Disclaimer: Ok, I wasn't too pleased with the last chapter, but this writer is running out of ideas for this story (As I always do on the last few chapters, damn it all!) Anyway, I don't own the Ronins, I don't own any type of tea, and watch out for the random Dragon named Lala. She likes Rowen to a fault and will maim anyone to get to him. :) Have a nice day. Oh, and I don't own Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, though that was one hell of a kick-ass movie.

Opal rolled her eyes. "You know, you'd think these guys would eventually come up with something new...."

Jett nodded. "Seriously. This grows so old after a while. This is what, out ten hundredth demon master? And they still say the same."

"Think they are all related?" Asked Opal, totally ignoring Talpa at the moment.

"Perhaps." Jett shrugged. "Hm... You know, that would make a very interesting family tree."

Talpa, however, was very un-amused. His eyes flashed redder, and Nether Spirits surrounded the two. Opal fell to one knee in pain as some sort of energy coursed through her body. She started swearing fluently in Spanish and Latin. Jett wasn't fairing much better. Jett was silently wishing to be at home cuddled next to Shin watching some movie and throwing popcorn at him just for the sheer fun of it.

"Join me, Twin Warriors!" Talpa beckoned. "And live for the rest of eternity. You can have anything you want, if you just join me!"

"Those who long for immortality don't know what to do on a rainy day." Jett glowered.

"And the one thing we want would be denied to us anyway!" Opal said. "So stick it up your-" She couldn't finish what she was going to say, she was slammed against something hard that knocked the wind out of her.

Jett cursed her luck. She couldn't recall the spell for moving out of this type of situation. She couldn't even reach her athame. She tried to check to see if Opal was ok, but it hurt too much to move, damn it!

***

Shuu hit Dais over the head and was rewarded with a kick to the gut. He looked over at Ryu and Seiji. "Think we can ditch these bozos now? I'm losing interest."

"SNAKE FANG STRIKE!" Sehkmet drew his power into his swords and swung them at Shin. Shin dodged and blocked, just barely getting hit. Sehkmet called again, but was interrupted by Touma punching him in the back.

Seiji looked at Ryu and nodded. "All right, let's move!"

"Woo hoo! Later Warlord dudes!" Shuu kneed Dais in the mid-section and rescued Shin from one of Sehkmet's swords. Ryu clobbered Kale with an well-aimed katana. Seiji lashed out at Sehkmet, freeing Touma from a certain death. Then the group hurried off, leaving the Warlords in total disgrace.

They travel for several minutes in silence, trying to get their bearings. They were looking for signs that the next part of their plan could start, but nothing could be found. Seiji frowned. He didn't like this. Did they get caught too early?

Shin was showing signs of worriment. He looked calm, but Shuu could see the panic in his buddy's eyes. For a drifting moment, he wondered how both he and Seiji could honestly care for these girls like they did, but Ryu drew his attentions back to the present situation.

"Ok, they haven't given us any sign that we can continue. I think we should call the Inferno and march onto Talpa, but only after making sure the girls are ok."

"That's completely reckless," Shin objected, almost immediately. This almost sent Ryu into shock. Shin rarely said anything against anyone's plans so quickly. "If we go on like that, we'll endanger the Warriors. We can't risk that, with them so vital to the destruction of Talpa."

Seiji nodded. "I agree."

Touma looked at them both. "Ok, better plan: We split, half of us look for the girls, and the others look out for Talpa. In the meantime, we let Ryu call the Inferno ahead of time just in case."

"Dude! What happens if we run into the Warlords again?" Asked Shuu. "We won't have our powers to call if we need them."

"That's the risk we're going to have to take." Ryu argued. "It always is."

For several more minutes, the group argued. What was to be done? They couldn't agree on anything. Finally, Shin gave up on the argument, glaring at Ryu and Touma. "If Jett so much as gets a hair on her head harmed, I'm blaming both of you." He had a look on his face that they had never seen before. He turned and started heading for the direction given to him.

***

Opal took a deep breath. Ok, the pain was gone for the moment. She wanted nothing more then to just slip into unconsciousness where the pain would be gone for good. But her brain refused to let her. She opened her eyes and put her hand to her athame. "I. Won't. Join." She spat. "EARTHLY CRY!"

Jett stood. She had an equal look of determination on her face. "FIERY LIGHT!"

Talpa laughed. "Do you think those puny attacks will harm me?" He asked as they hit, hardly causing any damage. "You're too weak against me."

Jett crossed her arms. "You're so freaking shallow." Was all she replied. Ok, we did part of our duty. Now we just gotta wait for the others, she said to Opal.

Got it, replied Opal. Until then, we get to stall. Got a retractable dagger?

