Evil Gerard! Erza in Crisis!!

"What do we do? What do we do?!" The fat mage paced back and forth anxiously, his face full of panic. "Those guys are about to break in! What are we supposed to do now?!"

"How about we run?" the skinny mage suggested. Though his face was equally anxious, he was still calmer than the fat mage. After seriously weighing the pros and cons, he continued, "The higher-ups may fly into a rage over the R System being taken, and they may be severely dissatisfied with us regional overseers! They might even punish us harshly for losing the R System! But no matter what, even the harshest punishment is better than losing our lives right now!!"

"Right, right, right! You're absolutely right!" The fat mage nodded frantically. Having grown accustomed to a comfortable life, he cherished his own life dearly. He immediately said, "Then there's no time to waste! Let's get out of here!" With that, he turned to run outside.

But just then, the room's door was suddenly sliced in half from outside. With a bang, the two halves crashed heavily to the floor, and Erza appeared in the doorway, her expression resolute.

"Gerard—" Erza spotted Gerard at once, bound to a pillar with his head lowered, and cried out in surprise. But she did not let it cloud her judgment. She had seen the fat and skinny mages in the room as well! She hated these two deeply! Whether because they were among the chief masterminds behind the construction site of the Tower of Paradise, or because they had caused her to lose her right eye, Erza hated them with all her heart!! Especially since, while saving her, Gerard had been captured and tortured, and Brother Nameless had vanished without a trace...

At that thought, old and new hatred surged up in Erza's heart at once! Without another moment of hesitation, she struck, knocking the fat and skinny mages to the ground and leaving them completely unable to fight.

"Gerard! Are you all right, Gerard?" After dealing with the two mages, Erza hurried over to Gerard, who was tied to the pillar. With two swift slashes, she cut the ropes binding his hands. Supporting his body, she quickly said with a hint of excitement, "Listen, Gerard! For freedom, everyone rose up to resist just like you said! A lot of people died along the way, including Grandpa Rob..." Her voice dropped, and sorrow appeared on her face. Clearly, she was grieving for those who had died.

"But in the end, we still won! We defeated those evil mage groups that enslaved us and stole our freedom!" Erza's expression grew excited again as she told the head-bowed Gerard, "And Wally and the others seized those guys' ship! Soon, we'll be able to leave this place and gain the freedom that truly belongs to us!!!"

"Ah, I don't think we need to leave, Erza..." Gerard, who had kept his head lowered in silence, suddenly spoke. "Because this place is the freedom we've been searching for..." As he spoke, Gerard slowly raised his head. He looked at Erza with a wicked grin. As Erza stared at him in astonishment, his eyes brimmed with sinister malice.

"Stay and help me, Erza!" Gerard proposed wickedly to the stunned Erza. "Let us complete the R System—no! The Tower of Paradise!!!"

"W-What nonsense are you talking about, Gerard?" Erza stared blankly at Gerard, her face filled with disbelief. She had clearly been shocked by his mad words! Is this really the Gerard I used to know? If it is, how could he suddenly say something so—insane and sinister?! Build the Tower of Paradise? Does he want to take away the freedom everyone fought so hard to gain, force them to serve him unconditionally, and continue building that inhuman forbidden magic—the Tower of Paradise—day and night, without freedom, hope, or a future?! The possibility sent a chill through Erza's heart! It was too terrifying! Just imagining that hopeless, futureless life made her tremble uncontrollably.

Or had he been tortured so severely here that he had lost his mind?! Erza desperately tried to comfort herself, but what if Gerard was serious? What then?! No matter how she reassured herself, that terrifying thought kept resurfacing. As worry filled her heart, Erza secretly thought, If only Brother Nameless were here! Mature Brother Nameless could help Gerard and bring him back to his senses!

"Don't misunderstand me, Erza." Seeing Erza lost in thought, fear and worry alternating across her face, Gerard smiled. "I'm not like those people! I'll give everyone enough food, clothes, and whatever else they need for daily life—I'll do my best to satisfy them! Fear may work for a while, but it would delay the project too much in the long run! Those ignorant fools merely worship and believe in their god, but I am different! I have received the recognition of the greatest and most evil dark mage in the history of human magic—Zeref!!! And what I must do is revive the great god Zeref and obtain true freedom!!! Ahahahaha—" He threw back his head and laughed wildly again, but his expression looked so strange and—evil!

At that moment, the fat and skinny mages exchanged glances, then subtly nodded to each other. They intended to sneak away while they had the chance! They could quietly escape before these two terrifying brats noticed them! Who knew what else might happen if they stayed here?! It would be a terrible loss if they were killed! After all, as two of the highest-ranking leaders at this Tower of Paradise construction site, plenty of people hated them...

The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became! They did not understand why these two brats, who had seemed so ordinary before, were now giving off such crushing pressure, but this was undoubtedly the best chance to flee! Once they made up their minds, neither hesitated. They quietly tried to slip away before Gerard and Erza noticed.

But—

Bang— A strange, disdainful smirk appeared at the corner of Gerard's mouth as he lightly waved his right hand backward! The skinny mage was instantly blasted away by a tremendous force!

Boom— His body slammed heavily into the tall wall like a discarded rag! Blood poured from his mouth as he limply fell from above. He hit the ground with a dull thud. The skinny mage died on the spot!

"Spare me—" The fat mage was terrified out of his wits at the sight! With a scream, he turned and ran desperately toward the door, trying to escape Gerard's grasp!

"Hmph, do you think you can get away?!" Gerard extended his right hand with a wicked smile, preparing to kill him on the spot. But Erza, who had just snapped out of her shock at seeing that Gerard had awakened magic as well, stopped him!

"Spare his life, at least, because..." Erza looked at Gerard, who now felt so unfamiliar, and pleaded in a faintly imploring tone. Of course, she was not pleading for the fat mage. She simply did not want Gerard's hands stained with blood. Polluting his hands for such a thoroughly evil man would be far too great a price!

"Don't you hate them, Erza?" Gerard tilted his head and asked, his tone full of sinister intent.

"Of course I hate them! I hate them for taking away my freedom..." Erza answered without hesitation. "But..."

"Enough! Since you hate them, then let them—" Gerard completely ignored what Erza meant to say and cut her off. In a cruel, emotionless, wicked voice, he said, "All die!!!" With that, he suddenly clenched his outstretched right hand!

"Spare me—Bang!" A huge, brilliant purple magic circle appeared beneath the fat mage's feet and spun rapidly amid his pleas. His body suddenly swelled as enormous magic power flooded into him! Then, with a bone-chilling bang, the fat mage was blown apart alive!

"Ah—" Erza screamed and turned her head away in terror. She had clearly been frightened by the bloody, brutal scene! But what filled her mind even more was, How did this happen? How did this happen?! Gerard... how did he suddenly become like this?!

"Have you decided, Erza?" Gerard suddenly asked Erza, who was still reeling in shock. "Have you decided to build this great dream with me? Or are you still stubbornly pursuing that—false freedom?!"

His voice was filled with intense malice and—killing intent! It was as though he would kill Erza immediately if she so much as shook her head!

Erza was in crisis!!!