A/N: This is the second part of what was originally meant to be Chapter 10 in it's entirety. This one's a bit longer so hopefully it makes up for the lack of updates. I'm super excited for the next chapter as well so I'll hopefully post that one soon after.
Several weeks later, Deva stood on the deck of his own zeppelin. It's hull wooden and decorated with lavish gold trim. The hull hung from the enormous blimp above by steel bars and cables. The airship rose steadily through the sky, passing by numerous ivory clouds. Deva stood at the bow of the ship, his hands behind his back and looking out into the sky. A pair of footsteps sounded behind him.
"Don't tell me you're contemplating doing the 'king of the world' scene out here." Lady Tengu said in jest as she neared him. Deva turned to her and smiled slightly.
"No, just thinking of our plans." He said. Raven stepped up to him, her hips swaying seductively, and put her arms around his shoulders. She leaned her body into him, and Deva placed his arms around her hips in kind. She gazed up at him with a hint of mischief. "Worried, are we?" She asked teasingly. A moment of doubt passed over Deva's mind and it showed on his face. "Are you sure this will work?" He asked in a hushed whisper. Lady Tengu smiled and reached up to plant a light kiss on his lips. She withdrew from his embrace and twirled around so that she leaned against the railing of the ship.
"Of course it will work." She said confidently. "Do you doubt my abilities?" She asked with a tilt of her head.
"No, of course not." He uttered immediately. He drew near to her placing a hand over hers. "I'm just concerned." He confessed. Lady Tengu's playful smile dropped from her face as she listened to him. "What we are about to do could reawaken the Kishin for a second time. That is an outcome that would be disastrous. I'm just starting to wonder if there are any… alternatives." Deva said hesitantly. Lady Tengu snatched her hand away from his and glared at him contemptuously.
"We've come this far and now you're telling me you're having second thoughts?" She asked angrily. "We need all eight medallions if we are to succeed. I've told you this." She spoke jabbing an angry finger into Deva's chest. "You told me you desired a world of order and authority. But the question is: are you man enough to take it?" She accused him. Deva's face hardened. "What are you accusing me of?" He asked threateningly. Lady Tengu scowled and her face shifted to an ugly expression of rage.
"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm asking if the great Avatar Deva, God-King of Shangri-La, and reincarnation of the almighty Vishiva, is strong enough to do what is necessary." She told him. Deva frowned at her implied insult. He grabbed her wrist, his eyes flashing a luminous cerulean color.
"I am strong enough." He said between gritted teeth. Lady Tengu's face returned to her knowing smile.
"Then prove it." She said and gestured behind him. Deva turned around to see a large grey vessel hanging in the sky. Above it loomed the moon, shining black and ominous.
The modified DWMA airship continuously followed the moon's orbit. It positioned itself just far away enough that the continuous madness emanating from the moon would not affect its crew. It was truly a modern feat of engineering. Twin engines propelled the zeppelin through the air. Cannons placed port and starboard served as its main offensive weapons. A titanium-steel alloy coated its hull and balloons serving as a defensive measure. On board the bridge of the vessel, a dozen crewmen and crewwomen bustled about. A line of several monitors and stations took up the bow of the bridge, each manned by a crewmember diligently monitoring them. The captain sat in his captain's chair, giving out orders. They had been posted for weeks now with no sign of any trouble, but all that was about to change.
"Captain, we're picking up an unidentified vessel three degrees south at a distance of fifteen kilometers." A sonar technician called out.
"Warn them off with a radio hail." The captain replied.
"The vessel isn't responding to our warnings sir." Another crewmember said.
"Keep trying. Turn about and ready cannons, all hands to battle stations!" The captain commanded.
"Sir, incoming fire!" A woman called out.
BOOOM!
Back at Death City, the airship's distress call had reached Kid. It was Pantheon, they had finally made their move and attacked. The airship fought valiantly but was quickly being overrun. They needed backup fast or else they would lose the battle. Shibusen wasted no time in launching a second airship while those meisters capable of flight raced ahead to the scene of the battle.
