0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here that belong to Ranma 1/2. The Ranma 1/2 cast belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Nor do I own Suikoden 3 or any other characters that I put into this story except for my own OCs. Neither do I own any of the character in any of the crossovers I do. I'm just using them in this fanfiction and I have no money so don't bother suing me. You'll just lose money instead of gaining any. And remember to leave a review!
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Chapter 20 The Nightmare's End Part 2
All around the oceanfront of Shibuya police, army and Core units are preparing for tonight. Body armor, guns and ammunitions are being passed around as barricades are being set up a few blocks from around the building. They had to make sure that the entire area is clear of civilians when the raid begins. All of the main and side streets have been closed off and everyone in the area had been evacuated.
"What's taking them so long?" Sakeo asked impatiently to Kotobuki as they looked over the battle plans. "It's almost sunset and most of the office workers have already left the building."
"According to the plans they laid out for us we'll know when they begin," Kotobuki replied as he tried to placate her. "Just keep a..." A loud crashing sound interrupted him as the front windows of the building exploded from the inside. The cause is the body of a Hunter being thrown out of the building and onto the pavement.
"That's our cue! Go! Go! Go!" Sakeo shouted over the radio. The attack helicopters flew over them as everyone rushed to their duties.
All the units surrounded the building and set up blockades. Everyone is heavily armed, equipped with Core type body armor and military-grade weapons no matter what their rank is. This is all or nothing and there is no room for mistakes.
Everyone cocked their weapons as Neclord's monsters came out of the building and sewers. They looked up when they heard noises coming from up above and saw swarms of Dacs flying down from opening on the building. Leading the ground charge is a horde of Fossils ready for carnage. All the humans shook with fear, but they open fired when their enemies came into range.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Inside the building -
Ranma and the others had made it inside the building. Rally and Minnie are with them as well as Hinako. Jones decided to stay at the sidelines for this one, saying that he would just get in the way. Ranma is wearing the magic resistant clothes given to him by Brute Hat with a hole cut on the back so that he can let his wing out. To cover it he is wearing the blue cape given to him by Kodachi. He is also wearing his armor and on his head is the hat that his great-grandfather had given him, not that he will get any hat hair if he takes it off. Around his left wrist is his blaster that Mind had remodeled into a bracelet. Everyone else is wearing his or her fighting clothes. In Hinako, Rally and Minnie-May's cases they are wearing Kevlar armor and other protective padding.
The building is mostly empty, but they did find a Hunter in a stasis pod in one of the back rooms. To let the police know they have made it inside Kanna threw the Hunter out into the streets.
"Alright," Rally started. "Ranma, you and the others get to the upper floors. Minnie and me will handle the basement level. Landis will handle the Dacs outside and meet you at the upper floor when he's done."
"Un," he replied." Once you two bomb the basement make sure to get out of here and help the cops outside. We'll handle the rest."
Mind cleared her throat, turning everyone's attention to her. "Before we begin take these with you," she said as she unleashed dozens of floating pods that had cameras on them from her bike that she had taken along. "These cameras will shoot everything that happens here and show it LIVE to the world!" She grinned as everyone's jaws dropped.
Fight's left eye twitched. "Sis, why are you filming this?" she asked Molly, slowly and dangerously.
Mind just kept on grinning in response. "That reporter Ellen got me something that I wanted so she asked me to do this in return," she tried to, but she never could emulate her little sister's magical ability to never have anyone mad at her.
Fight's fists started clenching and unclenching. She started speaking slowly, but by the end she is screaming. "What could she have gotten you to make us her money-makers?"
"Well, she gave me information where I can find lots of good parts for my gadgets." On the outside she is grinning, but on the inside Mind is sweating bullets under her older sister's stern gaze.
"Which is where?" Tina asked slowly as she keeps repeating, 'Must not kill little sister. Must not kill little sister,' in her head.
"Oh, at some dumping grounds for military grade hardware that they just left lying around. Boy they really should have hid those places better," she tried to change the subject to make her sister forget about killing her. "They had some really nice equipment there that all I had to do was repair. You should have seen..."
"Look," interrupted the exasperated pigtailed man. "Let's just go, alright?" Behind him everyone had sweat drops as camera pods hovered around them.
Mind shot him a beaming grin for the save. "IT'S SHOWTIME!" She shouted as she started the camera pods and the worldwide news broadcast began.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Just outside of the police barricade a van is parked. Inside the van Ellen is grinning like a fool as she watched the TV monitors the news van is equipped with light up with the feed from Mind's camera pods.
"I'm rich! I'm rich I'm rich I'm rich!"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Elsewhere, outside the building in the back -
'I can do this!' Sayo said as she came through the back way, up the garbage chute. She heard the fighting beginning out in the front and hoped her father would be okay out there. Thankfully her brother had been ordered by their father not to participate in the raid.
Getting to the top she saw an armed human guard running up the hallway that she had popped out of. Doing a jump kick from the garbage shoot she slammed into the back of the guard, causing him to fall down. While he is disoriented she hit her cane to the side of his head, knocking him out.
"One down and many others to go," Sayo said to herself. She felt sick at having to harm another human, but fought it down with deep, calming breaths. Now is NOT the time to chicken out.
Her attention turned to the display map on her helmet screen. She had a super computer in her base that Molly had set up and built for her. It even had an A.I. unit that has the personality of Mind on it that calls itself Net Hat. Net had downloaded the map of the building and is displaying it on the screen, which is transparent so she can still see where she is going. Net Hat suggested that the best way to help out is by taking out the power room.
"Better get going then," Sayo said to herself as she ran towards her destination. And floating right behind her is one of Mind's camera pods following her filming everything. At the Kotobuki household Sayo mom and her two older siblings were glued to the TV as they watch her make her way through the building.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Outside in the front –
Many of the monster forces had been taken down while the human side had only suffered a few casualties. The heavy firearms they all had been issued made the battle a little more even. However, the monsters are quickly pushing them back as they quickly overrun the blockades. Their sheer numbers kept forcing the units back more and more to fallback points. The Fossils were tearing through the lines grabbing and throwing or tearing apart the people at the blockades. The only people holding their ground are the units with the flamethrowers since they can affect a large area as the monsters back away from the red hot flames.
"Ryo! There's no way we can get into the building from here!" Kaori shouted to him as she fired at the monsters that are attacking them. They had taken to the safety behind a patrol car as the monsters gained more ground on them. Gatling-gun fire coming from the building had driven many of them back when the fight had started up.
"Sakeo, who are the closest units to the building?" Ryo asked over the radio as he reloaded his gun. Seeing an incoming Fossil Ryo grabbed a hand grenade and threw it at the incoming monster, stopping it in its tracks as the bomb went off in its face sending its massive body crashing down.
"The sniper teams are all under heavy fire coming from the building, none of them can get an open shot," the radio responded, "It looks like Gunner is on the fourth floor of the building. The attack helicopters are all busy with the Dacs and the tanks are on their way. They should be here in another 10 minutes."
In the command center Sakeo looked up from where she sat as she help with giving out orders to the people fighting outside. All around her everyone is busy with all the incoming calls from the units around the building.
The attack helicopters fighting against the Dacs are doing everything they can to keep on fighting, but the Dacs only had to grab onto the side of the craft, break into the compartment and tear the crew apart inside to destroy one of them, sending the unmanned helicopter crashing down onto the crowded streets or into a building. Thankfully the remaining helicopters are saved when Landis with a few camera pods following him appeared and sent Dac after Dac down to the ground dead with his lightning and scythe attacks. Cheering from the crews can be heard from the radios tuned to the helicopters.
"THAT'S RIGHT! OVER HERE! COME TO ME YOU MISERABLE PIECES OF FLESH! LET ME SEND YOU ON YOUR WAY TO DAMNATION! MWUHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yelled a very enthusiastic and sadistic winger as he took down Dac after Dac. His ever-present is grin is bigger and he radiated malice and bloodlust. Thankfully he is taking it out on the Dacs instead of the humans.
In speeds not usually associated with a mini-police car one officer is shouting into the radio while another drove with skills that would make a Nascar driver green with envy.
"Don't worry! We can make it!" Natsumi shouted through the radio.
"All we need to do is get enough speed to drive into the building's third floor from the seven story parking lot near the building," Miyuki shouted. She furiously turned her steering wheel as the car went up another level.
"Go for it girls!" the voice of Sakeo responded. "Remember to plant those C4s at the basement and watch out for Gunner. He has already taken out 3 sniper units and four units that try to get into the building. Good luck!"
"Let's go! Hit the nitro Miyuki!" The mini-patrol car shot forward like a bullet.
"Hang on!" Miyuki shouted out as they did something that only happens in movies. The car drove off the top floor of the parking lot. Those who were looking up had their eyes bulge out of their sockets as a car went over their head and crash into the fourth floor of the building.
The mini-police car crashed through the office floor windows. Wooden workstations went flying as the car went through them, trying to slow down and stop. It finally came to a halt when it slammed into a couple of heavy desks, breaking them apart as it drove into them.
"Natsumi, are you okay?" Miyuki asked her partner as she tried to shake off the effects of driving into a building like that. She turned teary eyed as she looked over the damage of her precious car. But then she froze as she saw a man wearing full-body armor standing in front of them.
"Floor it!" Natsumi shouted as she saw Gunner raise his arms at them. Both of them ducked as the windshield shattered, the armor piecing bullets tearing through the car. The firing only stopped when the car rammed into Gunner, sending him and the car through a wall and out to the open-air lobby of the building. The two landed on the glass-plated rock garden in the middle of the building.
Natsumi groaned and turned to her partner. "Are you still alive?" She tried to shake off the impact of falling four stories to the ground floor.
"Yes, I'm..." Miyuki stop herself as she saw Gunner getting back up, raising his right arm at them the gatling barrel started spinning. This time they cannot stop him like before because the car is totaled.
Four shots rang out, slamming into the armored helmet of Gunner and knocking him back. Right after that a bomb fell in front of him. The blast sent him flying back even more and through a glass map screen. The two policewomen looked to where the bomb came from and the ones that had saved them from Gunner, seeing Rally and Minnie of the Gunsmith Cats.
"Get out of there!" Rally shouted to them as she reloaded her gun with Maria's homemade APs. "That armor of his lets him take more damage than normal! Move it!" The two of them began giving the two cops cover fire as Gunner got back up. Miyuki and Natsumi grabbed their gear and made a run for it.
"Damn it! It's not working!" Rally shouted as she saw the AP rounds just bouncing off of his armor. She dove for cover behind a rock art statue as a wave of bullets passed where she was just a second ago.
"Fire in the hole!" Minnie shouted as she threw another one of her bombs at him, but this time Gunner had planted his feet down to the ground and did not budge from the blast.
"Everybody get back!" Natsumi shouted as she fired her Remington M870 pump-action shotgun point-blank. Even if his armor prevented the bullets from hitting his flesh it could not stop the force behind it. Surprised from the attack he lost his footing and got blasted flat on his back.
"Got him!" Miyuki shouted as she hosted a M79 grenade launcher at Gunner and fired an Acid round right into his armored chest. The blast sent him crashing back into another wall. The grenade had made a hole on his armor as the strong acid ate away on it.
"Got you now!" Rally shouted as she fired one of Maria's energy bullets into the weak spot in Gunner's armor. The round went off as it connected with Gunner, tearing into his chest. The girls all sighed in relief as they saw him finally fall to the ground, dead.
After getting her breath Miyuki turned to the Gunsmith Cats. "You two are with Ranma Jones right?" she asked. At their nods she then asked, "You have any C4s on you?" She was only able to grab four of them when they ditched their car.
