Well, here we are, my dear readers. It's the moment we've all been waiting for! Finally, we have reached the finale of the last battle of the Tower Of Heaven. Fortunately, it seems that most of the response has been just what I had been hoping for. To be completely honest, writing this was fairly difficult. The sheer raw emotions that Erza has to go through and feel were such an important factor to me while writing this that I felt I had to place myself in her shoes and try to imagine that pain and sorrow as best as I could. I can only hope that the month I spent painstakingly trying to make this fight as satisfying as possible lives up to your expectations.

I have a lot to say, but I think I'll save it all towards the end. Now then, I hope that you enjoy, Erza vs Jellal. The final battle.

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!


The Tower of Heaven, a structure responsible for the deaths and suffering of hundreds of people. From the slaves who had been worked too hard, barely fed, and suffered daily beatings from the cult-like masters, to those who had died in an attempt to escape or revolt against their captors, this tower had indeed inflicted great suffering on the citizens of Fiore. However, there was one person amongst all these victims who stood out from the rest: Erza Scarlet. She had been the only one fortunate to have found freedom from the wretched spire and found a place to call home. That place was none other than the Fairy Tail guild. For many years, she had been a part of their family, growing quickly into one of their most powerful mages. Her time there was easily filled with some of her most joyful memories.

Yes, she was now the pride of Fairy Tail, the Titania, the strongest female mage in the entire guild. But, while this title had come to mean much more to her upon discovering its origin in her mentor, Meifon Long, she still found herself haunted by her past. Despite her new family's unwitting assistance in helping Erza cope with the pain, her time at Fairy Tail was constantly plagued with reminders of what she had gone through. From running into Siegrain, the now-revealed thought projection of Jellal, to meeting the damaged Quincy, one who had been betrayed much like herself, it seemed like it was fate that she would one day inevitably return to the miserable tower. She had known this would happen eventually, the S-Class mage having vowed to return one day to save her friends and confront her inner demons when the time finally arrived.

But she would not do so on the terms she had desired. Whisked away while trying to enjoy the vacation so graciously given to them by Loke, Erza had been dragged back to the tower far sooner than she would have liked. Worse still was the state of mind her old friends were in, the four of them seemingly brainwashed by Jellal, as well as the fact that her new family had been dragged into it as well, something she had tried to avoid at all costs. To spare her precious family any further pain, she had surrendered herself to those under Jellal's command. It was all for the sake of her friends.

Never again would she allow someone to die for her sake for it was her responsibility in the end to keep the rest of her guild safe from all harm. Never again would she be so weak that someone would have to throw away their life for her. She had trained to become as strong as she had for this one purpose. To protect the ones she loved.

And yet, it was all for naught. In the end, her friends had come for her, fought for her tooth and nail to bring her back, and while she truly appreciated that their hearts were in the right place, and that most of them had escaped with her lives, it did little to change the fact that what she had tried to avoid for so long had finally come to pass. Only mere moments ago had Liltotto valiantly given up her own life so that Erza could live on.

It was through this heroic sacrifice that Erza had found the power and resolve to free herself from the bonds that Jellal had placed her under. She had the power she finally needed to end this madness, of that she was certain. This was not something she took pride in, however, the cost of this power coming from the loss of someone more akin to a little sister than anyone else she had known… The thought caused her unspeakable anguish.

But as much as this dreadful sadness tore away at her from the inside, Erza knew that, right now, there was something that she had to do. To finally take down the madman responsible for everything that had happened on this dreadful tower since she had managed to escape. This had gone on for long enough. It was her fight, her destiny, and she would not allow anyone else to get hurt.

Not after the tragedy that had already befallen her guild this day.

It was with this in mind then that she spoke her next words to Bambietta. "Go, take Liltotto's body right now, and get out of here. As things are right now, I can't guarantee your safety. I've never used this armor before, and if I were to lose you too..."

"Yeah...I understand," Bambietta said as she walked over to Liltotto's body. Bambietta's eyes were still flowing with tears, the death of one of her closest friends still hitting her quite hard. But, before she had become a member of Fairy Tail, she was a member of the Sternritter, and she had been trained when to let those emotions take control.

It was only because of this, along with the horrid life she had lived with her father, that allowed Bambietta to carry Liltotto in both of her arms. She looked down at her friend's peaceful face before managing a weak smile. "Come on, Lil. It's time you and I got out of here." Slowly, she managed to take to the air as she looked back at Erza. I might not be able to fulfill my promise to Lil completely, Bambietta thought as she looked down at the tower. But I'll at least stay close enough if she needs help. That's the least I can do...to keep my promise. She'd keep herself well and truly out of the way of the battle at the very least, but she just couldn't find it in herself to leave the situation completely. She had gone through too much to just leave. She wanted to see this through to the end.

Erza turned her attention back at Jellal, her fists shaking as her rage swelled, but managed to rein herself in. Last time she let her anger get the better of her, he managed to seal her power away. She was so close to making a similar mistake, but now…she would allow this emotion to fuel her actions, not guide them like she had allowed it to prior.

Jellal, for his part, now having calmed down from the fact that Erza had managed to break through the spell he had placed on her, could only chuckle lightly at her bravado. "So, you've managed to free yourself. So what? It hardly makes a difference. I'll just simply have to beat you down at my leisure before I sacrifice you to Lord Zeref. As I am right now, it doesn't matter what armor you adorn yourself with, it'll be futile in the end." He then glanced over at Bambietta's retreating form before he pointed his left hand outwards at her, his palm glowing with magic. "As for your friend, I do believe I told you earlier that I have no intention of letting any of you leave here alive-"

(Song of choice: God's Anger; Yugioh Japanese OST)

Erza suddenly filled his vision and grabbed his left hand, canceling out his attack. Her eyes blazed with wrath as they pierced his own before she squeezed his hand, causing him to cry out in pain. "I've dealt with plenty of criminal scum since I've joined Fairy Tail. Petty thieves, bandits, dark guilds, and even serial killers, and all sorts of monstrous creatures. But none of them, none of them, have caused my blood to boil as much as you have, Jellal Fernandes!"

Jellal tried to pull back, to yank his hand free, but it was no use. He couldn't escape Erza's grasp! Titania's grip grew tighter still until his bones creaked from the strain and he let out a prolonged groan of anguish as a result. Erza, however, couldn't care less about the pain he was experiencing and continued. "I was willing to forgive you for all the years of pain you put me through once you faced judgment from the Magic Council, but now you've gone too far! You've taken the life of one of my most precious friends, and for that, I swear, I will never forgive you!"

Jellal let out a desperate shout as he slammed his right fist into Erza's chestplate, his hand glowing with Heavenly Body Magic. To his surprise, not only was Erza entirely unphased by the attack, but he was the one to actually experience pain, his hand left bleeding from the blow. He tried to then deliver a roundhouse kick to Erza's left side, the limb also glowing with magic, only for his kick to bounce off just as harmlessly against her. Jellal furiously snarled before he continued his assault with various punches and kicks to Erza's body. However, each and every single one was the same as the last.

Useless.

Erza merely glared at him with utter contempt as he pounded away at her armor to no avail. "You obviously couldn't care less about what you've done. That much is clear. You don't feel the slightest bit of remorse. Even now, all you can think about is how to sacrifice me to your precious 'Lord Zeref.' Well, her life may have meant absolutely nothing to you, but she meant something to me! To the whole guild!"

Her voice rose to a crescendo as she squeezed his hand tightly, breaking one of Jellal's fingers in the process and eliciting a cry of utter agony. "Because of you, I'll never be able to enjoy her company ever again! Because of you, I'll never again enjoy the breakfast she would make for me every day, or the missions we would embark on, or the food we'd share, or her warm smile! You've created a massive hole in our guild that will never be fixed! My family had already suffered more than enough when we lost Lisanna two years ago, and now, because of you, they'll have to experience that same heart-wrenching pain, and it's all your fault, you uncaring bastard!"

"Meteor!" Jellal's entire body clad itself with a bright yellow glow as he attempted to fly backwards, but Erza's grip held firm. He gritted his teeth and let out a mighty shout before he delivered a jab directly into Erza's unflinching face. Erza finally let go of his wrist, allowing the frantic madman to punch the S-Class mage in rapid succession across her chest and face, his blows moving two times faster than lightning itself.

Finally, it seemed like he was doing real damage! Erza's head moved to and fro as he continued his high-speed assault, the redhead stepping back with each blow he landed. "I don't care what kind of armor Elisabeth made for you, your power is nothing compared to Lord Zeref's chosen one!" Jellal chambered his fist to deliver one last strike, believing that it would be the deciding blow!

Only for Erza's left hand to stop it mid-punch, the ground beneath her crumbling as she looked at him with the same wrathful and piercing eyes. Dozens of his blows had connected, he was sure they had connected; and yet, the only damage that he could see was a small cut on her lower lip.

Jellal couldn't believe it. "That's not possible-Graagh!"

Jellal felt a powerful impact on his face just before his body was sent flying. He eventually managed to regain his footing, his feet skidding across the lacrima surface until he finally came to a full stop. He could see Erza's right hand outstretched, the fist shaking with barely controlled anger. He snarled, preparing to attack her once more before he felt something wet on his nose.

Inspecting his face with his left hand, he quickly discovered that his nose was covered in blood. A sharp, intense pain quickly followed then, Jellal quickly coming to the realization that Erza hadn't merely given him a bloody nose…She had broken it.

"What...what kind of armor did Elisabeth give you!?" He demanded.

"Armadura Fairy. The most powerful armor she's created to date." Erza answered with cold vexation. "Most of my armors exist to fulfill a specific niche, and until Phantom Lord, that had been enough. But my clash with Jose Porla soon quickly proved otherwise. Thus, she set out to create an armor for one purpose and one purpose alone: to defeat Wizard Saint-level foes. I've never used this armor before now. Its destructive power is far too great to use recklessly. When everyone else was here, I dared not take the risk that they could become collateral damage. But now that it's just you and me..."

She then gave Jellal a fierce look of pure malice, sending chills down his spine. "I can fight with all of my strength unleashed!"


