~17 Fr: Operation Last Rites – I: Twisted Locomotive!
Storyline A: The Final Reckoning
-Battle against the Swimming Guardians-
"Your next battle…will be with us…Suiei Marotta!"
"T-that voice…" Shizuru barely recognized it.
"It's coming from over at the top of the stairwell!" Kaoru pointed out.
"I see shadows above," Misaki answered.
Above the quintet stood several shapes of darkness looming down at their prey. It wasn't one, not two, nor three, or four…but…twenty!? The shadows of the palace finally illuminated a little, revealing the next batch of enemies standing on the stairwell. However…
Alex gasped as he saw what looked like all the Swimming Guardians assembled in a lineup in the following order:
Back Row: Aoba, Hiyori, Tsubasa, Shin, Kotarou, Seijuurou, Isana, Hikaru, Natsuya, and Nao.
Front Row: Sousuke, Momotarou, Ai, Asahi, Ikuya, Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, Rin, and Rei.
"Oh my god, e-everyone?!" Alex's eyes almost watered, feeling a sense of relief. It was as if he woke up from a horrible dream of them dying.
"T-this can't be…?!" Misaki gasped.
"All of a sudden they appear too quickly," Romio frowned slightly.
"This doesn't look right," Kaoru sensed something off, "Their eyes…?"
"E-EVERYONE!? Y-YOU'RE ALIVE!?" Alex shouted louder, "EVERYONE!?"
T-they're all here, he thought, what a relief this really is! Haru! Makoto! Nagisa! Rin! Rei! Sousuke! Asahi! Ikuya! Ai! Momo! A-All of them…
Alex started to make his way over to start walking up the steps, hoping that he could reach them and have this reunion. It was like a long time coming but he knew they'd be alright. All of them were finally here at long last.
"Wait…aren't they wearing those…?" Shizuru noticed something on their necklaces.
"Their eyes don't look too good either," Kaoru noticed, "It's lifeless…"
"It's the same stuff that those twins were wearing," Misaki recalled, "I have a bad feeling we're not out of the woods!"
"Sandro, stop! Don't get any closer!" Romio gasped, trying to stop him from advancing further.
"I CAN'T!" he shouted back, "T-THEY'RE FINALLY HERE!"
Alex was struggling on Romio's grasp as he was eager to reunite with his beloved guardians. However, he gasped to see Kyle finally walking in the scene from the archway entrance.
"K-Kyle…" Alex breathed, almost wanting to cry with joy. His heart raced with so much hope refueling his energy. This moment…was it real?
However, Kyle's cold, lifeless eyes stared at the little entourage that accompanied Alex. He sees his 'husband' starting to make his way up the steps but stopping in sheer awe and joy. The rest of the guardians waited for his command as a silent wind made the atmosphere deadlier by that moment.
"Kill him," Kyle said.
Alex gasped as he heard those two words coming out of Kyle's mouth…w-was he for real? For a long pause, his legs couldn't move as he was still processing what was being said.
W-what the, Alex thought, d-did he say…kill?
"Kill Suiei Marotta and take that disgraceful crystal!" Kyle emphasized his command.
N-No this has to be a mistake, he thought, there's no way they would…
"We are your first opponents!" Haruka, Makoto, and Rin jumped down several steps, sending a bit of a brief shockwave to throw Alex off balance.
"Sandro watch out!" Romio shouted.
"Dammit!" Shizuru grumbled.
He got up his feet barely in time to see the trio readying their powers with their talismans ready.
"DOLPHIN, ACHAEMENIAN, ECHOLOCATIIOONNNN!" Haruka shouted as he plucked on the Kantele strings with water and musical-like notes being unleashed.
"ORCA, ACHAEMENIAN, RIFFFFTTT!" Makoto chanted as he spun with his talisman on his forehead, unleashing several water-shaped orcas.
"ACHAEMENIAN…SHARRRRRK…SLAAASSSHHHHHHH!" Rin cried out as he made slashing gestures with his swords followed by a storm of shark-shaped energy blasts.
Alex gasped but it was too late as the three powers pushed him down several more steps before hitting the ground.
"P-PRINCE!" the Articoran senshi gasped, rushing towards him. They quickly brought him over to be out of harm's way.
W-what the hell is going on, Alex thought, w-why is…? No…this can't be happening…I'm sure they're mistaken…
"Well, that was disappointing," Rei said, pushing up his glasses, "Perhaps Nagisa and I will finish the job?"
"Don't let him run back," Romio replied as they set him down by one of the brick walls.
Alex got up on his feet, "EVERYONE! STOP THIS! IT'S ME! WHAT'S GOING ON!?"
"PENGUIN, ACHAEMENIAN, BITEEEEEEE!" Nagisa spun around his spell as the book flashed to life with a dozen icicles and water blasts infused with angry penguins.
"BUTTERFLY, ACHAEMENIAN, PATHWAAAYYY!" Rei contributes his own attack by unleashing a horde of invisible butterflies in a clear-transparent pattern.
Alex quickly threw up a magical barrier to protect himself and the Articorans from the oncoming attacks. It took several moments but the storm stopped. Nagisa and Rei grunted, jumping back away as the Samezuka Trio now took their steps forward to their dragon ex-member.
"Heh, seems like you got a lot of lecturing to learn," Sousuke smirked, "After all, you're nothing more than a spoiled brat of a prince."
"It was his fault that he brought the plague to us!" Momotarou grinned, "Then again, we could always put on a show after we kill him."
"I didn't think you were into dead bodies like that," Ai chuckled.
"Just get on with it," Momotarou growled a little.
Alex couldn't believe all these horrific sayings out of their mouths. It was worse than these physical attacks stabbing him through the heart.
This can't be, Alex thought, they all died but they're right here, standing in front of me!
"That's right!" Sousuke answered, "We have been reborn!"
"ACHAEMENIAN, REFLECTIVE TIDEEEEEEEEEE!" Ai spun with his Multi-faced Mirror, jumping in a sky-blue background with glittering stars around followed by an aura of darkness looming around. He sent forth an urging destructive attack towards his foe.
Romio and Shizuru threw a protection barrier up in defense, but the intensive attack threw them to the side.
"ROMIO! SHIZURU!" Alex gasped.
"Memnon, grant me your power!" Momotarou commented before chanting, "RUMBLINNNGGGGG ACHAEMENIAN DISTURBANCEEEEEEEEE!"
His hands each were glowing with one glowing in orange-yellow energy and the other in sea-blue and white, pushing out his energy-based attack. Misaki and Kaoru dodged to the side with Alex as the attack struck down a structure of crystals, obliterating them.
