Chapter 29 - Mechanical War

Pokota shuffled backwards until a heel came in contact with a rock. His body immediately dropped to the ground but he kept shuffling away. Only when he reached the edge of the cliff did he stop moving and watched the man in Gourry's body inch closer and closer. Pokota was completely shaken from the fight. He watched helplessly as this robot literally minced Lina and the others. Pulling his legs to his chin, Pokota shook tremendously and pressed his face hard against his knees. Instead of stopping in front of him, Hell-Master went next to his crouched body and stared out at the thick woods under his sight.

"This world is fading away fast." His hands clutched together behind his back, Hell-Master squinted his eyes slightly to pinpoint his view on the little cabin. "And humans are the cause of its extinction."

"Humans believe they are the mighty ruler of this world. I am simply demonstrating that there is a superior existence worthy of putting an end to their foolish reality." Finally turning his body to the tiny robot, Hell-Master paused to watch Pokota frequently glance between him and his knees. "I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't true."

"B-But…" His whiny voice piped. "My friends-"

"Your friends," Hell-Master dove straight to him, his nose just inches away from Pokota's nose. "They see you as a piece of metal trash." He grabbed the sides of his head and Pokota's eyes flung wide as Hell-Master bashed their foreheads together, forcing him to look straight into his dark navy orbs.

"You heard it for yourself. They want to get rid of the Lithium mine. They want to destroy every part of our existence. They want to get rid of us." Pokota tried to move his head away but Hell-Master pulled his attention back.

"Your dear friends want to see you dead." It was true. Everything he said was true. But, why? Pokota pulled his head back to the top of his knees when Hell-Master let go of him. Why did he want to stay true to those selfish fleshy beings? Those ridiculous humans want to obliterate the robots. His 'friends' want to get rid of him, Lina said so. So, why is Pokota being resistant? Why is he still being hesitant?

"Help us, Pokota." A sturdy hand positioned in front of his eyes. "Help your true brothers and sisters. Help us survive this war and bring upon peace to our existence." Staring intently at the solid offer, it took Pokota all his inner strength to lift his own hand and take the offer. He was quickly pulled off the dirt and spun around to face the thick woods that lay below the hanging cliff that they were standing on. He could see the tiny cabin that was being illuminated by the hovering blue moon above them and the large army of robots advancing menacingly towards them. It was a large army.


"THIS IS STUPID." Martina's bad tempered complaints increased as time passed. Exhausted and absolutely frustrated, Filia turned to her snobby partner and growled at her in the quietest way possible.

"Will you SHUT UP? You will get us KILLED."

"It is not my fault." Martina pulled the tip of her nose upward and crossed her thin arms over her chest. "I would have preferred to be with my beautiful husband, than be partnered with you." Unfortunately for Filia, she was teamed with Martina, who had arrived with Zangulas to help out with their clash with the robots. They were placed coordinately at the eastern side of the mountain while Xellos and Zangulas were at the opposite side. Amelia and Zelgadiss held the front entrance of the closed Lithium mine, and Milgazia circled the south end of the mountain in the tank. They were each divided and positioned so when the robot army arrived, they would be able to hold off all sides and block any robots from entering the mine. Notably though, Lina was still disabled from the sudden lapse with the Lithium and none of them knew when she was going to recover from it. So, it was just them and their overused weapons against highly mechanical creatures with technology that could easily annihilate them.

"You're not the only one." Filia grumbled beneath her breath. She meant it for herself, except Martina heard it at another approach.

"Oh, I see." She giggled with her face scrunched to the middle. "You'd rather be with your metal lover-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Filia caught herself from tripping and angrily faced her but Martina gave a mischievous smirk that got her to regret starting this. She merely opened her mouth and Filia quickly defended herself. "That Namagomi and I are NOT together!"

"I know what love looks like." Martina twirled her Sais annoyingly at the tip of Filia's nose. "I have fallen in love with multiple men until I found my true love in the most unlikely of places, at a bar." She withdrew her handheld weapon while Filia threatened silently to use her spiky mace.

"You cannot fool me, Filia."

"I am not-"

"Then why are you so angry? Only a person so much in love would be so angry when denying it." Martina rolled her eyes when Filia said nothing. "Denial will only anger you for refusing to accept your truest emotion and you can only blame yourself when you end up sad, alone, and old." She stopped herself when she saw the developing sadness erupting in Filia's eyes and quickly changed her pathway.

"It's practically the end of the world!" She raised her arms in the air to alter Filia's train of thought and it succeeded, Filia was looking at her with confusion now. Placing her hands on her sharp shoulders, Martina grinned at Filia with all her teeth showing. "So, what more can you lose?"

"My pride and sanity." She told her and Martina shrugged her one shoulder.

"You lost your sanity when you fell in love and well, you're going to lose your pride when you confess to him." With that, the gypsy queen turned around and return to patrolling the area. Filia stood there, watching Martina's backside. Truth be told, what more can she lose? She already lost her business, her home, her friends, and her beloved son. Xellos and her closest friends were the only ones left. And losing him the first time suffocated her so the very thought of losing him forever made her knees weak and her body to hunch forward. It hurt the pit of her stomach and her heart.

"Do you hear that?" Martina asked suddenly, breaking Filia's trailing thoughts.

"Hear what?" Uncurling her arms from her waist, Filia looked around her surroundings, her ears doubling in size. "I don't hear anything."

"That's what I'm worried about." The trinkets in Martina's skirt hit against each other as she twirled her entire body to face Filia. "I don't hear anything." Unexpectedly, in the camouflage of the darkness, hands from beneath the ground burst around their feet and grabbed at their ankles. Martina and Filia screamed instantly at the sudden attack and kicked their way to freedom.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Martina bounced around in fear that another pair of hands would grab at her feet again. The two watched in broken silence as more hands broke through the tough surface and decaying human bodies crawled out from beneath their graves. Within seconds, the two ladies were completely surrounded.

"It's the Lithium." Filia muttered with bated breath. "Hell-Master brought the dead back using the Lithium."

