Author's Notes: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I figured that was a good place to end it. Chapter 14 is written, and I'm in the process of typing it up, and I've started work on chapter 15. Enjoy!
Chapter Thirteen: The Man Named Goenitz
It took six days for Shampoo to regain consciousness. During that time, none of Nerima's inhabitants left her side. Surprisingly, a lot of the tournament's participants also came to express their wishes for her well-being, most notably Terry Bogard, Geese Howard, Yagami Iori, and Wolfgang Krauser. Shiranui Mai also dropped by, dragging her boyfriend Andy Bogard along. Terry's younger brother didn't seem too pleased at all to meet them, but Mai had been insistent. Not to mention the fact that she thought Ranma was rather handsome, and while he was married, she could still flirt, right? In fact, the bubbly kunoichi probably spent more time around the pigtailed martial artist than Andy would have liked, especially since she had been unable to join the tournament this year because of a still-healing injury.
Fortunately for them, the result of the second tier fights left a lot of the fighters incapacitated, causing Rugal to place the matches on hold until they had recovered.
Benimaru and Kyo were both released the day after Shampoo woke up, and enthusiastically greeted by their fans, who went to great lengths to get the Anything Goes team disqualified.
The Boss team's fight with the women's Team had left Todo Kasumi with a broken arm and a concussion, while Rugal himself had suffered two broken ribs and no less than fourteen dislocated joints in return. It was just too bad that none of these joints were on his legs, because his last, desperate Genocide Cutter had effectively ended the fight.
The Ikari team had defeated the elders of the Veteran's team after a long and drawn-out battle. Ralph and Clark were left with numerous bruises and a few select broken bones, as were Heidern and Takuma. Saisyu and Leona were the worst off, however. Both had severe concussions, and Leona had a number of second-degree burns, while Saisyu had a long, deep gash across his chest courtesy of her V-Slasher.
The Fatal Fury team had managed to defeat the New Face team early on. Terry, after seeing what Chris had done to Ryoga, Mousse, and Saffron, had opened the fight with a Burn Knuckle that had blasted the boy straight out of the ring. From there, the Lone Wold had proceeded to demolish Shermie and Yashiro without any major problems.
The New Face team had disappeared shortly after their defeat, but none of the others really noticed.
In the end, Kasumi was trying to hide her mirth as Andy came close to attacking Ranma. The pigtailed young man, for his part, was only staring in confusion as Mai tried to flirt with him unsuccessfully. The kunoichi pouted as Ranma seemingly ignored all of her advances – not that Andy seemed to notice that fact, the blonde was far too gone into his jealousy to notice Ranma wasn't returning his girlfriend's flirting. In the end, Ranma ducked as Andy launched himself at him, completely missing the pigtailed martial artist and launching himself out of the window with his Chou Reppa Dan.
Mai, despite her failed efforts to flirt with Ranma, had become fast friends with both him and Kasumi; she was shortly joined by the other Kasumi, of the Todo clan, as she was introduced by Akane. The blue-haired young woman and the brunette Kasumi hit it off quickly, and discovered they shared a common sense of humor as they continually confused others by responding to the same name. The two members of the Women's team had quickly found themselves drawn to Ranma's easy-going and friendly nature, though Mai didn't have nearly as much fun flirting with Ryoga as she did with Mousse. The amazon, for once, seemed to actually respond to a woman after getting over his obsession with Shampoo so long ago. Of course, Andy noticed this, as well, and the hospital's corridors heard echoes of a familiar battlecry more than once: "Mousse! Prepare to die!"
Apart from Andy, most of the people who visited Shampoo and the other Nerimians as they kept watch over the young woman had formed a tentative friendship based at the very least on their mutual respect for their fighting skills. Krauser and Geese had made up, much to Terry's amusement, though the two half-brothers still continued in their rivalry. Terry and Geese's truce had surprised a lot of the people, until they realized that Geese had made a huge effort to get back his wife Marie and his son, Rock. While those three, Krauser, Geese, and Terry, were far above the other people's average powerlevels, it wasn't something that deterred Ranma, Ryoga, or even Mousse, and Geese and Terry knew from personal experience that Ranma had a tendency to demonstrate that a lot of skill coupled with some power could more than make up the difference.
