SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 149 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 149: Alvarez Empire Arc: The Third Seal

"There's way too many of time." Gajeel cursed as his and his group fought off the remaining troops. "But I already knew that. Karmic Demon Iron God Sword!" he slammed his oversized blade down on the soldiers attacking him.

"How long are you gonna stay like that?" Rouge chided his best friend.

"This is all because I'm a screw-up." Sting muttered. "I'm the Guild Master, but..."

Yukino pulled the downcast White Dragon Slayer and gave him a slap across the face. "You're our Master. So it's your duty to keep morale up at times like this." the Celestial Mage sobbed. "You have what it takes to do that."

"You brought me back to my senses, Yukino." Sting got back to his feet. "We just need to keep growing up, like we are now. Everyone who can, follow me!" he rallied his Guild members together. "We tigers are still hungry. Time for our first meal in five days."

"Us heavenly horses, too." Eve piped in, the rejuvenated Blue Pegasus members had also joined in the fight.

"Hm..." Juliet peered into the distance. "Those people that got caught seem to be all better now."

"What shall we do, Irene-sama?" Heine asked.

"Bloodman and Larcade are there." Irene reminded. "There's no need for concern."

"It's the Grim Reaper!" members of Blue Pegasus started retreating when Bloodman's magic flooded the battlefield.

Gajeel slammed a 'Iron Dragon Club' in Bloodman, his clubs increasing in numbers and allowing the Iron Dragon Slayer to pin the Etherious against a tree.

Bloodman just chuckled and shifted into his mist form to extract himself. "You have just touched death." he declared. Re-manifesting in front of Gajeel, he grabbed him by the throat. "Inexorable death."

"That so?" Gajeel retorted, gripping Bloodman around the throat. "Lucky for me, then." in 'Iron Shadow Dragon Mode', he headbutted Bloodman. "I was tired of searching for a place to die."

"Juliet, Heine." Irene instructed. "Join them on the front line. Our third guest will arrive soon. The heavenly horses and the tigers are our first guests. The fairies were our second guest. And now we have a third guest. This could be a bit troublesome."

On the other side of the battlefield...

Sorano, along with the rest of the Crime Sorcière group, arrived on board the Sailing Temple: Olympia. "It's time to show everyone else what us former Oración Seis and current Crime Sorcière are made of. Wasn't this supposed to be a snowy mountain?" she wondered.

"Who cares?" Erik muttered. "Just let me off already."

"And the biggest problem of all is our fourth guest." Irene added. "But this one is neither friend nor foe. I'll have to deal with them personally."

With Sorano's group...

"Sounds like it'd be a while until you're better." Sorano cast a look at the still motion-sick Erik. "In that case, we'll start by flexing a little of Olympia's muscle. Mobile Temple Olympia, main cannon, fire!" she fired the cyan energy blast at the Alvarez army, before firing off another two more blasts in succession.

"I need to make preparations before our fourth guest arrives." Irene activated her 'Universe One' mass area spell. "His Majesty's little strategy game is over now. We still would've won regardless, of course. The game board has been broken, you could say. By someone outside of the rules; by Acnologia's wings of darkness. A black dragon, at the spot of the white maiden's victory; it's as if the black maiden seeks revenge. But the last laugh will belong to me, the scarlet maiden."

"You dare to brave the Magical Barrier Particles emitted from my body?" Bloodman was impressed when Gajeel continued attacking him. "They spell doom for any mage who inhales them."

"Unfortunately for you, my lungs are made of iron." Gajeel retorted.

"That's delightful to hear." Bloodman chuckled. "It's been a while since I was able to fight to my heart's content." he blasted Gajeel off with a massive wave of his Magical Barrier Particles.

"Iron Dragon Spear!" Gajeel realigned himself and fired off an iron rod at Bloodman.

"Unfortunately for you, I am literally made of Magical Barrier Particles." Bloodman merely shifted into his mist form to avoid getting hit. "As such, I am a God of Death; a guide to the underworld." he activated his 'Second Seal', washing Gajeel away with a flood of skulls. "Perhaps you can endure, but can everyone else here?"

"Everyone, get away!" Gajeel barked. "Right now!"

"My corpses will consume your soul." Bloodman declared.

"Solid Script: Shine!" Levy dispelled the skulls that threatened to engulf Gajeel. "I'm not leaving."

"You idiot!" Gajeel chided. "Get away from here! 'Mask'?" he noticed the 'Solid Script: Mask' Levy had over her mouth.

"Don't say stuff about searching for a place to die." Levy scolded.

"That was just a witty comment." Gajeel retorted. "I wasn't being serious."

"To oppose me is to assure your death." Bloodman droned. "You will not have it; I will not grant you 'life'. As a God of Death, I swear this."

"Are you sure the Magical Barrier Particles won't' hurt you?" Gajeel was worried about Levy, the battle was still raging on, now that Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus had rejoined the fray.

"Solid Script Masks are flawless." Levy assured.

"With the First Seal, Magical Barrier Particles drain your magic power." Bloodman held up a finger. "With the Second Seal, a gate to the Underworld opens in the field of corpses. With the Third Seal, the God of Death passes judgment upon your lives. Those who reach the third can never return to the living world." he took on his shadow-cloaked form.

"You can act all ominous, but your magic power's a joke." Gajeel scoffed. "You're nothing compared to the rest of the Twelve."

"That is because I wield curses." Bloodman droned. "Curses of the Nine Demons, spewed from the Underworld: Conjury! Explosion Spell!" he cast the spiral explosion on Gajeel and Levy. "Five Great Swords: Onimaru!" he blasted Gajeel with a cross-shaped energy blast. "Tenchi Kaimei!" he then flooded the area with water.

"These techniques..." Gajeel recognized the attacks. "This guy can use all of Tartarus' curses?"

"But I won't fall for the same trick twice." Levy swam to the ground. "Solid Script: Hole." she conjured a hole on the ground to drain out the water.

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel fired his breath attack.

"Ice Devil Rage!" Bloodman countered with his own breath attack. "Behold, a curse that surpasses the Nine Demons'." he used the Thorns curse to bind Gajeel and Levy. "To the Underworld, the dead do walk. The Third Seal is released. Over Skelter!" he sent his numerous skulls to bombard Gajeel. "They escaped my vortex of death?" he was surprised when Gajeel snatched Levy from the flood of skulls.

"Levy, your mask." Gajeel managed to get the two of them to safety. "Your mask came off."

"I'm sorry..." Levy breathed. "The truth is, it didn't work anyway. Magical Barrier Particles get absorbed through the skin, too."

"Them, why did you come here?" Gajeel barked.

"I wanted to save you." Levy replied, coughing out blood and passing out.

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