Mahou Sensei Kain! Act 16!

by Chris-Sasami-Bunny

It's the beginning of the end. The final fight with the Prince... the destruction of Kain's greatest enemies. But like all stories. This one won't stop just because the bad guy is defeated...

10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Nine: The End of Replication

Byakuya stood in the air, watching the battle down below. He had been inactive for some time; at first, it had been to allow his opened wounds time to close and partially heal from his minor ministrations. Now, it was because there was largely little to be done. Most of the major foes had been vanquished, and there was no need for one such as him to interfere in those remaining. However….

"Kuchiki-dono." He turned as the small hovercraft pulled down near him. On board were Artoria, Takamichi, Meia, and Kurt Gödel. "Well, it seems you have the same thought we do," Artoria continued. "This battle has grown quiet."

"Even so," Byakuya responded, turning his gaze back to the palace itself. "Yet there is no sign that the battle within has been resolved, or nears its cease…either for or against, for some sign would present itself."

"Perhaps it's time we got involved, then," a new voice answered.

As usual, Byakuya was cool as a cucumber as he turned, but the other occupants of the small flying machine jumped as Aiden Rylack suddenly appeared in their midst, garbed as he always was in that coat and hat, but with his roguish features even younger and finer than they had recently seen. "Aiden Rylack," Byakuya intoned. "So you breathe still among the living."

"Yeah, reports of my death were exaggerated, and all that." He turned to stare at the palace. "Things are fine out here, so…if it's slow in there, why don't we go poke in and see if we can lend a hand?"

"Well, Takamichi-san and I were planning on it," Meia said. "We, at least, must return to Earth with those children. For the rest…."

"Perhaps there is some merit in the old members of the Red Wings getting together for one last crusade," Kurt interrupted. "Yes, why not? I would like to see the salvation of my world with my own eyes, whether or not I can aid it with my own hands."

"Let's go, then," Artoria agreed. "Here, I have a kingdom…but in there, I have family waiting on me."

With one accord—and with Byakuya actually moving onto the vehicle to join them—they set their craft descending towards the palace….

8-8-8

"Meteor Storm!"

The cosmic space debris summoned through the magical power Jade called descended upon the form of Gelda Nebilim, but the original Replicant raised a magic shield that blocked and disintegrated it all—seemingly without effort. "Powerful," she smirked. "It's certainly true…you aren't the same weak little boy any more. You've grown strong…this makes you far more entertaining…."

But Jade was already chanting additional spells. "Prism Sword!" As the blade of light engulfed Nebilim, he sent his next incantation in motion. "Ground Dasher!"

The energies washed over their victim, but when they faded, there was no sign that the diabolic angel was bothered in the least by them. "Well, that tickles," the thing said. "Now…my turn…."

Jade dived aside to avoid the explosion of magic. He hit the ground, rolled, and leapt back immediately upon reaching his feet as the next spell erupted around him. As he once again alighted upon the floor, he brought a hand up to summon a magical shield that absorbed the first impact of the successive spell, but the follow-up burst through it and threw him backwards.

"Good…good. Keep playing well, my new pet. Play well, and survive the game as long as you can…your continued life is your reward!"

Jade leapt up, blocked the next spell, and threw out one as a counterattack. The incantations and bursts of power were administered in an almost absent-minded manner; Jade's mind was racing, considering the situation. In all truth, he was quite doomed, he knew; his odds of survival were small enough to be microscopic. He had spells prepared, means available, secrets of his studies that could vanquish this foe, but the focal point of his strategy hinged upon her being weak enough that he could penetrate her natural magical wards. As things were now, he couldn't hope to overcome her power….

Another casual spell released by the clone blasted through Jade's defenses and sent him flying back and through several desks and tables. Jade's rise afterwards was slow and pain-filled.

"Ah…is that it, pet? What a pity. I suppose it is time to end the game, and go find some new toys to play with…."

She raised a hand, manifested a magical spear in the air above it, and sent it hurtling toward Jade with a wave of her hand….

A blade slashed through the air and cut down the spear. Jade stared up at his silver-haired rescuer. "And now, a prize worthy of my blade," Kôtarô murmured. "Just the feeling of magic in the air sets my blood boiling with excitement. It has been too many years since I felt this way." He spared a brief glance towards the colonel. "This man is a member of your party, is he not, ladies? You should take care of him. This thing is my prey."

He began to stalk towards Nebilim, who cocked her head and glanced at him quizzically as he approached. Jade's surprise heightened as Kazumi, Erika and Isumi came hurrying over to him. "You all…" he murmured, rather more stunned than he had been in a long time. As they began to fuss over him, however, he pushed his way forward and called to the yôkai. "Wait! That…thing is my responsibility…!"

"I'm sure." He spared a glance back over his shoulder. "It is marked with a portion of your essence, after all. But you are incapable of dealing with it at the moment, are you not? If you find yourself capable of handling your problem all of a sudden, by all means, do it. But as long as you remain impotent, do not interfere with my battle." Then he turned back to the clone and suddenly leapt, his blade flashing out.

Nebilim danced back and threw a spell at the oncoming yôkai. He slashed it apart and continued his pursuit. Her smile widened and she dodged to the side away from the attack, but Kôtarô followed it up immediately with a side slash that took her in the side as he rounded on her expertly. She hissed as she fell back, clutching at the wound, her humor vanished, and raised her other hand and summoned the power for a new spell.

She tossed it at the sword demon, who leapt up and just avoided the ensuing explosion of the attack. He came descending on her once again, but her follow-up spell took him in the chest and sent him sailing across the chamber. She rose up, her wing extending, and Kôtarô suddenly appeared behind her, sword swinging. She turned and parried the attack with a shimmering, suddenly-manifested magical blade, and turned, throwing him off. He fell back slightly, then came in again immediately, pressing Nebilim back with the ferocity of his attacks.

Kazumi and the others watched in amazement. "He's…so powerful," she murmured. "He…he has to be stronger than when he fought Kenjirô-kun during the tournament…."

"You suspect that he might have gone easy on his son after all?" Jade chuckled. "I honestly doubt he would have given in to such a sentiment; from his point of view, it is kinder to fight with all his strength. No, it's rather the cause of his new strength—that battle truly allowed him to 'shake off his rust', as it were. It's fortunate, very fortunate for me, that he's come to this battle. No, not just for me…for you as well, yes?" Erika and Kazumi voiced quiet agreement.

Kôtarô's sword came down, slashing Nebilim across the chest and shoulder. Growling in rage, she blasted Kôtarô in the shoulder with a savage spell, but Kôtarô moved on with purpose, hitting her with a second strike. The clone responded by invoking another powerful spell, blowing him back and away. She panted as she stared at him with hate-filled eyes as he recovered and set himself again. "A yôkai lord…even so…your power is great, but it cannot be a match for mine…this deplorable inanity…."

"You have knowledge, but no experience," Kôtarô responded. "Well, I'm no expert on whatever arts were used to make you, but it seems you possess some understanding of magic and creatures such as myself. But without the necessary learning that comes through real battle and tests, that information is hollow and useless." He adjusted his stance, readying himself for an aggressive charge. "To fight a foe with power like yours…it was an interesting idea at first, but I feel nothing putting my blade against one who has no real understanding of fighting, just unchecked power. I should finish this so that I can move on to the next challenge."

