"I won!"
After Natsu was frozen solid, Gray leaped up in excitement.
In their ongoing rivalry, he had finally regained the upper hand!
This time, it wasn't through clever tactics or exploiting the nature of his magic.
He had defeated Natsu fair and square—in a direct, head-on clash!
For Gray, who had been 'enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens' all this time, this outcome was undoubtedly the best reward.
He had put in so much effort, diligently studying the 'Cygnus Celestial Spirit Magic,' just for this moment.
His hard work had finally paid off—he had finally surpassed fire with ice!
"Gray actually learned Marco's Celestial Spirit Magic too?!"
The members of Fairy Tail watching the match were stunned, primarily shocked by the Celestial Spirit Magic Gray had used.
The style of this magic was unmistakable—everyone recognized it instantly.
But none of them had heard anything about Gray becoming Marco's apprentice, so it was a surprise to see him wield this magic.
Unlike Lucy and Hisui, who had formally become Marco's students, Gray had never publicly declared himself a student.
Had Marco lifted his restrictions on taking apprentices?!
Many guildmates began to let their imaginations run wild.
If they could learn this magic, they could instantly become outstanding Mages—pillars of Fairy Tail!
There was no denying how tempting that prospect was.
Quite a few eyes turned toward Marco, wondering if they, too, could learn this magic.
Gray hadn't made a big deal out of it, and for good reason.
He had only been granted an "borrowing" privilege—naturally, he wouldn't go around boasting about it.
As for the few who knew the truth, like Hisui and Lucy, none of them were gossips.
Since Gray didn't want others to know, they kept quiet.
Thus, guildmates who were often away on missions were hearing about this for the first time.
If Gray hadn't recently "graduated" from his training and stopped hiding his progress, the secret would have remained under wraps for much longer.
After all, even Natsu had only found out recently—let alone everyone else.
Gray's secrecy had been impeccable.
Watching Gray's elated expression after defeating Natsu, Marco, seated in the spectator stands, smiled with deep satisfaction.
Though Marco had initially resolved not to teach Gray the "Diamond Dust Punch"—due to the warnings from "Future Gray"—to avoid altering that future, he hadn't been able to hold back in the end.
Seeing Gray struggle as Natsu gradually surpassed him had been too much.
Marco had given him the chance to learn.
Now, the future where Gray never mastered the Diamond Dust Punch had already changed.
What consequences this would bring, Marco didn't know.
But if asked whether he regretted his decision, the answer was a firm no.
Marco was certain that making Gray stronger would never lead to a worse future.
After all, Gray's character had been vetted by the system—at the very least, he would never use his power for evil.
Gray's increased strength would only bolster Fairy Tail's future—not undermine it.
'The future is meant to be changed.' Marco thought to himself.
In truth, from the moment he met those "future companions," the future was destined to change.
Marco wouldn't stand idly by, nor would he hesitate out of fear of altering the future.
After all, the future is just the future—what truly matters is the present they can grasp.
"Perhaps by doing this, that future will vanish, but for us now, a new future will be born." Marco murmured to himself.
He wasn't entirely sure what this new future held, but since he'd made his choice, he would face it bravely. It was simply a matter of meeting challenges as they came.
His confidence in his own strength gave Marco the courage to change everything.
"Buzz!"
Not long after, Natsu broke free from the ice in the arena.
"Raaaah!!!"
Flames roared around the 'Fire Dragon.'
Having finally shattered the ice, Natsu was in a state of exhilaration.
"Do you yield?"
Gray stood opposite him, having waited for this moment.
Bored out of his mind, he'd wanted to see how long he could keep Natsu frozen.
The answer, as it turned out, wasn't very long.
'There's still a huge gap compared to how Marco uses it.' Gray mused silently.
He knew this disparity stemmed from multiple factors.
They were still too weak.
Their connection to the constellations wasn't deep enough, their mastery of skills insufficient, and the celestial magic they could channel was too meager.
This outcome was only natural.
"I don't yield!" Natsu roared at Gray, but he made no further move.
There was no doubt he'd lost this duel.
The time he'd spent frozen was more than enough for him to have been killed many times over.
Deep down, Natsu acknowledged this.
So while he refused to yield, he had no intention of continuing the fight.
"Your refusal doesn't matter. You can't beat me right now."
Gray paid no mind to Natsu's "impotent rage."
The result of the battle was clear, and no amount of defiance would change it.
"Don't get cocky, Gray! I'm gonna learn Celestial Spirit Magic from Marco too!"
Seeing Gray's smug expression made Natsu grind his teeth in frustration.
So what if Gray had won using Marco's Celestial Spirit Magic? He'd learn it too!
Then let's see how smug Gray could be!
[Ding! Detected potential registered students. Record student information?]
Marco, watching from the stands, immediately reacted.
Natsu's desire to learn "Celestial Spirit Magic" was intense.
"..."
Marco was speechless.
Even Natsu wanted to learn his Celestial Spirit Magic? That was something he hadn't expected.
Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic was special, with incredibly high potential.
Marco had assumed Natsu would delve deeper into his own abilities after being defeated.
Instead, he wanted to learn his Celestial Spirit Magic too.
Gray had beaten him using Celestial Spirit Magic, so Natsu would learn it to fight back.
That was exactly the kind of logic Natsu would come up with.
"Marco! I want to learn Celestial Spirit Magic too!"
Natsu left Gray behind, jogging straight to Marco in the stands before making his request with utmost seriousness.
Unlike Gray, Natsu carried no burdens.
His magic had been taught to him by Igneel, the dragon who was like a father to him.
He'd never formally apprenticed under anyone else.
So for Natsu, apprenticing under Marco wasn't something to be embarrassed about, especially since Gray had already done it first.
To surpass Gray, Natsu was determined to learn from Marco too—if Gray could do it, why couldn't he?