Ronin Warriors: Next Generation: Forever You Will Know Me

Ronin Warriors: Next Generation: Forever You Will Know Me

By: Shadow Chaser

Chapter 13

Their fighting took them to a different area in the Nether Realm, but the red mist still followed them. Rowen dropped to the ground hard as he barley dodged a powerful swing from Raven. Shit! He's gaining on me; Rowen cursed silently as he rolled back and crouched on the balls of his feet. He stood up and launched three arrows at quick succession at Raven who dodged the energy arrows. Rowen brought up his bow to prevent a smashing blow from Raven's sword, then suddenly found himself kicked into a near by wall hard. His head reeled from the painful impact and he tasted something coppery in his mouth. He leaned down on the ground and coughed out blood.

"You're weak…you sicken me," Raven's voice said from above and Rowen looked up with bleary eyes at his ancestor.

"Go to hell and stay there," Rowen replied then fell to the ground, out of breath as Raven kicked him swiftly in the stomach. Aw, hell…he winced a bit as he drew shallow breaths. Raven must have kicked him in the ribs and some probably bruised his lungs.

"Maybe I should kill you now-"

"Tokoshino Hashiba stand your ground," a commanding voice suddenly boomed across their battlefield.

Rowen turned his head to see the ghostly form of his ancestor Sanjuro who looked extremely pissed off and he narrowed his eyes as he saw something different in Sanjuro. Sanjuro didn't looked pissed, he looked angry enough to go on a rampage of destruction…and to add to the fact that his eyes were actually glowing as if he had some other power.

"Ah…Sanjuro," Raven snorted with contempt and Rowen winced a bit as he dug his ankle in his stomach to prevent him from moving. "You're still floating around in the after life?"

"Even though I am dead, my spirit will not rest until you are too…brother," Sanjuro spat the word and Rowen flinched a bit at the malice of his tone even though it was not directed at him.

"And how will you do that? You don't have a body to inhabit or an armor to take over," Raven replied and Rowen suddenly tensed as he got an idea.

He struggled against Raven's weight on him and muttered none too loudly; "He does now." Rowen closed his eyes and concentrated, willing his armor to go to Sanjuro. Flashes of pain followed when he transferred most of his armor's power to his spiritual ancestor, leaving only enough power for him to stay in his sub-armor. He didn't know if his gamble could work, would Sanjuro be human? Or would it be a fruitless effort. The pain intensified and Rowen could only grimace as he heard Raven laugh.

"Well now…looks like you're effort didn't work, Strata," Raven smiled evilly at him and Rowen glared back.

"Armor of Strata! Tenku!"

* * *

Sanjuro could feel the growing power within him and he embraced it, trying to make it whole, trying to make himself whole again. Finally the power flow from Rowen stopped and he opened his eyes and nodded a thank you to the young warrior who was still struggling beneath the warrior of Darkness.

Sanjuro closed his eyes and concentrated, drawing the power through himself. He felt his body form into what it was before his brother killed him-human flesh. "Armor of Strata! Tenku!" Sanjuro yelled the Japanese name for his armor, his blue eyes blazing with the ancient power of Strata.

A column of blue-wind surround him breathing life to the ancient armor of Strata, a traditional samurai armor, dark blue in color, but protected by mystical powers. The wind died down and he found himself back on the battlefield, floating a few inches above the ground, a blue protective bubble around him.

He lifted his head up and glared at his brother who had an expression of shock written over his face. "You're opponent for your final battle will be me," Sanjuro said curtly, drawing out a katana and holding it in front of him. He floated down to the ground; the rough handle of his katana felt good in his hands, so long had it been since he held one.

"Poor worthless soul…dear brother…" Raven hissed at him, rising up from Rowen's limp form.

Sanjuro noted that Rowen was semi-conscious but he knew that he had to end the battle quickly so that Rowen would have his armor back and he would be able to heal himself from the wounds he had received. He looked back at Raven who drew his sword and held it in the same position as he was. This is it, we're both trained in the same kenjutsu. It's a test of skill, Sanjuro thought darkly as he watched Raven's moves carefully.

Raven suddenly blurred away from his vision, disappearing into the super-speed of his own armor and Sanjuro countered with the Tenku armor's speed-the only one of the nine armors to have speed that surpassed all others. Sanjuro brought his katana up in a overhand parry, blocking a swipe from his brother that would have taken his head off.

He jumped back a bit then charged at him again and swung a wide arc to his left. He felt the shuddering impact of their swords clashing together again, and Sanjuro quickly brought his katana downwards in a deadly slash that was meant to decapitate a person from head all the way down to the groin.

"You're getting weak…" Raven's voice hissed in his ear as they both met, pressing against each other.

"…Don't bet on it," Sanjuro replied, gritting his teeth in an effort to hold his weight against Raven. He suddenly ducked underneath the blade and slashed at Raven's kneecaps. Sanjuro smiled crookedly as he felt his blade connect with his brother's armored kneecap and Raven's yelp of pain. He rolled underneath Raven's falling form and brought his katana up and smashed it against the small of Raven's back, enticing another cry of pain from him.

Sanjuro stood up and watched as Raven coughed up blood then glared up at him, his eyes blazing with anger. "How dare you," Raven spat more blood out then wiped it messily with his right arm.

"A thousand years has given me time to think. I am not what you faced on that battlefield. I am not weak," Sanjuro replied then charged again at Raven, and parried a weak blow from him. He sprang back and narrowed his eyes as Raven slowly stood up, coughing up blood. "I didn't hit you that hard…"

"No…you didn't…a thousand years of immortality has its price too," Raven spat blood out then lifted up his sword and yelled a war cry then charged at Sanjuro.

Sanjuro suddenly found himself high in the air, plunging to the ground in a final attack-then he saw everything in slow motion…his sword touching his brother's armor-the weakest point in the joints; his katana cutting through the flesh, lacerating all the way down through the right side; his hands pulling out the sword, discarding it quickly and he saw himself holding the form of his brother-almost dead…then his brother's eyes closed and a peaceful smile was on his face…time suddenly sped up.

Sanjuro's cry of despair rumbled through the Nether Realm…the cry of a man who had killed his own brother.

* * *

Sage felt strength return to him and he knew that Kamagati's influence on him was gone. He grinned at the super-soldiers that were ready to pounce on him for the final kill. "Well, now…" he started then jumped high into the air. "THUNDER BOLT CUT!" Sage yelled, swiping lightning-energy at the soldiers, incinerating a few of them.

"LIGHTNING SLASH!"

Sage spun around just in time to see his future son take out a whole lot of the super-Shadow and Nether soldiers. Suddenly his battle sense told him to duck and he did, as where he was before, a scythe passed overhead. Sage jammed his sword up the stomach of the soldier that had swung the scythe, killing it.

"Sama?" Sage asked, as the spiky blonde haired boy walked up, a grim smile on his face.

"Dad, you ok?" Sama asked, looking over him in concern, "Kamagati-"

"I know, she's dead…finally…"

"Good, then lets mop up the rest and join Kareyn and the others…"

"Before that, we have to go help Rowen and Ryo," Sage explained remembering that Rowen had gone to fight his ancestor and Ryo had stopped Sekhmet.

"No need for that, Sage, we're here," Ryo's voice said from behind a group of soldiers and suddenly they blasted apart and in the middle of the blast, Ryo stood, holding his swords. Sayli was next to him, her black eyes taking in everything.

Sage nodded a bit in greeting, then spun around and decapitated the last super-soldier. He turned back around and faced Ryo and Sayli who were walking over to them. "You ok Ryo? You look beat…"

"Should ask you first since Kamagati was the bitch that she is," Ryo replied and Sage laughed lightly.

"Did you kill her Ryo?" Sama asked, trying hard to avoid the blankness and blackness of Sayli's gaze. It was unnerving to have her look at you with black eyes.

Sage tried to suppress a shudder than ran down his spine as Sayli's eyes focused on him. He didn't see cold in them, but just a warmth that was full of concern. But in that warmth there can be a cold to snuff it out, Sage thought as he looked back at Ryo who was shaking his head 'no.'

"Sayli killed her," Ryo replied and Sage raised and eyebrow at a new found respect for the warrior of…

"Why is Sayli's eyes black? I thought they were Mia's green," he asked, slightly confused.

