Two Sides to the Nether Realm
Written by
QuickStrike15
(TieanBrice@aol.com)
The five Ronin Warriors arrive in the city. As the sun ominously begins to rise, they collectively hope they're not too late, yet why they would be remains a mystery. They return to the same rooftop they left the day before, and watch as Aplat and his minions come back to greet them.
APLAT: "Hello, Ronin Warriors. You actually managed to get up the courage to show."
RYO: "You bet we did, Aplat! We're not letting you succeed without going through the toughest fight we've ever fought!"
APLAT: "Incredibly brave. So, I shall not disappoint. Dynasty soldiers, destroy the lot of them!" Out of nowhere, dozens of Dynasty soldiers in gold armor appear. They come from all over to face the five.
KENTO: "Hey, if this is what we've gotta do, I'm down!" He puts up his dukes.
RYO: "Let's do it, guys! Ronin Warriors, to arms!" They grab special charms from their pockets, and transform into their battle suits.
ROWEN: "Man, it's been a long time since I last wore this thing!"
CYE: "But it sure feels like home!"
RYO: "Remember, our bond and our powers keep us strong, and no age or enemy is going to take it away! Fight on!" All five warriors jump into battle. Each one takes on at least a dozen soldiers.
CYE: "Sorry, but this battle's going to be a wash out!" He attacks, giving three quick, severe hand chops to the neck. Then, he kicks three more directly in the stomach. He finishes up by flipping into the air, and kicking one into the remaining soldiers. "Yeah, I've got the feel of it, now!" After a few seconds, all of the soldiers get back up. "What? No way! I was in the zone!"
SAGE: "Come on, tinheads! I wasn't scared of you before, and I'm not now!" One lunges for him. He ducks, shoots his arm up, and clotheslines the soldier. Sage jumps onto the next one, grabs his neck, and spins around, taking every other soldier down with quick kicks. He then flips off the soldier's shoulders, and kicks him in the chest, knocking him down. "Wow, didn't know I could still do that stuff!" All of the soldiers stand once more. "That can't be! I've done less to completely destroy a Dynasty soldier!"
KENTO: "All right, guys, just want to warn ya, I used to live for this, so don't be disappointed when I beat you into trash cans!" He jumps forward, and clocks a soldier in the face with his fist. He trips the next one, then knees another in the stomach. He throws that one onto his shoulder, and hurls him into a handful of soldiers. He backs up, elbows another in the chest, grabs him by the neck, throws him over his shoulder, and stomps on his chest, making the soldier's eyes bug out. "Give up?" The soldier grabs his ankle. "Huh?" He jumps away from the grasp, and watches the others join the one he just beat. "Unbelievable!"
ROWEN: "Show me whatcha got, metal men!" He runs toward them, punches two in the chest simultaneously, flips over them, and elbows them both in the back in the head, sending them face first into the ground. He then rushes toward two more, jumps up and gives each a foot to the face, backflips in the air, and kicks them in the chest, knocking them flat onto their backs. Two soldiers come at him from both sides. He waits for them, then jumps backwards, and slams their faces together. They collapse at his feet. "Got 'em." Just then, the Dynasty soldiers awaken, ready for more. "But I--what's going on?"
RYO: "I'm not letting Aplat win this!" Ryo goes on the offensive, taking out Dynasty soldiers left and right, barely even thinking about it. One after the other, they all fall to his incredible onslaught. Spin kick after sweep, he becomes a one-man wrecking crew. Soon enough, every remaining Dynasty soldier is dealt with. "There, I told you I wouldn't let Aplat win." As he catches his breath, the soldiers return to their feet. "No, you can't! I hit you too hard!" The Dynasty soldiers all strike back, forcing the five Ronin Warriors back together. "I don't know what's going on, you guys, but these aren't the normal Dynasty soldiers!"
ROWEN: "I know what you mean. Our attacks faze these guys, then they jump back like we never even hit them!"
CYE: "This is just too weird!"
SAGE: "Well, not really. I mean, the Dynasty soldiers aided Talpa to try and take over the mortal realm, and if Aplat's back with more resolve than his shadow, I suppose the Dynasty soldiers take on that same resolve with new power."
KENTO: "I'll just say this. It's definitely not as much fun fighting these guys when we're losing!"