"What do you think?" Minnie-May said with a grin as she pulled out a huge C4 pack that she had in her jacket. She had learned a thing or two from Ranma. Now she can carry as many of her bombs as she wants. Yay!
Rally reloaded her gun and got some kinks out of her shoulder. "Come on. We need to blow the basement lab. You're here for the same reason so you might as well go with us."
"Lead the way!" Natsumi said as she followed close behind the Gunsmith Cats, dragging the stunned Miyuki who keeps muttering "My car" piteously. If they had looked back they would had seen Gunner's fingers starting to move.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Upstairs -
Ranma and the others had split up into three groups with Ranma, Kasumi and Tina as their leaders. Ranma had Sakura and her group along with Edge as they headed towards where Neclord is. Kasumi is with the other ninjas and Kodachi to take out the Tyrant lab. Tina is with rest of the team since it is their job to take down Neclord's enforcers as well as the smaller labs and the power room on the upper floors. They also serve as another distraction so Ranma's group can make it up to the top level as fast as they can.
"Are we close yet sis?" Tina asked as they set foot on the 26th floor. The stairs are filled with guards, both humans and a few monsters. On intervals they would take the elevators that Molly deemed safe to take.
"Almost there," Mind said as she read her computer screen on her bike. They had made it to one of the wide lobbies in the building. The strange thing is that the lobby is made of solid stone and barren of everything but stone work. Mind led the way since her bike had a force field generator in it. She suddenly stopped when she detected something. "Get back!"
Tina was about to ask why when a stream of fire engulfed Mind and her bike in front of her. "MOLLY!" Tina shouted to her sister.
"I'm fine!" Mind shouted out from somewhere in the smoke. "We got trouble!"
Standing in front of them is Afterburn. He looks the same as Tina had last seen him at the ballroom. He let out a roar as he unleashes another wave of fire at them.
"Stand back!" Green Tea and Red Bean shouted as they jumped in front of the others. Their shields absorbed the intense heat of the flames just as Mind had designed them to do (1). After the stream of fire ended Viki used a freeze arrow spell that she had learned from Piccolo, encasing Afterburn in a block of ice.
"We'll hold him off! The rest of you go!" Viki shouted to the others as Afterburn quickly melted his way through the ice block.
Seeing that Viki and the twins can handle this guy everyone else ran through a side door as Viki unleashed another wave of ice and water spells while the twins protected her with their shields. A few of Molly's camera pods stayed with them.
After climbing up to the next floor they ended up in another open-air lobby with a balcony overlooking it. Ranko, sensing something coming at her, caught a flying knife aimed right at her heart. Looking up to where the knife had come from they saw the person that had put Ranko in critical condition last time, Stab.
"So you caught my blade this time," Stab said with his usual calm look. "Let's see how much you improve, shall we?"
"He's mine!" Ranko growled as she jumped to the balcony to face the person that had almost killed her not so long ago. Her voice clearly said that she wanted to face Stab alone. Three of Molly's camera pods stayed with here as the others left Ranko to her fight.
Stab threw three blades then fired his eye beams at her. She barely dodged his attacks as he came charging at her, pulling out a short sword as he attacked. Ranko back flipped as Stab's sword swung in front of her. She lashed back with her whip, striking Stab's face and making him fall back as she swung the whip and striking Stab again and again. He let loose another eye beam blast at her making her fall back as she had to jump to the other side of the balcony, counter attacking with fireballs.
Then their fight got intense.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Meanwhile, at the 50th floor –
Sayo had gotten past the guards and monsters running around as she had taken the stairwell and had flew all the way up to the 50th floor with her hover disk. With all the attention to the front of the building and on Ranma's group she only encountered about a dozen guards on the way up. Pulling out her cane that is strapped to her back she prepared for anything behind the door. Taking a deep breath Sayo opened the door, ready for anything.
She had expected to see dozens of guards on the other side, ready to kill her. But what she found is the guards strung up all over the room. They looked pretty beaten up as well. Standing in the middle of the room laughing like an idiot is a strange looking baseball player wearing a mask. She saw one of Molly's camera pods hovering near him, an exact duplicate of the one that's hovering over her left shoulder.
"HAHAHAHA! ONCE AGAIN JUSTICE IS SERVED!" Strike Man yelled, looking over his handy work. Then he turned when he heard a door open. Through it came out a small girl. She is dressed in a superhero getup just like himself. She had on a metal headgear that had an orange visor on it that showed data now and then with a mouth guard that hid her identity much like his mask. She wore a long cape-like dark green coat with a blue color as the inner layer. A red tank-top covered her chest area, but showed a black shirt underneath it. She is wearing black pants loose enough that it did not hug her legs. She is riding on top of a glowing disk with lightning coming from one of her hands and to the disk and in her other gloved hand she held a metal cane.
"GREETINGS!" he yelled to his fellow crime fighter. "I AM STRIKE MAN! WHO MIGHT YOU BE?"
Sayo stood up as straight as she can. "Call me Ion, the new hero of the block," Sayo said with much pride, "I may be small but I pack a punch!"
"WONDERFUL! "Strike Man yelled as he walked up to her side and slapped her on the back, making her almost lose her balance, "IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOUNG PEOPLE HELPING THOSE IN NEED! NOW COME, IT'S TIME TO END THIS INJUSTICE OF HORROR BY TAKING OUT THE POWER SUPPLY!"
Sayo wondered how the loon knew about the power room as the insane man grabbed onto the metal door leading to the power room. Strike Man ripped the entire door right off the handles. "COME! LET'S US BE ON OUR WAY!"
But then both turned around when something smashed its way through a nearby wall. They saw Mr. X walking into the room though the hole it had just made.
"GO ION! I WILL HANDLE THIS MONSTER! YOU SHUT OFF THE GENERATOR!" Strike Man shouted as he pulled out his new metal bat that Mind had made for him and charged straight at Mr. X.
"Be careful!" Ion shouted to Strike Man as he fought off X, buying her time. He may be insane but at least he is helping her.
The power room glowed a dark red as the emergency lights turned on after the police had cut off external power to the building when the attack started. The generator takes up almost half of the room. The turbines made a loud spinning sound that made her want to clamp down her ears if her helmet was not in the way. As if reading her thoughts the sound level suddenly went down to manageable levels. Figuring out that Net Hat had done it she said a silent thank you to her friend for making it.
Looking around she spotted the control panel for the generator to the right. Running over to it she started pressing and flipping switches and buttons trying to turn it off, or at least blow it up. In all her mangas the hero just keeps on pressing all the buttons frantically and sooner or later it blows up or does what they want it to do.
Abruptly the warning lights in her helmet went off. Sayo jumped straight up just as an axe came down, smashing the control panel. Turning her gaze to where the axe was thrown from Sayo saw the person that caused her so much fear and nightmares, Jack-O.
"Well, well, well," Jack-o sneered. "What do we have here? A little girl is trying to play a superhero. Shouldn't you be at home playing with dolls instead little girl?" Jack-O asked with a mocking voice as he walked up to her.
"My name is Ion, not little girl!" Sayo shouted as she blasted him with a lightning bolt from her Molly-reconstructed cane, sending Jack-O falling to the ground.
"So you think you're all high and mighty now that you have the power of lightning in your hands," sneered the monster as it stood back up. "Too bad it won't help you as I'm going to skin you alive!"
"We'll see!" Ion said, putting up a brave front. But inside she is frozen with fear as she faced her greatest fear.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Meanwhile -
Kasumi's group entered the lab where the Tyrants are being made. All of the tanks that house the Tyrants are opened and empty. The only ones that were filled were those that contain unfinished ones.
"Ayame," Kasumi called out to the ninja. "Set the C4s at the tanks. Plant one at the controls Watari. Kodachi, rig a few more on the support beams. Sasuke, you're with me." Everyone ran to their assigned tasks as Kasumi and Sasuke ran over to the huge computer data files that held all of the information on the monsters. They had to make sure that all of the files are destroyed so that they could never be remade again.
"Hold it right there!"
Turning to where the voice had came from that saw a man in a stained lab coat. He is a thin man with black hair that looks as if it had not been combed for days. In his hand he held a test tube with some kind of purple fluid inside.
"Do you have any idea how much of my work you're about to destroy?" the lab guy shouted.
"Who are you?" Kasumi shouted back. The other ninjas and Kodachi ignored the man as they went about with their tasks.
"My name is Baker, the head technician of this lab. I'm not about to let any of you destroy my work! Now is the time to test out my new bio-weapon, the J.H. formula!" Baker shouted as he gulped down the test tube. Around the world people watching the broadcast got the feeling of déjà vu as they watched the mad doctor drink the formula.
He began to writhe in pain as his clothes began ripping apart. He opened his mouth and a wet moan came out, in pain at first but then angry, furious. They all started backing away as they saw Baker growing in size and mass. His body continued to grow as he started to hunch over, his head dropping down, muscles rippling beneath skin that is turning a gray green. Spikes rose up from his left shoulder, three of them. As his hands elongated a giant, bloodless wound grew across his back and his eyes turned red and animal-like. Baker has become a hulking eight foot-tall giant monster in just a few seconds right before their eyes.
"Just call me Hyda!" the creature that was once Baker shouted as he attacked them. He swung his giant fist into the spot where Kasumi stood a split second ago. She had grabbed onto Sasuke and jumped as soon as she saw the monster raise his fist. Watari and Ayame both began throwing their ninja stars, but his skin is as tough as stone. It swung its arms at the annoying pests.
"Watch out!" Kodachi screamed as she used her ribbon, wrapping it around Hyda's right arm. She tried to hold him, but she is thrown across the lab as Hyda gave a powerful yank to the ribbon. Ayame caught her in mid-air before she slammed into one of the tubes.
"He's way too strong!" Sasuke shouted out as he jumped around. Hyda began grabbing anything he could get his hands on and throwing them at the ninjas as they jump around the lab.
"Big Bang!" Kasumi shouted. A ki attack taught to her by Tina that doesn't depend on emotions, but is a lot weaker, shot out of her hands and smashed into the monster knocking him back giving them breathing room.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Elsewhere -
Tina and the others had climbed up five floors, dealing with the guards and monsters that stood in their way. They are making their way through a work area when a wall of ice appeared in front of them.
Turning to where it came from they saw a young woman in a clown costume. Jestbomb, Neclord's magic user, is sitting on the right shoulder of a Fossil.
But this Fossil is different from the rest. It is still huge, but is much sleeker than the ones they had seen. It had on a leather apron wrapped around its waist and body armor with metal dome shaped shoulder pads on it.
"What do we have here," Jestbomb said with sadistic glee, looking them over. "Look Fangface. It's dinner time!"
"Yum! Look good!" Fangface said more in a growl than anything else.
"It can talk?" Chris asked in surprise.
"Yes," Jestbomb replied as she stroked the top of the beast's head. "Fangface here was made to be the leader of the other Fossils and is much smarter and stronger than the others. Now let's get them!" The two charged.
Jestbomb fired a purple colored energy beam at them, trying for a quick kill. However, her attack is stopped just a foot away from them as Piccolo used his own magic beam to block hers. Fossil rushed forward at the nearest person, Tina, intending to make a meal out of her. However, it is pushed back by Natsume and Kurumi using their combined attack, the same one they had used to take out their brother turned sister the first time that they had met.
"You guys go! We'll handle this," Natsume shouted as she swung her rug beater, making a wind blade that sliced into the back of the Head Fossil. While it roared in pain Kurumi used her ribbon to make it trip.
"Go! Hurry!" Piccolo shouted as he traded spells with Jestbomb.