"Finish this!? Well then, we shall! Take a look at my 'unchecked power' and see if my 'lack of understanding' truly renders it impotent!" She raised her hand and began to summon forth a spell…and even the first act of preparing summoned a wave of energy that sent a shockwave through the room, causing the young ladies to cry out and fall to their knees.

As Nebilim began to raise the spell to hurl it, Kôtarô again shifted his stance to a more defensive guard, ready to receive the spell. But then Jade suddenly finished a low chant he had begun, stretched out a hand, and snapped his fingers. The spell dissolved and disappeared with a whimper and a puff, and Nebilim screamed as an explosion snapped out from somewhere inside of her. Despite the burst, no actual harm seemed to have befallen her…but then her wing and left shoulder, and the rest of her following, began to drift to pieces in the air. "W-what is this…!?"

"I am the father of Replication," Jade declared quite solemnly, reaching into his pocket, removing his spectacles, and replacing them on his face. "As tragic as that epithet is, it means that, even now, I know more about Replicas and their construction than anyone else, living or dead. Magic can emulate nearly anything physical, even living things if the right spells are used…but it cannot remain in that form forever. That is the greatest flaw in Replication. That is why I gave it up. I realized that this was the immutable law. Even something like you is no exception. Certes, your power and the additions of the Obsidian Star may have prolonged your life for, oh, months, years, perhaps even decades…but eventually your body would break down, in a kind of 'big bang'. I had long ago prepared a spell to accelerate that process, especially for you, just in case you awakened again. Of course, you were far too powerful for such a subtle spell to pierce your essence…until Mr. Kôtarô did enough damage and forced enough power out of you to make you vulnerable. Farewell…my most important failure." And she was gone.

Kôtarô gave a rather approving grunt and dismissed his sword. "And so we go on." He turned and started for the room of the back.

"Rather businesslike, isn't he?" Erika muttered almost darkly.

"Wait one moment, please," Jade demanded, ignoring Erika's comment. Kôtarô obliged the request, turning to regard Jade coolly as he headed to a far end of the laboratory. Curious, the girls followed him…and were brought up short as he stopped and looked over the still form of Dist.

"I-is he dead?" Kazumi quavered with morbid fascination and dread.

Suddenly the apparent corpse stirred slightly and turned over. "N-no, Jade…s-stop picking on me…t-that hurts…Jade…."

The girls stared at him in shock. Jade pushed at his glasses. Before he could say anything, Isumi suddenly put in, "Ah, this man…is like a cockroach."

"A very apt description," Jade replied in bemusement. "He certainly is as welcome and as hard to get rid of." He pulled a small device out of his pocket. "This man is a criminal who needs be remanded to the custody of the Grandall Empire. I had intended to use this Recaller as a swift escape for myself should our success require the disintegration of this fortress…but I get the feeling it won't be necessary now. It's put to better use cleaning up this problem." He pressed a button on its side and dropped it on Dist, who vanished along with the device in a flash of light. Then Jade turned away. "It's done. Now we can go on."

Jade and the girls resumed following Kôtarô, but Kazumi asked, "Colonel…he was your friend once, wasn't he? Was that…why you decided to save him like that…?"

"I can hardly claim friendship with something like that," Jade insisted. "It is true we had some previous relationship…and yes, I suppose I acted because I felt some responsibility towards him. It is quite important, after all, that a man take proper account of his pet, no matter how disobedient and disagreeable the animal is."

8-8-8

"Gaav Flare!"

"Dug Haut!"

The spells converged on Corai, who leapt without care away from the attack. Gourry came charging in to attack him when he landed, but he simply flitted away again.

The three paused and watched as Corai retreated further. Lina's stare was hard and searching. "…You're not even trying to fight. It's not just that you're too busy trying to avoid our attacks—you're not interested in fighting us at all. Which begs the question—if you're not interested in fighting us, why did you even bring us out here?"

Corai chuckled. "Well…I told the truth. I didn't want you messing up my laboratory. And now, I don't even intend to fight you, it is true."

"Then what's your game?" Zelgadis demanded. "Are you trying to hold us here, just buy time?"

"No, not really. For now, I'd just like to talk…share some information with you." He held up a glowing stone in his hand. "Would you like to know, dear Zelgadis, what happened to Rezo, the Red Priest?"

Lina tensed, recalling what Zelgadis had told her when they first met…and Zelgadis' stare became deadly. "Oh?" he said. "Did the Obsidian Star have something to do with his death?"

"Naturally not! You should have asked the Crystal Princess more about it…while you had the chance. But it's all right. I'll tell you everything about him now.

"He was a famous figure for over 300 years; an Archmage who mastered spiritual and white magics, and was skilled with black magic as well. He had no country, no place of origin, no political affiliations; he simply wandered about the land doing good, healing people, curing illness…and, as a blind man, healing the sight of any fellow sufferers he came across.

"But you, Zelgadis, know a somewhat different man: a man obsessed with power and bizarre, forbidden experiments, a man who amassed an army of chimeric forces and amoral mercenaries who awaited his inscrutable command. The truth is that he was both; born with power and a good heart, he sought to spread good will, good fortune, and good health, and loved to do such good deeds. But, born blind, he yearned to experience the light of the world himself, to see it physically and not just through magic. As years turned to decades and then to centuries, he became obsessed with it. Although he gained the power to cure the blindness in others, he could never open his own eyes. Something was keeping them sealed; and so he sought an item that could unseal them. And he found that power about nine years ago: a philosopher's stone, locked inside an orihalcum statuette. But said idol had been taken by bandits, not knowing what it was, and they were subsequently defeated and the treasure claimed by Gato Kagura Vandenberg, who was traveling about with Takamichi T. Takahata and the Crystal Princess, Mai Alusia Hairen Takiva. Rezo only discovered the statuette after Gato had already claimed it, thinking it but a trifle. His efforts to take it from him, however, by both subtlety and persuasion, failed, until it came to battle. Eventually Rezo did succeed in taking the item and broke the statuette. Then, using the philosopher's stone within, he was finally able to unseal his eyes…and release what was sealed along with his sight."

The stone in Corai's hand began to pulse and glow with an evil red light. "During the War of the Dragon's Fall, the Demon King, Ruby-Eyed Shabrinigdo, was defeated and split into seven pieces by the Celestials and sealed away. One of those pieces was cast into time, traveling, until it came to rest in the eyes of Rezo from his birth. The influence of the sealed Shabrinigdo was also responsible for driving this good man to such heinous acts in order to open his eyes…and once it was done, this seventh part of Shabrinigdo was able to possess him and manifest itself in the world. Gato gave his life fighting the monster, and his death inspired the full power of the Crystal Princess to be released. Thus was Rezo killed and Shabrinigdo vanquished. A sad and tragic and heroic tale all at once.

"But what's important to our discussion is this: there must be six other pieces of Shabrinigdo out somewhere in the world, yes? And indeed: here is one." The stone exploded and red light began to grow out like a star, becoming larger and more prominent every moment. "I'll leave you here to play with the lord of all mazoku. Farewell to you all." And he vanished, even as the red light began to form a coherent creature….

