"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki…"
With a soft utterance, Calvin Unknown gently rotated the sword-holding right hand downwards. The blade pointed down. As the Zanpakutō slowly descended vertically, a long, pure white ribbon abruptly extended from the pommel of the hilt, forming a large, white loop that completely enveloped the blade. It was beautiful, yet entirely seamless…
The instant the white sash fully encircled the blade, the appearance of the sword changed. The entire blade, hilt, and guard turned snow-white. Intricate, beautiful patterns were etched onto the white hilt and guard. Under the billowing white ribbon, the sword appeared incredibly pure, incredibly beautiful…
This was Sode no Shirayuki, the Zanpakutō renowned as the most beautiful in the Soul Society (Shinigami World)!
"Requip Magic?!" Jellal Fernandes frowned, his voice full of shock and uncertainty. After all, he had just witnessed the seemingly plain, single-edged longsword in Calvin's hand suddenly transform into this exquisitely beautiful blade! The reason for his doubt was that if it was Requip Magic, the transformation speed was far too fast!! It seemed more accurate to say that the original weapon in his hand had suddenly changed its appearance than that he had equipped a completely different weapon! But—
Looking at the stunningly beautiful single-edged longsword tightly grasped in Calvin's hand, and recalling the previous ordinary longsword, even with the incredible imagination often found in children, Jellal couldn't connect the two! In his words: They are fundamentally not the same sword!! The difference in shape and beauty is simply too vast!!!
Having decided that the two were unrelated, Jellal could only conclude that Calvin's Requip Magic speed was unimaginably fast!
Of course, Jellal couldn't imagine the difference between Sode no Shirayuki before and after its release (Shikai); the change in form was practically like night and day! Indeed, the magic Calvin was using was a form of Requip Magic! And it was a uniquely mutated Requip Magic in this world!! Because the weapons he equipped were all Zanpakutō summoned from the world of the Shinigami!
However, regarding the speed of Requip, Calvin's speed was not as fast as Jellal imagined! It was easy to send a previously equipped weapon back—a simple thought was enough. But re-equipping a Zanpakutō, especially one that had never been summoned before, was far from easy!
It could be said that after dealing with the two administrative Mages (Tucker/Aqua and Shadow), even though he had severely depleted his magic by using Shunpo twice, Calvin had been continuously attempting the new summon in his mind! His purpose was to verify his conjecture—could he truly summon the Zanpakutō from the Shinigami world as his weapons? Was he limited to only summoning Wabisuke, or could he genuinely summon all the Zanpakutō in existence to become his weapons?!!
While trying to perform the Requip and hurrying back, he happened to see Jellal dragging the battered Erza and tossing her into a small boat!
After carefully eavesdropping on their conversation and connecting it with the intensely malicious magic emanating from Jellal, Calvin acutely sensed something! With his powerful analytical and deductive abilities, he instantly judged Jellal's current state—due to some unknown reason, Jellal had fallen to darkness!!!
Upon reaching this conclusion, Calvin felt deep sorrow, but even more so, profound self-reproach. Yes, self-reproach… He blamed himself for not fulfilling his duty as a Big Brother, for not guiding Jellal properly, leading to him ultimately taking the path of evil and darkness.
But in truth, how many people could have imagined that the boy who was once so full of righteousness would turn into this current monstrosity? And all within less than a day…
Erza couldn't understand, and Calvin couldn't understand either…
But just as he said, as a Big Brother, besides offering sufficient support and comfort when a younger sibling is bullied, he must also, when they commit an unforgivable mistake, administer the punishment they deserve…
Although he was incredibly sorrowful and unwilling, and his heart was deeply pained, Calvin had no choice but to strike with a heavy heart to prevent Jellal from going further down the wrong path! When faced with Jellal's sudden magical attack, he finally completed the next Zanpakutō summon just before the magic hit him!! And this time, the Zanpakutō he summoned was Sode no Shirayuki, the sword hailed as the most beautiful in the Soul Society.
Erza was now also staring blankly from the boat, looking up at Calvin, or rather, at the Zanpakutō in his hand—Sode no Shirayuki!
It's too beautiful, too moving! How can there be a sword in this world that is so gorgeously artistic? Erza thought dazedly. A subtle longing suddenly rose in her heart: If only, if only I could have a beautiful weapon like that…
A small wish took root in Erza's heart, which would lay a foundation for her future beautiful Requip Armors and weapons. However, a certain company was in for a financial disaster later on—but these were future events. For now, let's return to Jellal and see how he reacts!
