Broken Nightmares
Act 9: Decisive Battle! The Showdown between Lina and Kakken!
By: Sora Kazeno
This is it! The moment you have been waiting for the conclusion of the story.
The blue aura caught her by surprise; with a gasp she dropped the book and the sound it made echoed in the vast room.
"Hey! What do you think you are doing dropping me on the floor like that!" A loud booming voice yelled at her.
Startled Lina looked around the room as she tried to identify the source of the voice. She looked around the room but she was alone. Then it dawned on her she was asked why she dropped it on the floor. It was the book. She took a few steps closer to the book and stared at the object before her.
"Staring at me isn't going to get me off the floor you know." The tone of voice made the book sound annoyed.
Sheepishly Lina picked the book up from the ground and examined the object in her hands. It seemed like an ordinary book. She ran her hands across the cover and the binding.
"Well are you just going to stare at me or ask a question?" The voice demanded.
Lina felt taken aback being demanded by a book but she needed the book to obtain information on the spell. Lina shook her head to clear her thoughts. She opened the book and a floating head emerged from the pages.
"Much better!" The voice exclaimed. "You have no idea how long I have been sealed inside that book. For giving me freedom I shall answer any question you ask. Though I must warn you you may not like the answer you receive."
Lina smirked. "You remind me of the Claire Bible."
"Of course he is my cousin," The head said with a grin. "Though I know many more secrets than he."
"Great! What can you tell me about sealing magic? I need to seal a spell that belongs to the Lord of Nightmares before her minion tries to kill me!" Lina directed the book.
"Sealing magic? I'm sure you are aware but that magic is considered very dangerous. Why do you feel you need to seal a magic spell? How did you learn about sealing magic?"
"Why the twenty questions? I thought I was going to be the one to ask you questions?" Lina asked the book in her hands. She felt rushed to obtain the information and exit the temple as quick as possible.
"If I am to help you I must know why," The book explained to her.
"I don't have time for this!"
"I have all the time in the world. But if the Lord of Nightmares is after you then I don't think you have as much time."
Lina felt her anger rise. But she knew she had to stay calm and do whatever was needed to speed up the process. Lina quickly explained she miscast the Giga Slave and why Kakken was after her. She left out as many details as possible.
"Not many individuals know the location of his temple. How did you find your way here?"
"Rowdy."
"Rowdy? I am surprised he is still around. Ah well. You provided the information I sought now I will do the same. What is your understanding of magic sealing?"
"Stealing a spell means that a particular spell can't be cast again unless it is unsealed by the one that originally sealed it."
"That is incorrect."
Lina felt her heart drop.
"Kakken could have killed you many times over but has not in anticipation that would try to seal the Giga Slave. The Giga Slave draws the Lord of Nightmares to this world. Thus the Lord of Nightmares will be sealed into this world and you will cease to be but a vessel for the Dark Lord."
Lina was speechless as her heart hammered in her chest. "That can't be right! If she was already in this world than why did she leave before? Why give me this false hope?"
"She was only given temporary access to this realm and to return to the chaos."
"So if she is summoned here… where will I be?"
"Trapped inside the chaos."
"So the only way to defeat Kakken is to cast the Giga Slave against her. This time I can't lose control or I summon the Lord of Nightmares to this realm once again."
"That is correct."
"So the only way to try to beat Kakken is the cast the Giga Slave; the same spell that started this mess."
"This is your chance to re-write your history. It is up to you what you choose to do with the gift the Lord of Nightmares has given you."
"A gift? Seriously?"
"She could have chosen drag you into the chaos but gave you a second chance by defeating Kakken. If she didn't give you this second chance you would not be here."
Lina felt her shoulders slump. She knew Necronomicon was correct. Time was up and she knew what she had to do. With a heavy heart she closed the book. If the others knew what she was about to do they would try to find a way to stop her. She couldn't let them know what she was about to do. She thought about the best way to cast the spell. The last time she properly casted the spell she had the Sword of Light. The second time she understood the horror of the magic and was attacked by Hell Master in the middle of casting the spell. Odds are Kakken would try to do something to attack Gourry and he would need the Sword of Light. The talisman would amply her powers enough to cast the spell but it was up to her to have the ability to control the spell and prevent it from going out of control.
