SailorStar9: Figured I needed to get this chapter out before you guys hunt me down. So this is Chapter 12. Read and review.

Disclaimers: Nothing here are mine, well, except the plot.

Chapter 12: Shallow Darkness


"It's quiet." Ryo commented as the group walked through the darkness.

"Those damn monsters, I wish they'd just come out." Kento complained.

"We should be almost right under the castle." Mia mused.

Just then, Yuli noticed something and ran off.

"Yuli, don't run off!" Mia called out.

"This is..." she blinked as she noticed Yuli standing before a shop window.

"Where we met for the first time." she remarked, turning to Ryo.

"It's true." Ryo agreed.

"Yuli?" Mia turned her attention to the younger boy.

Yuli was looking intently at the shop window, remembering how he and his parents were window-shopping right before this entire war began.

"Mom... Dad..." Yuli mumbled, tearing up.

"Yuli..." Mia muttered worriedly.

Yuli wiped away his tears, "Well, I got to save my mom and dad."

That said, he got on his skateboard and rode off.

"Yuli! Wait! We all have to stay together." Mia cried out.

"Yuli!" she ran after him.

"Looks like Mia has her hands full taking care of Yuli." Ryo remarked.

"But now that we're in the Netherworld, I just hope Mia and Yuli don't get in our way." Sage voiced his concern.

"Maybe they have some key role to play in the battle." Kento pointed out.

Just then, Whiteblaze growled lowly in warning.

"What's up, Whiteblaze?" Ryo asked.

All of a sudden, a Dynasty soldier burst out of the shop window. Ryo barely managed to dodge the surprise attack. Another one came out from underground, forcing Sage to jump back. A third one crashed through an office window, thrusting its spear at Cye who jumped back to dodge it. Another one came through another window and Rowen sidestepped its attack. Kento managed to fling the Dynasty soldier over his shoulder.

Ryo took a step back and realized they were surrounded. Quickly,the five Ronins formed a circle around Athena, guarding her form the sea of Dynasty soldiers who surrounded them.

"Hey, Mia and Yuli are in trouble." Rowen shouted above the commotion.

"Mia!" Ryo managed a shout as he landed after hitting a couple of Dynasty soldiers down, only to be held back by another soldier.

"Ryo!" Sage was about to come to the leader's rescue when he too was comforted by another soldier.

"Cye, get to Mia and Yuli." Rowen told the Warrior of Water beside him as he blocked a soldier's attack.

"But, I've got my hands full." Cye replied, blocking a soldier's spear.

"Damn, there's no end to them." Ryo remarked, taking down a couple more soldiers.

"Yuli, Mia, get out of there!" he cried out a warning.


Separated from the group, Mia looked around in confusion.

"Ryo?" she questioned.

"What did he say?" Yuli asked.

"We have to hurry back." Mia said.

"Yeah." Yuli agreed.

Then, out of the darkness, a Dynasty soldier appeared and attacked them. Mia and Yuli jumped apart. The Dynasty soldier then turned his attention to Mia and was about to strike its spear at her when it stopped short. A split second later, an energy bolt came from nowhere and the spirit was dispelled from the armor. Mia gasped when she saw the armor crumble before her as Athena and Whiteblaze appeared through the darkness.

Whiteblaze immediately put himself before the non-fighters, growling as the sea of Dynasty soldiers closed in on them.

"Let's get out of here." Mia shouted, pulling Yuli along with Athena close on their heels.

"Hurry Whiteblaze!" she called out to the tiger.

The group had not gone very far when they realized that they were surrounded by Dynasty soldiers.

Finding themselves cornered, Mia called out in desperation, "Ryo, where are you?"

Finally noticing a subway, Mia grabbed Yuli and the group went underground.

They stopped short at a turn, realizing that the soldiers were finding them. Mia turned around and screamed when she saw a Dynasty soldier looking at them face-to-face. Whiteblaze jumped to defend them, but was struck down by the soldier's end of the spear.

Just then, Rowen jumped in, quickly disposing the soldier.

"Get out of here. I'll take care of them." he told the group.

"All right." Mia nodded and the three took off.

"Are you all right, Whiteblaze?" Rowen asked the tiger.

"Here they come." he turned his attention to the battle ahead.


Meanwhile, Mia, Yuli and Athena were running through the carpark when Talpa's power traveled through the cables, putting the parked vehicles under his control.

"What's that?" Mia asked, hearing the revving of vehicle engines. The group barely managed to dodge the cars that attempted to run over them, forcing them to the ground. Then Mia screamed as the cars closed in on them.

Just then, Ryo and Cye appeared, hitting the cars back.

"I'm here too!" Kento announced as he knocked two possessed cars back.

"Ryo, Cye, leave this to me." he told the two.

"Kento!" Ryo called out, seeing his friend blocking a truck. Cye barely managed to get Mia and Yuli out of an incoming car's way.

"Cye." Ryo sighed in relief, seeing the two non-fighters unharmed.

"Wait, where's Athena?" the Ronin leader asked, looking around.

"Oh no!" Ryo exclaimed, seeing a runaway car heading towards Athena's direction.

