As soon as the 'Shinigami' released his attack, the young 'Demon Prince' knew he had to act quickly. It would be difficult to explain what was going on. He caught some murmurs about this being 'part of the show' so he was a little relieved. His eyes went over towards Mitsuomi and Emi who were standing behind Dragon along with those men in black three-piece suits. He could smell them from where he was standing…
Vampires.
Devlin flicked his wrist and snapped his fingers. Using his powers, he manipulated the fog so that it would cover the entire area, hiding everything and everyone within it. Fangula flew straight down to Devlin who caught him in his hand.
"This is bad," said Fangula worriedly. "This is very bad."
"I know," nodded Devlin in agreement. "But we have to fight." He could see through the dense fog to see the Fangire Trio standing behind him. He already decided which form to use. "We have to fight as one." He allowed Fangula to bite his free hand, forming the blood red Fang Belt from ghostly chains. Devlin then drew out the three Arms Monster whistles from his pocket and tossed them into the air. Fangula flew up to catch the whistles and blew into them simultaneously before hanging himself from his perch on the belt. Devlin, Savage, Sniper and Juggernaut were then bathed in light as chains enveloped them like a cocoon. At the same time, Tamashii had his belt on and armed with the Slayer Knuckle. He pressed the Knuckle against his left palm.
"READY!"
"Wake Up!"
"FIST ON!"
The fog cleared to reveal standing side by side two of the most famous heroes of Amity Park. One was clad in white and black, looking like a majestic knight in armor. The other wore a mismatched set of armor with a violet chestplate, cobalt left arm, emerald right arm and in a black bodysuit. Both their identities were secret under their helmet but the students knew who they were.
Masked Rider Slayer (Save Mode) and Masked Rider Fang (Quartet Form).
"The Dragon's mine," Slayer informed his ally. "The rest are all yours."
Fang gave a silent nod. He knew it would be pointless to argue with Slayer about this.
"Get them!" Dragon bellowed. "Make them pay for going against us!"
The men in the suits all sprouted stained glass patterns on their faces before they charged. All the costumed students started crying in fear and made their way as far as they could away from the fight. Naturally, knowing how famous Fang and Slayer were, they wanted to try and get a view of the impending fight.
Both Fang and Slayer leapt from the stage and onto the wooden floor. Fang was gripping the Sniper Magnum in his right hand while Slayer was holding the Slayer X-Calibur in its gun form. Both of them walked towards the charging mass of the (semi) Fangires in front of them. Once they were close enough, they opened fire.
The Slayer X-Calibur fired off like a machine gun as the bullets tore holes in the enemy masses. The men went down, but it wasn't long before they were getting back up again. Fang was shooting pressurized water blasts that were blowing holes right through the thugs, but they were getting back up too.
"Damn it!" Slayer cursed. "These guys must be incomplete!"
"What?" asked Fang as he fired another round at the oncoming horde.
"They are vampires who are in the process of becoming Fangires," Fangula answered from his perch. "They have some of the same strengths of Fangires, but cannot change and still have the standard vampire weaknesses."
"Then it's a shot to the heart or remove the head," Fang frowned as he dismissed the Sniper Magnum and drew the Savage Sabre. "Always the messy way."
"Gotta love the messy way," Slayer chuckled as he switched the X-Calibur to its sword form. "Let's take this fight outside!" His wings spread out as his faceplate opened once he activated Burst Mode.
"Gladly!" Fang agreed as he aimed the wolf's head of his weapon's hilt at the vampires. "HOWLING SHOCK!"
The two Riders instantly drove the incomplete Fangires out of the gym with a burst of power that sent them flying. The Dragon watched amused as the two Riders ran past him. Slayer held his glare on the Dragon for a short moment before following the vampires with Fang in tow.
"Let's watch the show," the Dragon invited as he walked out, followed by Mitsuomi and Emi.
Outside of the gym, away from the students and now on the parking lot, the two Riders began unleashing a flurry of slashes at their opponents. The strikes were aimed perfectly and precise. Each time the blades fell, one of the incomplete Fangires would explode in shards of glass and a slight cloud of dust. They were proving to be rather fragile for their supposed superiority.
Dragon watched the massacre with a growing frown. This wasn't going the way he had planned. Catching the Slayer and the Fang off guard to prevent their full power from being unleashed had been the plan. Mobbing them was supposed to take them down since they were in their weakest forms.
