The ultimate Showdown.
The precarious situation Ranma, Ryoga and Akito seemed to be in demanded the trio to accept all manner of help after the flying threat high into the sky well excelled their combined power, and as the winged Ruler began to expel energy well beyond what a man can resist, his general realized this to be the mark in action and not his liege.
The fight had stopped for a brief moment as Saffron effortlessly summoned energy from within that mark to max his full potential and although the fully matured man had a desire to kill on sight, his interest for world domination filled his mind after the sensation to finally reach such ability on this lifetime.
With his wings outstretched from side to side, the King felt like no other being in the universe. As he enjoyed his limitless freedom to decimate everything on his path, the weak opponents gathering down on the ground began to devise a strategy of their own.
"Herb!, you know him more than any of us, so tell me. How can we beat him?" Asked Ranma who were seriously outmatched by the blond-redhead's new Chi level.
"That is our main concern Ranma Saotome." Replied stoically the feral King. "In prior years we were able to stop his full transformation because we knew how powerful he'd become. After centuries dealing with his thirst for power, a council was created among Phoenix citizens." Explained the man in detail.
The Musk King kept describing that they had a treaty of sorts which entitled the Phoenix nation to keep their king old enough to rule, but unable to reach the age of thirty where his power would be a threat for the Musk according to ancient texts.
"They were truthful to the rule, and since then every time their King reached twenty-nine years of age, they would run a seal on his consciousness, encasing him into an egg, and reverting the soon to be man into a child again."
The terrible sentiment Herb felt from failing this time forced the ruler to draw a blank and shrug puzzled for the solution.
With no more fresh information about what the capability of a fully matured Saffron could do the Musk leader found no other option but to accept defeat. "I have no idea how was he able to reach his age this time though, but that makes him an enemy the Musk has never dealt with in the past."
Hearing what her short-sighted ideas accomplished Ryoga swallowed nervously, ashamed that she was the one accelerating him into the menace he had become. A feeling of dread wanted to sneak past her defenses and wreck havoc in the fanged girl's already weakened state, but a hand on each shoulder snapped her from the depressive induced sensation and back into the arms of those who loved her.
"Don' sweat it Ryoga. We are stronger when we're together." Reaffirmed the pigtailed fighter with that arrogant smile he always wore on the bleakest of situations. "An' I know we can beat him if we stay that way." Cheered the man with such firm determination the fanged girl nodded resolute as well.
"Well, at least Ranma is learning to think for others before himself." Added the bounty hunter jokingly only to feel a risen brow from the pigtailed fighter who wondered why was he talking like if they knew each other for years.
Ranma stared at the new addition to the family, and although he accepted him as Ryoga's love interest for the time being, the Saotome master still had his doubts on how this new relationship would work. "Don' think I have forgotten you man. When all this is over, I challenge you for Ryoga's hand, you hear!?"
Both Akito and Ryoga smiled at each other when they remembered an old Ranma still unable to sense the most important details in the bounty hunter's new confession. With a frown of his own Akito accepted his daring duel, reassuring the dragon fighter that he was ready anytime for him.
"Focus you two!" demanded Herb tired of their useless banter during a serious battle. "We have bigger problems now than what your petty vendettas could offer."
Both Ranma and Akito conceded with the Musk King about the need to concentrate on this battle, forgetting their quarrel for now, and instead hustling every family member into a circle to discuss the next best move.
High in the air the ruler and his General were getting fed-up by the lingering warriors running mindlessly like ants down on the ground. Both felt it was high time for this battle to end, and as the King waved one hand forward, the fighters resting on land saw a much bigger army of winged warriors appear from behind the cloudy skies.
"Ranma Saotome!. . .I have reached a new goal in life. You see. . ." Before the ruler could continue with his monologue though, the blond-redhead flew ahead from his army, descending just close enough to meet the pigtailed man and his allies who quietly heard what he had to say.
"I have always kept my business at home thanks to other forces undermining my goals, and to be honest it was fine to be away from humans and their pointless endeavors." Saffron kept floating from right to left at that moment, forcing every set of eyes on him until the ruler turned around and fixated his sight on those three pests leading the rebellion.
"But today I have fulfilled my destiny. Today, I am whole as a King and to celebrate this body I have decided to make the world mine. I think I'll start by destroying this country first." Said lastly the madman, waving his arm once again and calling forth his congregation of winged warriors.
Although Ranma and the other two were bored to death by his sanctimonious speech, the second the sky was shadowed by innumerable amounts of winged men it was clear that this would be impossible to beat on their own.
"Ok, we need a really good plan now guys, or they will win for sure." Declared a bit nervously Akito.
Ryoga and Ranma tried to devise one strong enough, but the odds against them were far overwhelming so, the fanged girl found this the perfect moment to become a supportive pillar for her loved ones. She stoically looked at the smirking King high above and before he could join his army on the attack, Ryoga took another step back and knelt before Phoenix god.
"There's only one plan to follow Ranma." Said the girl with a tender smile directed at the pigtailed man, reassuring him that she would aid him to the end. "Go and makes us proud Ranma-kun. I'll back you up one hundred percent."
Ranma could feel the magnitude of Shi Ryoga siphoned in was as overwhelming as the golden Chi infused by Saffron. An amount so outrageously huge he began to understand her decision. "Just don' over do it Ryoga, everyone will fight together so no lone hero stuff, K?" Said the man trying to lighten up her load.
"Like he said. After all we are a family." Said next Akito as he led Ryoga to see everyone getting up and ready to fight. The fanged girl saw not only her children, but Makoto and his sister proudly staying their ground. To her left Ono Tofu and his children were ready for the fight as well, and with a surprising gasp of surprise the fanged girl saw Shampoo and Mousse leading an Amazon army of their own.
"You really think we would let you alone in this fight Ranma?. . .We are proud Amazons, and that bastard has been a pain in our backs for so long." It was Mousse talking instead Shampoo, as if the women of his tribe respected him the most.
"Like he said Ranma Saotome. We are here to defend what we love." Said next Tatewaki Kuno as he paced along the path of destruction, and followed by none other than every martial art school master participating during the tournament.
Suddenly their odds didn't seem so dim as the land started to fill with all manner of heroes and allies of old and recent days. The Musk and their ferocious army stood their ground as well, all thanks to a brave Lime who saw redemption on this war.
The giant still suffered from his recuperating limb, but feeling in debt by the children who beat him up, and then spared his life, the enormous Tiger-general decided to fight at their side with pride.
When both armies stood side by side so to speak, the Phoenix people were the bigger crowd, not counting the power King Saffron added to the battle, but not as overpowering as before. It was a real honor for everyone down on land to fight a last time although they knew this would be their last stand.
Kuno walked near his children ready to end this, and even though he glanced to the front where Ranma stood tall, his smile never waned after memories from that afternoon he spent with his lovely pigtailed girl became a turning point in his list of regrets.
Mousse and Shampoo nodded at each other as well. They had lived a long time as rivals and lovers only to accept the latter when Ranma came into their lives. With a mutual frown of defiance, both Amazon warriors and new elders to their tribe stood ready to die without a regret in their lives.
Ryoga used this last moments to call out her children, and as Kenta and Akemi joined her mother with one knee on the dirt, the lost girl decided to bid good luck to the rest. "Alright guys, there's one thing I'd like to say before we begin."
Ryoga watched happily at her lovers who waited patiently her speech, dreading in their minds what the girl was capable to do when everything was on the line.
"Be safe, and win this war. . .My children and I will back you up from over here." Said lastly the girl.
After those words were spoken, the host of warriors from all countries shouted like a tiny animal defies a bigger predator with a screeching howl. All men, women and children were ready for the fry, and as the Phoenix King wanted this to be over so he could devastate the rest of the world, his last wave send thousands of winged warriors against the land-walkers with no remorse for the fatalities.
"Go, my minions. Wreak Havoc and prepare this land for our Phoenix heritage!" Demanded the blood thirsty King. The fight had started and as the flying fighters crashed against those who received them down on earth first, Ranma flew between the crowd, advancing swiftly towards their ruler.
Ryoga, Akemi and Kenta used this time to hold hands and focus on every single emotion they had experimented through their lives. From being caged like animals in that lab to the confusing feelings Kenta had as a girl and the struggle Ryoga raised for both Akito and Ranma.
Some questioned those three girls bent on their knees instead of fighting, but the moment the phoenix warriors attacked with fury, a massive armor made of dark matter covered every single fighter risking their lives for the greater good.
"Don't dismay thy strength. That armor belongs to the Hibiki crest whose power unveils over our heads!" Yelled Kuno in his very peculiar manner to evocatively talk. Although many masters of other schools wondered about his affected speech, they always had him in high esteem. When they saw his support over those three girls, they immediately went on with protecting the land as instructed by their fearsome leader.
Hosts of angelic men darting from every nook from the sky found their opponents easy to pick on. Most would stab or blunt their way through their simple defenses with no remorse, and as they trimmed the lesser land-walkers like ants, a feeling of satisfaction began to fill their power hungry desire to kill.
"Yes. . .Yes!, bring these nuisance to an end. Go my people and raze down any human that opposes your King!" At this point Ranma stopped seeing that old Saffron he fought years ago either as a kid or a young man. He began to analyze King Herb's words about the transformation the Phoenix King could gain by aging into a mature state and accept that strange mark.
"No wonder they kept him younger than thirty. I think so much power is makin' him mad." Thought the pigtailed master for all his family to hear.
"No kidding dad. I can feel the struggle inside that monster, and he is barely able to control that much energy." Replied Sachiko who seemed the most capable to feel other's chi and their potential as fighters. "I think he may explode if that mark keeps him generating more chi dad. We need to stop him now before he endangers more than our home!"
Suddenly the situation became increasingly important to manage. As Ranma kept hiking up towards the high King, the man could feel Kenta's little trick to use his Shi as stepping stones strong enough to help him skip into the air.
When the Saotome master reached the same even level Saffron floated from, the fighter felt even more amazed when Akemi summoned his own set of dark, and shiny wings spawning just as long as the golden ones the Phoenix King had on his back.
The ruler found the imitation amusing which prompted him to laugh goodheartedly at the puny human trying to act as a god. "You really believe we are equal just because that little girl gave you wings!?. . .Oh no. You are far from me, Ranma Saotome."
His stale speech meant nothing for the blue-eyed fighter who waited no longer to lung at him. One thing Ryoga and Akito loved about him was his fast adaptation to sudden disadvantages, and as they watched and protected him from down the land, they saw a very comfortable man soaring the skies like if he was born a Phoenix.
Saffron had to recognized this as well. The King flapped and turned, releasing several boomerang-wings against that dark human raven, but as impossible as it seemed his dexterous ability to evade damage was an uncanny treat the Phoenix emperor found most irritable.
"You fool!, No man can equal me on the skies. Give up now and I might. . .Oof!" Cried the flying King when Ranma stretched his thousand fist technique from several feet away, and still managed to connect every fist induced attack against the ruler's chest.
Ranma immediately saw a smiling Ryoga who transformed his reach into far greater distances by stretching and molding her Shi beyond what his arms could move. "Thanks Ryoga. That definitely shut him up!" Thought the older man with a smile of his own.
"It was either you or me Ranma. I'm starting to get tired by his blabbering speech and I don't like how he talks down on my heroes." Thought back the girl who would always die for them even if the odds were greater as they are now.
Ranma heard that loud and clear, accepting he too was annoyed beyond belief by his antics. A second later an angrier Saffron floated back at Ranma's height, this time wasting no more saliva and procuring instead to kill that pest once and for all.
"So be it. You want a quick death. . .I can oblige your wishes." Roared the blond-redhead just as he stretched his arms and began to spread several columns like the devastating one he projected a while ago during the competition.
Unstoppable wave after wave of fire, light and heat ran across the heavens burning to a crisp anything they touched. Some of those pillars were barely stopped by Makoto, Mei and Jr. who dressed in thicker dark armors made by Kenta, but unfortunately others weren't that lucky.
Akemi managed to do the same with Isamu, Shota and Taiga who just like the other three teens were able to push some of those columns away from harm. Ranma took most of the ones traveling towards the Amazons, and the Musk army which were battling their own winged warriors and had no time to avoid those monstrous beams of burning light.
"Go help him Akito-kun. . .I got the rest." Said Ryoga next, giving a big chunk of her Shi into the bounty hunter and turning him into another dark winged man flying towards the Phoenix King who seemed to miss something really important.
"You idiot!, can't you see what you're actually doing!?" Screamed Akito with all his lungs at a Saffron devoid of any conscious thought. The King did turn by the exasperating shout, but when the second fighter with black wings pointed towards the fighters battling on the land, Saffron saw horrified how his opponents were spared while his columns were roasting into flames his own army.
"N-No!. . .This is all your fault!" Groaned angrily the so called god, accusing Ranma and Akito for the killing of his own doing.
"You're distracting me, and I. . .I-I didn't mean to do that!" Reproached the confused King trying to avoid responsibility. When both hands reached his aching head, Ranma and Akito began to see something new transforming from within his contorted body.
It was a change neither a Musk, an Amazon or a phoenix had witnessed before, and as the golden winged ruler screamed in desperation from that deadly pain, his eyes began to turn red by the pressure just as a new eye popped right on his forehead.
"The mark has reached its limit!. . .Behold!, his Pineal body has awakened!" Said one of the winged men who stayed behind without actually fighting during the war.
Still affected by the searing pain from a new growing appendix Saffron began a change Herb managed to recognize. The Musk ruler explained out loud to the rest that the one shouting belonged to the nine council members who kept Saffron in check and the one who sealed him last before Ranma defeated him years ago.
"What is that about a Pineal body?" Asked the fanged girl, recognizing the term from yet, another time. "I have heard that before when I was caged in that lab, but I have never seen one pop like that in a human being."
Herb told her that every single human being has that gland in the dead center of the brain. "It can only be activated through high meditation, or other occult esoteric method not available to many. I believe that's the reason why he was kept from reaching this level of power."
It made so much sense now why the council wanted to keep Saffron from reaching such strong ability. After all, according to Dr. Kang's explanation, Ryoga was able to reach that state for only a few seconds, and whenever that happened, her other five senses shut down by the extreme level of consciousness.
"Why are you so pensive all of a sudden. . .Don't tell me you can reach that point as well?" Asked and guessed right the Musk leader. Ryoga although battling to keep everyone protected with her dark Shi, she was still able to talk with him and explain him how that ability worked.
"I can!, but not without a price. When you reach that point you loose command over your own body and mind. In my case, I am able to control all five sets of brainwaves and reproduce them at the same time. Dr. Kang told me that was impossible, but somehow I did and I almost killed my own family in the process."
Herb understood how impossible that sounded. He knew we all have five brainwaves which modulate how our bodies work. From the Delta, theta and alpha which are represented across several states of relaxed minds, to Beta and Gamma which keeps us awake and alert, all five can only exist one at the time for a human brain to work.
But according to Ryoga, she is capable to control and adapt all five at once, giving her the perfect state to reach a third eye like Saffron. "No wonder you defeated Draco. Only by combining all five brain waves you could outsmart that old dragon." Chuckled the Musk King amused.
"But I can't control that Herb. How can I use it against someone who has reached a conscious level like Saffron and is capable to control it at will?" Asked the girl confused.
The Feral King decided to coach Ryoga from then on, giving her tips and teaching what he had learned over the past confrontations with the Phoenix kingdom. "Right now you need to focus and help Ranma-san. When the time comes your ability and that strange vibe I can pick from your daughters can turn the tide against this monster when he less expect it."
Ryoga stayed put after Herb kept her safe from harm, defending the girl and her children from those who dared approach them. A moment later she called Kenta and Akemi's attention towards the Musk King who began to instruct them about their participation over the last stand.
Back on the sky both winged Ranma and Akito started to see a ticking bomb ready to be released from the way the flying King behaved. Despite Saffron looking guilty for decimating his own kind, the Phoenix empowered god began to unleash once again after his warped mind blamed everything on the pigtailed fighter.
"I must declare my godhood to the world!, it's time for all to bow before me!" His ranting speech started to become slurred and confusing, showing to our heroes how deadly it was for a single man to hold so much power.
Saffron didn't feel like himself either. The blond-redhead wasted no time to decimate what he found insignificant, and as his hands shot wave after wave of bright, fiery beams, Ranma and the bounty hunter decided to attack full on this time.
They avoided most random attacks easily, but the crazier he became, the more pillars of fire began to burn friend or foe without any control from the Phoenix King.
On one lucky move Ranma distracted him long enough when a well placed Moko-Takabisha sent him spiraling down at an impressive speed, landing on the dirt where he now was barely able to stay awake.
"No!, you will not defeat a god!, not again!" Demanded furiously the weakened man. His constant attacks were so strong that either the Phoenix warriors or Ranma's allies were forced to flee the circumvent area. At this point the Phoenix council joined forces with Herb, and Mousse from the Amazon tribes, admitting that their King had reached a level impossible to dominate on his own.
"What can we do King Herb!. He has never been this powerful before!" Finally declared contrite the council man who supported his King at the beginning. That was the cue Herb used to order the evacuation of all the fighters. When they began to flee, the Musk ruler gathered only Ranma and his family as the last line of defense against an out of control Saffron.
"Alright you two, keep him busy for as long as you can. Give us a few minutes before we can go on the offensive." Once the feral ruler scattered Ranma and Akito full on against the Phoenix ticking bomb, the Kunos, Tofu's children and the Saotomes stayed close by as back up.
Although everyone had a job to do during this all out war, neither Makoto or Isamu who were specially closed to the girls had any chance to hear what the Musk King whispered in their huddled up group.
"You think they can take him down if we fail?" Asked Makoto at an arrogant pigtailed teen who somehow had grown a whopping year beyond his twelve.
Jr. of course praised his sisters, focusing on Kenta's success in defeating Saffron once already. The now thirteen year old loved to act smugly now that he was an inch or two taller than his rival. The Kuno kid found that a bit intimidating as well, but not enough to show it. . .After all, he is a Kuno and his girlfriend peeked now and then his way expecting him to act valiantly.
Even though everyone seemed ready, a bright light exploded for all to see, almost blinding those who stared at it directly. When Herb stopped coaching the girls and looked to the side, the situation began to look bleak at best.
"Herb!, better do whatever yer plannin' ta ' 'cuse Saffron is changing again!" Shouted the pigtailed fighter as he tried to stand up. Akito had managed to avoid the enormous pillar several times bigger than the ones he was expelling earlier but the intensity from these new waves felt strangely different.
Ranma on the other hand caught the full blast dead on when the master went back on the saddle trying to counter the ruler's shining attack. He started to notice his dark wings burning all the way through, leaving behind nothing but a pair of stubs protruding from his back.
"Ahh!" Screamed Ryoga painfully after that beam evaporated her own Shi by mere contact.
"You fools!, I am the sun god incarnate. What do you think it could happen if you match darkness with light!?" Saffron stood proud in the middle of the sky once again, exploding into those rays of light and fire without his control and sending them everywhere his aura would touch.
"I. . .I-I feel, like a god!" Mused the monarch somewhat doubtful and confused. At this point it was Kiima who flew past the men fleeing from the unnatural disaster, guilt ridden from her promise to care for her King and worried sick for the man she loved from birth.
"Master!, wait!" Screamed the woman trying to stop this madness. The problem though was that this wasn't the ruler she knew or cared for. When Kiima, and Akito flew closer to Saffron, what they saw wasn't even a human shaped being but what a golden bird be at the end of a horrible transformation.
"Kiima-san!, what's happening to him?" Asked the bounty hunter disconcerted.
The winged babysitter felt something like this may happen according to the elders in the council. The woman explained Akito that Saffron had fulfilled the mark of the Phoenix in its entirety.
"It isn't a rite of passage, but according to the legend a state of mind when the legendary Phoenix and our ruler's minds meld into one." After her explanation shed some light in Saffron's last change, the woman sniffled sadly after realizing her King would be swallowed by the bird right before leaving this existence.
"Then it's settled. We need to stop him before he really dies and takes us with him." Said the bounty hunter firmly.
Kiima could not explain why would the human be so forgiving after everything Saffron did over the years, but something called out from within that male. . .A vibe resonating exactly like the curse she overtook a long time ago from Ranma's fiancée.
"A-Akane Tendo?" Asked the winged woman with frowned eyes. The man blanched only for a second, asking a moment later with a finger across his blowing lips to keep such secret hidden.
"I see. Thank you for this, and don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." After Kiima swore allegiance to the bounty hunter, the woman left everything to him, returning to where her people escaped to and stayed there until her presence could be requested.
Zap!. . .Came the strenuous noise coming from Akito's back. So far the battle had been even after the transformation left Saffron unable to act, but while the bounty hunter distractedly let Kiima fly away, a giant beam of light traveled across the sky hitting the man dead on his back.
"Argh!" Complained the now wingless warrior, falling straight to the dirt but avoiding damage when Ranma jumped over those Shi created stepping points Ryoga kept summoning, reaching the unconscious fighter before he forcibly landed on the ground.
"Gotcha!" Said Ranma with a blush across his nose. Something deep into the bounty hunter's brown eyes reminded him about someone else. He couldn't explain the feeling, but it was there burning brightly in the hidden recess of his heart.
"This. . .Is the end!" Exploded Saffron one last time into a screeching tone most compared to that of a screeching bird. It was the full transformation the old King suffered from the mark, and as the new Phoenix symbol soared into the horizon, a vortex began to form high on the sky.
"What is he doing!?" Asked Ranma to Herb. The Musk King had no idea what would happen next, but the hair standing from their arms told the ruler and everyone else that the Phoenix was about to employ its latest new move.
And he didn't disappoint. The giant bird extended its wings across the heavens, encompassing a good sizable area and shadowing those watching from the land. The second screech he did became so loud and deafening, it was hard for those watching to keep their ears muffled with both hands, but the new beam leaving its aura looked like the last attack that bird could ever need to end it all.
"It's huge!" Said Jr. in that loud mouthy way he always used. Ranma saw a sleeping Akito resting from Saffron's last move, sighing when he found no way to counter that impossible technique and praying for Ryoga to be ready.
As the Pigtailed master watched impotent the devastating beam of light descending with fury over their heads Herb found no more time to spare, calling out Ryoga and her children to act now.
The Saotomes and friends saw the fanged girl, and her two daughters bend one knee forward and calling out their mutual Shi, but instead of using the regular technique, all three muttered quietly. "Shin-shi-Hokodan. . .3-Bai!"
Ranma, Jr. and pretty much every fighter still standing in that tiny group dropped their jaws in awe after the Hibikis called out an enormous ball of pure, dark energy rivaling the size and power of that descending column.
Unlike the regular Shin-shi-Hokodan, This orb impossible to reflect was born from within the land, and moving at supersonic speeds up to meet its opponent on the high sky. It was a sight to perceive for those who were able to understand the chi a human being was able to generate.
When both elements clashed against each other the explosion send wave after wave of pressurized winds in all directions. Most of the fighters waited to see a flash of some sort blinding them like before, but it seemed like the darkness from the sphere swallowed any brightness coming out of the beam, canceling its natural properties and causing the legendary Phoenix to go mad by the result.
His deafening screech clearly showed how pissed he was. His wings over-reached once again, flapping furiously just how he did before projecting that killer beam against the planet.
"He's about to shoot another one guys. What can we do!?" Questioned Sachiko worried by the time it took for Ryoga and her daughters to summon such amazing projectile.
"I guess there is no other way around it. . .Ryoga, it's time." Said the Musk King with resolve.
As Herb let the fanged girl know this was the moment to act, she and her two daughters proceeded to support Ranma again. Ryoga at first saw her old friend and ex-rival with those eyes he always found hard to avoid, and the one fact that led him to believe she was about to do something really stupid.
It sure meant something important on a regular situation, but the look on her face signified a different type of feeling. With a pat on his back the girl asked Ranma to try once again to face the Phoenix while they kept the orb alive from down here.
"Alright, but don' do nothing stupid, ok Ryoga?" He knew she was about to do some idiotic stunt where most likely she'd be lost from them anyway. It was like the old Ryoga inside of the girl wanted to get lost as a way to punish his shortcomings. How wrong of her for thinking that though when Ranma had made bigger mistakes along the way as well.
"I promise." Said the girl, pecking the strong but worrisome warrior on the cheek and sharing a big amount of her personal Shi while her daughters fed theirs into the enormous orb.
Once Akemi spawned two set of wings for her father and the bounty hunter, the two fighters soared through the air ready to find out if that enormous Phoenix could be stopped like the how Ranma did before.
Down on earth though, Herb nodded silently at the fanged girl who considered her promise broken the second she knew nothing could stop Saffron at this point, but the full extent of her power.
"Don't worry Ryoga Hibiki, you mean a lot to my kingdom and to my happiness. . .I will be ready when the times comes.
Ryoga accepted his supportive words of doom, understanding how impossible this next task was about to become. "All for the best King Herb."