Nic stood in place, petrified as the ground all around him was engulfed in a purple-like fire running through the cracks. They all converged onto Alpha, who had a malicious smirk on his face. The drastic levels of Magic Power were so terrifying.
"I know you." Nic growled.
"Indeed. Vice versa." Alpha replied. "It seems our previous engagement hasn't left your thoughts." His dark smirk turned heavily malicious. "Good." He recalled the pleasant meeting he had with Nic and his sister earlier, in which he reminisced on their gruesome states. Although from the looks of it, the thoughts left him disoriented in horror.
Nic barely held his ground, trying to keep his composure despite how he was failing to do so. While he had such immense power, he can't help but feel torn apart when he's around Alpha. The man has done horrors to him that were indescribable.
"Someone's looking a little unnerved." Alpha taunted. "Are all those tales of how you boldly and stoically defended all of Fiore against the Magic Council's wrath just that? Tall tales?"
Nic's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, were you responsible for that trap that separated us all?" He asked.
Alpha raised a brow. "Trap? Oh dear."
"What is it?"
"Come on now. You can't seriously be that naïve now, can you? Did you really think it'd be that easy to just whisk yourself towards the actual chamber where the spell lies in storing power? I never pegged you for an amateur.
Nic growled, taking offense to Alpha badmouthing his casual, yet clever, brain. All those battles and experience he gained back in Kalos should've sharpened his mind, taking precaution to the wind, yet looking back at it now, he was duped. He was played for a fool from the very beginning. If he were hot-headed like his girlfriend, he'd probably go for an assault, but Nic wasn't like that, thankfully. He knew how lethal Alpha was. If he got too close, the energy resonating around the man could very well rot his flesh, just like Lysandre.
"I take it that you're offended of your colleague being brought down by our hand then?" Nic followed along.
He expected Alpha to throw in some sort of retort, but he got a different reply. Alpha was chuckling coldly, a shiver that traveled down Nic's spine as his snickering demeanor was leaving him once again unnerved. As Alpha's chuckle drew to a close, he became vocal again.
"Offended? I wouldn't go that far, Nic Pularis. In fact, I should be thanking you." He said.
Nic didn't appreciate the cold notion. "On the account of what?"
"Why, for proving that fool was expendable of course. I'll be honest when I admit that Fernando has been the most annoying of the Rivolta. His vendetta of taking me down? Only a fool would think they had the audacity to even think that the darkest of magic could possibly come close to what will happen in these upcoming hours."
Nic's fists clutched coldly. "The Impure Underworld."
"Precisely." Alpha said. "As we speak, the ethernano in the atmosphere is manifesting large quantities of negative compounds and I'm using my own body as the conductor." He looked down at his own gauntlet, seeing that his own fingers were slowly twitching. His malicious smirk widened, his demeanor shifting to a darker tone. "I am above every bleeding heart, and I dare not bother look down on you bugs as I enjoy seeing every cell split apart by my own bloody hand. I will tear the flesh right off everyone's bones…starting with you."
Nic could see the insane look in Alpha's blood red stare. It was unnerving, and by no means was it anything like Fernando. This was looking at Satan himself. While Alpha was graciously calmer than Fernando it seemed, Nic could tell that by his Magic Power, he was a far more visible threat. His heart raced a million beats a second, his anxiety leaving him unnerved as he stared at Alpha's demonic demeanor. They were glaring at one another in a place like the confines of Hell. While still horrified by this immense Magic Power, far greater than anything he's felt before, Nic knew that by experience he could stomach this treacherous, rotting energy.
"Your cause rings a bell, but not in a good way." Spreading his legs, Nic began to glow. "Not only do you abuse your subordinates like puppets, you slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands, of lives in these tunnels." He revealed himself in his Flame Form. "You've made so many mistakes that they're not able to be listed. But one of the biggest mistakes you've committed was desecrating the dead to kill for amusement. You've damaged the Pularis name in all the wrong ways." Fire began to surge around him, signifying his passion and resolve. "You brought my parents back from the dead to make me and the world suffer, you've traumatized my Mom and Dad, but there is something equally as unforgiveable…you killed my late Uncle. For all their sakes, for everyone of Earth Land, I'm ending this spell, and you. Time to finish what my Uncle started."
Alpha dark smirk widened, revealing his sharp teeth that could rip flesh off one's bones. "For your uncle you say?" His eyes narrowed, dark purple shadow-like energy manifesting into dense compounds. "This will be entertaining."
Erza's brown eyes fluttered open, her attention diverting to how she was facing earth. "Where am I…?" Her brown hair shifted in the cold wind. "It's still cold. This wind isn't making things…!" The redhead's eyes widened, her shock brimming intensively as she shot back up to her feet. "Wind? But that would mean-!" Her attention drew to all around her, the surroundings completely of the norm. She was now somewhere far beyond anyone's reach, as she stood in front of a pitch-black tunnel that led into the base of a mountain-like hill. "How did I end up outside? Where am I?" Turning around, craggy hills were all around, high to where it was a valley. "Nic? Vanessa? Kecleon?" She called out. "Magnezone? Mark? Laura?" Again, she was met with silence. The redhead's skin crawled as her body could feel an overwhelming dread of Magic Power flowing through the cold atmosphere.
'What is this monstrous Magic Power? I can feel it in the center of my being. It's so staggering that it feels like it's all around me.' She looked towards the sky, noticing something extremely wrong with it. 'Is it nighttime already? The sky is pitch-black, and I can't stop thinking about this bad feeling I have in my gut. Nic, wherever you are, please let me know you're safe and sound.'
"You should be more inclined to the real danger afoot." A dark masculine voice pointed out.
Erza's reflexes kicked in, swinging her around with a sword brought out of sheer instinct. "Who's there?!"
There appeared to have been nothing at first but stone. Erza remained quiet and focused as she glared ahead at the massive stone boulders nearby, watching them. Though unable to move, she realized there was another sound, a dark, menacing chuckle that didn't sit well in her gut. She shifted left and right, hearing the dark and evil chuckle ring about all around her.
"You have gone too far, deep into Hell's sanctum." The dark voice echoed. "And since that mad loser was not fit, the torch has been passed down to me."
The sound of boots and metal clanging could be heard from behind a few rocks. Erza had her sword ready to skewer if implied. When the dark figure closed in, her eyes widened with horrific blunder. Shock didn't stop mounting over her as she recognized the demon-like figure.
"You're…" Erza trailed offm recognizing the creature being none other than Saboth.
The demonic samurai glared at Erza, yellow eyes shooting her down. "At last, I have found you, weakling." He sneered.
Erza got into a battle stance, ready to fight. "I remember you."
Saboth walked to a stop about twenty paces away. "As I."
"You were with that Crystal Mage back when I ventured inside. Seems as though unfortunate business has attended us a little too conveniently, wouldn't you say?" Erza asked.
