Final Fantasy: Rise of Despair
Sorry for the delay, lately there have been several circumstances beyond my control, but enough excuses, you're here to read another chapter and so you shall.
BTW… it has come to my attention that one source says Acid reduces defense while another source says it inflicts a random status effect. Since I haven't played the game in a while would someone care to tell me which it is?
When we last left off, Harris and Heidi rekindled their trust in each other as Harris taught Heidi the full nature of her new-found abilities, meantime the rest of the party has reunited at an old fort being used by Clan Liberation. But now with the Black Army upon them, can they escape? And will Harris and Heidi arrive in time? And how shall Cole deal with General Diabol with the other two Racemasters incapacitated?
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: Tactics Advance, I do own the characters and plot.
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The Five Racemasters
Cole and Diabol stared at each other for a moment. "So then… what's it going to be? A slow and painful death as you try to oppose me? Or a quick painless death by way of a simple surrender?" Diabol asked Cole.
"I'll take door number three." Cole said as his shape changed to a more hulking body.
"Door three?"
"Yes…" Cole growled as he finished changing in to a Fire Wyrm. "Defeating you!" Cole lunged towards Diabol, sending sand flying as he ran on all fours.
"Hmph… black tendrils!" From each fingertip, Diabol sent dark purple tendrils made of mana towards Cole. Cole avoided one but was pierced by eight others.
"Grrrrrr…" Cole was struggling against the tendrils as they pushed against him.
"Heh heh heh…" Diabol aimed a free finger at Matt and Casey, sending one other tendril towards them.
"Crap!" They thought.
"No!" Cole grabbed the tendrils and yanked Diabol towards him.
"Ah!" Diabol gasped as he was yanked off of his feet. Diabol was pulled face to face with Cole as Cole opened his mouth and let loose a stream of fire. "AUGH!" Diabol was sent reeling backwards as Cole returned to normal.
"Flare!" Cole immediately cast a flare spell, causing the air to heat up around Diabol.
"Hmph." Diabol, in spite of his burns, jumped back in time to avoid the explosion. "Black Blast!" Diabol gathered black mana and fired it in a concentrated orb that collided with Cole.
"Oof!" The orb pushed Cole backwards several feet before exploding.
"Ha ha ha… huh?" The next thing Diabol knew, Cole was right behind him and holding him.
"Let's take this elsewhere shall we?" Cole asked as he stomped a foot and caused a dark pink magic circle to form beneath them.
"What?"
"Teleport!" In a bright flash of light, Cole and Diabol were nowhere to be seen.
"And he left us…" Matt thought.
"Well that's great. What are we supposed to do now?" Casey asked.
"How about twenty questions?" Matt suggested.
"Ugh… fine…" Casey groaned in his head.
Meanwhile…
"Ugh!"
"Gwa!"
"Gack!"
"Ack!" Left and right black soldiers or clan Liberation members were falling as the madhouse erupted.
"Here I go! Bolt sword!" Mendoza formed a sword made from lightning and began slashing and electrifying many black soldiers at once before it disappeared. Just before about three black soldiers were about to jump him…
"Fira!" Gilbert incinerated the three soldiers before they could lay a hand on Mendoza.
"My thanks to you!" Mendoza saluted before impaling a soldier on his blade.
"Stop shot!" Monty fired bullets with a glowing green aura that stopped soldiers in their tracks and in time.
"Sonic boom!" Hunter fired an arrow in the midst of about half a dozen soldiers. Once it struck ground in immediately exploded in a blast of sound.
"Rah!" A few soldiers were preparing to jump Hunter from behind when…
"Bangaa Cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Kyle intercepted the lot of them with a single bangaa cry attack.
"Gaaaaaahhh!!!"
"Whoa! Faster! Faster!" Hunter fired three arrows in quick succession and nailed three that were about to jump Kyle from behind.
"My thanks to you! Soul Sphere!" Kyle cast a spell that formed an orb of purple mana in the midst of a group of spellcasters.
"Huh? My mana is UGH!"
"Gone? Oh that's too bad…" Toxin said coyly as she drew her katana from the back of the nu mou.
"Twister!"
"Hmph." Toxin disappeared before the light purple twister spell could strike her.
"Ahhhhh! Help!" A few clan Liberation members were disarmed and about to be skewered when.
"Fire whip!" Toxin appeared in front of them and disabled all of the soldiers with a single crack of a whip made from flames.
"Huh?"
"Take this!" Toxin then zipped through the lot of them and skewered all of the black soldiers.
"Augh!"
"Heads up!"
"Hm?" Toxin suddenly heard a flurry of arrows about to rain down on the lot of them when…
"Secret art! Soil Veil!" A wall of earth rose up in front of Toxin and the Clan Liberation members and protected them from the arrows.
"Seth thank you." Toxin said.
"Not a problem!" Seth said as he leaped over the wall while throwing shuriken at as many black soldiers as he could before jumping in with his katana, Toxin soon following behind him.
"Tempest!" Syack raised his hands in to the air and called down a storm of lightning bolts to strike several Black soldiers at once.
"Augh!"
"Gah!"
"Now face Freezeblink!" Syack then caused icicles to erupt in various places across the battlefield, skewering or freezing Black Soldiers alive.
"He's open! Attack now!"
"Ah!" Syack turned around to find several soldiers about to strike him when…
"Ramuh!" Ramuh appeared above Syack and struck the ground with his staff.
"AH!" The many soldiers yelled as a wave of electricity coursed across the ground and through their ranks.
"Thanks." Syack said.
"Not a problem. Fira! Blizzara!" Laura then launched fireballs and icicles at many black soldiers before fencing off four soldiers at once with her rapier.
"What are we fighting? Demons or something?" A soldier asked another.
"I don't know, but these guys are outrageously strong." The soldier said back to him.
"You don't know the half of it!" Adam said as he appeared behind them, wrapped his arms around their necks and then snapped them. Adam then let them go, drew his sword and spun around to slash three soldiers in the stomach at once. "Tremor!" Adam stomped a foot and caused a slight tremor that sent numerous soldiers around him sprawling across the ground.
"Jump him!" Several soldiers attempted to jump him from several directions at once.
"Expert Guard!" Adam took a defensive stance and easily intercepted all of the attacks. "Bonecrusher!" Adam then performed a mighty counter-attack that killed all of the soldiers on top of him.
"Steal weapon!" Brently zipped through the ranks of a few black soldiers, grabbing all of their weapons.
"Hey my weapon!"
"Here… have it back!" Brently hurled all of the swords and knives he grabbed and embedded them in the heads of chests of any black soldiers. Brently then back flipped over the top of a dozen black soldiers while throwing knife after knife at them.
"Gah!"
"That short guy won't hold still." Another Black soldiers said.
"Short!!! AAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!" Brently shouted while drawing more throwing knives.
"Rah! Rah rah!" Blaze cried as his fireballs incinerated any black soldiers unlucky enough to get struck by them. "Blazing Blitz!" Blaze took several aimed punches at any black soldiers around him, killing them instantly. "Hiyah!" Blaze then punches his way through a crowd before turning around while drawing a fist back. "Fire fist!" He sent a small ball of flame in the middle of a crowd of black soldiers where it exploded violently.
"GAH!" The black soldiers screamed as the flames roasted them.
"Jeez… you'd think one-million soldiers would be enough to take these guys." A female voice said.
"Patience Colonel Cious, the battle is far from over." Colonel Ize responded with a smile.
"True… but let's speed things up a little bit shall we?" Cious asked.
"Of course." Ize said as he drew his sabers. Cious drew a katana and the two charged through their ranks at high speeds. Once they were among the Clan Liberation members, members started dying left and right. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Ize laughed.
"Hm?" Blaze stopped fighting for a brief moment and turned towards the source of the laughter. "It's… him…" Blaze whispered.
"Twister!" Ize caused a light purple tornado to ravage eight Clan Liberation members attempting to jump him. "Is this all you have?" Ize asked cockily. "Hm? Whoa!" Ize raised his sabers and blocked a flaming karate chop from Blaze. "Wha… who the hell are you?" Ize asked as he looked in to Blaze's angry eyes.
