Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Akane Beach.
June 1, x792.
["If you don't wanna fight that guy, you should just take him out secretly with your [thread Magic] and [Camouflage Magic]."] Scylla said from Elicia's inner World while she continued dispatching the soldiers on the flagship.
'I've been trying.' Elicia said while pouting. 'But for some reason, it's not working. Every time my threads get close, a soldier stumbles into the path and ends up getting wrapped up instead.'
["Hmm… This sounds like some anime logic, or something."] Scylla replied as Elicia strung up a soldier from the ship's sail. ["It's like you're being forced to fight the boss of this arc last."]
'I wanna say something like that isn't possible.' Elicia replied, her thoughts making her sound tired. 'But after living in this world for twenty-eight years, I really can't.'
After she, Cana, Marin, and Sun stopped most of the ships from the Alvarez Empire's fleet from approaching the shore and boarding the remaining ships, Elicia has been dealing with the soldiers on the flagship while the other three decimated the other ships soldiers. However, while Elicia was handling the soldiers at her leisure, she saw a member of the Spriggan 12, Neinhart, the wielder of a type of lost magic, [Historia of the Dead] step out of the ship's cabin.
And the reason for her pout was rather simple. The magic, [Historia of the Dead], was able to bring up phantoms of the deceased who were important to the target. And ever since Elicia entered this world when she was a child, there were only four dead people who she considered important enough for Neinhart's magic to bring back that would cause her any kind of mental anguish.
And those people were her parents in this world, Orlando and Monica Taylor, and Alfonzo's parents, Bianca and Antonio Marcus.
["Maybe you should tell Fonzie about this."] Scylla suggested. ["He's aboard the Blackbird. So, he should be able to get here quickly and sink the ship before that guy can do anything, right?"]
'No, that won't work.' Elicia replied with frustration. 'Fonzie is waiting for Serena and Acnologia to show up. If he misses them, they're strong enough to cause a lot of damage to our forces.'
["I can see why you'd say that about Acnologia."] Scylla said in a skeptical tone. ["But Serena? Really? Just let Gildarts handle that moron."]
'*Sigh* If we could find him, that would be perfect.' Elicia said, her frustration growing. 'But you know how he is. He just kinda vanished. Even Ur couldn't find him before we got started. And since he's a walking disaster, no one really made a big deal about it.'
["Oh, right… The Gildarts effect."] Scylla replied with a hint of recognition in her tone. ["Yeah, we can't let that guy too close to the border or any of the towns and cities. Otherwise, he might accidentally destroy the barriers."]
'That's right.' Elicia replied. She then put on an irritated expression as she continued. 'Oh, and that was the last one. Now, I'm gonna have to deal with this guy. *Sigh* Fighting Auntie Bianca is gonna be a pain without my magic.'
*Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!*
Just as Elicia said, she just finished taking out the last of the soldiers aboard the flag ship. And as she did, Neinhart, who was watching her with a strange smile on his effeminate face, stepped forward while slowly clapping his hands.
"Well, well, well." Neinhart said with an irritating grin on his face as he continued to clap. "It would seem not everyone on this continent is completely useless. Then again, when you take into consideration who your father and his partner---"
"Yeah, yeah, yea." Elicia said in an irritated tone, cutting off Neinhart's monologue. "I already know what you're gonna say. You're gonna talk about my dad and Auntie Bianca and wonder how I'd measure up against them. Oh, you were gonna talk about how I fought, too. But I already know how I fight. So, that's not necessary. So, let me talk, instead."
Neinhart was caught completely off guard at being interrupted. Especially since he really did not put anyone from Fiore in his eyes. But when Elicia gave a bare bones version of what he intended to say to her to shake her confidence, he was thoroughly dumbfounded.
Although it was a known fact that Irene and Brandish had betrayed Alvarez, meaning they more than likely gave their side the intel of Alvarez's most powerful wizards, as someone who would disregard a summons from Zeref, despite already being in Vistarion Castle, it should come as no surprise that he did not pay attention in the briefings before the invasion started.
And because of that, he did not understand how Elicia could have known what he was gonna say before he said it. But he was caught even more off guard when he heard what Elicia had to say next.
"I'm seriously concerned about the fashion sense in the Alvarez Empire." Elicia said while pointing at Neinhart's armor and frilly collar. "I mean, first we run into Brandish, who, although it was a cute swimsuit, doesn't wear real clothes. Then, there's Irene. Actually, I don't' have anything bad to say about Irene's fashion sense. Next, that Jacob guy I beat up a few years ago. He looks way too edgy. I mean, shouldn't an assassin try to look inconspicuous? Instead, he looks exactly what you'd expect an assassin to look like. And then, there's you…"
For a moment, Neinhart actually stopped to think about the outfits the people Elicia mentioned wore. And when he did, he could not help but agree with her. However, when she pointed him out, his heart lurched for a moment. {Pic}
"… I don't have a problem with matching green and yellow." Elicia continued in a disgusted tone. "But why in the world would you match something frilly with a suit of armor? Or rather, why would you match it with plate armor? I mean, couldn't you get something custom-made to combine the two in a more harmonious manner?"
Neinhart froze for a moment after hearing Elicia's criticism. However, his shock quickly turned to rage. For someone as arrogant as he was, having someone he saw as lesser criticizing him was more than he could bear.
"You're asking for death." Neinhart said in a menacing tone.
"Oh God, now he's turning into a Xianxia antagonist!" Elicia exclaimed as she threw her hands up. "What is this world coming to?"
"A what?" Neinhart asked as he could not follow Elicia's flow at all. A moment later, he shook his head and continued. "Since you already know what I'm capable of, then you know you're going to die soon. But as the kind soul that I am, I'll allow you to die after seeing those important to you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Elicia said, once again interrupting Neinhart. "Just summon Auntie Bianca and Dad already. Then, I'll fight them… Win… and beat you up for making me mad."
