A/N: Sorry for the late update people. This chapter was supposed to be out last week but I somehow managed to procrastinate until now. So thousand apologies for that.
And now, more bad news. This story will only be continuing late December/early January because some author is going back home to see his family. So this will be the last chapter for this year unless I can find time to do another one or two back home (I finished this one at the airport an hour before my flight hahahahaha. Am I amazing or just crazy XD)
Many thanks to my dearest reviewers but due to my time constraints I didn't have time to put down my thoughts so I'll do so the next chapter
Without further ado, on with the story.
Please refer to Chapter 1 for disclaimers.
Enjoy!
Scarlet Nova Guild Hall
"Alright!" Aiden declared, a grin on his face as he fist punched the air. His map piece had just started to glow, golden lines streaking across it as it started to identify the location of the next artifact. It had been a full day since Ryuga's team left the guild hall on their mission and Aiden was starting to get a bit restless. Although he knew the importance of the mission, he still couldn't help but feel excited about it. He was going to be up against some of the most powerful dark mages the guild has ever known and he wanted to put his strength to the test against them. Then there was the issue about Ryuga's team as well. Amongst all the teams, they had the least members. While Aiden was confident in the group's abilities, he was still a bit worried for them. If not for his own mission at hand, he would have gone after Ryuga's group.
"Ready you lot?" Aiden asked as he turned to address the 5 mages seated behind him. Around him, his team had determined looks on their faces although some of them had a tinge of excitement present on them. This was particularly for the newer members who were excited on getting started on their first mission.
Gemma had a smirk on her face as she fist bumped Judar who was seated next to her and wearing the same excitement on his face as her. This was going to be their mission as Novas and what better ways to kick start their career as official mages then to kick some Dark Guild butt. Their battle craving nature had made it easy to decide who would be their teacher, finding their way into Aiden's team with relative ease.
Asuna had a grim look on her face as she whispered a little prayer for her team, hoping that they would all remain safe during this mission. Beside her sat Hanaku who was still swathed in bandages, particularly around her gut and left arm. Her face occasionally grimaced in pain, a reminder to the rest of her team that she was not fully recovered yet. Despite Master Glaive's insistence that she rested, she wanted to tag along. She was part of Aiden's team and was a member of Scarlet Nova. The guild's problems were her problems and she wanted payback for what they did at Sand Dune City. When Hanaku came back badly wounded that day, Asuna felt her stomach sink. Hanaku was considered one of the better fighters of the team considering her versatility in close ranged combat. Both she and Blitz specialized in long range and if a close range fighter could be wounded so badly, she was not keeping her hopes very high about coming out of this unscathed. Hopefully the two new recruits would provide a boost to their fighting strength.
Blitz was lost in his own world, busy packing various devices and lacrima into a knapsack. He acknowledged Aiden's words but was a bit worried behind the tone he was expressing. Having seen the might behind the enemies they would be facing, being worried and afraid was a given but Aiden was showing none of that, glowing with confidence and excitement. It really scared Blitz deep down, how Aiden was literally fearless. Maybe that was why Master Glaive placed Aiden as his teacher. Or maybe that was why he chose to follow the Brawler mage after that. Whatever the reason was, Blitz still found it glad to be on the same side as him.
"Off we go Master!" Aiden called out to Glaive as he got off his seat, leading his team through the front doors of the guild.
"Hold up," called Glaive as he stopped the group in their tracks. He then fished out a small golden medallion from his pocket and hurled it to Aiden who caught it with an open palm.
"What's this for?" Blitz asked as he gazed at the medallion in Aiden's palm.
"You'll need it where you're going." Glaive explained, "Show this to the gate keeper. He'll let you in after that."
"So where exactly is the place?" Gemma asked, curious about their destination. Beside her Judar nodded his head eagerly, wanting to find out as well.
Glaive let out a small sigh as he thought of the place they were headed. While it was once a place of knowledge and refuge, it was currently a wasteland, having lost all its former glory.
"Morgoth, the city of the forgotten." He finally answered, his tone turning slightly ominous. "A word of advice as well. Do not trust anyone and anything."
Flashback (9 years prior to Fic), Phantom Lord Headquarters
A younger Ryuga huffed as he ran up the stairs leading to the main office of Phantom Lord's Guild Hall. His body was currently covered in bruises and a dried trickle of blood hung from the corner of his mouth. He was in the middle of fighting a bunch of Fairies when the Master's order came in, requesting to see him immediately. That short transmission cause him to pause momentarily mid fight, just as he was about to finish off Take Over user who insisted on ascending the stairs to the main guild hall. Said user was capable of a full body takeover, something that was quite astonishing to Ryuga considering the user being about the same age as him. However their difference in strength came to light when Ryuga easily beat him despite the Full Takeover being used, a clear indication of a lack of experience.
