"You bastard…" Gripping Sode no Shirayuki, Calvin Unknown spoke with a grim face. "If you are so eager to die, I will grant your wish again! If I could kill you once, I can certainly do it a second time! This time, don't count on any so-called God to save your sorry self!!!" Although he was extremely wary of the potentially powerful hidden enemy, he couldn't afford to focus on that threat right now!
He needed to eliminate Jellal Fernandes as quickly as possible. Even if it meant draining his already low magic reserves, facing one known enemy was better than being caught in a two-pronged attack from a known and a hidden foe, wasn't it?! If it came to that, all hope would truly be lost…
Because even if he were incredibly strong, if he entered a battle of attrition with minimal magic remaining, facing a simultaneous attack from both the known and hidden enemies, he would never be able to escape alone! There was even a high chance of being killed instantly!!
It was precisely because he considered all these possible consequences that Calvin decided he absolutely had to deal with Jellal first!!! Of course, these considerations seem slow in writing but happened instantly in his mind. His mind whirred, and the moment he decided on his course of action, Calvin's attack was already launched. It was the same technique: Next Dance: White Ripple!
As Calvin predicted, Jellal was momentarily flustered by the ferocious attack. He awkwardly prepared to evade the White Ripple's range. But would Calvin let him succeed? Obviously not! Or rather, Calvin had already guessed that Jellal would try to evade rather than block the attack the moment he launched it! The certainty wasn't due to any precognitive ability, but because it was all part of his calculations!
The White Ripple was merely a feint; the real follow-up was yet to come! So whether Jellal evaded or not, he was inevitably going to be struck by the next attack. If he evaded, the follow-up was waiting—it was meant to be evaded! If he didn't evade? Heh, even better. Regardless of whether he could withstand the ferocious attack of White Ripple, so what if he did? He would simply follow up with the prepared move!! Caught in a two-sided attack, his death would be even more gruesome!!! Don't forget, though White Ripple was just a decoy to draw attention, it didn't mean the "decoy" lacked attack power! On the contrary, its attack power was shockingly formidable!
That's why Jellal's result would be the same whether he dodged or not: he would be killed again, just as Calvin had said!! The main reason was Jellal's severe lack of combat experience. He possessed immense magic power but little real-world experience or powerful techniques, which allowed Calvin to completely manipulate the situation. Don't forget, though his body was that of a child, just like Jellal's, Calvin's soul was that of a genuine adult! While it sounded shameless, if he couldn't outwit a mere child, his two decades on Earth would have been for nothing!! He might as well kill himself!!
"It ends now, Jellal!" Calvin's figure flickered, appearing behind Jellal. Looking at the look of disbelief on Jellal's face, Calvin whispered softly, "This time, no one can save you!!!" Though he felt waves of sorrow having to strike down Jellal, who was once like a true brother, he knew the boy could not be redeemed. To prevent him from causing further devastation, he painfully struck again without mercy!
To ensure success this time, he even pushed himself to use Shunpo again, consuming the vast majority of his already scant remaining magic power!
With that, the Zanpakutō in his hand was already descending fiercely towards Jellal's neck, ready to strike him down, amidst the boy's look of despair!
"Hmph—" However, events are always unpredictable. Just as Calvin's Zanpakutō was about to sever Jellal's neck and kill him instantly, the owner of the pair of sinister eyes, the unseen accomplice, let out a heavy, ill-timed scoff!
Calvin's peripheral vision caught sight of a sharp ice spear suddenly appearing from the shadows, hurtling rapidly towards Erza Scarlet on the boat on the sea!!!
"What?!!" Seeing this, Calvin was utterly shocked! Although he knew a powerful opponent might be lurking in the shadows and had taken strong precautions, he never expected the opponent to deliberately ignore him and target Erza, who was lost in watching the battle from the small boat?! And to intentionally let him see it?!!
What an effective use of 'Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao' (a strategic diversion)! If he struck down Jellal, given Erza's current state, she would surely be killed by the hidden enemy! Although he knew the enemy's objective, Calvin couldn't help but yield. He absolutely could not allow Erza to be harmed! But there was no time to think of other options. Calvin instantly decided, forcing the Zanpakutō that was about to strike Jellal's neck to violently twist sideways. Then, using the powerful inertia from his full-strength downward strike, he immediately let Sode no Shirayuki fly from his grip!
