Zongman: All Heavens and Worlds Begin with the Devil's Curse

Gerald paused for a moment, then glanced at Erza with a flicker in his eyes.

The two had a long history of connection.

A long, long time ago, when Jellal and Erza were still children, they met each other.

However, as time went by, the two sides chose different paths.

“I’m starting to see you as a completely different person,” Erza said, shaking her head.

She already knew some things about Gerald from Makarov, and also understood that he had already devoted himself to darkness.

Jellal's heart skipped a beat, and the next second, a colorful light appeared on Erza's body—it was her transformation magic.

Different outfits possess different powers and strengths, and each outfit is almost unique.

Since being spurred on by Zhou Lan's intervention during the battle against Phantom Lord, Erza resolutely left the guild to take on challenging quests to hone her skills.

This also explains why she wasn't present during Laxus's rebellion last time; otherwise, she might have been able to contribute.

Now that she has returned, her heart has calmed down considerably.

Erza drew her sword and her transformation magic gave her a set of black armor, making her look like a medieval knight as she charged toward Jellal in a few quick steps.

Across from him, Gerald stretched out his hand without any emotion and calmly said, "Celestial Magic, Seven Star Sword!"

Above their heads, a magic circle forming the Big Dipper pattern instantly materialized, and an extremely terrifying power gathered at that moment.

For a moment, Erza was stunned.

The members of the Magic Council, who were watching the battle as important figures, were also stunned.

"Again?!" Their eyes widened.

Following Westwood's use of celestial magic last time, another person has used Gerald's signature forbidden magic.

"So, do you think that guy is dead or not? After all, it's just that archmage's side of the story..."

"Is it possible that the guy who's stepping onto the field right now is Gerald?"

"Of course, I meant possibly, not that I'm guessing the masked guy on the field looks a lot like Gerald..."

"What? You want to arrest him?" one of them asked.

"I never said that—" he said hastily.

Several members of the Magic Council began to talk amongst themselves.

Those who are capable of navigating the world aren't fools.

Even if her face is covered, some things still can't be hidden. Erza can sense some of them, so there's no reason why these guys can't.

From a serious standpoint, they should be stronger than an S-rank mage of a guild, both in terms of status and strength.

This disguise...

It's just giving both sides a way to make things public.

"Sigh... they've really given up on acting altogether." A sigh came from among the committee members.

It's obvious that Zhou Lan is protecting this person.

Even if they have many grievances and thoughts, they can only brush them off with a vague "That's all right."

Otherwise... what else can we do?

Is it troublesome to cause trouble for Zhou Lan?

Oh.

There should be limits to joking.

Chapter 364 Nemesis? Friend? Or...?

A celestial magic circle lit up in the sky above the arena.

Aside from some bewildered gasps of surprise from the audience, there were no other reactions.

In the capital of this kingdom, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Gerald suddenly felt a sense of comfort.

Although Ximu's use of celestial magic preceded his move, it didn't seem too abrupt, but it was almost no different from an open attack.

But the feedback he was waiting for never came.

This also means that Gerald, in a different identity, has been reborn in this world.

He dared to scheme against someone far stronger than himself; he should have died on that small island.

Now, however, it has become part of the devil's tail.

“We should cherish it,” Gerald sighed.

The next second, he focused intently on Erza opposite him.

Faced with such an opponent, using celestial magic was unavoidable; otherwise, he couldn't be sure if he could defeat this stubborn woman head-on.

Erza possesses both remarkable resilience and immense strength.

Gerald knows her.

Gerald knew her from when they were just knee-high children.

In their childhood, they were imprisoned together in the Tower of Paradise as slaves.

At that time, he had not yet been seduced by the dark hell and Ultear, and the young Erza became the spiritual pillar that kept her going.

As for what happened afterward, there's no need to mention it again.

"You give me a very familiar feeling." Blocked by the light of the Seven Star Sword, Erza hesitated, her brow furrowed as she held the sword.

“Is that so?” Jellal chuckled softly, his gaze falling on Erza’s face. “Perhaps we’ve met somewhere before.”

He opened his arms as if to embrace.

Behind him, more than ten magic circles shone brightly. He understood Erza, so he respected her strength even more.

Therefore, he held nothing back from the very beginning.

The beams of celestial magic, like a ceaseless river or winding tentacles, followed Erza's dodging and weaving figure, bombarding and entangled her.

