. : Inazuma : .
: . By Akikazu . :
. : Chapter Twenty Three : .
They went outside to confront the oncoming mass.
Tsukasa was the first to see Itsuki running towards them. Tsukasa also noticed he was carrying Kagome on his back.
"Itsuki's approaching with Kagome," Sota announced. "But Itsuki feels a little different. Kind of like Mana. His aura covers Kagome."
"Itsuki Mind Broke Kagome," Isshin finished.
"I also sense an incredibly powerful Eraser approaching. No doubt it's your Azrael," Sota continued. "Behind that there is a mixture of several factions following Itsuki and Kagome."
"No doubt this is the final battle," Haruna quipped.
Itsuki finally reached them.
"Where'd you find Kagome-kun at Itsuki-kun?" Mana asked.
"She was being contained at the E.G.O. headquarters. It's a long story, I'll have to explain after we deal with this," he waved a hand in the direction of the oncoming horde.
"I suppose it's too much to hope that no one will notice a battle happening on the streets," Kaname said dryly.
"Chances are that this 'secret war' will no longer be a secret after this." A frown curved Haruna's lips.
A beam of light surrounded them, blinding them for a second. When they were able to see again they found an Eraser floating before them. His long pale hair floated as his wing flapped rhythmically and baleful eyes glared down at them.
"Israfel, you have changed," his voice was practically a purr.
"Azrael-sama," Tsukasa whispered.
"You've regained your wings," Azrael noted. "Will you fight me then? I will continue on as I intend either way."
"If there is no other option, I will fight you," Amou replied.
"That what bothers me Israel. You never liked to fight."
Azrael turned and began to walk away, he walked slowly so Tsukasa would be able to follow. Tsukasa looked at his friends, all of whom where watching him worriedly.
"You guy be careful okay?"
Tsukasa turned and Mana put stopped him with a hand on his arm. He turned and faced his Mind Breaker. Her eyes were worried and he smiled in effort to reassure her.
"You'll be okay?" She asked.
He nodded and walked after Azrael. His wings sprouted and his garb changed after his first few steps and he rose into the air. A blast came straight towards him without warning and rising higher Tsukasa dodged out of the way. He was forced to pivot violently to the right as Azrael came at him with a heavy double bladed sword.
"You cannot defeat with without a weapon, Israfel," Azrael taunted.
Tsukasa hear a chanting begin in his head and at Mythrel's prompting held out his hand. No reaction to the strange movement was seen on Azrael's face. Merciless eyes dug into him.
"I am not without a weapon," Tsukasa announced.
There was a thump and Tsukasa closed his hand around a cold hilt. He brought the sword in front of him and stood ready to parry any attacks. He took only the barest amount of time to look over the weapon Mythrel had gifted to him. It was made up entirely of white metals, with one pale violet stone decorating the hilt on each side. The sword itself was surrounded by a vast reservoir of Eraser energy.
"Mythrel," Azrael ground out. "She's been helping you."
"Yes, I'm not the only one that sees you as an unfit ruler."
Azrael charged, sifting his weight at the last moment in order to catch Tsukasa off guard. Mythrel guided his movements however, keeping the less experience Eraser in front of the other.
"She's there, hiding beneath your surface," Azrael pressed closer till there faces were inches apart. "I can smell her."
Azrael pushed back, leaping away as Tsukasa arched his sword down. Azrael sought to attack from behind but Tsukasa was quick, turning in order to keep them face to face.
"Mythrel is a coward," Azrael spat.
He slid forward again, swinging vertically but Tsukasa danced out of the way with unnatural ease.
"I am not her host. Mythrel cannot be brought to the front in my body." Tsukasa attacked, and was met with a heavy handed block. "She whispers to me, though. She tells me every move your move before you perform it. She tells me your every thoughts as it occurs."
Tsukasa disengaged their blades, shifting in order to dodge Azrael's sword, and swung his own weapon outward in a crescent. Even with his vast experience, Azrael was hard pressed to block and move out of range.
Amou keep coming.
His arms moved mechanically as he followed Mythrel's instructions the letter. His blade sang through the air with every swing and thrust, a moving gleam of deadly silver.
Cuts appeared on Azrael's body, minor ones but wounds all the same. Finally Azrael got in a move and a blast of bright energy singed Tsukasa's shoulder.
"Your foot work is fancy, Israel but it will take more to defeat me."
Azrael rose higher into the sky and Tsukasa shot after him, his violet eyes narrowing as a part of him combined with his other self. The other part of him demanded their opponent's blood even as his true nature called for this fight to be resolved with as little violence as possible.
Control yourself! You have to step your performance up a notch if you hope to win. You have powers, use them!
Mythrel's snapping caused Tsukasa to bring forth his power. As the fight leveled again he stretched out his hand and sent a burning ball at Azrael, throwing himself in the same direction so he could direct wither after the attack hit or after it was dodged.
The fire burnt a wing, by the look of it, every flap would bring pain to Azrael. The "Angel of Death" remained calm, his face still blank as he regarded Tsukasa with a calculating look.
"Perhaps I will return you to my ranks," he murmured.
Tsukasa drove forward to attack but this time Azrael didn't move away, instead he also rush forward to met the less experience Eraser head on. Both hit the other with all of the power they could manage, sliding their swords through each other without the slightest hesitation.
Despite Azrael's words, they both knew that one of them would be dead before this battle was through.
Blood fell freely from both Erasers' bodies and one angel plummeted from the sky.
I . I . I . I . I . I . I . I . I . I .
