Inside the tent, Marco summoned the Bronze Saint Cloth.

A verdant Saint Cloth appeared, its form resembling a dragon extending its claws.

With a thought, Marco donned the Saint Cloth.

Its coverage met the standard for Bronze Saint Cloths, but the most distinctive features were undoubtedly the dragon shield and the dragon fists encasing his hands—a hallmark of the Draco Bronze Saint Cloth.

The armor on his body, in comparison, seemed far less significant.

"Hiss—"

As he wore the Saint Cloth, Marco felt his body tremble slightly, as if some hidden force was stirring under its influence.

"What is this?"

Marco couldn't help but feel startled.

This was something he hadn't anticipated at all.

Though he knew this "Draco Bronze Saint Cloth" was special, he hadn't expected it to cause such an immediate reaction in his body—almost as if it was resonating with his bloodline.

After the initial shock, Marco closed his eyes and focused intently on this connection.

He allowed the "Draco Bronze Saint Cloth" to guide him, letting it draw out that dormant power.

"Hum!!!"

Mana surged wildly from Marco's body, and high above, the constellation of Draco suddenly blazed to life—unlocked directly without delay!

The constellation resembled a great dragon coiling across the heavens, spanning a vast expanse of the night sky.

It was the eighth-largest constellation, its proud dragon head formed by four stars in a quadrilateral.

The two brightest stars among them gleamed like a pair of dragon eyes, gazing toward the celestial north pole.

Its serpentine body encircled the northern sky, almost entirely enveloped within the Purple Forbidden Enclosure.

The stars of Thuban and Rastaban ignited, pulling the other stars along with them.

The entire Draco constellation radiated dazzling light, showering the earth with starlight.

The starlight fell upon Marco, resonating with the "Draco Bronze Saint Cloth" and stirring the power buried deep within his bloodline.

"Hum!!!"

With an explosion of magic, a dragon's roar echoed across the sky, reverberating through the world as if heralding the awakening of a true dragon.

Marco's eyes snapped open, mana blazing within them—especially his right eye, which shone with an intensity rivaling the North Star.

The star Rastaban of Draco had once been the North Star and, in the distant future, would reclaim that title once more.

"Dragon bloodline?"

As the violent surge of mana gradually subsided and the anomalies faded, Marco raised his hands, his expression still filled with awe.

Just moments ago, under the guidance of the "Draco Bronze Saint Cloth" and the Draco constellation, the "dragon bloodline" within him had been awakened!

"Descendant of the Dragon... that's no joke."

Marco stored the "Draco Bronze Saint Cloth" away.

Once the "dragon bloodline" was activated, he didn't need to wear the Saint Cloth continuously for it to remain effective.

This wasn't an ability unlocked by the Draco constellation through the Saint Cloth—it was a unique trait of the "Descendant of the Dragon."

The innate skill of the "Draco Bronze Saint Cloth" was the "Rozan Shoryuha."

"Hum!!!"

Marco extended his hand.

With a mere thought, his bloodline surged and an overwhelmingly dangerous aura emanated from his body.

A layer of azure scales spread across his arm!

"Azure Dragon..." Marco stared at the blue dragon scales on his hand, his eyes filled with awe.

This was just the initial application—if his bloodline fully awakened, he could even transform his entire body into a true Azure Dragon.

Thinking this, Marco suddenly grew curious: would Natsu and the others' 'Dragon Slayer Magic' have any special effect on him?

"Probably not. They fight Western lizards—how could they compare to an Eastern true dragon like me? They're not even the same system."

Marco shook his head and dispersed the "Azure Dragon Power" around him.

His dragonized arm immediately returned to normal.

"This ability is still a bit unrefined. For now, I can only cover small parts of my body with scales, and they're always visible. Once I master it, I might even be able to conceal the scales entirely."

Though Marco didn't think this effect was particularly necessary—after all, dragon scales looked pretty cool—being able to hide them might prove unexpectedly useful in certain situations.

With visible scales, he'd obviously look formidable, making it hard to feign weakness or launch a surprise attack. Concealing them could lower his opponents' guard.

That Shiryu always powers up after his clothes get torn—probably because he's got a body full of dragon scales underneath.

Maybe he's actually tougher without his Saint Cloth than with it.

Marco mentally chuckled at the thought before shifting his attention to the reward for his second mission.

The first mission's "Random Bronze Saint Cloth" had already hit the jackpot.

As long as the second mission's "Random Silver Saint Skill" was decent, Marco would be satisfied.

He wasn't greedy—this mission was already a massive windfall, so the second reward was just a bonus.

[Congratulations! Skill "Death Trip Serenade" unlocked!]

Marco's eyes lit up at the second reward.

This skill belonged to the Silver Saint of the Lyra constellation, one he had long coveted.

He'd even wondered if it might be an innate ability of the Lyra Saint Cloth.

Death Trip Serenade—when mastered to its peak, this technique could lull all things in the universe to sleep.

When its melody played, even gods would succumb to slumber, and it could freeze time across the entire cosmos.

It was also a technique capable of banishing souls, exiling a target's spirit to drift in another dimension for ten days.

Upon awakening, the banished target would have no memory of those ten days, completely unaware of anything that had transpired.

"What kind of day is this?"

Marco couldn't help but exclaim, amazed by his incredible luck.

While any Saint Cloth or skill would generally be useful once unlocked, there was still a difference in practicality and power.

And today's two unlocks were undoubtedly both highly practical and immensely powerful!

Marco itched to test the effects of Death Trip Serenade immediately.

But before he could even take out his harp, someone burst into his tent in a panic.

"Marco! What's going on?! What happened?!"

Makarov rushed in first, his voice urgent with concern.

Upon seeing Marco standing there unharmed, Makarov visibly relaxed.

"Huh? Nothing's wrong, Gramps. I just made another breakthrough with my abilities." Marco was stunned for a moment before realizing what had happened.

The commotion must have been caused by the awakening of the "Dragon's Bloodline" within him, which had alerted everyone in Fairy Tail.

He quickly explained to reassure Makarov.

"Another breakthrough?!"

Laxus, who had followed closely behind Makarov, gaped in disbelief as he stared at Marco, as if unwilling to believe his own ears.

He looked utterly dumbfounded.

It couldn't be helped—the last time Marco had mentioned a "breakthrough," he had surpassed Laxus in an instant.

And now, after such a short time, this guy had caused another huge disturbance?!

And what was that incredibly majestic voice just now?

Why did it make his Dragon Slayer Lacrima tremble?!

----------

Rozan Shō Ryū Ha (廬山昇龍覇, lit. Lushan Rising Dragon Lord): Shiryu intensifies his cosmos and gives an upward blow be it punch or kick. The upward release of energy is comparable to the image of a majestic dragon rising towards the sky.