SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 141 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 141: Alvarez Empire Arc: This Perfume Goes To...
At the Western Hill...
"Erza!" Natsu's keen eyes spotted the falling Erza.
"Go with him." Gajeel told Wendy as Natsu hurried over to catch Erza. "She's been hurt bad. We'll handle these guys. You go too, Blue Cat." he sent Happy off.
In Magnolia...
"That saved us." Elfman breathed in relief after the sandstorm died down.
"The sandstorm stopped." Gray noted.
"And we have new enemies." Ulyo pointed out as six shadows emerged from the resulting dust.
"Six enemies?" Juvia blinked.
"They give off a strange magic power." Mirajane was on alert.
"Be careful, everyone." Lisanna warned.
"Here they come." Elfman was on the ready.
"A physical attack?" Juvia melted into water, nullifying her opponent's punch. "Those don't work on me."
A second punch from the Wall replica sent her to the ground, the attack seemingly having hurt her.
"Steam?" Ulyo frowned, dodging her own opponent and locking her Wall clone's outstretched fist in a water sphere.
"Ice Make..." Gray readied his stance, only to be met by a fire punch from his opponent.
"My opponent uses steam." Juvia got back to her feet.
"He's insanely fast." Elfman tried to keep track of his opponent. "Take this!" he turned to hit his Wall clone, only to miss and his opponent attack him from the back.
Lisanna's opponent easily smacked her to the ground.
"Fire against Gray, steam against Juvia and myself, speed against the power-based Elfman and power against the speed-based Lisanna." Ulyo broke down their opponents' tactics.
"These guys..." Gray realized. "Are they tailored against our weaknesses?"
"Wait a minute, if that's the case, what about Mira?" Ulyo wondered. "You've got to be kidding me..." she muttered, turning to Mirajane and saw who her opponent was.
"Stop, Elfman." Mirajane wailed, the Wall clone Elfman hitting her comically on the head.
"That's clearly a fake, you know!" Gray exclaimed.
"What's going on here?" Elfman wondered. "How did you know our weaknesses so perfectly?"
"My Weakness Magic can generate soldiers that take advantage of opponents' weaknesses." Wall explained. "Indeed, I have the power to detect a person's strengths and failings. I believe I can leave my Weakness soldiers to deal with you. I must go and dispatch this loathsome enchantment user of yours." that said, he took off to the direction of Kardia Cathedral.
"Freed is in danger." Juvia realized.
"Then, we don't time to lose." Ulyo declared. "Arc of Time: Chrono Stasis!" she locked all six Wall clones in a time loop sphere each.
"A new spell?" Gray was impressed.
In the Kardia Cathedral...
"Hang in there, Freed." Evergreen encouraged. "Most of the western airship fleet are out of the fight now."
"And apparently Erza and Bisca took out one of the Twelve." Bickslow nodded.
"Impressive." Freed chuckled.
"Honestly, now." Wall entered the cathedral. "What a disgrace to the Twelve, indeed."
"The enemy?" Bickslow was shocked.
"They're here already?" Evergreen gaped.
"I can't move while using high-level enchantments." Freed cursed. "Sorry, this is up to you two."
"No problem." Bickslow assured.
"Leave him to us." Evergreen stepped up.
"We're Laxus' personal bodyguards: the Thunder God Legion." Bickslow declared.
"Any shame or disgrace on our part will tarnish his status." Evergreen added.
"I can see it." Wall grinned. "I can see it clearly: a person's strengths and failings. I can see your weaknesses. Weakness generation." he conjured two more of his Weakness soldiers to deal with Bickslow and Evergreen. "Go forth."
"Line Formation." Bickslow sent out his dolls.
"Purification." the Wall clone facing Bickslow reached out a hand and nullified the five dolls.
"White magic?" Bickslow realized, before he was sent flying back by a punch to the face.
"Fairy Bombs!" Evergreen let loose a bombardment of her fairy dust bullets.
"Mist." her opponent shrouded himself in mist.
"What's happening?" Evergreen was stunned. "My wing scales aren't working." distracted, she was kicked to the ground by her opponent.
"Damn." Bickslow cursed. "His White Magic cancels out my Black Magic."
"Use your secondary magic." Freed barked.
"What?" Bickslow gaped when their Eye Magic had no effect on their opponents.
"Aim for the main one!" Freed shouted.
"This is the end of you." Evergreen hissed. "Stone Eyes!"
