Rebellion at the Tower of Heaven / Leaving

Fairy Tail: Perfect Projection, by SinZhuXingxin

Transported to the world of Fairy Tail, the protagonist gained the power of Projection Magecraft thanks to the author. Yet his ability surpassed ordinary Projection Magecraft, allowing him to perfectly project noble phantasms, God-Slaying Sacred Gears, Zanpakuto, and more.

Chapter 1: Rebellion at the Tower of Heaven

"Xi Feng!! Xi Feng!!"

"Huh? Where am I?" Holding the aching back of his head, Xi Feng surveyed his surroundings. He was in a cave, surrounded by children and elderly people covered in injuries.

He knew he definitely wasn't in his own room. Why? Because he had discovered that his body had shrunk!!! If he hadn't been so mentally tough, he would have started screaming already.

"Xi Feng?"

"Hm?" Only then did Xi Feng notice the little girl standing beside him. She looked strangely familiar. Her beautiful scarlet hair only strengthened that feeling.

"You're..." Xi Feng had barely spoken when a violent pain shot through his head. Images flashed through his mind, one after another. Erza... Jellal... Rob... It was like a computer downloading a massive number of files.

Unable to bear the excruciating pain, Xi Feng clutched his head and rolled on the ground. The red-haired girl cried out anxiously, "Xi Feng, what's wrong?!" Several other children ran over, calling to him with worry filling their eyes.

"Whew..." After a long while, Xi Feng seemed to finish reading the "pictures" in his mind. He let out a breath, then gave the red-haired girl a sunny smile. "Erza, I'm all right."

"Xi Feng!!" Hearing his reassurance, the red-haired girl named Erza threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.

"Go ahead and cry. It's all right. You'll feel better afterward." Xi Feng gently patted Erza's back as she sobbed. He knew she needed to cry to release the pressure weighing on her heart.

"Xi Feng..." A little blond boy spoke hesitantly.

Looking at the boy, Xi Feng recalled from his memories that his name was Shu. He shook his head and said, "It's all right, Shu. Go get some rest."

"Thank you, Xi Feng." Shu thanked him, then went over and sat down nearby.

Xi Feng also told the children who had been standing beside him to rest. Then he carried Erza to a corner and sat down against the wall. As soon as he settled down, he realized she had already fallen asleep in his arms. He couldn't help smiling. To think the future Titania had been so adorable as a child.

As he watched her, Xi Feng's gaze sharpened. From the memories that had just flooded his mind, he knew he had been transported into "Fairy Tail" and become Erza's older brother. They had depended on each other since childhood and had been homeless when they were captured and brought to the Tower of Heaven.

The people from the Tower of Heaven had brought them here to work as slaves. As for why Xi Feng had been unconscious and more severely injured than the others, the little boy named Shu had proposed an escape plan, only to be caught. Xi Feng had stood up for him and been taken away for punishment. And because of Xi Feng's unexpected presence, Erza hadn't lost her left eye.

The reason Jellal was nowhere to be seen was that he had helped Erza rescue Xi Feng, then stayed behind to hold off their pursuers and been captured.

Judging by the timing, Xi Feng guessed that Ultear had probably already brainwashed Jellal. As for what would happen when they met, he would let things take their course. But he would never allow Jellal to hurt Erza.

Before sunrise the next morning, people from the Tower of Heaven came in, shouting, "Get up! Still fucking sleeping?!" A surge of magical power swept through the cave. With a crackling snap, lightning magic struck the sleeping prisoners, setting off a chorus of screams. Erza gave a muffled groan.

Seeing several more scorched patches on Erza's skin, Xi Feng's eyes turned icy. He glared viciously at the Mage who had cast the spell, determined to remember his face. "Hurry up! What are you dawdling for? Want to be punished?"

"Get to work! If you fail to finish today's quota and get me punished, you'll pay for it! Listen up-if I suffer, none of you are getting off easy!"