The mass of enemy psychics came just as Tsukasa flew after Azrael. They were vastly outnumbered and Itsuki quickly set Kagome down and moved to Sota's side.
"Would you be willing to let me mind break you, Sota?" He then explained, "this is the only way a psychic can reach their full potential."
Sota nodded and Itsuki quickly implanted himself within the young boy's mind. His friends watched the proceedings carefully. Finally they stepped back and surveyed the area that was to be their battlefield.
"We can avoid the Erasers for the time being," Haruna said. "Hopefully Tsukasa-kun will defeat Azrael soon and they will follow him."
"That takes out a chunk, but we have the rest to contend with," Kaname growled.
Sota reached out suddenly, his hand passing through empty air. The rest watched him curiously. Itsuki could feel the boy's energy spanning outward.
"I can feel the Wiz-Dom that is apart of your team following the horde. I also sense Sakura-chan and several people from the Arayashiki dojo coming," he reported. "We can count them as allies."
"Sakura as in Ai Sakura?" Isshin asked.
"I believe so, she's Noya's little sister."
"Then Arisugawa-san will no doubt be coming too."
"That still leaves a lot to be desire, probability wise," Kaname grumbled.
"We'll make do," Mana said. "We always do."
Leathery black wings sprouted from Kaname's back and tattoos appeared on the backs of Isshin's hands. The group stepped out to face their enemies.
"Mana stay back with Kagome," Kaname ordered.
Knowing that she would be more hindrance than help Mana did as she was bidden, kneeling down at the side of the unconscious girl.
Kaname took off, skipping over the first set of ranks and diving right into the middle of enemy territory. Itsuki watched his go knowing that his friend would be able to take care of himself. If he had stayed the front lines would have been to easily decimated. A grin kicked up the corner of his lips and he called the wind to surround him.
Enhancing his speed his went into the thick of things. He cut through enemies with the winds at one moment and hurled illusions at others the next. Not once did he stop moving or think to retreat. He knew that he would have to take on his share of enemy psychics if they were going to win.
A while after he lost all track of time and the amount of injuries he had gained, Itsuki spotted Tsukasa descending from the sky. Finally he came to a stop slightly above the battlefield and brought up his hand. The battlefield was momentarily quiet as all psychics looked at the head that Tsukasa held up by its long pale hair. Eyes dulled by death stared unseeingly out at them.
Several Erasers rose into the air, slowing nearing Tsukasa. They stopped yards away form him and dropped to their knee. Itsuki could hear them murmur oaths of loyalty to their new leader.
Amou released his clenched grip on the head's hair and pointed his sword down at the battlefield. His mouth opened and he issued an order that Itsuki could not hear from his place on the ground. Itsuki guessed that Tsukasa had ordered them to help out in the battle.
The battle raged on again, the load roaring returning as time resumed its frantic flight.
Itsuki went back to work.
I . I . I . I . I . I . I . I . I . I .
Kagome opened her eyes as the sound and smell of battle surrounded her. For a second she thought herself back in the Sengoku Jidai (Feudal Era). Then Mana's face appeared over her, dispelling the notion.
"Kagome-kun!"
The miko struggled for a moment and sat up. With a quickness that belayed her experience she surveyed the battle that way raging right on the other side of the porch. A Darklore in bloodlust came a step too close and Kagome scowled, causing the thing to be purified instantly.
"How long has this been going on?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know," Mana frowned. "At least an hour I believe."
"That's quiet enough time then," Kagome announced.
Kagome climbed to her feet and stepped off the porch. She held a hand out to Mana and waited.
"Come on, it time to finish this. I trust you would rather come?" Kagome said.
Mana laid her hand on top of hers and Kagome began to walk. They walk about two blocks of battle leveled ground, Kagome purifying any enemy psychics that approached them. They finally came upon Sota, Kagome waste no time in calling her brother over. As he approached she examined him to find that he was relatively unscathed.
"Sota, can you guard Mana-chan. I have a war to end."
"Arrogant as always," Sota snickered.
Kagome huffed but mussed her brother's hair and stepped forward. After settling herself a reasonable distance away from her interested spectators she removed Goshinboku's (God Tree) jewel from the chain around her neck. She enfolded the small marble in her hand and made a quick prayer before letting it fall to the ground between her feet.
The ground around her immediately became cleaned form taint. The aura of Goshinboku fill a small circumference, the purity of it calmed her for her next task.
Her fingers slowly changed to claws, with the help of Belial, the dull human nails become knife sharp tips. Kagome let her hand drift to her side and her eyes closed in anticipation of pain. Taking a deep breath she used her claws to cut her flesh open and carefully she removed a familiar jewel that had reformed in her side.
Daintily she lifted the jewel in her bloody claws to her face. Her fingers change back into human fingers and she held the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls) tightly.
"I wish this for this war to be over, for psychics to settle peacefully in the world, for the world to accept the psychics, for the past to be laid to rest," she whispered.
Pink light filled the battlefield and energy spilled from the legendary Shikon no Tama.
The fighting stopped.
. : End Chapter : .
: . Author's Note . :
Only one chapter and an epilogue to go!
Wow I've updated already, aren't you all proud of me! This story is so close to being finished. I bet you're all getting anxious are you? But you can't wait to see how it all ends either.
Hang tight people, the next chapter will be up soon, and by soon I mean within the week.
Muichimotsu is next!
Ciao.
. : Next Time : .
Resolutions
The fall of the E.G.O.
Goshinboku's Jewel: the light of hope