AN: One of the last two chapters for Arc FIVE! This is where shit hits the fan, and people get uber serious, you can almost say...EDGY! But in seriousness, this is the near endgame for the World War, for reals.
So all I can say is, Foreigner wins yet again for Song Title/Chapter Title, though Daft Punk gets some love here too, they helped with me writing the action scenes!
Kisses, drugs, and hugs to you all! Please, sit back, grab a cold one (or room temp one, if you from ze Europe), relax and ENJOY!
Arc Five: The World War
Chapter 29: FACE TO FACE
It had been one month.
One month since the forces started gathering, outside of the capital. All eyes were on the target, and outside of their twin mountain ranges, the perfect defense to slow down any invasion, the Lugnicans awaited.
Jolokia with his fellow soldiers, and those who volunteered from Gusteko, allowed the strong breeze to blow around them.
Watching carefully, everyone was ready to go.
A charge through the mountain was the only choice.
Had they taken the roads leading to the capital, it would mean being out in the open and subject to cannon fire.
They then did what was sought of them. The first steps made, Jolokia and the others began marching forward.
An army of 1 Million soldiers began moving out to the end point.
As the trees began to make themselves known, contrary to the desert that made up most of this nation, they were moving up.
Yet, far more above them, magic cannons were aimed down, ready to destroy them and break ranks…
Jolokia did know about this, it was an unavoidable truth, and smiled.
"Grrrr, you lose."
Red streaks of light shot down from the sky, and began zipping around the mountainsides, explosions rocking above. Screams, desperate orders, all vocal signs of the slaughtering occuring.
Once done, all of these soldiers silently nodded at the seven figures floating in the sky.
The Red Lantern Corps, were all together again.
Natsuki Subaru.
Frederica Priestella.
Genau.
Wilhelm Van Astrea.
Nijino Josho.
Mimi Pearlbaton.
Ovidius Loman.
Emerging from the clouds behind them, the zeppelins began their attack, going over the peaks of the mountain range and actually gliding down, seeing the city below, with a giant palace straight out of shinto mythology standing proudly relatively at a height of 1,800ft...surrounded by monstrously, stupidly, humongous plum blossom trees.
And although the resistance began from magic cannons and every projectile magic attack one could think of, the zeppelins actually released mana stones that acted as both artillery, and flares, exploding attacks before they reached them.
Truly a intimidating sight to behold.
But one would notice...they had not fired a single cannon.
Well, it was true, that was because, they were first handing over a delivery.
Leaping off one of them, which glided across the sky, giving ample leverage, was HIM.
Reinhard, still in his fur coat, jumped off and raised a sword he was provided, just for this.
A large sword, too big, too thick and massive to be wielded by anyone else. It shined brightly, like a quasar, and as he began to reach the ground, he stabbed the sword down.
Resulting in anything similar to it, but a bright blue mushroom cloud. With the force equivalent to America's Castle Bravo nuke, which yielded the force of 15 Megatons of TNT, the destruction was unfathomable.
The air was hot, and vision turned bluish, the kind of sight when someone takes too long of a nap and their eyes vainly attempt to adjust to the light.
With the samurai and others trying to adjust...they realized that even worse than the fact that a quarter of their once gorgeous sprawling city, was destroyed...was-
"THE MOUNTAIN! PAY-"
Too late, all the men and women had already used the explosion as a distraction, per orders, and already made it into the city.
Jolokia chopped a man's head clean off with his battleaxe.
And now, both armies began clashing.
Conquistador tanks, using their metallic spider legs, mowed through houses and began firing at enemy positions, never caring that they would occasionally run over hiding civilians, smashing them to pieces.
Zeppelins continued to fire down at temples, houses and schools, not sure if they could be being used as secret bases. Some were, others, not so much.
The screams sounded the same, regardless.
Moussaka fired from behind a barrel of water, killing one man, before getting a slingshot and launching a mana stone to blow up a another man. A man tried to sneak behind him, a simple farmer with a rake...only for Runther, his pet Wolgarm, to leap out and bite his throat out.
"Good boy."
He reloaded his Metia Rod and continued.
The madness of battle was overtaking the capital, as everyone fought, and fought, killed, butchered, and set ablaze much of their surroundings.
Callaloo pounced on one man, biting out his throat. Another man came around and tried to take her out with a scythe, but a huge tail whip dislocated his neck. She then hopped back and used her claws to scratch out two women's faces.
"HISSSSSSSS."
She got back on all fours, as she too, continued the fighting.
Lisette got behind a wall, letting the lizardman with the Panther gun fire wildly at some hiding men. From a nearby rooftop, Sagittarius began sniping with her Metia Rod, even killing a samurai commander. Lisette ran over and put a bandage and healing oil on a injured soldier.
"You! Help me get him back!"
"Yeah!"
A man helped her out and they got him out of there.
Jolokia punched out a samurai, stole his katana and stabbed him through the neck, before swinging back and karate kicking another in the stomach, then using his battleaxe to cut him in half.
Jolokia roared as he got his battleaxe ready.
People climbing over collapsed houses, firing randomly into avenues, lobbying molotov cocktails into houses. Oh what madness.
