Tower of Heaven, Part Two

In the basement of the resort hotel, inside the glittering casino, the lights shone brightly and the noise was deafening.

Riyao and Mirajane went on a rampage at the casino.

It's said that he was the one who dominated the battlefield, but in reality, it was Mirajane who was the one who dominated, while Riyao was the one who held them back.

For some reason, Riyao is invincible in battle, but his luck is absolutely terrible.

He always loses at gambling; he bets on big and gets small, bets on small and gets big; he can even guess wrong ten times in a row when guessing a coin.

Mirajane looked at his chips, which had been emptied again, sighed helplessly, and then pushed all the remaining chips out.

"All in! Riyao, you give it a try!"

Riyao rubbed his hands together nervously, picked up the dice cup, and muttered something under his breath.

"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, all the gods and immortals, please bless us! We must win this time!"

ヘ(_ _ヘ)

He abruptly lifted the dice cup, and the three dice spun around on the table before finally coming to a stop.

The referee shouted, "1, 2, 1, small!"

Riyao's face instantly fell, and his lips twitched.

The opposing team slowly opened the dice cup, and the referee continued to shout, "1, 2, 2, the dealer wins!"

Looking at the mountain of chips that Riyao had won across the way, he seemed to have lost his soul. His eyes were lifeless, his mouth was slightly open, and it looked as if his soul was about to float out of his mouth.

(ಡωಡ)

Mirajane patted Riyao on the shoulder, offering gentle words of comfort.

"It's okay, let's go play something else."

Riyao hugged Mirajane, sobbing, burying his face in her shoulder, his voice muffled.

"Waaah, let's leave this sad place and get some fresh air. This place is cursed on me, it really is cursed on me."

"Okay, let's go out and watch the parade."

ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~

Mirajane patted Riyao's head, a doting smile on his lips.

Riyao clung to Mirajane like a big golden retriever, hanging on her arm. The two walked out of the casino, leaving behind a pile of gambled chips and Riyao's wailing echoing in their wake.

Juvia and Gray sat side by side at the bar.

Juvia wore a necklace with the Fairy Tail guild logo around her neck, the golden pendant sparkling under the light.

She placed her hands on her knees, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, stealing glances at Gray every now and then, her face as red as a ripe tomato.

"Juvia is now a free mage."

She mustered her courage to speak, her voice trembling slightly, but her tone firm.

Gray took a sip of his cocktail, put down his glass, and turned to look at her.

"So you want to join Fairy Tail now?"

Juvia nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at rice, almost falling off the bar stool.

Gray leaned against the bar, his fingers unconsciously twirling his glass, his expression thoughtful.

"I don't really care, but something like that happened not long ago— the Phantom Lord attacked the guild. You're a member of Phantom Lord, and others might not be able to accept it immediately."

Juvia suddenly straightened his back, clenched his fists, and looked serious.

"Juvia is willing to do anything!"

Gray glanced at her, his tone calm but serious.

"Don't say things like that so easily."

Juvia paused for a moment, then blushed even more, lowered her head, and muttered to herself.

"Juvia is serious."

On the other side, Natsu was venting his anger on the ball-shaking machine, pounding his fists on it repeatedly, making the machine shake and the balls inside rattle and clatter.

"Damn it! Why can't I ever get a draw?!"

The staff members nearby were sweating profusely as they tried to persuade him.

"Guest, please calm down, the machine is about to break down."

Erza and Lucy were sitting at the card table, playing cards.

Lucy was on a winning streak, having won a few rounds, and was proudly counting her chips.

Just then, a dark-skinned, blond-haired young man walked over with a gloomy smile on his face, his fingers deftly flipping through playing cards as if he were performing acrobatics.

He dealt the cards casually.

"How about we play some fun games?"

Five cards were dealt to Erza. She looked down and saw that each card contained a letter.

"D, E, A, T, H".

Die.

Hugh's smile grew even more sinister, his voice filled with suppressed hatred.

"Let's wager our lives, Erza! I'm going to gamble my life with you!"

Erza stared at the dark-skinned, blond-haired man before her, her pupils contracting sharply as she spoke in disbelief.

"You are, Hugh."

Xiu shrugged, his expression nonchalant, but the hatred in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Long time no see, sister."

Lucy stared in astonishment.

"Elder sister?"

