To Lyger 0: That… that would be intense…
"Stop the Bat!"
Peregrino del Mar pulled his head down and leaned backward, spinning around underwater to dodge a crossbow bolt that embedded in the stonework behind him. Off to the side, he caught a quick glimpse of black clashing against black. There was a flash of yellow-orange as Peregrino del Mar righted himself in the water, and Jagerin fired a second crossbow bolt. A trail of tiny bubbles darted through the water toward him, the bolt coming at him in slow motion, and he flailed with his slingshot, trying to bring it up in time to block. Before he could raise it, however, the bolt grazed his forearm, slicing cleanly through his miraculous suit and leaving a thin line of red along his arm. A trickle of blood dissipated into the water around him, and he hissed at the sting of salt water in the cut. Jagerin pulled the hand crossbow's string back, another bolt magically appearing, and pulled the trigger. Peregrino del Mar whipped up his slingshot and spun it in a tight circle, knocking the bolt down to settle among the sediment along the bottom of the temple. Suddenly, Jagerin turned her head to one side before pushing off the wall behind her, just barely escaping Neptune's net. The net clattered against the wall and fell off, only to be pulled back toward Neptune. With a shout, Neptune whipped through the water and extended one foot at Jagerin, catching her in the shoulder and pushing her down into the temple's lower corner. Jagerin let out a yelp and grabbed desperately at the wall, barely managing to jam one of her fingers into a small gap between two bricks and arrest her fall.
Aqua Noir's voice rang through the temple again. "He's going for the box!"
Cocking his head to one side, Peregrino del Mar scanned the temple around him. The whirlpool that had stirred up the water inside the temple had abated, but still the water swirled, pushing Peregrino del Mar against the wall over and over. He braced himself with one hand and his feet, scanning the interior quickly. Where was the box? Night Bat floated close to one of the half-columns protruding from the floor, dueling furiously against Aqua Noir, both of their motions hampered by the water. Aqua Noir pushed himself backward, just out of reach of Night Bat, simultaneously swinging his staff upward, into Night Bat's chin. A disc of blackness materialized in front of Night Bat, stopping the strike and sending Aqua Noir into a slow tumble. Throwing one hand forward, Night Bat sent a blast of superheated water at Aqua Noir's back, only for Aqua Noir to pull his legs in and interpose his staff between himself and Night Bat, catching the water jet. The force propelled Aqua Noir across the temple, away from Night Bat and past Olivet and Hato Gozen.
Near the center of the building, Olivet and Hato Gozen floated in place, fresh-air bubbles still covering their heads, their hands outstretched with a web of light strands extending out toward the ceiling. A low thrum emanated from the ceiling as it shifted. Stone shavings slowly drifted down from the ceiling where it rubbed against the walls; Peregrino del Mar's eye was drawn to a cylindrical chunk of column still attached to the ceiling as it wiggled and came loose, falling in slow motion. Aqua Bug threw herself toward Night Bat, spinning her yo-yo defensively and angling to interpose herself between Night Bat and Aqua Noir. Peregrino del Mar's eyes widened: Aqua Bug was swimming straight toward the spot where the column would land. Night Bat's eyes flashed black, and a buzzsaw of darkness separated from his sword, spinning straight toward Olivet.
"Ladybug!" shouted Peregrino del Mar, pushing off the side of the temple and bringing his hands together, propelling himself through the water as fast as he could. The column built momentum as it fell. Aqua Bug hesitated momentarily, turning her head slightly in Peregrino del Mar's direction and cocking her head slightly, glancing up at the falling column directly above her. Kicking as hard as he could, Peregrino del Mar called, "Rocket-tear!" A wave of energy started around the tips of his fingers and shot down the length of his body as he leapt forward. His hands came apart just as he reached Aqua Bug, and he grabbed her around the waist, pushing her out of the way. The column crashed to the ground behind him and fell onto its side, sending a massive plume of mud and sediment up into the water around them, obscuring everything above from view.
