Well, i hate to say this, but i think for now, this is the best i can do. My writing for a good quarter of this story has been subpar and i no longer feel the drive for it. Thus i'm giving it a break. Think of this as the end of season 1, not the series. Anyway, i know this ending will disappoint most of the people who love this story, but i'd rather end it here than to just leave it in a limbo. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with this story since the beginning and that I hope you can forgive this ending, its certainly not what i wanted. But i think, for the moment, it's the best option.

I do hope you enjoy and again thank you for reading.

BRL

Lord Death looked up from his tea cup. "Hmm?" The Reaper summoned a mirror. "Oh dear, oh dear. It seems he's here."

"Who's here?" asked Deathscythe.

The Reaper sighed. "Huang-ti has come for Ryuu, and Crona and his friends are going to fight him."

"Crona!? That means Maka! We have to stop them!" shouted Deathscythe as he rushed towards the door.

"REAPER CHOP!" The massive white hand slammed down on Deathscythe's head. "Sorry Spirit, but for right now, we have to put our faith in our young meisters." Lord Death turned back to the mirror. "After all, they defeated one Kishin, I'm sure they can beat another."

"Are you so sure they can beat this opponent?" asked Professor Stein as he entered.

"Ah Stein, I assume you felt Huang-ti's presence as well?" replied Lord Death.

Stein nodded as he lit a cigarette. "I think half the school did. The faculty are trying to keep the students in check, but a direct response might be necessary."

Lord Death nodded as he stroked his chin. "It might, it might indeed. Well, all we can do is watch! If he gets past Kid and the others, then we'll have to see, but for now all we can do is wait."

Stein sighed as he smoked. "Marie won't be happy with waiting. And if Crona gets hurt"

"He'll be fine Stein, have faith," said the reaper. "Have faith, after all one day they will be protecting the world, whether we want them to or not." Privately Lord Death hoped that the teens would be around for those future battles. As the Warlord's energy flared, the reaper worried more and more.

Crona landed on the outskirts of Death City, where the Warlord stood in a massive cloak and hood. Cuddled into his side was Suzaku, in short Chinese robes. And behind them, in golden robes was the new weapon Ouryū. He sported a crazed grin that seemed out of place with his perfectly styled hair and brilliant blue eyes. Even stranger was that he seemed almost like a clone of Ryuu, as if the two were twins. The Warlord looked up, a terrifying leer on his face. "This is your meister Seiryū, this twisted sad little creature?"

"Shut Up!" cried Crona. He was in his battle clothes, his black coat billowing behind him. "Warlord, you have slaughtered countless people, attempted to create Kishin weapons and disregard all forms of Life! Your soul is mine!" Ragnarok appeared in Crona's left hand and the meister charged forward.

The Warlord grinned as he jumped into the air. "Suzaku, Ouryū!" The weapons smirked as they transformed. The Warlord's cloak fell away to reveal the massively muscled monster he truly was, complete with ancient Chinese armor and helmet. "Are you prepared to die little witch?" asked the Warlord as he landed, a golden straight sword in one hand, a scarlet fan in the other.

"It isn't Crona who should be afraid," called a new voice. Death the Kid soared out of the sky, pistols at the ready. He jumped off his skateboard and landed next to Crona.

"Wahoo!" shouted Blackstar as he leapt off a building, skidding to a halt next to his friends. "You look powerful, this should be fun!"

Finally Maka landed, Soul resting on her shoulder. "So you're the Warlord, doesn't seem like much to me!"

The Warlord twitched slightly. "Insolent children, I am the Warlord Huang-ti, soon to be Emperor! So run along children, run and get the Reaper…except you Seiryū, we have business to attend to."

Crona stepped forward. "Anything you w-w-want to say to Ryuu, you say to me."

"Us as well," said Kid as the others fell in line with Crona. "Because here at the DWMA, we stick together."

The Warlord glared, then smirked. "So be it, die foolish children!" A massive demonic barrier erupted around the group, cutting them off from Death City. "First I'll deal with you fools, then the Reaper." The crazed warrior charged forward. The Meisters scattered. Blackstar sprinted right towards the Warlord, Tsubaki in her enchanted sword form.

