"You really are... obsessed."
Marco was utterly speechless at Laxus's argument.
People can choke while eating—does that mean we should stop eating?
Pedestrians can get hit by cars—does that mean we should never leave our homes?
Laxus's argument was a classic case of "giving up eating for fear of choking."
Just because being a Mage is dangerous, should everyone go back to being ordinary people? That's pure nonsense!
Moreover, joining a Magic Guild isn't that dangerous.
The difficulty and type of missions are chosen by oneself.
Doing tasks like catching cats or walking dogs every day—can that really be considered dangerous?
It's true that "Fairy Tail" attracts a lot of attention due to its prominence, but correspondingly, "Fairy Tail" also receives a vast number of job requests.
Everyone in the guild has a wider selection of missions to choose from.
Furthermore, as "Magnolia" grows increasingly prosperous, trivial, small-scale commissions have increased exponentially, providing more than enough to support the weaker members of the guild.
The lower-ranked Mages within their "Fairy Tail" guild are undoubtedly among those living quite comfortably.
Some of the more simple, everyday Mages—who don't pursue luxury or excitement and just take on small commissions daily—might even live more comfortably than some of the more powerful Mages.
Laxus's argument was entirely an excuse for his own actions, a way to justify his stance with seemingly reasonable grounds.
"Your approach isn't necessarily wrong, but for 'Fairy Tail,' it is absolutely wrong."
Facing Laxus, Marco spoke as objectively as possible.
The strategy of forming an "elitist" guild wasn't necessarily wrong; the mistake was trying to apply this method to "Fairy Tail."
"Who's right and who's wrong? We'll only know by trying."
It was clear that Laxus wasn't listening to Marco's words at all.
If he were capable of listening, he wouldn't have reached this point.
Abandon "Fairy Tail" and rebuild a guild based on "elitist ideals"?
If Laxus were willing to do that, he would have done it long ago.
His father, Ivan Dreyar, had already gone out to establish his own faction, but Laxus only wanted "Fairy Tail."
Although he occasionally threatened to leave "Fairy Tail" and join Ivan Dreyar in a fit of anger, Laxus had never truly intended to do so.
"Since that's the case, there's no need for further words."
Marco sighed, his magical power already surging.
With a thought, twinkling starlight began to shimmer across the clear, bright sky.
Then, countless constellations appeared, showering down vast amounts of starlight that converged toward Marco.
The immense Star Magic made his [Aries Gold Cloth] shine even more brilliantly, gleaming with golden light.
Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit, let alone when facing a tiger?
"Zzzzt!!!"
Laxus no longer hesitated either.
He channeled his magical power, concentrating it throughout his entire body, covering himself in crackling lightning.
The magical lightning stimulated his body, enhancing its vitality and granting him an all-around boost.
"You have your Cloth, and I have my Lightning Armor!"
Wrapped entirely in lightning, Laxus's eyes even emitted electric sparks.
Even when he spoke, it seemed to carry an electric reverb.
This lightning armor significantly boosted his attack power, defense, speed, and strength—truly formidable.
"Good, good, good. You have armor too."
Marco laughed, thinking to himself that their "armors" were quite different.
"Let's fight to our heart's content!"
Laxus roared. In a flash, he appeared before Marco.
His speed was truly as fast as lightning.
An ordinary Mage facing Laxus might not even be able to see his movements—Laxus's strength was indeed impressive.
"Hum!"
Magic surged, and Marco's figure flickered, disappearing from his original spot, causing Laxus's punch to swing through empty air.
The next moment, Marco's figure appeared beside Laxus.
He lifted a leg, and the golden, gleaming greave kicked toward Laxus, but ultimately only struck a trail of lightning—Laxus's figure had already vanished again.
The two figures continuously appeared and disappeared, reappeared and vanished again, like two golden lights constantly separating and colliding, separating and colliding once more.
In this world of Fairy Tail, Marco and Laxus were fighting in a style reminiscent of Dragon Ball.
Marco used "Instant Transmission," while Laxus employed "Lightning Body."
In just these few brief exchanges, they were already engaged in layers of strategy, neither wanting to give the other the upper hand.
"Hum!"
Marco used "Instant Transmission" to create some distance.
This move worked well against others, but against Laxus, who was equally exceptional in speed, its effectiveness was limited.
Laxus could use "Lightning Body," which allowed him to become incorporeal. Whether for movement or dodging attacks, this ability was incredibly overpowered.
Of course, "Lightning Body" wasn't invincible.
When launching an attack, Laxus had to materialize. In his "Lightning Body" state, he couldn't attack—it only aided his movement and evasion.
The situation had reached a stalemate because neither could land a hit on the other.
This turned into a simple contest of whose magic power was deeper, of who would run out of abilities first.
The outcome was obvious—how could Laxus possibly compare to Marco in that regard?
Therefore, Marco decided not to continue this "two-man show" with Laxus.
He took the initiative to retreat, giving Laxus the space to launch an attack.
"Crackle, crackle, crackle!"
Electric sparks flashed as Laxus materialized from the lightning and charged toward Marco with another punch.
Since Marco had given him the opening to attack, why wouldn't Laxus take it?
Marco didn't dodge.
Instead, he gathered his magic power and threw a punch of his own.
"BOOM!!!"
A golden fist collided with a golden gauntlet.
A terrifying wave of magic erupted from the point of impact, spreading outward as residual energy.
The force blasted the doors of Fairy Tail clean off and the guild hall itself shook from the impact.
The guild hall, nearly a century old, trembled under the shock, giving the impression it might collapse at any moment.
The guild members were all terrified.
They hurried outside, bringing the injured with them to the large open space in the backyard.
That way, if the guild hall did collapse, at least no one would be trapped inside.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
After exchanging a series of punches, Laxus was sent flying backward by the shockwave.
He landed on the ground, shattering the floor tiles into pieces, while Marco also staggered back a few steps, crushing the floor beneath his feet.
"Tsk, let's take this somewhere else."
Looking up and seeing the guild hall shaking from the impact, Marco clicked his tongue in annoyance and took the initiative to suggest a change of venue.
"Zzzzt! Boom!"
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