As he spoke, he swept another spell across the prisoners, drawing another wave of agonized cries. Xi Feng's eyes grew colder. He knew he couldn't hold back any longer. He was a mercenary-what hadn't he seen? How could he back down out of fear? Even if he knew he couldn't win, he wouldn't give up.

He looked around, found a sharp stone, and gripped it while patiently waiting for an opening. Xi Feng knew he had only one chance. If he succeeded, he could inspire everyone in the Tower of Heaven to rise up. If he failed, he would merely have caught a glimpse of this world before dying. At that thought, sweat soaked his palm.

"Now!!!"

The instant the Mage turned to leave, Xi Feng moved. Although his smaller body was a little weak, it still remembered his skills as a mercenary.

Without a word, Xi Feng sprang onto the Mage's back and drove the sharp stone into his neck. His movements flowed seamlessly, completed in one breath without the slightest hesitation.

Squelch...

Blood gushed from the Mage's neck. His eyes widened in utter disbelief.

"What?!" Everyone in the cell stared at Xi Feng in shock. Before they could even react, a Mage had been killed.

"Xi Feng!" Erza hurried over to Mo Ying, her face full of worry. She was about to speak when Xi Feng stopped her.

Xi Feng swept his gaze over everyone in the cell and declared, "We'll never gain freedom just by obeying or running away! We have to fight back! For our freedom, let's rise up!!!!"

His words instantly fired up every slave. Some launched straight into an uproar, while others went to gather slaves from the other areas.

"The slaves are rebelling!!!"

The Tower of Heaven's soldiers arrived and began fighting the slaves.

"Don't retreat! We outnumber them!!!"

"Take their weapons!!!"

"Freedom is almost ours!!!"

The slaves didn't hesitate or fear the soldiers. Instead, they fought with growing ferocity, defeating wave after wave of troops.

Xi Feng swung his blade, slashing a soldier. Corpses littered the ground around him, and every remaining soldier watched him with terror in his eyes. To them, Xi Feng was a demon. Every strike was meant to kill. They didn't dare attack and merely kept him surrounded.

"Hm?" Just then, Xi Feng spotted a soldier about to bring his blade down on a little silver-haired girl.

Xi Feng quickly kicked a small stone off the ground. It struck the soldier's face with a smack. Mo Ying rushed to the Silver-Haired Little Girl's side and slashed the soldier with his blade. Then he told her, "Find somewhere to hide, quickly. It's too dangerous here."

"Xi Feng!"

Hearing Erza call him, Xi Feng reminded the girl once more before going to find his sister. But the little girl didn't seem to have taken his words in. She kept staring at his retreating back, as though trying to etch him into her memory.

"Xi Feng!"

When Erza saw Xi Feng, she hurried toward him. Just then, a magical cannon blast shot straight at her.

"Erza!!!"

Seeing the blast, Xi Feng shouted and tried to shield her, but he couldn't reach her in time.

Erza was just as helpless. Staring at the blast hurtling toward her, she had no idea what to do.

But just before the blast struck Erza, a figure stepped directly in front of her.

"Grandpa Rob..." Erza stared blankly at Rob, who stood before her. Xi Feng froze as well. In his memories, Rob had always treated him and Erza kindly, often telling them about magic.

"These... these old bones could still... be of use... Thank goodness." Rob struggled to speak after shielding Erza from the blast. "My magic power... was exhausted long ago. But Erza, you and Mo Ying still have limitless potential... Heaven hasn't abandoned me after all. It let me meet you two. Keep going..." With that, Rob collapsed, revealing the guild emblem on his back-Fairy Tail.

Chapter 2: Leaving

"Grandpa!!" they both cried.

As they watched Rob collapse, a powerful aura erupted from Erza and Xi Feng.

"Aaaaaah!!! Die, all of you!! Unlimited Blade Works!!"

Xi Feng roared, his eyes bloodshot. In the next instant, their surroundings transformed into a red wasteland. Countless ownerless swords stood like grave markers across it. Flickering flames formed the horizon, while several enormous gears interlocked in the distance.