Reinhard used his barefists to break necks, cave in heads; even with their helmets. Reinhard picked up a katana sword and sliced through four men. But the sword could not handle his strength and it shattered.
Setting himself straight, he was shocked when a nearby foe, racing at him, was stabbed through the face with a red sword.
"Reinhard, you must focus!"
"Grandfather!"
Wilhelm flew down, still with his hand construct making up for his lost limb.
He did quick work against a few other samurai, before tossing Reinhard a sword.
"Try and show this old man, how this Sword Saint, carries himself."
"Yes sir!"
Reinhard smiled as he got into a battle ready stance, Wilhelm floating next to him.
The flames spreading, hid him well, and he would sporadically drag people into the doom...just for fun. But eventually he got bored with this and wanted a much more head on approach.
Thus, stepping out of the flames, as if a hound of hell had entered the fray of battle...Genau creepily approached, flames coming out of his mouth and everything.
"Will you all play nice with me?"
Before they could even scream, Genau began attacking, using spider appendage constructs to begin annihilating them.
Jumping down and breaking a man in half, Frederica was now next to Genau.
"Oh! Sssssister Frederica! You gonna help me out on thissss sssside?"
"I concur I must, I haven't had a chance to fight side by side with you Genau, so I wish to see how our compatibility works."
"Fine by me!"
The two of them had their first Revenga Arts activate, and proceeded with the killings.
Nijino kicked down an entire section of a house, burying alive the men hiding there, but a little someone was sitting on her shoulder.
"Hey, hey! After this, can we have some candy?!"
"Maybe, it depends. If you are, a good. Little girl. Then we have to."
Mimi sat on her shoulder, using one arm to hold onto her neck, and the other to fire beams from her staff.
"Does that mean Mimi has to kill lots of them?"
"Yup, lots and lots!"
She raised her staff cheerfully.
"Then Mimi will work SUUUUUPER hard today!"
"Good, now here, we, GO!"
She flew forward, as the two ladies broke through a window, their eyes glistening red.
Subaru floated up there scratching his cracked scar.
"Hey now, Natsuki-san should be participating too, right?"
"Says the guy just surveying."
Ovidius laughed this off as he patted his shoulder.
Still, they surveyed the untold destruction and noticed the palace was relatively unharmed, both minds thought the same thing.
"Well?"
"Let me see then."
Clicking his fingers, his own specially designed magic cannon rained beams from the mountain peak, raining down upon the castle.
But the attacks hit away from the royal building, a large japanese kanji illuminated in front of it.
All the warriors stared at it, wondering what they were going to do to get around this obstacle.
Only for another obstacle to arise.
An entire section of the city collapsed, and a giant hand raised up and smashed a still standing house.
From that giant hole in the earth, a gigantic, mountainous, humongous stone samurai appeared. A monumental figure for sure, being at the same height of the Empire State Building.
Similar to a monster Subaru remembered from his childhood, the Daimajin, an old movie in the realm of other Tokusatsu/Kaiju movies.
Yet it had not face, but two shining yellow eyes.
It punched the ground, sending hundreds of men flying.
"Ovidius?"
"Oh wow, it's similar to the tanks and such that I created over these past few months."
"So, someone is piloting it?"
"More like a collection of people are."
"Take care of this please."
"Oh, the magic word ought to do it."
Ovidius flew down to observe, analyze and defeat the giant stone samurai.
Still, Subaru scanned around the area, trying to find the object of his ceaseless rage. He had to be here, somewhere, anywhere. The war would be have been pointless, unless he was able to take him down, him alone, and it'd be enough.
And at the same time, Ovidius was flying around the samurai, like an annoying bee, even as it tried to swat him out of the sky, it was never able to hit him.
It kicked at the ground, sending large swathes of land to slam back down to the ground, killing more and more.
Ovidius smiled, revealing the whites of his teeth, the gums holding them together, hidden under his helmet. His goggles shined, as he muttered to himself.
"I can't wait to dismantle you, and dissect your occupants."
Finally, Subaru noticed something, to anyone else it would have been impossible to notice. Yet for Natsuki Subaru, it was quite easy. No one would have gotten his attention like it did now.
So Subaru flew through the smoke, above the devastation, and around the flames embracing this festival of horror.
There, on top of a certain road winding up, near a burning cherry blossom tree, he was standing there.
As he got closer and closer, Subaru saw the same expression he would be associated in having.
A long smile, slit eyes and somewhat black teeth.
He no longer charged at him, but slowly floated down, coming just close enough to get a good look at him.
It was evident of the height difference between the two of them, as Subaru was 3-4 feet shorter than this Wolf Human.
Halibel puffed out some smoke, but didn't say a word, only tilting his head at the sight of Subaru.
"You know Halibel, before this, I think I had a dream about you."
"Oh, really?"
While there was no reason to hear words from the man responsible for so many deaths, he had some morbid curiosity, as he never did actually speak to him.
One would consider it comedic then, that in reality, this was the first time these two...who had nothing but disdain for one another, actually met, face to face.
"Well? Let's hear it?"
"Alright...I once had a dream, that I lived in here, in Kararagi."
"No better place to be."
"Sure, but that dream, it had me and someone I...had close to me...living here, with a family, a beautiful one at that."
"What does that have to do with me, hmmm?"
