The Dark Brilliance
Chapter 7: The Greatest Evil
"The oldest of the oldest, hid long in darkness pure. If there is naught to stop it, then death will know no cure."
The Lord of Nightmares looked unblinkingly up at the pitch-black sky with the evil red blood spreading quickly across the horizon. There was no more rain, only a strong, strong chaotic force winding through the air.
Yet after the Dark Brilliance had declared battle, they still had not seen the monster, and so were forced to spin images for themselves, using the darkest stuff of their most horrible nightmares.
"It's there... isn't it?" Gourry asked, still dutifully holding out his Sword of Light, though he knew it would be no good.
"We're ready to fight to the death!" Amelia shouted at the sky, surprising everyone. She knew that fear would only worsen the situation now; they should at least try...
Filia couldn't take it any longer. This demon, no, worse than demon.... even mozaku couldn't have been this deadly or horrible... it had tortured her in more ways than one. Sure, there'd been physical pain, but she could deal with that. Physical pain was only temporary. But it had brought back up emotions that she thought would stay firmly in the back of her mind, images of the slaughtering of both the Golden Dragon and the Ancient Dragons. Doubts of killing Valgaav, who had been through so much. It was pain that tore at the heart and soul. And this inner rage amidst all the pain had built up, and she finally cried out, "Why don't you SHOW yourself instead of hiding behind your disgusting servants? What is the point of all this pain that you're causing everyone?! YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A USELESS COWAR-"
Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Gourry and Amelia were still only half-aware of the situation after speaking so briefly ago, thinking that Filia just had to say something, like them. Lina, Zelgadis, and Xellos had still be looking determinedly at the darkness that surrounded them, at the blood-red that was growing in a pinpoint spot on the horizon. When Filia had cried out her outburst, none had turned to look at her. For this was how they were feeling too, and when the dragon expressed it, they merely continued to look forward, as if hoping that if they looked hard enough as the truth of the pain was said, the evil would dissipate.
And so none knew how to react when the sound of a body hitting the ground suddenly broke the unearthly silence. Filia was dead.
Xellos was the first at Filia's side, looking for a pulse or sign of life of any kind. He turned her over, but her face was deathly pale. She was gone. There was nothing he could do. "Filia..." he managed, his voice trembling a bit.
The others had gathered around her, looking desperate and frightened. But there wasn't much to say. The situation was grave.
The Lord of Nightmares looked down at the scene with her look of infinite wisdom.
"Please, isn't there anything you can do?!" Amelia cried out, suddenly realizing in full force who it was that was hovering up there in the sky.
Lina's mouth was set in a thin line. These were the same emotions she'd felt when Phibrizzo had killed everyone, but she would not let the enemy have the pleasure of feeding off her negativities this time. Still, she felt like perhaps this really was the end. There was no crystal this monster would suddenly use to "capture the essence of life" that had left Filia's body. There was no bringing her back. She was gone, suddenly. Gone forever. "You have to bring her back!" Lina yelled, breaking her silence.
"You brought Lina back, remember?" called Gourry, his voice breaking a little. "I remember a little of how I went after you, but you still let Lina come back."
"Yes, you... saved us all..." Zelgadis added, his expression mixed between fury and sorrow at Filia's sudden death.
Xellos... He didn't cry; mozaku can't cry, but it was obvious to all that he'd just lost something very important to him. He was silent.
"You're the Lord of Nightmares!" Lina shouted. "The Mother of All Things! You must be able to bring Filia back!"
The Lord of Nightmares listened to this, and for a moment the Golden Kyra brought hope. But then she shook her head, her golden radiance bright, but somehow dimmed. "I am not the Mother of the Dark Brilliance. He inflicted the death of one of my eventual creations, and so she cannot be brought back. She is one with darkness now."
Suddenly, evil laughter echoed from every direction, making the Slayers' blood run cold. It was like they were on a single platform floating in mid-air; hopelessness made that seem that way. The laughter wasn't like Anguish or Pain's. It was very full, very powerful... and made one want to die instead of listen to it.
"So, you want me to show myself? I can be anything you want me to be."
A figure suddenly appeared not a hundred yards away from the group, dark and dismal. Without seeming to move, it came closer and closer. Its bottomless eyes contained all the evil that had ever been commited, absorbed and strengthened. Blood ran down its form, and it was also black.
From Filia's body, a silvery-white presence shot out into the Dark Brilliance's gaping mouth, and he absorbed it with glee, to the horror of everyone else. With her addition, he seemed to get just a little bit stronger.
"She's mine," he chuckled, and Lina thought she could see a shadow of Filia in one of his eyes. "Ah, isn't this a wonderful situation? Don't worry, she was just for fun; none of the rest of you will die anytime soon. After all, I have all of eternity to do what I want with you all!" He laughed and laughed, and the cold was starting to pierce through flesh and bone.
