Chapter Twenty-Eight

Author's Note: I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. It is really hard to write out a fight scene. I had to go through different scenes in my head and then write them out to see if the would fit into the story. The next chapter may be the final one. It depends on how long I make the side fights last. We'll see ;) The battle between Asura and the DWMA is about to take place. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

"We're getting close." Stein said as he and Blood lead the team down a hallway. "The Kishin's madness is all around us. Everyone, keep focus on our goal! Don't let his wavelength overcome your rationality!"

"We won't, professor!" Maka exclaimed, keeping pace with Stein.

"That means you too, Blood. He'll target you first."

"He won't get the chance." Despite his serious wounds from his fight with Giriko, Blood still pushed onwards with Misao on his mind.

The hallway seemed to go on forever; there was no end in sight, and it was as if the hallway kept looping on and on. Blood became more anxious the longer he ran. It got to the point where he eventually passed Stein and was running in front of the pack, listening to his own thoughts. In his mind, he looped the days when he was first rescued by Isame and taken to his village.

When he arrived, he met the young Misao, who greeted him with a happy smile. She went out of her way to make him feel comfortable in the village. There was one day when she was out playing soccer with some of the local kids, and Misao had seen Blood standing on the sideline, watching them play. That's when Misao came up to him and asked if he wanted to play. Blood remembered he was reluctant at first, but eventually changed his mind quickly and joined in the fun. All of the kids were very happy to play with him and get to know him. It was the first time Blood was in a care-free environment and felt warmth in his heart.

'We have a connection, Misao. It was there the very second our eyes met for the first time. I know your feelings for me are just as strong as my feelings for you. That's what keeps us fighting.'

"Blood, look out!" Kid exclaimed.

Blood looked ahead of him and saw a giant snake strike at him. He was able to jump out of the way just in time, landing behind Stein and Spirit. "What the hell is that?"

"Looks like a Basilisk." Stein answered. "Most likely it came from the Book of Eibon."

"Book…of Eibon." Blood remembered the dark-skinned man who held that book. He was the same one…who forced Misao to steal the souls of those people in Canada. "That guy, Noah. He must not be too far away."

"He might be down this hall, with Misao and Asura." Stein said. "To find out, we have to get passed this snake first." Stein built up his power, creating Soul Resonance with Spirit. "Everyone stand back! Leave this thing to us!" Stein charged towards the Basilisk, and swung directly at its head. His head came clean off, dissolving into smoke and clearing their path.

"That may have been too easy, professor." Blood said, feeling that something wasn't right with this victory.

"You're right, Blood. We'll have to be careful."

They proceeded through the seemingly endless hallway, looking out for any other monsters that might pop out from the shadows. As Blood predicted, two more Basilisk snakes appeared from nowhere, attempting to attack and swallow any of the meisters and weapons. Stein and Maka took care of one snake, while Blood and Kid fought the other. The first thing Blood did was use his spear hand to stab the snake in the eye and blind it. After that, Kid used Liz and Patty to fire endless rounds at the monster until it fell to the ground and dissolved into mist.

"We make a great team, Kid." Blood said.

"I guess we do." Kid agreed. "Your skills are quite impressive." The two exchanged a fist bump before proceeding on.

After what seemed like an eternity, Blood and the others finally reached a large door with the mark of the Kishin carved into it. They stopped in front it and stared at it, especially when they noticed Noah and Gopher standing in front of it. Blood clenched his fists together as he glared at the two men.

Noah gave Blood the same exact look, except he was smiling. "Congratulations for making it this far. Also for killing Giriko. Didn't think you'd actually pull it off." He chuckled.

"Is Asura and Misao behind that door?" Blood asked him. "Answer me now!" He turned both of his hands into spear-heads and leaned into a pouncing position.

Noah chuckled, amused by Blood's anger. "Maybe, maybe not." As he said that, the doors opened by themselves. "That's for you to find out for yourselves." Noah and Gopher walked through the doors.

"Get back here!" Blood and the others quickly ran for the doors as they began to slowly close. They were able to make it through just in time. They were in a large, circular room, where chains decorated the walls. Noah and Gopher were nowhere to be seen. "Misao! Where are you!? Misao!"

"Blood! I'm here!" Her voice echoed all around the room.

Blood's hair stood on end when he heard her voice answer him. He found that her voice came from above. "Misao!" He looked up towards a balcony walkway. Standing there was Misao, and beside her was the Kishin Asura. He had a grip on Misao's arm as he looked down on Blood and the others.

"You're actually here. You came for me." Tears fell from Misao's eyes.

"Stay strong, Misao! I'll have you out of here in no time!"

"Such confidence coming from the noble weapon." Asura mocked. "Tell me, does this scenario ring any bells to you, Blood? Your beloved meister held hostage by me, and you, unable to do anything to save her."

Blood knew exactly what Asura was referring to.

Asura broke out into a hysterical laughter. "I can see the rage in your eyes!" His bandages separated, exposing his twisted eyes. "That is the same look your master gave me before sacrificing himself to save Misao. Will you follow in his footsteps…Blood?"

Blood didn't say a word to Asura. All he did was summon his spear-head hands and prepared to charge at him.

"Blood, don't let him get to you." Stein whispered to him. "This is exactly what he wants you to do. Just hold back."

"But…"

"You all are nuisances." Asura snapped his fingers, activating trap doors beneath Stein, Maka, and Kid. They all fell in the depths of the hideout, leaving Blood alone with Asura, Noah, and Misao.

"No, Stein! What did you do to them!?" Blood asked in a demanding tone.