"That you were a friend."
Both remained quiet, even ignoring the sounds of explosions, death screams and the stone samurai continuing to smash buildings.
"A friend, was it?"
"Yeah, my wife adored you, my son idolized you, my daughter cherished you...and in that dream, you were like a brother to me."
Halibel smiled.
"What a disgusting dream right, Natsuki Subaru?"
"Definitely, as if I could be friends with a piece of shit like you."
Halibel drew a katana sword, and Subaru got into a boxing stance.
"Maybe it could've been the case right? Had things gone differently?"
Noting how Halibel said this apologetically, Subaru smiled.
"I dunno."
"I understand."
Halibel was now behind Subaru, making the Red Lantern become instantly surprised.
He slashed at his back, but Subaru twisted around and made a shield construct protect himself. It shattered, and in his turning his chest was cut open, making him grin.
Halibel scrunched his slit eyes as he blocked the White Whale Construct, which tackled him through several houses.
Halibel appeared next to Subaru in a puff of smoke and kicked at him, forcing Subaru to use both arms to guard against it.
With the armor around his arms, it protected him just enough, so they wouldn't snap in half. He pressed his feet down as the impact hurled him back, and had several morningstar constructs fly out at him, forcing the Admirer to kick pieces of rubble at them and redirect them away. He zipped around and tried to slice through Subaru's sides, which Subaru followed up with a leaning knee strike to his leg. Before Subaru could launch an uppercut, Halibel was going to counter punch him, Subaru had spear constructs sprout from the ground, stabbing into Halibel.
With another puff of smoke, he disappeared.
Yet Subaru spun around and by creating a construct of Al's helmet, he headbutted a kick by him. The helmet shattered and he got a bump above his eyebrow, but this resulted in Halibel losing some balance, giving Subaru the moment, a chance...to create a handgun construct.
He fired wildly, as Halibel used his blade, and standing on one leg, to deflect the bullets.
Subaru created a giant fist construct and swung wide, hitting Halibel, who used his sword to block the attack. Subaru shot forward and hurled napalm blood, getting him on the chest, causing Halibel to bite his teeth shut.
"HAHH!"
He threw a powerful right straight, with enough force to cause spiraling winds around his arm, hitting Subaru in the chest and cracking his manubrium into pieces.
The Red Lantern smiled, with his blood covered teeth.
Making two warhammer constructs which swiped at Halibel, nicking him in several places and making him back off.
But Halibel kicked a piece of gravel at Subaru, which cut open his cheek, but Subaru relished at the sight of his own blood, and once again getting into a boxer stance. He swung at Halibel landing two powerful jabs on his hand...which was pointless, his armor broke around his hand and the two middle knuckles sunk into his fist. Subaru's crack scar on his forhead lit up as he tried a taekwondo-esque kick, Halibel ducked under it...Subaru utilized his ring well, floating into a twsiting motion to try and land a double knee drop. Halibel used two fingers to jab his eyes, only stabbing him right at his split open cheek, making blood spray out. Subaru kicked him away firing rapid beams from his ring, which Halibel deflected with his sword. Both were now a feet away from each other.
Halibel noticed the burned mark on his chest, and clicked his tongue, before having to dodge a high kick by Subaru, just as he spun and did another, this time diving.
Halibel threw his own powerful kick, only for Subaru to roll under it, having sword constructs shoot out, making Halibel guard against it. He tried for a spinning elbow, but Halibel used his own elbow to block the hit, ignoring the curving blade construct forming out of his ring and aiming for his eye.
Halibel leaned back, dodging it, and using his thumb to try and gouge out Subaru's eye. Subaru used a wrist parry to use the momentum to push against it and hurl out more napalm blood. Halibel spin jumped away and launched several sword slashes at him, cutting up many houses and sections of the pavement into rubble.
Subaru flew and maneuvered around them.
He dodged several shurikens, that exploded on impact, with the Admirer summoning a massive throwing star, which cut through the pavement like butter, before creating a construct of Priscilla's Crimson Sword, and clashing violently with Halibel's weapon.
They pushed each other away, both weapons shattering.
Subaru heaved and huffed, but seeing this, Halibel got into a true form of swordsmanship, like a true samurai.
And Subaru...for a moment, with his face hidden by the flames behind him, his eyes, teeth and cracked scar, brimmed orange like the flames around him. And he had to be taking on another boxing stance.
"I apologize Red Lantern, I was arrogant to think that I could go easy on you. It's clear I got to get uber serious to take you out."
"That's more like it."
"Don't regret it later."
Halibel dashed at him, slicing downward, causing an impact that a missile would envy. He then landed a kick on Subaru, who grabbed onto his leg, and tried stabbing it with a bowie knife construct. Halibel...grabbed Subaru from behind.
"HUH?"
He tried stabbing Subaru in the back, but he made Godzilla-esque dorsal fins on his back, making the swordsman back off. Instead, Subaru was flung away, and bounced off a rooftop, breaking it, before falling into a fire. He flew out of it, bloodied, but still angered.
The two Halibels began jumping off of roofs...until another, and then another showed. Until finally there was six of him.
"Cloning yourself, huh? Fine, just more of you, FOR ME TO KILL!"
