Fairy Tail: Perfect Projection, Part 45

"I'm sorry..."

"Jellal..." Xi Feng paused, then left without another word, an unreadable glimmer in his eyes.

Boom!!!

"It exploded!!"

"Aaaah!!"

Wally and the others cried out as they watched the Tower of Heaven explode.

"No!! That's...!!"

But Gray noticed something strange about the explosion. Instead of spreading outward, Etherion shot into the sky before finally dissipating.

"What happened?"

Everyone stared in confusion at the Etherion vanishing into the sky.

"Brother!"

Erza cried out and immediately flew toward the ruins of the Tower of Heaven.

"Erza!!"

"Let's hurry and follow her!"

Seeing Erza fly off, Simon and the others hurried after her in their boat.

"Brother... Brother..."

Flying above the Tower of Heaven, Erza searched frantically. Aside from scattered rubble, there was no sign of anyone. Her anxiety mounted until she finally burst into tears.

"Brother!!"

Seeing Erza like this, Simon and the others began to understand. They fell silent.

"Xi Feng..."

Lucy covered her mouth, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Carla, Xi Feng..."

Wendy hugged Carla and burst into tears. Carla silently comforted her.

Meanwhile, on a beach elsewhere, a woman with long pink hair looked at the unconscious man before her with a conflicted expression. Her right hand reached several times for the long sword at her waist. After hesitating for a while, she sighed, hoisted him onto her back, and left.

A somber atmosphere hung over Fairy Tail's guildhall. Although it had been rebuilt bigger and better than before, and Juvia, Gajeel, and Gray's teacher Ur had joined the guild, no one felt the slightest excitement.

Although Ur knew Xi Feng wasn't dead, she was still worried. After all, their lives were now linked. Moreover, the Magic Council had been destroyed by Ultear and was being rebuilt, leaving it no time to deal with Ur's situation.

"I'm going to find Xi Feng."

Seemingly unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, Natsu stood up and ran outside.

"Natsu..." Lucy called after him. But Mira placed a hand on her and shook her head. "Let him go. Let him blow off some steam."

"Mira..." Seeing Mira's expression made Lucy's heart ache. She remembered her first job with Xi Feng. Though he seemed so mature, he was just like a little boy when he fooled around.

"Ow..."

Just as Natsu ran out, he crashed straight into someone and heard a familiar voice.

"Natsu... What's the hurry? Where are you running off to?"

"!!!"

The sudden voice left everyone frozen. Then they looked toward the doorway, saw a familiar figure, and cried out in excitement.

"Xi Feng!!"

"What are you all doing?!" Xi Feng looked in confusion at the guild members crowding around him. Just then, someone threw herself into his arms.

"Brother..."

Erza held him tightly, as though afraid he would disappear the moment she let go.

"Erza..."

Xi Feng was about to speak when he heard Erza quietly sobbing. Gently stroking her long scarlet hair, he asked softly, "Why are you crying?"

"You said..."

"Hm?"

"You said you wouldn't leave me behind and go on a job alone..." Erza raised her head, her tear-filled eyes making her look terribly vulnerable.

"Erza..." Her tears touched Xi Feng, and he knew she was talking about the Tower of Heaven. Wiping away her tears, he said, "All right. I won't do that again."

But only if you aren't in danger. Though Xi Feng said one thing aloud, he thought otherwise.

"I'm back, old man." After comforting Erza for a while, Xi Feng walked over to Makarov and greeted him.

Makarov, who had been drinking to drown his sorrows, set down his glass when he heard Xi Feng. Tears welled in his eyes. Just as Xi Feng thought he would cry, his demeanor abruptly changed, and he stood up to berate him.

"You little brat! Where have you been off playing?! You come back and immediately try to make us cry! I'm going to punish you! I'll definitely punish you!!"

Makarov's head swelled to an enormous size as he roared at Xi Feng.

"Hm? Why is there an unfamiliar scent? It smells like a girl."

Natsu twitched his nose, picking up an unfamiliar scent.

"Hmm!!!"

At Natsu's words, Erza and the other girls turned their eyes toward Xi Feng, an unreadable gleam in their gazes.

"..." Xi Feng shuddered under their stares. After coughing a few times, he called out behind him.

"Ikaruga, come in. I'll introduce you to everyone."

A woman entered through the doorway. With her long cherry-pink hair and white kimono, she had an air of elegance.

Chapter 64: Erza vs. Ikaruga

As soon as Xi Feng finished speaking, a woman with long cherry-pink hair and a kimono walked inside. She bowed slightly to everyone in the guild and said,

"Hello, everyone. My name is Ikaruga. I look forward to getting along with you all."

"She'll be joining the guild starting today. Let's give her a warm welcome." Xi Feng walked to Ikaruga's side and addressed his guildmates. "She's also a powerful Magic Swordsman. Her swordsmanship is on par with Erza's, perhaps even better."

"Whoa!!"

"No way."

"Aside from Xi Feng, Erza's the best swordsman in our guild, isn't she?"

Xi Feng's words astonished everyone and set them talking. Erza's eyes lit up, and she walked over to Ikaruga. "Would you spar with me?"

Ikaruga didn't answer immediately. She first looked at Xi Feng. When he nodded, she turned to Erza and said, "Certainly."

Once they learned that Erza would be sparring with the newcomer, Ikaruga, everyone in the guild gathered around. Happy even began calling out from the sidelines.

"Place your bets! Place your bets!"

"You can't make money like that!" Lucy shouted at Happy.

"I'm betting on Erza..." Natsu walked up to Happy, thought for a moment, then took out a few bills and handed them over.

"Aye, got it!"

"Macao, who do you think will win?" Wakaba and Macao, friends who never missed a chance to rib each other, were also discussing the outcome.

"I don't know either. I'm leaning toward Erza, since I've never seen what Ikaruga can do." Macao frowned as he watched the two women face off. "But Xi Feng said Ikaruga's swordsmanship was on par with Erza's, or even better! I just can't figure it out."

Standing between them, Xi Feng glanced at both women before speaking.

"This is just a spar. Don't take it too far. Understood?"

"Yes!"

Erza and Ikaruga both nodded in reply.

"Whoosh..."

A light breeze swept past. Erza raised her sword and lunged straight at Ikaruga.

At this, Ikaruga swung her own sword. Sharp flashes of sword light slashed at Erza from every direction. An instant later, Erza's armor shattered into pieces and fell to the ground.

"What?!" Erza was stunned as her armor suddenly broke apart. She thought she had blocked quite a few of those strikes, but she had still miscalculated.

"That's unbelievable!"

"Erza's armor suddenly shattered! That scared the life out of me."

"She's amazing!"

"No wonder Xi Feng said that about Ikaruga. She really is incredible."