"Ever, Bickslow!" Freed exclaimed when the unaffected Wall knocked Evergreen to the ground.
"Why doesn't it work?" Bickslow was confused.
"It's simple, indeed. "Wall replied, revealing himself to be a high-tech Machias. "I am not human. I am a Machias, a mechanical being."
"Machines that can use magic?" Freed gasped. "Lightning..." he blinked when the two Wall clones were surrounded by crackling lightning.
"Zap, zap man!" Ichiya joined the fray. "Looks like he can benefit from some shock treatment, courtesy to my Thunder Parfum."
"Ichiya!" Evergreen blinked.
"What are you doing here?" even Bickslow was confused.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten your previous indignity." Ichiya posed. "No matter. I need to eliminate this fellow first."
"Indignity?" Bickslow wondered. "Did we do something?"
"No idea..." Evergreen replied.
"It makes no difference how many you there are, indeed." Wall dismissed Ichiya. "I can determine all your weaknesses with the greatest ease. Analysis error!" he shouted in horror. "Too many weaknesses are detected."
"Ichiya is really something." Evergreen joked.
"He has so many weaknesses that it's impossible to narrow them down." Bickslow agreed.
"A short time though it was, you were members of Blue Pegasus." Ichiya posed. "In other words, you and I are like family. As a personal rule, no one harms my family and gets away with it. Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus are the same in that regard. Now, tremble in fear before my parfum! I believe my poison parfum should be kicking in right about now." he grinned.
"I lack the ability to perceive smell." Wall supplied.
"You're right!" Ichiya exclaimed. "You have no nose!"
"Besides, I'm a Machias, indeed." Wall added. "You have so many weaknesses that I was left a tad perplexed. But that simply means that you're weak, indeed!" he sent Ichiya flying with a punch.
"I have my own problems to deal with here." Evergreen growled, facing off against her opponent again.
"Leave this to me." Ichiya affirmed. "Machines have an undeniable weakness. Thunder Parfum! Point-Blank Suction." he charged up the lightning. "Machines are weak against lightning. Justice Thunder!" he directed his charged up lightning at Wall.
"Indeed." Wall agreed. "Machias made of organic metal are weak to lightning attacks. But do you honestly think I joined the ranks of the Spriggan Twelve without overcoming my own weaknesses? As someone whose magic exploits weaknesses, I naturally, must conquer weaknesses of my own. So, I made myself capable of converting lightning into energy for myself. Vortex Charge." he fired the attack back at Ichiya.
"I'd heard the Machias use a type of alchemy, but I never knew they used it to continually alter themselves." Freed remarked.
"The more lightning I absorb, the more powerful I grow. "Wall bragged.
In the Fairy Tail Guildhall...
"The enchantment is weakening." Warren reported.
"But why?" Makarov wondered.
"Freed, don't drop your enchantment!" Laxus yelled into Warren's ear. "The Guild's under attack from the west."
In the Kardia Cathedral...
"It looked like you halted your enchantment for a moment there." Wall taunted. "Do you drop the enchantment and defend yourself or do you keep the enchantment active and die? A tough decision, indeed."
In the Fairy Tail Guildhall...
"Freed, what's going on there?" Laxus shouted. "I'm coming to help."
"You don't have to yell, you know." the nearly deaf Warren complained. "He can hear just fine."
"Don't come." Freed replied back. "We're the Thunder God Legion. We're your personal guard. Our sole goal is to protect you. For now, at least, our goal is to protect the Guild."
In the Kardia Cathedral...
"So you're still alive." Wall turned when Bickslow and Evergreen attacked him from the back.
"We have our own pride to maintain." Bickslow stated.
"We can't afford to be beaten so easily." Evergreen agreed, the two Thunder God Legion members charged in.
"Weaknesses, eliminate these ones immediately." Wall ordered his soldiers.
In Magnolia...
"Ever, switch out who you're fighting if there's more than one." Elfman advised.
"This one's a piece of cake." Gray grinned, locking the two steam Wall clones in ice after Ulyo pinned them down with a 'Sea Serpent Twine'.
"I can fight the fire one with water." Juvia drowned the fire Wall clone in a water whirlpool.
"I'll take on the power-one." Mirajane switched with Lisanna.
"And the fast one has nothing on me." Lisanna grinned.
"So, I gonna beat myself up, then?" Elfman sighed.
"The Weakness Soldiers have their own weakness." Gray stated.
In the Kardia Cathedral...
