Hello everyone, and thanks for tuning in to our show, here we have some author notes followed by the disclaimer. And to wrap this up we'll have the chapter itself. This Chapter is dedicated to Masteroftheforce, Daydreamer9, and My-life-has-tears. Also a double dedicated to My-life-has-tears, for being the first to fav this story. And please direct your attention to the rules below

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Tale of the Ten Swords

Chapter 5

As the Scyphozoa was dealing with Jeremy, XANA turned to Odd

"So, why are you here, Odd ?" XANA asked.

"Two reasons: 1) to get Jeremy here safely 2) to get a piece of you. I owe you for what you did to Aelita, so let's go; you, me, one on one. Right here, right now." He says, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Haha, alright, I accept your challenge." He replies as he draws his swords.

"Laser Arrow" Odd cries as he launches three arrows at the virus. All three dead on but all three were blocked. Odd, fuming as Xana chuckled at his attempt, launch himself at the virus.

Odd threw a right hook for the virus's head, but connected with only air as it side stepped the attack. Continuing with the momentum of his previous attack, he pivoted into an elbow strike. Once again the virus dodged the blow, 'gotcha', Odd thinks as he brings his leg around as fast as he could and slammed it into Xana's torso. Odd leaped after him his fist cocked back ready to deliver a powerful blow to its head. Before he could land the blow, he felt a slicing sensation across his abdomen. He looked down and saw small burst of static jumping around his chest as his consciousness began to fade out.

Or at least that's what would have happen. Thanks to his foresight, he fell forward and missed the twin blades by half a second. Like before, Odd kept his momentum going, rolled forward and planted both feet in the virus's face. The double kick sent Xana staggering back a few feet but that was all Odd needed. Leaping over another double slash by Xana, Odd smashed his knee into its helmet. Following up the knee strike, Odd grabbed the horns on the side of Xana's head, and with all his might launched the virus overhead. As soon as he landed, Odd took off after it again, coming in underneath him and grabbed him at its forearms and then pulled them into a nose dive just before impact released it and let it slam into the ground, leaving a sizable crater from the crash. Odd raised his head, trying to regain his breath as he walked toward the edge and peered down into it. At the center lay the virus unmoving.

"Laser Arrows" Odd cried as he launched five darts at Xana's still form, the arrows impacted with his helmet. Suddenly, its body began to break down, what the… it can't be that easy, while Odd was trying to figure out what had happen, he failed to notice Xana's real body until it was already upon him. Bringing its massive blades down hard, Xana slashed deeply into Odd unprotected back.

However once again, his foresight saved him as he whirled around and caught the blades in his clawed hands, each had a small but fierce golden glow about them.

"Like them Xana, got them especially for you, what do you say we try them out? Strike…," his claws flashed as their power reached its peak, "…Laser,"he cried as he pushed the blades into the air,"...Claw" he finished, bring both hands down across Xana's torso. Small streaks of energy trailed across Xana's midsection where Odd had slashed him, lasting for a few seconds before dispersing.

"Not bad Odd and here I was beginning to get bored." said Xana, sounding as though things had just gotten interesting.

"If you liked that, then your gonna love this!" he says as crossed his arms in front of him claws out as they once again began to glow with the same golden light from before, as he dashed towards the virus.

"Laser Claw…" Odds cries as he dodges a strike from Xana, knock his blades out of his way with the back of his paws, "…Fury Strike" he screams as he repeatedly strikes away at Xana.

"Viral Surge" Xana's Twin blades began to emit a crimson light as he matches Odd blow for blow. Both pulled back and struck forward at full power. The end result: a shockwave knocking both fighters back, the attacks canceling each other out.

Odd was blow backwards, flipping himself upright he dug in with his clawed hand and feet 'til he came to a stop. Xana however glided down effortlessly.

"Not bad Xana," Odd said, trying to regain his breath, "glad to see setting up in sector V all this time didn't make you a push over, otherwise this wouldn't be much of a fight."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself in your final moments alive."

"Enjoying myself, the fun hasn't even started yet." He says as he charged Xana again. Just before their attacks met Odd got a strange tingle sensation in the back of his mind, Jeremy I have to hurry Jer's time is almost up. Dodging two more of Xana's thrust and slashes, Odd leap over the virus. While upside down, he press the first and last white arrow shaped marks on his arm as he took aim.

"Laser Arrow" he fired three dart at Xana, said virus easily duck underneath, letting them fly harmlessly over head as he charge Odd again, but instead, his blades met with Odd's "Shield" knock sailing through the air, unharmed, but out of control. Xana didn't press his attack, instead he just stood and watched as Odd crashed into the frozen tundra; had this been on earth he probably have a fractured skull, and a major concussion at best. The worse… well he'd rather not think about that right now as his head too much want to think. Obviously sore, Odd tried to make his way back to his feet, only to land on his backside.

"Come now Odd, a moment ago you were putting up a bit a challenge, surely you can do better.

"Oh I don't know, Xana, I think that went off pretty well, wouldn't you say so Jer?" Odd asked, a smirk on his face.

