Gwen: I've decided to play the most hideous, terrible, horrifying instrument known to the human race.
Varvula: Chuggaconroy singing the Friday song?
All: (Shuddered.)
Gwen: I said an instrument, not tone death to a horrible song.
Peace: Harmonica?
Yang: Bagpipes recordings?
Gwen: Worse than that…the accordion~!
Sanya: AHHHH~~!
THUD~!
Yang: Wow…you made Sanya actually scream and faint from that.
Freddy: And right in my ears, thanks.
Gwen: While I play this monstrosity to torture them, you guys read the chapter.
Tsubasa and Gajeel were facing off against their respective clone opponents, Natsu and Zoro. Gajeel slid back after enduring a powerful punch from his annoying rival. He then puffed his cheek. "Iron Dragon Roar~!"
While Gajeel released a funnel of iron shards, Natsu copied his routine unleashing a stream of flames. The two funnels collided, engulfing the entire area in a massive explosion.
Each time Tsubasa and Zoro meet, their weapons clash in rapid succession. Despite having an advantage with her gear, Tsubasa was on the defensive side. She was blocking the clones' three swords assault with no openings to aim at his body.
'So that's how he wields the third sword,' Tsubasa thought in her head. She managed to block the strike from his wielding with his mouth, but felt herself skid back slowly by the force. 'Even if it's a clone…how strong is Zoro?'
Meanwhile, Marie twirled her lance whip towards Cynthia and Wendy. They jumped apart to avoid her as it crashed to the ground. Before the girls could regroup, Lily emerged towards Wendy and swung his sword at Wendy who parried with her feet. Cynthia was pushed back by a torrent of water from Levy, but recovered quickly and unleashed an Omega Fire Dragon Roar towards Levy.
"Eep~!" Levy quickly rolled out of the way to avoid the funnel of dark flames. "Solid Script: Drill!"
She launches the word DRILL out of a magic circle. The word began spinning fast, making a sound similar to a drill as it approached Cynthia. The clone didn't get a chance to avoid it as the drill went through her body, puffing into a cloud of smoke.
"That looks too gruesome, even if it's a clone," Levy cringed. She then turned to Lily who had just recovered from a surprise Sky Dragon Claw aimed at his head. "Lily, are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah," Lily groaned, staggering a bit. The clone Wendy was about to unleash a Sky Dragon Roar. Just as Levy was about to cast a spell to block the Wendy clone suddenly froze just as it was about to lower her head.
"W-What's going on?" Levy asked, a bit startled.
"I have no clue," Lily answered, also confused. "The clones have stopped suddenly."
"Does that mean Gray and the others defeated the one responsible for them?" Lily asked. His answer came as all the clones they were fighting puffed into smoke, vanishing out of sight.
"They're gone," Tsubasa sighed in relief as she lowered her weapon. "Touma's team must've beaten the one responsible."
Chapter 36: Sky Battle: Zoro vs Braham.
Wendy, Cynthia and Charla could only stare and watch battle in front of them. They felt the overwhelming magical power between the two men as they duked it out in front of them. Kaito's aura was dark with a yellow star glimmering around it, while Eguchi's white flames erupted around him.
Each time the two swung their fists at each other, a large shockwave erupted which caused the young girls and Charla to feel themselves being pushed back by the aftermath. The white flames and the black aura swirling each other above the two, fighting for domination.
"T-This is overwhelming," Wendy shuddered in awe while she clutched Charla tightly so she wouldn't get blown away. She found herself also being dragged back by the brawl, but Cynthia caught her.
"I gotcha~!" Cynthia yelled out, but her voice was drained by the battle in front of them. She witnessed the two men continue their battle, their auras continuing to rise, clashing.
"Not bad, you seemed to improve over our last duel," Kaito said truthfully. "But I've improved as well." However it seems that Kaito was slowly overpowering Eguchi. His aura engulfed fist going through the white flames, and was about to go straight through Eguchi's head, if he didn't tilt his head out of the way.
