"Leo! Teach this drunkard a harsh lesson!" Karen gritted her teeth and barked the order.

Her unrestrained behavior naturally drew the attention of those around them.

The guild masters present were all at least S-Class Mages in terms of strength.

Though there were gaps even among S-Class, none of them here were weak.

Karen summoning Leo in such a manner naturally startled everyone.

Dozens of eyes turned their way, putting even Leo under some pressure.

Though Celestial Spirits couldn't truly die—being merely sent back to the Spirit World to recover if defeated—Leo had no desire to suffer a pointless beating.

"Karen, what exactly is going on here?" Unlike most Celestial Spirits, Leo was rather assertive.

He clearly had no intention of blindly obeying Karen's commands.

"Obey my orders, Leo!" His defiance infuriated Karen.

To her, Celestial Spirits were mere tools—they should follow orders without question.

Why ask? Spirits shouldn't have wills of their own!

"..."

Leo frowned at her attitude.

His dissatisfaction with Karen was steadily growing and one day, it would erupt.

He was never one to endure oppression quietly—the lion symbolized courage and dominance, after all!

Watching the scene unfold, Marco couldn't help but find it amusing.

Here was Karen, summoning a Celestial Spirit only for it to refuse her commands.

To have such a dysfunctional relationship with a contracted spirit was truly something else—this Karen live up to her name!

"How about you two sort out your internal issues first?" Marco helpfully suggested, watching the bickering pair.

Bacchus, standing nearby, burst into laughter.

He was starting to find Marco quite entertaining—how could two Celestial Spirit Mages be so different?

"You bastard! Quit making snide remarks!" Karen glared at Marco, her anger flaring.

His constant commentary from the sidelines was infuriating, and his dismissive attitude only stoked her fury.

Clink!

Seeing Leo's refusal to obey, Karen drew her weapon—a long, slender silver chain.

Though a Celestial Spirit Mage, she wasn't entirely defenseless, at least possessing some means of self-protection.

Crack!

Anger surged, and Karen, already flushed with rage from multiple reasons, completely lost her temper.

She swung her iron chain directly at Marco.

"Clang!"

Marco's hands immediately manifested Orion gauntlets, effortlessly catching Karen's chain and firmly gripping it.

Glancing at the chain and then at Karen's furious expression, Marco's face twisted oddly—he genuinely couldn't hold back his amusement.

'Seriously, sis, which one of us is the Saint here?'

'Green hair, red outfit, and an iron chain—do you also go by the name Shun? Nebula Chain, right?!'

The moment Karen pulled out that chain, Marco felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

'So you're the Andromeda Saint, huh?'

But jokes aside, Marco's expression darkened.

This Karen was truly outrageous.

With her temper, one might mistake her for a princess from the Fiore Kingdom.

Her arrogant attitude was one thing—she'd arrived with an air of aloofness—but what was truly absurd was her immediate demand to buy someone else's Zodiac Celestial Spirit keys.

That was no different from snatching their livelihood outright.

This wasn't just about manners anymore.

As Bacchus had blurted out, was there something wrong with her head?

"Clang!"

With a slight tug from Marco, Karen stumbled forward, her face flushing red as she strained with all her might—yet Marco remained immovable like a boulder.

Not only could she not budge him, but she was also being slowly pulled towards Marco as he twisted his wrist, steadily reeling in the chain.

"Enough!"

"Clang!"

Leo's stern voice cut through as he reached out and grabbed the chain, halting Karen's humiliating slide towards Marco.

Leo couldn't bear to watch Karen's pitiful state any longer.

Displeased as he was, and despite their underlying friction, he couldn't stand idly by while she was humiliated.

"Let's end this here." Leo, the Lion Zodiac, looked at Marco.

He had no intention of fighting, knowing Karen was in the wrong.

He wouldn't enable her wrongdoing.

So he spoke up, hoping Marco would stop now.

Karen had already lost enough face—she deserved at least some dignity.

"End this here?" Marco stared at Leo in disbelief.

Was this Celestial Spirit seriously suggesting he should just drop it after being randomly lashed at?

And acting like it was for his own good?

