HIEI & KUWABARA: SAGA OF THE DARK WORLD

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Dark Lord Unveiled

.o.o.o.

The Forest Elder quickly made his way up the winding staircase, until he reached the top and stepped through a door way. He looked out, seeing a long walkway before him, that lead into a larger chamber that rested atop a massive column.

The second 'tower' had now staircase, so he had no other choice but to take the longer rout. No doubt that it had been designed this way to discourage trespassing. And, as the regular guards were no longer an issue- having been driven into retreat by the others- he had made good time.

He began crossing the narrow stone walkway. He looked over the edge to see other walkways and structures below him. It was clear that he was on the highest level of the fortress. He flinched at the sound of an explosion, which was followed by several others. He then turned back around to go finish what he had started.

It was excruciating up there, so close to the chemical smoke screen, but he managed to make his way across the open-air path till he reached the entrance and kicked the door in- shattering it into pieces.

He entered the inner chamber and spotted a massive green glass orb that radiated power green light from it. It seemed to be suspended by some kind of force energy that allowed it to float above the ground.

He placed his palms on it and began to chant the ancient words he had been practicing for centuries.

.o.o.o.

Kuwabara and Hiei quickly made their way down a series of corridors, making their way ever closer to the throne room.

"It's almost finished," Kuwabara announced. "We're almost there."

"Yes," Hiei replied. "I'm ready to put an end to this once and for all."

Kuwabara nodded. "I wonder what this guy will look like." He thought out loud.

Finally, they reached a pair of massive doors, once of which was slightly ajar. The two of them forced it open further and slipped in.

They stopped when they saw Rain sitting in the middle of the massive corridor before them. He was sitting beside a motionless Garland.

"What happened?" Kuwabara asked as he took a step forward.

"Darkon came after us, the other man ran away right away, but Cassius tried to fight him." He said in a quivering tone. "But it was no good, he never stood a chance."

"Do you know where Darkon is now?" Hiei asked.

Rain looked up at him. "He's close, just down the—" He was then struck be a power energy blast and fell over.

"Damnit!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

A floating, cloaked figure appeared before them, he was also holding a scythe against his shoulder. "So, you think that you can defeat us, do you, well you'll never defeat Darkon, you pathetic fools."

"Do you plan to fight us as well?" Hiei demanded.

The floating figure laughed again. "Nothing so pointless, my job here is done, I'm simply here to give you a bit of advice- don't go any further, you can't win this battle, you're not strong enough."

"We'll see1" He yelled and threw his sword at the form, causing it to explode. Something floated to the ground.

Kuwabara picked it up. "It's some kind of card- like those tarot things." He began. "Death. . ." He added when he looked at the image of a skeletal knight riding a horse. "I don't think this is the last we'll see of him."

"Come on, we can't just stand around!" Hiei snapped.

The two of them rushed down the corridor to their final destination.

Another figure looked at them vanish into the distance from the gap in the doors. He shook his head and slipped in through it.

.o.o.o.

"I'm so glad you could make it."

Hiei and Kuwabara stopped and looked up at him.

Darkon towered over them, at well over seven feet tall. His body appeared to be completely covered in a strange armor- reminiscent of a mix of Japanese and European- and his head was incased in a helmet of he same material. A massive blood-red cape hung down around his feet as he stood before them. His skin was an odd gray-silver color and his long white hair hung down around his shoulders.

"I am Shoa Darkon." He spoke, introducing himself in his powerful voice that seemed to echo through the chamber. "And I always knew that one day, you two would stand before me, as you are today."

Both the human and the demon stood their ground.

"At last, we meet." He began. "I must say that I'm impressed that you made it this far, but then again, that should be expected of ones as strong as you two."

"Your dominion ends this day, Darkon!" Hiei exclaimed, pointing at him. "I didn't come this far to listen to your meaningless rhetoric!" He snapped.

"Yeah, it's all over!" Kuwabara added.

Darkon laughed at their gesture. "You two know nothing! This world is what life is really about- this is the eternal struggle for power!" He paused. "I was cast into this brutal realm and I made myself what I am today!" He exclaimed.

"Only through my ceaseless will did I come from being nothing to being a god!"