Erza did not answer; her hands trembled slightly as memories flooded back.

Just then, the entire place suddenly went dark, and screams echoed throughout the casino.

When the lights came on again, everything had changed.

Natsu lay on the ground, black smoke billowing from his mouth. He had been shot in the throat Natsu Wally, the Block Man, and collapsed into the ruins of the ball machine.

Happy was kidnapped without even having a chance to cry out.

Gray and Juvia lay among the ruins of the bar, Simon's magic blasting it to pieces.

The two were half-buried in rubble and sawdust, Gray's cocktail was spilled all over the ground, and Juvia's dress was covered in broken glass.

Erza jumped to her feet, looked around, and was horrified.

"Where are the others?!"

The entire casino was deserted; all the lively tourists had vanished, leaving only a few people and a few unfamiliar figures.

The cards in Hugh's hand floated down and landed on the table one by one.

The cards clearly depicted the figures of tourists trapped inside, their expressions terrified, their mouths open but unable to utter a sound.

Xiu tilted his head, his smile chilling.

"Are you surprised Erza- neechan?"

"I have learned to use magic."

A sweet voice came from behind the card table, and Millianna appeared out of thin air, her cat-ear headband particularly eye-catching under the light.

With a flick of her wrist, the cat-tail-shaped rope flew out and precisely wrapped around Lucy's hands, feet, and body.

Lucy was tied up tightly, like a mouse caught by a cat, unable to move.

Erza was startled again.

"Millianna?! You've learned magic too?!"

Millianna tilted her head and said in a sweet voice, "Eru-chan, long time no see, meow."

Seeing Lucy's discomfort from being tied up, Erza blushed and quickly said, "Let Lucy go! She's my ally!"

Hugh's face was grim, his voice icy. "Erza used to be one of our allies, until she betrayed us all."

Wally, the blocky man, appeared out of nowhere next to Hugh. His square body resembled a walking block. He put his arm around Hugh's shoulder and spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone.

"Hugh, don't bully Erza like that. A Gentleman should suppress his anger."

Erza looked at the blocky figure, and asked with surprise and uncertainty, "You are... Wally?"

Wally gave a standard Gentleman's bow, the movement elegant, but it looked utterly comical given his boxy body.

"No wonder I didn't recognize you right away. I've gotten much rounder now than when I was known as 'Mad Dog Wally'."

Lucy, tied to one side, laboriously turned her head to glance at Wally and couldn't help but mutter, "He looks even more square now."

Erza looked at the group in surprise, never expecting that her companions from the Tower of Heaven had all learned magic.

Simon also appeared out of nowhere behind Erza, his voice low and calm.

"Anyone can use it once they know the trick, Erza."

Erza turned around abruptly, looking at Simon, then at Hugh, Wally, and Millianna, her voice trembling slightly.

Why are you here?

Wally answered matter-of-factly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

"Of course, it's to take you back."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wally's arm suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Erza the next second, the muzzle of his gun pointed at her back.

Erza was terrified and tried to turn around, but it was too late.

Bang!

The bullet struck her, Erza's body stiffened, and then she slowly collapsed, her consciousness instantly taken away.

"Erza!" Lucy struggled desperately, but the cat tail rope was tied too tightly, and she couldn't move at all.

Wally hoisted the unconscious Erza onto his shoulders and nodded to Hugh and the others. "Let's go."

The group disappeared into the casino, leaving behind only Lucy, who was tied up; Natsu, who was in a daze; and Gray and Juvia, who were buried in the rubble.

Just then, Riyao and Mirajane had finished watching the parade outside and walked back hand in hand.

The two pushed open the casino door and were stunned by the scene before them.

Lucy was tied up in a rather ungraceful position with a cat tail rope, her face flushed red, and she was struggling desperately.

Natsu lay on the ground, black smoke billowing from his mouth.

Gray and Juvia lay dead in the ruins of the bar, their fates unknown.

Riyao glanced at Lucy's bound state, then at the empty casino, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Oh my, Lucy has this kind of fetish?"

Mirajane also came over, resting her chin on her hand, and looked at Lucy's tied-up position with curiosity.

"I didn't expect Lucy to be so open-minded."

Lucy's face instantly turned red to her ears, and she shouted angrily and anxiously.

"You two cunning bastards! Hurry up and untie me!!"