That little group of elite fighters had accepted the Nerimians into their ranks quickly, and while Todo Kasumi and Shiranui Mai were floating on the periphery more often than not, Kasumi's skill and Mai's perserverance had earned them even Krauser's respect.
On the other hand, the public's opinion was the exact opposite. After watching the Hero team get decimated and the crowd favorites Benimaru and Kyo sent to the hospital by the Anything Goes team, their popularity had dropped below the freezing point – not that any of them cared. The end result was that a veritable mountain of hatemail was piling up in front of Shampoo's hospital room, most of them from angry women who saw the amazon as the cause for Benimaru's injuries. It was a pile that Iori took a great pleasure in torching every morning.
Two and a half weeks after the end of the fights in Hong Kong, the Black Noah set sail for Japan again. Anchoring in Osaka Harbor, the fighters were moved to Kyoto. The semifinals would take place at the base of Mt. Hiei, the mountain that was home to an ancient shrine whose six arches overlooked the city that was Japan's historic millennium castle.
"Are you going to just stand there, or get me a vase and put those flowers in water?"
Ranma blinked in surprise as he heard her voice, still a little weak from her ordeal, and a little scratchy from a parched throat. The pigtailed martial artist chuckled sheepishly and grabbed an empty glass vase off the nightstand and left to fill it with water. He returned a moment later, the flowers he'd been carrying safely tucked into the vase.
"I thought you'd still be sleeping."
Shampoo grimaced. "I've been in this bed for a week already. I want to stretch my legs. I think I forgot how to walk by now."
"How're you feeling?" Ranma replaced the now filled vase from where he'd taken it next to her headrest.
"Stiff. Sore. Wide awake. Bored to death," Shampoo listed.
"Essentially, ready to get out of here?"
"Yup," Shampoo giggled.
Ranma pulled up a chair and settled down next to her bed. "The doctors said they'd let you go tonight, if you're feeling well."
"Why wait until tonight? I feel good now," the girl pouted. Her playful expression quickly turned to concern when she saw his eyes darken. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." The reply came quickly, too quickly for her. She knew when he was lying – that had been one of the few things that hadn't changed about Ranma. He had grown up over the years since they had first met, he had grown a spine, gotten used to thinking before talking, grown accustomed to interacting with women, he'd fallen in love. Other things hadn't changed, and would most likely never change. He was still honorable to a fault, fiercely loyal to his friends and family. He still never gave up, and he was still a lousy liar.
She reached up and did something she'd seen his mother do once. She grabbed on his ear and pulled him down to eyelevel. "Don't give me that crap," she scowled. "I know you're hiding something, so out with it before I beat it out of you."
Ranma sighed in resignation, knowing that she wouldn't let it go. His eyes lowered as he reached a hand up and removed her hand from his ear. "I guess I just…I don't know." His eyes remained glued on her hand as it rested next to her as he searched for the right words.
"Does it have anything to do with me fighting that guy?" The amazon prodded gently.
"Yeah, I guess." Shampoo was shocked to find that a tear had leaked from her friend's eye and landed on her hand.
"You almost died, Shampoo. We almost lost you for good. I don't know if you remember, or if you were even conscious, but your heart stopped beating twice. And it's all because I-"
Shampoo's slap came completely unexpected, and with such force that Ranma found himself staggering back a few steps. It was a far cry from her actual strength, but the act in itself caught him completely by surprise.
"Now that I have your attention, you'll listen to me," Shampoo started, her eyes lit up in anger. "And you are going to listen, right?" When the pigtailed martial artist nodded dumbly, she continued, "this is not your fault, do you understand?"
