Chapter 168: The Battle Continues
Earth Land ,Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
August, x784.
Around the time Erza defeated Totomaru, the smoke, dust, and debris floating where the topmost floor of Phantom Lord's headquarters once stood was just settling down. At the back of the once luxurious room/command center was a cracked, shabby cocoon that seemed to be made of shadows given shape.
A moment later, the cocoon fell to the floor an sank into the shadow of the man it was once surrounding. Of course, that man was Jose Porla, the master of the Phantom Lord guild. And without even seeing his current state, it was clear to anyone that he was enraged.
Currently, Jose's clothes were in tatters, his hair was messy, and his eyes were bloodshot while he could be heard snarling from the floor below. Still, his magic power reserves seemed to be in good shape. His title of one of the Ten Wizard Saints was not just for show.
"Wizards of Phantom Lord!" Jose shouted, his magic power amplifying his voice so that everyone in Magnolia could hear it. "I want Alfonzo Marcus brought to me. Make sure he is alive! I will show him what it means to anger one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
That declaration set the rest of the wizards in Phantom Lord in motion. Jose, on the other hand, stopped caring about what was going on in his headquarters after giving his order. Instead, he walked to the edge of what used to be the top floor and peered down at the gathering of Fairy Tail wizards. However, when he saw Makarov, his unhappy expression became more prominent.
"Damn that Makarov." Jose muttered to himself. "I'll make him suffer for this."
Meanwhile, back on the ground, no one was sure what they should do at this point. Four of their strongest wizards just rushed into the enemy base. Then, another one rushed off to protect the target of the enemy attack.
"What do you think Jose will do next?" Ur asked from next to Makarov.
"I don't know exactly." Makarov replied while shaking his head. "But he definitely isn't done yet."
As if to prove Makarov's words correct, shadows started dotting the clearing where the Fairy Tail wizards were gathered. A moment later, they all grew into shadow creatures with short legs, long arms, sharp claws, and demon-like faces.
"Everyone! Those are made with Jose's [Shade Magic]!" Makarov shouted as he generated a ball of [Light Magic] in each of his hands. [The only way to destroy them is with [Light Magic]. So, If you don't know it, be aware that the [Shades] will reform and continue to attack, even if you disperse them.
"Seriously, Gramps?" gray said as he made his hand gesture. "[Ice-Make: Lance]."
In the next instant, several ice spears shot from the magic circle that appeared in front of Gray's hands, skewering the nearest [Shades] and causing them to disperse into particles of [Darkness Magic]. Unfortunately, just as Makarov had warned them, they quickly returned to their original forms.
"You've got to be kidding me." Gray muttered as he prepared to cast another spell.
"Quit complaining and start attacking." Ultear scolded from nearby. "[Ice-Make: Thorn Trap]. "
Like Gray, a magic circle appeared in front of Ultear's hands. However, instead of her ice constructs appearing from the magic circle, ice roses grew from the ground beneath more than a dozen of the [Shades]. And as they grew, they wrapped around the creatures and sank their thorns into them as they constricted their targets.
"We don't have the time for that." Ultear continued.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Gray muttered while he continued to fire spells.
Meanwhile at the front of the group, standing with Makarov and Ur, Cana drew a combination of her magic cards and channeled her magic power into them.
"[Card Magic: Explosion Cards]." Cana chanted as she threw the cards in front of her.
Instead of falling to the ground, however, the cards arranged themselves in a curved formation and fired a burst of [Fire Magic] at all the [Shades] in front of Cana. Meanwhile, as the flames engulfed the [Shades] in their range, Cana reached into the two card pouches on her waist and flung a couple of handfuls of cards at the [Shades] her spell missed.
"[Random Throwing]." Cana chanted as the cards left her hands.
Meanwhile, Makarov, the only wizard in the guild who could use [Light Magic] was firing off blasts of [Light Magic] at the [Shades], focusing on any that were close to ambushing any of his children.
"That Jose, he knows I can't use any spells that are too strong." Makarov grumbled. "[Light Magic] can be extremely indiscriminate. And if I use a large scale spell, the others will get caught in it. But if he thinks he can tire me out like this, then he's going to be sorely disappointed."
Like that, all the wizards on the ground continued to defend against the [Shades]. Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Elicia, Erza, and Mirajane were making their way through the corridors of the Phantom Lord HQ. And as they did, they were attacked by a throng of Phantom Lord wizards.
"This is so annoying." Elicia said as she flung a B-Class wizard into a wall with her threads. "I guess Phantom Lord believes in quantity over quality, huh?"
"All it means is that they can get more lower ranked quests done at the same time." Alfonzo replied while firing blunt pieces of metal at the incoming enemies.. "that's the only reason they're on par with us. We get many more A-Class and higher quests done. But our low ranking quest completion numbers are much lower."
"Oh, I see." Elicia replied with a nod. "This is still really annoying."
"Agreed." Erza added as she cut down an enemy wizard. "There is no honor to be had in defeating those so much weaker than we are."