Going through another door and leaving the others and a few camera pods behind the group found themselves on a balcony overlooking a small fountain. There is another balcony on the other side with a bridge connecting it. They had all made their way to the other side with Mind and Hinako going last when the sounds of drills rang through the air. One drilled right through one end and the other one that the other end, sending the bridge crashing down to the floor below it with Mind and Hinako still on it. Still riding on her bike Mind let loose her spider legs from the metal disk on her back, stopping her fall as well as Hinako who had grabbed onto the bike as she fell.
Looking to where the tentacle with drills came from they saw Spindrive. Next to him are Hammer Fist and his men.
"You're not going anywhere!" Spindrive shouted out.
"Sis," Mind smiled, thinking that it is a good time to test out her new weapons that she had built just before they had gone on this raid. "You and the others go on ahead. I can handle this guy."
Hinako took out one of her coins. "I will take care of these overgrown delinquents."
"Let him have it sis!" Tina shouted before she and the others left the room. 'I don't like how we're getting split up like this, but we have no choice. We have to shut down the power before Ranma and the others reach the top floor.' Again the camera pods automatically split into groups.
"So you think you can beat me?" Spindrive asked with a smirk as his drill spun, ready to start drilling into her.
"You don't know me well, do you," Mind smiled as she activated her bike's second mode. The sides of the bike came up, making a solid dome over the bike, and the bike switch over to its hover mode. Then four holes on the dome' sides opened up and Mind's metal spider legs popped out, lifting the bike up. The whole thing now looks like a walking, hovering spider tank like the ones in the anime 'Ghost in the Shell'. The gun barrel of the bike opened up and let loose an energy blast.
Spindrive dodged to the side, missing it by centimeters. "This is going to be harder than I thought," Spindrive said to himself as he lashed out with his tentacles.
On the other side of the room the bikers surround Hinako. "Time for your lesson boys! This won't hurt a bit for me that is!"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Outside -
Ryo and Kaori are fighting with everything they got as they were force back as the horde continued to press forward. Things are going badly as the monsters are pushing them further back as they fought without any fear of death. Landis is doing his best as he let loose a lightning bolt on the densely packed monsters as he had taken care of most of the Dacs and the remaining copters are handling the others.
"They're still coming damn it!" Kaori shouted as she threw a grenade at the incoming monsters, buying them time to reload their weapons. They had taken cover behind a dumpster in an alley as the monsters had pushed all of them back a block away from the building.
"I know! Just keep on shooting!" Ryo shouted back as he fired four headshots into four monsters before ducking for cover again. All around them are the sounds of fighting and people dying as they gave their all against the monsters attacking them. Off to the side a Fossil brought its foot down crashing one Core member while it threw the one in its hands through the air. Then it was brought down by a rocket grenade and the combine firer power of a couple of other Core members who are taking cover behind a couple of cars. A Dac swooped down grabbing a female cop lifting her off the ground before dropping her down to the payment. A soldier fired at an incoming Hunter before bringing it down with a couple of bullets to its head only to be blind sided with the claws of a Licker.
Then all of the other sounds are overshadowed by the sounds of a rail-gun normally used on a helicopter. Looking down the alleyway they saw an army jeep and the men on it get ripped to shreds as the rail-gun's onslaught hit them. Another jeep sped pass by with two soldiers on it. With one of them manning the mounted gun, firing away at the one that is using the rail-gun. But as the jeep passed the alleyway they saw a missile zoom by, followed by the sound of the jeep blowing up.
Walking into their line of sight is Nemesis, the most powerful monster that the Resident Evil games had ever let loose.
"Shoot!" Ryo shouted as the abomination remembered that they are the ones who had hurt it before and turned its weapons on them.
"Sakeo, we need help over here!" Kaori shouted over the radio as they ran down the alleyway, bullets flying over their heads.
"Kaori? What's going on! The monsters are breaking through most of the barriers that we set up!" Sakeo said franticly as she and Kotobuki are busy at the command center. They are keeping an eye on what is going on inside the building as they had a TV brought in to watch the action going on in there. Kotobuki is manning the window, using a sniper rifle to take out any monster that comes within his range and helping out anyone in trouble.
"It's Nemesis! It's after them!" Kotobuki shouted to her as he spied Ryo and Kaori running a few blocks away and Nemesis right behind them. He fired two shots, both hitting Nemesis' head. It didn't slow him down one bit.
Sakeo changed the frequency for her radio and yelled into it for a few seconds before turning it back to Ryo and Kaori's frequency. "Ryo, try to lure him to a street that's clear! I got a tank heading towards you right now!" she shouted over the radio.
"Got it," Ryo shouted over as he turned and fired back at Nemesis, trying to slow the monster down.
Nemesis lifted its rocket launcher and fired. The missiles struck a wall to their right, sending them flying to the ground. Looking back they saw Nemesis aiming its rail-gun at them. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck Nemesis' weapons and making them blow up in its hands setting off the bullets and rockets, which sent the monster flying as bullets tore into him while that rockets explosions burnt his flesh. Looking upwards Ryo and Kaori saw Landis flying down to help them just as Nemesis got back up on his feet.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
A few levels below the top floor –
Ranma and his group had gotten past most of the guards and the monsters since Tina and the others are drawing their attention away from them. Sometimes they would take the stairs, other times they would take elevators that Molly had mapped out for them. They did run into some monsters on their way up, but the Flower Division (Sakura and the others as they like to call themselves in battle) handled the monsters easily. Being trained by very seasoned and battle-hardened warriors for the past few weeks had sharpened their skills and physical abilities to heights they would have never achieved on their own. That and the older ones wanted to gain Ranma's attention as he got really close to them as he helps train them, while Iris and Reni wanted to show their new father they live up to his legacy.
As they neared the top they entered a huge and empty room. The room has a high ceiling and a wide circle outer glass window let in the moonlight outside. Support beams for the windows gave the entire room the look of an old spider web. Looking down through the window they saw what is going on outside. Then Ranma turned his gaze upwards when he heard a noise that got the attention of the others as well.
Standing on one of the support beams is Faceless. He is still wearing that light brown coat and tan colored pants of his and the skintight metal mask that covered his whole head. However, this time on his back is a rocket pack with a pair of metal bat-like wings on the sides. The rocket pack is connected to a metal chest plate holding the pack firmly onto him and acted like armor. On his left shoulder guard is an energy cannon, a cable linking it to the rocket pack. Making Faceless look kind of like 'Vile' from the 'Mega Man X' games.
"Did you really think we wouldn't know what you're planning?" Faceless asked them. "The boss knew of your plans ahead of time thanks to our spy in the armed forces. But still, this is a good way to show what the boss' bio-weapons can do for our buyers. Once the west wind starts blowing strong enough we will release the Z-virus onto this city. We know you have been hacking our files so you know what it does. It will turn this entire island in a matter of days into the land of the dead, becoming the most feared region in the entire world. A perfect place to set up a base for us don't you think?"
"There's no way we're going to let you do that!" Edge shouted up to him.
"Everybody," Ranma said as he pulled out his sword, a determined look in his eyes, "You guys go on ahead. I have a fight to finish with him. Edge, take care of everybody until I catch up."
"Got it," Edge said as he and Kanna dragged a protesting Sumire and Orihime away as Sakura and Kohran did the same for Latchette and Maria. "Don't worry, I'll leave you a piece of Neclord, though no guaranties on it being big."
Ranma chuckled in response. "Yeah, yeah, just go already."
"Be careful papa," Iris and Reni said to him as they followed the others up the stairwell in the middle of the room. People around the world fainted when the two girls called Ranma their father.
"So those two girls are your daughters. How interesting," Faceless said as he snapped his blades from his coat sleeve. "But the real question is how in the world those two can be yours when they're that old and you're that young."
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Ranma said to him tauntingly. People watching on TV are currently trying to strangle their televisions, imagining it to be Ranma's neck, and trying to convince it to tell them.
"You know, I have been hoping to finish what we started in the Bell Tower. As you can see I had an upgrade for this event."
"So have I," Ranma said as he took off his cape and his limiter. He shot his left arm out to the side as his wing burst out from his back, totally forgetting about the camera pods that are following him. He stretched and flapped his wing to get the kinks out as people around the world gasped. Christians and other religious people all over the world watching the broadcast stared at the glowing sky blue wing on the back of the pigtailed man. A few fanatics yelled out "There's an angel on earth!" The bracelet on Ranma's left arm became active as the blaster formed around his arm, making many scientists and engineers drool, and let out a couple of shouts.
"How interesting now let's fight!" Faceless said remaining calm.
Faceless jumped up and took to the air, letting loose a volley from his shoulder cannon. Ranma dodged and jumped up as well. At the top of his jump he spread his body parallel to the ground and glided over to Faceless, sword first. Even if he cannot stay up in the air like Landis and Faceless can mid-air combat is his area, of specially when it comes to staying airborne as long as possible. He met Faceless head-on as he swung his sword at him. Faceless blocked it with his blades and kicked him in the gut, sending Ranma back until he landed on the ground on his feet.
"Wonderful! I have a feeling that this will be a fight to remember!" Faceless said as he felt his blood start to boil as he faces off against Ranma.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Elsewhere -
Tina and the others arrived on the 49th level after getting into an elevator that took them straight up to that level. They went up to the solitary door in the hallway the elevator is located in and entered. As they looked around they felt their insides lurch from the scene. According to the plans this floor is meant only for paying costumers, but did not elaborate why.
The large room beyond the door is strangely elegant, the muted lighting coming from a hanging chandelier. On the floor is a finely woven carpet leading from the door to a kind of sitting area on the other side of the room. There are overstuffed velvet chairs and cherry wood tables set up around the room. A large chair much like a throne is placed on top of a high platform with a curtain behind it. Anyone sitting up there would be able to see the entire room, which is worse than any of them could have ever imagine.
There are two custom-built water wells, one with a pillory built into its rail and a steel cage suspended over the over. Chains hung from the walls and the floor, some with well-used manacles attached to them, some with leather collars, some of them with hooks with bloodstains on them. Whips and other items associated with S&M, both for plain torture and sexual escapades, can be seen spread around the room. There are a few elaborate devices that they did not at look closely for fear of throwing up, things with gears and metal spikes. The elegance of the furnishings and of the room itself made things worse somehow, adding a touch of warped ego to the obvious psychosis of the people who enjoyed the entertainment. As if it was not enough to enjoy torturing people they wanted to observe them in luxury, like an insane aristocrat.
The monsters they had faced and the useless deaths were all horrible things, tragic or frightening or both. However, the kind of sickness represented by the chains and devices all around them is appalling to their very souls. It made them want to give up their faith in humanity.
"Welcome to the Feast Room," said a husky voice. Walking out from behind the throne is one of the most dangerous of Neclord's enforcers, Nails.
"This is sick!" Fred shouted. This kind of sadistic entertainment and pleasure is what he and Rico are fighting against back in their world.
Nails gave them a sultry and malicious smile in response. "Really? Let's see what our guests think of it, shall we?" she said as the curtain behind her opened up. The group gasped in horror. Hanging from various devices are the crime lords from the police station. Most had open wounds and cuts that look healed over before new ones had taken their place. They look like they had died a short time ago, a day or two at the most. The women of the group were all horribly tortured before dying, of sexual pain. Their private areas can barely be seen from all the dried blood and male...substances on them. The men were just plain tortured for the fun of it. Burn marks, whip marks, any type of torture marks can be seen all over them. They have been brutally beaten with blunt and sharp objects as well. Their male organs are no longer there either having been cut off.