"YOU DISGUSTING PIECE OF FILTH!" Lina cried out suddenly, shooting a Fireball at the Dark Brilliance, though she knew it to be futile.
To the surprise of everyone, though, the simple spell tore a hole right through the creature's center, and the mangled mess still moved ever closer to them, blood flowing in a steady stream. But what had startled them the most was Filia's scream of pain, followed by the sound of sobbing.
"Oh, surprised, are you?" the Dark Brilliance asked. "You still don't realize exactly what I am, do you? Well, you'll find out soon enough." As the bits of blood and gristle flowed down to the ground, they suddenly shot back into him again, and in an instant it was as if he'd never been hit.
A golden blast of energy, shot through him, incinerating him, and Filia's wails filled the air once again. The Lord of Nightmares landed on the ground, and immediately began pummeling the Dark Brilliance with all of her force.
"Wait, no!" Zelgadis yelled. "Is Filia being tortured? Are we hurting her?"
"I don't know... I just don't know..." Lina murmured, half-dazed at the hopelessness of what was happening.
Xellos was now just a shell of his former self. From the beginning, he hadn't known what to do when he seemed to know just as little as everyone else about the situation. He didn't have as much to say, and his powers seemed to be doing nothing at all. And now, in the beginning of the final battle, he felt as empty as ever.
"I think he's trying to trick us," Gourry offered, watching the exchange between the greatest evil and the greatest chance they had. "With Filia's pain... I think it's just.... to weaken us..."
Zelgadis let out a bitter laugh. "Well, then it won't work. We're already as withered as we can get. It's all over. We've finally lost, and I was probably damned to die in this accursed body."
"Zel!" Lina protested. "Please, don't think that way. We still have to fight, no matter what happens."
But Zelgadis's words had had a great impact on the five of the group. Even the First of the Three had been far stronger than the Valgaav fusion... what in the world would win the battle now...?
The Lord of Nightmares was fighting with physical force. After seeing what Lina's fireball had done, she knew that the Dark Brilliance's seemingly fragile existence would be hurt by most anything, and physical attacks were the fastest. Hopefully, it was because the planet was too small an existence for the disgusting creature, just as she had had to have Lina channel her in order to have her powers stay solid. In any case, it was what she was betting on.
With Kyra's strong body, L-sama delivered a roundhouse kick at the creature's head, causing one side of its head to completely cave in, making it look even more monstrous than before. She punched him square in the gut, broke his neck with her other hand in a quick motion, and then kicked him in the crotch. "Get off this earth!" she shouted, flaring up her golden power, and sending the Dark Brilliance crashing into a distant rock.
In an instant, he was back, delivering an uppercut to her, and then delivering a sweeping kick that almost caused L-sama to stumble. He had completely healed, and blood was still running down his body as Filia'a mind and soul danced restlessly in his eyes. He pushed her back, and then started chanting some ancient spell. "Chaotic Disintegrate!" he shouted, firing Filia's spell at her.
The Lord of Nightmares knocked it aside, and then went back for another wave of attacks.
"You're only strengthening me with your fury and purpose..." he laughed at her. His false vulnerability was something that would aid him greatly as he gained power. He gathered a tiny needle of pure black energy in his right hand, and then flicked it at L-sama.
The dark piece of energy shot through the air, and then landed square on its target.
The Lord of Nightmares gasped, feeling real pain for the first time. And then she found that the wound in her arm would not heal. "What?! What did you attack me with?"
The Dark Brilliance grinned. "Why, chaos, of course. Don't tell me you don't know how to use it...?" He let out another chuckle.
Gourry suddenly plunged down from above, thrusting the Sword of Light straight down at the Dark Brilliance, and the creature was suddenly cut cleanly in half.
Lina almost shot the Flare Arrows she was readying, but then let out a gasp of horror as the blood that flowed down, dark and horrible, reformed and shot back into the creature, making the Dark Brilliance full once more. "Isn't there anything that can stop it?"
The Dark Brilliance suddenly let out a yell, and then to the amazement of everyone, transformed into a dark dragon, its powerful wings swirling evil all around them. "Ah, this Filia... she's proved useful in more ways than one..." The Dark Brilliance shot a line of chaos from his mouth at the Slayers that were still grouped, but they jumped out of the way just in time.
Xellos teleported right over the Dark Brilliance, stabbing the creature's neck with his staff fiercely. "I would let you use Filia's powers for your own purposes!" he declared.