Corai reappeared in a room not far from his lab, sighing. "I hope they'll distract it long enough for our work to finish. Using something like that is dangerous…it could backfire badly…."

"Kaze no Kizu!"

Corai conjured a shell of magic to surround himself as the blast of energy washed over him. The attack faded, but the shell remained as he turned to observe the intruders. He gave a kind of huff as he observed the scowling Inuyasha, his sword lowered in pre-slash posture, with Kagome flanking him, Shippô perched on her back, looking over her shoulder.

"You," Inuyasha growled, raising his sword slightly to bring it to guard. "What the hell are you? That look…that smell…you're like Kalovus, but…you're not…."

"Yes, that is a fairly accurate assessment," Corai stated, dropping his shield and fully facing the trio. "Kalovus is dead, but I am a new creature made from him, and his two brothers. So, Inuyasha, Higurashi Kagome, and even little Shippô...I have no more aces to play, but now you've found me. Come, then…show me what you can do…."

8-8-8

Lina, Zelgadis, and Gourry stared up at the massive creature looming over them. It was as large as or larger than many of the kaijû, in a semi-upright posture, leaning over to rest on titanic arms that ended in field-sized claws. A massive demonic face with a short beaked mouth filled with visible razor-sharp teeth and shimmering, pure ruby-red eyes. Horned and like the most horrible nightmare of an animal, it exuded a dark presence that affected the three mortals more than its physical presence.

There was a slight shifting in the creature, a quiet changing of posture that somehow seemed akin to a human's deep breathing or stretching. "So…a part of me is freed," it rumbled in a deep voice that seemed to touch the mind more than the ears. "These creatures…these alien fools release me only as a distraction, in order to further their own ends. The audacity of this 'Obsidian Star', to try to use me thusly." It focused its attention on the three mortals below. "You…humans. You will serve me now, and aid me in destroying these arrogant pests. In return for your service, you will become my vassals in the world I will rule when this is done. If you should feel inclined to refuse, you will die…I have no compunction not to destroy you."

Lina shivered slightly as the truth of the presence before her trickled from the back of her brain down her spine. She had dealt with mazoku before, most notably Alyssa and Xellos, but what they had demonstrated was nothing compared to this thing before her. ('And this…is only a seventh part of the Dark Lord?')

Zelgadis began to chuckle. "Well…a promise that seems certain to be fulfilled. But, still…I've never claimed to be a saint, but I've never wanted to serve an Infernal. And while the idea of letting this monster they unleashed battle the Obsidian Star is appealing, I just can't stomach the idea of saving the world from the Obsidian Star only to serve it up to this Dark Lord." He raised his sword in both hands. "It may be futile…but even to save my life for a moment, I can't swear myself to his service."

"Me, neither," Gourry agreed, stepping up next to him. "I obviously don't understand that much about magic and demons and the rest, but I know that this guy is bad news. Even if I die, I can't give in to him. Sorry, Lina."

Lina was silent for a long moment. Then she began to chuckle, low and quiet. "Sorry? Hell, who do you take me for?" She raised her head to stare up at the gargantuan menace. "I may be a black wizard through and through, using mazoku energies for my magic, and maybe I have a few foibles like a bit of greed…but there's no way I could ever serve an Infernal, either. I may be on reasonable terms with Alyssa and Xellos, but this thing is something else. Whatever happens…I want you two to know that it's been quite a ride. Let's give our best shot."

Zelgadis and Gourry smiled and returned their stares to the looming threat. It rumbled a kind of demonic laugh. "So…foolish little ants. You actually seek to resist me? Very well, then…amuse me. Try your very hardest."

"An arrogant invitation," Zelgadis mused with an almost manic smile. "So, do we have anything that could even dent him?"

Lina considered it. ('High-level mazoku are incredibly resistant or immune to most basic elements, so most of my black magic is out. And spells that call on true Infernal energy generally don't work on any Infernal of that level or higher, so really that means all of my black magic is out. Even the Dragon Slave, my best spell, can't cut it—it actually calls on 'Ruby-Eyes' Shabrinigdo, so trying to use that would be like saying, 'Hey, you! Would you help me kill you!?' So….')

"I have just the one spell that could do anything," Lina admitted. "It certainly won't defeat him, but it might be enough to bloody his nose, at least. But I'll only get one shot…so I have to have a clear chance to attack. Can you guys distract him enough to give me an opening?"

"We can certainly try," Zelgadis said. He took off, racing in on one side, while Gourry, his Sword of Light blazing, came racing around another side.

"Ho," Shabrinigdo rumbled. "So you come…."

Gourry leapt in. His sword flashed bright and seemed larger than ever as he brought it down against Shabrinigdo. It flashed against a shield, the two forces straining against each other. "The Sword of Light, Gorun Nova, which slew the Demon-Beast Zanifar," the demon said. "It is a powerful weapon, but it means nothing in a mortal's hands. It will not slay me."

Gourry was repulsed by a blast, and he went flying. A large cloud of dark energy began to gather above him, ready to descend down….

"Rah Tilt!"

Zelgadis spell launched a surge of white energy that engulfed the monstrous demon lord. Lina started at the sight. ('Rah Tilt…the most powerful spell in Shamanism!') She thought. ('It's supposed to be as powerful as the Dragon Slave, but it calls on the natural magic and spirits of the world, and attacks foes directly on the astral plane, so it doesn't affect humans, but it can destroy Infernals even when they are on our plane! This…just might work….')

But Lina's hopeful thinking was just that, as the blast cleared away and Shabrinigdo remained untouched. It gave another rumble of amusement as Gourry came charging in again. A blast of power threw both of them away and over Lina's head, and she watched them in horror as they hit the ground hard and lay still. "Zel! Gourry!" She hurried to the blond warrior and knelt at his side.

"You are interesting, for humans," Shabrinigdo declared. "If there were a thousand mages like you using that spell, I might be in danger. You, girl." The address startled Lina, and she glanced back at the horror. "You are marked by the power of the mazoku. You would be a useful servant—I shall give you one last chance to serve me. I shall even promise you the lives of these two if you wish, as your servants."

Lina was tempted, just for a moment—if only for the lives of her friends. But the thoughts of her other friends, those that weren't present, shot down any last chance of the notion. "Come, now," Shabrinigdo purred, sensing her still-present defiance. "You cannot honestly hope to defeat me. No mortal could, not even this seventh part of me."

"L-Lina…." She turned back to Gourry, who weakly raised his silenced Sword of Light and dropped the recumbent hilt into her hands. Then he closed his eyes and his head lolled to the side.

Lina stared down at it. Now that she actually held it in her hand, she could feel the depth of its power, and possibilities and ideas started to churn within her head. ('The Ragna Blade was my one shot…but it's not enough. No…I've got to think bigger. Like what Kain used against Aiden, but even bigger than that. As big as I can get…with this, I…. With what the Ragna Blade does to me, there's no telling what this will do, but I have to try….')