"Why?" Chris asked in horror and revulsion, seeing that Neclord had killed his own people. Looking at the women she can see the biggest fear of all women, of being raped and tortured to death. She barely held in the bile wanting to be let out.
Nails sat on her throne, her legs crossed and her lips set in a sinister smile. "Simple. You see after we broke them out from the station we saw the tapes of them pleading to tell everything they knew just to save themselves. Neclord gave them to me to teach them a costly lesson about selling out their boss. The girls and I didn't like the men as they were nothing but pigs. However, they still wanted to pay them back for all the things they had done to them. The women, well, you would not believe how many men paid for some 'entertainment' with them. Of course our own men did not need to pay. They were given free turns as a reward for their loyal service to us. We still have the last crime lord who didn't sell out so the loss is not that significant. This..." she indicated the dead men and women. "...is what happens to traitors. No mercy is given."
In the horrified silence that followed Nail's statement Rico asked the much safer question. "Girls?"
Right on que stepping into the room are dozens of young women, all wearing dresses like the one Nails is wearing. All of them are wearing collars around their necks. Their skin is just as pale as Nails' is. They are the missing girls who had been sent to Neclord's room for his entertainment. Tina and her group who knew about Neclord's past knew what has happened to the girls. They can no longer be saved, just like all of the brides that Neclord had taken over the years.
Tina and the others turned around when they heard a noise of heavy footsteps behind them. Bloodsmash is now blocking the door leading to the elevator.
"Ah! You know what Neclord has done to them," Nails declared as she stared at Fred, whose grandfather had been part of the group who had faced Neclord before. "Turning them into vampires was simple enough handling them was another matter. Neclord put me in charge of them and I'm quite proud of how they turned out. The way they dealt with those crime lords was so wonderful that I just had to join them in their fun."
"You are sick!" Chris shouted out, pointing her sword at Nails.
"Master Fred! Let's send them all back to hell!" Rico vehemently yelled as Fred nodded with her, getting their weapons ready.
"Guys, let me go at them first," Tina said as she reached behind her back and untied the mace on her long braid. The mace fell out of her hair and disappeared by way of hidden weapons.
"What are you doing?" Nails asked, perplexed. As soon as the mace is removed Nails felt a huge, powerful energy coming from Tina, making her step back in surprise. Turning to Bloodsmash Tina just seemed to teleported in front of him and sent him flying into the room that held the elevator with a palm strike.
"Everybody, you go take care of Bloodsmash," Tina said to Chris and the others as she turned to Nails and the girls with her. "They're mine."
The others nodded. "Take care," Chris said as she and the others ran out of the room followed by a few hovering camera pods, a few others staying with Tina.
Tina had a smirk on her face as she approached them. "That mace is my Power Limiter that suppresses my true strength. No one, not even Ranma, can defeat me when I have it off. Now I will show you why I'm called Fight Hat."
Tina jumped into the air with a powerful aura around her just as the double doors slammed shut. Outside the room Chris and the others could hear the screams of Nails and her girls as Tina tore through them.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
In the basement -
Rally, Minnie-May, Natsumi, and Miyuki had made their way down to the basement first level. They need to take out the underground generator that is powering the underground lab. If they can set the C4s onto the key foundations of the basement layout then they can send the entire lower levels crashing down.
"Did you handle your end?" Rally yelled into her communicator as she fired at a Licker, bringing it down with a headshot. They had spilt up into two groups so that they would be able to set up the bombs faster.
"We're finished on our side," Miyuki replied back as she fired a Flame round down the hallway as the entire basement is crawling with Lickers.
"How about you guys?" Natsumi asked.
"We can't get close enough to the generator to plant the C4s," Minnie said as she threw another one of her custom made bombs at the Lickers that wouldn't stop coming through the power room hallway.
The two groups met are forced to come together when the waves of Lickers would not stop. After dozens of rounds and a custom bomb by Minnie they finally stopped the wave coming for them. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath when another enemy came.
They heard the familiar sound of a spinning gatling-gun starting up to fire. Not even thinking they all dove for cover in a broom closet just as a wave of bullets tore the hallway apart. Gunner is back for a second round with the girls.
Miyuki jumped from the closet and fired an Acid Round at Gunner followed by a fire bomb from Minnie, engulfing the hallway in flames. Seeing their chance they bolted down into the basement power room.
Inside the power room is the control panels for the generator. A large window gave them a view of the huge generator that powered the labs below. Natsumi aimed and fired her shotgun, breaking the glass window.
"Come on! Just arm the bomb then drop it down there," she shouted to Minnie.
"Buy me some time!" Minnie said as she pulled out the big C4 pack she had shown them earlier. She had made it so that when it blows it sets off all of the other bombs that she had planted around the basement along with the ones that the cops had planted.
Just as Minnie started setting it up they saw the door burst open and Gunner run into the room. His armor is in ruins and burned badly, but there is just enough left of it to hold it together. His gun barrels on his arms are ruined so they would not have to worry about him shooting at them. In his hands he held a fire axe that he had grab from a fire box.
He swung at Minnie, who ducked down and the axe embedded itself into the control panel. Natsumi did an ax kick, breaking the axe in two. Gunner threw the now jagged end of the wooden handle at her, who dodged it so that it jammed into a computer screen. Rally unloaded her entire gun clip into Gunner, knocking him back until he has his back to the generator window.
Minnie, grabbing onto the broken axe handle and pulling it free, stabbed it through the C4 pack and pulled it down to the middle of the handle. She handed it to Miyuki who got what she had in mind and loaded it into her grenade launcher. She aimed and shot it like a harpoon, striking Gunner through the chest and sending him and the bomb crashing down onto the generator. Falling onto the generator Gunner had just enough time to look at the C4 clock to see that it is about to blow. He let out a scream as he is engulfed in the fiery blast, taking out the entire lower level. The girls made a run for it as fast as they can, just barely making it out in time.
The explosion caused the whole building to tremble from the force of the blast to its foundations. Everyone outside of the building watched as the tall building shake as if it is going to fall at any second. Everyone inside the building also felt the blast, letting them know that Rally and Minnie had done their job.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
At the 50th floor -
Sayo felt the building shake underneath her feet as she fought against Jack-O in the upper floor generator room. So far she has been holding out on her own, but only because Jack-O has not used his acid breath yet. That is only because if Jack-O uses it in a small room like this he will likely hit the generator.
Ion tried using the "Thunder Beam" as she calls her attack at Jack-O. After making a strong enough charge she shot a solid beam of lighting at Jack-O, who is surprised at the attack and freezes long enough for it to hit him. However, all it did is shake him up a bit and make him fall on his back. He got back onto his feet and came swinging his axe at her as she raised her cane to block the incoming blow.
The only thing that kept her from being crushed by the blow is the cyber suit that Mind had made for her, making her strong enough to withstand the brutal force of the axe swing. Seeing that she cannot win by strength alone her mind is racing for a plan of attack.
She though back to all the animes and kung-fu movies she has ever watched and came up with an attack. Ion disengaged from Jack-O, jumped into the air, kicked against a wall, and used her momentum to kick her opponent on the face. When Jack-O hit the floor Sayo hit his head over and over again with her lightning-covered cane. At the fifth strike Jack-O is able to use one of his hands to grab and throw her away. He stood up quickly and ran at her. She saw him heading her way and tried to jump-kick his face, but he catches her ankle and throws her again.
Looking to where she is flying Sayo saw a mess of wires and power cables. Her whole body is electrocuted as her body connected with the live wires. Her mouth opened wide, but no screams came out of it. Bolts of power ran throughout her body before she finally stood still, hanging from the cables limply. At the Kotobuki home both Ran and Yamato had to hold down their mother as she tried to rush out of the house seeing that her baby girl could be dead.
Jack-O walked up to the still body with a triumphant stride. "Well look at that. She can dish it out but she can't take it. But just to be safe I better take your head off."
He swung his axe, cutting through a cable before coming close to Ion's neck. However, to his shock she caught the handle before it made contact.
"Sorry, but I'm immune to electricity unlike you," Ion said as she grabbed the cut end of the cable and stuffed it down Jack-O's opened mouth. (2)
His entire body shook as his body is fried from the inside out. His head glowed from all of the electricity pouring into him. Seeing her chance to end it she grabbed onto the other cut end of the power cord and concentrated as if she's holding a weapon to be powered with lightning. The rune responded to her call and sent lightning down the cable and into the generator. The generator in turn went haywire and sent massive amounts of electricity down all the wires, including the one stuffed in Jack-O's mouth.
When it is over Jack-O fell to the ground, his entire body charred black and the generator behind him looks like it is going to blow any second.
Just as Sayo is about to breathe a sigh of relief the wall behind her is smashed in as Strike Man came crashing through with Mr. X chasing his flying body. Both of them look as though they had thrown each other around the room. Helping Strike Man stand up the two of them turned and faced off with X.
Mr. X charged at them with a right hook, ready to smash them to pulp. Ion distracted him with a strike to the face while Strike Man grabbed his arm and swung him into the generator. X, with his large body, smashed into the already unstable generator and caved it in. Ion grabbed onto Strike Man, hopped onto her disk and took off just as the generator exploded.
The two are catching their breaths in the room Strike Man and Mr. X were fighting in, flames coming out of the hole. "WELL DONE YOUNG ONE! WE DID IT!" Strike Man yelled in triumph as he hugged Ion.
"Yeah! We did it!" Ion yelled along with him. Those who are watching TV (the camera pod is still following Sayo around) cheered them on.
However, their celebration was short-lived as something walked out of the hole to the generator room. It's hideous, all the more so for its still took a humanoid shape. It is like a mockery of reality, of sanity. In spite of the charred, smoking patches that covered most of its body its unnatural flesh has not lost its elasticity, the reddish matte beneath the burns flexed and contracted like real muscle. It looks like a skinned giant that had crawled from beneath a burning building. If it had suffered from the explosion and its fire bath it does not show. It is Mr. X in his second form, just like in the game.
Ion is about to blast it when Strike Man put his arm in front of her, telling her to stop. "I WILL HANDLE THIS ONE! JUST STAND BACK!" Strike Man pressed a button on his right gauntlet. Both gauntlets started glowing. "PREPARE YOURSELF MONSTER!"
Mr. X jumped towards them, both of his now clawed arms ready to slice them both. Just before reaching him Strike Man grabbed both of his arms, stopping him as the gauntlets lit up even more. He lifted the monster up by the arms and threw him down to the ground. With one quick motion he grabbed the monster's head and twisted. A loud sickening loud came from the monster's neck, making people around the world cringe. Video game fanatics started bowing, chanting, "Strike Man! Strike Man!" in honor of the one person who did something they have always wanted to do. Just to make sure it wouldn't get back up Strike Man lifted the lifeless body and threw it into the blazing fire.
"COME ION!" Strike Man yelled over his shoulder as he raced towards the stairs. "WE MUST GO AND HELP THE PEOPLE OUTSIDE." Sayo nodded and flew out of one of the broken windows to help with the fight outside. As the blaze roared in the generator room a charred figure pulls itself out of the fire unseen by anyone.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Outside –
Landis, Ryo, and Kaori are fighting for their lives against Nemesis as he lashes out at them with his tentacles. Landis keeps on casting lightning spells, but it had the same effect as throwing rocks at him. He is dangerously running out of spells to use. Spell runes do have a limit after all.
"Hey Landis! We need to get Mr. Big and Nasty to two blocks down! There's a tank waiting down there!" Kaori shouted as she fired away.