Zelgadis dashed from behind, and chopped off the Dark Brilliance's tail. The severed limb moved a little on the ground, and then suddenly formed into a mirror-image of Zelgadis, only black as night, and with eyes that showed the same hollowness as all the other evil they'd encountered. He stepped slowly toward Zelgadis like a zombie, and the golem cowered back in horror. Suddenly, the evil Zelgadis tripped and fell to the ground, bursting into black energy and feeding back into the Dark Brilliance.
"Did you know..." the creature laughed, as he turned back into his "human" self, sending Xellos hurtling backward. "Every little bit of fear and pain you give feeds me just a little? It's very interesting to me."
Zelgadis clenched his teeth, remembering the despair he'd felt as he looked at the evil Zelgadis. Amelia, too, had been looking in horror at it.
Lina had seized the opportunity a while ago, amidst the talking, and now she finally let her attack loose, using Gourry's sword to channel her Dragon Slave, and the demon blood talismans to amplify it even further. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed, by the powers you and I possess. Dragon Slave!" she yelled, slashing at the fiend, and causing a massive explosion which threw everyone backwards.
A huge mushroom cloud blew up from the blast, and debris flew in all directions into the nightmare air. The impact of this amplified Dragon Slave had caused the landscape to cave in completely. Lina smiled weakly. "They're always still there when there's a big cloud of smoke, huh?"
"Diem Wing!" Zelgadis shouted, clearing the smoke. There was nothing there. But everyone knew that they couldn't have won... did it have any effect?
The Lord of Nightmares looked down at her injury, which pulsed with a darkness that she could never have conjured. She dearly hoped that when the monster was dead, it would be healed completely...
"Hey, I don't see any traces left," Amelia said cautiously, looking into the giant crater. "You've disintegrated every part of him, Miss Lina!" But it was false hope. The sky had not changed.
Another figure began walking toward them through the distant darkness, and in an instant, the Dark Brilliance was there again. "Do you understand now, what I am?" he asked, and Filia's soul was still encased within him.
"Understand WHAT?" Zelgadis spat, his heart seizing with coldness again. "Understand that you're a heartless bastard that kills for fun and plays with his prey?"
"Oh, no, I thought you'd figured that out already," laughed the Dark Brilliance, shooting out his hand.
"AGH!" screamed Lina, overcome with pain. The others spasmed too, thrown onto the ground by sudden force. This was not like the pain that any of the Three had dealt them. This was on every level. Every cell was screaming with torture, and their minds and souls were being attacked with brutal force. A million knives cut into their flesh, searing their inner selves, never healing, always worsening.
"YOU SEE, I CANNOT BE KILLED!" the enemy declared, amidst the endless torture. "It is fiction to think I can be. For you see, I do not have a body. I exist everywhere. I have no weaknesses; no hidden strategy can destroy me, for I cannot die. Understand that! I do not have an immortal body; I simply am immortal! AS LONG AS THERE IS CHAOS, I CAN FORM MYSELF FROM IT!" He smiled. "And you all will make me so much stronger..." He snapped his fingers, and the pain intensified a hundredfold.
The Slayers screamed and screamed, but death wouldn't come.
The Lord of Nightmares suddenly shot forward, and with her pointer and middle finger together struck the Dark Brilliance right between the eyes, and then shot a golden blast through which made him bleed even more than he was already. The unbelieveable pain ceased, leaving the Slayers gasping in its wake.
"Can't.. be killed....?" Lina whispered, in a voice no one could hear.
"HA!" the creature shouted, sending the Lord of Nightmares back a few steps.
Zelgadis began to fall into total despair, still reeling from the pain they'd all just experienced. He was feeling total doubt now, just as all the others were starting to feel. If the Lord of Nightmares... the Lord and Mother of everything... can't beat the Dark Brilliance, how can humans hope to have any chance at all?
"Come now, 'Mother', I know you have more of an army than this!" the Dark Brilliance said, challenging her.
"Army...?" Lina wondered. Then, she suddenly understood.
The Dark Brilliance had used the Three to attack them, his own creations. Now he wanted the Lord of Nightmares to attack using her army, her creations. There were still many people still in the world! In the eve of everything that had just recently happened, she had forgotten that they weren't the only ones that still lived. On the contrary, there were many more people that could help them. There were probably other strong sorcerors and sorceresses all over the world that the Slayers had never encountered, and the Lord of Nightmares would know them all! Maybe Gourry or someone had extra family, family that also had magical or swordsmanship skills. Family... Luna... Lina tried not to shudder at the thought of Luna aiding them, but she had to admit that the Knight of Ceipheed would be a worthy ally. Her sister would realize the importance of what was happening.