APLAT: "Is that true, Ronin wart? I'm glad you think so, because this is exactly what my shadow Talpa felt when you discarded his soldiers like nothing more than trash! Now it's time to raise the stakes!" His eyes glow, and the Dynasty soldiers gain spears. "You have the power, kill the Ronin Warriors!" The Dynasty soldiers do as told, and pile on top of the five young men.
KENTO: "Ryo, what do we do? They're right on top of us!"
CYE: "There are too many of them! We can't take them out, not at this strength!"
ROWEN: "We're in a bad spot, to say the least!"
RYO: "You know there's only one thing left to do...we have to don the mystical armor!"
KENTO: "Are you sure? It's early for that!"
SAGE: "Hey, Kento, does it look like we have a choice?"
KENTO: "All right then, let's get going!" In one burst of energy, they penetrate the Dynasty offensive, and hop to another rooftop.
RYO: "Ronin Warriors, armor up!"
SAGE: "Armor of Halo, Tao-Chi!"
CYE: "Armor of Torrent, Tao-Shin!"
KENTO: "Armor of Hardrock, Tao-Gi!"
ROWEN: "Armor of Strata, Tao-Inoki!"
RYO: "Armor of Wildfire, Tao-Jin!" Mystical ribbons envelop them, followed by lotus blossoms which transform into their armor. They unsheathe their weapons, and stand ready for battle. "After all this time, our armor still comes when called. It's amazing."
APLAT: "How sweet. Enjoy your armor while you can, for it will become your worst enemy once I gain control of its power! Attack, Dynasty soldiers!" The gold-clad minions start the fight again.
RYO: "This time, you're going down for good!" The Ronin Warriors attack, weapons in hand. Ryo slices two with his katana blades, and the darkness flies from them. They crash to the floor. "Now that's what I remember!"
KENTO: "Come on, guys! Feel my fury!" Kento unhinges his staff to chain formation, and spins it around his head as he plows through the opposition. Rowen fires three arrows at once to take out a few Dynasty soldiers, while Cye and Sage chop through them with their weapons. Soon enough, all that's left of the soldiers are their protective shells.
RYO: "Is that all you've got, Aplat? They didn't last two seconds against the power of our armors!"
APLAT: "You know I've got plenty more where that came from. Remember my four Dark Warlords?" Boransa, Stryke-Saber, Moon Devil and Gara all step forward. "You had to use your armors in order to defeat my weakest line of defense. Against one of my Dark Warlords, you stand no chance!"
RYO: "We'll see about that!"
APLAT: "You really want to test it, don't you? Well, I wouldn't want to deny you your last wishes. All five of you may face Boransa alone, but if you fail, there will be no place to run."
ROWEN: "Is that the best idea?"
SAGE: "Doesn't smell good to me. Aplat brought up a good point about us using our armors on the Dynasty soldiers."
KENTO: "But we're in the middle of a war here, you guys! We can't afford to decline fights, and run away. Win or lose, we have to do this."
CYE: "Kento's right. If we don't fight him now, Aplat's going to take over this realm. We don't have a choice."
RYO: "I agree with Sage that this whole thing stinks. But we have to fight now, if nothing else than to see what one of these new Dark Warlords are really made of."
ROWEN: "All right then, I'm with you."
SAGE: "If we all work together, we're sure to get somewhere."
KENTO: "Aplat thinks he can scare us away. But I'm not going anywhere."
CYE: "Let's give them heck!"
RYO: "Then it's settled. Aplat, we accept your challenge! We will all go up against Boransa."
APLAT: "Excellent. Let the match begin!" Boransa leaps off of a rooftop to face the Ronin Warriors.
BORANSA: "Greetings. Are you prepared for death?"
RYO: "As ready as we were three years ago. It might happen, but not without the Dynasty coming with us!"
BORANSA: "Yes, that's the spirit indeed. I can't fight against those scared of me...not have fun at it, anyway."
RYO: "Shut up and let's brawl!"
BORANSA: "More my style than I thought. Come on."
APLAT: "Now, for my special rules. Remember when I said that there would be no place to run?" His eyes glow, and a force field forms around Boransa and the Ronin Warriors.
KENTO: "What the--?"
SAGE: "It had to be something!"
APLAT: "If you even try to break through that, it will shock you with nether energy, resulting in the loss of your soul, no big deal."
CYE: "This is really great!"