Thunder ripped through the city as the two clashed. And for once in his life, Blackstar found a foe as strong as him. The Warlord's left hand shot out, fan in it. Blades sprang from the ridges of the fan and almost raked Blackstar across the face. The ninja ducked back, he smirked. "Nice try, but I'm too fast for you!"

"Warlord! Up here!" shouted Maka as she came down with Soul. The heavy scythe slammed into the pavement as the Warlord dodged.

"Foolish girl!" responded the age old warrior as he turned. Only he didn't get to finish. A barrage of spirit bullets blasted him.

"Face it Warlord, you can't win!" thundered Kid from the sky.

"Erelim Flame!" roared Crona as he sprang forward, cerulean fire danced along Ryuu's edge. The pink haired meister slammed into the Warlord, hitting him square in the chest with Ryuu's blade. The Warlord rocketed back, smoke billowing from his chest.

The DWMA students all regrouped at the edge of the barrier. "Man, is that it!? What a letdown!" complained Blackstar as he leaned on his sword.

"Don't get cocky Blackstar, he might be down but he's far from out!" chastised Kid.

"Whatever! I'm gonna finish this right now! After all how can I surpass god if I can't even beat one stupid old man on my own?" With that Blackstar charged forward. "Hey Warlord, Blackstar's Big Wave!" Blackstar crashed into the half standing warrior, unleashing his spirit wave into the Warlord.

The Warlord stiffened, then, looked down at Blackstar; an evil grin split his features. "Is that all child?" Blackstar stared in shock. The Warlord backhanded Blackstar, the Warlord's arm cackled with energy.

"Blackstar!" cried Maka.

Kid charged forward. "Maka see to Blackstar! Warlord!" The young reaper unleashed a barrage of blasts.

The Warlord opened Suzaku's fan. "Vermillion shield!" A massive red barrier formed around the Warlord. All of Kid's attacks bounced away harmlessly. "You foolish children, you cannot hope to match me! Even if you defeated the other three, these Saintly Beasts are all the power I need!"

Then Crona appeared. "That's what you think! Scream Resonance Alpha!" The black and purple wave slammed into the scarlet shield. "Erelim Flame!" Sapphire flame enveloped the shield. Crona bashed his two swords into the shield, and it cracked. "Hiyah!" The shield shattered and Crona sliced at the Warlord.

The massive warrior jumped back, golden sword at the ready. "That…that's impossible!"

Crona took a ready stance. "Nothing's impossible!" His soul appeared around him. "Ryuu, let's go!"

"Yea Buddy!" answered the sword as the pair charged forward.

The Warlord tightened his grip on his sword. "So be it! Golden Dragon Slash!" A golden wave of energy sliced through the air.

"Ryuu change!" The blue broad sword changed to a tortoise shell shield. Crona thrust the shield in front of him as the energy attack slammed into him. Crona flew back from the blow.

The Warlord cocked his head to the side. "So, you not only absorbed their powers, but their weapon forms as well. Truly Seiryū you could have been one of my most powerful tools."

"Ryuu's no one's tool! Pythius Wave!" thundered Crona. Ryuu changed again into a Rochin as Crona flung the attack. The Warlord threw his fan, it sliced the Pythius wave in two. But Crona was already there. He stabbed out with Ragnarok, closing in on the Warlord, before thrusting Ryuu forward. The Rochin buried itself in Warlord's leg. He roared as he slashed wildly with his sword.

"Ignorant fool! I am a god you cannot defeat me on your own!" roared the Warlord.

"Too bad they're with us!" shouted Maka. Her scythe blade crashed into his sword, he hissed under the force of the blow. Maka spun and cut to the side.

The Warlord leapt into the air to dodge. "Insolent whelp!"

"You're not getting away that easily!" Blackstar appeared behind the Warlord and cut his back. The Warlord spun and slashed. "Too slow! Speed Star!" Blackstar unleashed a dozen attacks, but the Warlord seemed unfazed. His armor show a dozen cuts, but nothing serious.