"Is that...Erza I'm sensing!?" Rukia exclaimed. She and the others that had managed to escape had been watching afar from the safety of their boat that they had used to arrive at the Tower of Heaven in the first place. There had been plenty of moments of hope and despair; from sensing Jellal's power spike once he had fused with Siegrain, to Liltotto's Vollstandig and Bambietta's super form, to their eventual defeats, it would have been an understatement to say that the last several minutes had been an emotional roller coaster.

But now, the power that Rukia was sensing off of the tower was unbelievable. Jellal had proven himself to be quite powerful, almost twice as much as Grimmjow had been in his Resurección according to Ulquiorra, but Erza's power at the moment was...simply unfathomable. Her elder brother, whom she had admired above all else, and even Ichigo with his Visored Mask before he ascended the dome of Las Noches, paled in comparison to the power she was sensing from Erza now. "I...I can't believe that she's had this sort of power within her all this time!"

"It's without a doubt most impressive," Ulquiorra commented. As she is right now, her power is nearly a match for my own upon my first ressurecion...In fact, it may possibly be even greater. It was hard to get an exact read on her power at the moment, but from what he could sense, Erza's current level of strength demanded respect from even him.

"Yeah, that's Erza for ya!" Gray said with a small yet smug grin on his face. "She's totally going to kick his ass now, and then we can all go home!" He pumped his fist into the air, the mage feeling overjoyed that it looked like things were finally coming to an end, and in their favor no less!

Natsu would have added something as well, but the dragon slayer was too busy losing his lunch over the side of the boat, as he had been since he woke up.

"Not...all of us."

Everyone turned their heads to look at the source of the small voice, Candice's eyes watering with tears. She had been trying desperately to hold them in, not wanting to bring further sorrow when the outcome of Erza's fate was still up in the air, but now...She just couldn't do it anymore. She was shaking like a leaf as she did everything she could to stop herself from outright sobbing.

"Candice, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, the blonde reached over to place a hand on the other woman's shoulder before her eyes widened with realization as to what those damning words could have meant. Lucy's pupils shrunk in as Wendy hugged her, tears flowing from the little dragon slayer's as she too picked up on what Candice's words had implied. Lucy slowly retracted her hand. "No...Don't tell me...Is Bambi–?"

"Miss Basterbine is alive, albeit in not-so-good condition." Quilge interrupted Lucy as he held his head low. Much like Candice, he hadn't wanted to break the news till they were safely ashore, something he suspected that the Arrancar and other Quincy had also decided on to make the trip home easier to their new allies. But now...

"Wait a moment..." Rukia said as she slowly got up to her feet. "You mean...when Liltotto's energy dropped entirely..." She had been silently hoping, praying, perhaps foolishly so, that Liltotto had just been knocked unconscious. No, that wasn't quite true. The fact of the matter was, deep down, she had known the truth since it had happened. She didn't wish to acknowledge that reality until she had known for certain, but now…she had all the proof she needed. "You mean she's...she's..." Rukia's voice trailed off then as her lips quivered.

"Dead, yes," Quilge answered her as he continued to hang his head low. "I was hoping to bring you this news when we knew for a fact whether or not Erza Scarlet would return safe and sound so as to not add any more stress to our trip home...but it seems that's no longer-"

(Song of choice: Kanashiki Kako; Fairy Tail OST)

"That's not true! It can't be!"

Natsu struggled to remain upright as he walked across the boat. The dragon slayer's emotions were so intense that it allowed him just enough strength to overcome his motion sickness, grab onto Quilge's collar, and yell right into his face. "She can't be dead, no way! She's too strong for that! I don't care if that punk was a Wizard Saint, I know Lil wouldn't die to someone like that! You all told me she used that Vollstandig thing, and that almost beat Jose! So- so, there's no way she's dead! You're lying, you just have to be!"

"I'm...sorry...but that's the truth." Quilge stammered. "I don't like this any more than you do, but-"

"No! No, no, no!" Natsu interrupted as tears fell from his eyes. It had been so long since he had shed tears. Not since two years ago. Not since Lisanna. The young man's heart had hardly begun to heal from such a terrible tragedy, and now, it felt like it was being ripped wide open all over again. The past was repeating itself, and there was not a damn thing that he could do about it.

The dragon slayer refused to accept that reality.

"She's not dead you, hear me!? She's not! I already lost someone two years ago! There's no way it's going to happen again, understand!? I won't let it!" He let go of Quilge and stormed over to the edge of the ship. "Happy, we're going, right now!"

"Natsu, don't! In your current condition, you don't stand a chance!" Levy yelled at him as tears welled from her eyes at the news. She was far from the only one as Lucy, Wendy, and Juvia were all letting out silent tears. Totomaru wasn't faring much better, as he too could feel tears begin to well in his eyes.

"So, you're all just okay with us sitting here while our friends could die!?" Natsu yelled back. "TO HELL WITH THAT!"

"Of course not, but you're not in any shape to fight!" Levy called back. "Please, just-"

"No way! I'm going, and there's nothing you can–"

"Natsu, she's right."

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Natsu turned around to see Gray Fullbuster. What he had expected was the usual angry face he had whenever they got into a fight, but this time he looked calm. He wasn't crying like everyone else...but Natsu noticed that he was shaking much like Candice. "If you go flying in there all by yourself, then you'll end up just like– you'll just get in the way! I don't like sitting on this boat either, but right now, this situation is way out of our hands here! The only thing we can do right now...is just wait."

"I can't do that! Gray, you–" Before he could say anything else, however, Natsu collapsed as his motion sickness reared its ugly head once more. He tried to rise to his feet again in his desperation to get to the tower, but the motion sickness, along with the wounds he had received from Dyspute, prevented him from going any further. "D-Damn it!"

Lucy could sympathize with Natsu, she really could. She wanted nothing more than to go back herself to save Bambietta, but as things stood right then, Gray's words were true. She would only just get in the way. All she could do now was pray for her girlfriend's safe return. She clutched her hands in front of her chest, her mind wandering back to one Bambietta Basterbine. "Bambi...Please...I know you can get through this. I...I…I..." She then clenched her fists as she looked at the tower. "I believe in you!"


(Song of choice: No More from Dragonball Super by Pokemixr92)

Erza took a deep breath as she clenched her fists in rage, her old friend taking a step back as she was slowly enshrouded by a green aura that scorched the lacrima below. "This has gone on long enough. No more suffering. No more pain. No more death." The energy around her swelled until it billowed out like a raging fire.

"I'M GOING TO END THIS! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!"

Erza took off like a rocket, speeding towards Jellal with a furious burst of power. Jellal could scarcely believe the speed she was coming at him with right before she delivered a right-handed punch powerful enough to knock him off of his feet and send him flying backward. Erza dashed forward to repeat the process with her left hand, but Jellal was just narrowly able to jump out of the way of the attack by activating Meteor and taking to the sky.

"I'll admit that you've gotten quite a bit faster, Erza, but when it comes to speed, I still have the advantage!" He yelled at Erza as he looked down at her from above. "You may as well surrender right now, and-" Before Jellal could finish his banter, Erza had already turned on a dime and taken off into the air, her speed once again allowing her to close in on Jellal far faster than he'd like.

He moved to the right to dodge the first punch, then ducked under another from her left hand before Erza managed to plant her right knee into Jellal's stomach. He coughed up some bile, the bluenette quickly growing frustrated at the turn of events. With a growl, he aimed a punch right at Erza's face in an attempt to wipe that determined look of furious condescension off of her face. It was not to be, however; as Erza quickly caught his fist after he hit her face as his other first slammed into her stomach with no effect at all.

Jellal tried to pull himself free before he suddenly felt himself spinning, spinning faster and faster, until Erza threw him downwards and sent him careening to the surface of the tower. He let out a cry of pain upon crashing onto the tower, smashing the lacrima below before activating Meteor once again and taking off to attack her with renewed vigor.

A right punch to her chin; a left kick to her midsection; a series of left and right hooks to her face; these were just a few of the attacks he was able to unleash on Erza. All of her attempts to defend proved to be too slow, as every single one managed to connect. Yet, despite all the hits he was landing, she was still giving him that intense, hate-filled look, not seeming concerned in the slightest. Erza's face barely budged as he punched her hard on her left cheek before she delivered a powerful kick to the side of his head that forced the dark mage to spit blood and very nearly canceled out his Meteor from the disorientation alone before he righted himself mid-air. Jellal glared back at Erza, unable to accept that she could suddenly be so powerful.

"How could you be this strong? The Erza I know is nothing like this. I know how strong you are; I've been keeping tabs on your progress for the explicit purpose of ensuring that you would be a strong enough sacrifice! This kind of strength… it's the armor, isn't it?"

Erza gave no response, her icy glare not letting up for even a moment. Jellal tightly clenched his fists as his body shook with rage. "No response? What, do you think that you're so much better than me that you won't even respond anymore? Is that it!?" He was the chosen one of Lord Zeref, the one who was supposed to usher in the new world, and he refused to be looked down upon by anyone, least of all her!

"I'll be sure to rid you of your arrogance with this next attack, Erza! May the flames of heaven smite you! Rainfall of the Sun!" A multitude of massive fireballs formed behind him, each the size of a two-story building, before each flew forward and crashed into Erza Scarlet one by one. With each impact came an explosion that rivaled the power of an average captain's forties-level hado and caused the sea below to form massive waves. These waves crashed into the tower and rocked the boat onto which the others had retreated. Jellal couldn't help but chuckle as the smoke began to fade. Hopefully she isn't dead, but any of the other Wizard Saints below me would easily be left unable to move after an attack like that. All I'll need to do is find her before...

As the smoke cleared, what Jellal saw was not a battered or injured Erza, but rather the very same one filled with outrage. Her armor looked a little scorched in various spots, but otherwise, like after every attack before, the wizard herself was completely undamaged. "What? That's not possible!" Jellal yelled at Erza. "It's a trick, it has to be!"

Erza said nothing as she continued to give him that same intense, murderous expression. Jellal yelled out in defiant fury and flew in close with Meteor once again. Left, right, above, and below, more punches were thrown at Erza, but while each was able to land a solid hit, they did little to no damage. It was infuriating to say the least, but he was certain that, over a period of time, he could at least wear her down with a combined barrage of physical and magical attacks. However, little did he know that something that would truly disturb him was just about to transpire.