Despite the easy victory, Ryuga still suffered some damage. Not by the takeover user of course, but by a third party who attacked him as he was receiving Master Jose's transmission.
The one named Salamander who socked him right under the jaw and sent him flying through half a dozen walls.
Under normal circumstances, Ryuga would have charged and engaged but his Master had demanded that this matter took priority, forcing Ryuga to turn tail and leave the battlefield.
With a final huff, Ryuga finally reached the top floor of Phantom's headquarters, pushing in the wooden door that led him into Master Jose's office.
"What's the matter Master," Ryuga asked in between breaths, his hands on his knees."Is there something wrong?"
"Why of course Ryuga," Jose replied in a surprisingly calm voice. "There is a certain matter that I would like you to tend to."
"What is…" Ryuga's voice trailed off as he finally got up and looked at his surroundings. Everything in the room looked normal at the very least, until Ryuga noticed a body lying on the ground
"Yura!" Ryuga called out in shock and surprise as he recognized the tanned mage. She was covered in bruises and slash wounds, barely holding onto her consciousness as she writhed in pain on the ground.
"Hey, Ryuga," Yura started as she forced out a weak smile when she recognized the mage. "I didn't think I would see you again."
"Master, what is the meaning of this?!" Ryuga demanded in confusion.
"She's a spy my boy," Jose replied, a sinister grin on his face as he turned to face Ryuga. "She's with Fairy Tail."
"I don't understand," Ryuga uttered softly as he stared shell-shocked at his Master.
"This whole battle. The main reason we are losing is all because of her." Jose elaborated as he took a step closer towards Ryuga. "She was the one who leaked the information to Makarov about how to stop the Abyss Break. That the only way to cancel it was to defeat the Elemental Four."
"Master please," Ryuga pleaded, unable to take in the fact that the closest person to him in the guild was a spy. "There must be a mistake somewhere. Yura has been with us for so long. There's no way she is a spy."
"Don't bother trying to explain for her Ryuga!" Jose hollered, effectively causing Ryuga to shut up, his eyes wide with fear. "The fact that she just tried to escape proves it!"
"In fact, I have reason to believe that you and your brother are in cahoots with her. Considering the time you three having been spending together." Jose smirked as he pressed further, noting the fear in Ryuga's expression.
"Leave them out of this Jose!" Yura growled with whatever strength she had left. "They have nothing do with this!"
"Silence you wretch!" Jose snarled as he kicked Yura in the gut, causing her to cry out in pain. Every fiber in Ryuga's body was yelling at him to help her, to get her out of there immediately. And yet his body wouldn't do what he wanted it to do, immobilized by his fear of Master Jose.
"So the reason I have called you here now," Jose continued after composing himself, "is to prove your loyalty to Phantom."
"Are you willing to do what it takes?"
Ryuga could barely register what was going on around him but he could feel the fear practically oozing out from his body. He was fixated like a statue and yet for some unknown reason, he still found the strength to nod his head slightly.
"Good Boy," Master Jose praised, a warm smile on his face which completely dispelled the ominous atmosphere in the room. For a moment, Ryuga felt his body relax, his guard completely down when he saw Master Jose's expression. As such, his blood ran ice cold when he heard the words that followed.
"Now kill her."
With that he hurled a sword at Ryuga's feet, beckoning for Ryuga to pick it up.
"What?" came Ryuga's unintelligent reply as he refused to accept the order.
"You heard me the first time," Master Jose said, his expression rapidly darkening. "Pick up the sword and kill her!"
As though like a toy robot, Ryuga reached for the handle of the sword with trembling hands, lifting it up slowly. Tears were already welling up at the corners of his eyes, the horror on his face recognizable. He glanced at Yura pleadingly; the look in his eyes a desperate one. What was he supposed to do? How could he strike down the person he loved?
Yura was always there for him, more so than anyone including Neo. She always advised him what to do, be it the little things like what clothes to wear on a date or the major decisions like what missions should he take. Without her he wouldn't be where he was today but if he didn't kill her, all he had done thus far would be for naught. He felt his heart being torn into two deep inside, forced to choose between his love and his loyalty. He was at a total lost at what to do. He heart screamed at him to take Yura and run but his head yelled back for him to strike her down now. He just could not choose either option.
"Hey Ryuga," Yura's warm voice called out to him, breaking him free from his thoughts. With pain in his eyes, he looked down at her, hoping for her to advise him on what to do in this situation.
