Toa Solaric: How is it going, my fellow readers? Welcome back to another chapter of my Kiva: Dark Moon Over The Bloody Sky.
I do not own either Kamen Rider Kiva or Akame Ga Kill!
Kiva: Dark Moon Over The Bloody Sky
Wake 15: A Mermaid's Isolation
It was nighttime, and we found ourselves gazing at a large waterfall within a vast forest. The trees' branches rustled against the wind, preceding a resounding splash of water.
In the lake, a sizable shadow took form, resembling a humanoid figure with a fish-like lower waistline. The shadow figure reached the land, emerging from the water as it leaped high into the air.
Despite the lack of light and water particles surrounding them, the figure's appearance, with flowing long hair, proved challenging to describe accurately. Before long, the figure returned to the water itself...
(Play Alive by ReoNa)
(Instrumental)
Raiga was seen sitting on top of Castle Doran while it was dark as the air softly moved his hair.
Soon the sun started to rise as Raiga opened his grey eyes and looked up at the horizon.
I've walked the road of lies and misery! Nanimo nokottenai na!
Raiga was currently seen walking through the ruined village. Unknown to the young man, he passed a child version of himself mourning for his old home.
And he wasn't alone as Kivat was seen flying above his head.
The three Armed Monsters watch Raiga's journey from Castle Doran.
Scars of the past is what makes me who I am!
The scene soon changed with Fuuko touching her chest as the memories of her haunted past won't vanish.
Standing behind her was none other than IXA who standing to watch her back.
Koboreochiteku ochiteku!
Both the Empire and Revolutionary Army are prepared to march into their own war for control of the Empire.
Kaze ga subete netsu wo ubatte iku
Soon the scene shifted to Raiga and Gray walking passed each other as the last Ghost turned to look at him with a careful gaze.
I feel my heart aching inside!
Soon the sky turns dark and flashes of lighting began to crack as Raiga turned around and see his companions in front of him.
Nani wo mamotte kizutsukete ima made ikite kitan darou!
A huge Sabbat blows up the field as both Empire and Revolutionary Army were blown aside.
Kiva turned into Kiva Garulu to fight against Lion Fangire.
Kiva turned into Kiva Basshaa to fire rapid shots against the Rat Fangires.
Kiva turned into Kiva Dogga to unleash a powerful storm against his enemies.
Saga standing on a hill as a large white creature hovers behind him.
To find the truth in everything rifujin to tatakatte!
Gray transformed into her Reaper form and slashed her enemies.
Both Night Raid and Jeager fight against each other to their death.
You see machigai janai to!
IXA's visor glowed brightly as her IXA-Calibur glowed intensely with the mirage sun shining behind her.
A pair of golden claws were coming toward her, but Kiva got in the way and come collided with his Darkness Moon Breaker.
A large fossilized being slowly waking up and waiting by his demonic army.
'Cause I'm still alive! I feel alive, with this pain!
Then the scene turned to a beach where Raiga was seen looking out of the horizon before being accompanied by Kivat and others.
(In Castle Doran)
Raiga walks through the hallways of his home, Castle Doran, knowing it won't be long until they reach their destination. The Fandiri experiences another recurring nightmare of Asuka's death at his hands. Walking alone through the hallway helps him gain clarity regarding the nightmare.
Before long, he hears a faint whimper emanating from Fuuko's room. Although Raiga knows it would be rude to enter unannounced, concern for her well-being prompts him to carefully open the door. Inside, Fuuko is whimpering in her sleep, looking stressed. Raiga gently touches her arm, giving her a soft shake to awaken her.
"R-Raiga-sama…!" Fuuko cried, her expression filled with shock.
"Are you all right?" Raiga questioned softly, looking concerned for her. "You look like you have a nightmare."
"Yeah…" Fuuko said, trying to calm herself down.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Raiga questioned.
Fuuko tried to deflect the issue, offering a weak smile, "It's nothing."
Raiga becomes familiar with how Fuuko feels, but he won't stand aside when she has nightmares. Without warning, Raiga wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close in a tight and comforting embrace. Fuuko was taken back, her eyes wide with surprise.