"Your plan isn't panning out the way you thought," Mitsuomi commented coldly.
"Shut up!" Dragon snorted. "I would have preferred to not get my hands messy, but I suppose there is something to be said for doing something yourself."
Emi watched, not showing the fact that she felt like throwing up. All these loyal subjects were throwing their lives away and dying right before her father's eyes and he didn't even blink. It seemed that no amount of lost lives was going to bother him so long as it got what he wanted.More so, she was worried for Tamashii. Even after all the centuries apart, she still had feelings for him. If the Dragon got involved, then Tamashii would almost surely die.
Stepping forward, Dragon eyed down Slayer and Fang as they finished off the last of the incompletes.
"My, my, Akashi," Dragon snickered. "You know, I never mentioned this, but I am surprised that you are resorting to outside help to get your revenge. And I thought the Akashi clan was strong."
"What did you say?" Slayer growled.
What neither Dragon nor anyone else noticed was Mitsuomi suddenly add his own glare to Dragon's back.
"I said you're weak," Dragon smirked, "I thought my blocking that attack of yours earlier would have been enough of a clue."
"I'll show you weak!" Slayer shouted as he tore the belt from his waist, undoing the transformation. He then tossed the Slayer System away which Fang caught.
"What are you doing, Akashi?" Fang asked.
"As much as I despise it, Dragon has a point," Tamashii frowned. "I swore to avenge my clan and it's something that I have to do for myself."
"Do you think you can even win?" asked Fang.
"I have to. As of right now I'm going to fight with my own power from here on end," Tamashii told Fang. Fang was stunned, holding the Slayer Belt and Knuckle in hand. "Tell Seras…tell her I said goodbye and that I'm sorry…" Tamashii then sped away in a flash as the Dragon did the same, vanishing from the scene.
"AKASHI!" Fang shouted as he ran to chase after his ally. He found his path blocked by both Mitsuomi and Emi. "Move out of my way," Fang demanded.
"Unfortunately, we can't do that," Mitsuomi said firmly. "This is a fight between Master Dragon and him. It's a battle they've both been looking forward to. I cannot allow you to interfere."
Fang was ready to fight when Richard, Seras and Danielle showed up, already having taken care of the rest of the vampires that Fang and Slayer hadn't killed. "We're here to back you up, Dev!" Richard told him.
Seras was armed but then noticed that someone was missing, "Where's Tamashii?" She then noticed the belt and knuckle in Fang's hands. "What are you doing with those?"
Fang bit his lower lip. What could he tell her?
"So, you all wish to fight?" inquired Emi.
Assuming her ghost form, Danni answered, "Yeah! You're going down!"
"Emi, take care of the rest while I fight the Demon Prince," ordered Mitsuomi.
"You sure?" Emi asked.
"I've been looking forward to fighting him again," Mitsuomi answered.
"Richard!" Fang shouted, "Catch!" He tossed the Slayer System to the Belmont who caught it. "Use it!"
"But…" Richard hesitated, but then made his decision, "OK!" He strapped on the belt.
"Devlin, why isn't Tamashii using the Slayer System?" Seras demanded. "Devlin!"
"No time to explain," Fang told her. "We got to fight."
Seras however, refused to listen and began to run past Emi and Mitsuomi. Emi was about to make a move when Mitsuomi stopped her. "There's no point. Even if she arrives, Tamashii will refuse help," said Mitsuomi.
"And how do you know that?"
"My brother is extremely stubborn, remember?"
"All too well," Emi sighed. She then turned her attention to the group of warriors who were against her clan. "I suppose this is the last battle."
Loosening his stance, Mitsuomi turned his attention to the group, "I suppose it is."
Fang was panting, which didn't go unnoticed by Danni. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he told her. "Just a little tired."
"Devlin, you've been in this form for too long! Disengage!" Fangula warned.
"Not…YET!" With a roar he charged at Mitsuomi, aiming for his neck with his Savage Sabre. The man blocked the Wolfen Weapon with his forearm and looked straight into Fang's visor.
"Is that really the level of power the Demon Prince has?" Mitsuomi snorted, his stained glass patterns appearing on his skin like reptile scales. "I'm not impressed. I won't even need to assume my true form to fight you."
