Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updates, but I had exams to study for, and my muse eloped with my best friend, so I had to hire a replacement...Err...no wait, that was his secretary who eloped. Anyway, I'm back with chapter 12 and 13! Double update to make it up to you guys!
Chapter Twelve: The Evil Amongst Us
The skies over the valley of Jusenkyo darkened as even the animals and plants realized the evil of the being that had just entered their midst. The amazon mages stared at the man and woman that had left the broken seal. Some of the more experienced began casting warding spells and shields, their eyes reflecting fear as they saw the man wave a hand, easily shattering their barriers.
"You have called upon me...now nothing shall hold us ever again," he whispered hoarsely, an evil smirk upon his face as Firkraag opened himself to the magic streams of the area. The air around him in what had been enclosed by the mandala was saturating with magical energy, and his smile turned malicious as he absorbed the energy to restore his depleted reserves.Next to him, his companion did the same. "It is time," he said.
Lenneth nodded her assent, summoning her goddes garb in a flash of light. The two began drawing an intricate symbol in the air between them. "Who are you?" One of the amazons asked, trembling slightly as she could feel the raw power and evil emanating from the demon. "I am Firkraag, demon first class, and this," he said, turning his now black eyes on the woman, "is the power I grant you."
The goddess had finished her spell, and Firkraag returned his attention to it. Chanting in ancient Norse, he drew the power around him into the mandala she had prepared, ripping open the fabric of space-time with a thunderous roar. What lay beyond the portal was enough to send even the bravest Amazon into shocked disbelief. Oni and youma of all gruesome shapes and sizes lay beyond, battling on charred ground littered with the white bones of the falllen that provided the only contrast to the near-complete blackness that shrouded the area beyond.
"Heed my call, creatures born of darkness, and come to the master who summons you!" Firkraag's aura blasted into existence, the black energy crackling around him, bolstered by the energy drawn off Jusenkyo. The creatures on the other side of the gate turned at his call, their soulless eyes focusing on him. He smirked, and then all hell broke loose. Amazons scattered like leaves in the wind, running from the horde of darkness that poured through the gate to ravage their earth, as well.
The demon roared with laughter as the army of oni, youma, and daimons collected around him. "This is what you called for, daughters of Joketsuzoku! This is the power to crush those before you!"
V------------------------------V
"Kasumi?" The girl in question turned around at the sound of her name, her heart giving an involuntary jump as she looked at Ranma. He had been back for nearly half a day, but in between all the commotion of the day, they hadn't yet found time to talk alone. "Yes, Ranma-kun?" The pig-tailed martial artist smiled as he read her eyes, a handy skill in combat, but even more useful in situations like these, he mused. It was amazing really, how observant he could be if he put his mind to it.
"I...uhm," he blushed slightly, reaching up with his left hand to scratch the base of his pigtail. "We didn't really did the chance to talk," he managed to stammer out. He was looking so cute, Kasumi reflected, with the mildly abashed look, stammering slightly. How adorable, she thought with a giggle. "It is good to have you back, Ranma-kun. I missed you." The girl smirked inwardly as she thought of a way to let the boy know just how much she had missed him.
"Ka-Kasumi!" Ranma stuttered, nearly jerking away as she leaned against his chest, closing her eyes and purred contently. He was nearly ready to pull a Doctor Tofu and go nuts. This wasn't like Kasumi at all. "Kasumi? This ain't...I mean...what's this about?"
The girl looked up at him and pouted cutely. "I missed you. Can't I show it?" She giggled again at his expression, before sighing again. He was rather comfortable. The pig-tailed martial artist stood in silent shock for a moment, before he realized he rather liked having Kasumi snuggled up to him as she was, and gingerly, so as not to make a mistake that would offend the girl, wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Kasumi?" The girl looked up once more. "There was something I wanted to ask you," Ranma told her quietly. "What is it, Ranma-kun?" He swallowed hard, wondering whether it really was such a good idea to ask her. He knew that he quite possible liked her more than as the big sister and surrogate mother she had been to him. This was new territory to him, something he couldn't solve with his fists or combat skills.