Saboth held up his beloved Demon Karbia. Just holding it alone was making him feel strong. A menacing gaze was on his face, one that meant business. "I have been looking forward to this one time." He admitted. "Our battle to the death hasn't been decided, it thus resumes now."
"Enough of your foolishness. Where are we? What happened?" She asked.
"Those fools and yourself…they were all split apart to random locations across the chamber and isles. It is uncertain as to what transpired, but in the end, the result is always the same. They'll be dead soon enough."
Erza's grip intensified. "You're lying!"
"You are all alone. You have no reason to run away, when you have nowhere to run to." Saboth took a simple step forward, urging Erza to fight. "My code is that two warriors who cross dares not let another live. You are one who holds a sword. I thus challenge you to a duel." His eyes narrowed. "This is a battle that neither of us could escape from. It was inevitable that we crossed baths."
Erza took a small pause and looked uneasy. She had to find Nic and the others, and fast, but whether she liked it or not, Saboth stood in her way. If she ran off now, where would she go? She wouldn't know where to start looking. Ultimately, Erza didn't have much of a choice. The resolve in her eyes was all too clear. The last time she crossed blades with Saboth left a bitter taste in her mouth; now she had to do whatever it is she could to use that uneasiness to her advantage.
"…very well. We'll have it your way." She requipped into her Flame Empress Armor. "I remember that you talked so nobly about ambition and fighting. Rather than strive to protect, you slay just for sport. It is that flaw that'll lead you to your grave."
Saboth raised a brow. "So, you intend to stand your ground?"
"You're one of the Rivolta, I have no choice. You want to plunge the whole Earth Land into undead chaos. You want to slaughter every living human being for the sake of lust. I'll put an end to this, and you."
Saboth's malicious smirk returned to his face. "A human who has the thrill of a warrior, bent on clanging arms stacked against the other!" He held Demon Karbia with a bloodthirsty lust. "I, Saboth, shall use the only tools I need, my skills, and my own divine will, to end you here and now!"
Erza held her sword out, ready to attack. "I am Erza Scarlet, and I intend to defeat you and find my loved ones!" She lunged ahead after the dark samurai. "When you fall by my blade, you shall pay for insulting my humanity!"
Saboth lunged at her, letting out a primal scream. "You stand no chance against me, mortal!"
"We shall see!"
Both met in the middle, a single swipe of their blades making a bright flash.
The constant dripping of water clanged in Mark's ears, the deceased father groaning with every ear-aching drop. He felt unpleasant as the energy and dripping all around him was continuing to grow, finally urging him to get up.
"Grrrr! I'm up, damnit!" He opened his eyes once he was on his knees. His confusion thus began unfolding. "Huh? Where…?" He slowly turned his head left and right, looking all around and throughout the area, realizing he was all alone in a very open chamber, supposedly elsewhere in the confines of the dangerous tunnels. Shooting up to his feet, he realized that he was so desolate.
"Nic?" No answer, but instead, and echo. "Son? Vanessa? Sweetheart? Erza?" He looked down at the ground, the growing frustration making the father uneasy. "Damnit. What happened?"
A gloomy force abruptly entered the confines of the chamber, making the already dark chamber that much darker. The unholy energy made Mark feel dreadfully uneasy, making him stand straight up. He could tell that a sudden power shift just happened, and it was making his already altered reincarnation feel a crippling dread. His eyes wide, the darkness felt as though it was creeping all around him. He wasn't alone, unfortunately.
"Okay, who's there?" He asked quietly.
"You ask a lot of questions, yet you do not consider answering them before moving on." An unknown voice spoke throughout the chamber. "Your brain must be half-rotten if that is the case, the superior Pularis."
Mark felt his body grow cold, and paled, like he was feeling a ghost was looming nearby. It left him with what one could say that feeling where you wanna shudder, yet the energy around was so prodigiously massive, that he couldn't even say words much anymore.
'This…this Magic Power!' Mark's thought were cut off when something in the air in front of him began to manifest. A dark swell of heinous energy began to swirl into what one could describe as a dark vortex. The vortex eventually dissipated, revealing Crowhaw in the atmosphere, looming down with the fixation of a ghost overlooking a lost soul.
"It would appear that crestfallen souls have been diverged." Crowhaw contemplated, his tattered cloak bottom wisping like there was a wind, only there was none.
Mark looked up at Crowhaw, dreadfully surprised. "What does he mean by 'crestfallen souls have been divided'?" He thought aloud. After a second of pondering, his eyes widened back up. "Wait, we're all separated?"
"As grim as this may seem. That is the unspeakable truth. I welcome you to your final hour of reborn life, Mark Pularis." Crowhaw greeted.
Mark glared up at Crowhaw, not willing to comply so easily. "Where is my family?"
"Your family?" The ghostly man repeated. "Why, you're nothing more than a lone man now."
"What?"
"What you call 'family' is different to other humans. If you mean your offspring and wife, then the odds are that they are alone in their own dwelling spots until snuffed out."
Mark's fists clutched. "Damn you…!" He growled as the prospect of his family separated bit his core. Only a few hours go were they finally a true family again, and now they were separated. That fact was enough to make him bitter. "You're gonna pay for what you've done." He added.
"That is a statement only guided by your resolve. If your resolve is strong enough, then by all means, defeat me, and stop the Impure Underworld. You may search for your offspring, but I cannot guarantee that they will be in one piece. Whoever they get end up with does not matter in the end." Crowhaw narrowed his eyes. "We are the Rivolta, and we have yet to let a single soul thrive even a minute outside our area."
Suddenly, Mark did something that surprised Crowhaw, making the ghostly mage wide-eyed. He smirked.
"What do you find so amusing?" Crowhaw questioned.
"Nothing really. I should be asking you why you separated us to begin with." Mark countered. "Either you were going for divide and conquer, or perhaps you were so shocked of what happened to that last guy that you went separating us just so you'd feel secure about your chances. Something like that?"
Mark's retort hung in the air, with Crowhaw along with it. The Ghost Mage looked down at Mark in silence, his high-collar cloak rendering his frown concealed. Mark's comeback turned to an uneasy frown, his inquiry hanging in the atmosphere with no other precaution.
"The truth is…that if we fought you in one place, we'd all die." Crowhaw said.
Mark's eyes widened in shock. "…what?"
"Each and every one of the Rivolta possesses an unusually immense level of Magic Power. Releasing it in such a conducted confine would only cause the entire landscape to break down upon itself. We all possess some form of power that clashes with one another in that sense, thus we resort to diverted tactics to ensure our range and magic are out of each other's way. That way, killing you won't invoke precautions of the others."
Mark stepped back, looking unnerved. "You all must be pretty selfish if you can't work as a team then, huh?"
Crowhaw descended lower towards the ground, hovering a couple feet over the dark ground. "Teamwork does not apply when it's one-on-one. Now, if you wish to stop the Impure Underworld and see your 'family', then you must defeat me." Crowhaw's body began to exert black mist once more. "If you believe we are weak in numbers, then prove us wrong! Come!"
Mark held up both fists, glaring at Crowhaw and his one eye. "Fine. While I'm at it, I'll make it so that you need two of those eyepieces."
"Insults speak least for barking dogs. Bite as harsh as you howl, Pularis." Crowhaw countered.
"Mark?! Nic?! Anyone?!" Laura called out through the dark chamber she ended up in. It was spacious, with a few tunnels here and there, and the walls were all aligned with dead cracks with little dried out roots that looked like they could disintegrate just from a small puff of air. The deceased mother continued looking around, turning towards another direction. "This isn't good. We're all alone."
Looking at her surroundings for a bit, the confused woman took notice of the dead twigs and roots barely hanging onto the cold, cavernous walls. She stared at them with a cold vibe going down her back. "What kind of messed up place is this…?"
She slowly took steps forward, slowly advancing towards one of the tunnels in hopes of an escape. She made way, but as she took a singular step, in her trail, a small black root began to sprout, silently rising from the ground and wiggling like a Nidoking's tail. It twisted and turned, slowly rising until it became almost ten feet tall. The height made it seem so obvious, yet it sprouted so quiet that the rock beneath barely made sound for Laura to hear. The wiggling root whipped and lashed through the air as Laura managed to walk off.
Laura herself took a single step away again, which instantly turned on her Magic Power. Her aura sense something foul and erroneous behind, shaped like a root. With her intuition, Laura pivoted and leaned off to the side, dodging the black root tip that shot at her like a spear, aimed to pierce her head. It hit the ground, making it shudder.
"Who's there?!" She called out, looking back towards the root's origins. All she could see was a shadowy figure with a luscious figure where the bent over root was.
"Well, well, not bad for someone that's been a few ages outdated. Seems as though you'll make for a great conversation." The figure revealed herself to be Ivy, the range-haired mature woman flicking a spare bang over her shoulder with a sinister smirk. The root recoiled back to her side, wiggling. "I've been looking for something to do, Alpha and Imaci would be all over me like a bad itch if I slept at this hour." She feigned a despondent pout.
Laura looked at her with a weary gaze, the Magic Power she was giving off was just explosive to the mind. She didn't look it, but she had some rotten aura around her. The mom stayed silent, continuing her constant eying of the Rivolta member.
"What? No hello?" Ivy put a hand to her own cheek. "Poor me, I was really hoping we'd have some form of conversation. A little girl-on-girl talk; it gets so boring when talking to Mariah, she's no fun at all." She pouted.
"Who are you?" Laura asked.
Ivy's smirk grew, the aura around her growing a mischievous color that Laura detected, sending a tingle up her spine. The black root retreated into the earth, and Laura put a hand to her large hip. "Well since you asked, I guess I can entertain you a little. If you don't mind, why not call me Ivy?"
"Ivy? Like in Ivysaur?" Laura wondered.
"A what?" It took a minute for her to realize. "Oh, silly me! I forgot, you had this world with magical animals or something. No wonder, I thought that was gibberish." Ivy gave a hardy laugh, just to appease the mood.
Laura stared at the woman and her carefree nature. 'Is she even taking me seriously? What kind of power does she have, it came out of nowhere.' "Well you seem to be enjoying yourself despite the situation."
Ivy stopped her laughing, keeping her smile. "Why not? I mean we worked for a long time to get this far. So why not a few good laughs down the road?"
"Because that road is paved with dead bodies." Laura growled.
Laura reeled back, feigning shock. "My, someone's looking a little defensive. What's the big deal? Did you wake up at a wrong time in Heaven or what?"
Laura stared at Ivy with greater distaste. "You know, it isn't appreciative to others speaking of Heaven when you've never been there, let alone dwell in Hell's pits of sins."
Ivy put a dainty hand to her chin. "Is that so? Well aren't you the hypocrite."
"What?"
"Heaven and sin? Hell? Look, I don't mean to be atheist to the likes of you, but what would you know about sin and heaven? You've been dead for too long to even realize that your precious 'Heaven' that I spoke of before is really nothing more than Hell. Everyone in some shape or form ends up making a sin in their lives, thus they have no obligation other than to fall to Hell. Make no mistake, sins are nothing that makes the guilt you bare wear you away. Scars are forever, like the sins that count up from your time of birth." Ivy's glare intensified just a little. "If you can't bare your scars, then Hell will burn through your skin and make a doll out of your guilty corpse."
Laura, who was intensely glaring, was not having it. Learning from what her son has done this whole time, she brought a foot back, clutching her fists and started to give off Magic Power. Her entire being was outlined in blue.
"For a lazy witch, you talk highly of the views of Hell. Did you forget that with no ying there can't be a yang, or has the caves here made you so blind that you can't see light? I can't tell."
Ivy flashed a sinister smirk of her own in retaliation. "You're right, I never talked so highly of these point of views before, probably because everyone believes it's too obvious." She countered. "If you won't go to Hell, then Hell will come to you." Ivy's body began to emit a foul green aura to match Laura's. "Maybe if we talk a little longer, who knows? Maybe you'll see what I mean?"
Blue aura began to manifest into Laura's hands. "Sorry, but I'm not here to have girl talk. I'm in a hurry to get to somewhere, so sorry to cut this conversation short."
Black roots began to sprouts up around Ivy, half a dozen wiggling and lashing out in the atmosphere. "And where do you think you're going to?" She mischievously implied. "Stay awhile. We have so much to talk about."
Magnezone was within the confines of another chamber, his peculiar magnetic properties allowing him to ascend to the air once more. Looking around, the Magnet Area Pokémon found nothing but darkness and rock. "…" He turned towards another direction, hoping to find something. "Vanessa? Nic?" He questioned, but his call was clearly unanswered. "What happened? The last thing I recall…is that spell blinding us." He looked in yet another direction. "There's no mistake, that spell separated us."
Unbeknownst to him, there was something leering at him from the darkness. It was very faint, but the smirk was there.
"I need to find a way out of here? Where's the nearest tunnel…?" He looked around in hopes of finding an exit, but then he suddenly felt a sudden spike in energy, resonating from behind him.
A black shadow with purple outlining in the shape of a punch went zooming out of the shadows, stretching out towards Magnezone. Magnezone turned around to see the incoming attack, his shock leaving him to take direct action. He ascended into the air, dodging. The shadow-like fist continued stretching, only to do the unexpected and take a 90 degree turn straight up towards Magnezone.
Magnezone saw the incoming fist, seeing how fast it soared. "It changed direction?" He tried to ascend more, but the fist made impact to Magenzone's underside. The blow made Magnezone falter towards the earth, shouting out in harsh pain briefly. He grunted in pain as he levitated a few feet above ground.
"Where did that come from?" When he regained himself, he turned around to where the fist came from. The Electric and Steel-type glared into the shadows, waiting tentatively for an answer.
A very small but wicked chuckle, borderline sneering, was made heard. The chuckle palpitated, the temperature dropping around Magnezone as he remained in place. The energy and dark level of power began to accelerate all around him, which left him very much territorial. Magnezone's eyes suddenly widened as the uneasy feelings were familiar.
