In the stands, the members of Fairy Tail were all dumbfounded, unable to speak in the face of the intense exchange that had just occurred.
Only Mavis watched excitedly, her feet swinging rapidly as she cheered for Calvin below. Unfortunately, her voice could only be heard by her guildmates.
"First Master, did you always know that Calvin had become this powerful?" Makarov snapped back to reality, noticing Mavis's confident demeanor, and quickly asked.
Mavis glanced at the stunned Makarov and couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you still stuck with the impression of Calvin from seven years ago? Unlike us who were sealed on Tenrou Island, he was not."
"But he was also imprisoned by the Seven Deadly Sins!" Makarov exclaimed, looking incredulous.
"This means that he didn't waste these seven years. Although he was in a deep sleep, Calvin's understanding of magic and his magical power have improved significantly from seven years ago. I realized this the moment I saw him again," Mavis calmly explained, her gaze toward Calvin growing deeper.
Hearing this, Makarov fell into deep thought. He pondered whether it was time to pass on the position of Guild Master. Calvin's current performance proved he was more capable of taking on the role and responsibility and far more reliable than Gildarts.
Natsu and Gray, standing on the sidelines, were equally speechless. Their gazes kept shifting between Calvin and Zanpakutō on the battlefield, filled with shock and disbelief.
Even Ezra, with her complex emotions, looked at Calvin. She admitted that she might be unable to defeat Zanpakutō based on its current performance.
Once considered one of Fairy Tail's strongest candidates, she felt she had been left far behind.
Calvin, however, should have paid more attention to these looks. He was entirely focused on the battle. Though he could project a part of his soul into his summons, controlling Zanpakutō directly was still his responsibility.
This method of soul projection differed significantly from the old soul-splitting technique. The old method involved forcibly splitting his consciousness to control three summons simultaneously, but only one mind handled their actions.
The new method allowed him to split a portion of his soul into the summon, giving it an independent mind that could think for him.
Although Calvin had practiced this soul projection before, this was his first time using it in real combat, especially against a master like Jura.
Calvin felt a duality: while observing the battle, he was also directly controlling it. This contradictory feeling of being both independent and connected was something he hadn't fully adjusted to.
...
After Jura blocked Zanpakutō's three major attacks, both fighters paused, entering a standoff instead of continuing their intense combat.
Reckless attacks were futile. Neither Jura nor Calvin were the kind of mages who lost their cool easily. Part of their strength lay in their ability to remain calm under pressure.
Zanpakutō pondered how to break Jura's impregnable defense. Besides its extreme hardness, Jura's rock magic had lightning-fast execution, a significant obstacle to overcome.
Suddenly, Zanpakutō's eyes flashed with a human-like gleam. It placed Tensa Zangetsu into the ground, shattered into fragments, and dissipated. Zanpakutō then drew another katana from the void.
Initially, this new katana seemed unremarkable, but Jura knew better than to underestimate it.
"Impressive weapon, but is this the extent of your power?" Jura inquired, but he quickly realized that Zanpakutō had no intention of responding.
The new katana ignited in flames, its intense heat palpable even from ten meters away.
'Ryūjin Jakka!'
"Couldn't you at least answer me?" Jura sighed, but his expression quickly turned serious. He extended both hands, fingers pointed up.
Immediately, countless rock pillars shot up around Zanpakutō, bending like serpents to crash down mercilessly.
Zanpakutō merely waved Hyōrinmaru, creating ice walls colliding with the rock pillars. However, these ice walls were far too fragile compared to Jura's rock pillars. Within seconds, they shattered.
But that brief moment was enough. Hihiō Zabimaru returned to Zanpakutō's side, its long body coiling protectively, its bone spikes shredding any approaching rock pillars like a meat grinder.
Realizing the futility of his current assault, Jura halted his attacks. However, he was far from done; more formidable attacks were coming.
Jura's magical power surged, and massive, rock-hard fists emerged from the ground.
To others, it seemed as if a colossal giant was buried beneath, thrusting its enormous fist upwards with tremendous force. The first covered half of the arena and fell with incredible speed.
No one doubted that the entire field would be devastated once the fist landed.
This was Jura's greatest strength: making rocks incredibly hard and as fluid as water. In Jura's hands, ordinary rocks became numerous divine weapons.
Facing such an attack, Calvin dared not slack off. He channeled vast magical power through his soul link to Zanpakutō, enhancing its momentum.
Suddenly, Zanpakutō's ice wings flapped, propelling it into the sky. It soared towards the gigantic fist, its sword tip aimed straight at it.
"Ryūsenka!"
In an instant, freezing energy surged from the sword tip, turning the massive rock fist into an ice sculpture.
The cold froze the fist, preventing Jura from manipulating it further. But Jura had plenty of other tricks up his sleeve.
He clasped his hands together, his magical power churning.
"Fujaku Hishō Shō!"
The ground beneath Zanpakutō trembled, cracking open. Powerful tremors erupted, sending shockwaves that quickly approached.
The massive rock fist loomed above, leaving Zanpakutō no escape. It had no choice but to face the attack head-on.
'Ennetsu Jigoku!'
Zanpakutō sheathed its sword at its waist in the blink of an eye, then swiftly drew it, unleashing a torrent of flames. The intense flames formed a vortex, encasing the attack. The Fujaku Hishō Shō's impact couldn't disperse the fire, leading to a direct clash.
Boom!
The explosion seemed to rend the heavens and earth apart.
The world dimmed as if two giant beasts clashed.
Scorching waves of heat radiated outwards, making it feel like one was inside a furnace.
The shockwaves from the clash felt like being hit by a storm.
The clash had left everyone in awe.