Chapitre 472: After the Commotion

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Karakura.

March 31, x786

Less than twenty minutes after leaving Quatro Cerberus' guild hall, Alfonzo, Elicia, Marin, and Ikaruga returned to Karakura Town. And the first thing they did after arriving in town was book a couple of hotel rooms at the town's most luxurious inn. Coincidentally, it was the same inn where the allied forces met to deal with Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Orochimaru a year and a half ago.

After booking their rooms, the group immediately headed up to the fifth floor, with Marin and Ikaruga carrying the luggage. And the reason for that was because Alfonzo's hands were full with Elicia, who he was carrying like a princess.

"Although I thought she'd end up getting violent with Bacchus, I never thought I'd be stopping her from killing him." Alfonzo said as he sat on the hotel room's couch with the sleeping Elicia in his arms. "I would have bet any amount of money that it would have been the other way around."

"I don't know..." Marin said after putting the luggage in her hands down next to the couch. Then, after sitting down next to Alfonzo, and while looking at Elicia's tear-stained, sleeping face, she continued. "I had a feeling things would end up like this from the very beginning. Especially after she said she wanted to deal with Bacchus herself."

"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Alfonzo said as he swept some of Elicia's hair out of her face.

Meanwhile, Ikaruga, with the bags she had been carrying, began putting away Alfonzo, Elicia, and Marin's clothing in the drawers and closet in the room.

"Ikaruga, it's okay to take a break for a little while, you know?" Alfonzo asked after seeing Ikaruga work.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Master Alfonzo." Ikaruga replied politely. "But this is my duty. I can rest once my work is finished."

While Marin smiled at Ikaruga, Alfonzo only shook his head before returning his attention to his wife.

"Anyway, I think it would probably be for the best to keep Lici from meeting Bacchus for the rest of the trip." Alfonzo said. "And for his own sake, I hope he stays away from me, too."

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to do that?" Marin asked curiously. "I mean, unless Master Goldmine sends him away for some reason, he'll definitely be in Quatro Cerberus' guild hall, right?"

"*Sigh* I know..." Alfonzo muttered while combing his fingers through Elicia's hair. "Either way, after all that, I wanna get some rest. So, I'll take Lici and get some sleep."

"*Sigh* I'll come to bed with you, too." Marin said as she reached into the luggage next to the couch. "I'll just read my book until I get sleepy, though."

Nodding in response, Alfonzo, with Elicia in his arms, stood from the couch and headed for the king-sized bed in the room. Then, after taking off Elicia's clothes, leaving her in her bra and panties, Alfonzo took off his own clothes and tucked the two of them into the bed. Meanwhile, Marin also stripped down to her own underwear, put on a night gown she took out of her luggage, and climbed into the bed on the other side of Alfonzo before starting to read her book.

While Alfonzo and Marin got ready for bed, Ikaruga continued to put away Alfonzo, Elicia, and Marin's luggage. Then, once she was done, she bid Marin, the only one still awake, good night before leaving the room and headed next door to her own room.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Quatro Cerberus Headquarters.

Around the time Alfonzo fell asleep, Goldmine, who was sitting in his office, nursing a glass of scotch, had a huge headache over what happened earlier in the evening.

In all honesty, Alfonzo and Goldmine had seen most of the conflict between Elicia and Bacchus, as they had returned to the main hall shortly after Elicia slapped Bacchus. However, since she had not gone too far at that point, they were content to watch.

In fact, Goldmine thought the conflict would end for the time being when Elicia smashed Bacchus head into the floor. However, after hearing Bacchus threaten to kill Alfonzo, he, like Marin, knew that things would get bad, and rather quickly.

Luckily, before Goldmine had to make a move to save his ace, Alfonzo moved to stop Elicia before she could kill him. However, although he was not happy about how far Elicia was willing to take things in her rage, Goldmine could completely understand why she was angered so.

"*Sigh* What am I gonna do with Bacchus?" goldmine muttered while swirling his glass of scotch. "Over the years, he has offended quite a few people while drunk, but it never caused any serious issues. But now, he might cause a long term alliance to be broken if I don't do something about him. *Sigh*"

With his second sigh, Goldmine brought his glass to his lips, tipped his head back, and finished its contents in one go.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Master, it's Bacchus." Bacchus said from the outside of the door.

"Come in." Goldmine said in a somewhat irritated tone.

Shortly afterwards, the door to Goldmine's office was opened slowly. And when it was open, Goldmine saw Bacchus' slightly pale face.

"So, you actually came without drinking something, first, huh?" Goldmine asked with narrowed eyes. "Even though I said I wanted to see you sober, I didn't think you'd actually listen."

