The battle on Xanadu raged on. DWMA's expert meisters wielded their weapon partners against an onslaught of Red Fist's Acolytes. Despite the lack of even traditional weaponry, the Acolytes proved more than a match for Shibusen's forces. Their training under the Red Fist was not to be scoffed at as they utilized their martial prowess to fight the invading agents. Each of the Acolytes wore a featureless white porcelain mask, the sideways eye of the kishin Asura emblazoned in crimson on its smooth surface. From above the beach was clouded by a conglomeration of red clothed acolytes and the traditional black uniforms of Shibusen's military forces.
Although they were putting up a good fight, Shibusen's army was making steady headway up the beach. That was until the sound of mechanical gears meshing and whirring filled the air. A cavalcade of mechanical canines rushed the beach to reinforce the defending line. The robotic dogs rushed in between the feet of the acolytes. They launched themselves at Shibusen's army of Meisters. Their mechanical jaws clamped down on the soldier's limbs. All of a sudden, the tide of battle seemed to be turning quickly.
A nameless swordsman was fending off 2 of the mechanical canines. He valiantly swung his blade at them, but their steel bodies were too tough to slice through. He swiped a second time, narrowly missing one of the robots as it jumped back. Before the swordsman could ready himself, the robot leaped up aiming directly for his neck. The swordsman could only watch in slow horror as his life flashed before his eyes. But a quick flash of yellow light blinded him and he then heard a crack like thunder. When he opened his eyes again he saw the robot lay before him, it's head smashed in to reveal sparking wires and gears.
"Keep your cool men." Came the smooth voice of Franken Stein. In his hand he held Marie Mjolnir's weapon form. The enemy forces, recognizing a powerful opponent began to back off. The mechanized canines however, were programmed only to attack the enemy and had no such self-preservation. They charged at Stein in a pack of whirring servos and electronic barks. Stein flipped his hammer in his hand before raising it high above him. With a grand flourish Stein struck the ground. Immediately, a shockwave of electric energy burst from the site of impact. The shockwave traveled outward, impacting the robotic enemies. The machines sparked and convulsed as the high voltage short circuited them. The energy continued to spread until nearly half of the machines were taken out.
"Now's our chance! All troops charge!" Commanded Sid, wielding Spirit's scythe form, with Nygus holstered on his belt. With the present threat taken care of, the Shibusen forces advanced up the beach. The enemy line was slowly driven back to the jungle edge.
While the battle for the beach was taking place, further inland Kid and his partners were racing through the jungle. Kid ran uphill along the dirt path leading to the embankment of artillery guns. As he crested the top of the hill he saw Blackstar standing triumphantly at the top. "Blackstar!" Kid called out. The assassin turned as he heard his friend's voice.
"Have you destroyed all of the artillery guns?" Kid asked. Blackstar smirked proudly and threw a thumb over his shoulder.
"See for yourself." He replied. Kid looked past him and saw that each of the several cannons had been demolished or cut in half, rendering them useless. The bodies of several Red Fist members lay incapacitated around them.
"Excellent work. Now we need to focus on finding the other medallions." Kid spoke.
"We think that Sad Jack is hiding somewhere up ahead." Tsubaki's voice said from her ninjato form.
"Good, you two go after him. We'll deal with this one." Kid said turning to face the dense jungle. The pair of meisters glared stoically at the overgrowth of bush and vines. Suddenly the vegetation shifted to reveal the monster of stone and vines known as G. The amalgamation strode outward to meet the pair, silent except for its heavy foot falls against the earth.
"You sure you don't want any back up?" Blackstar asked. Kid simply shook his head.
"Absolutely. Finding the medallions is top priority. I'm scared to think of what Pantheon could accomplish with even one of the medallions, and they still have at least 3." Kid added.
"Heh, this is just like back when Maka insisted on fighting Crona by herself." Blackstar mused as he started to circle around G. What passed for G's head slowly rotated to follow his movement's.
"Except I have a plan. Now get moving!" Kid shouted.
"Sheesh alright, bossy much?" Blackstar retorted before jumping away in the blink of an eye. G's perception wasn't quick enough to catch the assassin but it tried anyway. With a heavy stomp G summoned a thicket of roots and vines that sprouted from the ground, intent on tangling up Blackstar.
"Oh no you don't!" Kid called out as he raised his twin pistols. His shots impacted against G's rough stone body. Thrown off by the bullets, G's attack was halted halfway. Blackstar effortlessly cut through the swath of vines and ran off into the Jungle ahead. G turned to give chase but found themself face to face with Kid's twin pistols. Kid had somersaulted over G and blasted the stone golem in the face.
Once Kid landed back on the ground he quickly spun around to prepare for the monster's retaliation. But to his shock he saw a disturbing sight. The blast ended up launching G's head off it's shoulders. The wood and stone facsimile lay several meters away on the ground. The most shocking part was that G seemed mostly unaffected. Despite being apparently headless, G's body turned and slowly walked over to pick up its 'head'. Kid could only stare in confusion. G picked up its head, slowly placing it back between it's shoulders. Small vines sprouted from the boulder and wood making up its torso. The vines reached up to grab the head, rooting it back in place.
"Who are you? Why are you working with Pantheon?" Kid asked frowning. However all he received in response was silence and a blank stare.
"I can tell from your soul wavelength that you're actually reticent to truly harm us. Please tell me what we've done so that I can make amends." Kid pleaded. But instead of answering, the Golem adopted a guarded stance, ready for a fight. Kid sighed.
"So be it," He muttered. Suddenly the Shinigami launched himself at G his pistols firing bolts of pink energy.
Up ahead, Blackstar was hot on the trail of Sad Jack. The behemoth Kishin Egg had hid himself somewhere in the dense jungle when Blackstar had first arrived at the artillery bank. Now he simply had to pursue the psycho killer. However, finding the massive killer was proving to be easier said than done. Without a developed soul perception Blackstar had to rely on physical trails to track down his quarry. Except he was starting to see why DWMA had such trouble finding the man. As large as he was, he was exceptionally sneaky. He was concealing his tracks and hiding effortlessly.
"Where could you have gone to?" Blackstar wondered aloud. But before he could ponder the matter further, a swift motion caught his attention. Blackstar narrowly dodged in time to avoid a downward strike from Sad Jack who had appeared from out of nowhere. Blackstar jumped away and turned to face the madman who wielded a large kitchen knife. It's blade gleamed in the light that shone through the trees. Sad Jack raised the knife again readying to strike.
"Tsubaki you ready?" Blackstar asked aloud. His partner hummed in affirmation.
Without another word the pair launched themselves at their opponent. Sad Jack immediately swiped downward with his knife. Blackstar deftly dodged and sliced upwards with his ninjato. A spray of blood burst from the wound on Sad Jack who screamed in rage. It was surprisingly high pitched for a man so large. Sad Jack wasted no time in retaliation. He haphazardly swung the blade at Blackstar. But our hero dodged each strike with practiced ese. Blackstar began to smile as each swing of the blade was easier to dodge than the last
"Man you really suck at this don't you? Hahaha." Blackstar laughed.
"Shut up! I hate happy people! I can't stand them so I'm just gonna kill you!" Jack screamed.
Jack thrusted the knife at Blackstar's chest. However, with barely a word, Tsubaki shifted into her kusarigama form. Blackstar brought the chain up and caught the blade. With a quick shift, he used the chain to rip the knife away from Jack's grip. The blade clattered to the ground several feet away. It then dissolved into globs of pale-yellow light that dissipated into the air. Jack stared at where his weapon disappeared for several seconds before turning back to his adversary. He took several huffing breaths, his shoulders sagging up and down with each one. Suddenly he turned tail again and fled into the thick jungle.
