Ranger24: Ah here is a battle I've been planning for a long time. This, like the last fight between me and Shade in darkness unleashed (which took up three whole chapters), will take several chapters. Enjoy.

The song this is set to is had enough, by Breaking Benjamin. You'll see by conversations in the chapter.

Chapter 20: Battle royal.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Reach, Temple of Twilight, 2120 hours day 3

Ranger wiped a few droplets of sweat from his forehead as he turned back to face everyone who was still standing.

"Well glad that's over." Ranger said as though nothing had happened.

Shade smirked and clicked his fingers.

Instantly a wall of dark purple flames erupted into life about himself, Ranger, and Belinda! Ranger took a step back as Shade raised his soul Eater and Belinda hefted the holy seven of darkness.

"On the contrary. It's just getting started." Shade said.

"Attack." Belinda ordered the reds, assassins, and Dukes. The authors promptly found themselves under attack! The flames barred Ranger from going to help them, and they were cut off from helping him. He brought the Moon sword up into his ready grip as Shade and Belinda spread out. They were no doubt going to try and double team attack him from both the left and right. He was effectively screwed.

"Now, hand over the sword." Shade stated.

"You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead, hands! I've had this all to here!" Ranger shot back lifting the Moon sword to the height of his chin which was roughly six feet up in the air.

"Fool." Belinda hissed. Then both she and Shade charged him! Belinda came at him from the right while Shade went at him from the left. Shade swung a cross slash at Ranger while Belinda brought a downward stroke to cut Ranger in half. Ranger jumped back and the two pressed the attack forcing Ranger to defend with both the knife on his gauntlet and his sword.

Sparks flashed from their blades as Ranger began to be forced back towards the fire barrier. Then just as Ranger was about to fall over into the flames Ranger ducked under both their blows. Then he smirked.

"My turn." He said simply yanking out his Seax knife! He whack Belinda in the gut with the knife's pommel before he shoved Shade back and went straight after the darkside. Shade rose to his feet and blocked Ranger's attack then tried to counter but Ranger pressed the attack swing his Seax at Shade's head. Shade ducked it just in time to avoid losing his head and ended up with a small scratch on his cheek.

Then Belinda came up from behind trying to be head Ranger! Ranger turned around to face and tried to get back but he was a second to slow. The holy seven of darkness slashed him just above the eyebrows! It narrowly missed hitting the bone but Ranger stumbled over Shade who bent over and Ranger came sprawling to the floor. Ranger clutched at his forehead as blood dripped down from his forehead. He tried to see but blood droplets fell in his eyes. He pulled a hem of his tattered cloak and using his seax began to cut a strip out of it.

"Twilight sight." He whispered.

Shade rose to his full height and Belinda walked up next to him. Shade smirked sheathing Soul eater and drawing his scythed swords.

"Fool, now you're blind. You can't live your lies any longer." Belinda mocked.

"You should have learned by now, I'll burn this whole world down!" Shade said increasing the force of the flames!

"Just die, I need some piece of mind that there's nothing behind me to fear." Belinda continued.

Then to their surprise Ranger pushed himself up off the ground. Instead of the wrap being around his wound it was around his eyes. Behind them a grey light burned where his eyes were. He swung the Moon sword with a great ferocity.

"You think you've won this fight? You've only lost your mind!" Ranger shouted.

Then he opened the attack by blasting Belinda with a twilight frigra. Then he charged Shade and slashed at the darkside's chest! Shade parried with his scythed blades before counter stabbing. Ranger somehow side stepped the attack and slashed at Shade's chest! Shade ducked the blow only to be met by Ranger's knee cap in his gut. He stumbled back and Ranger punched Shade cleanly in the face.

The darkside struggled to recompose himself but Ranger pressed the attack forcing him into the middle of the circle of flames. There Ranger swung his sword back and cried, "Thousand Slash!"

Then he brutally attacked Shade who tried almost helplessly to defend himself against the barrage of strokes aimed at him! More than a dozen landed a direct hit causing some injury. Then finally Ranger swung his sword up from below crying, "Blast off," and smashed Shade head over heels into the air and flat on his back on the floor!

Shade tried to push himself off the floor but he found the Moon sword at his throat. Ranger had him right where he wanted him.

Suddenly with a yell Belinda came from behind swinging her blade! Ranger again turned to face her and this time their swords clanged as they struck one another! Ranger instantly countered by swing his sword down for a stroke at Belinda's legs. The feint worked and Belinda moved to block him. Ranger however struck out with his left fist, Gauntlet Knife ready to gauge out on of Belinda's blazing red eyes!

Belinda realized a second before it was too late she'd been fooled and she ducked the blow. Then with Ranger's legs wide open she clipped him on the hip with her sword. Ranger stumbled back but countered by slashing at Belinda's out stretched arm! Belinda drew harm arm back slow and nearly dropped her sword from the pain of the long gash that went from her elbow half way to her wrist.

Struggling to raise her sword to counter attack as Dark energy began to try and heal the wound Ranger smashed her in the gut with another Twilight frigra! This second Twilight nearly blew Belinda into the raging inferno barrier! Ranger moved in for the kill!

Suddenly Shade's chains wrapped themselves around his arms! Ranger gave a grunt of pain as the razor sharp points on each link jabbed into his skin. Shade was back on his feet and pulling Ranger down to his knees with the Chains! Ranger struggled to continue his attack on Belinda who pushed herself to her feet! Ranger tried to grab the grip on his pistols to shoot either one of them but Shade yanked back fiercely nearly making Ranger fall over.

"Don't just stand there!" Shade shouted as Ranger began to engage his curse mark. "Kill him!"

