Sangokuden x RWBY: Hunt of the Armored War Gods
Written By: GKoh
Chapter 9: Raging
The situation in Shoku was getting pretty hectic. So, let's recap for a bit. First, we have a splinter group of the RinJyuKen called the Grimm Claw attempting to assemble pieces of an artifact called the Forge of the Underworld for their evil plans. Then, a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses from Remnant end up scattered throughout Ancient China. Finally, one of those Huntresses turn out to be a dead-ringer for Nagata's late mother if she were a young teen, while the other resembled a younger version of his adoptive mother/aunt.
Nagata was having an inner crisis, which had the bad timing of emerging right now since they all needed him to focus on stopping the Grimm Claw.
And there were a couple of guests who had other things on their mind.
Ruby and Yang were currently occupying the guest room that Nagata had given them. Ruby was lying on the bed in silence as Yang had rigged up a makeshift punching bag with a pillow and some rope she found. It swung back-and-forth with each blow. She held back just enough so she didn't destroy the whole thing.
Yang took her responsibilities as Ruby's big sister seriously. After hearing all that and learning what Nagata's deal was, the blonde brawler was more or less enraged.
"I can't believe him. This guy just looks at you as some kind of surrogate for his dead mom," Yang grumbled in disgust. "It's sick."
"Yang..." Ruby spoke. "I don't think he meant anything bad by it."
"Don't try to defend him, Ruby," Yang admonished. "You have every right to be upset at him for treating you like this."
"Yeah, I mean, I'm upset by how he treated me," Ruby admitted, "But can you imagine what he's going through?"
"Whaddya mean?" Yang questioned.
"Remember when we lost mom?" Ruby reminded.
Yang knew where her little sister was going with this. "Come on, Ruby. That's...that's different."
"It was different," Ruby confirmed. "I was just told she was dead. She didn't come home one day and dad was crying. You had to tell me what happened. But he, he actually saw his parents' dead bodies. He was right there when it happened. How can someone go through something like that as a kid and not get a bit messed up? It's no wonder he's acting this way around me. I remind him of his mom."
"Are you seriously considering playing surrogate for him? Do you honestly believe you're his mom?" Yang asked in disbelief.
Ruby got off the bed to face Yang, her silver eyes narrowed in determination. "I swore to myself that I would make the world a better place, but what would happen if I wasn't there for my loved ones?"
Yang couldn't come up with a proper response. This was a lot to take in.
"Ruby, do you know what you're saying?" Yang asked.
"He never got over what happened to his parents, so he thinks that by saving me he can make up for not being able to save them. So, I'm just going to show him that I'm not so weak," Ruby resolved.
There was a knock at the door when Ruby finished.
"The door's open," Ruby allowed.
The door opened, revealing Bacho and Batai.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked.
"Gaim-sama asked us to come get you for an emergency meeting," Batai answered.
"Yeah, he sounded pretty urgent and insists on having you both attend," added Bacho.
"Well, let's go then," said Ruby as she turned to her sister. "You coming, Yang?"
"Yeah, whatever," mumbled Yang.
Yang crossed her arms in silent anger. She still didn't like how this 'Gaim' was treating her little sister. It wasn't unjustified anger either. He was simply using her as a replacement for his dead mother. It would be sweet if it wasn't so creepy. Her family had gone through plenty of bad times and did not need this.
"You OK, Yang?" Ruby asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just...Are you sure about this?" Yang asked, worried about her little sister.
"It'll be fine. Besides, we still have a mission here and maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to go home after this," Ruby said optimistically. "Now, come on. Let's go see what's up." Ruby followed Bacho and Batai out into the hallway. A few moments later, Yang followed them out as they headed to the meeting together.
Unbeknownst to the youngest of the sisters, an object she forgotten she had gave a small glimmer before it faded away.
XXX
The Round Table of Shoku. This was something Nagata came up with, inspired from Arthurian legend. It was like the Round Table of Camelot, with the knights filling in the seats. The circular table allowed each person sitting at the table to see everyone else that was sitting with them. It also made things fair and equal as everyone who sat at the table had a voice.
The seats of the Round Table were occupied by Nagata, his strategist and generals. The seats for Bacho and Batai remained empty, while two additional seats for their guests had been set up for them. This meeting was important and so couldn't wait to discuss the dire news.
Finally, the four absentees had arrived and took their seats. Ruby and Yang sat down, with the blonde looking straight at Nagata. She cracked her knuckles, still mad at him. He didn't pick up on it since he was focused on the meeting.
"OK, so what's so urgent?" Yang asked, not even attempting to hide her anger or her tone.
"We just found out where the last piece of the Forge is located," Ryuubi answered.
"Really?" Ruby asked. Finally, a chance to make up for her failure and prove herself. "Where is it?"
Those at the table looked fearful and nervous. Based on their expressions, it was more bad news than good news.
Finally, Iori answered, "It's in Go. The last piece is hidden in Go."
"But Go's heavily guarded by their Suika Arms, Lockvehicles and Inves. It would take a huge army to invade the capital, let alone the palace," said Bacho.
"Wait, I'm a bit lost," said Yang. "What's Go?"
Komei summarized, "The Kingdom of Go is one of the Three Great Kingdoms which include Shoku and Gi. Go has its own Armored War God, Zangetsu, who introduced the Lockseeds to our world. They basically have control over Lockseed exports and have gathered a huge array of Lockvehicles and Suika Lockseeds to be used by their army. They even use Inves to fight for them."
"But the last piece of the Forge of the Underworld is there, right?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, which will mean our enemies won't let anything stop them. They must have an army ready for a city-wide invasion."
"All those Grimm..." Ruby's eyes widened in realization. 'The people there too.'
"So what are we waiting for? Let's mount up and go," decided Yang.
"By the time we get there, it may already be too late," Nagata said sternly. Yang shot him a glare. Didn't he care about the people being attacked by the Grimm? Her opinion of him wasn't very high, and it only got lower with just that one sentence. However, Nagata was simply stating the truth, not making a concession. Their enemies were always a step ahead of them and were always the first to reach the pieces of the Forge. It was likely the same in Go with their next mission most likely yielding the same results.
They needed to get to Go and fast.
That was when Iori had an idea, a great idea, hopefully. "Not unless we use..." He was going to hate himself for even suggesting such a crazy plan, but they were short on time and options. He got everyone's attention as he continued, "...you know."
Nagata was the first to pick up on what Iori meant. "No, it's too risky."
"What's risky?" Yang inquired.
Chou'un filled her and Ruby in on what they meant, "They're thinking about traversing through Helheim."
"What's 'Helheim'?" Ruby asked.
"It's a dimension ruled by the Inves, a mysterious race," Komei answered.
"Like the one Nagata mentioned when he gave me the Ichigo Lockseed?" Ruby asked for clarification.
"Yes."
Yang asked again, "OK, so how does going through this Helheim place supposed to help us?"
Komei revealed the nature of the Helheim Forest, "The laws of Helheim work much differently from those that govern our world. Helheim doesn't just affect those that inhabit it, but also space itself."
Nagata and Iori had once tested how long it would take for them to travel from one city to the next by using Helheim as a sort of 'express way'. They managed to reach Chouhi's village from Touka Village in less than a minute, which would've normally taken a day or two if they had traveled on foot.
"Nagata-sama, I know it would be dangerous, and risky, but if we are to assist Go right now, we may not have any other choice," Komei said to her leader.
"You're right. We don't have time to consider alternatives. Gather the men, we'll take Helheim to Go," Nagata ordered. "Meeting adjourned."
After the conclusion of the meeting, everyone set out to prepare the soldiers for battle. They gathered all the men that they could spare and they all assembled outside of the village.
While Shoku did not have a Lockseed collection as abundant as Go, Iori did manage to get a few that could help. Unfortunately, they didn't get a lot of Lockvehicle Lockseeds.
"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Nagata asked as Ruby showed up with Yang.
"I'm coming with you," she insisted.
"But-"
"Look, she's coming and that's final," Yang interjected as she pressed a finger against Nagata's chest. Their eyes met. "Got a problem with that?"
Nagata grimaced. He had a feeling that Yang and Ruby would just find a way to join them, one way or another.
"Alright, but remember to take care of yourselves," he suggested.
"Yeah, yeah." Yang rolled her eyes at his concern. "So, how do we get to this Helheim place?"
"Easy," said Nagata.
XXX
An hour later, everyone was outside. Joining with them was a portion of their army who were ready to fight alongside their gods. With everyone attended, the time was now.
Nagata asked Iori, "Iori, you ready?"
"BUDOU!"
"You have to ask?" Iori returned as he loaded the Budou Lockseed into his Sengoku Driver.
"LOCK ON!"
"Good." Nagata unlocked his Orange Lockseed.
"ORANGE! LOCK ON!"
"Henshin!" both Riders call out before they hit their Cutting Blades.
"SOIYA! ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!"
"HAI~! BUDOU ARMS! RYU, HOU, HA-HA-HA!"
Gaim, now in his signature Orange Arms armor, took out a Tulip Hopper Lockvehicle Lockseed. Normally, he wouldn't even consider using Helheim as a shortcut. There were too many risks, like the fruits' allure and the Inves that fed on the fruits. However, this really was an emergency, given the circumstances.
He unlocked the Lockseed and tossed it up. Yang and Ruby watched as the tiny lock expanded and parts shifted to become a mobile mechanical walker. It was green and quiet tall.
Gaim jumped and set his feet on the platform where the pilot would stand. He took hold of the controls and looked through the viewing screen.
"Here goes," said Gaim as he pressed the button and fired a laser. It cut through the air in a vertical fashion. The portal of Helheim tore open like a zipper, revealing the mysterious and alien foggy Forest of Helheim.
Just the sight of it sent chills down the spines of the soldiers they had assembled for this mission.
"Whoa..." Ruby awed at the portal.
Gaim dismounted from the Tulip Hopper and ordered Ryugen to mount it. He then walked over to Yang.
"Here." Gaim handed a Rose Attacker Lockvehicle Lockseed to Yang. "Since you're a natural riding a bike, I thought you could use this."
"Wait, how did you know-never mind." Yang gave up since they were on the clock. "So, all I got to do is push this button and it will turn into a bike?"
"Yeah, that's about the gist of it. But you won't be needing that now," Gaim replied.
"So, any special rules?" Ruby asked.
"Don't stray from the path, watch each other's back, and ignore the fruit. Whatever you do, do not go near the fruit," Gaim said sternly. "Now, come on."
Gaim led the way with Ryugen following on the Tulip Hopper. Shortly after they went into the portal, the soldiers, the Shoku Warriors, Ruby and Yang entered.
Ruby was the last to step through the portal before it zipped close behind her. She glanced back at the now closed portal but then her focus was shifted as she took a moment to admire Helheim Forest.
"So, this is Helheim?" Ruby asked.
"Yes," Kanu confirmed. She had been here before, having followed Zangetsu and his Lockseed Harvesters with Nagata when they last visited Go.