"Saw that coming a mile away, Fire Phoenix: Talon~!" He then used his momentum to swing his leg and landed a solid blow to Kaito's cheeks. Kaito barely moved from the spot where he was standing despite the force of the kick.
"No way..." Cynthia said bewildered by how Kaito took the kick. "Just how strong is he?"
"Nice," Kaito chuckled nonchalantly. "I actually felt that kick burning my skin."
"I'm not done yet," Eguchi declared. He puffed his cheeks similar to a dragon slayer. "Fire Phoenix-."
"Don't tell me he's…" Wendy began startled.
"SCREECH~!" At point blank range, Eguchi unleashed a massive funnel of white flames to engulf Kaito and anything past him. Cynthia, Wendy and Charla had to cover their ears as they could hear him sounding like a real life phoenix.
Once the roar died down the girls witnessed a shocking sight. The roar left a destructive trail as a couple of trees collapsed over. What was more shocking was that Kaito had endured the roar. His clothes were a bit burnt but no signs of exhaustion or pain.
"H-He withstood that attack!?" Charla exclaimed.
"It looked effective, but he'd endured easily," Wendy muttered in awe.
"Damn," Eguchi clicked his teeth, "I was hoping to send you flying off the sea. But I'd only just dragged you back a few inches."
"B-BAH~!" Their fight was cut off by two Kami warriors. They landed across from Cynthia, Wendy and Charla.
"Goat men?" Cynthia blinked oddly.
"By the Order of Lord Eneru you shall perish Luminous Tail~!" One of them declared. He lunged towards Eguchi before he could even react. "Taste my Ax Dial~!"
"EGUCHI~!" Cynthia cried out. She and the girls stared in horror when the goat-man landed a direct cut into Eguchi's torso.
"H-He killed him!?" Wendy asked.
"Nah, it's going to take more than an Axe Dial to kill a phoenix slayer," Kaito answered.
Before the girls could question why, Eguchi suddenly snatched the goat man by the neck. He looked unphased despite the wound on his stomach.
"W-what?" The Kami warrior asked bewildered.
"Oh man, I've been waiting so long for this moment," Eguchi said, chuckling maniacally. "To burn you and Eneru's asses off your high horse~!"
Before the goat man could utter a word, the Phoenix Slayer's hand erupted into white flames, consuming the solider body. The girls merely stared in horror as the kami soldier was being burnt alive. Eguchi dropped the man and watch as he rolled on the ground in agony before lying motionless.
"Y-You killed him!" The second soldier claimed in shock.
"Don't be so shocked, I'm just returning revenge on you and your righteous people 50 times over," Eguchi declared with glare..
"Damn you Blue Sea Dwellers," The Warrior growled. Once he caught eyes on the girls, he quickly zoomed towards them. "Then I'll kill these pathetic weaklings~!
Cynthia instantly went in front of Wendy, with her fist enlightened. As soon as the Kami warrior went past him, Kaito slammed his fist coated in black substances into his back, forcing the goat-man to crash into the ground. To the girl's horror, the black substance lingered on his back, and spread, causing the soldier to cry out in pain.
"W-What did you do to me?" The Kami soldier cried out.
"Dark Matter," Kaito answered coldly. "I hate casting this spell. But I also hate people who would just kill kids in front of me."
"Damn you~!" The sheep warrior cursed before his body vanished out, leaving nothing behind.
"H-He gone…?" Charla muttered in horror.
"Those two killed them so easily…" Wendy shivered in horror. She recalled how Kaito caught her fist when she spotted him close to Cynthia and wondered if he would've done the same to her if she pushed him into a fight.
"W-we should get out of their way for now," Cynthia suggested taking a step back. The girls were unaware of a moving "root" behind them before it was too late.
GULP!
"AHH~!" They found themselves falling into a dark abyss.
"I guess they weren't fans of our actions," Eguchi commented as the two noticed the girls were gone.
"Anyway, shall we continue our duel?" Kaito asked. Before the Phoenix Slayer could respond, they were surrounded by ten more of Eneru's soldiers.
"It would be annoying fighting when Eneru's men are trying to kill us," Eguchi declared, scratching his head. "How about whoever kills the most of these guys wins?"
"You're on," Kaito challenged. The two charged at the small army.
Zoro and Cure Princess continued wandering in the direction they assumed it was south. Mainly due to Princess trying to get Zoro back on the right trail.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Zoro asked a bit skeptically.
"Of course, we're supposed to be going South, and this is South," Princess declared a bit unsure.
"You don't look fully confident," Zoro stated.
"W-Well it's better than following you," Princess muttered annoyed.
"Still those Priests and Shandians have powers that I can't measure up to," He stated, causing Princess to quirk her head at him. "Close quarter attacks won't mean much due to them predicting our every movement. I guess I'll need to back off and take them out in the distance."
"But you're a swordsman," Cure Princess reminded him, a bit puzzled. "How can you fight someone at a distance when you need to fight them head on?"
"When you become the world's greatest swordsman, you'll need to fight in any situation," Zoro said. "Whether my opponent is made of steel, or flies. I'll cut them down."
"R-Right," Princess nodded a bit confused. Behind the two a large bird had set its sights on them in the distance. The bird flew down from behind and prepared to attack them.
He knew full well the bird was after them, and quickly drew out his sword Wado Ichimonji. "Thirty-Six Excalaber Phoenix~!"
When Zoro slashed the sword, he emitted a cannon blast of air that startled the Princess. The bird had no chance to react as it was hit by the air cannon and sent flying out of the sky. Princess was too stunned to talk about what she had just witnessed. "...!"
"Perfect, after that test, I'll show these sky-people my own flying blade attack," Zoro declared, bringing his sword back to his hilt.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME THAT THE BIRD WAS ATTACKING US!?" Cure Princess barked comically.
"I had to concentrate on attacking it, I didn't have time to warn you," Zoro nonchalantly answered, which got blue pretty cure fuming with rage.
"BAHHH~!"
"GAH~! THEY'RE STILL GAINING ON US~!"
In his Walk Point, Chopper was frantically running from three goat-like warriors chasing after him and Cure Coral. She was riding on top of him, trying not to fall off.
"Chopper, please calm down!" Coral cried out.
"I can't help it~!" Chopper wailed. "These guys are scary~!"
He continued to run, however found himself surrounded by Eneru's followers. Before Coral could react, she noticed three Shandian warriors speed towards her and Chopper.
"WARRIORS~!"
"SHANDIANS~!"
The moment the two sides laid eyes on each other, the Shandians and Kami warriors engaged in an all out war. Ignoring Chopper and Coral entirely. However that didn't mean they were safe from the line of fire.
"AHH~!" Chopper made a U-turn to avoid a cannon blast from one of the Shandians. He quickly ran away from the six fighters.
"I guess the Shandians were their primary target!" Coral sighed in relief. She then realized that Chopper wasn't slowing down. "Um Chopper?"
"WAHAHAHA~!" Chopper yelled out, still comically panicking while running.
"...He's still too frightened to stop," Coral sweatdropped.
Tsuchimikado and Robin can hear the echoing sounds of gunfire and explosions where they were.
"I guess this island has its fair share of drama," Robin said.
"Yup, maybe our side is doing much more of the burden I bet," Tsuchimikado agreed. The two came across some old ruins. "Are these also part of Jaya?"
Quietly, Robin began to observe the structure of the ruins. "Correct these must've been homes outside of the City. But it seems as though time had taken its toll on the houses and they had been worn down to the point where they were missing their roofs and stones to make the walls."
"BAH~!" One cue, one of the Kami warriors landed on top of the ruins. His dial shoes cause a small piece to break off. "What are you Blue Sea Dwellers doing here? You should be aware that this leads to God's Shrine."
"God Shrine, thanks for those elaborate details, goat man," Tsuchimikado taunted.
"G-Goat Man~!" The soldiers stuttered like they were insulting him. "This is your last warning, leave now or suffer the consequences!"
"Get down from there!" Robin ordered sternly to the man. "Do you have any idea how valuable these historical ruins are?"
