SailorStar9: With Chapter 32 uploaded, I present Chapter 33 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 33: Strata's Defiant Stand


In Mia's mansion...

"It would be nice if this Jewel of Life could help Ryo and the others." Mia noted.

"What kind of power does it have?" Yuli wondered.

"Honestly, we never really tested it out." Ami admitted. "Though one of my past incarnations theorized that it reacts to the wearer's heart."

"I'm sure a wonderful power lies within in." Mia nodded and hang the necklace around Yuli's neck. "I'm sure it'll protect you from the Dynasty."

The Jewel of Life, the Nine Armors, and the Staff. Anubis mused. These objects are perhaps controlled by a will far beyond our imagination.


In Talpa's throne room...

"Let this be a terrifying hell." Talpa chuckled, having sent in his troops to invade Shinjuku to capture citizens for the sacrificial tower. "Human lives are such fleeting things anyway. Lord Badamon, are you saying we are still short of human sacrifices?"

"In order to appease the great power of the Inferno Armor, we can never have enough." Badamon replied.

"What are you so afraid of?" Talpa inquired. "Are you still concerned about the fact that they now possess the Jewel of Life?"

"No, but given that our tower is not complete, leaving Wildfire and Strata to their devices is dangerous." Badamon warned. "We must prevent them from fighting a battle within the castle."

"Not to worry." Talpa assured. "They seek their friends but are heading into a trap as we speak."


Meanwhile...

Ryo, Rowen and Whiteblaze had made their way deeper towards the castle, before making themselves known as they reached the end of the maze. They easily took out the guards at the gates, but not before said guards alerted their superiors of the intrusion.

"Which way should we go? Ryo wondered, the trio leapt over the wall to the next section.

"Straight ahead." Rowen saw that the left and right passageways were blocked. "Let's go, Ryo."

"Guess we have no choice." Ryo followed Rowen.


In the castle basement...

Kayura laughed heartily as she ordered the Nether Spirits to completely drain the captured Ronin Warriors of their armors' powers.


With Ryo, Rowen and Whiteblaze...

"What the..." Rowen gaped, the trio finding themselves at a dead end.

"A dead end." Ryo growled.

"It looks like we've been trapped." Rowen noted.

"What should we do?" Ryo asked, hearing the Dynasty soldiers behind them.

"We can scale those walls." Rowen looked at the walls. "Come on."

The two Ronin Warriors used the opposing walls as footholds to climb over the wall, only to find themselves sinking into the walls.


In Mia's mansion...

"That creeps me out." Yuli shivered. "The clouds have been glowing."

"This sense of unease..." Anubis frowned. "Are they trying to tell us something?" the war between Talpa and the Ancient is the war between good and evil in human hearts. In this war, I know there is something I have to do. Just then, the Ancient's staff starting shining, the Nike Staff reacted and causing the Jewel of Life to shine as well.

With Ryo, Rowen and Whiteblaze...

"Where are we?" Ryo shook the cobwebs from his head as he and Rowen found themselves underground.

"I think the enemy is luring us." Rowen winced at his pounding headache.

"Even so, we still have to go." Ryo insisted.

"Yeah." Rowen agreed. "Even if it's a trap."

"There is an opening." Ryo spotted a door in front of them. "But there's no way out." he peered through the door to see an enclosed room.

"There must be, somewhere." Rowen corrected.

"Where's the way out?" Ryo wondered, the trio entering the room.

"The walls must have hidden openings." Rowen surmised.

"Now, we're locked in." Ryo turned when the door they came through was slid close. "This is bad. What do we do now, Rowen?"

"Put on your armor, Ryo." Rowen suggested. "We'll blast the room open."

"Armor of Wildfire, Tao Jin!"

"Armor of Strata, Tao Inochi!"

Ryo wasted no time in blasting a wall apart.

"There's a door." Rowen spotted an opening ahead.

"I''ll take another shot." Ryo offered.

"No, I'll do it this time." Rowen stepped up and blasted his attack straight towards the closed door.

"Kayura!" Ryo frowned, said swordswoman emerged from the resultant smoke.

"Welcome to the room you've been looking for." Kayura grinned.

"Are they here?" Ryo demanded. "Are Sage and the others back there?"

"Looks like you'll have to get past me first." Kayura grinned.

"Let's go, Rowen!" Ryo barked and the two Ronin Warriors charged their adversary.

"You won't be able to catch up with me." Kayura taunted, jumping into the air to dodge the attack.

"She vanished." Ryo gaped when Kayura disappeared into the darkness.

"Don't be fooled, Ryo." Rowen chided, firing off an arrow nad Kayura jumped even further upwards to avoid the attack.

"It's useless." Kayura mocked, somersaulting over the airborne Ryo and skillfully avoided Rowen's bow. "The "Flare Up Now'?" she noted, noting Ryo's sure-kill stance. "I suppose it would be rude of me not to return it with anything less powerful."

"Ultra Ballistic Flare Up Now!" Ryo fired off his attack.

