"Whoosh!"
Marco's figure instantly vanished, while the mansion ruins of "Edolas Marco" were already engulfed in raging flames.
The "Crystal Wall" had been withdrawn.
Without the assistance of the starry sky, erecting so many large-scale "Crystal Walls" still consumed a significant amount of magical power.
In this world, everything had to be used sparingly.
Everything that happened here actually took place in a very short time.
By the time the members of the Magic War Corps received the news and mobilized their troops to rush over, Marco had already left without a trace.
Seeing the fiercely burning mansion, the members of the Magic War Corps naturally looked at each other in confusion.
The one leading the arrival was a female general with fiery red hair.
She held a long spear in her hand, appearing heroic and spirited, though her expression was stern, seeming unsmiling and preoccupied.
Her appearance was identical to Erza's.
"Extinguish the fire!"
Erza Knightwalker spoke with a grim face, issuing the command.
Although she didn't particularly like 'Edolas Marco', now that such an incident had occurred, she couldn't help but feel some concern.
How could there still be remnants of Mages capable of causing trouble in the royal capital...
Upon hearing Erza Knightwalker's order, the Magic War Corps members snapped out of their daze and quickly sprang into action.
Those with water-based magical tools immediately began using them to douse the flames, while those who couldn't help went to call for more people to assist.
"Is Captain Marco... dead?"
This question weighed on the minds of every Magic War Corps member, and they discussed it amongst themselves, mostly with pessimistic views.
They had all witnessed the intense magical fluctuations earlier, clearly indicating a fierce battle had taken place.
The final result was Edolas Marco's mansion being set ablaze.
Before the fire, the place had already been reduced to ruins.
If Edolas Marco had been the victor, there would be no reason for him to set the fire.
This was a reasonable assumption, so everyone generally held a relatively pessimistic view of the battle's outcome.
"Go report to the king and ask if we should implement a city-wide lockdown."
Erza Knightwalker called over a member of the Magic War Corps and assigned them the task.
With such a major incident occurring, the king would undoubtedly find out, and they needed the king to make the decision.
With the situation still unclear, she couldn't issue orders arbitrarily.
If they rashly decided to lock down the entire city without the king's command, the city defense army might not comply.
After all, they weren't pushovers—if they claimed to know nothing about the situation, how could they be expected to cooperate?
"Could they have already escaped?"
Gripping her spear tightly, Erza Knightwalker nervously watched the sea of flames.
She had already prepared for battle.
Anyone capable of defeating Edolas Marco must possess terrifying strength, and she felt considerable pressure.
No matter what, no one could deny that Edolas Marco was an extremely powerful individual.
Even Erza Knightwalker admitted she might not necessarily be able to defeat him.
'Fortunately, I've already sent someone to fetch Hughes and Shagotte. With the three of us together, there shouldn't be any problem.' Erza Knightwalker thought to herself, feeling a hint of fear before the battle had even begun.
But it was understandable—after all, the one suspected of being assassinated was Edolas Marco, the best among them, arguably even the strongest.
Though she was hot-tempered, ruthless, and relentless in hunting down "Fairy Tail," Erza Knightwalker was no fool who couldn't judge a situation.
Knowing the enemy was incredibly powerful, she dared not be overconfident. If that person hadn't left yet, her priority was to stall for time.
"But... they should have left by now, right?"
Watching the raging flames that showed no signs of dying down, Erza Knightwalker narrowed her eyes.
Under such circumstances, it was hard to imagine anyone surviving. It seemed the fire wouldn't be extinguished anytime soon unless the ruins were completely burned to ashes.
Fortunately, Erza Knightwalker had already evacuated the nearby residents, ensuring their safety.
At worst, they would only lose their homes—far better than losing their lives.
As the saying goes, "Where there is life, there is hope."
Well, perhaps that wasn't the most appropriate phrase to use right now—it almost sounded like another fire was inevitable.
Sure enough, despite everyone's desperate efforts to fight the flames and prevent them from spreading, the fire still managed to expand outward.
Thump!
Hearing the report from his subordinate, the king's anger surged.
He slammed the table violently, his fury evident on his face.
"Put out the fire! Lock down the entire city! Under no circumstances should the culprit escape!"
With a grim expression, the king issued the order to seal off the entire city.
They had to capture the murderer—otherwise, where would the dignity of the "Edolas Kingdom" be?
How could they allow someone to wreak havoc so freely in the royal capital?
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The messenger from the Magic War Unit immediately departed to relay the command.
The task of capturing the perpetrator would undoubtedly fall to their unit, but it was no easy assignment.
The enemy was so strong that they had even taken down Captain Marco.
This was nothing like their previous missions to eliminate "Magic Guilds"—this wasn't about bullying scattered, disorganized fighters.
Facing such a powerful foe, a single misstep could mean death!
"Any news about Marco?"
Rubbing his temples, the king turned to the small, elderly man standing below and asked.
"I'm afraid the odds are against him."
Byro spoke up, his expression also grim.
As the Chief of Staff of the Royal Army and a trusted confidant of the king, he had naturally been summoned when such a major incident occurred.
"..."
The king fell silent, too shocked to speak.
It was hard to believe that the arrogant and domineering Marco Darkhning could have died just like that.
Byro was even more stunned.
He had barely settled in at home when he received the summons to the palace, only to hear this shocking news.
He and Marco had parted ways not long ago!
"..."