Taken back, the virus whirls around in time to see the very same laser arrows Odd had shot moments before strike the young mage. Jeremy's pov :

Although he couldn't move, he was still conscience enough to see and hear what was going on around him, however that was fading fast. Just before he blacked out he sensed, rather than felt himself be struck. When the arrow heads struck Jeremy, the scyphozoa shrieked as if in pain, but couldn't relinquish its hold on the sprite as that data it was absorbing turned from a bright red to a sickly green. Xana's body shook with the force of its systems being corrupted. Xana dropped its swords as its arms went to its sides as if it were in pain as it's crimson energy erupted from its body in a pillar of energy that was fluxing between it crimson viral energy and the same sickly green until it burst forth once more as an emerald tower of light. Xana was slowly lifted towards its center

"Indeed so Odd," Jeremy replies as his own energy spikes, creating a pillar of light for himself, "I think this went off very well indeed"

: General pov:

"What is the meaning of this?" XANA cries, the strain of trying to free itself evident in its voice.

"What the matter XANA, don't like my program?" Jeremy asks with a sneer.

"Rise my army, rise up and destroy them." A handful of the krabes surrounded Jeremy and opened fire, he barely noticed. Some other monsters began attack Odd, but he was just too nimble for them to catch.

"Odd, even though their attempt is admirable, it's rather annoying. If you would be so kind--"

"No sweat Jer, I'll get right on it. Laser Claw, Fury Strike"

: Supercomputer:

"Hurry up Yumi; even with their upgrades, they won't last long in this.

"I hear you, don't worry, almost… done, let's go." Yumi says as she jumps out of the chair and gets to the elevator just as Ulrich hit the button to close the doors and start their descent. On the screen the materialization countdown was activated.

: General pov :

As they rode the lift down, thoughts of this being the final battle raged through their minds. Both were shaken at the magnitude of it all, the weight of it seemed to physically drag them down. Ulrich looked over and saw that Yumi was shaking slightly.

"Hey, you keep that up and you shake the elevator loose."

Yumi laughed as she looked at him.

"Now you're starting to sound like Odd." She says with a giggle.

"C'mon mine aren't that bad?!" he pleads, laughter evident in his voice.

"No but if you keep this up you won't be far behind." She jokes back.

"Ouch, that stings."

"The truth does that." They shared a small laugh as the awaited their destination, when it was through, their thoughts returned to the matter at hand.

"This just may be our last fight," Yumi said

"I know" was all he said.

"We may never see our parents again."

"It's possible."

"We could really die this time."

"Good chance of that happening."

"Argh, how can you be so calm at a time like this?!" Yumi practically yelled at him. The strain of it was just too much to bear, and the fact that Ulrich was just taking it in stride, upset her, to say the least.

Upon hearing this, Ulrich let out a heavy sigh before turning to face her.

"The reason I'm as calm as I am is because of my resolve."

"Your resolve?!" Yumi said, taken back.

"Yes, my resolve. Right after we lost Aelita, I swore to never let that bastard take another person I care about. I also swore that I would make him pay personally. There are only two reasons why I didn't go with the others earlier. The first, we had agreed to follow through with their plan, and not follow till the time came. Two, and the most important one, is that they were the closest to her, so they deserved to get 'em to themselves first." They had reached the scanner room, but both were so focused on each other that they failed to notice.

"I'm not saying that we loved her less, but that they loved her more. If those two had been blind with rage I wouldn't let them get on the lift, but they weren't. Instead of letting it consume them they, they channeled it. If they had gone in there in a blood rage, then we would have lost them too. But since they went in there with a level head they have a chance of doing what that kind of fury compels them to do, but doesn't have the focus for it. They just might be able to rid the world of Xana right now but we have to make sure that they both get out of this alive, cause these kinda plans often leads to someone's sacrifice."

"But don't you feel in the least bit scared, afraid that something might happen anyway, even with our best efforts, another one of us might…might…." Her voice trailed off as she turned away, one lone tear preparing to fall. Before it had the chance to, she felt herself being pulled into his embrace. Yumi squeak as she felt my squeeze her slight, yet comfortably. After a few seconds he held her at arm's length, letting one hand reach up a brush a tear away.

"Don't worry, I already told you I'm resolved to not let Xana take anyone else I care about, that includes you, especially you." He said as he took a breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"Yumi, I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to make sure we all come out of this alive, alright. When this is all over we're all going to the movies and have a night on the town, I'll take you out to this place I know, I guarantee you'll love, alright. Tomorrow night we'll all go out.

Yumi didn't understand all that was happening, but found herself agreeing to go out with him like a date!!!

"Good, now you have to stay alive cause we've made plans to go out." Yumi found herself smiling at this, feeling compelled to live through this night.

"Now what do you say we stop letting them have all the fun." Ulrich asked with a grin on his face.

Finally reached the end of this chapter, and I must even though it's at least five times better, it just as long to revise XP but anything worth doing takes time and patience, so I guess it was a fair trade. thank s for reading along and please leave a review, I'm gonna get started on the next chapter later to night This is Wolfwood3189, signing off.