"Just do something about it, Alfonzo." Mirajane said as she sent a wave of [Darkness Magic down the corridor.
"Fine, I'll handle the next corridor by myself." Alfonzo replied with a wry smile.
Like that, the four Fairy Tail wizards continued clearing the corridor. At the end of the corridor, they found an open area that looked a bit like an arena. However, there was no one inside. O the walls, however, there were carvings that signified water.
"I guess we would have had to fight Juvia if she had been here, huh?" Elicia asked after the group entered the room.
"Speaking of that girl, where is she?" Mirajane asked curiously. "I remember sensing her by the guild before the attack started. But I stopped paying attention to her after that."
"She's probably still watching Gray, Ultear, and Ur." Elicia replied with a shrug. "She thinks they're her soul mates, or something."
As the quartet continued to the next corridor, they were once again greeted with a large number of Phantom Lord wizards, ranging from C-Class to A-Class.
"Alright, do your thing, Alfonzo." Mirajane said, patting Alfonzo on the shoulder as she dispelled her [Take Over].
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Alfonzo replied as he opened a pair of small bags hanging on his waist.
A moment later, a large amount of orichalcum dust flowed out of the bags.
"[Metal Magic: Metal Sand Tidal Wave]." Alfonzo chanted.
In the next instant, the orichalcum dust rushed down the corridor nearly covering all the available space from the floor to the ceiling.
Seeing the incoming wave of sparkling, dull gold grains of metal, the Phantom Lord wizards paled immediately. Then, no longer worried about following Jose's orders, the more timid ones turned around and tried to run away. At the same time, those who considered themselves powerful cast spells, thinking to disperse the wave.
"Earth magic: Earth Spear Barrage]."
[Lightning Magic: Volt Discharge]."
"Wind Magic: great Breakthrough]."
Several spells, of several elements, were simultaneously cast toward the incoming wall of orichalcum dust. Though some of the spells did manage to penetrate the tidal wave's first layer, they were quickly snuffed out by the rest of the wave.
Seeing that their spells did not work, the formerly confident wizards copied their colleagues and turned around to run as fast as they could. Unfortunately, they were a bit too late.
Before the wizards could get too far, they were washed over by the orichalcum tidal wave and washed along the corridor.
A little further ahead, the wizards who ran immediately upon seeing the metal sand wave, were now struggling to get through the door leading to the next arena area. Unfortunately, the doorway was too small to allow more than two wizards entry at the same time. So, the wizards who were unable to get into the next room met the same fate as the ones who tried to fight back, they were all crushed between the orichalcum tidal wave and the wall.
Lucky for those wizards caught in the tidal wave, the wall was not strong enough to handle the pressure from all the orichalcum sand. So, as the wall they were pressed up against broke, they ended up simply flowing into the next room with the sand. Then, Alfonzo pulled back all the sand and stored it in his waist pouches, leaving a group of barely conscious, bloodied, and bruised Phantom Lord wizards lying in the next room.
"Was that good enough?" Alfonzo asked while rolling his shoulders as if he had worked extremely hard.
"Good job, Fonzie." Elicia said while patting Alfonzo on the shoulder.
In response, Alfonzo simply rolled his eyes. Still, he wrapped his arm around Elicia's waist and pulled her close.
"Oh, which one of you is gonna fight that guy, Sol?" Alfonzo asked uncaringly. "I can feel him waiting for us in the next room. I can take care of him too if you want me to."
"No, I'll fight him." Mirajane said with a smile. "It's not often that I get to fight another S-Class wizard. So, I wanna see how I stack up."
"Honestly, you'll probably roll him up like a newspaper." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But if you want to, go ahead."
Just like that, Alfonzo and the girls continued chatting as they made their way down the corridor. After reaching what used to be the wall that separated the corridor from the arena like room, they walked past all the wizards who were clearly no longer fit to fight.
"Okay, Mira." Elicia said. "We'll keep on going ahead. You can catch up to us when you're done."
"Sure." Mirajane replied with a nod. "I'll catch up as fast as I can."
"Non, non, non." Sol said, shaking his right index finger at the intruders. "I cannot allow you all to pass."
"Dude, do you really think you can stop even one of us? Let alone the four of us?" Alfonzo asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Of course I do." Sol replied while bowing elegantly. "And after reading your minds during our short conversation, it will be even easier."
While Alfonzo and Elicia looked bored after hearing what Sol had to say, Erza and Mirajane looked uncomfortable at the thought that someone was reading their minds and seeing their memories.
"Now, allow me to see the despair on your faces as you relive your worst memories." Sol said while spreading his arms theatrically. "[Merci la Vie]."
After Sol's chant, all five people in the room waited. But when after a whole minute, nothing happened, Sol looked visibly panicked.
"[Merci la Vie]." Sol chanted once again.