Instead of replying casually or in a joking tone like he usually would, Bacchus only lowered his head as he closed the office door behind him. Then, without a word, he walked in front of Goldmine's desk.

"*Sigh* Have a seat." Goldmine said.

Following Goldmine's instructions, Bacchus took a seat.

"So, have you finally figured out that you were wrong?" Goldmine asked.

"Yeah, I get it." Bacchus replied quietly. "I was wrong about how she felt. Seeing all that hatred in her eyes and feeling her killing intent told me more than I needed to know."

"Good." Goldmine replied with a nod.

"But how could I be so wrong?" Bacchus asked while clenching his fists. "I clearly remember her telling me that she was in love with me and that she just couldn't leave that bastard."

Hearing that, Goldmine raised an eyebrow. Then, he leaned forward, placed his elbows on his desk, and supported his chin with his intertwined fingers.

"Really?" Can you tell me when that happened?" Goldmine asked skeptically. "Or where it happened?"

Immediately, Bacchus looked contemplative. Then, after nearly two minutes of silence, he began to shudder.

"I... can't." Bacchus replied. "I can't remember when she told me that. How she told me... Or where we were when she said it. But why? Why can't I remember?"

As Bacchus spoke, his voice grew in volume. And by the end, he was shouting at the top of his lungs in frustration.

"*Sigh* It's because it never happened." Goldmine said after Bacchus calmed down slightly. "When you've had too much to drink, which is the majority of your waking hours, you seem to think that any woman who is polite to you is in love with you."

Hearing that, Bacchus' head snapped up to look into Goldmine's face.

"It happened with Karin Lilica of Blue Pegasus, that one... knight from the capital... and Elicia of Fairy Tail, to name a few."

Now that he was sober, Bacchus could finally recall the expressions that Elicia and Karen usually wore when they looked at him. However, when he thought about the knight Goldmine was referring to, and the way she started talking about, Bacchus selling her off for more alcohol money with a fierce blush and panting breaths, he shuddered in disgust.

"But that's not the important thing right now." Goldmine said, snapping Bacchus out of his recollections. "For the first time, your excessive drinking has caused a serious issue for the guild. An issue I wouldn't be strong enough to save it from."

"What are you talking about, Master?" Bacchus asked with a smile. "You make it sound like our guild would have been in danger or something."

"*Sigh* I told you about this after my last trip to Magnolia, Bacchus." Goldmine said while shaking his head lightly. "But Alfonzo is capable of fighting on par with Gildarts."

"You were serious about that?" Bacchus asked in a skeptical tone. "But he's even younger than I am. How can he be so strong?"

"Talent and hard work." Goldmine replied.

If it had been reported in the news that Alfonzo had defeated God Serena, with little effort, Goldmine would have done everything he could to keep Bacchus from meeting Elicia at all costs. Even if Elicia said she wanted to settle things with him. Because he had envisioned something like what happened before.

"Anyway, you'll have to stop drinking so much." Goldmine said. "Now that your actions have brought trouble to the guild, I can't let it continue."

"But alcohol is necessary for my fighting style." Bacchus replied.

"Yes, I am aware." Goldmine said. "But your excessive drinking is not. So, unless you can cut back by a large amount, I can't allow you to drink anymore."

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?" Bacchus asked in an irritated tone.

"Find another martial art to incorporate with your [Palms Magic]." Goldmine replied bluntly. "It's not like there are no other palm based martial arts you could learn. And with your solid foundation, I doubt it will take too long."

Hearing that, Bacchus lowered his head while clenching his fists in frustration.

"I know this seems harsh to you, Bacchus." Goldmine said solemnly. "But this is necessary. And I think you should leave to find your new martial art inspiration immediately. I'd rather not have either Alfonzo or Elicia lose it if they see you first thing in the morning."

Hearing that, Bacchus began shivering in anger. However, when he remembered the way Elicia looked at him when she almost killed him, he sighed heavily. Then, he looked up at Goldmine once again.

"Fine, I'll go." Bacchus said in a somewhat lifeless tone. "Can you at least apologize to Elicia for me after I leave? I never wanted to do anything to make her so angry."

"I can do that." Goldmine replied with a nod. "I have no idea how she'll respond, though."

"*Sigh* I understand." Bacchus replied. "As for Alfonzo, I won't thank him for saving me. But tell him I'm gonna kick his ass the next time I meet him."

"*Sigh* Though I seriously doubt that, I'll pass on the message." Goldmine said.

