"Raaaaah!!!"

Laxus roared with a ferocious expression, his body crackling with lightning as he charged forward desperately.

Meanwhile, Jose Porla watched with cold indifference, as if observing a struggling ant that could be crushed with a mere flick of his fingers.

Did they really think his title as one of the "Ten Wizard Saints" was handed out for free?

That anyone could just step all over him?

The only difference between him and Makarov was the accumulation of time.

He wasn't some random weakling that anyone could challenge!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Laxus, who had surged into the sky, was immediately pummeled by a barrage of magical bullets.

Countless attacks struck his lightning armor, forcing him to rely solely on his immense magical power to endure.

His momentum—the kind that seemed capable of piercing through darkness and illuminating the world—was ruthlessly suppressed by Jose Porla.

At this stage, Laxus, who had only recently begun to reveal his potential, was still significantly outmatched in raw power by Jose Porla, a prime-aged mid-generation "Ten Wizard Saint."

Even though Jose Porla was currently hindered by his injuries and unable to fight at full strength, he could still overpower Laxus.

A gap of ten to twenty years wasn't something that could be bridged so easily—it would take at least a few more years of growth.

"I'll help you!"

A powerful melody suddenly resounded through the heavens as Marco shouted, his fingers plucking the strings of his lyre.

Countless magical strings stretched out, weaving into a net aimed at Jose Porla in the sky.

Marco was already clad in the Silver Cloth of Lyra, the constellation's bright stars shimmering behind him.

The star maps of Equuleus, Orion, and Pegasus continuously radiated starlight, infusing his lyre with power.

"Stringer Requiem!"

Marco unleashed the ultimate technique of the Lyra Silver Cloth.

In the darkness-shrouded sky, the stars blazed brilliantly, piercing through the gloom.

Their radiance bathed Marco as starlight stretched into strings, forming a vast net that surged toward Jose Porla.

The net brushed past Laxus, rising steadily despite the bombardment of dark magical bullets, and enveloped Jose Porla.

This diverted the enemy's firepower, giving Laxus some much-needed breathing room.

The starlit strings were razor-sharp, tearing through the sky as if they could rend the heavens apart.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Jose Porla took Marco's attack extremely seriously.

He immediately redirected the majority of his dark bullets toward the incoming net.

Even if it meant allowing the furious Laxus to close in, he absolutely would not let Marco's assault take effect.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Now, facing Marco's bizarre attacks, Jose Porla adopted a strategy of overwhelming suppression, intercepting them from a distance at all costs—even if it meant expending extra magical energy.

This left Marco twitching at the corners of his mouth in frustration.

Under the relentless barrage of dark bullets, explosions filled the sky like magical fireworks.

Marco's starlit net was ultimately shattered into fragments, allowing Jose Porla to exhale in relief.

"Scarlet Needle!"

Seeing the ultimate move from his lyre blocked by Jose Porla, Marco swiftly changed tactics.

He began continuously firing "Scarlet Needles" at Jose, playing a supporting role to divert his attention while Laxus took the offensive.

The two alternated their attacks, giving each other breathing room.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Marco's Scarlet Needles shot forth relentlessly, clusters of magical needles radiating a dangerous crimson glow.

This naturally set off alarm bells in Jose's mind—he was well aware of the danger this technique posed, especially since Gajeel, the "Iron Dragon," had fallen victim to it before.

Thus, Jose had no choice but to devote significant mental energy to countering the Scarlet Needles, either dodging them or using bursts of magic bullets to scatter them outright.

Marco barely had to move from his spot to leave Jose scrambling.

There was no helping it—the Scarlet Needles were not only unnerving in effect, but Jose also didn't dare to gamble.

What if, among all those chaotic attacks, a hidden rose suddenly appeared?

It could be said that Marco's strategy was working to some extent.

He called it the "Rose Deterrence"—as long as the trick remained undiscovered, it would continue to have an effect, no matter how small.

With Jose's attention heavily divided by Marco, Laxus naturally didn't sit idle.

He had already recognized the gap between himself and a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, but he wasn't discouraged.

After all, his journey as a mage had only just begun, and as a young man, he remained brimming with confidence for the future.

"Roar of the Thunder Dragon!!!"

Laxus puffed up his cheeks and unleashed a torrent of "dragon's breath," spewing forth waves of lightning like a beam of light.