She looked up confused at her surroundings. Somewhere along the way after she closed the book she had left the room and began to wander the temple again for the exit. Now she was the directionally challenged one. She smiled; at least she had a good excuse for being lost as she pondered how to cast dangerous magic to save her life and her friends without destroying the world. Just another day in the life of Lina Inverse.
Amelia stared the red x on the floor. They were running out of ways to go in the temple. "We must have missed something. Maybe a hidden path or something," Amelia said out loud as she tried to make sense of the labyrinth. She didn't see a missed path.
Drake examined the writing on the wall. He traced the ruins with his fingers in an effort to make out the marks that were worn with age. He followed the arrow next to the markings and walked the short distance to the end of the corridor. "Strange, the ruins point in this direction but it leads to another wall." He ran his hand across the wall and found a protruding block. He pushed the block in and revealed another pathway. He took a step back at the sight of someone standing next to the wall.
"AAH!" Lina yelled as the group seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of her.
"Lina-san!" Amelia exclaimed in a happy voice. "You're okay!"
"Lina…" Gourry said as he walked over to her. He quickly looked her over for any sign of injuries and found none. "She was outside and came into the temple. We were worried she would find you in here."
'Kakken.' Lina thought to herself. "But she didn't find me. I've found the book and everything will be taken care of!" Lina said with a wide smile to the group trying to reassure them she had everything under control even though she did not.
Zelgadis knew something was up. Lina had acted a similar way when she went to face Hell Master. She was trying to make the others not worry but deep down she was scared of what was to come.
"Not so fast Lina," Gourry said as he stood by her side. "What do you need us to do?" He eyed her gestures to determine how sincere she was.
"Nothing. I got it covered. We need to get out of the temple and find Kakken. There is no way I'm fighting her in here. There isn't enough space," Lina explained to the others. She needed a large open area to cast the Giga Slave. That level of energy would be disastrous in a confined location and would cause the surroundings to crumble before she could complete the casting.
It seemed like a blink of an eye to Lina and they were out of the temple. "You guys wait to the side. This is between Kakken and myself. If you get in the way you'll probably get hurt," Lina instructed the group around her.
"Are you sure about this Lina-san?" Sylphiel asked her. She knew the magic she was going to use was dangerous but didn't know the true extent of what her companion was about to do. Everyone assumed Lina was going to seal the spelled. They didn't know of what casting the spell really meant. They were in for a surprised.
Lina pushed herself forward to the center of the large area in front of the temple. Not far from where she stood was the dragon from earlier. She hoped she wouldn't be joining the dragon any time soon. She took a moment to let everything sink in on what she was about to do. She checked her talismans to make sure she had all four and were in place. She was ready. It was time to end it. "Where are you hiding Kakken?" Lina asked out loud as she cautiously watched her environment.
"Are you finally ready to play?" Kakken mocked her as she appeared twenty feet in front of her. "Still content on trying to sealing away the Dark Lord's magic?"
Lina remained silent. Kakken knew the truth the whole time but why did she force her to come here? "If you knew what the outcome would be why force us to come all the way out here?"
"Simple, I wanted to you to realize how hopeless your situation is," Kakken said as she beamed. "You were foolish to think you could ever take on the Dark Lord."
"I'd rather take her on then be her servant."
Kakken narrowed her eyes at Lina's last statement. "Even so your power is nothing in comparison." Kakken made a slashing gesture with her arm and gold energy flew toward Lina.
Lina anticipated an attack and quickly dodged it. She had to do something to keep Kakken busy to give her time to cast the Giga Slave. But then again Kakken wanted her to cast the spell and the spell to go out of control thus attack while she was close to completing the incantation. Lina thought about her options. She decided to test the water. "Lord of the Darkness and the Four Worlds, I call upon you." Lina quietly said as her talismans began to glow.
