SailorStar9: With Chapter 26 uploaded, I present Chapter 27 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Disclaimers: I only own the plot.

Chapter 27: Lady Kayura and the Dark Realm


At the bay of Amanohashidate...

Rowen was waist-deep in the waters, eyes closed and bow pulled taut. "Arrow Shockwave!" he fired his charged-up arrow into the sky, the blazing arrow shot through the gathered clouds and splitting them into half. "Athena, I've seen through the clouds of my spirits." he chuckled. "I will not hesitate any longer. I wonder if everyone else understood what Athena-sama meant. This feeling..." his senses went on high alert by the sudden change in the wind. "This sense of foreboding... show yourselves!"

A tinkling laughter rang from the air as wisteria petals floated down around Rowen. A beam of light shot down from the clouds, transporting the Warrior of Air into the stratosphere.


In the stratosphere...

Rowen awoke to find himself on a mass of clouds.

"Will the heavens be a friend to you, Rowen of Strata?" a feminine voice echoed.

"Show yourself!" Rowen barked. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kayura." Kayura presented herself. "Kayura of the Dynasty."

"A woman!?" Rowen gaped. "I can tell by her voice."

"Rowen of Strata." Kayura started. "We have captured Halo, Torrent and Hardrock. You're a tight-knit of friends, aren't you? Why don't you go and rescue them?"

"They've fallen into the hands of the Dynasty?" Rowen snapped. "How am I supposed to believe that?"

"There is normally one truth." Kayura chuckled.

"If so, I will capture you and have you tell me the truth." Rowen declared, readying an arrow.

"Think you can do it?" Kayura challenged.

"Prepare yourself!" Rowen fired three arrows in rapid succession, only to have Kayura deflect the projectiles. "How could she deflect my arrows so easily?" he gaped in shock. "I mustn't take her lightly."

"Is that it?" Kayura taunted. "Then, I will come to you." flashing her twin jittes. She let loose a wave of paralyzing dust at Rowen. "At this rate, you won't be able to save your friends."

"You can't fool me with such tricks!" Rowen barked. "Ultra Ballistic Arrow Shockwave!" he fired his charged-up attack at Kayura.

"I have figured out your power." Kayura laughed, dodging the energy shot. "All that's lift is Ryo of Wildfire. I'll be seeing you again." she sent Rowen back to the ground, forcing him to use the Strata armor's power to cushion his fall.


On the shore...

"To toy with the Armor of Strata like that..." Rowen gasped for breath. "Kayura, was it? Who was that demon from the Dynasty? Ryo!" he realized his leader was in trouble and hurried off to Mount Fuji.


In Mount Fuji...

Ryo was concentrating in the centre of the volcano, using the flat plateau on the magma chamber as a foothold. "Flare Up Now!" he fired his sure-kill technique straight through the magma, the attack smashing against the inner layer of solidified ash.

"So, this is the power of the one who calls the white armor." Kayura mused, standing at the erupting volcano's crater. "A power necessary to the Dynasty."

"The armors of the Ronin Warriors were created by the Ancient from Talpa's armor." Ryo stated. "It no doubt possesses an evil power. If we use it for ourselves, they will only be destruction. But this power is there to protect everyone's future. Athena, I will not hesitate any longer. What is this?" he wondered, the volcano's magma flow suddenly stopped and wisteria petals floated down to him.

"Ryo of Wildfire, that was quite a technique." Kayura announced her presence.

"You're..." Ryo jumped out of the volcano to face his enemy.

"I'm Kayura." Kayura introduced herself. "Kayura of the Dynasty."

"Ryo!" Rowen shouted, running into the scene, having forced Kayura to back off with two arrows.

"Quite impressive, Strata." Kayura noted. "He must've flown through the skies."

"Kayura, tell us where Sage and the others are." Rowen demanded.

"What happened to Sage and the others?" Ryo turned to his second-in-command.

"We'd better watch this demon." Rowen cautioned. "She said the three were captured by the Dynasty."

"Do you remember these?" Kayura produced Sage and Cye's weapons as proof. "Sage of Halo's Light Sword and Cye of Torrent's Torrent Trident. I'm going to leave these with you for a while." she stabbed both weapons on the ground." Strata, Wildfire, you two will eventually come to the Dynasty as well." she declared and vanished.


In Mia's mansion later...

"Are you really certain she said the three were taken to the Dynasty?" Athena inquired, after Ryo and Rowen reported back, bringing both the Light Sword and the Torrent Trident.

"Their weapons prove that." Rowen replied.

"How could this have happened?" Mia wondered.

"The demon called herself Kayura." Rowen supplied. "We've got to watch her. She's different from the others."