He threw a right-handed punch once again, expecting to hit her once more, only for her to block it with her left arm. He tried again with his left hand, this time trying to hit her below the chin, only for Erza to grab onto his fist and punch him hard across the cheek, the former Wizard Saint going back several feet before he tried to attack her again...only for her to grab the wrist of his right arm and for her to hit his face with her left elbow, causing him to cry out as he felt an intense bash against his skull, nearly giving him a concussion.

He could hardly believe what was happening. He was faster than her at the moment...but the difference wasn't enough that Erza couldn't adapt. And adapting she was, for with every attempt he made, Erza continued to block his attacks, her arms moving about just fast enough to stop some attacks on her face and chest. Furious, he let out a loud yell before attempting to strike at her face once again only for Erza to dodge underneath his left-handed punch before letting out an angry yell of her own and uppercut his jaw, sending Jellal to the clouds above. He glared down at the tower, his fists clenching so hard that he was beginning to draw blood.

"I was hoping that, with the Quincies out of the equation, capturing you would prove to be easy, but now you're just reminding me why I'm better off with you dead!" Moving his left hand above his head while his right remained clenched in front of him, he smirked before he unleashed his next attack. "Now, feel the power of Lord Zeref's chosen one! Pleiades!"

Six golden rays of light converged onto Erza then, but to his surprise, Erza didn't even try to move out of the way. Instead, she simply used her right hand to deflect one of the oncoming blasts and then did the same thing with her left hand for the next attack. The third ray of light was grabbed by Erza's right hand before she tossed it forward, bursting through 3 of the oncoming lights as it headed straight for Jellal.

He flew underneath the attack just in time before he quickly noticed Erza flying up to his location yet again. Knowing that there was nowhere to run, he cupped his hands before his chest before shouting, "Six Stars: Cyclonic Rampart!" For a moment, an orb of violently rotating wind spun at maddening speeds between his palms before erupting outwards as Jellal threw his arms to the side. One after another, protective spheres formed and began spinning around the dark mage, spinning faster and faster until six tempestuous walls had formed with Jellal in the center. Confident in his safety, the Wizard Saint took a moment to ponder what his next move would be...only for Erza to crash through his elemental barriers with ease and grab him by the collar of his shirt.

"What's wrong, Jellal? Aren't you supposed to be Lord Zeref's chosen one!?" She yelled in his face before she followed it up with a powerful kick to his stomach, Jellal actually puking up blood from the blow before Erza let him go and resumed her assault. "Aren't you supposed to be invincible!?" She slammed her fists against his formerly-smug face again and again, not even flinching when his blood began splattering her face and armor.

His face now bloodied and bruised, Jellal could just barely bring both of his arms up in time to defend against the finale to Erza's barrage. He felt the bones and muscles in both of his arms crack from the final blow as he was thrown back for almost a mile before he used his Meteor spell to stop his momentum.

He glared back at Erza, and sputtered, "This...This isn't over. Do you really think this will be enough, Erza!?" He was about to fly back to continue the fight...but strangely found that he couldn't. He looked down at his legs to find a sight he found most peculiar: his legs were shaking. "What? What sort of spell is this?!"

"It's no spell," Erza said as she slowly flew over to him. "Besides the ability to fly, I haven't used any of this armor's magical spells yet. What you're experiencing right now...is fear." She stopped floating forward before she continued. "It's ironic, really. Back when we were slaves in the tower, you were the brave one while I was full of fear. But look at how the tables have turned."

She looked down back at the tower, her face turning somber once more. "I'll never understand how someone so kind, and so full of courage, could turn into the man I see right before my eyes. You were such a nice boy, one of the nicest I had ever known. You...We could have had a great life together, in Fairy Tail."

Jellal scoffed at her words. "Please, the boy I used to be was weak, worthless! Back then, I had no power to call my own! But look at me now, I've become one of Lord Zeref's chosen ones! The one who will bring about new world order, I'm-"

"Scared and alone. That's all you are now." Erza interrupted him. "You are a powerful mage, I won't deny you that...but your real strength, the one that came from your heart...it's gone. More than ever, I see that now. You truly are a ghost of your former self." She slowly shook her head then as tears fell from her eyes, both of them. "I supposed I just wished that in the end...there was a small piece of you left that I could still save."

Jellal chuckled a little. "The only part left of that boy was the attachment I had for you. It's why you were chosen to be the sacrifice to revive Lord Zeref. You should have been honored, but you've stubbornly refused my offer despite this. Yes, I did care for you for a time. But now? Now, I'll be more than happy to kill you as I did with that worthless refuse I sent to the afterlife."

(Music of choice: Childishkiller 2: Blazeblue)

Erza grit her teeth, her fists clenching hard enough to draw her own blood as her body shook with rage. Magic built around her, creating a powerful wind that rivaled the force of a tornado, forcing Jellal to drift back with concern. "She had a name, you worthless bastard!"

Before he could fully comprehend her next move, Erza had burst forward with tremendous speed to grab Jellal by his face with her right hand and sent the both of them hurtling towards the tower. A loud booming sound could be heard for miles as she slammed the back of Jellal's head into the tower, the lacrima spire shaking as the ground beneath them formed into a large crater before the floor finally gave through. Jellal tried to kick Erza in the stomach repeatedly as hard as he could as they descended, crashing through floor after floor, but she barely budged as she glared at him with intensity while tears welled around her eyes. "Her name was Liltotto Lamperd, you son of a bitch! I'll ensure that you remember it before I send you to the depths of Hell!"

She lifted him up in the air with her right hand despite his struggles and punched him hard in the stomach with her left, forcing him to vomit up yet more bile. Erza released her hold on him only to uppercut him on the jaw with that same hand, sending him skyrocketing through the air. The furious fairy quickly sped up towards her former friend, and Jellal, who was finally starting to truly panic, his face now contorted with fear, began to pelt her with multiple light magical blasts. It was a futile effort, however, as Erza proceeded to fly through the attacks with no resistance at all. She continued to rocket towards him, her face contorted with fury as she was fueled with wrath by the death of her friend.

Not wanting to simply be pushed around so easily by his old friend, Jellal rushed down with Meteor to clash with Erza once more, the two colliding in mid-air as their hands grasped against each other. But, despite his trying with all his might to send her to the tower below, it was Erza that continued to push forward, their clash quickly being taken to even greater heights. "For what you've done, for the life you've taken, there can be no forgiveness! None! I'll stain this entire tower in your very blood if that's what it takes!" She screamed out as her magical power completely overwhelmed him!

A powerful punch slammed into the left side of his face, his right side quickly receiving similar punishment, a brutal pattern established as Jellal swiftly found himself consumed by yet another of Erza's onslaughts as she wailed on him with her fists. He could feel his jawbones cracking from each punch, and he knew that he couldn't hope to withstand an attack like this for long! He quickly flew away with Meteor after dodging under one of her blows, finally giving himself a brief reprieve

Once more, the two crashed into each other, the two mages parting briefly before they continued their dance in the sky, the two clashing their bodies together about two more times before Jellal felt desperation touch him once more. Just barely blocking a bone-rattling punch with his right arm, Jellal chambered his other arm, fist glowing gold with magic. "Comet Fi-"

BAM!

–but Erza's furiously contained rage seemed to have finally given her speed even greater than his. She slammed her fist into his face before he could finish uttering the spell's name, blood spewing from his nose and mouth before Erza landed yet another powerful kick to his stomach, forcing bloodied bile from his mouth before she moved behind him and slammed both of her hands behind the back of his head, sending him to almost sink into the ocean below.

Jelllal was just barely able to stop himself from hitting the sea as he shook his head to try to regain his composure. This is ridiculous! I shouldn't be pushed around like this! I was considered one of the ten most powerful wizards in all of Fiore with a mere 60% of my power. So, how is she able to deal with me with such ease with my full power!? A swiftly growing shadow beneath him brought the dark mage out of his musings. He hurriedly ducked out of the way of a kick aimed at his head, Jellal using Meteor to fly around Erza before he took off into the air.

Erza, however, was far from finished unleashing her rage upon the master of the tower as she used her magic to propel herself upwards, soaring past Jellal only to pivot in midair and slam her left elbow into his face, cracking his skull before she grabbed him by the throat. "Do you feel it, Jellal? This pain, this fear? Liltotto felt all of this before you cruelly took her life away; yet, despite it all, she still fought on to protect her friends!" Her grip around his throat tightened, causing him to gasp for air as her eyes bore into his. "Now, it's time for you to finally pay the ultimate price for what you've done with your life!"

"Comet Fist!" His right hand glowing a bright gold, Jellal barely managed to croak out the name of his technique before he punched Erza just hard enough for her to finally let go of him. He would have liked some time to breathe, but he knew there was no such respite. Acting quickly, his skin soon became engulfed in rock as fire, wind, and water surrounded his body like a swirling barrier!

"Alright, fine! If my Heavenly Body Magic alone won't be enough, let's see how you handle fighting me with all of the elements at my disposal!" Erza floated there, unimpressed. Jellal growled before launching himself forward and engaging in melee with Erza once more. Before long, one of his punches flew past her guard and knocked her head back, eliciting immense and vicious satisfaction from the former Wizard Saint as he seized on the opportunity. Erza bucked forward as he kneed her in the stomach, the earth element leaving his body to cover Erza's own before the fire, wind, and water that surrounded him slammed into her body as well before he sped away backward, the four elements creating a massive vortex that littered the sky!

Jellal could not help but let out a cackle as she was blasted by the powerful elements. "How do you like that, Erza!? It's a spell called Primordial Vortex! Its power is even greater than that of the Jupiter Cannon! Now, do you see!? This is the power of a man who has risen above even the Wizard Saints, the power of Lord Zeref's chosen one-"

A powerful burst of green energy exploded from the elemental whirlpool in the sky, immediately dispersing the various elements and revealing Erza in all of her wrathful glory. Erza rocketed through the sky and used her momentum to drive her fist deep beneath his sternum, thoroughly depriving the evil man of breath once again. As Jellal hacked and coughed, Erza growled, "I don't care if you have supposedly become stronger than the Wizard Saints, or if you really are Lord Zeref's chosen one! No one takes the life of one of my precious comrades and gets away with it!"

