The Galactic Knights: Third Dimensional War

The Phantom Rises Arc

A/N: The Shadow Alliance begins their attacks to obtain the Sacred Objects. Luckily, for the Xaria Federation, the Imperial Alliance has aided them in setting up a defense. However, since the Shadow forces commands a large and powerful army, can the allied forces truly be ready for such a battle? Find out in chapter 53: 'Collision at Nahn Cavern.'

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Naruto, Inuyasha, Fairy Tail, or One Piece.

*LB* = Line Break

Chapter 53: Collision at Nahn Cavern

Three large divisions of troops march from Yrona. These large forces consist of the Imperial and Xaria armies, who are the remnants of the Imperial forces or the Xaria forces stationed at Yrona. The first division consists of Alexander, Fiona, Nestor, Takis, and an army of Megalos, griffin, Kelpies, and sea serpents forces. Their task is to defend Nahn Cavern and the Shield of Darkness. The second division consists of Inuyasha, Iris, Chara, Edgardo, Akiko, Lavender, Minoru and a mix group of Lionhearts, Pegasi, Megalos, and phoenixes. Their task is to defend the deep forest Silew Grove and the Helm of Void. The third division consists of Ichigo, Electra, Zinon, Horace, Momoka, Anna, Tecumseh, and a mix army of Lionhearts, Unicorns, Megalos, and foxes. Their task is to defend Flehm Swamp and the Sword of Light. The final group is the command division consisting of Helios, Eos, Cinder, Shiva, and Labder. They plan to remain at Yrona, overseeing each of the battles.

A few days passes as each division ends up on three different planets. Ichigo and his allies reach the Flehm Swamp. Ichigo gazes upon the thousands of trees reaching the far end of the valley. He looks down and notices the knee length water. The smell coming from the swamp is unbearable, causing Ichigo to choke a bit. He holds his nose to keep the smell out, but it is too late. He coughs badly, as he walks forward, hearing the numerous creatures from the swamp.

Anna and Tecumseh walk up to Ichigo. He turns around and nods at them. He notices Horace and Momoka further in the army. Anna nods back at Ichigo as she stops next to him. Ichigo can hear the army behind him shuffle around as they prepare to enter the swamp. He takes this moment to glance towards the sky, thinking about the Xaria Federation and the actions he saw a few days ago.

"What is morality?" Ichigo ponders this question aloud. He hears Anna mumble, but she does not respond. Ichigo glances to his hands, recalling recent year. He has been from battle to battle, not happy from the results. What is his morality? Is taking lives moral? Is controlling others moral? The rulers of the Xaria Federation are willing to send only a few soldiers. Is it enough to make up for their actions?

Electra walks up to Ichigo, lowering her head to his level. "Master Ichigo, what brings on this question?"

Ichigo glances at Electra, noting her concern. However, she too has a part of the situation. He closes his eyes, remembering the large group of civilians living in Yrona. Yes, it has such potential, but there are many dark secrets.

"Who are the lizards Zane mentioned?" Ichigo opens his eyes, staring back at Electra.

"I'm sorry, but I am not allowed to talk about that. It is simply another species Helios guards, but they choose to remain hidden. They want nothing to do with the other species since the Shadow Monsters nearly wiped them out three thousand years ago."

Ichigo turns away from Electra. Another species suffered because of the Shadow Monsters. He clenches his hands. What is morality? Perhaps he can only have his personal definition. He hates to admit it, but who wins the war will determine what is right and what is wrong.

"It is hard to tell morality, even if it looks obvious." Anna sighs as she clenches her hands.

Tecumseh glances at her, realizing what she is implying. He too understands the small line of morality. He recalls the day their morals clashed.

After an hour of fighting, Tecumseh and Anna stood, breathing heavily as they stared each other down. Tecumseh's body shook, a handful of wounds continue to bleed, but not enough to cause him to faint. He tightened the grip on his sword as he used a large amount of strength to stand up.

"Why?"

Anna did not respond to him. She simply raised her pike, ready for another round of fighting. Soon enough, the two charged, clashing near the edge of cliff, exchanging a series of blows. Tecumseh ducked below Anna's swing as he upper cuts her and then kicked her in the stomach. Tecumseh did not give Anna the chance to regain her composure as he backhanded her. Anna stopped inches from the cliff. She glared at Tecumseh.

"It is my duty. I have nothing else."

"No, you have a choice." Tecumseh prepared to charge her. "Didn't your parents teach you that?"

"Parents?" Tecumseh noticed the sad expression on Anna's face. However, it was only a glimpse as it disappears as quickly as it appeared. "I never had any. I was raised by the military soldiers."

Tecumseh widened his eyes. This woman never experienced love. She grew to be a warrior from birth. Nobody taught her she could choose a life.

"That isn't right." Tecumseh's words caught Anna off guard. "You should live the life you want. You've been forced into this role. Choose your own!"

Anna shouted as she charged at Tecumseh. Tecumseh slammed his sword into the ground, unleashing a burst of energy. The burst did not hit Anna, but the force sent her twirling backward over the cliff. Tecumseh clenched his teeth as he stood up and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and noticed Anna barely holding onto the edge. Tecumseh clenched his hands, his mind telling him to leave while his heart telling him to go back. The word 'choose,' continued to ring through his head. In an instant, he turned around and ran toward Anna. He reached her and grabbed onto her wrist. He noticed Anna's confused expression, but ignored it as he pulled her up. Tecumseh and Anna breathed heavily as she slammed her fist onto the ground.

"Why did you save me?"

"Excuse me?"

Tecumseh and Anna glared at each other. However, the noise of nearby soldiers running toward them broke the staring contest. Tecumseh closed his eyes, knowing the enemy had captured him. However, his eyes snapped opened when he heard the drawing of arrows. Tecumseh realized the soldiers have drawn their bows and arrows and infused it with energy, aiming at him and Anna.

"What are you doing?" Tecumseh stood up, before standing in front of Anna. "Isn't this your general?"

"She has failed us. A defeated general is nothing to us."

Tecumseh felt his blood boil. He clenched his teeth as he looked around the area for anything to save him and Anna. Suddenly, Anna grabbed his shoulder and tossed him over the cliff. Tecumseh watched as Anna glanced at him before turning toward the soldiers. Seconds later, he watched as Anna also fell down the cliff with numerous arrows on her chest plate.

Tecumseh watches as the allied forces begin to move into Flehm Swamp. Anna watches Tecumseh begin to follow the others as she softens her gaze. She recalls the look on his face. It is an expression she does not like seeing. She has seen this expression before. Every time he thinks about the day they met, he would have that expression.

Anna opened her eyes as she tried to figure out her location. She sat up, clenching her teeth as pain soared through her body. Her body continues to ache, but she managed to resist the pain. Once the pain subsided, she began to look around the area. Around her is an endless group of trees. She knew she is still in the forest. She also heard the rushing of water nearby, indicating a river. She tried to stand up, but a sudden noise caused her to fall back down. She whipped her head to the right and noticed a familiar figure.

Tecumseh stood only centimeters away from her, with a half of coconut in his hands. Anna tried to jump up, reaching for her blade, but her body failed on her instantly. She began to feel dizzy and her legs collapsed under her own weight. She began to fall toward the ground, but soon realized she did not meet the dirt. Tecumseh held her up before he placed her on the ground gently.

Why would this man save her? After everything she had done, he would still save her. She began to think about her recent actions. She had been willing to serve her lord until death, yet the moment she lost, she was disposable.

Hours would turn into days, days into weeks. She would spend her time recovering with Tecumseh as they traveled across the land, searching for any signs of Tecumseh's tribe. Along the way, she discovered the truth about her former lord. She discovered the real reason behind the attack. Her superiors wanted true power. However, Tecumseh's tribe continued to spread views of freedom and freewill. This was unacceptable to them.

Anna would spend days with Tecumseh as he taught her new ways of life. He showed her horseback riding beyond war. He showed her fishing. He showed her farming and so many other things. Anna did not know such fun existed. She began to realize there was more to life than she thought. She watched Tecumseh as he approached her before she began hearing the shouting of people.

Anna snaps out of her thoughts as she notices the army moving forward. She must concentrate on the matter at hand. Tecumseh nods at her as the two Elite Guards march forward, as Ichigo leads the army forward.

"I will find a way to make sure everyone tries to work together." Ichigo takes the first step into the marsh.

"It is not possible with the world today." Anna sighs, knowing the world is not in the best condition.

"I will try." Ichigo replies with a strong voice and a look of determination.

Anna and Tecumseh smile at Ichigo's words and expression.

Elsewhere, the echoing of a marching army sounds throughout the night. Alexander stands in front of a large cave, Nahn Cavern, the darkness instilling a shiver amongst the large allied forces. Alexander feels the shiver himself, but remains calm. The last thing his army needs is a leader in fear.

However, one major factor concerns Alexander. During the entire trip here, not a single enemy solider was seen on the way. If Hanzo and Ryuu are supposed to be brilliant soldiers, then why has he not seen anyone trying to stop his army?

He soon hears a crackling in his hear.

"Is anybody else getting this weird feeling?" Inuyasha's voice sounds through the communicator.

"Yeah, I've been traveling for a while, yet there are no signs of the Shadow Alliance." Ichigo's voice sounds next.

Alexander glances around the area, but he sees nothing. He turns back and signals some of his air units to take to the sky. Once they do, he turns back to the entrance of the large cave, staring into the dark void.

"Something is wrong. Everyone be careful." Helios' voice echoes through the communicator.

Meanwhile, Ryuu and Hikari stare at the large sun of an unknown solar system. Ryuu clenches his teeth as he continues to stare at the sun.

"Is it time?" Hikari shuffles a piece of paper in her hand.

"Yes." Ryuu replies with sadness in his voice.

"I hope the Imperial Alliance surrenders. It is the only way to avoid death."

"We have no choice." Ryuu turns to his left, staring at a microphone on a nearby table. This war is for the well-being of their people. He must continue forward. Protect the people, yourself, and your sister, make this universe better and destroy the evil inside it. Those words he will keep in mind, the last words from his mother.

Ryuu sighs as he reaches for the microphone. He pushes the button to turn the microphone on. "Begin the attack."

As Ryuu makes his order, Alexander signals for his armies to move forward. Soon enough, they enter the cavern, only to meet darkness. Fiona walks up to Alexander, concern on her face.

"We must be careful." Fiona glances around the area. Despite the emptiness, she can feel the darkness lurking around the corners.

Eventually, the army reaches a larger part of the cavern, which separates into three passages. Alexander turns to Fiona, not sure which direction to go towards. Fiona tells Alexander the path on the left leads to the shield directly, while the other two paths take a longer route, but also go around the shield, while giving view of the shield from higher positions.

Nestor walks up, bowing to Alexander and Fiona. He stands up straight as he speaks up. "The two longer paths are prime locations for ambushes." They must secure the area before trying to reach for the shield. Nestor asks for a unit and heads into the left passages, telling the others to use the other passages.

Takis takes a second unit to support Nestor if needed. Alexander takes his unit through the center, while Fiona heads through the passage on the right.

Around twenty minutes later, Nestor comes across an open area of the cavern. The sunlight illuminates through the cavern, but at a low light.

At the command headquarters, Helios watches numerous screens in front of him as the allied forces march through their respective locations.

"Where is the enemy?" Helios turns to Eos slightly as the griffin questions the situation. "Are they afraid?

"The enemy might not know of the objects." Cinder sighs as the phoenix extends his wings. "This could be a false alarm."

"We should just trap the Imperial Alliance, this could be their idea!" Eos flaps her wings, trying to tell the others to act.

"No, we should wait." Labder narrows his eyes, watching the screens in front of them.

"We cannot act rashly." Helios remains calm as he stares into the screens. "For now, we wait."

Nestor and his unit enter an open area of the cave. He glances around the area, noticing the shady corners and the quietness. Nestor waves to his unit as they journey further into the open. He gazes upon the upper levels of the cavern, but he does not see any enemy forces.

However, a sudden burst of darkness causes Nestor to back away from the darker corners of the cavern. His unit rushes around as they form a circular formation. Seconds later, a horde of Shadow Monsters rush out of the darkness. Nestor shouts for his forces to keep their formation as the seconds pass by slowly. Eventually, the two sides collide, as the Megalos soldiers attempt to hold off the Shadow Monsters.

The Megalos soldiers retain their formation, as they slash their way through the enemy numbers. Nestor continues to aid his forces from the inside with range attacks. However, just as his unit begins to gain the advantage, another group of Shadow Monsters rushes from the shadows. Unfortunately, so does an army of Kurosawa soldiers.

"Charge!" Takis rushes from the entrance with his Megalos unit. Takis thrusts his lance forward, piercing a shadow bear in the stomach. He withdraws his weapon, as he avoids an attack by a Kurosawa soldier.

Luckily, the Megalos forces fall upon the Shadow forces, forcing the dark army to fall back.

"Do not think this will be easy." Nestor and Takis turn their attention towards the voice as another person walks from the shadows.

Xiang Liao slams her brass knuckles together, while glaring at the two Megalos generals. In seconds, she charges forward as Nestor fans out his war fan. He swings his fan, unleashing a large burst of wind. However, Xiang smirks as she disappears in a black portal.

Nestor curses to himself as he takes a few steps back, looking around for Xiang.

"Right here."

Nestor turns around, but he is too late as Xiang punches him at the chest. Nestor clenches his teeth, as his armor cracks under the pressure of the punch. He still feels a large amount of pain surge through his body. Nestor tries to back away, but Xiang appears behind him, punching him in the back. Nestor falls to the ground, his back throbbing due to the attack.

Xiang appears above Nestor, who attempts to turn around and counter, but she pins him down. She smirks as she raises her right arm, ready to punch Nestor. However, numerous spikes erupt from the ground, nearly piercing Xiang. She manages to escape harm by teleporting herself out of the attack range. Xiang appears at a different spot than before only to come face to face with Takis.

Takis glares at Xiang, raising his lance as he enters a battle stance, pointing the weapon at Xiang. He notices Xiang smirking as she clenches her fist.

"You and I both know I'm stronger." Xiang says with an increasing grin.

"Strength does not win a battle." Takis slams his lance to the ground, a small shockwave occurring afterwards.

The ground cracks upon, as numerous small shards of metal begin to form. Takis swings his arms, launching the metal shards at Xiang. Xiang disappears in a portal before other portals form around the area. Seconds later, numerous energy beams shoot out from the portals as Takis forms a barrier of metal around himself, shielding from the beams. However, he can hear the Megalos soldiers shout in pain as they receive the blunt of the attack.

"You can't keep hiding!" Xiang's voice echoes through the area.

Xiang smirks as she appears far from the battlefield, looking over the fight. She raises her hands, unleashing more of her portals and energy beams.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind slams into her, causing numerous cuts. Xiang shouts as the wind slices her skin. A small amount of blood gushes out of her wounds before she manages to teleport herself out of harm's way.

Nestor breathes heavily as he glares at Xiang. He looks around realizing his army has lost their formation due to Xiang's earlier attack. The Shadow forces ravage through the Megalos soldiers, killing or wounding anyone in their way.

"Fire!" Alexander appears on the upper levels of the cavern, an army of Megalos soldiers appearing next to him.

The soldiers consist of two divisions. The first division is the archer unit and the second division is the rifle unit. They begin to unleash a barrage of attacks upon the Shadow forces, while avoiding the inner circle where the Megalos forces fight for their lives.

