"Such bad luck, running into Jura right away," Laxus muttered coldly, a mix of sarcasm and regret in his eyes as he looked at the summon beast disguised as Mystogan.
The summoned beast controlled by Calvin rolled its eyes in annoyance and walked straight toward the competition field.
Laxus's tone, however, contained more regret than anything. From what he knew about Calvin, this summon beast could probably defeat most of the mages present, but facing Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints seemed a bit too much. In his heart, Laxus had already resigned to the idea that they wouldn't get these ten points.
"If only Calvin himself were up against Jura, he would definitely win," Mira said with a hint of lament, having great confidence in her boyfriend. However, defeating Jura seemed almost impossible, considering it was just a summon beast.
Gajeel asked, "Is that monk really that strong?"
"Back then, the one who competed with Jura for the title of Ten Wizard Saints was Calvin," Mira said simply, which shut Gajeel up. The fact that Jura holds the title now while Calvin doesn't indicates the result of their past competition.
It wasn't just their team members who were worried; the audience at Fairy Tail's side was also buzzing with discussion.
"Hmm... this is getting dangerous. Can Calvin's summon beast really handle Jura?" Makarov worriedly rubbed his chin, his small eyes squinting hard as he looked around at the crowd cheering for Jura, feeling increasingly agitated.
"If Calvin himself were fighting, there might be a chance of victory, but with just a summon beast... it's better not to have high hopes," Macao analyzed calmly, with his friend Wakaba nodding in deep agreement.
"No matter what, let's still cheer for Mystogan, even if he's a fake," Levy said energetically to her companions, cheering for the summon beast.
However, few noticed that Mavis still looked excited, as if she was thrilled with the prospect of victory.
Makarov noticed and couldn't help but say, "First Master, you shouldn't have such high hopes. The chances of winning this battle are slim."
Mavis turned to Makarov, showing a playful smile unique to little girls, and said with a bell-like voice, "You all underestimate Calvin too much. This match will surprise you."
On another platform, a beauty from Fairy Tail's A Team was also worried.
"Facing Jura directly, won't Jellal get exposed..." Ezra murmured, frowning deeply. She had fought alongside Jura against the Oración Seis and knew his strength well.
To defeat an opponent of such caliber, even Jellal might reveal his identity.
"Who said that's Jellal? Laxus was just teasing you," Calvin said with a smile, leaning against the railing.
"Not Jellal? Then who is this Mystogan?" Ezra asked in shock, with Natsu and Gray also perking up in interest.
"It's my humanoid summon beast in disguise. This battle can be considered a direct confrontation between me and Jura. Don't you trust me?" Calvin said calmly, with a hint of excitement in his voice.
For him now, Jura was a perfect opponent to test his new summon beast's strength.
"Do you really think a summon beast can handle Jura? Isn't that underestimating him?" Gray questioned.
"I never underestimated him, but since this matchup was drawn, what can I do? Forfeit? Besides, I don't think Zanpakutō is that weak," Calvin responded calmly.
"Zanpakutō? Is that your summon beast? What a strange name," Natsu asked.
"What's strange about it? It sounds great," Calvin said, slightly annoyed, but his attention naturally returned to his summon beast, Zanpakutō.
The name held many memories for him from many years ago, although these memories seemed insignificant compared to his current life.
But regardless, it was his way of commemorating his past existence.
"Is Zanpakutō very strong?" Ezra asked softly, her eyes glinting with a strange light.
Calvin didn't need to look at Erza's expression to know what she was thinking. She was probably thinking about sparring with Zanpakutō if it proved strong.
Calvin, slightly exasperated, said, "Of course it's strong. It's my latest summon beast. Just watch."
While they were talking, Zanpakutō, disguised as Mystogan, had already walked to the center of the competition field, staring at Jura. It revealed only those eyes Calvin had designed to look disdainful, giving an impression that would easily offend anyone.
At this moment, Calvin felt a bit regretful that his summon beast couldn't show off its glory in such a high-profile scene. After all, he had put a lot of effort into the appearance of Zanpakutō.
Zanpakutō's appearance was designed based on Aizen Sosuke, the most charming villain from the famous manga "Bleach" from his past life. Calvin almost wanted to make Zanpakutō declare, "We have no enemies ahead of us."
On the field, the atmosphere between Zanpakutō and Jura was heavy, a pressure only the strong could feel.
"Personally, I'd like to cheer for Fairy Tail, but our guild master is quite strict. I won't go easy on you," Jura said calmly, his tone not at all like someone about to fight, sounding magnanimous.
In response, Calvin controlled Zanpakutō to reply, "I don't need your mercy coldly."
Jura smiled, looking even more forward to the battle. He never underestimated the strength of Fairy Tail's mages.
As the pumpkin announcer declared the start of the match, the battle officially began!
Zanpakutō held a magic wand in one hand and had four more strapped to its back, looking cumbersome. However, Jura wasn't letting his guard down. Mystogan's identity had always been mysterious, known to few even within Fairy Tail, let alone other guilds.
Taking the initiative, Zanpakutō threw the four wands from its back and simultaneously dashed forward.
Its target was Jura.
Zanpakutō's sprint was impressive and fast, even without using any magic. Jura merely flicked his fingers, causing a large rock pillar to suddenly erupt from the ground swiftly and abruptly.
Zanpakutō lightly leaped, dodging the rock pillar. He simultaneously threw a wand at Jura, igniting it with blazing flames that flew like missiles toward him.
Jura, however, flicked his hand again, effortlessly raising several rock pillars in front of him to block the flaming wand.
But Zanpakutō's attack wasn't over. The four wands it had previously thrown now surrounded Jura from behind, each glowing with a bright red light.
'Blazing Flame Burst Array!'
The four wands simultaneously unleashed an inferno, engulfing Jura from all directions, leaving no room to escape. But Jura didn't need to evade; he was known as the 'Iron Rock Jura.'
With a single hand gesture, four round rock pillars erupted beneath the wands, lifting them skyward. The fiery explosion in the air resembled beautiful fireworks, though the heat waves radiating from it indicated it was far from harmless.
Zanpakutō had thrown all five wands, yet Jura hadn't moved a single step.
"Hey, isn't this completely ineffective!" Natsu yelled anxiously from the stands.
Calvin calmly replied, "Don't rush. Zanpakutō is just getting started. The flames on those wands were just an improvised mimic of Mystogan's style, a probing attack."