SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 131 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.

Chapter 131: Avatar Arc: Operation Purify

"Undercover mission?" Natsu echoed.

"Yeah, there's no way I'd seriously join a creepy cult like this." Gray remarked. "We gotta hurry. I'll explain on the way."

"Half a year ago, Jellal and the others asked me to investigate the Avatar black magic cult and is connections to Zeref." Erza spoke. "But just as my investigation hit a dead end, I ran into Gray."

"After that weird pattern appeared on my body, I took Ulyo's suggestion and regularly visited old lady Porlyusica for help." Gray took over. "Now I can control it on my own, as you just saw."

"So, after discussing our current situations, we hatched this plan." Erza added.

"I agreed in part because Erza wanted my help, but I was personally interested in the Book of END." Gray stated. "My dad wanted me to destroy it, after all."

"But you didn't tell Ulyo any of this?" Natsu rebuked. "That's messed up."

"I made him keep quiet." Erza defended. "The fewer outsiders know the truth, the more likely an undercover mission will succeed. Telling others might also place them in danger, too. I truly feel bad for Ulyo and Juvia. I had no idea the mission would last this long, either. The situation changed. Originally, this was supposed to be an internal investigation. But then, we learned of the Purification Plan."

"Avatar is planning to wipe out an entire city to summon Zeref." Gray related. "They seriously believe he'd appear at a site of concentrated death. We have to stop that from happening."

"You should've wiped them out right from the start." Natsu chided. "It would've been easy for you and Erza."

"That wouldn't work." Gray stated. "It turns out Avatar is a much bigger organization than we thought. I was only inside one branch. And each branch is kept secret from other branches and HQ itself."

"One false step and we'd be unable to stop the Purification Plan." Erza reminded. "So we had to wait until today."

"Then, that simplifies things." Natsu grinned. "Let's go wreck this Purification Plan thing together."

Outside Malba City...

"Where are Gray and Gômon, Briar?" Jerome asked.

"Aren't they dealing with the prisoners?" Briar blinked.

"I understand Gômon stayed behind, but why Gray, too?" Jerome wondered. "Do you suppose..."

"Listen, none of that matters anymore." Briar rebuked. "Just look at all these followers. Every member of every branch has gathered for the Purification Plan. Even if the Council do show up now, they won't stand a chance against our monumental faith."

"Indeed." Jerome nodded.

"The Purification Plan is finally happening." Abel grinned.

"We will now enact our Purification Plan upon the city of Malba." Alok declared. "This city is completely innocent. Its 30,000 lives are in motion, oblivious to their impending fates. Their pure souls shall bring Him, the black wizard Zeref to this place. We now offer these 30,000 souls so that we may walk beside Him. Purify every soul in this city. Charge!" he gave the order.

"You aren't taking one step past us." Natsu retorted, taking out the charging soldiers with a wave of fire.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull!" Lucy wasted no time in summoning Taurus. "And Star Dress: Taurus Form!" she donned on the Taurus Star Dress, complete with a whip.

"Gray, curse you!" Jerome glared.

"What are you doing?" Briar chided. "They are only three of them. Thrash them."

"Jerome-sama, the enemy is attacking from the rear, too." one of the messengers reported. "We're taking enormous damage."

"The Council's army is already here?" Jerome gasped.

"Actually..." the footman started as Erza literally barreled through the rear forces. "It's just one person."

"Let's get started." Natsu powered up a flaming fist.

"Earth Wave!" Lucy struck out, after Natsu and Gray took out their half of the incoming soldiers. With a single snap of her whip, she ruptured the ground, taking out her side of the enemy.

"Charge." a captured magic soldier told his comrades once Lucy's whip caught him around the wrist. With a devious grin, Lucy struck out, flailing the magic soldier off, along with the rest of the incoming fighters.

A blast of ice from Gray froze the soldier who was about to jump Lucy from the back. With a smirk, the ice mage snapped his fingers, conjuring a large block of ice from the ground and allowing Natsu to use it as a jumping board.

Said Dragon Slayer dashed up the ice slab and slammed a fiery fist down to the ground, taking out the surrounding magic soldiers. A Fire Dragon's Roar took out another wave of soldiers.

"What the..." Mary was stunned to see the three mages literally decimating their forces.

"I guess only we can put an end to them." Briar remarked.

"I''ll deal with the enemy at the rear." Jerome offered. "Gray and his friends are all yours."