"Wait, these sensations…" Magnezone muttered. "Decrease in temperature…wicked laugh…a-Shadow Punch!" His shock surmounted. "Is that-?!"
The chuckling lowered in volume as something began to walk out of the shadows and into Magnezone's field of vision. Walking and stopping eventually, the figure revealed itself to be Gengar. His devious smirk was making the temperature that much colder.
"Hello…" Gengar lowly sneered.
Magnezone held up a small guard. "It's you." He retorted.
"Surprised?" The look Gengar saw on Magnezone's face made it clear he was. "Hehe, priceless."
Magnezone wasn't here for games, as he had an agenda. He had somewhere to be, and people to look after. And yet a very disturbing obstacle stood in his way. This was no ordinary creature Magnezone was dealing with, for it was no mage as it always was on Earth Land, but a Pokémon. This was an actual Gengar, and to make matters more uncomfortable, this Gengar was formerly Vince's. Talk about insult to injury.
Gengar took delight in the torment on Magnezone's face. "What's the matter? You look as though you've seen a ghost." He teased in irony. "Hehehe."
"What are you doing here?" Magnezone questioned coldly.
"Why, to stop you of course." Gengar answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
"No, I mean, what are you doing here?" Magnezone clarified.
Gengar out both hands to his hips. "Speak as though I were an idiot, would ya?" He rudely advised.
Unnerved, Magnezone complied. "…fine. What are you doing still alive? I heard the tale, and from the way it sounded, we thought you were killed alongside your Trainer years ago. How is it that you survived?"
Gengar, once again, gave a snickering reply. "Heh, you'd be surprised with what you don't see in the dark. It may as well kill ya."
"Answer me." Magnezone growled.
Gengar crouched and began levitating off the dark floor. "Heh, he who uses Avalanche may get knocked out first." He warned Magnezone with a most ominous anecdote. "If you really wanna know, then come and get me! I'm right here!"
Magnezone's unnerved feeling continued to rise. He wasn't liking where this was heading. "You can't be serious. Surely you jest." He advised.
Gengar's eyes narrowed. "Does it look like I'm kidding?" He smirked.
Magnezone could feel the pressure was already afoot. He didn't like it one bit, but from how it seemed, there was no other recourse. His three eyes looked up at Gengar's, seeing the darkness and the unimaginable dread resonating from within. It was a gross feeling that was tearing him apart, having to fight your former master's brothers-in-law supposed-deceased Pokémon. Awkward and guilty wouldn't begin to describe.
Ultimately, Magnezone stood his ground. An enemy was an enemy, that was that. He looked up at Gengar, a more resolute glare emanating from the non-organic creature. 'What do I do? I know he's our enemy now, but perhaps I can reason with him through battle. That's my only option for now.' "Very well then, we'll have it your way."
"Heh." Gengar's smirk widened. "Two Pokémon, no Trainers. This is gonna be fun."
Magnezone raised his magnets, meeting the same elevation as the Shadow Pokémon. "Come!"
Gengar brought his two hands to the side and manifested a Shadow Ball. As Gengar created his attack, Magnezone generated his Mirror Shot. The Ghost-type and Steel-type attacks were fired at one another, creating an explosion when intercepted in the middle, blinding everything.
Kecleon tilted her head as she looked all around. Her tiny but nimble feet barely made a sound as she paced around the dark chamber she was in. It was surprisingly manageable to see ahead without having the need to squint. She paced down the chamber with her head tilting towards the other side. "We are but a horde divided." She said in her creepy monotone voice. "I am but an Avalugg with no Bergmite on my back. It's a cold feeling…like ice cream."
The Color swap Pokémon continued forwards to the direction where a tunnel was. Her feet were so quiet, so much that it was tough to tell if she really was light on her feet or a ghost at all. As she pressed on towards her path, the creature suddenly made a stop when she was twenty feet away from the exit. A normal man would've taken to his heels and make a break for the exit, but when you're one of the Pokémon who has become part of Nic's family, one could say that a 6th, or perhaps a 7th sense always kicks in.
She looked back over her shoulder, glaring at the darkness looming behind her. It was hollow, desolate, and by no means did it look right. Her head remained stiff as nails as she stared out. 'A very large amount of Magic Power is nearby. It's here, I can feel it.'
There was a long and very ominous silence, a thriller that was starting to come around, and yet Kecleon frowned and remained calm. She didn't look worried, but her attention was completely solid. After a few strong moments of silence, her eyes dilated just for a brief instant, but then in a flash, she turned invisible and vanished as a wave of energy reverberated through the atmosphere. The rocks and walls in the vicinity, every inch to every molecule, was covered in pink crystal. The energy wave transcended through the area all the way to the tunnel exit, blocking it off with a wall of crystal.
The wave of crystal-like energy subsided, revealing stiff darkness still down on the other end of the chamber. The ground and rock scattered was all reduced to crystal, and something began to walk along the crystal-covered ground.
It was revealed to be Mariah, and she kept an unemotional frown underneath her high collar. "I know that you are there. There is no need to hide, for hiding is impossible." She said.
Behind one of the stalagmites that was covered in crystal, Kecleon remained invisible, the only exception being her red stripe. She didn't respond to Mariah as she rather investigated, peering behind the crystal stalagmites.
Mariah stood in the center of the crystal chamber, still unfazed by the lack of response. "If you are inclined to not answer, that is fine. No matter how silent you are to my call, the crystal tougher than any material will shatter your existence and this earth to fragments."
Kecleon looked all around her, dazing at the pink crystal layering the earth. 'Crystal? So she is the Crystal Mage, the one Erza spoke of. She let out a shockwave just now, emitting magic that froze the molecules themselves into crystal. If I move, then she can snuff me out by covering my body in crystal…'
Mariah closed her eyes, showing no appealed interest. "I prefer to be more subtle in one's own demise, as I have inscribed myself to, but you have dropped the Rivolta's numbers by one. That is a sin I cannot ignore. I know you are there, so here me well, small one. I am Mariah, and I will make your very existence shatter with the world's ugliness."
Kecleon kept a blank stare while retaining invisibility, looking hard to find an opening.
"If you do not insist on attacking first, then I shall draw you in myself." Mariah reached her arms out, manifesting several dozens of crystal balls that look similar to Ice Shard. The dozens of crystal shards went blasting away at the area ahead, hitting the ground, the stalagmites, and the ceiling crystal spikes until the residual shards hit the rock wall on the other side of the chamber.
Kecleon remained protected behind the stalagmite that she blended with. She remained quiet and passive as the stalagmite began to chunk off some, and then something else caught her attention. The Color Swap Pokémon looked up upon the sound of cracking and breaking. As she looked up, she saw a large crystal stalactite falling straight down onto her, hence the small shards Mariah summoned. The large spike began to fall, and Kecleon had no recourse other than to dodge. She leapt backwards, dodging the spike that splattered and broke apart upon the tip meeting the crystal floor. Crystal scattered everywhere, erupting as though a meteor shatter had fallen. Kecleon covered up as she tucked in her head and vertically flipped nearly a dozen times before regaining balance. While still camouflaged, she evaded scattering pieces in midair, until her feet touched the ground, making her slide backwards.
