"Aries!"
Karen shouted angrily, snapping the somewhat dazed Aries out of her trance.
Aries looked at Karen and then shuddered violently.
Though her heart was filled with shock and countless questions, under Karen's gaze, she quickly returned to the Celestial Spirit World, vacating the summoning space for Leo, the Lion Zodiac Celestial Spirit.
Karen hadn't yet mastered the "double-summon" technique.
Though she had been practicing, her success rate remained low.
During battles, she always prioritized summoning Leo, which meant Aries had to return first.
Though both were Zodiac Celestial Spirits, Aries' combat abilities were no match for Leo's.
Normally, Aries only served as Karen's punching bag and shield against suitors, while Leo took the stage during actual fights.
"Come forth! Leo!"
Karen chanted the incantation, summoning Leo.
The handsome, suit-clad Celestial Spirit emerged, only to have his eyes nearly blinded by the dazzling starlight shimmering across the sky—a radiance Celestial Spirits found impossible to ignore.
"That guy again?!" Leo felt an eerie familiarity with the scene before him.
He remembered—not long ago, he had been utterly defeated by this very power!
"How has he grown so strong in such a short time?! Is that Aries' Celestial Chart?!"
Leo's jaw dropped in sheer astonishment.
His shock ran deeper because he had faced Marco before—they had once battled.
Though their last encounter ended with Leo's "death and retreat," he hadn't felt the gap between them was this vast.
Now, without even seeing Marco's figure, just the ripple of his aura alone sent chills down Leo's spine.
Their levels were clearly no longer comparable.
Stiffly turning to Karen, Leo had only one thought in his mind.
''Seriously... why did you provoke him?'' Leo blurted out the question.
"?"
Karen was baffled, staring at Leo in confusion.
Who had she provoked?
Why were both of her Celestial Spirits acting so strangely today?
Did that guy's magic affect Celestial Spirits this much?
Karen looked up, her expression complicated.
Her path to revenge seemed increasingly difficult.
Marco's growth defied all logic—despite being two or three years younger, he already seemed generations ahead.
Ever since her defeat at Marco's hands, Karen had held a grudge.
She longed to defeat him and repay the humiliation tenfold.
Yet, the challenge only grew steeper, to the point where hope was fading.
This fueled Karen's rage.
She tormented Aries even more harshly, and her relationship with Leo grew increasingly strained—clearly, she had ignored Marco's earlier advice.
"He's not the enemy." Karen explained briefly, and Leo quickly grasped the situation.
The shimmering starlight and surging mana were all concentrated on a radiant barrier not far from them.
And beyond that barrier—an endless horde of magical beasts.
"BOOM!!!"
A violent collision sound erupted as the magical beasts crashed into Marco's "Crystal Wall."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, countless beasts were shattered into pieces, their blood and flesh scattering everywhere—yet the 'Wall of Ishgar' remained spotless.
The thick layer of frozen corpses didn't hold up for long, smashed apart by the Magic Beast Tide.
The real test was the 'Crystal Wall.'
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The relentless crashing sounds and the gruesome scene kept the mages from all over Ishgar on edge.
Of course, the shock in their eyes never faded.
Instead, it only grew more intense with each collision.
Hearing about a pile of corpses blocked by Marco's wall was shocking enough, but witnessing it firsthand was an entirely different level of awe.
After all, at this very moment, their lives were constantly under threat.
They all cheered and prayed for Marco, hoping he could hold out longer—at least long enough to deplete the beasts' numbers and ease their burden.
This mindset only fueled Karen fury.
She hated herself for feeling this way, for relying on that guy's power to survive—when she was supposed to defeat him!
The Crystal Wall pulsed with waves of magical energy, tightening everyone's hearts in fear that the 'Wall of Ishgar' might collapse.
But Marco didn't disappoint.
The surges of magic only reinforced the 'Crystal Wall' making it even more unshakable.
....
"Is this the Magic Beast Tide?"
Arriving at the mage alliance's defensive line, Gray couldn't help but marvel at the endless horde of beasts madly charging the Crystal Wall.
Now he understood why Makarov had refused to bring them here.
Faced with this tide, everyone could barely protect themselves—let alone others.
The sheer number of beasts was absurd.
Even if they were just pigs, dealing with so many would be a nightmare.
"Not even that impressive. They can't even break through Marco's defense."
Natsu crossed his arms, scoffing with a 'That's it? That's it?' expression.
He thought the so-called 'Magic Beast Tide' would be terrifying, but it couldn't even breach Marco's Crystal Wall.
"Or maybe it's just that Marco is too strong?" Cana gave Natsu a deadpan look.
This guy always found the weirdest angles.
Wasn't the Magic Beast Tide terrifying enough?
"Where's Master Marco?"
Hisui looked around frantically for Marco, but in their haste, they hadn't even found Fairy Tail's assigned defensive zone—let alone Marco himself.
"I'll ask." Levy immediately stepped forward to inquire about Fairy Tail's position, and soon the group reunited with their guild.
"Gramps! We're here to help!" Natsu charged ahead, shouting excitedly.
'Thud!'
But what greeted him was a solid punch from Erza.
"Who told you to come?!"
Seeing Natsu and the other kids arrive, Erza was furious.
These brats had disobeyed orders and come on their own!
"We just wanted to help!" Natsu clutched his head and shouted loudly.
"..."
Looking at Natsu's stubborn expression and the identical looks on the children's faces, Makarov sighed silently.
His expression grew particularly complicated when he spotted Hisui and Lucy, who had just come running up from behind.
Was he angry? A little.
After all, these kids truly wouldn't listen—no matter what was said, they insisted on coming along.
But in a way, this also proved that these children embodied the spirit of Fairy Tail—they were the young ones who could carry the hopes of the future.
He hadn't misjudged them.
Because of this, Makarov's emotions were tangled.
He couldn't bring himself to scold them.
What was done was done.
"Since you're here, steel yourselves for battle! The moment Marco's Crystal Wall fails, we'll have to face the stampede of magical beasts head-on!"
Makarov stepped forward, stopping Erza from continuing her reprimand.
With a stern expression, he assigned the children to defensive positions.
"Yes!"
"Marco is the strongest! He can definitely hold it!"
The children responded in unison, their trust in Marco unwavering.
Juvia, especially, stared intently at the Crystal Wall, not the least bit worried that Marco might falter.
"I knew it." Marco, who was maintaining the Crystal Wall, noticed the commotion out of the corner of his eye.
He wasn't the least bit surprised that the guild's kids had sneaked over to help.
If they had obediently stayed put at the guild, that would have been strange.
-----------------------------
Read 50 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator