Chapter 25: Crises at the Upper yard
The Rescue Team are still riding the Milky Way deeper into the Upper Yard. They were finally able to recover from the traps they escape from.
"Finally, we can relax for a second," Kuroko sighed in relief.
"Are you kidding?" Luffy asked. "That was probably just a warm-up for later!"
"Warm up?" Kanade asked. "You don't mean…"
"Supposedly we're gonna have to go up against one of the priests waiting on the island," Kuroko replied.
Usopp quivered. "S-So you're telling me...none of what we've just gone through, has to do with our actual ordeal?!"
"I don't know," Sanji answered. "I kind of doubt it. Especially the magnitude of that attack back at the docks. I couldn't tell you how it works but it's a serious power."
"You're right," Kuroko agreed with a frown on her face. "I hate to admit it but...It makes Sissy's railgun look like a taser. Eneru shouldn't be taken lightly and I get the instinct feeling he's watching us even now."
"That's weird. He must've been in town," Luffy said.
"I guess that's true," Kanade agreed. "He must have attacked them accurately."
"Duh~! Eneru's a God after all!" Nora said. "He's watching us from above! His eyes on us waiting for a way to kill us all!"
"Don't say stuff like that so casually," Usopp mumbled.
"Since when were you becoming such a devoted follower?" Sanji asked Nora. "You aren't even from this world."
"Just a wild guess! However, didn't you guys noticed the man who totally dominated the first attack?" Nora asked.
"Yeah I saw him," Kuroko answered. " I don't know how he did it, but he seems powerful."
"Still people said that God is great right?" Usopp questioned. "I was taught to show respect to those with powers! You don't have to mean its self-preservation!"
"Fine, but do you realize that not every God in the world is great?" Sanji questioned. "Like the God of Poverty (Luffy), or the God of Pestilence (Usopp.)"
"OH WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?" Usopp and Luffy comically yelled.
Kuroko rolled her eyes. "If you guys are done with your petty argument, we have another Sky lamprey to deal with."
As soon as she said that, the others noticed more Sky Lampreys emerging out of the Milky Road.
"AHH~! NOT ANOTHER ONE!" Usopp screamed.
Touma, Megumi, Nami, Raymond, Wannai, Natsu, Shirabe, Iona and Robin were wandering around the area looking for the others or the Going Merry. Raymond was in the front with his arms behind his back whistling.
"I never saw any tree this tall before," Megumi observed in awe.
"Yeah this is impressive," Iona added. "Still...be on your guard...If what Nami said was true, they're some dangerous people in the Upper Yard."
"If they attack us then I'll kick their asses, even that Eneru guy," Natsu smirked.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you saw what I saw," Nami grumbled.
"Well this is a problem," Raymond announced as he stopped. He and the others noticed a Milky Road separating them from the other side.
"Whoa~! It's just like that stream we took ~!" Megumi stated.
"So how do we get across?" Touma asked.
"Leave it to us~!" Megumi announced grabbing Shirabe and Iona.
"W-What do you mean?" Iona asked.
"Just transform," Megumi nodded. Shirabe and Iona just sighed as the three girls transformed into their Pretty Cure.
Lovely: Immense love spreading throughout the world! Cure Lovely!
Fortune: The stars of hope that lights up the night sky! Cure Fortune!
Muse: Strumming the tune of the goddess, Cure Muse!
"Oh wow~!" Raymond said impressed by their transformation.
"How do I get the feeling that these transformations are going to be annoying," Nami commented.
"True, but their poses are really funny," Natsu stated.
Wannai found herself being carried by Lovely, bridal style. "W-What are you doing Lovely?"
"Just hang on!" Lovely started with a smile. Lovely jumped across the Milky Road with Wannai holding onto her, landing on the other side safety.
"Holy crap~!" Natsu announced. "They made it~!"
"Good idea Lovely," Muse said. "We can get across there faster if the three us carry one person across.
"I'll carry Touma across," Fortune volunteered.
"Red Alert~! Touma has another girl into his harem~!" Raymond announced.
"I-It's not like that~!" Fortune snapped. "It just I don't want his hand to rip off Cure Muse's outfit."
"Why is that the first thing you think of?!" Touma snapped annoyed.
"Let's just get this over with," Fortune scoffed as she carried Touma. "Just try not to touch my outfit."
"Okay," Touma rolled his eyes. Fortune jumped successfully without any incident followed by Cure Muse who jumped after.
"Aren't you going to help the others?" Touma asked.
"They said they're going to try a different way," Muse answered.
Before anyone could ask, they heard Raymond yelling a Tarzan like shout as he swung across the Milky Road and landed safely. "TADA~!"
Lovely clapped amazed. "Wow~! That was impressive Raymond~! I wish I could do that!"
"Still...was that yell necessary?" Muse questioned with a sweatdropped.
"Of course it is, you can never swing on vines in the jungle without screaming~!" Raymond nodded.
"He's lost his mind," Nami sweatdropped.
"Here's the vine~!" Raymond called out as he brought it back to Nami and the others.
"My turn~!" Natsu excitedly said. He grabbed the vine and wasted no time swinging across. "AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA_URP~!"
He was even halfway there and Natsu was already feeling motion sickness. "Someone get me off this thing~!"
"Seriously?! Even on vines, he gets motion sickness!?" Fortune exclaimed.
"That was an odd yell," Raymond stated.
"I-I don't think it was a yell," Wannai sweatdropped.
Luckily Natsu got to the others side but fell face first into the ground. Robin went next swinging across without any shouting. Once she was across only Nami remained.
"Okay...this seems easy enough," Nami thought out loud. However, once she caught the vine. She looked down by how deep it was. "W-Wow...that's pretty height."
"You can do it Nami!" Megumi cheered.
"Be careful!" Robin called out. "If you fall you most certainly die!"
"Yeah~! There might be some sky sharks waiting to eat your flesh," Raymond added.
"You guys seriously need to stop trying to give "encouragement," Muse said with air quotes.
"IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR IDEA OF HELPING!?" Nami comically yelled at the two. She took a deep breath and closed herself eyes before jumping and swinging across.
However, she realized she was going too fast. She opened her eyes and noticed she was going straight line into a tree. "AHH! I'M GOING TO FASTS~!"
Robin sprouts multiple arms stopping Nami before she could crash into the tree. "Well look at that...you're not gutless."
Nami collapsed onto her knees exhausted. "T-Thank you for catching me, Robin."
"Any time…" Robin answered as she walked ahead.
"That woman is really...something," Fortune commented.
"Well I like her, I'm always into those quiet and emotionless types,' Raymond said.
"Really?" Touma asked.
"Yup I'm also into Catgirl, maids and spandex. Apparently that what Karine had said," Raymond shrugged.
"I guess Robin isn't the only one that's strange," Muse said.
"You know you would've gone better if you did the "AHAHAHAAH!" call," Natsu stated.
"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT~!" Nami protested angrily.
Cynthia breathing heavily while carrying an unconscious boy on her back. She could hear the battle going in the distance. She wanted to be sure that she was far away from that priest, but close enough to lend a hand if the others were in trouble.
Once she found a good spot, she set the boy down and stared at his left mangled arm. Granted she really didn't want to see the wounds, but it turned out to be dented. The boy's entire left arm was mechanical. Cynthia didn't notice it before because of the fake skin cover the arm. There were couple dents where Holly bit off.
"...So his arm isn't real," Cynthia said to herself as she stepped back. "How did this hap-!"
Cynthia was cut out of her thoughts when a wall emerged from the ground between her and Imona. Before she could realize it, Cynthia was struck in the stomach by a ground formed fist that emerged out of the wall. Due to exhaustion, Cynthia landed on her back looking close to passing out.
The wall was then lowered revealing a woman in front of the boy. She wore a red and white komodo and her was long and pink.
"...Inomi? Is that you…?" The boy weakly asked. The woman nodded smiling that he was okay. However, once she noticed his mangled arm, the woman emitted a dark aura around her body.
"Gh…" Cynthia raised her a bit to see her attacker, but Inomi placed her hand on the ground. She summoned ground molding bounds around her neck, waist and limbs pinning her down and purposely tightening the one around her next.
Cynthia gagged and struggled helplessly trying to pull her hands out of the binds. Unfortunately, that only made her conscious weaker due to the lack of air.
"W-Wait Inomi~!" The boy called out when he realized what she was doing. " Please don't kill her~! S-She and three other girls saved me from Ohms and Holly!"
Inomi eyes softened a bit as she releases the holding Cynthia's neck and limbs. Cynthia only had enough energy to slowly turned her head and watched Inomi walking away before passing out.
Cure Beat screamed in pain while being launched in the air by Holly's punches. She landed hard on her back, but she quickly flipped back up and jumped back when the dog swipes down where she landed.
"This is bad…" Cure Beat said breathing heavily. Despite landing a ton of hits on the giant canine beast, it seems that he never lose fatigue. It was still standing on its hind legs and pulling out punches like a boxer would do. "No matter how hard I hit him, he's not even tired…!"
Holly's expression suddenly changed from active and confident to shivering in fear when he noticed Inomi behind Cure Beat.
"Eh…?" Beat blinked a few times in confuse when she noticed Holly taking a few steps back before turning around and scurried away from her. "...What just happened?"