"It's...beautiful..." Helheim was an incredibly bizarre realm. This was the home of the Inves, and Ruby could have never imagined a realm quite as alien as this. The flowers that grew here could make any gardener jealous. It was so alive.
Initially, the Armored War Gods only ever venture into Helheim Forest in order to harvest Lockseeds. Zangetsu took advantage of it to build up his Lockseed Distribution Department. There were even times they used the Helheim Forest for training as they used the Inves as living training dummies. They did explore the place from time-to-time, mapping out specific locations and sites...like the ruins.
Helheim Forest was once home to an entire civilization, but now it was gone, with the only evidence of their existence were the ancient ruins. That was a place Gaim wanted to avoid. It just seemed so eerie and unwelcoming.
"Be careful," Gaim warned. "This place may look like paradise, but..." Gaim stopped as he heard sounds, inhuman ones. Everyone saw that among the trees, the Inves of Helheim gathered to curiously watch the invaders. "We should hurry."
"Y-yeah." Ruby felt uneasy with all those eyes on her.
"Iori, do you know where to go next?" Gaim asked.
Ryugen checked the screen for where the exit portal to Go might be located. He reported, "We're close. It's not very far from here. We'll get there shortly just as long as we don't stray from our path."
Yang's gaze wandered as she looked around. She still had trouble believing such a realm existed. The plants looked so weird to her, and the environment was foreign beyond her understanding, and then there was the fruit...the delicious fruit.
Yang licked her lips as her gaze focused on the fruit which hung from the vines. She reached out with her hand and plucked a fruit off the vine. It came off easily. The fruit looked weird, but it smelled so good. Her mouth watered as she peeled off the skin.
She remembered hearing something about the fruit being bad for her, but one bite couldn't hurt, could it?
"YANG!"
Yang gasped as the fruit in her hand was smacked out of her hand.
"Wha-wha-what!?" Yang uttered in shock as she held her head and recovered her senses. "What just happened?"
"It was the allure of the fruit," Gaim explained. "It has hypnotic properties that tempt people to eat it." It was why he had his soldiers and officers eat their fill earlier. A full stomach meant that the fruit's hypnotic effect won't be as strong. It was easier to resist when you had a full stomach. Also his officers knew what would happen if they ate the fruit. Knowing the consequences of eating the fruit made it even less appetizing.
"Whoa, that's spooky," Yang responded, surprised.
"You're right about that, and that's taking it lightly. If you had eaten that fruit, you might as well be dead," he said grimly.
Yang paled. She had nearly eaten a poisonous fruit.
Ruby took her big sister's hand. "Come on, Yang. We can't stray too far."
"R-right," Yang agreed and allowed Ruby to drag her back to the group. Gaim watched them go. He was relieved. They were lucky that Ruby noticed her sister had wandered away. He really didn't want to think about what would happen if Yang had eaten the fruit, or what he may have to do if she had. He looked down at the fruit Yang had nearly eaten and squashed it under his boot.
The Helheim Fruit might give them the Lockseeds they needed to use their powers, but in their raw form they were nothing but a parasitic plague. The Inves were proof.
XXX
Meanwhile, in the capital city of Go, the fear of the Grimm attacking was fully realized. The dark beasts, consisting of Beowolves, Ursai, Nevermores and Death Stalkers were destroying everything in sight. The citizens fled in panic, screaming as the monsters suddenly appeared. However, all that fear and panic just drew the Grimm towards them.
A King Taijitu, a huge snake-like Grimm with heads on both ends of its body, burst straight out of the ground in front of a group of stragglers, blocking their path. It hissed at them threateningly as they backed away from the giant snake monster.
It looked like they were going to die right here.
"Mama..." a young boy hugged his mother, with tears of fear streaming down his face.
"It'll be OK." She tried to comfort her son, even if it was a lie. "Just be brave. Be brave because the Armored War Gods will save us."
The boy believed her and she hugged her son close to shield him from the Grimm.
Suddenly, her prayers were answered, as a rain of firepower struck the beasts down. The citizens gazed up and spotted a Suika Arms in Gyro Mode being piloted by Zangetsu. He was leading a unit of Dandeliners.
"It's Zangetsu-sama!"
"He's come to save us!"
"Praise him! Praise the Armored War Gods!"
"Captain, I'm heading down to help evacuate the citizens," Zangetsu informed the unit's captain who nodded. "Provide covering fire for me."
"Yes, sir," the captain obeyed.
"YOROI MODE!"
Zangetsu quickly descended as his Suika Arms transformed into its robotic warrior form. He landed, brandishing the Suika Sojinto, while facing the Grimm as he resolved to save these people.
"Run, we'll cover you," Zangetsu instructed and the people did not think twice before they fled. The remaining Grimm tried to lunge at the escaping citizens, but the Dandeliners immediately gunned them down, creating a safe path for them to escape the Grimm.
Zangetsu did not waste any time, either. A Beowolf became his next victim as he flattened it with his fist. Another tried to attack him from behind, but it was sliced in half at the waist by his Suika Sojinto. The King Taijitu lunged, mouth wide open to swallow him whole, but Zangetsu jumped and plunged his blade down on the creature's neck before severing its head. The second head came into play but Zangetsu was quick as he sliced it straight down the middle. Both halves of the head fell on either side of Zangetsu.
The rest of the beasts were being blasted by Zangetsu, clearing this area of the threat. Satisfied with the results, for now, Zangetsu contacted his comrades.
Zangetsu called, "Fuyu, all is clear here. What's your status?" It was fortunate that their helmets came included with comlinks. That way, they could stay in touch in spite of the distance separating them.
XXX
Elsewhere in the city, Kamuro reported, "I'm just getting started here, Sempai." His bracelet glowed as he commanded the summoned Inves to attack. The soldiers remained in position, holding their Lockseeds to summon the Inves. The Grimm retaliated against the numerous Berserker State Inves and a few Evolved State Inves that emerged from the portals. It was Inves against Grimm in an epic monster brawl, but the Go forces had an advantage since Kamuro could control and coordinate their monsters.
Nevermores were being incinerated by an Evolved Suzaku Inves while an Evolved Inoshishi Inves battled against the Boarbatusk. Kamuro ran past them as he used his staff, striking the Grimm down.
Maintaining control over the Inves while in the heat of battle wasn't easy, but he managed to do it. However, he wasn't about to let the Inves have all the fun.
"Prepare to be smited!"
"SOIYA! SILVER AU LAIT!"
He conjured a giant apple made of silver and blue energy before he smashed his staff into it, launching it. It hit and destroyed several Grimm in its path before it crashed into an Ursa Major, destroying it on the spot.
XXX
"Natsu, what about you?" Zangetsu asked as he spotted several more Grimm coming his way.
XXX
Mars laughed as he beheaded an Ursa.
"Taking care of these monsters as we speak, Sempai!"
Tulip Hoppers were backing him up, their pilots firing at the Grimm. He bashed a Beowolf with his shield and hit his Cutting Blade.
"COME ON! GOLDEN SQUASH!"
"Here I come!" Mars' sword glowed and he dashed forward, leaving a golden trail as he zipped around, slashing with his glowing sword. "And again!"
"COME ON! GOLDEN SQUASH!"
He launched apples made of gold and red energy like missiles, blowing up every Grimm in sight.
"Oh yeah! I'm awesome!" bragged Mars.
XXX
Zangetsu nodded and looked skyward at the Nevermores that had arrived. Fortunately, the Dandeliners were firing on the airborne Grimm. He was about to join them, when a Boarbatusk suddenly tackled into him and sent him crashing into a nearby porcelain shop. Many porcelain plates, bottles, jars and pots were destroyed as he smashed through the entire shop's inventory.
Grumbling in anger, Zangetsu rose back up and glared at the remaining Grimm. The ones that were slain were slowly dissolving into nothing.
"You beasts dare to attack Go?" Zangetsu demanded. "Go to Hell!" The Beowolves lunged at him but he managed to take them down with precise slashes of his Suika Sojinto. He also kicked a Beowolf away and pierced it through the skull.
A Death Stalker charged at him and swung its tail, but Zangetsu leapt backwards before firing his Seed Vulcan at it.
"SOIYA! SUIKA SQUASH!"
Zangetsu twirled the Suika Sojinto above his head and sent a giant watermelon made of energy to engulf the Death Stalker. The scorpion-like monster shrieked as it tried to break free. Unfortunately, it never got the chance to escape as Zangetsu used his Suika Sojinto to slice it to pieces. He then started to slice the Grimm apart as his airborne support gunned down the avian Nevermores.
XXX
The group from Shoku exited from Helheim Forest and stepped right into the middle of a disaster. They heard explosions all around them. They were all over the city.
Gaim ordered, "It's already starting! Everyone, move!" The group ran towards the heart of the city. All around they could see chaos, destruction, and confusion, as the Grimm were running rampant. They caused more and more fear and panic, drawing more Grimm towards the innocent citizens.
XXX
After slaying another Grimm, Zangetsu received communication.
It was one of his soldiers who cried out, "The Northern perimeter has been breached! If anyone's hearing this, we're being overrun!"
The news caused Zangetsu to soar towards the next area in crisis. "Hang in there soldier! I'm heading your way!"
"Look out!"
"Hold them back! Hold them-zzzzz"
The transmission was lost. The soldier was probably dead.
Zangetsu raged as he took off. One of his men was gone but he'll make sure his death will be avenged.
XXX
A Tulip Hopper lay broken along with its pilot before an Ursa crushed them under its weight. The Northern perimeter of the wall that surrounded the city had been breached and more Grimm were pouring in, almost endlessly, causing the Go soldiers stationed to pull back. They were losing ground with every passing second.
The Inves were sent to even the odds and engage the threat. The Elementary Inves grappled and struck down the opposing monsters, but a Boarbatusk rolled over many of the Elementary Inves, killing them.
A large Beowolf picked up an Elementary Inves and tore it in half before tossing the halves away. It howled at the Go soldiers who were trying to hold their ground in the face of such horror.
Zangetsu landed his Suika Arms and stabbed the Beowolf through the stomach with his Suika Sojinto. He withdrew his blade and beheaded the beast, its head rolling away as its body toppled over.
"There's that-ARGH!" Zangetsu's Suika Arms was suddenly caught in the grip of a Death Stalker. It tried to crush him while stinging at him. The armor was strong, but it was starting to buckle under the pressure. It was time to abandon it.
"MELON ENERGY!"
The Suika Arms exploded, breaking to pieces, causing the Death Stalker to shriek as it held nothing but air. Then, all of a sudden, it was being assaulted by a salvo of energy arrows.
"SODA! MELON ENERGY ARMS!"
Descending from the air was Zangetsu-Shin and he was firing at the Death Stalker. He landed in front of it and hit the Seaboll Compressor twice.
"MELON ENERGY SPARKING!"
