Disclaimer: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers is the property of Sunrise. Ronin Warriors is the property of Bandai Entertainment.
Author's Note: Here we are at the first part of the climax! I know you're probably anxious to read, so I'll just make this one quick announcement and let you get straight to it.
Chapter 19 is another very long chapter, and now I'm working again, so I want to say now that there is a chance it won't be posted on time. I am expecting to get it up for Tuesday, so chances are this announcement is entirely pointless, but I feel better when I cover all my bases, and that includes giving you guys a warning when I might not meet a deadline.
Enjoy the chapter, and please review!
The Wicked Knights
by Jake the Fearless Leader
Chapter Eighteen
"The Battle Begins"
It was difficult to know exactly where to connect the gate between the two realms without knowing the location of the Maranwe Statue. Kayura was trusting the Ancient's staff to guide them. So when the group arrived on a deserted rocky shoreline, she instantly started searching for signs of evil activity. The Warlords followed her lead while the Ronins looked around.
"Where are we?" asked Ryo.
"Somewhere off the coast of the Pacific Ocean, I think," Rowen responded. In the distance, he could see several high-rises and a ferris wheel. He pointed it out to the others. "See that city over there? We're close to Yokohama."
"Awesome! My siblings love Cosmo World. My parents used to take us every summer break," said Kento.
"Stay focused on the task, Hardrock," scolded Kale.
"Let's move. We have to start looking for the statue," instructed Kayura.
"We find the statue, we find Zankoku," Dais added.
"Finding them isn't what concerns me. I'm more worried about what happens when we actually come face-to-face with them," said Sekhmet.
"That statue could be anywhere, though," said Rowen.
"It has to be close by. The gate wouldn't have opened here if it wasn't," said Kayura. "There's no time to waste. Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. With any luck, it won't take us too long to find them. A demon and a group of armored pixies are bound to stand out."
"Hang on," said Ryo suddenly, whirling around to face south. He was staring intently down the beach.
"What's up, Ryo?" asked Kento.
"It's the Torrent Armor," he responded, not taking his eyes off the horizon.
The other three Ronins followed his gaze.
"He's right. Cye's definitely over there," confirmed Sage.
"Well, that was easy," Kento said. "Come on, let's go kick some demon ass!"
"Wait," said Dais. "Look over there."
The group turned to face inland. On the cliffside, there stood four figures. Their individual features were mostly indistinguishable from so far away. However, there were some things that just couldn't be masked by distance, such as three of the beings sporting large black wings.
"Zankoku," identified Rowen.
"But only three of the Fae are with him," noted Sekhmet.
"So they did decide to split up," said Kale.
"Change of plans," announced Kayura. "Kale, I need you and Rowen to lead the others against Zankoku and those three."
"Why not let Wildfire lead the Ronins?" questioned Dais.
"Because he's coming with me. We're going after Cye," she responded.
She glanced over and met the Ronin leader's gaze. He nodded in agreement.
"Just the two of you? Are you crazy?" demanded Sekhmet. "It's not just Torrent you'll be facing. He's got one of the Fae with him."
"We can handle it," Kayura insisted.
"And if you can't? What then, Kayura?" said Kale.
She gave the three Warlords a cross look. "We'll be fine," she said, trying and failing to keep the irritation out of her voice.
Both Kale and Sekhmet opened their mouths to protest, but Dais shook his head. He knew it was a waste of time to continue arguing about it.
"Be careful," the Warlord of Illusion simply said.
Kayura gave him a confident smile and nodded.
"You guys be careful, too. Zankoku and the Fae aren't exactly gonna be pulling their punches," said Ryo seriously.
"We've got them outnumbered, so we'll be fine," said Kento.
"Just make sure you're ready for whatever Cye throws at you," warned Rowen.
"He's not going to hurt me," said Ryo.
"You sure about that?"
"I know what I'm doing, Rowen. This is the only way to save him," said Ryo.
"You can get through to him, Ryo. It worked with me," said Sage.
"Yeah, man. Bring him home," Kento said.
Ryo looked at each of his friends. He knew they had faith in him, and he wasn't about to let any of them down.