She couldn't do enough to save Liltotto; but damn it, she could make this man– no, this monster pay! Letting out a scream of fury, Erza used her bloodied fists to drive the extent of her hatred into the object of her vengeance. With every punch, Jellal's body crumpled. With every strike, the air shook. With every blow, the skies trembled. With every impact, the seas churned. Finally, a blast of magical energy erupted from her final blow, sending him careening away!

Jellal gritted his teeth in frustration before shining bright with the power of Meteor, planning on using his great speed to circle around Erza and attack her from behind. Closing in, the golden mage threw a kick at the back of her head only for Erza to suddenly move her head out of the way and allow him to pass by just enough for her to grab the hem of his shirt with her left hand, holding him tightly in her grasp.

"I told you earlier, didn't I? You will suffer the very same pain you put her through before you killed her! I promise you this: by the time this is over, you will know the same fear she did." She punched him in the chest once more, a loud cracking sound indicating another broken rib. "Now...her name! Do you remember it now!? Or do I need to continue to beat it into you?!"

"Liltotto… Lamperd… oh, yes… yes, I'll remember it. I'll be sure to tell the new world how futile her sacrifice was!" Jellal yelled into Erza's face with contempt. Glowing with Meteor's power once more, he kicked Erza as hard as he could in her stomach, freeing himself from her grasp before he took to the skies once more. "But more importantly, there's the matter of dealing with you! I'll ensure that you'll repent for your arrogance with this next attack! May the seven stars rain judgment upon you! Grand Chariot!"

As Jellal took his signature stance for the attack, seven large rays of light began their descent. Grand Chariot was far more powerful than any of the attacks he had used previously against Erza, and more than enough to get the job done! Very soon, her body would become nothing more than a mangled mess!

Erza, however, continued to stand her ground, both of her hands glowing with a brilliant light for just a moment until it faded to reveal two broadswords with pink seraph wings as their handguards. She simply narrowed her eyes as the spell came closer and closer until, finally, she swung one of her blades, releasing a massive wave of green energy that completely eclipsed Jellal's Grand Chariot.

"What– no! This cannot be!" Jellal panicked as the attack bore down on him. "Holy Protection of the Seven Stars!" Bringing forth his most powerful defensive magic, seven star-like objects shot down from the sky, each connecting together like a massive, hexagonal shield of light.

Erza's attack made contact with the barrier before it created a massive explosion, one that dwarfed the tower and spanned as far as the eye could see, completely eclipsing the night sky with an explosive force that made any Gran Rey Cero outside of the top four Espada or nuclear weapon pale in comparison. This was no mere attack of a mere S-Class wizard. No, this...was the true, magnificent power of Erza Scarlet.


"Ho-ly-shit!" Bambietta exclaimed as she watched from below the tower's surface. She had been quite fortunate to have heeded Erza's warning about getting to a safe distance. The attack Erza just fired had been just as great, no, greater in size, than the Getsuga Tenshou Ichigo used to nearly kill Ginjou Kugo.

As Erza was right now, even Bambi's "Divinity Drive," the name she had chosen for her new gold-like appearance prior to her battle with Jellal, wasn't at the same level of power Erza was exerting right now. She smiled with pride, watching the woman she admired above all else getting vengeance for their fallen comrade.

At that thought, Bambietta couldn't help but look down at the body in her arms, her face quickly taking on a very somber expression. It's still hard for me to believe that you're really gone, Bambietta thought as she felt the urge to cry once again resurface. Who's going to tell me when my plans don't make sense now? Or help keep me from getting in trouble? Who's going to tell me what the best foods on the menu are now? Lil, I...I...

No longer capable of holding her tears back any longer, the Quincy wept. How could she not? Liltotto had been there with her during almost every important event she had experienced in Earth Land since they had reunited. The blonde had berated herself quite fiercely when it came to her betrayal, but Bambietta had long since forgiven her, the two officially burying the hatchet after the vampire incident. And now...she was dead.

Bambietta quickly shook her head as she looked up at the surface of the tower. No, there will be plenty of time to grieve later. Right now… Right now, I have to keep my eyes open so that the bastard doesn't pull another fast one on Erza!

It was the very least she could do to fulfill her promise to Liltotto.


Jellal could not help but pant heavily, the mage wrought with exhaustion. His whole body shuddered, not just from the exertion of the last-minute defensive spell he had barely conjured up in time, but also from, as much as he loathed to admit it, fear. Of the seven stars he had summoned, only the center star remained, the rest having been destroyed entirely from Erza's attack. Even the remaining star soon crumbled into motes of light that blew past Jellal's stunned face. He inspected his still-shaking hand, noticing that his glove had still been burnt away despite his heavenly protection. Had he not used this spell, he would no doubt have been floating unconscious in the sea below, or even more likely…dead.

Damn you, Elisabeth, for making such an armor! Jellal cursed the blacksmith. He didn't think it was possible for one of her creations to have a power like this! If he survived this, he would make sure the Wizard Saint would pay by being the one he used to revive Zeref in Erza's place!

Jellal paused. When. Not if. When he survived this. How on earth could he have even begun to doubt his own ability!? He was the chosen one, damn it! He would emerge victorious!

"I see you survived."

Jellal spun around to see none other than Erza Scarlet floating a mere six feet away from him. She still had that intensity in her eyes but she seemed slightly more at ease.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be able to manage attacks from these blades. I should be happy about that, I suppose."

"You're happy that I survived? What sort of sentimental drivel is that!?" Jellal demanded. "Didn't you say mere moments ago that you wished for my demise!? What, have you had a change of heart? Do you still plan for me to return to that naive young boy I once was? Is that it!?"

Erza simply shook her head before she responded. "Not anymore. It's clear to me now that the young boy who gave me my last name has long since ceased to be. I thought when I first ascended the tower that I was ready to end your life. But, the truth is, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not without the latest enchantment Elisabeth placed on the Purgatory armor at least. I realize now that I unknowingly hoped, somehow, that the old you was still in there somewhere. But after what you've done, I know that he is truly lost. No, the only relief I feel now is knowing that you'll live to serve out your sentence to reflect on all the misery you've brought into the world.

She clenched her twin blades before she continued. "When you killed Liltotto, I truly did wish for your death once more, but only now do I realize that such was folly on my part. To simply kill you would be too easy for you. If I had taken your life, you'd die believing yourself to be some sort of martyr, and I refuse to let you have that or any kind of satisfaction in death. No, I want you to live out the rest of your days in a cell so you can reflect on the life you took, the lives you've trampled, and properly repent."

"Repent!? Repent!? The one who should be repenting is you!" Jellal threw his right arm to the side in exasperation, voice rising to match his fury. "You're the one preventing the revival of Lord Zeref! All I wish for is to bring about a paradise where true freedom exists while you're content living a pathetic excuse of an existence working within a mere guild! My goals are noble, splendid, and will-"

(Music of choice: Encirclement Battle, Bleach OST)

"I've heard enough of your babbling, Jellal."

Erza rocketed off, her body enveloped in green magic once more, blades ready to strike. Jellal flew past and behind her, his hands clad with wind and water. "Cleanse yourself of guilt! Five Stars: Baptismal Vortex of the Heavens!" Two torrents of the elements came crashing into Erza, the attack propelling her body forward before she turned and swung her blade, allowing her to cleave through the attacks.

However, even as she parted his attack, Jellal was already below her, both of his hands going past his knees as he declared, "May the earth send your soul to heaven! Gaia's Deliverance!" Using one of the most powerful Earth spell's in all of Ishgar, a massive, gargantuan boulder, about 3 miles long in length and width, erupted from the sea, crashing into Erza as it lifted her up high into the atmosphere, Jellal cackling at the sight of her apparent demise.

"Now, ascend to the heavens above, so-called Titania! Once you reach its peak, you'll suffocate from my righteous judgment!"

Erza struggled as the momentum of the boulder, having caught her off guard, was now pushing her upwards to the so-called heavens. She could feel the air beginning to get thinner and thinner as she rocketed upwards, the scarlet-headed mage struggling to get one of her hands free. The massive rock had left them trapped against her body due to the sheer force of the attack, and she was swiftly running out of air to breathe.

Determined, Erza gritted her teeth before she managed to unpin one of her hands and bring her sword down, Erza flying down the massive rock as she cut through it with her blade.

Jellal growled in frustration as he began to glow once more, but this time with an intensity lacking from his usual Meteor spell. The same yellow aura surrounded him as before, but now it was accompanied by small sparks of bioelectricity all over his body. He grunted in pain before grinning victoriously. "You've left me with no choice, Erza! I've sparingly used my full power while dealing with you and your friends to prevent unnecessary damage to the tower, but now it seems even my full power isn't enough! I can see that I have no other options before me but to go beyond my limits! Falling Star: Meteor!"

Before Erza could fully comprehend his words, a bruise was already forming on her cheek. Erza instinctively swung back with one of her blades, but Jellal was already several steps ahead of her, the mage having moved behind her to deal a powerful elbow to the back of her head before flying in front of her and kicking her across the face. Erza spun around before Jellal slammed his fist into her gut, Erza wheezing in forced exhalation. She recovered swiftly and tried to hit him once again only for him to fly above her.

"It's hopeless, Erza! My Falling Star technique has increased my speed and power by over a third compared to what it once was! It'll be more than enough to properly eradicate you! Now, perish, Erza!"

Using his unbelievable speed, Jellal was moving around Erza so quickly that she could no longer keep track of him properly. A knee to her chin, an elbow to her chest plate, a fist to her upper back; he unleashed upon her a dizzying flurry of blows and Erza was now starting to get overwhelmed, her armor becoming dented in places.

Still, this was not enough. He needed to get in a good hit, and soon. That was when he noticed something, or rather, someone out of the corner of his eye. The madman smirked as a diabolical plan formed in his head. "You've proven to be a far more worthy foe than I could have ever imagined, but you still have one weakness you haven't accounted for!"

Jumping above a horizontal swing, Jellal took to the sky and glanced towards Bambietta. "Now, to do away with you as I did with that annoying vermin Liltotto!"

Once more, shadows bent to his will as he gathered up the power needed to unleash one of his most powerful spells. Knowing that this attack was stronger than any of his other techniques, Erza braced herself and began to concentrate her magic into her twin blades, expecting the attack to be fired in her direction…only for her old friend to suddenly pivot as the attack neared its completion and turned towards Bambietta.

