Sol's magic couldn't exactly be called mind-reading—it specifically targeted the guilt and remorse in a person's heart.
He could amplify those feelings of regret, essentially using psychological warfare after glimpsing into their mind, relentlessly attacking their mental weak points.
As the Earth among the Elements Three and the representative of the Earth Element, Sol naturally wielded earth-based magic.
This particular spell was an unconventional offshoot of his earth magic.
"Impossible! No one has zero regrets..." Sol was stunned.
He thought his magic must have malfunctioned—perhaps it was ineffective without physical contact.
But unfortunately, searching for remorse in Marco's heart was a futile endeavor.
Raised in the loving embrace of the Fairy Tail family and cherished as its darling, Marco currently had no psychological vulnerabilities to exploit.
As for his past life, he had long accepted the reality of never returning, so he no longer dwelled on it.
Bzzzt!
Sol's figure vanished, merging into the ground.
The arena was his creation—ordinary soil, perfect for his earth magic.
After disappearing, he abruptly emerged behind Marco, launching a probing kick.
Thud!
Marco's arm shimmered with the azure armor of his Saint Cloth as he channeled magic to block the strike.
While he had been cocky against Gajeel, he wouldn't underestimate a well-known Mage like Sol.
Those who earned their reputation usually had tricks up their sleeve, and underestimating them came at a cost.
Hiss!
Sol sucked in a sharp breath, his leg throbbing in pain.
Kicking Marco's Equuleus Bronze Cloth hurt worse than striking solid steel.
Bzzzt!
Without hesitation, Sol retreated underground, putting distance between them.
Close combat was hopeless.
Marco's armor was downright cheating!
From afar, Sol clapped his hands together.
Boom!
The ground trembled as chunks of earth and rock tore free, hurtling towards Marco under the force of his magic.
Simultaneously, dust billowed across the arena, stinging the eyes of onlookers who scrambled back.
The crowd murmured in awe—this was why renowned Mages stood out.
The battle had barely begun, and the spectacle was already immense.
Amid the swirling dust, Marco, who had been standing at the center, leaped to a corner.
Without pause, he unleashed a barrage of punches, saturating the entire arena with relentless, indiscriminate strikes.
"Pegasus... Meteor Fist!"
As Marco's magic surged, countless fist-shaped projectiles bombarded the field.
The dust storm was blasted away, and the arena floor was plowed into a cratered wasteland.
Cough!
Sol emerged from the ground, coughing violently with blood at the corner of his mouth.
His body trembled, barely able to stand steady.
He had just taken several solid hits from Marco, who had been blinded by the dust.
Sol had intended to ambush Marco from underground but never expected him to directly use Pegasus Meteor Fist to bombard the earth.
'What kind of magic is this?! How does this guy have so many tricks up his sleeve?!'
Sol inwardly wailed.
Clearly, their understanding of Marco's magics was still lacking.
They only knew he had a terrifying Rose technique and could use ice magic—magic reported in the newspapers and demonstrated by Marco during guild masters routine meetings.
"Pretty sneaky move," Sol muttered, complaining about Marco.
Looking at Sol, Marco couldn't help but retort, "Says the one with dirty tricks."
Of course, there wasn't much to criticize.
Sol's application of magic was indeed highly 'pragmatic'.
His tactic of first stirring up dust and then swiftly moving underground for a sneak attack—this mole-style approach—could easily take down many Mages.
Most Mages would easily fall for Sol's three-step combo.
Why had the 'dust-and-blind' tactic remained effective for so long?
Because it was practical and effective.
Though not exactly honorable, only the victors had the right to speak!
Unfortunately for Sol, he was fighting Marco.
Having constantly roamed and fought, battling all sorts of magical beasts, Marco had accumulated an abundance of combat experience.
He made the right decision immediately, effortlessly dismantling Sol's usually foolproof strategy.