Kid, Maka, and Kim flew up through the air at super sonic speeds. Kid, using his shoulder mounted skull jets. Maka, using Soul's winged scythe form. And Kim, riding Jacqueline like a witch's broom, leaving behind a trail of jet fire. They travelled incredibly fast, already the black pearl of the moon was in sight. The scene they stumbled onto did not look good. Their airship hung limp in the clouds, barely afloat. Massive damage to the ship was clearly evident. Nearby a second airship, this one much more ornately designed, floated aloft. Several figures were seen flying through the air, flitting around the moon a few hundred feet off its surface. A chill ran down the groups spines as they watched Lady Tengu chanting a spell. Already, a large runic circle of red lines glowed on the ebony surface of the moon. In the middle of the circle, a giant kishin's eye formed. From a distance the moon resembled an enormous black eyeball with a red iris.
Kid, Kim, and Maka split off from each other as they arrived. Their soul wavelengths already synchronized thanks to Maka and Soul. They raced through the air at different trajectories all trying to make it to where Lady Tengu was casting her spell. However, they were all intercepted by various members of Pantheon. Using powerful jet thrusters on his back and feet, the robotic Dr. I cut off Maka and Soul's approach. Meanwhile a floating Deva stood between Kid and the witch. Lastly a monstrous griffin appeared in front of Kim. The flying combatants traded blows with each other, flitting around the moon.
A red laser beam fired at Maka who stopped just short of being incinerated. She looked above at her enemy with a scowl. "Dr. I" She identified him. The flying android drew nearer and mocked her with a nasty tone.
"How astute." He said sarcastically. "This time I won't lose to you little whelps! I've given myself a few upgrades." He stated gesturing to his newly built body. His overall form was no different but looked bulkier and more geared for combat. More armor plating covered his sensitive joints. "You can make as many upgrades as you want but you're still not going to win!" Maka taunted him from afar. "We'll see about that!" Dr. I yelled. A second later, panels in his chest opened revealing a set of small missiles. More missiles appeared from his shoulder panels. The mini rockets fired with a squealing sound and shot towards Maka. The meister evaded them swiftly but was taken by surprise as the missiles turned back around towards her. She flew through the air, the beats of Soul's wings propelling her faster and faster. The missiles tailed her closely, leaving behind trails of smoke in their wake. She turned and cornered, dodged and weaved, but the projectiles continued to close in on her. They were too close for her to strike at with her weapon. Instead Maka feinted and turned towards Dr. I himself. She raced past him even as he fired off another laser beam. However, he was too preoccupied with her to notice the missiles that followed after. One missile impacted his back, exploding with concussive force. He fired off lasers to target the other missiles, but they were too numerous. Dr. I cut the power to his jet packs and let himself fall a few dozen feet as the rockets exploded in the space he had just occupied.
Once the threat was gone, he reactivated his boosters. He was just quick enough to register Maka diving down on him from above like a hawk ready to snatch its prey. With a lightning fast flourish, Maka swung her scythe at Dr. I's arm as she passed by and then quickly recovered to fly off again. The attack left a gash in the mechanical man's armor, exposing circuitry and wire. "Damn you." He uttered. His eye blinked several times and moments later a parade of his flying I bots exited from Pantheon's air ship. One of the little robots immediately got to work repairing the damage in his arm. The rest began firing at Maka. Dr. I joined in their assault, turning his damaged arm into a glowing red rifle. He fired at Maka from a distance, shooting bolts of red plasma at her. Maka dodged the gunfire gracefully. She took out most of the I bots as she passed by, their mechanical bodies no match for the force of Soul's blade. She then turned to make another run at Dr. I. But this time the android was prepared with a humming blade of red plasma at the ready. Maka pulled the attack at the last second to avoid Dr. I's swing. But the crimson blade managed to hit one of Soul's wings on the downstroke, sending him and Maka plummeting.
As Maka fell through the sky and struggled to right herself, she fell past Kim and Jacqueline. The pair were trying, unsuccessfully to lose the griffin that stalked them through the sky. The griffin was large and had the head of an eagle with brown feathers and a golden beak. Its body and front limbs were those of a lion, yellow fur and large paws. Its wings were a spattering of brown, white, and gold feathers. While its hindlimbs were a pair of eagle talons. The monster nimbly danced around Kim, making lazy swipes as she passed by, as though it were playing with her. "Hahaha!" The griffin laughed. "What's the matter baby? Cat got your tongue?" It asked in the unmistakable voice of Lung. Kim was able to escape his clutches long enough to turn around and scowl at the fully transformed creature. "That doesn't even make sense you idiot." She retorted back. Lung's avian face twisted into what could be described as a scowl. "Fuck you!" He yelled back. The griffin dove down to claw at Kim. The young witch launched herself back at Lung. The two of them raced toward each other. But at the last moment Kim flipped her mount underneath her and let out a powerful gout of flame. The fire scorched Lung's hybrid form, leaving severe burns on his chest and causing him to fall.
Lung caught himself in midair, his wings spreading to trap the air beneath him and then beating down to keep him aloft. "Ah fuck!" He exclaimed as the fire died out. His fur was scorched leaving behind nasty welts and burns over his torso. "Haha Oh I like them feisty!" He said even as his skin began to grow back over the exposed pink flesh. Kim scowled back at him. "Go eat shit." She insulted him. Kim dismounted again, this time Jackie transformed into a large flail with a long chain connecting her handle to her head. The weapon began spewing fire at an incredible rate. The flames surrounded the head of the weapon transforming it into a massive fireball. Kim swung the giant fireball down onto Lung. The attack impacted Lung and a scorching sound could be heard alongside Lung's screams. Not letting up, Kim began to swing the flail around her even as she fell. The giant fireball transformed into a ring of flames. Kim shot the blazing circle out at Lung striking him once more. Jackie deftly shifted her form again, allowing Kim to land and fly back up. Lung's body thrashed in the sky, completely immolated.
Kim flew past the burning body and made her way towards Lady Tengu. The witch was completely focused on maintaining her spell. At this distance Kim could clearly make out her incantations. "Crow – Kurrow – Kuro, Crow – Kurrow – Kuro" She chanted obliviously. Kim looked at the spell being cast onto the surface of the moon. Examining the ritual circle, she was able to deduce the mechanisms of the spell. Now, she only needs to try and think up a counter spell to stop her. However, before Kim could even begin thinking of a counter spell, she was assaulted by blasts of fire from behind. Dropping out of range of the attacks she turned around to see what had attacked her.
"How you like me now fucker?!" Lung shouted. His body had transformed yet again to that of a giant bird. His feathers were a shimmering mix of crimson, orange and gold. His wingspan dwarfed the largest birds she'd ever seen. But most shockingly, he was still on fire, yet the fire didn't seem to be harming him. "Uh-oh…" Kim said bluntly. She was then chased off by the phoenix, resuming their cat and mouse game from earlier.
As the battle raged on above, a third air ship finally arrived from the ground. Many top tier meisters and weapons were on board, stuck for the moment as they waited for the airship to get close enough for them to join the fray.
"Stein, lets take out the witch." Yumi suggested. The mad doctor agreed and took up a perch on the aft side of the ship. With Yumi balanced on the railing, Stein aimed down the sights of the rifle. He focused in on Lady Tengu through his scope. His finger pulled the trigger. A powerful shot rang out. The bullet raced through the air, curving slightly with the wind. It sped past the aerial fighters, zooming ever faster towards its target. A mere few feet away from Lady Tengu's head now. Suddenly the bullet was deflected by a purple forcefield. The projectile ricocheted harmlessly off the shield and Lady Tengu was left unperturbed. "Dammit." Yumi cursed.
"It looks like she's got some sort of forcefield protecting her." Stein noted astutely. "Let's try increasing our resonance rate." He suggested. A second later, Stein and Yumi's souls harmonized with each other. The energy built up in her barrel. Her form began to shift to that of an extremely long sniper rifle. The barrel extended outward and her bow shifted to a smaller diameter, almost disappearing completely. Their resonance now stable, Stein fired another shot. This bullet raced through the air much as the first. The only difference was this shot was immensely more powerful. It soared through the air like a bright burning comet. However, the attack yet again was deflected by the witch's shield. Irridescent colors shimmered along the surface of the forcefield as the projectile was deflected.
