"Caw—caw—caw!"
The hoarse cries of crows echoed as a flock of raven-sized birds took flight, startling the other birds in the forest.
With their sharp beaks, talons and wings spread like black umbrellas, the twelve crows exuded an overwhelming presence.
"Black Wing Shaft!" Marco shouted sharply.
The crows shook their wings and black feathers rained down like a sinister storm, dense and unsettling.
"Whoa!" The kids below were startled by the sight.
Natsu let out a yell and swung his fists, flames of Fire Dragon Slayer Magic surging upward to burn the black feathers.
Gray, meanwhile, used his magic to craft an ice chamber, sealing himself inside.
The structure had no door—just complete isolation—but Gray could exit whenever he pleased.
Having learned from past beatings, Gray avoided direct confrontation with Marco, opting instead for a defensive strategy.
In contrast, Natsu was still in his "forget the pain, remember the fun" phase.
Of course, he also lacked any defensive techniques or habits.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!" Clad in armor, Erza brandished her sword with flawless precision, slicing through the black feathers with a whirlwind of steel.
"Raaah!" Mirajane roared as her form shifted, transforming into her demon form.
Purple-black magic power surged from her body, forming a barrier to repel the falling black feathers.
Elfman and Lisanna hid under the protection of their elder sister Mirajane.
They were still a bit too green.
As for Cana and Levy, these two didn't react in time and were immediately buried under the black feathers.
Standing together, Cana and Levy were completely covered in black feathers, turning into 'black feather balls'.
Their bodies were immobilized and tightly bound.
However, Marco didn't cover their noses with the feathers, leaving them a small space to breathe.
"Wahhh!" Natsu yelled wildly.
Though he burned away some of the feathers, it was useless—many still clung to him.
These feathers were infused with a large amount of magic, even capable of resisting his flames, and Natsu was completely suppressed.
Erza slashed her way forward.
Though most of her body was covered in black feathers, she managed to escape the feather-covered area.
In the end, the only one who successfully escaped was Erza herself.
Crack.
Gray opened a small gap in the side of his ice chamber and peeked out, confirming that the black feathers had stopped falling.
Crash!
The ice chamber shattered as Gray leaped out.
"Haha! I did it!" Gray raised his hands triumphantly, he was thrilled.
Now, he was on the same level as Erza!
No—he was even stronger than the slightly disheveled Erza!
Gray wanted to flaunt his success to Natsu, but when he looked at the feather-covered battlefield, he couldn't tell which one was Natsu!
"That one." Marco pointed at one of the 'balls', which was faintly steaming as if being burned from the inside.
"Don't even think about escaping, Natsu!"
With Marco's hint, Gray clapped his hands together, and a layer of solid ice encased the black feathers covering Natsu.
The feathers, which had been steaming and nearly catching fire, instantly cooled down again.
"..."
Marco and Erza both fell silent.
These two idiots...
"That's enough, Marco. They probably can't break free now." Erza brushed off the black feathers clinging to her and spoke to Marco.
His new ability was indeed quite eerie—seemingly harmless but hiding lethal potential.
The feathers were as stubborn as a persistent disease.
Moreover, Marco's strength was still a bit too overwhelming for the kids in the guild.
Aside from her, no one could even handle this casual attack of his.
"RAAAAH!!!"
As if responding to Erza's words, Mirajane's furious roar rang out.
BOOM!
Spreading her demonic wings, Mirajane shot into the sky, holding Elfman in one hand and Lisanna in the other.
If she hadn't been protecting her younger siblings earlier, she wouldn't have been trapped at all—her agility was still top-notch.
Of course, her combat experience was admittedly lacking.
If it had been Erza, she would've grabbed her siblings and flown away immediately.
"Mira is impressive too." Marco spoke seriously.
Mirajane's strength was clearly a level above Natsu and Gray's.
Gray was able to escape thanks to his clever tactics.
He was indeed a diligent and quick-witted person, which was probably why he could master Ice-make magic so well.
Marco's words made Erza's face tense up.
That Mirajane had been butting heads with her ever since their previous clash, always trying to one-up her.
Of course, Erza wasn't one to back down—she just didn't want to take advantage of Mirajane's still-developing magic skills.
But now, that annoying bitch had even stolen her cake just to provoke a fight with her!
This was becoming unbearable—it was high time to teach Mirajane a lesson!
Erza gritted her teeth.
Even Marco had acknowledged Mirajane's strength, which meant her magic had improved significantly.
Fighting her now wouldn't be unfair!
"Whoosh!"
With a wave of Marco's hand, the black feathers lost their magic power and fluttered to the ground, turning into ordinary raven feathers.
The number of feathers on the ground was far fewer than before, as the magic-infused ones had already dissipated into the wind.
Those trapped within were now freed.
"Hiss!"
Natsu was released—but not entirely, as a layer of solid ice still encased him.
Gray hadn't canceled his spell.
"GRAYY! Hah!" Natsu roared, then spewed flames from his mouth, melting the ice instantly.
Being trapped had driven him mad with frustration.
Now, he couldn't wait to run wild and give Gray a good beating!
That stripper had the nerve to sneak in an extra attack!
Natsu broke free in no time and chased after Gray, who had already dashed into the woods.
The two ran around, brawling noisily before quickly disappearing into the distance.
Those two were never not causing a ruckus.
Cana and Levy were also freed.
Cana remained calm, unfazed by how easily Marco had captured her.
She had a clear understanding of her own strength—even ten of her combined couldn't defeat Marco.
The other girl, however, was more excited.
Levy rushed up to Marco, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as she studied the ravens.
"Marco, your magic is really fascinating! I've never seen anything like it before. Can you tell me more about it?"
Levy's thirst for knowledge was ignited.
She desperately wanted to understand this unique magic, so different from anything she'd encountered.
Of course, all of Marco's magic was unconventional like this.
His so-called "Celestial Spirit Magic" couldn't possibly be actual Celestial Spirit Magic.
"This magic is still part of my Celestial Spirit Magic abilities—I'm serious. It's just the power of a different constellation," Marco explained earnestly.
"...What kind of Celestial Spirit Magic is that?" Levy wrinkled her nose and scoffed.
Then her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she'd had an epiphany.
"Marco! Let's give your magic a proper name!" she suggested cheerfully.
Her idea immediately piqued everyone's interest.
"I think that's a great idea. Marco's magic is definitely not Celestial Spirit Magic," Cana chimed in, eager to try divining for hints about what to call it.
"What's wrong with the name Celestial Spirit Magic?"
Landing back on the ground, Mirajane canceled her magic and stepped closer to ask a question.
She, Lisanna, and Elfman were clearly puzzled by this.
Their family were all newcomers to magic, so they naturally took Marco's words at face value, never suspecting he had been spouting nonsense all along.
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