"Where are we?" He finally blurted out. "Hm?" Kasumi shot him a quizzical glance. "Where exactly are we, Kasumi? I...I think I'm starting to fall in l-love with you." There. He'd said it. He'd even only stuttered once, quite an accomplishment, considering the sentence contained the "l"-word. His only reply was a dead silence, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Well, he thought, looks like I'm gonna hafta congratulate Doc Tofu sooner or later.
A quiet sob caught his attention, and he quickly glanced down, seeing tears rolling from Kasumi's eyes. Granted, they weren't many, but they were tears nonetheless. Now you've done it. You made Kasumi cry. Great going, Saotome. The Tendo's are gonna have your head, was his last coherent thought before his brain went into panic mode. "I'm sorry!" He nearly shouted, trying to wave his hands in front of himself defensively – a difficult task to achieve considering they were currently rather full of Kasumi.
The end result was that the pig-tailed martial artist ended up stuttering apologies, balancing them both precariously on one leg, while doing a sort of twisted mid-air split, waving around one arm and leg trying to retain his balance. The scene was rather funny, and Kasumi started to laugh. The sound startled Ranma enough that he lost his balance and fell flat on his back, with the girl ending up right on top of him. "Huh?" was all he managed.
"You're so funny, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said between giggles. Said martial artist just stared at her, blinking, as his brain caught up with him. "Huh?" he said again. Kasumi leaned up and smiled at him, something that made him feel as if he'd been physically hit by her beauty. When smiling, the girl went beyond "cute", he admitted to himself. She also bypassed "attractive" and went straight to "beautiful". And her smile was directed at him. He grinned in return, his worries eased, but not forgotten for the moment.
"Silly Ranma-kun, you have nothing to apologize for. You came back, as you promised." Kasumi snuggled into his chest a little more, before she picked up her train of thought again. "When you left the first time, remember when I asked you whether you loved Akane?" Ranma nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"I...don't know what it was, back then. But I felt glad that you didn't. I thought that, maybe, just maybe, I could have a try at happiness. I was selfish, seeking happiness at my sister's expense, and I hated myself for it. I felt like I was betraying Akane-chan. You've always been like my little brother here, yet you've done so much more than we could have asked of you. You have protected our home, our honor, and our lives, and when you were gone I realized just how big a part of our lives you had become. Akane was apatethic, even Nabiki missed you. Father was even more emotional, and Uncle Saotome wasn't as into his shogi game as usual. I thought, maybe I was wrong, maybe you weren't the little brother I saw you as all this time. Maybe you were a knight in shining armor, come to rescue all of us. I thought that, maybe, if I hadn't forced you on Akane that first day, we could have had something special, and maybe, we still could."
Kasumi glanced up, fully expecting the pig-tailed martial artist to be dead asleep by the end of her soliloquy – the boy never had had much of an attention span for anything besides martial arts, only to stare into wide-open sapphire eyes. "I...what about Tofu-sensei?"
"Tofu-sensei is a very good friend. I knew him since I was a child, and he has been our family doctor ever since I can remember. But with the way he acts, I don't think we would be happy. I had a crush on him once, but he never even gave me a single reply...besides," she winked at him, "while I like older men, don't you think he's a little too old?"
Ranma just smiled and laid back, stretching out on the floor, with Kasumi comfortably pillowed on top of him.
V------------------------------V
Herb wiped a stray strand of hair out of her face, blinking away a drop of sweat in the process. The currently female prince of the Musk growled as he fired off another ki blast into the accumulation of demonic creatures that had started laying siege upon the Musk Citadel. Things were definitely not looking good, Herb reflected. The siege had lasted for two days so far, and he had already lost a fair number of warriors. So had the enemy, yet no matter how many creatures they destroyed, more seemed to pour out of Joketsuzoku. They were fighting a loosing battle, and he knew it.
It had been a long time since he had seen a battle to the death, yet here he was, surrounded by the corpses of friends and enemies alike, some slain by his own hand. It was something he dreaded, but was necessary. He hoped Min would come back soon. They could really use Ranma's help right about now.
A roar to his left alerted him to the presence of a youma, and he levitated, taking off in the other direction, barreling into Lime, knocking the younger Musk out of the way of the clawed swings. In mid-air, Herb turned around and fired a beam of ki at the youma that tried to break down the gate, cutting deeply into their numbers. That would buy them some time...but not much, and they were all exhausted. Herb really hoped Mint would return soon.
