By yumeneko
Disclaimer: As usual... Saiyuki is Kazuya Minekura-sensei's... I'm just torturing some characters here.
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Note: Whew… After a long confusing ride of memories… We're near the end of it all… More Linkin-generated inspiration…
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Chapter 11: The Witch's Sacrifice
The Chameleon Heart shifted towards Hiro.
"Yoshi… It's favoring him…" Gojyo watched on.
"Hah… The Heart favors you, so what? I'll summon the strongest monster to wreck hell upon you! Yoriko will be my sacrifice…" Yoru laughed.
"You witch, sacrificing your own blood just to destroy us… You're a monster…" Hiro yelled at his former subordinate.
"Sacrificing your own blood…? It isn't bad, is it? Cho Hakkai has been sacrificing his own kin… One in this life and another… no, two more in another… Kanan died for him and became part of the legacy… Emiko killed herself and Hiro here just to save him… Do you call that their free will… They sacrificed themselves… Just because of you." Yoru grinned evilly as she pointed at Hakkai.
"I did not want them to die… I never wanted Kanan to die! I didn't even want Hiro or Emiko to die either! Even if it wasn't my present life, I don't want to see people die for me anymore! I don't want to lose anymore…" Hakkai argued, his tears blossoming in his eyes.
"Well then… Watch another sacrifice, Cho Hakkai… Someday, one of them will die for you again… whether it be legacy or human nature…" Yoru summoned Yoriko to her side and she took out a silver dagger, "Die, my sister… Know you are useful to me… Die and raise stronger… Die and become ultimate… I summon thee, out of blood and darkness… Come forth, Altima!" The sorceress stabbed her sister in her heart and watched her slowly bleed to death, but strangely, Yoriko's back arched and her wound was healed. She slowly changed form, from the silver-haired girl Gojyo met in the town; she changed to a dark angel with black wings and shining red armor holding a silver spear in one hand.
"Die fools…" Yoru whispered. Altima closed her eyes as a dark beam started to materialize.
"I won't let you hurt them!" Hiro said as he started to conjure a white barrier.
"Neither will I let them hurt you…" Hakkai smiled as he helped his brother keep his barrier up. The beam was shot and the barrier dissolved it.
"Sanzo, me and Hakkai will try to defend against Altima… You, Goku and Gojyo will take offensive. Take care of Yoru first… Then defeat Altima… If you're wondering, Altima is a demon." Hiro explained.
"Matte yo… If you're back to being Hiro, why do you still have Quietus' memories?" Sanzo asked.
"The memories merged… So I know everything now…" Hiro explained with the pleasant Hakkai-ish smile on his face.
"Oi, Sanzo… Let the bakazarou and I take care of the witch… I better pay my debt to her…" Gojyo laughed.
"Wai!! Then let's have a big dinner to celebrate!" Goku cheered.
"Don't leave me out! I still have enough energy left!" Lirin cheered as well joining into the battle.
"Are you going to fight, Ren?" Gojyo asked the burly swordsman.
"Count me out… I think neither Yoru nor Altima are a match against you all…" Ren laughed as he faded away.
"Ja… Let's kill this witch before she poisons us all…" Gojyo laughed as he started attacking Yoru with his chain, but unfortunately, Yoru blew it away with a wind spell. The chain flew towards Gojyo and fortunately, Gojyo evaded his own weapon, but he wasn't quick enough to fully evade it.
"Ch… it's just a scratch…" Gojyo regained control of his weapon
"You won't get away that easily!" Goku cheered as he came crashing from above, but before he could hit the witch, she wrapped him in a ball of pure gravity making him crash into the grass of the garden.
"Goku!" Lirin cried out as Goku struggled to get back up.
"You are all so weak… Smoldering flames far below, punish the wicked!" Yoru chanted, but fortunately, Hiro came to intervene with the spell by casting a simple bolt spell on Yoru's arms, quickly bringing her arms down destroying the summoning process.