"I just want you to know," Yura started as she cupped a hand against Ryuga's cheek, a weak smile still etched on her face. "Although I am from Fairy Tail, my feelings for you were true. The time spent with you and Neo was the best I've ever had in my life. I truly am sorry, for deceiving you all this while."
"What are you saying Yura?" Ryuga stuttered, "Why does it sound like…"
"Just listen to me ok," Yura cut him off mid speech, her voice more of a pained whisper now. "Don't let anyone control your life. Not me, not Jose, not anyone else. You are a free man now, so don't let anything stand in your way. Lead your life the way you want, not under the fear or control of others."
At this point, Yura had crawled back to her feet, standing painfully as she tried not to collapse once more. "I am sorry for putting you through this all over again. The mistake is mine and mine alone. No one else should bear the pain of what I have done." Her hand had slowly travelled from Ryuga's cheek to his hands, stabilizing them and the weapon that was currently held against her chest.
"You don't have to make the choice Ryuga," she gave a sad smile, the tears now flowing freely from her eyes as she steeled herself for what she was about to do.
"Because I will."
There was the distinct sound of something being cut and something warm splashed onto Ryuga's face. He stood there stunned, unable to comprehend what happen for an instant before everything hit him all at once. By then Yura's hand had left his, her body slumped over his shoulder as the life began to drain from it.
"I really am sorry Ryuga." Yura wheezed, her breathing become more ragged with each passing second. Ryuga was still shell-shocked at what had just happened, his body completely reacting on instinct as he caught Yura.
"Yura?" he called out, though it was more of a pained question that needed an answer desperately. He could feel the warmth leaving her body but he refused to acknowledge it. He could see the blood flowing from the wound onto the floor but he refused to believe it. He knew she was going to die.
"Goodbye, Ryuga." Yura whispered into his ear, the last words that she would ever say as she closed her eyes forever.
"I love you."
Ryuga felt her breathing stop and her body go limp. His brain and heart yelled out that she was gone but he refused to believe it, calling out nonetheless.
"Yura?"
No response.
"Yura?" he pleaded, the tears now flowing freely as he turned to look at her. Despite the wounds on her, Yura's face was one of tranquility. Her eyes were closed and she still wore the same warm smile that she always gave him.
But Ryuga knew all too well that it was the last time he would ever see it.
When silence descended once more, he finally let loose the emotions within him, bawling and crying his heart out. His arms wrapped tightly around her cold body as he pleaded for her not to leave but his cries were met with nothing but dead silence.
Yura was gone.
And he was the one who caused her death.
Present Day (With Ryuga and Neo)
"Well am I wrong?" Neo snarled as he bared his teeth at Ryuga. The latter stood there frozen still, guilt washing over him wave after wave as the memory looped in his head. Ryuga remembered it just like it was yesterday, the warmth of her blood on his face and the coldness of her corpse leaning against him. No matter how much time had passed, no matter how many times Master Glaive and Seras told him it wasn't his fault, the reality of it still haunted him like a specter.
Yura did die by his own hands.
Neo snorted as he stared at Ryuga's guilt stricken face, disgust written all over his own. His brother would pay dearly for his betrayal and what better way to do so with the crime he had committed.
"Corpse Carnival," Neo commanded as he held Balrog in a reverse grip. The skull on the side of the blade opened its mouth, a black magic circle appearing in front of it. At the same time, all five corpses before Neo had their eyes flash red, the effects of the spell kicking in. Within the next second, all of them moved.
Their target: Ryuga.
By the time Ryuga noticed that the corpses were no longer beside Neo, it was way too late. He barely detected the movement to the right of him before the Vulcan plowed its fist into the side of his head. Ryuga grunted in pain as he soared through the air, the Vulcan hot on his heels as it ran after his flying body. Ryuga re-summoned the Blade of Baal, using it to rake across the ground to stop his momentum. The instant he grinded to a halt, the Vulcan was on him, arms raised and ready to plummet Ryuga.
Luckily for himself, Ryuga's reaction speed was faster, summoning forth a blue and gold curved dagger into his free hand. With inhumane accuracy, he hurled it straight through both of the Vulcan's wrists, effectively causing them to be stuck together. When the Vulcan tried to bring its arms down, it couldn't and stood there stupidly with both arms raised. No matter how hard the Vulcan tugged, the dagger held steadfast and refused to come loose
Ryuga immediately aimed for a decapitating strike at the Vulcan but too bad the other corpses had other plans. Before his blade could get in close, a blast of sand shot forward, blinding Ryuga momentarily and slamming him into a nearby tree. Ryuga grunted in pain as he felt the wind leave his lungs, squinting as he tried to get a better look at the attacker. He could barely make out the silhouette of the Golem in the corner, its arm raised as it charged another blast of sand. Instinctively, Ryuga allowed the lightning within the blade course through his body, heightening his bodily reflexes. When the attack launched, Ryuga was ready, dodging to the side to avoid the second column of sand. Using that as a cover, he immediately ran down the side of it, deciding to take the Golem head on.