"Watch out for each other."
He and Kayura took off down the beach, White Blaze on their heels. Kale and Rowen simultaneously lead the others towards the cliff. No one bothered looking for a path. They jumped up the rocks and landed on top of the hill in front of their enemies.
"Stop where you are, demon!" demanded Kale.
The four evil beings turned to face the heroes. Rochelle and Aviva glared, getting into offensive positions. But Zankoku held out his hand to prevent them from launching any attacks. He strolled forward with a jovial grin.
"Well. The Ronins and the Warlords. I knew you'd catch on sooner or later. You were, after all, in my study, which gave you plenty of access to the book I had recently procured. I figured that wolf friend of yours would inform you I was after the Maranwe Statues. She would have been told of the legends surrounding them, and so she'd know what they were capable of. That's one of the reasons I opened the gate in the middle of the day… to keep her and the Alfirin from interfering any further."
"Yeah, but you still got to deal with us, Zankoku," declared Rowen.
"You're hardly a threat. My girls are more than a match for you," Zankoku stated confidently.
Rochelle and Aviva snickered darkly as they prepared their weapons. Melaina winked at the heroes, a seductive smile on her face.
"Patience. You can have fun with them in a moment," the demon said to the Fae, his tone clearly amused. He turned back to the Ronins and the Warlords. "As you can see, they're quite eager to kill you. And with good reason. You Mundane brats have been a thorn in my side for a while now."
"We have?" asked Kento, sharing a confused look with Rowen.
"Indeed, you have. I know. It's hard for you to conceive, as we've only just met. It's kind of a long story. I don't want to bore you with it. Think I'll save it for another day. Well, provided you survive, that is." Zankoku started moving slowly towards them. "But I'll say this — I've been planning to conquer the realms for a long time. It's been a dream of mine for centuries. And that's no exaggeration. Trouble was, I was just a lowly demon. Hardly a match for Emperor Talpa's power, even when he was in his weakened state. As time went by, I began to consider the possibility my ambitions could never become a reality… but then Talpa met his end."
"Thanks to us," said Sage.
"Yeah, we whipped his butt," crowed Kento.
"Naturally, you saw that as an opportunity," concluded Dais.
"Exactly right, Warlord of Illusion. This was the chance I'd been waiting for, and I wasn't about to let it go to waste. And so, I took action. Travelled across realms, found a Black Caster or two to create my soldiers, recruited the Fae… Well, the details are what make this a long story… though I suspect they'd peak your interests. But still. My little secret. I suppose I could just tell you. It'd be a shame to miss out on your reactions…" Zankoku paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I won't risk it, even though you'd be taking the knowledge to the grave. Because, gentlemen, you're all going to die today. If you're lucky, you'll live long enough to see the world I'm creating, but I very much doubt it. The Fae will see to that. With you out of the way, no one will ever be able to challenge me. I will reign supreme."
A bolt of lightning struck the ocean, and the water suddenly rose upwards as if there'd been an underwater explosion. Zankoku, the Ronins, the Warlords, and the Fae were drawn by the sight. Rowen glanced up at the cloudless sky. The lightning wasn't an act of nature.
"Take a look at that… Have you ever seen anything so spectacular?" wondered Zankoku. He grinned, pleased. "Guess the fun's already started."
"You mean —?" began Sekhmet.
"The ritual," Zankoku confirmed. "Clara's done her part. Beautifully, from the looks of it." The demon turned his gaze back to the Ronins and Warlords. His eyes shone with malicious intent. "Which means it's time to take care of the loose ends. Ladies."
The Fae took to the skies, brandishing their weapons.
"Here they come," said Rowen unnecessarily.
"No one fights alone. Let's partner up — teams of two," instructed Kale.
"Should give us the advantage," agreed Sekhmet.
"Don't let your guard down, not even for a second," warned Dais.
With that, the Warlords summoned their armors. The three Ronin Warriors were quick to follow their lead.
"Armor of Strata!"
"Armor of Halo!"
"Armor of Hardrock!"