Angered by the insult, Fang pushed on the offense and banished the Savage Sabre, deciding to fight hand-to-hand with Tamashii's brother. This left Richard and Danni alone to face Emi,
Emi drew out two poisonous knives from her belt and twirled them around in her hands, her own Fangire markings showing but opted to remain in human form as well. She'd wanted to fight Fang for her injury but Mitsuomi was currently entertaining himself. At least the ghost girl would be a good challenge and the Belmont seemed strong enough, especially after putting on that belt.
"Let's rock!" announced Richard as he pressed the Slayer Knuckle that was strapped to his right hand against his left palm.
"READY!"
"Henshin!" Richard called, thinking, 'I've always wanted to say that.' He then snapped the knuckle to the belt buckle.
"FIST ON!"
The golden cross flew out from the belt and set itself on Richard's face before expanding into a suit of armor that glowed golden. The Slayer armor fit like a glove as Richard clenched his fists. Now, he was Masked Rider Slayer. He was remaining in Save Mode, though, since he'd been warned about the dangers of the system's intense energy output. He had been briefed on the drawbacks in the system as it was. Paladin Form was way out of the question.
"Richard, are you up to this?" asked Danni.
"Need you ask?" Slayer responded. "Let's get this scaly bitch!"
"Bring it!" Emi hissed before charging straight for them.
Both Mitsuomi and Fang were exchanging quick and powerful blows, causing explosions of sound whenever they made contact with each other. Mitsuomi was actually enjoying this fight but what he really wanted was to fight the Demon Emperor. What he was fighting was a mere amalgam of several powers and he noticed that Fang was growing weaker and exhausted with each passing second. Mitsuomi stepped back from a punch to the face and frowned.
"Are you alright?" Mitsuomi asked.
"Why do you care?" Fang retorted. "You want to kill me anyway and hurt all those people inside."
Mitsuomi shook his head and denied, "No. That was the Dragon's plan, not mine."
"What?" Fang questioned, surprised and curious. "What do you mean?"
"Did you know that since your appearance that the Fangire Clans have started to split their loyalties. While they'd supported Dragon in the past, after you became the spitting image of their King, the lower members of the Fangires have started to worship you."
Drake had told him about that, but still…"So, what does that have to do with you?"
"I remain loyal to the Dragon for my own reasons, but seeing as his ambitions contradict with those reasons, I am no longer bound to him."
"So, why are we fighting?" questioned Fang.
"My brother and I have something in common. We both seek out powerful opponents to test our strengths in order to become stronger ourselves. I see that my brother sees you as his most worthy opponent as well as friend."
"Well, he has told me that he wants to fight me one day," muttered Fang.
"But, I wish to see if you yourself are worthy to be my brother's opponent." Mitsuomi went into a stance. "Come at me!"
Fang collapsed onto his knees, breathing hard. "Devlin, you've reached your limit! Disengage now!" shouted Fangula.
"No!" Fang denied. "I have to…"
He then heard three other voices.
"Master!" that was Gillian.
"Kid, don't be stupid!" Lobo shouted.
"You'll kill yourself if you don't revert!" Francis warned.
"What…?"
"You don't want to leave Danielle alone, do you?" Gillian asked.
That did it for him. With a shout, the violet, cobalt and emerald armor covering his arms and chest shattered. The Arms Monsters also appeared behind him as a result, tired from the union. Fang was back in his base form and the strain was slowly fading.
"How do you feel now?" asked Mitsuomi.
"Better," Fang answered as he slowly got back to his feet. "Now, where were we?"
"Fighting," Mitsuomi answered. He then eyed the three Fangires behind his opponent. "A Wolfen, a Merman and a Stone. I had thought you were completely wiped out in the revolt. I am happy to see they weren't."
"What do you care?!" Sniper snapped. "You're with the guy who helped wipe our clans out!"
"I did not take part in that and I found the destruction of your clans as a terrible waste," Mitsuomi sighed, almost in pity for the lives lost. "Mermen were connoisseurs of art and beauty, the Wolfen were probably the most honourable of all the clans, and the Stones were one of the most peaceful clans."
"My entire clan was wiped out because of Fangire greed," Juggernaut frowned. "You once stood with the Dragon, but we will stand with the Emperor!"
"That's right!" Savage snarled. "Right where we've been since the beginning!"
Surprisingly, Mitsuomi began to smile at the announcement, "You truly are a born leader, Demon Prince. Only one who was meant for roles of leadership could gain loyalty such as this. Out of respect for your three allies, I will allow them to fight by your side."