"Oh, I forgot…Sayli's in her alternate armor, we called it Rekka, ya know, Japanese for Fire," Sama explained and Sage nodded again. Suddenly he stiffened as a ghostly cry ran through his head, a cry of a man who had just killed his own brother.

"Sage! What's wrong?" Ryo's voice pierced his ears, and he shook his head rapidly.

"Rowen…no…something is up with-" he stopped abruptly as he brushed past them and ran towards the direction where Rowen had took the fight with Raven. He heard the rapid footsteps of the others following him. Something was up with the Armor of Strata and he didn't like it.

* * *

Shadow Lord smiled behind his mask as he felt Raven's life force drain away. He caught the last thread of it and pulled it towards him, savoring the taste of it as Raven's warrior spirit entered him. He had monitored the battle between the two brothers and had hungered for the raw power that Raven and Sanjuro had. He couldn't touch Sanjuro because the armor on him was some how shielding him, so he touched the life-string he had held for Raven. Now the Darkness was within him. He then returned his gaze back down to the form of Kareyn of the Elements who was holding up his large sword. He gave her a malicious smile then brought his sword around, swinging in a wide arc.

"Too slow Shadow Lord," Kareyn taunted and he felt some anger rising up within him. The pest was so young, so he had to counter act-it wasn't like the Kareyn he had fought in the future, after Talpa's defeat for the third time.

"You will die…like you did when I sealed up your spirit in your yoroi ball," he hissed at her and saw a frown appear on her face. "You know that when I came from the future, it was specifically to destroy you. You, of all the Ronin Warriors, you are the one that poses the most threat to me."

"Good, then that makes my job easier," Kareyn replied and came in fast with her sword. Shadow Lord blocked her swings, then countered with a blast of dark energy at her. He smiled as she fell back, a bit winded. He was about to finish her off when there was a crash of glass falling from above and he glanced up, his eyes blazing with anger.

"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"

"IRON ROCK CRUSHER!"

"ICE FREEZE!"

Shadow Lord watched as energy from all three sure-kills plunged down at him, engulfing him in their energy. He smiled slightly as he felt the power behind them slam into him and forced himself to breathe with steady breaths as he absorbed the power of those sure-kills.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the two warriors of Torrent and Hardrock surround him, angry set faces and eyes that glared at him. "Too slow," he whispered before taking a deep breath and then blasted the sure-kills back at their owners. Shadow Lord laughed as he watched them fall within their sure-kills then glanced over to where C-Hardrock, Kayura, Wildfire's damned tiger were fending off Dais, Cale and Sokar-Blackhawk. Where were his soldiers…he frowned a bit as he did a mind search within the Nether Realm. Ah, there they were; they were trying to catch up to the rest of the puny warriors that were almost here.

Suddenly he blinked a bit as he felt something hit him mentally like a punch to his gut. What was that presence that he felt? It wasn't one of the warriors, it was someone new, no, someone very old.

"…Sanjuro…" Shadow Lord hissed underneath his breath as he watched Elements get up again, though this time her face was contorted into a lot of pain.

* * *

Hiro was pissed. "They put us up against some stinking hard-ass warlords that we don't even want to fight," he muttered mostly to himself as he brought his staff down onto Cale's back, then leapt out of the way as Cale swiped with his clawed hand. "Cale! Stop this! Don't you understand we're your allies? Don't you remember the future?" he shouted at the warlord as he held his staff defensively.

"The future," Cale sneered then slashed again with his claw, "is nothing!"

Hiro ducked to avoid the quick retaliation then slammed down at his claw with his staff and was surprised as his claw fell off. He looked quickly up and saw Cale fade away. Damn, another one of his illusions, he kept a wary gaze on his surroundings. Kayura and White Blaze were fighting both Sokar and Dais, but Dais looked to be weakening from Shadow Lord's evil spell.

He suddenly jumped high into the air to avoid Cale's deadly sword and landed a few feet away from him. "What do you mean by 'the future is nothing'?" Hiro asked narrowing his eyes in anger.

"Your future is nothing! It is nothing but peace! I am sick and tired of that peace!" Cale shouted with fury. "Black Lightning Slash!"

