However, what responded to Marco was the lightning and thunder in the sky.
Laxus grew increasingly excited, his face brimming with arrogance as he unleashed his full magical power.
Only Marco could make him go all out.
"Crack!"
Streaks of lightning descended from the sky like white serpents, enveloping Marco.
On the ground, electric currents snaked like dragons, countless flashes of light surging toward Marco's feet.
At the same time, Laxus charged forward once more, his body shrouded in electricity.
Naturally unafraid of the lightning and thunder, he used the electric onslaught to besiege Marco.
Dark clouds layered densely in the sky, seemingly intent on blotting out all light.
Yet the constellation shimmering above shone brilliantly, countless starlight rays piercing through the layers of thunderclouds, casting beams of starlight that enveloped Marco's upright figure.
"Hum!"
Marco neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, starlight erupted from his body as he threw a punch, unleashing countless fist shadows like a meteor shower.
But this was no rain of fire—it was an icy rain from the frigid cosmos.
A terrifying wave of cold surged forth with the meteor-like fists, freezing everything in its path the moment it was unleashed.
The ground instantly turned to ice, and the swiftly darting lightning serpents were also frozen, becoming patterns trapped within solid ice.
"Diamond Meteor Fist"—this was a combined technique Marco had once attempted to master, and now it had reached perfection.
Finally, he had achieved a result where one plus one equaled two, or even greater than two.
The advanced "Pegasus Meteor Fist," combined with the equally advanced "Diamond Dust Fist," unleashed a terrifying power.
Marco's relentless training and development of this fusion were not in vain.
The effect of this move surpassed even the skills inherent to the [Gold Cloth].
Marco knew that the skills inherent to the Cloth were initially at an "advanced" level.
With familiarity and mastery, they could rise another level.
By fusing two "advanced" skills—both of which were already formidable—the power naturally rivaled, if not exceeded, the skills of the [Gold Cloth], reaching a level capable of transcending ranks.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!!!"
Faced with the icy onslaught, Laxus chose to withstand it head-on.
He wanted to shatter it with a single punch.
Dragon scales emerged on his body as he entered a "dragonized" state, further enhanced by the stimulation of his "Lightning Armor."
Buffs stacked to the fullest.... he truly entered his peak form!
Dazzling flashes of lightning flickered as the "Thunder Dragon," with a ferocious expression, charged forward like a drill.
Raising his fist, he advanced against the icy tide, frost continuously forming on his body only to be shattered by the electric flashes, repeating the same phenomenon over and over.
"Ahhh!!!"
Laxus roared as he forcefully broke through the meteor shower-like icy tide, successfully standing before Marco.
"Thud!"
Marco lifted his leg and delivered a swift side kick directly to Laxus's body.
Having exhausted his strength to break free from the icy tide, Laxus found himself drained, with no energy left to regenerate.
He never expected to be kicked by Marco the moment he emerged and was powerless to resist, taking the blow squarely.
Laxus was sent flying backward, crashing into the thick layer of ice and embedding himself deep within, leaving behind a big-shaped hollow.
Marco's previous punch had directly created a terrifying, towering giant ice layer, freezing nearly the entire wide street.
Fortunately, the punch wasn't aimed at the guild hall, or else this century-old building would have been completely destroyed.
"Sizzle!"
Soon, Laxus, covered in crackling electricity, burst out from the ice layer.
The reason it took him so much effort to break free was that he had been continuously pushed back by the icy surge, which made it far more difficult.
"Whoosh!"
As soon as he emerged, Laxus saw Marco raising his right hand high.
At this moment, Marco was already clad in a [Gold Cloth], the ram horns on the Cloth transforming from large, curved ones into smaller, sharper points.
"Ex...calibur!"
Looking at Laxus, Marco shouted loudly, his raised right hand slashing down fiercely.
As Marco swung his arm, a terrifying slash was unleashed, instantly splitting the dark clouds in the sky and creating an incredibly straight, wide passage between them.
The next second, the massive ice layer covering the entire street was also cleaved apart, as if struck by a colossal sword.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
The ice layer fractured, chunks of ice falling along the cleanly cut gap.
The ice didn't hit the ground but continued falling downward because even the ground had been split open by the earlier strike, creating a massive fissure so deep it was impossible to see the bottom.
"Gulp."
Witnessing this scene, Laxus, who had instinctively used "Lightning Elementalization" to evade the danger, couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Marco, this guy..."
Laxus was shocked inwardly, his eyes fixed on Marco, filled with disbelief.
Over the past few years, Marco's growth rate had reached an almost unimaginable level.
Laxus couldn't help but think of Jose Porla, the guild master of "Phantom Lord."
Back then, it took both him and Marco working together to defeat Jose Porla.
But now, Marco could probably take him down with ease, right?
Now, Laxus naturally also felt confident he could easily defeat Jose Porla, but he knew this was an entirely different matter.
"Now's not the time to space out, Laxus. Scared? Don't worry, I deliberately aimed away from you."
Just as Laxus was stunned by Marco's overwhelming destructive power, Marco had already closed the distance, appearing right in front of him.
"Whoosh!"
Magic surged as Marco, wearing a smile, threw a punch, appearing casual and relaxed, yet the force behind it was undiminished.
Marco gave Laxus no chance to catch his breath.
This time, he intended to subdue Laxus with the most ferocious approach, so he didn't hold back with his words either, deliberately provoking Laxus to fight with all his might.
"Enough talk!"
Provoked by Marco's words, Laxus immediately lost his temper.
He was inherently proud, especially when facing Marco.
His feelings toward Marco were complicated, and Marco's mocking attitude was something he couldn't tolerate at all.
"Boom!!!
"Enraged, Laxus naturally unleashed his full magic and physical power.
He threw a punch, clashing with Marco once again.
Without pause, the two engaged in a relentless, bone-crushing brawl.
Laxus's physical strength was nothing to scoff at.
He had a sizable build and trained year-round.
Though his muscles weren't exaggerated, they were certainly no weaker than those of a pure martial artist.
Marco, of course, was even more formidable. The two brothers were actually similar in build, with Marco appearing more proportionate.
Yet the power contained within his muscles was enough to knock out rookie Mages with a single punch.
Their brawl was naturally filled with the raw beauty of brute force.
Of course, while it was called a "brawl," both were also utilizing magical enhancements—a basic practice for any Mage.
Thud!
After taking a punch to the face from Marco, Laxus spat out a mouthful of blood.
He was clearly at a disadvantage in the fight.
There was no helping it.
In terms of physical strength, magical power, and even combat skill, Marco generally outmatched Laxus.
The biggest gap was in magical power, followed by physical strength, while their combat skills were relatively even.
Marco's magical power was constantly replenished by the myriad constellations in the sky.
Although Laxus also possessed a Dragon Slayer Magic Crystal, it was clearly no match for Marco's source.
Physically, Marco had already begun training in the [Holy Sword Excalibur], his body undergoing a painful yet sharp transformation, naturally making him stronger than Laxus.
Only in combat skill did Laxus, who had never lacked missions or battles, not fall short of Marco. Both had fought their way through countless battles against humans and magical beasts.