SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 9 out, this is Chapter 10 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairing: Established!Zelgadis/Aria, hinted!Gourry/Lina

Disclaimers: Nothing here is mine, well, except my OC and the pairing.

Chapter 10: The Unexpected End? The Shocking Truth!

"Stop!" Gourry tossed the Sword of Light at the disappearing Kanzel, only to miss.

"Daddy!" Amelia was shocked.

"They disappeared." Gourry breathed.

"Gourry!" Lina hurried over to the weakened swordsman.

"I'm okay." Gourry assured.

"You're not okay." Lina retorted. "Come on." she heaved one arm over her shoulder. "First of all, we have to get your wounds treated."

Later...

"Even with my powers the way they are now, I can still do this." Lina cast a minor healing spell on Gourry.

"Lina, is what you said before true?" Zelgadis looked up at the other sorceress.

"About them being after me?" Lina asked. "I think it's definite now. Despite what Kanzel said, when you consider that he sent a Mazoku to kill me, well..."

"You have caused a lot of trouble in the past with Mazoku, you know." Gourry reminded.

"True, but I don't think they're after me just for that." Lina stated.

"What do you mean?" Zelgadis pressed.

"I'm not really sure myself." Lina admitted. "But Kanzel and the others definitely had an agenda. And somehow, I'm a threat to it."

"Either way, we still have to fight them." Gourry mused.

"And next time, we have to take the initiative." Zelgadis declared.

"We do have Lina's new spell and Aria's new armor, though." Gourry pointed out.

"If you're talking about the Ragna Blade, forget it." Lina spoke. "I knew enough to try it out, the spell which creates the dark sword powered by the golden Dark Lord, the Lord of Nightmares: the Ragna Blade. But that thing takes too much magical power to produce. In my condition, I could only summon it for a second or two. That worked fine against a stationary target like that barrier, but it'd be useless against an opponent who could move."

"The Hydro Dragon Guardian Armor draws on Ragradia's power just to equip it." Aria added. "If one clad in that armor has the ability to break the laws of magic and will become like unto a flawless sword. The downside, it consumes a lot of magic power when it's worn. Which is why I only use it as a last resort."

"I see..." Gourry sighed.

"It'll be a different story once I get my powers back." Lina pointed out.

"Trouble!" Amelia ran in. "Uncle Christopher has renounced his claim to the throne. He says he's taking responsibility for being tricked by those sorcerers."

"What could that mean?" Zelgadis wondered. "That Christopher really isn't behind this conspiracy?"

"Something else is going on." Lina frowned.

"Looks like we have to talk to Alfred again." Aria remarked.

"Hello, Alfred!" Lina called out, the group arriving at Alfred's house on the outskirts of the kingdom. "Alfred?" she opened the door leading to the fireplace.

"Welcome all of you." Alfred showed himself. "I thought you'd come here."

"Meaning you've heard that Christopher's renounced his claim to the throne." Lina concluded.

"Yes, I heard about that." Alfred admitted.

"So, what's going on?" Lina pressed. "According to what you told us... if Christopher was really behind all of this, he wouldn't have done what he did."

"Exactly." Alfred sighed. "Father can really frustrate me at times. Here I was, practically handing him the rule of this kingdom and he refuses it with no thought at his son's feelings in the matter."

"What did you say?" Amelia snapped.

"I probably would have gotten away with it, if you all hadn't showed up." Alfred admitted.

"In other words, you came up with this plot so you can become ruler of Seyruun." Lina surmised.

"That's exactly correct." Alfred smirked.

"You..." Zelgadis frowned. "How could you be so blasé about it?"

"I thought something was fishy, but you still tricked us." Lina snorted. "That little attack on yourself you staged helped."

"That and this as well..." Alfred chuckled. "All was done so that I could become the ruler. I deserve to rule Seyruun. Once I'm in charge, Seyruun will become an even more powerful kingdom. And then, I will rule the entire world."

"Wanting to take over the world for your own ambitions." Amelia declared. "That's unforgivable."

"What else does the world exist for?" Alfred shrugged. "I suppose you fools just don't understand that. However, thanks to you coming to Seyruun, my plans have been completely disrupted. I didn't manage to kill Uncle Phil."

"Where is my father?" Amelia gasped.

"About that, I'd like to know as well." Alfred admitted. "Kanzel. Just what were you thinking?" he asked as Kanzel and Mazenda appeared. "I ordered you to kill Philionel, didn't I?"

"You did indeed order me to kill that man." Kanzel admitted. "However, we have our own purposes."

"I couldn't care less what your purposes are." Alfred snapped. "I want these people and Philionel dead." he pointed to Lina's group. "They stand in my way."

"You're sure about that?" Kanzel inquired.

"Of course." Alfred insisted. "Absolute obedience. That's what our contract said."

"Yes, it did." Kanzel admitted. "Then I have no choice."

Mazenda stepped forward and took out Alfred with one shot.

"Impossible..." Alfred choked. "You can't break your contract."

"You seem to be mistaken." Mazenda chided. "The contract you made was with Kanzel, not me."

"You're betrayed me..." Alfred realized.