"No need to. Got something better," Landis said as he pulled out one of the special bullets that Maria had made. It contains a compressed level five Death spell from the Darkness Rune. Normally it would not affect a strong monster like Nemesis, but it was super charged by Ranma's Chaos Rune when he took of his Chimera Rune for a second and exchanged it for the Darkness Rune. The downside was that it took a lot out of him and he had to rest up for a good while before he recovered from making just five shells. The girls forbid him from ever doing it again and so this is one of the only five in the world. "Catch!"
Ryo looked up and saw Landis throwing something to him. Catching it Ryo looked down and saw a black bullet with strange runes covering it. "What's this?" Ryo shouted up to him.
"It's a Caster! You only get one shot so don't miss!" Landis shouted as he swung his scythe, clipping Nemesis' head as he flew by.
"Umm, isn't that something from 'Outlaw Star''?" Kaori asked as she watched Ryo put in the Caster in his gun.
"Just keep him still for me," Ryo said as he took careful aim.
Kaori nodded. "Hey ugly! Over here!" She shot Nemesis between the legs, stunning him for a second. Whether by pain or surprise no one knows.
"Show's over!" Ryo shouted as he fired.
The round hit and went in where Nemesis' heart should be. At first nothing happened. Then Nemesis began to inflate at a rapid rate. A light began to burst out through his skin through cracks as they appeared all over his body. A loud whirring sound came out as well, almost deafening. Then he just fell apart, turning into dust in seconds. What is left of one of the most powerful monster ever created is blowing away in the wind.
Ryo kept alternating between looking at his gun in astonishment and the dwindling dust pile. "That's some bullet," he commented with a whistle.
The wind picked up as Landis flew away. "See you guys later! That was fun!" he said with a laugh and took off to help the others.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Inside the building -
Viki, Red Bean, and Green Tea are throwing everything they have at Afterburn as he sent huge waves of flames at them. The whole room is starting to feel like an oven. Even the camera pods are having trouble with the intense heat even though they are enveloped in force fields.
"We can't get to him," Red Bean said as she and her sister used their shields to hold back the flames. The shields are strong and made to withstand intense heat and cold, but there is a limit to the amount of damage it can take and it is fast approaching. Even the handles of the shields are starting to get hot.
"Can you think of anything Viki?" Green Tea shouted as she held her ground.
She thought furiously for a few moments as the twins shielded her. "Use your combined attack." She quickly went in front of the girls with a magic shield in front of her. Afterburn saw it and upped the flames. "Do it now!"
The two former amazons saw what she had in plan. "Red and Green combination attack, TWISTED BEAM!" both of the sisters shouted as they both let out a beam of energy colored the same as their names. Both beams twisted with each other into one thin but powerful beam of energy. Viki quickly teleported out of the path just as the beam was about to hit her.
Afterburn turned his flames to the beam of energy, but is easily defeated by it. The beam shot a hole through the middle of his chest, stunning the monster in place. Flames race out of its chest as the flames within itself was set free, Viki cast a protection spell over them as the flames wash out of Afterburn like a leaking water-balloon until there wasn't anymore fire left inside of him. The three women easily take advantage of this and finish him off easily with combinations of magic and plain beating him to death.
The three ran out of the room with the camera pods following them. When they reached a room that is even semi-cool they collapsed on the floor, the COLD floor. They spent quite a while just getting themselves down to normal temperatures. After they are satisfied with the cool off they took off towards the top floor.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
In the upstairs lab -
Kasumi and the other ninjas had their hands full fighting against the hulking creature now calling itself Hyda. Fighting him head on is useless since he is way stronger than any of them and even Kasumi's attack isn't very effective against it. He had ripped out a metal rod out of a wall and used it to smash equipment and computers while trying to hit the ninjas that are jumping around him. While the others kept him busy Sasuke set all the bombs on strategic areas.
Kodachi tried to use her ribbon to ensnare the monster's legs, but Hyda caught it and used it to throw her to a wall.
"Mistress!" Sasuke shouted as he went to her side and checked her over. She is only dazed, but is out of the fight.
Watari jumped back, barely avoiding a blow that would have killed him instantly. He turned to the others and said grimly, "We have no choice. We must use it."
Ayame gasped, but nodded grimly as well. "Everybody stand back."
Sensing that the two ninjas are about to do something big, Kasumi helped Sasuke pull Kodachi out of the way as the two faced the monster off.
Hyda, seeing two of his prey started for them. That is when the two adopted two stances invented by Ranma's former father.
Ayame took on a stance very much like a ghost as Watari stepped aside. Seeing that one of his prey standing still and the other running away he swiped at the easy kill. However, just as the rod is about to hit her she…disappeared? He looked around for his prey when he heard a voice behind him shout "ULTIMATE DEMON GOD MULTIPLE STRIKE!"
Vacuum blades sliced into the monster, making it scream out in pain. Another voice, female, shouted out, "ULTIMATE DEMON GOD MULTIPLE STRIKE" and even more vacuum blades cut into the monster's stone like flesh.
It tried to, really it did, but Hyda could not stand up to the most devastating attacks of the Yama-sen-ken. It finally died when its head is cut off from its body. The head fell to the ground in four different pieces.
Kasumi and Sasuke stared in astonishment at them for only a second before getting out of their shock. They had seen them do this before, but not at a living target. They gathered the still daze Kodachi and made a run for it as they heard the timer on the C4 packs count down to the last seconds. Just as Watari and Ayame shut the heavy metal door behind them as the bombs went off destroying the lab and everything in it.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Elsewhere –
Hinako had just finished off Hammer Fist and his crew. While she no longer has her unique problem with her ki she can still take the auras of her opponents and add it to her reserves, Ranma having undone what Happosai had done to her. She turned to see Mind is holding her own with Spindrive.
Surprisingly he's very fast on his feet and can climb around like a spider monkey as he fought with Mind. First making hand holes on the walls to support himself, Spindrive would then use his two drill tentacles to hit the metal dome on top of the bike trying to break it. All of Mind's attacks are either avoided or blocked by Spindrive's tentacles. The two are on pretty even ground and Hinako is about to step in and help.
However, she is stopped when crashing through the door is Ranko and Stab, bursting in as they continue to fight each other. Falling off the destroyed bridge Ranko grabbed onto Stab and put him under her as they fell to the ground below. After a loud crash to the floor Ranko jumped off as he unleashed his eye beams at her.
Stab shot out his hook arm at Ranko, trying to get a hold of her. Using her whip she used it to wrap around its cable and pulled. Then using her Thunder Rune she sent a bolt of lighting through the cable hook. He screamed as he is fried. Just when it could not get any worse she used her Rage Rune setting him aflame.
Cutting his hook cable free he ran at her in a desperate act to kill her before he dies himself, still in flames. Hinako, acting fast, used the energy that she had drained from Hammer Fist and his crew at Stab. Her blast sent him flying into a wall, burying him and making a crater with him in the middle. Ranko followed up with her most powerful fire spell, incinerating Stab to ash.
Back to the battle with Mind and Spindrive she fired missiles at him, making him jump off the wall as the missiles hit. Mind unloaded an energy beam from her cannon just as Spindrive is kneeling down to jump up again. Hinako shouted to distract him, which it did long enough for the beam to connect. The beam destroyed both of his tentacles, cutting them clean off of his back. Then Mind gave him another blast knocking him flat on his back smoke rose from where the beam had hit him showing a large hole in his chest.
What they didn't know is that as Spindrive laid there bleeding to death he active a switch inside of him arming a bomb. Since he was the one that had made it he made it so that it would turn on when his heart stopped beating or as in this case he could turn it on when he knows he's dying. It would take ten minutes for it to go off. The clock started ticking as the three females rushed to an elevator to help their friends. Spindrive let out a bloody chuckle as he knows that they wouldn't be able to stop the backup if Neclord couldn't kill them before unleashing the Z-virus upon the city.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
In the upper floor -
Piccolo is giving everything he has at the clown magic user. They have been trading spell after spell as they try to take each other out, and it did not help that Jestbomb has been trying to blow him up with her bombs and sword cane while he has only his magic and his stick to help him. Even worse is that she is younger, yet is just as good as he is.
"You're not bad for an old guy," Jestbomb said as she used her sword to send a bolt of lighting at Piccolo, who blocked it with his magic shield.
"You are not bad yourself young lady," Piccolo said as he returned the gesture with his own bolt.
"Try this one! Magical Twister!" Jestbomb said as she started to spin around in the air. A magic-made tornado came straight at him as she hovered in mid-air.
Piccolo merely made his own tornado, canceling out hers. While he is a lot more patient than others even he is getting frustrated at the lack of results.
Natsume and Kurumi are giving their all fighting against Fangface. Natsume keeps using her wind attack created by her rug beater to push him away if he gets too close while Kurumi uses her ribbon to throw him around the room. However, not even if they use their combined attack is doing much damage to the evolved Fossil.
"Come back! Food!" Fangface roared as he charged at them again. His skin is like armor and while the girls are running out of energy he is not.
"He (gasp) says that as if (gasp) were really going to (gasp) do it," Natsume gasped as she used her ribbon to trip the monster again. They have been at it for a while now and cannot last much longer.
"We need to (gasp) do something, any (gasp) thing," Kurumi said breathlessly as she made another wind blade. Looking around in desperation she saw an elevator just pass where Piccolo is fighting with Jestbomb. "Got a plan (gasp), follow my lead."
Kurumi created a powerful wind that lifted Fangface in the air. Following what her sister wanted her to do Natsume used her ribbon to grab him by his leg, and then threw him towards the elevator.
"Piccolo! Open it!" Kurumi shouted.
Seeing where the girl is pointing he opened it after using an attack to drive Jestbomb back, wondering what the two are planning. He got his answer a second later.
"Never take your attention off your opponent!" Jestbomb shouted as she flew at him. But then she looked to her side when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She screamed as Fangface crashed into her, sending them both into the elevator. Four of her bombs fell off of her when she is blindsided by the dinosaur, which are quickly picked up by Natsume who threw them into the elevator as the door closed. The bombs blew and the elevator broke from the cables, sending it crashing down to the ground floor.
The battle being over the three fell down with a grunt, gasping for air. Even Piccolo showed how tired he is by crumbling to the floor. They stayed there for a few minutes before going to find an elevator to regroup with the others. No WAY are they taking the stairs!
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
The upper floors -
Landis crashed through a window on the 49th floor. Inside he heard people fighting down the hallway and rushed there. When he arrived he found that Chris, Fred and Rico are fighting with Bloodsmash.
"Hey ugly! Taste this!" Landis shouted as he gave the monster his second to last blast of lightning to the head.
Chris and Fred, seeing their chance, rammed their swords into Bloodsmash's chest. Then both of them pulled back, their swords still sticking in the monster's body.
"Landis! Give him another jolt!"
"Fry him!"
"Hope you like it well done!" Landis shouted as he gave Bloodsmash a mega jolt of power. With the metal swords channeling the power inside of him he is cooked from the inside out.
Bloodsmash fell to his knees and Rico came in and swung her hammer, knocking his head clean off of his body. Just to be sure that it was dead.
As the four of them got their breaths back from the intense battles they have been in Landis asked, "Where's Tina?"
The three of them looked at the double doors just as Tina came through them. Her limiter is back on her hair and she looks fine except for her hands that are all bloody, and the blood is not hers. They only caught a glimpse of the room behind her. Only Landis did not get a queasy stomach from what they saw inside.
"I took care of them, for good," Tina said in a cold voice.
"I didn't know you had it in you!" Landis praised her. He could not have done it better himself.
"C-c-come on. L-l-let's go," Rico said shakily to the others. She made a mental note to remind Ranma to never get on Tina's bad side. Everyone took off to shut down the generator not knowing it has already been taken care of.
