Chapter 71

Bigger Problems

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback you

Location / Date / Time Skip

Elfman picked up his sister and ran for both their lives. "Whatever you do, don't look back!" He told her as energy blasted the ground behind them.

"How is this even fair!?" Mary asked. "What are you, a real demon!?"

"Honestly, I do agree with some of Zentopias teachings." Mirajane said back. "Acknowledging your sins and giving every bit of your love to others. However-" She fired another blast that her first soul blocked. "I've lost respect now that I know they take in people like you! A shame something like that happened."

Marry growled in anger before waving her wand. "I've had enough of you!" The third finger snapped open and the Satan Soul merged with her. "Conducting Art - Third Act!" 'Maryjane' said. "Using this sinful technique, I will destroy you all!" She flew into the air after Mira and threw a punch only for the white haired girl to block it.

She swung again and again before Mirajane hit her in the face. "This is a sin for you!?" She asked before kicking her in the stomach.

'Maryjane' flew back and unleashed a ball of dark energy. Mira held out her hand and pushed it back, sending explosions around the lake. "Your real sin is taking my power and using it to hurt my family!" She kicked her away before firing a beam of her own energy, sending Mary to the ground in pain.

The Satan Soul turned into a red orb and floated back into Mirajane. Mary whimpered in pain as Mira landed in front of her. "You threatened my love ones with my magic. That is unforgivable." Mirajane slammed a hand through the stone scary Mary Hughes even more.

"Here it comes..." Elfman mumbled in fear.

Mirajane placed her free hand over Mary's face and... "Bad." waved it back and forth. In sheer horror Mary passed out as Mirajane returned to normal.

Lucy's Group

Laki crashed to the ground underneath a tentacle. "Get off me, you giant perv!" She shouted in annoyance. The cephalopod prepared to fire another streak of ink before a stream of water pushed it back.

"Consider this a favor in exchange for some dating advice, four eyes." Aquarius said before turning to Lucy. "A puddle!? Seriously!?"

"No prob. Maybe some time after this." Laki chuckled before purple flames pulled her out. "Thanks Romeo."

"Look, blondie. I'll over look this if you LEARN TO SUMMON TWO SPIRITS!" Aquarius threatened. "I might be nicer if you had my man next to me."

"Romeo, can you open its mouth for me?" Laki asked.

"Consider it done." The boy replied before throwing a purple fireball at the sea creature. It exploded into a net like structure that forced the mouth open.

"Perfect." Laki smirked before jumping down from her vantage point. "Wood Dragon Splinter S-" The cephalopod grabbed her with another tentacle and her shot missed.

"You fool. Do you really think we couldn't see through your attempt at strategy?" Byro asked. "Tactics like that aren't going to work."

"What now?" Happy asked.

"Let us move on, Kanaloa. We have what wanted." The man said.

"You're nit going anywhere!" Lucy shouted. "My father left that clock piece to me. It's all I have left of him so hand it back now. You have no right to steal it."

"We are not stealing anything." The man replied. "We are recovering them."

"Well, it doesn't look that way to me." The blonde said back.

"These clock pieces belong to the Infinity Clock. And the archbishop has demanded we gather them." Byro explained. "We are following his will, nothing more."

"The Infinity Clock?" Lucy mumbled.

"I cannot give this back even if I wanted to." He replied, holding up the piece. "No mere wizard guild could possibly protect them."

"So why are you gathering them?" Laki asked, making Byro turn to his prisoner. "I don't know what an Infinity Clock is, but if you guys are trying to get them then it can't be good."

"You guys aren't anymore right then we are." Lucy replied. "You might seriously mess up and bring on the 'inevitable chaos'."

"You dare question the archbishop!?" Byro growled. "For that you will die!" Kanoloa swung its arm and sent girl flying. Laki latched on to the sea creature with her whip and swung around before kicking it with both feet. "You dare fight back even after I've explained everything!?"

"All I know is I plan on keeping my fathers memento safe!" Lucy said back. "Now take this!" She unfurled jer whip and helped Romeo tie up the octopus before Laki slammed her Redwood Fist into it. Kanaloa flew backwards in defeat as Byro jumped off.

