Tower of Heaven arc

The Tower of Heaven arc is the seventh story arc in the manga series, Fairy Tail. As Team Natsu take a vacation away from work, Erza suddenly remembers her horrific past. Not long after, a few of her old friends kidnap Erza and plan to make her a sacrifice needed to revive dark mage Zeref. Now Team Natsu must find a way to rescue her and Erza must face her pain, which involves fighting against her closest and most important friend...

A Perfect Vacation Ruined: Battle At the Casino!
After Loke gives the gang tickets to a resort, Erza Scarlet already has her stuff and is ready to go. At the beach Natsu and Gray, who is naked again, play in the water while Juvia Loxar stalks them. Later they make Lucy Heartfilia play pinata, but she hits a muscular guys head instead, who then chases her. After some volleyball and fish eating from Happy, Erza unwinds in her room and drifts off into her sleep. She dreams of her childhood horrors at the Tower of Heaven where she worked as a slave to build the R-system. She hides in a corner and cries as Jellal Fernandes's voice wispers to her that freedom is just an illusion. Erza wakes up suddenly and looks at herself in the mirror. She changes back into her Heartz Cruz armor thinking it fit her personality better. Lucy comes in and tells Erza to get dressed to go gamble at the casino downstairs. Erza then changes her clothes into a dress deciding its okay to loosen up once in a while. At the casino, Natsu Dragneel causes problems when playing Roulette's since the ball didn't land on his number. As Gray plays at slots, Juvia reveals herself and admits she tagged along. Natsu starts complaining again, when suddenly, a blocked man, named Wally appears and tells him to enjoy himself in an adult place. Natsu and Happy are shocked by his appearance. Wally spins around and points a gun to Natsu's head. Everyone in the casino starts running. Gray and Juvia start talking how she left Phantom Lord Guild and became an independent mage. She tells Gray she's interested in joining the Fairy Tail Guild. Just then, another man appears named Simon. He swats Juvia aside and demands to know where Erza is. While that was going on, Erza was playing a card game. One of Erza's childhood friends, Shou comes in to rotate dealer positions, but instead spells out the words DEATH with his cards to Erza. Erza stares at Shou, shocked to see him.

Shou remarks how its been a while since they saw eachother. Erza is surprised that Shou is safe. Back where Gray was, Simon asks again where Erza is. Juvia suddenly appears ready to attack in water form. She tells Simon she won't let him hurt Gray and she will take care of Simon, and tells Gray to go find Erza. Just then, Simon gets told, through his headpiece that Erza was found. He then uses his Instant Dark magic to blind Gray and Juvia. While in the dark, Natsu gets shot in the mouth by Wally, and a bang is heard throughout the casino. When the light reappears Shou is gone but reappears behind Erza and shows her his magic by displaying the trapped people inside his card deck. Shou remarks how it strange he learned magic too. Just then another of Erza's past friends, Milliana meows and uses her rope magic to grab Lucy. Erza gets mad and tell her that Lucy is her nakama (friend). Shou finds it insulting and thought they were friends, but then adds that it was until she betrayed them. Wally then reanimates himself to where Shou and Milliana were and tells Shou to calm down and tells Erza she turned out to be good looking. Simon then appears as Lucy falls to the ground with her hands and feet tied. Lucy asks Erza why they are calling her sister, but she tells Lucy they were just old friends. Not liking, the remark, Wally points his gun at Lucy who starts freaking out. Erza begs Wally to stop. Wally reanimates his hand behind Erza and shoots her with a sleeping bullet. As Simon grabs Erza, Lucy struggles in her position to get Erza back. Milliana just remarks how she'll be "cat food" in a few minutes. Wally then gets reminded that he has a gift for Milliana and presents Happy to her knowing she loves cats. Shou gets excited and reveals that Erza will be returning to the Tower Of Paradise, where Jellal is waiting.

After Erza and her former friends leave, Lucy summons Cancer but fails to reach her keys, when she is suddenly poked by a knife belonging to someone inside of Shou's cards. He ends up cutting the ropes for her. Once freed, Lucy runs over to Gray and mistakes the body for Gray's, but is shortly revealed to be just an ice sculpture. Juvia then gets up and let Gray out of her body, where she was hiding him. This weirds Lucy out so Juvia gets in her face and says how it was her body and not Lucy's. Gray sheds his shirt and asks where Natsu is. Just then a breath of flame appears and Natsu starts yelling how it was rude for someone to shoot inside his mouth. Natsu runs out the casino wanting revenge on Wally. Everyone else follows.

