Kaien instantly felt a surge of powerful magic rise from his core and spread through his entire body. The magic he had just spent was fully replenished, and his overall capacity had grown significantly.
"So this is six-star magic, huh?"
Compared to his previous five-and-a-half star level, his magical energy had more than doubled.
The immense mana boost gave Kaien a tangible sense of strength. He felt that even without using Take Over Magic, he could now go toe-to-toe with any S-Class Mage.
And that wasn't just a feeling—he really had reached that level.
[Guild Master Jose has accepted the challenge!!]
[What a rare spectacle! We get to witness a Saint Wizard in action with our own eyes!]
[Fairy Tail vs Phantom Lord, Round Six!!]
[Begin———!!]
CLANG—————!!
"Makarov's brat, I've heard of you. The 'Tyrant.' They say you took down tens of thousands of bandits—but you need to understand something. A Saint Wizard is nothing like those nobodies."
"Don't let a little fame go to your head. Today, I'll teach you a lesson: there's always someone stronger."
Jose's gaze turned cold and murderous. But Kaien ignored the trash talk.
"It's time for this guy to take the stage."
"Full-body Take Over: Edward Newgate!!"
Kaien's body quickly grew taller and larger. His clothes transformed into a white coat, and in his hand appeared Whitebeard's iconic weapon—Murakumogiri, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades.
Most striking of all was the white, crescent-shaped mustache under his nose. His face looked like a fusion of Kaien and Whitebeard—imposing and regal.
"So huge——!!"
The crowd gasped as Kaien stood there at a towering 6.66 meters tall.
"Kaien turned into a grandpa!!"
Aside from Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Lucy, most of the Fairy Tail members were seeing this form for the first time, and their jaws dropped.
Elfman shouted, "What is that?! A new transformation?!"
Happy answered, "Aye~! This one's super strong!"
Natsu and Gray were fired up too. They had both seen this transformation before. If Kaien could really beat Jose, then Phantom Lord would be completely crushed.
Seeing Kaien's form, Jose snorted disdainfully. "Hmph. Kid, if you'd transformed into Makarov's giant form, maybe I'd be impressed. But this? Bigger doesn't mean stronger. A giant body is just a bigger target. Fall."
With a wave of his hand—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
A wave of red explosions erupted beneath Kaien's feet, engulfing his massive body in flame.
"Kaien!!!"
Mirajane cried out in panic. The rest of the guild was equally alarmed. That was a Saint Wizard's attack. With that kind of destructive force, even surviving a single hit was questionable.
"Hey, hey, hey! Who's lighting firecrackers?! It's not even New Year's! There's people here, you know! What kind of manners is that?"
Kaien's voice rang out from within the smoke.
BOOM!
A blast of force scattered the smoke, revealing Kaien standing completely unharmed.
"What?!"
Jose's expression shifted. He hadn't expected to kill Kaien with one hit—but to not even scratch him?
"Yes! He's okay!"
"Of course he is! It's Kaien!"
Fairy Tail members exhaled in relief.
Jose narrowed his eyes. "You've got some skill, brat. But that alone isn't enough to act cocky in front of me. I'll show you just how vast the gap is between you and a Saint Wizard."
"Ghost Arrows!"
Jose raised his palm, and a purple magic circle appeared. Dozens of ghostly arrows shot out toward Kaien.
Kaien clenched his fist.
VMMM—!
A clear, spherical aura of energy wrapped around his hand.
Kaien threw a punch toward Jose.
CRACK CRACK—!!
The air fractured like glass, spiderweb cracks spreading across the atmosphere.
A terrifying shockwave blasted out from his fist.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Jose's Ghost Arrows were all obliterated. The shockwave surged straight toward him.
RUMBLE————!
The entire arena—no, the entire city—began to shake violently.
"KYAAAHHH—!!"
The audience screamed in terror.
CRACK CRACK CRACK—!!
A massive fissure split the ground, stretching from Kaien's feet all the way toward Jose.
"ARGHHHHHH!!"
"WHAAAHHHH!!"
The Phantom Lord seating area began collapsing under the intense vibration, and their members tumbled down screaming.
Soon the tremors died down—but everyone just stood there, stunned, staring at Kaien.
One punch. One terrifying punch had caused this much destruction.
"A monster————!!"
[Attention all spectators! The destructive power of both mages is too great—please evacuate the arena immediately! The rest of the match will be broadcast remotely! I repeat—]
[Please evacuate the arena immediately!!]
Hearing the announcement, the crowd began scrambling to escape. Previous matches were one thing—but this was way beyond what ordinary people could watch.
Kaien smiled at Jose. "So you're a Saint Wizard? I wonder if you'll even last long enough to make this fun."
Jose's expression was grim. "Don't get cocky, brat. The real battle starts now!"
"Dark Spiral!!"
Dark energy swirled around Jose's arm. With a sweeping motion, a spiral of darkness rushed toward Kaien, tearing up the ground in its path.
Kaien raised Murakumogiri, now wrapped in both Armament and Conqueror's Haki.
"Split—open!!"
With a thunderous shout, Kaien unleashed a massive slash.
SWOOSH—!
The Dark Spiral was cleanly bisected.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!
The slash ripped through the already-damaged arena and kept going, cutting across the battlefield and blasting Phantom Lord members into the air.
The slash kept extending far into the distance—its destructive power horrifying everyone.
Cold sweat dripped down Jose's forehead. He had almost been hit. If he had taken that blow head-on—even as a Saint Wizard, he would've been severely injured, if not killed.
His face darkened in shame. He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints—and he'd just flinched from a brat from Makarov's guild.
It was disgraceful.
Furious, he gathered even more concentrated magic around his arms.
"Die, you damn brat!!"