V------------------------------V
"What have you done?" Cologne asked in Chinese as she stood perched on her staff in front of the tied up Brush and Soap. "What was best for the village," the Amazon weapons master replied. "What had to be done, or we would have become extinct!" The matriarch shook her head. "You have brought death upon all of us. Do you even realize what you have done?"
Brush glared. "I have given the Joketsuzoku the strength to survive. The Musk and Phoenix would have driven us out eventually. We are weakening in numbers, Khu Lon. And the weak die. The Joketsuzoku won't. I made sure of that." "Do you know what evil you have unleashed? You have unsealed the raw power of Jusenkyo, along with a demon! He won't give us strength, he'll crush us as soon as he doesn't need us anymore!" Cologne was nearly hollering.
"By this time, most of the village is probably dead, Brush! We have messengers from the Musk and Phoenix, and they asked us for help. Whatever you did, unsealed the pools of Jusenkyo. You initiated the blood rite, Brush. Remember what the ancient texts say about that? 'The strength of a hundred gods...and the wrath of a thousand deaths.' You have brought destruction upon us."
V------------------------------V
"Ranma." The pig-tailed martial artist turned at the mention of his name, to come face to face with Akane. "Yes, Akane?" The girl stood at the door to the guest room, shuffling her feet nervously, her eyes darting around as she searched for words. "About...what happened a couple months ago..." Ah, so that was what was worrying her, Ranma noted. "What about it, Akane?" Usually Ranma would be carrying a grudge against her or anyone – well, maybe a small one – but her actions had been bordering on vicious, and she the memory of a hurt Kasumi was still fresh in his mind.
"I-I'm sorry," she finally began, looking at her feet. "But it was that hussy's fault! They put that potion in my food, so it really wasn't me..." Akane trailed off as she realized she didn't really have more to say, and looked up at Ranma, only to find him staring her right in the eye, his sapphire eyes boring deep into hers. "Akane. While the potion lessened your self-control, you have to realize that you have a serious temper problem. You fly off the handle too easily, and that is why you can't advance in martial arts. You're letting every single thing get to you and respond with violence instead of thinknig of a proper reaction first. Violence is not always the solution, ya know."
The youngest Tendo daughter stared at her ex-fiancee. "Are you saying I'm violent!" Ranma just chuckled at her outburst. "You're proving my point, Akane. You didn't listen to what I said, you only heard me saying something negative about you and flew off. You gotta realize you're not the best – to be the best, you have to work hard. I have trained and sweated and bled for my art, which is why I'm as good as I am right now. Nothing comes without a price...after all, no pain, no gain."
"Who are you and what did you do with the real Ranma?" Akane demanded, her temper wavering. She wasn't too sure how to handle a sensible Ranma who was defending valid arguments. The boy shot her a cocky grin. "I had to grow up, Akane. I had to grow up the hard way. Please, Akane...for your sake, you gotta learn to be more patient. If you don't control that temper of yours, and hit someone else, they could be seriously hurt or killed. You're very strong, and highly trained. You need to learn to control your abilities." A haunted look flashed across his eyes for a moment, forestalling Akane's protest, and he continued, "Trust me, it'll tear you up inside if you ever kill or hurt someone because you lost control." He turned his back to her and resumed packing. "You can do it – you only have to want it."
"I..." Akane stared at her ex-fiancee's back, watching him quietly as he continued packing his belongings into the travel pack he had arrived with. "Ranma? What happened during your training trip?" He didn't turn around, and she thought she heard a slight break in his voice as he replied. "You don't wanna know."
She turned to leave, only to come back around and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you ever hurt Kasumi, I'll make your life hell," she finally said. Ranma finally turned around and shouldered the pack. "I know. But I don't ever intend to."
V------------------------------V
Setsuna woke in cold sweat. A shiver ran down her spine, and she felt a sudden nausea creep up within her. On instinct, she summoned her garnet rod and teleported to the Time Gates. When she arrived, she could only stare in shock at what it showed. In a hurry, she sent an emergency signal through her communicator, and located her brother, teleporting to his side.
She appeared in the middle of the Tendo dojo. It was pitch black, yet the spark of light from her teleport and her light footfalls were enough to wake the martial artist. "'Suna? What's going on?" The Senshi of time barely restrained herself from rattling Ryoko awake, instead whispering, "It's gone..."