In the next instant, Bacchus stood up from his chair. Then, without a word, he left Goldmine's office and would not be seen by anyone from Quatro Cerberus for the next two years.

April 1, x786.

The next morning, Alfonzo, Elicia, Marin, and Ikaruga returned to the Quatro Cerberus guild hall. And to no one's surprise, they were greeted with both anger and suspicion. Elicia did come to their guild hall, injure their ace, and destroy quite a few of their tables the night before, after all.

Luckily, during the short discussion Alfonzo had with Goldmine before the quartet went back to Karakura, Alfonzo agreed to pay for the damage Elicia caused.

Before the atmosphere could get too awkward, a pair of swordsmen, Ikkaku and Yumichika approached the four visitors from Magnolia.

"Hey, one of you, any of you, fight me!" Ikkaku exclaimed once he was standing in front of Alfonzo and the other three.

"Well, the three of you can decide what you wanna do with that challenge." Alfonzo said while waving his right hand and walking past Ikkaku and Yumichika. "I've got work to do. So, I'll see you later."

Then, without looking back, Alfonzo walked towards the back of the Quatro Cerberus guild hall to get started installing the training chambers.

On a side note, had anyone been outside the building, they would see the building materials floating up from the cart hitched to the back of the Escalade, and over the guild hall.

Back in the Quatro Cerberus guild hall, Elicia, Marin, and Ikaruga watched Alfonzo leave without giving them a hand with the situation.

"I really wanna fight you, though." Ikkaku said while pointing at Elicia. "Seeing the way you beat up Bacchus really got my blood boiling. It even made me so happy that I did my happy dance."

"Uh... Sure." Elicia said while smiling wryly. "I guess we can do that."

Hearing that, Ikkaku smiled happily as he once again began dancing. Meanwhile, Yumichika was scrutinizing Marin and Ikaruga, unable to decide who he'd rather fight based on their appearances.

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Chapitre 473: Elicia Vs. Ikkaku

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Quatro Cerberus Headquarters.

April 1, x786.

"Hmm... Lici, Marin, Ikaruga, Ikkaku, and Yumichika are head out of the guild hall together." Alfonzo muttered to himself while molding materials into the proper shapes with his [Metal Magic]. "They're probably gonna spar. But I wonder who will be facing whom."

["I bet Ikkaku challenged Lici."] Bedlam replied. ["You know, since she's the strongest of the three."]

["Hmph! That bald moron is gonna get his ass kicked."] Riot said disdainfully.

"Probably." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "If he doesn't use his [Bankai], Lici won't even have to open Scylla's first seal. Then again, I don't even know if he can use his [Bankai] yet. I mean, I have no idea where they are in the time line, after all.

["Then there's the fact that he's really reluctant to use his [Bankai], too."] bedlam added. ["I mean, in the canon, he only used it when there was no one around to see it, right?"]

"Yeah, something about not wanting to become a captain." Alfonzo replied. "But there's no one else from Soul Society here. So, he might be willing to use it if he's pushed far enough."

["Actually, now that I think about it, he should be stronger than Bacchus if he uses his [Shikai], right?"] Bedlam asked. ["So, why isn't he S-Class yet?"]

"In terms of magic power, he should." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Despite myself, I know that Bacchus knows what he's doing in a fight. So, he might still be able to beat him."

["I guess."] Bedlam replied with a shrug.

["Quit yapping, they're about to start."] Riot said snappily. ["And he really did challenge Lici. Hey, Alfonzo, you can make up for the lost time by working a little later, right? Let's go watch."]

Meanwhile, on the Quatro Cerberus training grounds, Marin, Ikaruga, Yumichika, and quite a few members of Quatro Cerberus were surrounding the sparring ring while Elicia and Ikkaku stood opposite each other at its center.

"This is gonna be great." Ikkaku said excitedly. "Now I can fight someone strong who won't be wiggling around like a jelly fish."

"I guess you don't like fighting Bacchus, huh?" Elicia asked with a smile.

"Of course not." Ikkaku said with a scowl. "I'll admit he's strong, but he's too slippery."

"Well then, you probably won't like fighting me, either." Elicia replied.

Hearing that, Ikkaku could not help but frown.

"You don't seem like a total drunkard, though." Ikkaku said.

"I'm not." Elicia replied while gently shaking her head. "But my fighting style is a little elusive."

"Well, as long as you aren't like that guy, I don't care." Ikkaku said as he unsheathed his katana. "Now, let's get started."

"Sure." Elicia replied as she took her own fighting stance. "By the way, what's your name? You haven't introduced yourself. Oh, and I'm Elicia Marcus Taylor, an S-Class wizard from Fairy Tail. But you can just call me Elicia."