Subaru summoned constructs of the Sin Archbishops and had them charge at the clones.
A mad battle ensued, as the constructs tried to attack the Halibels, meanwhile Subaru was in a mid-air struggle against one.
Halibel swung his sword, cutting up large swathes of the terrain they called the battlefield. Subaru puked out napalm blood, before using a SPEED TRAIN CONSTRUCT to bash him away. He cut this away and did a powerful slicing motion…
Cutting one of the colossal white trees in half, which were 1,739 foot tall, and had a ridiculous width to boot, three times that of the General Sherman tree of North America...an utterly impressive, and ominous testament of his strength.
Subaru hopped back and merely glared at him, before smiling with ecstatic flare.
"I don't give a shit, doesn't impress me."
Halibel kicked the air and did a dazzling display of swipe and strikes, Subaru being forced into the defensive. He got incredibly serious when he could see the constructs of the Sin Archbishops breaking apart, losing their fights quite easily.
The Halibels were now surrounding Subaru, and even he came to be at a disadvantage…
"SUBARU-SAMA!"
Halibel was stunned, seeing the five other Red Lanterns coming down from above to aid him.
Thus, Subaru smiled, as an all-out battle ensued in that section of the city.
The tree's split half, crash landed behind them.
Jolokia did some masterful punches, before grabbing his battleaxe and carving apart his opponent, staring back, he saw the only Red Lantern not joining Subaru...was Ovidius, still buzzing around the giant samurai.
Then, Bougatsa jumped over a wall and fired.
"Jolokia-san! We'll need to cross that bridge!"
"Okay you-"
A windslice shot through the smoke, slicing them both.
Jolokia, had a profusely bleeding wound on his chest.
Bougatsa? His neck was slit open, blood spilling out rapidly.
"BOUGATSA!"
He reached over to him...as the fighting intensified.
Lisette ran forward as she saw Moussaka had a shoulder injury and Runther was limping, his left front leg clearly broken.
"Guys hang on!"
"Huh?!"
But as she was making it to them, a beam curved in the air, right above them...and landed with ferocity.
They were separated by it, and Lisette got up.
Her face was bruised all over, and blood trickled out, teeth were missing as well.
She looked over and saw Moussaka was down for the count. His eyes scanned around, but he could not move.
"Augh. Augh!"
"Moussaka, just hang on."
But some men began appearing from the smoke, with full intent on killing them. They readied their swords and spears.
"BARK!"
Runther leaped through the smoke and bit one in the neck, tearing out his windpipe. But as he landed to do another dashing strike, he was stabbed in the back.
"YIPE!"
He fumbled to the ground, and they began stabbing and swinging their swords at him.
Blood shot out of him.
"RUNTHER!"
Lisette screamed his name, as they continuously stabbed and impaled him, leaving no chance for him to escape. Moussaka, could only watch on helplessly…
"No! NO! GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM HIM! RUNTHER! RUNTHER!"
Runther only weakly looked back at his master...and that was it, with one last impalement to the head, his eyes grew dark.
"NoooOOOOOoooooo."
Moussaka wept watching as the spear dislodged from his head.
Lisette saw a darcel bag filled with mana stones, so she grabbed it and ran forward, making Moussaka and the men flinch.
She tackled them...making Moussaka see the truly hideous wound she had on her back, spine in full view, letting him know she was not going to make it.
"I'm not strong or smart like you guys, but this is all I can do."
"Wait…"
"Bye bye."
The bag shined for a moment, before an explosion rocked the group, burning and killing all of them, body parts flying about.
There was nothing left of Lisette.
"Auhhhh...Auhhhhh…"
Moussaka laid there, completely helpless.
"WAUUGHHHHHHHHH!"
While being covered by suppressing fire, Jolokia carried Bougatsa in his arms, trying to save him.
His wound was deep, and the blood wouldn't stop, even when he used his grip strength to try and seal it shut.
"Ack! Huukkkk!"
"Don't talk! Grrrr! Just stay put!"
But Bougatsa did not, gripping his chest, digging into the bloody fur and staring up tiredly at Jolokia.
"Jolo-Jolok-Jolokia-san. P-Please…"
"Stop! You're wound is-!"
But he saw the sadness in his eyes, which began to slowly lose the very proud and boisterous aura they always exuberates.
So he listened…
"Please, my bro, my-my-my bro...Lis-Lisette...Please…"
"They'll be safe! We'll all be safe! Grrrr, just stop talking!"
He felt it, as he slowed his pace down, until he was simply jogging...the grip was weak.
"Don't….Don't..Do….-"
"-Oh no."
His body limp, his blue eyes faded and his skin now pale...Bougatsa moved no more. Jolokia became teary eyed, and gently put Bougatsa's body down.
"GROOOOAAAAARRRRRR!"
Jolokia painfully screamed to the sky as he got his battleaxe ready, tears flooding out of his eyes, which shined crimson radiance.
"Kara-scum, I will end you all! Grrrrroaaaar! I will hunt you all down, TO THE VERY ENDS OF THE WORLD! UNTIL YOUR STAIN IS WIPED CLEAN FROM THE GOODNESS OF OUR LIVES!"
Jolokia rushed madly, back into the battle, getting hit by arrows, and his shoulder burned by a fireball. It wouldn't even slow him down, as he began massacring Kararagian soldiers, left and right.