That being said, Ryuga found out firsthand how dead wrong he was to do so when the Golem coiled up into a giant ball and started to roll towards him. What's worse was that the Golem was gathering the sand around it as it rolled, gradually increasing in size and mass.
"Oh snap!" Ryuga thought to himself as he watched the giant wrecking ball thunder towards him. He was like an ant that was about to get squashed and that idea did not sit well with him. Stopping in his tracks, Ryuga fired off a concentrated blast of lighting from his blade once more, attempting to destroy the Golem before it could reach him.
Unfortunately for him, one of the Wyverns foiled his plans, dive-bombing straight in between the lightning blast and the Golem. Ryuga watched in shock as the Wyvern took the lightning blast head on, its whole body shuddering from the impact and current flow. That was enough lightning to destroy a small town and yet the wyvern just shook it off, its body glowing slightly before subsiding.
"Damn it," Ryuga cursed out loud when he remembered one of the Wyvern being able to breathe lightning. Who was to say that it was not resistant to lightning as well? But still, taking on the attack of a lightning demon was no easy feat, even for a corpse.
A thunderous rumble instantly brought Ryuga's attention back to the Golem, just that now it was mere inches away from him. Ryuga tried to duck to a side, but the time window was way too small, even with his reflexes enhanced by the demonic weapon. As a result, his left arm was unable to avoid the attack, completely steamrolled by the Golem.
This time, Ryuga screamed out loud in pain as he felt the various bones in his arm snap. It was like getting mangled by an alligator and having it spins a few round trying to tear his arm off. The limb now hung loosely by Ryuga's side, no doubt him being unable to use it for the rest of the fight. Ryuga was still in the midst of writhing in pain when he saw a shadow cast over him. His eyes turned slightly, barely meeting Yura's gaze before she brought her sword down.
The result was a fiery explosion that consumed Ryuga and caused the earth around him to be scorched. Ryuga coughed in pain as he rolled out from the blast radius, his body covered in burns and his coat was completely burnt off.
"Curses," Ryuga hissed under his breath. No matter how many times he got hit by it, it still stung like a bitch.
He had almost forgotten. Yura used Explosion Magic, being able to cause mighty energy bursts with just a simple flick of her body or sword. While being consumed in an explosion was bad enough, her real skill lay in the timing and size of the explosions. If she really wished for it, she could easily blow this place sky high with a bomb the size of a coin.
Then again, Yura wasn't there anymore. Her soul was gone and all that was left was just her corpse.
"Come on, focus" Ryuga told himself as he got back on his feet, just as Yura charged through the smoke, her blade poised to strike once more. This time, Ryuga met her strike, both of them pushing at each other to gain the edge they needed. While Ryuga had the advantage in strength, Yura had the speed to match it. Each parry lasted no more than a few seconds, ending with Yura breaking off and coming in from an unpredictable angle again. Each of her swings was propelled by miniature explosions at the back of her blade, boosting their speed even more. While Ryuga was used to the force and speed that they came at, he still found it hard to guard against her for two reasons.
One, he had never ever beat her at a swordfight.
Two, she was his ex-lover. Even in death, he still found it hard to muster the resolve to strike back.
"Damn that Neo," Ryuga growled, his eyes trailing off for a second as he spotted the Blood Mage. Said figure was seated on the other Wyvern, spinning Balrog with a sick grin on his face as he observed the battle. That sick bastard was using his emotions against him and it was a deliberate attempt as well.
In the time Ryuga's attention got distracted, Yura broke off again and vanished behind Ryuga, her sword thrusting towards Ryuga's neck.
"Shit!" Ryuga cursed out loud when he felt the blade's edge barely nipping his skin. He instantly moved his sword in for a parry, cringing as he felt the screeching of metal past his neck. He was so fixated on the blow that he failed to see Yura place a hand on his chest. Within seconds, the hand glowed a bright gold and Ryuga's eyes widened in recognition of what was about to happen.
As expected, another fiery explosion consumed Ryuga, kicking up another cloud of smoke and dust. This time however when it cleared, Ryuga was nowhere to be seen. The hardened look on Yura's face softened just slightly as she glanced around to search for her opponent. In the meantime, Ryuga reappeared behind her, his blade raise and aimed at her neck.
