"I will absolutely not become tainted like you!" Hearing this, Erza Scarlet, having recovered from her shock, immediately spoke to Jellal Fernandes with an unwavering voice. "You need to snap out of it, Jellal! Don't continue to obsess over that non-existent R-System!! If Big Brother Calvin Unknown saw you like this, he would be heartbroken!!!" By the end, her tone was filled with helplessness and pleading. She had certainly sensed the malice and killing intent in Jellal's demeanor, but she still clung to a sliver of hope, fantasizing that he could return to normal and become the Jellal she once knew.
If only Big Brother Calvin were here, how wonderful that would be… Erza thought wishfully. The reason she used the word "wishfully" was that she had largely accepted that Calvin was likely dead! Otherwise, why hadn't they seen him during the earlier struggle against the Dark Mages? Of course, she didn't know that Calvin was on the far west side of the island, fighting the other two administrators of the Tower of Heaven.
"You mean Calvin? Ah, I wondered why he didn't come with you earlier…" Hearing this, Jellal paused, then seemed to realize something. He laughed wickedly and declared, "It turns out that Big Brother Calvin was most likely killed! Heh heh, how useless…" By the end, his tone had become utterly cold, devoid of any emotion!
"You, how can you talk about Big Brother Calvin like that?!!" Erza finally couldn't hold back her frustration and roared at Jellal: "Big Brother Calvin vanished because of us! You always respected Big Brother Calvin the most, didn't you?!! Are you really the Jellal I knew?! Tell me!!!!"
"Hmph—Trash will always be trash! The truth is, that guy created an opportunity for us to escape, but didn't we ultimately fail?" Jellal scoffed disdainfully, then spoke coldly to Erza: "It seems we can't talk sense into each other, so in that case—"
"Pffft—" Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Erza was immediately struck and sent flying. She crashed heavily onto the ground.
"—Then you are completely useless." Jellal finished the final phrase coldly.
"J-Jellal…" Erza struggled to raise her head, gazing sadly at the man before her. Having suffered such a heavy blow, her voice was full of weakness, but despite this, she stubbornly gripped the shortsword in her hand.
"Give up, Erza." Seeing that she was still determined, Jellal's brow furrowed slightly in annoyance. He waved his hand and spoke dismissively: "You are no match for me, so I advise you to surrender now…"
However, Erza, whose stubbornness had been provoked, would not listen to him. She tightened her grip on the shortsword and charged at Jellal with a roar! The result was, of course, predictable…
Ten minutes later, Jellal held the bruised and battered Erza in one hand and carried her to the westernmost coast of the island. He then casually tossed her into a small boat near the shore. Looking down from above at Erza as she was slowly carried away by the waves, Jellal delivered his final warning: "Since you love that false freedom so much, then go drift in the outside world and enjoy your delusion; but, if you dare to reveal the existence of this place to anyone, if you dare to tell the outside world about your life here, then don't blame me. Don't forget, Shou and the others will continue to serve me—no!—to serve the great Zeref right here, ha ha ha ha—"
"Jellal—"
"Jellal!!!"
Two shouts suddenly came from two different directions. One was filled with endless sorrow and unwillingness, coming from the sea. That was undeniably Erza!
The other was charged with towering rage and authority! It came from behind Jellal! Turning to look, the person was none other than—
"Big Brother Calvin!!!" Erza, who had completely fallen into despair, was momentarily stunned when she heard the voice. But upon seeing the figure of the person who called out, her eyes immediately erupted with extreme joy! She couldn't help but shout out loud. The fire of hope that had been completely extinguished in her eyes reignited fiercely! It was as if all problems could be solved the moment that person appeared!!! Even Jellal's eyes flickered slightly when he saw the figure. He was clearly intimidated by Calvin slowly walking towards him from behind!
The reason for this effect was probably that Calvin had established the image of a 'Big Brother' in everyone's hearts. A 'Big Brother' is generally a presence you can rely on without question when you are in trouble, but also one you fear without question when you have made a mistake!
Undeniably, Calvin's appearance just now created both effects! Therefore, he was the Big Brother! The undisputed—Big Brother—among the group!
Calvin's face was as grim as still water. He advanced step by step. The single silver earring remaining on his left ear swayed gently in the breeze, constantly emitting a crisp "ding-ding" sound. The sound was pleasant yet profound, standing out clearly in the quiet environment. Coupled with his expressionless face, he radiated an inexplicable, subtle pressure.