Kakken noticed the light that began to emerge from Lina's talismans. She took a few steps back. She wasn't sure if Lina was going to cast an amplified spell or immediately use the Giga Slave. She waited.
The others looked on. Lina and told them not to interfere no matter what since the sealing magic could harm them if they were in the path.
"Something isn't right," Amelia murmured as she watched how Kakken responded to Lina. "It is as if Kakken is afraid of Lina now. But sealing magic is supposed to affect the Lord of Nightmares not her."
The rest of group remained silent as they thought about Amelia's words. They wished the battle would finally end and it would be over.
"Grant me all the power you possess!" The talismans grew brighter once the booster spelled was completed. Lina decided to cast a spell she hasn't used in a lot time. "VUN GA RUIM!" Three black beasts began to rise from the ground in front of Lina.
Kakken smirked. "Do you really think that summoning low level beasts can harm me?"
The beasts slowly walked forward closing the distance between the two, snarling each step of the way. One of the beasts moved to the front taking a command position. The beast snarled again opening its mouth more to expose its front fangs. It lunged forward at its prey.
"Ha!" Kakken said as she released a bolt of black and gold energy. "You are aware these beasts can be easily defeated by simply using dark magic that is at a higher level?" The beast disappeared as soon the magic touched it. The two beasts snarled more and ran forward in an effort to avenge its comrade.
"I take it you are in that much of a hurry to join your friend. That can be arranged!" Kakken exclaimed as she released another bolt of dark energy powerful enough to gulf both of the beasts. Kakken smiled as she looked at Lina. "You knew they would be easily defeated why did you waste your time on that spell?"
"I wonder why," Lina said with an all knowing smile. Every time Lina cast a booster spell Kakken would be on edge if she did it enough it could lower her guard or make her more anxious. Either way if gave her a slight advantage. "Lord of the Darkness and the Four Worlds, I call upon you. Grant me all the power you possess." Lina's talismans began to glow again.
Again Kakken took a few steps backward and seemed to wait for Lina's next move. She felt her heart beat quicken in anticipation.
Lina smiled before she cast her next spell. She enjoyed playing the cat and mouse game with Kakken in reverse roles. "DYNAST BRASS!"
Streaks of lighting fell from the sky landing around Kakken in a pentagram formation. Kakken quickly tried to jump out of the pentagram before the remaining lightning bolts struck the surrounding area. A larger clap of thunder was heard overheard followed by a bright flash. Kakken moved as quickly as she could but her left shoulder was clipped by the attack. She felt a twinge of pain and grabbed her shoulder with her right hand. Once she distanced herself from the pentagram she gathered energy in her hand and threw it at Lina.
"Why is she taking so long to seal the spell?" Drake asked as he observed the fight before him. "I don't get why we traveled all this way, defeated a dragon and made our way through a temple with booby traps."
"She isn't planning to seal the spell," Zelgadis said as he continued to study the movements of the two combatants.
"Why would Lina-san not do that?" Asked Amelia in a confused tone of voice. "What else is possibly going to do to stop Kakken?"
"Lina-san finally learned the truth of the sealing magic. My suspicious were correct."
"Sylphiel-san, what are you saying?" Amelia asked as she stared at the older woman.
Lina knew she couldn't draw this out much longer. She chanted the booster spell one last time, "Lord of the Darkness and the Four Worlds, I call upon you. Grant me all the power you possess." Her talismans grew brighter this time. She decided to cast one more spell before she was going to attempt the Giga Slave.
Kakken narrowed her eyes at her trying to determine if she was finally going to cast the Giga Slave this time.
Lina carefully watched her movements; she was trying to determine the best way to psych Kakken into thinking she was about to cast the Giga Slave. She pondered how she could cause the most amount of damage with the spell she was about to cast. "Oh source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson."
Kakken sighed as she realized the spell Lina was in the middle of casting. "Another meaningless spell Lina." Kakken began her own chant under her breath.
"Let thy power gather in my hand. FIREBALL!" Crimson light flew from her hands and quickly closed the gap between her and Kakken.