T-this can't be happening, Alex thought, when they died…th-they were…in agony, in pain…
"This is bad," Kaoru looks at the corrupted swimmers, "Even worse than I imagined."
"Are you both okay?!" Alex got Romio and Shizuru sitting up. They both brush the dust off their heads for a moment.
"Sandro, this isn't them," Romio said, "They're not acting like themselves!"
"I can kinda see that but…I'm not getting the picture…" he muttered.
"Not getting the picture? How about this: Once upon a time a disfigured Koi Carp came into a village of happiness who brought nothing but lust, death, and destruction. He whined and begged for help and the people took pity on him, only later realizing that he was the demon of the Shrovetide," Rei narrated, "He ignored the signs of a potential match who could've changed him and instead was killed in karma for murdering a celebrity and failing a cold-blooded revenge to his classmates."
W-why are they calling me out like this, Alex thought, his heart began to race in reflection of his misdeeds, I forgave my enemies haven't I? When we defeated Verrado and the witches…I...I gave them all new memories and new lives!
"I think the story time is too boring," Nagisa added, "Let's finish the job."
"Sure," Rei answered, "It didn't even faze him."
"No, this has to be a mistake!" Alex shouted, "You guys are alive and here! WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING US?!"
"You've been nothing but a burden to each and every one of us standing here," Haruka said.
"Your pitiful story about your brother and all, we only helped you just to see if you'd grow up. You never did," Makoto added.
"Most of all, you kept ignoring my feelings…I knew I shouldn't have split off from my other half," Rei replied, "But once we eliminate you, I'll eliminate him and that other version of yourself!"
N-No, this can't be happening, Alex's mind screamed, they would never say these hurtful things like this!
"Oh no Sandro, we've been meaning to tell you the sad, sad, truth about yourself…and how we TRULY feel," Rin added, "Now that it's out there, I'm more than happy to join this crowd in eliminating you!"
Shizuru and Kaoru helped Alex get back on his feet as the latter kept looking at them like a deer in headlights. The air around them was getting colder by the minute with the darkness looming all around them like a caged fight.
"Enough chatter, I'll kill him," Sousuke said as he readied his Rhincodon Glaive.
"S-Sousuke…" Alex breathed.
"RHINCODON GLAIVE SURPRISEEEEEEE," he spun with his glaive in a deep-sea background with negative energy emitting out from his body. A miniature-pin wheel blast erupted from the weapon, flying its way over like a frisbee.
The four Articoran senshi fired up another force field, blocking the attack in a small struggle. Finally, it dispelled moments later.
"Is this really all what you got? "Ikuya looks at the quintet.
"Allow us to do the honors," Asahi chimed in.
"Now what?!" Misaki gasped.
"Brace yourselves!" Kaoru ordered.
In a split screen, Asahi and Ikuya each took their attacks together as the former was glowing in a tangerine orange-yellow and the other in a radish-purple with rusted-color accents.
"PHOCIADE, ACHAEMENIANNNN, LASERRRRR!"
"ACHAEMENIAN…CHILLING…BLIZZARDDDDDDDD!"
Their powers flew in two separate directions, forcing Kaoru and Misaki to block Ikuya's attack while Romio and Shizuru were barely holding off Asahi's. Moments later, they were all thrown to the side again.
N-No…stop, stop this now, Alex's mind was panicking again.
"Is the prince finally gonna be a crybaby?" Asahi asked.
"Everyone…please…CEASEFIRE!" Alex shouted, "This has gone far enough!"
"Sandro…they're not going to listen," Shizuru breathed, "They have those filthy dog-tag necklaces and are being controlled by Memnon!"
"W-what?!" he gasped "Like the ones we've seen back on Duniya?!"
"Yes!" Shizuru and Romio cried out.
Alex lowered his Astro Solar Destiny tiare a little, "But if that's true…"
"Don't be infatuated by their revival! NONE OF THIS IS REAL!" Misaki cried out.
"I already lost them once…I can't let it happen again," Alex said, "There must be a way to save them."
"Would removing their necklaces be the way to get them back to normal?" Kaoru suggested.
"Then that's what I will aim my magic at," he narrowed his eyes, "I won't let them die again! But I need to get Kyle to stop this killing order first!"
"That's correct. We're not going to die ever again," Aoba said as he stepped to the front of the line with Natsuya and Nao.
"The power of Memnon has truly blessed us," Natsuya added, "We are far stronger than ever before!"
"And for that, we know the truth about your power…and why you will never gain full control," Nao agreed, "But no need to worry, Mr. Marotta. You won't feel a thing once we end this. It'll be nothing more than just a crushing thought."
Their eyes, Alex noticed a bit more detail, it's like they're faded…darkened!
Natsuya readied his bladed knives while glowing in a lime-yellow background, shouting, "ACHAEMENIAN, BLADEDDDD SLASSSSHHHHH!"
Following right behind him, Nao twirled his Soufukan Spiked Spear as he was shining in a lavender-blue background, "ACHAEMENIAN, ICY SYMPHONYYYYYY!"
Aoba readied his Soufukan Spiked Warhammer manifesting with darkness, chanting, "ACHAEMENIAN, CAPYBARAAAAAA SLAAAAAMMM!"
The three attacks spiraled together, forcing Alex to throw another force field up. This time, the spells defected off of him and struck at the palace, making it shake a little with some of the architecture crumbling. The ground shook a bit as well but not even that fazed the corrupted swimmers.
Those words, Alex also took a mental note, they're not using their usual spells! Normally they have either a team or an animal in them! They're using Achaemenian!
"Magic seems to be too good for him," Tsubasa stepped in with a distraught look on his face, "I think what he needs is something…spicier."
"What do you think, Wingman?" Seijuurou asked him.
"What he needs is a good run in with our physique…after all, I've heard tales of how much of an insecure incubus he fantasizes," the blue haired man replied.
"I kinda remember that," Seijuurou replied, "Wasn't he after you there Nanase-kun?"
"He was," Haruka said, "And that of course hurt Rei after he found out, but I promised him that he will have his turn after Alex returned to his homeland."
H-His turn, Alex thought, what the HELL ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?!
"Don't listen to that drama!" Romio cried out.
"They're speaking out of their worst selves," Misaki muttered.
"By gosh, not to mention how much you lied to the world about your swimming and how you COERCED ME to hide it," Kyle added, "Why did I even bother to wed a coward like you? Maybe if I was on the same page with Kosuke, Ken, and Nicolas…none of this would've EVER happened!"
"K-KYLE, STOP IT!" Alex gasped, recalling the wish he made to witch boy to erase the memories of that dark time. The only loophole that brought the memories back was reuniting with him and proposing marriage.
"Enough sidetracking. Let's get to the main course," Isana crossed his arms, "He'll be such a great example of all the sins known to mankind. Perhaps his corpse will be delicious to lust upon."
"Now you sound like…" Kotarou chuckled.
"Doesn't matter…a body is a body," Isana shrugged.
"We gotta help Alex before they get to his head," Romio said.
"It's a suicide mission," Misaki replied.
"We have no choice," Kaoru answered.
The four Articorans stood side by side as they spun in a circular dance again as they chanted, "ARTI-CORAN…SUB-FREEZE, FROSSSSSTTTT!"
An explosion of ice erupted from the ground, splitting off the twenty Swimming Guardians. Alex gasped to see what was happening. He turned to the Articorans as they continued to implore him.
"You have to stop listening to them!" Misaki shouted.
"Let us help you!" Shizuru added.
"YOU GUYS WATCH OUT!" Kaoru cried out.
Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rei giggled as they landed right in front of the Articorans and combined their powers together, "IWATOBIIIII…MADNESSS!"
An explosion of dark blue, green, yellow, and purple energy erupted out of their hands, throwing the four across the landscape. Each thud sounded heavier than the last. This time, they weren't getting back up like the first couple of times.
"N-NO!" Alex cried out.
Moments later, he turned to see Rin, Momo, Ai, and Sousuke readying their powers together.
"SAMEZUKAAAAA, VORTEX!" the four chanted in a dark background of their former colors, unleashing a shadowy cyclone attack towards him.
Narrowly dodging the attack, the vortex damaged more of the other crystals across the field. However, it spun its way back towards Alex, forcing him to activate another barrier.
"STOP THIS! EVERYONE!" Alex screamed, struggling to hold on, "IF YOU KEEP THIS UP, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OUR FUTURE!? WHAT ABOUT THE PROMISE WE'VE MADE?!"
He pushed the vortex back towards the building as it damaged some more of the foyer entrance. The Eight Iwasame senshi jumped back to the stairwell, waiting to see what his next response would be.
H-have I really been this bad of a human being to them, he thought, I thought…we'd share the same dream. I know my entrance into their lives was…a mess but…did they hold a grudge to me this entire time?!
Alex closed his eyes to reflect further and deeper…true, he was in a darker place upon meeting them the first time in Iwatobi. Their lives were altered, and time and time again they've been separated and reunited. Even after getting back together on Duniya, there was still this burden of war they've been drawn into.
"Your existence has screwed us over many times," Kotarou added, "Even now my child is a grown man! I never got to embrace my role as a father!"
"I guess it's true then, anyone who swims with you, ends up getting killed or cursed or condemned to a fate beyond tragic," Hiyori remarked, "What you are is an abomination to mankind!"
"What a sad life to be as the main protagonist," Hikaru chirped his two cents.
Storyline B: Our Free!
Day 6 Morning: Mixed Medley Tournament FINALS
As the crowds roared with excitement, the finalist teams for the mixed men's 400-meter medley were lining up one by one. Finally, the team consisting of Haruka, Rin, Ikuya, and Sousuke walked in.
"SOUSKEEEE-SENPAAIIIIII!" Ai and Momotarou shouted as they saw Sousuke making his usual serious facial expression.
"Oh my god that's him!?" Kazuki gasped.
"It's been forever since we last saw him!" Shouta added.
"This will be an awesome match!" Takuya agreed.
"IKUYAAAAA!" Hiyori added along with Shin, Tsubasa, and Kotarou.
"Go get 'em little brother," Natsuya cheered quietly.
"Hehe, this will be quite a race," Nao agreed.
"ONII-CHAN!" Gou shouted.
"RIN-CHANNNN!" Nagisa added.
"Everyone's all here," Alex smiled.
"Yeah," Kyle nodded.
"HARUKA-SENPAIIIII!" Rei, Ai and Momo cried out loud.
"HARU-CHANNNN!" Nagisa contributed.
"Make this count, all of you!" Asahi narrowed his eyes.
Kaede kept his silent look while Kotetsu smiled a little as Apollo nodded with hope and certainty of this match.
Seijuurou turned to his alternate counterpart and added, "Thank you, by the way, for taking care of these ladies."
"Oh hehe," Yamato chuckled, "Let's make it count!"
"THAT'S RIGHT!" the other red-haired man makes a determined fist.
"What a match this is gonna be," Tsubasa nodded.
"I can't wait for our match as well," Shin smiled, "We'll finally have our dream too!"
As the match was about to begin, the other athletes all received emails from the IOC as well as their respective team leaders. Indeed, several of them were confused at first but they began to start talking about what was being said.
With a nod, they all realized that there was going to be a seventh day of swimming. But for what? Was it make up? That part was still unclear.
"Maybe it's the award ceremony?" Shouyou asked.
"I doubt it," Tobio said.
"But there's nothing else to compete with…unless we have diving and synchronized swimming?" Bokuto tilted his head.
"I didn't expect you to say such intelligent words," Sakusa remarked.
Oikawa looked at the email with Iwaizumi as they both nodded at the request.
"Seems like it's gonna be an interesting day," Oikawa said.
"It's nice that they invited all of us too without having to pay for the seats," Iwaizumi agreed.
At the archery chamber, Masaki smiled a little as he was certainly intrigued by this special invitation.
A fitting way to conclude his journey, he thought, Operation Journey's End…
"I'm not sure if I'm interested in going," Eisuke shrugged.
"But we have to thank them somehow," Shuu replied.
"I mean…I don't have anything against them it's just…well…" the silver-haired man paused.
"Look. Several of them promised they'll support us during our tournaments. We've all been training and watching their matches from afar. I'd like to sit there in person," Minato said.
"I agree," Seiya nodded, "It'd be truly an honor.
"I didn't think the IOC would actually approve of this," Cherry remarked, "I'll certainly watch them."
"Which seats should we pick?" Miya asked.
"Ummm, I think they have all the front rows for us and any of their families to watch," the pink-haired man said.
"But I don't get it," Langa replied, "I thought they were doing six days of swimming."
"Yes but…" Reiki paused, "It seems like they got something up their sleeve."
"Was there anything else in the email?" Shadow asked.
"Go look at it yourself," Cherry said.
"The hell is that suppose to mean?!" Shadow glares.
Ainosuke and Tadashi arrived in as the six skaters turned to see them.
"It appears that tomorrow is going to be quite an unusual day," Tadashi said.
"We've all been invited it seems," Ainosuke nodded.
"Oh, so you too?" Joe asked.
"Are the Chivashi and any of the Mullerians invited?" Langa asked.
"They have but they're not sure what they're gonna do," Ainosuke said.