RYO: "We blow through this guy, Aplat's gonna want our heads, he lifts the field to tear into us, simple as that." Rowen whispers to the others.
ROWEN: "Man, is it just me, or is Ryo super-focused?"
KENTO: "It's just him, dude. Don't know what's got him with blinders on."
SAGE: "Ryo's always hated the Dynasty with a passion. He values life ten times more than they don't respect it at all, and watches out for his friends. He's trying to fight our battles by himself. Just look at him. He's trying his best, but he can barely acknowledge us at all in this."
CYE: "I think you're right, Sage."
RYO: "Well, you gonna bring it, or what?"
BORANSA: "If you insist!" He goes at the warriors' heads with his spear. Ryo ducks, and slices him in the back with a katana blade. It scratches his armor. "Blast you!"
RYO: "Guys, use your special attacks now!" Ryo leaps as high as he can without touching the force field. He fuses his blade hilts. "Flare up, now!" He slices into Boransa with immense power.
BORANSA: "Aaahh!!!"
CYE: "Super Wave Smasher!" He pulls back, and unleashes a tidal drill into Boransa.
KENTO: "Iron Rock Crusher!" He spins his staff over his head, and shoots the forceful air current at the Dark Warlord.
SAGE: "Thunderbolt Cut!" Sage dances with his sword, and charges it. He then lets the built-up lightning loose at Boransa.
ROWEN: "Arrow Shock Wave!" He shoots an arrow into Boransa, which follows with an energy wave that knocks the Dark Warlord to the ground.
RYO: "I hope that did it."
BORANSA: "You're stronger...than I gave you credit for, Ronin Warriors." He stands up with no problem. "But don't let it go to your head!"
CYE: "No way! We used so much power!"
KENTO: "And he doesn't even look fazed!"
BORANSA: "My power is much greater than that of Saranbo, and with this new strength I will crush you, all in the name of the Dynasty!" Boransa goes on the attack, beating each warrior up, one by one. Soon, only Ryo remains standing.
RYO: "I don't know what parlor tricks you're using to get by us, but they won't save you!" Ryo slices at his armor with both katanas, but Boransa backs up, and elbows Ryo in the head. He then drops his spear, clenches his fists together, and beats Ryo in the back, sending him face first into the ground. Boransa steps on the end of his spear, it stands up, and he grabs it.
BORANSA: "Poor stupid Ronin Warrior. You tried so hard to achieve absolutely nothing. Now say good-bye!" He lifts his spear into the air.
KENTO: "Ryo, move out of the way!"
CYE: "Boransa's gonna stick you like shish kebob!"
ROWEN: "Watch out!"
RYO: "Huh?" Ryo looks up, and rolls away as Boransa sinks his staff into the ground.
BORANSA: "Almost had him. Then again, it's not like you five have anywhere to go! Get ready to leave this world!"
SAGE: "We tried our strongest attacks, and it didn't work!"
RYO: "There's only one more thing we can do now...combine the armors."
KENTO: "Are you sure you're strong enough to handle that now?"
RYO: "Doesn't matter. If I rest now, we all die. We have to do it."
ROWEN: "All right. Transfer energy!" Rowen's armor glows. Kento, Cye and Sage focus, and their armor glows as well. They transform into energy balls, and all four assimilate with Ryo's armor.
RYO: "Armor of Inferno!" The Wildfire armor flies off his body, and the Inferno armor slides on, fusing itself with flames.
BORANSA: "Interesting."
APLAT: "Ah, Harriel's white armor surfaces again. But it's still not enough to defeat even one of my four Dark Warlords."
BORANSA: "What, no weapons? You think you can beat me with fists alone?"
RYO: "Don't question my methods!" He thinks to himself. "He's right. I didn't think long enough to realize that the soul swords of fervor are with Black Blaze! If I use the Wildfire katanas, they'll be useless before I finish this fight!"
BORANSA: "I'm bored with you now. You're clearly trying to look tough without actually playing the part. Now you'll feel the true power of the Dynasty!"
RYO: "Oh, yeah?" They rush each other. Boransa comes down on Ryo with his spear, but Ryo grabs it. "Maybe we should even the odds!" He takes the spear out of Boransa's hands, and throws it into the force field. It starts circulating with nether energy. "I dare ya to go for it now!"