"Its over!" Ryuga cried out as he brought the blade down. If he managed to severe the head, the corpses would stop functioning altogether.
However at that instant, Yura turned to face him, her softened expression visible to Ryuga.
"Hello Ryuga," an image of her greeting him popped up in his mind just as his blade neared her neck. Ryuga's eyes widened in horror at the mental imagery, the nightmare replaying all over again in his head.
"GOD DAMMIT!" Ryuga roared in anger and frustration as he changed the path of his blade at the last minute, slashing her back instead. Tears of desperation were already teeming at his eyes, his will to fight slowly being sapped. He just did not have it in him to kill her again.
Unfortunately for him, Yura had no such problem. She spun her blade in a reverse grip and in a swift motion, pierced Ryuga through the chest.
Ryuga coughed out copious amounts of blood as he felt an organ rupture within him, his face writhing in agony. Yura did not give him any respite, instead letting her blade glow golden as she charged up another explosion. This one, due to the blade still being embedded in Ryuga's body, instantly caused Ryuga's chest cavity to implode, spraying a fountain of blood into the sky.
"Is this the end?" Ryuga thought to himself as he felt his consciousness slipping from the blood lost. That last attack had shattered his ribcage and one of his lungs. Even if he wanted to scream, there was nothing left for him to do so. His body was starting to go cold and numb as well, a clear signal that he was knocking on death's door already.
"So this is what death feels like,"
He wondered if Yura felt like this in her final moments. Cold and alone with no one to keep you company on the path down under. He guessed it was karma then. His sins had finally caught up to him at long last and surprisingly, Ryuga felt at ease. He was finally paying for his actions 9 years ago.
Up in the air, Neo watched with great disinterest. Even in his last moments, Ryuga still refused to use his ultimate magic. Perhaps that it was fate that Ryuga was meant to die here today.
"Do it," Neo commanded with a wave of his hand.
The Golem fired off two blasts of sand that rapidly consumed Ryuga in the form an orb, completely obscuring him from view. Yura and the other Wyvern then proceeded to pour lightning and explosions into the sand dome, heating it to extreme temperatures. When the act was done, Ryuga was now enclosed in a glass orb. A glass coffin whereby he would spend his last moments.
"It's too bad things had to end this way, Brother" Neo smirked as he gazed at Ryuga's lifeless form within the glass sphere.
"Goodbye and good riddance."
On the other hand, Ryuga watched with blurry eyes as Neo said something. Not that it mattered as his hearing was almost gone as well.
"Sorry guys. I'll be taking my leave first." Ryuga gave a small weak smile as he felt the darkness beckon him. As the images of his team and guild flashed before his eyes, Ryuga gradually closed them, awaiting death to claim him.
Location Unknown
"Wake up sleepy head," a soft voice beckoned Ryuga. Ryuga's eyelids fluttered slightly, opening at recognition of the owner of that voice. His eyes began to focus and as he gazed at his surroundings, he realized he was no longer in Ion. For one, the place was way too bright and he had no wounds. The other was that he was lying on a lap pillow.
"Yura?" he asked, uncertainty present in his voice even though he recognized the face of the female mage.
"Of course it's me dummy." Yura smiled as she helped Ryuga up. "Who else would it be?"
"Then that means that I…" Ryuga started but Yura shook her head.
"You aren't dead yet but you have to return soon." Yura replied, a warm smile etched on her face as she caressed Ryuga's cheek. "You can't stay for long."
"Yura, I have so many things to tell you. I don't know where to start," Ryuga stammered, the anxiousness apparent in his voice. He was about to continue when Yura placed a finger on his lips, signaling for him to stop.
"I understand Ryuga." She hushed him as she wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace. "My death was never your fault. It was mine and my choice alone."
She parted for a moment, placing her against Ryuga's before she continued. "You have to live on Ryuga. Not just for me but for your friends as well. I am a person of your past and you must learn how to let go of me or else you will never move forward. You have a new family now. Just like how we used to live, you must too learn to do so for them as well. They need you Ryuga, so protect them with all your strength. Do not let me be a burden to you any longer."
"Yura, I…" Ryuga started when he noticed that his body was gradually dissolving into particles of white light. His time was running out so he decided to ask the one burning question that desperately wanted answers for.
"Will I see you again?"
"Maybe," Yura chirped as she moved in to hug Ryuga once more. "Until then, always remember what I said. No matter what happens, I will always love you."
