Hooray! Filia's come to join the action! Things are going to get even more interesting- I hope! Once again, I do not own Slayers, I just spend a bunch of time writing random fanfictions and whatnot... Enjoy! :3
20- A violent conclusion!... really?
"Filia!" Lina gasped. The Golden Dragon stood defiantly, directing an angry stare at Phibrizzo.
"What brings you here, Miss Filia?" Phibrizzo asked, putting on a polite facade.
"You know why I'm here, Hellmaster Phibrizzo." Filia spat.
"That wasn't the question." Phibrizzo replied. "I want to know how you got here. This place is pretty well hidden. I wouldn't expect a dragon to be able to find it."
"Oh, of course Filia dear wouldn't be able to find the cave. She needed a little help from a monster." A familiar voice replied, appearing behind Phibrizzo.
"Xellos!" Phibrizzo gasped. His look of shock quickly turned to amusement. "How in the world did you recover from my attack so quickly?"
"Well, that's a secret." Xellos said teasingly. "Let's just say that, me showing up torn in pieces and half-killed does not go over well with certain dragons."
Filia blushed and turned toward Phibrizzo. "I can't believe you would do something like that! Attacking a fellow monster? Unthinkable!"
Phibrizzo laughed. "Well, I must say, I don't really consider him a monster that much. After all, what self-respecting monster would fall in love with a dragon?"
"L-love?" Filia coughed.
"Well... I wouldn't put it that way..." Xellos said cracking an eye at the powerful monster.
"I would." Phibrizzo grinned. "You two are no different from the way Lina and her swordsman friend are, or the way the chimera and his princess a- were."
"Were?" Filia gasped tossing a glance to the large pile of crystals where Amelia had been buried. "B-but..."
"Now, now, there's no need for this pointless talking." Phibrizzo said. "Let's see how I can hurt you." He used his sword to shoot a powerful attack at Filia. She screamed as she was suddenly tangled in a maze of crystals.
"Filia!" Xellos gasped. Phibrizzo approached the dragon, about to attack her with his sword, but Xellos quickly grabbed the boy's arms, restraining him. Phibrizzo fought against the trickster priest's firm grip, and though smaller, was more powerful. He managed to wrench himself from Xellos' grasp and turn his sword on the monster. Shooting attacks, he began somewhat of a game with Xellos, Phibrizzo shooting the attacks and his opponent dodging them. Xellos dodged quite well for a time, but he couldn't escape Phibrizzo's attacks forever. The boy finally managed to pin the monster against a wall, holding his sword against him threateningly.
"You really do have feelings for that dragon. How very un-monsterish of you." Phibrizzo derided.
"That's really not the case, I assure you-" Xellos began, but Phibrizzo cut him off, producing a small, gold orb from his pocket.
"Oh really? Well then, Xellos, I want to see what you decide. I think you understand what this object does- and what it can do. After all, you did kill much of the dragon race during the War of the Monster's Fall, didn't you? How about you finish the job? It doesn't take much for this tiny orb to break, and when it does, you'll have finally destroyed the last of the golden dragons. Think- what an accomplishment! You will do it, right Xellos? I mean, you say that you don't love her. So kill her. Finish her off once and for all." He pressed the orb into Xellos' hand. Xellos had no way to refuse it, and stared at it pensively.
"This..." He began.
"Come on, Xellos. What are you waiting for? Finish what you started so very long ago. Destroy her right now." Phibrizzo pressed.
Filia gasped in astonishment at the scene. Was Xellos really literally holding her life in his hand? He couldn't possibly choose to kill her, could he? After all they had been through? Filia suddenly caught herself. Xellos was the one that was always trying to get her to act civil to him, trying to make her be nice to him, and she had always been the spiteful one, insisting that her companionship with him was conditional and temporary. He could now easily get back at her for all the times that she had attacked him, but... She realised that her fear of death was not the only fear she had of him killing her. If he chose to kill her, then it meant that he...
"You know what?" Xellos said softly after a moment of contemplation. "I think... I think I will." Opening his eyes, he took the orb and thrust it violently at the ground. It shattered into hundreds of tiny, gold shards, sparkling in the light.
Lina and her friends gasped, and Amelia called out "Miss Filia!" Filia braced herself for pain and possible death, but...
