"Cough, cough, cough!"
Makarov couldn't help but burst into a coughing fit.
Even as he coughed, he frantically signaled Marco with his eyes, trying to convey a desperate ssage.
'Stop Lucy! Don't let her be so reckless with her words! The atmosphere was finally harmonious—we could have just resolved this peacefully. Why is she now pointing at the Celestial Spirit King's nose and cursing him out?'
Seeing his gramps frantic gestures, Marco simply shook his head, signaling for the old man to calm down.
He felt the situation was still under control, the Celestial Spirit King wasn't likely to suddenly turn hostile.
"Sigh..."
Seeing Marco shake his head, Makarov could only sigh.
He didn't say anything more or take matters into his own hands.
These young ones had all grown too stubborn, each with their own strong opinions.
But in a way, this was exactly what he had always aid for, the very result of his years of nurturing.
So, though Makarov sighed, he ultimately acquiesced.
He silently prepared for battle, just as he had always shouldered all the bla from the Magic Council.
The old master would never demand his children change, he would only quietly clean up their sses and bear their burdens for them.
Faced with Lucy's accusations, the Celestial Spirit King fell silent.
Leo, standing nearby, was exceptionally moved.
Lucy's words had struck a deep chord within him.
The last person to move him this much had been Marco—after all, Marco was the first to understand him, comfort him, and help him.
In this situation, if the Celestial Spirit King were to suddenly turn hostile, Leo would absolutely fight him to the death for Marco and Lucy.
His life, in essence, had been given to him by Marco, without Marco, he would have likely vanished long ago.
"I believe most Celestial Spirits would support Leo's perspective," Marco interjected into the silence, giving Lucy a subtle cue.
"That's right! Everyone would surely understand Leo's actions!"
Lucy caught the hint and imdiately reacted.
She felt the sa way, but she lacked the ability to summon so many spirits at once.
Otherwise, she would have summoned them all instantly to plead for Leo together.
"Very well," the Celestial Spirit King suddenly spoke after a mont of silence. "Let's hear what everyone has to say."
"But I can only summon two Celestial Spirits at once, at most," Lucy said, a little embarrassed.
In truth, skillfully performing a Dual Gate Opening was already impressive.
However, she possessed quite a few Celestial Spirits—among the Zodiac Keys alone, she had four: Taurus, Cancer, Aquarius, and Sagittarius.
A Dual Gate Opening simply wasn't enough, she'd need a Quadruple Gate Opening to fully utilize them.
"Don't worry. Go ahead and summon them," the Celestial Spirit King bood with a laugh, reassuring Lucy.
"This place belongs neither to the mortal world nor the Celestial Spirit World. It's a special intersection between them.
"You two youngsters alone couldn't possibly summon to the mortal world, nor could you sustain my presence for this long."
In this unique space, Lucy could directly summon all her Celestial Spirits.
While they couldn't fight, they could briefly sustain their forms using their own magic power without issue.
"Huh?!" Lucy gasped in surprise, then imdiately began to try.
"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Gate of the Water Bearer! Gate of the Giant Crab...!"
As Lucy continued her summons, the Celestial Spirits appeared before her one by one, just as predicted.
She hadn't even expended any magic power.
"It actually works!" Lucy exclaid in amazent.
She looked at the Celestial Spirit King, her heart filled with awe.
'So, the Celestial Spirit King pulled us all into a special space? When did that happen?'
Marco and Master Makarov exchanged a glance, both recognizing the wariness in each other's eyes.
They had already noticed sothing was off—the surroundings were unnervingly silent, as if everything around them had been frozen in ti, leaving only their small group free to move.
The mont the Celestial Spirit King appeared, the entire environnt had transford.
He hadn't been summoned to Earthland.
Instead, he had briefly rged the surrounding area with the Celestial Spirit World, creating this special environnt that allowed him to manifest.
This was why the Celestial Spirits could be summoned here without consuming magic power and could maintain their physical forms.
'No wonder the Celestial Spirit King didn't exert an overwhelming presence when he appeared,' Marco thought in awe.
'So that's what's happening. Still, his power is imnse—truly worthy of the King of the Celestial Spirit World.'
Marco marveled inwardly. 'There's always soone stronger, a higher heaven beyond the heavens.'
First, there was the Black Dragon that nearly one-shotted Gildarts, and now this Celestial Spirit King.
Neither of them was an easy opponent.
However, Marco wasn't worried about the Celestial Spirit King turning hostile.
The being present here was likely just an avatar.
Moreover, as more Celestial Spirits manifested, the Celestial Spirit King's form began to flicker, and the frozen state of the surroundings started to destabilize.
Clearly, maintaining this state was draining even for him.
This encounter confird one thing for Marco: the Celestial Spirit King couldn't easily co to the mortal world.
Otherwise, why would he appear in such a roundabout way?
Wouldn't it be simpler to just co directly?
"State your intentions," the Celestial Spirit King's voice bood.
Looking at the Celestial Spirits summoned by Lucy and Hisui, the Celestial Spirit King spoke.
He could still hold on for a while longer—long enough to conclude this "hearing."
The Celestial Spirits exchanged glances.
Lucy had already quickly explained the situation, and now she and Hisui watched the spirits with expectant eyes.
"I believe Leo's cri does not warrant death," Aquarius declared, the first to speak and unequivocally supporting Lucy.
Having acted as both a mother and father figure to Lucy during her childhood, Aquarius would naturally stand by her.
But she also genuinely believed Leo's mistake wasn't severe enough for a death sentence.
His forr Contractor had been truly outrageous, if it had been Aquarius, she might have acted even more rashly than Leo!
Following Aquarius's statent, Taurus, Cancer, and Sagittarius also voiced their support.
The Zodiac Spirits all knew each other well, especially Leo.
As long-ti colleagues—unlike other spirits who had clans of their own—they shared a unique bond.
With four of the Zodiac Spirits having made their stance clear, the other Celestial Spirits began to express their own opinions.
They were even more supportive of Leo's actions, seeing it as him helping a bullied fellow spirit.
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