Stepping out from her hiding place a young woman looks inside the Feast Room to see if anyone was still alive in there. Shaking her as she saw what's left of Nails and the other turn girls, even if they could heal from wounds that could kill a normal human ten times over they couldn't regenerate for something like what Fight had put their bodies through. She decided to make her escape while she still can. Signaling that it's clear she lead a couple of monsters that hadn't been killed yet downstairs as once Neclord falls it's going to be her turn.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
At the upper floor -
The room they are fighting in is ruins as their match took on Nerima-Quality Fighting. Ranma and Faceless are fighting on a support beam high above the rest of the room, their blades sending sparks as they tried to skewer each other. After a few more seconds of trying to get past each other's defenses they disengaged.
Faceless leapt back as Ranma slashed down at him with his sword. He crouched down to do a leg sweep. Ranma is knocked off balance as his legs are kicked out from underneath him and went down. He tried to stomp on his opponent's chest, but Ranma caught his foot and pushed, making him stumble back. As Ranma flipped to his feet Faceless fired his shoulder cannon at Ranma's torso. He twisted his body and the blast flew past him and he returned the favor by firing his blaster.
Faceless took to the air as the blast from Ranma flew below missing him, but was slammed down to the beam again as Ranma somehow jumped up first and used double-fisted bash on his head. Jumping away from each other Ranma and Faceless stood in a ready stance.
"Yes!" Screamed Faceless with what sounded like happiness. "I feel PAIN! Oh how I've wanted to feel ANYTHING again ever since I became like this!" He said the last part as if reminiscing something.
That is the last thing Ranma expected. "Huh? You were changed?"
The masked man nodded. "Yes, I and the other enforcers were all human once, just like you. However, unlike you I was born with a regular body. No matter what I did I could never become stronger than a regular human. I was a natural born fighter. I didn't even mind killing at a young age." Ranma winced at that, remembering Saffron and the Knights of Zexen. "But how can I become stronger with such a weak body," Faceless spat out. "I was trapped inside a body that I never wanted to have. Then I met Neclord. He offered me a new body that would grant me unbelievable power. So I became his top enforcer in exchange for this new body. He made this body the way I asked him to down to the letter. He even removed my face so that I would never have to see my weakness again as I was as a human."
Ranma shook his head. "It's too bad that I couldn't have met you before you became Neclord's lackey. I could have taught you how to surpass your limitations. It's just too bad that you like killing to much."
Faceless said nothing for a few moments. Quietly he replied, "Yes, you could have. You are not like other people that I have met and killed. You see when you kill a person you see what they truly are. All the masks they wear in life are lifted away, showing the person underneath them. Everything is let loose, all controls break as life is taken away from them. Time and time again I see the same thing in the so called 'powerful people' I have killed."
He did not hide any of his disgust in his voice. "They're always the same. When they see that death is before them they break down; crying, begging, pleading, showing that they're nothing without others to do their bidding for them or hiding behind laws that they break only making them important when they're at the other end of the barrel. That's why I don't even consider myself human anymore, for I'm far above them now. I will not show any fear. I will not beg to live. I will die as I live, with no fear."
Faceless pointed a finger at Ranma. "But you are different from the rest of them. You have been at death's doors many times, too many to keep count. However, instead of begging to live you fight on. You fight it off with every fiber of your being. You do not beg, you merely get back up and keep on fighting no matter what it takes. I know of your past. The only person you have ever truly feared is your own mother." Ranma winced, ashamed. "However, I know that you did not fear only death, but feared her disappointment as well. I saw how you have overcome that when you faced her again at the warehouses as I waited to attack you. Long ago you would have been just like all the other people I have killed, begging her to be forgiven or just plain submitting to her whims. Now you fight back instead of merely running away. That is the mark of a true warrior. They do not step down when they can step forward and fight back."
Ranma winced as he is reminded of his past. He was a coward when his mother became involved. In fact, he was a coward in anything that did not have to do with a fight he is ashamed to admit. But then how can he not be when all he truly knew was how to fight before Kasumi and the others had put him on the right path. "Yeah, I can't believe I was so scared of a woman who cared more for what I can do for her than how her own son feels. Damn it, how can I love someone who will love me ONLY if I do as she says! It was foolish trying to change myself for someone who only wants me to bed women so that she can have grandchildren!"
Faceless chuckled. "That is the one thing no one can ever change, who our parents are. No matter, let us continue our fight. To die by your hands would be something I would enjoy. However, I will not give up so easily."
"Neither will I." He could see that this is getting them nowhere. No matter what he tries Faceless can find a counter to it. He has finally found an equal, someone who adapts in the middle of a battle. Better try something new. He got the idea from one of the challengers who came during the time Kogane the ghost girl showed up at the temple. He took out a large bottle out of nowhere.
His opponent looked at him curiously as Ranma drank the bottle's contents with large gulps. Faceless could strike now, but his curiosity got the better of him.
Having finished the contents Ranma pulled the bottle from his lips and gave his opponent a grin. "Hehehe, it's my last resort." He raised the bottle in his hands with the kanji for 'Sake' on it.
"I'm supposed to be impressed by that?" Faceless said in a bored voice.
"Not (hic) really," Ranma replied, seeming to be a little unsteady on his feet. "Just a little something I wanted to (hic) try since you can..." he started swaying side-to-side, unable to continue speaking.
Faceless just shook his head. "Of all the foolish things to do, he gets drunk in the middle of a fight.' "It doesn't matter. You will die today." With that as his only warning he charged.
Imagine his surprise when Ranma leaned just a little bit to the side, totally avoiding the sword thrust meant to go through his stomach. He became even more surprised to feel pain coming from his own, Ranma having used his momentum to launch his own attack before standing up straight, as straight as his drunkenness allowed, with a stupid grin.
A swipe caused Ranma to tilt his upper-body back, causing him to kick his feet up. It just happened to hit Faceless' chin on the way up. As Neclord's lackey reeled from the hit Ranma stood up shakily, still with the drunk smile.
A leg sweep is met with Ranma falling and grabbing onto his coat so he fell with him, just that Ranma managed to get HIM to take the brunt of the fall face first. A two-slash attack somehow had his arm caught, twisted and then he is thrown. A mad charge with a multi-strike technique is foiled by a headbutt to the chest. While he is still reeling Ranma fell backwards. It would have been okay except he had grabbed onto Faceless' coat and threw him. He though he got Ranma with an X slash when he fell off the beam. However, Ranma somehow swung under and around the beam so his foot met with Faceless' head on the return swing. A few more tries to skewer, or just even land a single attack, is met with no success.
Faceless stood up very shakily, bruises all over his body. "What is this? How is it that I can't I read any of your moves?"
From the floor looking up at him Ranma replied, "Wild Horse School Last (hic) Resort, Zero Tolerance (Hic) Fighting, also known as Drunk Fu Anything (Hic) Goes Style Revised. One time use only. Don't want to (hic) become like my oyaji after all," he slurred. (A) For once in his life Faceless got mad, really mad. He did a suicide lunge using his rocket pack.
At the last moment Ranma's eyes became clear. He quickly fell backwards so that Faceless flew over him, drew his sword and did a horizontal, to him, slash that slice into Faceless cutting threw his armor. Falling to the ground below his armor broke apart and the rocket pack and wings kept on going, flew out of the window and flew away to who knows where. Faceless body fell to the ground below. Ranma flew down and look down at the fallen warrior.
"You fought well," Faceless said with the tone of a dying man. "I'm glad to have fallen to someone such as you. That idea of yours, getting all drunk like that, I couldn't read anything from you at all, very impressive and smart. Then when you told me about what you were doing I lost all control over myself, letting my rage get the better of me. A fatal move that as you can see cost me this battle and my life as well." By this point his voice is getting weaker, almost a whisper. "But I don't regret anything or harbor any ill will against you. I have died the way I have lived… I couldn't have ask for anything more. The only true thing that I regret is that you and I couldn't have met earlier." He gave a bloody chuckle. "We could have been the best of friends," Faceless said before he died in a pool of his own blood.
Ranma nodded solemnly. "You did well too. I'm glad to have fought against you as well." He realized that Faceless is a true warrior, one that lives to be a weapon like himself.
Having killed his opponent Ranma felt the after effects of the sake hit him. He spent a few minutes using his ki to heal the raging headache he has. "Oooooooh," he moaned from the ground, on his knees and clutching his head. "Damn it. Make the pounding stooooooooooop!" he said in a whining voice, fighting the urge to empty his stomach.
In bars, homes and apartments everywhere adults laughed their heads off at the man with no alcohol tolerance. Children, seeing the supposedly 'invincible' Ranma brought down by liquor, promised never to drink, ever.
After being satisfied the elephants are merely stepping on his head instead of stomping on it he left to help Sakura and the others.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
At the top floor -
Edge, Sakura and the others had made it to the top floor. After getting their breaths back from the long climb they ran through the big double doors ahead of them, its security measures having deactivated from the destruction of the generator. What got them worried is that they did not run into any other monsters or guards as they made their way up to the top floor. Could Neclord be expecting them?
The inner chamber of his domain is a large room, no lights on anywhere. They can hear someone playing a pipe organ that they have been hearing as they made their way up. The music is something out of an old movie or play and has a somber tone, like a death march, THEIR death march.
As they walked towards where they can hear it coming from two flames on either side of what seems to be a red carpet flared to life. Another step caused another two to go on. They found that the more they approached torches that have been set into the ground lit up until finally a step caused a bunch of them to turn on around a pipe organ. (B)
The pipe organ is massive, taking up a lot of space at one the end of the room. The pipes reach up to the ceiling, letting out the compressed air as it is played. A strange looking mirror hung above the pipes. The man dressed in the classic vampire look had his back to them as he played the final notes to the song.
"Welcome, Brave Hunters of the Dark," Neclord said as he turned to face them. "I see you have come at last. Perhaps you are here to stop my plans to enslave this entire city?" he asked them smoothly.
"That's right!" Sakura yelled out as she drew her sword, the camera pods with them catching all the action. "There's no way we're going to let you activate that bomb!"
"We will kill you first," Sumire said as she pointed her naginata at him.
"Many demon hunters here had said the same to me and all but two have fallen by my hands. What makes you think you will be any different?"
"We don't think we can defeat you, we know we can." Maria loaded her gun with one of each of her caster rounds, not sure what type of magic has the best effects on the undead.
"You are already dead. We are making sure you get to your grave," Kohran said as she powered up her cannon and her helmet started to give her a read out on Neclord.
"Besides, we said that we can handle you and that's what we're going to do," Kanna said as she got ready to fight.
"Ranma put his trust in us and we're not going to let him down now," Lachette said, taking out her combat knives as well as a bomb knife.
"We're not going to let papa down," Reni said as she aimed her lance at him. People STILL fainted at hearing that, Ellen not being able to edit anything out due to it being a live feed.
"Not after all he has done for us," Orihime said as she cracked her two whips and got her Rage Rune and natural flames ready, by summoning flames all around her.
In America, in an underground organization, Liz stared in amazement at the TV screen.
"You're not getting out of here alive, monster!" Iris shouted as she hovered in the air, riding in her pod.
"Interesting," Neclord said with an amused tone. "This is only your second time fighting a supernatural being, yet you believe you can actually defeat me. How amusing...and utterly stupid you are." The girls bristled and charged with loud battle screams. They formed an octagon formation with Sakura in the middle as they ran towards their enemy. 'Step One! Form formation!' the girls though all at once.
"Prepare to die vampire!" Edge and the Zodiac sword shouted as they followed the girls. Which surprise many watching as the sword with a face could talk.