"It's time we show these sewer rats the true horrors of black magic." Briar stepped into the field with Mary.

"It's quite clear that this lone fighter is quite experienced." Jerome was impressed. "However, my dark sword is forge with forbidden black magic. With it, I shall cleave and purify them."

"Requip!" Erza jumped off her horse, donning on her Ataraxia Armor in mid-air. "Fly forth!" she sent her blades flying towards the gathered soldiers.

"What a beautiful knight." Jerome jumped in, Erza using the front-most sword on her right to fend off the attack, the brimming black sword easily shattering the blade. "I won't let you interfere with our plan." he charged in to attack Erza, who simply let loose the four swords on her left at the dark mage. With a single slash, Jerome cut through the sword wall. "My Dark Sword corrodes everything it touches." he bragged, Erza was now on the defensive with the remaining of her swords now destroyed.

"My sword..." Erza poised with the Ataraxia Armor's main sword in hand. "Cuts without being noticed." she sent an energy spark from the tip of her sword towards Jerome and taking him out.

"Gray!" Briar roared, charging straight towards the ice mage. "How dare you betray us? Or should I say fool us? Was your time with us a complete lie?" she slammed a hand on the ground, Gray easily side-stepping the energy wave that erupted from the earth.

"Of course it was, idiot." Gray retorted. "Like I'd be pals with a pack of murderers like you."

"It isn't murder." Briar fired back. "It's purification. We're going to summon Zeref through purification. So, was your blather about the Book of END a lie, too?" she demanded, Gray easily dodged her next attack.

"That had some truth in it." Gray remarked. "Someday, I will destroy END. But not this way. I'd be a disgrace to my old man."

"Lucy-san..." Taurus stopped in mid-fight, his stomach was suddenly hurting. "My stomach, it suddenly..."

"No way..." Lucy found herself struck with the same aliment.

"My black magic Virus spells can eat away at a person's body." Mary giggled. "By the way, this one messes with people's guts."

"I got it, too..." Happy moaned.

"Just so you know, my Virus magic can take your life easy-peasy." Mary grinned. "Like, it could mess up your brain, for example."

"My stomach doesn't hurt anymore." Lucy blinked.

"Status ailments nullified." Wendy declared. "And status immunity enchantments activated. Status ailment spells don't work against sky magic."

"What is this huge army anyway?" Carla wondered. "Lucy, behind you!" she warned.

"I know." Lucy closed her fist. "It's stomach payback time. Lucy Punch!" she clocked Mary with a single punch to the stomach and knocking her out.

"You'll pay dearly for this, you mole!" Briar glared, Gray avoiding her energy wave.

"There's your Clone Magic." Gray grinned, shooting an ice beam at Briar and making her split into two.

"Angry Briar." the two Briars then further split into four. "Smiling Briar. Sorrowful Briar. Loving Briar."

"I am furious." Angry Briar glared.

"I'm amused." Smiling Briar giggled. "You intend to fight us with such measly powers?"

"I'm sad." Sorrowful Briar wept. "Because there's no choice but to kill you now."

"And because I actually fell a little in love with you." Loving Briar flushed.

"Huh?" Gray blinked.

"Is there something I ought to know, Fullbuster?" a low growl alerted Gray that he was not alone.

"What are you two doing here?" Gray gaped at the appearance of the two water mages.

"Tide Jewels: Water Pulsing Palm!" Ulyo simply charged forward, striking Loving Briar with an open-palm strike to the stomach and knocking out the clone.

"How dare you hurt Loving Briar!" Angry Briar snapped.

"You're starting to annoy me." Gray snorted. "Chill out, all of you!" he frozen the remaining three clones in ice.

"You owe me chocolate." Ulyo gave her partner a flat look.

"Whatever." Gray muttered. "Wait, how did you find me?"

"Wendy had a strong sense of smell." Juvia supplied.

"I'm sorry." Gray looked away. "I'll explain everything later. But for now..."

"Sky Dragon Wave Wind!" activating Dragon Force, Wendy took out her share of soldiers with a tornado.

"We did some retraining on our own, too." Carla was also kicking butt in hand-to-hand combat.

"Doesn't matter how many you have." Natsu had already made his way to Alok. "You can't beat us. Because we're Fairy Tail wizards."

"This is all within expectations." Alok was unfazed. "When Ikusatsunagi shakes the earth, the purification will begin."

"In that case, we're go beyond your 'expectations'." Natsu swore.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.