The explosions never stopped in the arena.

“Just running away won’t do you any good,” Gerald chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Erza suddenly paused, as if recalling something.

She gritted her teeth and held the sword upright in front of her.

As colorful light from the transformation magic swirled around him, the sword standing before him gradually grew wider and larger.

She withstood the oncoming magical beams of light. After a series of explosions, once the dust settled, Erza retracted her strongest defensive stance.

The magic of changing clothes shines once again.

This time, she was like a goddess, with a pair of silver iron wings lifting her up and suspending her in the air, with thousands of silver swords behind her.

As if in judgment, she raised her longsword and pointed it at Gerald, and the thousands of swords behind her seemed to be guided, shooting one after another towards the opposite side.

Gerald immediately closed his palms together.

Seven beams of light bombarded him in succession, blasting away countless silver swords.

The fight lasted only a short while, and the entire arena was already a scene of devastation.

The audience seats were filled with eager eyes.

"That's more like it! What were you even hitting just now?!"

"Where did Devil Tail summon these mages from? They're actually fighting the Fairy Queen Erza to a standstill..."

"That's awesome! Keep going!"

The revelry in the stands did not seem to affect the two in the center of the arena.

Erza showed the results of her arduous training during this time.

Her transformation magic allows for seamless switching between different forms with almost no obstruction or barrier.

When faced with an attack, she can defend herself in the strongest defensive stance, and in the next second she can launch an attack in another stance.

The flowing lines of the painting all speak to the arduous years of self-cultivation they have endured.

Inside the arena, Erza was slightly out of breath.

The magic power on the other side was almost unfathomable; she could barely break through the opponent's defenses by simply releasing celestial magic from a distance.

More importantly, the archmage opposite her seemed to know her fighting style very well.

It was detailed enough to know exactly where she would land next, and even her next move.

Just when she thought the crisis was over, a magical beam of light always awaited her next step.

"I need to think of a way; ranged combat isn't my comfort zone," Erza resolved.

A colorful light flashed across her body, and she soared into the sky with a light touch of her toes.

"Got you." Jellal's voice drifted over, and a magic circle above Erza's head almost completely enveloped her.

With a hum, pure white magic descended, enveloping Erza entirely.

The arena was stunned for a moment.

The next second, Erza's figure emerged from the smoke of the explosion.

She was almost completely unprotected, her upper body wrapped in bandages, her hands gripping a long katana, her figure resembling a swallow.

This is her extraordinary stance of abandoning all defense in order to attack.

She was incredibly fast; the moment the naked eye caught sight of her, she was already beside Gerald.

"I just... caught you," Erza whispered.

Taking advantage of the moment when Gerald was casting his spell, she finally caught a glimmer of an opportunity.

At this moment, the two were only one step apart.

Gerald's lips curled up slightly beneath his mask.

He calmly took half a step back and whispered, "Shattered Purgatory."

A leaden gray magic circle emerged from his palm, which he had been hiding behind his back, and expanded in an instant, illuminating Erza's face before she could even be surprised.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Gerald said with a smile.

Facing him, Erza felt an inexplicable sense of being completely exposed.

Her every move seemed to be seen through; she didn't even know how long Gerald had been preparing for this magic.

With no way to avoid it, the small shattered inferno rushed out head-on. Erza gritted her teeth, determined to fight it head-on with the sharpest edge.

A loud explosion echoed from the arena.

Amidst the dust explosion and billowing smoke, a slender figure was thrown into the air.

The stadium fell silent.

A moment later, a voice, still brimming with excitement, came from the commentary booth: "Devil's Tail wins!"

The subsequent battles, with Jellal and Erza setting such a high bar, were rather dull.

That night.

On the sea of ​​trees, Gerald, masked, found Zhou Lan.

Facing Zhou Lan's retreating figure, he seemed to want to say something, but was interrupted by Zhou Lan's raised hand.

“Go ahead, I’m not the kind of parent who likes curfews,” Zhou Lan said calmly.

His figure was ethereal, standing at the edge of the sea of ​​trees, gazing at the moon in the night sky.

“The moon is beautiful tonight, don’t you think?” he said.

Gerald nodded, and his figure disappeared in the moonlight.

A moment later, an unfamiliar figure walked into the medical room of the venue.

“You bastard…” Gray clenched his fist and looked at Gerald, who had come to visit late at night.