Taking aim at the sky, Zangetsu-Shin pulled the Sonic Arrow's shaft, bowstring stretched, before he released the charge. The charge at the tip was released as an energy arrow that reached the sky, trailing a huge melon behind it before the energy melon exploded. Multiple green energy arrows rained down and fell upon the Grimm. Many managed to evade the raining arrows, but the largest target, the Death Stalker, had taken the most damaged and collapsed.
Zangetsu-Shin faced the Grimm, covering the injured soldiers. He wasn't going to leave them like lambs to a slaughter. He was going to take care of things here, get them to safety, and then help anyone who needed his assistance.
Suddenly, multiple shots hit the Grimm, pushing them back. Zangetsu-Shin then saw who had come to his aid.
"Oda-kun? Ryugen-kun?"
"Good, we made it," said Gaim, relieved. Zangetsu-Shin saw that Gaim and Ryugen hadn't come alone. They had brought their forces here.
"What are you doing here?" Zangetsu-Shin asked.
"Look, Zangetsu. We need your help," Gaim started.
"We're a bit busy here, as you can see," Zangetsu-Shin retorted.
"I know. That's why we're here. Long story short, there's a piece of an artifact called the Forge of the Underworld hidden here and there's someone after it and he's using these creatures here to spread your forces thin," Gaim explained.
"So, this whole thing was just a distraction," Zangetsu-Shin said as he clenched his fists in anger. If what Gaim said was true, that meant Sonsaku and the rest of the Son Clan were in grave danger. "You have my aid, but my men are injured and I can't leave an ongoing battle."
"We brought our men too," Gaim said.
"I hope you can provide support then."
"We can." Gaim delivered his orders, "Iori, you and Yang drive around the streets and search for survivors. Contact Kamuro or Mars if you find any."
"On it." Ryugen activated his bike along with Yang.
"Shion, I need you to help provide them with covering fire." Kochu complied and joined the archers.
Gaim pointed at Bacho and Batai, "Sui, Tanpopo, take these men to safety and hold this position." Gaim turned his attention to his remaining party. "The rest of us are going to the royal palace to get that piece!"
"Allow me to lead the way! I know a shortcut!" Zangetsu-Shin offered.
XXX
Watching the entire scene from the tallest of buildings, the leader of the Armored War Devils awed at the sight.
It was expected that Wendigo will suffer heavy losses when attacking at Go but seeing it on sight really shows that Go lives up to its reputation as a powerful kingdom.
Duke could observe the other commanders who took part in this operation. Wendigo sent out Ranha and Hu while Duke took part while also bringing along Kagemusha. The others stayed behind and made sure the other pieces were secured.
Duke received a message from Ranha. "We managed to overrun the east side."
Duke responded, "Keep them occupied. I'll handle the rest." As he said this, he noticed a certain group he was familiar with heading towards the palace. He frowned. "Well, guess I should've expected this."
XXX
The dock was empty when Ensho's ship arrived. No surprise there with all the chaos erupting all around them. Immediately, Haru and Blake got off the ship.
"Reiha-chan, you stay here with Toshi and Iishe. Girls, look after yourselves, OK?" Haru instructed.
"Of course, my love. Please, be careful!" Ensho told him.
"Don't worry." Haru flicked his nose with his thumb confidently. "We got this." He strapped on his Sengoku Driver and activated his signature Lockseed.
"KURUMI!"
"Henshin!"
"KURUMI ARMS! MISTER KNUCKLEMAN!"
With his armor and signature weapons equipped, Haru Hattori, aka Armored War God Knuckle, was ready for battle.
"Let's go, Kit!"
Blake nodded as she unsheathed her Gambol Shroud and the two head towards the heart of the conflict. As they ran deeper into the city, they saw the chaos. They saw all the smoke, fire, destruction and death. They saw bodies of people who couldn't get away in time, and blood was splattered everywhere.
There were still people trying to get away as the Inves and Grimm fought. It was senseless violence everywhere, complete and utter chaos.
It was unforgivable in Blake's eyes.
The cat Faunus was outraged at the Grimm for taking so many innocent lives. However, she also felt remorse. Part of her blamed herself, thinking that she might've caused the Grimm to come here. Still, she was going to make things right. Her goal was to become a true Huntress, and that meant stopping the Grimm here and now as it was her duty.
Running alongside her, Knuckle's memory took him back to the Fall of Rakuyo. He saw all the bodies that were gathered after the rain put out the fire. By then, it was too late. Nobody survived. He wished he could've saved them, like he wished he could've saved the people here in Go that had died. As that was no longer possible, the only possible course of action he had left was to save those he could and kill all the Grimm here.
He didn't even need to think twice as he pushed his Cutting Blade, twice, over his Kurumi Lockseed, activating the Au Lait finisher system.
"KURUMI AU LAIT!"
"HI-YAH!" Throwing a punch, he sent one of his Kurumi Bombers flying like a missile. His target was an Ursa who didn't even realize his attack until it was too late. The Kurumi Bomber blasted a hole right in its chest before it flew around and returned to its sender.
A nearby Ursa saw this and charged right at Knuckle. Seeing the big black demonic bear coming, Knuckle spread his legs and held his ground. Once it came in range, he raised his fist and hit it with a destructive uppercut that exploded the Ursa's upper body to chunks. He kicked down the legs that remained standing before he moved on to slay more Grimm.
Up ahead, Blake spotted a pack of Beowolves feasting on the corpses of their slain victims. Enraged by this sight, she threw herself at the pack and stabbed a Beowolf with her Gambol Shroud. Moments later, she tore the Beowolf in half as she landed on her feet.
The rest of the pack dropped what they were doing. Anger, rage, fury, they could feel it all coming off Blake. They were drawn to it. Abandoning their feast, the Beowolves went on the attack. Blake used a Shadow Clone to avoid a swipe then sliced open a throat of a Beowolf before she dealt with the rest.
A Nevermore swooped down and flapped its wings, firing its razor-sharp feathers at Blake. Seeing this, Knuckle rushed in front of Blake and hit his Cutting Blade thrice.
"KURUMI SPARKING!"
A walnut-shaped dome of energy erected itself around them, protecting them from the assault.
"Thanks," Blake said.
"Always here to help, Kit," Knuckle replied. He looked up to see the Nevermore trying to break the barrier with its talons but then it was riddled with holes by the aerial Dandeliner unit.
"THANK YOU!" Knuckle waved at the Dandeliner pilots.
"Come on. We're still not done here," prompted Blake as she jumped ahead to find more Grimm.
"Right behind you, Kit."
XXX
Meanwhile, Ryugen and Yang were speeding down the street. They saw the Grimm up ahead and sped up to confront them.
"We need to clear out the Grimm in the area! Think you can manage?" Ryugen asked his partner.
"Just watch me!" Yang responded smugly.
Ryugen took out his Budou Ryuhou and fired at the Grimm in his path. Like a drive-by shooting, he gunned down the Grimm and moved on to gun down some more. Yang, however, decided to abandon her bike and leapt high into the air. She focused her eyes on a Beowolf then pulled her fist back. She crashed down and shattered its skull with a single punch. Rising to her feet, she saw Ryugen dismount and fire at more Grimm with his Budou Ryuhou.
They were joined by several soldiers who had summoned their Inves to deal with the Grimm. Yang couldn't help but be a bit apprehensive when she saw the Helheim monsters, but if they were fighting against the Grimm they at least proved useful.
An Evolved Shika Inves was smashing down the Beowolves, but a small pack latched onto the Inves and began taking bites out of it. Roaring, the Evolved Shika Inves grabbed hold of the pests and smashed them violently. It dropped their bodies as they died, moving on to kill more of the invaders.
A Beowolf made a lunge for Ryugen's back, but he spun on his heel and fired it right in the face. It soared right over Ryugen before falling dead.
"Nice shooting there, Tex," Yang praised. However, further compliments would have to wait and things were getting more serious, and possibly even worse. A few more Beowolves were entering the area followed by a Boarbatusk. They all looked pissed as hell.
"OK, let's take them out," said Yang.
"PITAYA! LOCK ON! HAI~! PITAYA ARMS! RYUJIN, HOU, HOH! HOH! HOH!"
"Yes, let's take them all out," Ryugen agreed as he hefted the Pitaya Ryujin Hou and fired a shell at the Boarbatusk. It exploded to pieces in mid-charge. Yang grinned and punched the Beowolves into the air before she jumped and grabbed one before she smashed it to the ground with a piledriver. The other Beowolves were coming back down. Ryugen aimed and blasted them to smithereens with his Pitaya Ryujin Hou as Yang took care of the last one with a punch to the head, blasting its head to pieces.
Ryugen put away his weapon as he mounted his vehicle again.
"Come on. We still need to clear out more of these things," Ryugen instructed.
Yang smirked and climbed back on her bike before they sped off. Looking at the rear view mirrors, they saw more Grimm following them.
"Lead them to an open area without civilians," Ryugen instructed.
"On it!" Yang agreed.
However, suddenly, the Grimm that pursuing them were taken out by another party.
"KURUMI SQUASH!"
"SOI-RYAH!" Knuckle yelled as he performed a dropkick that killed one of the Grimm. Then a figure in black and white just swung in and drove her blade into the back of a Grimm's neck. The sound of gunfire followed.
Yang turned her bike around and stopped to see who it was.
"Blake!" Yang yelled.
Blake's ribbon twitched and she looked up to the girl who called her name.
"Yang, is that you?"
Yang got off her bike and ran over to her partner to give her a hug. "Blake, it really is you!"
Ryugen stopped and dismounted to see the reunion. Knuckle joined him.
"So, guess Kit found her friends, or at least one of them," Knuckle remarked.
"I'd ask why she was with you, but I don't think we have time for Q&A," Ryugen said as he pointed at the oncoming Grimm.
"Ugh!" Knuckle grimaced in annoyance. "There's no end to these things!"
"Yang! You can enjoy your reunion later! Enemies are heading our way!" Ryugen shouted as he brought out his Pitaya Ryujin Hou.
"Whaddya say, Blake? Ready to slay some monsters?" Yang asked.
Blake smiled back and cocked her gun before they all turned to face the horde together.
Yang and Knuckle attacked at close-range, using their fists to put the Grimm down. Their punches were devastating as none of the Grimm could survive beyond the initial blow. It really helped that they knew where to hit: the squishy soft parts. The Grimm that sported more armor were tougher to beat, but Ryugen took them down with his Pitaya Ryujin Hou. Blake was using her agility and speed to her advantage, attacking Grimm from their blind spots. She used her Shadow Clones as a diversion before she struck the Grimm down.
"HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE, HELP US!"
"ZANGETSU-SAMA, PLEASE SAVE US!"
The Huntresses and Riders heard voices coming from a nearby pile of rubble and quickly ran over to it. A small gape in the pile allowed Ryugen to peer inside to see a group of citizens that were trapped underneath.
"Are you...yes, you are! You're an Armored War God!" one of the citizens identified happily.
"Don't worry! We'll get you out!" Ryugen told them. "Come on, we need to get them out of there!"
Knuckle and Yang took hold of the biggest piece of debris.
"Now, push!" Ryugen ordered.
Knuckle and Yang tossed the huge piece of debris away, freeing the trapped citizens.
A group of soldiers arrived and Ryugen instructed them, "Take these people to safety, and hurry. We don't know how long until more of those things come here."
"So, if you're here, does that mean the others came here too?" Blake asked.
"I don't know where Weiss is, but Ruby's here," Yang answered.
"She's with the rest of my group to help them find an important item," Ryugen interjected.
"I see."
"Incoming!" Knuckle pointed as another horde came charging in.
"Great, looks like we still got this to deal with." Yang clenched her fists.
XXX
The palace was under attack. A barricade had been set up in front of the entrance, barring entry to the attacking Grimm. Right now, the guards' priority was the safety of the royal family.
"Men, do not show fear before these monsters! Fight on! For the Glory of Go!" Kannei ordered.
"For the Glory of Go!" the guards chorused.
Kannei addressed their queen and her sisters, "Sonsaku-sama, we need to get you and the others to safety. Follow me to the basement level."
"Our lives are in your hands, Kannei," replied Sonsaku.
"But what about Zan-niichan?" Sonshoko asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, Shaoren," Sonsaku told her youngest sister. "Zangetsu will save us. I know he will."
Suddenly, the barricade broke and the doors burst open. Standing in the doorway was an Ursa Major and it let out a roar. Smaller Ursa Minor began to fill up the hallway. The soldiers stood their ground but were immediately overwhelmed by the larger Ursa.
"RUN!" Kannei shouted and she fled with the royal family. The Ursai were busy tearing apart the guards but it wouldn't be long until they started chasing after the fleeing royal family.
One of the Ursai was already giving chase, but Shuutai quickly intercepted and threw her kunai at it. They struck it in the eye. This left it vulnerable as she slit its throat.
"Get to the basement!" Shuutai shouted. More guards joined her to hold the Grimm off. "Kannei-dono, hurry!"
The Ursai charged at the guards who raised their shield, blocking their path. However, the Ursa Major broke through their blockade with a single swipe of its claw. Shuutai was knocked painfully against the wall.
Shuutai groaned but then froze up as the Ursa Major looked straight at her. She tried to pick up her sword, but was frozen in fear. It sniffed her then turned its head away to look down the hallway. It then growled and followed the royal family.
Kannei saw the Ursa Major gaining on them and skidded to a stop.
"Kannei!" Sonken shouted.
"Sonken-sama, go with your sisters! I'll hold this beast off!" Kannei instructed.
"No! It'll kill you!" Sonken protested.
"Please! Do as I say!" Kannei shot back.
The Ursa Major roared and then it brought its huge paw down to crush Kannei.
"KANNEI!" Sonken screamed.
"NO!" Sonshoko yelled out.
"MELON ENERGY!"
Suddenly, a salvo of energy arrows pierced the Ursa Major. Its bone plate armor did nothing to defend it as it was filled with holes. The Ursa Major stood on its hind legs for a moment before its weight forced it to collapse on the floor.
A figure in white, clad in melon-themed armor, stood over the fallen Ursa Major. Standing next to him was Shuutai and behind them were the dead remains of the other Grimm.
Sonsaku and her sisters froze in surprise but were elated.
"You okay there?" Zangetsu-Shin asked the captain of the guard.
"I'm fine," Kannei responded. "Thank goodness you came just in time, Zangetsu-sama."
"Sonsaku-sama, Renfa-sama, Shao-chan. Are you all alright? Are any of you injured?" Zangetsu asked the royal family.
"Zan-niichan!" Sonshoko rushed forward to hug her beloved big brother. "You came! You saved us!"
"As you can see, you came just in time. You have saved us yet again," said Sonsaku.
"It's what I do, Sonsaku-sama," Zangetsu-Shin replied.
"Still, you were cutting it a bit close," replied Sonken.
"Apologies. I had a few things to take care of along the way."
A shadow was creeping up behind Zangetsu-Shin.
"Kannei, were you about to take them to safety?" Zangetsu-Shin asked.
"Yes, down in the basement," Kannei confirmed.
"Good, now go. More of those things might be coming and I'd feel a lot better if you were all someplace safe."
"What about you, Zan-niichan?"
"I'll stay and take care of things up here. Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"No, you won't."
The shadow behind Zangetsu-Shin sprang out like a mousetrap, taking him completely by surprise. Sonshoko screamed as the shadow pinned him to the floor before it solidified. The figure then picked Zangetsu-Shin up and smashed him against the wall before it slammed him back to the floor, pinning him down with a foot pressed on his back.
The shadow turned out to be Hu of the Grimm Claw.
"Get off him!" Sonsaku ordered.
Kannei and Shuutai attacked but Hu smacked them away and knocked them out. "You will not interfere."
Zangetsu-Shin gritted his teeth as he was pinned under Hu's foot. "Don't you dare hurt them!"
Hu's eyes glowed. At the entrance, the Ursai responded to his call and rushed to their location. The family grimaced as the attackers were heading in their direction.
"No!" Zangetsu shouted.
"Take them," Hu ordered.
The Ursai did as they were told. The beasts slowly approached and surrounded the royal family.
Suddenly, Gaim arrived with his comrades. He pulled his sword out and sliced the Ursa down.
Kanu and Chou'un readied their spears to free Zangetsu from Hu who responded by leaping away before the two women could impale him.
Gaim provided cover fire, pushing Hu back even more.
Gaim asked, "Is everyone OK?"
"As usual, your timing is impeccable," Zangetsu-Shin praised as he let himself get up.
When they arrived, the Grimm were blocking the way. Gaim and his team helped to take care of them so Zangetsu-Shin could enter the palace.
"Didn't feel right to let you go on alone, not after you brought us here," said Gaim.
"Damn you..." Hu cursed.
"Looks like we've got to deal with this now," said Gaim as he summoned his Daidaimaru and drew his Musou Saber.
"No." Zangetsu-Shin stepped forward to confront Hu. "You do what you have to do. I'll handle this."
Kanu and Ryuubi were helping up Kannei and Shuutai who were starting to regain consciousness.
"Nagata-sama, we need to get them to safety," Kanu advised.
"Right," Gaim agreed.
"The...basement..." Kannei groaned.
"Right, the basement," Gaim nodded. "And where's that exactly?"
"Follow me," Sonsaku instructed.
As they ran down the hallway to find the basement, Zangetsu-Shin readied himself to face his opponent. "So, you're the one responsible for this attack. You will pay for your crimes."
"You won't stop us, White Devil," Hu sneered.
"Oh, we'll see about that."
XXX
Gaim and his team escorted Sonsaku and her family to the basement. There was a trapdoor in the floorboards that would grant them entry. It was hidden under a carpet.
Kannei and Shuutai had recovered enough to climb down the ladder that led into the basement. Sonken and Sonshoko also climbed down. This left Sonsaku to address the Shoku Faction.
"Thank you for coming to our aid," said Sonsaku gratefully.
"It's what we do," Gaim and Ruby said confidently.
"Look, I just have to ask, do you know anything about something called the 'Forge of the Underworld'?" asked Gaim.
Suddenly, Shuyu's head poked out from the trapdoor. "Did someone mention the Forge of the Underworld?"
"Gah!" Kanu and Chouhi cried in shock.
"Meirin, were you hiding down there this whole time?" Sonsaku frowned.
"Forgive me, but I did send Kannei to go and get you. Everyone else is already down here," Shuyu said.
"So, you know about the Forge then?" asked Gaim.
"I've read about it, yes. So, a piece of it is in Go?" asked Shuyu.
"Yeah, and Komei managed to find us directions," said Gaim. "According to her, it's on the palace grounds someplace."
"Do you have those directions?" Sonsaku asked.
Gaim handed her the rolled up sheet of paper. Sonsaku looked at it and recognized them. "Ah, I see. You see this? This is that storehouse where we kept that medicine you needed." She smirked down at Shuyu. "Do you remember that storehouse, Meirin?"
Shuyu blushed. Of course she remembered that storehouse. They had makeup sex in there. Gaim remembered it as well. It was when they caught Natsu and Kogai together, in the nude, right after sex.
"I don't think any of us could ever forget that storehouse," Gaim muttered. "Thank you. We'll get right on it."
Sonsaku nodded and then she went and gave Gaim a kiss. He might be wearing a helmet, but that didn't stop him from blushing. Kanu and Ryuubi, in their jealousy, pulled him away.
"You know, you should consider a much closer alliance with us. I'm sure Shaoren will grow up to be a lovely young woman in the future," Sonsaku winked suggestively before she climbed down the ladder and into the basement.
"Did she just...?" Gaim started.
"Come on, Nagata-sama! We have a piece to find!" Kanu insisted as she dragged him by the arm.
"Yes, Nagata-sama! We have an important mission!" added Ryuubi.
Ruby cluelessly watched the spectacle with Chou'un and Chouhi. "So...what just happened?"
"You'll figure it out. Come on, let's go," Chouhi smirked.
The group exited the palace to find the storehouse. They didn't have to look far. Gaim could never forget it, no matter how much he tried.
Chou'un stepped forward and with a mighty swing broke the lock with her spear.
"The door's open for you, Nagata-sama," Chou'un smirked.
"Thanks," Gaim nodded. They went in and scanned around for any clues or leads. "OK, so according to Komei, the entrance is somewhere in the floor."
"But there's so much stuff in here, Nagata-niichan," said Chouhi.
"Then we need to start looking. Just try not to break-"
There was a loud crash and everyone looked up to see Chouhi standing next to a broken jar.
"She did it!" Chouhi hastily pointed at Ruby, shifting the blame.
"Wait, what!?" Ruby yelped.
"OK, let's try not to break any more stuff," Gaim amended. "Aisha, watch Rinrin so she doesn't break any more stuff."
They carefully looked for any clues that could be a trapdoor. Ruby's eyes narrowed as she scanned the floor. She tapped on it with her Crescent Rose. She kept tapping until she found part of the floor that sounded different.
She tapped it again.
It sounded almost...hollow.
"Guys! Guys! I think I found it!" Ruby called.
They all gathered around the spot. Gaim knelt down and tapped it with the back of his hand.
"Yeah, sounds hollow. Seems the trapdoor was sealed shut with masonry. We need to break it open," said Gaim.
There was the sound of a gun cocking as Ruby aimed the Crescent Rose's muzzle down on the spot.
"Stand back, guys. I got this," said Ruby.
She fired, breaking off a piece of the floor. She did this several more times, revealing a hidden trapdoor. It looked old, but still sturdy. Gaim gripped the handle and struggled because of the old rusty hinges, but managed to get it open.
What was revealed to them was a hidden flight of stairs.
"Looks like we're the first to find it," Gaim smiled. "Come on, let's go in and get that piece before they show up."
"Right, let's go." Ruby stepped forward but Gaim barred her way.
"No, you're staying up here," he ordered.
Ruby remembered why he was being so overprotective, but then brushed it off.
"No, I'm coming with you. Besides, do you really think you can stop me?" Ruby challenged.
"It'll be dangerous," he argued.
"No more dangerous than fighting Grimm, which you did see me do, right? Or have you forgotten?"
OK, she was good at slaying Grimm. He could not deny that.
"Nagata-sama," Kanu prompted.
"Fine, come along, Ruby," Gaim conceded.
Gaim led the way as he climbed down first, followed by Kanu, Ryuubi, Chou'un, Ruby and Chouhi. They didn't notice that someone was spying on them.
They walked down the stairs that led them into an underground hallway. Torches lined the wall. They were dead, but as soon as they stepped into the hallway, the torches magically lit up all by themselves.
"Freaky," Gaim remarked.
"Yet convenient," added Chou'un.
"Gaim-sama, are you sure this place is safe?" Kanu asked.
"Am I sure? No," Gaim answered.
She muttered, "You could've lied to make me feel better."
"This is uncharted territory for all of us, Aisha. Anything could happen. So keep your guard up," said Gaim.
"I will, Nagata-sama," said Kanu. "Lead the way."
The hallway was silent, with the only noise being the rumbling they could hear from what was happening above them. A battle was going on, and the only way they could stop it was to get that piece of the Forge.
Ruby gazed around in fascination. The walls had writing on them, with the Emperor's emblem on parts of the wall. For a moment, Ruby stopped and turned, aiming her Crescent Rose at whatever might be sneaking up on them.
But there was nothing there.
"What's wrong?" Chouhi asked.
"It's nothing. Just thought there was someone following us. Never mind. Let's go," Ruby answered.
They continued on their way, not realizing that there was some truth in young Ruby's words as a transparent figure stood behind them, watching them.
"Nagata-sama, I'm a little concerned of what dangers we might face and what obstacles may stand in our way," said Chou'un. "I mean, we had to face living trees in a swamp, Iori-sama's group had an encounter with giant apes on a snowy mountain."
"So you think we might have another obstacle ahead of us?" Gaim asked.
"Well, one place was humid, while the other was cold, so it will only be logical that we might be entering-"
The hallway ended over a lake of pure lava.
"A hot spot," Chou'un frowned.
"How in the hell did they put a lake of lava down here!?" Gaim demanded.
The hallway had ended, but there was still a path. Unfortunately, it wasn't a bridge. Stone pillars stood tall with flat platforms on each. They lined up in a single straight path, the only path. One wrong step could spell doom for anyone who fell into the lake of lava. At the very end of the path of pillars was a ledge with an altar. The altar resembled a dragon head with its jaws wide open. Sitting in the jaws was the last piece of the Forge.
"I think the last piece is there!" Ryuubi shouted as she pointed at the altar.
"And the only way to get it is to cross this lake of lava," Gaim grimaced. He was sweating under his armor. "OK, no turning back now." He looked over his shoulder. "Ruby, you stay here with Touka and Rinrin. The rest of you, come with me."
Gaim took a deep breath and jumped. He landed on the first pillar and staggered a bit while regaining his balance. He looked down at the lava lake under him and gulped. He didn't know if his armor would be able to protect him from the lava, but he wasn't about to test it here.
Gaim jumped and landed on another pillar. There were four more pillars between him and the ledge. He jumped, one at a time, until he reached the ledge. He put his hands upon his knees and sighed in relief.
"OK, Aisha, you're next!"
Kanu followed the same path, leaping from one pillar to the other.
"Remember, one wrong move and you're dead," Gaim warned.
"Yes, Nagata-sama. I would love to be reminded of my impending doom," Kanu retorted sarcastically before she reached him.
"And I thought a warrior wasn't afraid to die," he joked.
"Doesn't mean we chase death so readily."
"Hey, can you both stop flirting for once?" Chou'un teased. "Thank you."
Chou'un followed and she landed on the ledge as well. "That wasn't so bad. Kinda like a game of hopscotch."
"Yeah, but in hopscotch, you don't die if your jump is off," Gaim countered. "Now, let's take a look at this last piece."
Gaim examined the altar for a closer look. It did look frightening, especially the eyes that seemed to have a soul-piercing gaze fixed to them. But he wasn't interested in the altar, but what was resting inside of it. Within the jaws, resting on what looked like the dragon's tongue, was the piece of the Forge that they were hunting for. It looked like a set of three sharp and curved talons, made of pristine steel that looked brand new. It did not show its age as it still seemed perfectly polished.
"Guess this is it," said Gaim. "The last piece."
"Good, let's grab it and go," Chou'un suggested.
"Hold on. Doesn't this feel like it's too easy?" Gaim cautioned.
"What are you worried about?" Chou'un asked.
"It's just that, these things never turn out as easy as they seem. I was kinda expecting some kind of obstacle."
"You worry too much, Nagata-sama."
Meanwhile, Chouhi, Ryuubi and Ruby were waiting in the hallway. Curiously, Ryuubi peered down and did not like what she was seeing. The fall was pretty high, but it was what waited for them at the bottom that truly terrified her. Their fate was sealed if they fell into that bubbling lake of lava.
"That's a really nasty fall," Ryuubi gulped as she looked down at the lava lake.
"Really hot too." Chouhi wiped the sweat off her brow.
"Toasty, way too toasty," grimaced Ruby. Then her ears picked up a noise. It sounded like beeping. She turned around and saw a golden energy arrow flashing as it headed towards them. Quickly, Ruby deflected the energy arrow with her Crescent Rose and the projectile hit the ceiling.
Someone was attacking them!
Ruby didn't think twice as she folded back her Crescent Rose. She heard the beeping again and quickly grabbed hold of Ryuubi and Chouhi. She focused on her Aura and Semblance and threw herself out of the hallway as another energy arrow nearly hit her. Ryuubi and Chouhi screamed as Ruby sped like a red blur before landing on the ledge.
"Ruby?" Gaim gasped. "What's wrong?"
"Behind us! Someone's shooting arrows at us!" Ruby yelled.
Gaim's eyes widened and then he heard a noise as someone was jumping from pillar to pillar before it landed near them. There was a shimmer, and Armored War Devil Duke revealed himself to them.
"So it's you, Ukitsu," Gaim identified. "You know, I was wondering when you'd show up."
"I was actually looking for this place, but it looks like you led me right to it," Duke replied.
"You're not getting the Forge piece," said Gaim. "Girls, grab the piece and get out of here. I'll hold this guy off."
"Always so prepared to play the hero, aren't you Gaim?" Duke frowned.
"Not playing around now."
"GRAPEFRUIT ENERGY!"
Duke just watched, waiting for Gaim to finish.
"LOCK ON! MIX! JIMBER GRAPEFRUIT! HA-HA!"
"Arriving on Stage, Armored War God Gaim!" Gaim shouted as he charged at Duke. They immediately clashed as their Sonic Arrows connected.
"Then get off the stage!" Duke snapped as he threw Gaim to the ground. He aimed and fired his Sonic Arrow but Gaim managed to roll out of the way and fire back. Duke deflected the energy bolts with his own Sonic Arrow before he struck Gaim.
Gaim's Sonic Arrow flew out of his hand and over the ledge before it fell into the lake of lava below.
"Crap," Gaim cursed.
"As you can see, I've only gotten better since our last encounter," boasted Duke before he kicked Gaim in the chest, sending him staggering back. He then slashed Gaim across the chest, knocking him back.
Reaching down to his belt, Gaim drew his Musou Saber. While the Sonic Arrow was a cool and versatile weapon, he was a swordsman at heart.
"Let's see how much better than you claim to be," Gaim retorted as he and Duke clashed.
"Grab the piece and let's go!" Ryuubi cried.
"Alright!" Kanu reached inside and grabbed the piece of the Forge. The eyes of the dragon head altar flashed before the jaws closed. Then, the entire chamber shook.
"What's happening?" Chouhi asked as the chamber shook dangerously around them.
"Aisha, what did you do?" Chou'un asked worriedly as the shaking intensified.
The rumbling and shaking became stronger. Gaim and Duke stopped in the middle of their bout to look around them curiously.
"What's going on?" Gaim asked.
"Fools! You've awoken the guardian!" Duke snapped.
The guardian burst right out of the lava lake and its long body smashed through the pillars that bridged them from the hallway to the ledge. Ryuubi watched in horror as they just lost their only way out. Then, the guardian gazed towards them.
It looked like a gigantic whale-sized worm with light brown skin and red armored plates that covered all the way down the length of its back. It didn't have any visible eyes, but it sure felt like it was looking straight at them. It had a huge maw, filled with rows and rows of razor sharp teeth. Dripping from its mouth was molten lava.
"OK, so the guardian is a giant worm that can swim in lava. Nice," Gaim remarked sarcastically. "I knew it was too easy."
"We're underground, standing over a lake of lava and we're being attacked by a giant worm," Chou'un deadpanned. "The ones who made this place must really like their elaborate setups."
"And it also broke our way out." Chouhi pointed at the broken pillars.
Ruby looked at their exit, then at the Lava Worm, then back at Gaim who was facing Duke. She clenched her Crescent Rose tightly as she readied for battle.
Time to prove that she was a Huntress.
XXX
Back in the city, Yang, Blake, Knuckle and Ryugen were still clearing away the Grimm. However, they found themselves quickly surrounded, standing back-to-back as they faced the horde of soulless beasts.
Ryugen pulled the hammer of his Budou Ryuhou before he aimed and fired. Yang was throwing punches, blasting some Grimm with her Ember Celica. Knuckle intercepted any charging Grimm and slammed them to the ground with his Kurumi Bombers. Finally, Blake was using her Gambol Shroud to cut them down.
"Man, there's so many of them," Yang stated.
"Yes," Blake agreed.
"Don't worry." Ryugen tapped the side of his helmet. "I called for reinforcements."
A zipper portal opened up and a Sakura Hurricane sped up. Riding on the bike was an Armored War God, one that Ryugen fondly recognized.
It was his big brother, Armored War God Chulainn of the Wilds.
"You called your bro?" Knuckle asked.
"Yes," Ryugen confirmed.
Dismounting, Chulainn aimed his Sonic Arrow at the Grimm and fired rapidly. His arrows pierced the Grimm, putting them down.
"Hey, Iori!" Chulainn greeted. "You mentioned a doomsday device. Is that true?"
"Would I joke about something like that?" Ryugen returned.
"No, you wouldn't. So, when you mentioned monsters, I thought you meant the usual," Chulainn said.
"What can I say? We meet all kinds of monsters in this kind of work," Ryugen joked.
Before they could continue with their banter, the three Armored War Gods picked up a transmission on their helmet communicators. It was from Mars.