"I will not surrender." Byro told them. "Your guild is gathering the clock pieces and bringing them. I will fight them all by myself if that is what it takes." The clock piece started glowing under the wraps, confusing the armored man. Laki took advantage and unleashed a Roar at him, only to have it nullified.

"Fine, we'll do this the old fashioned way." She ran over and threw a punch, only to have her fist caught. Byro then slammed his knee into her stomach before kicking her into a slab of rock. Lucy tried to summon a spirit only for Byro to nullify it. A chewing noise caught his attention and he turned to see Laki munching on an old pew.

"Ugh... rotten wood." She groaned before charging him. Byro pushed the foot aside before kicking her. She flipped back and stood up before wiping her mouth. The purplette charged back and Byro slammed his staff into her before cracking her in the face. She was launched over head and crashed on the floor before she was repeatedly punched in the face.

Off to the side, Coco winced in pain with every blow as Dan sat up. Dan did the same as his 'love' kept getting back up. "Big man, beating a girl who can't use her magic." Laki said, pushing herself up after getting kicked away. "And all that crap about sacrificing your lives... Life isn't something you just throw away. I tried that once and my friends save me. You should protect it and your friends lives as well."

Laki raced over and was punched back again, gripping her injured arm. Romeo and Happy raced over only to have her arm in their way. "This is between me and him." She started walking over before collapsing to the ground.

"Get up, Laki!" Romeo shouted.

Laki pushed herself up and charged forward, surprising Byro enough to land a punch on his face. Byro was unfazed by the impact and slammed Laki to the ground before stomping on her head. "Looking at you fills me with rage I forgot a long time ago. You yammer on about the sanctity of life, but you are nothing more than guild rats chasing coin."

"There's no money in this!" Lucy shouted back, making Byro glare at her.

"Big talk... coming from a thief." Laki groaned out. "You stole from Lucy in the first-" Byro kicked her back and she crashed into a pillar. "Don't like hearing the truth, do ya?" She said standing up, popping a wooden chair into her mouth. "And as for your 'Holy Mission', this is where it ends."

She charged forward and swung her leg only for Byro to mercilessly beat her to the ground. "That mission is the sole purpose of the Legion Platoon. Misguided guild wizards could never understand our convictions. I hope you enjoyed your last meal, because I'm about to neutralize it as well."

"That's cheating!" Happy shouted.

"A battle isn't meant to be fair. And a weak fool like you isn't strong enough to lead this world out of darkness." He declared to Laki before picking her up. "A coin chasing rat could never understand what we fight for." Byro slammed her to the ground before kicking her away. "If the archbishop orders us to find the clock, then that is what we will do. And if that order requires us to sacrifice ourselves or others, then we will do that as well. It's our duty to protect the greater good."

"Don't you care about the pain your putting on others?" Lucy asked.

"One cannot be concerned with such triviality." Byro retorted. "Ours is to reveal the course of righteousness and guide others down it's path." He slammed his elbow into Laki and sent her back into a stone pillar. "We are forced to make sacrifices no matter what. The world is filled with chaos and evil. To free it we must be willing to sacrifice everything."

"That must be rather easy for you." Michelle said, confusing everyone. "Follow your cause instead of your emotions. That's what you said, right? That is just so you don't feel guilty over your actions. Pretend what you do is always righteous and you can justify anything."

"You dare speak of righteousness to me!?" Byro kicked Laki over to the blonde and hit Dan, who was flirting with Lucy. All four wizards stood up and charged him and prepared to fire a massive spell, only for Coco to make him miss. "What is this?"

"Lord Byro, please." She begged. "All the chaos we've caused on this mission, that's not what we were taught. We should be protecting people instead of breaking them into what we want. How does slaughtering our flock make us righteous? I can't abide this hypocrisy anymore."

"How... how dare you turn your back on Zentopia!" Byro shouted before blasting her back. "You filthy traitor! All that awaits you is death!" He fired off another of his 'Divine Arrows' only to find it blocked by a circular shield.

The shields split to show Erza standing in front of Coco. "Seems we meet at last. Prepare for battle."

"Titania." Byro growled out.

"It disgusts me to hear my name out of someone who would turn on their comrades." The redhead said, returning to her normal armor.