Hiro's eyes widened at the black lightning attack, then brought his staff up and slammed it down towards the earth, "Rocks of Internal!"

Both sure-kills from both warriors clashed in the middle, throwing explosive firepower into the air. Hiro shielded his eyes from the glaring blast then glanced over to where Cale stood…or used to stand. He grinning slightly as he saw Cale knocked out from the after-wash of power from both of their sure-kills. "Cool," Hiro commented then glanced towards where White Blaze and Kayura were concentrating their efforts on Sokar, Dais already knocked out to the side.

"Kayura! White Blaze! Duck!" Hiro shouted at them then powered his sure-kill up, "ROCKS OF INTERNAL!" He watched with grim satisfaction as his earth-powered sure-kill bowled its way towards Sokar.

* * *

Kareyn managed to stand up, despite her various injuries and bruises crying out in protest. She was beyond pissed off as she stared fiercely at Shadow Lord. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cye, Shino, and Kento rising to their feet, a bit winded, but ready to fight. Focusing her gaze back onto Shadow Lord she narrowed her eyes.

"Ah, back for more?" Shadow Lord purred like a cat trapping its prey.

"Bring it on," she coughed slightly, wincing as a flash of pain shot through her ribs. Must have cracked some, she thought as she readied her katana in front of her.

"Kareyn! Don't! You're injured!" Kento shouted at her but she ignored him. She moved forward a few steps, one hand holding her ribs as they rubbed painfully against each other.

"Yes…come on Elements…come to your death!" Shadow Lord hissed and Kareyn narrowed her eyes.

She felt fire and heat radiating near her and glanced back to see two bright red auras, followed by two bright green ones, and one slightly faint blue one, but behind all of them, a very blinding blue aura.

"No…how dare…" she heard Shadow Lord's astonished voice, mixed with a hint of fear.

"Oh, I dare all right, Shadow Lord. I dare because you're going to die right here and now," Sanjuro proclaimed, floating from the back of the group up next to her.

All Kareyn could do is blink at the once spirit form of the former bearer of Strata, now fully human and a deadly glow around him. "Sanjuro…" she whispered as she saw in Rowen's ancestor's eyes, a fire, lit by centuries of hatred, now ready to be unleashed.

"I told you before, Shadow Lord, 'I will not be able to fight you in this form, but mark my words, before you die you will see me as I was so many centuries ago.' Now is my revenge against you. Prepare yourself," Sanjuro said, his ancient samurai armor creaking a bit as he brought up a very ancient looking katana up in a stance that Kareyn recognized as her own.

"Form the Inferno guys!" Cye called out from his position on the left side of Shadow Lord.

Kareyn watched as different colored balls of light and energy fly towards Ryo who stood next to his future daughter. The balls of light hovered around Ryo, waiting…Kareyn realized that Rowen's armor energy wasn't among them and saw him in the back of the group, leaning heavily against a pillar, blood flowing from various wounds on his body.

"Rowen!" Kareyn cried out a warning as black tentacles sprouted from the ground and caught him in their grasp, wrapping around him like a cocoon.

"Just to even the odds," Shadow Lord said and Kareyn whipped her head around to glare at him.

"Armor of Inferno! Rage of Inferno!"

Kareyn saw that Ryo had completed his Armor of Inferno, his tiger blue eyes glowing a bit icily behind his faceplate as his sure-kill surged towards Shadow Lord. A faint glow from the corner of her eyes brought her head to see Kayura, holding the Ancient's staff, the bulb glowing brightly to provide the last burst of power to form the Armor of Inferno.

She turned around and faced Shadow Lord who was wiping the last remnants of Ryo's sure-kill away from his face and armor. "Ready," she whispered as she kept her focus on Shadow Lord, knowing that this would be one of her toughest battles.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Ack…I had to end this chapter since I'm like way behind schedule. So, if this chapter sounds a bit rushed, its because I don't really feel like writing for this fic anymore. But don't worry, I'll finish it to the best of my ability with an explosive ending (which hopefully is a couple more chapters). Anyway, next chapter: All Ronins and C-Ronins are gathered for the final showdown…but wait…there's one missing. What is Kaira, the C-Ronin of Strata up to? Also, something to do with Kareyn and her mysterious sure-kill that got her killed in the future…