"This is definitely a big one. This is even more exaggerated than the two I saw before. Could it be they're getting desperate from their constant failures?"
Marco walked to the window and looked out, unable to keep his brows from furrowing.
The system had issued a quest, so it was clearly wont be easy.
The two previous Anima incidents hadn't been on a scale this massive.
Thinking about it carefully, with Mystogan single-mindedly focused on stopping the Anima, the magic's success rate was indeed not very high.
If this kept up, it would be strange if the people in Edolas didn't get anxious.
They were still waiting to use the magic power from this side, after all.
"I'll get you out of here first." Marco grabbed King Toma's shoulder, preparing to take the man to a safe place.
The Mercurius was now empty with only the two of them remaining.
"No, I want to stay! I will live or die with Crocus!"
King Toma shook his head resolutely, his face filled with excitement.
This was the great magical event he had dreamed of participating in!
Although he couldn't contribute much in terms of magic, he had contributed in other ways this time.
Now, he wanted to stay and witness the outcome of the whole affair.
He wanted to see the curtain fall on this major event, to be a part of it from beginning to end!
"..."
Marco looked at King Toma with a very peculiar expression
Someone like King Toma, who was interested in magic and the adventures of Mages, and was willing to risk his life to stay and participate in the entire event, was truly a rare sight.
"But you can't. Hisui is still young. You can't hand these burdens to her so early." Marco smiled and shook his head, still holding onto King Toma as he left the Mercurius.
He teleported them straight out, giving King Toma no chance to object.
If it were anyone else, he might have let them stay.
But not King Toma.
This man had an inescapable responsibility.
If he died, that responsibility would fall on Hisui's shoulders prematurely.
For the sake of giving his apprentice more time to grow, Marco definitely couldn't leave this man in the city.
Reaching the outskirts of the city, Marco put King Toma down and gestured for him to board the Corvus Aircraft.
"Marco-kun! You should have let me stay! With you and Fairy Tail here, Hisui won't be bullied even if I die."
Placed on the ground, King Toma stomped his short legs, looking extremely anxious.
It seemed he truly wanted to participate.
"Cut the nonsense. Giving Hisui more time to grow—that is your mission."
Marco unceremoniously stuffed King Toma into the Corvus Aircraft and had the Corvus take off immediately, carrying the shouting king away.
"This King..." Marco shook his head.
He was now certain of one thing: the moment Hisui was even slightly capable of shouldering the responsibility, Toma would abdicate without a second thought, throw the duties of a king to his daughter, and go off to enjoy himself.
That was absolutely something he would do.
"BZZZZ!!!"
A violent fluctuation of magic power interrupted Marco's thoughts.
Within the royal capital of Crocus, the magic circle Mystogan had arranged earlier had taken effect.
Under Mystogan's control, it began to obstruct the Anima, countering the magic from Edolas.
Marco didn't linger.
He immediately returned to the city to find Mystogan.
At this moment, Mystogan was standing in the center of the pre-arranged magic circle.
Although he himself couldn't use magic and possessed no magic power, his research into various magic circles was profound.
He could be called a genius in his own right.
"BZZZ!"
Mystogan used the magic power from his staff to activate the magic circle.
Looking at the vortex in the sky, he also sensed that this Anima was exceptionally large.
It was possible that they had made another breakthrough with the magic over there, which filled his heart with a sense of urgency.
'I have to find a solution, and fast!'
'If this continued, the Anima would only become more and more difficult to deal with!'
"I'll help you!"
Marco teleported to Mystogan's side and stood with him, looking up at the vortex in the sky.
He was actually quite curious: in that other world of Edolas, was there another version of him?
Logically, there should be.
After all, he had essentially transmigrated, just into the body of a baby, growing up little by little, no different from a native.
Therefore, there should be another "him" in the other world.
Of course, that "him" would likely only correspond to the original baby.
Marco didn't think his soul could have split in two and transmigrated into the world of Edolas as well.
"BZZZZ!!!"
Marco activated his magic, communing with the myriad stars in the skies.
He was preparing to see if he could help by trying to overpower it with sheer force.
"Marco? What are you doing?"
Mystogan, who was channeling the magic circle, looked over at Marco.
He was a little surprised because Marco had already taken a stance.
"Of course, I'm going to see if there's another way to break this thing." Marco's reply with matter-of-fact.
Mystogan was using a magic circle to reverse and resist the Anima's absorption effect.