"Not this time pal!" Blackstar shouted before giving chase. He ran and ducked through the underbrush after the hulking killer. He was hot on the trail until Jack unexpectedly bent a branch back on his way past it. The branch snapped back into place, nearly whacking Blackstar in the face. A swift cut however, severed the branch and Blackstar found he had once again lost sight of Sad Jack.
"Ah dammit! Not again." Blackstar called out in frustration.
"Blackstar don't worry we can find him again. Remember your roots." Tsubaki spoke to him through their soul resonance. Blackstar glanced down at his weapon partner in confusion.
"Hmm? Oh the basics! Right right." Blackstar exclaimed before falling unusually silent. He closed his eyes and focused on the world around him. He called on his assassin training. His concentration shifted to his environment. Where would Jack be hiding? What would be the most advantageous position to strike from? Blckstar could hear the wind rustling the trees and leaves around himself. He could follow the lines of the shadows they cast. He could sense Jack's presence nearby, all he had to do was pinpoint where.
For his part, Jack had concealed himself behind a thicket of bush and tree trunks. He eyed Blackstar's still form with a predatory glint. He slowly reached inside his large jacket to pull out the flickering soul of another weapon. He moved with a quiet stillness unbefitting of his large frame. Jack could feel his heart race as he thought of killing his prey. Even the very air around them was still as though waiting for who would make the first move.
"You're good. But you're no match for the almighty Blackstar…" a voice whispered. Jack's eyes widened. It wasn't possible. He was standing right there just a second ago. He hadn't even taken his eyes off him. Yet somehow, the figure he had been so intently watching had disappeared from right in front of him. Jack desperately tried to turn around but he was too slow. The bite of metal slicing through flesh hit Jack square in the back. The lumbering killer bolted forward to get away but exposed his open back in the process. Blackstar laid into him with swing after swing of his katana. Jack finally swung around, drawing a large spiked club from within his faded overcoat. The club swung by Blackstar who narrowly dodged in time. Blackstar jumped back and stared at Jack in anticipation. The lumbering giant huffed in heavy breaths.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Jack wailed aloud thrashing his arms. "No More!" He cried with a broken sob. The pair felt a strange pressure whip around from Jack as his wavelength thrashed wildly and unpredictable. Blackstar and Tsubaki could feel a bottomless despair well up in their souls as Jack's wavelength battered into them. Tears began to form in Blackstar's eyes and blur his vision.
Jack began swinging wildly with his club. Blackstar retaliated by dodging the clumsy strikes and slashing at Jack himself. But strangely Jack seemed to ignore the damage as he swung haphazardly and without regard to his own body. Blackstar was forced to back up lest he be cleaved in two by the wild strikes. He soon went on the defensive, the brute's relentless strikes leaving no opening for a counterattack.
"Tsubaki, what do we do now?" Blackstar asked. Tsubaki closed her eyes in thought.
"Resonate with me. I think we can use the medallion of Sorrow to defeat him." She replied.
"Do you really think that'll work?" Blackstar asked unsure.
"I don't know but it's the best shot we've got." Tsubaki replied.
Blackstar jumped a distance away from Jack and closed his eyes, two fingers held in front of his face. He felt Tsubaki's soul resonate with his own, the familiar sensation of shadows enveloping him and the pull of the enchanted sword on his wavelength. But a new sensation overtook him. A deep depressing sadness and despair filled his chest and made it hard to breathe. His movements felt slow and sluggish and he felt drained of all his strength. However as soon as he was about to be crushed by the overwhelming sensation he felt Tsubaki's Soul wrap around him and reassure him. The warmth of her Soul comforted him and drowned out the feelings of sorrow and depression. They were still there, but Tsubaki's presence more than made up for them.