She slowly stood and turned to face Shabrinigdo, her head held low at first, but then she began to raise it to stare up at him, a new fire in her eye. "You're right…I'm a mage that relies on summoning and controlling powers other than my own. All my spells are from lesser powers…and even from you. That would never work, no matter what powers I could call on. But maybe I could win…if I called on an Outside power stronger than you."

Another cavernous, rumbling laugh shook the island. "Stronger than me…you dream in madness born of fear, girl. I smell the essence of that petulant brat Alysaser upon you, but you cannot expect her to wield more power than me…a spell that called on her would do nothing. Do you mean to go against your very training and attempt a spell born from a Celestial power? Even if you called on the might of Elodos, it would not be enough."

"No, I'm well aware. None of that would work. But I do know of a Dark Lord stronger even than you…and if I call on that power…well, let's see." She began with her amulets, privately noting the irony that, like her Dragon Slave, one of those she called on, or part of it, at least, was in her presence. "O Rulers of the Four Worlds, grant unto me all the power you possess.

"Darkness beyond Blackest Pitch, Deeper than the Deepest Night. King of Darkness, Who Shines Like Gold upon the Sea of Chaos. I call upon Thee and I swear myself to Thee. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power Thou and I possess!"

She raised the Sword of Light, igniting it, and let the power she called upon course into and through the blade, greatly amplifying the power she summoned. "Sword, accept this Darkness, and obey my command!"

Shabrinigdo's monstrous form had not moved, had not changed position, had not shown any semblance of life during this whole encounter—its monstrous form was all for show, its presence was far more vast than that, and it had no use for any need to play as if it were a mortal creature. Even now, it remained as it was, as if it were a giant monstrous statue, but in its presence, its essence, a sense of shock and disconcertment began to emanate out from it. "That…that is…."

"Giga Slave!" Lina leapt in, a massive wave of pure blackness flowing out of her sword with wild abandon, and she smashed it down on top of the Dark Lord. The ensuing explosion rocked the island….

After the backblast and aftershocks of the enormous spell were gone, Lina gasped and fell to her knees, panting heavily. She stared up at the still unmoving form in fear and disbelief, but another laugh, this time a half-sigh half-chuckle, suddenly surprised her. "Well done. The Lord of Nightmares…to have called a spell from that source…you have broken this form. I wonder if you even understand, can even conceive of what you've done, what you almost did, what you attempted. I must assume you are ignorant. But regardless, the day is yours. Even if it is but a small part, you can now boast of having defeated a true Dark Lord. I honestly do hope you do not regret it later on…."

And the giant monster began to tear apart and flake away until nothing remained.

Lina stared, watching it go, the silenced hilt of the Sword of Light in her hand. When Shabrinigdo was finally gone, when there was no more trace of him, she finally allowed herself to relax, collapsing forward with a sigh and letting the sword fall from her hand….

And a form was suddenly kneeling in front of her, catching her. "My, my," Xellos murmured in her ear. "I must echo my Lord's statement. That was frighteningly impressive, Miss Lina. You may indeed boast of a most unique achievement for a mortal."

"Xellos," Lina growled, but without much energy. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Oh, you can't be serious, Miss Lina! That was my master's master, after all, our true Lord—I was coming to help you out, but the trouble I ran into first took a little longer than expected, and by the time I got here, that had already been released. I couldn't oppose him…not in a thousand or a million years."

"Well, are you going to try for revenge, then?"

"Really, perish the thought! You should know most Infernals aren't anything of the kind of avengers who would do that. Even those of us who are part of the normal mazoku chain of command—and not those who reject it and play by their own rules, like your friend Alyssa—aren't exactly on friendly terms. Our Lord 'Ruby-Eyes' commanded us, but in some ways that was inconvenient, and so it's no great tragedy that such is gone. My own master prefers the subtle use of humans as opposed to mass destruction and enslavement prompted by that war mentality, so we'll simply ignore it. Should the seal ever be fully broken…well, it would be a sad day for demons and men alike. Right now, the priority is preserving this world…for all our sakes." He raised a hand and light began to glow around the two fallen swordsmen. "Now, I can't do much for you, since mazoku aren't the most reliable at healing others, but I can get your two friends going again…."

With groans and stirrings, Zelgadis and Gourry rose. They glanced around in shock and wonder. "The Dark Lord is gone?" Zelgadis murmured. He stared at Lina. "You defeated…?"

"Lina, your hair!" Gourry gasped.

She hadn't even noticed in her own pain and fatigue, but a quick glance at her long locks revealed that they had turned pure white. "A temporary physical manifestation of her stress," Xellos explained cheerfully. "She's still quite young, so she'll recover. Regardless of your victory, we shouldn't linger here long…once you've had a moment to catch your breath, I'll take you back inside."

8-8-8

"I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood. I have created over a thousand blades. Unknown to Death, nor known to Life, I have withstood pain to create many weapons. Yet, these hands shall ever hold nothing. So as I pray: Unlimited Bladeworks."

The blades of Archer's twin swords flared up with energy of the appropriate black or white color as he released the full power of his Reality Marble. He leapt at Gilgamesh, who pulled a sword of his own from the void and blocked both strikes.

"So, you've actually deigned to fight me with your own hands, eh, O King of Heroes?" Archer teased as their weapons strained.

"I must admit, this power of yours intrigues me, mongrel," the golden spirit answered. "I shall play with you a short while and see what you are capable of…."

"Then, allow me to show you without games," Archer replied. He pressed in, and both weapons exploded after a moment more stress, taking Gilgamesh's sword with them. The king's eyes flashed open in shock and he fell back even as Archer, without missing a beat, pulled a sword from the ground at his feet and pressed forward, swinging savagely. As Gilgamesh retreated, calling another sword into existence for himself, Archer continued driving in, causing another sword to fly from a more distant resting place into his other waiting hand, and that sword came around in another attack. Gilgamesh deflected it, but the onslaught continued as Archer slashed and cut at his foe.

After their dance continued a few moments longer, Gilgamesh repelled the blades, smashing both swords from Archer's hands and following up with a counterattack. But Archer suddenly called forth two brand new blades and struck back, and both went streaking away from the exchange with visible wounds.

"Well, you do have curious skills," Gilgamesh opined. "But you are still a lower creature. I had wondered if your ability to bring forth blades was anything noble like my own, but it is a base ability, merely the conjuration of things that don't even technically exist. Your blades are not yours, but simply fakes to which you have no right. It is an insulting and low-class display of magic."

Archer smiled back, just a subtle uptick of the corner of his mouth, displaying an amused but serious reaction to Gilgamesh's critique. "Base and low-class, you say," he chuckled. "Well, perhaps it is. I find some distant memories returning the more I battle, and I…feel that I was a mage, but not the most noble or powerful one. You may freely call me and my talents what you will, but they are mine, and I am content with them. At the very least, I will use them to defeat you."