"There is no need. You can talk about it with me if you want to…" Raiga said calmly and softly.
"It's about Rook…" Fuuko confessed quietly. "I'm just worried about what happens if we cross him again,"
"I know, but I am sure that we could do something," Raiga stated with a reassuring tone. "If it wasn't for Gray finding that weak spot, it wouldn't be an easy battle." He added.
"So why are you up…?" Fuuko asked curiously, looking at Raiga. It occurs to her that Raiga will not be up this early.
Raiga thought carefully about what he should say as he aware that he never had a proper talk with Fuuko about the aftermath of Asuka despite his guardians explaining to her. It is not like he wants to be cold-hearted to Fuuko since he was dealing with the impacts of Asuka's death by his own hands. Not to mention he knew that keeping secrets from her would cause her to distrust him.
"Well, you got me… I cannot sleep well due to…" Raiga chuckled slightly weakly. "due to a personal nightmare," he added quietly.
"You don't have to talk about it. If you don't want to," Fuuko stated with a worried tone. "I know… she is the only person left of your childhood." She said with great reluctance.
"But you are also a person in my life too," Raiga replied, holding Fuuko tightly. "I acknowledged the responsibilities for taking you under my wings. I understand that you wanted to help. Trust must be earned, not given freely. I took the hard path to keep you and Sayo's village safe from Asuka, and for that, I apologize if it has caused you distress. But understand, I was not ready for you having a hand with taking down my former friend." He apologized sincerely.
"Do you ever regret picking me up… from the Capital?" Fuuko asked, wearing a worried expression.
"No, not at all," Raiga stated truthfully. "If it was not for you… I will not be able to get back IXA from that wrench in the Capital and I might have to keep on looking."
"I will be honest with you that plan that I did was really stupid but knowing that you valued me as a person in your life… means a lot to me," Fuuko said quietly and softly. "Thank you, Raiga-sama…"
"Do you want me to stay with you so you can sleep?" Raiga questioned solemnly to her.
"If that is alright with you, can you stay in my room for tonight?" Fuuko requested. Raiga nodded as the two tried to sleep, preparing for whatever would be thrown their way tomorrow.
(Next day)
"It looks like Castle Doran won't be able to continue moving forward since there is a cavern that is too narrow for it to enter," Jiro said to those present during the morning breakfast in the dining hall of Castle Doran.
"That means we have to move forward on the ground and explore the tunnel," Raiga stated.
"Are you certain that your Teigu is pointing in the right direction?" Gray interjected, her eyebrows furrowed. "There is no way that a Mermaid would travel too far inland." She pointed out seriously.
"I can get what you mean, Gray," Ramon said bitterly. "Most of us have to adapt to elements that we aren't used to to survive away from the Fangires."
This does make Gray look a bit hesitant and have a slightly depressed expression. She is in the presence of the three who have been on the run from the Fangires who had persecuted and executed them into extinction.
"Not to mention it's rare for Aibou to be wrong about directions with that Teigu of his," Kivat said sarcastically.
"May I come along with you, Raiga-sama…?" Fuuko requested quietly. Even though she is still a bit shaking from her experience with Rook, she is fine traveling as long as Raiga is with her.
"You're welcome to come along, Fuuko," Raiga replied before turning to Gray. "What about you, Gray?" he questioned.
The young woman in gray clothes pondered for a few minutes before answering, "I still have my suspicions about whether a mermaid is here… but it better be worth it," she said sternly. If there is a chance of a Mermaid here, then she could ask her if there are any survivors among her kinsmen.
"…" Raiga wants to say something, but he then hears an unexpected volunteer who is going to accompany them.
"I wanted to come, too," Ramon added that this didn't surprise Jiro or Riki.
The Last Merman is still thinking about what he should do if he did meet the Mermaid and how it might turn out after finding a clue about her possible existence. He didn't doubt the possibility of fulfilling his dream of bringing back his kind. Not that he doubted Raiga, who happens to be the son of the Armed Monsters' best friend, to provide him with this rare opportunity. But Raiga is right that the only way to find out will be by making the first contact as this is the reason why he must go.
This made Raiga smile. "Of course, Ramon." He replied.
"Very well, you guys better watch yourself in there. We will try to look for another way for Castle Doran to enter…" Jiro said.
Meanwhile, in a certain mansion, the four masked individuals are gathering for another meeting.
"So, Rook has returned to life?" The blue masked man inquired about the recent letter they received from the Kingdom.
"As much as I don't want to believe… his personality hadn't changed after his revival." The green masked man said slightly annoyed. "Anyway, it was mentioned that he had a close encounter with Kiva and… a member of the Ghost clan." The green masked man added this made everyone in the room look surprised.
"A Ghost? You got to be joking… I thought they were all hunted down," The red masked man remarked with a frown.
"Well, it is not going to be our problem anyway…" the blue masked man shrugged nonchalantly. "We have our priorities here in this forsaken Capital and the traitor who has Sagarak."
"I guess that is fine… I have someone that I know coming here soon," The green masked man said, "So what spot do you think we should start?" he asked.
The blue masked man soon let out a wicked smile. "After observing the Night Raid from afar, there is one place that I imagine struck their ego." He replied.
(In a cave)
After they were dropped off at the entrance of the cavern, Kiva and his companions entered the tunnel. Before entering the cave, Raiga transformed into Kiva since he could see much better in the dark place in his armor form while using his Teigu Life Finder to confirm the Mermaid's presence was somewhere in the cavern.
"How is your holding, Aibou?" Kivat asked, aware that Life Finder is tough to keep on hold.
"I'm fine…" Kiva said, using the chain on his arm to tie around his Life Finder to prevent it from losing his grip. "The chains are enough to make sure it doesn't fly off."
"If it falls off, please make sure to tell us," IXA said, walking beside Kiva. There is a function within IXA that allows users to have better sight in the dark, giving her a better chance of helping in combat within the cave.
"As long as there is something belonging to them," Kiva said while keeping an eye on the Life Finder as it continues to point their direction through the cavern.
"…" Gray silently observes the cavern as there few smaller Danger Beasts but they seem to distance themselves away from the group. 'Could a mermaid be here?' She thought to herself.
"Raiga-sama… we aren't alone in this cavern," Ramon said suddenly, catching everyone's attention. Ramon then unleashed a powerful water blast from his palm and was sent to target a nearby pillar to reveal the shadowy character.
The Fangire has a black muscular body and the characteristics of a humanoid insect with red spots over the body and wings. This is the Ladybug Fangire.
"Why you!" The Ladybug Fangire growls in anger before shooting energy beams from his wings at them.
This made Kiva and his companions move out of the way, but Gray charged forward as she became her Ghost Form with her scythe.
Gray the Ghost swings her scythe at the Fangire who flies out of the way from her swing. Kiva threw his war fans at the Ladybug Fangire, but they were repelled by another energy beam from two Ladybug Fangire that flew through the tunnel.
"Get away from him!" The second Ladybug Fangire growls.
This made Kiva and Gray jump out of the way when the attacks tried to hit them. IXA got out her Ixa-calibur and turned into a gun model before firing her bullet after they flew by. This cause one of the Ladybug Fangire to hit the ground and face planted into the ground.
"Raiga-sama, do you need my assistance?" Ramon asked quiet, standing beside Kiva.
"It will be too risky if we cause the ceiling to crash down on us," Kiva replied. "Save your energy until we find her." He said, aware there are certain limitations the Armed Monsters have outside of Castle Doran.
"Very well." Ramon agrees without any further questions.
Kiva soon engaged in close combat with other Ladybug Fangire who charged at him and Ramon. The vampire theme Rider moved out of the way before engaging in close-range combats as he blocked a couple of fists before grabbing the Ladybug's fist in midair and giving a knee kick with his metal boot, sending the Ladybug Fangire back.
When the third Ladybug Fangire tried to attack Kiva from the side, IXA moved forward with her IXA-Calibur to strike the Fangire in the shoulder with a powerful slash of IXA-Calibur. Then Gray the Ghost jumped in before unleashing double strikes with her scythes, to further damage the Fangire's body.
IXA immediately took out her IXA-Calibur Fuestle and inserted it into her belt.