And then new thoughts of this "army"! Piece by piece, the hopelessness was beginning to shatter. The Dark Brilliance could mold himself from chaos, but so could the Lord of Nightmares! And as he could create, she could also create. When they had frantically asked if L-sama could do something about Filia's death, she had sadly shook her head, saying that it was the Dark Brilliance who had killed Filia, and so there was nothing she could do. That meant that any other death - any other death by her other creations - she could bring them back! The Ancient Dragons, the Golden Dragons, Auntie Aqua; actually, all of the gods - they could be brought back to fight alongside them. The Lord of Nightmares might have greater powers than any of them, but perhaps strength in numbrs, a barrage from all sides, was the key.
And then... the demons. Gaav, Hellmaster, Darkstar, Shabranigdo, even more unknown allies from the worlds of Death Fog and Chaotic Blue... Although Lina shuddered to think that all her old foes would really be back, she realized that since the Lord of Nightmares was the creator, she could probably do anything she wanted with her creations, like a child playing with its toys. They could still aid them; maybe Xellos could help to patch things up more. Even more interesting was when Lina remembered the Overworlders from Darkstar's world; they had become unlikely allies, hadn't they? There might be more people from that world. And perhaps even stronger sorcerors and sorceresses of every kind from the worlds of Chaotic Blue and Death Fog; one never knew!
Amelia, Xellos, and even Zelgadis seemed to be contemplating the meaning of these words as well, and though hope didn't suddenly surge through them, it was suddenly there before them, like a distant hole through an endless haze, a hole through to peace and freedom. Only Gourry still looked lost as to the meaning of "army", but he would find out soon enough.
The Lord of Nightmares acknowledged this challenge with a curt nod. It was about time that she could utilize her creations to fight this vital battle to end all battles. With a wave of her hand, five portals of golden light opened in the dark sky.
"The farmost one on the left are the creations of this world, possibly the most unbalanced of my worlds, but useful nonetheless. It is a portal through which other lifeforms on thie planet will be transported through. The next one over is the portal through which all present forms of life in the world of Darkstar and Volpheed will go through. The third is that of the world of the dark lord Chaotic Blue, and the rightmost one is a portal through to the world of Death Fog, the last of the four dark lords I have created. However, this pot of land will obviously not be enough to accomodate all of my creations. Only those that might be of use in this battle will go through these portals. The fifth portal above the other ones is the one to the netherworld that I have created. All creations that have died thusfar that will prove of any use in this battle will be allowed to through the portal back into this plane of the living. Let this 'army' assemble." L-sama clapped her hands once, and golden energy encircled the five breaks in space-time.
The Dark Brilliance melded partially into the shadows, smiling darkly, and watching the procedure with interest.
While through the two rightmost portals deposited creatures strange and bizarre that the Slayers had never seen before, the two on the left showed some familiar faces. Sirius, Erulogos, and many strong-looking Overworlders came out of the second-to-left portal, holding the five Darkstar Weapons with great importance, and seemingly completely aware of what was currently going on. Some of them stumbled when they felt the great evil around them, but managed to keep their composure.
From the leftmost portal, famliar faces emerged. Zangulus and Martina came through, as did the notorious Naga the Serpent, and the Knight of Ceipheed Luna, in all her glory. Several copies of Vrumugun accompanied them. Milgazia and some other Golden Dragons from the hidden Dragons' Peak came out after them. After them came Sylphiel, and so forth.
It was from the centermost portal hovering above them that came the most interest. Shabranigdo and Darkstar came out, unbelieveably huge and powerful. None of the Slayers had ever seen a fully-formed Dark Lord before, but they could feel the power that emanated from them, the same ultimate power that embodied the Lord of Nightmares. Dragons of many kinds emerged. Vanquished mozaku and defeated gods came back out into the world of the living to fight the final fight. Ceipheed and Volpheed came next, amazing to all who beheld them. Next, came Valgaav, the Valgaav that had died when Val was reborn.
The same power that was felt with Shabranigdo and Darkstar emerged from the two rightmost portals. Two enormous units of power, the Dark Lords Chaotic Blue and Death Fog, came out, followed by the gods that they had battled for countless millenia.
This huge army stood still for a moment as the five portals closed, and then turned slowly to acknowledge each other, trying to make sense of the situation.
"N...Naga?" Amelia half-whispered, catching her sister's eye.
"Luna..." Lina managed, as her sister caught sight of her.
"Rezo..." Zelgadis spat, his voice breaking with hatred as he looked at the revived priest.
But before any reunions could begin, the Dark Brilliance broke the moment. "I'd let you all get acquianted, but unfortunately, I'm going to kill you all." He laughed, and another wave of pain washed over them all.
The Lord of Nightmares held another golden sphere of energy ready in her hand. "I will explain everything to you all..." she promised.