"But if I'd fought him instead-"
"If you'd fought him, you'd have beaten him down in a heartbeat, I've got no doubt of that. He's good, but not that good. I asked you to let me fight. I wanted to fight." Seeing that he understood, she nodded. "The only thing you did was let me fight him – and to be perfectly honest, I screwed up. I can take him, I know that, but I got cocky and I let myself get taken by surprise. Of course, he then went and tried to kill me, but that's not your fault, either. If anything, it's his fault for loosing it and mine for underestimating him."
"I could've just fought him instead."
Shampoo nodded. "That's true. But then I'd have kept annoying you until you let me fight. Or Iori would have. We're fighters, this is what we live for." She cracked a lopsided grin. "Do you really think we'd have let you get away with just blasting all the way through all the competition without letting us have a shot?"
"Not really, no," Ranma chuckled.
"Damn straight. If I hadn't fought him, I'd have fought someone else. Maybe that Kusanagi kid. Or maybe someone else. And this could've happened at any time, to anyone. It's a risk we all take. You know how we fight – until we drop. It was just my bad luck to get some psycho who'd loose it in the middle of a fight." Shampoo sat up and scooted back on the bed until she was sitting upright. "There was nothing you could have done. There was nothing that was your fault, so you'd better get that into your head now before I get out of this bed and pound it into your head."
Her easy grin and mischievous eyes told him she was kidding, but there was no mistaking the resolve to make good on her playful threat should he continue to wallow. "Like you could even touch me," he finally replied with a small grin.
"I'll take you on any day." Shampoo smirked and lightly cuffed him in the shoulder.
"And you even won, so you don't have to marry him," Ranma added with a mischievous grin.
Shampoo took a moment to realize what he meant, and when she did, her eyes widened in horror. "I didn't even think about that! Eww!"
"I don't know – he seems like a pretty good catch. Tall, handsome – according to his fans, at least – and a decent fighter. Not to mention an ego the size of the moon and arrogance and pride to match." Ranma looked contemplative. "You sure you don't want to challenge him again and loose?"
"Yeah, right. I could do so much better than him." Shampoo wrinkled her nose in disgust. "And not to mention that arrogance of his almost got me killed."
"Yeah." Ranma's expression turned somber again. "But he didn't. You won. You're alive. Cologne would be proud. I know I am."
"Thanks." Shampoo leaned forward and pulled the pigtailed young man into a quick hug. "It means a lot to me, it really does." After a moment, she let go and pulled back. "So, I hear the next fight is with the Boss Team?"
"Yeah."
"So, which one of them is mine?"
Ranma laughed. "Which one do you want?"
"Hmm." The lavender-haired young woman rested her chin in the palm of her hand as the considered her options. "There's that sleazeball of a captain who owns the ship, I hear he's pretty good."
"He's also pretty perverted," Ryoga noted as he opened the door to the room. "Thought I might find you here, Ranma."
"Yo, Ryoga," the Saotome heir greeted his friend and rival. Shampoo merely waved and smiled at the lost boy.
"How do you know he's perverted?" Shampoo asked as Ryoga pulled up a chair.
The lost boy grinned. "I just saw him hitting on that kickboxer lady King, Akane, and Kasumi."
"WHAT?!" Ranma was up and out of his chair in an instant, his aura roaring to life in a dangerous red color.
"The other Kasumi," Ryoga added with a chuckle. The lost boy so loved the way Tendo and Todo Kasumi messed with people's minds with their names.
"Oh." Ranma's aura winked out of existence as he sat back down, and Shampoo broke out into a fit of giggles.
"So, what happened?" The amazon inquired after she caught her breath.
"Eh, he was running around from a trio of mallets, I think." Ryoga shrugged.
"Figures."
"Yeah. Anyway, your other choice in opponent would be Krauser and that Geese Howard fellow." Ryoga grinned at the prospect. "Man, I envy you."
"Hey, Ranma."
The pigtailed martial artist turned and grinned as Terry Bogard stepped off the porch. "Evening, Terry."
"It's nice outside, huh?" The American sat down next to Ranma.
"Yeah," the younger man agreed. It was dark outside, and the only sounds that could be heard were the splashes of the koi in the pond. The sky was clear, and Ranma had spent the last hour just watching the stars.
"This is a nice place."
The place Rugal had organized for them to stay at until the end of the fights was located in the heart of Kyoto. It was a traditional Japanese inn called the Aoi-ya that had survived through the times of the Bakumatsu and the Meiji Restoration, and prided itself on its history.
When Ranma had seen the place upon their arrival, he hadn't believed his eyes. The last time he'd seen Aoi-ya was during the Meiji Restoration, courtesy of Urd. The pigtailed young man smiled as he remembered the few weeks he had spent in the past that Urd and the shard of the Nanban Mirror had sent him to.
The building that housed them now looked every bit the same now as it had a hundred and twenty years ago. The place had been renovated and modernized, with flowing water and electricity, but other than that it looked exactly the same. To top it all off, the owner of the inn – a perky young woman who wore her long black hair in a braid that reached her mid-back – had introduced herself as Shinomori Misao, named after her great-grandmother.
"Yeah." Ranma smiled as he remembered. He glanced over at Terry. "They're nice people."
"You sould like you've been here before."
Ranma gave a non-committal grunt in reply, and Terry dropped the subject. The two lapsed into companionable silence for a while.
"You nervous?" Terry finally asked.
"Huh?"
"About tomorrow."
"Oh." Ranma shrugged, lying down on his back on the porch. "Not really."
Terry arched an eyebrow. "You're fighting Geese, Rugal, and Krauser first thing tomorrow morning."
"So?" Ranma chuckled. "It's just a fight."
Shaking his head, Terry grinned. "You're unflappable, aren't you. You're going to be fighting three of the most powerful martial artists in the world in the morning and you're treating it as if – as if you're sparring with Ryoga in the morning."
Smiling, Ranma glanced over at the American. "It'll be so much fun. Can't you feel it? They're so insanely strong."
"Most people wouldn't consider fighting someone called the 'Emperor of Darkness' fun," Terry noted with a chuckle.
"You can't tell me you're not itching to fight them, too," Ranma grinned. "This is what I live for; always looking for the next challenge. And man, is it going to be a challenge."
"No kidding. Take it from someone who's fought him, Krauser's insanely powerful. Look out for his finishing move. It's an insanely powerful ki-blast he calls the Kaiser Wave. At it's most powerful it could probably wipe out a good city block or two. I imagine Krauser's only gotten stronger since then. Speaking of challenge," Terry chuckled, "I hear Krauser issued a direct challenge to you for tomorrow. It appears you drew his attention."
"He did," Ranma confirmed, his smile anticipatory. "He's claiming the first round against me."
Terry leaned back. "I imagine. I'd love to fight you, myself. I've never seen someone take out Kyo so quickly. And your friend Shampoo's most definitely no slouch, either. Actually, I'd love to challenge either one of you sometime, if we don't get to fight in the tournament."
"Same here." Ranma grinned. "We'll probably meet in the finals."
"You seem confident." Terry couldn't help but chuckle at the insanely excited glint in the younger man's eyes.
"Of course. After all, Saotome Ranma doesn't loose. And neither does his team."
"I envy you."
"What for?"
"You get to fight Geese," Terry explained. "Not only that, but also Rugal and Krauser. Those three are probably the most powerful people on the planet. You get a chance to defeat them in front of the whole world."
Ranma chuckled. "I thought you'd given up on wanting to kill him?"
"I did, but that doesn't mean I gave up on beating him. No offense, Ranma, but I'm rooting for Geese this time."
"You really think Iori's gonna go down without a fight? Or Shampoo?"
The blonde laughed. "Good point. Especially after what she pulled off in the last fight. Is she going to be in top form for tomorrow?"
"Yeah. She's fully recovered."
"Good. Try and get some rest, then. Krauser's a really tough opponent."
"All right. Night, Terry."
"Night, Ranma."
For once, the only audience they had were the other participants of the King of Fighters tournament. The rest of the world would have to watch the battles on their TVs at home.