"Grrrrr…" Blaze jumped back, the soldiers cleared space for the two because they could feel an intense fight coming on. "You recall the night you murdered the family of Benance?" Blaze asked.
"Family of Benance? That sounds like a noble family… but you don't find those around any longer." Ize said.
"That family died by your hands." Blaze hissed at him. "But you made the mistake, of overlooking the successor to the house."
"Ha, I cleared out many noble families, why should I bother to remember each one I kill?" Ize asked as he took a fighting stance. "And what does it matter to you?"
"EVERYTHING!!!" Blaze shouted as he charged at Ize.
"Hm? Ize what are you getting yourself in to now?" Cious asked as she turned to where Ize was now locked in combat against Blaze. Cious then turned and raised her katana, blocking Toxin's katana.
"You…" Toxin hissed. "It's been a few years… but I recognize that voice…" Toxin hissed.
"And you are?" Cious asked as the two continued to push against each other.
"Your death." Toxin said. "Rah!" The two broke away from each other and began trading blades.
Meanwhile…
Roda Volcano, at the top of the mountain were several plateaus with rivers of lava oozing down the side of the mountain. At the top of one such plateau, a flash of light occurred and when it died down, Cole and Diabol were at the top of it struggling against each other.
"Grrrr… why take us to a volcano?" Diabol asked.
"Easy, no one will interrupt us here." Cole said.
"Good. Rah!" Diabol, in a surge of strength, threw Cole off of him and sent him tumbling towards a pool of lava. Cole teleported to the other side of the lava river before he landed in it and regained his balance.
"Blizzaja!" Cole cast a spell, causing the temperature to drop drastically around Diabol.
"Black wall!" Diabol surrounded himself with a black dome of mana before a pillar of ice erupted around him. Diabol remained safe on the inside of the dome of mana.
"Great… I can't see him now."
"Ha ha ha!" Suddenly the ice exploded and two tentacles made of purple mana flew at Cole. Cole jumped one and ducked the other. The tentacles swiped by a large boulder and left two clean cuts through it, causing it to slide apart.
"What the heck?" Cole noticed that Diabol had what looked like brass knuckles that had a knife extending from it. "Trench knives?"
"Yes, I found them to be very useful." Diabol said. "Black blast!"
"Waterga!" Cole intercepted the attack with a pillar of water that not only stopped the attack but went on towards Diabol.
"Black pulse!" A giant black orb of mana formed in front of Diabol that stopped the water rushing at him. It then started pulsating and then rapidly firing thing black beams of mana at Cole.
"Aeroga!" Cole created a twister that caught every black beam that hit it. The beams started circling around and around in it before the tornado disappeared. "Whoa!"
"Ah!" Both Cole and Diabol sought cover as the black beams went flying everywhere, sending chunks of rock and lava flying everywhere as they hit ground.
"Stardust!" Cole summoned down a meteor storm focused in the area Diabol was in.
"You want to play rough eh? Black Gale!" Diabol raised both hands above him, aimed at the many meteors heading towards him. Suddenly a whirlwind of purple mana swirled towards the meteors, shredding them to bits and causing several rocks to come crumbling down.
"Prominence!" Cole this time stirred up the lava, when suddenly parts of the rivers of lava leaped out like serpents towards Diabol.
"You just won't give me a chance will you? Heh… Black Tornado!" This time a whirlwind of black mana formed around him that blew away the lava before it picked up several stones and threw them all around Diabol, even striking Cole.
"Ah!" Cole cried as each stone flew in to him and struck him with violent force.
"Got him!" Diabol created the tentacles around the trench knives and swung them at Cole. Cole received two nasty cuts on his torso from the tentacles.
"Ah!"
"Black tendrils!" Diabol continued to swing the knives at Cole while creating more tentacles from his fingers, easy since the knives were around his fingers. Cole was now facing an assault of twelve tentacles all rapidly thrusting at him.
"Meteor!" Cole called down a gigantic meteor that was flying for Diabol.
"Wha!" Diabol jumped back but was blown back by the boom the meteor made when it hit ground. "Gah!" Lucky for him he didn't land in any lava. Cole teleported to where Diabol was previously standing.
"This… is going to take a while…" Cole sighed.