"Wha-? What's gone? What's wrong, Setsuna?"
"Crystal Tokyo. The timeline. Everything's gone!" The emerald-haired woman managed between clenched teeth, torn between despair and anger. "The timeline's splintered off into millions of strands, and none of them have Crystal Tokyo. I-I can't read the future anymore, and I felt a large demonic presence somewhere in China. The Negaverse is back." Setsuna wanted to scream, yell, blow up something. What the Time Gates had shown her hadn't been pretty. Visions of death and destruction, of a scorched earth, youma and oni scouring the planet.
It was the total contradiction of all she and the Senshi had been working for. It was like Beryl's attack all over again. She shuddered at the thought, a single tear managing to wind its way down her cheek, until she felt her brother's arms wrap around her. "Damn. We need to get moving soon," Ryoko muttered.
If there were indeed enough youma in China – and he had no doubt as to exactly where in China the problem was – to alert his sister and the Senshi, then they were indeed in deep trouble. Especially if a demon was controlling them. It didn't even bode well for the Amazons, who had most likely freed Firkraag from his hellish prison.
V------------------------------V
"That's the situation," Setsuna finished, glancing around at the assembled collection of Senshi and martial artists. "Jusenkyo is most likely being overrun with youma as we speak." Cologne glared at the still trussed up Brush, while Ranma looked thoughtful. "Mint, Kiima, what are the chances that the Musk and Phoenix could hold off the Amazons?"
Seeing that her Musk colleague was too busy staring at the present females' cleavage and only managed a squeak of "Boobs", Kiima sighed and took it upon herself to answer. "The Amazons alone would probably overpower either one of our tribes alone. If they were to attack both of us at once, we could easily wipe them out. If what she tells is correct and they indeed have summoned demons to their aid, then Jusendo will fall."
"We should get going as soon as we can," Ryoko noted. "It's been two days since Soap says the spell was completed. It is partially our fault that he wasn't properly sealed away." Urd nodded in response. "I'm coming along."
"Let's blast those bastards to hell." That hiss came, surprisingly, from Setsuna. Her ruby eyes were flaring with an unatural light that promised pain to everything that stood in her path, and Ranma involuntarily shuddered at the intensity of her stare, even though it wasn't directed at him. Ryoko chuckled, obviously amused at the shocked expressions that adorned the rest of the Senshi's faces.
Nodoka raised a hand in question, before asking, "How do you plan on getting there? China is rather far, and we do not have access to a ship." "We can handle it!" Sailor Moon chirped, standing up. The Senshi gathered in a circle, and Ryoko, Urd, and Ranma moved to stand within. "Wait!" Nodoka called, hurrying up the stairs, only to return moments later with the family blade. "If Ranma goes, so do I."
Moments later, the circle was joined by Ukyo, who hefted her battle spatula with a wry grin. "Count me in. Wherever Ranchan goes, I follow."
To everyone's surprise, Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi moved to stand within the circle, as well. "I'm no good at fighting, but I bet they could use a field medic or two," the brunette noted, grinning lopsidedly. She leaned in to Ranma, whispering, "Besides, I have to make sure you don't die on oneechan." Cologne, Shampoo, and Mousse also entered the circle. "What do we do about them?" The matriarch asked, indicating the captured amazons.
"We'll come with you," Soap said. "I...made a mistake in judgement, and it may have very well cost us the lives of our sisters. I plan to correct that." That earned her a glare from Brush and a few of the still tied up warriors. They would be left in the care of Happosai, Genma, and Soun.
"Then come. The sooner we get to Jusenkyo, the better," Urd called. The Senshi called out their henshin, preparing their teleport, when a voice broke through the yard. "Die, Ranma!" Ranma and Ryoko looked up in shock as the lost boy came rushing around the corner, barreling into them.
"Sailor Teleport!"
V------------------------------V
The teleport had deposited them inside the Musk Citadel – or what was left of it, anyway. The group stared in shock at the smoking remains of what had once been the fortress of the Musk. Now, the walls were crumbled, the buildings smoking ruins, and bodies littered the ground. It even shocked Mint out of his usual fixation with women's breasts, and made Ryoga forget about his blood feud with Ranma for a moment.