They had no time to ready another shot as there was a hail of bullets coming from the enemy airship. Through the sniper scope, Stein could see the form of Sad Jack aiming at them with a handheld minigun. The brute leveled the rotating barrel of the machine gun at their airship. The gatling fire rattled off bullets one after the other, leaving streaks of light in their wake. The bullets ricocheted off the steel of the airship. The vessel turned to avoid the gunfire, inching ever closer to the enemy ship. As they drew near to the enemy vessel, both Blackstar and Ox prepared themselves to board. They leaped from their own deck to the opposite airship's. No sooner had they raided the ship when Sad Jack turned the barrel of his gun on them. On the other side of the ship, a familiar red robed figure stepped forward. The duo faced off against their enemies, their grips on their weapons tight and ready for action.
"You take Mr. Gruesome over there." Blackstar ordered Ox. "This one's mine." He said and leaped for Red Fist. In turn, Ox rushed towards Sad Jack, his spear leveled at the monster's chest. With an impressive thrust he stabbed at Jack's torso. But Sad Jack narrowly dodged the strike and fired at Ox. The meister weaved between the bullet fire. His reflexes lightning quick thanks to his resonance with Harvar. Spinning his staff around, Ox planted his weapon onto the deck and used it to pole vault himself into the air above Sad Jack. Now airborne Ox spun his spear around above his head. Sparks of electricity began to gather around his weapon's blade as it circled through the air. The surrounding clouds darkened and a second later, numerous bolts of lightning struck the spear. Harvar glowed with the power of the lightning coursing through him. Sad Jack stood looking up at them, mesmerized by the sight. A second later Ox thrusted down at him. The lightning burst off the spear striking down at Jack and electrifying him. "Thunder Strike!" Ox called out as he landed. As the shock dissipated, Jack stood with smoke coming off of him. Stunned for a second, Jack dropped his weapon which dissolved into a mass of ectoplasm. As Jack recovered from the shock, he tightened his fists and rushed at Ox.
At the other end of the deck, Blackstar faced off against Red Fist. With his katana in hand he stared down the martial artist. "Here for a rematch?" Fang taunted, assuming a stance. "You know it won't mean anything if you use your weapon." He nagged Blackstar. Blackstar narrowed his eyes and increased his resonance with Tsubaki. "I don't need to prove anything to you." He said. In a flash the combatants charged at each other. Blackstar swung his sword with expert precision. But Red Fist dodged the strikes with equal swiftness. Red Fist landed several strikes on the young ninja before Blackstar could retaliate. With a decisive swing he forced Red Fang to take the defensive, by jumping back several feet. Tsubaki shifted into her ninja star mode and Blackstar lobbed the weapon at his opponent. The star spun through the air, a whirling blade of destruction. Red Fang dodged under the blades only to be met by a swift elbow strike from Blackstar. Tsubaki transformed into her kusarigama form in midair, the chain extending into Blackstar's palm. Before he could recover from the blow, Red Fist found himself tangled in the chain and the sickle blades pierced into his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Red Fist expanded his soul wavelength, forming a dome around him which dislodged the weapon from his body. His dark blood stained the already red robe which he wore but his movement did not seem affected in the slightest. The warriors clashed once again, fiercely fighting each other.
In the adjacent sky, Kid and Deva continued to duel each other from a distance. Deva had summoned large meter long swords with his mind. They glowed with the same blue aura as himself and circled around his body. With a flick of his wrist and nod of his head the blades flew through the air to swing at Kid. The young Shinigami dodged the flying sabers as best he could. The numerous weapons were difficult to avoid however, and he found himself more on the defensive. "Dammit, I need to get through to him." He muttered. Suddenly he spotted it, an opening. Without hesitation Kid brought his twin pistols up to bare and fired off a volley of shots aimed at Deva. The king levitated away from them and was forced to flee as Kid followed after him, still shooting. They began a midair dog fight, Kid chased Deva through the sky firing off bullets while Deva retaliated with his swords. Surprisingly, Kid fired off at the swords managing to break a few of them. Seizing the opportunity, he flew through the defensive barrier of blades and landed several shots on Deva. The monarch recoiled from the impact of the bullets and retaliated by floating in close to Kid and engaging in hand to hand combat. They danced with fierce strikes and blocks in the air, moving at incredible speeds.