"Oh my- IT'S DISGUSTING!" Martina released a high-pitch screech and began swinging her Sais everywhere, clearly missing each opponent. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" Filia swung her heavy iron mace to the closest undead walker. When a dead hand grabbed onto her shoulder, she grabbed the large portable flamethrower that was strapped on her back. Filia twisted out of the hold and launched a wave of fire at the surrounding zombies. She called out for Martina to move and when she did; Filia turned her weapon to the remaining undead creatures behind her and toasted them to ashes.

"Here." Filia shoved the flamethrower into Martina's hands. "You take this."

"B-But what about you?" She was obviously not expecting dead humans to be resurrected.

"I've got my HMG and iron mace. I'll be fine." Filia smiled confidently and Martina just nodded. As the gypsy strapped the immense weapon to her back, Filia looked around for anymore enemies and heard several gun fires from the distance. It was from Zelgadiss and Amelia's direction at first then she heard the loud blasts of her tank. The robots were advancing at random.

"We can hold them for now… but for how long?" In the process of questioning aloud, Filia wasn't watching where she was stepping and took a step into a soft area of the ground thus broke through the dirt. She yelped when her entire body dropped straight down into the middle of a well dug-out tunnel beneath the ground. Martina crawled straight over, she was careful to not get sucked in like her partner.

"Filia!" She looked into the dark hole and thanks to the moon; she was able to make out Filia's hurt expression. "Filia, are you alright?" Martina called out to her and Filia responded with a slight groan. She fluttered her eyelids open and moved her head from side to side.

"I'm… fine." She mumbled and sat up to her elbows. Just when she did that, a low-pitch growl came from behind her head. Before Filia got a chance to look, a pair of rotten arms drew out from the darkness of the tunnel and grabbed her by around her neck.

"FILIA!" Martina screamed when her partner was pulled into the darkness of the tunnel. With full intent of following her, Martina was interrupted when she spotted a big mechanical being standing over her with the end of its sword pointed at her face. Expertly dodging the attack by tossing her body to the side, the robot followed the acrobatic woman across the dark field until she landed on top of its shoulders and stabbed her Sais deep into the robot's neck, decapitating it.


Filia twisted and turn as the zombie who had a hold of her dragged her through the dark tunnel. She was in the middle of kicking a pair of hands off her calves when she was pulled out of the tunnel and tossed to an open area. Filia picked herself off the ground and took her machine gun from her waist. Dragged far away from the forest and finding herself in the deserted mines outside of Saillune, Filia stared at the immense number of undead creatures around her. They should have known Hell Master was going use the dead humans to fight amongst them. Humans killing each other, it was all to sustain his sick and twisted pleasure in all of this. She began launching her rapid bullets and slaughtered a great number until she ran out of ammo.

"Fine." Filia dumped her trusty gun and switched to her handheld weapon. "I'm better at this one." She swung desperately with both hands. Smashing brainless heads to the ground and colliding collapsible skeletons with each other; it wasn't long when she started feeling the aftermath and without any stamina left, dropped to her knees. She looked up to see new dead clawing out of the ground and slowly making their way to her.

"Fuck." Filia spat her overused saliva to the ground and achingly forced herself to her feet. She was out of breath and absolutely exhausted. Lifting her mace high above her head, the heavy weight of the weapon tilted her balance and caused her to fall backwards. They were moving closer and closer, preying on the fresh flesh in front of them and Filia desperately tried to lift her weapon but with no success.

"FUCK." She cursed loudly and looked around for a lighter weapon. There was nothing.

"FUCK!" Nobody was around therefore she permitted the atrocious language to express oneself for this appropriate moment. Unfortunately for her, there was somebody around. Filia saw him when he stopped in front of her, facing her with a stern expression on his face. Her mouth dropped slightly from the shock and her eyes grew triple. She didn't acknowledge the fact the he just cut down the rest of the living undead and saved her, or that he had blood splattered everywhere on his clothes and held the decapitated head of Beast Master Zelas dangling in his hand.


The robot's head broke into pieces when her tiny fist burst through its skull and her thick legs swung over her own head to dodge the second robot's sword. Amelia landed on the tips of her feet and jabbed a hundred hits into a robot's chest until her fist went through.

"Zelgadiss!" She called out when she saw robots making their way past the heavy trees. Besides her, Zelgadiss sliced an enemy in half with his sword and turned his head to see the incoming array. Letting out a soft curse word, Zelgadiss grabbed Amelia's free hand and dragged her to their hiding spot behind a large boulder before they were spotted.

"We'll die if this keeps up." Amelia shuddered at the mention of death. "You need to set the blockade and barricade them out of this area." Zelgadiss took two flint rocks out of his inner jacket pocket and grabbed Amelia's hand; he placed the rocks in her palm. "You know what to do-"

"Zelgadiss." Amelia dropped the rocks to the ground so she can grasp Zelgadiss's face with both hands and stare straight at him with unblinking eyes. Within seconds, their lips were locked together and tongues tasting one another's mouths. "Z-Zel…" Their mouths separated and saliva dripped to their chins. Her lips shaking and tears already developing in her eyes, Amelia held on to him tightly.

"Don't die."

"You fool." Zelgadiss smiled at her innocent request and wiped away any hint of tears from her face. He kissed her chubby cheeks and gave her one last kiss on her lips again. "I already told you," Zelgadiss buried his nose into her hair to smell her scent. "The only thing that can kill me is you."

"Still…" Amelia whined. "Be careful." She gave his cheek one last caress before he ultimately left her side. Shooting rapid bullets from his revolvers, Zelgadiss caught the attention of all the robots in their area and averted them away. Amelia grabbed the flint stones from the ground and with all the energy she didn't waste, she sprinted away from the cave entrance and deep into the forest. Tumbling and tossing her tiny body to prevent getting seen, Amelia spotted the makeshift barrier made of thick bushels of sand and hay that ran across the forest floor and dove behind it. She clumsily tapped the two flint rocks together until finally catching the barrier on fire. The bright flame burned quickly through the hay and followed the trail of the barrier, making a ring of fire around the mountain. Amelia ran away as fast as she can now. She didn't know what will happen next. As the fire burned through the sand and hay, there was a secret dose of Lina's secret family gunpowder recipe under the stack and incorporated with it was a hint of active Lithium. Once the fire made contact with the Lithium, the color of the flames changed to black and it burned through the robot's metal skin and dissolved any Lithium that was inside. The black fire stopped more than enough of the robots from coming closer and it gave the humans more of a chance.


