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It's a harsh reality, but unlike a normal world where you can check someone to keep weapons out, magic is much harder to detect. Who would expect to be attacked in a place like that? The three girls were completely caught off guard.

Wally's attack was nearly instantaneous. But the pendants activated just in time, shielding Lucy and Mirajane. As for Juvia, her body turned to water, avoiding the damage.

"Bad guy! Water Slider!" Juvia immediately counterattacked.

A wave of multiple blades of water attacked both of them, but Wally, still smiling, fired at Juvia's magic, canceling it out.

"Tsk… bastard. Only Allen-sama is allowed to shoot at Juvia!" Juvia readied herself to attack again.

"Mm, it seems these ladies are tough to bring down…" Wally said, adjusting his hat. "Also, a young lady shouldn't speak like that…"

"That's why I told you to wait, Wally!"

A young man with an arrogant look approached, wearing a dealer's outfit. He held multiple cards in his hands, and within them were people—alive, but trapped as if sealed inside.

"Sorry, Sho-kun… I couldn't help myself when I saw their beauty," Wally said while adjusting his glasses.

"Tsk, I barely had time to trap the civilians... No matter."

Sho had messy, wavy blonde hair, large, aggressive eyes, and tanned skin. His whole appearance gave off the vibe of a delinquent. His most notable feature was a tattoo just under his lower lip.

"What does that mean?... a" Lucy noticed that all the people around them had disappeared—then she jumped into the fight. "How dare you?! Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"

Lucy wasn't the defenseless girl she once was. She summoned a Celestial Spirit to fight. A muscular humanoid bull appeared with a battle cry and charged toward Sho and Wally, though neither showed fear.

"Mouuu!! You'll regret trying to hurt Lucy-chan!"

"I won't let you, nya~" laughed a girl from the shadows, but no one heard her.

Beneath Taurus, a magic circle appeared, and out sprang multiple cat-like ropes that wrapped around him. Taurus suddenly felt weakened, and his gate closed from the blow, sending him back.

"Taurus!" Lucy gritted her teeth, but she wasn't desperate—she had expected his defeat from the start.

— Lucy, a Celestial Spirit Mage must fight with her head. Analyze the situation, your opponent's abilities, and choose the right Spirit to gain an advantage—or to defend yourself. —

'I'm sorry, Taurus, but thanks to you, I can know who I should call.' Lucy grabbed another key. "This time I'm serious! Open—"

"Lucy, behind you!" Mirajane shouted.

Lucy froze and turned—only to see a girl sitting casually at the bar.

"Hello, Big-Boobed Sister~"

Lucy raised her guard against this new enemy, "Who are you?"

"Right on time, Millianna!" Sho laughed.

Millianna looked like a whirlwind of feline energy trapped in human form. Her hair, a light brown with golden highlights, fell in waves to her shoulders, decorated with ribbons resembling cat whiskers—a nod to her obsession with felines. Her bright emerald green eyes sparkled with playful mischief.

She had a slender figure wrapped in a tight outfit of pink and white tones, with accents that evoked claws and tails, enhancing her feline grace. A pair of tall boots completed her look.

"So it was your magic that weakened Tauros!"

"That's right~"

"Millianna, don't tell them that!" Sho scolded.

"Ah, sorry nya~"

Lucy took advantage of her enemy's carelessness and grabbed another of her keys from her pocket. "Open, Gate of the Crab: Cancer!"

A magic circle appeared in front of Lucy. Millianna reacted by raising her hand and creating a circle that released more cat-like ropes—but they were immediately sliced apart.

"What?!" Millianna exclaimed in comic disbelief, watching her magic get nullified.

"Well done, Cancer!" Lucy gave a thumbs-up to the stylist-looking man holding scissors.

"You're welcome, Ebi (shrimp)."

"Shrimp?" Millianna tilted her head in confusion.

Lucy and Cancer got visibly nervous. Every time she summoned Cancer, they had to deal with the awkward and confusing fact that despite being the crab gate, he kept saying "Ebi" in every sentence. It was both embarrassing and exhausting to explain.