"Marco is getting stronger and stronger," Natsu and Gray murmured outside the arena, their eyes filled with admiration as they watched Marco carve three feet into the ground with a single strike.
"The Element Three are no match for Marco at all," Erza sighed in relief.
Their worries had been unnecessary.
It made sense—if Marco hadn't been confident in his strength, why would he have taken on the Element three so readily?
Erza's expression was complicated.
Marco was getting further and further ahead, leaving even these renowned Mages unable to fight him.
As for Marco's earlier fight with Gajeel, no one had been worried.
After all, Gajeel cant even defeat Natsu, so it was impossible for him to win against Marco.
And that was exactly what happened.
Gajeel couldn't even make him move from his place as he was completely crushed by Marco with just a finger.
The ones most affected by this outcome weren't just Gajeel, but also Natsu.
This battle made him acutely aware of the gap between himself and Marco.
Even if he went all out, he'd still be effortlessly crushed.
They'd all heard about Marco defeating Jose Porla, but since the kids hadn't witnessed the fight firsthand, they lacked a tangible sense of his strength.
Now, watching Marco battle live, the impact was far more real.
"BOOM!"
The earth rumbled, drawing everyone's attention back to the fight.
With his usual tactics useless, Sol prepared to unleash his ultimate move in a desperate gamble.
Countless stone pillars rose, flying towards the sky before crashing down toward Marco, covering a vast area.
The members of Fairy Tail immediately cursed and activated defensive magic to protect the citizens of Magnolia from the potential fallout.
"Phew~"
Marco's eyes sharpened as he exhaled deeply, his body shimmering with starlight while three celestial diagrams materialized behind him.
He spread his arms wide like a swan taking flight.
"Diamond Dust Fist!"
With one punch, a blizzard erupted across the sky.
Sol's countless stone pillars instantly froze solid, suspended midair as if time had stopped, before crashing to the ground and shattering into icy fragments.
The frost-laden shockwave then swept towards the stunned Sol.
He couldn't even muster magical defenses—his reserves were already depleted.
Sol had never been the type with abundant magic power to begin with, which was precisely why he'd developed alternative combat techniques.
It made sense—with sufficient magic, one could simply overpower opponents.
Why bother with sneaky methods?
"Whoosh!"
Just as the icy gale was about to engulf Sol, Totomaru swiftly intervened.
He unleashed multiple fireballs in a desperate attempt to save his comrade, holding nothing back as he hurled flames of various colors.
Against Marco, he dared not underestimate him.
Now he understood—there was real confidence behind Marco's challenge to face all three of them simultaneously.
The boy was truly monstrous!
Yet Totomaru's rainbow flames proved utterly ineffective against the frost, extinguished instantly by the howling blizzard.
"Crack crack crack."
Sol's terrified expression froze mid-scream, his body turn into ice sculpture.
"SOL!"
Totomaru cried out, shocked at how easily his flames had been overwhelmed.
Fire against ice—by elemental logic, he should have held the advantage!
"Troublesome," Aria sighed, his tears flowing faster.
Marco smiled at Totomaru and Aria while crooking his finger in invitation.
"Two-zero. Next."
Totomaru remained silent.
Though it was his turn, their earlier exchange had revealed his inevitable defeat.
His flames were strong—just not strong enough to overcome this man's ice.
"Go, Totomaru." Aria spoke emotionlessly.
Totomaru understood—he was being sent to deplete Marco's magic reserves.
The realization left him suddenly weary.
With a sigh, Totomaru approached Sol's ice sculpture.
His comrade wasn't dead, merely frozen within.
Despite Marco's seemingly ruthless attacks—Gajeel still wailing in pain, Sol encased in ice—neither faced a mortal danger.
Bowing to Marco, Totomaru carried Sol's frozen form back to Aria and carefully set it down.
They were colleagues after all—he couldn't leave Sol to shatter in the crossfire.
"I concede. You're truly powerful—I'm no match for you."
Having done this, Totomaru declared his surrender outright.
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