Mariah's glance was glued towards the red stripe sliding along the ground, leaving small, tiny pieces of crystal to make a clear path. She had her target set. "I see you!" She swiped her arm, sending a wave of thin crystal-like lances at the clearing path's far end.
Hurrying to take action, Kecleon regained footing and stopped her skid. She went lunging ahead, claws glowing bright white and extending out, via her Slash. She passed every fragment of crystal shot at her, her red stripe and invisible body briefly vanishing from sight and reappearing closer towards Mariah. Kecleon was in a slashed pose, her Slash dissipating as the near hundreds of crystal fragments behind her glinted with white before enveloped in small white explosions.
Mariah remained unfazed by what happened, her attention solemnly on Kecleon's red stripe. "You're very fast, a liable compensation for your flaw in the art of camouflage." She said.
Seeing as how her cover was blown, Kecleon remained glaring ahead with her beady eyes as her color returned to normal.
"I understand that you are one of the many Pokémon who serve under Nic Pularis. It is wise to not underestimate me, little one." Mariah warned.
Kecleon maintained a battle-ready stature. "Enemy vessel afoot. Let's sink or swim."
Nic took in a deep breath before the inside of his mouth began to surge with an orange glow to it. He lurched forward, unleashing Incinerate. A fiery ripple exerted outwards as a fireball with a bright center and black highlights went shooting across the burning ground. When it reached Alpha, however, it dissipated with one swipe of the man's arm. The energy around Alpha was so corrosive that mere contact was only gonna rot flesh and bone.
"Surely you have something else up your sleeve, Nic." Alpha suggested.
Not wanting to take any means of bait, Nic's knuckles twitch, prompting a cracking sound. "Fire Spin!" He slammed his hands against the cold earth, making a thin streak of fire shoot across the area until it reached Alpha's feet, where it transforms into a fiery tornado that engulfed Alpha. Nic leapt backwards to maintain a safe distance.
Inside the Fire Spin, Alpha's aura and body alike was unfazed. He half-grinned as he found himself incapacitated. "A binding move now?" He questioned. "Tactful, but nevertheless, pity."
Nic glared from the distance, raising a clutched fist and hitting the ground with it. "Fire Pledge!" Upon fist meeting earth, a linear column of fire pillars jutted up from the earth, heading all the way towards the tornado. Just as the last column of fire reached the Fire Spin, the fire from both attacks turned black, as if tainted in foul energy. The dark fire dissipated and erupted outwards, causing Nic to cover up as the heated gust pushed him back a few feet.
As dark embers showered down like snow across the landscape of dark flames, Alpha stood in the middle, his figure and form ascertaining no damage at all. His blood red eyes glared at Nic continuously. "Seriously?" He questioned. "Come on, you can do better."
Nic's brows beneath his sunglasses furrowed. His little incapacitation trick was easily swiped away, hence he got a sizeable measure of Alpha's power. He had to amp it up some, which he did. Clasping his two palms together, Nic began to glow an orange aura. The ground beneath began to shake, a sure sign of Nic's increasing power.
"Lava Plume!"
Nic roared out as a pillar of pressurized fire was summoned, scattering an explosion of searing flames and smog in all directions. The ground heated up as Lava Plume expanded. Alpha watched as the attack closed in, his cape flaring from the heat waves generated. Seeing the move draw closer made his smirk return.
"Now that's more like it!" He devilishly shouted. He crossed his arms and let out a large huff. His rotten body and entity flared, making the ground beneath reached greater levels of magnitude. A similar version of Lava Plume exerted, a pillar of darkness summoned while a pitch-black shockwave reached outwards, rippling and reducing the gravel stirred to dust. The two attacks collided in the dead middle, where they stirred and became a flashing display of dark and red-orange flames stirring like a hurricane. The lowling of both pressurized assault equaled that of a dragon, nearly tearing the ground to cracked bits.
As the fire dissipated, there was room above for where Nic could jump. While in a midair leap, Nic shifted to his Draco Form, reeling his draconic wings back and taking a massive flap. "Twister!" He generated a heinous twister of air that scoured the large chamber, whipping up a powerful mess that dissipated both searing darkness and fire alike.
Alpha barely covered himself with his gauntlets, glaring through the Dragon-type move's howling ecstasy. "Is that all you-!" He was cut off when he saw that Nic wasn't in the same spot. He could feel his body lurch left and right, the flinching effect of Twister kicking in. 'What is this? He's buying time?'
Above the tornado was surrounded Alpha, Nic flapped his wings, maintaining a balance. His sunglasses began to glow, his body surrounded in draconic energy that shaped into a dragon. "Dragon Rush!" Rather than shoot straight down onto Alpha, Nic instead dove onto the spiraling winds, riding through them like a tailwind current that spiraled all the way down.
Just as Alpha looked up, he found himself dumbfounded with no surprise attack from above. With his momentum gone, the leader of the Rivolta couldn't see Nic blitzing through the spiraling winds, eventually coming in nearly eye-level from the side.
Dragon Rush's long ride through the Twister down met Alpha's side, generating a pillar of draconic energy that erupted outwards, generating shockwave and gusts that dissipated the Twister made.
As Nic slid backwards from his attack, Alpha flew off to the side, smashing into the wall and splattering rock around. The rock crumbled to pieces, and Nic leered at the crater made, awaiting for something to transpire.
A stiff silence brewed about until Nic went wide-eyed, doing an abrupt backflip as a pillar of pitch-black energy shot up in his place. The energy was so potent that it made the airspace and land quake. The dark pillar continued up through the ceiling, howling all the way up to the pitch-black sky.
The ground beneath Nic cracked apart from the corrosive energy, sending shockwaves that made him grunt and slide backwards some more until he reached the wall, slamming against his back with a harsh thud.
The pillar and shockwaves dialed down, revealing Alpha hunched over and standing in front of the crater engraved into the wall. A few seconds passed before Alpha craned his neck up, eyes wide with a lively smile. He was shuddering, and his neck cracked as he tilted his head. "That was clever. Not good…but CLEVER!" He bellowed out at the last word, emitting a howling and roaring wind that could rival a small tempest. Nic found himself pressed against the wall from that rotting wind. He felt his skin burn from that bellow.
Alpha manifested a dark sphere in his palms, static and negative energy with a blood red center made. "This is what I'm looking for!" He threw the sphere at Nic, making it shoot across the leveled ground. As it traveled, the attack began to take in large quantities of pressure.
Taking the initiative, Nic glowed and became his Meadow Form. He put his arms in front and generated a green shield that expanded outwards, creating massive, prolonged spikes. "Spiky Shield!" He covered up as the dark bomb reached him.