Xellos coughed out immense amount of blood as the weight over his chest became unbearable. Nearby Filia was watching, her hands covering her face partially. Her son was standing over Xellos, stabbing him repeatedly in his chest with a grin.

"You're killing him!" Filia shoved between him and Xellos, her upper body draped over Xellos's bleeding stomach and successfully stopped Val's attack.

"Move!"

"You're killing him!" She wrapped her long arms around Xellos's neck and continued to shield him. Still hurling blood from his mouth, Xellos choked loudly against Filia's chest, his eyes squeezing painfully. Snarling, Val pierced the tip of his golden sword through the ground beneath him and pointed angrily at the dying robot in his mother's arms.

"He's a murderer. He killed all those people. He killed my parents. He deserves to DIE-"

"Don't say that! It's not true-"

"HE FRAMED YOU WITH THE MURDERS, FILIA!" Val tried to remove Xellos from her arms. Filia held on tighter, her face pressed against Xellos's cheek. "LET HIM GO! HE IS THE ONE WHO MADE OUR LIVES A LIVING HELL! HE NEEDS TO DIE!"

"No… That's not…" Filia's soft voice cut through his screaming. "That's not true…"

~*~ Flashback ~*~

"When I heard that the Council had a job for us," Lina looked at the group of men and women that sat across the table. "I didn't expect this." In front of her, there was a sketching of a boy.

"Our sources tell us that the village has been working for the robots from the start and planning to use this child for future human exterminations." The head Council man leaned slightly forward. Unlike the other elderly members, the head man was young and tall with dark long hair and a beautiful face. "This child can possibly produce additional annihilation to the human kind. We need your expertise to seize the child and exterminate the village."

"And what are you planning to do with the child after we seize him? ARE YOU GOING TO KILL HIM TOO?" Filia barked at the end of the table. Instantly, Milgazia gave her a harsh glance, making her pin her lips together. The big room got silent. Lina sighed; she leaned her slender face against her knuckle and smiled slightly at the Council.

"I wonder," She chuckled softly. "Who told you this information? Who is this SOURCE?"

"Whom we get our information is none of your concern." One of the Council women snorted. "Do you and your heartless collection of killers agree to this assignment or shall we go to our next option?"

"What is your next option?" The leader of the killers asked. When none of them said anything, the redhead recovered her right hand from under the table and showed off her revolver. The Council stared at the sharp weapon in her hand and exchanged glances at each other, except for the young man. He kept his eyes still on the redhead's smirk. The silent threat worked and the older members of the Council revealed their secret.

"We discovered an assassin that will work for minimal pay. He will annihilate the village and retrieve the child for us."

"Minimal pay…" Lina scoffed. "What kind of monster would murder an entire village for minimal pay?"

"What kind of monster, indeed." The young leader said with a smile. Glancing at the man's expression, the woman with red hair stayed silent until one of the Council men tossed a rather large sack to the middle of the table. The opening of the sack spilled gold coins across the wooden plank.

"Obviously," Another scoffed. "You won't take minimal pay." Smirking at the comment made, Lina stood up from her chair while stuffing her revolver back into its holster.

"I heard enough." She turned away from the gold coins and the knowledgeable Council. "Find someone else to do your dirty work."

"Those robots are going to kill-"

"I have principles." Her hand waved nonchalantly near the side of her face, indifferent to the Council's words.

"Principles will not stop this war!" An elder Council man shouted in his seat. The redhead let out a high-pitch scoff and stuck her nose in air.

"And killing our own kind will not stop this war, either." Ushering her group to follow, the experienced league of killers walked out of high Council's office except for Filia. Just as she stepped out of the room and the double doors closed behind her, she slipped to the side and waited for her team to leave. Once her colleagues left her sight, Filia turned to the doors and pushed silently so she can peer through a small crack.

"Unpredictable." The elders of the Council exhaled. "Lina Inverse, the short-tempered and destructive huntress, refusing a great ton of money." As the elderly men and women turned to leave the room, their young leader stayed sitting on his seat. He sat silently in the dark room and waited patiently for his colleagues to leave the room. Finally, he was alone and turned his head to the side when a cheery voice chuckled from the dark corner of the room. The wide-eyed woman watched as a dark figure stepped out of the shadows and slowly made his way to the table. His back was turned to her and she couldn't make out anything except for the heavy chain links holding his wrists and ankles together. The man pulled out a chair from the table and sat down comfortably.

"You chuckled." The Council man said and the man in chains nodded.

"I did."

"Do you enjoy killing off your own kind?" He suddenly asked. The man in chains let out another chuckle and shrugged his shoulders.

"Those pompous old fools held me against my will for 12 years." The man said aloud. "12 years of living unaccompanied in a 10 by 8 prison cell in complete darkness." His body leaned slightly forward and the woman at the door saw long purple locks touching the sides of the man's face.

"12 years of lost sanity." The edge of the man's lips spread across to a large and wicked grin. "How do you know if I can still get the job done?"

"I believe you are capable." The head Council man revealed a small key made of iron and the man fidgeted in his seat. It was the key to his freedom. "Unless… you don't think so, human."

"Human?" Filia questioned softly and continued to listen. Glancing between the key between his fingers and the man's emotionless face, the man in the chains snorted lightly and lifted his hands to the table.

"Only the boy?"

"Dead or alive, it is essential for his body to remain unscathed." Throwing the small key to the man, he watched as the prisoner quickly began unlocking his wrists free. "Everyone else is insignificant."

"Will they be expecting me?" Finally free, the caged man massaged his sore wrists and ankles. "I mean, they ARE working with the robots."

"Are they now?" The Council man smirked evilly and his dark eyes released a bright red shine. Filia released a sharp gasp, both her hands clamped over her mouth to cover it. He was a robot.

~*~ Flashback ended ~*~

Val's eyes were wide as Filia spoke. "I thought… protect the village?" He asked softly.

"No. We were assigned to kidnap you and destroy the village," The woman released a crackling whine. "But Lina didn't take the job… She knew something suspicious was going on and she was right." She immediately broke into a dry choke. "The robots had infiltrated the Zephilia Council and that robot wanted you without any consideration for the other villagers."

"But y-you couldn't let him." He muttered with a weak smile.

"It was going to happen that night…" Filia shuddered. "While everyone was asleep, I went alone." She withdrew her face from Xellos's bloody neck and looked upon Val's expression. "However, when I got there, the extermination had already started." Her voice was low and monotone. "While innocent lives were being slaughtered around me-"

"Fi…" Xellos called out, his shaking hand grabbed Filia's shoulder. He wanted her to stop.

"So many people were dying…" Her voice was scratchy from the developing tears. Xellos watched with weakened eyes as the large rolls of water leaking down Filia's face. "And I didn't do anything…"

"I let them die." Filia kept talking as Xellos shook his head desperately. He gripped her shoulder, silently trying to make her stop talking.

"Then," Turning her head to look upon Xellos, she spoke softly through her large tears. "I saw you… with him."

~*~ Flashback ~*~

With her arms wrapped tightly around the young boy's body, this outsider held the boy against her bosom with her face pressed against the top of his head. He had a hood over his head, his face blocked in darkness and dressed in a black cloak that covered his entire body; it would be impossible for anybody to know his identity unless he revealed himself.

"Give me the boy." He tilted his weapon toward her head. Her eyes flung open when she saw the end of his Magnum moved closer to her face until it pressed fully in between her eyes.

"Please… Don't take him…" Almost instantly, the weight of the magnum felt heavier but it didn't trouble him. Annoyed by her thick hair that was covering her face; he reached over with his free hand and scooped several of the long strands away. The moment his fingertips touched the soft material, he knew he made his first mistake and paused abruptly. It reminded him of the tiny blanket that once covered him. He spent his wretched life within caged walls and his only companion was a piece of soft layer that kept him warm in his cold prison. Letting his fingers run through those gold threads reminded him of those feeble, vulnerable emotions.

"Take me… Not him." Her voice returned him to reality and he pulled quickly away from her golden hairs. She winced at his fast movement, releasing a louder whine. "PLEASE!"

"Give me," He dove his hand between their bodies and grabbed the little green-haired boy's forearm, making him cry out louder. "GIVE ME THE BOY!"

"No!" The boy's tiny hands gripped the woman's shirt and held onto her tightly.

"PLEASE, DON'T!" The woman tried to pull him back but the heartless murderer had already taken the boy out of her arms and immediately aimed his weapon straight at her. She froze at the sight of the large barrel handgun, her hair partially covering most of her expression, but the sight of the weapon didn't stop her.

"Please…" Even with the boy's loud wailing in the background, he could hear her shaking vocals. The woman was on her knees and palms, looking up at him. "Please, not him. Please, he is just a child-"

"He is not going to die." Locking the hammer mechanism on his gun, he wrapped his finger around the trigger and shoved the end of the barrel between her eye sockets. "But, you on the other hand… you will die."

The woman closed her eyes and awaited the bullet to go through her head. He was about to pull the trigger until a rush of cool air blew past their bodies and her long hair flew off her slender face allowing him to see her fully. The finger around the trigger froze from the sight of her. Soft pink lips partially open with her eyes closed, she was prepared to die. He stared at her through wide lens. Was she not going to plead for her life like everyone else did today?

"Promise me." His lungs ached for air; he didn't know when he stopped breathing. Opening her eyes to reveal bright golden orbs that matched her hair, the woman looked upon his hooded outfit. Her eyes tried to find his eyes; however all she saw was blackness. "He will be safe."

"N-No…" The young boy sobbed louder next to the man.

"P-Promise me." Her strong voice cracked slightly. "Promise me, please." Fresh tears trailed out of her gold eyes and dripped from her chin. Not even a single protest to keep her life, rather all she wanted was the boy to be safe. This boy was his key to freedom and he could care less what was awaiting the boy. All he cared about was being free… right?

Staring deep into her strong gaze and the tears that were flowing out from it, it was the first time he looked away. However, it was there he spotted a solution and without saying a word, he threw the sobbing boy back into the arms of the woman who broke his will. She held the boy tighter than ever, refusing to never let him go, but watched the executioner walk away to a pile of corpses nearby. Shoving several bodies out of his way, he stopped when he found the perfect sized little boy that looked the same age of the vessel. He picked the dead boy with jet black hair out of the pile and carried him over his shoulder. He had found another boy; scrawny with a smaller frame and pale skin.

"W-Why…?" The woman gasped out when he walked past her with the second selection. "Why did you…" As he turned around to face her, the angle of the moon revealed half of his face. Her eyes widen when the edges of his lips curled slightly, giving off a smirk.

"That's a secret." It was only shortly afterwards did Xellos's body failed to accept the Lithium and his desire for freedom was never realized.

~*~ Flashback ended ~*~

It was because of him that his home died. Val stared with disbelief at Filia and Xellos. It was finally revealed to him the truth of his past. The bounty hunters were assigned to destroy his home, his friends, and his life for the Council, only the Council was controlled by robots, by the Outlaw Four, and they needed his body. Why did they want his body? Was there something they needed from his body? What was wrong with his body?

"Val?" Filia reached her hand over and touched his cheek gently. He retaliated instantly at her touch. A hard hand smacked Filia across the face and sent her a few yards away. She dropped loudly against the ground, her back rubbed harshly against the dirt.

"Fi..." Xellos struggled. He cared less about the dark blood flowing out of his mouth and more about the woman laying on her side; she was not moving. He called out to her shakily but she was still not moving. Val stomped quickly over to his fallen adopted mother and grabbed the back of her head, lifting her forcefully off the dirt. Her eyelids fluttered open and looked upon the crazed teenager standing over her.

"What did they want with me?"

"Val…" Filia whispered out, her tears were still leaking out from the edges of her eyes. "Please-"

"WHAT DID THOSE ROBOTS WANT WITH ME?" He roared in anger. His eyes were filled with confusion, anger, and empty fulfillment.

"First vessel…" Whipping his head around, Val looked at Xellos. "You were the first vessel."


The black flames blocked the army from getting any closer to the Lithium mines. However, they had already crossed over a long time ago and were walking silently through the walkway of the large cave. Silently together, Pokota approached the final stone slab that he did not manage to open the last time and behind him, Hell-Master impatiently waited. Pokota looked upon the single stone piece and raised his right hand to unlock the slab. Except when he placed his hand on the stone, the meager door opened effortlessly. His eyes slightly widen. It was already open.

"Move." Hell-Master did not notice and shoved past him. Following after him, Pokota stopped next to Hell-Master at the sight of the large fragments of Lithium crystals sticking out from every part of the cave. From the walls, ceilings, ground, and every corner, the rock formations rose out the solid surface and flickered lively hues of different colors. With every twinkle of light, a soft hum echoed throughout the cave, creating a forgiving song that cringe the emotions within.

"Impressive." Hell-Master gasped from beneath his breath. Pokota watched him released a growing laugh, his back hunching back and forth to support his balance. His laughter ceased eventually and he looked at Pokota with a devilish grin.

"Eternal life is a privilege." Lowering himself to one knee, the man in Gourry's body reached down to touch the sharp tip of an extending crystal. "And I deserve this grand privilege." Just as his fingertips grazed against the sharpness of the crystal, it was unexpectedly shattered by a swift bullet. Hell-Master whipped his head around and spotted the smoking revolver standing behind Pokota.


The blade of the golden sword pierced through Xellos's stomach and the ground beneath him, he cringed at the penetration but continued to laugh weakly.

"What's so funny?" Val swiped the Magnum that Xellos held weakly in his hand. He pulled back the locking mechanism on the long revolver and aimed it at the center of Xellos's chest. Still laying on her side, Filia struggled to get off the ground. Both cheeks bruised and her left shoulder bleeding from a previous attack from Val, Filia flipped her loose hair out of her face at the sound of the lock.

"After this," Val's finger wrapped around the trigger, "You won't be able to come back."

"About… time." Xellos chuckled breathlessly. Snarling loudly, Val tugged on the trigger and set free a loud gunshot.

"NO!" Filia screamed out, her hand reaching out towards Xellos. The bullet had already pierced through his chest and it was an instant murder shot.

"No, no, no!" Swiftly shuffling her way through the dirt, Filia staggered to Xellos's side and grabbed his thin shoulders.

"Xellos." She shook him gently at first. "Xellos!" With no response, she violently shook him. "XELLOS!" She shrieked so sharply that the forest resonate her voice throughout it. His heavy bangs blocked his expressionless face, the growing cold and paleness of his skin made Filia withdraw her hands.

"N-No…" She tucked her curled fingers under her chin, her throated clogged with tightness. He was finally gone. Filia let out a roaring bawl and covered her wet face with her hands, her body curled forward and rested on Xellos's shoulder. Snorting, Val grabbed the handle of his sword and pulled the sharp blade out of its hold. He placed the pointy tip of the blade next to Filia's shaking head and smirked.

"He saved you…" Filia sobbed through her fingers. "He sacrificed being human so you can live…"

"He only prolonged my death." Turning her head to look upon his face, Filia met the crazed red eyes of her once-beloved son. A wicked smile spread across his pale face.

"Are you going to kill me, Val?" Filia questioned and his smile flashed his teeth. "Who else are you going to kill? Are you going to kill Lina and Zelgadiss?" She moved her body around and faced him. "What about Amelia, are you going to kill her too?"

"If I'm not allowed to live as a human or a robot," Val shoved the sword's edge against her trembling neck. "Then nobody else can." He moved so close to her skin that his weapon made her bleed.

"Oh, Val…" Filia whined. "When did I lose you?" Closing her eyelids, Filia lowered her head while Val pulled back his sword, getting ready to decapitate her.

"When you lied to me!" He swung and expecting to slice her head clean off, Val gasped when his sword was stopped by the sharp edge of a sword that was doused in black flames.

"Boy," Zangulas forcefully raised their weapons away from Filia's head; he glared murderously at the teenager. "You better have a damn good explanation for this."

"Zangulas!" Filia grabbed Zangulas's pants leg. "Don't fight him!"

"Yeah, Zangulas," Val chuckled softly. Shoving their swords apart, Val jumped back a length away and twirled his sword playfully on his side. "Don't fight me." Zangulas shook Filia's hands off his leg and aimed his blazing black sword at Val.

"In honor of my birth right, I pledge to only wield my blade for righteousness." Walking slowly in a circle with Val at his opposite, Zangulas glanced quickly at the long dark scar that ran across Val's right shoulder and back at his face.

"Have you truly lost your sanity, boy?" Without an answer to give, Val merely shrugged his shoulder. Zangulas snorted and quickly, they began clashing their weapons at each other. Filia was in the midst of watching when Milgazia grabbed her shoulders from behind, scaring her lightly.

"Come on." He beckoned her and together, they dragged Xellos's wounded body away from the aggressive sword duel and into a thick area with heavy bushes.

"Filia." Milgazia saw Filia grasp Xellos's pale face and openly sobbed against his cheeks. "F-Filia…" Repeatedly, she kissed his cold lips and chin. "Fi…"

"Xellos…" Filia whined aloud. She hugged the lifeless being's head to her bosom and lovingly petted his purple hair. "I-I knew it was you… I just… I just knew…" Milgazia watched the woman he loved smother someone else and after a while, his dry lips drew into a small and weak smile.

"You… You love him, don't you?" He asked and Filia released a louder cry. Milgazia chuckled at her childish response and raised his hand to his chest. It was beating, but it was beating feathery. He was planning to use the last minutes of his life to run away with her and die happily in her arms, just like he always wanted. However, seeing that Filia would've just declined him again, he had another idea to use his final moments.

"He's not really dead." Milgazia told her and lifted her body away from Xellos. "His entire body is mechanical. It is his heart that needs to be replaced."

"His heart?" Filia blinked the tear droplets out of her eyes. He nodded and taking her hands, he placed them perfectly over his chest making her feel the last beatings of his heart. Quickly, she realized what he meant and shook her head immediately.

"No, Sempai, I can't-"

"You love him." Milgazia strongly said and caught her watery eyes in his. "And I would do anything… to make you happy." Placing a dagger in her palm, Milgazia released her hands and lay down besides Xellos's thin body. Filia sat between their bodies, her breathing heavier than before.

"P-Please, Milgazia… Don't make me do this." Her entire body trembled.

"Xellos brought me back by sacrificing his heart." Milgazia reached over and cupped her wet cheek. He caressed her gentle face with his fingertips as a happy smile developed. "It's about time I give it back to him." Shaking hands and blurry vision from her tears, Filia touched the tip of the dagger onto Milgazia's chest and shuddered with hesitation.

"Do it now." The dirty blonde ordered and kept both eyes wide open, so the last thing he'd see is his true love. Filia released a breath of reluctance and swallowed her last wad of overused spit down her throat. With a loud grunt, Filia pierced the dagger into Milgazia's rotting chest and cut around where his heart would be. He cringed but continued to leave his eyes open and his mouth smiling. After peeling the crinkled flesh off and breaking the protective bones around the organ, Filia was face to face with the living heart in Milgazia's chest. Quickly, Filia did the same with Xellos's chest and threw out his wasted heart in the bushes. All she needed to do was transfer the organ from one body to the other and hopefully, Xellos will come alive.

"Fi… lia…" Milgazia painfully called for her. Face-to-face, Filia and Milgazia stared at one another until a tear drop leaked from the edge of Milgazia's eye. "I… love…"

"I know." Filia smiled weakly and touched his clammy cheek. "I love you too." Milgazia scoffed lightly, his face quivering in her hands.

"L-Liar." Finally shutting his eyes, Milgazia prepared himself to see his fellow dead colleagues again and was truly happy to receive the warmth of Filia's lips as the final touch before his passing. Fast hands and holding her breath back, Filia transferred the lukewarm bloody organ into Xellos's hallow chest and waited. She waited for it to beat, to move, to do anything but it laid still.

"Do… DO SOMETHING!" Filia screamed at the heart and yet, it did nothing. Grabbing her scalp with frustration, she tried to think what she needed to do to and began searching Xellos's pockets in desperation, hoping that he had something. Then, her fingers touched a solid and cylinder container. It was an empty vial. Almost immediately, Filia shuffled through her own pants pockets and found exactly what she was looking for. It was the two syringes filled with liquid active Lithium that Xellos had given her.

"Take these."

"What are these?"

"Inside each dart, there is a liquid capsule. The instant it lands on the target, the liquid will be released and the dart will explode within seconds thus burning anything the liquid touched. To kill a robot powered by Lithium, you need to use Lithium."

If it took Lithium to rise and kill a robot, will it be able to revive a Cyborg back to life? Fuck it, Filia concluded and jabbed the thick needle into the stony heart anyway.


Lina glared at Hell-Master, the man in Gourry's body. She walked around the spiky crystals carefully as she held her revolver confidently out. Stepping over a flooded area, Lina glanced at the tiny robot with her deathly eyes. Pokota gulped at her intense stare and shamefully lowered his head.

"How did you get in here?" Hell-Master snarled. "No one can enter this cave, except for him!" Lina smirked at his outburst and motioned her head to the side; both of the men turned their heads simultaneously and spotted the older gentleman in colorful robes sitting on a block of rock.

"Pops." Pokota gasped. Chief Taforashia sat with a hunch, his hands folded on his lap and his eyes filled with sorrow. "How… How did-"

"He is the only one who you will listen too." Lina answered and swiftly pass Pokota's eyes to get in front of Hell-Master. Hell-Master smirked at her, he raised his hand to his hip where the Dragon Slave was located and Lina let out a soft laugh.

"I would think twice." And moved the end of her revolver toward the corner of the cave. Following the angle of the weapon, Hell-Master discovered the abundant of exposed wires and explosives laced everywhere around the clusters of crystals. She had the entire cave set to detonate and he was in the middle of it.

"Go on, Chief." Lina spoke toward the old man with her full attention on Hell-Master. Sighing, Chief Taforashia shook his head dejectedly and looked back at Pokota again.

"My son," It felt like a long time since someone called him that and Pokota didn't know whether he liked it or not. "What are you afraid of?"

"I…" Pokota cringed in his eyes. "I'm not… I'm not human-"

"That should not matter." Slipping his body off the boulder, the Chief shuffled his way over to his robotic son and stopped in his way. "You are who you are. And, my son, you are benevolent, clever, and much-loved." His rough hand reached up and grabbed Pokota's shoulder.

"You are not a monster. You are my son." He raised his eyes to meet with his father. Chief smiled and Pokota reacted.

"I don't believe you." Pokota muttered. Chief Taforashia's eyes widen when the tiny teen shoved his heavy hand off his shoulder and glared forcefully at him. "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

"Pokota, what-"

"I AM NOT YOUR SON!" Pushing away from his body, Pokota grabbed the revolver strapped to his waist and held it ready to use. The Chief glanced between the shaking weapon in hand and the boy's twisted expression, a soft sigh left from his lips.

"What is sovereignty?" He stood his ground, his hands clasped together over his round stomach. Pokota looked at him strangely, but with anger still blocking his view. "Sovereignty is courage and will power. It is self-preservation and great strength from within."

"It is the yearning of dominance and of being dominated." Leaning slightly forward, Chief Taforashia's gentle eyes glinted as he stared deeply upon Pokota. "Of wanting to belong, though unable to stay."

"W-What are you talking about?"

"You have not been studying." The older man retracted with a sigh and changed the subject. "Do what you will. Just remember, it's the results of your actions in this life that will take you to your final destination, my son-"

"I TOLD YOU. I AM NOT YOUR SON." Pokota pulled the hammer of his revolver, his chest heaving rapidly in and out. Silently questioning Chief's methods, Lina frequently looked over with her revolver still aiming the exposed wires.

"I never believed you when you say that you loved me." From his green eyes, large rolls of water began flowing down. "You loved your human son, not this mechanical abomination. You never loved me." Chief opened his mouth to deny him, except Pokota had already shot him in the chest. Lina screamed out to Chief Taforashia when he landed backwards on the ground, her eyes away from her prey for one second. In this clear opening, Hell-Master swung his arm across and slapped the revolver from Lina's hands. Whilst the revolver spun to the cave floor, he effortlessly caught it mid-air and shoved the gun to Lina's forehead stopping her immediately. Hell-Master's lips curled into a wicked smile and tug of his finger, released a bullet.


He didn't know how he got stranded with her but there she was. Standing back to back, Martina and Zelgadiss stood in the middle of the woods, completely surround by the dead and various robots. Ammo gone, sword bent, and his right shoulder bleeding from a deadly robot attack, Zelgadiss was spent. As his body dropped to the dirt, Martina let out a loud screech and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him like a doll.

"GET UP! YOU NEED TO GET ME OUT OF THIS!" She screamed but Zel's head hung tiredly low. Martina continued to shake him until she heard loud stomping behind her. Turning her neck slowly around, her entire body jumped at the sight of the monstrous robotic being standing over her.

"GET UP, YOU PIN-CUSHION, MUTANT-LOOKING, PERVERT!" Her screeching rattled irritably into Zelgadiss's earlobe and he raised his head to glare murderously at her.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! YOU ARE MAKING EVERYTHING WORSE!" With every loud stomp, Martina and Zelgadiss watched the gigantic mechanical monster slowly made its way over. Its canon arm lowered and aimed directly in front of Zelgadiss's angry face. Holding him tightly around his shoulders, Martina buried her frightened expression against the back of Zelgadiss's neck, letting out loud pleadings as Zelgadiss fearlessly scowled at the robot. At the sound of the canon arm getting ready, his eyes quickly shut and waited for the bullets. Rapid sounds of bullets were heard immediately and so was the loud roar of the Justice Enforcer.

Amelia released a whole clip of bullets across the field. She roared at full volume as the heavy machine gun in her arms shook her tiny body along with it. The roar was to distract her enemies and from the excitement of shooting for the first time, the HMG was 'borrowed' from Milgazia, and the dangling sawed-off shotgun against her back was also 'borrowed' but from Lina. Zelgadiss and Martina's mouth dropped wide open, they watched Amelia blow through another clip and throw down the empty, smoking weapon to the ground.

"PACIFIST FIST!" The bullets had shattered the giant robot's outer shell and it was Amelia's sharp fist that tossed the robot to its demise. Using the shotgun, she blasted away the remaining dead folks around and kicked the last of the robots to the ground, smashing its head into pieces. Amelia heavily panted in front of the two and turned around to face them when Martina called her name. Her chubby cheeks were covered in dirt with hair tussled wildly in her face, the long sleeved shirt was ripped to a tank top and showed off her shaped abdomen, and her long pants was shredded into short pants. Zelgadiss let out a soft breaking sound from the back of his throat and fidgeted slightly forward.

"I just came." He said aloud and instantly, Martina moved away from him with great disgust. Amelia smiled sweetly, giving her love a deep blush, and twisted her head around when she heard loud chatter of robots coming through the forest.

"Come on!" Amelia grabbed Zelgadiss's side while Martina grabbed his other, lifting him easily by their shoulders. With Amelia leading the way, the trio rushed away from the sounds until they got to the large roaring black fire blocking their way.

"They're coming closer!" Martina whined, her body bouncing as the overgrown crowd of robots made its way over. Stepping away from Zelgadiss, Amelia stood bravely in front of the mob and extended her right arm in the air.

"What are you doing? WE NEED TO RUN-"

"Keep quiet." Amelia snapped at Martina. It was then; Zelgadiss saw an unfamiliar attractiveness that he never realized in her.

"ARE WE SERIOUSLY JUST GOING TO STAND HERE AND NOT RUN? THOSE THINGS ARE COMING TO KILL US!" The Gypsy cried and Zelgadiss hushed her.

"Trust her." He said as he stared at the back of Amelia's head. "She knows what she is doing." Step by step, the enemy moved closer and closer. Just as the robots were a few feet away, Amelia smirked and quickly brought her arm down.

"NOW!" She screamed out and from behind the black blazing flames, waves upon waves of burning arrows unleashed into the air and flew above the trio's heads. The projectiles entered the relentless bodies of the robots and instantly enveloped them into black mass of fire.

"ONWARD, MEN!" It was the voice of the mighty leader, Philionel Saillune. Jumping over the fire with other Taforashia warriors, Phil landed next to Amelia and roared his troops to battle. As Martina was led away to safety, Amelia went to Zelgadiss's side and helped him to his feet only to be stopped by him.

"Zel?" She questioned and saw the developed smile on his face.

"Amelia," Zelgadiss chuckled lightly and pressed their dirty foreheads together. "You'll make a great huntress."


Val glared at the cone dagger that he had caught mid-air. Clenching it into pieces, he looked at the man who threw the deadly weapon at him. His shirt removed and chest pounding proudly away with a new heart, Xellos smiled. Next to his feet, Zangulas lay badly wounded and barely clinging to life. Going to Zangulas's side, Filia picked him off the ground easily and shouted for Xellos.

"Come on! Let's go!" But Xellos refused to move. He stood his ground in front of Val, his piercing amethyst eyes glaring murderously. He was only drawn away to look upon the decapitated head of his previous master nearby.