"More importantly, we have to figure out how to save Sage and the others." Ryo pressed.

"Calm down, Ryo." Rowen chided. "There's no point in rushing it."

"Calm down?" Ryo snapped. "While we sit around here, who knows how those guys are being treated by those demons?"

"I'm trying to think of how to rescue them." Rowen stated. "I'm sure Kayura has set up a trap for us to fall into."

"Whoever we're up against, we just have to go and get them." Ryo insisted.

"And how do you plan on raiding the Dynasty?" Rowen fired back.

"Enough, the two of you!" Athena flared up her Cosmo. "Infighting amongst us falls right into their plans. Rowen, tell us more about that female demon."

"That's just it." Rowen admitted.

Yuli's horrified yell alerted the group of an unwanted intrusion. "Look!" the younger boy pointed to the lake near the mansion.

An image of Talpa's castle appeared on the water. The image then focused on an underground chamber where the three captive Ronin Warriors were chained to the centre of a small pagoda with numerous Nether Spirits hovering above them. Said Nether Spirits then concentrated their evil energy into the sōrin, electrocuting all three captives.

"Stop it!" Ryo roared. "That's cowardly."

"How pathetic they are." Kayura laughed. "Halo, Hardrock and Torrent."

"It's you again!" Rowen sneered.

"Don't worry, Wildfire, Strata." Kayura faded the image. "I will have you come to the Dynasty as well."

"You're human?" Rowen was stunned to see Kayura appeared before them.

"Human?" even Ryo was shocked. "A female human?"

"During the 1000 year grudge of my master, Talpa, there were countless humans who have sworn allegiance to Master Talpa in order to gain a greater power." Kayura explained. "Out of them, the four Warlords were chosen and given the power of the Dynasty. And I, who was the object of much affection, have been given the duty to take you to the Dynasty. Let's go."

"The power of the Dynasty?" Ryo snapped. "I can't let myself be corrupted by an evil power like that."

"How could you have sold your soul to the demon?" Rowen demanded.

"Prepare yourself!" the two remaining Ronin Warriors jumped into the pending fight.

"Armor of Wildfire, Tao Jin!"

"Armor of Strata, Tao Inochi!"


By the lake...

"My power is pure." Kayura bragged. "Unlike you, I am not bound by those human virtues that the Ancient sealed into your armors. I will show you," she brought out her twin jittes. "The beautiful and cleansing power of one who has given her spirit to the Dynasty."

"Careful, Ryo." Rowen warned. "She's no ordinary demon."

"Piece of cake." Ryo jumped to engage Kayura. "She's fast." he frowned, seeing Kayura effortlessly dodge Rowen's arrows.

A clang from her jittes churned out a cloud of paralyzing dust and blasted Ryo back.

"I'm not going to fall for some trick of yours." Ryo promised. "Flare Up Now!" he fired his sure-kill attack at Kayura.

"I can see through that technique." Kayura scoffed and sliced through the fire beam.

"Does this mean we can't fight her with these armors?" Ryo wondered.

"Next, it's my turn." Kayura declared. "Cry, my stardust. Roar, my Starlight Swords. My ultimate: Star Sword Scream!" she shot up five streams of light into the sky which then brought down five blasts of destructive energy beams from the sky. The five energy blasts then centered on the two remaining Ronin Warriors, defeating them both quite effectively.

"Are you all right, Ryo?" Rowen winced.

"Damn." Ryo cursed. "If I could transform into the white armor, we'd have a chance."

"That's enough of your playing." Kayura laughed. "You will now come with me to the Dynasty." raising her twin jittes, she summoned a Dynasty gate.

"The Ancient!" Ryo gaped in disbelief when the Ancient's staff and Athena's Nike Staff tossed between them and Kayura. "Athena's Nike Staff!"

"The Ancient?" Kayura was stunned. "That's impossible."

The six rings on the Ancient's Staff started clanging together, activating the divine powers of the Nike Staff. The golden form of the Victory Goddess, Nike, replaced the bird symbol of the Nike Staff and bathed the two battered Ronin Warriors in its soothing light.

"What on earth..." Kayura gaped, the power from the Armor of Strata connected with the Armor of Wildfire and forming the White Inferno Armor. "What is this noise?" she demanded, obviously disturbed by the rings' clanging. "The power of Athena?"

"Ultra Ballistic Rage of Inferno!" Ryo fired off his powered-up attack at Kayura.

"What is this overwhelming power?" Kayura was forced to retreat from battle and the attack destroyed the summoned Dynasty gate.


SailorStar9: This chapter is officially over. Read and review.