Chapter Twenty One. Ruby's Latest Challenge Comes to Play

Night time has come at the Industrial Park. Ash, Kelly, Pablo, Linda, James, Ryo, Rekino, Rowen, Sage, Hana, Cye, Amaya, Kento and Josephine all arrived and were face to face with Ruby, who was wearing a white blouse, gray dress pants and black boots with her blonde hair held back in a bun that suited her face.

"Looks like the gang is all here." Ruby smirked an evil smirk.

"Yeah," Kelly replied, "and we are here to kick your skanky demon ass once and for all!"

"I am not here for talk," Ruby said, "or to kill Ash Williams, at least for the time being. I have come for one of you Ronin Warriors. To be more specific, Ryo of the Wildfire to be exact. Just hand him over and I will be on my way."

"Not a chance!" Kento shouted, "You will have to get through all of us to get to him!"

"You're damn right about that." Kelly nodded in agreement.

Everyone looked over at Ruby before looking at each other, proceeding on a new plan.

"Now we have to protect Ash and Ryo. There's no telling what that bitch is up to. Kento and Josephine, you two are the strongest, go with Kelly and Pablo and head to the front," Rekino went over the new plan, "Sage and Hana and Cye and Amaya will be next along with James, since you guys are just as strong. Rowen and I will guard Ryo, Ash and Linda."

"What if Ruby comes to us?" Linda asked.

"Then fight the best you can." Rekino answered.

"I concur to that." Ash replied. Linda nodded in agreement.

Everyone got into position. Almost immediately, Kelly sprung into action and was the first to take on Ruby. She fired a blast at Ruby which hit her abdomen, "This is for getting Pablo possessed!"

Then another blast she shot hit her arm, "That was for Brandy's mom!"

"Aw come on!" Ruby shouted before Kelly fired another shot, "And this is for me!"

The group looked to see Ruby bloodied, and with a big hole in the head but it didn't kill her. Ruby slowly got up to her feet as she regenerated, "Shoot me all you want you stupid girl. Don't you forget that I'm immortal?"

"I didn't forget." Kelly smirked as she got out the Kandarian Dagger, "Which is why we got this."

Ruby was shocked to see the Kandarian Dagger in Kelly's possession, "The dagger. You're the one who found it."

"Don't you just love a good surprise?" Kelly asked.

"Not so confident now, huh Ruby?!" James exclaimed. Kelly tried plunging it into Ruby to behead her only for it to barely land on her neck, causing a burn in the process.

"Burns," Kelly asked Ruby, "doesn't it?"

"You're not worthy!" Ruby exclaimed. She tossed Kelly to a nearby tree.

"Did you really think it was gonna be that easy?" Ruby asked.

"Did you?" Kelly replied as she stood back up.

"Don't start a fight you can't finish." Ruby replied, "and that goes for all of you!"

"Blah blah blah!" Kento mimicked the demon under his breath.

"Alright she devil fuck." Kelly quipped to Ruby to distract her from responding to the Hardrock warrior, "Let's go!"

Ruby and Kelly shared some kicks, dodges and blows with Kelly using the dagger to try to get her. Another punch from Ruby gave Kelly a nose bleed.

"Ah! Fuck!" Kelly yelled in pain. Then Ruby grabbed Kelly by her hair, held her up and then broke her ankle in another blow, causing her opponent to scream in agony, "Ahhh! Fuck!"

Ruby knocked Kelly to the tree again and knocked the dagger out of Kelly's hands.

"Kelly!" Pablo exclaimed.

"I'll give it to you," Ruby stated, "digging up that dagger, coming in here, all guns blazing, it wasn't a bad plan."

"You giving out gold stars today, teach?" Kelly chided.

"It was a terrible plan."

Kelly laughed in response while giving Ruby the finger.

"And your little knight friend..."

"His name was Dalton!" Hana exclaimed.

"I gave you a chance to join me," Ruby told Kelly, "to fight a war you could actually win."

"Still a hard pass." Kelly replied as she was in pain.

Then Pablo was the next to make a move trying to take down Ruby with his axe, but with no success.

"This is just pathetic," Ruby said as she grabbed Pablo by the collar, "Kelly couldn't defeat me, and neither can you."

She threw him at Kelly and they both fell to the ground.

"Get ready cuz," Kento exclaimed, "this demon skank is really gonna get it!"

"You bet!"

"I am ready for the rest of you." Ruby declared. Kento and Josephine fought the demon lady with their skill and weapons before preparing their surekill attacks.

"Iron Rock Crusher!"

"Iron Stone Kinesis!"

They were able to knock Ruby to the ground with some damage given to her. Then, she quickly got up after she regenerated, "You two are really strong. No wonder you went first. It's not enough to take me on though with my dark power."

She managed to use dark energy to defeat and knock down both Kento and Josephine.

"Kento!" Ryo exclaimed.

"Josephine!" Amaya added.

"So, who is next to fight?" Ruby asked.

Sage and Hana and Cye and Amaya each prepared for battle. They done the same thing as the Hardrock duo.

"Thunder Bolt Cut!"

"Sunspot Fury!"

"Super Wave Smasher!"

"Deep Fathom Sphere!"

The group got Ruby cut in half as a result, but like before she regenerated and bounced back.

"That was lame," Ruby scoffed getting up, "Two weren't enough to stop me and neither are four!"

