Alice is crouching down to Jura, and checking his wounds. Natsu is yelling in the background trying to hit Klodoa with his flaming fists. 

Klodoa dodges a fist from Natsu and wacks him in the back of the head, sending him tumbling across the room.

"Natsu!" Gray yells out then he turns to the staff and readies his magic. "Okay."

Happy points at the rolling Natsu. "Hey, Lucy, do you see Natsu rolling on the ground over there?"

"Actually, I'm afraid that's not an extremely rare sight on these kind of missions." Lucy Remarks. 

Klodoa headbutts Gray in the stomach.

Natsu grabs Klodoa by the stick. "I got you now!"

"Yeah!" Gray yells. "Now that we got this clown where we want him, let's see if we can--"

Klodoa headbutts Gray then begins to Headbutt Natsu.

"Keep that thing away from me!" Gray yells in anger.

Klodoa goes and headbutts Gray.

"Well, get out of the way, you dummy!" Natsu yell in anger.

Then the two idiots headbutt each other.

"Try and hold it still, ya freak!" Gray angrily says to Natsu.

"Try and dodge it, ya slowpoke!' Natsu angrily says to Gray.

Alice is giving them a side glace and she sweat drops.

'Is now really the time to fight? It's like I'm babysitting kids.' Alice thinks and looks back to Jura.

Klodoa notices Lucy and she panics as he stares at her.

"Aw, I always get the creepy stares."

"Oh, no, your ego is showing."

"Shut up, cat!" Lucy does a cut pose. "Once again, my cuteness is a burden. Oh, poor me."

"The stress is getting to her, guys!" Happy yells to the fighting pair. "She's finally gone completely insane!"

"Aw, I thought there was a real woman here,but she's just a little girl." Klodoa says to himself.

Alice's left eye twitches.

Lucy gets angry. "Say what?!"

Then the idiots charge at Klodoa.

"Let's go!"

"Oh yeah!"

Klodoa hits both of them away. "A bunch of annoying kids."

Klodoa uses the crystal ball in his mouth to produce lighting magic and shock Gray and Natsu.

"Gray! Natsu!" Lucy shouts in worry.

"This skull stickman guy isn't playin' around." Happy says.

Klodoa stops shocking Gray and Natsu. "Ha! Poor babies. You may be young, but you've got a lot to learn if you want to beat me. Who cares how young you are? So if you wanna go flaunting your toned, limber bodies around like that, fine. But this is what happens."

Lucy deadpans. "It sounds like somebody has some serious age issues around here."

"Aye."

"Eh?" Klodoa goes still.

Gray and Natsu gets up.

"Now what?" Natsu says with a little annoyance in his voice.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Lucy says smugly.

Happy sweatdrops. "I don't think that's it."

"Oh, no. This cannot be." Klodoa says with worry. "They all have fallen. I can't believe it. The six demons have been defeated."

The crystal ball from Klodoa's mouth falls to the ground and shatters.

Klodoa begins to freak out. "The horror! The horror! it's imminent. the Great One is coming!"

"Huh?" Gray is confused.

"What's the big deal?" Natsu is also confused.

"Who's coming?" Lucy asks Klodoa.

"I bet whoever this 'Great One' is, it's not gonna be so great for us!" Happy says with great worry.

'I don't think we can handle a new threat in our current states.' Alice remarks in thought.

"So who are you babbling about?" Gray asks the floating staff. 

"He's getting super juicy." happy points out.

"That's sweat, ya dope!" Lucy yells at Happy.

"It's Brain." Klodoa speaks up.

"What?" Gray asks again.

Natsu puts his hands on the back of his head. "The old bald bruiser already put that creep on the ground."

"I'm aware of that." Klodoa says. "But what you don't know is there's another personality lurking inside of him. You've seen the outer one--- 'Brain,' the name for the calm, knowledge-seeking persona at the surface. But there is a hidden face that craves only destruction. They call him 'Zero.' "

"Brain was bad enough for me." Lucy says.

"Zero's worse?" Happy asks in worry.

Klodoa continues.

"He possesses an incredible power pair with an unquenchable thirst for destruction. But Brain was able to seal him away, using six magical keys."

"And those are the Oracion Seis?" Gray asks....again.

"Correct. Bound together using body link magic. And once those six demons fall, Zero will once again be free to roam the land, annihilating everything with the misfortune to stand in his path."

"That sounds like a challenge to me." Natsu says with excitement. 

"It sounds dangerous, Natsu. If anything I'll be the one to face him."

Natsu whines.

"But, Alice."

Alice turns and glares at him and he salutes her.

"Yes, ma'am."

Suddenly a nearby wall explodes and Klodoa moans in horror. Someone walks through the hole and into the room.

