Turns out I was wrong, only this time for the better! I was rather miraculously able to finish this chapter off in a week! I wanted to get this out yesterday, but alas, the site was down.

Well, the final stretch is coming. Just one chapter left after this, maybe two at the most! By the way, I'd like to take the time to say that action scenes are a joy to read, but a pain in the ass to write! I hope you enjoy it, though.

Oh, for those who want a more complete of the villain's demon form, see Chapter 6: Templar's Tale.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 28: Clash of the Titans

"Run."

Beast Boy didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Raven by the shoulder, and they took off as Calabos's body continued to shift and grow.

"Guys, what the hell's happening?" Jinx asked above the commotion.

"He's become enraged!" Raven answered. "He's - he's turning into his demon form!"

A deep, inhuman laugh echoed from behind them. Beast Boy chanced a glance back, and regretted it. Just like Raven, Calabos too had a demon form that only came out when he had lost control. They had seen it once, but only in a vision. It was a whole other level seeing it in person. It was just as scary as he remembered it. His tall, black, body now filled the room. The demon turned his samurai helmet-shaped head and 'stared' him down from across the hall. Even though he had no eyes, Beast Boy knew he was focused on him.

Calabos took a giant step forward and pursued the fleeing teens down the corridor. His huge form only barely fit between the walls, but that didn't seem to hinder him. He toppled statues, threw torches, and pretty much destroyed everything in his path. Starfire took a chance and fired a starbolt at him, but he deflected it with ease. Cyborg tried hitting him with a sonic blast, but that was met with the same result. By blessed luck, they came to a set of stairs that was too narrow for him to pass through. The pack flew up while he was left stranded below, but they knew it wouldn't hold him for long.

"Are we running, or are we fighting?" Cyborg asked the rest.

"We have to get Raven out of here!" Robin shouted. "Raven, you have to escape while you still can!"

"I can't just leave you!" she shouted. She couldn't just abandon them to fight him themselves!

"We can't risk you getting killed! That's exactly what he wants! You have to get out now!"

"I'm not going to abandon you!" Raven protested.

"Robin's right!" Beast Boy said. He looked Raven in the eye and took her hand. "Please, Raven. Just go. We'll be back. I promise." The footsteps of something massive approaching from below could be heard. "He's coming. Quick, you gotta go. Just find somewhere to hide, at least."

Raven hesitated, but grudgingly nodded, and flew off. Not long after she left, the wall around the stairwell shattered, and Calabos's huge form appeared.

"Here!" Worek shouted. He stood in front of a set of large doors. The Titans quickly followed him in. The doors led to a rather large room lined with statues and a throne on the end.

"What's this?" Robin asked. Beast Boy recognized the room.

"This is his throne room," the changeling answered. "We'll have a better chance fighting him here.

"I sure hope you're right," Cyborg answered.

Calabos appeared in the doorway in all his black glory. He bared his metallic fangs and broke the doors down as he entered. The tall demon then glared at them for a moment, as if contemplating whom to kill first.

"Where is she?" he asked in a voice that was deeper and less human than his normal one.

"She's gone," Beast Boy spat, trying not to show fear. "If you want her, you're going to have to get through us."

"With pleasure," Calabos answered. A wave of his hand sent red energy at each of the Titans and the two templar. All were hurled back, landing on the floor some fifty feet away. A low, rumbling laughter came from the demon as Beast Boy and the others shakily got to their legs.

"Is that the best you can do, creep?" Cyborg asked.

"No." The demon thrust his palm forward, and an orange cloud shot from his hand. The cloud enveloped the Titans, bringing with it a world of agony. The teens cried out in pain as the mist ignited every single nerve on fire, as if they had fallen into a bed of pins and needles.