"XELLOS!" Filia screamed. "LET'S GO!"

"Take Zangulas-San away to safety." Xellos finally looked at her, Filia's eyes slightly widen at the familiar smile on Xellos's face. It was the same smile he gave her that night. "He is terribly hurt and may die."

"B-But Xellos… I…"

"Go on, Fi-Chan, leave me-"

"STOP PROTECTING ME!" Filia shouted and the purple-haired man raised his eyebrows. "WHY DO YOU KEEP PROTECTING ME? JUST LET ME DO-" Her shouts were immediately cut short by Xellos's lips. Slowly, Xellos released her trembling mouth and stared at her wet eyes.

"I promise you," Xellos held her slim face in his hands. "I'll come back to you, Filia." Filia struggled to breathe, her tears troubling her to see Xellos. Although reluctant, Filia nodded and took Zangulas off the ground. Xellos watched her run away and kept watching her until she was well out of sight.

"You won't be fulfilling that promise." Val growled from behind. Xellos smirked and turned around to face him.

"I'm a murderer, not a liar."


Hell-Master walked around the fallen Bandit Killer, uncaring of the pool of blood developing near his feet. He glanced at the old man on the ground and smiled at the heavily panting robot.

"I didn't think you had it in you-"

"Shut up." Pokota raised the revolver and aimed it at him now. His eyebrow lifted at Pokota's sudden turn of events.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm only insuring my own survival." The small robot said in a shaking voice. Hell-Master snorted and began to laugh loudly.

"Then, shoot!" He opened his long arms out, making himself defenseless to Pokota's gunshot. "Shoot me down and try to get rid of me!" Pokota's eyes twitched from his open laughter and lowered his revolver in defeat.

"Even with a clear shot, you are too weak and inadequate to make an attempt to kill me." Hell-Master grinned. "You feeble, insufficient, pitiful machine. Don't you recognize true sovereignty when you see it? I am what sovereignty is. I am its true meaning." Turning his body to the nearest Lithium crystal, Hell-Master's eyes ignited with madness as he gazed at the humming shine.

"I am the guardian of this world." And as his fingertips touched the sharp tips of the crystals, he stopped when he heard the clicking of a revolver's hammer being pulled down. Behind him, Pokota had his gun raised again but this time; it was aiming at his own temple.

"Without me," Pokota smirked. "You won't be able to get back inside of this cave."

"I will just keep it open."

"Don't you remember?" The Mohawk teen chuckled. "I closed the entrance of the cave behind us. You won't be able to get out unless you have me to open it for you."

"I'll just use this." Hell-Master patted his hand over the Dragon Slave.

"Did you actually believe I had the balls to steal from the great Bandit Killer?" Pokota asked with a cocky grin. "I wouldn't steal from Lina even if my life depended on it!"

"Then, what the hell do I have here?" The master of the world grabbed the ultimate weapon off his hip and shook it.

"A replica." Pokota told him and Hell-Master broke the fake weapon in his hand into fragments.

'You DARE to taunt ME?" Pokota didn't answer, he just kept smiling. Breaking into light chuckling, Hell-Master let out a loud scoff and folded his arms across his chest. "You won't do it. You are too afraid."

"Afraid?" Lowering the end of the weapon to his chest, Pokota pulled the tight trigger and blasted a single bullet through his abdomen. Shocked, Hell-Master stared at him as he stood without a reaction. "Why should I be afraid of a bullet when I don't feel it?" The end of the revolver traveled back to his temporal skull. "It's because I'm a robot and nothing can kill me but myself." Getting ready, Pokota pulled the hammer once again and chuckled.

"I wonder if I will feel anything when I die?" Before he could get his finger to wrap around the trigger, Hell-Master was standing in front of him with his hand clasped around Pokota's throat and thrusting him roughly at the smoothest and lest crystal wall in the cave. The revolver in Pokota's hand dropped to the ground from his sudden attack, Hell-Master's smile finally broke into a line of anger.

"At last," Gourry's body snarled. "You are acting like a robot." Pokota struggled in the hold; he tried to kick his legs up but to no success. He gasped when Hell-Master dipped his head down and their foreheads bumped against each other, his mouth was just a hairline away.

"If you are unwilling to cooperate with your master, I am left with only one option." Glancing down at Pokota's front side, he used his strong free hand to inspect the sculpture of the teen's body. Pokota squirmed wildly under his touch. He couldn't feel his hand moving across his abdomen or the top of his manhood but he could see the pleasure that this wicked monster was getting from touching him.

"A fully mechanical body." Hell-Master ran his open hand over Pokota's right inner thigh and between his legs, where he fiddled with the ties of Pokota's pants. "You will make a fine candidate."

"F-Fine candidate?" Pokota repeated with hesitation and without warning, Hell-Master shoved their mouths together. His arms and legs fought wildly to shove him off but Hell-Master's hold on his neck made it impossible for him to move freely. Inside of his mouth, Pokota could hear the scrapping of an imposter invading his mouth. It moved against the top of his teeth and to the sides of his gums, exploring every cavity within his oral area. And his free hand, it was touching him all over his body. Grasping and cupping areas of his body that no one had ever done before. Seeming like forever, Hell-Master roughly pulled his tongue out of Pokota's broken mouth and smiled evilly at him.

"No, you will make a perfect candidate." It was as if Hell-Master was analyzing his body through that kiss and touch, making perfectly certain that he was the perfect candidate. Pokota's eyes widen when he finally realized what he meant and tried everything to twist away from Hell-Master's grip but failed. He screamed defiantly as Hell-Master forced him to re-open the entrance of the cave and continued to scream when Hell-Master carried him over his tough shoulder and ran over the eternal black flames surrounding the hill. Amelia and Zelgadiss turned their heads just in time to see Hell-Master jumping over their heads with Pokota screaming for desperate help. They only saw a glimpse of the teenager's fearful expression before losing sight of him and saw a brand new sight following quickly afterwards.