Meanwhile…
"Fire render!" Blaze threw a large fireball at Ize, who simply used water veil to intercept the attack and created a lot of steam. "I can't see him…" Blaze muttered under his breath.
"Twister!"
"Huh?" Blaze noticed the twister circling around him, blowing out his flames and slicing him from all around him. "AUGH!"
"Heh…" Ize charged with both sabers drawn, ready to slice open Blaze's guts.
"Wild Swing!" Blaze used an ordinary wild swing move right before Ize was about to strike him and knocked him away long enough for him to re-ignite his arms. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Blaze began a wild barrage of attacks on Ize, who was barely keeping speed with blocking the fierce punches.
"Why you…" Ize managed to jump over the top of Blaze, sheathing his swords while drawing a fist back. "Goblin punch!"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Blaze's flaming fist met with Ize's goblin punch attack. The sheer force of both attacks striking each other sent the two of them skidding backwards, clutching the fists they threw. "Augh…"
"That's… hot…" Ize growled.
"Heavy Dust!" Toxin cast a spell that caused the dust around Cious to cluster together and then cling to her.
"With my ribbon your elemantist magic has little effect on me." Cious said in a bored tone as she charged with her katana. The two swung their blades, each one aiming for a vital spot but each slash being intercepted at every swing. The two jumped away for a moment, showing their cuts, before rushing right back at each other and continuing to rapidly swing blades at each other again.
"Maybe my magic doesn't work well on you…" Toxin said as her lips curled in to a smile underneath her mask. "But it doesn't have to work on you directly now does it?"
"What?"
"Shining air!" Toxin caused the air itself to glow brightly with yellow light, concealing her from Cious' view.
"Wha… where did she go?" Cious studied the chaotic surroundings carefully, trying to find her before Toxin made her move. Cious turned around and jumped back to avoid a slash from Toxin that still left a cut on her arm. "Augh!"
"Ready to die!?" Toxin yelled as she jumped for the finishing blow.
"Fine… you forced this out of me…" Cious hissed as she pressed a palm against the ground. Underneath her hand, a light blue magic circle formed. "I call upon thee! Shiva!"
"What?" Toxin stopped and looked at Shiva, as she appeared above her.
"Freeze her in place!" Cious commanded. Shiva plunged her sword in to the ground, causing ice to spread across the ground and trap Toxin at her ankles.
"Crap!" Toxin cried.
"Augh! I'm stuck!" A black soldier around them yelled.
"We're trapped!" A Clan Liberation member shouted.
"Now die!" Cious skated across the ice closer and closer towards Toxin with her blade ready to slice her.
"Fall back everyone!" Adam ordered as he threw off a bunch of black soldiers that clambered on top of him.
"But what about Toxin and Blaze?" Seth shouted as he used Prominence Veil to throw multiple Black soldiers in to confusion.
"Those guys can take care of themselves!" Hunter shouted as he paced backwards, firing arrows as he did so.
"I'll cover you guys! Wild Tornado!" Syack called upon a large twister to severely injure or kill black soldiers while the Clan Liberation members and our heroes retreated closer to the fort.
"Rah! Rah!"
"Ha! Hiyah!" Both Blaze and Ize were practically dancing around each other as they threw powerful fists and sword slashes at each other.
"Guard off!" Ize tapped Blaze with a glowing red hand, immediately Blaze felt himself less able to take an attack from Ize.
"Fire fist!" Blaze jumped back and threw a small fireball at Ize that exploded and sent him skidding backwards.
"Magic hammer!" Ize summoned a hammer above Blaze, which struck him and damaged his mana.
"Gah!" Blaze had trouble controlling his mana right after the hammer hit him and was thus having a hard time maintaining his flames, which was all the advantage Ize needed.
"Water jujutsu! Water Veil!" Ize used Blaze's brief distraction and used water veil on him, extinguishing the flames on his arms.
"Ah!" The next thing Blaze knew, shuriken were thrown in to his torso.
"Try fighting me without your precious flames!" Ize shouted as he rushed him and began swinging his sabers quickly with Blaze barely dodging each swing of the blade and receiving nasty cuts and gashes.