Ovidius...suddenly stopped his flying as he went straight for the stone samurai.
It threw a punch at him...and his fist broke apart instantly, raining debris below. Ovidius continued forward, fists clenched at his sides.
"My ring has finished analyzing you, top to bottom. AND I'M ONLY SLIGHTLY IMPRESSED."
It fired massive yellow beams from its eyes, burning away sections of the city and carving a crevice into the mountain.
But Ovidius playfully tapped it's face.
"No more playtime, alright?"
Ovidius had his lightning Metia strike it in the head, making it take a step back, before he pulled out four golden metia rods from a Blood Portal.
"But I...STILL CAN'T WAIT TO DISMANTLE YOU!"
Underneath his goggles, his lime green eyes flared with a red glow.
The rods flew out of his hands, and stabbed at different parts.
Palm, Knees, chest.
And he raised his fist, as the mana collected from prisoners, so much so that once this was activated they died of mana poisoning, had the rods glow white.
Then instantly, they shot out white flames, much like...a rocket ship would. The sudden pressure caused the giant samurai, to lose balance, even as it struggled to plant its feet down. But Ovidius did the finishing blow, as he made a giant atom symbol construct slam its head.
The giant lost its footing and fell back, right at the palace, the kanji appeared once again, and the giant slammed into it...BREAKING IT APART, with enough of a blast it was several shockwaves at once.
Most of the mages inside died, but Ovidius had his ring save the one who truly controlled it. But slit his throat open and opened his helmet a bit, drinking a handful of his blood, before dropping him to the city below.
He looked, and the palace was still in tact, but the symbol was flickering, so Ovidius ignored it for now and flew down to where the other Red Lanterns were fighting.
That was when he used his ring to scan the area, noting the combatants and his allies...but when he was shocked by something else he found, he could see Subaru summoning a Blood Portal above and a light emanating out of it.
"NO! NATSUKI-SAN STOP! DON'T HIT THE MOUNTAIN!"
The meteor was already breaking through the portal.
"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
He raced to him, even tried to use his ring to contact him, but nothing was working.
The meteor was closing in.
"THAT IS NOT A MOUNTAIN!"
And now, it hit.
"IT'S A VOLCANO!"
Once the meteor struck the mountain, the built in pressure from the dormant volcano, was expelled, and the mountain cracked in half, releasing magma and powerful smoldering ash into the air. Small magmites flew across the sky, landing all around them, but they still kept fighting. The landslide destroyed a good amount of the city, but Ovidius tossed a Metia stick at it, teleporting most of it away and on top of an uninhabited island in the Vollachian territory.
A hellish battlefield, raining magma, fire all about, lava pouring down and setting trees and houses ablaze.
This was truly the end.
Subaru and Halibel were now in the cut off section of the mountain, Subaru hovering in the air, as Halibel was atop of a rock, floating in the magma.
Halibel jumped up kicked off the side of the rocks, and sliced open Subaru's back...veins pulsating, his vision blurry and his muscles deteriorating.
Curses.
Halibel was a master of implanting curses onto his opponent, and it was working swimmingly. Subaru growled, as his eyes and teeth glimmered the same orange as the lava below them.
Subaru tried to use his second Revenga Art against him, but the rifles missed their shot as Halibel flipped in the air, kicking his shoulder and then cutting it open. Subaru fell into the lava.
Halibel landed on another boulder, which was barely staying afloat.
"I hope we can get out of this, now that-"
But Subaru shot out of the lava, even tossing some, trying to get Halibel's face burned. But he tilted his head and leaped over at him. Subaru, having been protected thanks to his ring, created a chainsaw construct and try and cut him.
Their two slashing attacks were made, as they passed each other.
Halibel grabbed onto the newly formed cliff-side, as Subaru dissipated the construct and had his hands clawed up, like an animal.
Halibel grunted, and so did Subaru.
Halibel had his back cut open.
And Subaru?
His left leg; just right below the knee, where the patella joined the fibula, it fell off and went into the lava, melting into mush.
As blood flooded out of his half-leg, he created a leg construct to help the balance and stop blood loss, and he turned his head, blocking a sword strike with a shield construct, but ate a powerful knee to the face. As he crashed into the rocks, Halibel opened his eyes wide and yelled.
"NATSUKI SUBARU!"
"Halibel…"
Subaru got up, but Halibel struck him in his temple with his sword...and for just a few seconds, made Subaru unconscious. Halibel followed it up with more, but Subaru screamed himself awake as he struggled against his sword strikes which got his ring working on overtime on the constructs.
Halibel blasted him through the mountain with a hit with his sword hilt.
Subaru returned back at him, making Unseen Hand constructs, which Halibel cut up easily. Halibel backflipped kick him, but Subaru landed a straight karate jab to the back of his head.
A moon curve sword slice made Subaru rock back, trapping him in between boulders. So Halibel began to attack and attack, a look of desperation on his face, even his eyes were wide open. He was desperate, he had to kill him, make him pay for the untold death and destruction he had wrought the world. And yet over and over again, he came back again and again.
He had no choice, he had to do this, or possibly...possibly...he could land a lucky hit and kill him.