The arena Rugal had secured them was a walled area at the bottom of a ravine deep within Mount Hiei, accessible only by a maze of tunnels and caverns within the mountain. The walls of the ravine were blackened from a fire sometime in the past, and, as Ranma stepped out of the tunnels and into the open, he could feel the lingering, ancient ki that permeated the area.
The pigtailed martial artist shudderede at its intensity – the residual ki in the air must have been over a hundred years old . If it had remained this long, this strong, then this place must have been the site of a titanic battle.
He smiled. It was perfect for his showdown with Krauser.
The German was standing across from him, his fists raised. Rugal and the other fighters backed away, giving them space to fight. The two combatants eyes each other carefully, each trying to find an opening in the other.
"Are you ready?" Krauser asked.
"Let's go," Ranma replied, charging forward.
Krauser did likewise, both of them blazing with ki, blurring with their extreme speeds. The distance between them shrank to nothing in under a second. The taller German hauled back, thrusting his fist forward, intent on claiming the first strike.
Ranma saw the blow coming, but found himself unable to react in time, having already committed to his own attack. He only hoped that it would be an even trade.
"What do you think, Ryoga?" Mousse glanced at the lost boy as they watched Ranma and Krauser face off.
"He's strong," the bandanna'd boy commented. "Really, really strong."
"Yeah, but-"
"Ranma doesn't loose," Ryoga finished.
"And if he doesn't finish him, Shampoo will." Mousse glanced across the platform until he spotted the amazon's lavender hair. "By the way, I never really thanked you."
"What for?"
Mousse nodded his chin in the general direction of the young woman. "For helping Shampoo. For being there for her."
"What're you talking about? You were there for her, too. We all were." Ryoga snorted. "I still can't believe that jackass who almost killed her is being called a hero by the public while they didn't even bother with Shampoo."
"Yeah. But a few things happened after you and Ranma left. After Cologne's death, the remaining elders started fighting for the position of matriarch. Someone had to fill the power vacuum, but Shampoo didn't want to do it. I can understand why – politics is a dirty business. There's no honor in it, and I think if you do it too long, you'll loose it, too. But I think that really was the last straw. I wasn't there when it happened, I was with Herb, working out a few things for the reconstruction, but from what I hear she ended up disowning the tribe. Cologne wasn't even dead two days and they were already fighting on her grave and trampling her legacy."
Mousse sighed and adjusted his glasses. "She's taken to it really hard, because the tribe was our family, our home. Now, we're both homeless, clanless. We're what you Japanese would call ronin, but you and Ranma and his mother and the Tendos have made us feel welcome, at home. Like we belong here. Ranma and I haven't always gotten along, heck, you know that probably just as well as Ranma does, but he's been more than a friend. He's been a brother to me and Shampoo. Nodoka-san has taken us in without hesitation, and accepted us despite the fact that we've caused her son immense grief in the past. You all being there for her really means a lot to her, and me. So…thanks."
Ryoga placed a hand on the amazon's shoulder, and nodded. The two remained like this until the inactivity in the ring broke, and the battle below began. Both young men blinked in surprise at the speeds at which both fighters charged at each other, flickering from sight. Both had seen what Ranma was capable of, and knew he wasn't holding back.
"Wow," Ryoga muttered as he barely followed his friend's charge across the arena.
An inhuman shriek behind them distracted them from the battle, and they spun around to a sight neither of them knew what to make of.
Iori was slouched forward, even more so than usual, with his arms hanging straight down, hands tensed into claws. Steam was coming out of his ears and mouth, and when he tossed his head back to let out another earth-shattering yell, his eyes, pupils and all, had turned an unnatural milky white.
"Uh…Ryoga?" Mousse stared in shock. "What the hell is that?"
The lost boy shook his head rapidly. "No idea, but it doesn't look like he's gonna be too friendly."
A second, ear-splitting screech echoed through the air, and both martial artists turned to watch as Heider's blue-haired adoptive daughter swatted Terry to the side as if he wasn't there. Judging from her inhuman appereance and the smoke coming out of her ears and mouth, she was much in the same state as Iori.