"What-what happened here?" The lost boy managed to stammer out. "We're too late," Ryoko muttered. "Damn it!" He let loose a string of profanities that made everyone wince, only to abruptly break off and stare into the direction of the Amazon village. "Shimatta. They're coming!" His eyes narrowed as he contemplated staying and fighting for a moment. "We gotta get out of here."
Ranma stared at the carnage surrounding them in shock. Akane mirrored his expression while Nabiki and Kasumi had clenched their eyes shut and were huddling with the Senshi. This was...he couldn't find words to describe the anger he felt at the destruction, at the needless loss of life; or the hate he felt burning up for the perpetrator of this deed. It wasn't an emotion he was fond to have, yet still he felt the urge to stay and tear whatever Ryoko had warned them was coming to pieces.
"Ranma?" The sound of his name took a moment to penetrate his thoughts. "We're leaving," Ryoko said with a disgusted tone. "Let's hope Jusendo is still intact."
V------------------------------V
Screams were a common sound as they echoed through the halls of Phoenix Mountain these days. The screams of the wounded, the dead, the dying. It was nothing Saffron could say he was particularly fond of, even as he floated high above his soldiers, throwing fireball after fireball down at the approaching horde of creatures. He was tired, he was weakened, and he had probably irreparably halted his growth process. It didn't matter.
His people were dying, and a dead people didn't need a king. He spared a glance at the figure hovering next to him, firing off ki blasts with an even greater concentrationa nd intensity than the Phoenix himself. He has nothing left to live for, Saffron thought. It was a fate he hoped could be avoided, but he had no illusions about the outcome of this battle. The Musk Citadel had fallen in under two days, the survivors barely escaping to Jusendo, where they had sought refuge with the Phoenix, only to find them under siege, as well.
The more of those creatures he killed, the more seemed to appear. It was something that would have irked Saffron to no end, had he not been beyond caring. He watched as the invaders pushed back the combined forces of the Musk and Phoenix, leaving a trail covered in blood. Soon, they'd reach the entrance to the mountain. He wouldn't have it. With a savage yell, he gathered the fire within him, and continued raining flames upon their enemies.
V------------------------------V
He knew something was wrong the moment he heard screaming when the teleport spell finished. A quick glance around the area confirmed his fears. They had ended up at the front gate to Phoenix Mounain, all right...straight in the middle of a furious melee between Phoenix, Musk, and youma. Ranma narrowed his eyes, moving into a defensive stance before Kasumi and Nabiki.
The defenders didn't pay them much heed, having much more serious issues at their hands. "Now what?" the pig-tailed martial artist asked. "Now, we fight. Kiima, can you notify Saffron and his people? We need to get the non-combatants inside as fast as possible. Before they get killed out here." Ryoko flicked his wrists, catching his twin fans with practiced ease. "Until then, I guess, we throw a party." The grim look on his face belied the older martial artist's light tone.
Ranma withdrew his sakabato from his backpack, and the rest of them readied themselves for battle. Within a moments notice, Kiima was airborne, headed towards the two figures hovering above the battlefield, throwing energy blasts into the enemy ranks. "Lord Saffron!"
Nodoka, Ukyo and Soap moved in front of the three Tendo sisters, while the remainder of them rushed forward.
V------------------------------V
Saffron blinked at Kiima's voice, then looked around him. Once he had spotted the winged woman, he felt a wave of relief wash through him. If she was back, that meant that she had brought help. "Report," he told her as she came closer, never stopping to toss around fireballs. "We need to open the gates, Lord Saffron. I have brought Saotome, as you requested, and several of his friends. The healers need to get inside before the enemy reaches them."
The god-king nodded, sparing a glance at the woman hovering next to him. "Go to the gates and open them. Keep it as short as you can, and tell as many of our people to retreat. Dawn approaches, we'll get some rest then." Kiima nodded and took off.
V------------------------------V
Ranma rushed into the middle of the ongoing melee, his blade flashing out of its sheath as he brought it around in a strike that was powerful enough to break the youma's bones. Sorry, Kenshin, looks like your sword will taste blood, after all. The pig-tailed youth knew he was a mere beginner with a sword, but one glance at the tentacles and claws most of the youma sported strengthened his resolve to have a piece of steel between him and them.
