The Final Battle (Part I)

"What's happening now?!?" cried out Rosa, frightened. Even though she was in the dark as to what was going on, the atmosphere made it very clear things had just gotten a lot more dangerous.

Battler and Beato stood up with each other as support. "Aunt Rosa," said Battler, "it's time for you to run. Run and take Maria with you."

"What's going on?" said Rosa, still frightened and confused.

The ground was shaking beneath their feet. The army of goats was waiting for them...scattered all over the yard...

"Aunt Rosa, run," said Battler, helping his aunt stand up. "Do whatever you can to fight the army of goats off, take Maria and run. We are all in grave danger right not; I'll explain later; just go."

Rosa decided she would take Battler's word for it and ran off into the distance. Battler turned to Beato and said, "Okay, I know this is bad, but...I have a plan: First, we'll take each of the sleeping adults right here and hide them in the chapel for now; second, we'll return to the guest house and create a magic field to protect my cousins; third, we'll take everyone—"

"Battler!" said Beato sharply, pointing to the charging goats heading right towards them. Before the goats had a chance to get nearer to them, however, Virgilia, Ronove, Gaap, and the Stakes each appeared in a burst of gold. The Stakes ran right up to the goats and drew their magic swords. The goats abruptly stopped right there. Each of the Seven Stakes looked the goats right in the eye and stared them into slowly backing away and taking off.

"Teacher," said Beato, suddenly feeling a tad frightened of the look of annoyance on Virgilia's face, "What are you doing here on this fine evening?"

"What did you think I planned to do upon returning home to tell you Battler had won, only to see an empty bed and no trace of you around Kuwadorian?" said Virgilia irritably. She sighed, "Never mind; I think getting caught up in the middle of a real-life fantasy battle is punishment enough. Battler, why don't you and Beato go rescue your other relatives? We will stay here and move your relatives to wherever you wish."

"Are you sure?" said Battler. "Because you know, I can't really revive anyone..."

"Neither can the rest of us," said Gaap. She smiled at the sleeping figure of Rudolf. "My, this one is cute..."

"He'd think the same if he were awake, believe me," said Battler, rolling his eyes. "Anyway...for now, hide them in the chapel right there and guard it until we come back."

"Wait," said Mammon, stepping forward, "is Ange in the guest house?"

"Yes," said Battler.

"Then let me come," said Mammon. "I have something of a friendship with her...it's a long story, but...anyway, please let just the one of us go with you."

"I don't see why not," shrugged Beato. "Just don't embarrass us, okay?"

Battler decided not to ask Mammon how she knew Ange, and only said, "Right. Let's go; we've wasted enough time as it is!"

"Onii-chan's been gone for a while," said Ange as she sat on the edge of the bed, kicking her feet. "When's he going to get back?"

"I don't know," said Jessica, "but it's midnight. It's time for all of us to get changed and go to bed."

BANG!

"What was that?" said Jessica sharply, nearly tumbling over from the sudden impact.

"Maybe it was just..." George began, but there was another, much louder BANG. It sounded like someone was trying to break in...

"Kihihi," giggled Maria, "it has begun."

"What's begun onee-chan?" said Ange.

Maria smiled at Ange. "All of you go see who's at the door. It won't be much longer now...we will never reach the Golden Land at this rate...but don't worry. We have people to protect us."

"Maria?" said George curiously.

BANG!

"Don't worry," repeated Maria. "Battler will be here shortly and save us all."

"From what?" said Jessica nervously.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

After the third bang, there was the sound of doors bursting open, a scampering of feet...then the sound of several people being knocked over. Curiosity got the better of them; the four promptly ran out of the bedroom and to the main hall...where they saw several fine-dressed demon goat butlers lying on the floor, groaning in agony. Standing just above them was Battler, Beato, and Mammon.

"Beato!" cried out Maria.

"Maria," said Beato, "you all have to leave now. They've been knocked out by Battler-kun for now, but it won't be much longer until—"

"Wait a minute," said Jessica suspiciously. "You mean to tell me that Battler—our Battler—actually took on all those weird goat things?"

"Well, with a bit of help from Mammon," said Battler modestly. "And from Beato, who took out one or two..."

