The story begins in a dark building.
Young children and elderly people were captured by evil forces and sold to the black magic cult. They became slaves and worked day and night in this dark place.
In order to prevent the slaves from escaping, the guards only gave them a small amount of food and even very little time to rest.
But where there is oppression, there is resistance.
Faced with a cruel fate, a red-haired girl among the slaves came up with the idea of rebelling against the guards and leading everyone to escape, and she was supported by another blue-haired boy.
The two children's unyielding will brought hope to people who were suffering from the same misfortune, just like a glimmer of light appearing in the darkness.
However, in the darkness, how much can a faint light illuminate?
Repeated escapes and resistances all ended in failure. The girl, as a leader, suffered many inhuman tortures. The worst one was when her right eye was cruelly blinded by the guards.
Until the last failure, the boy chose to accept the punishment on behalf of the bruised and battered girl, and before leaving he did not forget to whisper encouragement to the girl not to give up.
In order to liberate everyone and save the boy, the red-haired girl and her companions fought back one last time, even if it meant their own death.
All the enslaved people fought a desperate battle with the guards who enslaved them, but due to the disparity in strength, the slaves suffered heavy casualties. Even the old grandfather who cared about the children the most died trying to save the girl.
The tragic scene of her companions falling continuously irritated the girl's nerves. The mental pain awakened her magic, thus successfully turning the tide of the battle and achieving victory.
However, when the girl went to rescue the boy, she found that after some kind of torture, the gentle boy had become extremely cruel. He even decided to continue building the Tower of Paradise.
The girl naturally refused to agree, but facing the boy who had also awakened his magic, the girl, who had already exhausted her body, was brutally ravaged.
Perhaps it was the last bit of his true self that played tricks on him, and instead of killing the girl, the boy threatened her with the lives of his remaining companions, asking her to keep everything here a secret and never come back.
…
When they reached this point, Simon and the other three already believed Erza.
Or perhaps they had always been skeptical in their hearts about Jellal's statement that "Erza abandoned everyone and left alone."
It was only because of their trust in Jellal and the shock of Erza's sudden departure that they did not question it.
Now after hearing Erza's explanation, the four believed her without hesitation.
"Jellal…why are you doing this to us."
Wally's cube gun had turned back into an arm, and he hammered it hard against the wall. How could he not understand by now that it was Jellal who destroyed the ship.
For seven years, Jellal ensured that they were well fed, well clothed and well slept, taught them magic, and worked hard to build the Tower of Paradise, saying that it was for the freedom that only darkness could bring.
But the desired freedom was within reach seven years ago!
It was Gerard who destroyed their free passage with his own hands in order to use them to continue building the Tower of Paradise!
"Eruza, I'm sorry."
Looking at the tearful catwoman Millianna, Erza gave her a generous hug. She had never been angry about previous unpleasantness.
Quinn, who regards Erza as her sister, also wants to hug Erza, but is too embarrassed to compete with Millianna for it, so he can only wipe away tears of excitement.
"By the way, Simon, do you know what Gerard is going to do with the Tower of Paradise?"
Erza looked at Simon, who was still in a relatively stable mood, and Simon did not disappoint Erza's trust and told her the information that Jellal had been hiding from the four people but was still discovered by Simon.
"Jellal is going to use the Tower of Paradise to revive the Dark Mage."
"What!"
Whether it was Erza, Milliana or the other two, they all looked shocked.
Even Millianna and others who had stayed in the Tower of Paradise for a long time knew who the Dark Magicians were. That was the belief worshipped by the Dark Magic Cult they hated.
Dark Mage Zeref!
Gerard actually wanted to revive him!
Shocked, but relieved, Erza revealed the news of Jellal's arrest to her former companions.
With her testimony, although Simon and others helped build the Tower of Paradise, as victims deceived by Gerard, they would most likely not be punished by the Council and would even receive resettlement funds from the Council.
This immediately made Millianna cheer. Her dream was to raise a group of cats after she was free.
Wally and Hugh also imagined what would happen after leaving the Tower of Paradise. One of them wanted to find his brother who was taken away from the Tower of Paradise, and the other wanted to see the world.
Even Simon, who has always been calm, couldn't help but plan to find his separated sister in the future.
Everything seemed to be going well, but the sudden appearance of a sword light broke the joy of the friends' reunion.
Fortunately, Erza did not relax her vigilance because of her joy, and she drew her sword in time to block the sword light which could only be regarded as a warning.
Click…click…
The sound of wooden clogs walking came slowly.
The visitor was wearing a chest-length kimono and had long cherry-colored hair that fell to her waist. Her appearance was not particularly outstanding, but the two red moles under her eyes and the red lipstick gave people a stunning feeling.
The woman was wearing tall wooden clogs and holding a long sword half as tall as a person. She gracefully bowed slightly to Erza and the others and spoke softly:
"I am a little girl named Turtle Dove. Please give me your guidance."
Just by looking at the man for the first time, Erza knew that he was definitely a rare swordsman.
In this magical world, there are many wizards who use swords as weapons, but only a few can be called swordsmen.
"Be careful, she is Kakuga, the captain of the assassination unit 'Three Crows'. Even Jellal has praised her strength."
Simon stood in front of his companions and looked at Turtledove with a heavy face, wondering if his body could withstand her sword until his companions escaped.
Wally immediately saw through Simon's idea of sacrificing himself, and quickly transformed his arms into cube guns and stood alongside him.
"Don't even think about it, Simon."
"We must get out of here together!"
Xio drew out a magic card and took a step forward with Millianna. They had finally gained their freedom, and they certainly didn't want to see their companion face a powerful enemy alone.
Simon felt a warm feeling in his heart, but he also knew how terrifying Turtle Dove was. In the eyes of the Turtle Dove, he and his few second-rate wizards were no different from watermelons.
Just as Simon thought, although Turtledove was very polite, she did not take them seriously. There was only one person who deserved her attention.
"Fairy Queen, I've heard of your great name for a long time."
Turtle Dove lowered his eyebrows and held the red sword across his chest. "Jellal once said that you are the best sacrifice, so please stay."
Hearing this, Erza's eyes narrowed and she became serious: "I really want to know what the sacrifice you mentioned is, but I guess you won't tell me."
"So, I'd better use the sword to make you speak."
As soon as the words fell, there was silence.
Banjiu held the sword at his side with his left hand and lightly pressed the hilt with his right hand.
Erza reached for one of the swords at her waist.
The next second, the sound of metal colliding was heard, and several long sword marks appeared on the surrounding walls and the ground underfoot almost simultaneously.