Disclaimer: See previous chapters
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Chap. 34
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"RAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The gigantic mace of Moulouch slammed down to the earth once, forcing the Ronins/Celestials to scattered about once again. So far, the team of four wasn't handling this well. Not only was the Sentinel equipped with sheer brute force, but also with outrageous speed that allowed him to follow up attacks as well as avoid opposing strikes.
"Well, this isn't going well."
On the sidelines, the rest of the team watched the battle and saw the downward direction it was going, just noted by Dorothy.
Lady Une was forced to agree. "A creature of that strength, coupled with such speed, makes for a formidable opponent."
"Don't worry." Yuli asserted. "They'll pull through this, just like they always do."
Nearby, Mia nodded, but kept silent. The battles as of late were different than the ones of the past, more strenuous to the team. And now, in the heart of Nanashi's power, they would only get fiercer and more draining on them. Especially for Ryo, who would more than likely be called upon to summon the Armor of Inferno to fight again. Looking over at the fiery Ronin, she saw him clenching his fists and knew it was only a matter of time before he did something reckless…again.
'Ryo…Please don't…'Meanwhile, the four warriors continued their battle, once again surrounding the Sentinel. But they knew that this was a wasted tactic. The Sentinel wasn't trying to escape and outmatched them at every turn. They had to find a way to…
"Yaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Kento charged into attack, spinning his naganita and swinging in to attack from the back corner. Moulouch turned his head, which signaled Kale and Trowa in to charge. Kento struck down at Moulouch, only to have the Sentinel disappear from sight. Kento expected that though and as he touched down, he traced the path of Moulouch run and fired off the head of his weapon in pursuit. Moulouch wheeled around to see the thick bark of metal come at him and slapped it away with his mace. But he was left open to the attack by Trowa's quarterstaff, but somehow wound up blocking it.
"Rahhh!"
Another feint... From behind, Kale dove in at him from the sky, the Sword of Darkness gleaming with energy and he slashed down. In a rush of force, Moulouch whirled out of the lock Trowa had him in and warped away before Kale's attack could land, leaving the sword to shatter the grounds instead.
"Your puny tricks will not stop me!"
In retaliation, the Sentinel charged forward and mowed down Trowa and Kale together like a Mack truck. Kento rushed in to attack as his two comrades were tossed about in the air.
"Yeeeahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Moulouch wheeled around and struck out, causing his weapon to smash against Kento and knocking them both backward with tremendous force. But Kento was hit more by it as he nearly fell on his knees.
"Kento!"
Ryo began to move in toward the fight, but a hand grabbed his shoulder and held him in place. Looking back, he was surprised by who it was that was restraining him.
Heero…
"There's no point in fighting when you don't have to."
Ryo began to glare, but noticed that Heero's gaze was still focused on the battle. Turning back, he looked as the small team slowly worked to recover from the attack. They weren't out yet and Ryo had to trust them to finish things off. With a low sigh, Ryo relaxed and only then did Heero move his hand off.
"As I said, you send me nothing but scraps. I want a true warrior!"
"Some warrior you are, revealing your weakness like that."
Moulouch turned and glared at the speaker, Wufei. "Amusing to hear you say that Oceania, since you have done nothing at all."
Wufei held his glance at the giant creature. "On the contrary, I've been doing quite a bit."
"I'm sure that quaking in fear doesn't count as doing something."
The Celestial leveled his rapier. "Then come at me a find out."
The crimson eyes of the Sentinel narrowed and he charged at Wufei. With a mighty swing, Moulouch struck down at Wufei, but only hit the ground as Wufei had evaded his attack. Turning, Moulouch quickly dashed at him again, stabbing his mace forward this time. Wufei parried the blow and use the force to push him away. Moulouch charged once again with blinding speed and almost caught Wufei flatfooted. But Wufei swiftly recovered, twirling in the air and landing on the ground.
With Moulouch upon him once again…
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Nanashi's Citadel
The darkness of Nanashi's chamber would fill many a people with dread and fear. So it was no surprise that these feelings were swarming through the young girl as she was lead into the chamber by her father.
"You have nothing to fear. Nanashi simply wished to meet you."
This did little to abate Mariemaia's fears, but she managed to fix herself a bit so that it wasn't so obvious. The two stood still and soon the ghastly image of Nanashi materialized before them. Trize immediately bent down on one knee and bowed, pulling Mariemaia down to the floor as well.
"So you are Mariemaia." Nanashi spoke in a deceptively whispered voice. "A pleasure to meet you face to face."
Mariemaia could help but fear the terror upon facing Nanashi, but she continued to hold what little courage she had left.
"Hello, Nanashi."
The dread figure smiled. "Truly your daughter. She possesses your mannerisms as well as you courage, Cyclone."
Trieze lifted his head, but not his eyes. "I am grateful that my master is pleased with her."
Nanashi soon redirected his attention back to Mariemaia. "I sense your fear. I assure you that I wish no harm upon you, dear girl."
Mariemaia continued to try and calm herself. "I did not mean any disrespect, Nanashi."
"No. Your fear is understandable. But in time, you will no longer need to fear me." The specter's eyes dulled. "Now, I have business with your father. You may return to your garden. It was a…pleasure to meet you."
Mariemaia curtsied Nanashi and then turned away, leaving the room as quickly as possible. As soon as she was gone, Nanashi spoke in his true voice.
"She is brave indeed. But will she be ours to control?"
Trieze nodded. "She is beginning to trust me. Soon, mine will be the only voice she listens to."
"Excellent. Soon, the Celestials will come and when they do, they will face my ultimate weapon against them." The specter let out a loud crackle before concluding his dark thought.
"Her…"
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WHAM!
The destructive maces of Moulouch shattered the ground as Wufei dodged aside from yet another blow. Both the Sentinel and the other watching from the side were in wonder as to what the Celestial of the oceans was doing.
"For all your talk, this is what you do?" Moulouch taunted as he charged at him again. "Run away?"
Wufei made no reply as he landed safely away. Sweat was streaking down his face from the constant dodging, but his eyes remained determined as he resumed his stance. Moulouch glared. 'Is he trying to make a mockery out of me? Me!' Rage fueled his next attack and this almost caught Wufei. But the Celestial managed the leap away by using the shock of Moulouch's smash to propel himself.
"Die, Celestial! DIE!"
"Look at him." Kento said as the fighting went on. "He's getting madder."
"And the angrier he gets, the stronger he presses on." Trowa added, also recovering from the earlier blows.
Kale looked closer at the way Wufei was moving about. "I think that's what Oceania has in mind."
Kento turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"Given his strength and speed, we're no match for him head on." the Ronin of Darkness explained. "So Oceania is egging him on in order to give us an opening."
Trowa nodded understandingly. "His anger will blind him to our attack."
Kale continued. "Even so, this is our one chance. If we mess this up, then we won't have a second.
Kento grinned as he tightened his grip around his naginita. "Then the first one will have to count, won't it?"
Back to the fight, Wufei continued to avoid Moulouch relentless assaults, which had sped up and increased in strength thanks to the Sentinel's rage. A close blow glanced Wufei's shoulder and leg, nearly causing him to drop his rapier and fall. Nevertheless, Wufei managed to jump aside to the far end, where the monstrous guard came upon him again. Wufei staggered slightly as the gigantic maces rose above him
"NOW YOU'RE MINE!"
Wufei looked up and Moulouch had a quarter of a second to see…a grin on his face. Wufei merely turned to the side as Kento jumped in, coming up behind him and toward Moulouch. In haste and seeing the pitiable trap, Moulouch ceased his attack and began to retreat backward. However, as he warped back, his leg was suddenly hit by a heavy blow. Moulouch almost fell backward and turned to see Trowa, quarterstaff in hand as it had connected with his leg. Rage again overcame Moulouch.
'The Ronin was a feint…'He didn't finish, for a streak of blade sliced right down his back, causing him to roar in pain. Kale had jumped in after Trowa slowed him down and made a quick attack to weaken him. Meanwhile, Kento was still coming in upon Moulouch from the front and disassembling his naginita, he sent the heavy metal bar right at Moulouch face, smashing into it and sending the Sentinel flying.
"Wufei! Now's your chance!"
Wufei swiftly jumps into the air and levels his blade forward. As he did, bubbles of water began to quickly form around him, soon becoming one massive bubble that encased him.
"Armor of Oceania! Tsunami Blast!"
With a heavy slash, Wufei released the torrent of water energy at Moulouch. Unable to defend himself, Moulouch was completed dominated by the Celestial's attack as it slammed into him and then exploded everywhere.
"How could this be! NOOOOOOO!"
The giant form disappeared within the torrent steam as Wufei completed his attack. The others, who had backed away from the assault, looked to see the damage resulting from the power of the armor of Oceania.
"That was awesome." Yuli cheered.
"I'll say." Sage agreed. "He didn't hold back on that one at all."
Sally simply sighed, seeing the young warrior land on the ground from the sky, gazing down at the crater of destruction he had made.
"That's Wufei for you."