BORANSA: "I don't need it to finish you off, weakling!" He punches Ryo in the stomach. The force from it is enough to send Ryo to his knees, but he struggles not to fall. Boransa then punches him in the face. Luckily, the armor's face guard protects him, but his head starts spinning. He thinks to himself.
RYO: "I can't keep this up. He's so much stronger than I am...then we all are. For some reason, we don't have enough power to stop Aplat! Why?! Aren't we on the winning side? When does the good part come in for us?"
BORANSA: "Beg for mercy, Ronin. I promise I'll stop then. At least for a little while. Ha-ha-ha!"
RYO: "Stuff it!" Ryo runs over and plows into him, then delivers a barrage of punches all over his body.
BORANSA: "What? Stop!"
RYO: "You wouldn't stop harming innocent people, so why should I stop harming you?!" He gives one final punch to Boransa's gut, making the warlord freeze in pain, then backs away. "Rage of Inferno!" Ryo summons his attack through his fists, and an army of flames swathes Boransa.
BORANSA: "No!" The force slams Boransa into the force field, and he is overtaken by nether energy.
RYO: "Shows you who's stronger!"
APLAT: "No! I cannot afford to lose one of the Dark Warlords, not at this stage." His eyes glow, and the force field dissipates. Boransa is thrown a good distance by the inferno. Ryo turns his attention to Aplat.
RYO: "That what you had in mind for a battle, Aplat?!"
APLAT: "Not quite, but it works all the same. You now have the pleasure of triumph over my forces. Remember it well, for this is the last time you shall feel it." Just then, the sky reveals four other images next to Aplat's apparition.
RYO: "No way! Kayura! Sekhmet! Kale! Dais!"
APLAT: "That's right, Ronin worm! They've all been captured by me, and the only way they'll survive here is if you leave the Dynasty be. Just walk away, and nobody gets hurt!" Ryo falls to his knees.
RYO: "My friends. These were the friends you meant. How could you do this?!" Tears well up in his eyes, and he loses concentration. The white armor wears off, and the other four Ronin Warriors awaken.
ROWEN: "Did we beat--no!"
KENTO: "It can't be!"
CYE: "Kayura!"
SAGE: "And the other Ronin Warriors!"
APLAT: "Now you see the predicament. You want my head on a platter, but if you don't back away from my empire, that's exactly where their heads will be. You hold the lives of your friends in your hands. Choose wisely, or else something awful may happen!" He laughs to himself, and disappears from the sky. Lightning strikes, and the Dark Warlords vanish, including the ailing Boransa.
CYE: "I can't believe he's captured them!"
SAGE: "We've got to get them out somehow!"
ROWEN: "Yeah! If we waiver now, Aplat's gonna take over the mortal realm for sure! We have to get them safe!"
KENTO: "But how? It was hard enough reaching the nether realm before, and we had The Ancient's help."
RYO: "We'll get there." Everyone turns to him. He sniffles, and stands up. "We'll get back there, we have to. Aplat doesn't threaten my friends, none of them. Mia might know of a way we can get into the nether realm. Let's head back."
ROWEN: "Sounds like a plan." They shed their armor, and leave the city.
* * *
The five return to Mia's compound, where she examines everything on her grandfather's data file.
MIA: "Grandfather really doesn't have much of anything that can help for this circumstance. It's as if nether shadows never existed until now."
SAGE: "Maybe they didn't. Like Cye said before, Talpa may have been the only being strong enough to produce such a powerful shadow."
MIA: "I have to find something here. There's got to be another way into the nether realm. It exists just as much as this world does, so there has to be a way to weaken the border, and cross over. My grandfather always checked his information until he could fully comprehend the meaning of each word, and its semblance to the case, because there in lied the secret. If it weren't for him teaching me that, I never would have been able to find you all after Talpa scattered you with his magic."
RYO: "Thank you for this, Mia."
MIA: "You don't have to thank me. Kayura and the others are my friends, too, and I'll do everything I can for my friends."
RYO: "Keep up the search, and let us know what you find out. I think the rest of us need to get some rest, because tomorrow's gonna be way harder than today." The five clomp off to bed.
Has Aplat truly won? Not only are his forces incredibly strong, but he has Kayura, Sekhmet, Kale and Dais as hostages! How will the Ronin Warriors be able to fight knowing their friends' lives are in their hands?