The creature howled in pain, and Ranma let loose a ki blast that reduced it to dust. He ducked under a clawed swing, before reversing the blade and cleaving off a tentacle that tried to reach his neck. Tossing the blade to his left hand, he whirled around, snapping out his right arm as he spun. "Kijin Raishuû-dan!" The vaccuum blade sliced its target neatly in half.
As he continued to weave through the ranks of youma, he fought down the urge to just cut loose with all of his father's sealed techniques. It would devastate his opponents, but he also refused to let his anger make that decision for him. While these weren't human, they were living beings. Ryoko's words from what seemed a lifetime ago echoed through his mind, They kill with reckless abandon. If you ever meet one, I personally say, kill it. They aren't human.
A scream of pain caught his attention, and he nearly failed to block a clawed swing that would have taken off his right arm. The hauntingly familiar female voice...the same voice that now echoed over the battlefield with a cry of, "Shi O Osorenu Kokoro Nari!" A flash of golden light exploded over at the gate where his mother, Soap, and Kasumi were. Ranma incinerated the youma with a quick ki blast, before turning his attention to his mother. She was leaning against Kasumi, her sword hanging limply in her hand. A sense of dread began to grow in him as he noted the red stain on her kimono, just below her ribs. All qualms against using the sealed techniques vanished in an instant.
V------------------------------V
Parrying a claw to his left, he let the fan open and whirled it aound the back of his hand, slicing off the tentacle that had caught hold of his wrist. Ryoko dropped to one knee as he turned around with a shout of"Hiryuu Kyo-Ken!" The ki blast tore through the two oni before him. He rolled out of the way an instant before the claw could nail him to the ground, and flipped back to his feet, ready to face the offending youma, only to find it already incinerated by a bolt of lightning. "Thought you could use some help," Urd smirked as she levitated next to him, World of Elegance providing them with cover fire.
"Remind me to pay you back," Ryoko grinned. "Get clear. I'm gonna make those bastards fly." The goddess quickly took to the skies, as did her angel, and the martial artist smirked evilly at the circle of youma that surrounded him. His hands snapped around the handles of his fans, an in a quick motion, he flipped them open. "Fukyuu Ryujin-Dan!"
He was coming to rest from his spin even as the tornado roared to life around him, hurling the creatures into the air, buffeting them around as they were torn apart by the force of nature.
V------------------------------V
Shampoo wiped the sweat and blood off her forehead with the back of her hand, even as she threw one of her bonbori, crushing the skull of the youma assaulting her. The young amazon slipped on a puddle of blood, and found a tentacle snatching her ankle, only to be cut off by a well-aimed broad sword. She picked up the sword and nodded her thanks at Mousse. Maybe he isn't so blind, after all, she thought as the two of them laid into the oni again.
Mousse was at a definite advantage here. His style revolved around ranged attacks and the use of weapons, and while he could easily produce more weapons from his robe than he would ever need, she couldn't. Shampoo excelled in martial combat, but it she had been trained to fight unarmed. And from her first attempt, she had quickly realized that going up against demonic creatures with a lot of thorns, spikes, claws, and teeth unarmed was a quick way to get hurt.
A slight rattle over the sounds of battle notified her that Mousse had once again let loose a barrage of chains, blades, and kitchen sinks at their opponents. She had to admit, while she had ridiculed his fighting style at first, it was very effective now. More so than she was, Shampoo admitted with a tinge of jealousy.
V------------------------------V
Saotome Nodoka was a very well-trained swordswoman, a mistress in her own right of her family's style, the Musou Maden Ryu. Yet she was also a housewife and woman. She had kept in practice, but had never fought a battle to the death. So when the time came to take up her family's blade to protect her son and the sisters she considered her daughters, she didn't hesitate for a moment.
A slight moment of worry about her skills had been enough for her opponent to pierce her defenses, and even though she had enough strength left to crush the youma, she was out of this fight. Leaning against Kasumi as Nabiki bandaged the wound on her torso, she caught her son sending a concerned glance her way, and noted his eyes narrowed in anger.
Then the gates creaked open, and they were herded inside by the warriors that were guarding it. She turned around, when an agonized scream hit her. Turning around, she could see the youma were making a blind charge for the now open gate, cutting a fresh swath of blood. The scream had come from one of the young amazons that had accompanied them, and that was now being pulled to safety by Cologne. The old matriarch was skillfully deflecting any of the strikes coming her way even as she dragged the wounded girl towards the gate.