"In that case..." Evergreen smirked. "White magic is nothing to me." she took out the White Magic Wall clone.
"And my spirits can target the enemy just fine through the mist." Bickslow took out the Mist Wall clone.
"Too little too late, I'm afraid." Wall mocked, grabbing Freed by the head.
"We've wiped the western army!" Natsu's voice rang in.
"You guys are truly impressive." Freed grinned. "Now I can fight without holding anything back." he then activated his 'Dark Écriture: Absolute Shadow' form.
"Power Parfum: Max Man!" Ichiya bulked up and the two male mages took out Wall in unison.
In Magnolia...
"All done here, too." Gray declared.
"You okay, Ever?" Elfman asked.
"As if you ever have to worry about me." Evergreen retorted.
"And Erza?" Mirajane inquired. "Is she all right?"
"She's okay." Warren responded.
"We've captured one of the Twelve." Lucy reported, the unconscious Brandish was heaved over Cana's shoulder. "By sheer luck."
"We're bringing her back to the Guildhall." Cana supplied.
In the Kardia Cathedral...
"You were in Magnolia all this time, Ichiya?" Evergreen was surprised.
"Have you really forgotten?" Ichiya questioned. "Honestly now, this is the problem with you Fairy Tail people." he sighed and recounting how Ulyo had led her group into the Blue Pegasus Guildhall to not only get Laxus and the Thunder God Legion back, and also to borrow the Christina to rescue Makarov. "It's been a whole week since then!"
"Perhaps you should've gone home." Freed deathpanned.
"Have you any idea how long of a flight that was?" Ichiya ranted. "It took a lot of time to prep the Christina and get enough fuel. And then suddenly, Alvarez shows and attacks?" he turned his frustration on Wall's head on the ground. "I'm royally ticked off."
"Ichiya!" Freed shouted a warning, seeing the head's mouth suddenly sparkle.
"What the..." Ichiya was stunned when the implanted bomb exploded. "Say something, you guys." the stunned Perfume Mage looked at three Thunder God Legion members who had shielded him from the falling rubble.
"I guess now we're even..." Bickslow muttered.
"I'm glad you're all right." Evergreen sighed in relief.
"We were in the same Guild." Freed reminded. "That pretty much makes us family."
In the ocean near Hargeon Town...
"Your laugh creeps me out." Dimaria told the manically chuckling Wall (the real body). "Could you knock it off? You're spoiling the soothing sound of the waves."
"Things have gotten way more interesting than I expected, indeed." Wall declared. "Oh dear, I'm done with the 'indeed' thing. I guess my puppet wasn't enough, after all."
"They defeated your little puppet?" Dimaria was surprised.
"I mean, I half-expected that might happen." Wall shrugged. "What's really interesting is that the enemy has beaten Ajeel and captured Brandish."
"That's hilarious." Dimaria burst out giggling. "Randi got herself taken prisoner? Could she be any more pitiful?"
"Fairy Tail's not too shabby, after all." Wall was intrigued.
"The emperor did deploy the entire military for a reason." Dimaria reminded.
"Even so, I can't let them have the last laugh." Wall smirked. "That'd be no fun."
"Don't get hasty." Dimaria chided. "We're nearing the port. Our first order of business is to take it out. You're going to obliterate the port?" she asked, seeing Wall cup his hands together. "It's still 30 kilometers away."
"No," Wall grinned, forming his Super Long Distance Anti-Material Magic Cannon. "I'm gunning for Fairy Tail. I'm Wall, the great nad elite Machias. Never underestimate me! Super Long Distance Anti-Material Magic Cannon!" he fired the cannon straight towards the Fairy Tail Guildhall.
In the Fairy Tail Guildhall...
"An enormous heat signature from the southeast." Warren reported, his radar picking up the cannon blast. "It's magical power. Whatever it is, it's coming right at us at incredible speed."
"Anyway Freed, put your enchantment back up." Makarov ordered.
"It's no good." Warren hissed. "There's no response from the Thunder God Legion. Distance, seven hundred, six hundred. It's gonna be a direct hit."
"Everyone evacuate!" Makarov barked.
"Is our Guildhall gonna get wrecked again?" Romeo shouted.
"Not if I can help it." Ichiya cut in and sent in the Christina to take the cannon blast head-on. "This is a battle. But it's not yours alone. Fiore communication network, on!" he slammed a fist down on the button. "Can you hear me, everyone?" he called out to the rest of the Guilds. "This is our battle!"
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.