"More like two or three," scoffed Beato.

"Ange," said Mammon, grabbing Ange and lifting her up over her shoulders, "you have to get out of here now."

Battler was quick to add, "Don't worry; she's with me. I trust Mammon."

"How do you know my name?" asked Ange incredulously.

"Long story," said Mammon. "But right now, we have to leave."

"Not until we get an explanation," said Jessica, putting both hands on her hips.

"Jessica, we don't have time," Battler tried to explain, but Jessica cut in: "You just took out ten well-dressed goats with the help of your girlfriend, and some other girl dressed in sexy clothing—you had better explain."

The demon goat butlers were gradually coming to. Battler quickly said, "Remember what I told you before about the game? Well, it's true, and to make an even longer story even shorter, I am now the Endless Sorcerer, and a pair of crazy witches is out to get my ass. Now let's run!"

Mammon ran with Ange in her arms while Battler grabbed the hands of George and Jessica and dragged them outside. Beato then grabbed Maria's hand and began to run out, but not before slamming the door shut and locking it up, leaving behind a group of very confused demon goat butlers.

"There," said Gaap, shutting the door to the chapel. "That should be the last of them."

Virgilia looked around the almost too quiet forest. "I should hope so," she said. "It would be a very bad thing for one of Bernkastel's minions to show up unexpectedly, but I would not put it above them."

"How smart of you, Lady Virgilia," said the cool, collecting voice of Dlanor, who appeared right before Virgilia's eyes. "If you don't mind, let us duel. Let us duel to the death."

"I am very sorry Dlanor, but I am going to have to turn you down on that offer," said Virgilia. "I have a job—I have to protect the chapel from all intruders."

"And that is precisely what you had better plan on doing!" declared Dlanor, who whipped out her red sword and began to use it to cut through the chapel doors, but was abruptly stopped by Virgilia, who possessed no sword of her own, but instead used her magic shield to deflect Dlanor's blows.

"I am truly sorry to have to do this to you, my old friend," apologized Dlanor. Her job did not allow her to show a face of sincerity or mockery, and so she kept her face still, not showing any sign of emotion. "But I am under orders. I have been ordered to hunt you and I cannot let you go." With that, she raised her red sword to strike once more and Virgilia once again deflected it with her shield.

Virgilia turned to Ronove, Gaap, and the Stakes. "Ronove, Gaap," she said, "go inside the chapel. Stakes, go protect your master. Be on your guard."

She turned back to Dlanor, ready to finish some unfinished business...

"Maria!" cried out Rosa when Beato ran up to her in the rose garden, holding onto Maria's hand.

"Mama!" said Maria happily. Beato let go of her hand and watched as Maria ran up to her mother...

Then the Siesta's golden arrows bounced around the rose garden, nearly striking Maria in her path, but deflected when Battler leaped in front of her and put up a resistance field. This prompted Rosa to scoop Maria up in her arms and give her a tight hug, whispering softly, "Forgive me."

"Forgetting us, aren't you?" said Jessica nervously.

"Right, sorry," said Battler quickly, running straight to the mansion's front doors with Beato right behind. He pounded on them for nearly half a minute before Kanon and Shannon opened them. Mammon pushed right past them and ran indoors carrying a perplexed Ange.

"It's a bit of a long story, but we're in danger," said Battler, hoping that was a satisfying answer.

"Kanon-kun!" gasped Jessica. She slumped over and began coughing tightly. Kanon took Jessica in his arms and said, "I will take care of milady from here. The rest of you, go."

Shannon's eyes met George's. "George," she said, "is there anything that..."

Battler had to put up another field after seeing a golden arrow fly towards Shannon at the very last second. He shoved George inside and slammed the door shut.

"This is getting annoying," sighed Beato. "You'd think they would at least wait until we were finished talking."

Rosa and Maria were about to run up to the front door when the Siestas fired yet again. Once more, Battler had to step in and put up another resistance field. "This is tiring," he sighed. "Don't they ever stop?"

The Siestas were standing just a few feet away from the four, ready to fire once more, when suddenly six stakes flew through the air, each bouncing off the ground and towards the Siestas, who quickly disappeared in a burst of gold. Just as they did, Erika, who had been lying unconscious in a bed of roses, awoke, stood up, saw the sight, and angrily shouted, "Come back here, you worthless furniture! I command you!"

"It appears as though you're losing control of your own furniture," laughed Beato, daring enough to strut up to her former murderer.

Erika turned to face Beato. She stepped out of the rose bed and said, "You do realize your beloved boyfriend is winning because of a stroke of sheer luck, right?"

"Luck and competence," said Beato coolly.

"Too bad," yawned Erika. "It would've been lovely to see your boyfriend get bloodied up to bits in a manner quite similar to you."

This was the wrong thing to say. Beato said, "You know, I frequently switch over from 'tsun' to 'dere' and back again."

Erika tilted her head. "I don't quite follow."

An insane grin spread across Beato's face as she spoke: "But have you ever seen me go from 'dere' to 'yan'?"

Before Erika could make heads or tails of what was happening, Beato had grabbed Erika by the pigtails and swung her over right back into the rose bed.

"Beato, you're incredible!" cried out Maria.

"Yes, yes, we'll gloat over my incredibleness later," sighed Beato. There was a low rumble in the ground. "Right now, we had better check on Teacher. It sounds like she's in a bit of trouble."

While Virgilia was not necessarily in any sort of trouble, she was in a bit of an intense battle with Dlanor. Well, it was intense in a physical sense. Otherwise, the two foes were perfectly polite and neutral in combat.

"I hope you can forgive me," said Dlanor, trying to take another swing at Dlanor with her red sword, only to be blocked once again by Virgilia's shield. "I had a momentary lapse in judgment when I told Erika about...well, you know..."

"I should say so," said Virgilia coldly, holding up her shield for as long as she could. "I know you have to work for her, but you didn't have to let her honey-laced words trick you."

"Just like Adam and Eve, is it not?" yawned Dlanor, beginning to get bored with this battle. "The temptation of the forbidden fruit is a bit strong, no? You especially would know."

At this, Virgilia stumbled and her shield collapsed. She fell to the ground, now at Dlanor's mercy. Dlanor looked down at her old friend. She was under orders...she had to kill her...

Before she had a chance, Cornelia stepped forward: "Dlanor..."

Dlanor, irritated at being interrupted, snapped, "Yes, what is it?"

Cornelia winced and took a step back. "There are people approaching," she said. "What do you wish for Gertrude and me to do?"

"Depends," said Dlanor, temporarily relieved of the task of having to kill Virgilia. "Who are they?"

Gertrude reported, "It is the Endless Sorcerer with his girlfriend and aunt."

Dlanor turned to Virgilia. "So your disciple has fallen in love with the man who now takes up her former title. Are you satisfied?"

"I am greatly satisfied as a matter of fact," said Virgilia, deciding not to dare stand to her feet until Dlanor had been defeated. "He makes her happy."

By now, Battler, Beato, and Rosa were within sight. Maria was nowhere to be seen. To others, this would've looked suspicious. Dlanor suspected nothing and said, "Ah, good day to you all. Have you come to defend Virgilia, or admit to your loss?"

"Neither," said Battler, giving Beato and Rosa a knowing smile. They had formulated a quick plan on the way to the chapel, and they hoped it would work.

"What are you all smiling about?" said Dlanor suspiciously.

"We have decided we are not going to do a thing about what you are going to do to Virgilia," declared Battler. "We are just going to stand back and mind our own business, right Aunt Rosa?"

Rosa nodded, still not understanding what was going on, but deciding to just go along with it rather than try to wrap her mind around it.

Dlanor looked between the three and her old friend. Much as she hated to, she would have to follow through with her orders. "Very well," she sighed, beginning to lift up her red sword...

"We won't do anything," said Beato, standing back against the trees with Battler and Rosa, "but she will."

Dlanor looked up. "Who is this 'she' exactly?"

Before she had another chance to use her red sword, there was a blast of light that knocked it right out of her hand and onto the ground, where it smashed into a million pieces.

"But—what—who—?" she stammered.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Maria came out from behind the trees from a distance, wearing her witch dress, carrying her rose. She ran up to the confused Witch Hunter and began to sing: "One little witches, two little witches, three little witches, trick-or-treat."

Dlanor screamed at Gertrude and Cornelia, "GO ON; KILL HER!"

But when they tried to fire at Maria, she cried out, "Uu!" and deflected off of them with a wave of her rose and sang: "Today is a happy Halloween, so let's join the Witches' party! Beatrice gave me an invitation that only I can see!"

Gertrude and Cornelia came charging at Maria, but she continued to wave her rose, creating a red barrier between herself and the hunters, continuing to sing happily: "Rabbits made of chocolate, spinning cute candies, shortcake with strawberries on top, my marked rose! Magic circles written round! You can't understand them? Kihihihi! You can feel it if your heart believes, Beatrice exists!"

Gertrude and Cornelia were beginning to wear down, not realizing they were powerless against Maria, who sang, "The pumpkin coach is coming to pick me up!"

At this line, the barrier burst open, knocking Gertrude and Cornelia back by ten feet. Maria waved her rose...and just like that, it turned into her golden staff and she triumphantly sang, "Happy Halloween Maria! Use magic to fly to the candy castle!"

Angry, Dlanor sent Gertrude and Cornelia back to the heavens and they disappeared in a flash, but this did not cease Maria's triumphant singing: "Happy Halloween Maria! Choose your favourite dress to change into! And let's have sweet dreams!"

Virgilia lightly chuckled at the young witch being able to use such a cheery method to deflect temptations of using any black magic, and to simply use self-defensive magic. Dlanor glared at Virgilia before deciding she would take care of this child herself. She went charging towards Maria, who sang, "If there's magic, everyone is happy. As long as I have Mama, Maria is happy! Uu!"

Maria went back into chanting "One little witches, two little witches, three little witches, trick-or-treat," and circled Dlanor before using her magic staff to lift her up into the air. She swept it down and Dlanor fell to the ground and Maria let out another verse: "Today is a happy Halloween, so let's join the Witches' party! Recite the magic spell "one, two, three" and all our friends will appear!"

At that moment, the Siesta showed up to provide Dlanor with back-up, but it was all useless, for Maria then conjured up a doll-like ghost, who looked exactly like the doll Battler had given Beato. As the doll deflected the golden arrows bouncing around outdoors, preventing each of them from hitting anyone, Maria sang: "All the rabbits in the band, the trumpet is especially good! Mr. Cow, Mr. Dog, Mr. Rooster, and Mr. Cat will all be coming too! Magic circles written round; you still can't see it? Kihihihi! You can feel it if your heart loves, it's so close!"

The Siestas, now fully frightened by the back-up Battler had, disappeared once more in a burst of gold. Dlanor did not need to call in anymore support, for at that moment, a portion of the demon goat butlers came charging towards Maria. Unfazed, she ran straight towards them, singing, "The goats keep on increasing..."

"Maria!" cried out Rosa, but before she could run out and defend her vulnerable daughter, Maria and the goats clashed in a burst of light, creating a great dust cloud surrounding them. Everyone held their breath. Was this a mistake? Had they overestimated Maria's abilities?

The dust cloud was clearing...and there stood...

...a group of goats no longer in their formal attire. Now, just ordinary goats bleating and walking around the undamaged Maria, who triumphantly declared, "Happy Halloween Maria!"

"Ooooh, this is not going well, Bern," said Lambdadelta as she and Bernkastel made their way through the rose garden. "This is not going well at all."

"Indeed," sighed Bernkastel. "I thought we had the Endless Sorcerer cornered, but he is more able-minded than we thought. Then again, perhaps it is really my fault...perhaps this was, in truth, caused by incompetent pieces of mine."

Just then, the two witches stopped and smiled at the sight. Erika had just summoned Dlanor A. Knox, not realizing that by doing so, she had significantly increased the chances of Battler winning. She had just started screaming at Dlanor when Bernkastel and Lambdadelta marched up to the two of them.

"Stop it," said Bernkastel. "Erika, this was no fault of Dlanor's. She was only following orders from an incompetent leader."

Erika's jaw dropped. Bernkastel then said, "Dlanor A. Knox, thank you for your time. I will now order my piece to have you dismissed."

With a curt nod, Dlanor said, "It has been a pleasure."

Bernkastel smiled a saccharine smile at Erika who scoffed, "Fine...you may go now, Dlanor A. Knox. Go and leave me in peace!"

With that, Dlanor left the game board.

"And now," said Bernkastel, "I have another issue to address with you...Lambdadelta and I created you for the purpose of using you to win this game for us. You, however, failed to deliver."

"It's not my fault," Erika began to say, but Lambdadelta scoffed, "Excuses, excuses. Well guess what? I am super paper! And super paper is officially going down on your puny rock!"

Bernkastel rolled her eyes. "What Lambdadelta is trying to say is that I think it is time you were just about removed from the game board permanently."

"After all I've done—" Erika began to say, but then Lambdadelta picked up a row of nearby roses and shoved them into Erika's mouth to get her to shut up. "Bye-bye, now," she giggled with a wave.

"Yes," said Bernkastel, smiling cruelly. "Goodbye, Erika Furudo. I can assure you it has not been a pleasure."

And just like that, Erika, too, was removed from the game board.

"Great," sighed Lambdadelta. "We've just removed those annoying pieces, but we're still outnumbered, even with the remaining demon goats. Now what?"

"Oh, just do whatever comes to mind," said Bernkastel casually before disappearing in a burst of gold.

"Do whatever comes to mind?!?" cried Lambdadelta, stamping her foot. "What's that supposed to mean, huh, Bern?!?"

She let out a frustrated grunt...then her eyes lay on the shotgun lying by the front doors. She ran up to the gun and placed it into the hands of the next demon goat butler that came running by. "Here," she snapped. "Go wild with it."

With that, she disappeared in a burst of gold to argue with Bernkastel. The goat shrugged and waited for the next person to come walking by, gun in hand.

"Maria, where the heck did that come from?" said Battler as he, Beato, Virgilia, Rosa, and Maria made their way back to the mansion, hoping the worst of it was over.

"Uu, you mean the song?" said Maria, having now magically changed into her regular clothes. "Uu, I don't know, it was the first thing that came to mind...don't ask me how I came up with it; I just did."

"I have to congratulate you," said Beato, smiling. "You truly are a worthy witch. I taught you well. Maybe someday, Battler could pass down the title of the Endless Witch to you, Maria."

"Only if her mother doesn't mind, of course," Virgilia was quick to add.

"I...I don't know what happened back there," said Rosa slowly. "And I'm not really sure of what's happening now...but Maria, I promise you that when we leave this island, things are going to be much, much better from now on. Mama will find more time to be together with you. And...mama also promises to repair Sakutaro, okay?"

"Uu!" said Maria enthusiastically, stopping to hug her mother. Rosa smiled and gave Maria a tight hug in return. She looked over at Beato, Battler, and Virgilia and said, "You three go on ahead; Maria and I will catch up."

Battler was a bit reluctant to leave Rosa and Maria out in the open, but Virgilia said, "We won't go far; if it looks like anything is about to happen, we will run straight back."

Rosa barely paid attention to any of this and continued to hold her daughter in her arms as the three began to head on. "How could I have been so blind?" she whispered. "Stupid, stupid mommy."

"Uu, Maria doesn't think you're stupid," said Maria. "Maria loves mama."

"Mama loves Maria, too," said Rosa, unable to hold back the tears.

Battler smiled at this sight. Then he turned his head and noticed something Virgilia and Beato did not: A demon goat butler holding a shotgun, aiming it right at Rosa and Maria. He spun around and cried out, "Rosa! Maria! Look out!"

Maria had just turned around to Battler, but was promptly turned away by her mother. She heard a bang, then felt the two of them falling to the ground together. Maria wriggled out of her mother's grasp and said, "Uu, let's catch up with them, okay mama? Mama?"

Maria had begun to notice Virgilia shouting at the demon goat and yanking the shotgun out of his hand. She had begun to notice Battler was looking as though he were trying very hard to concentrate at something. But it wasn't until Beato began to shrink away and Maria placed one hand on her mother's coat that she realized it was stained with blood.

"Mama?" said Maria, suddenly worried. "Mama, get up! Mama, we can still go!" Yet a part of Maria knew deep down what had just happened, and the meaning behind it. Mama had been shot. And mama was not likely to make it out of this alive.

"I'm sorry...for being such a rotten mommy," murmured Rosa, knowing her time was almost up, wishing she had more to make amends.

"Uu! Maria forgives!" cried out Maria. "Maria always forgives Mama! Just please, don't go, mama! Don't go!"

"Maria," said Rosa softly, using her last bit of strength to caress her daughter's cheeks, "thank you...for being born as my child."

Her trembling finger stroke those cheeks...those cheeks that should have been warmly embraced, not slapped...

Then she stopped...her finger lay still...the rest of her went silent.

"M...mama?" said Maria weakly. She gave Rosa a gentle push and said, "Mama, wake up. Mama, wake up! MAMA!"

She let out a wail and buried her face in her mother's shoulder, sobbing in hope that her mama would wake up, despite knowing her mama was far gone. The rose she had been holding with one hand began to wither and die, her faith in magic shattered along with her childhood innocence.

"Maria," whispered Battler, walking up to the two of them. "I'm so sorry." And he truly meant it...he had tried to heal Rosa with his magic, yet somehow he could not quite remember Rosa's form. Was this because his memory had failed him? Or because she was something of a changed woman?

Beato slowly walked up to Maria. She gently placed one hand on Maria's shoulder, but Maria shoved it away harshly, not wanting to be comforted. It was at this moment that George and Shannon came running outside. "What happened?" said George sharply. "We heard a gunshot and..." His eyes fell on Rosa's lifeless figure.

"We'll take care of this," said Battler quickly. "George, Shannon, right now you need to take Maria with you. Take her down to the basement and keep her there until we come for you."

"No!" screeched Maria. "Want to stay with mama!"

"Maria," said Shannon gently, "come in with us. You can see your mama again eventually, all right?"

Maria kept screaming that she wanted to stay with her mama, even as George and Shannon lifted her up and carried her into the Ushiromiya mansion.

"I...I couldn't do anything," said Battler slowly. He let out a cry and buried his face in his hands, unable to cry. How could he have made such a deal with those witches? Why couldn't he have kept the ability to bring the dead back to life? He had failed in healing Rosa's injury...and now he failed in bringing her back. He could not bear to look at her body.

"Ah, it's a shame to be powerless, isn't it?" said Lambdadelta as she slowly materialized in the rose garden.

"You!" cried out Virgilia. She rushed over to the giggling witch and said angrily, "Were you the one who gave that goat...?"

"Hey, Bern told me to do whatever comes to mind," shrugged Lambdadelta. "How was I supposed to know someone would get shot anyway, huh? That goat could've just shot at the roses, after all."

"You are crossing a fine line, Lambdadelta," said Virgilia in the same, angry tone. "To take a mother away from a child..."

"Yes, it is awful, isn't it?" sighed Lambdadelta. "Not that you'd care, of course. You of all people should know what it is like to take a parent away from a child, regardless of—"

"Cut the crap, Lambdadelta," said Beato harshly, marching right up next to Virgilia. "You have no idea how much that woman meant to that child!"

Lambdadelta looked over at Beato. "Oh you don't know? She never told you? Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

"What are you talking about?" said Beato angrily.

"It's nothing," said Virgilia quickly. "Lady Lambdadelta, please don't do this."

Lambdadelta ignored this request and said, "Do you know what happened to your mother?"

"Of course I do," said Beato calmly. "My mother died in childbirth—she only had enough time to name me before passing away."

At this, Lambdadelta laughed, "So that's the lie she's been feeding you all this time! Well, no wonder, considering how awful the truth is."

Beato looked at Lambdadelta curiously...then burst out laughing. "I see now," she laughed. "I see what you're trying to do: You're trying to turn me against Teacher by making me think she killed my mother. Well, it's not going to work!"

With a cruel smile, Lambdadelta announced:

"Virgilia did not kill your mother. She is your mother."