"Can anyone read me? My unit is getting their asses kicked. Don't get me wrong, I can totally handle it but I could, maybe need some support here."
Ryugen looked at Knuckle and the two Huntresses-in-training. "You three go help Mars."
"What about you?" Knuckle asked.
Suddenly, Ranha burst out of the ground as if it were made of water. Glaring at Ryugen, she twirled her spear as she landed on her feet. She wasn't alone, however. She had brought along some Creeps with her. These bipedal, sauropods hissed and growled at them.
Ryugen narrowed his eyes at Ranha. "My brother and I can handle things here."
Knuckle nodded and ran off with Blake and Yang. Any Grimm that got in their way were slain. Ryugen and Chulainn turned to face Ranha.
"All this chaos just to find an artifact?" Ryugen asked.
"We're Rinrinshi. Chaos is just what we do." Ranha shouldered her spear. "Anyway, are we just going to stand around and talk? Or are we going to fight?"
"KIWI!"
"The latter!" Ryugen snapped.
"HAI~! KIWI ARMS! GEKI, RIN, SEI-YA HA!"
Ryugen and Chulainn both rushed at Ranha who took a stance as the Creeps around them converged. Ryugen and Ranha clashed instantly, sparks flying as their weapons collided. Chulainn fired at Ranha and she growled before she kicked Ryugen back. He was about to run at her, when a Creep jumped on his back and bit his shoulder.
"Get off me!" Ryugen angrily screamed as he tried to shake the Creep off. The other Creeps, attracted by his anger, started to dig their teeth into him.
"Iori!" Chulainn went to help him, but Ranha suddenly burst out of the ground and hit him across the chest. She turned her legs into a fish's tail and hovered in mid-air. Chulainn fired at her, but she dodged swiftly from his shots before she surged towards him and smacked him with her tail.
Back with Ryugen, the Creeps were piling on top of him. Reaching down, he hit his Cutting Blade.
"HAI~! KIWI SQUASH!"
He spun like a tornado, throwing off the Creeps. Then, he threw his energized Kiwi Gekirin and they sliced through the Grimm before returning his attention to Ranha and Chulainn. He needed to be precise. He needed to strike at the right time.
"Now!" Ryugen dashed forward and jumped up. He spun and slashed at Ranha, knocking her to the ground. He then threw his Kiwi Gekirin and she screamed as she was slashed by the circular wheel blades. She soon fell as the Kiwi Gekirin struck her down. Finally, Ryugen wrenched the spear free from her hands and twirled it around before he pointed it down at her throat.
Ranha hissed angrily as her own weapon was being used to hold her down.
"Move and you'll have an arrow in each eye," Chulainn warned as he aimed his Sonic Arrow at the subdued Ranha.
"Why don't you just kill me?" Ranha spat. "It's what you Armored War Gods do, isn't it? You kill my kind."
"Don't act so innocent. We have our reasons," Ryugen defended.
"And we have ours," Ranha shot back.
XXX
Back at the underground lava lake, Duke frowned at this development. He took out a talisman and using his magic to set it aflame. Thick smoke burst out of the burning talisman and separated into individual streams which gathered around Duke. They took on humanoid forms and solidified into a group of Rinrinshi but with Beowolf masks over their faces.
The Lava Worm rose up from its lava lake and growled at them.
The Beowolf Rinrinshi cupped their hands together, gathering Rinki.
"Fire!" Duke ordered.
At Duke's command, the Beowolf Rinrinshi fired beams of Rinki at the Lava Worm. However, the Lava Worm was able to shrug their attacks off due to its thick armored hide. Fed up with their attacks, the Lava Worm opened its mouth and shot out multiple tendril-like tongues that were covered in fire. Duke managed to avoid being grabbed, but his summoned Rinrinshi were caught and dragged into the Lava Worm's flaming gullet.
"OK, that's just nasty," commented Gaim.
Duke looked back at Gaim. It seemed that if he was going to survive this predicament, he would have to ally himself with his enemies.
"Gaim, how about a truce?" Duke proposed.
"You're asking us to team up with you?" Gaim questioned in disbelief.
"It's the only way we can survive this! We must work together!" Duke insisted.
Gaim considered their situation. While they did have an exit, it was across a lake of lava, and their convenient pillars were gone now. Also, a giant Lava Worm was in their way. Another Rider would be good to have, but Gaim wasn't just going to trust Duke, even in such a dire situation. However, he needed to consider the safety of his friends. Of course, he also remembered Duke was here for the piece of the Forge.
"Fine, you can help, but don't even try anything funny!" Gaim agreed reluctantly.
"I knew you'd see reason, Gaim," smiled Duke.
"Don't mention it," Gaim replied. "Seriously, don't ever mention it. I can't believe I'm doing this."
The Lava Worm was blind, but that didn't mean it didn't have other senses to compensate. It scanned its surroundings and then 'saw' the Forge piece in Kanu's grasp. Growling, the Lava Worm opened its mouth and spewed a blast of molten hot lava straight at the black-haired girl.
"Aisha!" Gaim cried as he ran towards her, but he wasn't fast enough. Suddenly, a red blur grabbed Kanu and took her to a safe distance. Everyone backed away from the lava stream.
"Here." Ruby put Kanu down and then aimed her Crescent Rose. "Take this, vomit boy!" She fired repeatedly at the Lava Worm and she seemed to be hurting it, but the Lava Worm dove back down in the lava lake.
"I suggest you use your strongest form for this, Gaim," Duke recommended as he kept his guard up. "That beast may spring up at any moment and from any direction."
Gaim frowned and took out his Kachidoki Lockseed.
"KACHIDOKI! LOCK ON! SOIYA! KACHIDOKI ARMS! IZA SHUTSUJIN! EI, EI, OH!"
Ruby gasped as she saw Gaim's Kachidoki Arms armor for the first time. He then took out his Hinawa Dai Dai DJ Ju (DJ Gun) and held it up, ready to fire.
Ruby reined her desire to geek out over a new weapon because of how serious the situation was.
"Everyone, keep your guard up!" Gaim ordered.
The Lava Worm burst out of the lava lake with a loud roar and then slammed its long body down on the ledge. The ledge shook as the group nearly lost their balance. Ruby, Gaim and Duke all fired at the beast, but the Lava Worm positioned its body so that the firepower would hit the armored plates on its back instead. It then dragged its body sideways to slam into them before it reared its head back and spewed another stream of lava at the group. They scattered, but were losing ground as puddles of slowly cooling lava were left after its attack.
If that lava had hit any of them, they would be melted on the spot and be screaming in agony. Not a very good way to go.
Gaim raised the DJ Gun and set it to High (machine gun setting) and fired a spray of bullets at the beast. It growled as it was being peppered by bullets before it dove back into the lava lake.
"Damn! It keeps hitting and running! This will take forever!" Gaim cursed, annoyed.
"Then perhaps you should try to predict where it will attack next," Duke suggested scornfully.
"LAVA BARF!" Ruby screamed a warning as the Lava Worm blew another blast of lava out of its mouth.
Duke swiftly took out another talisman and threw it up. A shield of energy erected itself between them and the Lava Worm's lava barf. It continued to blast them before it dove back into the lava. The talisman burnt up. Fortunately, Duke still had plenty at his disposal. However, he may not have enough for this situation.
Let's just hope his temporary allies could offer something.
Everyone kept their guard up. They had no way out and there's a predator right under them that was waiting to pounce at any moment. The lava really didn't provide them much visibility as the creature had submerged itself under the surface. Plus, the heat was starting to get to them. The girls were already sweating and Gaim's armor felt like an oven with how hot it was getting underneath.
It was like being stalked by a shark and they were its prey. It was circling around them, just waiting for the right time to make its move.
Ruby maintained focus. She had trained herself to fight monsters, and this Lava Worm was just another monster. It may not be a Grimm, but she was going to beat it. Suddenly, Ruby heard the thing burst out of the lava. It then smashed right into the ledge, breaking apart a piece of it.
The piece Chouhi had been standing on.
"Chouhi!" Ruby screamed as she dashed towards Chouhi as she fell. Everyone screamed and went to help. However, Ruby was the fastest as she jumped and grabbed Chouhi. She then used her Semblance to launch herself up, jumping from descending pieces of the ledge before she landed on her feet.
"Are you OK?" Ruby asked the younger redhead.
"Yeah," gasped Chouhi, pale as a ghost. "That...that was close."
Duke frowned. The guardian, this Lava Worm, was intelligent. By breaking the ledge, it gave them a much smaller floor to stand on. Then they would be packed in, unable to fight. He would've been impressed with such strategic thinking from a beast if it wasn't trying to kill him too.
"That thing just broke off a quarter of the ledge," Gaim analyzed.
"It's trying to push us into a corner," Duke said.
The Lava Worm burst out of the lava lake again, and this time it was targeting Chou'un. It dove towards her but she dodged from its attack by jumping backwards. However, she was close to the edge and nearly stumbled.
Duke and Gaim began firing at the Lava Worm and it thrashed about from the united assault. This time Gaim was using the cannon setting of his DJ Gun. It seemed to be working as the Lava Worm recoiled with each shot. Ruby also helped as she fired Dust rounds repeatedly at it.
"Take this." Kanu passed the Forge piece to Ryuubi. She yelled as she and Chou'un jumped and stabbed it right in the face. It tried to shake the two girls off and moved to dive back into the lava lake with them. They withdrew quickly before they were dragged in, landing on the ledge.
Rising back up, the Lava Worm shot out its flaming tongues at the girls. Ruby didn't let the tongues have their chance as she sliced them to ribbons with her Semblance and Crescent Rose. The Lava Worm roared and Gaim used this chance to fire at it again. It dove back into the lava lake, to hide and wait again.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Gaim yelled in frustration. The Lava Worm kept using hit-and-run tactics, not staying in one place long enough for them to do some real damage. "We need a distraction."
Duke noticed how Ruby, Chou'un, and Kanu were gathered around Gaim. He also noticed that Ryuubi was holding the Forge piece with only Chouhi guarding her. He grinned deviously as a plan popped into his head.
He cloaked himself and vanished from sight. Gaim noticed Duke's disappearing trick and yelled, "Ukitsu!"
Chouhi yelled as she was knocked down by an invisible blow before the Forge piece was snatched out of Ryuubi's hands. Duke reappeared, holding what he came for.
"Ukitsu!" Gaim shouted. "You backstabber!"
"And you're surprised, Gaim? You must be more foolish than I thought. I came for the Forge piece, Gaim. And now I have it," Duke boasted.
"Well, you're trapped here like the rest of us," Ruby reminded.
"Not quite, little girl." Duke pulled out a talisman. "With this, I shall be off. Xaizian!"
"Oh, no you don't!" Ruby charged towards Duke as she clipped her Crescent Rose to her back. With both his hands full, he couldn't use his Sonic Arrow. She tackled into him and they tumbled across the ledge and towards the edge.
"Ruby!" Gaim yelled.