Gilgamesh sneered. "Jest, or arrogance…that will be the cause of your downfall." A marvelous golden scene appeared behind him, a great gate that opened in the sky in a manner similar to the opening of the Soul Reapers' Senkaimon. But instead of reinforcements, hundreds of blades seemed to be emerging from the great sky portal. "This is my answer to your 'Unlimited Bladeworks': my true power, the Gate of Orimus. I do not conjure mythical or fake swords, but rather I summon forth what is my right, for as the original Hero-King, all these weapons, magical blades, artifacts and great treasures, are mine. And though I am loathe to sully it with a Faker's blood, here is the greatest treasure within that gate." A weapon floated down out of the fleet and came to rest by Gilgamesh. It could be called a sword; it was of the right general shape, with a huge basket hilt for a guard and a massive, conical 'blade' that was almost lance-like. It was split into three sections with rough grooves and teeth on their surface, and ended in what was far short of a point. Gilgamesh took it up and assumed a battle stance, his off-hand coming forward and his weapon cocked back in a pre-thrusting pose. "This is Ea, my greatest treasure. And this is the power it possesses, the power to destroy whole worlds like this one, to grind them all to dust." The three sections of the blade began to rotate in alternate directions, glowing magical light filling alternating grooves as well. Power began to build. "Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth!"

Archer watched as the attack prepared, mentally going through his weapons catalog to see if he had an answer for this. "Well, I suppose just one," he muttered as Gilgamesh prepared the attack. He assumed a pose reminiscent of Hikaru's iaijutsu, taking an imaginary scabbard and hilt in his hands. "Sleep deeply, Yume no Musôka!" he declared, drawing the imaginary weapon with a flash.

There was an invisible ripple in reality that moved to meet the great, indescribable power that started to pour forth from Ea. The two forces met…and vanished with a whimper, the great energy from the king's sword suddenly sucking out of existence as if it were liquid that had encountered a drain. Gilgamesh gaped in disbelieving shock. His eyes made out the handle now in Archer's hand, and even the invisible blade that arose from that handle. "I-impossible…w-what…what is that sword!?"

"The prized possession of my master, the one who trained me to perfect all my arts, swordsmanship and conjuration magics," Archer explained, smiling again. "A blade of mere dreams and imagination…but as I am an imaginary existence, wielding an imaginary power, it is a natural weapon for me to use it. Now, my turn." He conjured a second, more tangible katana, and charged in once more. "Crane Wing Three Realm."

Archer moved in to unleash his attack, an ability that Gilgamesh, because of his own abilities as a Heroic Spirit and knowledge of magic, was able to identify. Just the recognition was remarkable, for Archer was using his conjuration and reality-bending abilities to strike with three sets of blades simultaneously by conjuring them in succession. Their aim was perfect, each set driving in deeper to set up the next pair to penetrate deeper still, so that the final two would penetrate his heart and core. He managed to slip through the final attack, avoiding the fatal strike, but his wounds were grievous, but he still lived, and he started to round on Archer in rage….

But the white-haired phenom had repositioned himself already, and Gilgamesh turned again to find him standing on a tall, flat rock looking over him, a bow in his hand and an arrow knocked. "Do not forget that my actual class is Archer," the bowman informed him, and released. The magically-enhanced arrow found its target, and Gilgamesh fell to his knees as he began to disintegrate, his mana-lifeforce exhausted and his form broken.

"Impossible," Gilgamesh murmured as he began to fade away. "Beaten…by this mongrel faker!?"

"Farewell, King of Heroes," Archer responded. He then turned away, gazing at worlds beyond his magical home. "Now…that took almost everything from me…but Rin and the rest will certainly need my help…I better get moving."

8-8-8

"Kaze no Kizu!"

Again the wind scar energy blasted against the shield that Corai conjured forth. As the energies strained, however, Kagome fired an arrow at the scientist, and when its sacred energy collided with the shield, the force field broke, unleashing Inuyasha's attack.

Corai managed to dodge back from the remaining blast, retreating a fair distance to allow himself to better survey his foes. ('The hanyô has greatly improved his power and skills,') he thought. ('And the girl, too, has been able to better access the powers within her after her contact with her homeland and the trials she has endured during her travels. Before the hanyô was easy to manipulate and use, but…that sword of his father's is restricting his demonic taint. Right now, as long as he wields that sword and has that girl to support him, I will find it difficult to defeat him. So, I must find a means to take one or both away….')

Corai raised his hand. There was a flash of magic. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and shifted his grip on his sword. "What was that? Be careful, Kagome, it looks like he's trying something…."

Suddenly an arrow sprouted from his back. He gasped in pain and shock. He turned slowly with shock-filled eyes to stare at Kagome, who had a glare on her face as she drew and nocked another arrow. Shippô's face was also contorted in a sneer of disgust. "K-Kagome…w-what's the meaning of this…?" he breathed.

"Why shouldn't she attack you?" a new voice, cold and authoritative, demanded from the front, turning his attention there. There was a miko who looked rather like Kagome, dressed in the red and white kimono indicative of the office, with her long black hair and her own bow drawn and nocked. There was also a savage red wound on her shoulder, although she didn't seem to be paying much attention to it. "She is merely preemptively protecting herself. Isn't it your destiny to turn on her, to kill her…just like you did me? Given the chance, we will both rise up and destroy you first."

"K-Kikyô? N-no…b-but…I-I didn't mean…it wasn't me!"

"It wasn't you!? Spare me your pleadings. It wasn't your claws ripping into my flesh? You don't remember my blood staining your hands? Remember it or not, aware of it or not, it is who you are, and why we have to destroy you. You are, after all, not really human—just a beast, a hanyô, and worse than a yôkai, since you have enough humanity to make you devilish. No, you are an abomination, and I regret not destroying you when I had the chance, when I first met you. But now that mistake can be remedied!"

She fired her arrow, and it struck the guard of his sword, sending it spinning out of his hand. Then a massive humanoid beast appeared out of thin air and slammed into Inuyasha, throwing him back against the wall and using a giant hand to pin him there. He cried out in pain as it began to crush him.

"Enemies all around you," murmured Corai, appearing off to his left behind the great demon. "No solace, and no support. A fitting reward for one who puts his faith in flawed, frivolous humans, wouldn't you say? You partake of their weakness…."

"Y-you bastard," growled Inuyasha, straining against the giant holding him. "You…this is all your fault, isn't it!?"

Corai smiled. "Maybe. Just what is real, and what is not? What is my fault, and what is a product of your own weaknesses? Well, if you seek to punish me, prove that you can do it…slaughter me with your own hand. That power is within your grasp, is it not? Show me…or not. You are too weak, after all!" He began to laugh, loud and mocking.

Inuyasha continued to growl. The sclera of his eyes began to be filled with a red glow and demonic energy began to rise off of him.

Kagome and Shippô stared at the hanyô. "W-what's wrong with Inuyasha?" Shippô wondered in fright. "He suddenly starting acting strange and saying weird names, then threw his sword away and went flying against the wall…."

"It's him," Kagome cried. "He said…he's a combination of Kalovus and his two brothers. Nodoka-chan said that Koltas Corai could use mental spells to control people. It must be some kind of hallucination!" She glanced to the side, but Corai was gone—he had used the distraction to slip out of sight, magically or otherwise. So much for the first idea of attacking the caster to break the spell. She instead turned her attention back to the roaring half-demon. "Inuyasha, that's enough! Whatever it is, it isn't real! It's an illusion! Snap out of it!"