Beast Boy's breath quickened. He forced himself to stand, to not give in. He had to ignore it. He had to fight through it, even though his body screamed at him in protest. His eyes never left Calabos as his own body now started to mutate. He grew and grew, until a green tyrannosaurus now stood in his place. He didn't even roar, he just charged and head-butted the demon who suddenly found himself outsized. His black form slammed into the wall, but he quickly got up. He picked up debris with his powers and flung them at the green t-rex, who swatted it away with his tail.

"GET DOWN!" Calabos shouted, and Beast Boy felt his body freeze in place. The pain caused his body to shift back into a human, and he fell to the ground panting. Calabos had used a power word on him again.

Calabos approached him, but was deterred by a green blast hitting him from above. Starfire descended on him, throwing her green fury at him without mercy. The demon grunted in pain, but raised a shield to protect himself from her blows. The rest of the Titans joined in, with Cyborg being the first to reach him. The bionic teen loosed a volley of blasts onto the large demon, followed by bursts of pink, green, fire, and ice. Calabos tried to maintain his shield, but could not under the constant volley of energy. His shield eventually broke, and the onslaught hit him in one brutal blow. He was literally pounded into the floor, the stone even crumbling underneath when he fell.

But he was far from finished. Within seconds he was back on his feet, looking just as furious as before. With an evil grin, he summoned red energy in his hands, used it to pick up the pile of fallen debris, and flung a piece at each of the teenagers, including Beast Boy. The group landed hard, each grunting in pain.

"We can do this! He's still weak!" Worek said as he struggled to his feet.

"You gotta be kidding me," Cyborg replied.

"Getting tired already? I'm just getting warmed up!" Calabos shouted. A wave of fire erupted from his hands and sped toward the Titans. All barely had time to run out of the way to avoid getting scorched by the flames.

Robin spun around and launched himself off the wall at the demon. He landed at his feet, brought his staff up, leapt, and delivered a crushing blow to the demon's jaw with his staff. Calabos fell on his back, rolled, and stood up a distance away. "I'll take that!" he roared. His psychic energy engulfed the bo-staff and pulled it toward him, but Robin was still holding on. The demon gripped the staff and swung it hard enough that Robin was forced to let go, and collided with the floor painfully. He watched in shock as Calabos used his powers to snap the supposedly unbreakable staff in two. He held the two ends up, as if to throw them at Robin like a spear, but a green mass landing on his back stopped him.

It was Beast Boy, now in gorilla form. He held onto the demon's neck in a choking grasp, and attempted to wrestle him down the ground. Unfortunately, this was practically impossible given that Calabos was much bigger in this form than he was. With a hard spin, Calabos flung Beast Boy into the wall.

"Hey ugly!" Jinx shouted. She focused a blast of her pink energy onto the floor underneath the demon's foot, causing him to sink as if standing on quicksand. The floor solidified, trapping his foot underneath the stone floor. A triumphant smile crossed her face, but it rapidly fled when the demon merely ripped his foot out from underneath, taking the stone with it. Calabos then slammed his fists into the ground, unleashing a seismic wave in her direction. Jinx couldn't keep her balance, and was literally turned head over feet as she hit the floor.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to hit girls?" Cyborg shouted. He and Starfire closed in, and let loose a furious blast of blue and green. This time, it wasn't blocked, and Calabos collapsed under the onslaught. He quickly got up, but roared in pain as a fireball from Phanos struck him from behind. With him off balance, Worek quickly followed this with an ice blast. Seizing the opportunity, Robin picked up the two pieces of his staff and used them to land a strike on the demon's chest. Beast Boy finished off the onslaught by charging into the demon as a rhino, and goring him with the force of a dump truck. The demon slammed into the wall with the final blow, and collapsed in a black heap.

The Titans and Templar stood for a moment, trying to see how much damage was done. Slowly, Calabos got up, but he was panting, and was clearly starting to tire. The Titans could see he was in pain. His ritual still wasn't complete as long as Raven lived, and so still didn't have full control over his powers.