"Same here, Yura." Ryuga replied, a warm smile etched on his own face as well. "Until we meet again, wait for me will you?"
Yura said nothing, simply nodding her head as she waved goodbye to Ryuga. With that Ryuga's body completely disappeared, the light particles returning to the heavens and beyond.
With Neo
After he said his goodbyes to Ryuga, Neo proceeded to turn his attention back to the task at hand. Not too far from him lay the unconscious bodies of the other members of Ryuga's team, surrounded by a dome of green light. Judging from experience, Neo recognized it as some sort of healing magic. It was healing the wounds Rin and him had delivered to the mages but not fast enough.
At least till the point whereby no one would be conscious to fight back when he went over to kill them.
Neo sighed slightly at that thought. He really did not like attacking a fallen foe. Fights were meant to be fun and thrilling and there was none of that in attacking a wounded enemy. But then again it was his Master's orders. Athena was supposed to handle the recovery of the artifact by destroying the barrier around it while his job was to handle any intruders and dispose of them. Despite it going against his personal codes of honor, an order was an order nonetheless.
"Well it's not like Ryuga will come and save them or anything," Neo remarked with a smirk as he spun Balrog around his free hand, preparing to go in for the kill. If there was one thing he found consolation in, it was that he didn't need to fight his brother any further.
Or so he thought.
"I won't be so sure of that," a low ominous voice echoed out into the clearing, loud enough for Neo to hear and send chills down his spine.
"Impossible!" he snarled as he turned around, his army of corpses all rallying around him. The wounds he received were way more fatal than the other three mages. He should be dead already by now so there was no way in hell that he could be talking normally like this. As if to confirm his thoughts, the glass coffin that Ryuga was encased in still remained intact. Just as Neo was about to breathe a sigh of relief and call his bluff, he began to notice that his surroundings were getting brighter with each passing moment. That was when he saw trails of dark tentacles streaking across the floor and the air, all headed for Ryuga's body.
"He's absorbing the darkness!" Neo scowled as he recognized what Ryuga was doing but that slowly turned into a full blown grin on his face. That finally meant that Ryuga was going to take this seriously and it also meant more fun for him. He could not wait to fight his brother at full power.
The dark energies poured slowly into Ryuga's body, causing the black veins to erupt all over him once more. He could feel his wounds slowly closing and his fatigue gradually lifting with each passing moment. Though momentary, this power boost was necessary for Ryuga. He could care less about its after effects. What's most important now was that he had the strength to crush Neo and his allies once and for all.
At that point, the dark tentacles of energy vanished, now completely surrounding Ryuga with a thick black aura. The aura seemed to be alive, resonating with a hum as it fueled Ryuga with power. Neo just watched on from a far, his body quivering in anticipation at having to fight Ryuga once more. When Ryuga opened his eyes once more, they flashed with an ominous black instead of their usual crimson color. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as Ryuga opened his mouth, announcing the name of his ultimate magic.
"Demon Knight: Activate."
His glass prison the proceeded to shatter instantly as two gigantic black magic circles appeared above and beneath his body. The dark aura enveloped Ryuga' entire body, sticking to various parts of him. Before Neo's bated eyes, the aura began to condense and harden, taking the form of a demonic armor made of pure energy. Ryuga's head was now completely encased in knight-like helm with two horns protruding from the forehead region, resembling that of a feral beast. Every part of his skin was covered in a black and red bony material that hugged tightly like a second layer of skin. His chest was covered in a jagged chest plate that had fang like protrusions from the bottom of it. Similarly, he now had jagged fang like shoulder and knee guards, accompanied by a piece of skirt armor that seemed to be made of black bones. A pair of skulls with gaping jaws was located at the bottom of his feet, acting as adornments for jagged bone boots. His arms had now lost their human shape, being encased in a two gigantic skulls that resembled those of a dragon. Six hollow extensions protruded from his back, red mist seeming seeping out from their openings. What freaked most people out was the presence of seven huge crimson eyes that decorated his body. One on his chest, one on each shoulder guard and knee guard and the last two in each skull's open mouth. Overall he looked like a demon from hell, fitting of his title of Sparda.
While this form struck fear in most, it did little to faze Neo. Having seen it multiple times during their lives in Phantom, Neo was not scared at the least. Instead he was trembling in excitement, knowing what the armor was capable of. It was time to find out which of them was the stronger one.
"As expected, you went with your favorite one, Lucifer's Bane." Neo smirked as he gazed upon Ryuga's demonic form. "Anything less powerful then that and I would be disappointed! Let the real party began now!"