Chapter 7: The Greatest Evil
"The oldest of the oldest, hid long in darkness pure. If there is naught to stop it, then death will know no cure."
The Lord of Nightmares looked unblinkingly up at the pitch-black sky with the evil red blood spreading quickly across the horizon. There was no more rain, only a strong, strong chaotic force winding through the air.
Yet after the Dark Brilliance had declared battle, they still had not seen the monster, and so were forced to spin images for themselves, using the darkest stuff of their most horrible nightmares.
"It's there... isn't it?" Gourry asked, still dutifully holding out his Sword of Light, though he knew it would be no good.
"We're ready to fight to the death!" Amelia shouted at the sky, surprising everyone. She knew that fear would only worsen the situation now; they should at least try...
Filia couldn't take it any longer. This demon, no, worse than demon.... even mozaku couldn't have been this deadly or horrible... it had tortured her in more ways than one. Sure, there'd been physical pain, but she could deal with that. Physical pain was only temporary. But it had brought back up emotions that she thought would stay firmly in the back of her mind, images of the slaughtering of both the Golden Dragon and the Ancient Dragons. Doubts of killing Valgaav, who had been through so much. It was pain that tore at the heart and soul. And this inner rage amidst all the pain had built up, and she finally cried out, "Why don't you SHOW yourself instead of hiding behind your disgusting servants? What is the point of all this pain that you're causing everyone?! YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A USELESS COWAR-"
Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Gourry and Amelia were still only half-aware of the situation after speaking so briefly ago, thinking that Filia just had to say something, like them. Lina, Zelgadis, and Xellos had still be looking determinedly at the darkness that surrounded them, at the blood-red that was growing in a pinpoint spot on the horizon. When Filia had cried out her outburst, none had turned to look at her. For this was how they were feeling too, and when the dragon expressed it, they merely continued to look forward, as if hoping that if they looked hard enough as the truth of the pain was said, the evil would dissipate.
And so none knew how to react when the sound of a body hitting the ground suddenly broke the unearthly silence. Filia was dead.
Xellos was the first at Filia's side, looking for a pulse or sign of life of any kind. He turned her over, but her face was deathly pale. She was gone. There was nothing he could do. "Filia..." he managed, his voice trembling a bit.
The others had gathered around her, looking desperate and frightened. But there wasn't much to say. The situation was grave.
The Lord of Nightmares looked down at the scene with her look of infinite wisdom.
"Please, isn't there anything you can do?!" Amelia cried out, suddenly realizing in full force who it was that was hovering up there in the sky.
Lina's mouth was set in a thin line. These were the same emotions she'd felt when Phibrizzo had killed everyone, but she would not let the enemy have the pleasure of feeding off her negativities this time. Still, she felt like perhaps this really was the end. There was no crystal this monster would suddenly use to "capture the essence of life" that had left Filia's body. There was no bringing her back. She was gone, suddenly. Gone forever. "You have to bring her back!" Lina yelled, breaking her silence.
"You brought Lina back, remember?" called Gourry, his voice breaking a little. "I remember a little of how I went after you, but you still let Lina come back."
"Yes, you... saved us all..." Zelgadis added, his expression mixed between fury and sorrow at Filia's sudden death.
Xellos... He didn't cry; mozaku can't cry, but it was obvious to all that he'd just lost something very important to him. He was silent.
"You're the Lord of Nightmares!" Lina shouted. "The Mother of All Things! You must be able to bring Filia back!"
The Lord of Nightmares listened to this, and for a moment the Golden Kyra brought hope. But then she shook her head, her golden radiance bright, but somehow dimmed. "I am not the Mother of the Dark Brilliance. He inflicted the death of one of my eventual creations, and so she cannot be brought back. She is one with darkness now."
Suddenly, evil laughter echoed from every direction, making the Slayers' blood run cold. It was like they were on a single platform floating in mid-air; hopelessness made that seem that way. The laughter wasn't like Anguish or Pain's. It was very full, very powerful... and made one want to die instead of listen to it.
"So, you want me to show myself? I can be anything you want me to be."
A figure suddenly appeared not a hundred yards away from the group, dark and dismal. Without seeming to move, it came closer and closer. Its bottomless eyes contained all the evil that had ever been commited, absorbed and strengthened. Blood ran down its form, and it was also black.
From Filia's body, a silvery-white presence shot out into the Dark Brilliance's gaping mouth, and he absorbed it with glee, to the horror of everyone else. With her addition, he seemed to get just a little bit stronger.
"She's mine," he chuckled, and Lina thought she could see a shadow of Filia in one of his eyes. "Ah, isn't this a wonderful situation? Don't worry, she was just for fun; none of the rest of you will die anytime soon. After all, I have all of eternity to do what I want with you all!" He laughed and laughed, and the cold was starting to pierce through flesh and bone.
