SailorStar9: Anyway, Chapter 5 goes up. This is Chapter 6. To all my non-reviewing readers, I love you all! Will love you more if you review! *hugs all round!*
Disclaimers: Nothing here is mine, well, except the plot and the pairing.
Chapter 6: IMPACT! The Eve of the Great Life or Death Struggle!
"What's happening?" Rezo demanded. "Who are you?"
"I am he whose rebirth you desired." Shabranigdo droned.
Zelgadis took the chance to use a Ra-Tilt spell before Shabranigdo was fully formed, only to have the attempt backfire when the Dark Lord nullified the attack.
"Ruby-Eye Shabranigdo…" Zelgadis muttered.
"Exactly." Aria confirmed. "Sealed within Rezo's own blind eyes. And now reborn."
"I give you a chance to the path you may take in gratitude to you who have allowed me life again." Shabranigdo took a step forward. "Follow me, and I shall grant you long life. Refuse this offer, and I shall fight you here, before I release the other seven parts of me sealed in this world."
"Gee, why don't you make some big demands or something?" Lina retorted.
"Death, or slavery to a devil." Zelgadis hissed.
"What is this nonsense?" Zolf snapped. "Don't flatter yourself. Mankind has advanced in the thousand years you've been imprisoned. Now, watch as the great Zolf defeated the legendary Dark Lord. Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows." He chanted his spell. "Buried in the flow of time, in the great name, I…"
"Stop it, Zolf!" Lina warned. "It won't work. Get back!"
"Stop it, Zolf!" Zelgadis realized the same thing.
"Shall be destroyed by the power and you I possess. Dragon Slave!" Zolf released his spell.
"He's still alive." Rodimus gaped. "Run for it, Zolf! Move it!" he pulled Zolf off.
Breaking out of the flames, Shabranigdo fired off his laser beam at the two humans.
"Shield of Cold!" Aria's shield was immediately in place.
"That light…" Shabranigdo took a step back. "It can't be… damn you!" he fired his attack at Aria. "I won't let you revive!"
"Lady Aria!" Zolf and Rodimus took the hit.
"Run for it." Zelgadis mumbled.
Grabbing the confused Gourry and the shell-shocked Aria, Lina and Zelgadis fled.
"Yes, run." Shabranigdo droned. "Run as far as you can."
"Even if he is the Dark Lord, he should give us wimpy humans a break and let us make our final decision." Lina complained, scuffing down her chicken.
"Now look…" Gourry sighed. "How can you stuff yourself at a time like this?"
"Being depressed gets you nowhere." Lina deathpanned. "We have to eat, rest, and get our strength back."
"After all, this may be our last supper." Zelgadis added.
"Listen, I'm trying to keep our spirits up and you..." Lina protested.
"You look at how happy and peaceful this word is," Aria stated. "And you'd never believe Shabranigdo's being reborn."
"It wasn't too long that I was a regular girl, just like her." Lina reminisced.
"Lina, that was four years ago." Aria reminded.
"Where'd I go wrong?" Lina wondered. "Bringing the Dark Lord back to life. How'd I get caught in this nightmare?"
"Forgive me." Zelgadis apologized. "It was I who got you involved in this."
"Lina didn't mean that." Aria sighed.
"Man, we're back to gloomsville again!" Lina whined. "Times like this calls for the ultimate weapon. Hey, Pops! Chicken dinner for ten, and step on it!"
"She does remember I'm allergic to any meat that flies or walks, right?" Aria wondered.
"Shouldn't we get down to business?" Zelgadis hissed.
"Keep this up, Zel, and you'll get a permanent twitch." Aria sweatdropped.
"Not yet." Lina rubbed her tummy. "Stomach's only eight-tenths full. I know." She winked. "Now our stomachs and minds are all calmed down; anyway, let's get to working out a strategy. It's clear that my specialty, black magic, won't beat him." She reasoned. "But, if we build a plan around your Shamanist power, then maybe we'll have a chance."
"It won't work." Zelgadis corrected.
"Exactly, it won't work…" Lina nodded. "Huh? It won't?"
"It won't work." Zelgadis repeated. "Did you notice what I did when he was being reborn?"
"You cast some spell I couldn't make out." Lina mused.
"The Ra-Tilt?" Aria guessed.
"What is it?" Gourry wondered.
"The Ra-Tilt's the strongest attack spell in Shamanist magic." Aria explained. "It's a way to destroy your opponent from the Astral Plane. And it's supposed to be as powerful as the Dragon Slave."
"But why won't magic work against him?" Gourry asked.
"Pass," Aria shook her head. "Zel, take over please."
"Shamanist magic use power from the Astral Plane." Zelgadis explained. "But the Dark Lord exists as an astral life form far stronger than ourselves. He can disrupt Astral energies very strongly and deflect a human's astral power with no effect at all. In short, no powers from the Astral Plane will kill him."