She hurried his direction, but suddenly he roared, erupting with demonic energy. Kagome and Shippô screamed as they were thrown back by the blast. Shippô rolled off to the side, his eyes spinning, while Kagome hit hard and bounced to land just next to Tetsusaiga, which had landed point first in the ground, sticking up. She struggled to haul herself up and glanced up woozily at the crazed demon as he approached. He reached out with a clawed hand….

And laid hold of Tetsusaiga's hilt. The demonic energy and the red in his eyes vanished in an instant as the pulled it from the floor. In the same instant, energy flowed up the sword, transforming it into its lethal form and then blasted out in a wind scar across the room away from Kagome. Corai and his field flashed into existence at the same time as the power washed over him. "That's enough of that, you bastard," Inuyasha growled. "I'm tired of you playing games with my life and my mind!" He took his stance, swinging his sword into position. "I'll tear you to pieces!"

Corai sighed. "It would have been easier on all of us if you had simply given in," he drawled. "But there are other methods I can use…more painful ones, but effective…." A fountain of dark energy gathered in front of him, and then shot out in a massive beam towards the pair.

Inuyasha sneered as it came on. "That's…the same that Kalovus used…Bakuryûha!"

The backlash wave cut into the demonic energy and sent it back, redoubled. However, before it encountered the Obsidian servant, a cage of energy appeared before him and entrapped the attack. "Yes, it was," Corai said dryly. "You should take more care when it should be obvious your opponent is baiting you to use your ultimate attack. I prepared this just to deal with you." He raised a hand. "Return whence ye came!"

The blocked energy suddenly shot back towards the stunned Inuyasha. Kagome, however, leapt to join him, raising the Tenseiga. A surge of black energy suddenly shot from the sword and filled the air in front of them as a disc, absorbing the attack. All stared at it in shock. "W-what was that…?" Kagome murmured, rather frightened by that unusual reaction from her sword.

"It's the Meidô Zangetsuha [Black Path Slicing Moon Cannon]!" Myôga declared, hopping onto Kagome's shoulder from previous location unknown.

"Once again, you show up with suspicious timing," Kagome murmured, glaring at him.

"Never mind that! Inuyasha-sama, quick! Cut the dark circle!"

"What? Oh…fine then!" He swept his sword through blackness…and it flowed onto his blade, making it that same utter blackness. He stared down at it. ('It…merged with Tetsusaiga. This means…I understand what it's saying. I can use this!')

He leapt at Corai. "Meidô Zangetsuha!" He slashed down with his sword, and the circle of dark energy shot out as he swung. Corai raised his hand….

His shield disappeared in the sphere as it flowed out, and in a moment most of his body was absorbed into the blackness. Then it was gone as quickly as it had come…and Corai was left on the ground, nothing but a head and single arm remaining.

"Still, tricks prepared," Corai laughed with shallow breaths. "What a marvelous father you had, Inuyasha…preparing all of this, preparing those two swords to work in concert. I knew…that you would be the death of me…but still…I could not run. Take your victory, and go…your old love is avenged." And the last of him turned to dust and blew away.

Inuyasha watched him go. "Avenged? No…not until this whole thing is over." He glanced back at Kagome…although really he was looking at the diminutive flea who rode her shoulder. "Oi, Myôga-jii…what was that about? That power…came from Kagome's sword, but it went into mine, like it was intended…."

"Well, as far as I understand the will of my lord Inu no Taishô, it was," the flea explained, crossing his arms in his usual exposition pose. "The Meidô was a power of one of his enemies that he defeated…with the Tetsusaiga. Tetsusaiga is a demon sword designed to absorb other demonic powers to increase its strength. But the Meidô originally was too powerful for that sword, so he took the power and sealed it inside the Tenseiga instead. You see, Meidô is a power to send anything directly to the world beyond this one, and so Tenseiga, which also makes a path between this world and the next, was compatible enough to take the attack. The first intention was for the Meidô to be cultivated by the Tenseiga, and then, after it was perfected, it would be reabsorbed into the Tetsusaiga. But…somehow it seems Kagome-sama sped up the process without ever using the ability. I don't quite understand everything, but…that's my best guess."

"Huh. Well, I guess it doesn't matter. You're all right, Kagome?"

"Eh? Yeah, I'm fine…."

"I'm fine, too, thanks for asking," Shippô moaned, staggering over to Kagome and allowing himself to be boosted up onto her shoulder.

"All right, then." Inuyasha turned away, ignoring Shippô's veiled complaint. "Let's get going…we still have some finishing up to do."

8-8-8

Tear, Rin, and Mei all knelt on the ground, panting, trying to squeeze together slightly for support. Van smirked as he stared at them, while Legretta's features were cold and businesslike as always. "Is that really all you're capable of, even 3-on-2? Disappointing…I had thought, if you were chosen for this kind of a mission, that you would be more entertaining for me. But, alas, your power does not seem to match your resolve."

"N-Nee-sama…" Mei whined.

"That's enough, Mei," Rin growled. She slowly rose to her feet. "Big talk from a traitor. We're not giving up yet, though. Don't talk as if we're beaten already."

Van chuckled. "Well…as entertaining as this has been, I would say you are beaten. There are other pests loose in the palace to exterminate, and we should get on with that…so it's time to finish you off." He raised his sword up on high….

An explosion of energy, a slashing wave of power, went flying past the young girls towards Van. He turned to just avoid the strike, but it lightly touched his left arm, leaving a trickle of blood to run down it and drip to the ground.

"Yes, the day is good to me," Kôtarô drawled, all eyes on him as he came strolling up, his sword held low and casual in one hand. "If earlier was the appetizer, this must be the main course." His eyes bore into Van. "You, swordsman—you seem like a worthy foe to test my blade."

Van stared harshly at the Blade Demon, then allowed a smile to stretch across his features. "Well…Hanatabi Kôtarô. Such a famous swordsman invader. I do not know how you sneaked in here, but if you have come to battle us, then I must eliminate you as an enemy…."

Suddenly a trio of shots rang out, and Kôtarô's sword moved with amazing speed to block the three bullets. He glanced over at Legretta as she took a protective pose in front of her commander. "Do not presume!" she insisted. "I'll deal with you myself, first!"

"Wait, Legretta!" Van snapped.

"Do not presume, yourself," Kôtarô countered. "No gunslinger apart from Aiden Rylack would garner my interest. Do not interfere…my only opponent here is that swordsman, Van Grants."

"I will not allow it!" Legretta leapt up, firing several more shots down at Kôtarô—he deflected every one—and then coming down with a fierce overhand swing, attempting to bludgeon him with that spiked guard….

And Kôtarô impaled her from behind, right at the sternum, leaving her limp and unmoving on his blade. He flicked his wrist, sending her tumbling off to the side, where she lay still.

"Miss Legretta!" Tear cried in shock, despite herself, sympathy welling up inside for her former teacher.

Kôtarô, without emotion, flicked his blade clean and pointed it once again, still in one hand, towards Van. "Nothing? No reaction? I'm interested in a fair fight, so if you want to run to her side, I'll let you."

Van glowered back. "I care deeply for Legretta. I am not an unfeeling monster, no matter what dear Rin-chan may say. But against a foe like you, I can't afford to be distracted." He raised his own sword. "Besides, I have faith in my trusted lieutenant. You may have put her out of commission, but she will survive that. Instead, I'm going to focus all my power into avenging her defeat."