"YOU DISGUSTING PIECE OF FILTH!" Lina cried out suddenly, shooting a Fireball at the Dark Brilliance, though she knew it to be futile.
To the surprise of everyone, though, the simple spell tore a hole right through the creature's center, and the mangled mess still moved ever closer to them, blood flowing in a steady stream. But what had startled them the most was Filia's scream of pain, followed by the sound of sobbing.
"Oh, surprised, are you?" the Dark Brilliance asked. "You still don't realize exactly what I am, do you? Well, you'll find out soon enough." As the bits of blood and gristle flowed down to the ground, they suddenly shot back into him again, and in an instant it was as if he'd never been hit.
A golden blast of energy, shot through him, incinerating him, and Filia's wails filled the air once again. The Lord of Nightmares landed on the ground, and immediately began pummeling the Dark Brilliance with all of her force.
"Wait, no!" Zelgadis yelled. "Is Filia being tortured? Are we hurting her?"
"I don't know... I just don't know..." Lina murmured, half-dazed at the hopelessness of what was happening.
Xellos was now just a shell of his former self. From the beginning, he hadn't known what to do when he seemed to know just as little as everyone else about the situation. He didn't have as much to say, and his powers seemed to be doing nothing at all. And now, in the beginning of the final battle, he felt as empty as ever.
"I think he's trying to trick us," Gourry offered, watching the exchange between the greatest evil and the greatest chance they had. "With Filia's pain... I think it's just.... to weaken us..."
Zelgadis let out a bitter laugh. "Well, then it won't work. We're already as withered as we can get. It's all over. We've finally lost, and I was probably damned to die in this accursed body."
"Zel!" Lina protested. "Please, don't think that way. We still have to fight, no matter what happens."
But Zelgadis's words had had a great impact on the five of the group. Even the First of the Three had been far stronger than the Valgaav fusion... what in the world would win the battle now...?
The Lord of Nightmares was fighting with physical force. After seeing what Lina's fireball had done, she knew that the Dark Brilliance's seemingly fragile existence would be hurt by most anything, and physical attacks were the fastest. Hopefully, it was because the planet was too small an existence for the disgusting creature, just as she had had to have Lina channel her in order to have her powers stay solid. In any case, it was what she was betting on.
With Kyra's strong body, L-sama delivered a roundhouse kick at the creature's head, causing one side of its head to completely cave in, making it look even more monstrous than before. She punched him square in the gut, broke his neck with her other hand in a quick motion, and then kicked him in the crotch. "Get off this earth!" she shouted, flaring up her golden power, and sending the Dark Brilliance crashing into a distant rock.
In an instant, he was back, delivering an uppercut to her, and then delivering a sweeping kick that almost caused L-sama to stumble. He had completely healed, and blood was still running down his body as Filia'a mind and soul danced restlessly in his eyes. He pushed her back, and then started chanting some ancient spell. "Chaotic Disintegrate!" he shouted, firing Filia's spell at her.
The Lord of Nightmares knocked it aside, and then went back for another wave of attacks.
"You're only strengthening me with your fury and purpose..." he laughed at her. His false vulnerability was something that would aid him greatly as he gained power. He gathered a tiny needle of pure black energy in his right hand, and then flicked it at L-sama.
The dark piece of energy shot through the air, and then landed square on its target.
The Lord of Nightmares gasped, feeling real pain for the first time. And then she found that the wound in her arm would not heal. "What?! What did you attack me with?"
The Dark Brilliance grinned. "Why, chaos, of course. Don't tell me you don't know how to use it...?" He let out another chuckle.
Gourry suddenly plunged down from above, thrusting the Sword of Light straight down at the Dark Brilliance, and the creature was suddenly cut cleanly in half.
Lina almost shot the Flare Arrows she was readying, but then let out a gasp of horror as the blood that flowed down, dark and horrible, reformed and shot back into the creature, making the Dark Brilliance full once more. "Isn't there anything that can stop it?"
The Dark Brilliance suddenly let out a yell, and then to the amazement of everyone, transformed into a dark dragon, its powerful wings swirling evil all around them. "Ah, this Filia... she's proved useful in more ways than one..." The Dark Brilliance shot a line of chaos from his mouth at the Slayers that were still grouped, but they jumped out of the way just in time.
Xellos teleported right over the Dark Brilliance, stabbing the creature's neck with his staff fiercely. "I would let you use Filia's powers for your own purposes!" he declared.