"Oh, you can call me Ikkaku." Ikkaku replied. "Ikkaku Madarame."

"Cool." Elicia said with a smile. "Then, should we get started, Ikkaku?"

"Of course." Ikkaku replied as he [Flash Stepped] in front of Elicia.

In the next instant, Ikkaku swung an overhead slash down at Elicia, who avoided by making a quarter turn to her left. Then, using her left foot as leverage, she threw a right kick at Ikkaku's abdomen.

Reacting quickly, Ikkaku raised the hilt of his sword to block Elicia's kick. Then he thrust the tip of his blade at Elicia's right shoulder.

In response, Elicia quickly bent her left leg, causing her body to drop down below Ikkaku's thrust. Then, she spun on her pivot foot with her right leg still extended, sweeping it towards Ikkaku's legs.

Hopping lightly, Ikkaku thrust his katana down at Elicia as he fell back to the ground. However, Elicia quickly rolled towards Ikkaku, rolling past his landing point. Then, she placed her hands on the ground and flung her legs up at Ikkaku's back.

Surprised by Elicia's fighting style, when Ikkaku landed on the ground, he quickly stepped forward, just barely avoiding Elicia's upward kick. Then, he spun on his heels and slashed at Elicia horizontally.

Ikkaku's slash did not connect, however, as Elicia used the momentum from swinging her legs up to flip over and return to an upright position. Then, once Ikkaku's sword passed, she lashed a back heel kick at Ikkaku's temple.

*Bang!*

However, before Elicia's kick could land, Ikkaku quickly pulled his sheath off his waist to block the kick.

Pushing off of Ikkaku's sheath, Elicia used the force to put some distance between herself and her opponent.

"Not bad for someone so young." Ikkaku said with a smile while patting his sheath against his left shoulder.

"Well, I've had a lot of experience." Elicia said as she took her stance once again. "The real question is, are you as good with a weapon in both hands as you are with both hands holding the same weapon?"

"I guess we'll have to find out." Ikkaku said as he [Flash Stepped] once again.

When Ikkaku reappeared, he thrust the sheath in his left hand at Elicia's chest, which she avoided by stepping back. Then, Ikkaku followed up with a thrust from the sword in his right hand.

This time, however, instead of stepping back, Elicia deflected Ikkaku's thrust with the sealed Scylla on her left wrist. Then, after moving Ikkaku's sword to the outside of her body, she threw a sharp jab that landed on Ikkaku's chin, rocking his head back on impact.

After that, Elicia raised her left leg before stomping it down on Ikkaku's front foot and followed up by leaping to slam her right knee into his chin.

Reacting quickly, Ikkaku thrust his sheath into Elicia's abdomen, pushing her back before her knee could make contact.

A moment later, Elicia landed gracefully. Ikkaku, on the other hand, looked even more excited than he did at the beginning of the spar.

"Great, you're even better than I thought you were after seeing you beat up Bacchus last night." Ikkaku said excitedly. "So, why don't we get serious? I think we've both had enough time to warm up, after all."

With that, Ikkaku flared his magic power. Then, he slammed the pommel of his sword into the mouth of his sheath.

"[Extend, Hōzukimaru]!" Ikkaku shouted excitedly.

In the next instant, Ikkaku's sword, or rather, Zanpakuto, flashed with light. A moment later, when the light reseeded, Ikkaku held a Yari, a spear with a traditional Japanese blade as its spearhead, with a wax wooden shaft and a red, horsetail tassel hanging from the pommel.

"Hmm... This should get more interesting from now on." Alfonzo muttered to himself from the Quatro Cerberus guild hall's roof.

["Still, unless he uses his [Bankai], he has no chance of winning against Lici."] Bedlam replied.

["Of course!"] Riot shouted excitedly. ["Lici is the best, after all!"]

Shaking his head at Riot's overenthusiastic exclamation, Alfonzo refocused his attention to the ongoing spar.

Meanwhile, as soon as Ikkaku's release was complete, he rushed forward, thrusting his Yari as he did so.

Reacting quickly, Elicia once again used Scylla to deflect the thrust. Then, she punched forward with her right fist. However, with the overall enhancement from releasing his [Shikai], Ikkaku was able to tilt his head out of harm's way.

With that, an exchange of punches, kicks, thrusts and sweeps unfolded between Elicia and Ikkaku. Both fighters showing mastery over their preferred fighting style. Meanwhile, the onlookers from Quatro Cerberus watched in amazement.