Nodoka realized they wouldn't make it. The youma were too close, too fast, and Cologne, despite her training as a martial artist, not quick enough. Her right hand tightened around the hilt of her katana once more, and she shakingly stood up, rushing towards the elder amazon.
V------------------------------V
Ukyo swung her spatula sideways in an attempt to clear some pace in front of her. The okonomiyaki cheft leapt clear of the swing that had been aimed at her legs, and brought the overlarge cooking utensil down on the youma's head with a satisfying crack. Glancing backwards, she noted the gates were open and the Tendo sisters and Nodoka were being moved in, when all of a sudden the Saotome matriarch turned around and ran back into the battle.
Letting out a couple select curses, Ukyo charged towards the apparently suicidal woman, one thought in her mind, Ranchan'll never forgive me if I let his mother die on us.
V------------------------------V
Ranma stared in shock as his wounded mother ran towards Cologne, sword in her hand. He knew that she knew that there was no way she could return to the gate in time, before the youma were upon it – if she could even make it that far with her injury. A broiling wave of emotions washed over him, anger mixed with fear, hate mixed with desperation. His aura burst into full life around him, and he dug deep within him for his ki, drawing up every last ounce of strength he had. His usually electric blue aura turned a brilliant gold, shot through with the crimson flashes of his anger. The youma closest to him were vaporized by the aura as it grew in intensity, flickering higher and higher.
When the ki within him wasn't enough, he started drawing on the energy surrounding him, the chi that permeated the area, the magic that surrounded Jusenkyo. The screams of the dying echoed in his head, spurring him on. His aura condensed into a bright sphere in his cupped hands, and he thrust them forward, with a cry of defiance.
"Ten Môkô Takabishâ!"
The golden ray exploded from the hands of the pig-tailed martial artist, its brilliance outshining the pale moon that hung in the sky, rays of light spearing from between his fingers as the beam blasted through the ranks of the creatures separating him from his mother, cutting a five meter wide path of total destruction. Everything in the path of the beam was destroyed, annihilated by the force of his will. The ground was torn up in a trench, the remains of the oni were incinerated.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the beam subsided, leaving him at the bottom of a crater twenty feet wide, heaving in exhaustion.
V------------------------------V
Shampoo and Mousse froze at the sound of Ranma's voice, his shout clearly audible even over the din of combat. The two amazons stared in shock as the bright beam of light cut into the youma right in front of them, clearing them by a few feets distance. Shampoo could feel the heat radiating off the ki blast, while Mousse did his best to regain control over his jaw. "Sa-Saotome?" the myoptic martial artist stuttered out.
V------------------------------V
Cologne had taken note of Nodoka heading her way, and wanted to curse the foolish woman. She was going to get herself killed, and Cologne hated it when that happened. It was a noble, but foolish gesture – sometimes, the matriarch thought, the Joketsuzoku and the Japanese were too similar, sharing their bonds of honor. The elder could nearly feel the proverbial hot breath of the pursuing demons on her back, and prepared herself for oblivion. A fate well deserved, after more than three hundred years, she thought.
The end came in the form of a battlecry, followed by an impossibly bright light and a searing heat that cut across her back. When it was over, Cologne was amazed she could still feel pain. Isn't death supposed to be painless? When she saw Nodoka standing stock still, mouth agape, she realized she might not be dead quite yet, and stumbled to her feet, fumbling around for her cane. Whirling around to meet her attackers, for one of the very few times in her long life, Cologne was shocked speechless at the utter devastation she now faced.
A trench two hundred meters long and a good five meters wide had been cut across the battlefield, narrowly missing her and the amazon sister she was carrying. As she trailed the trench, she knew what she would find at its origin. Ranma stood in the center of a blast crater that looked as if an ultimate Shishi Hôkôdan had gone off, traces of his golden battle-aura still floating around him. Never in her three hundred years of life had she seen a male with this much potential, with this much power. Hell, she hadn't even seen a female with his potential. This was what Saffron had faced months ago. This was the focused rage and skill of the person who had slain a god with his bare hands. And, for the first time in her life, Cologne was scared.