"Blackstar back off!" roared Maka as she attacked. The Warlord spun and parried Soul's heavy blade. In the air the two dueled. As Maka kept the Warlord distracted, Kid appeared behind him, and fired. A dozen blasts hit the Warlord in the back, followed by a slice across his front. The Warlord flew backwards, smoke rising from his chest. The meisters regrouped.

"Think he's down?" asked Maka.

A growl sprang from the Warlord as he got up. Kid sighed. "I guess not."

Blackstar shifted his sword to his shoulder. "Wahoo! Let's go Tsubaki!" And the ninja charged in again.

Kid groaned as Maka shook her head. "That boy will be the end of us," murmured Maka.

Kid nodded in agreement. "At least it'll be interesting. Shall we?" Maka gave a fierce nod as the pair charged forward.

Crona watched the others. "We…we might be able to do this!"

Ryuu snorted. "What's this might shit!? Of course we can right Crona?"

Crona tightened the grip of his two weapons. "Right! Ragnarok!"

"Yea, yea," answered the heretical weapon as a pair of wings sprouted from Crona's back. Crona lunged towards the Warlord, swords at the ready. Ryuu's sword blade flashed as it cut down, followed by a swift thrust with Ragnarok. Crona unleashed a flurry of attacks that, combined with the other meisters, all hit Huang-ti. The Warlord floundered under all the attacks, he tried to parry or dodge, but there were simply too many blows.

"Vermillion Barrier!" roared the Warlord. A massive scarlet bubble pushed the teens back as the Warlord sank to one knee. Underneath the massive shield, the Warlord wiped blood from his jaw. "You have good friends Seiryū, it's almost a shame I'll have to kill them." The Warlord planted his sword in the ground as he stood up.

"Big talk from a weakling who can't fight back! This is pathetic, how can I surpass god if I can't find an opponent strong enough to prove my power!?" demanded Blackstar as he leaned on his sword.

Death the Kid spun his pistols as Maka leaned Soul against her shoulder. "I must admit, I agree with Blackstar. I was expecting a little more," commented Kid.

"Ryuu I thought you said this guy was tough!" whined Blackstar.

The sword, however, simply transformed back. The Warlord grinned. "Ah Seiryū there you are."

Ryuu fixed his coat. "The name is Ryuu. And you should stop holding back. Lord Death isn't coming, so stop stalling."

Huang-ti sighed as he cracked his neck. "I should have known, the reaper must be getting scared in his old age."

Ryuu snorted. "Ironic coming from the man who's hid like a rat for the past century."

The Warlord's eyes burned with anger. "Watch your tongue boy, lest I cut it out."

"Oh man like we're sooooo scared of an old dufus in a helmet!" jeered Blackstar.

Maka and Kid chuckled while Crona smirked. "As much as I hate to admit it, my friend's got a point, you haven't exactly shown us much," agreed Maka.

The Warlord grinned. "Is that so?" The barrier around him shattered.

"Guys be careful!" cried Ryuu.

"Too late Seiryū!" thundered the Warlord. One second he was across the street. The next, he was in front of the teens. "Golden Dragon Talons!" A dozen strikes hit the teens as Ouryū's blade flashed through the air. "Now then, AHH," a massive soul flared around the Warlord. He took a deep seated stance and slammed his fan and sword together. "Suzaku of the Air, Ouryū of Heaven! Come forth and show these heathens your power!" His soul changed to a swirl of crimson and gold. "Look at the true glory of the Yellow Emperor!" His armor fell away, and his aura expanded. The teens were hit with a wall of energy. Inside the soul, the Warlord grew, his teeth pointed, and black spiral grew all over his body. When the energy lessened, a gargantuan Kishin stood in the Warlord's place. "Bow before me, I am death incarnate! I shall replace the reaper as the one true force in this world!" He dropped his weapons; they changed back to their human forms. "Bow! Bow before my power."

Ouryū shared a look with Suzaku, then a golden blade shot out of his arm. "No, I don't think we will." Suzaku changed to a set of fan like wings which attached to Ouryū, the Golden Dragon flew up and impaled the Warlord, stabbing him right through the heart.

"Gah! Ouryū!" hissed the Warlord as he looked at his traitorous weapons.