Erza's eyes widened in realization just before he threw the massive orb. "YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"

"Altairis!"

"Oh shit!" Bambietta yelled out as the attack hurtled towards her. She had hoped that he wouldn't notice her, but it seemed she had been careless in her attempt to watch over Erza. Exhausted as she was and carrying her friend's body, any attempt at escape would no doubt prove futile.

Yelling out with rage, Erza soared in front of Bambietta, her blades at the ready. She would not allow this attack to claim another life!

As the massive orb of shadow littered with tiny lights made its descent, Erza swung her twin blades, two massive waves of energy blasting out from them and clashing with Jellal's deadly spell. They seemed to have been of equal strength for the first few moments, but to Erza's horror, the Heavenly Body spell consumed her own magic as it sped down to her. Crossing both swords over each other in order to properly defend herself, Erza felt herself moving downwards as the spell slammed into her. She grunted and growled with the attempt to destroy his spell, but the miniature black hole proved to be too much, the attack engulfing her entirely as she let out a scream of pain.

"Oh no, Erza!" Bambietta screamed out. This couldn't be happening! They were coming so close, so close to taking that madman down once and for all, yet here he was, overpowering Erza.

The blast shrank in size before exploding, blinding both Bambietta and Jellal with its might. Even Erza's earlier attack wasn't as powerful as this!

"Now, do you finally understand, Erza!?" Jellal demanded. "Despite your rather impressive armor, you've still no match for my ascended might! Now, either perish into oblivion, or allow me to use you to revive Lord Zeref!"

"This….this is all my fault." Bambietta stammered as she stared at the dust cloud that had formed in the sky. She should have listened, she should have just ran with Liltotto. Now….Now because of her, Erza was…Erza was…

"Are you quite finished, Jellal?"

The smoke finally began to clear up. Much to Jellal's dismay and Bambietta's delight, the strongest woman in all of Fairy Tail was far from finished. She was not undamaged, however, her twin blades having been shattered completely. Her armor fared slightly better, but small holes and cuts now adorned the once pristine armor. Last but not least was Erza herself, the mage covered with new cuts and bruises that she did not have mere moments ago.

Jellal was taken aback, but only for a moment. He clapped his hands in a semi-mocking, yet nonetheless genuine, manner. "Well done, Erza, well done. I never thought it would be possible for anyone to survive that spell, let alone an enhanced one. Truly, you are indeed worthy of becoming Lord Zeref's sacrifice."

Erza couldn't help but stare at him in slight befuddlement. One minute, he was insisting on sacrificing her for Lord Zeref. The next, he wanted to simply see her dead. It was a constant inconsistency that she'd brushed off until now, but with it happening yet again, it left her to ponder.

Why is he constantly changing his mind when it comes to me? I know that he's a madman, but he'd never be able to hide his true nature among the council and saints if he had moments like this. She shook her head as she banished those thoughts from her mind. It was, at this point, irrelevant. There was only one thing that truly mattered now: defeating Jellal once and for all.

(Song of choice: Kyodaika-suru Yabo G Gundam OST)

Once more, the two clashed amidst the starry night, Erza and Jellal rushing at each other at top speed before they connected, a bright flash covering the sky once more, creating a massive shock wave that shook all of Fiore. The two mages yelled out as loud as they could as the pair flew up and beyond the clouds. Erza's newly requipped swords and Jellal's fists pushed against the other, the two trying to overpower each other as they danced amongst the stars. They parted briefly before they clashed against each other once more, Jellal dodging underneath Erza's left blade as she thrust it forward and punched her across the face with his left hand, only for him to be hit by the flat of her right blade across his chest as he skidded across the sky.

"This isn't over yet, Erza!" Jella quickly flew back at her with blinding speed in order to latch onto both of her wrists before he began to knee her in the stomach consecutively with both of his legs, the redhead groaning out in pain from each hit until she let out an enraged battle cry and slammed her forehead into his. He let go of her wrists before Erza swung the flat of her right blade against his left cheek, which Jellal then countered with a right hook to Erza's head. Yelling out in fury, the two went back and forth with this exchange, the sky itself seeming to shake with each blow until Erza finally managed to block one of his punches with her left blade before counter-striking with her right, the blade striking down against his chest and drawing blood before he was blasted off about a mile or two away from her strike. He glared murderously at her before raising a hand above his head.

"Pleiades!"

Yet again did Jellal use his Heavenly Body magic to blast six rays of light upon Erza Scarlet, the red-headed mage deflecting each one as she closed the distance before she fired a burst of green magical energy from her sword. Jellal flew above the attack before quickly flying down at Erza, the Titania just barely raising up both of her blades in the nick of time to block an oncoming kick from Jellal.

Sword and fist clashed once more, each of their blows resulting in a massive shockwave that could be felt as far away as Magnolia before Jellal flew backward. He stopped his descent, but not before he noticed Erza above him, both swords raised before she swung them downwards to create a large ball of magical energy that sped towards him.

He crossed his arms to endure the hit, and though his skin was covered with more cuts and bruises by the time the attack faded, he grinned. "Attacks like that won't work on me anymore Erza! If that's the best you can do, then you may as well-"

Only for him to cry out in pain as he felt one of Erza's blades slash him from his left shoulder to right hip before Erza used the flat of her blades to bash the right side of his face, the mage twirling in the air from the strike before Erza appeared behind him and attempted to strike his left side. Recovering quickly, Jellal grabbed her sword arm and launched a fireball point-blank at Erza's face, the Fairy Tail mage forced back as Jellal flew upwards.

"Be slain by Heaven's blades! Novenary Lightning Stars!"

Behind Jellal, nine blades made of lightning shimmered into existence, each one crackling as they launched themselves forward. Erza swung her swords to deflect the first three blades, but the next three hit their mark, slamming themselves into Erza's chest plate to reveal her bleeding stomach. Surrounding herself with a massive green aura, Erza flew through the next two, ignoring the pain as they cut into her skin before she swung her blade, creating a massive powerful wave of energy, one greater than any she had used prior that destroyed the last oncoming lighting blade and enveloping Jellal completely. The smokey debris of the attack quickly faded, Jellal now bleeding profusely all over his body.

Jellal yelled out in anger as he built up his magical power. "ENOUGH! In my darkest hour, Lord Zeref reached out to me! He told me that he could make all of my dreams come true! There's a reason why I and I alone have heard his voice! It's because I am the chosen one! Once he's been resurrected, we'll work together to bring about a world that's truly free!"

"Wake up! In reality, all you'd be doing is stripping away the freedom of everyone else in the world!" Erza rebuked. "You're just like Quilge, trying to use your own lies and delusional fantasy to give you easy answers where none exist!"

Jellal snarled. "I've humored you for long enough! It's high time I put an end to this little farce, and I know just the spell to do it! Prepare to embrace oblivion!" Moving his hands about in rapid succession, a massive golden magical circle formed in front of him.

Erza's eyes widened as she immediately recognized the magic circle he had cast. It was the same spell as the one the insane Master Jose had intended on unleashing upon all of Magnolia! "But why!?" She demanded. "With how much magic the tower has already absorbed, you'll destroy the tower so many died to create! Are you truly that desperate to do away with me!?" She may have had no sentimental attachment to this place, but she was most certain Jellal would have!

"I realize now that this tower means nothing in the grand scheme of things!" Jellal replied. "Now that I've done it once, I can build another in half the time! Lord Zeref, wait for me!" He refocused on the defiant woman before him. "May the flames of Hell smite you with judgment, may the holy baptism of the sea cleanse you of your sin, may Gaia's earthly embrace become your tomb, and may the heavens' wind help you ascend to the afterlife! ABYSS BREAK!"

A massive dark blast came outwards then, threatening to smash Erza and even the Tower of Heaven completely. Jellal let out a loud cackle then as he prepared to watch her meet her end. "This is the end for you, ERRRZZZAAAAAA!" Jellal cried out!

"JEEELLLAAAALLL!" Erza similarly shouted as she began to build up all of her magical power for one final attack! Erza placed both of her swords together, green lightning-like energy surrounding her blades before she launched forward, thrusting her blade into the dark attack! "FAIRY BURST!"

The two attacks slammed into each other, the dark elements of Jellal against Erza's blade. Both mages yelled as hard as they could as they poured all of their magic into the attacks, the two of them willing to put their very lives on the line to achieve victory. The sea below became violent, looking as though the water itself were incalculably furious as the magical energy shook everything within sight. The power from the clash was unlike any before, the force of the blast strong enough to even reach the continent of Alverez!

Much to Erza's and Bambietta's surprise, it was Jellal that was pushing Erza backward as the Abyss Break slowly consumed her, the darkness threatening to envelop her completely. "You can't win, Erza! I've combined all the elements at my disposal for this last attack! Your armor is indeed worthy of your title, but I've sacrificed everything to create this tower, and I won't allow myself to lose to the pathetic little girl I suffered for all those years ago!"

Erza growled despite losing her advantage in the ensuing clash. "I am not the same little girl you protected in this wretched tower." Memories of her time since she escaped the tower flashed through her mind then, from her first day in the guild to meeting the likes of Natsu and Gray. The many squabbles she got into with Mira, and the times she laid down the law in the chaotic guild, to saving the life of Bambietta Basterbine, and then lastly… The times she had spent with Liltotto.


The next morning, when Erza Scarlet woke up, it was to a most delicious aroma. She motioned to get out of bed, but something heavy was in her lap: a thick iron tray. And sitting on the tray was a plate of strawberry pancakes with icing and maple syrup, piled high with freshly washed strawberries, stuffed French toast, and a strawberry cheesecake crepe. A knife, fork and napkin, a glass of milk, and a glass of orange juice were already prepared for her to enjoy.

Erza stared at the bounty before her, wondering where it had come from before feeling something move by her right arm. She leaned to one side to see Liltotto on her knees, snoring. Erza smiled, reaching out to pat Liltotto's head.


Erza' teeth gritted in fury as she was reminded of the dear friend she had just lost, her magical power increasing greatly in response to her emotions. "I am Titania Erza of Fairy Tail, and for my precious friend you murdered in cold blood, I WILL EMERGE VICTORIOUS!"