As the car closed in, Kento quickly jumped in and carried her away.

"Ryo, take care of them. The both of us will deal with this somehow." Kento told the Warrior of Fire.

"All right." Ryo nodded.

"Be careful you two." Mia cautioned.

"Come and get me." Cye turned his attention to the runaway vehicles once Ryo took the group out of harm's way.


Ryo's group was running along the passageway of the departmental store when a Dynasty soldier burst out of a booth.

Ryo leapt up and kicked the soldier away.

"Ryo!' Mia gasped.

"It's a trap." Ryo told them. "We're surrounded by Dynasty Soldiers."

That said, a troop of soldiers burst out from the covered booths.

"Get out of here." Ryo warned as he fought off the army.

"Right." Mia replied and the trio took off.

"Mia, Yuli, get above ground!" Ryo called as he parried off a soldier. "These guys are crawling underground."

"All right." Mia nodded. Taking Yuli's hand the three ran off.

With the three non-combatants gone, Ryo jumped into the fight.

Mia, Yuli and Athena had ran to the other end of the departmental store, only to find themselves locked out.

"No good." Mia remarked as she banged her fist against the locked metal grill.

"This way Mia!" Yuli pointed to the subway tunnel and the three ran off.

After a while, they stopped when they heard the Dynasty Soldiers closing in.

"There are Dynasty Soldiers here." Mia gasped in horror.

"I can hear them behind us too." Yuli commented in fear.

"This way!" Mia said quickly as she dragged Yuli away. The three then ran down the subway staircase into the train station.

The split second they stepped on the railway, a bright burst of light flashed on them as a train thundered towards them. Stunned in shock, Mia barely managed to grab Yuli and jump out of the way.

"That was close." Mia remarked.

"Yeah." Yuli agreed. But just when they thought they were safe, another train rushed towards them. The two non-combatants screamed in horror.

"Mia! Yuli!" Sage called out as he jumped in to save them.

"Sage!' Yuli beamed as he hung on one of Sage's arms. The Warrior of Light had held on to a beam on the side of the station.

"That was close." Mia noted.

"Talpa had made a trap for us and we fell right into it." Sage told her.

"What?" Mia gasped.

"Looks like Talpa made use of you in order to split the five of us up." Sage clarified.

"Where's Athena?" he asked once he let the two down.

"Here." Athena replied as she walked into view. Turns out, after she had been separated from Mia and Yuli, she had cleverly flattened herself against the other side of the wall and waited for the danger to pass.

"It's broken." Yuli commented as he tried to fix his broken skateboard.

"They're coming again." Mia noted.

"I'm afraid so." Sage added. "Let's go further in."

"They're in here too." he remarked after the four ran deeper within the train tunnel.

"And there too." Yuli stated as he looked back.

If I were alone, I could stay and fight. Sage mused.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, hearing the air whistling. Looking up, he noticed a wind vent.

"The wind vent?" Mia blinked.

"Yeah, they should lead up top." Sage agreed. "Let's go."

After removing the air shaft cover, the four climbed into the air vent.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Yuli urged as he heard the Dynasty Soldiers behind them.

"Don't worry, I can see the exit." Sage assured him.

"We made it!" Yuli beamed, running out as Sage lifted the cover. Met by a horde of Dynasty Soldiers, the boy stopped short.

"An ambush." Sage noted as he readied himself for the fight. The camera faded out to reveal that they were under an expressway.


Meanwhile, the rest of the Ronin Warriors were in a fight of their own.

Cye had already droned on his armor, blasting a Dynasty Soldier away and sending it crashing out into a waterway. The Warrior of Water then jumped into the water, only to be met by another army of Soldiers.

"I have the advantage in water." he noted. Using his trident, he parried away the spears that were thrown at him.

"Super Wave Smasher!" he unleashed his attack and blasted the Soldiers away. When the water stilled, he surfaced.

"Looks like we fell for their plan." he mused. "We're totally separated now."


After slicing a Soldier with his bow, Rowen of the Strata then jumped onto the expressway above him.

"Oh no, I have to find the others." he remarked, looking around.


After quickly disposing the Soldiers, Kento of Hardrock looked at his desolate surroundings.

"It looks like I've been separated from the others while in battle." he noted. "Where am I?"


Ryo of Wildfire was also in a battle of his own. After quickly eliminating the Dynasty Soldiers with is weapons, he looked around in worry.

"Mia, Yuli, where is everyone?" he inquired.

"Armor of Halo, Tao Chi!" Sage called his transformation phase.

With a few quick slashes of his sword, he demolished the Soldiers before him.

"You did it, Sage!" Yuli beamed.

"Let's get above." Sage of Halo suggested.

"Yes." Mia agreed.

Just the, black lightning crackled above them and Sage turned his attention to the thunderstorm that had just rolled in. The black lightning then converged onto skyscraper, causing it to fall on them.

"Watch it! Run!" Sage called out and the four took off before the building collapsed on them.

"Down!" he warned, covering the three non-combatants as the building crashed in on them.

When the dust settled, Sage looked around.

"They seem to want to keep us underground." he noted.

"That's right!" Cale answered.

