Especially Marco's "Athena Exclamation," in terms of visual effects, was almost like blasting a huge hole in the sky.
The residual magic fell like a colorful rain, but this rain was actually quite dangerous, causing significant damage even as it hit the ground.
Fortunately, Marco's "Crystal Wall" could block it, preventing accidental injuries from the magic residue.
Marco reacted quickly, immediately using the "Crystal Wall" to shield the entire "Magnolia," saving the town once again.
As for why "Magnolia" needed saving? Don't ask.
"How could this be?! How could... this happen..."
Looking at the outcome, Laxus stood with his mouth agape.
What about his "Fairy Law"?! Why didn't it unleash any attack?! What was the point of that flash just now?!
This wasn't the first time Laxus had used "Fairy Law."
In fact, during his famous battle—the one that earned him and Marco the title of "Twin Stars"—he had made a name for himself using "Fairy Law."
But that time, "Fairy Law" wasn't like this!
"Laxus... how long are you going to keep deceiving yourself? Don't tell me you've forgotten everything about the knowledge of Fairy Law."
Seeing Laxus's utterly shocked expression, Marco spoke with a strange look on his face.
His earlier anger over Laxus using "Fairy Law" on his guildmates had completely vanished, because Laxus's actions were truly hard to take seriously.
Laxus's earlier demeanor was exactly like that of a major villain—someone whose mind had been twisted, driven completely mad.
He had unleashed his ultimate move with overwhelming momentum and murderous intent, aiming to crush all opposition.
But in the end, this ultimate move, despite looking spectacular, only managed to flash brightly in everyone's eyes.
The actual damage caused by this "Fairy Law" was even less than the harm caused by everyone else overexerting themselves with their magic.
Marco wiped the sweat from his brow, admitting to himself that he had gotten a bit carried away.
In truth, there were better ways to handle the situation; this head-on confrontation was too rough.
Laxus's "Fairy Law" didn't destroy "Magnolia," but Marco's "Athena Exclamation" caused significant damage instead.
Although the "Crystal Wall" blocked the residual shockwaves of the magic explosion, "Magnolia" would have excessively high magic density for a long time to come.
In fact, "Magnolia" might experience clear, cloudless skies for quite some time.
But there was no need to worry about the weather.
"Fairy Tail" had a dedicated weather control system, and Juvia could help regulate it.
"The knowledge... of Fairy Law..."
Looking at Marco's strange expression, Laxus muttered to himself.
Deep down, he already understood what Marco meant.
He just couldn't accept it for the moment.
He had made up his mind, determined to go all out, only to be judged by "Fairy Tail" as completely devoid of hostility..."Fairy Law is a magic that distinguishes friend from foe.
It only eliminates those the caster identifies as enemies. If you yourself are deeply uncertain, if you don't even consider your target an enemy, then this magic will have no effect—or even fail to activate entirely.
That's the nature of rule-based Super Magic.
Marco gave Laxus no face at all, bluntly stating the real reason why Laxus had only released a "flashbang."
As soon as Marco said this, Laxus's face flushed bright red.
Because Laxus saw that the main force of Fairy Tail had already arrived.
Everyone was clearly bewildered by what had just happened and eager for an explanation.
Marco's words had been overheard by quite a few people and for Laxus, this was undoubtedly a deeply embarrassing situation.
"Damn it!!! Why did it turn out like this?!"
Laxus roared, leaping down from the guild hall and charging straight at Marco, throwing punches while shouting.
"I can't accept this!!!"
"Bam!"
Marco threw a punch, sending Laxus flying.
After casting "Fairy Law," Laxus's magic power was already severely depleted.
In this state, he might still have been able to put up a fight against others, but against Marco, he stood no chance at all.
"Crash!"
The flying Laxus slammed into the guild hall, smashing a large hole in it. But despite being battered and bruised, Laxus still hadn't lost consciousness.
He spat out a mouthful of blood and then charged at Marco again.
Step by step, Laxus rushed up to Marco and threw a punch, striking Marco's golden armor.
But the blow was weak and feeble, utterly lacking in force.
"Thud!"
Marco hit Laxus again, this time knocking him out cold, temporarily sparing Laxus from further embarrassment.
Between public humiliation and unconsciousness, Laxus had clearly chosen the latter.
He needed time—time to come to terms with himself.
Unbeknownst to him, his mindset had long since changed.
His true inner feelings were no longer extreme, completely different from what he constantly voiced.
This incident was more like seeking closure for a long-held obsession, except the outcome had completely defied Laxus's expectations, leaving him unable to face it for the moment.
Not only was Laxus struggling to accept it, but even the other members of Fairy Tail found it hard to believe at first.
That Laxus—the same Laxus who had just launched a rebellion, who usually wore a look of disgust and hostility toward most people, who seemed to despise them—actually didn't hate them at all, didn't view them as enemies.
If someone had said this under normal circumstances, no one would have believed it, especially the weaker Mages.
They would have dismissed it as nonsense, given how Laxus usually treated them—as if he wished he could dispose of them like Dark Mages.
How could he not be hostile toward them?
But Laxus's earlier "Fairy Law"—which had drained his magic power only to produce a firework-like display, rendering everyone's preparations pointless—undeniably proved this point.
Magic doesn't lie.
"That kid... just how twisted is his personality..."
Macao couldn't help but voice his complaint.
This immediately resonated with everyone.
He clearly didn't harbor any hostility toward them, nor did he dislike his guildmates, yet he always acted that way and ended up doing such things.
Laxus was truly excessively warped in his daily behavior.
His self-perception was clearly quite problematic.