Halibel mustn't allow that, he had to finish him quickly.
Over and over, making HUGE sections of the mountain, then behind it, then miles away destroyed by his mad and desperate sword strikes, he tried to kill Subaru.
Subaru was losing it.
He couldn't keep it up, he was losing stamina, losing blood, everything was going Halibel's way.
"I…"
If this kept up, he would be unable to avenge Rem, he would not keep Emilia and the others safe, he'd fail as the Red Lanterns leader.
"I need…"
The world would spiral into madness without him. The world needed him, didn't it? He thought so, he demanded it so!
So many people died by his hands, if he died here, it would completely pointless. So who was this man attacking him?
An enemy?
The person who killed Rem?
A final boss, that needed to be done with?
No...for Natsuki Subaru, at this point, he...DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THAT.
He was just another person that needed to die, the next in a long storied history of death. He needed to die, Subaru had to kill him.
Who cared where he was from, what he was, who he aligned himself with? Who cares what his name is? Who he killed?
WHO CARES? HE FORGOT ALL ABOUT THAT. REM? ROSWAAL? ROM? EVERYONE ELSE? FUCK ALL THAT AT THIS POINT, HALIBEL WAS HIS SOLE FOCUS. IT WAS SELFISH, BUT AFTER SEEING WHAT HE HAD TO SEE, HE HAD NO QUALMS ABOUT IT AT THIS POINT.
HE HAS TO DIE, THAT WAS ALL THAT MATTERED, TO THIS MAN, NATSUKI SUBARU, HE FORGOT EVERYTHING AROUND HIM, AND CARED ONLY TO MURDER HIM.
And so, as the sword spiraled down, aiming at his beaten and bloodied face.
"I NEED MOOOOOORRRRRREEEEEE!"
.
.
.
.
.
A redish, horned silhouetted figure appeared behind Halibel, looking almost animalish in appearance, it's glowing red eyes sparked, and it gurgled a sentence before disappearing.
"YOU CAN HAVE IT THEN.
Volcanica flew at top speed trying to stop it.
It mustn't happen, it shouldn't...but too late, it did. Once he reached his domain underground, that white realm...hoping to save his world.
"NOOOOO!"
One of the two Red Lantern Batteries, cracked, shook, shined ominously red and orange.
Until finally, it exploded.
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"My world…"
More than a hundred Red Rings shot out of it, passing over Volcanica and out into the world.
And like that, true power, was perfected.
Jolokia was covered in broken glass, arrow piercings and smut covering his fur. Yet he would not forgive those who took yet another friend from him, his rage would not allow it. And a small red object went next to his right hand.
{Jolokia Etla Vertumnus. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
Moussaka crawled forward, his legs numb and asleep from the impact, but he focused his bloodshot eyes, still leaking tears, still mourning. And running at him, was the enemy, ones he had nothing but disdain for.
And as he reached his hand out, to pull himself forward...a ring floated over, and latched onto his ring finger.
{Moussaka Tzatni. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
At the Church of Crimson Truth, the congregation bowed eagerly before the altar. They weeped and cheered, muttering before...her.
"Rejoice, my acceptance of the truth, has been rewarded upon me and several others here! Now you too, pray and be disciples of the crimson divinity! The blood that flows through you, is the pinnacle of power! Pray! Pray! AND YOU TOO, MAY BE CHOSEN."
{Linnea Helena. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
Linnea Helena, now a Red Lantern, stood with several other new Corps members. There was woman with cat ears, an old man with a cane, a tall imposing lizardman and fully armored knight.
"Continue the service, we shall return as we aid our brethren in the battle against the heretics!"
They floated up, emanating the usual red aura, making Linnea smile.
"We shall leave with glorious anger, and return with righteous victory."
They flew out of the church and into the air, with several other streaks of red light zipping above them.
Having nothing but bottled anger and rage since that day, all that time ago, she was unsure of what to do to occupy her dull time.
She fully supported Emilia, Subaru and the Red Lantern Corps...but sensed her powerlessness in actually contributing much in this war.
She wanted to fight, to contribute...to avenge her father figure.
AND NOW, SHE GOT IT.
{Gebna Lugnica. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
"Who the fuck is that? I'm FELT."
After donning her uniform, which came with a long red scarf in of itself, with the only skin showing, was half her midriff...she turned around to the others and grinned.
"Gotta go."
Felt flew out the window, being followed by two Royal Knights, who were also converted.
Emilia and her loyal members watched in stunned silence at what they were seeing. Yet it was Emilia, who chuckled like a little girl.
"Subaru is soooo amazing."
A martial arts dojo instructor, sat there alone. His martial arts, though easily one of the most powerful to be seen, fell out of favor due to the rise of swordsmanship and the invention of Metia Rods.
Even if he was huge and imposing, even fr his old age, with a thick white beard and hair connected together. His eyes sharp grey, two scars running downward from forehead to his jaw, hidden by the beard of course...this was given to him in a duel against the previous Sword Saint, Thearesia.
Closing his eyes, he went into a meditative pose, trying to suppress his anger, his disappointment, his disgruntlement.
He wished to teach this fighting style to someone, anyone, worthy of such a task. In his black karate-gi, with tape around his massive knuckles...he noticed something floating in front of him.
