done moment's prior, though hers were shaking violently. Her body was covered in lacerations and bruises, far worse than what she already had before from Jellal. However, worst of all and what truly tore away at Erza's and Bambietta's hearts, was the massive, bleeding hole that had been torn right where her stomach had been.

"It...looks like...I made it...Just...in time." Liltotto weakly stammered out as her body began to tremble like a leaf, Ransotengai finally giving out.

Erza's eyes flooded with tears as harsh and painful memories of Rob taking a barrage of magical blasts to protect Erza only to disintegrate right before her very eyes flashed through her mind. Just as Grandpa Rob had done, so too did Liltotto Lamperd fall to the ground on her back, the Quincy's breath painfully weak, and growing slower by the second.

"LILTOTTO!" Erza cried as she scrambled to Liltotto's side and clasped onto her right hand. No, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! Everything she had done up to this point had been to make sure that something like this would never happen again!

"Well now, I had thought you had fallen unconscious, you despicable pest." Jellal spat out. "I'm surprised you could manage to move at all."

"Lil… Why?" Bambietta whispered as she fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. Bambietta was no medical expert, but even she knew that the wounds her friend had just received were undoubtedly fatal. One of her best friends, that she had known for years...was going to die. "Why did you...do it? What the hell were you thinking!? You...You know that neither of us would have wanted this! So, why!? Why did you do it, Lil!? If this was to make up for what you did-"

Liltotto barely managed to look over weakly at Bambietta, the Quincy coughing up a small amount of blood to join the rapidly growing puddle beneath her body before she answered. "That's...not it, Bambi...My body just...moved on its own...There wasn't...time to think...But I...don't have...any regrets...keeping you both safe."

"Liltotto...Lil...No...You can't...die on me...You can't!" Erza cried out. "I swore...I swore that I'd never let anyone else die for me! You of all people should be the last to die in this tower!" She clenched onto Liltotto's hand as she looked down at her face. "You were like the little sister I never had! Please, Lil, you can't die! Not because of me! You need to escape and live a long life in the guild, Lil! If you died because of me...I'd...I'd..."

Erza' stopped speaking as she felt Liltotto's hand brush against her cheek. "None of this...is your fault...do you hear me, Erza?" Liltotto spoke weakly. "You've done...so much for me...and Bambietta...and for the whole guild. If there's anyone who deserves to live after all of this, it's not me...it's you." She then gave Erza a weary smile as she continued. "So...Don't you dare blame yourself for this...Understand? I just...want you to be...happy."

Erza shook her head in disbelief as she held onto Liltotto's hand. She couldn't accept that! She was the one who should have died to protect them! It was her responsibility! Her duty! And now, one of her closest friends, a member of her family, was dying. More tears fell from her eyes then as she choked back sobs, the mage feeling more sorrow now than she ever had in her entire life.

"Please...don't cry for me, Erza," Liltotto told her. "It's...fine. If it's for you or Bambi...I'd gladly trade my life away." She began to cough profusely before she looked over at Bambietta. "B-Bambi...I...guess we…won't be going out to eat anymore together, will we?"

Bambietta shook her head, the Quincy's tears had already started to fall. She couldn't have held them in even if she wanted to. "No, it... doesn't look like we will. Lil, I...I've never told you this, so you need to hear this now..."

Bambietta tried to give her a smile then, but her mouth was quivering from the overwhelming sadness she was experiencing.

"I'm so glad...that you're one of my friends. You were always making sure I never got myself into a problem I couldn't handle ever since we met here. No, not just then, but even back in the Wandenreich, and whenever we would sneak off to the World of the Living, you were always looking out for us. Yeah, I know you constantly called us names back then, but I knew behind all that sarcasm was a true friend… So, thank you, Lil… for everything."

Liltotto slowly nodded her head as she began to feel her strength leave her body. "That...means so much to hear...Bambi. I just...have one favor to ask you." She weakly looked over to the crying Erza before she looked back at Bambietta. It was getting tough to even make out their faces at this point. "Please...get yourselves out of here alive. I don't care if you have to leave my body behind. Just please...protect her. She needs you right now, Bambi. Please."

Bambietta shook her head in agreement as she wiped the tears away from her eyes, though they were quickly replaced with new ones. "Y-Yeah...You got it, Lil...! I'll get her out of here, I swear!"

"Please, Lil, don't talk anymore. Just- just try to hang on a little longer, please!" Erza pleaded, the woman beyond desperate to keep one of her closest friends alive. "We can get you to Wendy and-"

"That's...not gonna...happen, Erza." Liltotto responded weakly. "I'm...finished. I…know I am. But...There is...one other thing...you can do for me... Will you...fulfill...this last promise to me?"