Ouryū licked the blood off his blade, a wicked girn on his face. "Nothing personal old man….but you can't beat them, and, well, what's the fun of being a Kishin if we're enslaved to another. We want our freedom, this is the quickest way. Vermillion Slicer!" He took the wings off his back and threw both of them at the Warlord, one sliced through his chest, the other decapitated him. Ouryū caught both fans as they flew back to him. "Old fool, he relied too much on our power, without it he just couldn't sustain himself."

Meanwhile the DWMA students just watched. Confused. "Did…did they just like…kill him?" asked Maka.

"NO FAIR!" whined Blackstar. "I wanted to do that!"

Kid cocked his head to the side. "Um, that was certainly unexpected."

"It could be good?" said Maka. "Maybe they're friendly?"

Only Ryuu seemed worried. "No…NO!" He roared, then charged forward, arm blades at the ready. "Don't let them near the Warlord's soul!"

Ouryū looked up as Ryuu rushed forward. "Suzaku be a dear get the Warlord's soul, old fool didn't leave us much but that will help. As for you my erstwhile brother." Both dragon weapons had arm blades rip out of their limbs. "I would hope you take this gift and realize you're hopelessly outclassed here."

"You Dumbass!" thundered Ryuu. The pair slammed into each other, and as the others simply shot forward for the Warlord's soul, the two dragons clashed. As they fought it became clear that, though Ouryū was the stronger, Ryuu was the better fighter. Ouryū flailed wildly as he attacked, golden energy all but pouring off his blades. Ryuu dodged and parried as he circled around Ouryū.

"Is this it brother!? I expected so much more from you!" thundered Ouryū. Ryuu grinned. His arm morphed into a tortoise shell and he deflected one of Ouryū's stabs. Before Ouryū could recover, a curved arm blade thrust out. "That old trick!? It was passé when Genbu did it, you have no chance!" Only Ouryū couldn't move. "What?!" demanded the golden dragon. He looked down and he was trapped in whip link chains.

Ryuu smirked at his brother. "See Ouryū, I've learned a little."

Ouryū glowered at Ryuu. "Not enough, Hiyah!" His aura exploded, destroying the whip links. Ryuu jumped back from the outburst of energy. "Foolish little dragon. I am Ouryū of Heaven, wielder of the Hayat Soul, even with the powers of Byakko and Genbu; you can't hope to match me."

Ryuu took a new fighting stance. "Don't be so sure Ouryū, I'm not exactly like I was before." A loud shriek pierced the sky as both dragons looked back. Suzaku was entangled in Blackstar's kusigama while Kid secured the Warlord's soul. Ryuu smirked at Ouryū. "You lose…Daiki."

Ouryū's eyes flashed. "I've lost…never! Hayak Flash!" an explosion of gold light burst from Ouryū.

"No!" roared Ryuu, who shielded his eyes from the bright blast. The others all covered their eyes as well. When the light finally lessened, Ouryū and Suzaku were gone, along with the Warlord's soul.

The others all scattered. "Where did they go!?" demanded Maka.

"Oh Man! They can't just run away like that! Come Back and Fight!" screamed Blackstar as he waved his sword around.

"Did…did we win?" asked Crona as he clutched his arm.

Kid could only shrug. "I don't know."

"No," said Ryuu. The others all looked at him. "Suzaku and Ouryū are still out there, with the Warlord's soul, though, how long Suzaku will remain is the real question." Ryuu threw his coat over his shoulders, then turned to his friends. "Still, for now, I think we can count this as a victory." He shook his head and smirked. "Come on, we left a party, might as well get back to it."

The others all just stared before finally, Crona walked over. "We'll just have to wait huh?" Ryuu nodded.

Kid chuckled. "Well, if that's what all our fights with them will be like, I don't see them being too much of a problem."

"Let me at 'em! I'll take them all on and prove I'm the best!" shouted Blackstar.

Ryuu grinned slightly as he turned back to Death City. Crona appeared next to him. "Let's go," said the pink haired meister.

The others all cheered, except Kid. He looked back towards the desert, he could feel Ouryū and Suzaku's evil. But for now, they were safe.