This was certainly a good method and proved that Mystogan was on the right path.
Now that he could resist the Anima's pull, he could later conduct further research to create a magic circle that could go directly to Edolas.
Marco really couldn't help much in this area.
He hadn't studied these things, mainly because it would have been useless even if he had.
Even the matter of creating a mobile phone, which he had been longing for, had to be entrusted to Warren.
But not being skilled in magic circles didn't mean he couldn't help.
Marco's main principle was brute force.
As long as he was strong enough, perhaps he could shatter this damn Anima with a single punch.
"That's too reckless! It's too dangerous! You could get sucked in!" Mystogan's expression changed upon hearing Marco's words.
He hurriedly tried to dissuade him, saying there was no need to use such a dangerous method.
He could handle it himself; there was no need to take such a risk.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This thing can't suck me in." Marco smiled.
At this moment, the sky above was already twinkling with starlight.
He had connected with all the constellations he could, frantically absorbing Star Magic and concentrating all the power into this one punch.
And upon his body, the verdant Dragon Bronze Saint Cloth had already appeared.
In Mystogan's eyes, a phantom flickered over Marco's body—a green dragon baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
The dragon's phantom coiled around Marco's body, wrapping around his arm.
"You want magic power? Then I'll let you have your fill!"
A smile played on Marco's face.
He had already seen the vortex absorb a good amount of the Star Magic he had drawn down.
The Star Magic descending from the sky had indeed been partially intercepted by this vortex.
Such pure magic power had made the vortex ravenous.
Unfortunately, with Mystogan obstructing the Anima, the vortex couldn't exert much of its effect, at most absorbing some residual power.
VMMMM!!!
Starlight flashed around Marco as he shot up into the sky, his figure streaking toward the vortex like a silver glint.
Looking at the vortex, Marco threw his right fist, unleashing a terrifying amount of magic power.
"Rozan Sho Ryu Ha!"
ROAR!!!
A dragon's roar resounded as the terrifying magic power transformed into a giant dragon, flying out from Marco's right arm.
The dragon's body was so immense it blotted out the sky, gradually unfurling in flight to reveal its true, heroic form.
The ferocious green dragon roared, crashing directly into the vortex in the sky as if to tear it to shreds.
BOOM!!!
The green dragon slammed into the vortex, letting out a deafening roar.
The resulting explosion of light dyed the entire sky a verdant green.
"This..."
Mystogan's eyes widened, his mind reeling from the shock.
This guy was absurdly strong.
Was this really an attack a human could unleash? Was this truly a Celestial Spirit Magic?
"What is that?!"
Many people still remained in the Royal Capital.
Of course, after truly seeing the Anima, they were no longer so stubborn.
One by one, they began to flee.
After all, the terrifying celestial phenomenon was truly horrifying.
"The destruction of the Royal Capital" was no longer an empty threat but an imminent reality, which scared them witless.
And the dragon's roar, the massive explosion, and the verdant sky made them even more unwilling to linger for a single moment, each wishing they had eight legs.
It might worry Marco to know that although these people weren't harmed by the Anima, many were injured by their own kind during the panicked escape.
If this ruined his "perfect rescue," Marco would truly be angered to death by these people who only knew how to be a hindrance.
"The Anima has dispersed."
Staring at the green sky, Mystogan was in a daze.
He stopped channeling his magic power, and the magic circle ceased to function, for the Anima had already dissipated—dissipated because of that one punch.
"Was it because it absorbed enough magic power? Or was it really shattered by that punch?"
Mystogan was puzzled because, in his perception, it seemed a significant portion of the green dragon from that punch had entered the vortex.
"Let them absorb it. I'd like to see if they can even use it. My Star Magic isn't something just any nobody can handle."
Marco landed back on the ground, shaking his arm.
That last move was truly intense; he felt like he was about to burst from the Star Magic.
And that punch felt incredibly satisfying, like a release for his spirit.
Marco even felt as if he himself was controlling that green dragon.
---------------
Rozan Shō Ryū Ha (廬山昇龍覇, lit. Lushan Rising Dragon Lord): Shiryu intensifies his cosmos and gives an upward blow be it punch or kick. The upward release of energy is comparable to the image of a majestic dragon rising towards the sky. A breath and drag violently hitting the opponent rose into the air with the image of a dragon devouring the opponent; Sometimes the attack is not completely vertical as when it slightly rotates around its prey.