The sound of Neinhart gritting his teeth was audible to everyone on the deck… Well, everyone on the deck who was still conscious. And when the soldiers heard it, they were terrified. In the Alvarez Empire, the Spriggan 12 were basically worshipped as war gods. So, just the thought of one of them being angry was enough to make them shiver in their boots.
Meanwhile, Neinhart, without another word, as he was tired of being interrupted, waved his hand. With his gesture, two people, a man with short hair, a beard, goatee, and brown eyes like Elicia's and a woman with black hair styled into a short afro, grey eyes, and an annoyed expression, appeared on either side of him. {Pic}
"What the fuck is this shit?" The woman asked, her annoyance on full display. "I'm supposed to be dead. So why am I looking at a grown up Lici?"
"I think that's the whole point, Bianca." The man replied while smiling wryly. "Looks like that guy summoned phantoms of us to fight my little girl."
"Yeah, I figured that out." The woman, Bianca Marcus, replied while shooting a quick glare at the man. "What's really getting on my nerves is the fact that your little girl actually let this happen. She should have just fucked him up and moved on with her damn day."
"*Sigh* there really is no reason to swear so much, is there, Bianca?" The man asked in an exasperated tone.
"Shut the fuck up, Orlando." Bianca replied without even looking in his direction. "You can tell me how to talk when you can beat me in a fight."
"I know you two were created from my memories of you…" Elicia said while smiling wryly. "But I'm glad you haven't changed. Auntie Bianca even has a shield of her [Dispel Magic] around you. I'm curious to know how you haven't been dispelled, though."
"Beats the fuck outta me." Bianca replied with a shrug. "The old man always said that magic is a power that comes from reason yet surpasses reason."
"That's about what I expected." Elicia replied with a shrug. "I remember Gramps saying stuff like that, too. Oh! Hold on a sec."
With that, Elicia reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out her lPhone. Seeing that, Bianca and Orlando looked on with interest. Meanwhile, Neinhart, who was expecting Elicia to show some kind of despair at the thought of having to fight the people she loved, was thoroughly dumbfounded when she simply conversed with them as if they had been alive the whole time.
"Hey, Fonzie." Elicia said, having completed her call while Neinhart was questioning everything he knew. "I ran into that Neinhart guy. And just as we expected. He summoned Dad and Auntie Bianca from my memories. Did you wanna say hi?"
"*Sigh* She doesn't even call me daddy anymore." Orlando said in a downcast tone. "We really missed seeing them grow up."
"That's probably a nickname reserved for Zo." Bianca replied with a giggle that made Orlando wince.
Hearing that, Orlando groaned while face-palming. Meanwhile, Bianca could not help but cackle at his suffering.
{"I kinda wish I had come with you."} Alfonzo said from the other side of the call. {"I miss them so much. But it's probably better that I'm not there. I would have ended up destroying a big part of Akane Beach if I had to fight them like that."}
"I know the feeling." Elicia replied with a nod. "But they're just like I remember them. Your mom still cusses like a sailor…"
"Hey, sailors ain't got shit on me!" Bianca shouted, sounding almost insulted that she was compared to sailors.
"… and Dad still can't stand up to Auntie Bianca." Elicia continued while giggling at Bianca's interruption.
"You wouldn't try to stand up to someone who beat you up every time you had a disagreement either." Orlando grumbled.
{"Well, of course they're just like you remember."} Alfonzo replied, giving Elicia the impression that he was rolling his eyes. {"They are created from your memories, after all."}
"Oh… Now that you mention it." Elicia said in a tone of realization.
"Enough!" Neinhart, who was dumbfounded that the phantoms he created simply engaged in conversation after being summoned, shouted angrily. "I didn't summon the two of you to take a stroll down memory lane! Kill her! Let her die in despair!"
At that moment, the conversation came to a screeching halt. Then, Elicia, Bianca, and Orlando slowly turned to glare at Neinhart, causing the Spriggan to step back involuntarily.
"You're lucky this isn't the real me." Bianca said in a low, menacing tone. "Otherwise, I would have beat the shit out of you before hanging your bitch ass from the top of the mast and beat you some ore like a fucking piñata."
{"should I come over and drop a lightning bolt on this mother fucker?"} Alfonzo asked in a dark tone. {"I really feel like that would be the right fucking thing to do right now."}
"They're definitely mother and son." Elicia and Orlando said simultaneously while sporting identical wry smiles.
"But like I said, you're lucky." Bianca continued as she turned away from Neinhart. "Unfortunately, I have to listen to your orders."
"*Sigh* I gotta go, Fonzie." Elicia said in a tired tone. "The fight's about to start. I'll call you back in a few minutes when it's over."
{"Alright."} Alfonzo said, his tone still sounding quite pissed off. {"And remember, don't try to go easy on Mom. She'll just get mad and try to beat you up even harder."}
Hearing that, Orlando could not help but wince from the memory of Bianca beating him up in the past. Meanwhile, Bianca nodded her head with a proud smile on her face.
"My baby knows me the best." Bianca said as she took her fighting stance. "Anyway, let's cut the bullshit. Lici, I know you're stronger than me now. So, just kick our asses and make that dumb mother fucker regret leaving his continent."
"Just be careful, Babygirl." Orlando said as his magic power started to flare. "And make sure not to get hurt."
*Swish!*
"Mmkay!" Elicia replied, her lPhone already back in her pocket, as she appeared in front of Bianca with her right fist reeled back and ready to throw a devastating hook to her mother-in-law's gut. {Pic}