"Do you know what you're doing, Totomaru?"

Aria stopped his fake tears, clearly baffled by Totomaru's actions.

"I'm just stating the facts. I already went all out with my magic and still couldn't stop him. There's no point in fighting him further."

Totomaru shrugged, as if it were the most natural conclusion.

Having made his decision, he seemed much more at ease.

"You should at least try! Retreating before even fighting—is this your so-called bushido?!"

Aria's tone finally lost its usual calm, turning dangerous.

His anger was no longer concealed, revealing that his usual meek demeanor had been nothing but an act.

"Aria, you have no right to judge my principles!"

Totomaru gritted his teeth, his expression darkening.

He felt insulted.

Aria might have powerful magic, but he always pretended to be weak and cowardly, bursting into tears to catch enemies off guard—a despicable tactic in Totomaru's eyes.

And now this hypocrite dared to criticize his bushido!

Sol was no better, acting like a gentleman while hiding a rotten personallity.

Both of them were cut from the same cloth, and Totomaru was sick of being grouped with them as one of the 'Element Three'.

"Infighting ? Please don't start killing each other!"

Seeing Totomaru and Aria arguing, Marco stepped closer, watching the spectacle with amusement while pretending to mediate.

This situation didn't surprise Marco.

After all, Jose Porla, once a highly respected figure, had been humiliated by a kid, turning both himself and the Phantom Lord guild into laughingstocks.

Naturally, morale within the guild had plummeted.

To put it bluntly—the guild's unity had shattered and their leadership was crumbling.

Under normal circumstances, this kind of dispute would never have happened.

"Aria, I've had enough. I'll submit my resignation when we get back."

Totomaru wasn't about to actually fight Aria, but his resolve was firm—he was done with Phantom Lord.

Phantom Lord had never been a guild known for camaraderie.

Did Totomaru have any deep attachment to the guild? Not really.

To him, it was just a workplace—he took jobs, earned money, contributed to the guild's profits and owed them nothing.

Now, he couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore.

He was quitting, and no one could stop him—not even Master Jose.

Mages had the freedom to come and go as they pleased.

"TOTOMARU!"

Aria finally snapped, shouting in disbelief.

They'd come out for a mission, only to lose one of the Element Three?

"Save your breath, Aria. My mind's is already made up." Totomaru cut him off, his decision final.

"Marco-san, please spare these two—at least spare Gajeel. The kid might need some discipline, but isn't this a bit too much?"

After Aria fell silent, Totomaru turned his gaze to Marco, his eyes now filled with respect.

Marco's display of power had earned his admiration, but before officially withdrawing, he still wanted to help his former comrades—at least assist Gajeel, who was already foaming at the mouth!

"Fine, I'll give you this courtesy."

Marco nodded and beneath his sharp crimson nails, a Scarlet Needle formed.

In an instant, it struck the foaming Gajeel on the ground.

The pale-faced Gajeel shuddered, his complexion immediately regaining some color.

Marco had neutralized the effects of the three Scarlet Needles, stopped the bleeding, and stimulated his body, rapidly restoring Gajeel's vitality.

"Truly a miraculous ability."

Totomaru couldn't help but marvel, feeling a hint of gratitude.

Marco had actually listened to him and spared Gajeel.

"As for that guy, let him freeze a while longer." Marco glanced at Sol and decided not to let him off so easily.

Totomaru didn't press further.

Sparing Gajeel was already a significant concession; asking for more would be pushing his luck.

"Your decision to leave Phantom Lord is the right one. That's not a good place, unfit for someone like you."

Looking at Totomaru, Marco spoke bluntly.

Among the Element Three he harbored little hostility towards Totomaru.

Totomaru was, in fact, the most reasonable among Phantom Lord's members, with a relatively high moral standard and conduct.

"Let's not dwell on it. Things weren't always this unpleasant." Totomaru waved his hand.

He didn't share Marco's disdain for Phantom Lord.

Given that Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were sworn enemies, Marco naturally saw the latter in a negative light, but Totomaru wouldn't echo those sentiments.

"Totomaru! You traitor! Are you betraying Phantom Lord?! Planning to join Fairy Tail?!"