The fireball vanished a few feet away from Kakken as it seemed to crash into an invisible wall.
Lina knew her time was up. Kakken put up a barrier this time and she would likely attack Lina the next time she cast a spell. She toyed with Kakken like she had been toyed with for weeks believing that she would be able to seal the Dark Lord's magic while Kakken knew from the beginning it summon her to the world permanently. She looked over at her friends one last time.
"I was hoping I was wrong but based on what Lina-san has said I know why no one has ever succeeding in sealing a spell," Sylphiel said as she turned to face the others.
"What are you not telling us Sylphiel-san?" Amelia asked as the tone of her voice began to waiver and the anxiety continued to build.
"Only spells of high magic that draws power from another being can be sealed. There has been speculation for centuries on the nature of the magic. Some believed the magic could be sealed and others believed that the magic could be sealed in this world."
"What does that mean?" Drake interrupted. "My ancestors have created the magic centuries ago and it is dangerous magic so they kept the secrets hidden. The magic is to prevent the Dark Lords from taking over our world."
"No. The magic was created for their survival," Sylphiel explained as she looked at Drake. "The magic was created to protect themselves in the manner that the Dark Lord would kill them if they did not. The Lord of Nightmares can be a trickster in that regard. The Dark Lord wanted to insure a way to return back to this world. Permanently."
"So what you're staying is the Lord of Nightmares will return to this world if Lina seals the spell? After all that?" Asked Zelgadis in a disbelieving tone. After a moment his eyes widened. "The Giga Slave. The only spell that can defeat her is the Giga Slave and it goes out of control the Dark Lord will be summoned anyway."
"That is how the Lord of Nightmares plans everything out. Nothing is ever that simple. Remember she seeks destruction and what better way to assure that if she is summoned to this world," Explained Naaga as she continued to stare at Lina. "We can't do anything at this point. It is up to Lina."
"So traveling out here was all for nothing," Amelia said, her voice downcast.
"We played right into their hands by chasing us here," Zelgadis said as he felt his anger begin to rise. "All this time this case as worn us down to give Kakken the best chance to beat her."
She knew this was it. A lump began to form in her throat. The moment she has wanted to avoid since the start of this journey that took them to another continent yet she knew this was her best option. She took a deep breath for a moment as she tried to calm her racing heart in her chest. She chanted the booster spell one final time. "Lord of the Darkness and the Four Worlds, I call upon you. Grant me all the power you possess."
"Do you really think you can fool me again Lina?" Kakken asked her as she readied another attack.
Lina ignored her taunts. She knew as soon as she began to speak the next words she had to have utter concentration. The closer she came to completing the spell the more Kakken will try to attack her to have her lose her concentration to have the spell go out of control much like against Phibrizzo. She took a deep breath as she attempted to clear her thoughts and sharpen her mind. Everything that she has been working on the past few weeks came down to this one moment and it was finally upon her. It was do or die and she knew she was going to die trying.
Lina clenched her right fist as she spoke the first few words, "darkness beyond the blackest pitch," she spoke while she mentally cursed herself for casting this spell again. Energy began to crackle about the amplifiers.
Kakken smiled as she recognized the spell Lina began to cast. She knew Lina could only hold out for so long. In the past Lina had refused to cast the Giga Slave until Phibrizzo threatened Gourry's life. Kakken knew the general location of where the others stood to overlook the battle. She could not turn their direction at this time since it would tip off her hand. She had to time everything just right.
Lina's heart continued to race and it was now pounding in her ears. "Deeper than the deepest night," she said as she could feel the black energy filling her. The energy crackled around her giving her an even larger adrenalin rush. She looked at Kakken determined to wipe the smirk off her face. She out stretched her fingers as the energy surged between them.
"Lord of Darkness," Lina continued to speak as images of the last time she cast the spell came to mind. She squinted her eyes shut as she tried to purge those thoughts from her mind's eye. She needed utter concentration from now.