"I just sent them below, where they'll be kept occupied by Gopher and a few kishin eggs summoned from Noah's Book of Eibon. That way, no one will interfere with our encounter." Asura smiled at the dismay Blood had on his face.

"Blood, don't give in to his mind games." Misao called out to him. "You're stronger than that; I know you are!" After she spoke, she was yanked by the neck and was silenced.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Misao! Right now!" Blood leapt into the air, targeted directly at Asura, but he was blocked by a guillotine, which almost fell on Blood and nearly took his head off. Blood jumped out of the way just before the blade fell down. "Where the hell did you come from!?" Blood watched as the guillotine took on a human form. The man was younger than Blood, with short blonde hair, and dressed in a priest robe with ear plugs.

The man stared at Blood with a grim look on his face.

"Who the hell are you?" Blood asked.

"My name is Justin. Like you, I'm a weapon who can fight without the need of a meister. I'm also a graduate of the DWMA, posing as an undercover agent for my Lord Asura. His will is my command."

"Blood, if you can defeat Justin, I'll set Misao free." Asura told him.

Noah chuckled as he stood in front of the entrance/exit door Blood and the others had come through. "Two weapons battling it out with no meister to control their moves. This is gonna be very interesting. Think you can handle it, Blood? The fate of your little princess hangs in the balance."

Blood didn't bother to acknowledge Noah's comment. He kept all of his focus on Justin and the fight that was about to take place. 'He's just another obstacle. It's almost over, Misao. Your nightmares will end here.'

Before Blood could blink, or even take his next breath, Justin came at him with blades protruding from his forearms. He attempted to slash Blood's neck, but missed. Blood did a triple backflip before crouching down and launching himself at Justin to strike back. Justin managed to block every attack Blood threw at him. 'I get it. Because he's a guillotine, he's one of those rare weapons that can't be used by meisters. Defeating him will be difficult. He has more skills than I do, and seems to be very calculated with every move he makes. I need to break his defenses somehow.'

Blood looked up at Misao, seeing a glimpse of tears in her eyes. His dedication to save her gave him an idea. Just as he came up with a plan, Justin came at him with his blades. Blood blocked it with his spearhead hand and moved away from him. "One way or another, I'll put an end to all of this." Blood ripped off his bandages, exposing his tattoo.

"Blood, what are you doing!? This is too dangerous!" Misao exclaimed.

"This is the only way to save you, Misao! I'm doing this for you." Blood tapped into his own energy that would normally be used to perform Soul Resonance. The mark began to glow a luminescent blue, which eventually engulfed his body. Blood channeled all of his power into his core, and then evenly transferred the energy into different parts of his body. Using this energy, Blood managed to produce arrowheads all over his body, including the tips of his hair. "This power…is mixed with my love and loyalty to Misao. I'll demonstrate the full force behind it!" Blood's speed had increased exponentially, throwing Justin off when he was struck from behind with one of Blood's spiked hands.

Justin was struck in the back. Blood wasn't able to fully penetrate through to the chest, but he was still able to deal enough damage to Justin.

"Damn you." Justin coughed as blood came out of his mouth. "This damage is nothing to me." He quickly regained his balance and leapt into the air, above Misao and Asura. "Law Abiding…Silver Gun!" A long guillotine blade descended quickly from Justin's arm, aimed at Blood.

Blood didn't move an inch.

"Blood, get out of the way!" Misao shouted through her tears.

Rather than move out of the way, Blood raised both of his arms in the air, and summoned scythe blades and attempted to block the incoming attack. When Blood made contact with it, he was forced on his knees due to the strength Justin put into the attack. 'If I can just overpower him…' Blood did his best to push the blade back with his Soul Resonance power. He tapped into more of it, which shot straight into his arms and allowed him to get back on his feet, pushing the guillotine blade away from him. Once he did, Blood shot his power into Justin's attack, which flew up towards him and knocked him back. His attack was disrupted, and he was thrown into a wall. As he came down, Blood took that opportunity to jump towards him and ran a spearhead through Justin's chest. Every spike he had in his body had found its way through Justin's body.

As they fell, Blood twisted every spike deeper into Justin's body. He grunted and groaned in pain as he hacked up gallons of blood. "For…give me…my Lord." Justin had lost consciousness before they had hit the ground.

When they did, Justin's eyes went blank and Blood couldn't sense a pulse out of him. Blood stood over Justin's body, dismissing his power. He looked up at Asura. "I defeated another one of your followers, Asura! Now release Misao right now!"

Asura's maniacal laugh echoed throughout the room. "Well done, Blood! That was truly entertaining!" He pulled Misao closer to him. "As promised, I'll return your beloved meister to you." He pushed Misao towards the railing of the balcony walkway. Just as he did, he reached towards Misao, reaching his hand inside of her back.

"Misao, no!" Blood saw the pained expression Misao had in her eyes as Asura reached into her body.

A light came from her back as Asura pulled his hand out and had the orb grasped in his hand. Asura laughed again once the orb was out of Misao. "The orb is mine at last!"

"Misao!" Blood exclaimed.

"I have no further use for her anymore." Asura grabbed Misao by the neck and lifted her into the air with little effort. "Take her back." He threw Misao over the railing towards Blood.

Blood ran over and caught her just in time. "Misao! Can you hear me!?" Misao was barely conscious in Blood's arms.

She managed to open her eyes and stare at Blood. She ran a hand through his hair and then touched his cheek. "You…came for me."

"I'd never leave you behind, Misao. You know that."

"I'm…happy."

"Finally, the orb is mine!" Asura shouted.

Please R&R Thank you!