"That reminds me, we have those decorations for them. It was going to be a surprise thing after today's finals but with tomorrow…well…" Reki recalled.
"We can still use them," Langa replied, "I'm sure they'll appreciate it."
Mini-Flashback:
Day 5 Afternoon, Post-Swim
Nagisa and Rei were in a different suite where the Shimogami and the Hidaka teams were at. They decided to use this area to create this little project come to life without causing much suspicion to the others.
"Nagisa-kun, we're only making a set of these for our teams and friends, right?" Rei asked.
"Of course, Rei-chan," Nagisa said, "Why the heck would we try to sell these to the public?"
"Yeah, the complexity of this design is kinda tricky," the megane sighed.
"I mean, the one for Haru-chan, Sou-chan, Rin-chan, and Iku-chan was easier, right?" Nagisa looks at him.
"Yes but…this other design we're making…" Rei paused.
"It's a surprise," the blond winked, "After all…we owe it to ourselves…"
Rei paused as he looked at the time while reflecting on this little project. They were making a different design they started prior to the Olympics and had it somewhat started. However, with the fact that Sousuke, Ikuya, Rin, and Haruka were going to be representing the Iwamara team for the 400m Men's Mixed Medley finals, they decided to add this to the load.
"Do you think Rin-san and Haruka-senpai will have enough energy the following day?" Rei added.
"They will," Nagisa reassured him, "And even if we don't win…I'm sure it'll make him happy."
"Well, Natsuya-senpai and Nao-senpai expect us to do our very best together," Rei replied, I too want to give it my all. I wonder what sight we'll see."
"Hehe, kinda like that time during the Nationals for the high school leagues," Nagisa recalled.
With a shrug, Rei takes out his phone to look up something, prompting Nagisa's curiosity to see.
"What'chu looking at?" the blond asked.
"I kinda…remember something," Rei said.
"Oh?" he looks at the megane.
Present Day:
Sousuke jumps into the water with the other swimmers as they readied themselves on the backstroke. This time, there was no regret.
"Take your marks…"
"BEEP!"
The swimmers pushed off from the wall with their backs arched, diving in and unleashing the first storm of the race. Sousuke unleashed his arms in powerful, circular motions as he could feel himself leading so far. Rin grinned upon seeing his pacing as Ikuya smiled. Haruka made a silent smile likewise as he knew that this race was special…
Almost like as if we had done this before, Haruka thought, but not in this lifetime…
"GO SOUSUKEEE!" Momo, Ai and Aoba cheered on.
"Sousuke-kun!" Gou smiled as she along with Ayumu, Isuzu, Anastasia, the half-sisters along with Stellaluna and Roxana were watching in the bleachers likewise.
"KEEP GOING SOU-CHAN!" Nagisa cheered.
"SOUSUKE-SENPAIII!" Rei added.
"YOU GOT THIS!" Alex shouted as Kyle smiled.
He's definitely got the spirit for this team, he thought, I think he finally made peace with himself. If only…if only I could say something though…
Finally passing the flags, Sousuke readied to flip over. As he did so, he pushed hard and strong enough to keep going strongly. His mind flashed into the light as he could see a version of himself sitting sadly in the showers with a horrific shoulder injury.
"Hey," he said to his younger high schooler self, "You'll get past this."
The high schooler Sousuke looked up as his eyes flared to life. Gen 3.0!Sousuke smiled and answered, "You told Haruka to keep moving…do the same with your own."
At a flash, Gen 3.0!Sousuke saw his younger self roaring in the waters on his butterfly to overcome the struggle of the shoulder. However, treatment would be needed if he was to continue his journey. Gen 3.0!Sousuke smiled to himself, knowing that this was the right path.
In the present day, Ikuya stepped up onto the diving block as he turned to Haruka and Rin, "You know, I've haven't felt this excited in a long time…this is truly an awesome sport!"
"Heh, isn't it?" Rin grins.
Sousuke strikes the wall and shouts, "IKUYA!"
The teal-haired breaststroke swimmer dives in as he is neck to neck with an opponent from the next lane. However, Ikuya kept pacing carefully with the arms in its proper circular motion with his legs in suit.
We made it this far, Ikuya thought, but still there is one more thing after all this…not all of us were fortunate enough. Come what may be…but at least for today, this will be our victory!
Ikuya's mind flashed to another reality as he saw himself crying alone on the road before Asahi, Makoto and Haruka came to support him. He then saw a time skip showing what looked like a race between him and Haruka at a version of Hidaka University, fulfilling a long-time promise.
I'm glad we're at peace, Ikuya thought as he readied himself to flip against the wall.
"IKUYAAAA!" Makoto cheered.
"THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT LITTLE BROTHER!" Natsuya shouted.
Ikuya was now in the lead as he could see the same light coming from the bonds that everyone shared along with the same light during The Final Reckoning.
Win this, Ikuya, Kotetsu thought as Apollo rested his head on the former's shoulder.
"This might be a decent race after all," Kaede muttered.
Rin got himself ready on the block and performs his infamous goggles snap effect, "It's time we show planet Duniya who we really are! This is our sport of swimming!"
Ikuya strikes the wall and shouts, "RINNN!"
The third swimmer dives in perfectly as the butterfly was now in full force. Rei and Nagisa along with Alex cheered him on as Gou clasped her hands in a small prayer. As Rin made progress, a small reddish light appeared showing him the spirit of Toraichi with a warm smile on his face.
"You have truly grown my dear Rin," he smiled.
"F-father…" his mind breathed.
"RIN-SENPAAAIIIIII!" Ai and Momo shouted.
"So then, what exactly is going on with tomorrow?" Ayumu asked Gou.
"Oh, um…it's kinda a long story but we made some roster arrangements under the approval of the IOC," she revealed.
"But what is tomorrow's event exactly?" Stellaluna asked.
"That's a secret," Gou winked, "But the invitation is open to the public."
Rin could feel the laughter, the joy, sadness, and pain all together as one as he flipped his turn to propel himself faster to the end. Haruka got himself ready on the block as he almost felt like in a different realm where Albert was next to him as that version of Haruka echoed the words…
"I told you before that I wasn't sure why I swim…but now I do…and this time, I'll show you,"
Reaching for the wall, Rin cries out, "HARUUUUU!"
Time seemed to have slowed down as Haruka makes his signature dive in, beginning the finale of this race with the freestyle. In the bleachers, Albert smiled as he could almost feel like swimming next to him in a different reality…perhaps one day it could happen here as well?
"It has been a long journey for all of us," Nao watched this segment.
"At least we can finally say that this has worked well in the end," Natsuya replied.
"Almost…" Nao winked, "We still got work to do for tomorrow."