"Argh!"
"Die!" Cious shouted as she drew closer to Toxin.
"Fire whip!" Toxin created a whip and twirled it to where the length of it snaked around her body, melting the ice at her feet. She quickly swung her blade with violent force and knocked Cious to the side. As Cious slid she created another magic circle that was brown in color.
"Titan!" Titan came from the magic circle and stomped his gigantic foot, causing a slab of rock to strike Toxin in the gut and send her flying backwards.
"Oof!" The wind was knocked violently out of Toxin before she tumbled across the ground. "Elemental shift!" Toxin cast a spell directly on Cious, nothing appeared to happen as Cious created another magic circle.
"Ramuh! Strike her down!" Cious called upon Ramuh.
"Grrrr…" Toxin stood up and looked at the ancient esper floating a few yards away raise its staff. Toxin ran forward, barely avoiding each lightning strike before Ramuh finally disappeared. "Fire whip!" Toxin whipped the line of flames at Cious, who avoided it with ease.
"Hiyah!" Cious flipped through the air and attempted to bring her blade on top of Toxin, who barely blocked the blade.
Meanwhile…
"I'm thinking of a vegetable…" Matt thought.
"Tomato…" Casey guessed.
"Tomatoes are not vegetables!" Matt yelled in his thoughts.
"Yes they are!" Casey yelled.
"They're fruits!" Matt yelled back in thought.
"They are not!" Casey argued back.
Meanwhile…
"Giga Flare!"
"Dark Flare!" Diabol avoided the massive explosion and cast a spell that was similar to shadowflare, but it obviously was much more powerful as the darkness surged outward with as much force as Cole's giga flare.
"Star Cross!" Cole created a holy eight-pointed star above him.
"Black pulse!" Diabol created the sphere of dark mana on top of the star cross attack. The two attacks reacted very violently with each other. They hovered in mid air above the two with both mana types swirling and seemingly fighting each other. Sending out blasts of holy and dark mana flying all around the battlefield. The two teleported almost right underneath it and clutched hands with each other.
"Your magic… is nothing compared to mine…" Cole growled as the two seemed to be forcibly pushed apart as they both focused mana between them, trying to overpower the other.
"What makes you think that? Mine is superior to yours in every way! Your magic is such conventional magic! What makes you think it can overpower mine?" Diabol asked confidently as blasts of dark and holy mana flew all around them, sending stone and lava flying everywhere.
"Because my magic was earned through rigorous training! And it is not tainted by blackness!" Cole yelled at him. Finally a blast of combined dark and holy mana flew in between them and sent them both flying backwards.
"Grrrr… another day nu mou Racemaster. And next we meet I will prove I am the superior mage." Diabol cringed as he sunk in to a puddle of blackness.
"Heh… heh… I need to… get back to the others." Cole panted.
Meanwhile…
"Grrrrrrrr…" Both Cious and Toxin were practically at each other's throats. They're swords were locked and were close to each other's faces. "You… will not win…" Toxin hissed.
"Wrong… I am a colonel! You are but a lowly peasant! Not a warrior!" Cious yelled.
"You're the one who is wrong! Sliprain!" Toxin cast sliprain on Cious.
"Ah!" Cious found herself pained by the attack greatly. "What?"
"Ha!" Toxin tried to take advantage of the moment by dealing the deathblow. However Cious jumped backwards and received only a light cut down her torso. "Madeen!" Madeen loomed over Toxin as it gathered up holy energy in its mouth.
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!" Toxin ran forward in spite of the danger that loomed in front of her. Madeen opened its mouth and fired a massive ray of holy energy at Toxin.
KAAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOMMMM
"AUGH!!!"
"Ha ha ha ha…"
"Toxin!" Seth shouted when he saw the explosion. "Soil veil!" Seth created a tunnel of earth that formed something of a safe shelter to Cious and Toxin. He ran through the tunnel while cleaving through any black soldier stupid enough to try and enter it. When Seth came out the other end. "No way…"
"Heh…"
"You…" Seth stuttered for a minute. "You did it." Seth said relieved. He saw Toxin standing there, heavily bruised with her blade protruding out of Cious' back.