The Shadow forces counter as they fight back with their range attacks. Alexander gathers energy and deflects some of the attacks.

"Don't forget about us!" Fiona appears from the other side of the upper cavern with her army of Kelpies and sea serpents. Fiona's forces begin to unleash numerous heated water strikes, hitting the Shadow forces at the edge of the area below.

Nestor narrows his eyes, continuing to stare at Xiang. She does not lose her smirk, which concerns him. He watches Xiang raise her arm before thrusting it forward.

"Cyborgs, attack!"

The area begins to shake as Alexander and Fiona look around from their respective sides. Suddenly, the ceiling cracks open as hundreds of cyborgs rush through. Fiona watches as the cyborgs launch the surprise attacks upon the Kelpies and sea serpents. Alexander also watches the same thing as his unit tries to hold off the enemies.

"Nestor, move forward!" Alexander kicks a cyborg away from him as he turns to check if Nestor heard him.

Nestor heard Alexander's order as he begins to move forward. He slashes a shadow wolf with his war fan before blasting a Kurosawa soldier into bits.

"No you don't!" Xiang begins to run after Nestor, but stops the moment Alexander lands in front of her, breaking the ground beneath him. "Abandoning your forces on the upper level?"

"No, they can take care of themselves." Alexander gathers energy as numerous seals appear behind him. "You, on the other hand, should worry about yourself."

Nestor heads deeper into the cavern. Once he reaches the inner part of Nahn Cavern, he notices a large shrine. The cave has nothing special, but does have a few statues of Kelpies scattered around the area. Nestor makes note of it, but continues forward. He rushes to the shrine, grabs the handles to the shrine, and opens it to reveal the Shield of Darkness.

Before he does anything, he stops the moment he feels a presence in the area. A handful of footsteps begin to echo. Nestor turns around only to come face to face with Minotaurs and earthly horses.

"What are you doing here?" Nestor narrows his eyes as the Minotaurs move aside. Rilnur walks up, staring into the eyes of Nestor. "Rilnur?"

"We will be the new guardians." Rilnur takes out his battle-axe, slamming it to the ground. "No Shadow or Imperial force will get their hands on this shield."

"Now is not the time!" Nestor glances between Rilnur and the shield. However, Rilnur steps between Nestor and the shield, blocking his view of the Sacred Object.

Nestor curses to himself as he jumps over Rilnur, aiming at the shield. He widens his eyes the moment Rilnur appears before him. The large Minotaur punches Nestor away, sending the Megalos general back. Nestor twists his body around and lands on his feet, blood dripping from his mouth.

"You're making things worse!" Nestor shouts at Rilnur, but it only causes the Minotaur to charge at him.

Nestor unleashes a burst of wind, sending the Minotaur back. He gathers more energy as Rilnur roars in anger.

"You leave me no choice." Nestor swings his war fan, unleashing a burst of wind.

Rilnur slams his foot, creating a wall of earth. The wall intercepts the wind attack, causing chunks of earth to scatter across the cave. Nestor charges forward, slamming into Rilnur, using his energy to force Rilnur back. Suddenly, Rilnur grabs Nestor by the head and slams him to the ground.

Nestor coughs badly as Rilnur raises his battle-axe. He shouts as he swings his left arm, sending a concentrated burst of wind. The attack hits Rilnur in the chest, sending him back as Nestor jumps back up. He stumbles a bit as his head feels dizzy, but he manages to regain himself. However, another Minotaur swings his sword, forcing Nestor to jump to the left.

He lands safely, but he knows he is not safe. Nestor jumps up as he gathers energy and begins to shoot a barrage of attacks upon the Minotaurs and horses. As a cloud of dust forms, Nestor rushes towards the shield. He reaches the shield only for Rilnur to slap his whole body.

Nestor slams onto a nearby wall, pain surging through his whole body. He falls onto his knees, breathing heavily.