Nothing happened.
"My friend, if you're going to pull a bluff like that, it is a good idea to make sure that your opponent doesn't see through it. After all, you knew I wouldn't have done that if the orb was real, and you figured that I'd be too stupid to see the difference." Xellos chided. Filia caught her breath. Xellos wouldn't have killed her after all!
There was a flicker of annoyance behind Phibrizzo's smile. "I see. You're more perceptive than I thought." He pulled the rest of the fake orbs out of his pocket and tossed them onto the ground, causing them all to shatter. "Now I've got to find another way to intimidate you. You're certainly proving to be quite challenging opponents. What should I do to you...?"
Filia grabbed Xellos and whispered something to him, a serious expression on her face. Xellos looked surprised for a moment, but then nodded. "Oh, right. Sorry."
"What are you two lovebirds whispering about?" Phibrizzo asked, walking up to the two of them.
"That is a secret, of course." Xellos replied, smiling. He suddenly disappeared.
Lina gasped. "Wh-where did Xellos go...?"
"Xellos?" Phibrizzo looked around angrily. "Oh well... no matter..."He lifted his sword and pointed it at the group, sending a large, dark attack at the remaining people. A strong magical energy suddenly bound them all. As much as they tried to break free, it was too strong. Phibrizzo walked around them, examining each of them carefully. "Let's see... who shall I start with...? Should it be..." He stopped in front of Pokota. "...the guinea pig?"
Pokota looked wide-eyed at the monster, unable to move or fend for his life. Phibrizzo raised the sword and struck hard, just barely missing Pokota. Again and again he struck the crystal wall, each time missing Pokota by an infinitesimal amount. He stepped back for a moment and laughed. "You're really scared, aren't you? You never know when I'm going to actually strike you and not the wall behind you. Terrifying, isn't it? To know that your death is imminent but unable to figure out just when you're going to die?"
"This..." Lina stammered. "This isn't attacking! It's torture!"
"True." Phibrizzo laughed. "I do like to play with my victims before I kill them."
"Haven't you played with us enough over the past two weeks?" Zelgadis spat.
"Perhaps." Phibrizzo said, a smile spreading across his face. "And what about you? Maybe I'll play with the chimera rather than the guinea pig. What can I do to you?"
"It doesn't matter what you do to me." Zelgadis scowled. "Do what you like."
"Oh! That's right! I forgot that you already want to die! Well, that's no fun... Who else is there?" Phibrizzo looked around some more, his eyes passing over Lina and Gourry, and turning to Filia. "The dragon..." He murmured. "Perfect. I'll take you out while your lover has disappeared. Is that a good idea? Not that your opinion matters!"
"I... I..." Filia stammered. "B-but..." Oh Xellos, where are you? She thought desperately. What's taking so long?
"Now, prepare to meet your end, golden dragon." Phibrizzo raised his sword and fired a dark attack at Filia, the dark haze engulfing the area.
"Filia!" Lina yelled. The haze was still thick, but it was becoming easier and easier to see through it. Suddenly, a similar attack blasted from within the miasma and struck Phibrizzo unexpectedly. He was pushed back, though his sword took most of the damage from the hit. "Tsk, tsk, Phibrizzo. Beating up on my dragon like that when I'm not around. You need to learn better manners." Xellos chided.
"Xellos. You continue to be an annoyance. I guess I'll have to make sure that I kill you before you can disappear on me again, won't I?" Phibrizzo said. He was having a harder time masking his irritation behind that infamous smile.
"Oh, most certainly. That is, if I were going to let you kill me, which I most certainly am not." Xellos replied. He shot another attack at Phibrizzo, who dodged it. But he was no longer focused on the members of the group, and the magical energy that held them bound dissipated.
"Xellos!" Lina hissed. "Talk about in the nick of time!"
"What were you thinking, disappearing like that?" Zelgadis demanded.
"You, my friend, are the last person I want to hear that from." Xellos reprimanded. "I mean, did you really want me to leave an innocent little princess trapped under a pile of crystals to suffocate? Filia had to make sure that I rescued her, so it's Filia's own fault if she got attacked while I was gone."
"Wh-what?" Zel gasped. "Amelia?"