Shoving Peregrino del Mar away from her, Aqua Bug nodded curtly. "Thanks," she told him, planting her feet on the bottom and pushing off. A blast of water rushed past them overhead, catching Aqua Bug in the current and clearing the water temporarily. Aqua Bug pulled her arms and legs in close and angled her body with the current, kicking upward and throwing herself at Night Bat.
"You're welcome," Peregrino del Mar grumbled, as Poseidon swam past him and spun around, hurling his trident at something behind him. Shaking his head to refocus, Peregrino del Mar swam up, out of the sediment along the bottom, and scanned for Night Bat.
A flash of white drew his attention to the center of the room, where Hato Gozen continued to struggle against the ceiling as Olivet swam around her, staying between Hato Gozen and Night Bat. A dark disc whipped toward Olivet, who raised her hand to form a barrier of white light. The disc collided with the shield and collapsed on itself, only for Night Bat to hurl another attack at her. Pushing off the far wall, Neptune threw himself between Night Bat and Olivet. The blast of dark energy struck Neptune in the chest and hurled him across the room, into the far wall. From the opposite direction, Aqua Noir swung his staff around at Night Bat's head, even as Aqua Bug placed herself in front of Olivet. Night Bat turned his head the slightest bit and raised his sword, parrying Aqua Noir's blow though the force of the attack pushed them both in opposite directions across the temple.
A crossbow bolt sailed across the temple toward Poseidon, who spun around and dropped down to the floor before giving a powerful kick and launching himself back toward Jagerin. Her eyes widened in shock, and she kicked away from the wall, unleashing a torrent of bubbles in front of Poseidon which he banished with a wave of his hand. Jagerin, however, had already swum across the temple and was lining up a shot on Neptune. A trident struck one arm of her crossbow, spoiling her aim as she fired and sending the bolt skittering into a corner.
Peregrino del Mar looked in either direction as Poseidon chased after Jagerin while Aqua Bug raced after Night Bat. Scissor-kicking, Peregrino del Mar ascended higher, as Night Bat spun around, his cloak whipping behind him through the water, and slashed wildly at Aqua Bug. As if expecting the attack, Aqua Bug already had her yo-yo up and spinning in a tight circle in front of her. She angled the shield the moment the sword struck, pushing it away and exposing Night Bat's chest. One of her feet came up, but before it connected with Night Bat, he sent a blast of energy at Aqua Bug, striking her in the shoulder. Peregrino del Mar drifted in that direction as Night Bat pulled away from Aqua Bug and swam a little higher. Following where he was going, Peregrino del Mar started, seeing the aqua-blue box in the alcove directly in front of Night Bat.
Night Bat's eyes flashed. Darkness swirled around him. Peregrino del Mar pushed himself toward Night Bat, narrowly avoiding another crossbow bolt from Jagerin. On the far side of the room, Aqua Bug looped her yo-yo around Jagerin's arm and jerked her hard downward. Screeching, Jagerin twisted around and fired at Aqua Bug, who released her yo-yo from around Jagerin's arm and spun it in a small shield, deflecting the bolt and pushing Aqua Bug away from Jagerin. Scrambling with her hands and barely swimming, Jagerin propelled herself toward the exit.
"Don't let him get the Box!" Aqua Noir streaked across the temple, whipped past Peregrino del Mar, and swung his staff around, interposing it between Night Bat and the alcove in which the aqua-blue box rested. Peregrino del Mar swam away at a slight angle before turning sharply and rushing at Night Bat, both hands held out in front of him. Night Bat was only a half-dozen meters in front of him. Peregrino del Mar reached his slingshot down and caught a handful of stones in the pouch, drawing it back and taking aim at Night Bat's head. Night Bat slashed at Aqua Noir's hands, and Aqua Noir kicked higher, adjusting the staff's angle. Grabbing the staff and pushing it aside, Night Bat swam around and pushed off of it, reaching out desperately for the box. Below them, Neptune shook his head groggily, looked up, and lunged at Night Bat, spinning his net around once and throwing it at Night Bat's torso.