I wish I could have swam with them, Alex thought as he was still cheering along with everyone for Haruka's finish.
"Something on your mind?" Kyle asked.
"Just a wish," Alex said.
Haruka was in neck to neck with two other swimmers, all of them wanting to hit the medals.
"HARUUUU!" Makoto shouted.
With that, Haruka unleashes his extra speed, finally striking the wall as everyone gasped to see the placement marks.
"T-They did it!" Gou gasped as she and Isuzu hugged with joy.
Haruka gets out of the water and is jumped by Sousuke, Rin and Ikuya happily for a hug.
"We did awesome!" Rin said, "That was like…I don't know how to put it in words."
"A sight for sure," Sousuke agreed.
"That was the best tournament indeed!" Ikuya smiled.
"Together with everyone…we made it happen," Haruka said as he turned his head towards Rei, Nagisa, Makoto and Alex.
"Oh that's right, Operation Last Race," Rin's mind snapped back to reality.
"I hope this project goes well…I wonder what it'll consist of," Ikuya replied.
"I guess we'll have to find out about that," Sousuke said.
"Such an incredible tournament," Minato was in awe, "They truly have worked hard."
"I wonder what tomorrow will be about though," Seiya answered.
"I'm sure we'll get more information soon," Masaki replied.
With the morning round over, all what was left was the 400m Freestyle Medley and then the IM final. The audience went on break for about an hour or so before the freestyle race would begin.
Alex sat down with Kyle in one of the massive lobby areas, looking at the architecture and artwork displays. One such structure was unique…almost as if…
"Doesn't that remind you of something?" Kyle asked.
"Sort of…it's like a group of six people?" Alex shrugged.
It was a set of arches overlapping each other but painted in such a way to reflect light off its metallic sheen. However, something was etched there that caught his attention.
"600 meters?" he read.
"Eh?" Kyle looks at him.
"There, it says 600 meters," he pointed it to Kyle.
"Um, fascinating I guess," Kyle shrugged it off.
"There you guys are!" Nagisa found the lovebirds.
"Everything okay? We were looking for you guys," Rei said.
"I just needed some time alone," Alex replied, "I'm sorry if I worried you."
He looks at Haruka and Rin, "Congrats to both of you especially. I really am happy you both found peace along with Ikuya and Sousuke."
"It truly is all thanks to you," Haruka said, "You know, you deserve credit."
Alex shook his head, "I beg to differ but…I know that I'm past my prime."
"Don't say that…" Nagisa sighed as he bumps his head on Alex's arm, rubbing around there.
"Kyle and I aren't getting younger every day," Alex continued.
"Age shouldn't matter," Rin answered, "Both of you have made a lot of dreams come true."
"For you guys, yeah," Alex said, "As for Kyle…well…"
"I think mines came true already," he winked.
"And what about you, Sandro-chan?" Makoto asked.
"I made a wish but…I know it's not going to happen since magic doesn't exist in us anymore…at least not as a Swimming Guardian," he said, "We might be able to talk to our Mizu God still and have our own tokens, but it's certainly not the same world as it was."
"I think the best is yet to come," Haruka disagrees with that statement, "Magic doesn't have to be actual physical force."
"Then what am I supposed to believe?" Alex asked.
JINGLE-JINGLE
JINGLE-JINGLE
The sound of the bell and the Koi carp fish could be seen again for several seconds as Alex took a step back…with the same question from Cosmos…
"Why do you swim? Why did you go to them?"
Haruka led Alex to the side briefly and said, "Do you remember when you first came into our lives?"
"Haru…" he sighed, "That was a dark time."
"It may have been, but you did show us a bit of your swimming, reminding us that we still carry that in our hearts," Haruka continued.
"Guys!" Nagisa gasped as he was on cue of something.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked.
"It's from Nao, they got more details…kinda about tomorrow!" the blond revealed.
"E-eh?!" Kyle gasped.
"What does it say?" Alex looks at Nagisa.
"Well, apparently they have a roster in the making for the teams," Makoto read, "However, they will send the finalized one by the end of the day today."
This is really getting too suspicious, Alex thought, why the heck would they do another relay?
"How about we grab something to eat for you, Sandro-chan?" Nagisa asked.
"Oh um, okay," he shrugged.
Outside of the venue, Kotetsu and Apollo sat down beneath the Cherry Blossom tree while Hiyori and Ikuya were looking at the original Little Mermaid book with the knife and the witch. It was indeed a darker tale than the film which Ikuya saw back on Terabithia.
"I'll have to see this movie sometime," Hiyori chuckled.
"Kotet, how much time we have left before the next race?" Apollo yawned.
"You tired already?" he asked.
"Just a little…I still feel like after everything that happened…" Apollo sighed.
With a shrug, Kotetsu kissed Apollo on the cheek, pulling the twin in before asking, "What happened to your brother, Artemis?"
"It's a long story," Apollo answered, "But he has made his own decision back then…during The Final Reckoning."
At the volleyball court, it was less than three days away till their tournaments would finally begin. Everyone was busy practicing their moves on the court. Sachiro watched his beloved Kourai making his round with his fellow teammates.
I hope one day to join this, Sachiro thought, I know I was kinda practicing but I definitely need some time to grow.
During their break, several of them sat down together at the outdoor venue park as they were talking about their dreams and plans among other things.
"You guys, there was something I've wanted to talk about," Shouyou said.
"What? Your wedding date?" Tobio asked.
"Not that!" he replied, "That dream…well…that vision or whatever the heck we saw a while ago."
"You mean the one with the Greatest Light calling out to all the powers of all the sports?" Oikawa recalled.
"Yeah," Shouyou answered, "It was like…we all fought against Chaos together in some indirect way."
"Well, that was quite something…it felt like an abstract dream of something you don't remember the next day," Kei shrugged.
"I'm sure the author will have those pages revealed," Sakusa added.
"Heh, I'm just surprised none of these adventures have become a movie yet or something," Ushijima remarked.
"I'm sure they will one day," Kuroo added.
"Did you guys see that invitation for tomorrow?" Akiteru asked.
"Yeah, it seems a lot of us got that," Atsumu said, "All the decorations are ready too."
"It'll be quite a show for sure," Bokuto grinned.
"I still can't believe that they've been hiding this from…" Shouyou began but paused after getting a warning look from Tobio and Osamu, "But still though."
"Sometimes, the best things are to be kept as a surprise," Osamu said.
Oikawa turns to Iwaizumi, "You decided on your dream?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna continue to coach here but I also want to join the IOC and have my voice for the Volleyball division," he revealed.
"After this I might wanna try the Beach Volleyball tournament for the upcoming local events," Shouyou said.
