Guys! This is the final chapter! Woohoo! Enjoy! Oh, but one more thing first. It would seem that some people spotted the figure in the background of the lightning on the cover image. I had some people ask me if that was Gingka. It's not Gingka. It's Kaminari. She's hidden behind the lightning. XD

The two groups stared each other down for several moments, ten pairs of eyes staring into four. Eventually, Mao roared in anger and flew at the ten creatures in front of him. Inazuma flew right for Tatsuhime, who roared a challenge. Some of the people nearby ran and hid as far as they could get, while others took pictures. Kuro and Shiroi, watching from below, merely stared in awe as Kaminari easily evaded Mao's initial attack, flapping her wings and soaring higher.

"What can you possibly do without your bladers' command to guide you!" Mao cackled as he flared his darkness and enveloped all ten of his opponents in it.

Kaminari suddenly felt as if she were chained, alone. The winged horse froze, her mind clouding. This was her first battle without Gingka, the first battle since the stroke that had weakened him and eventually taken his life. The images of that moment flashed in her mind repeatedly, altogether too fresh even now, over two hundred years later.

"Go, Kaminari!"

She could have sworn she could hear his voice, the slight tremor in it showing his age as he had battled Kyoya that day.

"Not so fast, Gingka!" Kyoya called, one wrinkled hand gripping a cane while the other hand swept to the side in the usual dramatic fashion.

"... Is grandpa really still battling?" a pair of young adults entered the stadium.

"Not so fast! Pegasu-" Gingka froze mid-sentence.

"Kaminari!" Katsutoshi sounded the alarm as Kyoya froze midway through commanding a counterattack, his eyes widening. Kaminari whirled and was at Gingka's side before the old blader even hit the ground, having suddenly collapsed, coughing weakly.

"Call the hospital!" The winged woman exclaimed, swiftly gathering Gingka's frail body into her arms, her still-youthful face shining with worry. "Stay with me, Gingka… Hang on… You'll be okay." She whispered before leaping into the air and flying as fast as her wings would carry her to the hospital.

Once Kaminari got there, she handed Gingka into the care of the doctors, who would be able to help him more than she could. It was in that moment that she, for the first time, felt utterly helpless. In every other battle she had been able to help Gingka, to protect him. But she couldn't protect him from his own humanity.

Kaminari sat in the waiting room, ignoring the surprised stares from people who knew very well who she was, but wondered what she, with her practically eternal youth, was doing there. Yet nobody bothered her as her eyes dimmed from their former brightness, tears managing to slip as she felt Gingka's spirit weakening.

She had watched him age, yet until now she had forgotten that humans did not last nearly as long as beys. Kaminari was near-immortal. She had forgotten that Gingka was not, and the sudden reminder of that fact was something she had not been prepared for.

M-miss?"

Kaminari looked up, her eyes flashing slightly at the nervous doctor standing in the doorway.

"You can see him now, if you'd like. He's resting and we think he'll be okay." The doctor said. "Room 398."

Kaminari nodded and silently stood, moving with a swiftness and grace she was born with. In moments, she was at Gingka's side once more, her gloved fingers intertwining with his wrinkled ones.

"H...ey…" Gingka whispered through an oxygen mask.

Kaminari sniffled slightly, removing her ninja mask.

"Don't cry…" Gingka smiled weakly, although Kaminari could see the tiredness behind his golden-brown eyes, the light that was already beginning to dim.

"How can I not…?" She whispered.

"So strong and independent… And crying over me. Silly girl." Gingka chuckled, then coughed.

"You're dying though…" Kaminari sniffled.

"Well then don't look at me like I'm dead. You're not helping me get better." Gingka pouted.

Kaminari leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I'm not leaving… Never…"

Gingka smiled. "I have to die sometime. I'm not gonna be around forever."

"You said though…"

"Now, that was 'till death do us part,' Kaminari. I can't stop myself from dying, like you can."

"I can't stop myself.. I just don't die… Except in extreme circumstances…" Kaminari whispered.

Gingka smiled tiredly, patting her hand. For the next week, neither really moved. Gingka remained bedridden, his eyes slowly dimming until at last the fire died out completely and Kaminari felt as if her heart had been torn in two.

"I love you… Goodbye…"

Gingka's last words, barely audible to anyone else but heard all too painfully in Kaminari's mind every time she thought of him, now echoed once more, as she felt herself sinking. Perhaps she should let Nemesis take her life, go join her blader beyond the stars. Surely he was waiting for her there, along with all of the others. A part of her had died with Gingka, she knew. He had been the only blader she had ever listened to, the only one who had ever understood her.

"My beautiful winged horse… Don't give up…"

She could hear his voice in her mind, faintly.

"I want to…" She replied subconsciously. "I miss you…"

"Fight."

"I don't want to…"

"Fight."

"But…"

"Fight!"

Yes, that was what he would say if he were here. She had never failed an order after she had allowed him to control her, since she had decided to listen to his every command. She would not fail him now. She was not alone. She knew what he would say, could hear it in her mind as if he were still with her.

"Do it now, Kaminari!"

Mao growled as an intense light burst through his darkness, Kaminari spreading her wings fully and whinnying a challenge.

"Come on then!" The dark bey snarled.

"Bring it!" Tatsuhime snarled as she and the others all lined up next to Kaminari.

"We are not alone, Mao. We have each other. And we can still hear our bladers' cries from the past. We know exactly what orders they would give at any given moment. That is the thing you are missing." Kaminari said.