Inomi walked past Beat who jumped back, startled to find her beside her. "W-Who are you?"
The woman ignored her as she continued walking forward. Beat stood there dumbstruck but shook it off and followed her to back up Melody and Ruby.
"This is really sad…" Ohm sobbed while covering his mouth. "Two souls struggling to fight...It's best I should put them out of their misery."
Ohm's stood in tears as he stared down at his two opponents. Ruby laid sprawled face down with her weapon beside her. Her cape was ripped a bit and blood was forming on her leg. Cure Melody laid sprawled on her side beside Ruby. There was a slash mark on her arm and a few on her outfit. Both of them were motionless.
"Even though they knew that they can't defeat me…they still try like they have a chance to…" Ohm sobbed. "I will grant them their wishes and end their sufferin-"
"WOOF~!" Holly panicked as he appeared behind Ohm, trembling in fear.
"What's the matter, boy? Did you take care of the other two?" Ohm asked.
Holly whimpered a bit frightened when he looked up. Ohm followed his gaze and glared at the two girls appearing.
"O-Oh my god," Beat stated in shock. "M-Melody...Ruby!"
"Well if it isn't the brat's saviour," Ohm mocked quietly. "I presume you're here to save your little abomination you call a son."
"Son?" Beat turned to Inomi who glared darkened from his words.
Without warning, Inomi placed her hand in a molding-make position and slammed her fist on the ground. Ohm quickly leaped up to a branch as a stalagmite appeared where he was.
"W-What the?" Beat didn't notice what just happened due to how fast it was. She only saw a Stalagmite appearing where Ohm's was.
Inomi glanced at Beat and gesture her to help her friends up from below. Beat nodded and jumped down towards them.
Ohm grabbed his sword glancing down at Beat. "If you think I'm going to let you save your friends from their fait, then you're mistaken. Eisen Whip!"
Ohm unleashed his sword which extended into a whip heading towards Beat who didn't have much time to evade it. Suddenly two magical circles appeared beside Beat, summoning two giant snakes made out of vearth. The snakes collided with the whip cancel each other out. Beat was sent flying from the after effect landing hard on the ground.
"Damn you," Ohm cursed at that Inomi. He then flung his iron sword whip at the silent woman who summoned multiple ground snakes to counterattack.
Once she was on the ground, Cure Beat slowly rolled on her back, witnessing the battle above her. "T-This is intense...Are these Priests really that powerful?"
Beat realized that broken parts of the snake were falling on the ground almost close to Ruby and Melody. She stood up and summoned her guitar. "Beat Barrier!"
The purple barrier formed around her, Melody and Ruby protecting them from the debris coming from the fierce battle in the air. Beat could just stare at the explosion which helped her stay conscious.
Luffy and the rescue team were in the middle of dealing with a school full of Lampreys emerging from the Milky Road.
"GAH~! SKY LAMPREYS!" Usopp yelled frightened.
"Hey, what do you think would those things taste good with some salt?" Luffy asked.
"Why is your stomach the first thing to speak in situations like this!?" Kuroko asked facepalming.
"Never thought I say this, but now's not the time to be trading recipes," Sanji agreed.
"How does that work?! You know what whatever…" Kanade just shook it off and grabbed her device out. "I'll help out too."
Kanade transformed into Cure Rhythm and quickly jumped and high kicked an incoming lamprey that came from the side, launching it off the cloud sea. Nora fire grenades at the lamprey's mouth exploding from the inside. Sanji and Luffy took care of the front while Nora and Rhythm fought the back. Kuroko made sure to prepare herself if any of them fall off.
"I hate Sky Island…" Usopp grumbled. "They're scary."
Kuroko turned to the coward. "You want to get off here?"
"What kind of question is that!?" Usopp retorted. "You want me to die! I'm allowed to be scare you know!"
Luffy noticed something up in the distance. "Hey~! Look there's a giant head blocking our way!"
"Not quite. It's a statue," Sanji corrected.
"But it looks like a dead end," Luffy said.
"Hey look there are four entrances we can go to!" Nora announced. Just like she said the giant statue Luffy saw reveal four entrances.
"Great," Sanji groaned. "How much you want to bet this lead to different places.".
Once they got close Kuroko read out loud. "Ordeal of Swamp, Iron, String and Spheres...?"
"Cool~! We get to pick an ordeal?" Nora exclaimed with excitement.
"Is it just me or does none of these things sound much like an ordeal?" Rhythm questioned a bit puzzled.
"Looks can be deceiving," Kuroko warned. "Whatever we choose will decide if we have an easy time or a hard time."
Next Chapter: The Devil's New Victim