Kôtarô allowed a vicious smile to cross his face. "Excellent. Then let us battle." The two swordsmen charged together.

The three ladies stared, and Mei whispered, "Hanatabi Kôtarô, the legendary Blade Demon…and Kenjirô-kun's father! W-why…why is he here!? He disappeared after the tournament…and now he's come back here…."

"For a demon intent on fighting great battles, he couldn't have picked a better place," Rin muttered. "For now, it seems he's on our side…and we should take advantage." She glanced back at Tear. "I know you still care for your old sensei, Tear, but she's an enemy…and the least of our concerns right now. We should try to back up Hanatabi-san…!"

"I won't let you! Bloody Howling!"

The three dodged aside as the dark energy erupted in their midst. There, looking quite hurt and disheveled but angry and defiant, was Arietta. She raised her doll again. "I will help protect Lord Van…!"

As Tear, Rin, and Mei reluctantly prepared to respond, the room suddenly shook, breaking off all combatants. Explosions began to tear through the equipment all around them. Van stared wide-eyed at the chaos. "W-what is this…!?"

"Hanatabi Kôtarô-san did not come alone," Jade stated, finally appearing with Erika, Kazumi and Isumi all flanking him. "But his battle-lust made for an excellent distraction. My entire purpose in joining this expedition was to put an end to your insane experiments…and, of course, I knew how to do the most damage to not only destroy them all, but to set off a chain reaction that will destroy this entire laboratory in a few minutes. We've already destroyed Dist's lab as well, eliminated his specimen, and sent the cockroach himself out of your reach. Your dream is over, Van Grants."

Van began to throb with rage. "How dare you! You will pay dearly for this! I will succeed, even if I have to use you in place of it all! Arietta!"

"Of course, Lord Van!" She raised her doll again….

"Energy Blast." Jade's simplest but still-powerful spell detonated, sending Arietta flying across the room with a cry. She impacted against the wall and fell, laying still. Jade turned his attention back to Van. "You should probably take your subordinates and flee. This chamber will become a blast furnace very shortly."

Van began to chuckle, low and with evil intent. "Flee? Now? You will destroy everything I've hoped or dreamed of? Never. We will all die, first."

"Don't be a fool!" Jade snapped. "Throwing away your own life is one thing, but sacrificing the lives of your subordinates for something so useless…."

"My dream, useless!? Don't toy with me, Necromancer! Though you shall burn, my power will let me rebuild even from these ashes!" And he tore off the coat of his left arm.

Tear gasped in shock. "B-Brother…you really…."

"Yes," Van purred as all stared at his limb…somewhat misshapen and inhuman, with multiple colors swirled across its form, claws and feathers attached to it and a stunted wing starting to emerge from its shoulder. "The flesh of Lorelei, the patron of our family. The great avian creature was a servant given to us by Vanadar, the Light of Hope, one of the Celestial Lords who helped build up the Empire of Takiva. We gained the power of our Magic Hymns from its teaching and gifts. Now, having integrated a part of it into myself, my power has the potential to grow beyond mortals or even yôkai lords. I had hoped not to use it more than necessary, but it will let me survive even his firestorm…and contain it so that the work will be salvageable. All of you, however, will not be so lucky." He raised his sword and began to sing in a clear, beautiful baritone, the rich words alien but fascinating, and power began to surge off of him.

Kôtarô grinned with savage ecstasy. "Well, a greater foe, and a time limit to boot…a wonderful tension added to this struggle!" He leapt towards Van.

Van, however, still singing, met and repulsed the demon rather easily. Mei and Rin quickly leapt to his aid, chanting out spells, and Isumi and Jade followed suit, contributing what they could, and Erika leapt in to attack as well, but he repulsed them all, shattering the spells and resisting any attacks without any seeming effort.

"I-is he just…too strong?" Kazumi wailed, feeling the room shake more and watching the intensifying explosions. "This can't be it…."

Suddenly a beautiful soprano rang out, matching Van's music and proving counterpoint to it. The energy pouring from Van began to stifle and grow stale. He suddenly broke off his singing, gasping in shock and staring at Tear. "That…no!"

"The complete magic hymn of the Fendes family," Tear responded, ending her own singing. "Yes, you taught me the entire thing…but I didn't understand at the time. But I heard it in the music as you sang…a complete prayer to Lorelei. If you can use it to summon her power, I can banish it. I'm sorry, my brother. I can't let you win here…no matter what."

Howling in rage, Van raised his sword on high and energy poured off of him, redoubled. "That is enough! You will not win! If my dream dies, you can all go to hell with it!"

Kôtarô braced himself to resist the attack. "Using your very lifeforce as mana…sacrificing your own life to destroy the enemy. The ultimate act of a desperate madman. Well, don't think that you, alone, have that ability…." More demonic power began to rise off of him in response….

And suddenly Van's power cut off as a sword blasted forth from the middle of his chest. His head turned back and all eyes riveted back to Archer, who was standing in the air behind Van, one hand half-raised. A slight smile was on his face. "Sorry I'm late," he said casually. "Not too much, I hope?"

"A-arrogant insects…!" Van began around the blood in his mouth, then he gasped out again as Kôtarô impaled him from the front. He pulled his sword out and stepped back, allowing Van to finally fall.

"Brother," Tear murmured, stepping up towards him…and then the room rocked again.

"It's too late," Jade snapped out as the explosions around them reached fever pitch. "We've done what was needed. We have to go, now!"

He began to herd the whole group towards the door at the back, and Archer flashed down to grab up Kazumi and Isumi and take them to safety with speed. As they hurried past the door en masse, however, Tear and Mei looked back at the figures struggling to rise and move. "Miss Legretta!" Tear called.

"Arietta-san!" Mei echoed.

The two staggered over to the gasping Van and fell down around him. They both murmured his name.

"They've made their choice, ojô-chans," Archer insisted as he and Kôtarô laid hold of the pair's shoulders. "We've got to get out! Now!" And they leapt to safety, dragging the young ladies with them.

The room erupted in one final, fatal explosion, and the entire chamber blew out, blasting off and falling away from the tower of the Obsidian Palace. Rubble fell from above, burying the created hole, and the party hurried away in safety.

They sat for several minutes, the girls kneeling and panting from stress, exertions, and in some cases, the sorrow of loss. Archer, Kôtarô, and Jade all stood on their feet, coolly watching over them. "Catch your breath," Archer recommended. "Recover as you need…but don't take too long. The conclusion isn't here yet. You will have time to mourn lives lost and lives wasted after this is all over."

Tear gulped up her gasp, nodded fiercely, and rose to her feet. The rest of the girls slowly followed suit as she bravely declared: "Yes, you're right. We have a duty…to see everyone safely through. We still have to help Kain-sensei rescue Mai-san. Let's go."

F I N

Author's Note: Epic Battles

As I mentioned before, I've been saving the more significant battles for last…that's the intent of having these, particularly true evil Obsidian Star villains Van and Corai falling here, for good, not getting away like the Obsidian Ladies. Well, we still have a couple things to sort out next chapter, left more for theme and chronological fitting than anything else…I'll explain that next chapter. So one more chapter, and then all that's left to face will be Eminus…and the Prince. Oh boy.

