Freed was frustrated.
If the battle had taken place in the area where he had just fought Elfman, Mirajane would have been equally disadvantaged, because Mirajane also used "Take Over Magic."
However, Freed was now experiencing the same feeling Elfman had earlier—the sensation of being unable to exert his strength, just like his companions who had been affected by his "Jutsu Shiki."
"Boom!"
In the end, Freed couldn't hold on.
Under Mirajane's frenzied onslaught, he lost the ability to resist, rolled his eyes, and collapsed into a large crater.
If Elfman and Lisanna hadn't been mostly unharmed, Freed would have been in an even worse state.
After defeating Freed, Mirajane woke up Elfman, Bisca, Alzack, Reedus, Cana, Levy, and the others.
They were indeed fine, merely knocked unconscious without any serious injuries.
"Mira, what exactly is going on?!"
Elfman stared at Freed in disbelief.
He had charged forward angrily to confront Freed after seeing him attack their companions, only to fall into Freed's trap by accident.
He couldn't understand why Freed would do such a thing.
"They want to support Laxus as the guild master."
Mirajane explained the reason behind Freed's actions, which left everyone furious and baffled by such a nonsensical justification.
"They're dreaming!"
"We absolutely won't agree!"
"With Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe acting like this, how can they possibly compete with Marco for the guild master position?! I refuse to accept it!"
"They don't care about us at all!"
The group vented their anger, and their words weren't entirely wrong.
Laxus truly didn't care about them.
In fact, he even wanted to expel most of them from the guild.
That's why he didn't care whether his actions alienated people—he had no need for the loyalty of these weaklings.
....
"Do you really think they can handle my Thunder Palace? Marco, you're either incredibly arrogant or you simply look down on my Thunder Palace."
At the entrance of the "Fairy Tail" guild, Laxus sneered at Marco, disdainful of his approach.
Marco actually expected those useless fools to deal with his "Thunder Palace."
Did he really not take his "Forbidden Magic" seriously?
He had spent days preparing this Forbidden Magic—it wasn't something that could be easily dismantled.
"Laxus, how about we make a bet?"
Facing Laxus's mockery, Marco remained calm and composed.
With a smile, he took the initiative to propose a wager.
"What's the bet?"
Laxus asked, though he already had an idea of what Marco was going to suggest.
"Let's bet on whether the members of 'Fairy Tail' can dismantle your Thunder Palace without me intervening." Marco said with a smile.
The terms of the bet were exactly as Laxus had anticipated—he had guessed Marco would propose this.
"What are the stakes?"
Laxus didn't rush to agree.
Instead, he asked about the "stakes." If they were going to bet, there had to be something on the line. Otherwise, what was the point?
"The guild master position. If I lose, I'll hand it over to you."
Marco still wore a confident smile, appearing sure of himself.
"Ha, who gave you the confidence to bet on this with me?" Laxus also laughed, feeling that Marco must be insane to bet with him on this.
He had no idea where Marco's confidence came from.
Laxus knew that Marco was doing this to prove to him that "every guild member has their use" and "no one is a useless burden," but he believed Marco's efforts would inevitably end in failure.
After all, those were three hundred Thunder lacrima's spheres—not something easily destroyed, let alone all at once.
Of course, "simultaneously" didn't have to be precise down to the millisecond, as long as the timing was close enough, it would count.
If that weren't the case, Marco wouldn't have dared to make this bet with Laxus.
He'd have to take matters into his own hands to ensure success—after all, three hundred was no small number, not like thirty.
"My confidence comes from the unity of Fairy Tail, from everyone's determination, and from the spirit of Fairy Tail itself. It's all of these, together with the members of Fairy Tail, that make our guild so special."
Looking straight at Laxus, Marco answered word by word, with utmost sincerity.
"Fine, fine. Let's see if all that talk can actually translate into strength. No matter how beautifully you phrase it, in the end, it's only meaningful if it produces real results."
Laxus sneered, his lips curling in mockery.
These tired old platitudes couldn't give anyone power, nor could they solve the problem of "Thunder Palace."
He refused to believe that shouting a few slogans would fix anything.
"Alright, let's make the bet. But what's your wager?"
Marco looked at Laxus.
He had stated his own stake, but Laxus hadn't yet offered his—that wouldn't do. The stakes had to be equal.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but even if I lose, I won't give up on my goal."
Unfortunately, Laxus had no intention of using that as his wager. Even if "Thunder Palace" failed, he still had other methods.
"But... I could—"
Though he wasn't willing to bet "abandoning his next move," Laxus didn't want to take advantage either.
He could offer something else as a wager.
"No need. Even if you bet nothing, I'll still go through with the wager. Because I want you to see everyone's determination for yourself."
But before Laxus could state his wager, Marco suddenly spoke up, cutting him off.
"Still, having no wager at all isn't quite right. How about we bet... your respect? If they succeed, if they destroy Thunder Palace, you must give them the respect they deserve—respect every single member of the guild."
Marco laid his cards on the table, revealing his true purpose outright.