At the Tower Of Heaven, Jellal sits on his throne as Vidaldus Taka walks in reporting Erza was sucessfully captured. Jellal laughs to himself and tells Vidaldus why he didn't kill Erza which was because Erza was going to be the sacrifice to the tower. On Shou's ship Erza is tied to a pole. While everyone else is asleep, Shou comes down to Erza. She demands to be released, but Shou denies her calling her a traitor again. Erza starts struggling to get free but Shou tells her its futile because Milliana's ropes can seal magic. Erza states she just wants to equip her armor so she can feel secure. Shou then hugs Erza and tells her he never wanted to do this, but then screams why she betrayed Jellal. Erza has another flashback of her old friends and her escaping. They are all worried, but Jellal tells them it will be okay, and that they will have their freedom soon.

Infiltrate! Staircase to Heaven
At the Magic Council, the magic council reacts to the news of Siegrain telling them the R-System still exists. They remember shutting down the R-System projects, but other members point out there was an 8th tower they mustv'e missed and that it is almost completed. Siegrain interrupts the conversation saying the name of the 8th tower is The Tower of Heaven. The others tell him to shutup and to organize an army to take it down. Michello feels they don't have enough information to do that, but they do know that a cult leader, Jellal is in control of the tower.

Gray, Juvia, Lucy, and Natsu travel by canoe to the Tower of Heaven. Gray thinks their lost and Natsu is sick from the transportation. Juvia says how she's surprised Erza got defeated. Gray gets angry refusing to believe Erza got defeated. Lucy tells Gray to calm down since they don't know much about Erza. Soon they see the tower ahead of them and continue sailing towards it

Inside the tower,As Erza arrives at the Tower, she is thrown in a prison. Shô tells her she will stay there until the "ceremony" starts tomorrow. Then, he tells her that she will be the sacrifice for "Paradise". Erza tells Shô not to use the R-System to resurrect the dark mage, Zeref because of the consequences it will bring to the Magic World. Shô then says that Jellal is reviving him to bring them to "Paradise" and that they will rule with him. Erza then brings Shô to his knees through kicking him in the face and requips her Hearts Cruz armor.

Happy wakes up in Miliana's room surrounded by plushie cats and cat pillows. Miliana asks Happy hows it going, and Happy replies, making her happy. Wally then shows up to tell her the cat must be a robot or something because cats cannot talk. Simon then comes in to tell the two Erza escaped. Happy is surprised Erza is here. Simon tells them she's probably going for Jellal and they all set out to find her.

In the throne room of the tower, Vidaldus worries of the Magic Councils actions

At the magic council everyone is still arguing, about what should be done, until Siegrain says the tower is way too dangerous to let it stand and reccomends using the Etherion. Everyone is shocked and refuses claiming the Etherion is their ultimate weapon and is every MORE powerful than the R-System. Ultear agrees to use the Etherion. Siegrain begs for three more votes to let the weapon be used.

Back at the tower, Erza continues fighting and looking for Jellal. On the outside, Natsu and co. think there are too many guard to just walk in so Juvia reccomends they swim under to a secret entrance she just found. She makes them all water helmets to give them oxygen underwater. After they go through, Lucy points out how useful the water helmets were. Juvia is surprised Lucy didn't die, after admitting she made Lucy's tank smaller than the others. Guards spot the gang so they attack and quickly defeat the enemies. The door leading to the inside of the tower all of a sudden opens for them. In the throne room Vidaldus asks why Jellal is letting enemies enter. Jellal just claims that everything is a game and they just passed a level. At the Concil, Siegrain is able to gain one more vote, which leads him with two more needed.

Once Natsu and co. get in, Lucy changes her clothes that Cancer gave her. Enemies start running towards the gang as Erza shows up. Erza fights her way through some guards asking where Jellal is. She eventually comes across Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Juvia. Although she is surprised to see them, she tells them to go back and that this is her problem to deal with. Natsu refuses, one reason being because Millianna has Happy. Erza apologizes saying she will lose this fight no matter what. Erza tells them about the Tower of Heaven, otherwise known as the R-System.

Erza's Past: The Battle For Freedom!
A cult tried to build a tower to resurrect Zeref. This was called the R-system, or Tower of Heaven They used slaves to build it, of which Erza happened to be one of them along with Wally, Shou, Millianna, Jellal, and Simon.

After an escape attempt, Erza was taken to the dungeons and was tortured with such severity, she lost her right eye. Her friend Jellal arrived to save her and told her they have to fight to survive now. Caught by another guard, Jellal gets beaten and Erza gets sent back to her prison.There he was possessed by what he believed was Dark Mage Zeref, supplanting his former kind personality with a more violent one, which made him almost completely insane. No longer able to take the abuse Erza attacks guards and starts the revolt. At its inception, the revolt appeared to be successful.