Phanos raised his sword while the demon was still getting to his feet, and prepared to lunge a deadly blow into the demon's chest. But before he could move, a lightning bolt struck the sword and knocked it out of his hands. All heads turned in disbelief to see three black cloaks and crimson cloaks now standing in the doorway.

"Oh, come on!" Robin yelled angrily. The cavalry had arrived, only not the good guys. Eutonos, Evad, and Lekim had come to their master's aid. The group of three charged the Titans, not caring in the slightest that they were outnumbered. Eutonos rammed into Robin and Beast Boy, knocking both of them over. Lekim sent more bolts flying at Cyborg, Starfire, and Jinx, while Evad turned his attention on his two former allies, sending them flying to the back of the room with a single gust of wind.

With the tables now turned, the cycle started over. Only this time, the playing field had been evened somewhat. The Titans took on the Templar, but it was only a matter of seconds before Calabos joined in again.

Thinking fast, Beast Boy dodged a blow from Eutonos, and landed a blow to the templar's back with a gorilla fist. His mind recalled Worek's words from earlier.

"His chakra stone will be the anchor of his spirit until the transfer is complete. If we can somehow separate his chakra stone before he completes the ritual, it will have the same effect and destroy him…"

He charged relentlessly at Calabos as he changed into a large sasquatch. He tackled the demon head on and wrestled him to the ground, and green and black struggled in a beastly duel. Beast Boy punched the demon's armored head, causing him to growl in pain. With one hard thrust, Beast Boy gripped the red chakra stone in Calabos's chest. He squeezed as hard as he could, but couldn't get a grip. His fingers fumbled around the red object, but he couldn't pull it out! Calabos roared, and sent the changeling flying off with a red blast.

"ENOUGH!" he roared. It was another power word, this time directed at everyone in the room. Everyone except Beast Boy fell to their knees as the pain coursed through their body. By now, Beast Boy had learned to fight through the spell, it had been used on him so much. Even still, it did little good. Red energy gathered around the massive demon, and he loosed a wave of fire that engulfed everyone in the room, including the evil Templar. All the Titans found themselves plastered against the wall, their nerves screaming out in agony from the blow.

Beast Boy would not let down. He struggled to his feet despite his body's protests, still in sasquatch form, and lunged for the demon again. This time, Calabos was ready, and used his massive body to ram Beast Boy into the ground with sheer brute force. The shock of it caused Beast Boy to inadvertently shift back into his human form. His eyes groggily opened to see the massive monster towering over him hungrily. He tried to get up, but Calabos brought his foot down on Beast Boy's left arm. He swore he heard something crack, and the changeling yelled out in pain. Calabos laughed sadistically, and picked the shape shifter up with one massive hand.

"You little fool," Calabos said as he chuckled evilly. He brought Beast Boy up so their faces were inches apart. "Did you really think you had a chance of defeating the most powerful sorcerer in the world? Your cause is lost. Now, I'll kill you, and do what even Trigon in all his power could not – defeat you and the mighty Raven."

He paused in his speech. Beast Boy cringed as he felt an invisible gaze drifting over him hungrily.

"It has been so long since I've tasted human blood," Calabos purred slyly. "I wonder what yours is like." He opened his large mouth, baring his set of long fangs.

"Put. Him. Down," a strong, yet feminine voice demanded. Calabos and Beast Boy both turned in shock to behold none other than Raven standing before them! She had somehow retrieved her blue cloak, and looked ready to fight him herself.

'Is she crazy? What is she doing here?!' Beast Boy's mind screamed.

"I said put him down!" Raven demanded again, this time yelling. Beast Boy watched in amazement as Calabos smirked, loosened his grasp, and literally dropped him. The changeling hit the floor, but paid no heed to the world of hurt he was in.

"Raven, what are you doing? Get out of here!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Silence!" Calabos ordered.

"Enough. You won't hurt him again!" Raven yelled. "I'm the one you want. You want to finish the ritual? Then do it. Kill me if you can. But I guarantee I won't make it easy for you."