Written by
QuickStrike15
(TieanBrice@aol.com)
The five Ronin Warriors arrive in the city. As the sun ominously begins to rise, they collectively hope they're not too late, yet why they would be remains a mystery. They return to the same rooftop they left the day before, and watch as Aplat and his minions come back to greet them.
APLAT: "Hello, Ronin Warriors. You actually managed to get up the courage to show."
RYO: "You bet we did, Aplat! We're not letting you succeed without going through the toughest fight we've ever fought!"
APLAT: "Incredibly brave. So, I shall not disappoint. Dynasty soldiers, destroy the lot of them!" Out of nowhere, dozens of Dynasty soldiers in gold armor appear. They come from all over to face the five.
KENTO: "Hey, if this is what we've gotta do, I'm down!" He puts up his dukes.
RYO: "Let's do it, guys! Ronin Warriors, to arms!" They grab special charms from their pockets, and transform into their battle suits.
ROWEN: "Man, it's been a long time since I last wore this thing!"
CYE: "But it sure feels like home!"
RYO: "Remember, our bond and our powers keep us strong, and no age or enemy is going to take it away! Fight on!" All five warriors jump into battle. Each one takes on at least a dozen soldiers.
CYE: "Sorry, but this battle's going to be a wash out!" He attacks, giving three quick, severe hand chops to the neck. Then, he kicks three more directly in the stomach. He finishes up by flipping into the air, and kicking one into the remaining soldiers. "Yeah, I've got the feel of it, now!" After a few seconds, all of the soldiers get back up. "What? No way! I was in the zone!"
SAGE: "Come on, tinheads! I wasn't scared of you before, and I'm not now!" One lunges for him. He ducks, shoots his arm up, and clotheslines the soldier. Sage jumps onto the next one, grabs his neck, and spins around, taking every other soldier down with quick kicks. He then flips off the soldier's shoulders, and kicks him in the chest, knocking him down. "Wow, didn't know I could still do that stuff!" All of the soldiers stand once more. "That can't be! I've done less to completely destroy a Dynasty soldier!"
KENTO: "All right, guys, just want to warn ya, I used to live for this, so don't be disappointed when I beat you into trash cans!" He jumps forward, and clocks a soldier in the face with his fist. He trips the next one, then knees another in the stomach. He throws that one onto his shoulder, and hurls him into a handful of soldiers. He backs up, elbows another in the chest, grabs him by the neck, throws him over his shoulder, and stomps on his chest, making the soldier's eyes bug out. "Give up?" The soldier grabs his ankle. "Huh?" He jumps away from the grasp, and watches the others join the one he just beat. "Unbelievable!"
ROWEN: "Show me whatcha got, metal men!" He runs toward them, punches two in the chest simultaneously, flips over them, and elbows them both in the back in the head, sending them face first into the ground. He then rushes toward two more, jumps up and gives each a foot to the face, backflips in the air, and kicks them in the chest, knocking them flat onto their backs. Two soldiers come at him from both sides. He waits for them, then jumps backwards, and slams their faces together. They collapse at his feet. "Got 'em." Just then, the Dynasty soldiers awaken, ready for more. "But I--what's going on?"
RYO: "I'm not letting Aplat win this!" Ryo goes on the offensive, taking out Dynasty soldiers left and right, barely even thinking about it. One after the other, they all fall to his incredible onslaught. Spin kick after sweep, he becomes a one-man wrecking crew. Soon enough, every remaining Dynasty soldier is dealt with. "There, I told you I wouldn't let Aplat win." As he catches his breath, the soldiers return to their feet. "No, you can't! I hit you too hard!" The Dynasty soldiers all strike back, forcing the five Ronin Warriors back together. "I don't know what's going on, you guys, but these aren't the normal Dynasty soldiers!"
ROWEN: "I know what you mean. Our attacks faze these guys, then they jump back like we never even hit them!"
CYE: "This is just too weird!"
SAGE: "Well, not really. I mean, the Dynasty soldiers aided Talpa to try and take over the mortal realm, and if Aplat's back with more resolve than his shadow, I suppose the Dynasty soldiers take on that same resolve with new power."
KENTO: "I'll just say this. It's definitely not as much fun fighting these guys when we're losing!"