Their short distraction cost the two boys as Iori covered the distance in between them in a single leap, and backhanded both of them, sended them flying off the overhand and into the arena below.
"Ranma's going to win." Shampoo crossed her arms over her chest, her tone final. Terry couldn't help but chuckle at the young woman. They had been discussing the possible outcomes of the fight when Shampoo continued to insist that there was no way Ranma would loose. Terry knew the pigtailed martial artist was an excellent fighter, and that skill-wise he probably had every single person in this tournament beat hands down, but Krauser was no slouch in terms of skill.
Also, as Terry knew from experience, the German could bring to bear massive amounts of power, more than enough to easily level the entire mountain, if he wanted to. Ranma was good, and Ranma was fast, but skill could only take you so far. If Krauser continued to pump his ki reserves into speed and strength, Ranma would eventually tire and the German would be able to just blow through his defenses with sheer speed and strength.
"What makes you so sure?" Terry smiled at her confidence in the pigtailed young man.
"He never looses when it matters. And it matters now." Shampoo turned to look at the American. "We can all feel it. That man has probably the most powerful aura any of us have ever felt. He probably has more raw power than Saffron, but you don't know Ranma. Saffron had significantly more power than Ranma back then, and he still won."
"Why would it be such a big deal if he lost now?" Terry asked, unsure why the girl brought up the life-and-death battle the Saotome heir had fought with Saffron at Jusendo a few years earlier.
Shampoo smirked. "Oh, it's not a life-and-death battle. Actually, in some ways, it's something even bigger than that. This is what Ranma lives for. What we all live for. To challenge someone as overwhelmingly powerful as that man, to test our strength and skill against him, and to overcome. This is why we practice the Art. To grow and adapt."
The passion she spoke with, and the words that echoed from his conversation with Ranma the night before caused Terry to smile. These were the kinds of people he knew would bring honor to their Art, because they fought for the right reasons. "What do you think, Leona?" The blonde man turned to look at Heidern's blue-haired daughter.
When she didn't reply, Terry placed a hand on her shoulder. He realized something was wrong when he felt an insanely strong blow to his chest that sent him flying. The last thing he saw before he crashed into a wall was mily-white eyes shrouded by steam – the red-tinted steam of boiling blood.
He would recognize those symptoms anywhere, especially after the last King of Fighters tournament.
It was the Riot of Blood.
Terry shook the cobwebs out of his head and winced as he felt a bruise forming on his chest where Leona had given him the equivalent of a friendly pat.
A roar from the other side of the platform caught his attention, causing him to freeze dead in his tracks. "Oh shit."
An answering growl came from Leona, who was stalking towards Terry after leaving a bloodied and beaten Kim and Andy behind her. Joe got in the way, attempting to Tiger Kick her, but the Mu Thay boxer only succeeded in earning himself four deep gashes across his stomach in the process.
"Reppuu-Ken!" Geese's shout was drowned out by the explosion of dark ki as the blast connected with Iori over to the left, and Terry felt some relief that someone was still standing and trying to slow down the Insane Orochi Warrior.
Taking his cue from Geese, Terry rose and waiting until Leona was in range. "Power Wave!" He punched the ground in front of him, sending a wave of ki towards the Orochi-possessed soldier. Not waiting to see the effects of his attack, he launched himself from his croush into his trademark Crackshot.
As he'd expected, Leona walked right through his ki-wave, stopping only for a moment to absorb the impact. That instant was enough for Terry to flip in mid-air and bring down a vicious axe kick on her collarbone.
The American could clearly hear the bone snapping and allowed himself a victorious smile that only lasted for half a second. Undeterred by the debilitating injury, the possessed Leona grabbed a hold of him, and Terry felt his world explode into green as her Orochi-blood enhanced ki burned to life around him, unhindered by the broken bone in her shoulder.
"Kaiser Wave!"
Leona rocked forward from the blow, releasing her hold on Terry. The blonde lay on the ground trying to force air into his abused lungs for a few seconds before getting back to his feet. For the first time in his life, he admitted, he was glad to see Rugal. While his low-powered copy of Krauser's final attack wasn't enough to take down Leona, it had been enough to get her attention.