"WHAT?"
{Kong Wolfswerb. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
More and more.
In the Augria Sand Dunes, a desolate place of sand, at the edge of the world, a Red Ring dug itself into the sand….then popping out, like an explosion of sand and destruction, was a Ma-Beast.
A Sunamimizu, a giant sandworm, the length of at least one and a half football fields. It had no backbone, no eyes, no arms or legs, and a body that is made to live under the surface. Their mouths are capable of swallowing four to five people whole at once and have teeth that help distribute saliva that melts their victims. Yet here it was, in a Red Lantern uniform, flying across the sky.
At the same time, in a mountainous region at the northern area of Vollachia, a Red Ring flew into a eerie cave.
Emerging right out of it, was a giant spider, the size of a semi-truck, pitch black oily skin and deep green eyes, yellow marking on its face. Now with a red uniform of its own, it flew across the sky to the battle it was summoned to.
More and more, people, animals, ma-beast...they were all gifted with these Red Rings...yet no one from the conquered countries were given one, maybe as a way to keep the members loyal to the root cause.
Sitting there, weeping with a humored tone, she gripped her handles. Looking out the window in the big blue sky, her emotions in tatters...much like her legs.
"I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON."
{Petra Leyte. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
Petra cried on her wheelchair, a sobbing mess, unsure of what to do with herself.
"No...NO!"
No matter how much she threw attacks at it, threw objects at it, she could not keep it away. Yelling, screaming, crying painfully, she had to get away. The thought of killing herself, was more palpable than to experience this.
No desire to have it, no desire to look at it, and it still came at her.
"Please, anything but that! NO! NOOOO! I can't! I CAN'T!"
It dashed at her.
"Why? Why is the world punishing me? WHAT DID I DO WRONG?! PLEASE, NO MORE!"
But it was too late.
As quickly as ever, it was over.
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"Nee-sama!"
"NNNNNOOOOOOO!"
The Red Ring, found its host.
{Ram. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
After puking all of her blood...she donned her uniform, looking to be exactly like a Red Lantern from another Dc Universe, one named Rankorr. No flaming hair, but a eye mask, possibly to conceal her burned left side.
Holding her sides, and feeling the urge to puke again, the necklace around her neck spoke.
"Nee-sama! Oh goodness, Nee-sama, you're a Red Lantern!"
"I know Rem...It's as if God is mocking me, pushing and kicking me down at every single moment I find a moment of peace."
"Please, don't think of it that way."
"...I know….I know who to blame."
"Nee-sama?"
Ram smiled insanely as she turned her head, staring out the window and at the streaks of light flying through the clouds.
"Let's go Rem."
"Where? Where to?"
"...TO where WE both, NEED, to GO."
In the beginning, there was but 7 Red Lanterns in the world...but with this, in the end?
126.
A new age had begun.
This day would forever be known...as the RED DAWN.
Subaru made a red shockwave push Halibel back…
He had to realize it then...but even as strong as he was...as fast as he was….he could not outmatch lightspeed, and that was how fast they could travel...no matter what he did...
Those Red Rings still shot through him.
Seven in total.
His left lung, pancreas, spleen, right pelvic bone, two through his liver and one breaking through his left clavicle.
Halibel coughed up blood, while Subaru used two fists to hit him right under his jaw. Halibel backed away, and stood on a cliffside, defying gravity itself.
Subaru wiped off the blood and smiled maniacally.
"THIS IS MY CORPS! THE RED LANTERN CORPS! AND Yooooouuuuu, NEVER HAD A CHANCE IN HELL!"
At that moment as he screamed this, Halibel turned his head...and his yellow canine eyes opened wildly, witnessing the streaks of red light raining upon his home.
A soldier on the ground nodded, and nodded, nodded rapidly.
"This is a nightmare."
"Huh?"
Another samurai, looked at him fearfully.
"Hey?"
"HEY. THIS IS...A NIGHTMARE RIGHT?!"
Jolokia used a giant scythe construct to slice them, and sixteen other soldiers clean in half, before raising his battleaxe, aiming forward.
"GRRRROOOOAAARRR! RED LANTERNS! GO! THE ENEMY AWAITS DEATH!"
Hundreds of Red Lanterns followed his orders and flew up behind him,
Jolokia's armor, was now crimson red, with the tape around his arms being black, the Red Lantern symbol, proudly on his chest.
Moussaka created eight Metia Rod constructs and had them fire down at a few soldiers, the giant spider beast trampling several more behind him.
He saw Jolokia using his trusty battleaxe and a butcher axe construct to cleave his way through eight more men, so he flew to help him.
"Jolokia-san!"
"Moussaka! Grrrrr. Ah, you have seen the Truth, good for you!"
"Right, sure."
He made a snake construct bite a nearby soldier in the face...but made a saddened expression as he turned around to face him again.
"Jolokia-san, um, Lisette and Runther, they're gone."
The proud tiger's ears raised, and then lowered somberly as he took the information in.
"I see."
"Yeah."
"Grrrr, we will make these fools pay!"
But as they floated up, Moussaka, had to ask.
"Have you seen my brother. By any chance?"
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"No I didn't. But I am sure, we can meet him again."
"Okay, let's go then."