"Your plan's never going to work Deva." Kid told him as they were locked against each other. Deva smiled back arrogantly.
"Keep telling yourself that Shinigami. You're just too afraid to admit your reign is coming to an end." Deva replied before breaking the lock with a swinging roundhouse kick. Kid blocked the kick with his forearms and retaliated with a kick of his own. He forced Deva to break their hand to hand engagement and retreat back.
"Why are you doing all this?" Kid asked emphatically. "You know just as well as I do the risk of reawakening the Kishin." Kid pleaded. Deva frowned seriously across from him.
"That is a risk I am willing to take." He responded.
"But why?!" Kid continued to ask, unsatisfied. "What have I ever done to you to make you do this? Was it an issue you had with my father? Why can't we try to resolve that here and now without this meaningless violence?" Kid begged.
Deva laughed heartily. "You want to speak of meaningless violence Shinigami? Have you studied up on your history at all? The past 800 years have been full of nothing but war, starvation, hatred, and misery. Humans suffer all because you and your father refused to bring them to order." He accused. Kid glared back at Deva's accusations.
"My father and I have always prioritized peace and the free will of others over everything else." He defended. Deva threw his hands to the side, his eyes wide and deranged.
"That's exactly the point! You shouldn't! Allowing these people free will robs them of the opportunity of peace. Using the medallion of Order I could begin to bring people under my control so that they never have to know fear or unhappiness ever again! The world would become a perfect paradise." Deva shouted. Kid scowled angrily.
"What gives you the right?!" He demanded with a wave of his arm. "What makes you so certain that people would be happy living that kind of life, devoid of freedom, of choice?" Kid yelled.
"Because I have seen it with my own eyes." Deva explained bringing a hand to his chest. "In my homeland the people are devoted to me, spend their lives in service of me and my kingdom. They worry not for food, or medicine, or ambitions. They are content and happy with their lives. Lives that I have mandated and provided for them." He elaborated. "Don't you see? If the world were unified under one banner think of what could be accomplished. True world peace could be possible if I were to do what you refuse to do and bend the world to my whims." He said whilst clutching his fist.
"A world where people are controlled is not peace, its subjugation and lies." Kid retorted.
"It does not matter." Deva said confidently. "Once we have ignited the Soul Forge, this world will be changed and there's nothing you can do to stop us." He said. Without further discussion, Deva launched his psychic swords at Kid. The blades flew through the air, intent on skewering the Shinigami. Kid was forced to retreat and focused on trying to reach a path to Lady Tengu, to stop her spell. But the swords followed his every move and blocked his path to his target. He was forced to retreat yet again until the swords stopped following him.
"Kid?" Liz asked from her weapon form. "What is this 'Soul Forge' he's talking about?" She wondered. Kid gritted his teeth, his eyes scanning the battlefield. "I'll tell you later, now's really not the time." He answered and left it at that. He rushed forward again, this time feinting to the left to draw away the swords. He spiraled back onto his path towards Lady Tengu but yet again was cut off by a sword blocking his way. He turned back to look at Deva. The monarch regarded him smugly with his arms folded in a posture of invincibility. But a sudden cry rang out across the battlefield drawing their attention.
"Wolf Wolves, Wolf Wolves!" The voice shouted. "Hail Storm" Suddenly a flurry of golf-ball sized pieces of ice pelted Deva from behind. They turned around to see the Werewolf, Free, riding along the back of Eruka's broom as she and Mizune flew up to the battle in the sky. He jumped off the back of Eruka's broom as she passed. A pane of teal energy materialized beneath his feet and supported his body aloft in the sky as he landed.
"You're late!" Kid shouted from above. Free sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, sorry about that. We got a little lost." He said. Kid rolled his eyes at the immortal in question.
"Just go back up the others." He commanded. Without a second thought Free ran off in the direction of Lung. More squares of energy appeared beneath his feet, forming a walkway in the sky.
Elsewhere, Eruka sidled up alongside Lady Tengu, analyzing her magic spell.