"Get off me, you brat!" Duke snapped as he threw Ruby over the edge.
"RUBY!" everyone screamed.
However, Ruby was holding onto the edge with one hand. Good thing her Aura was on, or else she would've let go because of the heat.
"Now, where was I?" Duke was about to activate his talisman, only to find it gone. "My talisman!? Where's my talisman!?" He then realized where it had gone and looked over the edge to see Ruby, grinning at him. She was gripping on the edge with one hand, but in her other hand was his talisman. "The talisman! Give it to me!"
Ruby stuck her tongue out at him in response. Duke growled in annoyance, but then his annoyance turned to dread as the Lava Worm rose out of the lake and faced him.
"Hey, Handsome Jim!" Ruby yelled at the Lava Beast. "Look at what he's got! Get him!"
"Shit!" Duke fumbled as he reached for his Sonic Arrow and dropped the Forge piece. Ruby used this chance to take her Crescent Rose, shift it to scythe mode, then hook it on to the ledge before she lifted herself up. She used her Semblance to pick up the Forge piece and sped away just as the Lava Worm slammed its open mouth down on Duke. He screamed as this was happening while the Lava Worm withdrew into the lava lake to finish its meal.
"Gotcha," Ruby smiled as she held the Forge piece. Her companions soon joined her as she admired the piece she had acquired.
"That was awesome, Ruby!" Chouhi cheered.
"You sure showed him," praised Chou'un.
"That was quite clever of you," Ryuubi complimented.
"Ruby, what you did was reckless and dangerous," said Gaim. Kanu elbowed him as she glared sideways at him. "But thanks to you, we got the last piece of the Forge. Well done."
"Thanks," Ruby beamed. "I wasn't sure if that was going to work."
Chou'un quipped, "Do you think Duke survived?"
"Riders have faced worse, even bad ones," Gaim added. "If we see him again, it will be too soon."
"But how will we get out of here?" Ryuubi asked as she pointed at their exit. "That thing is still in the lake and it destroyed our only way out."
Gaim smiled and held up a Tulip Hopper.
"Anyone interested in another hike through Helheim?" he asked.
XXX
Hu and Zangetsu-Shin's fight had moved from the hallway and into the throne room. The chamber was quite spacious, benefitting the both of them. Zangetsu-Shin fired at Hu who flew around the throne room, avoiding the bolts aimed at him. Zangetsu-Shin silently cursed. Hu's agility was making this fight too difficult for him.
Hu swooped down and snatched Zangetsu-Shin up with his talons. Zangetsu-Shin struggled as he tried to break free, but Hu's grip was quite strong. Taking Zangetsu-Shin up towards the ceiling, Hu smashed the White Devil against the ceiling. He then flew towards the wall and dragged Zangetsu-Shin's body along, the friction causing damage as sparks ripped from Zangetsu-Shin's armor. Flying around again, Hu tossed Zangetsu-Shin right at the throne, the force of the impact destroying it.
Zangetsu-Shin groaned as he picked himself up. He glanced at the now destroyed throne before turning his gaze towards Hu. Hu swooped in as Zangetsu-Shin dove to the side. The Owl Rinrinshi started to slash with his talons and Zangetsu-Shin used his Sonic Arrow to parry. One slash across the face stunned him and Hu followed up with a kick that knocked Zangetsu-Shin to the floor.
As Hu was about to continue, he sensed something.
"Ukitsu..." Hu whispered. It felt like his ally was in danger and needed his assistance. It felt urgent, like a serious emergency. He addressed Zangetsu-Shin darkly, "It appears that the conclusion of our duel will be delayed."
Zangetsu-Shin wasn't about to let Hu get away and rushed at him with his Sonic Arrow. The blade slashed but missed its target as Hu just vanished. Zangetsu-Shin paused, panting. He scanned his surroundings to confirm his opponent had retreated. When he did, Zangetsu-Shin cursed loudly.
"Kuso!"
Calming himself down, Zangetsu-Shin took a deep breath. He then decided to go and check up on the others.
XXX
Meanwhile, it was still pretty chaotic in the city as the battle against the Grimm was still fiercely ongoing. Fortunately for Go's forces, backup came in the nick of time. Yang, Blake and Knuckle had come to back them up. But it still wasn't enough. Well, it was a good thing Go's army had a few more tricks up its sleeve.
"Additional reinforcements have arrived!" a soldier called out.
"Perfect." Mars, hearing this rubbed his hands together, was cackling like a stereotypical dastardly villain. "They're in for it now!"
"Is it really that good?" Yang wondered. Additional reinforcements would be good about now, but could it really turn the tide?
Blake noticed far beyond the horizon.
"Look there," she pointed.
Everyone turned to what the Faunus girl was pointing at.
Beyond the horizon, everyone could see a fleet of flying machines heading towards them. A large number of Dandeliners were present along with flight capable Elementary Inves. In the middle of the fleet, an Evolved Seiryuu Inves soared, ridden by what appeared to be a young teenage girl.
It was Penny Polendina, Ruby's new friend.
Her eyes narrowed with focus and determination. With her targets in sight, Penny unleashed her divine might on them. From out of her backpack, her swords came out, fanning out behind her as she manipulated them. She then aimed them forward, the blades rotating, faster and faster, as a sphere of green light filled up the space in front of her.
She punched her fists forward and sent out a high-powered laser which tore through a Nevermore and it shrieked before it fell into the river with a splash. The Grimm, witnessing this, roared in defiance. However, they were targeted next as a huge blast of fire from the Seiryuu Inves sent them scattering and on fire.
"Good boy," Penny said to her Evolved Seiryuu Inves. Entering the city, Penny focused her swords on multiple targets. They shot like javelins and pierced through the Grimm's weak points. Her draconic steed aided her as it continued to spit fireballs down on the Grimm below.
The Elementary Inves descended and began their attack. They swarmed the much larger Grimm together, killing them with their claws before moving on to the next prey. The Dandeliners also fired upon the Grimm that were smart enough to flee from a larger predator, but they didn't get far as the lasers struck them down.
In an alleyway, a homeless old man was being threatened by a Grimm, but it died moments later thanks to the Inves. The old homeless man was relieved but he picked up his broom and began whacking the dead Grimm on the head.
Penny sent her swords to skewer the Beowolves standing close to Kagemusha. They all died until only one of them was left. As the swords came down on him, he deflected them with his Sonic Arrow and cursed.
"How is this even possible!?" Kagemusha demanded. The swords came back to strike but he managed to dodge them. He looked up at the Seiryuu Inves and his visor glowed as he zoomed in on the teenage girl riding on it. "Damn her..." he growled.
"Excuse me." Kagemusha felt a tap on his shoulder. Reluctantly, he turned around and received a Kurumi Bomber to the face.
"Damn, that hurts!" Kagemusha cussed. He glared at Knuckle who glared right back.
"Come on! Let's do this!" Knuckle challenged.
"So, you're eager to die then?" Kagemusha brandished his Sonic Arrow. "Bring it!"
The two fighters yelled as they lunged at each other and clashed.
"What are you people waiting for, an invitation? Move out!" Mars rallied his men who yelled and charged back into the fray.
Penny soared through the skies. The Inves she rode on flew with the grace of a dancer. Almost like ballet in the skies. The two worked in sync, only as long as she didn't lose the Lockseed. She had to keep it on her and not drop it. Otherwise, whatever control she had on it would be lost.
As they chased after a trio of Nevermores of various sizes, Penny sniped them right out of the air with her swords. Two of them were hit right in their wings, causing them to plummet and crash either in the rubble or the ground below. The third Nevermore tried to get away but the Seiryuu Inves grabbed it with its jaws and crushed it between its teeth.
Penny's swords cut down any nearby aerial threats. After performing a one loop-de-loop, the Seiryuu Inves exhaled a ball of flames, blasting an Ursa to bits.
In the span of a few minutes, Penny had killed over a dozen Grimm. It was an impressive feat and what she was designed for. The soldiers below cheered at her and she smiled. Even the Inves seemed to cheer for her.
"THIS IS SENSATIONAL!" Penny shouted at the top of her...whatever qualified as her lungs. The Seiryuu Inves roared in agreement.
Yang was slack-jawed at the sight. She had to admit that it was an awesome sight to behold.
"Wow, she's one hell of a pilot," she observed.
A Helheim portal opened and a Tulip Hopper stepped out of the portal. Yang saw Ruby dash out with Kanu, Chouhi, Chou'un and Ryuubi. She also saw Gaim jump off the Tulip Hopper and he was decked in a pretty impressive suit of armor.
"So, what happened?" Yang asked.
"We got it," Ruby beamed.
Gaim scanned the battlefield and spotted Knuckle fighting with Kagemusha. He also saw a kunoichi with black hair aiding him. She looked frighteningly familiar to him. Still, his focus was on Kagemusha.
Kagemusha and Knuckle fought violently. While Knuckle's Kurumi Lockseed was nowhere near the same class as Kagemusha's Grapefruit Energy Lockseed, he could still hold his own against much stronger opponents. Kagemusha's annoyance actually came from Blake who was aiding his opponent.
Using her Gambol Shroud and her Semblance, Blake was able to assist Knuckle. Her various elemental Dust rounds also provided her with an edge in the battle. Using her Semblance and a fire Dust round, she sent a flaming Shadow Clone that struck Kagemusha and exploded.
Stunned, Kagemusha received a punch in the chest. Knuckle followed up with a combo of punches before he sent him flying with an uppercut. Kagemusha grunted as he picked himself up. He aimed his Sonic Arrow and fired at Blake. She dodged using her Semblance then threw her Gambol Shroud. The blade of the Gambol Shroud, now in kusarigama mode, hooked around the Sonic Arrow and she pulled with her ribbon, tearing the weapon out of Kagemusha's grip.
"KURUMI SQUASH!"
"Hyah!" Knuckle punched Kagemusha hard in the chest and sent him staggering.
"Damn you!" Kagemusha stepped forward, but was barred by Gaim who had his DJ Gun aimed at him.
"Not so fast," warned Gaim. The others gathered around Kagemusha and the Armored War Devil was soon surrounded with multiple weapons pointed at him.
He bit back a curse. Surrender was the only option he had.
Of course, that didn't mean Kagemusha had to accept that. Suddenly, a shadow emerged behind Kagemusha and wrapped around him.
"Stop him!" Gaim shouted, but they were too late as the shadow vanished with Kagemusha.
XXX
Ranha glared at both Ryugen and Chulainn. One wrong move from her, and they could just end her.
"It looks like your plans have failed," Ryugen mocked his opponent.
"You sure about that?" Ranha retorted mockingly. She didn't seem fazed at all in her current position, which caused him to be wary.
Suddenly, Ranha's own shadow expanded and became almost fluid as she sank inside. Ryugen and Chulainn were too stunned to stop it before she just vanished right in the ground as the shadow just sucked her in.
"She got away," Chulainn remarked.
