Marco's golden-armored fist clashed with Laxus's lightning-wreathed punch, their terrifying magical energies colliding violently.
The shockwaves from their collision alone extended far into the distance, threatening to overturn everything in their path.
The spectators' expressions changed instantly as they hurriedly retreated.
But before they could move far, the magical shockwaves were blocked by an invisible wall as they approached.
They immediately recognized this as the same technique Marco had used earlier.
Their faces showed astonishment—how could Marco, while engaged in battle with Laxus, still spare attention to protect them with this wall?
Clearly, they didn't understand just how convenient "Crystal Wall" was.
Once deployed, it required no further attention, allowing Marco to focus entirely on the fight.
Moreover, the wall's durability was absolute—even Marco couldn't easily move it, only dispel it.
After exchanging blows with Laxus, Marco planted his feet firmly, cracking the ground beneath him as he dissipated the impact.
There was no denying Laxus's strength—his muscular build, immense magical power and the enhancement from his Dragon Slayer Magic made him a force to be reckoned with.
No wonder Joey, who specialized in physical combat, had been completely overwhelmed.
Against most mages, Joey's brute strength and defensive magic would have been problematic.
But among Fairy Tail's members, Joey was somewhat overshadowed—Dragon Slayer Mages all possessed superhuman physical abilities.
After all, they were essentially humanoid dragons.
No matter how much Joey trained, he couldn't match them, lacking the explosive talent of someone like Erza.
Speaking of which, Marco had always been curious about Erza's origins.
Her magical and physical talents were absurdly powerful, hinting at her extraordinary background.
But since Erza herself had no memories of her past, this mystery would likely remain unsolved for now.
As their fists met, Laxus's lightning surged across Marco's body, producing slyre, piercing sounds.
Marco responded by channeling his magic, resonating with the Aries Gold Cloth.
A sacred golden glow enveloped him, completely neutralizing the lightning's damage.
The Gold Cloth's defensive capabilities were exceptional, and Marco's magical output was overwhelmingly potent.
The lightning attacks were utterly ineffective, unable to breach Marco's external defenses.
Magic surged as Marco retracted his fist, following up with a powerful side kick aimed at Laxus's flank.
Simultaneously, countless black feathers rained down from above, blanketing Laxus.
The sky filled with these peculiar black feathers, but Laxus could clearly sense the danger they carried.
He transformed into lightning, dodging Marco's kick, then directly unleashed his magic power.
Countless bolts of lightning descended from the sky, shattering those black feathers.
Marco's techniques were all bizarre in their own way, and Laxus certainly wasn't reckless enough to take them head-on.
For a moment, the sky was filled with continuous explosions as Laxus's heavenly thunder clashed with Marco's black feathers, creating piercing noises.
No sooner had Laxus created distance and countered the overwhelming black feathers than Marco crossed his hands and launched another strike forward.
A violent wave of freezing ice immediately overpowered the sky full of lightning, roaring toward Laxus.
The overflowing icy magic froze everything around it.
Wherever the freezing tide passed, even the lightning bolts were nearly frozen solid within the ice, much to Laxus's shock.
The stars of Cygnus shone brightly.
Marco's "Diamond Dust Fist" had grown increasingly proficient, already reaching the intermediate level—even surpassing the progress of "Pegasus Meteor Fist."
This was the effect of possessing the "Cygnus Bronze Cloth."
The synergy between skills and the Cloth brought an immense boost.
"Pegasus Meteor Fist," relying solely on the "Pegasus Bronze Cloth," simply couldn't compare to the fully compatible "Diamond Dust Fist."
[Diamond Dust Fist · Intermediate, Proficiency: 665/1000]
At the intermediate level, "Diamond Dust Fist" hadn't yet reached the exaggerated intensity of "absolute zero," but the freezing tide it unleashed was terrifying enough.
Everything it touched froze almost instantly, and the ice was so thick that even days and nights under the scorching sun wouldn't melt it in the slightest.
It could be said that with this single "Diamond Dust Fist," Marco instantly turned the world into a frozen hell.
The air itself seemed to freeze, and even breathing felt like scraping one's throat.
Gray, watching from the side, was filled with envy.
His Ice-Make Magic couldn't achieve anything close to this effect—he truly wanted to learn it!
But... he couldn't bring himself to accept Marco as his master.
Even if it were just in name, with their relationship remaining the same as before, Gray still couldn't accept it.
He had only one master, and at least for now, he absolutely couldn't do it.
Laxus retreated frantically, dodging the freezing tide, his expression shifting.
Marco had too many tricks up his sleeve—random, unpredictable abilities of all kinds.
The key was that Marco could wield every single one effectively.
People who could use multiple types of magic weren't unheard of—Makrov, for example.
But even Makrov couldn't employ every type in battle.
Most mages only specialized in one magic, with others being useful only in daily life, their combat effectiveness falling far short.
Only Marco could bring out every magic type with equal proficiency—each one powerful enough to demand caution.
Just now, he had already used several different types of magic.
Of course, to Marco, this was all just one magic—his so-called "Celestial Spirit Magic."
This diversity in abilities shared similarities with "Celestial Spirit Magic," where different Celestial Spirits also had entirely distinct functions.
Although Laxus could transform into lightning, under Marco's icy onslaught, he had no choice but to evade its edge.
After all, the area covered by this frigid magic was too vast—if he didn't dodge, he might end up frozen in ice as a bolt of lightning. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.ɴet