Like a laser turret, he relentlessly obliterated the descending magic bullets while directing his attacks toward Jose, who was already being harried by Marco's assault.

For a moment, Jose actually appeared quite flustered—a sight that left the onlookers utterly stunned.

If Marco's previous victory over Jose had, over time and due to the vigorous denials from Jose and Phantom Lord, gradually revealed the truth—that Marco hadn't truly defeated Jose Porla in a one-on-one battle but had instead wounded him with Makarov's assistance—then while still impressive, it was at least somewhat less shocking.

But this scene before them? Marco and Laxus, two young mages working in tandem to hold their own against a seemingly full-powered Jose Porla, even forcing him into such a disheveled state?

That was beyond most people's expectations—especially since Makarov wasn't involved this time!

Moreover, this battle was unfolding in full public view.

Countless witnesses had seen it, even if they'd wisely retreated to a safe distance by now.

With such a massive spectacle unfolding, it was impossible to miss.

Public opinion was turning increasingly unfavorable for Jose Porla—the longer this dragged on, the worse it would get.

After all, the disparity in status and reputation was undeniable.

How could a member of the Ten Wizard Saints struggle so much against two young mages?

How could anyone respect his strength under these circumstances?

In fact, this might even undo all the effort Jose and Phantom Lord had put into dispelling the earlier rumors.

Their hard work could very well go up in smoke

.This time, Marco didn't have Makarov backing him up but was instead paired with the equally young Laxus.

Yet, they still managed to make Jose Porla look utterly pathetic.

How could anyone believe their earlier claims now?

Doesn't this just prove that the outcome would've been similar no matter who was swapped in?

Replacing Makarov with Laxus led to this result—what if next time it was some random passerby?

Wouldn't the outcome likely be the same?

And how much time has even passed?

It's not like Marco's strength could've skyrocketed in such a short period.

Even rapid growth has its limits!

Jose Porla was gradually breaking into a cold sweat as he realized something: both Marco and Laxus possessed absurdly exaggerated magical power.

Despite the high-intensity battle, these two kids still had an overwhelming amount of magic—something completely unheard of for their age!

If this kept up, it was hard to say whose magic would run out first.

And once his was depleted, he'd stand no chance in hand-to-hand combat.

"Thunder Dragon's Crushing Fist!"

Laxus, already shirtless from the fight, charged forward again, his body crackling with electricity.

The lightning stimulation made him seem even larger as he lunged.

"BOOM!"

Jose Porla erupted with mana, repelling Laxus, then swiftly dodged a Scarlet Needle shot by Marco.

"Diamond Dust Fist!"

Aiming at Jose's new position, Marco threw a punch, unleashing a freezing gale that seemed capable of freezing over the entire world.

Jose burst with mana again to block the icy wind, only for Laxus to blast him with another breath attack.

"BOOM!"

Under the relentless assault from Marco and Laxus, Jose grew increasingly frustrated.

To make matters worse, the lingering poisons in his body flared up during the intense battle, forcing him to occasionally divert focus to suppress them.

"If it weren't for this damn poison—"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

How had he been foolish enough to fall for Marco's trick last time?!

Marco, for his part, felt somewhat wronged—he hadn't expected Jose to take such a deep inhale of the "Royal Demon Rose."

His original plan was just to assist Makarov, but he'd ended up stealing the kill instead.

"Hummm!!!"

Magic surged as countless dark claws lashed out toward Marco and Laxus, accompanied by a barrage of dark magic bullets from all directions.

Jose's fighting style was chaotic, saturating the battlefield with attacks—his strategy was sheer overwhelming firepower.

Neither Marco nor Laxus escaped unscathed.

Marco, fighting at mid-range, fared better thanks to his Cloth's protection.

Laxus, however, had already lost his shirt to the relentless assault.

If not for Marco's intervention, he'd have been down for the count long ago.

But as the battle raged on, Marco and Laxus grew more synchronized, their timing become sharper.

Their coordination allowed them to evade more attacks while Jose was increasingly cornered.

United, the two brothers steadily seized control of the battle.

The most critical reason was actually that Jose Porla was gradually weakening.

The effects of his internal injuries were becoming more frequent, even occasionally interfering with his ability to cast spells.

If not for his rapid recovery, he would likely have already been hit by Marco's "Scarlet Needle."

But if things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before he was struck.

He was almost at his limit.