"Su Yan! Lucy! Erza!"
Natsu and the others came running up.
"Get out of here—this place is gonna collapse!"
Everyone quickly fled from the Tower of Heaven.
"Boom--!"
The Tower of Heaven began to crumble, and before long, it was nothing but rubble.
"The Tower of Heaven is gone," someone murmured.
"Yeah… collapsed."
Sho and the others weren't sure what to feel. They had built it themselves, deceived though they were. Eight years of effort—while it had been their prison, it was also a place holding fragments of their memories. Most were painful, but some were happy. All of it lay buried now.
Erza sighed. "The Tower of Heaven is gone. Everything's over."
She had been forced here as a child to work as a slave on that tower; now, at last, it was finished.
Wally asked worriedly, "So what do we do now that it's gone?"
"Yeah… what next?" Millianna echoed.
All of them had been taken to the Tower at a young age, knowing almost nothing of the outside world, so naturally, they felt fearful.
Erza offered a gentle smile. "If you don't have anywhere specific to go, come join Fairy Tail. I'd be happy to welcome you all."
"Fairy Tail?!"
"Meow?! You'd let us?!"
"Of course. I want to be with you, too," Erza said. She hadn't seen them in so long, she wanted to stay close to them.
They traveled back to the resort together. Their tickets still allowed them three days there—no point wasting them. Two days later, after feasting and enjoying themselves, they prepared to head home.
On the day they left, Lucy glanced around. "Hey, where'd Juvia go?"
"She said she had something to take care of and left early," Gray replied. "Erza, what about your friends?"
Erza smiled. "They took a boat last night."
Lucy was shocked. "Eh? Why?! Didn't they say they'd come to Fairy Tail with us?"
"They've grown. They have their own plans," Erza explained. "Sho and the others want to explore the world on their own. Simon's going to search for his long-lost sister. They'd all been deceived by Jellal so long… I can't tie them down just because I want them around."
She paused. "I'm sure we'll see them again someday."
Magnolia Town
"Wow!"
"This… this is!!"
"Ooooh!"
"It's amazing!"
"It's finished?! The new Fairy Tail guild!!"
Standing before the rebuilt Fairy Tail hall, Su Yan and the rest couldn't help marveling. By the time they returned, the guild's reconstruction was complete.
Compared to the old, worn-down building, the new one was more spacious and far more grand.
They walked through the front gates, greeted by guildmates stationed there.
"Welcome back! Surprised? This is our new guild."
"It's so different from before," Lucy said.
"Of course—because it's newly rebuilt!"
"There's even an outdoor café…"
"And a little shop at the entrance?!"
Max, manning the shop, waved enthusiastically. "Welcome!! Oh, it's you guys!"
"Wow!! Max, you're the shop owner?" Happy squeaked in surprise.
"Yup! Just a hobby. Come check it out. Lots of good stuff here."
"Fairy Tail–themed T-shirts, wristbands, mugs, towels, original magic crystals… The most popular are these mage figurines—3000J each." Max held up several, many depicting different guild members.
"Look!! There's one of Lucy!"
"Hey, don't make figures of me without asking—that's so embarrassing!"
"I think it looks pretty good," Happy said, poking Lucy's figure with a tiny paw.
"Click!" Some hidden switch released, causing the figure's clothes to peel away, revealing only underwear.
"Gaaah—!!" Lucy shrieked, mortified. Even though it was just a figure, it felt like too much exposure.
Su Yan couldn't help finding it all a bit strange, though he said nothing.
Just then, Cana, leaning in the doorway, gave a wave. "You're back? C'mon inside."
They followed her into the main hall.
"Ohhh!!"
"Wow—beautiful!"
The new guild interior was spacious and elegant.
"Good day! Welcome to Fairy Tail," a waitress in a miniskirt uniform greeted them.
"They changed the waitresses' uniforms, too?" Gray asked, eyes sparkling, impressed by their vibrant appearance.
Su Yan nodded. "It's really nice."
Cana winked. "You haven't seen the half of it."
She guided them around, showing off the renovations. Behind the bar was a swimming pool, perfect for a quick dip when people were tired. There was even a small underground playground full of entertainment facilities—an ideal spot for unwinding.
Glancing around, Su Yan felt it was less like a guild and more like a recreation club.
"And the biggest change is on the second floor!! Anyone can go up now. Of course, to take on S-class jobs, you still need to have an S-class mage escort you."
Before, the second floor was restricted to S-class mages only. On the one hand, it kept people from messing with dangerous missions. On the other, it highlighted the prestige of S-class mages, inspiring everyone to compete for that rank. Yet most members had preferred staying on the bustling first floor. Only Laxus sat up there, isolating himself to feel above everyone else.
Now, with the new guild, Master Makarov had done away with that rule. It gave Fairy Tail members a chance to learn about S-class requests ahead of time, even if they weren't qualified for them yet.
"Ready to see the rest?" Cana teased, knowing their excitement had only just begun.