Four baptisms had made his body increasingly unlike that of an ordinary person.
The fact that he could engage in hand-to-hand combat with Laxus, whose physical strength was enhanced by "Dragonization" and "Lightning," already spoke volumes.
His physical strength had even surpassed that of the "Dragon Slayer Mages," whose physical prowess was already exaggerated!
And this was only after four baptisms.
Once fully unlocked, he dared not imagine how strong his body would become—it might truly evolve into something akin to the "Five Bronze Saints."
At the very least, his durability would be maxed out.
After marveling at this, Marco immediately summoned the [Libra Gold Cloth].
He was eagerly anticipating the arsenal that came with this Cloth, as each of its weapons was incredibly powerful.
"Hum!"
The Cloth box of the [Libra Gold Cloth] appeared.
With a thought from Marco, the box opened, revealing the Cloth itself.
"Libra" is the only constellation among the Zodiac that represents an inanimate object rather than an animal or mythological figure.
Its Cloth takes the form of a scale, distinguished by several clearly visible weapons embedded in it.
The [Libra Gold Cloth] is equipped with weapons for every Gold Saint, one for each.
These weapons are crafted from the same materials and using the same techniques as the [Gold Cloth], making them ultimate armaments capable of splitting the sun, slicing the moon, and shattering stars with a mere swing.
Of course, the effectiveness of these weapons is also constrained by the user's magical power.
The stronger the magic, the greater the power these weapons can unleash.
Marco eagerly donned the [Libra Gold Cloth], which immediately transformed into various components and covered his body.
Once the Cloth was worn, it wasn't immediately obvious from the outside that the [Libra Gold Cloth] carried twelve weapons.
These twelve weapons consisted of swords, spears, tonfas, nunchaku, three-section staffs, and round shields, with two of each type.
From the outside, the most noticeable features were the two round shields on the arms and the three-section staff on the back.
The other weapons were retracted and hidden within various parts of the Cloth.
With a thought, a spear resembling a trident appeared in Marco's hand.
He then switched to a greatsword, a three-section staff, nunchaku, tonfas, and a round shield, testing each one.
In Saint Seiya, because Athena disliked weapons and killing, the use of the [Libra Gold Cloth]'s weapons was strictly limited, requiring her approval before they could be employed.
As a result, these twelve weapons rarely saw action.
However, for Marco, it was entirely different. He could use the weapons of his [Libra Gold Cloth] whenever he pleased.
Moreover, not only could he use them himself, but he could also lend them to his disciples.
Distributing these weapons would instantly grant his disciples terrifying destructive power.
If any of his disciples were ever in danger, they could now not only summon the Cloth itself but also request divine weapons from Marco, adding another layer of security for them.
Marco was extremely satisfied with this [Libra Gold Cloth].
The impact of this [Gold Cloth] was immense, and he needed to quickly master its use to truly harness its power.
...
Soon, time passed, and over a month went by.Laxus's departure, on the surface, didn't seem to have much impact on Fairy Tail, as Laxus rarely participated in the guild's daily activities anyway.
Moreover, Laxus was an S-Class Mage.
He usually didn't take missions with everyone else but would go directly to the second floor. Ordinary mages didn't have much contact with him.
Within the Fairy Tail guild, those who could actually hold a conversation with Laxus were generally those with some presence in the guild—people whose names Laxus could at least remember.
These were at least A-Class Mages, and even some of them didn't meet Laxus's standards, let alone the weaker ones below.
Therefore, most guild members didn't feel much of a tangible impact from Laxus leaving Fairy Tail.
It was just that they wouldn't see that golden-haired figure during guild meetings anymore.
Although the farewell that day had moved everyone deeply, life had to move forward, and people still needed to focus more on their own lives.
If anyone was most affected by Laxus's departure, it was actually the few S-Class Mages.
And this wasn't just because of Laxus's own departure—Mystogan also had to shoulder some blame.
With these two S-Class Mages gone, the number of people taking on S-Class missions suddenly dwindled to just Marco, Erza, and Mirajane.
Among these three, the only true workaholic was Erza.
Mirajane was now juggling guild duties and naturally couldn't focus solely on missions, while Marco was currently slacking off—fishing for three days and drying the nets for two—basically only taking missions that interested him.
Laxus had also been a workaholic, frequently going out on missions.
With him and Mystogan, who occasionally returned and took missions in passing, Erza hadn't felt much pressure before.
But now, with both Laxus and Mystogan gone from the guild for various reasons, S-Class missions began piling up, making Erza feel increasingly pressured every day.
Looking back in the past, with Gildarts, Laxus, Marco, Mystogan, Erza, and Mirajane, Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages were abundant.
There was no need to worry about missions piling up—if anything, they worried there weren't enough to go around.
Yet in such a short time, three of the six S-Class Mages had left.
Especially this year, with two leaving at once, Erza was so stressed she felt her head was about to explode, fearing that Fairy Tail's reputation would suffer.
"Why are you under so much pressure?"
Marco expressed great confusion over Erza's frantic state.
He, the "future guild master," wasn't even worried yet, but Erza was already anxious—her sense of ownership had always been this strong.
If it were anyone else, they might start suspecting whether Erza also had ambitions for the "guild master position."
But Marco wouldn't, because he knew Erza had always been like this—terrifyingly responsible.
It had nothing to do with whether she was the "guild master" or not, it was simply because she was a member of Fairy Tail and because she regarded Fairy Tail as incredibly important.
"Stop making sarcastic remarks and think of a solution! It's only been a little over a month, and we're already struggling to keep up with the missions!"
In response to Marco's confusion, Erza replied somewhat irritably.
She felt that Marco must have a way to solve the problem; otherwise, he wouldn't be so calm and unworried about it.
"Don't rush. Let's join the festival first and enjoy the lively atmosphere." Marco replied with a smile, not addressing the issue but instead urging Erza to focus on the present.
"How can I possibly have the mood to enjoy the Harvest Festival..."
Erza shook her head helplessly and muttered in complaint.
The Harvest Festival was a traditional celebration in Magnolia, held every year.
This grand event was one of the liveliest occasions in Magnolia, as it also featured the annual Miss Fairy Tail beauty pageant.