Jellal felt this the most intensely! He could clearly sense that this pressure—was directed specifically at him!! Along with a strong sense of alarm, a strange, inexplicable fear arose involuntarily within Jellal. This fear was not a simple terror of someone else's strength; it was an instinctive fear, rising mysteriously from his heart without a clear cause! The feeling was as if something was telling him—You did wrong!
This vague, confusing feeling instinctively disgusted Jellal! He didn't understand why he felt this way! Why should he be afraid of this man whose face was as grim as still water?! I, I was recognized by Zeref, the greatest Black Mage in human history!! The one chosen by God, the only one selected by God, why am I, Jellal, still afraid of this man?! Why?! Why is this happening?!!!
Jellal screamed in his heart. A red light flashed in his eyes. Jellal raised his hand and waved. A large deep purple magic circle suddenly appeared beneath his feet. Jellal roared hysterically at Calvin, who was steadily approaching him: "Bastard!! Die!!!" The moment he finished speaking, Jellal fiercely punched the air at Calvin!!
"Gah—" With a sharp sound of tearing air, a large ball of deep purple magic energy suddenly erupted from Jellal's striking right fist! It charged at Calvin with lightning speed!!!
"Boom—" Accompanied by a deafening roar, the powerful magic projectile struck Calvin head-on as he walked!
"Big Brother Calvin—" Erza, well aware of Jellal's current immense power, instantly let out a startled shriek! Her heart suddenly went cold with despair, plummeting into a bottomless abyss. It's over, she thought. Big Brother Calvin, he doesn't know magic!!!
But events always unfold unexpectedly. Just as Erza desperately thought all was lost, and even Jellal, who had witnessed his magic strike Calvin directly, couldn't help but curve his lips slightly into a satisfied smile, he turned his head, ready to throw a few taunts at Erza on the sea.
"Jellal…" Just then, a voice filled with faint sorrow emerged from the cloud of dust kicked up by the magic impact. Hearing it, the smile that had just begun to spread on Jellal's face abruptly froze! Stiffly turning his head, Jellal stared intently at the source of the sound, his face a mix of shock and disbelief!
As a breeze swept through, the calm figure of Calvin was revealed, completely unharmed. He held an unknown single-edged longsword in his hand, looking at Jellal with an utterly serene expression. But for some reason, that serenity carried a strange sadness…
"You… you can use magic too?!!" Jellal forced the words out, his face filled with the shock and disbelief of witnessing the unimaginable! Yes! Disbelief! No matter how hard he thought, he could never have guessed that the usually kind-hearted Calvin also possessed unimaginably powerful magic?! H-how is this possible?!! Jellal screamed silently.
Not just him, Erza was also staring at her Big Brother Calvin with a shocked expression! Her feelings were now very similar to Jellal's, but hers contained far more joy! Since Big Brother Calvin knew magic, the success rate of waking Jellal up was much higher! Even now, she still clung to the naive fantasy of being able to reawaken Jellal's good side… It must be said that she was still too innocent!
Perhaps Erza had already noticed that Jellal's change was a fundamental, complete transformation! It was practically impossible to revert him to his former personality—unless a miracle occurred… Perhaps she was simply unwilling to admit it, or maybe she was desperately hoping for a miracle to happen?
Finally, Calvin walked to within five meters of Jellal. Looking at Jellal, who was watching him with intense caution, he finally spoke slowly: "Jellal, do you know what a Big Brother is? What is the true meaning of a Big Brother? Do you know?…"
"That kind of thing—" Hearing this, Jellal's body involuntarily trembled. Sinister magic power suddenly surged out of his body! Jellal roared hysterically, looking mad: "I don't need to know that! Aah! Aah! Aah!!!" He yelled, and circles of deep purple magic arrays suddenly erupted around him, firmly enveloping both Calvin and himself!
"If you don't know, then let me tell you…" Hearing his shout, the serenity on Calvin's face instantly vanished without a trace. A deep sadness slowly emanated from him. Staring into Jellal's eyes, which were filled with evil, Calvin sighed gloomily: "Besides providing comfort and support when a younger brother is being bullied, a Big Brother must also, when he has fallen and made a mistake…"
"Give him the punishment he deserves—"
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki—" Slowly raising the Zanpakutō in his hand, Calvin sighed sorrowfully.