"You will not pass me!" Rilnur swings his battle-axe. He takes a step forward, but stops the moment one of his Minotaurs falls to the ground. "What?"

Suddenly, an army of cyborgs rushes into the cavern, attacking the Minotaurs and horses.

"Do not let them near the shield!" Rilnur turns his attention to the cyborgs, taking one of them down.

The cave shakes, stopping the Minotaurs and horses in their tracks. Another shake occurs, followed by another. Soon enough, a large cyborg slams through the wall, its yellow eyes glowing in the shadowy area of the cave.

Nestor watches as the cyborgs begin to break through Rilnur's forces. Nestor coughs, as he stands up, a bit wobbly from his earlier hit. A Minotaur flies by, hitting the wall near him. Nestor turns his attention to the large cyborg as it breaks through the forces. Rilnur charges at the cyborg, only for it to hit him away.

Soon enough, the cyborg reaches the Shield of Darkness and grabs the Sacred Object, destroying the shrine. Nestor curses again as he watches the cyborg turning around and heading to the exit. He gathers what strength he has and begins to run after the cyborg. He jumps up, appearing in front of the cyborg with his war fan in hand. He swings his fan, unleashing a barrage of energy attacks. The cyborg takes a step back, but remains mostly unfazed.

"What is this?" Nestor cannot believe the Shadow Alliance has made a cyborg with such power.

"Out of my way." The cyborg's shoulders open up, revealing numerous cannons. Nestor's eyes widen as he lands on the ground. He gulps as the cyborg unleashes a barrage of energy attacks, causing large explosions.

Nestor hits the ground, blood pouring from a handful of wounds. The cyborg moves forward, as Nestor tries to stand up. He sees Rilnur charge after the cyborg with his army.

"Damn it." Nestor coughs badly before looking at the exit.

Meanwhile, explosions occur at the bigger area of the cavern. Alexander and Xiang clash, a powerful shockwave occurring as a result. Alexander summons an array of swords, aiming them at Xiang, who simply smirks.

"All right great lord. Let's see what you have!"

Xiang swings her fist, punching Alexander in the face. However, Alexander counters with an energy blast, sending Xiang soaring back into a wall. Alexander wipes the blood from his nose, watching Xiang disappear in front of him.

Seconds later, Xiang appears to Alexander's right side, swinging her fist at him. However, Alexander catches her wrist and then punches her in the stomach. Alexander hears Xiang cough as he summons a sword and attempts to impale her. Xiang escapes the impalement just in time as she creates distance between them. Alexander gathers energy as he summons ten seals above him. Hundreds of swords appear above Alexander before he unleashes them upon Xiang.

Xiang begins using her portals to teleport out of harm's way, but every time she appears in a new spot, a sword nearly impales her. Xiang teleports again, only to meet the same result.

"Where are you going?" Alexander asks this question with a slight grin.

Suddenly, the nearby wall crashes open as the large cyborg makes its way through.

"It has the Shield of Darkness!"

Fiona's voice rings through the cavern. Immediately, Takis charges at the cyborg only for a barrier to deflect the warrior himself. The cyborg unleashes a wave of energy attacks, hitting Alexander. As Alexander stumbles, Xiang appears behind him, punching him in the lower back. She grabs Alexander and then tosses him straight through the wall.

"We're leaving!" Xiang rushes for the exit, her armies following her.

A moment later, Rilnur and his forces rush out the inner cavern, glaring at Alexander who returns from his hole in the wall.

"This is your fault." Rilnur says this to Alexander before heading out the cavern.

Helios lowers his head after watching the events on the screen. He is disappointed in Zane's decision to intervene. He had a feeling Zane would do something, but to cause them this battle is not what he had in mind. Helios sighs as he watches the other screens. Inuyasha is about to make his move. The question remains, will it be a good enough move.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I admit. I stopped writing this chapter for around a week. It was not due to writer's block. I hardly touched my laptop at all. Anyhow, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Please review.