Giving her an odd look, Jett shook her head. Opal mentally cursed. She wanted to pull an Elvira. Oh well. He real athame would have to do. Brandishing the weapon, she charged up to Talpa. "I stabbeth thee!" She yelled.

Talpa looked down as the athame clanged against his armor. Opal was trying futilely to stick her athame into the damn thing, and the ringing was loud. "Foolish mortal. Do you think your puny weapons can defeat me? I can crush you without even trying!"

***

Seiji looked up when he head and saw the commotion. He saw the attacks and Opal's sudden war cry. Oh sweet heavens no... Please don't let her get killed!

Touma looked over at Seiji. "I'll get the others," He said.

Seiji didn't answer; he was racing for the new battle scene.

***

Touma found Ryu and Shuu searching with a fuming Shin. They apparently didn't see the signal. "Guys! We're in trouble! Come on!" The others followed Touma's lead.

When they got there, Shin quickly gave his powers to Ryu, then raced off to save Jett. The scene he met wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. Jett was doing her damnedest to fight off evil spirits using all the spells she could muster from her rushed brain. Opal was dodging Talpa's attacks and countering with her own. Her athame was on the ground, apparently forgotten. With a roar of fury, Shin charged the spirits, lashing out with his trident. He had to save Jett!

Ryu had managed to catch Seiji before he went charging into battle. With much reluctance Seiji gave his powers to Ryu, then drew his nodatchi. He turned his head in time to see Opal dodge another attack, but she was wearing down. He wasn't going to let her wear down, or get killed. Not by Talpa. He went into the clearing, waving his nodatchi with skill at Talpa's foot, which threatened to crush a grounded Opal. Talpa let out an annoyed growl as the sword made contact with the armor. Opal scrambled to her feet and grabbed her athame off the ground.

Shuu and Touma, now powerless in their armors, went to help out Seiji and Shin. Other Nether Spirits assaulted them before they could even get to their friends, however. Frustrated, Shuu swung his bo at a bunch of the enemy. It passed right through. Touma shot arrow left and right, not achieving much damage to the spirits either.

Now it was Ryo's turn. In the Armor of Inferno, he went straight for Talpa. "Talpa!" He yelled. "You want to fight? Then come over here!"

Talpa laughed. "You think I'm going to fall for the same trick again, Wildfire?" He asked. "Then you are as weak minded as I thought you were."

Jett managed to fight her way out of the spirit circle with help from Shin. She smiled at him, and gave him a kiss before moving next to Opal. They looked at each other, then at Talpa. "Now is the time, now is the hour..."

Ryu took this as his sign. "Maybe it's you who are, you louse! RAGE OF INFERNO!"

"Ours is the magick; ours is the power... ELEMENTAL RAGE!" Opal and Jett finished as Ryu finished his sure-kill.

Seiji saw what the Warriors were doing too late. With Ryu on one side of Talpa and Opal and Jett on the other... "Opal!"

Opal concentrated on nothing but her spell. Beneath Talpa, the former holy seal that kept the evil from coming to be in the first place was reforming around Talpa and joining with Ryu's attack. She knew from the beginning she might not make it, but it was something she had put behind her the moment she took her job as a demon hunter. She closed her eyes, waiting for the flames to cover her.

Jett watched, poised, as the ground took over and the wind whipped around the circle. Water and Fire joined with Earth and Air, causing the protective seal to grow stronger. Normally, they wouldn't have needed the extra firepower, but with Talpa, the fire from the Inferno Armor was a necessity. The flames wouldn't affect her much, though they would probably kill her anyway with the small amount of water she had in her. She kept an image of Shin in her mind as she watched the flames approach...

Talpa roared in rage as the ground split. The seal that surrounded him was burning him though his armor and drawing him into the damned pit of darkness again. The Inferno's rage was suffocating. A long last cry of revenge echoed throughout as he was dragged, practically kicking and screaming, back to the depths of the Nether Region.

The ground closed up. The seal glowed brightly on the ground before dissipating. The Ronins toned down to their sub-armors, looking around.

"Jett!" Shin called, looking frantically around the clearing for her. "JETT! ANSWER ME!"

Seiji was also in a state of disbelief. They couldn't have just vanished, could they? "OPAL!" He walked to where they were formerly standing. There was no trace of them, not even their footprints. "Oh holy gods..." He whispered.

Shin was hysterical. Shuu was hugging him, letting his old friend sob into his shoulder. He looked equally depressed. Ryu punched a tree. "Dammit! They didn't tell us they were going to do that!" He beat at the tree, feeling guilt and rage fill up inside him. Touma had collapsed to the ground, in hazy shock. He stared blankly at the space where the Twin Warriors had been standing. Seiji looked at all of them, feeling completely numb. This isn't fair! His mind screamed. Why Opal? Why? Despite all his training of keeping control of his emotions, he started to cry.