"So, could you please call the others here? If I were to go, things might not end well for them."
Zorn turned and smiled at Hugh and Millianna.
"You have no right to order me around. I will never betray my comrades like Erza!"
"Oh, you've got guts! But that's not something you can decide!"
As soon as Zorn finished speaking, golden light emanated from Hugh's body.
"Damn it, what did you do to me? I can't move my body."
No matter how much Hugh twisted his body, he was not under the control of his mind and directly sent messages to the other two people according to Zorn's instructions.
"Zorn?"
"Don't worry, Erza, it's just asking him to send a message."
Zorn turned to comfort Erza, who was now somewhat disoriented.
On the other side, at Gray's location.
"What? It's already found?"
"Really? I understand. I'll be right there."
Juvia was also blocking the way in front of the masked man. The surrounding area had already been bombarded by the masked man, so the two of them were also in a fighting stance, staring at the enemy in front of them.
"I'm Raymond, Erza's former comrade. Please come with me; things seem to have changed." Raymond suddenly changed his attitude, speaking to Gray in a calm tone.
"What, Erza... a former comrade?"
Upon hearing this, Gray suddenly recalled the time he met Erza when he was a child. Erza seemed to be silently shedding tears by the river, which must have been related to the person in front of him.
"It's believable, Lord Gray. He held back during the explosion," Juvia whispered in Gray's ear.
Gray and Juvia followed Raymond, but Gray didn't notice that he unconsciously took Juvia's hand.
This sudden action made Juvia blush, and she followed Gray shyly.
Wally, the Block Man on Natsu's side, also received the news.
With a "bang," Natsu was knocked to the ground. Then, a cube was used to imprison Natsu in the air, and Happy, along with Happy, was carried towards Hugh's direction.
"Alright, now that they're all here, you've betrayed your comrades, and you still want to blame Erza?"
Zorn was also fully aware of the situation in both directions, and saw that the message had been delivered.
He turned to Xiu, who was now glaring angrily, and asked.
"You forced me into this; it wasn't my own idea. Erza is different; she ran away on her own. She betrayed us first."
Hugh lay on the ground, angrily rebuking Zorn's views, and glaring fiercely at Erza.
Erza couldn't meet Hugh's gaze; her arms were crossed helplessly, and her face was filled with pain.
"Then I can tell you now that Erza was coerced by Jellal back then, just like you are now, and he even used your life as a bargaining chip to threaten Erza. Jellal isn't as good as you think. And think about it carefully, is the Erza you admire really the kind of person who would do something like that?"
"What? Impossible? Impossible!"
Zorn crouched down and spoke to Hugh word by word. The more he spoke, the more Hugh's expression changed from doubt to shock, and finally, he recalled how kind Erza had been to him when they were children, and his resolve began to waver.
"That's right, he's right. Jellal isn't as good as we think."
A tall figure suddenly appeared in the doorway, agreeing with Zorn's statement.
"Simon, you..."
"Long time no see, Erza."
"Who are you, Hugh? Millianna? What's wrong with you?"
Block Man Wally walked in through the door with Natsu and Happy. He immediately untied Natsu and then ran nervously to Hugh and Millianna, using his body to shield Zorn.
"Alright, everyone's here. Now's the perfect time to get everything out in the open."
Zorn stood up and looked around the room. Apart from Jellal, everyone involved had been gathered, making it the perfect time to explain their reasons to each other.
"Zorn, how... how did you know so much?"
Erza was filled with questions as she watched Zorn make such meticulous arrangements and reveal things that only she and Jellal knew. Even Lucy, who seemed to realize that the matter was related to Erza and the enemies, remained silent, waiting for further developments.
"Erza, I just saw Jellal. He's using the lives of everyone in town to stall me, so he can take you away."
"Really? I understand."
Erza's pupils contracted and her chest heaved when she heard Zorn's words, before she seemed to make a decision.
He lowered his hands, and with a flash of light, a standard suit of armor covered his entire body.
"Hugh, Millianna, Raymond, Wally, let me explain the whole story!"
"The whole thing started with the Black Magic Guild. In order to build the Tower of Heaven, also known as the R-System, they captured a group of villagers and children and made them work day and night on the construction."
"It's only to activate Forbidden Magic that can awaken the dead; of course, many sacrifices are needed for this purpose."
"I met Hugh and the others on that island, and after that, we lived in darkness every day. Those who tried to escape and those who disobeyed orders disappeared without a trace."
When Erza said this, even Lucy, Cana, and the others, who had never heard of it before, were shocked and stared at Erza in disbelief.
Not to mention Hugh and Millianna, who seemed to have entered that terrifying scene again, leaning slightly against Simon's chest, seeking warmth.
"Among the people I met during that time was Jellal. He was really kind back then, leading us in our resistance against everything there. But we still couldn't escape the Magic Soldiers' encirclement. He was captured while trying to save me."
"But it was he who awakened our spirit of resistance. However, we were still too weak to be a match for those Overseers. We were defeated. An old man who often took care of us finally stood up and successfully defeated them, but... he also sacrificed himself in the process."
"That's when I awakened my Magic, and once again led the people to victory over those Overseers. I told Hugh and the others to wait for me on the ship, and I went alone to rescue Jellal."
"However, Jellal seems like a completely different person; an aura of evil fills his soul, and in order to resurrect Zeref, he has regained control of the entire island."
"Finally, they even threatened me, saying that if I revealed even the slightest information about the Tower of Heaven, they would kill Hugh and the others first."
"I... I can't... Hugh, Simon, Millianna, Wally, I'm sorry, I ran away from this, I betrayed you."
Erza finished speaking, her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at her former companions.
"I don't believe it, how could that be?"
"Are you kidding me? What have I been all these years? Why, why?"
Unable to accept this reality, Hugh collapsed to the ground, wailing in agony.
"That's how it is, Hugh. Erza is telling the truth." Simon suddenly spoke up, patting Hugh on the back to comfort him.
"Sister, my dearest sister, why can't I believe it? How awful, what have I done?"
"Don't worry, Hugh, I'll settle things with Jellal. You've suffered so much these past years, Hugh."
Erza held Hugh in her arms, just like when they were children, comforting the frightened Hugh.
Lucy, Cana, Juvia watched this scene, wiping away tears.
To be continued~