Millianna didn't care and attacked again, casting multiple magic circles around the area trying to trap Lucy and Cancer. But despite his appearance, Cancer was strong and kept cutting the ropes down no matter where they came from.

"Wally, what are you doing?! Attack the blonde while she's distracted!"

"A dandy does not interfere in a fair and honorable duel!"

"You are a liar! You ambushed us earlier! Juvia hates hypocrites!"

Wally blocked another one of Juvia's attacks as she kept pressing him.

"I guess I'll do it myself…" Sho muttered and prepared to trap Lucy in one of his cards—but just then, a shadow fell over his head. Before he could react, a chair slammed into him, knocking him down.

Mirajane stood smiling sweetly in front of the fallen boy. "Ara~ You shouldn't lose focus in a fight."

Even without using her magic, and despite leaving combat behind, Mirajane still had years of experience dealing with rowdy fools constantly brawling in the guild.

....

"Nice one, Mira-san!"

Lucy gave a thumbs-up to the silver-haired girl.

"This is bad, nya!" Millianna grew nervous. At this rate, they would fail to capture Erza.

"Millianna, let's switch targets!" Wally called out, immediately changing focus and firing at Cancer.

Millianna smiled and followed suit, casting her ropes toward Juvia. Cancer took several hits, while Juvia was caught in the ropes and immobilized.

"Huh?! Cancer!" Lucy closed his gate and turned toward Juvia, who looked trapped. "Juvia?!"

"What's wrong, Juvia?!" Mirajane asked in panic.

"These ropes… they're not letting me turn into water…"

"Sealing magic?!" Mirajane frowned, her gaze turning deadly.

"Ooh, you know a lot… but don't make that scary face or I might accidentally crush your friend's bones, nya~" The cat girl's eyes became dangerous.

"We didn't come here to kill anyone, Millianna…"

"…!"

Lucy heard a voice behind her, and her pendant immediately activated, forming a shield. When she turned, her face went pale—someone huge had nearly taken her by surprise. If not for the pendant, she would've been done for.

Ignoring Lucy's situation, Millianna smiled playfully. "I know, Simon, no need to be so serious…"

Simon was an imposing figure—a colossus of sculpted muscle that looked like it had been carved from stone, with a presence that commanded both respect and fear. His skin, weathered from years of suffering, was traced with faint scars, each one telling stories of battles past. His face, harsh and angular, was marked by a strong jawline and deep, dark eyes that carried the burden of a tormented but loyal soul.

His short black hair was messy and unkempt. He wore a long, dark cape that flowed behind him like a shadow, and his simple yet solid armor protected his chest and shoulders.

"…" Simon looked at Lucy's pendant, then at Mirajane's.

Capturing both girls seemed difficult, but with just Juvia, they could make a strong threat to Erza and the man with her.

"Where's Erza?" Simon asked Lucy.

"Like I'd tell you!"

Lucy stood her ground, facing the gorilla-like man without fear. Simon, however, gave a somber look.

"I suppose she's with that man…"

Simon ignored Lucy and began walking toward Juvia. If they used a hostage, Erza would surely be willing to come with them.

"Stay away from me! Only Allen-sama is allowed to lay a hand on Juvia!"

Lucy tried to summon another spirit, but she felt weak—her current limit was only two golden summons per day. She berated herself, remembering how Allen had summoned eleven spirits and rotated them throughout the day. Of course, she already knew about his massive magical reserves, but that was no excuse.

'I don't expect to reach his level, but I won't be a burden—I won't be a damsel waiting to be rescued all the time!'

"Open, Gate of the Archer: Sagittarius!"

Simon stopped mid-step as an arrow flew past his head.

"Not one more step, Moshi Moshi," Said Sagittarius.

Lucy could barely stand, clearly exhausted, but she had pushed beyond her limit.

"Lucy… why?" Juvia was in shock. They had been rivals since the day they met. Why would Lucy go this far?

Lucy smiled. "We're rivals… but also friends, right?"

"…!" Juvia's eyes welled with tears as she bit her lip. She had believed that only Allen accepted her—and she had been fine with that—but it seemed she had underestimated her guild far too much.