Then Belinda raised her sword in her right hand and flung it at Ranger.

The authors who had been so busy dealing with Shade's goons that they hadn't been able to pay attention to Ranger's battle. Now DM's eyes widened with horror as the sword spun end over end through the air. Everything seemed to slow down now…

"NO!" He had time to shout but the second after he'd opened his mouth the sword plunged into Ranger's chest, blade first and the tip jutted out the back with a sickening thunk.

Ranger's face paled as his blood began to pour down the length of the holly seven. The other's now alerted to what had just happened looked on with a mix of shock and horror on their faces.

"RANGER!!" TSS shouted realizing his shooting gallery buddy might just be about to bite the big one.

"Master!" Kanton shouted a similar expression on his face.

"DUNEY!" Lunatic shouted before Kanton whacked him over the head with his katanna.

"He's not a Dunedain dope."

Ranger's rag slipped from his eyes and his vision began to flicker. His breathing was shallow.

Belinda brought out her throwing axe's and charged towards him wild eyed! She seemed intent on taking his head as a trophy.

Ranger coughed up a glob of blood as his gaze began to darken. The flaming barrier was dying down to a ring of embers. He'd lost the fight, Shade would win. The last time he'd awakened his full twilight power to save himself. But that couldn't save him from a wound like this. Nothing could save him from death now…

Unless…

Then he let himself slowly slip into the cold embrace of death…

Belinda raised her axes for the blow that would remove Ranger's head while Kanton ran to attack her katanna in hand. If he'd failed utterly to stop the insanity of Shade's dark rule the least he could do was take as many of these bastards out with him and keep them from hacking up Ranger's body. Belinda was less than five feet from Ranger when suddenly she came to a halt.

"What the devil?" She snarled.

Kanton then noticed a long shadow going from Belinda's all the way leading back to the door to the upper levels. Standing there in the arch way was a young woman with black hair and emerald eyes, wearing a leaf village combat suit with grey pants. Around her left arm was a leaf village head band but around her waist was a sand village head band. Kanton knew who he was looking at but he was to dumbstruck to do more than open his mouth and let it hang open.

"What?" She asked in a somewhat annoyed voice. "I got something on my face or something?"

"Chiyo?" He asked trying to recover.

"You were expecting Paris Hilton?" She replied smirking.

"How the hell did you…?" He started ask when his and everyone's gaze was suddenly turned back to Ranger's body. Shade's chains had retracted from the arms and the body was propped up cruelly on the blade of the holy seven of darkness. The thing that had caught everyone's attention was one thing. The right hand had twitched.

Then everyone, even those deaf to the power of darkness could feel it. Something vast was freeing itself inside Ranger. The Ranger's body began to quiver. The holy seven of Darkness shot out of the body and wedged itself into a statue's toes. A spray of blood shot out of Ranger's chest as he feel back to the floor. The dark power was intensifying! Ranger's whole body was shaking from head to foot. Bolts of black lightning shot along his arms.

Then suddenly his eyes snapped open! They were a blazing bloody red! The curse marks shot up the side of Ranger's body as he gave a loud roar! A massive pulse wave of dark energy blasted out of Ranger! Before anyone could get out of the way they were blasted across the floor and over to the walls. Shade however stabbed his Soul eater into the ground and used it to hold himself in place. He looked up from shielding his eyes to see Ranger's right fist fly right into his face!

Shade tumbled over to the ground as Ranger brought his foot down on Shade's chest! Shade rolled out of the way scrambling to his feet. The curse marks began spreading along his face and arms. Then he threw his own fist at Ranger just as Ranger threw another punch at him! Spittle flew from their mouths as they're heads were knocked back by one another's faces.

Shade struggled to stand and then the curse marks resumed spreading across his face! Ranger snarled at him and the curse marks began spreading along his body again. Shade's hair grew longer. His cloak vanished and two massive black angel wings! His skin became a true darkside purple and his hands became claw like.

Ranger on the other hand changed slowly. His hair became a thick black, his skin became a pale grey, and his finger nails grew considerably in length. His cloak vanished and out of his back sprouted two small leathery grey wings. Shade laughed at Ranger's transformation.

"What, that's all you've got…?" He started mock but then Ranger's transformation continued. He grew at least six inches in height, his long nails became full claws, his wings grew larger and larger until they became large enough to lift him with ease, his hair grew down to his shoulder blades, and his skin became a thick granite grey. When the transformation was completed Ranger's blazing red eyes seemed to cool down a little. He lifted his right arm examining his changed appearance.

"Well that's new." He said simply.

DM and the others who were quiet disoriented looked now in shock at what had just happened. Ranger had never made any coherent statement while in curse mark form. Nukid yawned suddenly and sat up.

"Morning, what'd I miss?" He said sleepily. The author's all fell over anime style. Ranger then went into a combat stance against Shade.

"Well, time to close out this party." Ranger said.

Shade clenched and unclencthed his claws. "Last one out get's stuck with the check."

"That'll be you." Ranger replied.

Ranger24: OH yeah! You know you have been waiting for this! ME vs SHADE in curse mark level TWO form! This well kick so much ass you won't be able to feel you're rear end for three years. Also Chiyo and Kanton take on Belinda, her sudden appearance will be explained hopefully in glimpse of a dark future. Warlord Xana I also give permission to character kill, go ahead and break shit. Read and review!

PS: That whole coming back to life thing was a one time thing vie the curse mark. No I'm not immortal now. However in curse mark level 2 form both me and Shade are much more damage resistant. Most medium too low caliber weapons won't do shit and most blade attacks won't do more than slow us down a bit. Also our physical strength is increased ten fold. Still there is the limit to how long we can remain in curse mark form.