The scene shifts back. Jellal stared suspiciously at Sode no Shirayuki in Calvin's hand, as if trying to discern its secrets. Unfortunately, there were no Shinigami here for him to question, and he certainly couldn't figure out the function of the beautiful and dreamy Sode no Shirayuki! After all, Jellal was not the so-called, ethereal God!
"You think that with something so aesthetically pleasing, you can defeat me?" Despite his suspicion, Jellal opened his mouth to mock dismissively: "It seems you still don't understand. I am the one chosen by the great Black Mage Zeref, the great God! How can your mortal strength compare to the messenger chosen by God?! Do you think you are a God yourself!!!" The last sentence was almost a scream, as if he wanted to use volume to dispel the inexplicable, terrifying fear in his heart.
"A God? I see…" Hearing this, Calvin murmured softly, "It seems you truly have fallen, Jellal. Your mind has been deceived by that so-called, non-existent, ethereal God. What kind of person do you think the historical figure, the Black Mage Zeref, truly was? That evil fiend, who nearly destroyed this entire world, even if he was incredibly powerful, is absolutely unqualified to bear the title of God—" As he spoke the last part, his eyes flashed fiercely, bursting with a frightening intensity!!!
"Bastard!! You dare to blaspheme the God in my heart!!!" Jellal was instantly enraged, roaring furiously at Calvin in the distance: "As the one chosen by God, I must make you pay the ultimate price for your act of sacrilege! Aah! Aah! Aah! Aah!!" He yelled, and a deep purple magic circle, radiating a profound, dazzling purple light, suddenly appeared beneath Jellal's feet!
"Yaaaah—" He roared, crossing his arms over his chest. Surging magic power instantly burst out from Jellal's small body! The powerful magical fluctuation even caused the surrounding ground to shake violently. Jellal, standing in the magic circle, had his hair violently swept upward by the intense magic filling the circle!!!
"You will—Die!!! Aah! Aah! Aah! Aah! Aah! Aah!!" Enduring the pain of his body being torn by the surging magic power, Jellal's face contorted fiercely as he slammed his hands forward and screamed. The moment he finished speaking, a massive column of deep purple magic energy surged out from between Jellal's clasped hands! It charged aggressively towards Calvin in the distance!!!
"Next Dance…" Without any superfluous words, facing the magic column that reached him in the blink of an eye, Calvin merely crouched slightly. He held Sode no Shirayuki tightly in both hands, tilting it slightly to the side. The bright blade tip pointed directly at the formidable magic column that was already upon him. He quietly uttered: "White Ripple—"
The instant he finished speaking, a burst of bone-chilling frost and snow erupted from the blade tip! It instantly froze everything in front of him!! This included the magic column! And it also included Jellal!!!
Gazing at the magic column, which was frozen in pure white ice and snow, barely an inch away and almost touching his nose, Calvin couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. That was close, he silently thought. If I had been even a moment later, I would have lost! No! Judging by the intensity of Jellal's attack, if I had been hit head-on, it wouldn't just have been serious injury—it could have easily killed me!
Thinking this, Calvin shook his head self-deprecatingly and sighed, his expression turning sorrowful again. Looking at Jellal, who was completely immobilized, encased in ice and snow with only his head exposed, Calvin's heart ached…
At this moment, due to the effect of Sode no Shirayuki's White Ripple, pure white snowflakes were drifting all around Calvin. The falling snow, combined with his profoundly sorrowful expression, created a beautiful scene themed around grief. However, this image radiated a desolate atmosphere, causing anyone who looked upon it to feel an involuntary heartache…
"Big Brother Calvin, Jellal…" Erza stared blankly at the two figures on the shore. In addition to heartache, her eyes revealed a hint of profound sadness.
Two individuals who were once like brothers were now forced to fight each other, with one side facing eternal demise. In Erza's view, no matter the outcome, no matter the reason, this was a sight too painful to watch, even if the one about to die was fundamentally wrong.
Big Brother Calvin must be suffering even more, Erza thought to herself. A subtle bitterness surfaced in her heart for some unknown reason. Why, why must such a tragic outcome exist?!
Erza cried out in her heart, intensely yet powerlessly…
"Farewell, Jellal…" Slowly walking up to Jellal, Calvin looked at the boy whose entire body was encased in ice, with only his head exposed. He said sorrowfully, "I hope in your next life, you don't choose such a wrong path…" With that, he slowly closed his eyes. A clear tear slowly slipped from Calvin's eye and gently dropped onto the white ice at his feet, making a sorrowful 'drip' sound.
"First Dance, White Moon (Tsuki Shiro)…" Gently swinging Sode no Shirayuki, Calvin turned and slowly walked away. His faint voice traveled far, far away.
Behind him, a massive pillar of ice shot up from the ground, completely encasing Jellal within it…