APLAT: "Is that true, Ronin wart? I'm glad you think so, because this is exactly what my shadow Talpa felt when you discarded his soldiers like nothing more than trash! Now it's time to raise the stakes!" His eyes glow, and the Dynasty soldiers gain spears. "You have the power, kill the Ronin Warriors!" The Dynasty soldiers do as told, and pile on top of the five young men.
KENTO: "Ryo, what do we do? They're right on top of us!"
CYE: "There are too many of them! We can't take them out, not at this strength!"
ROWEN: "We're in a bad spot, to say the least!"
RYO: "You know there's only one thing left to do...we have to don the mystical armor!"
KENTO: "Are you sure? It's early for that!"
SAGE: "Hey, Kento, does it look like we have a choice?"
KENTO: "All right then, let's get going!" In one burst of energy, they penetrate the Dynasty offensive, and hop to another rooftop.
RYO: "Ronin Warriors, armor up!"
SAGE: "Armor of Halo, Tao-Chi!"
CYE: "Armor of Torrent, Tao-Shin!"
KENTO: "Armor of Hardrock, Tao-Gi!"
ROWEN: "Armor of Strata, Tao-Inoki!"
RYO: "Armor of Wildfire, Tao-Jin!" Mystical ribbons envelop them, followed by lotus blossoms which transform into their armor. They unsheathe their weapons, and stand ready for battle. "After all this time, our armor still comes when called. It's amazing."
APLAT: "How sweet. Enjoy your armor while you can, for it will become your worst enemy once I gain control of its power! Attack, Dynasty soldiers!" The gold-clad minions start the fight again.
RYO: "This time, you're going down for good!" The Ronin Warriors attack, weapons in hand. Ryo slices two with his katana blades, and the darkness flies from them. They crash to the floor. "Now that's what I remember!"
KENTO: "Come on, guys! Feel my fury!" Kento unhinges his staff to chain formation, and spins it around his head as he plows through the opposition. Rowen fires three arrows at once to take out a few Dynasty soldiers, while Cye and Sage chop through them with their weapons. Soon enough, all that's left of the soldiers are their protective shells.
RYO: "Is that all you've got, Aplat? They didn't last two seconds against the power of our armors!"
APLAT: "You know I've got plenty more where that came from. Remember my four Dark Warlords?" Boransa, Stryke-Saber, Moon Devil and Gara all step forward. "You had to use your armors in order to defeat my weakest line of defense. Against one of my Dark Warlords, you stand no chance!"
RYO: "We'll see about that!"
APLAT: "You really want to test it, don't you? Well, I wouldn't want to deny you your last wishes. All five of you may face Boransa alone, but if you fail, there will be no place to run."
ROWEN: "Is that the best idea?"
SAGE: "Doesn't smell good to me. Aplat brought up a good point about us using our armors on the Dynasty soldiers."
KENTO: "But we're in the middle of a war here, you guys! We can't afford to decline fights, and run away. Win or lose, we have to do this."
CYE: "Kento's right. If we don't fight him now, Aplat's going to take over this realm. We don't have a choice."
RYO: "I agree with Sage that this whole thing stinks. But we have to fight now, if nothing else than to see what one of these new Dark Warlords are really made of."
ROWEN: "All right then, I'm with you."
SAGE: "If we all work together, we're sure to get somewhere."
KENTO: "Aplat thinks he can scare us away. But I'm not going anywhere."
CYE: "Let's give them heck!"
RYO: "Then it's settled. Aplat, we accept your challenge! We will all go up against Boransa."
APLAT: "Excellent. Let the match begin!" Boransa leaps off of a rooftop to face the Ronin Warriors.
BORANSA: "Greetings. Are you prepared for death?"
RYO: "As ready as we were three years ago. It might happen, but not without the Dynasty coming with us!"
BORANSA: "Yes, that's the spirit indeed. I can't fight against those scared of me...not have fun at it, anyway."
RYO: "Shut up and let's brawl!"
BORANSA: "More my style than I thought. Come on."
APLAT: "Now, for my special rules. Remember when I said that there would be no place to run?" His eyes glow, and a force field forms around Boransa and the Ronin Warriors.
KENTO: "What the--?"
SAGE: "It had to be something!"
APLAT: "If you even try to break through that, it will shock you with nether energy, resulting in the loss of your soul, no big deal."
CYE: "This is really great!"