"Barely… Madeen's attack, did graze me a bit…"
"Whoa!" Seth grabbed Toxin and ducked back in to the tunnel to avoid the rain of arrows and spells launched at them. "We've got to get back to the others!" Seth shouted.
"AUGH!" Blaze felt Ize's saber penetrate through his torso before Ize withdrew the blade and let him hit the ground.
"Damn… missed a vital organ." Ize said. "Oh well… I'll kill you now." Ize said. "Hm? Whoa!" Ize narrowly avoided a flurry of lightning bolts aimed at him. Kyle landed in front of Blaze and scooped him up. "You…" Ize growled.
"I don't particularly like this guy but… we do share a common enemy." Kyle growled at Ize.
"So you're going to fight me? Heh… face it, you know you're no match for me." Ize said.
"Yeah… but who said anything about fighting you!" Kyle inhaled and breathed flames at his feet, blocking him from Ize's view. When the flames cleared, Kyle was already jumping over the many soldiers back to the frontlines.
"Why that little…"
"Colonel Ize sir! Report that there are two figures on chocobos coming behind us!" A soldier reported to Ize.
"Ours?" Ize asked.
"No… I don't think so…" The soldiers said. "And… I just got word from Diabol that you are to withdraw while the rest of us continue the assault." The soldiers said.
"Gah!" Ize shouted in frustration. "Just like one of those generals to rob me of my fun!" Ize cursed. "Fine." Ize formed a metal veil around him and disappeared.
"Well men… charge! Nothing can stop us now!"
"Gah! They're advancing!" Laura shouted as she summoned Madeen and cleared out several soldiers in front of her while walking backwards slowly.
"I have Blaze!" Kyle shouted as he rejoined the ranks.
"I managed to retrieve Toxin!" Seth shouted. "But she's in no condition to fight right now."
"Neither is Blaze from the looks of it!" Gilbert noted as he cast Meteor.
"We can't lose now!" Adam shouted as he cleaved through any soldiers that came at him.
"I hate to admit it… but we just might at this rate." Hunter said.
"Hang on!" Monty, now on the fort walls, looked through his binoculars and looked past the army. "Two figures are riding in from the back!"
Meanwhile…
"Sheesh, for an army this large they move fast." Harris said as he and Heidi rode through the woods on their chocobos.
"Hey, at least they led us to our allies." Heidi said. "Now we just need to cut through here."
"Right." Harris said as they rode out in to the open.
Meanwhile…
"Hey! I think we might be saved!" Monty shouted almost hysterically.
"That's right! Because we're here!" Matt shouted as he, Casey, and Cole appeared right next to Monty.
"What took so long?" Syack yelled.
"Never mind that!" Casey yelled.
"But I was talking about what's behind the army!" Monty shouted, barely able to contain his excitement. "I thought I saw symbols on the back of the left hands of those guys behind the army! It's got to be the human and viera Racemasters!"
"WHAT?!?!" The three Racemasters shouted. Nobody seemed to notice their surprise as these words.
"Did he just say what I think he said?" Casey asked.
"He did… but what would make Harris change his mind like that?" Cole asked.
"And furthermore… the viera Racemaster? No that's not possible…" Matt thought.
"We should assist in defensive measures, let's see if he's right…" Cole thought.
"Right." Casey agreed.
"Okay." Matt agreed.
Harris and Heidi approached the army from behind while gathering mana.
"Hey! I see some guys behind us!" A soldier shouted.
"Are they friendly?"
"FIRAJA!!!" Harris yelled.
"RAMUH!!!" Heidi yelled. A massive blast of fire blazed through the black army along with a just as massive blast of lightning that also burned a trail through the black army.
"OH MY F…!!!" A black soldier shouted before the flames cut him off.
"WE ARE F…!!!" Another shouted before the lightning struck him.
"Here we go!" Harris and Heidi jumped off of their chocobos, which turned and ran away. Harris and Heidi drew their swords and ran for the Black Army.
"Prepare to engage!"