Her resolve increased to new heights, both of Erza's blades were able to cut through the darkness Jellal had fired down and allowed Erza to fly through the blast, appearing before the shocked and terrified Jellal to slam the flat of her blade down as hard as she could on his face! The force of the impact caused a powerful blast of wind pressure to blast out behind him, cleaving a huge hole in the ocean below about the size of an entire city before it was quickly covered by water. Jellal's mouth was agape then, his eyes completely white as he crashed down onto the tower below, the crater made from before giving way and allowing him to crash through several floors of the tower where he remained still.

Erza slowly floated down to the same floor he crashed on, the red-headed mage paying close attention to him. His chest slowly rose up and down, indicating he was still alive, but quite unconscious. Finally… The nightmare had ended.

Erza let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as relief washed over her. For the last few moments in their final clash, Erza had feared she was actually about to lose. But all she needed in the end was just a little push from her deceased guildmate. Erza looked up to the sky then, a weak smile adorning her face as she thought back to the petite Quincy one last time. Liltotto… Thanks to you, I was finally able to end this nightmare. For all you've done for me and the guild… I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart.

"Erza…you did it!" She turned her head to see Bambietta,still carrying Liltotto's body as she landed down on the tower's surface. The brunette stumbled a bit before collecting herself in spite of her injuries. The Quincy gave her fellow Fairy Tail mage a smirk before she spoke. "You really managed to kick that bastard's ass! Man, that armor of yours sure is something!"

Erza could easily tell despite the slight cheer in her voice that the former Sternritter wasn't truly satisfied with the outcome. Bambietta hid it well but...there was a slight tremor in her voice. Most people wouldn't have noticed, no doubt something Bambietta had learned to master from her time with her father, but Erza was just as experienced, if not more so, at hiding her true feelings.

The S-Class wizard completely understood how she felt. Yes, victory was finally achieved… But at what cost? Did she even dare call this a win? No, she could not. The fear she had tried to keep hidden away had at long last come to pass. Losing a friend was unacceptable in her eyes, regardless of the results it brought about. She had no doubt in her mind that Bambietta felt the same way, the Quincy's bonds with her friends proving to have been quite strong over the half-year she had known her.

Erza placed a hand on Bambietta's right shoulder, the Quincy's smile beginning to fade as her lips slightly quivered. "You don't have to hold back your tears on my account, Bambietta. Tears are not a sign of weakness. Rather...they represent a strength of character." Bambietta's body began to tremble as Erza continued. "Go on, let it all out. Follow your heart's desires so you need not cling to them anymore."

With Erza's words reaching into Bambietta's very being, the Quincy fell to her knees as she openly sobbed over Liltotto's body. It was undignified to cry over a comrade's life; at least, that had been the belief that had been installed into her back in her old hometown and the Wandenreich. But now that she was a member of Fairy Tail, Bambietta could allow herself to let her emotions flow as freely as her tears.

"Lil, I'm... I'm so sorry!" Bambietta cried as her tears fell onto Liltotto. "If only I had been stronger, if only I could master this new power of mine, then you wouldn't have had to die for either of us!" She punched the lacrima floor then as she continued to vent. "I'm the leader of our little clique, so I should have been the one to take all that pain, not you!"

Her head pressed against Liltottos forehead as she wailed. "I'm the one who killed her subordinates whenever she got pissy, I'm the one with too much blood on her hands! I'm the one who deserved to die!"

Erza wanted to say something, anything to tell Bambietta that she was speaking nonsense...But how could she hope to do so when she felt the same way? If she could have traded her life for her fallen comrade, she would have done so in an instant. Thus, all she could do for now was remain the one person to support Bambietta in this desperate time. She too wanted to grieve more than she had, but she was willing to hold back the pain until the time was right. After all, she was the one the rest of the guild had to rely on.

It was her responsibility.

"Erza, What...What have I done?"

The two women turned around in shock when they heard a weak and shaken voice call out to Erza, revealing, much to their surprise...Jellal. However, something about him was rather...different. No longer did he possess the manic look in his eyes, nor the confidence that he used to exude. No, the man before them now seemed...remorseful. His face looked distraught, his eyes wide and welling with tears as he stumbled forward. Erza couldn't help her befuddlement at the current situation, Jellal's motive seemingly changing yet again.

Bambietta, however, took more immediate action. "Oh, no you fucking don't, you piece of shit!"

Bambietta slammed into the blue-haired man, pinning him to the ground and glaring into his eyes with hatred before she slammed her fist down, smashing his head onto the ground before she began to punch him over and over!

"Don't you dare, don't you even dare try telling us that you've seen the light and that the weight of your sins is finally crashing down on you. One of my best friends is dead because of you! Not beaten, not comatose, DEAD! Do you think I'm just going to let you have your moment to reflect on what you've done before you beg for forgiveness? Do you!? Well, I'm not having it! You put Erza through Hell for god knows how many years, beat the ever-loving shit out of me for getting in your way, and murdered Liltotto! You have no idea how much damage you've done to our family! None! Don't think for even a minute that any sort of apology is ever going to be enough!"

She stopped punching him then as she caught her breath, his face already welling up with new bruises as she glared at him. "Listen here, you son of a bitch. You have no idea how lucky that's all you're going to get from me after what you just did. Were I not a member of Fairy Tail, I'd kill you right here, right now! But… Erza clearly wants you to serve out your sentence, and as much as I'd love to make you squirm in your last moments, I...I know Lil wouldn't want me to lose Fairy Tail over the likes of you. So I'll spare you for their sake, not yours. But don't think for even a second you can just say "I'm sorry" and we call it good. It never will be."

"I– I know that I can never make up for what's happened with words alone! Continue to beat me if you must, I won't stop you! You have every right! But you both must be aware that there is much more going on than you know!" Jellal exclaimed. "All of those years ago, when I staged the revolt to save Erza after I was tortured, I did not merely hear the voice of Zeref! I was possessed by–"

Bambietta interrupted him by punching him hard across the face before she snarled. "You're seriously going to try to tell us that none of this is your fault, that you were just being manipulated!? FUCK OFF! It's one thing to ask for forgiveness after all you've done, but this?! I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID EARLIER, I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" Her blade formed into her hand then as she glared into his shaking eyes. "I don't care if I do get kicked out of Fairy Tail for this! You're too much of a risk to leave alive!" She brought her blade down to puncture Jellal's throat, the young man closing his eyes as he waited for the bitter end. "ROT IN HELL, YOU BASTARD!" She declared.

"Bambietta, stop!"

Erza's hand reached out then, grabbing the sword with her hand right before it plunged into Jellal's neck. Bambietta's eyes widened with surprise as Jellal's own fluttered open before the Quincy looked back at Erza with fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Bambietta yelled at Erza. "Does the guild's no-kill rule mean that much to you!? That you would let someone like this go on!? Or is it because he's your old friend!? Or do you honestly believe the words coming out of his mouth!? He killed Lil, Erza!"

"Listen to me for just a minute!" Erza yelled at Bambietta, briefly breaking her mourning friend out of her anger-induced rant. "I understand that you're angry, that you want revenge for what happened to Liltotto. I can't even fault you for wanting to kill him after everything he's done. You're not wrong to feel that way. I know what you're going through all too well. But I've known Jellal for far longer and far better than you have! For as long as I've known him, Jellal has always been a terrible liar! He couldn't tell a lie to skip out on chores, let alone something like this! What I'm seeing right now is not that madman we were dealing with before...but the young boy I knew as a fellow slave."

"He's just trying to trick the both of us!" Bambietta yelled back. "You cannot honestly tell me that you're buying into this! He's only going for this wounded gazelle gambit to save his own skin!"

Erza shook her head. "If this were to have happened earlier I would have thought the same. But… Several times through our battle, Jellal's motives changed constantly. One moment, he was insisting to use me as a sacrifice for Zeref, then the next, he wanted to simply kill all of us. He always went back and forth between the two!"

"You're just looking for a chance to see your old friend in this monster!" Bambietta rebutted. "It's all a ruse! People like him are willing to do anything it takes to get what they want! Right now, I'm willing to bet he's just trying to save up enough magical power to finish us off! Besides, why would he be free now of all times!?"

"I can answer that...if you'll allow me."

The two Fairy Tail mages looked back at Jellal before he continued. "This entire time, I was trying to overcome my possession. I was trained over the years by various mages from the Balam Alliance to boost my power to further their plans. Thus, to help me fulfill my role in the magic council, and so I could never break free from this mental prison, they split my strength. One into the thought projection known as Siegrain, who would infiltrate the magic council and Wizard Saints, the other as the lord of the tower. They feared that, if I had access to my full power for long enough, I would one day be able to break free. I believe it was that, plus the resounding defeat and damage I received from Erza, that finally freed me."

"Well, isn't that just convenient?" Bambietta retorted. "It's only after you've killed Liltotto and lost that you're finally free? Well, I don't buy it! You're just doing this to place the blame on someone else so you don't–"

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

Bambietta paused at Jellal's sudden exclamation, the man looking at her not with anger, not with fear, nor pride or some kind of crazed look in his eye but with a kind of expression that was quite different from the one she had seen prior to all this. This was no madman she was pinning down...but a man determined to deliver a message.

He spoke then, with vigor and strength of character that made him seem like a new man entirely. "I don't care if I'm punished for what's transpired on this tower. Regardless of whether or not it was my intent, the life of your friend was taken away by my hands! But if I am the only one blamed for this terrible tragedy, then the true culprit behind the torment that Erza and I had to endure for eight years will escape justice! I may not know exactly who it was that warped my mind, but I know for a fact that it must have been someone of significant rank among the Balam Alliance! Do whatever you wish to me, lock me away, beat me to a pulp, or even kill me to avenge your friend if that is what you wish, but I at least want to ensure that Erza will never again be hurt by the person who put us both through this hell!"

In her time in the Wandenreich, Bambietta had learned a great many things. While most were combat-related, one of the more subtle talents she had to pick up on her own had been to know whenever or not someone was fabricating some sort of lie. She was far from perfect, and some people like Askin were still impossible for her to tell when they were being sincere or not. However, by and large, she could tell when she was being lied to. As she was a few moments ago, filled with rage and hate, she had been unable to tell from Jellal's words, or to be more accurate, she was too furious to even consider them to be true. There was something about him now, whether it was the tone of his voice, the determination in his now-sane eyes, or Erza's logic from before that allowed Bambietta to properly think on what was truly going on.