RYO: "We blow through this guy, Aplat's gonna want our heads, he lifts the field to tear into us, simple as that." Rowen whispers to the others.
ROWEN: "Man, is it just me, or is Ryo super-focused?"
KENTO: "It's just him, dude. Don't know what's got him with blinders on."
SAGE: "Ryo's always hated the Dynasty with a passion. He values life ten times more than they don't respect it at all, and watches out for his friends. He's trying to fight our battles by himself. Just look at him. He's trying his best, but he can barely acknowledge us at all in this."
CYE: "I think you're right, Sage."
RYO: "Well, you gonna bring it, or what?"
BORANSA: "If you insist!" He goes at the warriors' heads with his spear. Ryo ducks, and slices him in the back with a katana blade. It scratches his armor. "Blast you!"
RYO: "Guys, use your special attacks now!" Ryo leaps as high as he can without touching the force field. He fuses his blade hilts. "Flare up, now!" He slices into Boransa with immense power.
BORANSA: "Aaahh!!!"
CYE: "Super Wave Smasher!" He pulls back, and unleashes a tidal drill into Boransa.
KENTO: "Iron Rock Crusher!" He spins his staff over his head, and shoots the forceful air current at the Dark Warlord.
SAGE: "Thunderbolt Cut!" Sage dances with his sword, and charges it. He then lets the built-up lightning loose at Boransa.
ROWEN: "Arrow Shock Wave!" He shoots an arrow into Boransa, which follows with an energy wave that knocks the Dark Warlord to the ground.
RYO: "I hope that did it."
BORANSA: "You're stronger...than I gave you credit for, Ronin Warriors." He stands up with no problem. "But don't let it go to your head!"
CYE: "No way! We used so much power!"
KENTO: "And he doesn't even look fazed!"
BORANSA: "My power is much greater than that of Saranbo, and with this new strength I will crush you, all in the name of the Dynasty!" Boransa goes on the attack, beating each warrior up, one by one. Soon, only Ryo remains standing.
RYO: "I don't know what parlor tricks you're using to get by us, but they won't save you!" Ryo slices at his armor with both katanas, but Boransa backs up, and elbows Ryo in the head. He then drops his spear, clenches his fists together, and beats Ryo in the back, sending him face first into the ground. Boransa steps on the end of his spear, it stands up, and he grabs it.
BORANSA: "Poor stupid Ronin Warrior. You tried so hard to achieve absolutely nothing. Now say good-bye!" He lifts his spear into the air.
KENTO: "Ryo, move out of the way!"
CYE: "Boransa's gonna stick you like shish kebob!"
ROWEN: "Watch out!"
RYO: "Huh?" Ryo looks up, and rolls away as Boransa sinks his staff into the ground.
BORANSA: "Almost had him. Then again, it's not like you five have anywhere to go! Get ready to leave this world!"
SAGE: "We tried our strongest attacks, and it didn't work!"
RYO: "There's only one more thing we can do now...combine the armors."
KENTO: "Are you sure you're strong enough to handle that now?"
RYO: "Doesn't matter. If I rest now, we all die. We have to do it."
ROWEN: "All right. Transfer energy!" Rowen's armor glows. Kento, Cye and Sage focus, and their armor glows as well. They transform into energy balls, and all four assimilate with Ryo's armor.
RYO: "Armor of Inferno!" The Wildfire armor flies off his body, and the Inferno armor slides on, fusing itself with flames.
BORANSA: "Interesting."
APLAT: "Ah, Harriel's white armor surfaces again. But it's still not enough to defeat even one of my four Dark Warlords."
BORANSA: "What, no weapons? You think you can beat me with fists alone?"
RYO: "Don't question my methods!" He thinks to himself. "He's right. I didn't think long enough to realize that the soul swords of fervor are with Black Blaze! If I use the Wildfire katanas, they'll be useless before I finish this fight!"
BORANSA: "I'm bored with you now. You're clearly trying to look tough without actually playing the part. Now you'll feel the true power of the Dynasty!"
RYO: "Oh, yeah?" They rush each other. Boransa comes down on Ryo with his spear, but Ryo grabs it. "Maybe we should even the odds!" He takes the spear out of Boransa's hands, and throws it into the force field. It starts circulating with nether energy. "I dare ya to go for it now!"