"Clang—" This was the sound of the ice spear being shattered by Sode no Shirayuki. Just before the ice spear could hit Erza, Sode no Shirayuki, moving faster than the attack itself, caught up just in time, instantly smashing the ice spear to pieces!!
"Thwack—" This was the sound of flesh being pierced and blood spurting out!
"Big Brother Calvin!!!" Erza cried out in despair. She had snapped out of her daze the moment the ice spear was shattered. Turning her head, she saw the sight of Jellal's fist punching completely through Calvin's chest! Understanding the reason for his action, Erza immediately cried out in agony!
"Thwack—" Pulling his right hand out of Calvin's chest, Jellal saw the blood violently gushing out. After a moment of shock, he burst into maniacal laughter: "A ha ha ha ha! I am the winner! It's me!!! Ha ha ha ha ha—" Although he didn't understand why the other boy had suddenly let his sword slip at the very moment he was about to strike him down, Jellal deemed it utterly irrelevant! Without thinking, seizing this rare opportunity, Jellal instantly funneled all his magic power into his right hand and violently drove a ferocious punch into Calvin's completely exposed chest!!
Unsurprisingly, Calvin, who had just thrown his Zanpakutō with all his strength, was in the vulnerable state between efforts, his old strength depleted and new strength yet to arise. Furthermore, his magic reserves were virtually exhausted. Faced with Jellal's sudden, fierce punch, he had no way to dodge! And even less possibility of defending himself!! He was instantly run completely through!!!
"Cough, cough… Jellal." Clutching his chest, his figure swayed slightly with each cough, and a copious amount of blood spilled from his mouth. Looking at the frenzied Jellal, a flicker of sorrow appeared involuntarily in Calvin's eyes. He spoke weakly and with great effort: "Don't you understand? The so-called God simply cannot exist. And while the so-called Zeref is powerful, all he brings is destruction! Therefore, he has no right to be called a God! You must stop making mistakes for the sake of a false God!!! Cough, cough, cough—Waugh!" He coughed violently again, and a huge mouthful of blood suddenly sprayed out!
Sode no Shirayuki reappeared in his right hand the moment it completed its task—a basic application of Requip Magic. But he didn't seize the chance to use Sode no Shirayuki to kill Jellal instantly. One reason was that he no longer had the strength to swing the sword. The second was that if he killed Jellal now, Erza would surely be killed by the hidden foe! Since the person helped Jellal, they were likely Jellal's new comrade, Calvin thought. And since Jellal had decided to spare Erza earlier, he shouldn't strike her down now! By the same logic, his hidden comrade should also refrain from specifically killing Erza, shouldn't they?!
He gave a helpless, bitter smile in his heart. Although uncertain, he could only bet on that possibility! Bet that they wouldn't harm Erza! He had no choice. As he just admitted, Calvin was now almost completely incapacitated! The only reason he was still standing and speaking was that he was leaning on Sode no Shirayuki, supporting his entire body. But even so, he knew he would soon collapse from exhaustion!
He couldn't help it. The wound in his chest was simply too large. His completely pierced chest was gushing blood non-stop. The crimson blood had even completely stained the pure white Sode no Shirayuki in his hand a vibrant blood-red…
"Goodbye, Erza, Jellal…" He murmured softly. The scene before his eyes grew increasingly blurred, and his consciousness began to fade. He glanced at Jellal, then back at Erza on the sea. The happy memories of their life together—Jellal, Erza, and the others—flooded his mind. Watching those constantly flashing memories, a wistful smile appeared on Calvin's lips. He desperately reached out his left hand, as if trying to firmly grasp those beautiful memories, and sighed with longing and deep resignation: "If only… we could go back to how things were… how wonderful that would be…" With that soft sound, all the images shattered into tiny fragments and vanished. Calvin's consciousness finally dissolved into complete darkness…
"Splash—" With the sound of a body hitting the water, Calvin's blood-soaked body slowly fell backward, uncontrollably plunging into the boundless sea amidst Erza's agonizing gaze, Jellal's wildly excited laughter, and the smug chuckle of the owner of the sinister eyes in the shadows…
"Clink—" With a crisp sound, the last remaining silver earring on Calvin's earlobe gently fell onto the ground just before he sank into the sea, letting out a clear, pleasant ringing sound.