It was then that an explosion erupted, and a huge one. The entire half of the huge chamber and onward was enveloped in a huge catastrophic explosion of darkness. Pitch-black expanded outwards, obliterating rock and blasting through a large expanse of the hills underground.
The hills shuddered, with Mark turning to look up at the quaking veiling. "What is that?" The thumping was making his spine shudder.
Crowhaw looked off to the side, seemingly unfazed by the assault projected throughout the hills. "It would appear Alpha is testing out what little power he's accumulated." He answered.
All around the cavernous domain, the earth and air shuddered in fright. Laura and Ivy took a pause from their battle and looked around at the catastrophic quaking. Magnezone and Gengar ceased their battle momentarily to sense the palpitating force running through the earth. It made Gengar snicker. Kecleon and Mariah felt the impending rumbling as well, so much manifestation occurred that it bewildered both equally as much as the rest.
Outside the cavernous hills, Erza and Saboth felt the ground shake, thundering with ecstasy. They both stopped to look back and find the hills and valleys shuddering. A grotesque sound resonated from the tunnel nearby.
"What's happening?" Erza wondered.
Saboth raised his head, his inquiry reaching a brimming peak. "Alpha."
Erza looked back at him with sheer shock. "What?" The quaking settled, but the cold dread continued to rattle her spine. 'I've never felt so much Magic Power before, even when it was from a distance.' Her worry suddenly intensified. 'Nic.'
Nic slowly opened his eyes, his Spiky Shield dissipating. "What…?" He looked around, seeing the area around him in large trails. An uneasy feeling crawled on his back, his eyes widening in horror as he stared over his shoulder, glaring at the gigantic tunnel that lead into the unknown. It wasn't natural, and that's what unnerved him. "Oh my god."
The expansive walls and cavern bored by the attack was perhaps twice as grand as a Wailord. It was so large and so deep that there looked to be no end to it. It left a very dark atmospheric pressure to swell like a stench, one that almost cut off Nic's sense of smell.
A very sinister chuckle resonated from behind him, catching his attention. Without turning around, he could already tell where that harsh chuckling came from; it was so wicked, and so blood-curdling, that the ground had gotten colder, making Nic's feet almost quake.
Alpha growled as his blood red eyes glowed with joy and lust, seeing the astonishment brimming around Nic. Darkness and potent negative energy swirled around him like a small tempest. With each and every passing second, Alpha's insanity and inhumanity intensified. "This power is what defines humanity at its greatest. This is what true strength defines the ambitious and the strong." He retorted. "Just think, you had all this power, and you rejected it. What a sick excuse of human waste you are. You need to embrace the darkness, and let it make you stronger. That very same thought and action will help you survive and conquer. You are nothing more than a sack of meat that I will feebly rip limb by limb, and you think there's truly a way to stop the Impure Underworld, when I have just begun?!" Alpha craned his neck up, emitting a malicious laugh that bellowed similar to a banshee.
Nic finally turned around, ignoring the painful bellowing Alpha was giving off. He glared at the deranged fool, showing little to no appeal in his eyes. Nic's blue eyes were opposing the red in Alpha's; innocence and good against wicked and hate. Two embodiments that were perhaps the quintessence of their kind. Immense strength against an unbelievable amount of Magic Power.
"You truly are a sick being." Nic retorted. "You're even worse than that scientist."
Alpha's bellowing simmered down, his smirk so toothy one could see the blood red boiling in the gums. "What a compliment from a worm."
Nic's eyes narrowed. "You truly are a sick man. No, you're not a man to begin with. You're nothing more than a monster with a void for a heart, who enjoys nothing but manslaughter, is that right?"
Alpha growled, his teeth chattering with adrenaline from the word 'manslaughter'.
"I don't know what your goal is with this Impure Underworld other than to bring the world to its end, but this has gone too far already." Nic began to glow once more, signaling a change in power. "You took pleasure in seeing us almost die, and you killed, and you laughed aloud…and you take it as your lifelong job!" Around Nic's glow, the earth again began to rumble, dust and what looked like sand collecting and swirling around him. A glimmering light shot sharp rays through the atmosphere, the blinding light making Alpha hiss like a demon.
The glow dissipated, revealing Nic spreading his legs apart. The dust blew all around him like a tempest of its own that rivaled Alpha's. A small glisten resonated from Nic as he was on a knee, slowly rising up and making the dust veil around him dissipate. "You and I have different views on how the world should be. I can accept the fact that the fight never ends, and that for as long as humanity and life goes on, that fact will always be there; but I won't take it upon you of all deplorable manifestations of Satan to throw off the balance." The glow around Nic dissipated, revealing him in his Pixie Form, only the detailed difference was that the edging everywhere, the belt, and the shirt underneath resembled that of the Earth Form's. "I'll find out what you have in mind, even if it means putting you six feet under! Fairy/Ground!"
Alpha slowly lowered and got to all fours, looking more primal than ever. He had the most animalistic gaze set on Nic, his lust greater than before. "You really wanna know? You honestly want to know why I do what I am doing right now?" He questioned. "Because I LOVE it! I only want death, and sickening ways to tear humans and life into shreds! I enjoy watching suffering and fire engulf life, charring skin and animals tearing the world apart. It makes me laugh, it makes me excited! I will kill a million lives, and I won't get bored for a single second as long as I see hearts get crushed! I am the Alpha, and I lead the pack that will plunge this pathetic humanity to splintered bits!"
Nic's fists clutched tight, hearing his reasoning. "…you're just as bad as Giratina." He coldly said beneath his breath. "If you wanna damn the universe and all living life like he did…" He sprung after Alpha. "Then get past me!"
"With pleasure!" Alpha sprung forward with a primal shout, attacking Nic head-on.
Mark charged after Crowhaw, reeling a fist back coated in green aura. He closed in and punched, but Crowhaw vanished in black mist and out of sight. Mark stopped in his tracks, leering all around in any signs of looking for the elusive ghost man.
"Well you sure are a slippery bastard." He commented. Despite how short their battle was for now, Mark was barely getting any hits in, while Crowhaw was merely evading, taking precaution to the wind. It was annoying after so many tries.
"It is called evasion. It is a tactic many use when they wish to tire out and study their opponents, to see how many openings they can exploit for execution." Crowhaw's voice rattled throughout the chamber, like that of a ghost indeed.
"Why don't you come out instead of hiding in the shadows like a ghost, or rather a coward." Mark announced.
Crowhaw still did not comply. "Taunting proves my point. You are in fact no different from a barking puppy."
The father took a shock to this, though he showed it through gritting teeth. He went wide-eyed when a sudden blast of ghostly darkness swirled similar to a funnel from behind him at a high angle. Barely catching on, he dodged out of the way, evading the cyclone that made a large dust cloud emerge. Mark managed to stand once again, but found himself raptured with dust obscuring his vision. He looked around wearily for answers, but when he turned his back for once, he felt a creepy force spring up from behind.