"Good," Fang nodded. "Then we only need one more player on this scene. ROULETTE!"
"Tension Fortissimo!" a tiny voice belonging to a tiny dragon cried as he flew toward his master. "Call and I shall come!"
Flying across Fang, he broke the chains which kept his wings folded down. As the wings revealed their light, golden bats flew though the air. Mitsuomi's eyes widened as he felt the power within Fang beginning to rise. Fang raised his arm in the air, allowing Roulette to attach himself to the armor.
"FINAL WAKE UP!"
Tamashii was slashing wildly at the Dragon, who had yet to enter his true form. Tamashii's blades didn't even cut the Fangire. "Huh, this is so boring. Come now, boy. Surely you could do better than this?" sighed the Dragon. "Over four hundred years in your existence, and you can't even scratch me. Sad really." The Dragon then placed his palm against Tamashii's chest and sent the samurai flying backwards and into a building. Tamashii even lost his grip on his swords due to the force of the blast. The Dragon held out his hand and summoned a blade.
It was crimson and gold in color and had a hand scythe attached to a chain on the end. "Well, I guess all good things must come to an end. But first, a little insult to injury." The Dragon picked up Tamashii's swords and then broke them over his leg like they were twigs.
"Bastard," growled Tamashii as he pulled himself out of the building and charged at the Dragon.
Seras had just shown up at the battle. She'd just been following her gut feeling and her ears. They weren't too hard to find. By the time she got there, she also saw Danny Phantom flying to the fight in an attempt to stop it before the town got really wrecked. She was terrified at what she saw. Tamashii was being pounded and slashed at repeatedly, without any hope to counter.
The Dragon swung around and slammed his fist into Danny's stomach, sending the halfa flying. "Phantom," growled Tamashii. "Don't get involved. Same with you, Seras. This is my fight and mine alone."
Danny held his stomach and cringed at the energy he was sensing. This was way beyond his league but he still had to protect this city. Still he remained to watch what would happen and would interfere when necessary.
Now this was a fight Mitsuomi could enjoy. As soon as Fang assumed his Demon Emperor Form, the Komodo Fangire assumed his true form and the two battled. Fang threw his fist into the Komodo Fangire's face but received a jab in the gut in retaliation. It would appear that Mitsuomi was indeed a match for the Demon Emperor Form of Fang, but this just made the Demon Prince more determined to win. He wasn't alone, however. He had backup.
Fang was thrown backwards by a powerful kick. This was the opening Savage needed as he lunged straight for the Reptile and slashed wildly with his claws. The Komodo Fangire staggered backwards from the strikes. Sniper was standing not too far away and aiming, her pupils becoming targeting crosshairs. She then formed a water bubble in front of her mouth and shot it at Mitsuomi. She then started a barrage which bombarded the Reptile Clansman painfully.
Juggernaut helped Fang back to his feet and then the two joined the battle as well, surrounding the Komodo Fangire before attacking.
Savage missed a swipe and was slashed in the back. The Komodo Fangire then leapt over the water bubbles and struck Sniper hard in the chest with a kick. He then spun around and sped between Fang and Juggernaut, slashing them across the chest and sending them reeling. Finally he opened his mouth and fired several orbs of energy at them, causing explosions to erupt around them. They screamed in surprise and pain from the blasts.
Meanwhile, Emi had too assumed her Snake Fangire form and spitting venomous knives at the halfa and Slayer. They both dodged but Danni nearly got hit in the arm. Luckily for Slayer, he had his armor protecting him. The female halfa wanted to help Fang but the Snake Fangire was keeping both of them occupied.
Slayer took out the X-Calibur and started to open fire on the Snake Fangire who dodged all the shots gracefully like she was dancing. She then struck Slayer in the chest with a violent kick before slashing him in the chest repeatedly as he was sent reeling. She followed up with her knives that struck his armor painfully.
Danni flew ahead and used an ecto-powered punch to hit Emi upside the head. She continued with several more punches in the face, chest and stomach. A vicious uppercut sent the Fangire skyward. Danni formed a green orb of her energy and then hurled it at the Fangire. It exploded and sent her crashing to the ground. Emi got up on her hands and knees and her snake hair snapped at Danni. The snakes then spat out streams of venom at Danni quicker than her eyes could blink. She was unharmed, however, as, surprisingly, the Fright Knight came to her aid. The venom splashed off the shield and some of it dripped to the ground which bubbled and sizzled, proving that the venom was acidic.