Everyone present except Erza was terrified. Looking at the Tower of Heaven's Mages and soldiers, Xi Feng said flatly, "Die, all of you!!"

Countless razor-sharp swords appeared around Xi Feng, then flew straight at the Mages and soldiers, impaling them.

"Whew..." Once the magic ended, Xi Feng slumped to the ground and stared at his hands in disbelief. He had actually used magic. Yet it felt familiar, like the Projection Magecraft from Fate/stay night, though it was different. Unlike Shirou's projections in Fate/stay night, Xi Feng's projected noble phantasms weren't downgraded by one rank. They were identical to the originals. For instance, if Ea was ranked Ea+, its projection would also be Ea+. However, the cost was greater too. Forcing a projection without enough magic power would directly burn his life force. His projections also continuously drained the caster's magic power, meaning he couldn't sustain a prolonged battle.

"Amazing... amazing... So this is magic? He wiped out the magic troops in one go!"

"This is wonderful! We don't have to fear the magic troops anymore!"

"We're finally free!!"

Seeing that Xi Feng and Erza could use magic, everyone erupted in excitement.

"Brother!"

Seeing Xi Feng sitting on the ground, Erza hurried over, deeply worried.

Xi Feng shook his head and smiled at her. "I'm fine. I just used too much magic power and exhausted myself."

"That's a relief..." Erza patted her chest, then added, "Brother, let's hurry and save Jellal."

"Jellal..." Erza's words sent Xi Feng into thought. In his memories, Jellal had also been a very close friend of his. But now that Jellal had been brainwashed, Erza would surely be heartbroken when she saw him. Still, looking into her eyes, Xi Feng shook his head and sighed. He would let things take their course.

"All right."

"Great!" Xi Feng's agreement delighted Erza. She immediately helped him up and headed toward the place where Jellal was being held. The others gathered supplies.

When they reached the cell, Erza and Xi Feng found that the guards had already been knocked to the ground. Puzzled, Erza asked, "Brother, what happened here?"

"I don't know. Let's go inside and take a look."

"Okay."

But the moment they entered, they saw Jellal standing among the guards, all of whom lay on the ground. Erza paid no attention to them once she spotted him. She simply exclaimed, "Jellal! Thank goodness you're all right! We won! We're free! Let's hurry and leave this island."

"Oh, Xi Feng, Erza. You're here too." Hearing someone call him, Jellal turned and spoke quietly. "There's no need anymore. We don't need to run. True freedom is here."

"You're joking, right, Jellal? Let's hurry and leave this island." Thinking Jellal was joking, Erza kept urging him, while Xi Feng's brow furrowed deeply.

"I'm not joking. Erza, Xi Feng, there's no true freedom in this world. The freedom we've been chasing is nothing but an illusion. True freedom exists in Zeref's world!!" Jellal spoke as he walked, as though possessed. "I think I understand why these people wanted to resurrect Zeref. But these fools couldn't even sense him."

"J-Jellal, what are you talking about...? I... I don't understand..." Erza could hardly believe it. She felt as though Jellal had changed. But what he did next left her utterly shocked. Jellal walked up to a guard and crushed his head underfoot, then continued torturing and killing the other soldiers.

"Magic? Stop it, Jellal!!" Erza couldn't bear to watch him keep slaughtering the soldiers.

"Stop? Erza, don't you hate these people?"

"I do, but..."

"That won't do. You'll never sense Zeref like that." Before Erza could finish, Jellal interrupted her and hurled a spell at a fleeing soldier. Then he turned toward Xi Feng and Erza. "Xi Feng, Erza, let's resurrect Jellal together. Let's rebuild the Tower of Heaven."

"No! I'm leaving this island with my brother."

"You!!!" Enraged by Erza's reply, Jellal hurled a blast of magic at her. But Xi Feng stepped directly in front of her and took the hit.