"What's wrong? Did sothing happen?" Mirajane asked from the other speedboat as Ultear's vessel slowed to a halt alongside Noah's.
"I think these two boats are too slow," Noah replied, looking out over the water. "I'm going to modify them."
"Modify them? How?" Everyone looked at him with confusion.
Noah maneuvered his speedboat behind Ultear's. Magic power began to surge from his body, and solidified light began to extend from beneath his feet. In an instant, the glowing substance wrapped around the entirety of his boat.
The light then extended from his bow, connecting to the stern of Ultear's boat, quickly enveloping that vessel as well. Now, the two speedboats were encased in a protective layer of solidified light, physically linked by a bridge of pure energy.
"There. That should do it," Noah said, satisfied with his handiwork.
"Just like that? But how are we going to steer?" Sorano asked, skeptical. She didn't see how they could navigate with the two boats tethered together like this.
"Sit tight and hold on to sothing! I'm starting the engine!" Noah shouted.
A massive golden magic circle manifested at the very rear of the connected vessels. Suddenly, a concentrated light cannon erupted from the center of the circle, creating an imnse amount of thrust. Under the force of the reaction, the two boats shot forward, accelerating at a terrifying pace.
"This sea breeze feels amazing!" Natsu shouted from the bow. He was leaning into the wind, enjoying the sensation of sailing without the crushing weight of motion sickness. He had never felt this good on a boat before.
The others initially enjoyed the breeze as well, their moods lifting. Sorano and Yukino-kun's expressions relaxed, shedding so of the tension they had carried since hearing about the Black Magic Cult.
However, the relaxation didn't last long. The speed increased until the boats were practically flying across the surface of the water. The vessels cut through the waves like a sword, creating a constant, deafening roar as they shattered the surf.
Everyone was forced to duck their heads and crouch low to avoid the stinging wind. They gripped the sides of the boats with all their might to keep from being thrown overboard. Natsu, who had been enjoying himself at the front, lasted only a few seconds before the wind pressure began to distort his face. He quickly gave up and joined the others in huddling down.
"IT'S—TOO—FAST—!" Lucy scread, her voice barely audible over the rushing water and the roar of the light engine.
"It's better to be fast," Noah's voice echoed in everyone's minds via Telepathy. "The sooner we arrive, the fewer chances there are for unexpected complications."
"Will this much noise alert the Black Magic Cult?" Ultear asked telepathically.
"No. I'll slow down before we get close. They won't notice a thing," Noah reassured her.
"Noah, the speed... I can't hold on!" Happy cried out. Noah looked over to see Happy and Carla struggling to maintain their grip on the hull, their small bodies flapping in the wind.
"We're almost there. I'm slowing down now."
Noah checked the distance. Because of his magical propulsion, they had covered the vast distance in record ti. He gradually throttled back the light output, allowing the boats to return to a normal cruising speed.
"Phew..." Everyone let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, finally letting go of the railings.
"Ha... ha..." Happy and Carla collapsed onto the deck, exhausted from the physical strain of holding on.
"Let help you recover." Noah raised his hand, and a gentle golden light washed over everyone, restoring their stamina and dispelling their fatigue.
"You said the Tower of Heaven was nearby, but I don't see anything," Sorano said, standing up to scan the horizon. There was nothing but the endless, shimring blue ocean and the occasional coconut tree on distant, unrelated shorelines.
"The tower is hidden. You can't see it normally," Noah explained, shaking his head. "That's what my information told . If it were easy to find, Laxus and I wouldn't have missed it years ago when we were helping the Council destroy the other seven towers."
"When you and Laxus helped destroy the towers, there were only seven, right?" Erza asked.
Noah cast a cloaking spell over both boats, turning them and their passengers invisible to the outside world while also erecting a sound-dampening field. Only then did he answer.
"Correct. The Council only located seven towers at the ti. Laxus, the Council's army, and I destroyed them all. Even after interrogating the cult mbers and gathering all their docunts, there was no ntion of an eighth tower. The Council searched these waters repeatedly and found nothing before retreating. I even stayed behind to search on my own for a few days, but I ca up empty."
"Then how did you find out about an eighth one now?" Mirajane asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.
"I heard it from a... reliable informant."
"Is the source trustworthy?" Ultear pressed.
"Yes. His previous leads have never been wrong."
"In that case, let's search the area," Erza said.
"Agreed. We'll split the two boats to cover more ground," Noah instructed. "I've already applied the cloaking and silence spells. If you find anything, just alert through the telepathic link I've set up."
"Understood. We'll go this way," Ultear said, pointing in one direction. Noah retracted the light bridge, and the two boats diverged.
After a period of searching, they still had no luck.
"Nothing yet. Noah, are you sure the information wasn't a dud?" Sorano complained through the link.
"It should be accurate. Keep looking. Rember, the place is magically hidden," Noah replied.
"Alright, we'll keep at it," Ultear agreed.
They continued for a while longer until Wendy-kun's voice rang out: "Brother Noah! Over here! We found it!"
Noah imdiately turned his boat toward Ultear's coordinates. As they crossed an invisible threshold, a massive island suddenly materialized before them. They were already very close.
The island was rugged, covered in jagged rock formations. However, the most striking feature was the colossal spire rising from the center of the island. It was a twisting, obsidian-like tower that pierced the clouds, stretching toward the heavens.
"Is that the Tower of Heaven?" Everyone stared in awe. The height of the structure was terrifying; they had never seen a man-made building so imnse.
"That place feels... wrong. It's dangerous," Natsu said, his expression grim.
"I agree. I can feel waves of discomfort emanating from there," Mirajane added, her face serious as she gazed at the island.
"So that's how they did it. This barrier is incredibly sophisticated," Noah mused, sensing the ripples in the air. "It uses a high-level suggestion spell to make people subconsciously avoid the area, while also projecting an image of empty ocean to anyone looking in from the outside. No wonder the Council missed it. Unless you were specifically looking for it or had advanced magical knowledge, you'd never find it."
It was a miracle that a powerful wizard hadn't stumbled upon it by accident over the years. Without an advance tip, Noah admitted it would have been a nightmare to find on his own.
"The air here slls disgusting," Wendy-kun whispered, covering her mouth and nose. She looked like she was about to be sick.
"How should we proceed?" Ultear asked.
"We'll sneak in quietly first to assess the situation," Noah decided.
Everyone agreed. They brought the speedboats to the shore, hidden under Noah's magic. Once they landed and disembarked, Noah's voice echoed in their minds again.
"From now on, we communicate only through Telepathy. Just think your words, and everyone in the link will hear them."
"Understood. What's the plan? There are quite a few guards here," Ultear's voice replied.
As they moved inland, they realized the island was heavily fortified. Guards in uniform patrolled the paths, accompanied by fierce magic beasts. There were sentries every few paces. From their expressions, the guards seed extrely tense.
"Looking at them, they must be reaching a critical phase of their project," Erza's voice noted.
"Right. If this is indeed the R-System, they must be close to completion. Visually, the tower looks finished," Mirajane added.
"Let's just smash through! Forget the guards!" Natsu was getting restless.
"No," Sorano countered. "We don't know if there are still innocent prisoners inside. We can't just charge in blindly. Besides, we're still a distance from the tower itself. We need a way across."
~~~
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