The modern pirate was still launching ki-blast after ki-blast at the blue-haired woman as fast as he could charge them, and even without Krauser's massive ki-reserves, the Kaiser Wave was still ridiculously powerful for a ki-blast. Still, it could do little more than further irritate Leona. A few steps later, she reached Rugal and grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt through an unfinished ki-blast. The pirate winced as her claw-like nails dug deep into his skin, drawing blood.
The soldier lifted him up, intent on tearing open his chest, when Rugal drove an elbow into her forearm, knocking it down and sideways. The instant he regained his footing he kicked back up, bellowing, "Genocide Cutter!"
Rapid kicks slashed into the possessed woman's torso, blurring with their speed as they distorted the air around them. From the side, Terry could see blood spraying through the air as the pressure waves sliced deeply into Leona'sskin. She flew backwards from the force of the attack, but rolled back to her feet almost instantly.
"Burn Knuckle!" With a savage yell, Terry rushed towards her, his fist shrouded with his ki.
The inhuman cries from the platform above caused both Ranma and his opponent to stop dead in their tracks. The pigtailed martial artist suppressed a shudder when he saw Krauser's massive fist hovering a hair's breadth form his left eye. His own hand, in turn, was a scant few millimeters away from delivering a devastating blow to the German's throat.
The two shared a short look, then turned their attention to the commotion above. They leapt apart when Mousse and Ryoga crashed into the middle of the arena in a heap of groans and complaints. Ranma was concerned for them until he heard Ryoga let out a string of curses that caused the pigtailed martial artist to smile. If Ryoga had enough energy left to swear like that, then he wsa fine. In fact, both he and Mousse were already getting back to their feet.
"What's going on up there?" Ranma asked.
"No idea," Ryoga replied as he dusted himself off. "Iori and Leona just went crazy and started tearing up the place."
Krauser's eyes narrowed as he felt the dark ki emanating from the two above. "It's the Riot."
"Riot?" Ranma blinked in confusion.
"The Riot of Blood," Krauser growled. "Damn that priestess. She knew. She had to."
Sky-blue eyes opened wide in realization. "You mean this is the Orochi power she was talking about?"
"Yes." Kauser nodded. "Kagura-san must have known about this. There's on way she couldn't have not known, especially after last year."
"What happened last year? What the hell is this Riot you're talking about? It almost looks like some kind of berserker state." Mousse asked.
"Iori and Leona both are of the cursed Orochi bloodline. Last year, something triggered it, and they went into the Riot of Blood. You are right in that it is a berserker-like state, but there's more to it. Their conscious mind is overriden by the dark ki within them, the same ki that grants them their accelerated healing and Magatama no Orochi. They turn into mindless killing machines that feel neither pain nor remorse, until they snap out of it. What triggers it is no known." Krauser's reply left the three other martial artists from Nerima silent for a moment.
"So," Ryoga finally said, "how do we get them out of it?"
"We force them to burn through their ki," Krauser said simply.
"So we just beat them down?" Ryoga cracked his knuckles. "Not a problem."
"It's not that simple," Krauser continued as a section of the stairwell above exploded into purple flames. "They possess inhuman strength and endurance. Fatal injuries would not even slow them down, and all damage from but the most powerful techniques will be healed almost instantly."
"We've got to stop them." Ranma's eyes swept over the platform above, trying to make sure where everyone was. "Looks like our fight will have to wait."
"I agree. Let's go." The four of them started for the stairs when the bottom section of the stone stairwell exploded outwards violently, forcing them to shield themselves from the shrapnel.
"Well, well, well." Four people walked out of the hidden passageway that had been concealed behind the stairs. A tall man with short-cropped blond hair and a flowing blue cape walked until he stood just out of reach of Ranma and his companions. Flanking him were Chris, Yashiro, and Shermie.
"My name," he said as he bowed theatrically, "is Leopold Goenitz. Welcome to the Infernal Hall."