"How dare you speak to me you lowly scum~!" He spat out. "I am a proud follower of Lord Eneru! And I'm ordered to eliminate any intruders who dare step foot on his la-."
"Seis Fleur~!" The warrior found himself constricted by six arms growing around his body. "Twist~!"
CRACK~!
The spy couldn't help but cringe as the goat-man's body twisted unnaturally, his back and neck snapping instantly. He then fell off the ruins landing on the ground, motionless.
"That's what I call ruthless," Tsuchimikado commented.
"I have no respect for people who treat history like nothing," Robin declared coldly as she continued walking.
"This is so frustrating," Misaka whined as she collapsed onto a tree to lean on. "I've been walking for so long and I haven't found anyone yet."
Immediately after saying that, a dust explosion erupted a few meters away from her. "W-What was the hell was th-"
She froze when a huge head of a shark made of earth emerged from the dust. Misaka caught a glimpse of a Kami warrior trapped in its jaws, screaming in agony. Misaka noticed that it was heading towards her and ducked her head quickly. The shark didn't pay her any mind as it flew over her head before falling into the Milky Way.
"W-What kind of animals live in a place like this!?" Misaka asked as she struggled to catch her breath. Her attention was immediately drawn to a figure in the dust when she heard footsteps.
"..." Quietly yet strongly, Terra stepped out of the smoke cloud, staring sternly at Misaka.
"You must be part of Luminous Tail, am I right?" Misaka asked directly.
'...Correct, and you belong to the Blue Sea group I'd imagine,' Terra replied with words appearing right in front of Misaka.
"Ah~!" She jumped back startled.
'My apologies,' Terra wrote with an amusing smile. 'I am mute you see, so I used magic to write words in the air.'
"Oh, that makes sense, a bit," Misaka nodded in response.
'However, Simon ordered me to not hold back against you pirates,' Terra said as she got to a mold maker stance. 'You better not give me a handicap.'
"Oh, I wasn't planning on doing that," Misaka smirked, sparks encircling her body.
"And you call yourself a Divine Warrior," A Shandian warrior spat harshly towards the fallen Kami warrior he just defeated. He coughed a bit, mumbling to himself. "Damn, they killed more of our men than we have of them."
"Why the hell am I following you!? I can find the altar by myself!"
"Like hell you can! I'm positive that this is South!"
Zoro and Cure Princess emerged from hiding behind a tree when the Shandian spotted them. They were arguing unaware of his presence.
"It's those Blue Sea People," The Shandian said, glaring at the two. "Still, I'll have to take them out, starting with the girl!" With his Dial powered skis he leaped towards the blue Pretty Cure. "RAHH~!"
Their arguments were stopped by the shout of a Shandian warrior. "Is that the weird Gurrella's friends?" Cure Princess questioned.
"Seems like it," Zoro replied.
"DIE~!" The warrior swung his spear towards the two, causing them to split up. However, the Shandian continues his assault on the Pretty Cure who barely avoids his spear.
"Hey, why don't you attack the one who is wielding the swords?!" Princess flailed after leaping over the Shandian's swing. She then used her momentum and performed a roundhouse kick straight towards his face, sending him flying and landed beside Zoro unconscious.
"You could have helped me, you know!" Princess exclaimed angrily at Zoro.
"Didn't you say that you defeated monsters ten times bigger than you? So a man shouldn't be too hard for you to deal with," He casually replied.
Before Cure Princess could retort, they heard the sound of a weak goat. The two noticed a Kami warrior jumping out of a bush, and landed on top of the root. "W-Wait I surrender! You win, p-please don't kill m-"
BANG~!
A bright light emanating from the bush silenced Kami's warrior instantly, and he fell off the root. While Zoro grabbed the handle of his sword, Princess gasped horrified at what she just saw. In a flash, Braham appeared out of the bushes, using his ski dials to propel himself above them.
"A-Another one!?" Princess gaped, noticing his pistols.
"Look nut-job, if you're not a priest, then go find some other goat to shoot! I'm in a hurry!" Zoro rashly said.
"DID YOU NOT NOTICE THAT GUY HAS PISTOLS?!" Princess comedically barked.