Rowen released a volley of golden arrows at the Fae. It had the intended effect of forcing the pixies to scatter. If they hadn't, the arrows would have struck their wings, and being grounded during combat wasn't an option. Once the Fae were separated, the Ronins and Warlords charged forward, each moving towards their target.
Strata kept shooting arrows into the sky, but this time, he was only aiming at Rochelle. The Sinister Fae of Sadism was swift, swerving this way and that to avoid the aerial assault. One of the projectiles struck true, hitting her armored forearm. It didn't hurt, but it definitely annoyed her. Growling, Rochelle flew down towards Rowen and reached out to grab him.
"You're gonna have to do better than that, Ronin!" she screeched.
"Look out, Strata!" shouted Dais, shoving the boy out of the Fae's path.
Rochelle spun around in mid-air to face the Ronin and Warlord. She raised her whip, a wicked smirk on her face. "Let's see you try and dodge this. Savage Scourge!"
An olive green aura surrounded the Fae. Her whip crackling with copper energy, she lashed out at the two heroes.
"Web of Deception!" cried Dais, swinging his scythes into the ground. From the blades, silk thread sprang out and formed a net, protecting them both from Rochelle's assault.
Rowen quickly notched an arrow and raised his bow. "Heavens Shockwave!"
The attack sailed through the air, aiming straight at the Fae of Sadism. The power of the Strata blasted her with a streaming blue-white energy wave. Rochelle grunted as she stood her ground. When it faded, she was still standing, unsurprisingly. The two heroes prepared themselves for the next round, Rowen notching another arrow and Dais retracting his scythe blades.
Nearby, Sage and Kale were facing off with Aviva. She may have been outnumbered two to one, but that didn't faze her in the slightest. The Fae of Oblivion parried both of their sword strikes with ease. Realizing that they weren't getting anywhere, the Warlord thought fast and came up with a new plan. He leapt back and raised his sword high into the air.
"Darkness Strike!"
Black lightning surrounded his blade. As Kale swung it sideways, the dark energy surged outward towards his opponent. Though he was still engaged in combat with the Fae, Sage could feel the attack coming and easily jumped back to avoid getting hit. Aviva was just as fast. She raised her sword in front of her, using it as a lightning rod to absorb the dark energy. The Ronin of Light realized what she was doing immediately and lifted his own sword to prepare for his own technique.
"Lightning Strike!"
The power of Sage's Halo Armor joined with Kale's Jackal Armor, creating a massive spectrum of light and dark energy. Their combined might was extremely powerful, but still no match for Aviva. She summoned the power of her own armor to counter it.
"Infinite Void!"
"Get down!" Sage called out as the familiar black and burgundy energy swiftly overpowered their techniques. Acting fast, he ran towards the Warlord. The Ronin slammed into Kale's torso, sending them both flying off to the side. Aviva's attack sailed past and struck the ground. A thin layer of burgundy frost was left in it's wake.
"Guess you've seen that move before," commented Kale as the two stood up.
"That's how she captured me," confirmed Sage. "Her attack can freeze things solid."
"Good to know," noted the Warlord, readying his blade once again.
As for Kento and Sekhmet, they had flanked Melaina, and they weren't giving her an opportunity to get the upper hand. If she tried to sidestep one of them, the other would block her route. If she tried to fly up, they'd both grab her by the ankles and pull her back to the ground. The Fae of Miasma was trapped.
Melaina pouted. "Y'all are gettin' on my last nerve. It ain't nice to pick on a lady."
"You're no lady, Melaina," sneered Sekhmet.
"Evil bitch is more like it," Kento agreed.
"You hush your mouth, said the Fae angrily. "I reckon I'm just gonna have to teach you varmints some manners."
Melaina focused her power, summoning a teal aura around her hands. She swiftly flew forward with her arms outstretched. Sekhmet thought quickly and unsheathed two of his swords to shield both Hardrock and himself as they ducked down. The Fae's fingers brushed against the tip of his blade as she flew overhead. He could hear the sizzling of metal, but knew without looking that his sword would not take damage.
"Don't let her touch you. Her hands are coated in acid," he warned the Ronin.
"Got it," Kento acknowledged, splitting apart his iron bo so it resembled three nunchaku joined together by a chain.