"Lucy…" Mira clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pierced her palms, drawing blood. ' What are you doing Mirajane?! With Allen and Erza gone, I should be the one protecting the girls!'

A terrifying aura of magic began to gather around Mirajane, unnoticed by the others.

Simon blinked, still expressionless. "You shouldn't have missed that shot… Dark Magic."

Simon's magic spread out, cloaking the area in darkness. It prevented Sagittarius from attacking and placed the girls at a disadvantage.

"This is bad—Juvia!" Lucy shouted.

....

"Finite Incantatem…"

The light came back, leaving everyone surprised, especially Simon, who stopped with wide eyes and a drop of sweat falling down his face. This was due to a strange fear that invaded him. And this fear was confirmed when he saw the entrance of the casino where Allen and Erza were standing.

"I should've gotten here sooner…" Allen muttered in a quiet voice. "But someone interfered with my teleport and I ended up elsewhere… Not that it matters now, does it?"

Allen's gaze swept over the situation in an instant. Seeing Mira and Lucy safe brought him relief, but when he spotted Juvia captured and Simon about to restrain her, his expression grew cold—so cold that it made Simon shudder.

In a blink, Allen vanished and reappeared in front of Simon, fist raised with no trace of mercy, ready to launch him to the moon.

"Wait!"

Allen froze, his punch stopping just an inch from Simon's face. The sheer force of his halted step cracked the entire casino floor. Confused, Allen turned to Erza, who wore a pained, conflicted expression.

"Simon, Wally, Sho… Millianna…"

Upon hearing those names, Allen understood why Erza had stopped him—and more than that, he realized how difficult this moment must be for her. Swallowing his anger, he lowered his fist, allowing Simon to breathe again.

"Erza…" Simon said, his expression complex.

The entire room fell silent. Juvia, Mira, and Lucy were the most confused. Erza looked worriedly at Allen, who gave her a glance that said, "There's no other choice." She gave him a bittersweet smile in return, but was grateful to him.

Erza turned to face her old friends but didn't know what to say. In this situation, a simple greeting wouldn't suffice. To them, she was a traitor. With no idea what to do, she hesitated—until Allen walked over to Lucy, who was barely standing. He pulled out a magic restoration potion—not one from the system, but a personal creation from his Alchemy workshop. While much weaker than the Elixir he gave Makarov, it still worked wonders.

"You really pushed yourself. Three spirits, huh?"

"Thanks, hehe~" Lucy smiled, feeling her exhaustion was worth it just for the praise.

She drank the potion without hesitation and felt her magic and energy swiftly return. Wally narrowed his eyes; he could clearly tell that Lucy had been on the verge of collapse—but now, she looked perfectly fine.

Erza smiled at this, having Allen around and feeling his support made her feel calm and in control. She also remembered how a few moments ago he had given her enough "courage" to face everything and so she would no longer run away from her past and her former friends.

She would no longer run from her past. She wouldn't deny her mistakes. She had chosen to move forward with the one she loved—and if that meant facing Jellal and her old friends, then so be it. But first, she'd try one last time to resolve things peacefully.

"Guys, I…"

"Well, I didn't expect things to turn out like this…"

Erza froze and looked up. Standing in the air above them was a young man with blue hair and a tattoo on his face. Erza trembled at the sight of him.

"It's been a while, Er—"

Jellal's words were cut short as a beam of light pierced him. Everyone turned to Allen, who stood with two fingers pointed at Jellal.

"How dare you?!" Sho, who had just woken up, shouted in fury. Not only him—the others were just as enraged. To them, Jellal was their leader, their savior, the only one who ever cared.

Erza stared in shock at first, but then her gaze softened with melancholic acceptance. She couldn't be a hypocrite. After telling Allen about her past, she had known this might happen—that he might kill Jellal on sight. She clenched her teeth, filled with regret for not having told Jellal everything she wanted to: that she would no longer let him control her. Also, she hoped to try one last time to save Jellal as her friend... But none of that mattered now.

"That was rude…"

"Huh?!"

"Jellal?!

Allen narrowed his eyes. "I didn't expect that to kill you… But the fact you didn't come in person? Disappointing, Jellal Fernandes."