"Damn," Ryugen growled in frustration. He hated it when the opponent pulled a stunt like that and escaped justice. Sympathetically, Chulainn patted his brother on the shoulder to comfort him. "We had her, Onii-san."
"Hey, there's always next time," consoled Chulainn.
"Right..." Ryugen calmed down. Next time he would just finish her off and not even give her a chance to get away. He scanned his surroundings in case they were anymore threats to deal with and spotted the Nevermores flying away.
Ryugen called Gaim on his helmet-com, "Gaim, this is Ryugen."
"Go ahead, Iori," Gaim replied.
"The Grimm seems to be retreating. Does that mean we won?" Ryugen inquired.
"We did. We got another piece of the Forge."
Hearing this filled Ryugen with relief. They had come here to stop their enemies from obtaining another piece of the Forge and they did it.
XXX
With the Grimm finally retreating, Penny landed her Evolved Seiryuu Inves and sent it back to Helheim.
"Thank you!" she called out to the Evolved Inves as it vanished into the portal. Humming and feeling proud of herself, Penny went to rejoin the others to calm down after such a huge battle.
Then she heard a gasp, a very familiar gasp.
"PENNY!" Ruby yelled, overjoyed as she saw her new friend.
"RUBY, MY FRIEND!" Penny glomped her, pulling her into a tight hug as they fell to the ground. Ruby let out a grunt and a groan.
"Penny...you're heavy...crushing me..." Ruby let out.
"Oh, my apologies," Penny said as she got up and helped Ruby stand. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No, but seriously, Penny, you are heavy," said Ruby. "It's like you weighed a ton."
"Oh, it's just muscle mass," Penny answered before she gave a hiccup afterwards.
"So, Penny. You've been here the whole time?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, and I made quite a few friends like Mr. Kamuro here," Penny referred to the Silver Apple Rider.
"It's a pretty long story, but I think we all should convene in the throne room," said Kamuro. "Sempai is calling us all for a meeting."
XXX
The Son Clan and the Shoku Warriors were all gathered in the throne room. Sonsaku looked slightly put out because her throne had been destroyed.
"Masataka-kun, what happened to my throne?" Sonsaku asked.
"My apologies, Sonsaku-sama, but it was destroyed during my battle with the Rinrinshi," Masataka apologized. He wasn't going to say that Hu had used him as a projectile to do it, though. It would be far too embarrassing.
"I guess that's a small price to pay for victory," Sonsaku sighed.
"Don't worry, Sheren. We can always take out a new throne from storage," said Shuyu.
"You guys store extra thrones?" Nagata asked.
"You'd be surprised how often the throne gets destroyed during an enemy attack," Masataka remarked. He looked over at the item Nagata was holding. "So, is that what they came for?"
"Yes, a piece of the Forge of the Underworld," said Nagata.
"So, they might have other pieces then," Masataka concluded.
"Yeah, but we stopped them from getting two of them," replied Nagata.
"Wait, so this whole attack was for this tiny thing?" Haru asked in disbelief.
"It's a piece for a doomsday weapon," Iori informed the boxer.
"Oh..." Haru whistled. "Man, that's heavy."
Nagata watched the reunion of Yang, Ruby and Blake. Ruby was telling them about how they found the last piece and what happened down there.
"And so I snatched it right out of his hands before the Lava Worm ate him!" Ruby finished.
"I'm just so glad you made it," Yang said, relieved.
"Now we just need to find Weiss and get the team back together," Ruby grinned.
Hearing Weiss' name, Blake wasn't sure about how she felt about her missing teammate. But her musings were interrupted as a bird flew in and let out a cry.
"KAW!"
The bird swooped into the throne room, through the doors, and landed upon the remains of the throne. Everyone but Natsu tensed up.
"Why is everyone freaking out?" Natsu scoffed. "It's just a bird."
"A bird that's black and white," Fuyu said as he knew better. He had a feeling that this was no normal bird.
"It's a Nevermore," Blake identified. "But a small one."
The tiny Nevermore tilted its head to the side. Its eyes glowed before it shot out what appeared to be a full-body projection. The projection was that of an enemy that Nagata and RBY had seen before.
"You!" Nagata yelled.
"So, these are the nuisances that have been hindering my plans," Wendigo scoffed.
"What do you want?" Iori asked.
"I have only a simple request," Wendigo replied. "Hand over the two pieces of the Forge of the Underworld that are in your possession." It was an order, not a request.
"Is he serious?" Yang asked, rolling her eyes.
"No deal," Nagata denied.
"Oh, really? You may want to reconsider," Wendigo replied smoothly.
"What will happen if we don't comply?" Nagata challenged.
Wendigo smirked and his image was replaced by an image of both Weiss and Mitsuki, tied up and gagged.
"Weiss!" Ruby yelled.
"Akechi!" Nagata added.
XXX
Hunt of the Armored War Gods Bios:
Blake Kurogami (AU counterpart of Blake Belladonna from RWBY): Blake was the stoic and calm member of Ruby Oda's posse. While she may not express emotion much, she is loyal and kind to those closest. She displays incredible acrobatic abilities leading many to think she might be a ninja which she denies many times. In addition to the skills above, she is also in depth in pharmacy and pressure points due to having a mad scientist as a father. Blake also has a good relationship with her pacifist uncle as well. After her marriage, she gave birth to twins, one son who was down to earth and loves science and one daughter who loves to rock out and party all day long.
XXX
GKoh: This chapter has a thrilling all-out war, damn comebacks and an intense cliffhanger to make it so epic and awesome that it'll make the readers' blood boiled with excitement. What will our heroes do now? Stay tune. Look down below. You'll have one deleted scene and a trailer.
XXX
Deleted Scene: Penny's Tale
"Ah, isn't this great?" grinned Natsu as he entered the royal bath with Fuyu.
"We really should consider our position as a blessing," agreed Fuyu.
"Damn right!" approved Natsu. Both twins were only in their towels covering them from the waist down to their knees. Natsu's towel was red with gold trim while Fuyu's towel was blue with silver trim. "A nice warm soak is all I need right now."
Earlier, the twins had practiced with their performance troupe. It was a rehearsal for another play they were going to perform. Then there was practice for a new acrobatics routing. The twins did their part, pulled their weight, and made sure everything was running smoothly like a well-oiled machine.
The two were about to enter the water when they saw someone in there. It was a girl and she was lying face down in the water. The twins froze but Natsu recovered quickly.
"Fuyu, come on!"
"Ah, right!" Fuyu recovered a moment later to help his brother. They both pulled the person out of the water. It was a girl with curly orange hair and a pink bow. Her clothing was odd, consisting of a shirt with feminine overalls. She also had black and green collar with matching stockings.
"Man, she weighs a ton!" Natsu struggled as the brothers laid her down on the floor. Fuyu went to check her pulse and frowned grimly.
"We're too late," Fuyu sighed. The girl, whoever she was, had drown. She had probably been lying face down in the water for a while now. Though, who was she and how had she entered the palace.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes snapped open and she greeted, "SALUTATIONS!" The two brothers jumped to their feet in shock. Wasn't she dead?
"Ah...ah..." sputtered Fuyu in shock.
"You're alive," Natsu stated.
"It appears so," the girl agreed, as if nothing was wrong. Here she was, lying on a bathroom floor, soaked to the bone, in the presence of two boys who were wearing nothing but towels.
"Who are you?" the Fuma Twins asked together.
"Hello, I'm Penny. What are your names?"
XXX
GKoh: A fun scene courtesy from my friend, Kamen Rider Chrome. This ain't over yet. There's more and be warned: Your mind will be blown away into space!
XXX
Next Year
In a barren wasteland, a battle was taking place. Explosions raged on and hundreds of corpses littered the field. At one side of the conflict, the soldiers there had their heads down as they were in despair. Many of their comrades were slain and their enemy has penetrated their defenses and proceeded to destroy what remains of them. They lost the will to fight and stayed in their hiding spot to wait the inevitable. Suddenly, a loud boom was heard. The soldiers lifted their heads to know what was happening. What they saw was awe inspiring and life returned to their faces. Soaring through the skies was a jet whose color was black and styled after a might condor.
We are Hope
Oppression was at large in these streets. An elderly man was harassed by mobsters. The elderly man was weak in his predicament and his tormentors brought weapons to finish him off. However, his suffering would end now when two women came to his aid. One of them nursed him while the other woman defended them. The latter wore an extraordinary pink suit that looked alien in nature. When the mobsters opened fire, the woman in the pink suit unleashed a force field and protected herself and those she protected.
We are Honor
At another location, a young man clad in green and wheels was beaten down by a powerful, monstrous brute. Despite the wounds inflicted upon on him and even though we could not see his face, the man remained determined as he forced himself to get up as he picked up his big axe. Once he did, the man in green roared as he charged right back into battle.
We are Courage
In a city, far, far, away, crime was rampant. All over the streets, vile thugs ransacked stores or apartments forcing poor citizens out of their homes. An explosion occurred at a nearby bank and robbers ran out of the now burned building, carrying sacks of their stolen cash. They might have gotten away with it too if it weren't for a meddling silver swordsman who observed all this from a building. Growled in disgust, he unsheathed his blade and leapt off the building he stood. The robbers finally noticed what was happening and before the crooks could point their weapons at the swordsman, with just one slash, the swordsman knocked them all down.
We are Justice
A young boy and his little sister were trapped under some rubble after a devastating incident that has occurred not long ago. Suddenly, the rubble began to shift. The rubble disappeared one by one until the children saw a light and alongside it was a giant mechanical sabretooth cat and a woman clad in yellow bearing the same appearance as the former. The woman then reached out to the children who in response took her hand.
We are Compassion
A man in blue, out of his time flew above the city below using his flying machine. He did this while dodging a barrage of missiles that were going to hit him. He successfully dodged them and pulled out a giant high tech weapon to pay back his attacker.
We are Determination
In a land that is majestic, animals of every shape and size lived there and in peace. Deer, elephant and zebra grazed upon the lands, schools of fishes race through the river nearby, monkeys playing around the trees and a flock of birds flew to places unknown. All the while, a young lady wearing clothing that had an image of the noble white tiger watched this and stood vigil.
We are Harmony
Time has passed and an eventful day has occurred. Rockets were sent into space carrying the hopes and dreams of a race with lots of potential. As the rockets ascended higher and higher into the atmosphere, they left a trail behind. Alone they didn't mean much but together they looked curiously like a rainbow. Unbeknownst to these travelers, a man was witnessing this incredible event. He wore a suit that was all red. The man in red was proud. Proud of how far we have achieved. However he knew the journey has just begun and while there may be dangers ahead, he remained hopeful as he knew the future was there and he will marched on to achieve it. What's making this even brighter: He wasn't alone.
We are Super Sentai
All around him, there were others like him who all bears the marks of the greatest fighting force that ever existed.
XXX
GKoh: This one sounds like a good idea, huh? Want or won't? Your choice.