"Big Brother Calvin—" A heartbreaking cry was torn from her throat. Erza could no longer bear the devastating shock. Her head immediately began to ring violently! She had been completely stunned the moment she saw Jellal pierce Calvin's chest. Now, seeing Calvin's bloodied body fall into the sea and vanish, she felt as if a great mountain had violently collapsed within her!
Staring blankly at the spot where Calvin fell into the water, silent tears flowed uncontrollably. Jellal was the person she admired, yes, but Calvin was the person she revered most!! After meeting Calvin, the mature "Big Brother" demeanor he constantly displayed offered Erza, who had lost all family at a young age, a rare sense of peace, of being cared for and cherished by an elder brother! Although there was no blood relation between them, the feeling of kinship was undeniably real! Just like the sibling bond she shared with Sho (Shou) and the others, Erza always felt a strong brother-sister relationship with Calvin. This feeling of having a brother was undoubtedly a far greater source of dependence than the admiration she felt for Jellal.
So, when she saw the brother she revered most die at the hands of the person she most admired, Erza could no longer withstand the immense shock. Her vision blurred, and she lost consciousness.
"My most revered Big Brother, in the end, I am still the winner! Truthfully, I didn't want to kill you, but you only have yourself to blame for being so uncompromising…" Gazing at the churning seawater, Jellal murmured to himself. He bent down and gently picked up the silver earring from the ground. After examining it closely, he clenched it in his fist. Then, without even glancing at the small boat carrying Erza as it drifted away, he turned and walked toward the center of the island. To take control of the Tower of Heaven, he still had a play to stage!
The thought made a maliciously sinister light flash in Jellal's eyes.
"Heh heh heh heh—" In the shadows, the owner of the sinister eyes let out a strange, soft chuckle.
Everything was set. Returning to the others, Jellal deliberately stopped the people preparing to board the ship from getting on. Then, to everyone's confusion, all the ships suddenly exploded with a boom! All the vessels were destroyed instantly. Shocked, everyone immediately asked Jellal what had happened.
The ship explosions were, of course, arranged by Jellal. Hearing their questions, Jellal spoke with a "sincere grief," recounting the fabricated "truth." He falsely claimed that Erza had been hopelessly corrupted by the world of magic, and, wanting to destroy what she saw as her "shameful past," decided to kill everyone! She then abandoned them all and escaped alone on a ship…
Initially, everyone vehemently disbelieved him. Especially Wally and Sho, they couldn't believe the Erza they knew would do such a thing?! However, Jellal produced Calvin's earring and, with a sorrowful expression, announced that Big Brother Calvin had seen through Erza's intentions and was brutally "murdered" by her while attempting to stop her actions. Everyone fell silent. Wally and the others looked devastated. They certainly recognized Big Brother Calvin's earring, but they were shocked to learn that their most revered Big Brother had ultimately been "killed" by their best friend, their best older sister?! No matter how much they didn't want to believe it, upon hearing that Calvin was missing and seeing the only relic he left behind, they finally, reluctantly believed…
They believed Jellal would not joke or deceive them about such a thing.
And after believing, their emotions turned to profound hatred! Hatred for Erza's "cold-bloodedness"! Hatred for Erza's "heartlessness"!
Under Jellal's subsequent manipulation, everyone dedicated themselves to the goal of completing the Tower of Heaven and resurrecting Zeref! This was fueled by their anger towards the outside world and their longing for "true" freedom!
Under Jellal's influence, everyone went mad, vowing to steal everyone else's freedom to achieve their own "true" freedom!
Of course, this excluded one person: Simon. Because he—believed in Erza from beginning to end! He believed Erza would never commit such an act! It had to be Jellal who was lying!! However, he had no evidence to expose him, so he chose to temporarily endure, waiting for a possible opportunity in the future…
Of course, not just Erza; he also firmly believed that Calvin would never die so easily! He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling! That one day, Big Brother Calvin would return! Return to expose the entire conspiracy! To reveal Jellal's true face!! He would!!!
However, was Calvin Unknown alive or dead? No one knew…