Erza slowly nodded her head then, the reality of the situation finally beginning to sink in. "I...I'll do it...What is it that you want?"

Liltotto's eyes fluttered as the light began to fade from her eyes, her body quickly losing its strength as she looked at Erza. "Please…Tell...Tell Natsu that I...that I...I…" Her hand suddenly went limp in Erza's hand, the Quincy's eyes closing for the last time. Her chest rose once more, and then… nothing.

Erza's mouth dropped as her eyes welled with tears. The mage bent down over Liltotto's corpse in the hopes of finding a heartbeat, but the only sound she could hear was her own erratic breathing. She began to cry in earnest as the emotions that had been building ever since she had met with her friends at Akane Resort finally reached their peak.

The one thing she had always wanted to avoid, the one thing she dreaded above all else, the reason she had become so strong… It had finally come to pass despite all of her best efforts. Losing a member of the guild would have been hard enough, but, while she may not have known Liltotto for nearly as long as many other members of the guild, the months they had spent together had been enough to create one of her most treasured bonds.

Ever since the war with Phantom Lord had concluded, the two had interacted often, even before the blonde had moved into Erza's apartment in Fairy Hills. The Quincy had come to her for advice and emotional support on more than one occasion, something Erza had been more than happy to provide. It was more than enough to give Erza enough insight into the kind of person the Quincy truly was. Liltotto was far from the most talkative member of the guild. In fact, aside from Mystogan, she very well may have been the most quiet. However, despite this reserved nature, Erza knew that Liltotto was someone who cared dearly for her comrades. Now, she was gone, taken from this world far too soon.

Never again would Erza be able to comfort the hungry archer when she needed support. Never again would she be able to enjoy the nice, warm breakfast Liltotto made for her, and never again would she be able to see Liltotto smile whenever she would return from a long hard mission.

Memories of the times in which they bonded burst into her mind as readily as the tears that streamed from her eyes as she continued to mourn over the corpse of her dearly departed friend.


Erza waited one brief moment before taking a step forward. She approached the sobbing Liltotto with grace befitting one known as Titania, kneeling down beside the Quincy. Erza took off the glove from her right hand, resting the palm gently atop Liltotto's left shoulder. "Let it all out, Liltotto Lamperd."

The Quincy looked up towards Erza then, eyes peeking out from between spread fingers. Slowly those hands moved away, revealing the remnants of tears left behind. "No, I... I'm supposed to be the quiet one. I can't... can't be like this."

"Nonsense," Erza said. "You have no need to keep your heart hidden away when someone is willing to share your pain. You are... so very fortunate, Liltotto."

Liltotto began to speak again, however softly. "I just... I didn't want to lose Bambi. But... she would have been better off if that Soul Reaper had killed her. Then Giselle wouldn't have-"

"She is alive here, right?" Erza asked. "And I see no harm done to your bond."

"Maybe Bambi forgives me," Liltotto continued, "but I don't know how. I can't... ever forgive myself."

"I would not ask you to do something you feel you are incapable of," Erza replied. "However, perhaps in time you will feel different."

Erza helped Liltotto up to her feet, the Quincy keeping quiet for a time. Erza did not force the issue, instead simply providing Liltotto a shoulder to lean on if she needed it. The Quincy took it for the moment, speaking up at last.

"How can she forgive me?" Liltotto asked. "Erza... Could you forgive a friend that hurt you like that?"

Now it was Erza's turn to grow silent, leaving Liltotto to feel the mage's arm stiffen up in response to the question.

She began to wonder what she had done wrong, what button she had pressed, but Erza's body remained tense for only a moment.

"I don't need to worry myself with such concerns," Erza replied, her tone of voice less than convincing at first. "No one in Fairy Tail would ever betray their own."

Liltotto could see a confident expression on Erza's face, yet there was something within her spiritual nature that the Quincy could detect. A deep rooted sadness that was buried within her soul as if encased in the thickest of armors.

Yet still it was desiring to peek out.

"I guess you're right," Liltotto said, unwilling to press the subject any further. "I mean, that Natsu, he..." Liltotto's face suddenly went the slightest shade of red, the Quincy unsure of what was suddenly overtaking her.

Erza simply smiled. She glanced away from Liltotto for a moment, the wizard beginning to wonder a great many things. She was content in what she had seen that day, that Liltotto was apparently no threat to the guild. Still, Erza would keep her eyes open just in case.


Erza let out a sigh of relief she hadn't known she had been holding in as Bambietta began to restrain her old friend as Wendy healed him. She may not have condoned their actions, but Wally, Sho, Millianna and Simon were still people she cherished. Still, it was hard to believe that the people she was so close to many years ago could have ever turned out like this.

