Erza's mouth hung open.
Everyone looked at her, waiting for an explanation, but she hadn't figured it out either!
After Laxus threw that punch, she vaguely noticed some ripples forming in front of Marco, but beyond that, she couldn't tell.
It wasn't her fault—Laxus's attack had been so flashy with sparks and lightning effects that it was hard to see anything else.
"Marco is so strong!" Gray exclaimed.
Regardless of what had actually happened, it was enough to declare, "Marco is invincible!"
The same Laxus who had toyed with them like they were nothing was now being humbled by Marco.
"The gap... is this big?" Mirajane murmured, her mind reeling.
She knew Marco was stronger than her, stronger than Erza, but she hadn't imagined it would be by this much.
For a moment, Mirajane even felt as if Marco existed in a different world from theirs.
Despite being the same age, he had already accomplished so many things they couldn't.
His brilliance was dazzling—almost blinding.
Yes, he should have been blindingly radiant, but his personality, his actions, and his way of handling things made his light feel warm, like sunlight, rather than harsh.
"Zzzzt!"
While everyone else was stunned, Laxus showed no signs of discouragement.
He leaped out of the crater at lightning speed, his body reforming from a mass of crackling electricity.
He assumed a throwing stance, conjuring a spear made of pure lightning in his hand.
"Zzzzt!"
With a burst of magical energy, Laxus hurled the lightning spear.
It streaked through the air like a golden flash, reaching Marco in an instant—yet Marco still didn't dodge or evade.
"Whoosh!"
Without any suspense, the golden light collided with the "Crystal Wall" in front of Marco and was mercilessly reflected back, seemingly even faster than before.
Even though Laxus had prepared himself, barely managing to dodge by dissolving into lightning at the last second, it was a close call.
"What was that?!" Laxus demanded, his expression grave.
He felt an absurd frustration—close-range attacks didn't work, long-range attacks didn't work, everything just bounced back.
How was he supposed to fight this?
"I call it the Crystal Wall," Marco replied. "As for its effect... well, you've seen it for yourself."
Marco was quite satisfied with the Crystal Wall's performance.
Against opponents of a similar level, its mechanics and power were downright broken.
Laxus was no weakling, yet his attacks hadn't even made the Crystal Wall waver.
To shake this "Crystal Wall," one must possess greater strength than Marco—at least more magical power than him.
Only by overwhelming it with sheer magic superiority can the defense of the "Crystal Wall" be breached.
Laxus's power is undoubtedly high, but not high enough—at least not to the point of completely overwhelming Marco.
And as Marco grows stronger, as his own power increases, the "Crystal Wall" will become even harder to break, eventually reaching a state that could be called "absolute defense."
"..."
Laxus fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.
This ability was downright absurd!
Still, it was ultimately just a defensive skill.
Though it could reflect attacks, it had almost no offensive capabilities.
This realization eased Laxus's frustration somewhat.
After all, no ability could be perfect—otherwise, it would truly be enough to make one grit their teeth in envy.
"Attack? It's not impossible." Marco chuckled.
The "Crystal Wall" was indeed a purely defensive skill, relying mainly on reflecting enemy attacks.
It wasn't that the "Crystal Wall" couldn't attack—but it depended on catching the enemy off guard.
If the first reflection failed to finish them off, no one would be foolish enough to be killed by their own reflected attack a second time.
Still, just because it couldn't kill didn't mean it couldn't trap an enemy.
If three or four walls were used to encircle a foe, those caught inside would be left helpless, unable to move.
'Hummm!!!'
Marco swung his hand, summoning a "Crystal Wall," but Laxus had already anticipated his intent.
Instantly transforming into lightning, he shifted positions, avoiding being trapped.
"Still not skilled enough, I see."
Watching this, Marco shook his head helplessly.
He wasn't yet capable of swiftly conjuring multiple "Crystal Walls" at once.
Moreover, the more walls he created, the weaker each one's defense became, as each required a portion of his magical energy.
This was an unavoidable limitation—even the Golden Saint of Aries would see the "Crystal Wall" weaken when his Cosmos was drained or exhausted.
If even the "Crystal Wall" was this taxing, there was no point even thinking about using the "Crystal Net"—a technique that could weave an entire web in an instant.
That was an advanced derivative of the "Crystal Wall," capable of ensnaring opponents like a spider's web, immobilizing them completely.
The "Crystal Net" was far more sophisticated and difficult to master.
Unlike simply enclosing an enemy with walls, it truly enveloped them like a net.
"Still need more practice." Marco abandoned the idea of trapping Laxus with a smile.
No matter what, Laxus was an exceptionally agile opponent—with his current mastery of the "Crystal Wall," there was no point overcomplicating things.
"Zzzzt!"
After dodging Marco's "Crystal Wall," Laxus attempted to circle around.
If he couldn't break through, he could bypass it—with his speed, it wasn't impossible.
Laxus took a wide detour, wary of crashing into another unseen "Crystal Wall."
That would be both humiliating and likely send him flying back from the rebound.
But in reality, Marco had only shielded the area directly in front of himself.
The larger the Crystal Wall expanded, the greater the drain on his magic.
Since he only needed to protect himself, there was no need to extend the wall so extensively.
Laxus circled around and charged at Marco once more.
This time, Marco didn't use the Crystal Wall again—he had already completed his testing of it.
If Laxus wasn't convinced and wanted a direct clash, then he'd give him exactly that!
"BOOM!!!"
Facing Laxus, who was surging forward wreathed in crackling golden lightning, Marco didn't hesitate to throw a powerful punch of his own.
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