A Prayer Under the Holy Light

is the 39th episode of the Fairy Tail anime. It first aired on July 26, 2010.

Jellal Fernandes is revealed to have tricked Erza Scarlet after the true form of the Tower of Heaven is revealed along with the manipulation of Siegrain of the Magic Council. As Erza comes close to losing to Jellal, Natsu Dragneel comes to rescue her and takes the battle into his hands.

Synopsis
Erza Scarlet questions Jellal Fernandes' actions. He could not complete the R-System due to the insufficiency of Magic needed to activate it. Despite that and the Magic Council's threat of using Etherion, Jellal chooses to hold his place. Erza is however unwilling to kill him, and tells him she will wait with him for Etherion to fall and end them both. Jellal replies that she can say anything she wants, as her words will not reach him. He states he was possessed by Zeref's spirit and is nothing more than a puppet. He claims that everything was over before it even began and that there is no freedom anywhere.

Meanwhile, Etherion is ready to be fired. Everyone in the Council lowers their heads to pray to the light, and the countdown begins. When Jellal surrenders his life to Erza, she releases him out of pity and they prepare for Etherion's blast. They both declare themselves sacrifices; Erza because she couldn’t save Jellal, and Jellal because he gave in to his weaknesses. In the final moments before the collision, they hug, wanting to die together. Etherion is released and in the moment before it hits, Jellal shows his true face, knowing all along that the Etherion would not kill anyone. It seems that the metal outside of the tower was actually a cover up for the real form of the Tower of Heaven; a giant Lacrima. Having absorbed the incredible amount of Magic power Etherion possessed, the R-System is completed.

At the council, Siegrain suddenly vanishes. Meanwhile, Ultear Milkovich is using her Arc of Time Magic to demolish the Magic Council's and Etherion's site. She is revealed to be one of Jellal’s most passionate followers, willing to give her life for Jellal’s dream. Meanwhile, Siegrain reappears beside Jellal and is revealed to have just been a Thought Projection made by Jellal so that he could infiltrate the Council and fire Etherion on the Tower of Heaven. After being reunited with his thought projection, Jellal's Magic power returns and he attacks Erza. Erza tries to battle him, but she is easily overpowered and captured by him. He explains that she will be a sacrifice to Zeref and that her body will be decomposed, then recomposed into Zeref’s. Jellal then submerges her into a large Lacrima. He claims that he loves her and then turns his back to begin the resurrection ceremony. Natsu Dragneel, however, sweeps in and pulls Erza out of the Lacrima, telling her that she needs to hurry up and defeat Jellal so they can go on some jobs to earn money, as they still have to pay Lucy Heartfilia’s rent. Erza warns Natsu to not fight Jellal but he doesn't listen. He knocks Erza out with a punch in the gut and prepares to fight Jellal in Erza's place. He then turns to Jellal and tells him it’s his fault that Erza is crying, giving up and shaking and prepares to fight Jellal in Erza's place.

Natsu proceeds to hit Jellal with his fiery attacks and seemingly gives Jellal a hard beating. However, Jellal suddenly stands, thanking Natsu for "showing him the destructive power of a Dragon Slayer". Jellal declares that he will now begin to fight seriously and begins to use his Heavenly Body Magic, which amplifies his strength and speed. Even with intense focus, Natsu is unable to keep up. Jellal uses his Grand Chariot spell to finish him, and Natsu falls. Jellal then proceeds to continue the ceremony when Natsu -from the ground- begins to throw broken Lacrima pebbles at him. When Jellal asks what he is doing, Natsu asks if the intactness of the tower is important. Seconds before, Jellal had mentioned that further destruction of the tower could mean trouble, as the Magic power contained within the Lacrima may be released. Hearing this had caused Natsu to come up with a plan; If he can not defeat Jellal himself through force, he will simply destroy the tower to prevent him from completing the resurrection ceremony.

Fights

 * Erza Scarlet vs. Jellal Fernandes (concluded)
 * Natsu Dragneel vs. Jellal Fernandes (started)

Abilities used

 * Swordsmanship
 * Hand-to-Hand Combat

Armors used

 * Japanese Clothing

Manga & Anime Differences

 * The design of the Tower of Heaven varies greatly between the anime and the manga, with the tower in the manga being much more straight and symmetrical. The tower featured in the anime has a much more "jagged" appearance, looking like a huge twist of metal with giant bits of Lacrima jutting out of it. Even after the outer shell of the tower is destroyed, the Lacrima tower of the anime and manga still have a different appearance.
 * The room in which Erza and Jellal fight has a different appearance in the manga than it does in the anime.
 * The area Etherion is fired from is different in the manga than it is in the anime.
 * When Juvia casts her Water Lock spell to stop everyone from drowning in the manga, everyone is soaking wet, having fallen into the ocean. In the anime, everyone is perfectly dry.
 * After Natsu attacks Jellal in the anime, Jellal removes his coat to reveal a sleeveless shirt and cargo pants. In the manga, Jellal is wearing a special suit specifically designed to not burn up whilst he uses his Heavenly Body Magic.
 * During his fights, Jellal's right eye glows with the symbol of Zeref. This symbol does not appear in the manga.