"Faster!" Both Harris and Heidi disappeared in brief surges in speed before resuming normal running speed. Many soldiers fell from the attacks, many more prepared to fire arrows at them. The arrows flew but Harris and Heidi easily evaded each arrow that was fired at them. Harris jumped in to the air. "Sonic boom!" Harris threw several kunai that made massive sonic booms when they hit the ground.
"Multi-shot!" Heidi fired an arrow that split in to countless arrows, piercing several soldiers at once. "Ifrit!" Heidi summoned Ifrit right in front of her, Ifrit flying ahead burning through the army.
"Holy blade!" Both of Harris' swords glowed brightly, he ran through and easily cleaved through all of the soldiers. Both of them skid to a stop right in front of the group of heroes, all of them staring in awe.
"Whoa…" They all said. The black army paused to stare at this too. The other three Racemasters jumped down right next to Harris and Heidi.
"This is… what it's like to be among… all five of them…" Hunter said.
"It… feels… intense…" Mendoza said.
"Harris… what is going on?" Cole thought to Harris.
"Who are you?" Matt asked Heidi.
"I suppose I do owe you all an explanation, but that can wait for now." Harris said.
"You guys know who I am." Heidi thought to them.
"Heidi?" Casey asked surprised.
"Gah… Harris is right… we need to take care of this first." Cole said as he looked at the army, now charging at them.
"Here's a thought… let's try that." Harris said.
"THAT!!! BUT WE HAVEN'T PUT IT IN PRACTICE YET!!!" Matt thought to them.
"It seems like a good idea, but what if it goes wrong?" Casey asked.
"Um… oh… I… I think I can do it. It's… all here now." Heidi thought.
"Harris that is a crazy idea, especially since…" Cole started.
"We can and will do it!" Harris asserted.
"Okay." The other four thought. The four held our their hands in front of them and began gathering mana as they chanted simultaneously. "Breath of life, gather your strength before us who are masters of our race! We who command thy power beseech thee to lend your strength to show thy might to thy foe! Let your voice ring in harmony within the light…" Mana was gathering in front of all of them, they brought their hands closer to each other, forming a large, pulsating orb of mana.
"It's… unstable…" Cole cringed as he thought spoke to the other four.
"Almost… have it…" Heidi thought.
"It's… very powerful…" Casey thought.
"Almost…" Matt thought.
"Got it! Now!" Harris thought. The five looked at the army.
"ULTIMA UNLIMITED!!!" The five of them pointed their palms at the army, the orb of mana shot from their hands and landed somewhere near the middle of the charging army.
"Wha?" The army turned to where the orb landed. Suddenly, a massive, powerful dome of purple mana expanded and began to consume the entire army.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"That… mana is… almost unbearable…" Laura cringed.
"Even I can feel it…" Mendoza cringed.
"So much raw power…" Adam groaned. A bright flash of light ensued, blinding nearly everyone. When the light died down, the army was gone with no trace of it left. The land in front of them had all of the grass uprooted, exposing the earth beneath it.
"Absolutely… incredible…" Kyle said in awe. The five Racemasters turned around and looked at the group as they walked forward. Everyone there stared, savoring this historic moment, this moment they stood in the very presence of such legends.
"Racemasters… we've looked for you guys but… we couldn't find you." Monty said.
"What made you come to us?" Gilbert asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" Harris asked.
"Hang on… HARRIS!?!?!" Laura gasped. "Oh my…"
"Hold up! You were the human Racemaster the whole time?!?" Hunter asked, exasperated.
"I'm surprised you guys don't recognize me." Heidi said with a smile.
"HEIDI-SAMA?!?!" Monty and Mendoza gawked.
"Harris what is going on?" Cole asked.
"Ha ha ha." Harris chuckled. "Alright alright… let's get situated and… those two taken care of." Harris said as he noticed Toxin and Blaze. "Who are those guys anyways?"
"Oh never mind that for now. We can find out later." Heidi said. "Unicorn!" Heidi summoned unicorn, it loomed over the group, and aimed its horn below, sending curative mana through the whole group.
"Uh… what happened?" Blaze asked.
"I'll explain, everything." Harris said.
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Well, what do you guys think? The finale is coming soon. Expect some action packed chapters in the future. But now both sides must and only one side can triumph! Will it be hope? Or despair? Read and review.