"IXA-CALIBUR: RISE UP!"
"Please cover your eyes, everyone…" IXA warned to those around her presence.
Soon the image of the sun shone which was blinding within the cavern as energy transferred from the IXA Belt to IXA herself. IXA moves her way forward and vertical slash on the Ladybug Fangire to cut him straight down in the middle before finishing up with a horizontal slash at his waist. The Fangire exploded in the process as the life essence of the Fangire left the body and flowed through the ceiling.
Kiva managed to regain his sight and was about to reach for his Wake Up Fuestle when he heard an angry voice.
"Damn you!" The Ladybug Fangire who originally got her head stuck before shooting energy wave into the ceiling above them, causing the entire roof to shake rapidly.
"Oh great…" Kivat and Kiva sarcastically cursed at the situation.
"Run!" Kiva shouts as he and his companions begin to run for their lives from the incoming cave-in from the ceiling.
It wasn't that long before they found two paths, the Vampire-theme Rider pulled out his Life Finder and pointed to the right.
"This way!" Kiva shouts as he and his allies make their way to the road on the right.
It wasn't that long until they found the light at the end of the tunnel. Kiva and his companions barely get out before the cave behind them completely cave-in leaving them with no way to return.
(Outside of the cavern)
"That was close," Kiva said as his armor canceled out, and Kivat collapsed onto the ground.
"We were almost caved in there," IXA said before undoing her transformation and catching her breath."Do you suppose the Mermaid might be here?" Gray questioned, referring to the new area they had just discovered.
It was a large field with trees and wildlife, Raiga especially noticed there were mountains that could be seen on all sides of this large area.
"This a nice place…" Raiga remarked. "It doesn't look like the Empire has touched this place, considering how isolated this area is from the outside."
"How could you be sure?" Fuuko asked, slightly skeptical.
"You can see mountains from all corners of the land. It would be hard for anyone to find this place unless they were riding Danger Beasts or entering a tunnel," Raiga said. He then glanced at the Life Finder before noticing it seemed lost for some reason.
'This is the first time, but then again, we need to be careful here,' Raiga thought to himself.
"I supposed that we should look around for anything that is out of the ordinary…" The young Fandiri replied.
With that said and done, they make their way across the large area of the woods in search of the possibility of a Mermaid living in this place.
They were prepared to face any Danger Beasts that might pop out anywhere, but there were none at all as they carefully explored through the woods. It wasn't that long until they stumbled upon what looked like an abandoned campsite.
"It looks like there were people here, but the ashes and dust seem very old," Fuuko observed.
"They must left long ago," Ramon noted.
Raiga walked carefully around the campsite to look for any other clues.
Just then, Raiga suddenly heard a faint melody singing and turned around the corner of the woods. Whoever sang the melody made Raiga feel sad… and longing on the inside.
'This melody…' Raiga thought as he closed his eyes and let the melody take him.
"Hey Aibou, is everything alright?" Kivat asked, noticing his partner standing still.
"…" However, Raiga didn't respond as he went through the woods without any response.
Ramon and Fuuko turned around to see Raiga walking into the woods by himself.
"Raiga-sama, where are you going?" Fuuko asked, confused. But there was no reply from Raiga before he ran through the woods.
Ramon was confused before he suddenly heard a faint melody. Suddenly memories from the Last Merman's past resurrection in his head as he soon connected the dots.
"… Raiga-sama is under the influence of the Siren Song!" Ramon uttered, realizing. 'And that would also mean that…' he thought to himself.
"The Siren Song…?" Fuuko asked, confused and shocked.
"No way…" Gray uttered for the first time, looking wide in disbelief.
"No time to explain. But we need to go after him!" Kivat snapped before all of them tried their best to keep up with Raiga as much as possible.
Raiga continued running through the woods until he reached a large lake with a waterfall hanging high above his head. It wasn't that long until he noticed a figure within the river that was singing the melody that had drawn him into this place.
The figure was a woman with her most noticeable feature being the two large golden horns protruding from the sides of her head and pointing upwards. Her skin is pale, flowing dark purple hair and eyes.
