Summoner of the Fairy Tail

In the arena, Gray and Lyon were both battered and bruised, breathing heavily, yet their eyes still burned with determination and fighting spirit.

The two of them were the closest in terms of strength and magic type among all the matchups, making it impossible to easily determine a winner unless one could decisively overpower the other.

That was their situation now.

Half an hour had passed since the match began. Even though the fight was intense, the audience began to grow weary. The organizers couldn't let them fight indefinitely, so the match was called to an end.

It was a draw. Each guild received five points.

The time limit proved to be a wise decision, preventing both from becoming too injured.

"Today's battle isn't over. The last day should be a team fight with everyone participating. Let's settle it then, Gray," Lyon said, wiping the blood from his mouth, still high on the adrenaline.

"Is that so? I'll be looking forward to it," Gray responded with a disdainful smile, not backing down in the slightest.

Returning to the stands, Gray immediately apologized to his teammates, but Erza waved it off. "Don't worry about it. You did well. Lyon is quite formidable."

"You were too weak, Gray! You're the only one who couldn't win a duel! Hahaha!" Natsu mocked immediately.

"Shut up! You, who only scored 2 points, have no right to talk!" Gray shouted back, and the two quickly started bickering again, while the others chatted calmly on the side.

"With this, we're tied with B Team at 47 points each," Lucy said with a light smile.

"We're back to square one. We can't let our guard down tomorrow; one slip-up and they'll overtake us," Erza replied, also smiling. The guild's strong performance had put them in good spirits.

"Yeah, we need to be careful. If we lose, we'll have to serve them for a whole day," Calvin muttered as if talking to himself.

His words made the others freeze and look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean by serving them for a day if we lose?" Erza asked.

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? When forming the B Team, the Master said that whichever team scores lower has to serve the other team for a day without any resistance. I didn't mention it before?" Calvin replied, looking puzzled.

"We've never heard about this! How could you only tell us now?!" Lucy yelled at Calvin in anger.

"Damn it! If I had known, I would have taken it more seriously. Now they've caught up to us, and Juvia will choose me," Gray panicked, pulling at his hair.

"Ah, I'm fired up!" Natsu exclaimed.

Seeing Calvin's smiling face, Erza realized that he must have kept it a secret on purpose.

"That's despicable," she said, clicking her tongue in frustration.

Calvin's grin widened, and though everyone was furious at his smug expression, no one noticed the deep, mysterious look he gave Lucy.

Just before Gray and Lyon started their duel, Calvin had sensed an unusual magic. He was sure it was the mysterious magic Jellal had mentioned, related to Zeref.

The source of this magic was nearby, specifically within the arena.

It didn't belong to Lyon or Gray, meaning the owner was among the spectators.

Almost instinctively, Calvin looked at Lucy. She seemed normal and asked, "What's wrong?"

Calvin's expression turned odd, but he quickly composed himself and said, "Nothing, I was wondering if you should participate in tomorrow's competition."

After Lucy agreed, they focused back on the duel.

However, Calvin's mind was in turmoil.

"How can this be? Why is Zeref's magic intertwined with that other magic? This is unbelievable..."

No one noticed the slight shock in Calvin's eyes before he masked it with a calm demeanor.

"I have to investigate this, no matter what."

Calvin discreetly took a few steps back, pulling out a card and tossing it behind him.

Silently, the card transformed into a figure of purple-black energy, solidifying into a pale blue-skinned, stern-faced figure holding a gem-studded staff—the Dark Magician. With a wave of his staff, he was cloaked in a hooded cape and quietly left.

No one noticed a thing.

The Dark Magician was sent to uncover the truth behind the mysterious magic.

Simultaneously, Crime Sorcière, stationed on the outskirts of Crocus, sensed the magic as well. Ultear, who had been watching the duel between her mother's two disciples with interest, suddenly became serious and looked at Jellal.

"If we can sense it, Calvin definitely can too. Leave it to him," Jellal said calmly. He knew that Calvin's magical perception far surpassed his own. Acting rashly might interfere with Calvin's plans. The best course of action was to wait.

"Agreed. In that case, I'll enjoy the match and see how skilled those two have become," Ultear said with a smile, refocusing on the duel.

But all three of them had subtle traces of worry in their eyes.

After taking off their clothes, Gray and Lyon's battle intensified. Both began to leave marks on each other, neither willing to back down.

The arena turned into an ice sculpture exhibit, filled with ice shields, ice beasts, ice guns, and ice phantoms.

In terms of ice magic, they were among Fiore's finest, even surpassing Ultear, whose specialty was the Arc of Time.

Lyon had more magical reserves, but after unlocking his Second Origin, Gray was not far behind. Despite this, Lyon's seven additional years of experience and expertise in ice magic gave him an edge.

As the fight continued, Lyon gradually gained the upper hand, pushing Gray back more and more.

However, he couldn't completely defeat Gray, leading to a stalemate.

The audience watched, captivated. No one noticed a cloaked figure in a dark corner, trembling slightly as they watched.

Suddenly, footsteps approached the cloaked figure from behind. Startled, she tried to run but was stopped, revealing a glimpse of blonde hair.

The person who approached was also cloaked, the Dark Magician sent by Calvin.

Seeing the familiar face of the Dark Magician, the cloaked figure couldn't hold back her emotions. Tears flowed as she choked out, "Is it you, Calvin?"

"It's me. This is my summon. Let's talk..." Calvin's voice came through the Dark Magician, bringing immense relief to the figure.

"Lucy."