"Shinning like gold upon the Sea of Chaos," Lina continued to chant. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't erase the image of the Lord of Nightmares possessing her body that she had seen in her nightmares. She could never figure out why the Lord of Nightmares wanted her to remember that experience. The only thing she could guess was to torment her as much as possible. Lina dared not look at the others.
"We can't just stand here and do nothing!" Gourry exclaimed as he started to move forward.
Zelgadis put his arm in front of Gourry to prevent him from moving forward.
"You can't interrupt now that Lina has begun to cast the Giga Slave. She needs to be able to fully concentrate," Zelgadis explained to Gourry.
"But the magic is too dangerous! She almost didn't make it last time!" Gourry pleaded with Zelgadis as he started to push his way forward.
"But Gourry-sama distracting Lina means she will not succeed," Sylphiel explained him. Although Sylphiel never wanted Lina to cast the Giga Slave again it was safer for her to cast the dark magic than the sealing magic.
Gourry stopped his attempts to move forward as he processed the information Sylphiel had said. The last thing he wanted to do was endanger Lina.
"I call upon thee, swear myself to thee!" Lina exclaimed as she closed her eyes. She felt the power begin to consume her. She was so close to ending everything. An image of Phibrizzo screaming as he tried to run away from the Lord of Nightmares before his body disintegrated flashed in her mind. She took another deep breath erasing the image from her thoughts.
"Let the fools who stand before us," Lina smirked as she spoke the words. She was wondering if she was really the fool. It was too late to turn back. She turned her attention to Kakken.
Kakken continued to build energy for a final attack. She closed her eyes for a few moments and she strained to reform the energy into a new shape. She extended her fingers as she continued to gather more energy. Her face continued to tense as she reshaped the black energy into a sword. The sword crackled with black energy. The energy was borrowed from the Lord of Nightmares. Kakken was given strict orders to only use the magic when Lina cast the Giga Slave. With her right hand Kakken brushed it over the blade and the black energy condensed into a sharp point and a thinner blade.
"Be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" Lina exclaimed as the energy surged around her into a large black mass above her head. She thought back to the first time she cast this spell to defeat Shabranigdu. She told herself she would have the same results and defeat Kakken. She was hoping she wasn't lying to herself. She had two words left to finish the incantation.
Kakken eyed her prey for the first time. Within seconds of Lina finishing her spell she had to strike. Her freedom from the Dark Lord was at stake.
"GIGA SLAVE!" Lina exclaimed as the energy swirled above her outstretched arms. She felt her heart continue to race and focused on defeating Kakken.
Kakken smiled and charged forward in Lina's direction.
Lina noticed the movement from the corner of her eye and quickly turned her head as she saw the oncoming attack. She took a few steps back in an effort to avoid the assault. Kakken's pace seemed to pick up as she pasted Lina. Lina watched for a moment as she tried to make sense of Kakken's actions. Then she realized her target was someone else. She felt her heart stop. It was just like how it was against Phibrizzo. Gourry was the target.
Sylphiel jumped in front of Gourry her scepter in her hands.
"Sylphiel what are you doing?" Exclaimed Gourry as he was bewildered by her actions. "She is too powerful!"
Kakken continued to rush forward at the group, her sword drawn. She was within seconds of them.
Lina began to feel the energy disperse in different directions. Her head snapped back as she looked at the energy that swirled above her head. The sight of Kakken attacking Gourry forced her to break part of her concentration. She had to dig deep to prevent herself from letter any more of the energy escape. She was afraid to see what was about to happen but she knew she had to watch and remain in control.
Kakken charged forward her arm outstretched. She swung at Sylphiel. Her sword met resistance and seemed to prevent the sword from scratching Sylphiel and Gourry. Kakken pushed her sword down even more and tried to cut through the barrier.
Sylphiel gripped her scepter tighter as she tried to push Kakken back. It was a battle between white magic and black magic. Amelia saw Sylphiel being pushed back and rushed to her side. She added her powers to the spell which pushed Kakken slightly back.
"Do you think that two white mages can compare with the magic I have received from the Dark Lord?" Kakken taunted them as energy burst forward from the sword and began to close the gap between her and the others.