The cheeks of the Fandiri turned slightly redden and blood rushed down his face at the sight of an unusual naked woman with horns in the river. Let's remember Raiga is still a healthy young man despite his travel across the lands as a mercenary and violinist, he would react awkwardly when seeing a naked woman in the wild. But his eyes were focused on the large mounds in the water.
'T-They are big…' Raiga thought at the sight of them in the water. A part of him wanted to die and forget that he had ever seen such a thing.
It wasn't that long until his legs continued moving as the mysterious woman continued singing. Raiga wasn't able to continue his body as he was heading straight to the lake.
"Not so fast, aibou!" Kivat said before flying in and tackling him hard in the head.
This caused both Raiga and Kivat to collapse to the ground as Raiga felt whatever controlling his movements being worn off.
"Raiga-sama, are you alright?!" Fuuko questioned as she and others managed to catch up with the two at last.
Raiga nodded slowly. "Yeah… I feel slightly light-headed after having my body being controlled like that."
"That woman… could she be?" Gray muttered, looking at the strange woman in the lake.
"Don't try to use the Siren Song… I know who you truly are," Ramon said seriously after noticing the woman in the lake.
The woman's appearance soon changed as scales appeared on her body, her eyes became rainbow color, and the waist below became a fish.
Everyone looks surprised at her transformation into this mythical creature.
"Is that… a mermaid?" Fuuko asked, looking astonished at the appearance of the Mermaid.
"So there is one…" Gray uttered in surprise.
Soon the mysterious Mermaid summoned trumpets made of water as they fired multiple water shots at them. But Ramon steps ahead of them and creates a water shield to protect everyone from the attack.
"What…?" The Mermaid staggered after what she just saw happen which astonished her.
"Kivat!" Raiga said seriously, looking at his partner.
"Yosha! Kivatte Ikuze!" Raiga took Kivat from the air before letting him bite his arm.
"GABUU!"
"Henshin…" Raiga said before placing on his belt and transforming into Kiva.
That was alone to make the mermaid shake in fear for the first time as Kiva stared down at her. "K-K-Kiva!?" the Mermaid gasped, as fear replaced the menacing glaze that she had earlier.
"So it is true…" Kivat muttered, recognizing the fear that the Mermaid is currently showing at the moment.
Soon the Mermaid turns around and swims upward from the waterfall.
"Wait!" Ramon shouted before turning into his Merman form and went after the mermaid through the waterfall.
Gray was about to follow them before Kiva put up his hand in her way. "What gives, Kiva?! Aren't we going to follow them?" she growls angrily.
"I will let Ramon handle this since this is his field of expertise," Kiva answered before reaching his belt for the Castle Doran Fuestle.
(With Ramon)
"WAIT!" Basshaa, the Last Merman, continued trailing behind the elusive Mermaid, who just escaped at the very sight of Kiva. That alone was enough to tell him that she escaped but was emotionally traumatized by the sight of Dark Kiva.
Soon, Basshaa's eyes glowed brightly before he accelerated ahead of the Mermaid, who was surprised to see him and stopped.
"I said wait!" Basshaa shouted in the water.
"A Merman…? But that is impossible," The Mermaid stammered, evidently in disbelief. "I heard that the Fangires executed all of you," she added, shaking in fear.
"Of course, it isn't just me," Basshaa replied truthfully. "But that doesn't matter… We need to talk now!" he snapped seriously.
"What do you want…?" The Mermaid questioned, warily.
"I want to know… if you are interested in an alliance with us," Basshaa offered seriously. "We know how troublesome the Fangires are, but would it be better if we work together against them?" he requested.
"Y-You wanted me to work with Kiva!? After what he did to my clan!?" The mermaid exclaimed, in a rare angry tone that she mustered.
She soon fired water energy arrows at Basshaa who easily dissolved them back to water as Basshaa stared at her.
"You're wrong!" Basshaa retorted seriously. "Raiga-sama here had no responsibility for what happened to your clan or related to that monster!" He added. Though he didn't add Raiga being a Fandiri yet to gauge the mermaid's reactions. Not to mention Basshaa felt that Raiga should calmly reveal his status on his term.
This made the Mermaid look stunned at the unexpected protectiveness of the Merman. Even though she heard about what happened to Merman, it is still unbelievable that a Merman stands with Kiva.
"And don't forget that anything you do here… I will be able to counter it," Basshaa continued, getting ready for his battle stance in the water.
The Merman and Mermaid stared at each other for a while before the Mermaid spoke up.
"I…" The mermaid muttered, sounding a bit more uncertain. "What is it that you want from me?" she questioned quietly.
"I…I want to know if you would like to come with us. It will be much safer than swarmed by Fangires." The Merman said as calmly as possible. Basshaa has mentally practiced by himself when it comes to this very question.
It will be too early to even discuss rebuilding their clans, and he knows how awkward it might be if he brought up earlier when they just met each other for the first time.
"Will it involve whatever is happened to you?" The mermaid asked, staring suspiciously at the chains on Basshaa.
The question she brings up reminds him of the reason that they go down this path, especially to protect Daigo's son.
"What happens to me is my own choice," Basshaa answered truthfully. "But I will promise you don't have to endure it as Raiga-sama isn't that kind of person. This alliance is finished once the Fangires are dealt with." He added with a reassuring tone.
The Mermaid looks at Basshaa with a careful gaze as if she deciding her life. "Very well, I would accompany you in your alliance. But I will keep my eyes on you specifically, Merman." She said warily.
"You can just call me Ramon. What is your name?" Basshaa inquired curious.
Before the Mermaid could speak her name, they immediately sensed negative emotions coming their way and Basshaa grabbed the Mermaid before leaping out of high out of water immediately to avoid the water getting polluted.
The Mermaid couldn't believe that Basshaa holding her in his arms while they were high out of the water. But this also caused this unusual feeling stirring within the mermaid that caught her speechless at her actions.
After Basshaa landed on the ground, he gently placed the Mermaid down and went to check on the water.
"Is that poison?!" Basshaa questioned, looking concerned at the water color changed to being very dirty at the very moment.
"So I didn't find the Last Mermaid, but the Last Merman as well…" A male voice chuckled menacing, catching their attention for the first time.
It was a large Fangire, but its stained glasses were paled blue, standing not far from where they were. The head of the Fangire resembles a dome from a jellyfish with tentacles attached to the back of his body. This is the Jellyfish Fangire.
"Are you sent by the Fangire Kingdom?" Basshaa questioned sharply, standing protected in front of the Mermaid.
Not to mention he is wary of the smell from the tentacles as they reek heavy poison if they make contact with either him or the Mermaid.
"Does that matter?" The Jellyfish Fangire taunted. "By the time that I am done with you two, I will have pretty nice furniture made from the last Mermaid and the last Merman." He said before unleashing his tentacles in their direction.
Basshaa repelled them by summoning water bullets to send every tentacle off flying backward. However, the Jellyfish Fangire won't give up his attacks while Basshaa keeps countering every tentacle. However, Basshaa knows that he can't stay out here for far too long as he feels the strain of staying outside might get to him.
This made the Mermaid snap out of her shock as she watched the battle going on between Basshaa and the Jellyfish Fangire.
"Why are you doing this?" The Mermaid questioned, uncertain of Basshaa trying hard to fight against the Jellyfish Fangire.
It wasn't that long until Basshaa used his power to create the largest rain cloud that he offered as fog rolling across the area due to how damp it became. He hurried and grabbed the Mermaid before running off in a hurry.
The Jellyfish Fangire was going to pursue them, but he was forced to face the ground beneath him, attempting to take him in.
"Don't think that I will let you escape!" The Jellyfish Fangire snapped before firing a toxic venom from his mouth.
They struck Basshaa behind the back as he continued running with the mermaid in his arms. Though the pain of the toxicity hits Basshaa a lot, he still chooses to keep going despite being poisoned.
"Why are you doing this?" The Mermaid questioned with disbelief, "There is no reason for you to push yourself to protect me!" she questioned, still confused and conflicted at his action.
"Yeah… There was someone that I once knew was like that, a very stubborn human… but he became my friend!" Basshaa grunts painfully and nostalgically at the same time. "I simply had to do it… because I can't stand seeing someone going through the same loss that we had to endure! I… I will make sure that you would be alright!" he snapped as he continued to keep on running.