Jolokia made an expressionless face as he flew next to him, he felt it was for the best. Now was not the time, not yet...to break his heart.
Kong punched one, kicked another, palm striked another.
With each hit, each mastery shown on the battlefield, all the Lugnicans marveled at him, even the Red Lanterns.
"Wow, look at him!"
"He hasn't even used any constructs, whatsoever!"
With loud 'Hiyahs' and Hahs!", Kong showed off the power of his martial arts, before he saw a magic cannon roll through. He knew he was not able to do much with it being so far away, so he created a giant construct of his fist and had it punch through the cannon causing it to explode.
The soldiers gathered around him, hounding him for the names of his techniques, the martial arts he used...and if they can be taught to use it.
He nodded.
"You may, if you survive this battle. Come, show me if you have what it takes!"
They charged forward, right back into the heat of battle.
Linnea hurled napalm blood as she flew, just like a napalm airstrike.
The giant sandworm, tore through the ground and ate an entire platoon of men, creating praying mantis constructs to attack those that got too close.
Reinhard watched on...as someone he knew was gifted a ring. He too was angered, at how mere humans did not grovel at his might, as his jet black beauty and did not fear him as the creation of the almighty Red Lantern Corps.
But now, he would prove himself.
"Let us go, Reinhard."
"Attero."
{Attero Dominatus. You have great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps.}
The Guiltylowe roared, as his new Red Lantern Uniform was quite similar to one named Vice, shoulder pads and neck brace, the works, fitting vain glorification.
Reinhard stared blankly as Attero attacked, slaughtering many...and watched as Felt jumped on a man's shoulders, using her legs to choke him and flay his face.
"GET HER OFF! GET HER OFF!"
"Die you sonsabitches! This is for Rom-jii, and all the others ya killed, YOU COCKSUCKERS!"
One man tried to save him but a construct of Rom's club blasted through his chest killing him. She kicked off of him and hurled napalm blood at two more behind her.
Reinhard watched on, blankly, then shocked, then...he just stared...not doing anything.
"This is, what is this?"
The hellish scene of fire, blood, crimson light and the gruesome deaths of the Kararagians, made the Sword Saint, feel sick to his stomach.
"Then this is it."
It was the end of an era, the heralding of a new one; with not a single thing he could do about it.
So may new faces, so many recognizable ones, all of them having obtained a Red Lantern Ring, dead set on finishing this war.
Even a woman, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the Great Spirit Zarestia, walked through an avenue, blood floating out of her mouth, walking across a pile of corpses.
Halibel watched this, and faced Subaru yet again.
"LOOK AT THIS! LOOK AROUND YOU! Was all this worth it!? All this death? All this destruction!? Homes gone, dynasties ruined and families torn apart! Tell me! TELL ME, NATSUKI SUBARU!"
Subaru took a moment, but once again focused his eyes as blood drooled out of his mouth.
"To kill you? Anything, anything was on the table."
Halibel...for the first time in a long time, felt disgusted. Now, they charged at each other, both serious injured, losing lots of blood, they hoped one would die before themselves.
It was not a war between countries anymore, it was between them and them alone.
Or so they thought.
Breaking through the side where Subaru was, the rocks crumbled away...and out shot someone Subaru was genuinely shocked to see.
"R-RAM?!"
Ram flew out and reached out her hands, intending to choke out her target...flying past Subaru and using two punches, to try and strike HIM.
"HALIBEL!"
"FUCK!"
Halibel flipped across the cliffside to get away, and grabbed the edge, readying his sword, as the two Red Lanterns faced him.
"Ram…"
"Be quiet or I'll kill you too."
"What about after we kill him?"
Both stared at each other for a moment...and Ram was the first to look away.
"That depends if you don't get killed in this fight."
"Alright, good enough for me!"
Natsuki Subaru and Ram, two Red Lanterns, driven to such lengths for a girl they both held dear, now faced the man responsible for taking her life.
Halibel, the warrior of Kararagi, brought to this point of bloodlust at the loss of his freinds, now faced two who were to be held responsible.
From Lugnica, the Crimson Tide, and the Oni.
From Kararagi, the Admirer.
All bets were off, no second chances.
In the capital, with blood dripping down, he emerged from the shadows.
"I gotta hurry."
In the hallways of the Royal Castle, he zipped and dashed across the walls, hoping to reach the last stop.
"I have to finish this, don't I?"
Halibel, earlier having sent a clone of himself to sneak into the capital, for one other important mission...the assassination of Emilia.
"I will take the victory today, Natsuki Subaru."
But a drawback for him, was that any injuries attained by any Halibel was also given to his clones, meaning the injuries Subaru gave him, were also present in all the clones.
But he saw it, the door. The door that entered the throne room...he sliced through two guards and reached the door...and he kicked it open.
Emilia sat on her throne, and giggled.
"Welcome, it is a pleasure to meet you...Halibel-san."
THE FINAL BATTLE, THAT WHICH WOULD PUT AN END TO THIS DESTRUCTIVE WORLD SPANNING CONFLICT, WAS ALIT!
TO.
BE.
CONTINUED!
AN: Next one will finish off Arc 5; Chapter 30, "I Can't Give Up".
A new Arc awaits, stay tuned!