"I'll draw her attention. You just be ready to strike," said Sekhmet. It was the only safe plan. His armor was immune to toxins.
While the two were regrouping, Melaina had decided to change her strategy. There were now teal acidic bubbles in each of her hands — her own version of a grenade. She could summon as many of them as she needed, causing the bubbles to infinitely multiply. This suited the Fae just fine. It allowed her to fight in the name of her lord without having to get her hands dirty.
Melaina started flinging the acid bubbles at Kento and Sekhmet, forcing them to split up. The Ronin quickly leapt out of the way to avoid being hit, while the Warlord unsheathed the rest of his swords to nullify her acid with his own venom. For a moment, Sekhmet was concerned that their toxins wouldn't mix well and there would be a massive explosion, but that didn't seem to be the case. Despite the sizzling sounds he heard whenever his swords made contact with her acid, her poison wasn't able to hurt him.
Kento brought the parts of his iron bo together and started to spin it over his head. He was planning on striking her down with his armor's power, but immediately realized he couldn't. As long as the Fae was flying through the air, Kento's attacks would never reach her. He was either going to have to find a way to ground her, or wait for an opportunity to present itself. Kento wasn't exactly known for his patience, which meant he went for the first option. Leaping up into the air, he used the iron bo to smack her in the back. Melaina practically screeched as she was sent crashing down hard into the ground. With that taken care of, the Warrior of Earth lifted his weapon up and resumed spinning it, completely focused on summoning the power of his armor.
"Iron Rock Crusher!"
Kento thrust the bo down at the ground, his aim true. Melaina had only just managed to stand when the massive earthquake hit her. The Fae screamed as the very earth rose up around her, blasting her back off her feet. She landed facedown with a heavy thud, grunting painfully. She waited for the ground beneath her to stop rumbling, and once it had, she wasted no time in taking off into the air. Melaina glared fiercely at the Ronin.
"That does it, Hardrock. I'm gonna whup your butt," she growled furiously. She swiftly raised her hand into the air. "Noxious Haze!"
As the teal cloud of toxin surrounded her hand, Sekhmet sprang into action. He placed his blades next to each other, side by side. Then, the Warlord removed his third and fourth sword from their sheaths and placed them next to each other just below the first two blades. He repeated the process once more with his final two blades, creating two rows of three swords. Once the rows were complete, he pushed the blades together so that they touched. Sekhmet grabbed the hilt of the bottom right sword and pulled it to the side, the other blades following suit behind it. He slashed his make-shift whip side to side and called forth the power of his armor.
"Snake Fang Strike!"
Sekhmet twirled his blades above his head once before lashing his weapons forward. A beam of goldenrod energy shot up into the air, zigzagging it's way towards the teal mist. The two venomous attacks collided and caused an explosion in mid-air. Melaina shrieked. She was a bit too close to the blast zone for comfort. The Fae quickly flew back, placing some distance between herself and the Warlord.
Across the battlefield, Rochelle had both Rowen and Dais on the ropes. She was skillfully using her whip to keep the warriors at bay. When the Warlord attempted to sneak up on her from behind, she slashed her weapon backwards. Her whip wrapped around his leg. Rochelle spun around and pulled the whip back toward her, knocking Dais off his feet. While he recovered, she turned to counter Strata as he fired another volley of arrows at her. Spinning her whip in a circular motion, she was able to block every strike. Still, Rowen's attack gave Dais all the time he needed to launch another assault on the Fae of Sadism. He extended his scythes and managed to hit the arm holding her whip. Rochelle recoiled with a hiss, scowling at the Warlord of Illusion.
Aviva was quickly finding out that Kale was not to be underestimated. He could be just as cunning as her, if he felt it was necessary. As she and Sage traded blows with their swords, the Warlord circled around them. He was biding his time, observing the battle so as to find the Fae's weakness. Aviva knew this and decided to act first. She changed tactics, becoming more aggressive in her strikes. This put Sage on the defensive, forcing him to expertly dodge her blade as it slashed passed him. Unfortunately, she took advantage of this and swiftly attacked from the opposite direction, catching the Ronin off guard. Sage grunted as he collapsed to the ground, wincing in pain. Kale intervened immediately. He drew Aviva's attention off of Halo and gave him a chance to recover.