"That'll be fun," Atsumu replied.
"It's also going to be a charity event for the local community," he added, "This city may be a lot better than how it was but I'm sure there are some poor stragglers."
"Just don't bore me," Kenma winked.
As the four Iwamara champions were getting their medals and photos taken, Takashi smiled watching this from the outside venue with Miya.
"Now that is where I want to be someday…" Takashi watched.
"Something tells me you'll get there sooner than expected," Miya said.
"I did submit an application to the Iwamara swim team," he revealed.
"E-EH!?" Miya gasped.
"Well, it's kinda a crap shoot but if I could at least get trained enough, I might become more well-rounded to become a trainer," Takashi said.
"You still talking to…?" Miya makes a little smirk.
"Yeah," he revealed, "I didn't think she was the sister of Reki either…it's kinda nice. But I already told her about this so there's nothing to hide."
"Taka, I know I put you in a bad place long ago…for that…I am sorry," Miya said.
"Miya, that's all in the past. Had I not gone through that, I wouldn't have found my dream," he replied.
They both continued to watch the live TV mega screen in the city as the program was now entering commercial break.
Sergi looked at the pages that detailed The Final Reckoning and the actions of the Greatest Light performing its final act. A lot has indeed changed here as the final incantation used required a price. Since then, this world has truly entered a better and more peaceful era.
Brother, he thought, you truly have done the impossible…but even still, your story isn't over as you believe it is. I hope tomorrow will finally give you the proper closure of one story…and the beginning of a new one.
Storyline A: The Final Reckoning
-Battle against the Swimming Guardians-
Alex still kept a grip on his Astro Solar Destiny tiare as he couldn't bear to listen their harsh insults and their attacks. A deep part of his consciousness was indeed telling him to stop this and end their lives, but another part was still clinging to that hope for saving them.
I have to get to Kyle and tell him to stop, he thought, if he commanded them to kill me, I need to convince him!
Kyle grinned evilly as Seijuurou, Hikaru, and Isana were the next ones in line to attack him.
Are they going to combine powers or individually, Alex narrowed his eyes.
"ACHAEMENIAN, SLASHINNNGGGGG CRESTTTTTTT!" Seijuurou readied his Hidaka Crystal Sword Fish, sending a series of shadowed-based slashes before sending them toward Alex. He quickly dispelled them as the red-haired frowned.
"I'm next!" Hikaru shouted as he readied his Spiked Crystal Urchin Mace and chanted, "ACHAEMENIAN, KALVINNNNN, PRESSUREEE!"
The temperatures went up and down rapidly with the barometric pressure, triggering a series of migraines on Alex's head. He fell to his knees and clasped his heads together.
"I'll finish him off!" Isana laughed, before bellowing, ""ACHAEMENIAN THUNDERRRRINNNGGG, BLASSSTTT!"
He unleashed several dark clouds with loud noises, causing his ears to feel numb and almost approaching deafness. The tiare glowed to life, sending a healing spell to terminate the headache and the ear-splitting sensation.
Kyle grumbled a little bit, "That little shit and his unholy crystal!"
I have to distract them, Alex thought, this is not going anywhere.
He grabbed the tiare and carefully concentrated on it, hoping to manipulate the light a little bit and bend it carefully at his will. Finally, with the right settings, he was able to create several holograms of himself.
Perfect, he thought, I hope these fools them enough!
"STOP THEM!" Kyle shouted.
The holograms rushed over towards the stairwell with the real Alex as they dispersed in varying directions. Each of them brainwashed guardians were fighting against the holographic ones while Alex focused on reaching Kyle. However, the latter had his suspicions but decided to keep playing this little game out.
Alex was running up the stairs while the holograms were slowly being eliminated one by one, prompting the brainwashed guardians to realize they were being played.
"HOW DARE HE PLAYED US!" Makoto gasped.
"FIND THE REAL ONE!" Rin shouted.
The real Alex kept silent as he was getting closer to the top of the stairwell. Kyle shrugged and turned his back and walked into the darkness.
"THERE HE IS!" Rei pointed, "HE'S GETTING INSIDE!"
"STOP HIM!" Seijuurou yelled.
Alex dove into the darkened massive chamber as Kyle turned to see him with a fury look in his eyes.
"You were such a puppy dog, desperate for love," Kyle said, "It's no wonder you were so stressed all the time even after us being killed left and right."
"Kyle, stop and listen to me!" Alex replied, "Those are NOT your words. Memnon has taken over your mindset! If you kill me, ALL OF THIS WILL END! THE FUTURE! OUR EXISTENCE!"
Kyle took a step back as for a moment, he felt something deep within his soul speaking to him. However, that same anger from Memnon was ordering him, "Kill him, now!"
Alex turned to see the other Swimming Guardians charging up the steps, ready to trample him over.
"ACHAEMENIAN, RACINNNNGGGG, ARROWWWW!" Tsubasa spun briefly as he fired the Shimogami Aquarius Laser Bow, unleashing several arrowed attacks of energy.
An explosion of energy rocketed the entire foyer section of the palace, knocking down more of the structure as Alex was thrown back down the outside steps. Clearly, this little mind game he tried to play backfired horribly.
"You see. That's why you'll never be the Greatest Light," Kyle continued to mock him, "You play this game with your smile and your false hopes, thinking you will finally have it all! Well guess what? You won't! Even a great warrior as yourself has a downfall!"
"And what of yourself?" Alex asked, "Did you really think you were better off this entire time?!"
"Being with Penelope yes," he replied.
"What about the times you had to fought in the Trojan War?!" Alex cried out, "DIDN'T YOU LEAVE HER FOR A DECADE!?"
Kyle grunted angrily, "DON'T YOU DARE!"
"Oh, so I see…you call me out for all my flaws, but you won't let me call you or the others out?!" Alex snapped back.
"That's because you are an abomination," Haruka said as he along with several of the other guardians arriving inside, "You took away our happiness all because of your own personal problems. We were supposed to have been professional swimmers…"
"But no, you came into our lives and took those dreams away from us!" Rin replied, "If it wasn't for you, I'd be swimming probably in Hungary or Greece already!"
I-I can't believe this, Alex thought, they really never told me anything like this the entire time!
"That little promise you made for us back then, that was all smoke and mirrors," Ikuya added, "We knew that was just an empty vow because your power has drawn so many enemies, delaying our growth for becoming champions."
"And what about the other swimmers?" Alex glares at each of them, "All the other crystals? Are they to blame me as well?"
The group kept silent as Alex realized he was onto something. Maybe with this logic, he can break through their inner turmoil and rescue them.
"He's not worth the argument," Kyle finally answered, "Kill him and extract that blasphemy crystal."