The casual conversation between Marco and Totomaru enraged Aria.

Were they ignoring him completely?!

He might have covered his eyes, but his ears worked just fine!

"I never said I'd join Fairy Tail." Totomaru retorted.

The thought hadn't crossed his mind.

After all, Fairy Tail was Phantom Lord's sworn enemy.

He wouldn't leave one and immediately join the other.

"Totomaru! Do you really think the master will let you off after this?! Prepare to be killed!"

Aria tore off the white cloth covering his eyes, his magic power erupting with an intimidating aura that drew attention around him.

That white cloth usually suppressed his magic.

His pupils, were unusual—a testament to his talent.

As the leader of the Element Three, he wielded overwhelming power, which was why he commanded them.

"Huh? This is all you've got? And you call yourself strong? Laxus would laugh himself silly if he saw this."

Watching Aria's magical outburst and fierce expression, Marco scratched his head.

Did this level of power really need suppressing?

Speaking of which, that guy Laxus isn't here.

If he were, he would've already taken care of these guys.

The current Laxus has already reached the strength of an S-Class Mage.

"What did you say?!"

Marco's words instantly made Aria see red.

At this point, he no longer cared about the arena or anything else—Aria directly lashed out at Marco, slamming his palm forward with immense force.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Countless air bullets shot forward at terrifying speed.

Marco swiftly retreated, narrowly dodging the sudden attack.

He didn't expect Aria to be so easily provoked—just one sentence from him had sent him into a rage.

Of course, it might have been the result of accumulated frustration from earlier.

"Hummm!"

Mana surged as Aria's figure vanished, only to reappear right in front of Marco in an instant. He struck out with another vicious palm strike.

Although Marco had just mocked Aria for making a big deal out of nothing—claiming his magic wasn't even that great, yet he still deliberately sealed it—that was only in comparison to truly exceptional mages.

Compared to most Mages, Aria's magic was indeed monstrous.

But when it came to those more gifted than Aria, Marco had seen plenty—Laxus was one, Erza was another, Mira could barely count and then, of course, there was Marco himself.

'Hummm!'

Magic power swirled, star patterns flickering as Marco's body greedily absorbed the celestial energy.

Thick starlight seemed to cascade from the skies.

"BOOM!"

Marco threw a punch, clashing head-on with Aria.

The explosive force of their magic sent everyone nearby flying.

Totomaru held onto Gajeel with one hand while shielding Sol's ice sculpture with the other, scrambling away in a panic.

In truth, they were the only ones close by—the other Fairy Tail members had already evacuated the civilians, thanks to the massive scene Sol had caused earlier.

Aria's figure was sent flying backward, his face filled with shock.

Clearly, he didn't anticipated this outcome.

"You weren't even using your full strength earlier?!"

Aria steadied himself, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He had assumed Marco had already gone all out when using 'Diamond Dust Fist'!

"What kind of monster are you?!" Aria lost his composure again.

At Marco's age, his own strength had been far inferior.

In comparison, he really couldn't be considered telented—Marco hadn't been wrong earlier.

"Monster? Fairy Tail has plenty of monsters like me. So, here's a thought—maybe you're just ordinary? Can't even handle this level of magic." Marco grinned, his words cutting deep.

Aria's face instantly turned as red as a boiled lobster.

"Don't get too arrogant! I've lived decades longer than you! Talent that doesn't grow will always remain just that—talent!"

Aria's eyes burned with fury.

He had completely given in to his killing intent—his rage, resentment and jealousy surged to his brain.

"HUM!!!"

His magic raged violently, as if ready to devour everything around them.

"Death Space: Zero!"

Aria unleashed his most powerful magic, intending to create a space that would devour everything and annihilate all life!

-------

Zero (零ゼロ Zero): A powerful spell which Aria can seemingly employ only after removing his blindfold.

His eyes start shining brightly as he readies to cast it, bringing his relaxed hands before him, the right one on top and the lower down, with their palms facing.

This prompts a very large, spiraling airspace to be generated before him, made visible by a large, smoky whirlwind, which he described as "the airspace of death", capable of consuming all life.

While surrounded by this airspace, Aria can fire barrages of smaller airspaces related to the main one.

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