Lina turned her attention back to the spell above her hand. It seemed as if the others could hold Kakken back temporarily. But if they aren't able to get Kakken away from them she couldn't use the Giga Slave against Kakken since the group would be caught in the blast regardless of how many protection spells they cast. She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to refocus her mind. She knew she could only keep the spell at bay for so long. Kakken tried to have her lose control by attacking Gourry and now she is trying her best to continue to attack the others that would be in the blast radius of the spell.
Amelia and Sylphiel continued to keep Kakken at bay. Amelia wasn't sure how much she could keep Kakken at bay. All of the sudden Kakken was pushed back a few steps. Amelia looked to her right and noticed Zelgadis beside her adding his magic to the group.
Kakken narrowed her eyes. She was not expecting the others to be able to prevent her from attacking. She hadn't tapped into her energy reserves yet and she had to stay with the others longer. The longer she was with them the more strain was placed on Lina trying to hold on to the spell cast above her.
"How is it a colored sorceress can sit there and do nothing?" Lina taunted Naaga as she stood idly by. Lina knew if Naaga added her powers that would be able to push Kakken back enough. "And you call yourself my greatest rival?" Lina said to she tried to continue to push Naaga to her limit.
Naaga began to glare at Lina for a moment before she laughed. "But I am your greatest rival!" She continued to laugh in a carefree manner. "I have proven myself over and over again!"
"You have a funny way of showing it," Lina shout back at her. "I mean Amelia is doing a better job than you are at this point."
Mentioning Amelia seemed to hit a nerve with Naaga. "I'll show you why I'm you're greatest rival!" Naaga exclaimed as she added her power to the group which knocked Kaken back several yards and off her feet. The energy she had collected disappeared.
Lina smiled as her plan paid off. Kakken was now separated from the others. Lina took a deep breath as she felt her energy being drained from continuing to hold the spell in check. She was running out of time she need to cast off the magic or she would lose control.
Kakken began to stagger to her feet. She was caught off guard. After everything that happened Lina was able to remain in control of the Giga Slave. She knew at that moment she was on borrowed time. She was out of ideas that could lead to Lina losing control. She looked over at Lina and for the first time noticed how hard she was struggling to maintain control. As long as Kakken was near the others she could never cast the Giga Slave or she might endanger them. Kakken smiled as she planned her next course of action.
Lina knew time was up and she had to act. She had to put herself in a position between Kakken and the others. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself for what she was about to do. Lina turned herself toward Kakken and began to run forward.
Zelgadis was aware of Lina's actions. They needed to run away as fast as possible without alarming Kakken. "Guys we need to move now," Zelgadis said with an urgent tone as he gestured to Lina as she quickly approached. The group quickly summoned raywing to leave the area despite Gourry's protests to stay behind to protect Lina.
The sounds of movement caused Kakken to turn around and noticed the others fleeing. A crackling sound behind her made her turn around just in time to see Lina surrounded by black energy. She was frozen in place in fear. She knew she lost as she looked at the Giga Slave before. Her time was up. She didn't have time to scream. She closed her eyes one final time as felt the magic of the Lord of Nightmares consume her. She lost.
The others looked up in surprise as Lina and Gourry reappeared. They couldn't believe Gourry was able to pull Lina out of the Sea of Chaos after she lost control of the Giga Slave against Phibrizzo. "Lina-san! Gourry-san!" Sylphiel exclaimed as she looked at duo.
Lina and Gourry slowly separated. The closeness between the two of them created feelings of embarrassment. Gourry broke the silence first, "Lina! When did you.."
His statement trailed off as Lina cut him off, "what are you doing here? Huh?" Lina said as she looked down and realized Gourry had his arms around her.
Gourry became to panic as he withdrew his arms "Argh! And what am I doing?!"
Lina's eyebrow twitched at him as she felt her anger rise. "Why you…what do you think you're doing?" Lina yelled at him as she clobbered him in the face with strength that knocked him off the top of a building into the water below.
Everything was back to normal.
After years, literally, the story has finally come to a conclusion. Hope everyone enjoyed it!