With a hysterical laugh, Neo waved his hand once more, directing all 5 of his corpse puppets towards Ryuga.
Ryuga paid no attention to Neo's words, instead coursing mana through all seven of the eyes on his body. He was sick of getting stuck in this forest, unable to reach their objective. In this form, he could feel the flow of mana and judging from the large congregation of it to the far west, he was pretty sure that was where the artifact was located. The only problem was that there was a forest in between the both of them. So he decided to take the initiative to get rid of it.
"Geist Abend." He called out emotionlessly as seven beams of crimson light fired from the core of each eye, bathing the entire forest and all its inhabitants. Everything the light touched, a small red stigma appeared on it. Neo instantly ducked for cover, not knowing what Ryuga was up to since he had never seen this attack before. On the other hand, Ryuga took precaution not to bathe his team mates in the light, not wanting them to get caught in the attack that followed next.
When nothing happened, Neo had a puzzled expression on his face. He was pretty sure that Ryuga had launched an omnipotent attack against him but there was no damage being done so he was at a lost at what Ryuga had just done.
Unfortunately for him, that misconception instantly cleared up when he saw Ryuga's next movement.
Ryuga held both his hands out sideways, channeling large amounts of mana to the twin skulls at the end of each arm. The result was the skulls glowing a dark crimson, two giant magic circles forming at the end of each.
"Fuck," Neo remarked when he instantly recognized the significance of that gesture. He immediately called back his corpse puppets, having them surround him as a shield just as Ryuga called his next attack.
"God Nemesis."
Location Unknown
Athena was a fierce warrior in her own right. She had seen her fair share of shit and was able to hold her own in a fight. Heck she even ranked sixth amongst some of the most powerful dark mages in the country. So she was fairly surprised with the turn of events that had occurred within the last few hours.
Black Citadel had successfully managed to locate the artifact ahead of the Scarlet Nova mages and sent a team comprising her, Neo, the twins and Rin to recover it. By some dumb luck, the artifact was embedded in a holy tree and given her Nature Manipulation magic; it was only a matter of time before she could recover it. However as a precautionary measure, she decided to tap onto the holy mana flowing in the tree, using it to enhance her own magic. With that she created a labyrinth of thick and dense trees, its purpose to prevent any pesky intruders from disrupting her work. Even so, there was still Neo to deal with.
So she was pretty shocked when she watched her creations instantly disintegrate into ash.
"What the hell!" she screeched as she watched a black wave of lightning tore through the shrubbery surrounding her, burning them instantly into ash. A mage would take forever trying to take down one of them and yet someone was disintegrating them with ease.
Meanwhile Rin shared her sentiments. She squealed in fear as she watched the lightning rip through the tree that they were in as well, corrupting and decaying everything that it touched. She immediately ducked to the floor just as another wave swept too close to her head, almost cleaving her head off.
"Athena!" she called out, causing the other Orochi member to turn her attention to the wave of lightning headed for her.
"Tch!" Athena scowled as she raised her palm, a gold and green magic circle forming at her hands. She did not believe that she could not stop it.
"Nature Manipulation: ENT!" she cried out as a storm of roots erupted from beneath her, swarming towards the wave of lightning with the intent of stopping it. Nature clashed with lightning, releasing stray bursts of energy as both forms of empowered magic tried to overpower each other.
Initially it seemed as though she was able to hold out, causing a grin to appear on Athena's face. However as the seconds passed by, it was evident that the roots were gradually becoming destroyed, causing Athena to scowl and curse out aloud. Even so, she refused to budge from her position, still believing that her magic would hold out till the end. It came to a point whereby the lightning was just mere inches from her face and Rin had to drag her down to avoid her getting skewered.
"Damn it!" Athena snapped, annoyed by the fact that her enhanced magic did almost nothing to stop the attack.
The wave of lightning continued to rage on, shredding the canopy of the holy tree completely. As it gradually disintegrated, the artifact was revealed. Right smack in the centre of the tree ring was a triangular red and golden sheath. As the wave of lightning neared it, a golden energy barrier instantly reacted, repulsing the wave of lightning such that it simply washed over the artifact, leaving it undamaged.
With that, the wave of lightning gradually dissipated, vanishing into a nothing more than a rain of etherious particles. Thankful that it was over, Rin and Athena instantly got to their feet and surveyed the damage done to the surroundings.
"MY FOREST! MY CHILDREN!" Athena howled in anger and sadness as she observed the earth beneath them. It was like the whole place had been hit by a nuclear strike, completely empty and barren. The only thing left standing in the vicinity was the holy tree that they were in, its thick trunk having taken the brunt of the attack.