"We don't put up with creeps like you, old timer." Gray said from behind.

The others appeared, holding their clock pieces and surrounding Byro. "Return Lucy's piece or suffer the consequences." Erza demanded.

"Come and take it from me, Titania." Byro declared. "The Infinity Clock is Zentopian property. Fate demands we watch over it. You guild rats have glimpsed into the darkness no one was meant to know. For that, you will die."

"Very well!" Erza shouted before the guild fired off a series of spells. Byro did nothing but nullify the magic before the clock pieces started glowing.

The handle shot out of Byro's hand before the others started glowing as well. They floated into the air and shined even brighter before they started ringing. The light died and showed the clock was in full form as the others covered their ears.

"The tomb is collapsing!" Erza shouted.

"We need to get out of here!" Gray shouted.

A smell caught Laki's nose and she went wide eyed. "No, it can't be..." A wall collapsed behind the clock and six figures walked out. "The Oracion Seis?"

"I thought those guys were in jail." Gray said.

"And it seems they've been busy." Erza said, eyeing the giant... thing behind the humans.

"You didn't think we would just waste our lives in jail, did you?" Midnight asked, twirling his hair. "We've been busy these last seven years."

"Why are you even here?" Laki asked.

"We have but one desire. To make my fathers dream a reality." Midnight declared. "And that is to destroy everything in this world."

"Even after all this time, you still believe the same nonsense." Erza said.

The man chuckled at her remark. "I must thank you for doing all the work for us, but we no longer need any of you." The clock glowed green before the Oracion Seis symbol appeared on it.

"What now, Lord Byro?" Dan asked.

"We fight!" The older man declared in anger before both charged the six. Midnight waved his hand and green energy shot forward.

Dan braced himself behind his shield, intent on bouncing it back. "No, don't!" Erza shouted, only for the attack to hit. A vector appeared and reflected the attack back at Dan, cracking his armor.

"I shall handle this myself, then." Byro declared only to be hit by the same attack.

"What happened to his nullifying affect?" Gray asked.

"Do you not know anything?" Midnight asked back. "Once the Infinity Clock bears the mark of a wizard, it becomes theirs. Meaning it's power becomes ours." The clock rang again as Midnight sat on the clock.

"What a lovely sound." Angel said, perking Dan's attention as Lucy shouted about it 'being unfair'.

"I can hear their growing anger and confusion." Cobra said with a smirk. "It's building up."

"Dark wizards like us are forbidden from gathering the Infinity Clock." Angel said. "So we used you to assemble it for us."

"Damn you!" Byro shouted, as Lucy just stared up in confusion.

"Their power is completely different on another level than before." Erza said.

"No one is going to stop us now." Cobra said.

"We stopped you before, we'll do it again!" Laki shouted unleashing a roar.

The hooded member teleported in front of the group and blocked the wood shards before his hood was knocked off. "Is that Erigor?" Gray asked.

"What happened to him?" Laki asked. "He's like a completely different person."

"My name is Grim Reaper." He replied.

"Come on, Brain 2. We need to go." Cobra said.

"We have a schedule to keep." Angel added.

"I do know that." Brain 2 replied. "But they humiliated us seven years ago. I think we should return the favor. Cobra, Racer." The two men nodded and took off.

Erza changed into her Yuen Robes and charged with Laki and Gray, only for Racer to bat them around with his speed. "I don't have time to do anything against him!" Gray said in annoyance.

"He's much faster than last time we fought." Erza mumbled as Racer took out Juvia and Lyon. "Is he still using the same slow spell? He's like a wild animal hunting its prey."

Cobra landed behind Wendy and Carla before glaring at them. "What, do I scare you?" He asked before flaring his magic. "I'm just starting."

"Leave them alone!" Laki shouted before charging him.

"Oh, you again." He mumbled before snapping his fingers. A reverberation of Laki's shout deafened the group before it shattered the ground, raising the rocks up.

"He just turned Laki's scream into a weapon." Wendy groaned out, one of the many hit by the attack.

"Still using the same old tricks, huh?" Laki asked.

"I no longer need to fight like a savage." Cobra said. "I'll use your voice to destroy you."