The male half-demon laughed diabolically. "You think I need the dagger to finish you? I'll do it with my bare hands!"

"Go ahead," Raven said with a smirk. The massive demon in turn grinned and approached her. It was like seeing a grizzly bear descend on a chihuahua. His huge form positively dwarfed Raven's feminine body, but she showed no fear. At least, none that Beast Boy could see.

Calabos struck first by launching a red bolt at her. Raven blocked it by throwing up a black force field, and retaliated with black wave of her own. It struck true, sending him skidding back a few feet. He was shocked, but didn't pause. He attacked again, and this time Raven dodged his magic by flying out of the way. She flew up so she was eye level with him, and threw more of her deadly black magic in his face. This time, he was the one to block it.

From the other end of the room, the Titans watched in shock as Raven and Calabos dueled furiously.

"What is she thinking? She shouldn't be here!" Cyborg shouted.

"We must help her!" Starfire growled as she ascended into the air.

"No!" Evad shouted. He flew up to catch her, and tackled her to the ground.

"Get your hands off of her!" Robin yelled. He knocked Evad away with a spinning kick, and Starfire got up with a grateful smile. It wasn't to last, as Eutonos yet again hit Robin from behind. The evil Templar brought his axe up to swipe Starfire, but Phanos and Worek quickly blasted him out of the way.

"Hang on, guys!" Cyborg shouted. He prepared his sonic cannons, but groaned in disbelief when he saw that his battery was almost out. This was bad.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lekim prepare to cleave his head off with his sword. Cyborg moved out of the way, feeling the swish of the blade as it passed in front of his face. The metal man spun around, and knocked the blade out of his hand. He then grabbed Lekim hard by the wrist, holding him in place.

"Let's see you fly around now," the metal man mocked. Lekim frowned, and sent a wave of electricity coursing through Cyborg's body. Cyborg winced in pain, but didn't release his hold. Pain wracked his body, but so did something else: energy. He watched in satisfaction as his battery meter filled. "Thanks," he said as the templar stared in disbelief. With one fist, he punched Lekim hard, bringing him down.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy got to his feet as the two half-demon's continued to duel. The room went alight in a furious display of red and black as each tried to gain the other hand. Raven fought bravely, but Beast Boy knew she didn't have much strength left in her. She wouldn't last long.

"Give it up, Raven," Calabos teased. "We both know what you want to do. Fight me with your true power. Just let your hatred and anger control you."

"Like hell I will," Raven hissed as she picked up a stone block with her powers and flung it at his head. "I wouldn't give in to my father. I won't give in to you!"

Calabos grinned as he blocked it. "Then you will die. Just like your friends will."

Raven frowned angrily and attempted to hit him again. With surprising speed he dodged the stone, grabbed it in midair, and flung it back at her. Raven wasn't ready, and it collided into her.

"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted. This was it, he couldn't hold back now. Within seconds, a huge green animal rammed Calabos from his side. The Beast snarled and stood over Raven protectively as it eyed its prey.

"Well," Calabos said as he got up. "Always so valiant." The male half-demon prepared to attack, but the Beast moved first. He leapt into the air and tackled Calabos head on again to bring him down. Even the Beast's massive body was outmatched by Calabos's huge form, but the Beast made up for it with speed and outright ferocity. He furiously clawed the half-demon, his paws leaving gouges in his hard exoskeleton. The Beast grabbed Calabos's chakra stone, but once again found it hard to get a grip. Before he could get a grasp on it, the demon used his legs to throw him off. Calabos got to his feet angrily, and punched the Beast in the jaw, but this had little affect.

"GET BACK!" Calabos screamed in a power word, but by now, the Beast had gotten used to the effects. Without even pausing, he rammed into Calabos again. He reared to strike again, but a lightning bolt caused him to howl in pain. Lekim had arrived, trying to prevent the Beast from harming Calabos. The Beast's attention went to the lightning mage, and growled furiously before leaping at him.