"Zelgadis! It's... alright! I'm... okay!" Amelia called, attempting to wave at him from where she stood beside Filia. Filia was still trying to cast healing spells on the girl, but Amelia wouldn't stay still and Filia finally decided that Amelia's injuries had been sufficiently.
"Amelia! Y-you..." Zelgadis was quick to join the two of them, grabbing Amelia in relief. "Are you... alright?"
"I told you, I'm okay!" Amelia assured him.
Famous last words... Thought Zelgadis, unwilling to let go of her just yet.
"Well, well. If it isn't the princess of Justice. I thought that it would be sufficient to simply bury you and allow you to suffocate, but it seems that some annoying friends of yours messed up my plan. But you're still quite weak." Phibrizzo laughed.
"Hellmaster Phibrizzo!" Amelia exclaimed, pointing at him. Zelgadis had to work hard to keep the girl from pouncing on the monster. "Not only do you take advantage of people's weaknesses, but you also act cruelly and unjustly toward them as well! You are worse than a villain and deserve severe punishment! In the name of Justice, I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, will bring painful retribution down upon you!"
"Oh, how cute. Your little threats are quite intimidating... not!" Phibrizzo laughed hysterically, continuing to threaten them.
"Miss Lina!" Xellos called, appearing next to her. "You have to help fight Phibrizzo! Maybe you can do something- he obviously doesn't want to kill you!"
"Right! That does make sense!" Lina nodded. "I'll do everything I can! There's got to be another way to defeat him besides the Giga Slave!"
"I'm right behind you, Lina!" Gourry added, grabbing his sword.
"B-but Gourry, we know that he does want to kill you! If you get hurt, or..." Lina protested.
"I'm fine. He did say that he wanted to wait to kill me until he had taken out everyone else, right?" Gourry assured her. "Besides, I have to protect you. It's my job."
"You're really dedicated to your job, Gourry." Lina observed.
"Well, that's just because I love it- you." Gourry replied, correcting the last word. "Just trust me, okay? I won't let you get hurt, no matter what."
Lina's eyes sparkled and she suddenly felt more confident about fighting Phibrizzo. Whatever happened, Gourry was by her side.
"Uh, I hate to interrupt you two..." Xellos lied, "but we have more pressing concerns than your love life right now."
Lina shot a glare at Xellos. "What, like your love life? Filia's still getting targeted over there with Zel and Amelia.
"I know, I know. We just need to distract Phibrizzo." Xellos replied.
"For how long?" Pokota spoke up. "We can't just keep dodging attacks and hoping that he gets worn out. He's too strong for that."
Lina nodded. "Guinea pig is right. We can't just keep doing what we're doing- it's obviously not worki-"
"DON'T YOU DARE START CALLING ME THAT!" Pokota growled, pulling Lina's hair violently.
"Ow, ow! Okay, sorry! Gee... kinda touchy about that, aren't you?" Lina replied, straightening her hair again.
"Uh, can we please focus on fighting Phibrizzo, not each other?" Xellos reminded them.
"Right, right, Phibrizzo..." Lina said. "Let's try attacking him. I'm sure that I'll think of something."
"You'd better." Xellos replied. "We're running out of time."
Phibrizzo had turned his attention on the chimera, and was attempting to best him at swordfighting again- only this time he was actually allowing Zelgadis to get close enough for the monster to score some blows against him instead of simply dodging.
"Hey! You quit picking on Zel!" Lina yelled. "I'll be the one to fight you now!"
"Oh really? You want to? Sounds like fun!" Phibrizzo replied. He lunged toward Lina with his sword positioned to strike her, but Xellos got in the way, blocking Phibrizzo's attack with his staff.
"Not so fast." Xellos teased. "My mission is to protect the vessel and keep it out of your hands. I'm afraid this means that I can't allow anything to happen to Miss Lina."
"Hey~!" Gourry whined. "That's my job!"
"Well then, by all means, start fighting!" Phibrizzo laughed. He lunged at Xellos with his crystal sword still intact. Xellos attempted to shoot attacks back at his opponent, but Phibrizzo continued to disappear and reappear, preventing him from taking even one hit. Lina watched Phibrizzo carefully as he made a mockery of Xellos' attacks.
"Xellos!" Lina called. "Why are you letting him dodge? Can't you follow him on the astral plane?"
