Seeing Marco step forward, Laxus spoke. As he looked at Marco, all the irritation in Laxus's heart seemed to vanish, replaced by excitement that spread across his face. Finally, after he dealt with all those other extra—finally, Marco had taken the stage! Hearing Laxus's words, Marco reflexively responded, then gave him a strange look. Fortunately, the excited Laxus didn't say the clichéd 'You shouldn't have come.' That would have been absurd—Laxus had been eagerly waiting for Marco, so there was no way he'd say something like that. Marco exhaled quietly, his fighting spirit rising. Laxus was a perfect opponent—not as unfathomably strong as Gildarts or Makarov, nor as far behind as the other kids. He was just the right benchmark to test his strength. Laxus unleashed his magic power, lightning surging wildly around him. The crackling thunder was deafening, and golden magic energy shot into the sky as if to blot out the heavens. Electric currents coiled around Laxus's body, making him look like the Thunder God himself descended upon the earth. Even his eyes crackled with lightning, and meeting his gaze felt like staring into a storm. "You've gotten a lot stronger, Laxus." Marco narrowed his eyes. Compared to when he had fought John Pola, Laxus's power had grown by leaps and bounds. This display truly befitted an S-Class Mage—any ordinary person would kneel and call him a god. The reactions of their guildmates watching from the sidelines said it all. Thıs text ıs hosted at novel·fire.net They had no choice but to retreat further. The battle hadn't even begun, yet the sheer force of Laxus's unrestrained magic was already overwhelming them. "Was Laxus even trying when he fought us?" Gray's jaw dropped, his mind reeling. "Can you even call that a fight?" Elfman wore the same stunned expression, his blunt remark leaving no room for argument. Compared to now, Laxus had been playing around with them earlier. Cana, who had just regained consciousness, looked on with worry. Seeing Marco standing before that raging storm of lightning, it was impossible not to be concerned. Laxus's power was simply too overwhelming. "He can do it!" Erza clenched her teeth. She refused to believe that even Marco couldn't hold his own against Laxus! Despite the four-year age gap, this was Marco—the same Marco who had shocked the world time and time again. "If Laxus is going all out , it means he believes Marco cant be underestimated!" Mirajane's voice was firm, her logic undeniable. Her words acted like a balm, steadying the anxious hearts of their friends. All eyes turned to Marco. For some reason, Laxus had inexplicably become the common target of everyone's hostility—perhaps because they were fellow examinees, perhaps because everyone was more familiar with Marco, or perhaps because of Laxus's frenzied, exhilarated expression that made him look like a genuine villain. At the very least, compared to Marco, who stood there with a slight smile and narrowed eyes, Laxus certainly seemed more like the antagonist. But what they didn't know was—those narrowed eyes were the most terrifying of all! Marco stood his ground, facing the surging lightning head-on, allowing the faint blue starlight shimmering across his body to radiate freely. He raised a hand toward the sky, and in an instant, stars began flickering above. The constellations scattered across the sky, their brilliance converging toward Tenrou Island—toward Marco who's standing there. Behind him, the star chart had already begun to glow. With just a thought, pieces of golden armor, gleaming with radiant light, flew out one after another, swiftly assembling onto his body. His aura surged instantly, the starlight flaring as it pressed directly against the violent golden lightning. The moment the dazzling golden Cloth appeared, it almost completely overwhelmed the brilliance of Laxus's golden lightning. It was so dazzling that people wanted to look away—yet found themselves utterly unable to. 'That... is a style I've never seen before. Is this the power Marco gained during that incident? Truly extraordinary.' Seeing this, Laxus immediately recalled the previous celestial anomaly and made the correct deduction. As for the onlookers, they were completely stunned. The sheer presence Marco displayed was no less than Laxus's—and once the golden armor appeared, it even surpassed Laxus outright. How could they not be shocked? Even those who had the utmost confidence in Marco—Erza, Mirajane, Cana, Gray, and Elfman—were left dumbfounded. They believed Marco could hold his own against Laxus, but they never expected him to outright overpower Laxus in presence alone! Both were prodigies, but with a full four years of growth between them—was Marco about to pull off another unreasonable underdog victory?! Faced with Marco's overwhelming aura, Laxus didn't hesitate. He charged straight at Marco, his entire body wreathed in lightning, as if he had transformed into pure electricity. In Marco's eyes, he was nothing but a rapidly approaching bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, Laxus was already right in front of Marco. Then, his form solidified from the lightning as he threw a punch straight at Marco. Lightning magic surged around him, constantly stimulating his muscles, enhancing his physical abilities—his strength, speed, and endurance—to their limits. Marco's figure flickered. Laxus's fist swung through empty air as Marco's face vanished, sending Laxus stumbling forward. In an instant, Marco had already reappeared behind him. "Teleportation!" Laxus reacted almost instantly, his body transforming into lightning as he darted into the sky before landing to the side, successfully putting distance between himself and Marco. He narrowly avoided Marco's finger, which gleamed with a crimson light. Laxus was able to respond so skillfully thanks to Jose Porla, after all, the ability of "instant movement" was one of Jose Porla's specialties. However, although he wasn't injured, that close call had left Laxus sweating profusely. He hadn't anticipated Marco having such a move—Marco had never used it before! Clearly, this was another new ability brought by that 'golden armor'. If he remembered correctly, Marco referred to these armors as "Cloths." From "Bronze" to "Silver," and now this "Gold." "Is this the power of the Gold Cloth?" Laxus asked with a serious expression. He had a decent understanding of his younger brother's power system—far more than most outsiders who knew nothing about it. He knew that abilities like the previous "Scarlet Needle" and the roses that had made Marco famous in a single strike were both "Gold"-level abilities. But this Gold Cloth provided an enhancement far beyond those two. "Correct. This is the power of the Aries Gold Cloth. But this is only the beginning. Don't be too surprised yet, my brother. The real show is still to come. Let's continue." Marco smiled as he spoke slowly, extending his crimson-glowing finger toward Laxus and curling it, as if Laxus were the challenger. However, to Marco's surprise, Laxus didn't charge forward angrily again, only to crash hard into his 'Crystal Wall' Instead. Laxus just stood there and stunned. 'He actually called me brother?' At that moment, this was the only thought running through Laxus's mind. ----------------------------- Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on . (.)com/Newbietranslator