After the allied forces from various Magic Guilds across Ishgar arrived, they set up camps outside the Nord Forest.
It was truly a grand spectacle, with elite mages from across the continent gathering in one place.
Fairy Tail arrived relatively late due to the considerable distance.
Upon arrival, they immediately sought out Marco.
"Marco! Are you alright?" Both Erza and Mirajane were visibly relieved to see Marco.
They had been worried throughout the journey, fearing that something might have happened to him before their reinforcements could arrive.
However, their concerns proved unnecessary.
Even if they hadn't made it in time, the nearby guilds had already arrived and could have provided assistance.
"Erza, Mira? You two actually came?" Marco was surprised to see the two girls.
He had assumed Makarov would keep the younger members at home and hadn't expected him to bring Erza and Mirajane along.
Marco glanced around but didn't spot any of the other kids.
Clearly, only Erza and Mirajane had been allowed to accompany the older members.
"We can definitely help. We don't need anyone to look after us, and if things get dangerous, both of us can fly away," Erza explained.
This was precisely why Makarov had agreed to let them come.
Initially, they hadn't been included in the mission.
"That's true. Both of you can fly," Marco nodded.
The ability to fly provided an extra means of escape compared to others.
"How's the situation?" Makarov approached, his expression serious as he asked the question.
"It's close. The second wave is probably coming soon," Marco replied.
He had answered this question countless times already.
Every new group that arrived sought him out for updates, and he couldn't ignore them, so he had no choice but to repeat himself over and over.
"The interval since the last outbreak is almost up. The magical beasts are growing increasingly agitated. It'll happen within the next couple of days." Marco shared his observations.
After the previous outbreak, he had ventured back into the forest to deal with the corpses.
Although it was no longer midsummer, the weather hadn't turned cold yet, and leaving the bodies unattended for days would have been disastrous.
Burning them was an option, but it was risky and difficult to control.
If a fire spread and consumed half of Nord Forest, the consequences would be dire—the enraged magical beasts would likely charge out in a frenzy, creating a "man-made stampede."
Therefore, Marco had no choice but to use his 'Diamond Dust Fist' to freeze large sections of the corpses and scattered remains.
This effectively added another layer of defense to the 'Crystal Wall.'
When the time came, the magical beasts would first have to break through the ice wall formed by the frozen corpses before they could assault the 'Crystal Wall' behind it.
"This is unbelievable..."
Makarov couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the massive frozen walls filled with the remains of magical beasts.
The sheer thickness of the "ice walls," packed with flesh and body parts, was a testament to the brutality of the earlier battle.
It was hard to imagine that Marco had single-handedly held the line against such a force.
Even those who had witnessed Marco's 'Crystal Wall' found it hard to imagine, let alone those who had never seen it before.
"You really stole the spotlight again.." Laxus said with a hint of sourness in his tone.
Seeing that Marco was unharmed, he finally relaxed enough to focus on other matters—like Marco's growing fame.
This time, Marco had truly made a name for himself.
The entire magical community of Ishgar had now witnessed his strength firsthand.
Before, people had only heard of him but never seen him in action.
They knew of him as a prodigious young mage who had twice defeated Jose Porla, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, but few had ever met him in person.
Now, having seen Marco and his 'Crystal Wall', they finally understood the true weight behind the title "prodigious young mage."
"Once they see the effects of my Crystal Wall with their own eyes, they'll have a much clearer understanding of my power," Marco said with a smile.
Over the past few days, he had encountered all sorts of people—some who had come looking for trouble.
But after seeing the corpses outside the wall, very few still dared to question his strength.
Facts spoke louder than words.
Anyone who doubted Marco's abilities had to first ask themselves whether they could achieve the same feats—whether they could single-handedly hold back a beast horde.
Not even the mages who had come to pick fights could deny it.
Even Councilor Org, who had always held a strong bias against Fairy Tail, had no choice but to grudgingly acknowledge Marco's strength after witnessing everything firsthand.
"Seeing that guy humbled is truly satisfying!" Makarov laughed heartily upon hearing Marco's account, his worries about the situation easing slightly.
Org was the main instigator causing trouble for Fairy Tail, constantly nitpicking at them in the Magic Council.
Naturally, Makarov disliked him, so hearing about his embarrassment brought great joy.
"Marco! Are you heading into the forest again today?"
While the members of Fairy Tail were chatting, a group of mages approached.
Leading them was a man with a topknot—Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus.
Beside him were a few odd-looking individuals, all members of Quatro Cerberus who had tagged along with Bacchus to join the excitement.
"Master Makarov, you're here too," Bacchus and the others greeted respectfully upon seeing Makarov, who nodded in acknowledgment.
"Not today. I think there's a meeting later," Marco waved his hand, declining Bacchus invitation to hunt magical beasts in the forest.
Bacchus was a battle maniac and had accompanied Marco into the woods many times since he arrive.
The mages of Quatro Cerberus were all fairly strong and straightforward in personality.
Marco got along well with them—certainly better than with the members of Blue Pegasus.
Not that the Blue Pegasus mages were bad people.
In fact, they were quite decent.
But Marco felt they just didn't click and with Karen around—not to mention Master Bob, who was always trying to poach him—Marco usually avoided them.
"Master Makarov! Master Bob requests your presence for a discussion."
Marco was inwardly complaining about the group of "eccentrics" from the Blue Pegasus guild when the members of Blue Pegasus arrived.
It was a rather short, plump man with reddish-brown hair and a rather... unfortunate appearance—Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki.
"Ohhh It's Ichiya." Makarov looked at the man dressed in a white suit that seemed oddly out of place.
Clearly, he recognized Ichiya.
This was hardly surprising.
Ichiya was a pillar of Blue Pegasus, holding a position in the guild roughly equivalent to Gildarts in Fairy Tail.
His title was 'Blue Pegasus's Strongest Mage.' (Or the most handsome mages in ishgar)
Ichiya had also been a member of Blue Pegasus for many years.
Previously, he had often accompanied Bob at the regular guild master meetings, so Makarov naturally knew him well.
"Have Bob and Goldmine arrived yet?" Makarov asked Ichiya.
"Yes, Master Makarov. Master Bob and Master Goldmine have already arrived and are waiting for you to join them for a chat."
Ichiya responded politely with a gentlemanly bow.
His attire—white suit, yellow inner shirt, red bowtie, and a blue rose on his left lapel—was indeed formal and refined in appearance.
It was just that his height and looks were somewhat... unfortunate.
He wasn't exactly ugly, but his whole demeanor seemed to belong to a completely different aesthetic.
"Good, I'll head over right away."
Makarov didn't hesitate and immediately prepared to meet his old friends.
But at that moment, Ichiya shifted his gaze to Marco's side.
He spotted Erza, and his eyes couldn't help but light up.