Just as Aria went completely berserk as he unleash his ultimate technique to harvest lives in Magnolia, a thunderous roar echoed from the sky above.

Then, an enormous palm descended from the skies, carrying terrifying magical power—as if that single palm could split the earth apart.

The oppressive aura radiating from that palm made Aria who had just erupted with his own magic power, look like a clown trying to act important.

Staring at the descending palm, Aria was dumbfounded.

The magical pressure coming from it was so intense that he could barely stand.

"Crack!"

Aria's legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees.

"Wait a minute!"

However, just as Aria was about to be flattened by the palm, someone was even more anxious than him—Marco, who had already begun gathering his magic power.

Marco was frantic.

They were in the middle of a good fight—why was someone trying to steal his kill?!

He had a mission to complete! He couldn't afford to miss even one!

In Marco's hand, an unstable, blazing sphere of magic—shining like a supernova—was rapidly condensing.

At this point, he could no longer afford to keep charging it.

Like a Rasengan, he rushed towards Aria with the unstable 'giant ball' in hand.

This kill was his for the taking!

'Hum!'

The descending palm halted mid-air.

Makarov restrained his strength, narrowly avoiding slamming Marco along with Aria.

"Supernova Explosion!"

"BOOM!!!"

A deafening explosion erupted as Marco unleashed his signature move, 'Supernova Explosion' producing an overwhelmingly terrifying effect.

Had Makarov not expanded his palm to completely contain the blast, the shockwaves alone would have caused significant damage to the surrounding buildings.

This technique was all about explosive magical power.

"Marco! Why aren't you watching where you're attacking?! The guild hall is right next to you! Are you trying to demolish your own home?!"

Makarov angrily scolded Marco, who had leaped aside.

If not for his quick reflexes in shielding the explosion, the guild hall might have been reduced to rubble by Marco's recklessness!

"I held back," Marco retorted.

His Supernova Explosion hadn't been at full power.

Afraid that Makarov would steal his kill, he had been forced to prematurely release the attack, leaving his body aching from the backlash.

Makarov retracted his arm, his palm shrinking rapidly.

He rubbed his hand—being that close to the explosion had stung quite a bit.

Then again, pressing down on it barehanded was a reckless move only someone like him could pull off.

At the center of the explosion, Aria lay motionless on the ground, clearly unconscious.

The power of Supernova Explosion was undeniable—its only flaw was its difficulty to land accurately.

High-powered attacks often suffered from this drawback, though sheer destructive force could compensate for precision, as anyone within range would suffer.

And because Aria had been completely immobilized by Makarov's palm, unable to rise from his knees, Marco's hastily launched Supernova Explosion struck with pinpoint accuracy—right into Aria's chest, detonating point-blank in his face.

Taking that attack head-on, no matter how strong Aria was or how vast his magical power is, he was instantly blasted to the brink of death, now barely clinging to life.

However, no one paid attention to Aria's miserable state.

Marco and Makarov were arguing.

The topic of their debate was whose attack would have caused more damage to the guild hall.

Marco insisted that the furious slap from Makarov would undoubtedly have caused far greater destruction than his own attack.

And once that slap landed, no one could have stopped the devastation—which was why he had to be the one to deal with Aria.

The results spoke for themselves.

Not only was he blameless, but he had actually contributed!

"So you're saying you saved the guild hall?" Makarov stared at Marco with utter disbelief.

What a guy—shifting the blame onto him while claiming all the credit for himself?

"No need to thank me."

Marco waved his hand dismissively, putting on an air of humility, which only made Makarov chuckle before stretching out his arm to give him a sharp knock on the head.

"..."

After the battle, the first to arrive was Totomaru, who approached Aria's side.

Seeing him on the verge of death, Totomaru was momentarily speechless.

Though the Element Three couldn't be called overwhelmingly powerful, they were still rising-star Mages who had made a name for themselves in recent years.

Given time, they could have become renowned across the Kingdom of Fiore and the continent of Ishgar—they were far from weak.

Yet they had been utterly defeated by Marco, a newcomer barely in his teens, whose talent left them in the dust.

"You, the fire guy—Totomaru, right? Join Fairy Tail. If Jose dares to come after you, I'll knock his teeth out." Makarov rolled his eyes, too tired to argue with Marco any further.

His gaze shifted to Totomaru and the unconscious Gajeel he was carrying.

The old man valued talent and a kind heart.

He thought highly of Totomaru and believed Gajeel could still be redeemed—so he decided to recruit them outright.

"I'm sorry Master Makarov, but I can't do that."

Yet, even when personally invited by Makarov, Totomaru shook his head in refusal.

His principles wouldn't allow it.

"Then what will you do next? Honestly, your master doesn't strike me as the forgiving type. Aren't you afraid he'll come after you?" Marco asked curiously.

His impression of Jose Porla was terrible, so he assumed the man was capable of anything.

"If you try joining another Mage guild later, you'll just be seen as trouble. Who would risk offending Phantom Lord—or a Wizard Saint—for your sake?"

Makarov continued persuading him, blunt but realistic.

The moment Jose Porla showed even a hint of hostility toward Totomaru, his future career would be in jeopardy.

But Fairy Tail wasn't afraid of that.

"No. I won't be joining any other Mage guilds."

Totomaru shook his head again, looking disheartened.

For a Mage to refuse to join a guild was practically the same as retiring altogether.

Totomaru's words left both Marco and Makarov stunned.

However, seeing how insistent he was, neither of them tried to persuade him further—that would have been impolite, almost like forcing him.

"So what do you plan to do in the future?" Marco asked curiously.

If a Mage didn't join a guild, would he just work solo, wandering the world hoping for luck?

"I might become a magic instructor. I think I have a lot of insights when it comes to fire magic—enough to be a good teacher. I've also saved up quite a bit over the years, so I can set up a shop as a classroom," Totomaru explained.

He seems confident as his words were well thought out, as if he had planned this for a while.

"How about opening it in Magnolia? It's a city with a strong magical culture—you'd have a steady stream of students. I could even introduce you to a few potential students right away," Marco said with a smile, once again extending an invitation.

The 'Students' he referred to were none other than Macao and Natsu.

If Totomaru opened a magic school in Magnolia, those two could definitely benefit from his teaching.

"That... might not be a bad idea," Totomaru finally conceded this time.

Marco made a good point—Magnolia was indeed an ideal place to set up a school, with its thriving magical community ensuring plenty of customers.

Even if he wasn't taking on requests or missions, he still needed to make a living.

So Totomaru couldn't exactly open his school in some remote backwater area—he was starting a business, not going into complete seclusion.

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