"Iron Dragon's Club!"
On the arena, Gajeel extended both arms, launching several thick iron rods towards Marco with crushing force.
"Iron Dragon, huh?"
Marco casually swatted away a few of the rods, thinking to himself that this attribute wasn't particularly strong.
Of course, it was more than enough to handle ordinary Mages.
The true power of magic was heavily tied to the wielder's magical reserves and Dragon Slayers—if nothing else—far surpassed regular Mages in sheer magical capacity.
"How…?!"
Gajeel's eyes widened in disbelief as Marco effortlessly batted away his iron rods like they were mere flies.
"Show me whatever else you've got. This is a great chance to make a name for yourself—maybe even earn yourself the title of 'Iron Dragon.'"
Marco stood relaxed on the arena, his tone almost casual as he addressed Gajeel.
By now, numerous reporters had gathered around, ensuring today's battle would spread far and wide.
These journalists didn't know Marco would return today, but they'd been camping out here for a while.
A scoop like this? They weren't about to miss a single detail.
"Damn it!"
Marco's blatant disregard made Gajeel sees red.
His right arm morphed, transforming into a spinning chainsaw sword.
With the jagged teeth whirring, Gajeel charged straight at Marco, raising the chainsaw high before slashing down with brutal force—aiming to cleave Marco clean in half.
The kid was attacking with reckless brutality.
BOOM!!!
In the blink of an eye, Gajeel's body was sent flying, crashing near the edge of the arena.
Totomaru glanced over and saw the boy's right arm bent at an unnatural angle, his body hunched over, eyes bulging as he convulsed violently—clearly suffering severe injuries.
"The gap is too huge. We can't even gauge that guy's real strength." Totomaru sighed.
He wasn't particularly worried about Gajeel—in fact, he thought the kid could use a harsh lesson.
He'd been spoiled rotten, given far too much leeway by their master.
"Gajeel! Don't give up!" Sol shouted from the sidelines, trying to cheer up the downed fighter.
Totomaru shot Sol a disgusted look.
He genuinely couldn't stand the man—Sol played the gentleman on the surface but was a truly vile creature underneath.
Compared to someone like that, even an honest scoundrel who didn't bother pretending deserved some respect for their transparency.
"…"
Gajeel felt like he was dying.
Every inch of his body burned with pain, as if he'd been poisoned.
"And that was just the first strike." Marco's voice rang out like a demon's whisper.
Gritting his teeth, Gajeel forced himself up despite the agony.
His right arm was fractured, a bloody hole torn through it, blood dripping steadily.
His gaze locked onto Marco's extended index finger—that single finger had been enough to wreck him!
Truthfully, Marco had held back.
Otherwise, the arm wouldn't just be broken—it would've been obliterated.
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
Gajeel endured the excruciating pain throughout his body, puffing up his cheeks as he prepared to unleash a Dragon's roar.
His Iron Dragon's Roar was immensely powerful—a silver magical breath filled with shredded metal that would tear most people to pieces if struck.
"Buzz!"
However, before Gajeel could release his attack, another crimson sphere of magic energy shot towards him.
"BOOM!"
The Scarlet Needle pierced into Gajeel's body, sending him flying backward once more.
His breath attack was stifled mid-air, nearly choking him.
"AAAHHH!!!"
With two Scarlet Needles embedded in him, Gajeel writhed on the ground in agony.
For a child, this torment was truly unbearable.
At this moment, the look in Gajeel's eyes as he stared at Marco began to shift.
Initially, he had been eager, itching to make a name for himself by defeating Marco.
Now, fear overwhelmed him.
The searing pain and numbing paralysis made him feel as though his body was slipping out of control—as if death could claim him at any moment.
"You've got a heavy hand and no sense of restraint. You need to be taught a lesson."
Marco's tone was calm as he observed Gajeel.
He hadn't moved from his spot the entire time, merely extending a single finger.
Beneath his crimson fingernail, a scarlet sphere of magic condensed—the third needle.
Under Gajeel's terrified gaze, the sphere shot forth in an instant, piercing into his body once more.
"BOOM!"
This time, Gajeel was blasted straight out of the arena.
The match ended.
The arrogant Gajeel didn't even managed to make Marco take a single step, while he himself had been left screaming in pain.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Though knocked out of the ring, the three Scarlet Needles still embedded in him kept Gajeel in unbearable agony, his cries continuing even outside the arena.
"Whooo! Victory!"
The crowd's cheers rose in response to Gajeel's screams.
Seeing Gajeel defeated so easily, the audience felt a surge of vindication.
Weren't those Phantom Lord bastards gloating when Macao was getting beaten earlier?
Laugh now—why aren't you laughing? Not in the mood anymore?
"..."
Totomaru, Sol and Aria exchanged uneasy glances, momentarily hesitant.
Marco's technique was too bizarre.
Given Gajeel's miserable state, the three couldn't tell whether Gajeel was just weak or if Marco was simply that strong.
"Sol, you're up." Aria spoke up.
Though blindfolded, he had plenty of schemes in mind—clearly determined to be the last to fight.
"...Fine." Sol's lips twitched, but he didn't dare argue.
Among the Element Three, Aria was the leader, so if ordered to take the front line, he had no choice.
"Gajeel's condition..."
Totomaru couldn't bear to watch Gajeel rolling on the ground, bleeding profusely and turned to Aria.
"Such a shame. I need to conserve my magic."
Aria's face was streaked with tears, his expression sorrowful, yet his tone was eerily calm—as if Gajeel's agonized wails meant nothing to him.
"..."
Totomaru swallowed his words and moved to help Gajeel himself, attempting to assess the damage inside his body.
Then, Totomaru froze.
Three magic-formed crimson poison needles were embedded in Gajeel's body, continuously emitting eerie magical energy that rampaged wildly within him, attacking and stimulating his body while numbing his nerves.
"These poison needles need to be expelled from his body with powerful magic, or directly destroyed using magic power."
Totomaru reached this conclusion, but he couldn't help.
He wasn't skilled in healing magic, nor could he infuse magic into Gajeel's body—these required specialized techniques.
On the arena, Marco paid no further attention to Gajeel.
He planned to torment the boy a little longer, intending to remove the three poison needles only after he'd suffered enough.
That kid really needed to be taught a lesson.
"Are you the second challenger? Have you decided? The score is now tied at one-one, though personally, my record stands at one-zero." (he was referencing on Macao's defeat)
Marco smiled as he spoke to Sol who had stepped onto the platform.
He raised one finger to indicate his current winning score.
Sol's gaze fell on Marco's raised finger with its crimson-red nail, and he nervously swallowed.
He felt quite uneasy, mainly because he couldn't gauge the strength of Marco's technique—this was the pressure brought by unfamiliar magic.
Marco's magic was far too weird for the Mages, completely unheard of, never even mentioned before.
For instance, this needle spell he's using now was completely different from the previous rose he use on Jose, leaving them clueless about how to counter it.
Sol's magic power surged as he activated his magic.
Then, his eyes widened in shock—he found no weaknesses in Marco.
This was one of his spells, capable of reading the target's most regretful and guilt-ridden memories.
--------------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator