Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with the original 11eyes, 11eyes Crossover, 11eyes Resona Forma, the 11eyes anime, or the 11eyes manga. All rights belong to Lass.

And now, the true battle shall begin. This is going to be what I hope is a long and great series of fights. Lieselotte Werckmeister, the immortal Witch of Babylon versus the Punishment Squad, Fragments of the Void, bearer of the Eye of Aeon, Shuu and James. Now, let us see how this battle will unfold.

Chapter 25: The Battle of Ayame Hill - Part 2

As they neared where Ayamegaoka would one day be built, everyone only grew more and more apprehensive of the battle to come. It was to be expected, as this was a foe that had magical abilities like no other. Who knew how powerful Lieselotte would be at this point in history, and who knew what kind of things she would try to do.

It took several hours of walking, but the large group eventually made it to just outside the boundary of what would one day be Ayamegaoka. As the children looked out at what was to one day be their home, they could not help but be surprised at what they saw. As far as they could see, the entire expanse of land had an air that stank of death and decay. It appeared to be swamp-like, but was not like most swamps that one usually sees.

Yuka was first to say something, "So this is...Ayamegaoka?" She looked up at Kakeru, who she had grabbed hold of shortly after stopping.

James answered her question, "It will one day be the city that you know, Yuka-chan. But, for now, the land around here is too contaminated by dark magic and negative emotions to serve as a home for anyone. Nothing will grow here until Hell Fall is stopped and Lieselotte is..." He could not finish that thought. Despite what others thought of his feelings, he loved Lieselotte with his entire being. The very fact that he had come here at all, knowing very well what he would be expected to do, brought the large boy to tears. 'I promise,' he thought to himself, 'Lieselotte, Lisette, you both will be saved. I won't let you suffer alone anymore.'

Benedictus came over and stopped just outside the boundary between the swamp-like place and where his team was at the moment. He began to examine the ground, placing a hand on what little grass was actually growing there. He remained like that for a few minutes, then rose and turned to his teammates. "There is a Specialized Bounded Field established here, and a rather powerful one at that."

James nodded and stated, "That would be Phantasmagoria. The power of this Reality Marble will be great, as it was born of the power of the Voidstone. It will most likely be feeding off the Larvae in this place, fueling Hell Fall as it grows."

Georgius nodded, "Yes, we must be careful here. Who knows what kind of horrors the Witch of Babylon will be able to create." He then became pensive and closed his eyes in frustration. "But, we do not know where she is in this place. It is very possible that she has sensed our arrival and has begun to make her way to us."

James simply shook his head. "I know enough about the history of this world to know that Lieselotte does not know we are here yet. She is too focused on waiting for Hell Fall to grow, and so she will not know we are coming until we have entered her Reality Marble." He then gave sigh and said, "But, you are right Georgius. She could very well have moved to a different location within this place, and I have no way of knowing whether or not she has moved."

Misao then spoke up, a look on her face that said she might have a way to help the situation. "I may have a means by which you can try and locate Lieselotte without having to enter the Reality Marble." She pulled out a single shikigami, then said, "If you would allow me, Georgius-sama, I can use my magic to extend your site so that you may observe that place, and possibly locate our target."

(Georgius's P.O.V.)

I looked at Misao for a moment, and once again I felt grateful that she had come along on this mission. I told her to begin the spell, to which she happily nodded. She began to whisper words in Japanese that I could not understand, then I suddenly felt some sort of power come over me, or more specifically my eyes. I closed them, but instead of seeing the blackness of my eyelids I saw a strange sight before me. I was looking over the land that had been directly before us, but it was covered in a red haze. The sky was also a disturbingly blood red color, almost as if a great battle had been fought in the sky and had been stained with the blood of the dead and defeated. However, what truly drew my attention was the black moon in the sky. Actually, moon was not the right word that could be used to describe this abomination of magic. The black orb that floated in the sky was absolutely massive. It was not possible to see all of it due to its immense size. And, as I watched, it slowly grew larger, grey wisps of smoke seemingly being sucked into the orb.

I tore my gave from that horrid magic, and began to examine the Specialized Bounded Field. As I neared the center, I noticed a strange alter of sorts resting directly underneath the black orb in the sky. However, I smiled to myself as I realized I had found our target. There, standing in front of that alter, was a young girl who did not appear any older then 15 or so. She was wearing a black and purple dress, and had hair that was only just barely one shade darker then pure white. She seemed to have a smile on her face, almost as if she were experiencing a level of peace and happiness. However, when she opened her eyes and looked up at the orb in the sky, I saw the inner hatred that was boiling in her soul. Those green eyes that had slitted pupils held nothing but contempt and hatred toward the world. I knew I had found our target, and so I pulled back from whatever magic was allowing me to see in this way.

When I opened my eyes, I was back among my team and our large group. I turned to face them all, but noticed that Misao looked rather exhausted. I reached out to help her stay on her feet and asked, "Misao, are you okay?'

She simply gave me a weak smile and said, "It is nothing, Georgius-sama. I am simply a little tired from using my magic in such a way. I have never held that spell for so long on another person before."

Elaine chose that moment to make a comment, "Perhaps you should stay here, or return to the ship. If you are weak, then there is no need for you to be here."

I was about to say something, but Samson beat me to it. He proceeded to smack the back of Elaine's head in much the same way a father would punish his child. He proceeded to tell her, "Elaine, that is enough! If not for Misao, we would not be able to confirm anything." He then turned to me and asked it was that I had seen.

I told them what I saw. "The Witch of Babylon is currently at the center of her Specialized Bounded Field. But, Hell Fall has grown far larger then I had anticipated. I may need to erect a La Casa de Dios in order to stop it."

James then stepped up to me and said, "I figured as much, so please, bind my life to the spell. Use me as the means to stop Hell Fall."

I looked at him, and saw the complete determination in his eyes. I could not deny him this, so I simply nodded. "Very well, but I will have to bind my own life and the lives of my team to the spell as well. If you were to fall, Hell Fall would only continue to grow." He nodded, to which I returned, then I said. "Now, how do we go about attacking?"

Benedictus, who I had only just noticed had gotten into the magical battle machine known as Uastyrdji with his sister, spoke when I said this. "We should attack her in an all out frontal assault. We have the numbers to take her down, not to mention the power. I am certain that if we were to attack her all at once, she would have no means of defeating us."

Samson seemed to agree with the idea, but voiced his own concerns. "Bene, that is a good plan, but that could very well be what the Lieselotte would expect of us. If we are not careful, she could easily kill us all."

I sighed and contemplated on this. There were many options we could go about doing this, but these two both made excellent points. So, I came up with a compromise, "We should split up our forces. If we divide into small groups, then it will be more difficult for Lieselotte to use the powers of her Reality Marble against us."

However, James once again spoke up. "Georgius, with all due respect, that plan will not work. It was this plan that lead to your team being killed. Lieselotte will just toy with you all, until she finally kills you all, one by one."

I looked at him for a moment, wondering where he was going with this, then asked, "Then what would you suggest we do?"

He smiled at me with that smile I had grown accustomed to seeing on his current form as he told me, "I think we should follow Bene's plan."

I could tell that Benedictus was smiling snidely at us all from inside the giant machine, but I had to voice my concerns. "But, if we were to attack in such a way, the witch could target us all at once with the powers of Phantasmagoria. What will be the point of fighting if we end up in the grips of an illusion and end up killing each other?"

However, James did something that I could not believe I had forgotten. He called out, "Yuka-chan, could you come here?" A moment later, my student for the past four weeks came over to us. She asked what it was the James wanted, to which he asked her, "Yuka-chan, how far out could you push your powers if you really tried?"

Yuka looked at him for a moment, a finger on her lips as she thought. She eventually said, "If I pushed it, I could make it anywhere as big as eight or nine meters."

James nodded, then asked her, "Do you think you could weaken Phantasmagoria so that the illusions would not effect us?"

Again she thought it over for a little while, then said, "I haven't done that before, but I'm sure I could weaken it if I really tried. But, Lieselotte is so much stronger then I am, so I don't know how long I could hold it, or how weak I could make it. I will try my best though."

I simply nodded when James turned to face me. "Very well, let us get moving then." With that, we crossed the boundary between the real world and this distorted reality.

(third person P.O.V.)

The first thing that happened when everyone was now standing in the red haze of the Reality Marble was James collapsing. He fell to his knees only seconds after entering the Reality Marble, and he eventually could not support his own body weight. Samson grew concerned, as he asked, "James, what is happening? Please, tell us what is doing this too you!"

However, Shuu spoke up and kept Samson from trying to help. He simply said, "I've seen this before. He is transforming into his other form." He then looked over at the his friend, who was now convulsing in pain, and he seemed to be frothing at the mouth now. Shuu grew concerned as he watched over his shoulder. "But, I have never seen anything like this. James-san would always be in pain when he transformed, but he never looked this much in pain."

Everyone just watched, mostly in fear. Only Shuu, Benedictus and Scholastica had ever seen him transform, and it had not been fun to watch as he screamed in pain that none could relieve. As they watched though, James's convulsing body eventually stopped spasming, and instead it began to shrink. His massive frame began to recede into his clothes, which were growing bigger and bigger on him by the second. Eventually, he was lost under a pile of clothes, but there did seem to be some sort of movement underneath them.

Shuu immediately went to the pile, grabbed the clothes, and tossed them away. Underneath was the familiar shape of James's Night form. As he stood up, dusting off his robes, Shuu asked his friend what had happened. James simply scowled and looked up at the sky. He could see the black moon of Hell Fall, growing larger by the second. "It is the Larvae of this place. There is so much of it here that it is fooling my body into this shape." He sighed, then simply nodded in understanding. "Either way, I am glad for this sudden revelation. I will be far more useful in this form." He then looked at Yuka and gave her a nod. The young girl returned the nod, then closed her eyes and began to focus. Everyone watched as a black ring seemed to spread out and away from Yuka. It passed over everyone, growing larger and larger by the second, before finally stopping at about eight and a half meters away from Yuka in a perfect circle. All around them, the red haze that covered the ground seemed lighter in color. Yuka opened her eyes, but still looked to be in deep concentration. James sighed before saying, "Well, this is better then nothing. Phantasmagoria has weakened to its first level of power thanks to Yuka-chan. But, Lieselotte's influence is too strong for her to completely remove the Reality Marble around us. Everyone, watch yourselves. Even at this level, Phantasmagoria is still dangerous"

With that, James began to move, not even bothering to wait for everyone else. However, they all followed suit rather quickly. The time had finally come for the final battle against Lieselotte Werckmeister.

(James's P.O.V.)

As we neared the center of this strange world, where illusions could become reality, I began to wonder. Could I really save them, Lisette and Lieselotte? I knew I would have to try, but I feared that I would not be able to, and then the world would be doomed. However, I had more important things to do at the moment.

As we all traveled through Phantasmagoria, we spotted a large number of black and red monsters that varied in sizes and shapes. Those were most likely the larvae that Lieselotte had created to deal with us after she had detected us in her Reality Marble. However, they did not come anywhere near us, but only seemed to hiss and spit in our direction. I saw that some, like Misuzu, Sebastianus and Elaine, were going to rush out and attack. However, I stopped and told them, "Don't do it. Not only will it be a waste of your time, but don't you see that they are outside the circle of Yuka's protection." They looked at me for a moment, and I explained. "If they were to cross over to the inside of the circle, then those monsters would either disappear or be unable to harm us. Out there though, they could easily kill us. You would be overwhelmed by the shear numbers, and I am not about to let anyone die today. Now, let us get a move on." The three looked at the monsters, still trying to get them to rush into battle, but they simply nodded and began to follow me as we continued on our way.

Once we reached the center of this world, I sent out a small pulse of magic, centering it on Lieselotte's life force. She was not in the immediate area, but that could change at any moment. I quickly summoned my rod and staff, then handed one to the people closest to me, who just happened to be Shuu and Shiori. I told them in a no nonsense tone, "Place those at the edges of the circle of protection Yuka-chan has set up. Make sure they are standing perfectly straight up." They nodded and began to do as I asked, making quick work of it. When they returned, I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering the power of modern magic through my rod and staff. I then opened my eyes and called out, "Briah Access - Yetzirah Code! Worlds Collide!" Just like in the crypt, my rod and staff blazed with purple fire in their runes, then the familiar barrier began to form and close around us all like a bubble.

Shuu was at a loss for words. "I...I thought you couldn't use modern magic? When did you establish a server?"

I simply shrugged, "I don't know how or why, but my staff and rod work as conduits for your magic. I can maintain this barrier for several hours, so we should be safe." I then looked at Georgius, and told him, "Begin the chant!" He quickly complied, raising his hands up and beginning to whisper the words of La Casa de Dios.

However, only seconds after I had said that, I heard a very familiar, satanic laugh. I looked up and all around, but could not locate the source of the voice. I noticed that nobody else could either. I immediately yelled at Shuu, "Run the Exhaustive Search, NOW!" Shuu did not hesitate, and immediately he raised his phone and cast the hacking spell.

The moment that the Exhaustive Search began though, I located the source of the voice. She was behind me the entire time, standing in front of the alter that was underneath Hell Fall. I turned around, and came face-to-face with the love of my life. Lieselotte Werckmeister.

(third person P.O.V.)

Lieselotte stood only a few feet outside of the barrier that James had erected. She just stood there with a hand on her hip and that smile on her face. Even as Georgius finished the short chant for La Casa de Dios and began to gather the magic power for Arcus Pactum, she did not seem in the least bit phased. As seven black stone towers rose out of the ground, six around the alter and one directly through it, they struck the black moon and appeared to be holding it in place. The grey smoke stopped flowing to the black moon, and it stopped growing. Hell Fall had been stopped, for the time being.

As Lieselotte just stood there, seemingly examining those who had come to face her, James whispered to Shuu, "What percent is the Exhaustive Search at?"

Shuu, who had started to Exhaustive Search almost ten minutes ago, paled as he replied, "Not even 1% yet. She is even more powerful then Kanae, and it took hours for the Exhaustive Search to finish with her." James simply nodded, knowing that it would take a long time for the search to finish.

Suddenly, Lieselotte started to laugh again. When she finished, she just said, "Oh, so Index has finally tried to stop me, have they? Well, you are too late. Even with the Hell Fall stalled at the moment, your effort will be wasted. I will simply kill you all, and once I have finally killed the seven of you who have foolishly bound your lives to this spell, I will destroy this pathetic world for all the pain it has brought me. Now," she began to tap her finger to her chin, "just who should I kill first?" She seemed to wait a moment, then looked at Sebastianus. "I think you will do just fine, Sebastianus of the Holy Bone. They say you are the greatest martial artist in all the world, and your strikes can break bone with ease. Well, let us test that theory, shall we?"

Almost immediately, Elaine pointed her sword at the witch, hate filling her eyes. "You are in no position to make demands here, witch. If you want to fight Sebas, it will be only after I am dead."

However, Sebastianus put a hand on Elaine's shoulder and shook his head. "No, Elaine, I will do this. We must give Georgius as much time as possible to charge the spell, and if we do not fight her, she will begin attacking the barrier. Can you not feel how James is feeding his own soul into the spell that is protecting us? If she destroys the barrier, she could kill him. Then she will kill Georgius and the rest of us. I will not allow anyone to fall by her hand, so I will fight her."

Elaine wanted to refuse, but the look in Sebastianus's eyes told her this was not up for discussion. She hesitantly nodded, then backed off. However, as he made his way to Lieselotte, James called him. "Sebastianus, come here a moment. I must tell you something of great importance." Sebastianus seemed confused by this, but made his way to the small, white-haired boy. James tugged on his arm, informing him to lower himself so that he could tell him secretly. He told the martial artist, "Sebastianus, no matter what you see or do in this fight, do not believe anything you see. The power of Phantasmagoria will reach you if you are not careful, and you would not even know it." Sebastianus nodded, and was about to get up, but was forced down by an invisible force. "Also, no matter what you do, do not try and go in for a killing blow. Lieselotte is immortal, and if you deliver any kind of harm to her, it will only heal in less then a second, so do not try to kill her. I may not be the kindest person in this form, but I do not want a good man such as yourself to die because of a reckless act."

(Sebastianus's P.O.V.)

The words that James gave to me confused me slightly. Why would he not want me to deliver a killing blow? Our whole point of coming here was to kill the witch, after all. But, I reminded myself that he knew how I was destined to die, and it sounded like if I tried to kill the witch, it would only lead to my undoing. I placed a hand on his shoulder, then nodded and told him, "Do not worry. I do not plan to allow this little girl to get the better of me." He nodded, and I felt that strange force on my shoulders vanish. I then made my way out of the protection that those two children had established.

As I stood before Lieselotte, she seemed to regard me for a moment. Then, she chuckled slightly, "I do hope you said all your goodbyes to those you hold dear, as this will be the last time you ever see them." I simply ignored her, as I was not going to die today.

I got into a fighting stance, ready to begin this fight. I immediately went in and delivered a fierce kick to her midsection, only for her to dodge me without the slightest bit of difficulty. I began to wonder just how fast her reactions were, as I knew that if she were able to react to my moves faster then I could deliver them, then I would never win this fight. I scooped up a handful of rocks, and proceeded to throw them at her. I watched as her nails proceeded to extend into deadly claws, and she disintegrated the rocks with those claws. She looked at me, her expression blank as she asked, "Will any of your attacks actually hit me?"

I simply replied, "They will...sometimes." I then picked up another set of rocks and threw them at her, only a little faster then the last set. Again she destroyed them with ease, and I could see in her eyes that she knew what I was doing. She knew I was testing her reaction time, but what else could I do right now? All I could do for now was stall for time, and hope Georgius could finish Arcus Pactum soon. I repeated it a third time, and for the third she easily destroyed them. 'Her reactions, they truly are that of a monster.'

I grabbed a fourth set of rocks, and proceeded to throw them at the witch once more. But this time, I threw them from a different direction. I then proceeded to deliver a swift kick to her legs so that I could knock her down, but she easily dodged me. However, the rocks I had just thrown struck the ground. I saw that the noise they cause distracted her, if only for a moment. I did not hesitate to use that time to make a finishing blow against the witch.

But, as my fist was coming in to strike her chest and pierce heart, I felt something strange. It was as if I was having a premonition; I saw something, and it was me that I saw. I saw myself delivering the same punch that I was delivering now, only I watched as Lieselotte proceeded claw out my right eye. However, I watched as this other me ignored the pain and proceeded to strike clean through the witch's heart. However, she did not die, but rather she started to laugh and say how I was 'too interesting'. I watched as this other me had to rip off his own arm just to escape a possible counter attack. As I was struggling to back away, Elaine helped me escape, and then we proceeded to attack together. However, I watched as this other me grabbed her sword, rapped it around his arm, and grabbed the witch before asking Elaine to kill them both. I watched as she did as I asked, thought I could see she was reluctant to do so. As this strange vision came to and, the last thing I saw before my focus returned to the fight at hand was Elaine mourning my death.

As my mind returned to what was happening before me, I realized this is what James had warned me of. I did not want to die, and I did not want to leave Elaine. Even if I had never told her, I truly did love her. And, if it was true that she was pregnant with my child, I would not allow myself to die like this and leave my child without a father. I stopped my attack just as I was about to reach my intended target, but was not able to stop myself in time as Lieselotte's hand came up and clawed out my right eye. However, I did not cry out in pain, as I would not give this monster the satisfaction of hearing me cry out in pain. She proceed to look me with interest present in her eyes. She then gave single laugh and said, "You are quite interesting, but sadly, it is time for you to die." She then ran up to me, and tried to drive her claws into my body. I tried to defend against her onslaught, but her attacks were like none I had ever experienced. I could only just barely block her attacks in time, and the way she continued to press on in her attack only made it more clear that I would not be able to turn this fight around. However, I would not give up. I did all I could to protect myself and try to turn the tide, despite the obvious fact that I would not be able to do so.

Unfortunately, I could not keep this up for long. While not a very serious wound, the fact that my eye had been clawed out was making it difficult to continue. Not only that, but the fact that she had that twisted look on her face with that disturbingly sadistic smile unnerved me. It caused me to lose focus, and that was my undoing. I became so unfocused between the wound to my eye, that twisted smile, and my inability to turn the tide in this fight, that Lieselotte managed to deliver a a blow to my stomach. Her claws pierced my body, tearing through me and piercing my organs. I looked into her eyes, and knew that this just might be it. But, before I lost consciousness, I managed to look back see the faces of everyone. My team, the children who had been with us for one month, but especially Elaine. I could not help but give one smile to her, and then everything went black.

And so ends the first part of the actual battle. Is Sebastianus of the Holy Bone still alive? And what of the rest of the people who have come to stop Lieselotte? Well, sorry to say, but that will all become clear in the next chapter.