She used the same dark energy to knock down all four warriors across the room. Sage and Hana looked as Amaya and Cye were both knocked out.

"Hana! Amaya!" Rekino exclaimed.

"Sage! Cye!" Ryo exclaimed.

"You defeated some Ronin Warriors and Lady Ronin Guardians," James spoke up as he was the next to take on the demon, "so, can you take me on?"

"You know that I can." Ruby smirked, "you think you can defeat me, but your futile attempts to stop me from having Ash Williams dead and bringing the world into darkness will end soon enough."

"Not a chance!" James replied, preparing his surekill attack, "I will take you down before you can get a chance to kill Ash! Power Sword Strike!"

It was a powerful attack and it chopped off Ruby's limbs as a result, leaving only her head remaining with her body.

"Impossible!" James exclaimed.

"Oh it is." Ruby replied as her arms and legs returned to her body, regenerating in the process.

"That my power can defeat yours." Ruby smirked, "I am just as powerful as you are, James Ferino!"

Then James was knocked down.

"Now it's down to you guys." Ruby continued to smirk, "No problem."

Rekino looked over at Ash and Linda, "I want you two to help me protect my brother. Get Ryo to a safe spot while Rowen and I hold this she bitch off."

As Rekino was explaining to the brothers her plan, Rowen was already toe to toe with Ruby.

"You won't have my best friend!" Rowen exclaimed as he prepared his surekill attack, "You're getting a one way ticket back to hell instead! Arrow Shock Wave!"

Before the arrow can hit him, Ruby grabbed the arrow and broke it in half, "Is that the best you can do?"

"The only other person who could do that was Mukala!" Rowen exclaimed. Ruby used dark energy to send Rowen flying into a tree.

"Rowen!" Rekino exclaimed.

"Ryo," Linda looked at the leader of the Ronin Warriors, "Come with us."

Ryo went over with Ash and Linda.

"You're not touching my brother!" Rekino declared with Ruby. The leader of the Lady Ronin Guardians started fighting Ruby with her ninjutsu skill, and weapons. Then she prepared to launch her surekill attack.

"For a woman who is small, she sure is good." Ruby said to himself.

"I heard that demon slut! I'm not small, I'm travel sized! Tornado Fire Flare!"

The attack hits Ruby in full blast.

"Nice shot, Rekino!" Kelly looked up as she was being held by Pablo. Ash and Linda felt relieved for the moment. The flame of the attack vanished revealing Ruby on her knees, burned up with only her bra and underwear intact as her blonde hair was down and messed up as it was now down to her shoulders before getting up and recovering, just like before.

"You people will never learn!" Ruby exclaimed before using dark energy to knock Rekino down to the ground.

"No!" Ryo shouted, "Sis!"

Ash and Linda kept him from leaving position. Ruby came over to where Ryo, Ash and Linda were. Ash leaped in front of Linda and Ryo.

"Do not come any closer!" He warned Ruby as he got out his boomstick, "Even if you do look a bit like Pepper Potts in Iron Man 3!"

"Ash," Ruby groaned, "you really are pathetic. Don't you know that you are not going to die just this minute. You will, that will be inevitable, but I..."

Ash fired the boomstick through Ruby's abdomen, which left a hole at her torso.

"Rekino!" Hana exclaimed, "He used the boomstick!"

"It would be fun if my brother's life wasn't in danger right now." Rekino replied as she managed to get up.

Linda fired a gun at Ruby's back just as she had regenerated from her last blow. Ruby only scoffed in annoyance.

"If those Ronin Warriors and their guardians couldn't stop me," Ruby glared at Ash and Linda, "You should know by now that you won't be able to stop me either."

She lifted his hands to release dark energy to knock down both Ash and Linda. The other Ronin Warriors and the Lady Ronin Guardians were starting to recover altogether.

"This can't be happening." Hana said.

"We got to do something." Rowen looked up. Ruby was now face to face with her target: Ryo Sanada, who was looking at him with tensity as he got out his kantanas.

"Ryo of the Wildfire."

"Stay back!" Ryo warned him. Ruby tried going after him, but it ended up in a fight between the two. Ryo started by using his fighting skill and then he prepared his surekill attack, "You asked for it! Flare Up Now!"

Ruby lifted her hand, blocking the attack. Ryo gasped at this.

"Now, now," Ruby grinned, "You think I was gonna let you take me down that easy, did you?"

She unleashed dark energy that surrounded Ryo in full blast. He screamed in great agony as it was overwhelming him. Eventually, Ryo was knocked out and back in his street clothes.

"Such great power," said Ruby, "I think that Baal will be pleased with this selection for his new vessel."

After the energy cleared, Ruby hurried and caught Ryo before he could hit the ground, "That was too easy. Now to take my leave."

Ruby grabbed the armor orb that was next to Ryo as she held him, then she took the Kandarian Dagger.

"No!" Kelly shouted.

"Let him go!" Rekino stood up and demanded. The mistress of Fire prepared to attack again, but before she could make a move, Ruby disappeared with Ryo in black mist.

"It can't be!" Pablo exclaimed.

"He took Ryo!" Hana added. All the heroes were shocked and dumbfounded by the outcome of this battle, all except for one in particular. Rekino dropped to her knees and screamed, "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!"