This time, only thirty seconds went by. Still, nothing happened. Actually, that was inaccurate. Sol's face paled from failing to ensnare anyone in his spell,[Merci la Vie], which makes its targets relive their most tragic memories, over and over. At the same time, unless they are able to break out of the despair, they would eventually be turned to stone.
"You know, most spells that challenge a person's will rely on two things." Alfonzo said, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
Naturally, this caught Sol's, as well as the girls', attention. So, they all focused their gazes on Alfonzo.
"First, you have to actually overpower your target's will." Alfonzo continued.
At least, that was what Alfonzo surmised after seeing Elfman caught by this spell in the series. And to solidify this theory, Elfman was able to break out of the spell when he heard Mirajane crying. What was even more important to him than his own life, was that of his, thought to be, only remaining family. So, Elfman was able to break out of the spell with his heightened will and desire to never see his sister cry again.
As for Sol's four current targets, they had all been through their own personal hell and overcame it. So, Sol's magic would have little effect on them.
"And the second reason is even more simple." Alfonzo said with a grin. "We all completely outclass you in magic power reserves."
With that, all four Fairy Tail wizards flared their magic power to its limits. As a result, all the injured Phantom Lord wizards fell unconscious from the pressure. At the same time, most of the floor and parts of the walls gained cracks. Meanwhile, Sol started sweating nervously.
"Just because you have more magic power, does not mean that you are stronger in combat." Sol said, trying to keep his morale high.
"That's a distinct possibility." Mirajane said, taking a step towards Sol. "But in this case… Well… You'll find out soon enough if that applies in this situation."
"Ha! Phantom Lord is the strongest guild." Sol said as a magic circle appeared at his feet. "[Plãtre Sonata]."
In the next instant, a fist made of plaster started forming in front of Sol. Meanwhile, Mirajane could only shake her head at the attempt.
"[Satan Soul: Halphas]." Mirajane chanted as she continued to walk forward.
Once again, Mirajane was covered in a bright light that hid her appearance for a moment. At the same time, Sol sent his spell flying at Mirajane without waiting for her transformation to finish.
"That's just bad manners." Alfonzo said in a disappointed tone.
"Seriously, what kind of fascist doesn't let their opponent finish their powering up scene." Elicia asked in a disdainful tone.
As the plaster fist drew near, the flash of light that covered Mirajane raised one of its arms. Then, it placed it's palm in to the flight path of the incoming attack.
"[Dark Deflect]." Mirajane's voice rang out, sounding much more demonic than before.
In the next moment, the plaster fist flew off to the side, impacting one of the already damaged walls from when Alfonzo, Elicia, Erza, and Mirajane flexed their magic power, causing it to crumble.
"How is this possible?" Sol exclaimed in confusion.
At the same time that the fist destroyed the wall, Mirajane's new appearance was revealed. With the same hair style, her ears had transformed into elongated, sky blue, pointy scales. Her forearms, wrists, hands, knees, shins, ankles, and feet were all covered in an armor that seemed to be made of the same sky blue scales, and she grew a thick tail that seemed to be made of plates of the same material that became thinner as it reached its tip.
As for her clothing, Mirajane was now clad in a revealing one-piece body suit that only covered her torso with large openings in both the front and back that reveal her upper breasts, an abundance of cleavage, her belly, and most of her back.
"now, let me show you what an S-Class wizard from the strongest guild really looks like." Mirajane said with a grin.
A moment later, Mirajane disappeared from where she stood in a burst of speed. Then, as soon as she was in range, she threw a barrage of punches at Sol.
To Mirajane's surprise, however, Sol managed to dodge all of them by contorting his body in an inhuman fashion.
"So, this is what Gray was talking about, huh?" Mirajane muttered as she continued to throw punches. "Well, it's definitely weird. But in the end, useless."
Circulating her magic power even more fiercely through her body, Mirajane's speed increased. Still, she was unable to land a clean hit on Sol. Though, he was still covered in bruises and light cuts from all the glancing blows that landed.
"Haha! If that's all you have, you'll never defeat me." Sol gloated.
"What would make you think that this is all I have" Mirajane asked with a smirk. "I just wanted to see that strange ability to contort your body for myself. And now that I have, it's time to end this. [Halphas Blast]."
Just before she chanted her spell, Mirajane formed a bit of distance between herself and Sol. Then, she created a pink orb of [Darkness Magic] on her palm before letting it float away. Eventually, it reached above Sol's head. Then, it started raining down small, pink energy blasts that left craters all over the floor of the arena.
Still, Sol managed to dodge them all by contorting his body. And just as he was about to taunt Mirajane once again, Sol's eyes widened as he saw Mirajane gathering a second ball of [Darkness Magic] In her palm.
"Oh, Mon Dieu." Sol muttered after seeing the orb in Mirajane's hand.
"[Halphas Blast]." Mirajane chanted once again.
This time, the orb in Mirajane's palm was fired like a beam. And even though Sol was able to dodge it like before, the explosion that followed was not something he could dodge. As a result, the wall behind him was blown out and he was flung through the hole, unconscious.
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