The hole in Jellal's chest remained, but it hadn't killed him—confirming this was not his real body.

"I'm surprised. This is just an enhanced body projection, yet you were able to damage it to this extent… That means your attack could've annihilated the magic itself."

Jellal studied Allen with curiosity, though the desire to kill him remained. Allen, too, made no effort to hide his killing intent.

"I guess it's time for plan B…" Jellal grinned and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, magical black-and-red collars appeared around the necks of Simon, Wally, Sho, and Millianna—grim and terrifying in design.

"What?!"

"Jellal-sama?!"

"What does that mean?!"

"Jellal?!"

"Sorry, Simon. I lied to you all. Erza never betrayed you. She was strong—and I knew she'd eventually get in my way. So I threatened her with your lives. If she ever spoke of the Tower of Heaven or the R-System—or tried to rescue you—I'd kill you. I hoped you'd at least manage to capture her… after all, she'd never dare lay a hand on you... But it's impossible, not with this man here..."

Erza's friends looked at her in desperation, horror dawning as they realized they had obeyed the real traitor all this time while hating the one who tried to protect them.

"You monster!" Lucy yelled, eyes full of tears. Mirajane could barely stop herself from launching at Jellal. Juvia, for her part, thought this man was a hundred times worse than Jose—and that was saying something.

Jellal raised his arms. "All of this was necessary… to revive Zeref and bring true freedom to the world!"

"Wow, I thought you were evil—but you're just insane," Allen spat at the ground.

"Haha! Allen Walker, this is all your fault!" Jellal pointed mockingly. "Without you, these naïve fools would've completed their mission. Erza would've been the sacrifice to revive Zeref, and they would've never known the truth. But now it's your fault!"

"Jellal!" Erza cut in. "Your problem is with me—what does Allen have to do with it?!"

The goodwill towards Jellal disappeared, and she felt anger towards him. Erza did not imagine that she would feel so much rage seeing him insulting Allen.

"Erza..." Jellal, who had been enjoying the moment, paused.

He knew what kind of relationship Erza had with Allen, but he didn't think it would bother him so much to see the redhead show her concern and defend him so openly. The young man shook his head, convincing himself that it didn't matter, and just as Jellal was about to get his emotions under control, he saw the mark of a kiss on Erza's neck and felt his heart fill with coldness.

Jallal snorted with contempt at Erza and fixed his gaze on Allen. "Here's the situation—those collars are powerful curses I created after inheriting Zeref's power. Not even you could save all four in an instant... and if I activate the curses…"

He snapped his fingers—and Simon's curse activated. He screamed, falling to the ground in agony.

"JELLAL AAHHHGGG!!!"

"Stop!" Erza ran to help Simon, but Jellal stopped her in place with a glance before snapping his fingers again and ending Simon's suffering. Simon collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth, ears, and nose.

"Allen Walker, I know you won't give up. Neither will I. So let's do this—you and your friends are invited to the Tower of Heaven. Your girls will confront my subordinates, including those four—but neither you nor I will intervene. The side that remains standing… gets Erza."

"Huh?!" Allen growled with a furious smile. This bastard dared treat Erza like a prize? There was no way he'd accept that.

"I will…"

Erza answered instead, turning to Allen with a pleading look. Even if she had chosen to stand against Jellal, she couldn't let her friends die—that was something she would never forgive herself for. Her old friends looked regretful and powerless. Lucy, Juvia, and Mirajane felt the same.

"If that's the case…" Jellal landed on the ground and snapped his fingers, opening a portal. He shouldn't have had that kind of power—but it was likely from the particles he had absorbed. "Hurry up and go through… before that man loses control."

Sho and Millianna walked to the portal, while Wally wanted to pick up Simon but Jellal stopped him.

"Simon stays...he's no use to me anymore."

The three tried to retort but Jellal looked at them coldly.

Erza gave Jellal a fearless look. "You'll regret making… my man angry."

"…!" Jellal clenched his fists but said nothing.

Allen remained silent, watching Erza walk through the portal—not without first giving Allen one last look and a beautiful smile full of confidence in him.

"I'll be waiting for you..."

===

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