'No. It's not their fault.' Erza thought as she watched on. 'Given their situation...It only makes sense that they would think that I betrayed them.' She clenched her fists then as tears began to fall from her eyes. If I was just stronger, if I could have stopped Jellal from going mad, then none of this- Erza's thoughts were interrupted then as she felt a hand grasp her left hand. Turning her head down, she saw none other than Liltotto, giving Erza a look of concern as she stared up at her.

"It's gonna be ok," Liltotto said as she then moved in to hug Erza. "I don't know what's going on right now...but I'm here for you. We all are." The only time Liltotto had seen Erza remotely this upset was when she had told the Quincy about her as a slave on the ride over. But tears!? This was the first time Liltotto had seen Erza in such a state, and she was quite positive Natsu hadn't either, the dragon slayer staring in a mixture of confusion and anger as he watched Erza cry while he dragged the beaten Blockhead behind him.

Erza, not knowing what to do, could only respond by hugging the petite blond woman. What had started as a fun getaway had quickly devolved into a bitter trip down memory lane. But even so...she was beyond grateful for the support she was given. "Thank you, Liltotto."


"No...no...don't- don't go…! Liltotto!" Erza threw her head back and screamed out in anguish as she sobbed over the lifeless body. The normally stoic mage was completely overcome with pain and despair, leaving her unable to focus on the situation at hand.

"Heheh...AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jellal hollered in a burst of mad laughter. "What a perfectly pointless thing to do! She tried to play the valiant hero, but her death won't change a thing! That wench gave her life to save yours, but she should have known that I'm not letting either of you leave this tower alive!"

"That's what you think," Bambietta said as she walked in front of Erza, the Quincy's eyes full of tears and fury. "She may have d-died, but it won't be in vain, you hear me!? She wasn't just some member of the guild. She was my friend, one of my best friends, and you took her away from me!" Bambietta growled. "And for that… For that, I swear, I will kill you!"

Bambietta ran forward, her sword poised to run straight through the bastard's heart, but each and every single attempt was easily blocked by one of Jellal's fingers. Gone was any attempt at using skill, Bambietta's fury giving way to a berserker style of fighting. But she didn't care. One of her closest friends had died from this monster, and she would do whatever it took to take him down. To hell with the guild's rules, to hell with whatever the magic council decided to do with her afterword, to hell with it all! Liltotto was dead because of this bastard, and right now she wanted one thing more than anything else. To see him dead!

Unfortunately, a swift punch to the gut brought a quick end to her attack, the Quincy kneeling down in pain even as she continued to glare at Jellal. "This...isn't...over. I'm gonna kill you, you mother fucker! I won't stop until you're fucking dead!"

Jellal couldn't help but cackle widely at her threat. "And just what are you going to do?! You've used everything that you could, and it's all meant nothing in the end! I'm certain that any one of my spells could kill you with little effort! But look on the bright side, at least you two will be joining that worthless wench shortly!"

(Song of choice: Fairy Law, Fairy Tail OST)

"How dare you."

Jellal looked over Bambietta's shoulders to see Erza Scarlet slowly getting to her feet. Tears were still flowing down her eyes, but her face, her eyes, were now filled with a cold, brutal fury. If Bambietta wasn't so full of sadness and anger herself...she would have been downright terrified of Erza's visage.

"How dare you...call her a wench." Erza took a step forward. "How dare you…call her worthless." Then another, her words punctuating her approach. "You have no right to say such things about her! Liltotto Lamperd was a kind, caring, and beloved member of Fairy Tail. She was also one of my dearest friends. She looked up to me, more than anyone else had in the guild, and while I never told her this...I was honored that she held me in such high regard."

Her fists clenched then as she glared at Jellal with murderous intent. "We went out on missions often. We ate together, lived in the same room, she even made breakfast for me...she was like the little sister I always wanted. And because of you, because of you, she's gone!"

Jellal shook his head as she continued to get closer. "Yes, yes, I know you're quite upset with me now. But, with the condition you're in now, you're in the exact same position as that Quincy over there. My chain spell still has plenty of time until it wears off. That's plenty of time to sacrifice you and kill this nuisance! Face it, Erza. You're powerless."

"I may be bound by your spell. But I won't let that hold me back any longer!" Erza said as she tried to make her magical power flow through her once more. A gust of wind blew by as the sea churned below the tower and small tidal waves crashed against it. The small bits of lacrima that were lying about thanks to the battle thus far began to lift upwards as the red chains on Erza's body faded away.

'What!? This is impossible! Those chains should be able to bind the Wizard Saints outside of the 4 Gods of Ishgar! So how...how on earth is she breaking through!?' Jellal could not help but panic internally.