"Um…thanks," said Danni as she looked up at the Fright Knight.
"I am honor bound to protect the Master, which also extends to you, child," the Fright Knight informed her. "Now, let us smite this wench!"
"Right!"
Slayer rejoined them and the three of them charged at the Snake Fangire.
Mitsuomi was finding himself in a pinch now once Fang and his Arms Monsters were able to work together perfectly. Both Savage and Juggernaut struck him hard as they ran past him before Sniper fired a powerful water bomb against his chest that sent him flying straight into Fang who sent him skyward with an upward kick. Fang then leapt up and performed an axe kick that sent the Komodo Fangire back to the ground with a loud crash, creating a huge crater. The Komodo Fangire dug himself out of his hole and said, "It's been so long since I've had a fight like this." It sounded like he was enjoying himself. He got into a stance, "Fight me some more! Show me your true power!"
"Well, he asked for it!" exclaimed Roulette. Fang reached up to tug the dragon's head. "WAKE UP FEVER!!"
At the same time, Slayer had inserted the Knuckle Whistle into his belt before detaching the Slayer Knuckle from the belt. The belt announced, "SLAYER KNUCKLE: RISING UP!" He drew his fist back and aimed at Emi.
Tamashii was once again slammed into a building. "Tamashii!" cried Seras.
"Seras, don't get involved," warned Tamashii. "This is my fight and mine alone…" Tamashii then grasped his arm and forced it back into its socket. He was bleeding badly. "Damn, this bastard's doing damage faster than I can heal."
"Tamashii, please, wait for Dev or the others to--"
"No! Like I said, this is my fight. Amakusa's still too much of a kid to fight someone like him. Their levels in strength are far too different."
"But what about you? You don't even have your swords!"
"That's right…" Tamashii turned and faced the Dragon, still in his human form. "All I have are these two fists…" Tamashii charged forward. "And the belief that I will not leave this world alone!" The Dragon appeared behind Tamashii, his blade drawn.
"How sweet, too bad your beliefs are worthless," said the Dragon with a laugh.
Tamashii looked down as blood exploded from the large wound on his chest, followed by several smaller cuts. Tamashii then collapsed to his knees. "TAMASHII!!" screamed Seras.
The Dragon stood above Tamashii. "Now…DIE!" roared the Dragon as he brought the blade down.
"NO!!" cried Seras as she leapt to Tamashii's aid. The blade came down hard, slicing her from shoulder to hip.
"NO!" Danny shouted as he was horrified by what he saw.
"Seras…No…" was all Tamashii could mutter. He looked up and saw his opponent ginning happily. "That smile…" He remembered that smile… The same smile he had when he took Tamashii's family from him.
"Stupid boy… Why haven't you awoken yet…" said a voice in Tamashii's head.
'That voice… it couldn't be… Lord Oda-sama?' thought Tamashii.
"Akashi clan… I call upon that which dwells within thy body. Awake, demon, and destroy. I call upon thee, of the clan loathed and cursed by human and demon alike for ages."
The battle between the two elite Reptile Fangires and the defenders came to a halt when the wave of energy rippled over them. Emi began to shiver from the sensation while Danni and Slayer felt the immense pressure wash over them. Even the Fright Knight himself was staying his ground, knowing better than to provoke a power you were unprepared for.
"Akashi," Fang frowned on his end. "What have you done now?"
"What is this?" Savage snarled.
"I don't like this!" Sniper whimpered.
"Such strangling might," Juggernaut spoke.
With Mitsuomi, the Komodo Fangire began to smile fondly. He knew this power very well, having been born in the family which harnessed it. He knew exactly what this power was and what it was capable of. Even with all the risks that would come with it, he felt pride swell up in his body.
"Little brother," he sighed. "You have truly earned the Akashi name now." He returned to human form as did Emi. He sported several nasty injuries as a result of Fang's Imperial Moon Break but he would survive. The same could be said for Emi who'd survived the Broken Fang. They would eventually heal.
"Let's go," said Mitsuomi.
Danielle and the Arms Monster trio turned into their human forms as Devlin and Richard willed their respective armours off.
"Why should we follow you?" asked Richard suspiciously.
"Don't you want to see what's going on, up close?" asked Emi. "Aren't you the least bit curious?"