In any case, I have a LOT of big thoughts and careful workings in this chapter, as explained here:

Archer vs. Gilgamesh is something that theoretically happened, or happened in one branch of the game, but it didn't happen in the anime, so I came up with how it might go…and adjusted it for my version of this mysterious character. As I'm sure I've mentioned, originally Archer from Fate/Stay Night was actually the future hero self of the protagonist, Shirô Emiya. This version of Shirô won the Holy Grail War and had his wish granted to become an Ally of Justice who could save lives, but as all such wishes by amoral wish-granting machines are, it became a wish of sorrow, as evils had to exist for the Ally of Justice to vanquish, and for each life he saved, another life had to be sacrificed. Despair over this wish clashing his with ideals led to this EMIYA, as whom he is sometimes identified, making a pact with the World itself, a contract that allows him to become a Counter-Guardian, a Servant-like spirit with a special destiny…meaning he actually isn't a heroic spirit at all. Then (in some versions of the Fate/Stay mixed storyline), after being summoned to the past as a Servant in the Holy Grail War instead of a hero from the past, he makes it his mission to kill his younger self and prevent the tragedy from happening (although there is no grandfather paradox because Fate/Stay uses the alternate timelines/realities version of time travel). Shirô ends up learning all his best powers from him, however, regardless of the version of the story.

Of course, here, there is no Holy Grail War or such, so I have to rewrite the characters' pasts and origins. With an entire magical history of a magical world to invent, I can and do transfer the identities of most of the spirits of that anime that I use to equivalents from the magical world. Thus Saber becomes the actual descendant of the original Arthur, and Gilgamesh fits as one of the original heroes of the magical world, but Archer? He was so cool, it just was best to bring him in to help Rin, but what's his origin? Not all will be revealed here, but I thought about it for a long time…at first I was just going to leave his actual history blank, since he's a very minor character, but that would have been rude to both him and my readers. I can say that he is still indeed the future version of a boy named Shirô Emiya, but how this boy ties in…won't come in until much, much later, probably Act 20. But we will learn more about him and why he was able to call on Kalan's sword, I promise. Him using it was a hint and a surefire defense against Gilgamesh's ultimate ability.

Lina's battle was a shortened version of the end of the first half of the first Slayers series. It happened generally as described by Corai here, but Lina, not Gato, was the one who found the Orihalcum Statue and fell under Rezo's gaze because of it. Zelgadis was working for him but decided to unite with Lina against him…until he got his hands on it and unsealed his eyes, thus becoming the piece of Shabrinigdo. Lina's spell succeeded there in part because the last vestiges of Rezo's spirit held him in check and weakened him so Lina could win, with that ridiculous Giga Slave she invented out of desperation, and which actually can potentially doom the whole world as revealed in Slayers NEXT. I'm messing with chronology a bunch to make my story work, of course—Gato died mysteriously in MSN, so it was fitting to tie him into something that could potentially really kill him (and, of course, Mai went mad when that happened, unleashing her full power to WIPE OUT A DEMON LORD (even just a piece)). Xellos, his talismans, and the Ragna Blade all didn't appear until after this, in NEXT, in fact, I had the original intent of having Xellos, after dealing with Barragan earlier as only a mazoku can, arrive in time to help start fighting Corai, but after he splits and leaves the Shabrinigdo piece behind, he chickens out because, after all, this is his super king and lord, as he describes. But when I started writing this part, I forgot about him, and after I realized, I thought about going back to fix it…but decided it might work better if he just doesn't show up, having arrived late because of his playing around, and then he arrives at the end to be the means of getting them back inside after they were stranded outside. It was fun…I love her scene of blowing up Shabrinigdo.

Inuyasha and Kagome…leads to a confession. I regret little of my work…I have rough patches and not everything turns out quite like I planned, but in the end I'm satisfied with it all…but if I have one, it's the Tenseiga. In some ways, it's perfect, a healing sword with connections to Kagome's anime, and she's taking Konoka's healing girl place, after all, but there's just something completely not in tune with her character in her using a sword at all, which is generally why I've described her learning to just hold it up and invoke it, creating healing waves instead of cutting people with it in order to heal them. But lately I was thinking I really should have given her something else, possibly a more benign version of the Jewel of Four Souls (Shikkon no Tama) to be her perfect healing item. It's too late to change something that significant now, though; it would require a lot of rewriting. Here, finally, was a place it bore fruit: it was super accelerated and skipped over, as Myôga hinted, but the Meidô Zangetsuha technique was pretty much as described, with Sesshomaru, of course, being the wielder of the Tenseiga who cultivates the Meidô's power (unknowingly) for Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. It becomes Inuyasha's ultimate technique. So yeah, why not play the Tetsusaiga/Tenseiga angle one more time and give Inuyasha this to decisively vanquish his destined rival, the evil scientist (and partial murderer of his beloved) Corai? Best of a bad situation, really.

And finally, Van Grants. In TotA, Lorelei is originally the personification, the avatar, of the seventh fonon, and the source by which the future, the 'Score', of the planet is read. Van's goal was to save the world from prophecy by destroying the seventh fonon, Lorelei, itself. When he is defeated at the halfway point (and fake ending) of the game, he falls into the core of the world. On impulse he sings the full Fonic Hymn, which he, as a descendant of Yulia, Lorelei's original prophetess, knows and has power over, and it draws Lorelei into him and he absorbs the avatar completely into himself, gaining power over it. This power, and it not wholly contained, makes him the powerful end boss, and Tear has to sing the Fonic Hymn herself, similar to how she does here, to weaken Van's control over the god-being so he can be defeated. And because they died in the game and were almost irrecoverable, I let Arietta and Legretta die with him. Sad, but as I said they can't be reclaimed like Eminus' harem. We'll get to that.

Oh, and Nebilim. A special event optional boss, doing the side quest to open up the chance to fight her isn't part of the main story (and realistically couldn't be, because the final item needed to complete it is in the room right before the final boss, so theoretically the heroes would decide on a stupid thing. 'Oh, sure we're almost there to save the world, but we just found this last item that's part of this strange investigation we're doing, so let's leave real quick to check it out because we won't get another chance. Wait for us, Van.') But it does reveal important background information, including the fact that Dist doesn't die (like the rest of the Divine Generals, it looked like he got killed in his final confrontation. However, he shows up suddenly when you are about to awaken the Nebilim replica, then he gets pwned by her and seems dead, but when you check him out after the fight, he's still alive, and Jade arrests him and sends him back to Grand Chokma). After the battle, you can go to Dist in prison and Jade will discuss replication secrets with him, such as how Luke's Big Bang is approaching, possibly giving hints as to the identity of the returning hero in the post-credits final scene. Here, she was useful for tying up the Jade/Dist subplot. The door on Replication, as the chapter title suggested, is at a close.

And yeah, Kôtarô suddenly is getting a lot of significant screen time, but he's worth it, it fits these scenes, and if it wasn't him, super OP Karl Corbin would have to do all that, too. And he's already doing too much next chapter because no one else can….

Well, with that teaser let's move on to that, then….