"I need no one." Mao snarled as he flew at them.

"We fight on for those who are gone. We're protecting the world they fought all their lives to protect. We will continue that until our last breaths, as they did. They started it all with us at their sides. We will never give in, never give up, and never lose to anyone who wants to destroy what they saved so many times!" Kaminari whinnied, flapping her wings rapidly and firing bolts of lightning right into Mao's open jaws as he flew at her and the others.

"All at once then?" Tatsuhime growled with a smirk as she flew up next to her, she admitted it, friends.

"We may as well just end it." Katsutoshi growled. "I really don't want to fight this guy all day."

"None of us do. Plus, the longer this goes the more destruction we'll have to help rebuild once all is said and done." Kaminari said.

"That and you and Gingka always did like your flashy endings." Isamu snorted as he drew his bow back and aimed at Mao.

"What, you got a problem with them?" Kaminari let out a whinny and reared up onto her hind legs, thrashing her forelegs in the air for a moment before diving. Lightning flashed around her as she barreled straight into Mao, shoving him to the ground before leaping back into the air and diving repeatedly, never stopping, never hesitating, but continuing an endless assault. The other Legendary Beys quickly followed suit, their combined attack never giving Mao a chance to do anything but defend himself, which he could barely do. Kuro and Shiroi watched in awe, along with every other human being on earth, as the otherworldly battle continued.

"This ends now." Kaminari whinnied as she dove, throwing all of her power into a final attack.

All of the Legendary Beys dove, an enormous explosion nearly but not entirely masking a sudden scream.

"What… Who was that..?" Kuro whispered fearfully.

The next instant, with a loud, angered roar, Mao fell to the ground and disappeared through a portal, chains clanking and sealing around him.

"Finally!" Katsutoshi roared in triumph, landing and digging his claws into the ground.

"This battle was not won without a cost." Tatsuhime said solemnly as she landed, shifted to humanoid form, and rushed over to a slowly stilling figure laying off to the side.

The others gasped in surprise and also rushed over. Kuro and Shiroi climbed out of hiding and soon followed.

"Kaminari…" Tatsuhime whispered as she sat down next to the head of the winged horse, who was breathing heavily, each breath she took getting weaker.

"I'm sorry…" Kaminari whinnied softly, blood streaming from her side and staining her light blue feathers.

"You fought well. We'll take it from here." Katsutoshi said, laying one hand on the neck of the winged horse.

Kaminari smirked slightly. "You know what this means…?"

Katsutoshi scowled. "Shut up. Just shut up."

"I'm still the stronger bey… You… Never.. Beat… Me…" Kaminari whispered before her eyes closed and she went fully limp.

The remaining nine lowered their heads, a tear falling from every eye as they realized that their number had just been lessened by one in an instant, just as had happened with their bladers.

The next thing Kaminari knew was a gentle hand on her broad cheek and another down her long horse's nose. She quivered slightly as she felt her facial armor being removed carefully. Blue eyes opened as the winged horse lifted her head slightly, feeling as if she had just awoken from a long sleep. She rolled from her side onto her stomach, tucking her long legs underneath her and immediately putting her head within the reach of a gentle caress from the person she saw seated at her side.

"You did well, Kaminari." Gingka said with a smile, stroking the cheek of the winged horse as she closed her eyes and pressed her long nose into his chest, breathing in his scent just as she had often done when they were both alive. Gingka ducked under her nose and wrapped both arms around her powerful neck, intertwining his fingers with her mane.

"You fought well. Good job. The others can take it from there." Gingka said.

"I missed you…" Kaminari nickered softly, enjoying the feeling of her blader's hands running through her mane once again.

Gingka smiled and pulled away, putting a hand on her nose. The years that his face had held when he had left earth were gone, and he now looked just as he had in his prime, blazing golden-brown eyes smiling at her from between strands of blazing red hair.

"Come on. Let's go bug Kyoya." Gingka said with a mischievous grin.

Kaminari snorted and stood. "I should have known you'd say that." She said.

Gingka laughed lightly and moved to her side, ducking under her wings. "Well, you know me." He said, putting his hands on her broad back and jumping up with a skill acquired through much practice.

"Oi, riding so soon?" Kaminari snorted, spreading her wings.

Gingka chuckled. "Got a problem?"

"Not at all." Kaminari whinnied and reared as Gingka intertwined his fingers into her mane and gripped her sides firmly with his legs.

"Well then… Go, Pegasus!"

A fierce whinny echoed, notifying the other Legendary Bladers that Gingka and Kaminari had been reunited once again. And this time, they would never again be separated, as both had finished their lives and moved on to what was beyond. A streak of lightning blazed across the sky, as an excited laugh echoed combined with an excited whinny. Everyone looked up and smiled as Kaminari's wings carried her and Gingka into their future, an eternity as blader and bey, united as one forever.

Yay for finishing stories with dramatic and sudden plot twists! Okay, so this story didn't turn out as well as I thought it would but I still finished it. My next project, however, will be better. (I hope.) Those of you who went and checked my DA already know what it is. Those of you who did not... Well you're finding out a week later than everyone else I suppose.

I swear, the plotline for this darn thing just won't leave me alone. This is the second time now that I've gone 'okay I'm done' and then it goes 'haha nope.' So, coming back with not another sequel, but instead a prequel... Look out next weekend for Stormflight: Origins. Yep. There's gonna be a fifth one now. Galaxy out!