Phanos and Worek continued to duel Eutonos, but they knew they couldn't continue for long.

"Worek, we have to end this and get to Calabos!" Phanos shouted. Eutonos tried landing a blow with his axe, but narrowly missed.

Worek nodded. With his hand, he reached down and picked up some dust from the debris. "Hey!" he shouted, making Eutonos look at him. Worek threw the dust in his eyes, causing the earth templar to drop his axe.

"Forgive me, Eutonos," Worek said. He and Phanos summoned all their power, and unleashed fire and water upon the helpless earth mage. He slammed into the wall and collapsed unconscious.

With Beast Boy distracted, Calabos turned his attention back to Raven. She had recovered as well, but was as tired a he was. Red and black clashed once again as their powers mingled in a furious dance of death.

Cyborg, Jinx, and Robin saw this, and quickly ran to her aid.

"You will not harm my master!" Evad shouted from behind, and used his powers to create a wall of swirling air to block their path. Cyborg growled and turned angrily toward him.

"Sorry, buddy," the bionic teen said. With one powerful swing of his metallic fist, he struck the templar's head and knocked him out cold.

On the other side of the room, the Beast tackled Lekim before he could move out of the way. Lekim looked up at him fearfully, and the fear in his eyes caused some part of Beast Boy's mind to come back to reality. But that was not before he finished Lekim off by delivering a hard head-butt to his skull. Lekim collapsed, alive but knocked out for now. With Calabos's three cronies out, it was just they against him now.

The Beast turned back into Beast Boy. He surveyed the chaos and was relieved to find Raven still alive and fighting. His eyes widened in horror however when he saw Raven collapse on one knee, panting tiredly. Her powers were starting to fade.

Beast Boy, Jinx, Cyborg, Robin, and the two templar charged. Calabos saw them coming, and summoned a red wall to block their path, but Raven struck him with her powers unawares, causing the wall to collapse. Phanos arrived first, raising his sword to strike, but Calabos enveloped it in his energy and ripped it out of his grasp. Shocked, Phanos could do little as Calabos swiped him with his large claws, downing him and Worek at the same time.

Cyborg, Starfire, and Jinx tried blasting him, but this too was blocked and deflected. With surprising quickness, Calabos raised his fists, and a red ball of energy in the shape of a huge skull erupted from his body. Jinx, Starfire, and Cyborg were thrown back. Robin attempted to bring him down with a kick to the head, but Calabos merely swatted him away.

"Child's play!" he shouted maniacally. Raven gritted her teeth, and sent a black wave hurtling at the demon. It struck him, but didn't bring him down. Calabos would have struck back, but a large green bear grabbed him from behind and enveloped him in a tight bear hug. Calabos struggled, but Beast Boy held on tightly. The demon leapt backward, shattering a statue and sending Beast Boy into a wall while he still held on.

Raven watched in shock as Beast Boy's grip loosened and he crumpled to the floor. Now as a human, he stood their panting. He tried to get up, but Calabos picked him up and threw him across the room while laughing evilly.

"Beast Boy!" Raven yelled as she watched him collapse.

The next few moments were a blur. Calabos phase-shifted for the first time, ending up right behind her. Raven spun around to see him standing right over her with a look of sadistic triumph. Only now, he held a weapon in his hand: Phanos's sword. Beast Boy, Robin, Starfire, and Jinx watched in terror as Calabos brought the sword down and plunged it into her stomach. Raven stood still for a moment before collapsing on her knees, her breathing growing ragged. Laughing, Calabos pulled it out and prepared to strike again, this time at her neck.

"NOOOOOOOO!" a voice screamed. Beast Boy wasn't sure if the scream came from him. Nothing else in the world seemed to exist anymore. All pain and weariness forgotten, he got up and charged at the demon. His loud "no" became a roar as his body grew and changed into the Beast.