It was true that she had been unable to break these bonds before, their power proving far too much for her to remove. Now, however, with her resolve strengthened by righteous fury, and the magical chains having been weakened thanks to the efforts of Bambietta and the lapse of time, she was finally able to break through.

"I won't allow you….to escape justice...for what you've done! I won't!" Erza declared as the shattered pieces of lacrima continued to rise, only to turn to dust once they came into contact with Erza's magical aura. The wind intensified, and the ground beneath her cracked into small fissures. Bambietta could feel her own body getting crushed by some sort of invisible weight, finding it impossible to even move against this intense spiritual pressure! "You will pay for what you've done to Liltotto Lamperd, Jellal Fernandes! I swear on the name of Titania, and the entire Fairy Tail guild! YOU! WILL! PAY! REQUIP! ARMADURA FAIRY!"

The entire night sky was filled with a powerful green light, blinding everyone on the tower, the escaping members of Fairy Tail on the boat, and even those on Akane resort that were looking at the sea, until finally, the light faded. There stood Erza Scarlet, clad in pink armor, a purple skirt, and a long flowing purple cape. Her head was adorned by a tiara with two large feather-like protrusions that covered the sides of her head. Her intense gaze of contempt had not ceased in the slightest, the woman now beginning to approach Jellal.

Despite how things may have seemed however, this was not the same kind of rage she had used when she had battled Jellal prior. That was a blinding wrath, one that had consumed her very mind and allowed Jellal plenty of opportunities. No, what Erza was experiencing now was a calm, calculated fury, one that would push her forward, yet not overtake her thoughts.

This...was righteous outrage.

That's...the armor Elisabeth gave Erza to fight Wizard Saints! Bambietta thought as she felt the power emanating off of it. It's...It's...incredible!

"What...is that armor? What is that!?" Jellal demanded. Something about this one was different, he could feel it. Normally, that shouldn't be possible. After all, magic power usually needed some sort of device to be measured, but this? No, the magic power coming off from her armor was so raw, so intense that it was actually making his skin crawl from the sheer amount emitted.

"This...is Armadura Fairy," Erza told him with disdain. "I didn't have the chance to use it earlier. Its power is far too dangerous for me to wield recklessly without causing serious collateral damage both to the surrounding area...and my comrades. But now, almost all of my friends have left this tower, leaving just you...and me." She then turned her head to look at Bambietta. "Go. As things are right now...I cannot guarantee your safety. Please, take Liltotto's body, and go."

"But...But..." Bambietta stuttered. "What if you need help, what if you-

Erza gritted her teeth before she shouted at Bambietta. "THIS IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE, BAMBIETTA BASTERBINE! LEAVE!" 'Please…'

Bambietta stared for a moment before she suddenly realized what Erza was trying to do.. I see. You're thinking about your friends even now, aren't you, Erza? She limped over to Liltotto's body before gingerly hefting it in her arms. "Okay, Lil, you heard her...we gotta leave this in Erza's hands." She took to the air, Bambietta having just enough power to do that as she looked down. 'I'll get off of the tower at least, but I won't leave you, not fully. I made a promise to Lil...and I'm going to keep it.'

"This tower has taken hundreds of innocent lives, one after the other," Erza growled as she closed her eyes. "Two of those lives belonged to people I cherished. Twice, I have had to watch a member of my family sacrifice themself for me, and twice have I been too weak to do anything about it." Righteous fury encompassed Erza's visage as she fixed her baleful gaze on the man in front of her. "Never again, Jellal. Do you hear me!?" The ground splintered beneath her, cape billowing in the wind as her magic spiked to even greater heights. "NEVER AGAIN!"


Well there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, we're finally moving on to the last bit for the battle atop the tower of heaven. Thanks to Liltotto's noble sacrifice, Erza is now able to draw out her most powerful armor. Armadura Fairy. In cannon, this armor was powerful enough to destroy a floating island during her battle with her Edolas counterpart, Knightwalker. But will it be enough to defeat Jellal? Well, as you all know, there's only one way to find out.

Regarding Liltotto's death, it was easily the hardest thing I've ever had to write. My intended goal was for you, the reader, to feel as much emotional output as possible, whether that be anger, sadness, disgust, or any kind of similar emotion. I personally hope that I was able to do just that, because I've honestly worried myself sick with the fear of it not being good enough, so much so that it actually affected my health for about a week, both physically and mentally. So I really hope that it all worked out.

MPFS:

Bambietta: 4150

Bambietta: less than 1% of Etherion absorbed: 6800

Bambietta: Divine champion powers: 9250

Liltotto: 3300

Liltotto: Vollstandig: 8700

Jellal (fusd with Seigrain): 9325

Erza (Armadura Fairy):?