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[O.P:Uchiha] Ch 302: Departure
🕑 Added 2025-02-16 21:47:41 +0000 UTC— — — — — — —
The more Sho spoke, the more agitated he became. "And now you're telling me everything was a lie? You're saying Erza was right, and Jellal was wrong?! How am I supposed to accept that?!"
"That's right." The one who spoke was Simon.
"You, Wally, Milliana... all of you were deceived by Jellal."
"Damn it!" Sho screamed, clutching his head. "What the hell is the truth?! Who am I supposed to believe?!"
Uchiha Kitaro said calmly, "Telling truth from lies is simple. Don't just listen to what someone says—look at what they've done. Think about it. What has Erza done, and what has Jellal done?"
Sho froze. What had Erza done? She had always protected them, especially when he suggested escaping. She got caught instead and was brutally punished.
And Jellal? What had he done? He led them to continue building the Tower of Heaven, just as Erza had described. He gave them food, clothes, and even a goal and hope. But in the end, his actions were no different from those of the cult that had enslaved them.
Cold sweat dripped down Sho's face.
"I don't mind fools, but I despise idiots," Kitaro said.
Sho stood there, stunned.
Erza knelt before him and said softly, "Accepting all of this must be difficult for you. But I want you to know... I have never forgotten about you all, not even for a moment these past eight years. I was too weak to do anything for you, and for that, I'm sorry."
"But to me, knowing that you're all safe now... that's more than enough. It puts my heart at ease."
As she spoke, Erza's expression became firm.
"That bastard Jellal put Erza through so much pain. There's no way I can forgive him!" Natsu clenched his fists, his teeth grinding in frustration. Just hearing Erza's story was enough to tell how despicable Jellal truly was.
He had deceived everyone for years, forcing others to build the Tower of Heaven for his own ends.
Gray added, "It's worse than that. He wants to resurrect Zeref. We can't let that happen."
"Exactly!" Lucy, though scared, knew there was no avoiding this fight. She wasn't the strongest, but Natsu, Gray, and Erza were all powerful wizards.
And then there was Uchiha Kitaro. His strength was beyond words.
Finally, Kitaro spoke. "If we're all in agreement, then let's head out. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can get back. And I'd rather not waste my resort coupons—they have an expiration date."
"Everyone..." Erza was deeply moved. This was her burden to bear, yet her guildmates had willingly taken it upon themselves to help her. She couldn't bring herself to refuse their support.
"Alright! Let's set sail!" Erza nodded as everyone made preparations.
"Wait! Erza! I'm coming too!" Simon said.
"Simon? No! You all finally escaped from there! You can't go back!"
"I'm one of the biggest victims of this entire mess. I need to see Jellal fall with my own eyes. Besides, I know the Tower of Heaven better than anyone."
"I'm coming too!!"
"Sho?!"
With a fierce expression, Sho growled, "I have to kill Jellal myself!!"
He had finally realized the truth. He had let his anger and resentment blind him for years, ignoring all the signs of Jellal's changes.
And worse, he had become Jellal's pawn.
Building the Tower of Heaven had once been his greatest pride. Now, it was his greatest shame—a mark of his foolishness.
And above all, he needed to hear it from Jellal's own mouth. He needed to know if Jellal had truly betrayed him.
"We... we want to go too... We want to save our old comrades."
Wally and Milliana, who had been listening the entire time, finally spoke up.
They had struggled to accept what they had heard, but deep down, they knew Erza was telling the truth. And Uchiha Kitaro had given them undeniable proof.
Jellal was doing the exact same thing the cult had done to them years ago.
They would never forget the pain of being enslaved, and now, without realizing it, they had become just like their former captors.
"Alright! Then we all go together!"
— — —
Magic Council, ERA
"The R-System still exists?! How is that possible?!"
"Eight years ago, a cult devoted to dark magic invested massive resources into building the R-System."
"You mean those seven towers? Didn't the Council destroy them? They should be long gone."
"What about the eighth tower?"
"No... no way. It's been completed?!"
"Unfortunately, the investigation team doesn't joke about things like this."
"So it's already finished..."
"Why is the R-System resurfacing now..."
The council members all groaned. Recently, the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had caused enough chaos to make people uneasy.
The Council had spent so much time and effort covering that up, only for an even bigger crisis to emerge.
The R-System—a forbidden magic created by Zeref that could bring the dead back to life—had actually been completed.
Compared to this, the Fairy Tail-Phantom Lord war was nothing.
"The R-System is forbidden magic! It will plunge the world into chaos! Send troops immediately! We must suppress this at once! There's no time to waste!!"
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