With a harsh gasp, he turned around to get a lash of dark winds that blew him away. Crowhaw kept his reach outwards as Mark tumbled through the scattering dust, slamming against the ground with a hefty groan.
"If one truly believes they need to be strong, what is the point of patronizing and stalling if they can't use their own will and skill to deal damage for them. The verbal wounds can only go so deep, but the physical wounds are what can decide the battle. That is what you tend to disregard, elder one."
Mark groaned as he slumped back up, clutching his left shoulder to suppress the pain. His breathing was heavy, showing signs of wear over the course of near-24 hours. "Well…sucks you're not the verbal kind of guy then, huh?" He grunted.
"You care to share any more insults? There's still time before I decide to end your efforts." Crowhaw insisted.
Mark frowned, narrowing his vision. "…you know, I have a lot of choice words for a guy like you. But since they don't seem to do any more than add fuel to the fire, guess I got no choice but to drop it all and actually try." By all means, commentary was one of Mark's more suited actions, a trait he picked up from name-calling Nic all those years. Of course he still took action along with an insult or two, but Crowhaw wasn't Nic, so degrading words are out of compounds.
Crowhaw closed his eyes. "Suite yourself, but know this…" He began to fade into black mist again. "Say what you can, because screaming will be all that engulfs this planet." He was gone the next second, making himself intangible to Mark and his line of vision yet again.
Mark looked all around, unnerved as he tried to search for Crowhaw, but he was too elusive. 'Damnit, this just isn't helping. We're not getting anywhere like this.' He thought. 'It's been nearly ten minutes and all we've done was yell and vanish. I gotta find another way to draw him out if words aren't enough.'
A sudden raging tempest of darkness once again funneled from the ceiling down onto Mark. This time, Mark chose another initiative. He raised his arms overhead and manifested a green translucent shield. The Aura Guard blocked the funnel, making it collide against his defenses constantly like a drill. While it remained up, it allowed Mark some time to think.
"Once again, you're delaying the inevitable." Crowhaw announce from high above, where he was reaching out and shooting the funnel from his hand. "If all you do is stall, then this will make things easier for me."
The green shield was shuddering from the constant funnel advancing onto Mark, but Crowhaw couldn't see too well with his attack in the way. Suddenly, the dome's green light intensified, creating a light green light that continued to burn brightly.
"What?" Crowhaw was caught a little surprised by the shield before it eventually shattered. The shards and fractured fragments of green aura discharged with the bright green aura Mark stored up inside. Hundreds of small spears of green aura blasted in all directions, not missing an inch. Crowhaw scooted backwards as the explosion of green shards were closing in on his direction. Retaining caution, the Ghost Mage brought his arm to the side and swiped, sending a dark shockwave towards the green shards. The aura and the darkness collided in yet another explosion, cancelling out both attacks. Crowhaw felt safe for the time being, with what spare seconds he's achieved, yet then his hopes dashed when a green beam shot as fast as the speed of light, engulfing him in a blast green aura.
"GAH!" With a loud shout, the ghostly man faltered back down from the air, sliding on his heels to a bitter halt. He grunted and looked back up to see dust scattering, revealing Mark standing there, frowning with a serious look, one that left the ghostly man uneasy.
"Is that more like it?" He inquired.
Crowhaw straightened his feet beneath his tattered cloak's bottom and glared back at him. "Well now, it seems that you aren't as dim-lit as I pegged you. Seems you have some bite after all."
Mark managed to grin from the corner of his lips. "Now look who's talking too much."
Crowhaw offered no input as he stared coldly at his adversary.
"Now look pal, thanks for a few battle lessons and all, but I also gotta say I don't care about your concept of what you describe as family." Mark's fists glowed green. "I started a family, that's one concept. And then there's Nic, who took it upon himself to make his own family comprised of other creatures. That's another concept. You say that family is only one or the other, well I say it may as well be both. It could be a bunch of Zubat or little Bellsprout, or whatever. The point is, your ideology means nothing to the likes of a Pularis, and I intend to prove it!"
Proving another point, Mark shot his fist forward, shooting a green beam from it that abruptly got Crowhaw yet again. The ghostly man covered up as he took the assault and slid back several feet, maintaining ground, albeit barely.
Mark's fist sizzled as it remained stretched out. "I'm talking to a ghost for crying out loud…then again, I am technically dead."
Crowhaw ascended back into the air, revealing his conical straw hat still barely attached. "And vice versa. Though you are worthy of being an adversary, I stand by the rise of Impure Underworld, and for all to burn."
Mark snickered as he adjusted his stance. "You know, I've heard how my son beat your ass. Let's see exactly what his old man can do. Shall we?"
"HRAH!" Laura fired a beam of blue aura at Ivy, which traveled remarkably fast. Ivy remained positioned around her forest of wiggling large black roots as they all converged around her and shielded her in a dome of swirled roots. The blast of aura met the shield, but the attack completely bounced off, nullified by the veil set up. The veil immediately unwrapped and became several lashes again, reaching out at Laura with a swipe of Ivy's arm. The several large black roots got closer, in which roles reversed when Laura swiped her arm diagonally up, creating a blue aura wall that the hissing plants ran into.
"Gnnnngh!" Laura grunted as she tried to hold up the shield, but she found herself shoved back a few feet from the roots continuing to advance forward against her wall.
Ivy's eyes narrowed. "Someone's not paying attention, is she?"
A small crack emerged right behind Laura, sprouting into a smaller black root that arose and snagged a coil around her ankle. The mom was petrified in shock as her ankle felt a harsh tug that picked her off the ground. The shield shattered apart and the snared root threw her overhead, making the mom shout as she hit the ground, sliding on her side in pain.
The roots retreated back to Ivy's side, a hand to her hip. "Oh come on, don't tell me your age is backfiring on ya. I was looking for some more fun before you tire out." She huffed.
Laura got back to her feet, grunting as she reeled her right arm back. She reached forward and fired a beam of blue aura yet again, this time in short volleys in rapid succession.
"Alright then!" Ivy raised her head in pride as the dark rooted material around her responded and arched around her, making a shield that was in attempt to block the adversary's attack. The volleys of blue aura bombs closed in as Ivy predicted, but Laura narrowed her eyes, using her magic's aura-like qualities and alter the direction. The volleys suddenly altered course and climbed up the arch like a waterfall, arching overhead down onto a shocked Ivy. The enemy mage looked perplexed, but took it lightly as they closed in.
"You're not getting ahead of me!" Ivy crossed her forearms, instantly making a dome of black roots sprout from around her feet, encasing her just as the harsh volleys bombarded the material. Each impact rattled the black roots, but nonetheless, they remained intact.
"You sure know how to annoy me." Laura pointed out.
The shield and the wall came down, retreating back into the dark ground. "Likewise." Ivy commented. "For someone who's been dead, you sure don't seem to be taking chances."
Laura made her hands coat on more of her blue aura. "Why would I when I have an agenda to accomplish?"