If he's really doing this to save his own life, then why on earth would he be so willing to throw his life away? Bambietta wondered. It would work in the exact opposite of what he would have wanted. Sure, this could have been just a ploy for a more long-term plan...but the look he was giving her was just so full of resolution that it made such a theory unlikely even to her...and she hated it.

"God damn it!" Bambietta screamed as she punched the ground. There was too much of a gray area here for her to proceed any further. Slowly, she got off the man, her gaze no less filled with fury. "Alright, I'll let Erza decide what we do with you. But if you pull a fast one, I will kill you, understand?"

Jellal slowly nodded his head before he weakly looked over at Erza. "It's all in your hands now, Erza. If you wish to take my life, then so be it. I won't resist. All I ask for is that you find the one who-" His eyes widened as his body lifted itself up, as if it were a marionette before he gripped his head, screaming as a dark magic surrounded him.

"GRRRRAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"Jellal! What's wrong!?" Erza demanded.

"It's...back! The thing that took over my mind! It's...still...there!" Jellal grunted as he looked at Erza. "Erza...Please...You-" His face took on a more sinister look then as he smirked. "It's too late you fool! You may have had a moment where you slipped free, but I've had more than enough time to regain dominance!" He then sneered at the two women. "Now that your magical powers are spent, you two will finally-"

However, before he could finish speaking, Jellal's right hand punched himself hard in the face, causing him to groan out in pain. "You damn fool, you still wish to resist!?"

Jellal punched himself two more times then as his body began to glow with Heavenly Body magic as it tried to fight off the darkness that surrounded him. He looked at Erza with pleading eyes. "Erza, I...I don't know how much longer I can control myself! Please...You have to kill me right now!"

Erza's eyes widened then as she heard his words. "But...you..."

"Erza...I couldn't live with myself if I knew I caused you or the others any more pain!" Jellal yelled as tears fell down his face. "You have to do it! Living a life like this is a far worse fate than being a slave in the tower ever was! Please, Erza! If not for me, then to avenge your friend once and for all! Don't let what happened to her or Grandpa Rob happen ever again! I BEG OF YOU! END THIS!"

Erza's body shook then as she looked at Jellal. To say she was conflicted would have possibly been one of the greatest understatements of all time. While she had loathed and despised him for years, a part of her had always hoped that her best friend was still in there somewhere. A few moments ago she had believed he had ceased to exist. But now here she was, given proof that, not only was he still the boy she had come to adore through their years of hardship, but he was also now controlled by someone, or something, that had been truly responsible for it all. How then could she kill him after all these revelations!? She didn't want to kill him, she wanted to save him! But if he was truly bound to be taken over once more...

No. Not again.

"I won't kill you," Erza said as she slowly trotted over to him. "You suffered much for my sake before you were possessed. I didn't have a chance to properly repay you back then." She then placed a hand on his shoulder. "But I do now. You possess willpower and courage far greater than almost anyone I know. You can fight this, and you will overcome it. I know you will."

Jellal's body began to shake as the dark magic slowly began to take over him. "But...I...I can't! It's too strong! Erza, please–"

"Oh, you're going to win all right, no 'buts' about it!"

He turned his head to see Bambietta make her own approach. "Now that I'm seeing it for myself, it's clear you're telling the truth! Believe it or not when I say I went through some shit pretty similar to this! Someone wrapped my mind too. Turned me into something I hated. A weak and spineless toy that someone could use however they wished, that's all I was! That 'life' couldn't even be called that! I didn't go through it for years as you did, but I know better than anyone else what it's like to be controlled like that!"

She then looked Jellal in the eyes as she smirked. "But you have something I don't! A chance to fight back and show this asshole what you can really do! So, how's about you stop having your pity party, put on your big boy pants, and tell this stupid bastard to go straight to hell!"

Jellal didn't know much about this woman aside from what he had seen from the confines of his mind while he was controlled, but there was something about her that gave him resolve. No, it wasn't just her, she was simply the one to give him that last final push. No, the one who had truly helped him reach this point, the one who had allowed him to break free in the first place, was his closest friend, Erza.

With the two women's words of encouragement, his resolve strengthened once more and he let out a mighty shout, his own golden magical power finally pushing out the darkness that surrounded him as it formed into a silhouette barely resembling a man.

"What!? No, you fool, you need me!" It cried out as it rushed towards Jellal...only to stop halfway as Bambietta had fired an arrow through its chest, the Quincy's eyes full of tears as she glared at it.

"That was for Liltotto, you son of a bitch. NOW, BURN IN HELL!" Letting out a powerful scream, she fired off one last, powerful Heilig Pfeil, the reishi arrow large enough to envelop the shadowy creature entirely as it fired off of the tower.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" It declared before the arrow exploded, the shadowy figure crashing to the sea below, finally ending the battle once and for all.

Bambietta fell to her knees then, the archer having used up all of her power for that last attack. She slowly looked over at Liltotto's body before she weakly smiled. "Looks like I fulfilled my promise after all, huh, Lil?"

"Indeed you have, Bambietta," Erza said before she looked over at Jellal with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Jellal slowly looked over at her, and his body slumped as if he felt a great weight had been lifted off of him. "How do I feel? There's...so many emotions going through me right now. Sorrow over the death of your friend and all the suffering I put you through. Rage at the one who placed that spell on me in the first place. Fear of what's to come...but above all else...I finally feel...Free."

He gave Erza a smile then, just like the ones he had given her many times before back when they were the best of friends. Erza couldn't help but smile too before they embraced in a powerful hug. He was back. The young boy she had always admired, her closest friend before she had joined Fairy Tail, was finally back where he belonged. Finally, it seemed everything was over.

But it was not to be. The tower shook as countless pillars of light began to erupt around the tower. Bambietta's, Erza's, and Jellal's eyes widened in horror as they felt the sensation. "Oh for fuck's sake, now what!?" Bambietta demanded.

"The Etherion...it seems that even the tower could only hold that level of power for so long..." Erza said as fear began to creep into her as more and more light burst throughout the tower. "If something isn't done soon...the tower will explode! If that happens then we, our friends, and at least half of Fiore will all be destroyed!"

"Are you fucking serious right now!?" Bambietta demanded as she ran over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "We gotta do something! Isn't there anything we can do to just make it all go away!?"

"It's not that simple!" Erza yelled back. "Unless we figure out a way to transfer all of that power into something else, then-" Erza's eyes widened as her eyes happened to lock on to the one thing that could put an end to all of this. "Wait, that's it! We just have to use the tower for what it was made in the first place!"

"What, you mean revive that Lord Zeref asshole!? That would make everything we went through pointle–" Bambietta stopped herself mid-rant as she quickly realized what Erza was beginning to imply as tears of joy began to creep into her eyes. "You…You don't mean..."

Erza smiled then as tears welled in her eyes. "I do...We'll use this tower to revive Liltotto!"

Bambietta's jaw dropped as tears fell from her eyes before she gave her one of the biggest smiles she ever had in her entire life. "ALRIGHT! Don't worry Lil, we're coming for you!" Letting go of Erza, she ran over to her best friend's corpse before she looked at Erza. "Just tell me what I need to do!"

"All you need to do is place her body in the center of the tower," Erza answered as she slowly made her way over as well.

Practically skipping on her feet with joy, Bambietta lifted Liltotto up before she made her way over and placed her down before she looked at Erza. "Alright, now what!?"

"Now, you and Jellal need to leave the tower. It'll soon cease to exist once the spell is cast. With both of your powers, you should be able to make it to the ship." Erza told her.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Bambietta said as she nodded her head. "After everything we've been through, that'll be a piece...of...cake..." Bambietta's words trailed off as she quickly came to a revelation regarding Erza's choice of words. "...What about you?"

Erza shook her head. "The R-System needs a sacrifice in order to work. One with power on par with the Wizard Saints. A life for a life, along with an abundance of magical power is what is required. You two will leave while I..." She then gave Bambietta a smile. "Will fulfill my duty as Titania."

Bambietta couldn't help but gape at Erza' her eyes wide as could be as she heard her plan before she got up and slowly walked over to her.

Erza already began to shake her head. "I have to do this Bambietta, Liltotto-"

"THIS ISN'T WHAT LIL WOULD WANT!" Bambietta screamed in anger as she stomped over to her. "Nor me, nor Natsu, nor anyone else in the guild! Do you think Lil would want to live with herself if it took you dying to bring her back!? She'd have an even worse problem with her guilt than she already had!"

"I know it'll be hard, but it has to be this way," Erza told Bambietta as she continued to approach. "I made a promise to myself after that fateful day when I finally escaped this tower. That no one would ever again have to die to protect me. I gained all this strength so that I could keep every one of my friends safe from harm. But in the end, it wasn't enough. Grandpa Rob gave his life so that I could live on. Well, now it's my time to return that same favor to her. My time in Fairy Tail was easily the best in my life. All of the friends I made there, I cherish them more than my own life. That's why I have to do this Bambietta. My duty as the Titania demands–"

SLAP!

Erza quickly felt a sharp pain on her right cheek as she stepped back, the strongest woman in fairy Tail having been taken completely off guard by Bambietta's bold choice to slap her. Still in shock, Erza slowly looked at Bambietta, the Quincy's face filled with not just anger, but also a great deal of sorrow, her tears from before now having returned in full force.

"Damn it, Erza, it's not your responsibility to throw your life away! It never has been! You're always throwing yourself into danger to keep everyone safe, and that's fine! But just throwing your life away like this!? I may not have been in Fairy Tail anywhere near as long as you have, but I do know this! This is not the Fairy Tail way! Dying to protect someone and sacrificing yourself to bring someone back from the dead are two completely different things! The only thing you're going to do by killing yourself like this is bring the guild more pain!"

The Quincy grabbed onto Erza's shoulders before she continued. "Lil would never, ever be able to live with herself if you did this! I know you think she would just be able to get over it, but she won't! Look what she went through with me! You're only going to make it a hundred times worse! And it's not just Lil, I'd never be able to live with it either!"