This made the Mermaid look surprised at him before her eyes widened when an incoming attack of tentacles smacked Basshaa's back, causing further pain to the Merman as this caused him and the Mermaid to fall hard to the ground.
"You two… aren't getting away." An angry Jellyfish Fangire said with mud on his legs.
The Last Merman struggled to push himself upward as he tried to fight against the Jellyfish Fangire, who easily caught him with his tentacles, shaking him intently through the elective from his tentacles.
'Is this the end?' Basshaa thought before everything around him turned dark.
Until a roar can be heard across the sky as Castle Doran crash-landed into the scene, knocking the Jellyfish Fangire off balance.
Basshaa was about to be thrown off in the air and was caught by Garulu, who from Castle Doran. "You did well," the last Wolfen said with a slightly respectful tone.
"You are…" the Mermaid uttered in disbelief.
"I will take care of him for now," Garulu said with a reassuring tone before heading back inside Castle Doran with an unconscious Basshaa in tow.
"Why you…" The Jellyfish Fangire cursed angrily, having just gotten up from the ground and tried to fire his poison.
But Gray the Ghost Mazoku intervened with her scythe to deflect the poison aside before standing in front of the Mermaid, who looks at her.
"You are a Ghost… aren't you?" The Mermaid inquired.
"Yes. I hoped that Merman Kid would explain to you about the alliance, but I also have some questions of my own…" Gray the Ghost Mazoku replied, while still keeping an eye on the Jellyfish Fangire. The Mermaid reluctantly nodded.
It wasn't until the Fangire tried to send tentacles at Gray who kept slashing the tentacles. This made the Jellyfish Fangire grit his teeth before thinking about what to do next as a large shadow over his head made him look up.
Kiva and IXA come down from Castle Doran at the Fangire with a Union flying kick at the same time. This sent the Fangire flying backward and hit a tree.
"Don't mind us…" Kiva said stoically. IXA got out of her IXA-Calibur ready for battle.
The Fangire tried to spit poison at the two Riders, but they moved out of the way before engaging the Jellyfish Fangire at the same time. Kiva unleashed a barrage of punches at the Fangire's gut. IXA tried to slash the Jellyfish Fangire, who used his large dome head to block the slashes, rendering her attacks inefficient.
"DOGGA HAMMER!"
With the Dogga Hammer in his hands, Kiva's visor turned purple while his torso and arms gained purple and silver armor. With a mighty roar, Kiva charged forward with Dogga Hammer in his hands. The Jellyfish Fangire tries to spit poison at the Rider, but it doesn't stop Kiva from charging and slamming Dogga Hammer into the guts of the Fangire to send him flying backward.
The Jellyfish Fangire struggled to get up and ran away, but his path was blocked by IXA, who wielded the Garulu Saber and slashed him wildly across the chest.
"Time to finish this!" Kivat said as Kiva nodded before placing the handle for Dogga Hammer into Kivat's jaws.
"DOGGA BITE!"
Lightning struck from the sky. A gibbous moon appeared in the sky, called forth by Kiva's power. Kiva held the hammer in front of him and pulled a hidden switch behind it. The fist-like hammer's palm opened up to reveal a glowing red eye in the center. The eye released a purple wave of energy around Kiva.
The Jellyfish Fangire suddenly froze like a statue. Kiva then closed up his hammer and raised it above his head, the energy surrounded the weapon before a phantom-like representation of it floated above him. The Phantom Hand was gigantic and as big as Kiva in size.
Kiva swung the hammer around with the Phantom Hand following his motion as it smashed through the Fangire, shattering him into pieces, and causing a crater to form on impact.
Soon the soul orb from the Jellyfish Fangire's fallen body before it was consumed by Castle Doran.
Kiva turned around and faced the Mermaid, who was talking with Gray at the very moment before their eyes stared at each other.
(In Castle Doran)
It wasn't that long until Raiga and his companions came back with their new guest into Castle Doran. As for Ramon, he is currently resting on the table in the main chamber as he still trying to recover from the poison of Jellyfish Fangire.