Zelgadis dashed from behind, and chopped off the Dark Brilliance's tail. The severed limb moved a little on the ground, and then suddenly formed into a mirror-image of Zelgadis, only black as night, and with eyes that showed the same hollowness as all the other evil they'd encountered. He stepped slowly toward Zelgadis like a zombie, and the golem cowered back in horror. Suddenly, the evil Zelgadis tripped and fell to the ground, bursting into black energy and feeding back into the Dark Brilliance.
"Did you know..." the creature laughed, as he turned back into his "human" self, sending Xellos hurtling backward. "Every little bit of fear and pain you give feeds me just a little? It's very interesting to me."
Zelgadis clenched his teeth, remembering the despair he'd felt as he looked at the evil Zelgadis. Amelia, too, had been looking in horror at it.
Lina had seized the opportunity a while ago, amidst the talking, and now she finally let her attack loose, using Gourry's sword to channel her Dragon Slave, and the demon blood talismans to amplify it even further. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed, by the powers you and I possess. Dragon Slave!" she yelled, slashing at the fiend, and causing a massive explosion which threw everyone backwards.
A huge mushroom cloud blew up from the blast, and debris flew in all directions into the nightmare air. The impact of this amplified Dragon Slave had caused the landscape to cave in completely. Lina smiled weakly. "They're always still there when there's a big cloud of smoke, huh?"
"Diem Wing!" Zelgadis shouted, clearing the smoke. There was nothing there. But everyone knew that they couldn't have won... did it have any effect?
The Lord of Nightmares looked down at her injury, which pulsed with a darkness that she could never have conjured. She dearly hoped that when the monster was dead, it would be healed completely...
"Hey, I don't see any traces left," Amelia said cautiously, looking into the giant crater. "You've disintegrated every part of him, Miss Lina!" But it was false hope. The sky had not changed.
Another figure began walking toward them through the distant darkness, and in an instant, the Dark Brilliance was there again. "Do you understand now, what I am?" he asked, and Filia's soul was still encased within him.
"Understand WHAT?" Zelgadis spat, his heart seizing with coldness again. "Understand that you're a heartless bastard that kills for fun and plays with his prey?"
"Oh, no, I thought you'd figured that out already," laughed the Dark Brilliance, shooting out his hand.
"AGH!" screamed Lina, overcome with pain. The others spasmed too, thrown onto the ground by sudden force. This was not like the pain that any of the Three had dealt them. This was on every level. Every cell was screaming with torture, and their minds and souls were being attacked with brutal force. A million knives cut into their flesh, searing their inner selves, never healing, always worsening.
"YOU SEE, I CANNOT BE KILLED!" the enemy declared, amidst the endless torture. "It is fiction to think I can be. For you see, I do not have a body. I exist everywhere. I have no weaknesses; no hidden strategy can destroy me, for I cannot die. Understand that! I do not have an immortal body; I simply am immortal! AS LONG AS THERE IS CHAOS, I CAN FORM MYSELF FROM IT!" He smiled. "And you all will make me so much stronger..." He snapped his fingers, and the pain intensified a hundredfold.
The Slayers screamed and screamed, but death wouldn't come.
The Lord of Nightmares suddenly shot forward, and with her pointer and middle finger together struck the Dark Brilliance right between the eyes, and then shot a golden blast through which made him bleed even more than he was already. The unbelieveable pain ceased, leaving the Slayers gasping in its wake.
"Can't.. be killed....?" Lina whispered, in a voice no one could hear.
"HA!" the creature shouted, sending the Lord of Nightmares back a few steps.
Zelgadis began to fall into total despair, still reeling from the pain they'd all just experienced. He was feeling total doubt now, just as all the others were starting to feel. If the Lord of Nightmares... the Lord and Mother of everything... can't beat the Dark Brilliance, how can humans hope to have any chance at all?
"Come now, 'Mother', I know you have more of an army than this!" the Dark Brilliance said, challenging her.
"Army...?" Lina wondered. Then, she suddenly understood.
The Dark Brilliance had used the Three to attack them, his own creations. Now he wanted the Lord of Nightmares to attack using her army, her creations. There were still many people still in the world! In the eve of everything that had just recently happened, she had forgotten that they weren't the only ones that still lived. On the contrary, there were many more people that could help them. There were probably other strong sorcerors and sorceresses all over the world that the Slayers had never encountered, and the Lord of Nightmares would know them all! Maybe Gourry or someone had extra family, family that also had magical or swordsmanship skills. Family... Luna... Lina tried not to shudder at the thought of Luna aiding them, but she had to admit that the Knight of Ceipheed would be a worthy ally. Her sister would realize the importance of what was happening.