"Remember… Every sorcerer's weakness is in his or her medium of casting… Aim for her arms, then you'll easily win." Hiro guided Gojyo as he went back to watching over them.
Meanwhile, as Gojyo, Goku and Lirin handled the witch, Sanzo, Hakkai and Hiro watched the demon's every move.
"Where will she attack?" Hakkai asked Sanzo.
"I don't know either… We'll just have to wait and see…" Sanzo replied, "What do you think, Hiro?"
"Let's take the offensive. We'll have to surround Altima and destroy her." Hiro thought, "Stop her movement if you can, Sanzo, she's quick… I'll take the first blow…" He stepped forward and quickly casted an ice spell. The ice shards alerted Altima and she started to charge towards Hiro, "Quickly, Sanzo, stop her!" Sanzo then conjured the Makai Tenjou, but Altima quickly evaded it and focused on him as her target. Hakkai shot a blast of his ki at her to change her focus. Altima turned to dash toward Hakkai; Sanzo quickly reacted by pushing Hakkai away from Altima's path. Altima's spear hit Sanzo and a large gash appeared on his torso.
"Sanzo!!" Hakkai cried in worry as the wound began to bleed. Fortunately, though Altima continued to focus on Hakkai and the injured Sanzo, Hiro conjured his barrier around them both and as Altima hit the barrier, she cried in shock; the barrier was burning her skin.
"She's weak against white magic…" Hiro realized, "Sanzo… Aniki, let me heal him. Please keep Altima at bay…" Hakkai nodded and fired ki blasts at the demon to keep her away from Hiro and Sanzo. Hiro chanted a healing spell and magically healed Sanzo's wounds, "This is the perfect time to take Altima… Do your best, Sanzo…"
Sanzo conjured the Makai Tenjou again as Hiro and Hakkai surrounded Altima with blasts of ki and white magic. The sutra successfully captured the demon.
"Sanzo!" Hakkai cried out, "We can't control her forever… Hiro! What's happening…?" Hakkai looked at his brother's hands, they were shaking and he was out of breath.
"Gomen, aniki… but, I'm starting to feel tired… I've been using too much magic…" Hiro panted, suddenly, the Chameleon Heart reacted and Hiro's stamina slowly regained, "Take care of yourself, too, aniki… You're starting to bleed…" Hiro looked at Hakkai on the other side, his wrists were starting to bleed, "If I'm lucky, the Chameleon Heart will heal you, too…" And luckily enough, the Chameleon Heart reacted once again to heal Hakkai's wounds.
"Let's keep this up now, Hiro… Don't let us down…" Hakkai smiled as he continued to keep Altima from breaking away from the sutra.
"Of course…" Hiro smiled back as he returned to keep Altima at bay, "Okay, now… Sanzo, do it!"
And quickly, Sanzo shot Altima once, yet it wasn't effective.
"Keep on shooting her!" Hakkai cried out. Sanzo continued to shoot until eight bullets were fired.
"One last one should do it…" Sanzo said as he reloaded his gun and shot one last bullet and slowly, Altima disintegrated.
"No… Those bastards… I'll take them down…" Yoru growled as she raised her arms to conjure again, but luckily, Gojyo finally wrapped his chain around the witch's arms and brought them down.
"You should keep your guard down, Ms. Yoru…" Gojyo laughed, "Goku, Lirin, finish it!" Goku and Lirin gave the witch a powerful combo that finished the whole battle off. But before Yoru died, without raising her arms, the ultimate magic was summoned.
"Come forth… Ultima!" The witch cried out in her dying breath. The attack was sudden. A bright ray of light crashed on the team, injuring them badly.
"Sanzo!" Hakkai watched Sanzo struggle in the light, "Don't die!"
"Hakkai…" Sanzo's eyes met Hakkai's, "I won't die… We won't die…"
The light slowly faded and all went dark…