Heat and pain blossomed in Peregrino del Mar's upper arm as another crossbow bolt struck him and embedded through his suit. A thin trickle of blood escaped to diffuse through the water, and his arm stung as the salt water hit the wound. He hissed, wincing, and spun toward Jagerin to find another crossbow bolt already coming toward him. Raising his slingshot, Peregrino del Mar spun it in a tight circle, blocking the bolt away. Quickly, before she could reload, Peregrino del Mar drew back his loaded slingshot, taking careful aim at Jagerin's head. "I really hope this works…" he muttered, letting out a breath as he released. The stones flew slowly through the water, deflecting a crossbow bolt off of its course before dropping to the ground. With a groan, Peregrino del Mar swung the slingshot around below him to snag another three stones and brought it back up, swinging it as a flail and kicking toward Jagerin.
Suddenly, a massive swell of water rushed into the temple, pushing Peregrino del Mar off course and into a wall. To his left, Hato Gozen was buffeted almost into one of the half-columns; Olivet nearly crashed into Aqua Bug. Catching himself with one hand and spinning around to face the entrance, Peregrino del Mar's eyes widened on spotting Nerarchos floating in opening, both hands raised in front of him.
"Den prepei eiste edo!" he bellowed, as another wave ripped through the temple, pushing Peregrino del Mar backward, toward Night Bat.
Poseidon rushed through the water toward Nerarchos at a blistering speed, sending a blast of swirling water at Nerarchos and pushing him back, away from the entrance. The wave died down, and Peregrino del Mar caught himself, shaking his head and spinning around to search fruitlessly for Jagerin. Motion from behind him drew his attention, and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.
Night Bat pushed away Neptune, dove around Aqua Noir, and snatched the Box out of the alcove, holding it above his head with both hands. "Yes!" he crowed, his eyes going black with energy. He lowered one hand and pointed it toward Neptune and Aqua Noir. "And now…"
"No!" Shrieking, Olivet threw a blast of light and air at Night Bat and smashed him back into the wall with a sickening crack. The stonework creaked behind him, cracks rippling outward along the wall.
Night Bat grunted in surprise, keeping his tight hold on the Miracle Box with one hand, and absorbed Olivet's light, turning it to darkness and swathing himself in it. As the wall and roof started to crumble apart around and above him, Hato Gozen sent a blast of water up at it seam where ceiling and wall met, knocking several stones loose to tumble into the darkness where Night Bat had disappeared. The darkness suddenly faded away, and Night Bat pushed a block away from himself. With a snarl, he pointed his sword at Hato Gozen, darkness building around the tip.
Gritting his teeth, Peregrino del Mar veered toward Night Bat, swinging his slingshot around, the stones still held in its pouch, and swung it up into Night Bat's head. Night Bat leaned to the side, just barely avoiding the blow, and Peregrino del Mar's momentum spun him into a backflip. His foot narrowly missed Night Bat's head and kicked the Box out of his hand. With a cry, Night Bat lunged for the box, but a yo-yo flew in from the side and snatched it out from under his nose. As Aqua Bug caught the box, Aqua Noir dropped down protectively in front of her, staff angled defensively and eyes narrowed.
Night Bat snarled, sending a beam of black energy at Aqua Bug, only for Aqua Noir to deflect the energy away to dissipate into the sediment below them. Glancing in either direction, Night Bat sneered and pushed away from them, disappearing through one of the rear entrances.
Peregrino del Mar yanked the bolt out of his arm and tossed it aside, gritting his teeth against the pain. Jagerin, Night Bat, Nerarchos… none of them remained in the temple.
Aqua Bug let out a relieved breath, looking down at the Miracle Box, and tossed her yo-yo up. "Miraculous Ladybug!"