"Coco, take Lord Byro and get out of here." Dan said, looking out at the battlefield. "These guys are on completely different league than Fairy Tail. Lord Byro needs to survive this, I'll hold them off. Now go!" The two could only nod and run as Grim Reaper slashed Erza and Gray back before unleashing a tornado that sent them to the ground.

Dan stood in front of Lucy, Michelle and Happy before pointing at Angel. "Listen, you hold something that doesn't belong to you. I refuse to stand by and let you get away with it. Are you even listening to me... my love!" The three behind him almost fell over in shock before running over to her. "And what is your name?"

"Angel." She simply replied before kicking him away. "This isn't even a fair fight." She complained as the others returned to her side.

"These guys are a joke." Racer added.

"We need to leave now. Angel?" Brain 2 asked before she pulled out a trio of golden coins.

"Cost 30." She said before they started glowing and floating out of her hand. "The child you bested before is long dead. Now I am a true angel. Spirits no longer dare defy me, allow me to show you my Angel Magic. Come to me, Angel of Heralded Victory; !" A twisted angel looking being appeared in a blinding light and unleashed a blast.

Laki groaned as she opened her eyes. Standing over her was the troll Ichiya, whom she promptly punched in the face in surprise. "Laki, you're okay!" Rose cheered as she reached her partner.

"My head..." She groaned out. "What happened? Where are we?"

"The Blue Pegasus guild hall." Happy said walking over to her.

"Wait, how'd we get here?" Laki asked. "And where are the others?"

"I rescued you all from that vile tomb." Ichiya bragged.

Laki looked around and saw Erza, Lucy and Gray sitting at the bar tended by Master Bob. "Laki, good to see you up." Lucy said.

"Make sure you thank Ichiya." Erza said, slightly shuddering at the idea. "If he hadn't come along when he did, we'd all be buried under thousands of pounds of rubble."

"Do I really have to?" The Dragon Slayer asked. "Alright, thanks."

"Gray had Master Bob personally take care of him." Lucy added, making the Ice Mage shudder in horror.

"So where are the flirta-holics? And did you drop Lyon back at his guild?" Laki asked, ignoring the glare Juvia was giving both her and Bob.

"They're abroad on a mission, and yes we did." Ichiya answered in order.

"And the Legion Platoon?" Laki asked.

"They were gone before I ever reached you." Ichiya said. "But we have bigger problem, by the name of the revived Oracion Seis. Whatever you need, I will be more than happy to assist."

"Hey, has anyone seen Michelle?" Lucy asked.

"She said she needed some air. She left a while a go." Gray answered before the blonde left the guild.

She wandered around for a bit before finding her 'sister' in a broken mausoleum. "It's all my fault." Michelle said. "If it wasn't for me, you never would have gotten that clock hand? And none of this would have ever happened."

"No, that's not true." Lucy replied.

"But that's why so many of our friends have gotten hurt." The girl replied. "And our problems are only getting worse."

"Michelle, stop thinking like that." Lucy said. "Focus on the good stuff. If it wasn't for that clock piece, you and I never would have meet." Michelle started crying before Lucy hugged the other girl. "Listen, we need to head back. There's something I need to check out." The two returned the guild and Lucy reread the book that started it all.

"Guys... I got it wrong..." She mumbled. "We weren't supposed gather the clock pieces. This book is a warning to what happens when you gather them and create the Infinity Clock. How in the world did I miss this? I can't believe I ever thought I understood this book."

"Sounds like your intentions backfired." Ichiya said. "Then it is your job to fix it. Everyone fails at some thing at some point."

"And besides, why did your Dad have to make things complicated?" Laki asked. "He should have just said 'don't do this, or you'll destroy the world'."

"So what do we do now?" Gray asked before the Clock began ringing somewhere in the world.

"We need to stop the Oracion Seis before they destroy the world." Lucy declared, making the others nod.

People like to say that Lucy is smarter than other characters. Well how smart you can you be if a little kid figure out the real message of the book and YOU didn't? Seriously, how stupid are you? Moving on, I don't think anyone saw the return of the Seis coming. And they are powered up. Very, very bad situation coming up. Hope everything works put okay.

Beta read by JballinR12.