Devlin and Danielle narrowed their eyes in suspicion. Fangula said, "We should go. Who knows what kind of power that Akashi has? He may lose control."
"Right," Devlin nodded. "Let's go."
Devlin and Richard both rode on the bikes, the Blood Fang and X-Lion respectively, with Danielle riding behind Devlin as Gillian rode behind Richard, wrapping her arms around his waist. Mitsuomi and Emi had travelled their own way, as did the Fright Knight, Lobo and Francis. Roulette and Fangula flew alongside their partner with a frantic look on the metal bat's face.
Upon arrival, they could see Danny forced onto his knees, shaking but what shocked them more was Seras' wounded body lying on the ground. The two bikes screeched to a stop as the brakes were squeezed and the Riders dismounted from their vehicles as they threw off their helmets. Their passengers did the same.
"Seras!" shouted Richard.
"Danny!" Danielle shouted.
"Akashi!" shouted Devlin. "AKASHI!"
Tamashii stood up, his aura shooting off him like a dark fire. His Ryuugan had activated and his normally white hair turned a pitch black. He threw off his trench coat, revealing his dragon tattoos to be glowing darkly. As he looked at Seras' body he remembered something…
A younger Tamashii sat in front of a mat. On it was a man, covered in bandages. "Listen to me, Tamashii. You mustn't hate. Anger and hatred throw ki into disorder. And you can't wield power properly with disordered ki."
"I don't care, onii-sama… I'm… I'm gonna get stronger… really strong! And then… I'm gonna find and kill all of them who did this to you!!" The young boy had tears falling from his eyes.
"Tamashii… getting strong so you can hurt somebody…is the same as them getting strong so they can hurt you. Real strength means protecting something…without fear of getting hurt yourself. Be proud of yourself. We Akashi have always been…a family that saves numerous lives for our own wounds."
Danielle went to Danny who was holding onto Seras and not knowing what to do. Danielle paled. There was so much blood coming from her wound. "Seras…" Danielle shuddered.
"Seras!" shouted Richard as he ran to the wounded girl with Devlin.
"She's alive," stated Devlin, his sharp hearing picking up her heartbeat and pulse, "Barely…"
"What the hell is going on?" Danny asked. He'd faced demons before but this was something else.
"We'll explain later, but let me heal Seras."
"How are you going to do that?" asked Danny.
"A little blood transfusion," Devlin said vaguely. "Give me her body."
Danny wasn't sure what to do but gave Seras to Devlin nonetheless. His gloves had blood on them and he looked sick and paler. Devlin laid Seras down to look at the damage. She had a deep cut from her left shoulder down to her hip. It was a miracle that no major organs had been damaged.
Devlin's mother was an angel and could heal. His sister could heal as well and so could his brother. His father was able to learn healing magic. Devlin, however, had no magical skills aside from his potions and he doubt Seras would be able to swallow one of his capsules.
Then he learnt from Fangula the properties of his vampiric blood. Though it would turn a person into a vampire, as a dhampir it would most likely heal a person. He had to inject it straight into Seras and he had two methods. One was using his teeth and the other…
"Stay back," he warned as the chains came out from his back, tipped with thin needles at the end. "This is going to get messy."
"Have you done this before?" Richard asked.
"Honestly, no, but the theory is sound," Devlin said.
"Theory!? This is like a shot in the dark!" Richard cried.
"Got any better ideas, Belmont? We're running out of time!"
Richard remained silent as the chains descended upon Seras, the needles piercing her neck. Devlin transferred his blood through the organic chains, which started to glow red. Danielle watched as he did this, healing Seras. Mitsuomi and Emi watched in deep interest as Danny was awed.
Tamashii's aura finally began to take shape around him. The rest of his brother's words were still clear in his head. 'Tamashii…you may not understand now…but…when you do come to learn the true meaning of these words… At that time, you'll see that it's not a demon that inhabits your body but…"
"Almost done!" shouted Devlin.
Tamashii let out a powerful and mighty roar. His aura finally took shape. It looked like… 'A dragon!!' To Tamashii, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He walked over and knelt down next to a healed Seras, giving Devlin a thankful nod for healing her as the dhampir withdrew his chains which dripped with blood. Tamashii stroked some of her hair gently before standing back up. Tamashii then vanished in a flash and the Dragon hadn't even recognized the movement. The Dragon was then suddenly flung back by an unseen force. Tamashii reappeared on the spot where the Dragon had been standing moments ago.