The Beast rammed Calabos with the force of a tank, bringing him down again. The Beast rolled on top of him, and proceeded to lash out furiously at the black monster. Calabos roared in pain as Beast Boy struck him again and again in a fit of blind, feral rage. In an expression of pure primal fury, the Beast brought his head down and bit Calabos on the neck. The demon cried out again as bitter blood spurted from his neck.

The Beast released his grip on his neck, brought a large claw up, and plunged it with all his might into Calabos's chest. A sickening sound of bones breaking could be hurt as the half-demon's exoskeleton cracked. The Beast felt his fingers close around the red chakra stone embedded in his chest. He tried to get a grip on it, but it was so hard…!

A red blast sent the Beast flying off. The huge animal rolled and skidded along the ground, shrinking and finally collapsing as Beast Boy. The changeling remained there, a huge burn wound etched across his chest.

Calabos got up and laughed evilly as the rest of the Titans and the Templar stared in disbelief at the spectacle.

But they didn't move.

Calabos noticed this, and cocked his head in puzzlement. Then, slowly, his gaze drifted downward, and his mouth dropped open at what he saw. A gaping, bloody hole in his chest now stood where his chakra stone used to be. From where he lay on the floor, Beast Boy sat up with a look of triumph in his face. His fist uncurled to reveal a large, red chakra stone splattered with Calabos's dark blood.

A mixture of disbelief, anger, and terror, spread across the demon's face. He roared furiously in agony as he fell to his knees. His body was surrounded by a pale white aura. Life energy started flowing out of his body. He raised up a hand to his face and saw that he had literally started melting. He looked down and saw black drops of his body fall and create a large pool on the floor. The demon could do little but shriek in agony as his body slowly broke down.

"Titans, finish off this creep," Robin ordered as he watched the demon writhe.

Cyborg, Starfire, Jinx, Phanos, and Worek stepped forward and let loose their fury upon the helpless demon. A tidal wave of blue, green, pink, fire, and ice struck the helpless black monster. A blinding explosion consumed the demon, incinerating every inch of his body. The wave of death continued to engulf him, burning him away until at last nothing remained but a black puddle of goo and ashes. Calabos was no more.

"So long, Cala-boy. Been a pleasure," Cyborg huffed.

"Leave the lame one-liners to Robin, Cy," Jinx replied smartly.

"Friends!" Starfire shouted. She raised a finger and pointed at Beast Boy.

Said changeling had moved from his position. The Titans now saw him hunched over Raven, sobbing furiously.

"No, please God no," he whispered as tears fell from his eyes. He cradled her gingerly as if he was holding a fallen angel.

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't. She couldn't really be…dead. He pressed his head to her chest, hoping to hear some sign of breathing or a heartbeat. Silence.

"No. NOOOOO!" he yelled. Behind him, the Titans could only watch sadly as he mourned his fallen angel. Starfire broke down in tears as well, and a shaken Robin tried his best to comfort her. Even Jinx's eyes started glistening, and Cyborg placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Why? Whyyyy?!" Beast Boy screamed through his tears. Everyone he had ever gotten close to, everyone he ever loved was taken away from him. Why did he deserve this? Was he cursed? Was he doomed to spend his life alone? He had tried so hard to save her, only to have her taken away at the end. He wasn't good enough. He had failed her. He had failed Raven.

"Please, Raven. Wake up," he begged. He pressed his forehead to hers, not letting go for a minute. "Please, don't leave me. Not now. I'll do anything." He sniffled and started rocking her back and forth.

They had won. But what good was it? The world might as well have been over. One half-demon died, but so did another. Not a fair trade in his book. But she wasn't a half-demon. Not really. She was a half-angel, nothing less.

"Raven, I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough. Just please wake up. Please…" he whispered.

He felt someone place a hand gently on his back. Thinking it was Starfire, he opened his eyes and turned to tell her to leave him alone. But he was shocked to see the hand belonged to the very girl he was holding. His eyes darted back to Raven's face, and saw that her eyes were now open! A mixture of disbelief, relief, and happiness surged in him. He blinked twice just to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

He wasn't. She was alive!