"I can't!" Xellos shot back. "He's not using the astral plane to teleport, he's using dimensions of his own creation!"
"Dimensions of his own creation...?" Lina asked, an idea beginning to form in her mind.
"Yes. They're sealed to the outside so that no one except Phibrizzo can get in them." Xellos added.
"Sealed?" That was the word that Lina was looking for. "Xellos, would it be possible to seal one of those dimensions from the outside, so instead of us not being able to get in, Phibrizzo wouldn't be able to get out?"
Xellos' eyes lit up in inspiration. "I hadn't thought of that." He commented. "It would take a powerful spell, but... it just might work!"
"A powerful spell, huh? What kind of spell are you talking about?" Lina asked hesitantly. The Giga Slave was not an option for her- she'd refuse if it involved casting such a spell.
"Any spell really. Just one that could provide enough magic to seal off the dimension." Xellos replied. "I think the Dragon Slave would do nicely, though you'd probably be safer amplifying it, just in case."
"Cool." Lina grinned. She was always happy to use the Dragon Slave- it was probably her favourite spell. She'd use it over the Giga Slave any day.
Phibrizzo shot an attack at the two of them, causing them to jump aside. "Lina!" Xellos whispered. "I'll distract Phibrizzo while you get the spell ready. When I give the signal, you shoot it in the spot where he just was, alright? Once the magic is present, all I have to do is manipulate it slightly and we'll have sealed off the dimension."
"Perfect." Lina nodded. She stood back, taking her talismans and preparing the incantation. "Lord of Darkness of the four worlds, on thy bonds I do swear, grant me all the power that you possess..."
"Lina, what are you doing?" Gourry shouted. She couldn't be casting the Giga Slave... could she...?
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."
Gourry relaxed a bit when he heard the familiar incantation of the Dragon Slave. But he was still wondering what she was doing.
"Miss Lina, Xellos is still fighting Phibrizzo! If you fire the Dragon Slave now, then you might hit Xellos!" Filia called.
"...buried in the stream of time is where your power grows.
I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand
before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand."
Xellos continued firing attacks at Phibrizzo, who continued phasing in and out, dodging all of them. "You're not getting anywhere, Xellos. Why don't you just give up?" He laughed.
"Not likely." Xellos grinned. Just a bit longer... he thought.
"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess..." Lina paused, waiting for Xellos' signal. Xellos lunged at Phibrizzo, causing him to disappear into his own dimension again. But this time, when he tried to reappear, something held him back.
"LINA! NOW!" Xellos commanded.
"DRAGON SLAVE!" Lina yelled, firing the amplified attack just the way Xellos had instructed. He moved aside in order not to be hit with the attack, and added his own power to it until it was a massive ball of energy that sealed itself over an invisible flat surface. Suddenly, the power dissipated, and everything stopped. Xellos floated warily, watching the place where the dimension had been sealed off.
"Wh-what happened?" Amelia gasped.
"It looks like... they trapped Phibrizzo in his own dimension." Zelgadis replied.
"Does that mean...?" Gourry began.
"...we won." Lina breathed. "We won. You guys, we won!"
"I don't know why I didn't think of trapping Phibrizzo in his own dimension. That was a good idea, Miss Lina." Xellos congratulated.
"Gee, thanks Xellos. It's strange hearing a comment like that coming from you." Lina said, smiling.
"But wait a minute! Doesn't Mister Xellos want Miss Lina too? Since she is the vessel and everything..." Amelia pointed out. The entire group turned and stared at Xellos.
"Back off!" Gourry defended, grabbing Lina so tightly that she nearly choked.
"Now, now, you don't have to get so worked up. My objective has changed." Xellos replied.
"Your... objective?" Filia asked. Gourry loosened his grip on Lina, much to the sorceress' relief.
"Of course. You see, Miss Lina creates more chaos singlehandedly than much of the human race combined."
"If that supposed to be a compliment?" Lina asked.
"Oh, yes. It basically means that we can't let you get killed- at least for the moment. You could prove to be invaluable for the monster race in the future." Xellos nodded.
Lina sighed. "Should have figured. But whatever. Does that mean that I'll have the monsters' protection from now on?"
"No, only the monsters serving under Lord Beastmaster, I'm afraid. It was her decision." Xellos said.