Blackstar opened his eyes. Shadows and darkness swirled around him like he was in the center of a whirlpool. Jack watched the display wearily. Tsubaki pulled on the madness of the medallion. It felt like walking through thick mud up to her waist. The madness felt like it could swallow her whole if she wasn't careful. But she clung onto the memory of Masamune and it gave her strength. She spread her arms and the madness responded to her whims, like a slow moving tide the shadows surrounding them began to respond. They surged upwards and outwards. Jack, sensing the danger attempted to flee once again. But Tsubaki wouldn't let him get away so easily again. The shadows lashed out at him, thick tendrils wrapping themselves around Jack's extremities.
Jack struggled against the bindings. But his efforts were fruitless. It was like struggling against quicksand. The more Jack tried to free himself, the more the shadows would wrap and cling to him. But he continued to thrash until the shadows settled around him like thick tar, slowing his movements to a crawl.
Blackstar began to stride forward, Tsubaki's sword form clutched in his hand. His movements were slow as well, in fact it seemed like the whole world had slowed to a crawl. Jack cried and wailed, desperately trying to escape but his efforts were in vain. Blackstar continued to step towards him, slowly lifting his sword upwards. His face held a neutral expression. He stared into Jack's eyes through his mask and saw utter despair reflected in the eyes. A strange sense of pity filled Tsubaki as she stared into those eyes. But it was quickly put out of her mind as Blackstar leveled her against the brute's chest. Slowly Blackstar pierced through the thick black ooze enveloping Jack's body. The sword pushed further and further until it was fully embedded in his chest.
The battlefield fell silent. Jack stood stock still. The shadows retreated from his muscular form. Jack fell to his knees. A resounding crack was heard throughout the quiet forest as Jack's smiling mask snapped in half. Before it could fall from his face, Jack's body burst into a series of black ribbons. The ribbons swirled in on themselves, twirling faster and faster until they disappeared in a flash. Left behind was a floating orb, patterned with pale yellow scales instead of the normal red. It hung in the air peacefully bobbing up and down as though on an invisible current.
Tsubaki transformed back into her human form. She slowly approached the Kishin Egg. Her delicate hands reached out to cradle the tainted soul. She held it in her hands and stared at with an expression of pity. Tears came unbidden to her eyes and dripped down her face. But despite the tears and emotions imposed on her by the madness, she smiled sweetly. She sensed Blackstar approach her from behind and put his hand on her shoulder.
"You alright?" He asked with more concern in his voice than usual. Wiping the tears from her face she turned towards Blackstar.
"I'm absolutely fine." She said with a smile. Blackstar returned the expression with a grin of his own.
"Good cuz we still got butt to kick." He said.
Elsewhere Kid continued his battle with G. His pistol fire bounced against the stony exterior of the golem. Despite his best efforts, he needed more firepower to pierce through his enemy's rocky flesh. He thought he would be able to quickly dispose of his adversary, but this battle was taking longer than he anticipated. He desperately hoped Blackstar would return soon to help out.
Kid was broken from his thoughts by the enemy's next attack. He narrowly ducked under the large vines that swiped by. He could feel the air move his hair as the vines passed above his head. Kid began to charge his shots. Patti and Liz collected their meister's soul energy in their barrels. The energy glowed magenta as it pulsed in time with his Soul wavelength. Meanwhile Kid continued to dodge each and every attack by his opponent. When the pistols were fully charged Kid brought them up to bear on his target. Sensing the attack would be more powerful than the others, G slammed its foot on the ground. A large crack raced along the ground, splitting the earth into a large chasm behind it. The fissure raced towards Kid. The young Shinigami fired off his blasts but not before a jagged spear of stone jutted up from the ground and slammed into Kid's side. The next events all happened within moments of each other. Kid's shots slammed into G's foot, shaking the monster's footing out from under it. At the same time Kid lost his grip on Liz's weapon form as the stone erupted into his side. Simultaneously both Liz and G tumbled into the large chasm below. The last thing Liz heard was the sound of her meister shouting her name.