"I see… So you are a Fandiri," The Mermaid said calmly. "No wonder why, he put his trust in you. You are different from the Kiva who destroyed my people." She said quietly.
"So what do you want to do now, Miss?" Raiga asked politely.
"What he says does make sense with Fangire knows the valley," The Mermaid said, "Also, I wished to join this alliance."
"You do?" Raiga blinks.
"After all, Ramon… and you pique my interests." The Mermaid said before her form shimmered once again.
Raiga immediately covered his eyes with his hands as the Mermaid changed back to her naked human form once again. Fuuko gasped with a flustered expression at the mermaid's boldness in showing her human form like this.
"Holy… she is bold," Kivat whispered, flustered.
"What's wrong? You've already seen what I look like…" The Mermaid pointed out, stoically.
"I have rules that I had to follow. Beside walking naked is impractical." Raiga said, still keeping his eyes closed with his hands.
"You can take a look if you want." The Mermaid reassured.
"By the way, we never catch your name, Miss," Kivat said, trying to be as polite as possible.
"You can call me Seilah." The mermaid answered stoically before Riki made his presence known to her.
"Now Miss. You better come with me to find something to wear." Riki said, looking serious.
"Very well." The mermaid said before following Riki from behind.
"Is she gone yet?" Raiga asked, still refusing to open his hands from his eyes.
"Yes, she just went with Riki to the hallway," Fuuko answered with a reassuring tone.
"Thanks… I don't know if I would get nosebleed or not from this." Raiga sighed before removing his hands from his eyes.
"At least, Ramon can convince her to come with us." Jiro remarked gruffly.
Just then Gray let out an uncomfortable cough to get their attention. "There is something I wished to discuss while I was talking with Seilah," the gray-haired young woman said. "I was discussing with her whether there are any survivors, and she mentioned something about the crosspath with a man, who she thinks is a Goblin." She revealed, making those in the living room look surprised.
"Goblins?" This made Raiga and Fuuko blink in surprised.
"You got to be kidding me. One of those bone grinders survived?" Jiro remarked annoyed.
"What should we do?" Kivat questioned perching on his partner's shoulder.
"It can't be helped since we don't have a lead on where the Goblin is, right?" Raiga asked. Gray shakes her head in response.
"I think that is for the best that we catch our breaths before we go onto the next chase across the country," Fuuko said. Raiga nodded.
"Uhh… What happened?" Ramon groans as the Last Merman regains consciousness for the first time.
"Hey, Ramon. How are you feeling?" Raiga asked, coming to check on him.
"I'm fine… Did you get rid of that jellyfish, Raiga-sama?" Ramon asked. Raiga nodded calmly.
"And the mermaid… Seliah is getting clothes from Riki as she is not used to wearing clothes among people," Raiga replied, trying his best to keep his composition.
"I got a feeling that she is that kind of individual. But I will keep a watch on her for you, Raiga-sama." The Last Merman said smiling.
"Also, do you know anything about purifying the river that Fangire caused?" Raiga inquired, making Ramon blink.
"I think that I might know some…" Ramon said.
"What are you doing, Kiva?" Gray questioned, staring at him oddly.
"I think that this place could be useful for a temporary hideout from the Empire especially enough room for Castle Doran to rest and the only way to enter was from the sky. But that is just a hypothesis since we hadn't checked every area." Raiga explained calmly as this made everyone look surprised at him.
"That is something…" Fuuko said with slight amazement.
"I can see it work as long as it doesn't have any flaws, Aibou." Kivat said, seeing there were no holes in Raiga's logic about turning the valley into a temporary respite spot for them from the Empire.
"I guess that we have a lot of work to do," Jiro said.
To be continued…
AN: That is the end of this chapter. I won't apologize for taking long after what happened on the site. That made me think twice about posting until the administration of the site does something. Not to mention my personal life as well.
As for the Mermaid, I based her human form on Seilah from Fairy Tail Manga. I let Ramon have the chance to have an important role in this chapter as he is the only one who can realistically match a mermaid in his element and is the one who communicates.
That is all I want to say here. Please give me some reviews if possible.