"No way!" Before Marco could say another word, Karen vehemently objected, her face flushed with agitation.

"..."

Leo's expression grew profoundly complicated as he watched Karen.

He couldn't understand why, as she grew older, her personality had become so extreme.

He barely recognized her anymore.

"Perfect. I was just thinking of seeing your Celestial Spirit Magic for myself." Marco grinned, flashing his teeth.

His Orion Cloth had fully manifested, the twin ribbons behind him fluttering under his magic power.

Karen—this woman was stubborn to a fault.

A stubbornness that couldn't read the room.

That kind of attitude might just get her killed one day.

Of course, Marco wouldn't hurt her too badly.

Even if just for Master Bob's sake, Marco wouldn't beat Karen too severely.

"Who do you think will win? Care to place a bet?"

.....

Meanwhile, the guild masters gathered to watch the scene, none stepping in to stop it.

Goldmine even opened a betting pool, inviting the other masters to wager on the outcome.

Bacchus, who had been clamoring to fight Karen earlier, was now standing aside enjoying the show.

Goldmine had no concerns as he turned to Bob and Makarov.

"I'm betting on Marco, of course! He'll surprise you all!" Makarov didn't hesitate, immediately putting down 5,000J on Marco's victory.

He had absolute confidence in Marco's strength.

"Don't underestimate Karen. Though she's not particularly skilled in combat, Leo has fought countless battles. As the leader of the Zodiacs, his power shouldn't be underestimated." Naturally, Bob supported his own Mage.

Other guild masters joined in the fun, and surprisingly, more bets were placed on Karen's victory.

It couldn't be helped—among Karen, Marco, and Leo the Lion, Leo was considered the strongest by most.

"You'll regret this." Makarov chuckled at the results, not at all displeased because he was certain to win this bet.

Leo sighed, knowing he had no choice but to fight.

No matter what, he couldn't stand by and watch Karen get hurt.

"Hum!" Marco didn't hold back.

Leo's magic power was strong, far beyond what someone of Karen's level could sustain in a spirit, so Marco had to bring out some real skill.

Marco took his stance, his hands moving gracefully as the constellation of Orion flickered into existence behind him.

He seemed to stand in the vast expanse of the universe.

Starlight sprinkled down, piercing through the ceiling to drape Marco in a shimmering veil of celestial radiance.

Pure magic power surged, the awe-inspiring sight leaving the guild masters who had just placed their bets exchanging bewildered glances.

'What kind of magic is this kid using?' Questions arose, as none had seen this magic before.

"Channeling the star chart... drawing upon Orion's star magic power..."

But the most astonished was Leo who was standing opposite Marco.

Gazing at the boy bathed in starlight, Leo couldn't help but feel a deep confusion for a moment.

'Between him and this boy, who is the celestial spirit?'

Compared to Marco, the spirit of Lion was nothing.

The stars of the heavens had never shone for the Lion spirit.

"Phantom Flame Surge!" Marco invoked the stars of Orion, harnessing their celestial power.

The Orion Cloth resonated and connected with the constellation above, directly activating Orion's first technique: Phantom Flame Surge.

Yes, this was the first.

There were two more—"Megaton Meteor Crash" and "Orion Extinction"—each stronger than the last.

Though "Phantom Flame Surge" was the weakest of the three, it was by no means weak.

Marco thrust his palms forward, Magic power erupting wildly from his hands as violet-blue flames surged forth like ravenous hounds, tearing at everything in their path.

"Regulus Impact!" The shocked expression on Leo's face had no time to linger as he channeled his Magic power, unleashing his ultimate move.

Flames erupted once more—a roaring lion's head with a blazing tail surged forth, howling as it clashed with the violet-blue hounds.

Golden flames collided with violet-blue fire as the hounds and the lion tore into each other.

Both combatants poured their magic power into the struggle, but the outcome seemed inevitable.

Leo's expression gradually darkened.

"Leo, the Lion of the Zodiac—what a disappointment." Marco smirked.

Was this the strongest of the Celestial Spirit Zodiac?

What kind of Celestial Spirit Magic was this?

How dare he even compare himself to me?

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