And then new thoughts of this "army"! Piece by piece, the hopelessness was beginning to shatter. The Dark Brilliance could mold himself from chaos, but so could the Lord of Nightmares! And as he could create, she could also create. When they had frantically asked if L-sama could do something about Filia's death, she had sadly shook her head, saying that it was the Dark Brilliance who had killed Filia, and so there was nothing she could do. That meant that any other death - any other death by her other creations - she could bring them back! The Ancient Dragons, the Golden Dragons, Auntie Aqua; actually, all of the gods - they could be brought back to fight alongside them. The Lord of Nightmares might have greater powers than any of them, but perhaps strength in numbrs, a barrage from all sides, was the key.
And then... the demons. Gaav, Hellmaster, Darkstar, Shabranigdo, even more unknown allies from the worlds of Death Fog and Chaotic Blue... Although Lina shuddered to think that all her old foes would really be back, she realized that since the Lord of Nightmares was the creator, she could probably do anything she wanted with her creations, like a child playing with its toys. They could still aid them; maybe Xellos could help to patch things up more. Even more interesting was when Lina remembered the Overworlders from Darkstar's world; they had become unlikely allies, hadn't they? There might be more people from that world. And perhaps even stronger sorcerors and sorceresses of every kind from the worlds of Chaotic Blue and Death Fog; one never knew!
Amelia, Xellos, and even Zelgadis seemed to be contemplating the meaning of these words as well, and though hope didn't suddenly surge through them, it was suddenly there before them, like a distant hole through an endless haze, a hole through to peace and freedom. Only Gourry still looked lost as to the meaning of "army", but he would find out soon enough.
The Lord of Nightmares acknowledged this challenge with a curt nod. It was about time that she could utilize her creations to fight this vital battle to end all battles. With a wave of her hand, five portals of golden light opened in the dark sky.
"The farmost one on the left are the creations of this world, possibly the most unbalanced of my worlds, but useful nonetheless. It is a portal through which other lifeforms on thie planet will be transported through. The next one over is the portal through which all present forms of life in the world of Darkstar and Volpheed will go through. The third is that of the world of the dark lord Chaotic Blue, and the rightmost one is a portal through to the world of Death Fog, the last of the four dark lords I have created. However, this pot of land will obviously not be enough to accomodate all of my creations. Only those that might be of use in this battle will go through these portals. The fifth portal above the other ones is the one to the netherworld that I have created. All creations that have died thusfar that will prove of any use in this battle will be allowed to through the portal back into this plane of the living. Let this 'army' assemble." L-sama clapped her hands once, and golden energy encircled the five breaks in space-time.
The Dark Brilliance melded partially into the shadows, smiling darkly, and watching the procedure with interest.
While through the two rightmost portals deposited creatures strange and bizarre that the Slayers had never seen before, the two on the left showed some familiar faces. Sirius, Erulogos, and many strong-looking Overworlders came out of the second-to-left portal, holding the five Darkstar Weapons with great importance, and seemingly completely aware of what was currently going on. Some of them stumbled when they felt the great evil around them, but managed to keep their composure.
From the leftmost portal, famliar faces emerged. Zangulus and Martina came through, as did the notorious Naga the Serpent, and the Knight of Ceipheed Luna, in all her glory. Several copies of Vrumugun accompanied them. Milgazia and some other Golden Dragons from the hidden Dragons' Peak came out after them. After them came Sylphiel, and so forth.
It was from the centermost portal hovering above them that came the most interest. Shabranigdo and Darkstar came out, unbelieveably huge and powerful. None of the Slayers had ever seen a fully-formed Dark Lord before, but they could feel the power that emanated from them, the same ultimate power that embodied the Lord of Nightmares. Dragons of many kinds emerged. Vanquished mozaku and defeated gods came back out into the world of the living to fight the final fight. Ceipheed and Volpheed came next, amazing to all who beheld them. Next, came Valgaav, the Valgaav that had died when Val was reborn.
The same power that was felt with Shabranigdo and Darkstar emerged from the two rightmost portals. Two enormous units of power, the Dark Lords Chaotic Blue and Death Fog, came out, followed by the gods that they had battled for countless millenia.
This huge army stood still for a moment as the five portals closed, and then turned slowly to acknowledge each other, trying to make sense of the situation.
"N...Naga?" Amelia half-whispered, catching her sister's eye.
"Luna..." Lina managed, as her sister caught sight of her.
"Rezo..." Zelgadis spat, his voice breaking with hatred as he looked at the revived priest.
But before any reunions could begin, the Dark Brilliance broke the moment. "I'd let you all get acquianted, but unfortunately, I'm going to kill you all." He laughed, and another wave of pain washed over them all.
The Lord of Nightmares held another golden sphere of energy ready in her hand. "I will explain everything to you all..." she promised.
