The first light of dawn spilled softly through the barred window, brushing over the weary forms of prisoners inside the cold cell. The quiet calm before the storm.
Escanor's eyes fluttered open. His senses stretched, probing the air—alert, vigilant. Today, the plan would begin.
Erza stirred beside him, still leaning against his shoulder. Her face, flushed with sleep, lifted slowly to meet his gaze.
"Are you awake?" Escanor asked gently. "How do you feel? Your wounds..."
She looked down at herself, astonished. The bruises faded, the wounds sealed—the marks of cruelty soothed by his healing magic overnight.
"This… this is the first time I've slept well since I was born," she whispered.
Escanor smiled softly, pulling from his pack the dry rations he'd brought. He handed her the food with a nod, then made his way to Jellal's cell.
Jellal sat alone, eyes unfocused, lost in thought. Escanor entered with a quiet knock, prying open the bars once more.
"Who are you?" Jellal's voice was wary.
"Escanor," he answered calmly. "I'm here to free you all. We have a plan."
Jellal's lips curled in a faint, unsettling smile.
"A plan… I've woken something too. When the time comes, I'll help."
Escanor studied him closely, a cold knot tightening in his chest. Something was off—something dark hidden beneath that calm facade.
Without lingering, Escanor left. Today, he had to scout the island—to understand their prison, their enemy.
The island was no ordinary fortress.
Beneath twisted buildings and endless chains, a colossal magic crystal pulsed with a terrible energy. It was no mere source of power—it was the R System. A dark mechanism designed to harvest magical life force, draining slaves to fuel a sinister purpose.
Escanor's jaw clenched.
"Sacrifice… slaughter… They're killing them all to feed this abomination."
His fists balled tightly. This was no longer a rescue—it was a mission to destroy.
At the island's port, a massive magical airship stood ready. A gleaming beacon of hope.
Escanor inspected the craft—it was simple to operate, powered by raw magic input. This was their escape route.
He returned to Rob's cell and explained the plan to everyone—the weapons he conjured from pure magic, the flight to freedom.
"There is no second chance. We either succeed… or perish."
As night fell, the slaves were returned to their cells, the guards lax with their prisoners' hopelessness.
Escanor distributed weapons and whispered instructions. The grand escape began.
Erza took her weapon without hesitation, rushing to the main group. Escanor hurried to Jellal's cell, issuing orders.
Then, chaos erupted.
Explosions shattered the silence, drawing guards away—Escanor cut down anyone who came near. The prisoners surged forward, breaking free.
But in the confusion, Jellal vanished into the shadows unnoticed.
At the port, the prisoners boarded the airship, hearts pounding. Suddenly, the enemy counterattacked—overwhelming waves of Dark Guild members surged forward.
Rob and a few Magi fought bravely but were outnumbered and outgunned.
Escanor arrived, fury blazing.
"Rhitta! Dust Slash!"
Magical blades carved through the ranks, scattering foes like leaves in a storm.
Behind him, the airship's engines roared—Jellal was at the helm.
Escanor's eyes locked onto him, reading the deadly message on his lips:
"Pursue me, and I'll blow us all sky-high."
Betrayal seared through Escanor's veins like molten fire.
He threw himself into the fray, his strikes a furious tempest of golden wrath.
From the rooftops, gunfire ripped through the defenders. One by one, Rob and his comrades fell.
Escanor's magic flared wildly—a towering golden giant rose from his fury, smashing enemies with devastating blows.
Then, a single gunshot rang out.
Rob struck.
"No...!"
Erza sank to her knees, tears flooding down her cheeks.
If only she had been stronger, faster, smarter… if only.
As her grief spilled forth, a tremor ran through the scattered weapons at her feet.
Her magic—awakened in pain and fury.
Escanor stood over Rob's fallen body, grief and rage crashing in waves.
But there was no time to falter.
The first light of dawn broke over the sea, bathing the battlefield in soft gold.
Escanor extended his hand.
"Rest now. We will carry your spirit forward."
The bodies shimmered and dissolved into glowing particles, drifting away on the morning breeze.
Cradling Erza, Escanor soared into the sky, gathering power into his hands.
"Exploding Arrogance!"
The island erupted in a cataclysmic explosion—a final, fiery judgment.
The inferno consumed all evidence of the Dark Guild's horrors.
As the smoke cleared, Erza, shaken but alive, clung to Escanor.
"I want to join Fairy Tail," she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute.
Escanor nodded, eyes burning with fierce determination.
"Then we will grow stronger—together."
The price of growth was steep. But from loss, from pain, hope would rise anew.