Jura stomped the ground, creating a small pit, and then charged out in an instant.
This time he didn't use any magic, but delivered a powerful hand chop aimed precisely at Rhode's back of the head.
However, his hand chop passed right through, with no sensation of hitting anything solid, as the Rhode standing there vanished like a bubble.
"An illusion?"
Recognizing this magic, Jura turned back cautiously, twisting his waist and launching a straight punch to the right.
But again, his fist passed through Rhode's chest, dispersing the illusion.
At that moment, another Rhode appeared behind him, and Jura heard the sound of magic chanting from behind, so he decisively swung his leg into a spinning kick, but missed again.
"Where is the real body?" He clasped his hands together, intending to find the person by physical means.
But just then, Rhode had completed the entire chanting, which went:
"Gather here, the River of Light guided by the Fairies! Shine forth here, to vanquish the claws of evil!"
"This is bad!" Jura realized the situation was dire and quickly clasped his hands, "Yan Mountain!"
This time, it wasn't a half Stone Giant standing behind him, but a fully-formed Stone Giant cradling Jura protectively.
Rhode's fist was now aimed at Jura as well, and with a crisp shout: "Fairy Radiance!"
The sky dimmed for a moment as the light of the sun, moon, and stars converged into a golden river of light, circulating in a ring in the sky.
The massive golden ring compressed and gathered, becoming increasingly sacred and radiant.
In the blink of an eye, it descended from the sky, trapping Jura and the Stone Giant inside, then continued to condense its energy, and exploded with a roar.
The entire arena was illuminated in golden light, even Rhode's figure was obscured by the brightness, almost no one could keep their eyes open, yet no one felt it was dark at that moment.
Under that warm glow, the venue shook violently once again, the audience feeling as if they were on a boat despite sitting in their seats.
The scene from the previous Purgatory Shattering attack nearly replayed.
The elevated foundation where Rhode and Jura initially battled was long depleted, the middle of the arena even directly caved in.
When everyone regained a clear view of the arena, they saw Rhode standing at the edge of the field, his cloak billowing behind him.
And in the center was a huge pit.
It seemed empty beneath the arena, but now even the hole below was heaped with rubble forming a small mountain.
The audience fell silent for a moment.
Mira donned a bright smile, almost wanting to cheer for him.
Her husband looked so incredibly cool right now!
"How... how..." Jabadi stammered, not knowing what to say, "Is Mr. Jura alright?"
"Hmm... most likely injured." Yajima recognized this magic, momentarily unsure if he should explain.
But within, he was extremely delighted.
An outstanding young talent appeared in Fairy Tail.
The Lamia Scale's President Ouba gradually stopped his endless finger circling.
Sherria covered her mouth with both hands: "Is there such powerful magic in the world..."
Leon was even more lost for words, staring in amazement at the scene ahead: "Mr. Jura, the incredibly strong Mr. Jura..."
The audience gradually came to their senses, a buzzing chatter surfaced among the crowd.
They discussed the dazzling magic, the result of the match, and Jura's condition.
The sponsor's magic cameras diligently ventured deep into the pit to broadcast the situation below to everyone.
The big screen was filled with scenes of the rubble heap in all directions, and people watched the screen intently.
Finally, the camera's focus stayed, and they saw a bald head in the debris.
Rhode summoned two groups of Stone Beetles on his own initiative, sending them down to retrieve Jura and gently placing him back on the ground.
He lost consciousness, his clothes in tatters, injuries covering his body, even a noticeable bruise on his forehead.
Rhode waved his hand, enveloping him in a halo of red, blue, and purple, and used Healing of the Ocean. Then he waved to the stands, shouting, "Wendy, come over!"
"Yes!" Wendy flew over, grabbed by Carla, and knelt beside Jura to cast healing magic.
At the same time, another red-haired pigtailed girl ran out from the waiting area, kneeling on the other side, also casting healing magic.
"?!" Wendy sensed it was the same Sky Magic from the Lost Magic as well, and looked at her in surprise.
The three didn't have time to say much more before Jura's eyelids twitched.
With so many magical aids, waking up quickly was to be expected.
"Mr. Jura!" Sherria called out with concern.
"Ugh..." Jura opened his eyes with great effort.
Seeing three pairs of caring eyes, he briefly pondered before recalling his situation.
Despite the pain, he smiled: "Lord Rhode, what magic was that?"
"That was one of the three great magics passed down in Fairy Tail, the Fairy Radiance." Rhode's voice was loud, both for Jura's ears and for the entire audience:
"So Mr. Jura, please don't mind today's win or lose, because this isn't just Rhode's power, it's the power of the entire Fairy Tail."
"Oh!!!" The audience erupted with excited cheers again.
"Rhode!"
"Fairy Tail!"
"Fairy Tail!"
They cheered for Rhode's name, gradually shifting to chanting Fairy Tail.
This was precisely what Rhode was happy to see.
He had never forgotten that the primary purpose of this journey was to make a name for the Guild.
The guildmates, especially those on standby, were most excited.
They never imagined that from being unnoticed in the Great Demon Fighting, they would soar to become the most cheered guild, all in just half a day.
Romeo cheered joyously, nearly hopping while shouting the guild's name.
"Hehe~" Natsu showed a bright smile, "That guy Rhode."
Gray replied with a grin, "He's good at talking."
Lucy cupped her hands over her chest, touched, "That's wonderful."
Erza and Kana smiled wordlessly.
The B-Team was quieter compared to the A-Team, but their faces still couldn't hide their smiles.
"See, First Generation." Makarov crossed his arms, tears welling up, his shoulders trembling slightly, "This is the next generation of the guild."
"I see it, Third Generation." Mebius's smile bloomed, her voice ethereal like a real fairy, "This is the best guild."
Below, Jura thought Rhode was being considerate of his pride and smiled candidly:
"Haha... Thank you for your kindness, but there's no need to cover it up, the fact is you defeated me, winning fair and square. Don't worry, I will absolutely keep my word."
"..." Rhode looked up at the sky, I'm just worried about that.
"The Fairy Tail fighting battle segment, the last match of the first day, the victor, Fairy Tail B Team, Rhode!"
(Points and rankings for the first day, see the illustration at the end of the chapter)