The only exception being Yumichika. With his years of experience, he could tell that Elicia was a skilled combatant. So, seeing her keeping up with Ikkaku was not so surprising. In fact, like Alfonzo, he also knew that unless Ikkaku used his [Bankai], he would have only a slim chance of coming out victorious in this spar.

Then, Yumichika looked over at Marin and Ikaruga, who were wearing expressions that said: "As expected."

'They don't look surprised to see Ikkaku's weapon change.' Yumichika thought to himself as he cupped his chin with his left hand. 'I guess they've seen other Zanpakuto in action. Actually, now that I think about it, that woman, Elicia's wrist band gives off a similar feeling to or Zanpakuto. But how is it possible that a Zanpakuto can take a form other than a katana when in its sealed state? Hmm... I guess I should report this back to Soul Society.'

*Clang!*

The sound of Ikkaku's blade once again colliding with Scylla pulled Yumichika out of his thoughts. Then, he watched as Ikkaku swept the butt end of Hozukimaru at the side of Elicia's head.

Taking a step back to avoid the swing, Elicia was prepared to rush forward once it passed her. However, before she could do so, Ikkaku grinned.

"[Split Apart]." Ikkaku commanded just as Elicia left the range of his sweep.

In the next instant, the spear in Ikkaku's hand split about a third of the way up the shaft. Then, the butt end of the spear, connected by a chain, continued towards Elicia's face.

Having expected something like that, Elicia raised her left hand, catching Ikkaku's weapon before it could hit her.

Undeterred, Ikkaku, still holding the rest of his spear, swung the bladed end at Elicia's arm. And just like what happened with the butt end, the bladed end detached from the rest of the spear, as well. And thanks to the chain connecting it to the rest of the shaft, it quickly swung towards Elicia's forearm.

In this situation, Elicia found it a good time to use her magic, as she wrapped her arm with Vibranium threads.

Then, to Ikkaku's surprise, when Hozukimaru's blade made contact with Elicia's arm, the blade bounced back harmlessly.

"What?" Ikkaku exclaimed in surprise. "How?"

Immediately, Elicia could tell that Ikkaku was familiar with the threads she used to defend. And that did not surprise her in the least. Since Ikkaku was a Soul Reaper, she had no doubt that he was familiar with the silk threads Yoruichi's clan sold.

Still, that did not stop Elicia from taking advantage of Ikkaku's surprise. So, in the next instant, with the butt of Ikkaku's spear still in her hand, she dropped down and swept Ikkaku's legs out from under him.

Unbothered by his back hitting the ground, Ikkaku pulled the bladed end of his Yari back. Then, he thrust up at Elicia, trying to gain some time and distance.

Unfortunately, before Hōzukimaru could get halfway to its destination, Elicia flicked her wrist, causing the threads she ejected from the fingertips of her right hand to loop around his wrist.

Then, once the threads tightened, Elicia flung her right arm outward, forcing Ikkaku's thrust in the same direction. Then, she kicked Ikkaku's other hand, causing his arms to be spread before she released the butt end of Ikkaku's weapon, used her threads to pull a needle from Scylla into her hand, and thrust it at Ikkaku's throat.

In response, Ikkaku closed his eyes and released a satisfied sigh. At the same time, Elicia stopped the needle less than an inch away from Ikkaku's throat. In silence, the two remained in that position for a few seconds. However, the silence was eventually broken by Ikkaku.

"That was a good fight." Ikkaku said happily. "We'll definitely have to do that again. I bet Captain Zaraki will be so jealous when he hears that I got to fight someone like you."

Hearing that, Elicia, as well as Alfonzo on the roof, could only smile wryly. They both knew about the Captain Zaraki Ikkaku was talking about thanks to their meta knowledge. And for the same reason that Alfonzo did not want to fight Ritsu, neither of them wanted to fight this, Captain Zaraki. Though, the chances of the fight devolving into a death match was much lower in Captain Zaraki's case, as he enjoyed a good fight way too much to just kill off his sparring partner.

"I guess that means you accept your defeat?" Elicia asked with a smile. She did not remove her needle, though.

"Only if you promise to fight me again." Ikkaku replied with a wide smile.

Hearing that, Elicia smiled as she shook her head. Then, she pulled her needle back, dispelled her threads, and put the needle back on her wrist band. After that, she stepped back and offered Ikkaku her hand.

Maintaining his smile, Ikkaku accepted Elicia's hand then pulled himself up to his feet. Then, once on his feet, he looked in Yunichika's direction.

"So, did you decide who you were gonna fight, Yumichika?" Ikkaku asked excitedly.