Neclord merely laughed in delight and pointed to them, firing a thin black beam of energy. Their formation changed a little so that Kohran is the point. She activated her cannon's shield and the beam hit it, absorbing the energy.
'Step two! Return fire!' "Return fire!" Kohran shouted as she fired her cannon. Neclord flew up as the energy shot blasted the organ into scrap metal. (C)
The group scattered as Neclord threw down a massive bolt of lightning. 'Step three! He will send down a bolt of lighting!' Then flying down Neclord used his cape like a blade and sliced into the floor as he flew at Sakura. She met his attack with her katana, the two blades creating sparks as they met repeatedly. 'Step four! He will use his cape like a blade!'
Then Sumire came to her aid, making him break his hold. The two girls began attacking him in synch, making him back off as he blocked with his cape blades. 'Step five! Force him back!' Neclord then broke away from them due to Lachette's bomb knife blowing up in his chest. 'Step six! Bomb Knife!'
Maria and Reni started raining down a salvo of bullets. Reni's machine-gun like volley with Maria's sharp shooting caused Neclord great damage. 'Step seven! Rain of magic and bullets!' The spell rounds from Maria's gun dealt one spell after another on his rapidly faltering body. 'Step eight! Get ready Kanna!'
'How?' Neclord though angrily. 'How are they beating me so easily?' He threw down a massive energy blast at them to gain some room. However, Kanna jumped in front of them and grabbed the energy blast. Her gauntlets formed the energy into a ball and threw it back at Neclord.
The energy ball hit to the chest caused him to lose his balance, putting him into a spin. 'Step nine, take this!' Kanna ran to the falling count and gave him a right hook to his jaw, sending him flying back. However, the count quickly took to the air, though a bit unsteadily.
"Enough!" Neclord shouted as he let loose a horde of energy bats at them.
'The bats! My turn!' Everyone went into formation again with Iris at the front. She used her powers to create a force field, protecting the others from the energy bats.
'Step eleven!' "Back at you!" Orihime shouted as she let loose a huge stream of fire at Neclord, who lost his concentration on the bats to counter with his own magic. The onslaught of bats disappeared and Edge ran forward.
"Take this!" Edge shouted as he jumped into the air and slashed at Neclord, cutting off his left arm with the Zodiac sword.
Neclord screamed. However, instead of falling down to the ground clutching his arm he instead grabbed Edge by the neck. "You!" he growled with extreme hatred and pain. Back at the temple Akari screamed as she saw what is happening on TV. Shiori had to hold her down to keep her from rushing to the building to help.
'Damn! That wasn't supposed to happen!' "Come on!" Kanna shouted as the girls attacked him head-on.
While still holding Edge by the neck he unleashed one magical attack after another. The girls franticly dodged while still trying to get to the vampire before he kills the struggling Edge. With Edge panicking, trying to get air into his lungs, he did not think of cutting off the arm holding him even if the sword keeps shouting for him to do so.
Maria took out her caster rounds and loaded in the AP rounds. "Move out of the way!" She shouted as she fired. The rounds hit the vampire all over his body, making him scream in pain. One hit his right shoulder causing him to let go of Edge. Iris quickly used her powers to levitate the gasping man to their side.
"Are you ok?" Kohran asked as she ran up to him. The others kept the vampire busy as she checked on him.
"Yeah," he raggedly replied. "Skip to the final part. We can't wait for the others. Here." He handed her the Zodiac sword.
"Forget the plan," the sword agreed. "We'll have to hold him for as long as we can or take him out ourselves. Load me up now." Kohran nodded and opened up her cannon. A chamber large enough for the sword revealed itself and she slid the sword in.
Suddenly, a shrill alarm blared into the room through some hidden speaker in the ceiling making everyone stop what they were doing. A cool, female voice began to speak, slowly and clearly over the alarm. All over the building the others making their way to the top floor froze as the female voice went over the PA system.
"The triggering system has now been activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately. Two minutes left until self-destruct. The triggering system has now been activated..." The message kept repeating itself with the time counting down, making the others in the lower levels double-time it to make it to the top level.
Neclord smirked and started flying towards an escape pod he had prepared just for this eventuality. All villains must have an exit and he is no exception. "Well now, looks like we must part ways for now." He flew up to a height only those with long-range weapons can reach. He summoned a magic shield around him that deflected all of their attacks being thrown at him. "Once you and the others are gone I can restart anew. Thank you so much for inviting all those soldiers to come today. I needed a ready-made army, and you provided it so well! They will make excellent zombies!" Everyone gasped. They have been tricked!
In his remaining hand he held a remote control with a large, red button that he pressed much to the horror of everyone. A greenish gas started coming out of the supposedly destroyed organ.
Neclord is about to enter in the pod that would launch and take him out of the building when a long metal pole flew into his chest, pinning him to the wall. He screamed in pain as everyone turned to where it came from.
"Kohran! Now!" Ranma shouted.
With a small smile on her face Kohran nodded. "Sayonara," she said to the struggling vampire. She pulled the activation switch.
A brilliant light, white but shaded with electricity searing orange and blue, burst from the end of the laser cannon in a beam of concentrated fury. Inside the machine the Zodiac Sword fed large amounts of anti-undead energy into the cannon. The beam hit the vampire just as he freed himself.
Neclord began screaming as he felt parts of himself disintegrate by the beam of light. He can feel the energy of the Zodiac sword eating away at his body, destroying him. He tried to use his phase magic, but he could not do anything as the beam started coming out from cracks along his body. Soon his body could not take it anymore and turned to dust.
While Kohran is doing this Ranma shouted to Orihime, "Burn the virus before it gets outside!"
"Right!" She immediately powered up and let loose a fireball straight at the organ. The gas and the machine spewing it blew up at the same time as Neclord became no more. Everyone turned his or her heads to keep from being blinded.
The explosion of the machine caused the mirror on top of the wall to fall, almost breaking into pieces if Ranma had not managed to catch it at the last moment. The others in the room surrounded him to take a look at their prize, their ticket to the other world.
Just when Ranma turned to show the others the mirror everybody else arrived, huffing and puffing from the long trek up, each of the groups with their own army of camera pods.
"We're finished here. Let's go home." After getting their breaths back and Molly shut off the cameras, which made Ranma wince since he forgot about them, they gathered around Viki and disappeared.
As they disappeared you can hear Kodachi asking, "Is that alcohol I smell?"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Outside the building -
"You have five seconds, four, three, two, one, system activation now."
A circuit that ran the length and width of the building connected.
With an earth-shaking thunderclap of motion and sound the building exploded. Devices went off simultaneously in the basement of the building. Bombs went off on all of the key places of the building, causing the floors to crash down upon each other. Massive fireballs rose up into the early morning sky and could be seen from miles away in their few brief seconds of brilliant life. As the remaining gases that had escaped Orihime's fireball was destroyed.
All of the armed forces drew back as they heard the news of the building going to blow. They all watched as the tall building came crashing down to the ground, destroying the monsters inside and around the building. The building's collapse also destroyed any and all information on how to create those monsters as well.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Outside the police line –
In the news van Ellen fanned herself with a huge grin on her face that would be more appropriate on a woman on her wedding night. "I'm rich I'm rich I'm rich! I've got it made!"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Underneath the streets –
A young woman dress in black carried a char body on her back leading a host of monsters that have survived the raid through the sewers of the city picking up any monsters that had made it into the sewers as well. The woman smiles as plans began to form in her head, 'Once I reach the safe house I can start my own plans in taking over the underworld now that all of the major players are all dead.' Looking at the body she's carrying, 'And once I revive him, he'll be able to him me.'
The monsters that are following her suddenly stop as they saw someone walking towards them. The woman stares at the figure hidden in the shadows but with her new eyes she could make him out quite clearly, "Who are you?"
A dark powerful aura washes over the young woman and the monsters behind her. Making them tremble as they stare at the figure before them. They could all see the figure smirking at them as he began walking towards them his eye staring into them to their very core.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
On the TV the next morning –
"This is the scene of the infamous home of Ranma Jones, or better put WAS the home of Ranma Jones and his group of friends. As you can see the entire area of where the temple and the house next door used to be is totally devoid of anything. All that is left is a large hole where the temple and house was situated. So far no clues have come up to explain this phenomenon. We will keep you updated as more facts come in. This is Ellen of Channel 10 news signing off."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
At the temple owned by Genkai -
"Wow! That was some fight!" Kuwabara said as they watched the footage of the raid for the dozenth time. He is still bummed out that he could not help since Dark Hat had paid them that visit.
Yusuke is sitting leisurely on a chair near him. "Wow! That Faceless guy is way better than Togoro was!"
Yohko rolled her eyes at him. He has been making comments like that the whole time, comparing one of the monsters to each of them and saying whether or not one or the other is better. "Yeah, like YOU could have beaten him dorkface."
"Hey! Of course I can!"
"Oh please! Your ego is the size of Japan! All talk and no action!" Yohko said, giving him a flat stare.
"What did you say?"
"Anyway..." Azusa interrupted while drinking some tea. "...if Togoro almost killed you when you fought against him then there is no way you could have beaten Faceless. Face it boy, there are better people than you."
"Shut up you!"
"She's right Yusuke," Kurama intervened before he gets himself in trouble, again. "The level of skill that he showed in fighting with Ranma is not something to take lightly."
Hiei just hmph. Stupid human. "I do admit those demon hunters that were with him are pretty good for beginners. They are a lot better than you when you started out. They actually used their heads and teamwork."
"GRRRR! Shut up Hiei!"
"Just like their grandparents were in their younger days," Madoka said while ignoring the hotheaded guy.
"I agree," Botan said while drinking her own tea. "They were pretty amazing back there. If they had stayed here and died here they would have been offered the position of Spirit Detectives!"
"What? Those girls? But that's my job?" Yusuke was beginning to think that their trying to replace him and after all he had done for them.
Everyone kept ignoring him, including Koenma who spoke up next. "Yes. My father is happy the way things turned out."
"By the way, why are they still doing here?" Yohko asked, looking at the three goddesses and one demoness sitting in the room with them. All of the other demon hunters had all left for their own areas already.
Skuld looked back at her. "We came to ask all of you to be on the look out for any data or monsters that are still alive around the city."
Urd nodded next to her. "Yes. We can easily get rid of those monsters. However, we are not supposed to be interfering with the human world as much as possible. Even mom is siding with dad on this."
"Yes," added Belldandy. "Hild-sama and Kami-sama agreeing on something is very rare. When they do you better listen."
"That's for sure," Mara put in.
"Oh great!" Complained Yusuke, smacking his palm on his forehead. "Now we're on clean up duty!"
"Just suck it up, big boy, and do your job," a sultry voice said, making them all turn to the front door.
A certain individual smiled as she stepped into the temple. Her long, light, emerald hair wafted in the breeze coming from the open door, which accentuated the small batwings that are on the sides of her head. On her back is a pair of larger batwings. Her figure is voluptuous and emitted a kind of sensual but lethal magnetism. She had on a formfitting, skintight that looks painted on outfit with a plunging neckline that displayed a generous view of her ample cleavage. It caught Yusuke and Kuwabara's attention right away, and later on Yusuke's sort of maybe girlfriend will find out about it and beat him for it.
"Morrigan?" Mara asked as she recognized the demon. "What are you doing here?"
"Just delivering a message," the Succubus replied sultrily.
"From who?" Genkai asked.
"It's from the oldest of the Hat sisters."
"You mean..." Urd began.
"Yup. She's quite a powerful mistress and I'm already running late with this message. Looks like I'm going to be 'punished' for this," Morrigan said with a smile, clearly stating that she is going to love it when her mistress 'gets her hands on her'.