"ACHAEMENIAN TARGETTTT, PROJECTILE…" Kotarou cried out.
"ACHAEMENIAN, SUPERCELLLL, VOLTAGE…" Isana chanted.
Both their powers linked together in a larger spheroid-like structure with an accretion disk forming around as they both completed the spell, "GRAVITATIONAL CANNON!"
A miniature-sized black hole soared through, sucking several crystals in its path. Alex gasped as he knew how dangerous those entities were. Not even light would break its spell. With no other option, Alex focused on creating a white hole to at least cancel out the darkness. However, could such an object really exist?
Once the attack was mere away from pulling him in, the Macedonia Dragon Crystal flickered in him, sending a small seed of light falling into the black hole before it rapidly ignited, cancelling the attack.
Impossible, Kyle thought, no mere human should've succeeded in that!
Alex quickly went back to check on Romio, Shizuru, Kaoru, and Misaki as they were still weakened from the earlier attacks.
"Sandro…" Romio breathed, "You have to stop them all."
"Romio…" he said, "I don't know what to do."
"You have to keep on living," Shizuru answered, "We know you'll save them…all of them, and us…"
"N-No…you guys…" Alex looks at them.
"We'll be okay," Misaki smiled.
"But we're too weak for now to keep on going," Kaoru said, "We have faith in you."
"I won't let you guys die like this!" Alex starts to tear up.
"This is your battle," Shizuru continued, "We only came here to assist you to the right direction…but whatever decision you'll make…it'll be the right one."
His face starts to tear up again as he sees their bodies finally dissolving into ashes slowly. After everything that all these swimmers have gone through, more of them were dying.
I have to keep surviving, he thought as he turned to see the army of them still guarding the steps, waiting to keep on battling him.
Those necklaces, I have to break them apart. Only then, they'll be free from Memnon's influence, he noted.
Camelot Magna
-Battle of the Le Fay Twins-
Apollo grunted heavily, lunging the sword towards Artemis. However, the latter dodged it and clashed metal against darkness. The realm was filled with fire and smoke as the remaining Mahotsukai were crowded in a single area barely habitable.
The twin growled and finally knocked Artemis' sword off his hands before pushing him to a wall, aiming all the anger and darkness at the chosen of Cosmos.
"Apollo…" Artemis breathed, "I am so sorry."
"YOU KNEW I WON'T LISTEN TO YOU! SO WHY DID YOU FOLLOW ME HERE!?" Apollo growled.
"I HAD TO!" Artemis barked back.
"NO, YOU DIDN'T. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?" Apollo asked.
"I just wanted you to realize that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Because I too, feel the same as you!" Artemis said.
"You…deserve to be alone and THAT'S HOW YOU'LL DIE!" Apollo growled.
"I know you think that Chaos and Cosmos are enemies to each other that could NEVER accept one another because of Good, Evil, Light, and Shadow!" Artemis replied, "But you…your existence means EVERYTHING TO ME. EVERY VERSION!
"So…if this is how I have to go out, showing you there are people who LOVE you, no MATTER WHAT you do?! Well then, that's the worthy END to me!" Artemis makes a sad smile.
Apollo grips on these powers, struggling to finish off the twin. However, the arm couldn't push the destructive energies towards his foe as something echoed within…
Light calls to darkness…and darkness calls to light…if one destroys the other…neither of all matter can exist…only a blank void of nothingness. That is the truth of all…no one could be pure good nor pure evil…even if humanity has made such rules…no one could ever suspect the powers beyond the psyche.
Apollo's mind flashed back to the days at Aeuropa Capital Academy where Romio, Shizuru, Kaoru, Misaki as well as Kotetsu were there. That little moment of happiness, along with the adoptive parents of Zulion and Takela.
Finally, a piece of memory that was lost from before…resurfaced…when he was still identified as 'Artemis'.
"Hey Artemis," Kotetsu approached him, "Are you gonna go to that charity ball this week?"
"I…um…I probably will," he said, "Both my parents are going out that night anyway."
"How about coming back with me?" Kotetsu asked.
"E-eh!?" he looks at him.
"I mean, my father is home, and we might even have a little party with my neighbor Masaki," Kotetsu explained.
"Something going on?" Artemis asked.
"Well, it's also my birthday that weekend and I thought about inviting you," he revealed.
Of course, that memory would only fade away as their little time together couldn't happen…when the Elder Bairns resurfaced and Asahi and Ikuya recruited him to join the fight. So much has happened since…from saving Olympia Magna to rebuilding the swimming teams…
"Apollo, all of those good things came from you," Artemis said, "And it can happen again…"
Finally, Apollo lowers the arm with a sadden look on the face, a small flood of tears drips down. Artemis quickly hugged the twin as they both cried softly in each other's arms. Moments later, an explosion of pain erupted from Apollo's back as the portion of Chaos erupted out and fled from the scene before returning back to the main site.
Apollo grunted and fell to the ground, trying to recover from this painful burst that erupted from him as the hair and eyes were now turning back to normal. As for the stolen eye he took from Articora!Rei, the magic also vanished.
"Apollo…" Artemis breathes.
"B-brother…" Apollo replied, "I wanna go home…back to how it should have been."
"And we will," Artemis answered, looking at the twin's eyes, "Let us give all our remaining powers to him…for the final incantation."
Their bodies glowed together, radiating a new light shimmering across the realm as Camelot Magna was still a massive silent graveyard while the Mahotsukai waited for what is yet to come…
Rhodinean Cathedral Palace
Court Battle
Alex readied on his weapon again as the twenty brainwashed guardians stood in silence. He had to get to Memnon and stop this, but he couldn't bear to hurt them at the same time.
A soft glow was seen on the four guys as Alex gasped to see their 'deaths' being reversed. Moments later, Artemis/Suiei Oceania appeared along with a recently healed Apollo.
"Y-you guys!" Alex gasped with some hope, "I'm glad you both made amends!"
"Somewhat," Apollo sighed, "We got lots to discuss."
"Oh my goodness what happened to…" Artemis noticed the brainwashed senshi.
"Yeah, they're all…on his side," Alex revealed.
"What's this!? More weaklings for us to battle?!" Seijuurou roared.
"Now that's bad," Apollo noticed.
"Their necklaces are what's controlling them," Alex said, "We can break them apart and I'm sure they'll be okay again, right?"
"You're in a series of grieving," Artemis replied.
"W-what?!" he looks at him.
"You were shocked and in denial and some anger but now you're bargaining to win them back," the descendant of Cosmos explained.
"But…our future!" he replied, "We did promise we'd swim together…wasn't that why you helped me push back Memnon back on Duniya!?"