"What was that?" asked Richard
"How many times did he hit him?" questioned Devlin.
"I counted 4," said Emi as she showed up.
"You're way off, he hit him nearly 18 times," said Mitsuomi as he showed up as well. "This is the power of the Magabarai."
"Woah," Danny whistled. "That's fast."
"What is the…?" Danielle began to ask.
"The Magabarai?" snorted the Dragon. "Fine then, Akashi wants to play, then let's play!" He let out a powerful roar as the Fangire markings appeared on his head and he began to transform. However, the transformation was cut short as Tamashii appeared in front of him. The Magabarai pulled back his fist.
"Red Emperor Dragon…" muttered Tamashii. He threw his fist forward only it was covered in electricity. "Thunderous Lighting Rapid Strike!!" Tamashii's electrified fist slammed into the Dragon repeatedly, sending him sliding backward.
"What the hell was that!?" shouted Danielle. "He can control lightning now?"
"Each of the six Old Families, families born to the original ancestor of the Akashi, possesses a unique chakra, or dragon gate. The Akashi family possess the Dragon's Fist, Dragon's Fist. These fists have the ability to collect, store and utilize an inexhaustible supply of ki obtained by 'eating' the ki and abilities of others," began Mitsuomi. "What you see is the first chakra and true nature of my brother's ki: "Earth Ki". When his gate opens, he can harness the earth's electrical fields and generate electricity. However, this works as long as his legs are connected to the earth."
"Incredible…" said Devlin.
The Dragon struggled to his feet. "You arrogant little bastard. My power is beyond yours. Allow me to show you!" he roared as once again the markings appeared and the transformation began anew. He had turned into a golden and crimson humanoid dragon with a dragon's head on his chest and large wings on his back. The stained glass patterns all over his body resembled scales and shone like the brightest fire. Frills flanked his head and his teeth turned sharp. His eyes turned pitch black. On his head he had two large and sharp horns and a black star was on his chest. "I WILL KILL YOU!!"
"Amakusa, take Seras out of here while the rest of you get away," Tamashii warned. "And don't argue with me. This is my fight alone."
Devlin nodded and the Fright Knight picked Seras up gently, bridal style. "Take her to the mansion," Devlin ordered and the dark knight did as told, flying into the air towards Fang Manor.
"I told you to get away," Tamashii said.
"I thought you knew me better by now," Devlin smirked.
"Well, stay out of my way," Tamashii replied, "And thank you for saving Seras." Tamashii once again vanished, this time arriving where Seras' body had been and picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground. "Ryuken…"
"What, boy? You let me stay on the ground and now you have the nerve to ask for something?"
"I know I may not be the one to wield you, but lend me your strength. Even if the cost is my very soul, give me the strength to crush him!" growled Tamashii as he drew the long blade. Its pitch black blade glinted in the moonlight. Tamashii vanished from view as did the Dragon. For a moment it was quiet. Then the very earth shook.
Tamashii and the Dragon's blades clashed over and over again, causing craters wherever they clashed.
Devlin was in awe of the level of power Tamashii now possessed. Early, the two could have been considered to be on equal ground, but given Tamashii's new strength, he wasn't so sure anymore. "Akashi style! Iron Dragon Strike!" Tamashii swung his blade, letting loose his attack, only to vanish with it. The Dragon deflected the attack, and where the attack landed Tamashii appeared.
"What just happened?" questioned Danny.
"He's learned the ultimate power, he can put his entire self into a single attack" answered Mitsuomi. "Brother!" shouted Mitsuomi, gaining both Tamashii's and the Dragon's attention. "Use your power to avenge our family. Destroy that monster! That is the way of the Akashi!"
"Mitsuomi, you bastard!" roared the Dragon as he charged at Mitsuomi. He threw out his clawed hand but it was caught by Tamashii.
"I am your opponent," glared Tamashii. He and the Dragon vanished again, but when they reappeared, it seemed the fight was over.
The Dragon had his claw going right through Tamashii's chest!
"Akashi!" shouted Dev.
"No!" cried Emi.
The Dragon removed his claw and began to make his way toward the others. "Stupid boy. Just fall down and die."