Ivy took a small pause, maintaining a small grin. "…and what might that be? Hmm~?"
Laura didn't bother smirking. "What else? I plan on stopping this spell and do whatever I can to help my son and daughter's cause." She proudly stated.
Ivy smirked. "Aren't you noble." Her smirk turned into a frown. "But it's a little sad."
Laura's eyes widened. "What?"
"Well don't get me wrong, your actions and hopes for stopping us is admirable. I mean, look at how far you've gotten. It truly is inspiring for all who have hope…but hope doesn't exist when you're a dead cause." Ivy gave a despondent look, like all the care was washed away from her. "Poor shame." She snapped her fingers, making the ground beneath Laura shudder.
The Aura Mage looked down at the ground and could feel an intense swell of Magic Power once more. She abruptly backed away as a sharp black root jutted upwards, making small rocks fly in all directions. Laura slid back and glared at Ivy continuously.
"You plan on helping your children to atone for the sins you've committed, yet you didn't take into account that sins are all that you are?" Ivy questioned. "Think about it. Your whole life has been a sin, and you once thought giving birth to that Nic fellow was the biggest sin in the world. News flash girl, every life is a sin in the face of Hell. Hell's only atonement, is by taking you back to where you belong, to the darkness where all sinners are meant to be."
Whatever Ivy was implying, Laura wasn't taking likely. She looked a little flustered of not provoked, but nevertheless, the mother retained what composure she could. "Listen, girl, but my son and daughter aren't the ones who fall hopelessly to their knees. If you believe they belong in Hell, you're making the last mistake ever made." She threatened.
"How so?" Ivy countered.
"It doesn't matter to me or my dear of we came from Hell or not; if anything, I may as well empathize a little with where you're going with this, but even though we've made a lot of mistakes in our lives, Mark and I swore ever since that our babies forgave us, that we'll pull ourselves out of Hell and stare the devil in the eye as long as they do the same."
Ivy stared for a small period of time at Laura, seeing the determination in her blue eyes. Those eyes said it all, those miserable blue eyes. Ivy could stare at them, and it's like gazing into the blue sky, something she despised, let alone couldn't fathom. Her patience was wearing thin, her dreadful own gaze leering back at Laura, her body outlined in a dark green aura.
"You know…as much as I love to talk about how you deserve nothing less than death, I think I made my point clear. It's been fun talking, while I had an interest of course." Ivy said.
Laura's blue aura manifested around her body yet again, becoming dense. "I haven't had girl talk in years. It was refreshing, but I got a world to save. I say we agree to disagree..." Her eyes narrowed, a darkening glare rivaling Ivy's. "Or do you disagree with me there as well?"
Ivy flashed a brief smirk as she swiped both arms forward. "Hmph, does this answer your question?!"
She summoned several more lashes of black roots that rushed after Laura. The Aura Mage retaliated with shooting a full blast of blue aura that met the roots in the center, generating an explosion of bright blue that separated the two women from the other, their eyes set on killing one another, their confident smirks tarnished by the feeling of adrenaline and their own agendas colliding. This was a battle neither could afford to lose.
There was another section of the hills that was left outside in the pitch-black skies. Everything was dark, the atmosphere howling with cold winds that could leave the might of anyone shivering in their boots and footwear. Erza wasn't the only one who was teleported to the outside world apparently. Far deeper in the valleys and ridges of the hills, there was yet another who had yet to realize she was in peril.
Vanessa looked around the rocky terrain, unnerved but remained quiet. She looked exceedingly unsound with what transpired. She looked left and right in hopes of finding a clue as to where she may have ended up. "How long have I been walking around for?" She quietly muttered. "It felt like an hour. I still can't believe what happened to us." The youngest of the Pularis family continued walking her pace, silently hoping for some sign of the others.
"I can't seem to detect Erza or Nic's auras, and Mom and Dad are out of range it feels." As she walked, she put a hand to her chin, pondering. "Is it because the negative compounds generated by the spell is putting up an interference or something? All I can detect is malevolence."
As her worries intensified, the pitch-black sky thundered. The growling and groaning high in the sky made her stop in her tracks, looking up high in the sky to see the Impure Underworld's sky starting to crackle.
"…thunder?" She questioned.
A fast and loud bolt struck a random spot far away, but it was so loud it startled Vanessa, making her go wide-eyed and face said direction with a skip in her heart. As the thunder echoed, the uneasiness multiplied drastically around her. She took a small step to the side, but she jumped again when lightning again shot down, this time, a lot closer. She turned around to see a large crater that sizzled in the center.
Her gaze remained wary. "What's going on here…?"
Lightning roared one more time, this time, igniting the sky in ions that crackled across the sky. Vanessa turned once more, this time, she was hit with an intense sense of Magic Power and aura, flaring like an inferno from out of nowhere. Her heart nearly skipped two beats when the aura was somehow familiar, and not in a good way. She saw a lone figure standing atop of a ridge, looking down onto her with hollow eyes and a dark cloak as lightning crackled high over his head, echoing outwards.
Vanessa looked up at him with horror. "No…I remember you." She gasped, recognizing the man to be Imaci.
Imaci's eyes were fixated onto Vanessa, the lightning crashing down behind him, darkening his figure and eyes, the face of a rotting demon that silently watched his prey cripple before him.
Erza slashed at Saboth, but Saboth blocked with Demon Karbia, swatting her away. Erza slid backwards to a halt, barely keeping footing to hold off another attack that was to come. Her sword positioned to defend, she readied, but the sudden sound of thunder and lightning rattled her ears.
"What?" The Requip Mage heard the roaring and bellowing of lightning, far greater in range compared to what she recalled of Laxus' caliber. Her gaze was wary as it diverted deep into the hills in the distance, miles away. "What on earth is going on? The ground's nearly trembling."
Unlike Erza, Saboth was unfazed by the lightning traveling through the sky, ignoring the ground constantly vibrating. He just glared coldly at Erza, zero remorse evident. "It would seem Imaci has found his target." He said.
The ground vibrated with sheer intensity from the thunder across the sky. Vanessa looked up with a mix of nervousness and awe as Imaci glared down at her with the same emotionless look.
"We meet again, Vanessa Pularis."
As I had promised, here is the last update for February. I hope you all liked it. This chapter was mainly just to set up who will fight who in the next few chapters. We got Nic VS Alpha, Mark VS Crowhaw, Laura VS Ivy, Kecleon VS Mariah, Magnezone VS Gengar, Vanessa VS Imaci, and Erza VS Saboth. Hope you liked the matchups!
There's still a lot of questions that are rolling around, like how the Rivolta members came to be, and who Alpha is and what his deal is, but in good time. I assure that much. I did a rough calculation as to how many chapters should be left in this arc, and I think a good 5 if not 6 chapters left, so hopefully by mid-April is my goal to have the Impure Underworld Arc complete.
So as usual, share your thoughts and review, and thanks for reading another chapter! :)