Kayura let the attack hit her head on and the energy wave blasted through to the next room and was absorbed into a lone ikekomi-dōrō.

"That's..." Rowen gaped. "Ryo, stop it. It's a trap."

"I can't!" Ryo exclaimed. "It won't stop."

"She's sucking the power of your armor." Rowen realized. "This is bad. We're in trouble. Ryo's ballistic power will be completely sucked away." he jumped into action, firing an arrow at the stone lantern in an attempt to destroy it. "This is no good." he remarked, his attack was also absorbed. "All his power will be lost. Our ballistic power is being sucked away." the stone lantern, having taken in most of Ryo's armor power, shot out a light beam upwards.


In Mia's mansion...

The Dynasty is restless again. Anubis mused. Something must have happened to Wildfire and Strata. "What's that?" he saw the inverted reflection of Talpa's castle in the sky. "It's happening in the Dynasty? What's happening?" Ancient, what am I supposed to do?s


With Ryo, Rowen and Whiteblaze...

"The light's fading." Rowen noted, the stone lantern having done its job of taking away Ryo's armor's power.

Whiteblaze jumped and caught the weakened Warrior of Fire on his back.

"It looks like you were too slow." Kayura chuckled. "I've drained the power of Wildfire's armor. Wildfire can't even walk right now and your friends have been moved elsewhere. You don't have to worry about them."

"Why, you." Rowen growled. "How dare you be so underhanded."

"You're the only one left." Kayura stated. "Let's just put an end to this. You'd be better off if you give up."


In Mia's mansion...

The danger Wildfire is in... can I not do anything about it? Anubis wondered, the crackling thunder cracked the windows.

"The Jewel!" Yuli exclaimed. "The Jewel of Life is glowing. What is it trying to say?"

"Yuli, may I?" Ami requested, resting the shining Jewel in her palm. "What are you trying to tell us, Jewel of Life?"

"The Staff." Anubis looked at the Ancient's staff which was also glowing in response. "I understand now, Ancient." he realized the message. "So, the time has finally come."


With Ryo, Rowen and Whiteblaze...

"It's useless to resist me." Kayura chuckled. "As the smartest of the bunch, you should know better."

"But I'm also the most stubborn among the bunch." Rowen retorted and rained down his arrows at Kayura. "I'll use my power to blast my way out." he fired off his sure-kill attack which shot out from underground. "Whiteblaze, get Ryo out of here." he gave Whiteblaze the opening to get Ryo to safety.

"I won't allow it." Kayura jumped to intervene, only to have Rowen block her off. "Stop getting in the way."

"You won't get Ryo even if I have to die." Rowen fired back.

"You're willing to sacrifice yourself?" Kayura echoed. "Do you think you have a chance against me by yourself?"

"You'll never understand." Rowen countered. "That spirit of sacrificing one's self for others. If it means I can save everyone, I'll give up my life. I've staked everything on Ryo. His is the destiny of fire. He will burn all the evil away. As long as I believe that, I won't let him die here."

"What you're doing is useless!" Kayura snapped.

"Ryo, the rest is up to you." Rowen clashed with Kayura.

"You don't understand anything at all." Kayura scoffed, letting Rowen ran past her.

"I'll smash your sword with my Arrow Shockwave." Rowen notched an arrow on his bow.

"Do you think you can do it?" Kayura challenged.

"The Dynasty shall be destroyed." Rowen declared. "Ultra Ballistic Arrow Shockwave!" he fired his attack to counter Kayura's starlight attack. "What?" he was stunned when Kayura's attack overpowered his and sent him flying up into the sky. "Ryo, get away from here." he whispered, falling back to the ground. "I think this is it for me."

"Fool." Kayura remarked. "He wouldn't have died if he had just submitted to me. What's that light?" she blinked when the Strata Armor erected a protective bubble around its wielder, slowing down his descend. "Go, Armor of Strata!" he renewed his attack on Kayura.

"It's the same no matter how many times you try." Kayura barked.


In Mia's mansion...

With the Jewel of Life in hand, Ami took on her Athena guise and coupled with the glowing Ancient Staff and Nike Staff, she invoked the combined powers of the three items to transport everyone to the Dynasty.


With Rowen...

"Whiteblaze, Ryo!" Rowen spotted Whiteblaze dashing towards a moored boat at the pier.

"You can't get away from me." Kayura landed on the bank after the boat sailed off, with Rowen hovering over the vessel.

"I'm not giving up." Rowen snapped. 'I'll defend Ryo, no matter what."

Jumping to dodge Rowen's arrow, Kayura released her starlight wave at the boat, forcing Rowen to fend off the attack by himself.

"To think my armor can't keep up with her." Rowen muttered, the sheer force of the attack knocking him onto the boat as a smirking Kayura landed on the vessel stern.

"Wildfire is mine." Kayura declared, confident of her victory, when the lake shone a pinkish hue. A waterspout erupted from the waters, announcing the arrival of Anubis' group.


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