Kuwabara bristled at the comment. "How dare you compare yourself to a god!" He demanded. "You have no right!"

"Right?" Darkon asked. "Right in nothing without the power to defend it! I had that power and I took what was mine!" He looked at Kuwabara. "You live in a world of laws and rules, here- this is only one law, my law, the law of survival!"

"In a godless world, we must make our own gods, so I elevated myself to that of a god!" Darkon held out both hands. "To live and prosper is the providence of the mighty!" He cried out. "I came here as nothing and now I am everything!"

"What do you mean you came here?" Hiei asked.

Darkon laughed. "So, you still do not realize who I am, do you?" He asked. "I will tell you the whole truth, the revelation behind all of this." He began.

"You come from a world that is very different from this one, I know of that world." Darkon began to tell them.

"What!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

Darkon placed his hands on his hips and looked down at them. "You were working on a mission in your world with two others, and there was an accident- and now you both are stuck here."

"So what, you used your Light Jump Stone to tell you this!" Hiei replied.

"No Hiei, that is not correct, I used the same stone that came from your world."

"But how?" Kuwabara asked.

"The demon you fought, his name was Shao Ren- I am he." He laughed. "Just as you arrived here in this time, I came here to a point in the time stream over a thousand years earlier than you." He explained. "I took the demons of this world- pathetic and weak- and made them into an unstoppable army with me as their leader." He informed his two attackers.

Darkon looked at both of them and smiled. "Thanks to your intervention with the activation of the stone, I was sent here where I could become the creature I was always destined to be!" He paused and laughed again.

"So, it seems I owe you thanks, as it was you who brought me to this world- when you forced me to use the stone- and gave me the chance to remake it as I so desired." He smiled. "Thank you."

Senses seemed to grow dull in that moment. Both of the fighters stood silently before their enemy. Then, memories passed through them, as grim reminders of their reality.

'What is this place?' Kuwabara mused out loud, looking up at the sky.

'I don't know.' Hiei replied, without looking up.

'It's horrible.' Kuwabara commented, looking around. 'It looks like hell.' He added.

'What you see now,' Lin inserted. 'is the result of the war that he started so long ago.' She continued. 'He ruined everything- even the sky- and enslaved the entire surviving human population.' She finished.

Shera suddenly spoke up. 'We're one of the 'lucky' families.' She announced. 'We get to live on land that is still good, because we work to produce food for the Emperor and his soldiers.' She elaborated. 'But as long as we live like this, we will never have any kind of future beyond this life of slavery.' She concluded, a sad expression now overcoming her.

. . .

'Mutual respect gradually was superceded by resentment and malice. In the end, the humans overwhelmed the demons and reduced them to slaves.'

'Those humans existed almost a thousand years ago.' 'What you see now are humans who have no concept of the past, they suffer for the sins of a world that no longer exists.' He added. 'Besides, the guilty met their final judgment when Darkon appeared.'

'Darkon burned away most of the world.' Tressei then looked straight at Hiei. 'Do you know what it's like when an atom bomb goes off?' 'Eight billion people vanished in a single moment, that if the reality of this world.'

Kuwabara looked back up at the Emperor. "I don't care who you were a thousand years ago are who or what you think you are now, I just want you gone!" He exclaimed. "And I have no other choice but to do whatever I can to see to it that things are put right once and for all." He added.

Hiei stepped forward and nodded. "There's too much sin in this world as it is, it's to for creatures like you to fade away, Darkon." He explained. "That is true nature of reality- that all things must pass."

Darkon smiled at them and walked began to slowly descend the steps. He threw his cape off to the side. "So, the insects at last are ready to face their final end?" He asked. He stopped as he stood before them.

"Well then, I think that the time for words is over, all that remains now is for you two to die." Darkon reasoned and began to gather up power.

The human and the fire demon took up defensive positions.

"Hey, Hiei, do you think we can beet this guy?" Kuwabara whispered

The demon smiled. "Probably not, but can't let that stop us now."

Kuwabara smiled back. "Yeah, sounds good to me."

(- End of Chapter 22 -)

.o.o.o.

This is it, the end is really close, just a couple more chapters left to write and this will all be at an end. Thank you all for reading this and I hope you enjoy the climax of the story.

-Bojack727