Rin was horrified as well but for a different reason altogether. From where they were, she had a clear view of whatever was below them. She could see three bodies being covered in a pale green light; no doubt they were the team mates of Ryuga. Further to the east were two others, probably that of the twins. She breathed a momentarily sigh of relief as she watched Neo emerged unscathed from the attack, shielded by his army of corpses before she turned her attention back to the figure of her fear.
Before Neo was a figure cloaked in darkness, arms out-stretched in the opposite directions. Despite the stupid pose, Rin knew well enough that he was probably the one that initiated the attack and that set her on guard but that was not the main reason why she was trembling in her boots.
The numbers that were dancing before her eyes were practically off the charts. Athena's number stood at a shocking 4800 and Neo's even higher at 6500. But that man, his was way higher than both of theirs and the figures were still climbing.
"7000. 7600. 8500. 9000." She breathed in disbelief. It was not possible for a human to possess that much magical power and still remain alive. At his current level, she only knew of 2 other people in the guild that could take him on, and Neo was not one of them.
"Neo," she whispered in panic, fearing for the Blood Mage for the first time in her life.
Meanwhile back on the ground, Neo grunted as he heaved his way out of the shield of corpses that protected him. All of them except Yura were badly scorched and some were already on the verge of disintegrating.
"Tch," Neo scowled as he watched his toys crumble to pieces. It took him a while to find suitable hosts for Balrog's magic to take root and now almost all of them were gone. But still it was a fair price to pay, especially when he could have a once in a lifetime's chance of fighting Ryuga at full strength.
"Oh well," he shrugged as he readied himself in a battle stance. "Guess I have to fight fair and square now." He was pretty sure that he could take Ryuga with Balrog. Although he was no swordsman, the extra power boost the demonic weapon gave him was more than enough to cover up for it.
At the same time, Zephyr grunted slightly as his eyelids began to flutter open. A searing pain throbbed all across his body, in particular his face and upper chest but he was alive nonetheless. With a heave, he forced himself to sit up, ignoring the fact that his body was yelling for him to lie back down. He would have continued to rest; if not for the surge of energy he felt earlier when he was unconscious. It was so thick that it practically suffocated him, forcing him to wake up to prevent an overload of sensory input.
"Boss?" Zephyr wheezed in pain as he stared at the demonic form of Ryuga. Hell he didn't even know if that was Ryuga just by looking but judging from the energy that was seeping out of him; he recognized it as his teacher's.
"Zephyr, can you stand?" Ryuga asked coldly, his eyes never leaving Neo. That sent a shiver down Zephyr's spine but he nodded slowly. Ryuga never spoke like that to him before. He was always kind and patient with him, but the thing before him was cold and emotionless. It screamed evil all over in Zephyr's head but the fact still remained that it was Ryuga. Just what the hell happened when he was out?
"Take Liliana and Vali away from here as far and as fast as possible. The giant tree behind me has the artifact. Defeat the other two there and retrieve it" Ryuga ordered, completely forgetting that Zephyr had barely just recovered.
"But Boss," Zephyr started only for Ryuga to shoot him a murderous glance, the killer intent he was giving off practically visible at this point.
"Get going. If you stay, I cannot guarantee that I won't kill you by accident." Ryuga gave a low growl, causing Zephyr to sweat buckets.
"What happened to you Ryuga?" Zephyr thought to himself in fear as he slung an unconscious Liliana and Vali over each shoulder. Despite the pain in his legs, Zephyr broke off into a sprint, dashing past Ryuga and towards the tree beyond him. Ryuga felt and looked exactly like the thing they have resolved to defeat and yet he was supposed to be their ally.
"Screw that. The mission comes first." Zephyr pushed the unnecessary thoughts out of his head, deciding to focus on the mission that they were tasked with. He was sure Ryuga had a good explanation for this when this was all over.
"You ain't escaping," Neo declared as he took after the fleeing Zephyr, only to be halted by the reappearance of Ryuga in front of him.
"Oh yea, I almost forgot about our match Brother." Neo smirked as he stared down Ryuga, the excitement barely contained on his face. "How kind of you to remind me."
"A match?" Ryuga echoed ominously, causing Neo's eyes to narrow slightly. "No. This will be a one sided massacre, Neo. At the end of this, only one of use will be leaving this place alive."
"There's no other way I would prefer it." Neo grinned savagely as he prepared for battle, ready to strike at the first chance he got.
Time seemed to stand still for both men as a moment of silence past. Then with a battle cry, the final battle between brothers begun.
A/N: Well that's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the next one and remember to review and favorite.
Death Obelisk signing off.