"You're always good enough," she whispered. A soft whimper escaped her lips, and she wrapped Beast Boy up in a tight hug. He hugged her back, and pressed his cheeks tightly against hers.

"God, I love you," he whispered into her ear as he continued to rock her.

"I love you too," she sobbed. After holding there for what seemed like ages, they broke apart, and joined in a deep kiss right in front of the other Titans. The group didn't say anything. They merely smiled happily and let the two enjoy their moment.

"I don't understand," Beast Boy finally said when the kiss broke. He looked at the wound in her stomach, and saw that it had healed. No doubt, her powers had healed it. But she had died, right?

"How come you didn't die?" he asked.

"Because that's how the ritual works," a deep voice answered from behind. Raven and Beast Boy saw Eutonos standing behind the Titans. Only, his previously red eyes had now been replaced with his normal brown ones.

"Eutonos!" Worek and Phanos shouted at once.

"Eutonos!" Beast Boy exclaimed in conjunction. "You…you're….you're you again."

The earth mage nodded sadly. "You removed Calabos's chakra stone before Raven's life energy could enter his body. As a result, the ritual was broken, and the effects of the spell were reversed. Her spirit returned to her body."

Beast Boy and Raven smiled. Off to the side, a loud groan emerged from a pile of rubble.

"Oooh, my head," Evad moaned. He raised his hand up to nurse his bruised skull. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the scene before him. "Wha…what happened? Lekim!"

Evad rushed over upon seeing his brother lying unconscious on the floor. He kneeled over and shook him gently in an attempt to revive him.

"Leave me alone. I don't wanna go to school," Lekim mumbled with his eyes still closed. Evad laughed gratefully at seeing his brother was okay.

"Sorry about that," Cyborg said, apologizing for knocking him out.

"No problem," Evad said as helped his brother up. The two stared at the black puddle of tar on the floor that was by now starting to dissipate, releasing a rather acrid fume.

"Is that him? Is he...?" Lekim asked.

"He's dead," Robin answered. "This time for good."

"Thank Kurios," the templar replied.

A clatter of female voices interrupted them. The Zamoans had arrived. They arrived, weapons out and ready to fight, but stopped when they saw that nothing was happening.

"What the…what just happened?" Aalya asked in surprise as she surveyed the scene.

"It's over. He's dead," Eutonos answered.

"Wonderful. We'd love to celebrate, but we gotta go," Aalya said.

"What? Why?"

"More of Calabos's cronies have arrived. Apparently, he still had reinforcements coming in from the north. We gotta leave before they find us!"

"Right!" Eutonos answered.

Beast Boy helped Raven up, and the Titans fled with the rest from the dark castle. They came to the entrance, which was blocked by a huge drawbridge.

"I got it!" Cyborg said. He blasted the locks on the doors, and the group dashed out the exit, leaving the darkness behind.

They didn't stop until they were a good distance away. Behind him, Beast Boy could swear he heard the shrieks of monsters as they discovered their fallen master. When they at last stopped to catch their breath, he sat down against a tree, with Raven sitting down beside him.

A long pause ran through the group as the impact of the fight now just started hitting them.

"That was rather…intense," Starfire remarked as she rubbed the sweat off her forehead. The rest couldn't help chuckling.

"So…" Jinx asked. "What now?"

Well, that one was a real doozy to write. So what do you think??

Wow, I can't believe this story is almost over. Even though I'm kind of sad, I'm also kind of relieved. I wish this story had been finished back in the summer, but alas, I could not. I had originally imagined this story would only be about 15 chapters. Yep. I'm an idiot.

But it is not over yet! There is still one more chapter left. Things have to be wrapped up, and thanks have to be distributed. Don't worry, I promise to have this one out soon. Hopefully, within the week. Until then, you know what to do!