V------------------------------V
When she heard her son's battlecry, Nodoka feared the worst. When the bright light exploded from the center of a mass of youma, her heart stood still, even as she realized it was where her son was. Then the flame of ki burned brighter, rising high into the sky, incinerating everything it touched with its ferocious intensity, and she knew the end had come.
The beam of ki that had originated from her son had shocked the woman speechless with its sheer power, the energy radiating off of it in waves, strong enough for even her to feel. It had cut into row upon row of oni and youma, mercilessly vaporizing them all. When it faded, revealing her son unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief, and pride washed over her. Pride at her son's accomplishments, pride at his ability to hold that much power and still retain his sanity.
The Ukyo was by her side, half-dragging, half carrying the wounded woman back towards phoenix mountain.
V------------------------------V
Urd's gasp was the first hint something was wrong. The exponentially rising ki level in a pile of youma was the second. The exploding pillar of ki was a dead giveaway. Ryoko froze for an instant, and only his battle-honed reflexes saved him from being cleaved in half. Urd dove to push Ryoga out of the way of a snapping tentacle, frying it with a lightning bolt as she passed.
Then, the three of them were forced to shield their eyes as an impossibly bright wall of flame approached them, crashing through the youma with frightening ease, incinerating even the armored creatures upon contact. The path of devastation continued, plowing through all resistance as if it were a paper wall.
Just before it could hit the trio, the beam suddenly winked out, leaving a charred and scorched earth behind. Once they could see the origin of the energy blast, Ryoga stood speechless, Urd muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Holy shit," and Ryoko cast a worried glance at the pig-tailed martial artist.
The boy had just unleashed one of the most powerful energy blasts he had ever seen produced, short of Urd's more powerful spells, and he only looked mildly winded. Ryoko's worries about the corruption of the boy tripled, and he could feel the residual anger in the chi lingering in the air.
V------------------------------V
"Dead Scream!" Setsuna didn't really care about the attention she attracted from her fellow Senshi, she didn't care she wasn't acting like her usual stoic self anymore. What the Time Gates had shown her...had not worried her, but scared her. There were few things that the Senshi of Time could claim worried her, and even less that outright frightened her. The total death and destruction she had seen was one of them.
The memories it brought back of the destruction Beryl had unleashed on the Moon Kingdom didn't help matters, either. Her teeth clenched in anger, she swung her staff, calling up all her skill and strength, easily crushing bones with the force behind her blows. Her rage lent her strength, and she tossed out energy blasts seemingly at random, yet each found its target with unerring accuracy as she mercilessly cut down her opponents.
All around her, she could feel the other Senshi fighting, the Inners working as a coordinated team, herding them together so that Usagi could blast entire groups of them to oblivion at once, while the Outers formed a wedge that cut its way through the ranks of the demonic creatures. Every once in a while, even though she couldn't hear Hotaru shout her chant, a flash of black lightning would announce the use of her Silence Glaive as she cast her Death Reborn Revolution into the midst of their attackers.
When the battlecry rose over the cacophony of destruction, she paid it no heed, only taking note of the golden ray blasting its way through the youma when it was too close to dodge. Her eyes widening in shock and fear, the emerald haired woman froze, entranced by the swirling, dancing wave of ki that was moments away from hitting her.
"Môkô Tenshin," she whispered as she brought her hands up in the last instant, drawing on her ki and discarding her magic, as her brother had taught her years ago. The shimmering, translucent barrier of dark purple flared into existence before her, clashing with the ki blast, only to have it part and flow around her like a river around a rock.
V------------------------------V
Saffron and Herb had seen many things during their resepctive lives, yet, just like Cologne, they had never seen a blast of this much power being cast by a mortal. The two shielded their eyes as they floated in the air, for once glad for their ability to fly and avoid being in the path of the all-destroying wall of ki and chi.
When it dissipated, Saffron had to blink several times until the blurry shape before him resolved itself into Kiima. "We're ready to leave the battlefield, Lord Saffron. Daybreak is coming."
As if to take over where Ranma had left of, the sun rose over the horizon, sending its own rays of light into the sky, casting long shadows unto the battlefield. The youma and oni turned and left, slipping into the shadows. Then they were gone, like a nightmare, leaving only a nightmarish scene of death behind.
END of Arc Two: Mastery