A few minutes later, at the place of Nirvana
Erza and Jellal seemed to have calmed down as well. One continued to watch the process of Nirvana's destruction, while the other stared intently at Erza's back.
When Zorn and Laxus arrived at the location of Nirvana with their large group, it was clear that Erza and Jellal were filled with an ambiguous and inexplicable relationship.
At this moment, Jellal's eyes were fixed on Erza's back, like a steadfast statue waiting for its husband.
Erza had her back to them the whole time, so it was impossible to see her expression clearly. However, from her slightly swaying body, it was clear that she could feel Jellal's burning gaze.
"Hey, Jellal, you bastard! How dare you come here!" Natsu, completely oblivious to the ambiguous emotions, still regarded Jellal as an enemy and wanted to punch him.
Gray, however, had already noticed and grabbed Natsu's impulsive figure, saying helplessly, "Hey, Natsu, look at the situation!"
"What's going on, Gray? Don't stop me, let go!" Natsu became even more agitated, flailing his arms and legs wildly, almost injuring others in the process, causing Gray to lose his grip and drop the object.
"Take this punch!"
Natsu, like an animal given the chance to escape its cage, immediately took off running to Jellal and tried to punch him.
But while his plan seemed well-thought-out, reality dealt him a heavy blow.
"Behave yourself!!"
With a loud bang, Natsu was knocked to the ground by Laxus's punch. After the punch, Natsu was completely silent, lying on the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
"Natsu ~" Wendy ran over with a worried look, concerned about Natsu's condition, while the others nearby seemed unsurprised.
Zorn looked at Laxus's actions and then at the thoughtful expression on Laxus's face, and nodded. He was also happy for Guild Master Makarov, since the Guild Master had been worried about Laxus for a long time.
Laxus has always maintained a cool and aloof demeanor within the Fairy Tail. Even when he's with Mirajane, they only talk about work. Not to mention, he has Freed Justin by his side, who is always a loyal fan of Laxus.
Judging from his current actions and expressions, it seems that Laxus has finally figured things out, or perhaps he's just being a bit of a repressed flirt.
"Zorn, your expression is making me a little uncomfortable!" Laxus glanced at him sideways, her tone harsh, immediately causing Zorn to put away his daydreams.
"Jellal, how's the situation?"
Zorn's voice also interrupted Jellal's thoughts. He turned to Zorn and said, "Nothing's wrong. In another 30 minutes, this Nirvana should be completely destroyed!"
"This is the charm of love! It's truly captivating," Richard Hoteye, his hands clasped to his chest, his eyes filled with longing and envy for love.
One sentence was enough to break Erza's composure, and unusual heat rose from her head.
"We still need to Jellal for lending us a hand this time. The Self-Destruction Magic Circle on here was set up by Jellal."
Zorn pointed to the pillar of light in front of them, which successfully diverted everyone's attention.
When Wendy heard the word "thank you," she immediately recalled the time when the Sky Dragon suddenly disappeared during her childhood, when Jellal took her to live and travel with her, and how they eventually found the current Cait Shelter Fairy Tail.
He was also filled with gratitude for Jellal, and was just about to go up and say something when...
Suddenly, Zorn casually raised a Light Curtain that surrounded everyone, forming a Light Circle. To everyone's surprise, it immediately expanded and rippled away.
At that moment, a series of footsteps echoed behind them.
"What's going on!" Natsu woke up slowly and saw a group of soldiers dressed in Magic Council uniforms approaching from behind them.
"We are very sorry, but we do not wish to use force, so please stay where you are. We will take over the Nirvana!"
"I am Lahar, the captain of the Fourth Forced Detention Unit of the New Magic Council."
Lahar, a rather handsome man wearing glasses, stepped forward and politely explained why he had just been about to use his powers to imprison them. Everyone then understood why Zorn had acted that way.
After Lahar finished speaking, he immediately arranged for a line of people to surround Nirvana and keep a close watch on it.
Gray and his men also looked at each other with wary eyes, constantly on guard.
When Natsu heard the words "Magic Council," his slightly sober state immediately turned to fear again. It was as if he was openly telling them that he was guilty, completely forgetting that he was on a mission and was on the side of justice.
Well, this also just shows that he makes quite a few mistakes when carrying out missions.
"Our purpose in coming here is to arrest the Oración Seis. Please hand over Hoteye - Hoteye to us. The others have all been successfully captured!"
Lahar didn't pay attention to their reactions. He pushed up his glasses and looked at Hoteye behind Jura with a serious expression.
"Wait... wait a minute, Hoteye..." Upon hearing this, Jura immediately stepped forward, wanting to defend Hoteye and say that Hoteye had turned to the good side.
"It's alright, Jura. Even though I've now turned over a new leaf, I can't erase the sins I committed in the past!"
"I want to turn over a new leaf, so that when I find my brother, I can be truly invincible, really!"
However, Hoteye stopped him. He felt guilty about his past mistakes and also wanted to be able to face his younger brother with a clear conscience in the future.
"In that case, I'll help you find your younger brother! What's your brother's name?"
"Really? His name is Wally Buchanan."
When Hoteye heard that Jura was willing to help him find his brother, he immediately became excited and asked for confirmation in disbelief.
Nazgray and the others standing nearby were also taken aback when they heard the name. It was a very familiar name, but they couldn't quite place it. After searching through the people they had met before, a square-shaped figure suddenly appeared in their minds.
"A quadrilateral!"
Erza understood, smiled knowingly, and stepped forward to Hoteye, saying, "I know that person!"
"What!"
"He's my friend, and he's currently traveling all over the continent with great energy and his friends."
Upon hearing Erza's words, Hoteye turned around excitedly. When she heard that her younger brother was safe, sound, and traveling happily, her excitement and Pleasure at having him back immediately turned into tears that streamed down her cheeks.
Ahh~
"Is this the miracle of grace that only those who believe in the light and turn away from darkness can receive? Thank you..."
Hoteye also knelt on the ground, wiping his face with his hands, remorseful for his sins, glad for his yearning for the light, and happy for his brother. All of these feelings turned into tears of remorse and relief at this moment.
The Magic Council's army silently observed everything before them, without interfering.
Once Hoteye had calmed down a bit, he was escorted onto the prison cart by the Magic Council. There, he saw the four other people who were also bound like him, and the other four were happy for him as well.
"I really feel sorry for him!" Lucy remarked with genuine feeling.
"We have another purpose for coming here, and that is to bring Jellal back!"
Jellal suddenly stood up and said, "It seems it's time for me to go back to where I belong!"
Erza stood frozen in place, her eyes filled with reluctance and dejection as she watched Jellal's retreating figure. She knew her own feelings, and she wanted to stop him, but her body was as if bound to the ground, unable to move at all. She forcibly suppressed her emotions with reason.
"But he clearly prevented the initiation of Nirvana, so... he should have been able to," Wendy said bravely, stepping forward to argue with Lahar. In her heart, Jellal must be a kind person.
"According to the criminal law... this reason doesn't mean anything, and his release was decided by the Magic Council, which can only exempt him from certain punishments..." Lahar continued to strictly follow the orders issued by the Magic Council.
Jellal seemed to sense Wendy's feelings and said gently, "It's alright... thank you, Wendy. I can tell from your expression that we should know each other..."
Zorn walked over to Erza, placed his hand on Erza shoulder, and whispered something to her. Erza was taken aback, but her eyes hardened, and her earlier dejection vanished.