"Yes, but now this battle is all on your shoulders," Artemis continued, "If you keep denying yourself from preparing your final battle, you'll never get past them."
Alex looked at the twins and answered, "Then all this…is my fault? Has everything…that we've done…?"
He starts to sniffle heavily, "Our future…it'll never be? Is it because of me?"
Romio finally wakes up, "H-How are we…"
"Artemis! A-Apollo?!" Shizuru gasped.
"You saved us," Misaki breathed in relief.
"This battle is your own, Ultra Suiei Marotta, but…" Artemis said, "We will help you fight to alleviate some of the pressure here."
"I…well, I can't really fight," Apollo replied.
"You still can…by believing in us," Romio said.
"Listen, we know you have had a lot of inner turmoil, more than we can imagine," Kaoru answered, "But we are all here now. We're going to end this war once and for all."
"I'll stay at a safe distance," Apollo said, "And…Ultra Suiei Marotta…I do request one favor from you."
"Yes?" he asked.
"Please save my crush…Kotetsu…I haven't told him how I truly felt…so please…save them all and him," Apollo replied.
"We'll bring everyone home," Alex nodded, turning to the corrupted senshi, "Including them."
"Such a wasteful, poetic, unless choice of words," Haruka muttered.
"Let's end this," Makoto agreed.
"And once we're through, we'll finally have our true happy ending," Rin added, "Your death!"
Haruka, Makoto, Asahi, and Ikuya stood side by side as they were now readying their combo attack together.
"DOLPHIN, ACHAEMENIAN…" Haruka shouted in dark-blue shadow energy.
"ORCA, ACHAEMENIAN…" Makoto chanted as he was bathed in shadowy-green energy.
"PHOCIADE, ACHAEMENIAN…" Asahi contributed in a golden-shadow energy.
"BELUGA ACHAEMENIAN…." Ikuya cried out in darken violet energy.
"IWATOBI SHADOWBOLT!" the four completed the spell together as four shadowy swirls linked together in terrifying hues, flying over towards the heroes.
Artemis gasped and unleashed a force field to protect Alex, Apollo and the other senshi as they were indeed hanging onto dear life by this attack. It felt like a pulsating spell trying to break through. Moments later, the energy cracked, throwing Artemis across the area.
"ARTEMIS!" Alex cried out.
"Guys, we have to combine our own powers," Romio said.
"I'm not gonna waste a single minute," Misaki agreed.
The STYLE FIVE grunted to see the Articoran Four readying their powers together…
"ARTICORAN, POLARRRRR VORTEXXXXX!" Romio shouted, unleashing an icy-based spell towards the swimmers.
"ARTICORAN, DISPLACEMENTTTTT FRAMEEEEE!" Shizuru chanted, creating a physic-blast attack.
"ARTICORAN, SPIRITUS WAVEEEEEEE!" Kaoru cried out, unleashing spiritual-light attacks with ghosts of ancestors.
"ARTICORAN, SOLARISSSS, MEDLEEEYYY!" Misaki contributed, sending forth his own spiral-like attack.
The four spells spun together, heading towards the STYLE FIVE as they unleashed their darkness to repel it.
"COME ON!" Romio shouted, "YOU GUYS NEED TO WAKE UP! NONE OF THIS IS YOU!"
"DON'T YOU GUYS EVEN CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE?!" Shizuru added.
"PLEASE…WAKE UP, THE OMNIVERSE IS GONNA COLLAPSE IF YOU KEEP FIGHTING AGAINST US!" Misaki cried loudly.
The STYLE FIVE grunted as they were fighting against the magic thrown at them. However, a small echoing of Alex's laughter and happiness was starting to get into their head. Angered, the five growled and pushed back the attack a little.
"HANG ON!" Kaoru cried out.
As this was happening, Alex ran up the steps again to try to make another attempt to reach Kyle but the Takagami senshi landed and blocked his path. Their eyes were looking just as deadly as the darkness with sinister chuckles.
"ACHAEMENIAN, TAKAGAMIIIII, GALLEEEEE!" Seijuurou, Tsubasa, Isana, Hikaru, Shin, and Kotarou combined their powers in an energized swirl with a blast of wind.
Alex threw the forcefield up, dispelling their attack but nearly lost his footing. The damage from these attacks has certainly started to toll him a little bit. His energy level was depleting a little despite in this powerful version of his Swimming Guardian level.
Apollo ran to the side of the palace, hoping to find some alternative entrance for Alex and the others to get inside of. However, it didn't take long for the Samezuka trio along with Aoba, Natsuya and Nao to pursuit him. They immediately combined their own powers to break down the side entrance.
"Heh, an ex-Dark One would know better than to steer away from all the opportunities," Nao hissed.
"You too, such a disappointment to our master Chaos," Natsuya added.
This is bad, Apollo thought, I don't have any fighting skills except close combat. My magic…b-brother…
"Leave Apollo alone!" Artemis/Suiei Oceania shouted.
"At a super level for you…no match for fighting us in our Ultra level," Aoba mocked.
"I guess there's only one way to find out," Artemis narrowed his eyes.
"B-Brother!?" Apollo gasped.
Artemis flashed away before finally grabbing his brother out of harm's way and they both returned to the site Moments later, a series of explosions erupted from the spot they were in. However, the senshi escaped in time to fly back into the main battle. Natsuya and Nao both raised their hands up and then slammed to the ground, unleashing a miniature earthquake to throw everyone off balance.
"E-Everyone…" Alex breathed heavily, getting up barely on his feet, using the tiare to help himself back.
"Such a weakling…you can't even unleash your greatest spell," Kyle said.
"I say we should just do ours first," Makoto replied, "Let's show him how it's done!"
"The choice is yours…" Haruka steps down closer to Alex, "We can keep fighting and potentially kill your little allies…or you submit to us, and it'll all be over. You can be reborn to another world…far from us…where you are just an ordinary person…or maybe even a scumbag."
"Haru…" Alex muttered, "This isn't you…ANY OF IT!"
With that, he lunged towards Haruka, hoping to rip off the dog tag necklace. However, it wouldn't remove itself from its neck as dark magic erupted, throwing Alex down the steps again.
"Heh, nice try looking for a third option," Rin remarked as he stood with Haruka and Rei.
"About what we said earlier, we ditched you a long, long time ago after you went back home to the states," Rei revealed, "You're nothing but another waste of a human corpse."
His face was beaten, his body was aching, the dragon swimmer stared at his former comrades glaring at him, anticipating what he was going to do next.
Alex closed his eyes and readied his tiare as magic began to swirl on its headpiece. He recalled that fateful day when he and the others defeated Verrado and the witches. Now he was going to have to do the same.