The members of Fairy Tail gathered together, waiting for Marco to make his selections.
No one wanted to miss out on this major event.
They glanced at each other. In truth, everyone already had a good idea of who would definitely be chosen.
Strength wasn't something you could fake, and after spending every day together, it was impossible to hide who was strong and who was weak.
Natsu and Gray were practically guaranteed to go.
Their power had already created a clear gap between them and the other non-S-Class Mages, all they lacked was the official exam to become S-Class Mages themselves.
Lucy, Hisui, Elfman, Juvia, Cana, Gajeel, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Macao, Wakaba, Warren, and Reedus—the guild's top fighters—were also highly likely to be chosen.
Some of them were already on par with S-Class Mages.
Of course, the term "S-Class Mage" here referred to two different standards.
Natsu and Gray met Fairy Tail's own rigorous S-Class Mage criteria, while the others were being compared to the more common, broader standard for S-Class Mages.
If Fairy Tail were to lower its standards, its roster of S-Class Mages would truly become overwhelming.
However, everyone was saying that once this year's Grand Magic Games began, Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage ranks would definitely be replenished, and they wouldn't be as stretched thin as they had been recently.
Indeed, once this year's Allied Grand Magic Games started, Natsu and Gray were almost certain to be promoted to S-Class Mages.
Marco believed they already possessed the necessary qualifications.
Both young men were exceptionally talented to begin with.
Combined with the boost from Marco's New Celestial Spirit Magic and years of continuous training under him, they had grown at an astonishing rate.
As for the girls, Hisui and Lucy were the most promising candidates.
However, Marco felt they needed to be held back a little longer to mature further.
In terms of raw magical power and destructive force, Lucy and Hisui were already on par with S-Class Mages.
Lucy, who had gradually mastered the ancient Super Magic 'Urano Metria', was unstoppable when she truly unleashed her power.
Combined with Cygnus's 'Diamond Dust Fist' and her six Zodiac Keys, her full combat potential had already reached the S-Class level.
Moreover, Lucy possessed the ability to summon the Celestial Spirit King in dire emergencies.
Even if her Magic Power wasn't enough to unleash the King's full strength, he was still the Lord of a Celestial Spirit—a power so immense that even the current Marco would have to temporarily retreat from it.
As for Hisui, her Lyra Celestial Spirit Magic alone was enough to make her stand out from the crowd.
Not only was her compatibility with Lyra exceptionally high, but Lyra's abilities were also incredibly powerful.
Hisui had mastered the 'Death Serenade' to perfection.
When the melody played, ordinary people couldn't resist and would be instantly hypnotized.
The upper limit of this technique was astonishingly high, easily rivaling Gold-tier skills.
If 'Diamond Dust Fist' wasn't considered the ultimate technique of the Aquarius Gold Saint, then 'Death Serenade' would be on par with 'Athena's Exclamation' among Gold-tier skills.
Thus, Hisui, having acquired this skill, was truly formidable.
Among the many independent skills Marco possessed, 'Death Serenade' was one of the very best, barely inferior to the ultimate techniques that required wearing a Gold Cloth to use.
If all else fails, Lucy and Hisui have an ultimate move: they can request the Saint Cloths themselves to join the battle, or even ask Marco to grant them the weapons of the Libra Gold Cloth!
These items can be summoned remotely.
With Marco's approval, the Cloths and weapons will fly to them, elevating their combat power once again—a classic case of "powering up."
This is the advantage of having Marco's backing, and of course, all his disciples have this privilege, not just Lucy and Hisui.
The reason Marco wants to temper Lucy and Hisui is due to their physical abilities—specifically, their close-quarters combat skills.
To put it in terms of "stats," Lucy and Hisui's "Skill" stat is nearly maxed out, but their "Physical" stat is merely average.
They aren't as well-rounded as Natsu and Gray.
While not weak—at least reaching a mid-tier level—it's their clear weakness.
Although Lucy and Hisui have been training diligently with Marco, talent is something that can't be forced.
Physical prowess is simply not their strong suit.
Among A-Class Mages, Lucy and Hisui are undeniably overpowered, thanks to their nearly maxed-out "Skill" stat.
In fact, their "Physical" weakness is hardly a weakness at all within that tier.
However, among S-Class Mages, everyone's "Skill" stat is high, with many likely maxed out as well.
In that area, their "Physical" stat becomes a glaring weakness, creating a massive gap between them and other S-Class Mages—the short plank in their bucket.
Gildarts is in a league of his own—a monster with maxed-out "Skill" who usually solves problems with his fists alone.
The other S-Class Mages are no slouches in this department either, including the two who are already considered Quasi-S-Class.
Therefore, until they shore up this weakness—or at least until it stops being such a liability—Marco refuses to let Lucy and Hisui advance to S-Class.
He is an exceptionally strict teacher.
As for Lucy and Hisui, they aren't exactly fighting for it.
Neither has any strong desire to become an S-Class Mage, unlike Natsu and Gray, who dream of it daily.
Perhaps their lives have been too comfortable.
A while ago, Lucy and Hisui were probably at their most motivated to become S-Class Mages.
They wanted to ease their master burden and prevent the Guild's S-Class Quests from piling up.
But now that Gildarts was back and the S-Class Quests were no longer backlogged, the two had returned to their laid-back attitude.
With Natsu and Gray on the verge of advancing to S-Class themselves, Lucy and Hisui felt even less urgency about their own promotions.
Standing before the crowd, Marco's thoughts drifted, and he suddenly shot a sharp glare at Lucy and Hisui.
The two girls flinched, feeling inexplicably guilty.
"The Oracion Seis themselves are few in number," Marco began, silencing the room. "But they command numerous subordinate Dark Guilds. This operation will require a large force, but most of you will be assigned to deal with those subordinate guilds. The direct confrontation with the Oracion Seis will require only a small team."
He explained the basic situation: while the Oracion Seis' core members were few, they had brought their many underlings with them for this operation.
"Master Bob of Blue Pegasus has sent word," Marco continued. "Their mages have spotted the main force of the Six Demon Generals. Those guys are heading straight for the Worthwood Sea.
"Therefore, once our allied force assembles, we will also head directly to the Worthwood Sea. We're aiming for a full-scale army clash—a head-on confrontation.
The crowd listened in tense silence, their anticipation palpable.
Although it seemed many would be joining the operation, there was a huge difference between fighting subordinate guilds and facing the Oracion Seis themselves.
Soon, Marco began calling out names.
This was truly a "grand mobilization."
Nearly every named member of the Guild was called to join the force tasked with dealing with the subordinate guilds.
"M-Marco-nii! I... I want to go too!"
Just as Marco finished the roll call, a soft, timid voice cried out.
It was Wendy.
She timidly raised her small hand, but her expression was resolute.
This time, she was determined to go, no matter what.
"Wendy..."
Marco sighed as he looked at the child.
He had anticipated this.
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