Tamashii began to fall backwards. "I…will…not…FALL!!" roared Tamashii as he stopped just before his head hit the ground. He then forced himself back up. "There are people I must protect…" Images of the Slayers flashed through his head, especially images of Seras and Sandy. "And there is a man I must surpass…" Tamashii looked straight at Mitsuomi. "So until I defeat him…I will not lose!" He prepared his blade. "Akashi style. Ultimate technique," began the Magabarai. A deafening roar was heard and the ground. Tamashii vanished. The ground beneath the Dragon Fangire began to crack. "Ascending Earth Dragon!" As Tamashii said this, the ground beneath the Fangire shattered, and a massive dragon, made of energy, blasted clear through the Fangire leader.
The 'audience' was completely stunned by the power behind the attack. Richard never knew how powerful Tamashii really was until now and Devlin had his suspicions but now they had been confirmed. Tamashii was hiding some serious power in him it seems. Danny had never seen such power, aside from Shadow, and that had been a wakeup call. Now there were others with so much power, and they weren't even ghosts.
The Dragon fell to his knees in shock. "How can I lose…? I am the elite. The greatest…"
"Where's Akashi?" asked Devlin. After the attack was executed, Tamashii had vanished completely.
"There," said Mitsuomi, pointing to the sky. Sure enough, floating in the glow of the moon was Tamashii.
"This ends here…" he said as he began his descent.
"No! Ha can't be planning to use that!" shouted Mitsuomi.
"What?" asked Gillian.
"Akashi style! Forbidden Technique!" Tamashii began spinning like a drill. Soon his entire body became enveloped by a dragon made of pure energy, spiralling downward towards its prey. "DESCENDING HEAVEN DRAGON!!" The dragon slammed into the Fangire leader, creating a giant crater as a result and blasting smoke into the air.
"I can't see!" Danielle cried. "Who won?"
Devlin was trying to focus his eye but the smoke was getting in the way. He turned towards Mitsuomi who wore a small smile on his face. He wondered what that smile could mean.
The smoke finally settled to reveal Tamashii, standing tall and proud, the defeated Fangire leader lying at his feet. The Dragon's body slowly cracked before it shattered completely. The white orb of a soul flew into the air. Tamashii glared at the soul and lifted up his arm. With a hissing noise, the Exelon parasites flew after the disembodied soul. However, the soul dodged and weaved until a large, malicious form appeared to block the Exelon. It was fuzzy at first, but it quickly sharpened until it had revealed itself from the summoning spell.
It had been summoned by the Dragon, just in case he lost. It was a huge Sabbat colored gold and silver. It let out a roar as the soul escaped. Mitsuomi and Emi decided it was time for them to leave and right now the heroes would be preoccupied by the Sabbat to stop them anyway.
"Damn!" Tamashii cursed.
"We got bigger problems now, Akashi!" Devlin shouted.
"Here you go," said Richard as he handed the Slayer System back to Tamashii. Tamashii took it and turned towards Devlin.
"One last time, it seems," spoke Tamashii as he slung the belt on and fastened it around his waist.
"It seems so," said Devlin as his Fang Belt formed when Fangula bit him. He snapped Fangula onto the belt, "Henshin!"
"READY!"
"Henshin!" Tamashii snapped the Knuckle onto the belt.
"FIST ON!"
"Wake Up!"
In flashes of golden light which faded and a mass of chains which shattered, the two Riders appeared.
"Let's take this big one down!" shouted Fang as he drew out his Dragoon Whistle and placed it between Fangula's lips to blow.
Slayer took out his Mecha Whistle and inserted it into his belt. It called, "MECHA DRAGOON: COME HERE!"
"It's coming!" Danielle warned.
The ground exploded as the Great Dragoon appeared with the Mecha Dragoon riding on its back. The two Riders looked towards each other and leapt upon their respective dragons. At the same time, they would assume their strongest forms.
"Roulette! Now!" Fang commanded.
"OK!" shouted Roulette as he flew towards his master and snapped the shoulder chains to release the golden bats.. He then attached himself to Fang's left arm, calling out, "FINAL WAKE UP!" The swarm of bats engulfed him and changed him into his Demon Emperor Form.
At the same time, in his seat, Slayer had just entered the three digit code to activate his own ultimate form. His armour exploded and the belt announced, "PALADIN MODE: ACTIVATED!" as his new armour was activated.
"IKUZO!" shouted Slayer in his Paladin Mode.
"Right!" agreed Fang as the Great Dragoon took to the air to engage the Sabbat in the most climatic battle yet.
ZK Chromedragozoid: This isn't the end. There is one last chapter!