Klodoa bows. "Master Zero, I humbly welcome your return!"

Everyone becomes tense.

"'Master Zero?'" Lucy asks.

"Things have taken quite an interesting turn, haven't they, Klodoa?" Zero asks the staff. "Even Midnight fell in battle."

Klodoa looks up to Zero. "Please, Sir, I beg you to grant me forgiveness!"

"You misunderstand me. I'm not displeased. On the contrary, it's been far too long. This feeling I have-- This flesh, this power-- I've longer for it."

Red sparks travel around Zero's arm.

"It's time for me to begin the task for which I was summoned."

"Yes, sir!"

Klodoa gets up and floats behind Zero. Zero takes off his clock.

A green aura manifests around Zero and he gains a new uniform. Zero glares at Fairy Tail

"You scum. You've done an admirable job in destroying my guild. But as its Master, I am bound by my obligation to take my revenge."

"No way. He's the true leader of the Oracion Seis?" Lucy says with fear evident in her voice.

Happy is shaking. "'Fraid so."

Zero begins to release his magic power and it makes the ground shake.

"His power is making the ground shake." Lucy points out.

"So are you fired up and ready to go, Natsu?" Gray asks Natsu.

"The guy's got some crazy magical power goin' on. I can't wait to take him down." Natsu is excited for a fight.

Zero's power dies down. "Hmm, That's it?" He looks over to Jura and Alice. "I'll begin with the bald on who harmed this body while Brain was in charge of it." Zero prepares his magic and Alice becomes worried. "Him first!"

Zero launches his attack and Alice stands in front of Jura with her arms out, prepared to take the blow. But Gray jumps in front of them and creates a wall of ice.

"You'd really attack somebody who's not even able to move?" Gray asks Zero. "You're a coward."

"Nonsense." Zero says. "Spare me your foolish ideals.

Zero adds more power to his attack and Gray's ice begins to shatter.

"Gray! Move!" Alice shouts to him.

"No! I got this-" 

An arrow made of ice hits Gray in the side and he goes flying as his shield shatters and Zero's attack hits Alice. Smoke and dust covers the area.

Gray lands next to Natsu and Lucy.

"Alice!" Gray and Natsu shouts in worry.

"Oh no!" Lucy yells out.

"I take great pleasure in destroying many things that do not move. Why should that man be an exception?" Zero explains.

A chuckle is heard through the smoke and it begins to clear. Lucy, Happy, Gray and Natsu gasp in shock. Lucy brings her head up to her mouth and tears prick at the corner of her eyes.

 

 

Alice is still standing up, protecting Jura. But all her armor is destroyed. Her right eye is shut and some blood falls from the corner of her mouth. Her arms are all bruised and scraped. Her torso is all slightly burned and bruised.

Alice's legs are wobbling, but with all of those things, Alice has a smug smile on her face. And her golden guild mark is completely clean.

"You talk about being powerful, but that attack was nothing but a simple wind hitting me."

Zero's smile grows and he laughs.

"Perfect."

Zero brings his arm back up and a purple magic circle appears and he fires off more dark magic.

"Alice!" Natsu yells and he begins to run but a wall of ice surrounds the members of Fairy Tail. 

Through the ice Natsu sees Alice lower her arm and hives him a confident smile.

"Alice move!" Gray yells out in worry.

Alice looks back to the magic heading towards her and she faces it head on.

"I will never back down when people are in need!"

The dark magic hits her again and explodes. Dust and smoke flies everywhere.

"Oh no!" Happy shouts in worry.

Natsu and Gray look at each other and nod. They turn to the ice and punch it together using their magic and it shatters.

"Please, be okay." Lucy says with great worry.

the smoke clears and Alice is still standing.

But her head is hung low and her left arm is hanging limp. She's hunched over and she coughs up some blood.

"You're still standing?" Zero questions Alice.

Alice gives a weak chuckle and she looks up to Zero. Her left eye is barely open. She still has a smug smile on her face. Her golden guild mark shines in the moonlight from the hole in the wall.

"Fairy Tail members....will never.... lose to...scum like you." Alice smugly says.

Alice starts to sway back and fourth.

"I'll never lose....to someone... like you."

Alice's vision blurs and she begins to fall over.

"A knight.... never...gives up when... the weak are in need."

Alice hits the ground.

The last thing she sees is the worried faces of her guild members.

"I'm sorry." 'Erza, I'm... scared.'

Alice's world goes dark.

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(Well, I finished the episode, this was way over due. But I hope you liked it with the new writing style, i'm doing. And I'm excited because the Alice Vs. Master Zero chapter is coming up soon. Where we get to see a whole new side of Alice.)

06-12-2022

1574 words