The sudden presence of Mages, however, begins to dampen their chances at victory. All seems lost the moment a magic blast comes towards Erza, but Rob, another slave that was forced to work on the R-System, interferes, saving Erza, but sacrificing his life in doing so. To see Rob, who had nurtured her in the manner of a grandfather, blown to dust in an attempt to save her life seems to unlock something inside of her. She discovers her magic. In vengeful fury she calls to all manner of pickax and shovel in her proximity and sends a barrage of steel at her captives; and in that moment of rage she finishes the revolt.

When everyone is on the boat to go home, Erza goes back in the dungeons to look for Jellal. Already possessed by Zeref, Jellal attacks Erza and tells her he is going to complete the R-System to resurrect Zeref's body. He tells her not to tell anybody about the tower or he will kill everyone. She then wakes up on an island crying about the events just witnessed.

Back in the present Erza wipes her tears infront of her friends, and claims she will be the one to face Jellal

Countdown to erasion from History
Back at the Magic Council, Siegrain continues to try and get two more votes. They argue that by using the Etherion, it would kill everyone in the tower, including the innocent bystanders. Siegrain is willing to take the risk though. Eventually Beluno also agree to use the Etherion and so one more vote is needed. In the tower, Siegrains main body Jellal smilies and claims there is one more vote until everything ends.

Meanwhile, Erza and the others discuss Zeref. Erza talks about Zeref and how the R-System is beiing used to resurrect him. She says he was the cruelest and most powerful dark mage in history. Erza points out that Zeref created the Lullaby monster, and she also thinks he created Deliora. Zeref can create these powerful monsters with little effort. Lucy then asks why Erza is considered a traitor to her old friends. Erza doesn't know why, but suspects Jellal made something up. Shô then appears, hearing what actually happened eight years ago and cannot believe that Jellal was tricking them all this time. Shô says that eight years ago Jellal told him that Erza planted bombs in their ships and that if Jellal hadn't noticed everyone would have died. Jellal then made everyone get back to work on the tower claiming it was a sign that the tower must continue to be built. Erza tells Shô she never did that. Shimon then appears revealing he knew all along Jellal was lying. They all decide to work together to stop Jellal.

After finally arriving at Millianna's room, he tries on a cat-themed costume head but finds that it is stuck. But when Wally tries to ambush him again, he is saved by Millianna, who believes that he is a real cat, and doesn't want Wally to hurt him. He is nearly killed again when Wally points his gun at Natsu, but Milliana stops him claiming Wally shouldn't shoot cats.Wally convinces Millianna that he is not, in fact, a cat, and the two attack in tandem, but he is saved by Happy's return. He ends up defeating both mages by using a joke-move, the "Ultimate Strike: Kitty in Pain" to invoke Millianna's pity and make her release him from his bonds, allowing his magic to return and beating them with a single attack using his Fire Dragon's Wing Attack.At the tower again, after Natsu defeats Milliana, Jellal goes to his chess board made of pieces that represent all the people in his “game” and knocks Milliana’s and Wally’s pieces over symbolizing their defeat. He then tells Vidaldus that Simon and Shou have betrayed them but he’s okay with it since that’s how a game should be. Vidaldus just tells Jellal to hurry up with the ceremony. He gives Vidaldus the job of doing it instead, and Vidaldus awakens his true form, and his allies, Fukuro and Ikaruga appear alongside him. Jellal tells them it’s their turn to move.

Natsu and Happy are able to get the cat head off Natsu. Just as they do, Wally gets up to attack the two again. But Jellal uses magic to send an audio to everyone in the tower. He tells everyone it’s time to begin the Paradise Game. He states the rules are to try to prevent him from using Erza to resurrect Zeref and that they must get past Trinity Raven to get to him. He then informs everyone that the Etherion will also hit them soon and destroy the tower so they have an unknown amount of time. He then states that either way nobody will win and everyone will die. After hearing this Natsu and Happy are excited to play a game, but instead decide that it would be easier to fly straight to the top, but they are stopped by Fukuro. When they land, they end up with Simon who tells them to run away from Fukuro. Simon uses his darkness magic, but since Fukuro is an own he still saw Simon and beat him. Simon defeated, tells Natsu Fukuro is of Trinity Raven, a guild that goes around assassinating people. Natsu gets angry about hearing about a guild that only kills and prepares to fight him. Natsu and Fukuro send attacks back and forth,but Natsu starts to lose his lead immediately. Somewhere else, Juvia and Lucy wander the tower.