"Betrayed you?" Mazenda mocked.

"This was our plan from the beginning." Kanzel corrected.

"Did you really think we Mazoku would swear allegiance to you?" Mazenda taunted.

"In the end, all you did was play into our hands." Kanzel replied.

"Just what are you up to?" Lina glared as Amelia watched over her dead cousin's body. "Wasn't you plan to rule Seyruun behind the scenes?"

"True, our original plan was to put him on the throne and then secretly control Seyruun." Mazenda admitted. "However, Lina Inverse, that was only until you showed up here." activating their unison powers, they lifted the plateau into the air.

"I have a very bad feeling about this..." Aria frowned.

"This is the simplest way to keep you from running." Kanzel stated, the group running out to find that the land had been lifted into the air.

"I really hope none of us are acrophobic." Aria muttered.

"The only way you're leaving here is when you're dead or when you join us." Kanzel declared.

"When said what?" Gourry gaped.

"For God's sake, don't do that." Gourry, Aria, Amelia and Zelgadis chorused in unison.

"Why, you!" Lina snapped.

"The day you came to this place, our master Gaav, the Demon Dragon King, gave us orders to kill you." Kanzel revealed.

"You've got to be kidding me." Lina retorted. "Why me?"

"In the beginning, we tried to follow his orders to kill you." Kanzel admitted. "But we changed our minds a bit when we saw that spell of yours. We would become more powerful if we could use such a spell."

"Sorry guys, but I don't plan on joining up with any Mazoku." Lina refused outright.

"How about this in exchange?" Kanzel brought out Phil.

"That's why you kidnapped Phil?" Zelgadis realized.

"All we're after is more power." Kanzel shrugged.

"So, that's why you're trying to take control of Atlas City's Sorcerer's Guild and Seyruun's army?" Lina guessed. "What are you guys really after?"

"It seems I've said too much already." Kanzel noted. "Now then, Lina Inverse, will you swear allegiance to us? Or would you abandon him? You haven't made up your mind. In that case, why don't I make things a bit uncomfortable for him?" he fired a electric attack at Phil, only to have Xelloss block the attack with an energy barrier.

"Nice move." Lina beamed. "Great timing."

"You!" Mazenda glared.

"Now, this is no good." Xelloss tsked. "It's not very honorable for Mazoku to take hostages, is it? You should have more pride. Lina, I'll take care of this man. The rest of you can feel free to do what you want." with that, he teleported out with Phil in tow.

"He still hasn't changed a bit." Aria noted.

"Dam Brass!" Amelia wasted no time in demolishing the mansion wall and taking the fight to the nearby forest.

"We can't let anyone stop us now that we've come this far." Kanzel declared, luring the group to a nearby clearing.

"You haven't forgotten the beating we gave you before, have you?" Mazenda reminded. "Besides, do you think you can win by yourself while your power is sealed away?"

"They've taken their true forms." Lina warned as the two Mazoku reverted back to their monster bodies.

"Don't assume we've been showing you our true powers." Gourry declared, he and Zelgadis pulling out their respective swords.

"Now that we know what your game really is." Zelgadis agreed.

"Re-quip: Water Dragon Armor." Aria summoned her armor, materializing the 'Iconoclast Spear' in her hands.

"You're pathetic." Mazenda fired off an energy blast at the group and forcing them to dodge the attack.

"Take them down one at a time." Lina charged at Mazenda.

"Nothing but talk." Mazenda mocked, gripping the dagger in Lina's hands and tossed her off.

"Elmekia Lance!" Amelia focused her attack on Kanzel, who simply used his portal to dodge the attack.

"Get lost!" Kanzel fired off an attack at Zelgadis.

"Astral Vine!" Zelgadis' magic-charged sword deflected the attack.

"Since when did that happen?" Aria gawked.

"An enchanted sword?" Kanzel was surprised.

"I told you." Zelgadis smirked at their opponent. "You haven't seen anything yet."

"Interesting." Kanzel noted.

"Flare Arrow!" Lina's fire arrow missed Mazenda when the Mazoku dodged the attack.

"Get angrier." Mazenda mocked, dodging Gourry's sword. "Get more aggressive. Anger, fear. Aggression. These are the sources of a Mazoku's power."

"Even with the Sword of Light, I can't beat her." Gourry cursed.

"And in my condition, I can't use any of my really big spells." Lina added.

"What's wrong?" Kanzel taunted, Amelia reinforcing Aria's energy barrier to fend off the Mazoku's energy barrage. "Can't you be more amusing for me?"

"In this case, what have we got to lose?" Lina made the decision. "Let's go, Gourry. Fireball!" she tossed the fireball at Mazenda, the fire sphere hovered above the female Mazoku, before exploding into flames. Taking the distraction, she dashed through the smoke towards Mazenda, before side-stepping to let Gourry through.

"You fool." Mazenda snorted at the blond swordsman, swatting him away. "That's not the Sword of Light." she realized she was doped when she spotted Lina's dagger in Gourry's hand. "It... can't be..." she gaped in shock, Lina ending the fight by slashing her in the back with the ignited Sword of Light. With a muted scream, she dissolved into dust.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.