"Oh well, that's better than nothing." Lina shrugged. "And I guess this means that you and Filia won't have to fight over me now."
"That's true." Filia nodded, smiling. She dreaded the thought of becoming Xellos' enemy after what had happened.
"And it seems that everything has ended well." Pokota said, flying over and perching on Lina's head.
"You've still got to go back to Taforashia and explain to them what happened, and that you're still alive." Zelgadis said.
"Yeah, I know. But compared to nearly getting killed by Phibrizzo right now... that's really not a problem. I hope they won't be too upset to see me back." Pokota replied.
"Upset? They love you, Mister Pokota!" Amelia encouraged. "I'm sure that everything will turn out alright! Justice always prevails in the end, right?"
"Right." Pokota nodded. "Thanks, Amelia. And... everybody. If it wasn't for you guys, I'd still have a monster attacking my brain, or I might even be dead."
"Hey, what are friends for?" Lina asked, grinning. "I know that if any one of us was in that situation, you would have done the same thing for us."
"So what do we do now? Go back to Seyruun?" Zelgadis asked.
"Sounds good." Lina nodded. "Gourry and I should probably head back to Sairaag. After all, we've got someone waiting for us there."
"Right!" Gourry agreed.
"And I need to go home as well." Filia said. "I did leave Val's egg in Jillas and Gravos' hands, but I'm still worried about him. At least I can go home without worrying about the fate of the world."
"Um..." Xellos began, but he was ignored.
"You all have to stay in touch, alright?" Amelia said. "I want to be able to write to you."
"Sure thing." Filia nodded. "I'll give you my address."
"Uh... guys...?" Xellos continued.
"We'll remember to write to you this time so that you know where we are." Lina said. "Isn't that right, Gourry?"
"Right!" Gourry exclaimed.
"Thank you so much!" Amelia said happily. "And you too, Mister Xellos. Since you are a comrade of- Mister Xellos? What's wrong?"
Xellos was looking at the place where Lina had fired the Dragon Slave. The rest of the group followed his gaze. Suddenly, there was a huge spark, like a flash of lightning from the spot, then it went back to normal. This happened several more times before someone spoke up.
"Wh-what's happening?" Filia gasped. "Is Phibrizzo trying to escape?"
"No." Xellos shook his head. "He's trying to use his dimension in place of the Giga Slave."
"What?" Lina gasped. "What do you mean?"
"I just remembered why I didn't think of trapping Phibrizzo in one of the dimensions." Xellos said. "Those dimensions are neutral territory, meaning that destruction and creation are balanced. If they become out of balance, then the dimension itself works to fix it. But Phibrizzo brought so much raw destruction with him into the dimension, that prolonged time inside it would cause the dimension to become horribly unstable... and eventually it would either collapse on itself, creating an enormous black hole... or be destroyed in an explosion so severe that it could rival the Giga Slave in terms of destruction." Xellos said.
"XELLOS!" Lina grabbed the monster in a violent headlock. "YOU NEGLECTED TO MENTION THIS?"
"What do we do?" Amelia gasped.
"We'd have to..." Xellos choked. "...go into the dimension itself and destroy Phibrizzo there. If we can do that, then the dimension will no longer be unstable."
Lina sighed. "Great. Just when we thought that we'd finally won..." She turned to her friends. "Zel, you and Amelia go back to Seyruun and let them know what's going on. If this thing gets out of hand, it'll be your job to handle it."
"Got it!" Amelia replied, and Zelgadis just nodded.
"Xellos, Filia, Pokota, Gourry, and I will go into that dimension and try to stop Phibrizzo." Lina continued.
"But what can we do? If we couldn't defeat Phibrizzo out here, what makes you think we could defeat him in there?" Pokota asked.
"We'll try our best." Lina said. "We have to. And if worst comes to worst... I do have the Giga Slave..."
"Lina! You can't use that! It could destroy the world!" Gourry gasped.
"Well, is the only other alternative is the certain destruction of the world, then..." Lina murmured. "Zel! Amelia! Get moving! We don't have all night!"
"Right, Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed.
"Good luck." Zelgadis nodded.
(A/N: Rule from Phibrizzo: Always, always, always have a Plan B. It makes life so much harder for the protagonists. Yeah, it's never that simple... :3)