The Quincy began to slightly sob then as tears fell down her eyes. "You're the reason I'm in Fairy Tail! You're the reason I've made all my friends! The reason why I met Lucy! Erza, I've never respected any woman more than you! You're stronger than me, smarter than me, hell, you're even more beautiful than me! I've done everything I have today to bring you back! All that pain, all that sorrow I endured, it was all for you! Not just me, but everyone in the guild! We all fought so hard for you! Because to us, you're our biggest role model and a true friend! Your death would just leave a hole that would never be healed. You're not supposed to die for your friends, damn it, you live for them!"

Erza's eyes widened at those words, as similar words of her own she had uttered to Jellal came back to the forefront of her mind.


"You've created a massive hole in our guild that will never be fixed! My family had already suffered enough when we lost Lisanna two years ago, and now because of you, they'll have to experience that same heart-wrenching pain and it's all your fault, you uncaring monster!"


"I was...I was..." Erza stuttered. She was just about to put her family through that exact same pain that she placed on Jellal's shoulders mere moments ago. The same pain as when they had lost Lisanna. Mira, her best friend, would have been devastated. Natsu too. No, not just them, everyone would have been shaken from her death. She could see it now in her mind, everyone mourning for her at her funeral, the guild never returning to the way it once was. Not truly. Even if it is for a noble cause…

"I know how you feel, Erza, more than you could possibly imagine." Bambietta spoke up. "You weren't here when I told this to everyone else, but when I was little I wanted nothing more than to impress my old man. I thought that if I just killed a strong enough hollow, that it would be enough for him to love me. But all I ended up doing was biting off way more than I could chew. I should have been eaten that day, but I wasn't the one who died...My Mom was."

Erza let out a silent gasp before Bambietta continued. "So yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I hated myself for the longest time. My mother meant the whole world to me. She was my one light in the darkness of that miserable town my Father governed...and I got her killed. It took me years to finally let go of my self-hatred and that's because I found friends who helped me move past that darkness."

Bambietta then smiled as she looked at Erza. "I know you have friends like that too. Because I'm one of them. So was Lil, and everyone else who came here to save you! So, please...don't let the guilt of your past make you decide that your life isn't worth living. It is. Because if there's one thing I learned from my time here, it's that real friends can help you get through anything!"

Erza closed her eyes as she let Bambietta's words sink in. "You're right. I was being selfish. For all these years I've wanted to atone for what happened...but I forgot that doing so would only bring pain to the people I love." Her eyes opened then with determination. "Nevertheless, if we do nothing, then our lives and everyone we care about are forfeit as it is. Something must be done."

"I...I know." Bambietta said as she looked down with anguish "But there has to be another way! There has to be! We-"

(Song of choice; Seigi no chikara; Fairy Tail OST)

"Fear not, your guild will not feel any more pain. I'll see to that myself."

The pair turned around then to notice Jellal Fernandes beginning to sink into what appeared to be a watery sphere. He groaned out in pain as it began to take him in, Erza running towards him as fast as she could. "JELLAL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

The blue-haired youth gave her a small smile as he was slowly taken in. "Erza, you've already suffered far too much because of me. Even if I wasn't the one in control, I've done plenty of unspeakable, unforgivable things. The Magic Council will no doubt be disbanded due to my actions, and your dear friend paid the ultimate price to ensure I didn't make the worst mistake of all. If anyone should die to bring her back to life and resolve all of this chaos, then it must be me."

Erza grabbed onto his right hand as she tried to pull him out, tears falling from her eyes. "NO, YOU CAN'T! I CAN THINK OF ANOTHER WAY, PLEASE JUST-" She stopped speaking as he used his right hand to slowly brush some of her tears away.

"I'm sorry. It looks like, in the end, I'll be causing you even more pain. But if this is the only way to keep you alive, then I have no regrets." Jellal told her as he continued to sink, though his smile never faltered. "You're truly blessed to have been found by Fairy Tail. To have such wonderful friends who are willing to risk everything to save you. I can tell, the guild needs you just as much as you need them. So don't blame yourself for any of this. I won't ask you not to shed tears over me, I know you too well that you couldn't. What I will ask...is to live your life to the fullest with no more regrets. Don't let me or this terrible tower haunt your dreams ever again."

More and more of him was slowly consumed until just his head and right arm were all that remained on the outside. He gave her one last, heartwarming smile before he looked over to Bambietta. "Be sure to take good care of her, Bambietta Basterbine."

Bambietta nodded with determination as she watched on. "I'll do whatever I can to make sure she has the best damn life possible...and, for what it's worth..." She looked down bashfully before getting the courage to look Jellal in the eyes once more. "Sorry for all those things I said about you...I mean, after the possession faded and shit. You...You would have made an amazing Fairy Tail mage."

Jellal nodded before looking into Erza's tearful eyes. "Goodbye, Erza. I'm just glad I was able to properly make amends before I finally passed on."

Realizing now that there was nothing she could do to stop him, Erza weakly shook her head and gave him a trembling smile. "I'll never forget you. I promise you, I will find the one responsible for all of this, and I will bring them to justice! I'll have the Magic Council know the truth so that your name will not be slandered in the pages of history! I'll live life to the fullest every day for the rest of my life, for you and Grandpa Rob! I swear it!"

Jellal smiled one last time before he finally let go of Erza and began to fully sink into the watery sphere. He closed his eyes then as he sank into a dark unknown. Well, Grandpa Rob, looks like I'll be joining you soon. It's too bad I wasn't able to properly make amends to Simon, Wally, Millianna, and Sho, but at least now I know that Erza will be fine. She's really grown into a powerful mage, just like you always thought she would. She's in good hands now. That guild– no, her family...will do a far better job protecting her than I ever could. Those Fairy Tail Mages truly are...something else.

Erza fell to her knees then, the mage moved to tears once more as she felt overwhelming sadness envelop her very being. Bambietta quickly ran over to her though as she grabbed her hand. "Erza, I know that you're in a lot of pain right now, but we have to go! This place is gonna sink in about 30 seconds! Let's get out of here so not just so we can live, but to give the others a happy ending!"

Erza looked up at Bambietta with tearful eyes and weakly nodded, the mage slowly getting to her feet as she looked into the deformed Lacrima one last time. "Goodbye, Jellal."

The two took off then as the Tower of Heaven began to sink into the sea, the two Fairy Tail wizards watched on with somber eyes, before a massive, powerful light of magic shot up into the sky from the tower. Slowly but surely, the light began to dim, and finally, it faded away entirely. In its place was a petite blonde floating in the ocean, her eyes closed as she peacefully floated amongst the water, the hole in her stomach having vanished entirely. Bambietta and Erza floated down to her then, the two hoping that the tower could achieve what it was made for in the first place. Erza picked her up then and held her in her arms as Bambietta got a closer look.

"Is she...is she really-" The Quincy spluttered as tears of either sadness or joy began to form.

Erza looked down at Liltotto then, looking for any signs of life before she could hear the petite Quincy beginning to breathe, her chest rising up and down as her heart began to start once more. She smiled then, tears of joy of her own falling from her eyes before she looked back at Bambietta. The brunette's expression quickly took on one of joy before the pair heard a voice.

"Hmmmmm, what's...going on?" Weakly, Liltotto began to flutter her eyes open as she saw the pair looking at her with joyous expressions. "Bambi? Erza? Did we...win?"

Bambietta grabbed onto Liltotto's hand as she began to sob with joy. "LIL! YOU'RE BACK! YOU'RE REALLY BACK! I THOUGHT I LOST YOU! I...I...!" Bambietta could no longer form words, reduced to a sobbing mess as she was.

The explosive Quincy overtaken with emotion as she poured out her tears, Erza looked at Liltotto with the brightest smile she could muster as she felt tears of her own fall from her eyes. I'm so glad I get to see you again, Liltotto. Jellal...thank you. Finally, she spoke, looking the happiest Liltotto had ever seen her.

"Yes, it's over Liltotto...It's finally, truly over."


That it is Erza, that it is.

To be frank, I was...dreading writing this part. The climax of any arc is often considered the most important and I've done my damndest to do this arc justice. Ever since I saw her character, Erza has been a source of inspiration to me, from my dreaded years in college to my own personal problems, she and many others served as a way to help me push myself harder than I ever would have normally. It's for this reason that I felt it right to allow her to be the one to fight Jellal in the end. This isn't to say that I don't think Natsu's fight with Jellal wasn't good, not at all, it filled the narrative that Mashima was trying to set up very well...But I personally always felt it should have been Erza to put him in his place. She's the one who has a history with him, and thus I simply thought it would be best if she should be the one to defeat him.

I knew that despite how satisfying her just beating him to a pulp would be though, I couldn't make it the ONLY part of the fight, thus why I decided to give Jellal a bit of a non-cannon power-up, allowing him to eventually fight on par with the Fairy Queen. I truly do hope that the fight managed to entertain each and every single one of you.

Now, regarding Liltotto, I'm sure that my choice to revive her may be controversial, but this was always the plan. Now, let me be frank. If the Tower of Heaven did not have the ability to revive the dead, I would have merely had her knocked unconscious and not bothered with a fake-out. If I couldn't revive her in a way that made sense, well, it would have been rather egregious on my part. However, seeing how this was what the tower was always meant for, I simply decided to use it. But why not just kill her off? This is simply because I have more plans for the character going forward. However, I don't plan on any more "fake out" death's from this point onwards.

Simon surviving changes thing's going forward for Kagura. (A character of great importance once she's introduced) so that's another reason why I did things the way I did.

But the biggest change of all probably has to do with Jellal regaining his sense of self. Now we know that he does do this in cannon...but it's off-screen. But not this time? But why? Because of the ramification it sets off. If you're a big Fairy Tail fan like me, then I'm sure you'll quickly realize the domino effect this will have. If not...well, just wait and see. Just know this. I'm not afraid to change the status qoue of Fairy Tail, as I think I've made clear with how things played out with Lucy and her father.

I really, truly hope this chapter hit's as well as I hoped it did, so please let me know what you thought with a review. It would really mean a lot to me.

That's all I have to say for now. Take care.

MPF's

Jellal: 9325

Jallel Falling Star, Meteor): 12000

Erza: Armadura Fairy: 12,850