The Fae of Miasma had returned to her previous strategy of throwing acid bubbles everywhere, but it wasn't having the desired result. Kento kept dodging them. Sekhmet just kept canceling them out with his own venom. This was getting her no where fast, but what else could she do? Melaina wasn't cut out for hand-to-hand fighting. She didn't even like it! Eventually, Sekhmet got tired of her evasiveness and decided to just charge at her. Shrieking, Melaina flew up off the ground to prevent herself from being cornered.
Rochelle had become fixated on a single target, determined to make Dais pay for wounding her. She struck out at the Warlord, her whip cracking as it made contact with his wrist. Dais gasped in pain and dropped his scythes. The Fae smirked in satisfaction. Rowen, realizing that she had forgotten all about him, exploited her single-minded focus. A streak of gold sailed through the air, and an arrow struck her left wing. The Fae screeched in pain as she plummeted towards the ground.
Kale had managed to buy Sage enough time to get back onto his feet. However, the Ronin wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to last in this fight. He could feel the pain of his friends, allies, and foes as if it was all his own. Halo knew that the Warlord could hold Aviva off for a little longer, so he took a moment to refocus himself. Sage closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He wasn't going to let his power rule him, not now. The Mortal Realm was counting on him. No matter how difficult it was, he was going to have to push past the pain. More determined than ever, Sage opened his eyes, raised his sword, and attacked Aviva. The Fae of Oblivion didn't see him coming. She let out an agonized gasp as his blade slashed across her sword arm. Aviva dropped her weapon, staggering back and clutching her arm in agony.
Melaina thought she'd be safe as long as she stayed high up off the ground, figuring she was out of range as long as she was flying. However, she forgot to take into account the superhuman abilities the armors granted their bearers. As a result, she was caught completely off guard when Kento leapt into the air and bashed her over the head with his iron bo. The Fae cried out, her right hand gripping her head. With her left hand, Melaina batted the Ronin away from her. She didn't have any time to recover before he was on her again. Kento separated his weapon back into three connected nunchaku, and he lashed out, aiming for her wings. Several of his blows landed, eliciting an agonized reaction from the Melaina. She wasn't able to stay airborne after that. The Fae fell straight down, crumpling in a heap upon hitting the ground.
Rochelle wasn't known as the Sinister Fae of Sadism for nothing. She loved making people suffer, and now she had ammunition to use against her two opponents. Both Rowen and Dais recognized that Rochelle's attacks has become more ferocious. They were only just barely able to dodge her now. It wouldn't be long before one or both of them were hit.
"We need to end this now," said Dais urgently.
"Yeah, before she kills us," agreed Rowen.
The two braced themselves as Rochelle charged forward for her next assault.
Having lost her sword, Aviva resorted to hand-to-hand combat to take on Kale and Sage. If either the Ronin or the Warlord thought this would give them an advantage, they were wrong. The Fae had no trouble holding her own. Sage crouched and aimed a kick right at her legs, knocking her off balance for a moment. Aviva retaliated with a spin kick of her own, striking the Ronin in the chest. He was sent crashing to the ground. Sage groaned, wincing as pain laced through his torso.
"Halo!" exclaimed Kale, stepping in to block Aviva from landing yet another strike on the dazed teenager.
Melaina had managed to get back on her feet, but she was grounded. Her wings were hurting too much from Hardrock's attack to allow her to fly. But she wasn't out of the fight just yet. She'd surrounded her hands with a teal aura again and was trying to latch onto her opponents. Sekhmet wasn't concerned about himself. Kento was vulnerable, though, and had to keep his distance to avoid taking damage. The Ronin was grateful his weapon had a long range, but at the same time, he had to be careful it never made contact with her hands.
Lord Zankoku oversaw the battle with eager eyes. He had faith the Fae would emerge victorious. And even if they didn't, it hardly mattered in the end. It was only a matter of time before Cye completed his part of the ritual. Soon, the Mortal Realm would fall under his command.
Nothing could stop him now.