"What?" Sage demanded as he turned to face his adversary.

"It's been a while, Sage of Halo." the Warlord of Darkness commented as he appeared form the darkness.

"Is that Cale?" Sage asked.

"Sage..." Yuli muttered worriedly.

"The three of you, get back now." Sage warned and the three backed off.

"Think you can shut me down with this shallow darkness?" Sage challenged, drawing his sword. "Sage of Halo will cut through the darkness you've created."

"What do you think you can do on your own?" Cale mocked. "Why don't we find out who's stronger? I'll how you why they call me the Warlord of Darkness, the one who rules the darkness."

Drawing his weapon, Cale absorbed the light from his surroundings.

"What is this?" Sage gasped, noticing his milieu getting darker.

"It's getting really dark around here." Yuli noted.

"Cale's sword is absorbing all the light in the area." Mia explained.

"This darkness is my ally." Cale informed the Warrior of Light. "My sword of darkness feeds off the light and turns darkness to strength. This means that your power is useless before me."

"That... can't be." Sage gasped. "There's no way my armor of light will lose to the power of darkness."

"Here I come Cale!" he declared, drawing his sword to attack.

"Learn that you're a fool." Cale taunted as he too leapt into battle with his weapon.

The two warriors clashed as Sage watched in horror as the light on his sword dimmed before vanishing.

"What? I feel my strength draining from me." he noted.

Cale smirked, "My sword of darkness is absorbing the light, the source of your power."

With a quick knock, he sent Sage crashing into a pillar.

"Sage!" both Mia and Yuli gasped.

Cale's smirk widened as he disappeared into the darkness.

"Where are you Cale?" Sage demanded.

"It seems that you can't see me." Cale taunted. "How if I go and see you?"

Cale, where are you? Sage pondered as he surveyed his surroundings.

"Here!" Cale announced as he appeared before Sage. The Warrior of Light managed to jump away from Cale's attack.

"You avoided that well." Cale praised. "How about next time?"

At that moment, he appeared behind Sage, striking him from the back.

"Damn" Sage cursed as Cale disappeared again.

"Let's see your special technique." Cale provoked.

If the three aren't here, I could just use my surekill to finish this battle. Sage thought.

"Sage can't use his 'Thunderbolt Cut' because we're here." Mia realized.

"Sage..." Yuli gasped.

If only I knew exactly where he is... Sage pondered.

He barely managed to dodge Cale's attack as the Warlord suddenly jumped in from the side.

"How pathetic you look, Sage of Halo." Cale mocked. "I will now let you die a death that's most appropriate for a warrior like yourself."

"What?" Sage demanded.

"Black Lightning Slash!" Cale sent his attack at Sage.

Sage managed to block the tendrils of black energy that were being sent at him. However, Cale's attack was still going strong and it was not long before Sage's defense weakened, allowing the black energy to engulf him completely.

"Sage!" Mia and Yuli gasped.

"Vanish into the dark!" Cale grinned triumphantly as he unleashed another 'Black Lightning Slash', causing Sage's armor to disappear, leaving him in his subarmor.

"Sage's in trouble!" Yuli exclaimed. He was about to run forward to help the warrior of Light when Mia held him back.

"It's too dangerous." Mia told him.

"But if the Ronin Warriors are defeated, my parents..." Yuli reasoned.

"Now for you girl." Cale laughed as he approached the defenseless Goddess.

His sword drawn, he rested his blade on the Goddess' neck.

"With you dead, Master Talpa will win." he remarked.

Within Cale's attack, Sage watched in horror as Cale raised his sword to strike the girl.

"Athena..." he gasped.

Just then, a calm and soothing aura spread onto the battlefield as Athena's Cosmo radiated around her.

"What is this light?" Cale was astonished as Athena's holy Cosmo drove away his darkness.

"I know this power." the Warlord remarked, as he leapt away from the Goddess. "It's the same one from the forest."

In response, Sage's 'kanji' shone on his forehead and he droned on his armor.

"No!" Cale gasped when he realized not only had Sage broken free of his dark prison, he also saw through his deceptions as the Warrior of Light charged right at him, his weapon drawn.

"I can see you now Cale!" Sage declared. "Feel the anger of Halo!"

"Don't be stupid." Cale mocked. "I'll send you into eternal darkness."

The two warriors clashed once more. Jumping apart, Cale unleashed his darkness attack which Sage countered with a light attack of his own. The two opposing elements clashed with Sage's light breaking through.

"Impossible!" Cale was shocked that his attack failed.

"Thunderbolt Cut!" Sage unleashed his surekill on the Warlord.

Cale screamed as the attack washed over him, the sheer power of the blast demolishing the road above them.

"I did it! I beat the power of darkness." Sage exclaimed in victory as he realized he defeated Cale.

"Nicely done Halo." Athena remarked as the three non-combatants approached the Warrior of Light.

"Athena." Sage turned to the Goddess. "I have to thank you."

"Why?" the Goddess asked.

"It was your power that helped me win this fight." Sage replied.

Athena shook her head, "No, you won this battle on your own. I merely gave you a small push in the right direction."


SailorStar9: Well, this chapter is done. Read and review.