BORANSA: "I don't need it to finish you off, weakling!" He punches Ryo in the stomach. The force from it is enough to send Ryo to his knees, but he struggles not to fall. Boransa then punches him in the face. Luckily, the armor's face guard protects him, but his head starts spinning. He thinks to himself.
RYO: "I can't keep this up. He's so much stronger than I am...then we all are. For some reason, we don't have enough power to stop Aplat! Why?! Aren't we on the winning side? When does the good part come in for us?"
BORANSA: "Beg for mercy, Ronin. I promise I'll stop then. At least for a little while. Ha-ha-ha!"
RYO: "Stuff it!" Ryo runs over and plows into him, then delivers a barrage of punches all over his body.
BORANSA: "What? Stop!"
RYO: "You wouldn't stop harming innocent people, so why should I stop harming you?!" He gives one final punch to Boransa's gut, making the warlord freeze in pain, then backs away. "Rage of Inferno!" Ryo summons his attack through his fists, and an army of flames swathes Boransa.
BORANSA: "No!" The force slams Boransa into the force field, and he is overtaken by nether energy.
RYO: "Shows you who's stronger!"
APLAT: "No! I cannot afford to lose one of the Dark Warlords, not at this stage." His eyes glow, and the force field dissipates. Boransa is thrown a good distance by the inferno. Ryo turns his attention to Aplat.
RYO: "That what you had in mind for a battle, Aplat?!"
APLAT: "Not quite, but it works all the same. You now have the pleasure of triumph over my forces. Remember it well, for this is the last time you shall feel it." Just then, the sky reveals four other images next to Aplat's apparition.
RYO: "No way! Kayura! Sekhmet! Kale! Dais!"
APLAT: "That's right, Ronin worm! They've all been captured by me, and the only way they'll survive here is if you leave the Dynasty be. Just walk away, and nobody gets hurt!" Ryo falls to his knees.
RYO: "My friends. These were the friends you meant. How could you do this?!" Tears well up in his eyes, and he loses concentration. The white armor wears off, and the other four Ronin Warriors awaken.
ROWEN: "Did we beat--no!"
KENTO: "It can't be!"
CYE: "Kayura!"
SAGE: "And the other Ronin Warriors!"
APLAT: "Now you see the predicament. You want my head on a platter, but if you don't back away from my empire, that's exactly where their heads will be. You hold the lives of your friends in your hands. Choose wisely, or else something awful may happen!" He laughs to himself, and disappears from the sky. Lightning strikes, and the Dark Warlords vanish, including the ailing Boransa.
CYE: "I can't believe he's captured them!"
SAGE: "We've got to get them out somehow!"
ROWEN: "Yeah! If we waiver now, Aplat's gonna take over the mortal realm for sure! We have to get them safe!"
KENTO: "But how? It was hard enough reaching the nether realm before, and we had The Ancient's help."
RYO: "We'll get there." Everyone turns to him. He sniffles, and stands up. "We'll get back there, we have to. Aplat doesn't threaten my friends, none of them. Mia might know of a way we can get into the nether realm. Let's head back."
ROWEN: "Sounds like a plan." They shed their armor, and leave the city.
* * *
The five return to Mia's compound, where she examines everything on her grandfather's data file.
MIA: "Grandfather really doesn't have much of anything that can help for this circumstance. It's as if nether shadows never existed until now."
SAGE: "Maybe they didn't. Like Cye said before, Talpa may have been the only being strong enough to produce such a powerful shadow."
MIA: "I have to find something here. There's got to be another way into the nether realm. It exists just as much as this world does, so there has to be a way to weaken the border, and cross over. My grandfather always checked his information until he could fully comprehend the meaning of each word, and its semblance to the case, because there in lied the secret. If it weren't for him teaching me that, I never would have been able to find you all after Talpa scattered you with his magic."
RYO: "Thank you for this, Mia."
MIA: "You don't have to thank me. Kayura and the others are my friends, too, and I'll do everything I can for my friends."
RYO: "Keep up the search, and let us know what you find out. I think the rest of us need to get some rest, because tomorrow's gonna be way harder than today." The five clomp off to bed.
Has Aplat truly won? Not only are his forces incredibly strong, but he has Kayura, Sekhmet, Kale and Dais as hostages! How will the Ronin Warriors be able to fight knowing their friends' lives are in their hands?