"So what is it?" Hiei asked warily of the succubus. It is taking all of his considerable willpower to resist the waves of sexual energy coming from her.
"She says 'Do not worry about the clean up. My big brother is taking care of it."
"Those poor guys," Kuwabara said, feeling a bit sorry about whomever Dark Hat finds.
"Yes, yes, whatever," She dismissed the ugly human and started looking around the room. One individual caught her interest. "How nice. A young fox demon, and a cute one to boot," Morrigan said while leering at Kurama, making him VERY nervous.
"Wait. I thought all the high class demons that were in Demon world were all killed by Dark Hat. How come you're still alive? Last I heard you were there in the Demon World when he came around." Mara asked.
"All the ones that wouldn't give up or surrender to him were killed. I'm one of the few who stayed and gave myself up to him. That and I'm also one of his younger sister's 'special' friends also helped, Besides, he's not such a bad guy once you get to know him and that is if you stay on his good side," Morrigan said nonchalantly while those with a lot of fear for the oldest Hat sibling gasped and their eyes bulged.
"She's right," Koenma said, unaffected since he knew about it. "The land she rules is one of the few areas that the Spirit World doesn't have control over. It was taken over by some vampire until Dark Hat went in and 'discussed' the issue with him. One of the fastest ways to get on his good side is to make friends with one of the Hat siblings."
"Yes, which means I can come to this world since I have a pass to come here," Morgana said, showing them a gold card.
"Wait. High level demons that Dark Hat didn't kill can come here?" Yohko asked, not sure if it means she has more work to do.
"Don't worry about that," Morrigan assured her while still leering at Kurama. "We have to follow all of the guidelines the Spirit World people follow when coming here. Besides, it was Dark Hat himself that gave out the passes. If we break the rules he 'personally' comes after us." She is a friend of the family. As long as she stays that way she remains healthy.
"So as long as you don't break the rules then you can come here anytime you want?" Boton asked.
"Yes, yes, yes," she said in impatience. "For my needs I have to find someone who's willing to give me energy. How about you fox boy?" Morrigan asked while practically undressing him with her eyes.
"B-b-but a-a-aren't you a b-bit old..." Kurama stopped when he sees her glaring death daggers at him, "I-I mean mature and I'm still a teen! That's right! I'm too young for you!" He exclaimed, grasping at straws.
"Oh that? Well there's only one thing to do then," Morrigan said, having her back to him now. Kurama jumped back as the upper body of a young girl shot out of her back. She is a slim, almost frail-looking girl with short, lavender-pink hair and red eyes. She is really cute with a petite figure and a bubbly kind of air about her. She is also wearing the same kind of outfit as Morrigan. But on her smaller figure it did not really catch the guy's attention. Instead it is her smile and personality that caught their attention. Like Morrigan she has a pair of large bat wings on her back and another smaller pair on her head.
"Hi! I'm Lilith, Morrigan's cuter younger sister!" she said jumping all the way out of her older sister's body, grabbing onto the fox spirit before he could make a run for it.
"There now," Morrigan said with the air that all the problems have been fixed. "There's someone around your age. Now let's go back to our place. You get to be with two women at once, you lucky devil you." She grabbed onto one arm and pulled him towards the door.
"Yeah! I just love sharing with my older sister!" Lilith grinned while grabbing the other arm.
"Wait! I need to get home and help my mom with some house work!" Kurama shouted, trying to break free from the sister's hold on him.
Botan can barely keep her laughter in, but she tried to at least save him unlike the others who are too busy laughing their heads off. "Taking someone against their will is breaking the rules you know."
"Oh that? How about asking his mom then." Morrigan made a cell appear in her hand while still having a grip on his arm.
"Hello. Am I speaking with Kurama's mother?
"..."
"Yes, he's here with his friends. I'm calling to ask if it's okay if I take him around town for a bit. My younger sister has taken an interest in him and he's being shy about it."
"Mom! Don't say yes! They're going to..." Kurama shouted before Lilith could clamp her hand over his mouth.
"Oh yes. He's being quite shy about it you know. It's so cute."
"..."
"Don't worry. We'll take care of him."
"..."
"Of course. Thank you m'am. See you!" She turned the cell phone off and turns to the still struggling fox demon. "She says she wants to meet Lilith before she agrees to you two dating."
"WHAT!" the fox demon shouted out. He knows that his mom wants him to find a girlfriend and all, but not like this!
Lilith giggled. "Sure! Come on Kurama-poo! Let's go have some 'FUN'!"
The others saw the two sisters and Kurama disappear in a flash of light. The last thing they saw is Kuruma's expression of sheer horror.
"Wow. He's either lucky or really unlucky depending on how you look at it," Yohko said.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
At the Bokuto Precinct, a couple of days later -
"So what's the number now?" Natsumi asked Miyuki as she and the other cops are handling the people who coming to the precinct to claim their cars.
"48 and still counting," Miyuki said tiredly.
The still glowing with happiness and female Aoi asked, "Shouldn't we try to stop him?" She had sent the letter to Mr. Herb asking for the waters and can hardly stay still waiting for the reply. A whole lot of female officers were all green with envy as Aoi is much better looking then they are and that was BEFORE she got turned into a real woman. Now all the guys are asking HER out. She is yet to give any of them an answer. Some think that she is waiting for a certain actor to ask her out.
"Well, he is taking the cars that were parked in the wrong places here where the drivers can claim them. I GUESS that he's doing some good. At least we don't have to get the tow truck to do it anymore," Kennie said with an unsure tone.
"Besides, how can we stop that power house?" Yoriko added in.
They all sweat dropped as they saw Strike Man coming into the parking lot, ready to add to the growing pack of cars that he had lifted and carried all the way here. This time it is a 16-wheeler truck.
"At least after this people will be more careful where they park," Natsumi laughed a little insanely. So far it is 63 to 129 with Strike Man in the lead as he kept on pitching to her and she keeps on missing or having the ball go through her bat. No WAY is she loosing to this guy!
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Elsewhere -
Watching the news about more theories on what has happened to Ranma and his home are Ran Kotobuki and her friends. TVs had been brought into all the classrooms to show that the monsters are no more and it is safe to be here. Right now the class is waiting for the new teacher to arrive.
"Did you hear about Ion? She stopped those robbers at the new mall," Aya said to her friends.
"Wow! Miyu wonders who she is!"
"Wouldn't it be great to have her for a sister?" Nana said excitedly.
"Yeah! That would be great!" May replied with a big smile.
"Yeah, that would be great," Ran said angrily. She hated the fact that as the new superhero of the Shibuya Ion is now better known than she is. Both of her parents are starting to get used to the fact that Sayo is a superhero. Now it is "Sayo this" and "Sayo that". Grrrr! She is the Super Gal! She is supposed to be the most popular girl there is! First it was that 'BEEP' Ranma, and now it is her 'BEEP' little sister that is more famous than her even if people didn't know who she really is! She'll show them! They should be talking about her, not some 'BEEP' superhero who has not even gone through puberty yet!
Well, at least she is not like Strike Man. Last that she has heard he has been causing the cops at the Bokuto precinct big problems. Also the City Hunter and his two friends had already left to go back to their home city as they have work to be done.
Maybe the new teacher would lighten up her mood. Who knows, maybe she would not be like Ms. Hinako and things would get back to normal around here.
"Now to break in the new teacher," Ran said with a dangerous glint in her eyes. She rules this city, and now that Ranma is out of the picture it is only a matter of time before she wrestles control from her little sister. She started laughing maniacally as she though of getting this newbie teacher under her control.
The others are about to pretend not to know her when the door sprung open as if kicked and an American redheaded woman came riding in on a bicycle. The class stared in amazement as a very large three horned lizard did handstands on the bike's handlebars.
"Yaaaaah!" yelled the frightened Aya, dropping her books off her desk.
The woman came to a screeching halt next to the teacher's desk and vaulted off the bike. She stood in front of the class and did an odd little spin. Everyone could see the dark blue dress that she is wearing. The stars and planets on it seem to shift and move as she did her little dance. Finally she stopped and smiled at the class.
"Good morning, class! I am Miss Frizzell and I will be your teacher for this year." She paused for a second and a twinkle seemed to glow in her eyes. "I'm sure we are going to have many grand adventures together." (3)
Ran's eyebrows twitched violently. She looked out the window and saw a yellow school bus. She swears she saw it wink at her!
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
In a dark room -
Mr. Ronize came walking in the dark room. Demons are guarding the door but let him past as they saw what is with him. Behind him is a tyrant that he had sneaked out and programmed to obey him. He was luckily that he was out of the building when it was attacked. The only surviving monster left is this tyrant, but he did have all of the data on creating monsters and it will help get him into the Black, Black Club.
"So this is the creation that vampire made," the head of the B.B.C., said looking at the tyrant with a certain glint in his eyes.
"Yes, you will get him and more if my terms are met," Ronize said to the members.
"Yes, quite right. Ever since the Dark Tournament we been short of members," the headman said as he and the other members studied the monster.
Just as the headman is about to agree to his terms the door burst open. At the ruined doorway a person stepped inside the room. To those who know him it's the one and only Dark Hat. Behind him are the dead bodies of the demon guards.
"How did you get here?" the head of the B.B.C. shouted. The Black, Black Club meeting hall is more heavily guarded than most government buildings.
"Tell King Emma that Dark Hat said 'Hi'," Dark Hat said as he pulled out two dark glowing very, very, VERY sharp stabbing axes. Anyone outside the room would have heard the screams of the people inside as Dark Hat showed them why he is called Dark. Ronize had commanded some of the men who had attacked Tina, and no one messes with his siblings and gets away with it.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Author Notes -
1 - Think of the Mirror Shield in the Zelda games.
2 - Her rune's power is lighting so all of that juice would not have had any effects on her and will get absorbed by her rune, I think.
3 - Guess who! coughmagicschoolbuscough
Co-writer
(A) Drunk Fu was used during the Romeo and Juliet play.
(B) In the Chrono Trigger rerelease on the playstation this is the same as when Frog is approaching Magus for their battle.
(C) I noticed that in the anime they tended to plan everything so why not this as well.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
To the reviewers of the last chapter, Part 1.
To Master Chaos,
Insanity 'R Us. Thanks for the review and glad that you liked it.
To Night-Owl123,
No, there is no new two chapters. Madhat just wanted to split chapter 18 into two chapters for easier reading.
To Athenais,
I'm glad that you liked that I had Madhat put them in there. I too did not like how rarely those two are included in fics so I found a place for them in this one.
To Silverscale,
We will. Hoped you liked this chapter too.
To Wonderbee31,
Glad you liked it. Hoped you liked this chapter too.
Shadow rose,
Sorry, but the weddings is not for a while yet.
To gourry-gabriev610,
Thanks for the compliments. Oh and nice name. I like Slayers too!
To ranma hibiki,
As you can see they had not been defeated yet, they were just preparing since they are leaving as soon as they kill Neclord.
To Firehedgehog,
I hope you liked this chapter too.
To Jerry Unipeg,
Thanks for the review. Hoped you liked this chapter.
To Gorgo,
Yeah, I couldn't believe myself at first either.
To Gopu,
Thanks. Glad you liked it and I hope you liked this chapter too.
To Steven,
Aoi and the whole Bokuto precinct is from the anime "You're Under Arrest!"
To Marco Cabrera,
Thanks for leaving the review. In reply to your P.S. it doesn't matter. We understand what you were saying and the spelling is actually correct for the most part.
To Lord Strife,
Glad you liked it and I hope you liked this chapter too.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000