"The reason my black magic won't work is pretty simple." Lina added. "The source of Black Magic's power comes from terror, hatred and hostility; the dark, negative forces of the world. Shabranigdo is the one that controls all of those. Using black magic against him, is like saying 'Hey, you. Can you help me kill you?' And white magic's only for healing or purification. The long and short of it is that Zelgadis, Aria and I can't beat him."
"Which leaves our only chance being Gourry's Sword of Light." Zelgadis concluded. "I'll do it." He decided. "I know I can't win, but Zolf and Rodimus will never rest if I just ran away."
"Oh well." Gourry shrugged. "I may as well go, too. Even if it doesn't work, I can't just walk away from this."
"I really…" Lina started, the two males turned to the two females. "I really don't want to die."
"The thing is," Aria started. "I can't foresee the result of this battle, not anymore."
"There's still good food left for me to eat." Lina gushed. "And treasures for me to grab. And if I get tired of studying magic, I can go home and start a business. Be a girl for a change. Maybe even fall in love."
"Is there a…" Gourry muttered.
"Look, it's stupid to go into a fight expecting to die." Lina chided. "Men may call it 'heroic' and 'romantic', but you've gotta forget about that load of bull. Once you're dead, that's it. No take-backs."
"Then do as you wish." Zelgadis relented. "To flee is your privilege, just don't try to join him. If you do that, we'll have to kill you."
"Excuse me, fellas." Lina slammed a hand on the table. "Who said 'We were not going to fight?'"
"Seriously, why do men have such one-tracked minds." Aria snorted. "Never jump to conclusions."
"I just said that I hate that old 'I'll fight even though I'm gonna die' routine." Lina defended.
"And she'll sooner rip her lips off than start whining." Aria quirked a smirk. "And say something wimpy like 'Oh, I don't want to die.'"
"Understand?" Lina flopped back on the chair. "If you've got only one percent chance of winning, but convince yourself you're going to lose, that one percent becomes zero percent. No matter what, I don't want to die. That's why when we fight him…"
"We'll win." Aria finished.
"Very well then." Zelgadis agreed.
"Let's go get him." Gourry concurred.
"That doesn't sound too good." Aria blinked, when an explosion echoed outside.
"First Shabranigdo's reborn and then trolls appear." Lina remarked, destroying a troll with a 'Fireball'.
"I doubt he'll send these things to act as his assassins." Zelgadis mused.
"Scratch that idea." Aria muttered, everyone sweatdropping as the trolls ransacked the dead bodies. "I don't think we're the targets."
"Are trolls usually this ferocious?" Gourry wondered.
"They don't normally attack villages out of the blue." Aria replied, sustaining her shield.
"What's going on?" Lina inquired.
"It must be an effect from Shabranigdo' rebirth." Aria concluded.
"That would appear to be the case." Zelgadis agreed. "Aria, drop your shield." He instructed, drawing his sword and the two swordsmen went on the offensive.
"Way to go." Lina beamed. "Between both your swords, even a troll's healing power can't keep up."
"Come on, quit watching us and fight." Gourry protested.
"Oh, look, there's more." Lina pointed out. "See you later. Excuse me?" she blinked when the troll who was about to attack her went off towards the inn's waitress.
"Even a troll can tell which one's the cute girl." Gourry mused. "That hurt…" he whined, Lina slamming a fist on his head.
"It's been hard on you, huh?" Zelgadis joked, Aria ignoring the pair's antics to save her sanity.
"You have no idea." Aria muttered, her 'Water Slicer' taking down another troll.
"Jeez, it's just one after another." Lina muttered.
"I don't think I can sit this one out anymore." Aria agreed. "Lina." She looked at the sorceress.
"You read my mind." Lina grinned. "Here goes nothing. Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the flow of time, in the great name, I pledge myself to darkness. All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed by the power and you I possess. Dragon Slave!"
"Deep Ocean Current Wave!"
Both attacks took out the remaining trolls.
I must try to end this myself. Zelgadis mused, the group taking a rest in the forest. Even if I die, Zolf and Rodimus await me in the next world. I will not be lonely there.
"You thinking of leaving us behind?" Aria asked.
"Aria…" Zelgadis blinked.
"Didn't we all agree to fight him together?" Aria reminded.
"But I…" Zelgadis started.
"Let me put it this way; what do you think Lina would do to you if she finds out?" Aria smirked.
"You got a point." Zelgadis sweatdropped.
"Besides," Aria rested her head on his shoulder. "I meant what I said, that night."
"I don't..." Zelgadis protested when Aria silenced him with a finger to his lips. Lifting his cape to shield themselves from Lina's prying eyes, the pair shared a kiss.
"You two can make out later." Lina walked past the two lovers, causing the pair to jump apart. "We four attack Shabranigdo together."
"And so, this charade reaches its conclusion." Shabranigdo droned, appearing before the group.
SailorStar9: Okay, this chapter is finally down. Read and review folks.