"You're too late little Tadpole!" Raven yelled with her hands still outstretched. She looked over towards Eruka, a predatory glint in her crimson eyes. "The spell is nearly complete. Soon the Medallion of Fear will be ours!" She shouted and laughed maniacally. "Not if I have anything to say about it." Eruka responded. She began waving her arms and hands about in the air. Streams of magical power flowed around her limbs as she chanted. The arcane energy burst forth towards the summoning circle on the moon, spurred on by Eruka's incantations. The magic fought with the beam of red energy emanating from Lady Tengu's hands. The counter spell cast by Eruka slowed the beam but could not stop it. Eruka knew she couldn't fully stop Lady Tengu's spell, she wasn't near powerful enough for that. But if she could slow it down and buy Shibusen time, they may be able to defeat Pantheon here and now.
The battle raged on in the sky. Free summoned enormous icicles and launched them at their opponents, never staying in one place long enough for someone to retaliate. He focused in on Lung's phoenix form, his magic ice clashing with the ethereal flames of the shapeshifter. Kim now free of Lung's clutches went to assist Kid in diverting Deva's attention, each of them trying to make it past him and bring down the witch above. The shield surrounding Lady Tengu was hit by potshots of energy from the various meisters in the sky and on the airships. The forcefield was straining under the assault but held firm. On Pantheon's airship, Blackstar continued fighting with Red Fist, the two of them trading blows equally. Ox was dodging the strikes of Sad Jack who had equipped a war hammer and was mindlessly swinging the bludgeon around, threatening anyone that stood in his path. The Mizunes flew in formation, circling around Dr. I and disabling his I-bots. This allowed Maka some freedom to try and reach the moon. The minutes stretched out like hours as the combat continued. Pantheon and Shibusen's forces seemed equally matched, neither gaining complete advantage over the other. With each passing second the circle of magic grew stronger and more complete.
"I- I can't hold it much longer!" Eruka screamed from above. Her magic was faltering and sweat beaded on her brow. Raven laughed at her from the side. "You've always been a weak witch little tadpole. What made you think you could stand up to me?" She taunted. The circle on the moon pulsed, and an additional two eyes formed within. "The spell is nearly complete!" Lady Tengu shouted.
"Someone come stop her! I can't handle this much more!" Eruka yelled at the top of her lungs. But the battle below was too fierce, no one could reach them in time. The runic circle pulsed with crimson energy again. The pulse spread like a wave through the air, and instinctively all those present could feel the madness as it passed over them. On the moon's surface the black blood within the circle began to bubble and shift. It collected and bulged upwards towards the witch within the column of energy. The liquid darkness coalesced and took form as a silhouetted torso. The arms lanky and still attached to the moon's surface. The face was featureless and glossy. The torso leaned backwards in an uncomfortably brutal posture that would have broken the spine. Something began to protrude from the figure's chest.
The medallion began to appear among the inky black goo. It floated upwards ever so slightly, the black blood surrounding it clinging on and stretching like gum. Maka saw what was happening and raced upwards. She sped past her opponents even as they stood frozen in awe. "I won't let you!" She screamed as she approached the moon. Soul's scythe blade flashed and in a second was giant and iridescent. She swung the scythe around and into the invisible barrier. The weapon collided with the barrier, denting its shell and releasing wisps of magical energy. Maka pushed harder, putting all her effort and power into the swing. The scythe trembled and shook as it forced its way through the barrier. "No… NO! I'll kill you! Stop!" Lady Tengu screamed, enraged. But it was too late. With a loud crack and the sound of shattering glass, the barrier gave way and Maka leapt through just as the Medallion freed itself. She reached out with an outstretched hand, the medallion mere feet away. "AAAAHHHH!" A voice screamed from above. Lady Tengu reached out with her own hand, a swirling mass of black and red launched itself down towards them. The magic reformed into the shape of a giant bird's talon, four clawed toes pressing menacingly forward. Time seemed to slow in that instant. The talon inched closer as Maka drew near to the medallion. She could make out the symbol of the three eyes emblazoned on its surface. Her fingers nearly grasped the chain around it even as the dark claws closed in around her. Then suddenly the claws snapped shut and crashed down into the surface of the moon, Maka and the medallion disappearing within.