The moment he landed a feet away between Zoro, he fired his pistol which emitted bright light. Instantly, Zoro quickly rolled away and avoided two bullets that fired afterwards. Princess quickly hid behind a tree terrified.
Braham launched himself off and used a trunk to rebound up in the air, opening fire at Zoro again. The swordsman raised his arms to cover himself from the brightness, he then ran to avoid the rain of bullets coming after.
"Damn it, what's with those glowing pistols?" Zoro asked. He looked around cautiously for him, or his rounds, but everything was quiet. "Where did he go?"
Upon hearing the grass rustling, Zoro turned to find the Shandian behind him. With his skis Braham did a handstand and swung his metal encased feet towards Zoro's head, who quickly lashed his sword deflecting Braham's foot.
Unfortunately, the skii's went off, causing Braham to spin around and kick Zoro in the stomach. The swordsman was sent flying across the clearing, and crashed into the large root.
"Z-Zoro!" Princess cried out, concerned. Braham flipped back to his feet, while Zoro pushed himself back onto his feet.
"You're pretty tough, Blue Sea Person," Braham remarked as he readied his pistols. "I apologize for underestimating you."
"No, I should be the one apologizing," Zoro grinned, tossing his bag, and readied his swords. "I almost took you for a small fry."
Cure Princess was watching in the distance as the two had a standoff. "I bet Zoro can beat this guy by himself. H-He doesn't need my help…ARGH!"
She frantically rubbed her head in anger. "Quit being such a wimp! You're a Pretty Cure for crying out loud! All you have to do is fire one shot at the gunman once his guard is dow-."
"I won't let you interfere…"
Princess wasn't aware that a thick mist had suddenly enveloped the area around her. "Huh? Who was that, and where did the mist come from?"
"This is a battle between men," a clump of mist forms in one place revealing Sinolia. "If you want an adversary, I'll be your opponent."
Sinolia reveals a wave-bladed sword out of her kimono, and charges towards Princess who quickly shifts her body to avoid it. Cure Princess retaliated by swinging her fist at her face, landing a solid hit, but frozen when her fist phased through her head.
"Eh? D-Did I kill her?!" Cure Princess exclaimed, panicking. Sinolia's body fell back and landed on the ground. "AYE~! I KILLED HER~!" She bowed her head comically. I'M SO SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN~!"
She was interrupted by Sinolia blowing at the back of her neck from behind, sending a chill down her spine. She quickly turned and scuffled back. "H-How did you get behind me?!"
"I've been behind you the entire time you attacked my body double," She answered calmly. "I was weary of your skills as a Pretty Cure. How foolish of me to be cautious over a brat."
"Grrr," Princess growled comically. "I'll show you what a brat can do, Princess Cutter!"
Her pigtails glow and straighten as she fires blades from the tips of them while Sinolia flies towards her. The blue glowing blades only phased through her body due to her body being made of mist. Once she was close to the blue Pretty Cure, she spun her body kicking her in the stomach. She was sent flying across the field, her back hitting the trunk behind her.
"Ow," Cure Princess grunted as she struggled to get on her feet. She quickly leapt high up when Sinolia thrust her sword aiming for her neck. While over Sinolia, light blue orbs form in her palms. "Princess Bullet Machine Gun~!"
She fired a barrage of blue orbs towards Sinolia, bombarded her with so many that created explosion after explosion, erupting the entire area. Satisfied, Princess stopped breathing heavily.
"Did I get her?" She exhaled.
"You're a violent girl,"
When she felt her breath from behind, Cure Princess turned her body and whipped her leg, but that only went through Sinolia's body. The girl puffed her cheeks.
"Mist Breath Roar." Sinolia blew a cloud of mist out of her mouth, blinding the blue Pretty Cure.
"Where did you go?" Cure Princess coughed, blinded by the mist. Sinolia then punched her from above, spiking her down into the ground.
Princess coughed and struggled to stand up from the blows. "Ow,"
"Is that all a Precure can do?" Sinolia questioned, staring down at her. "How disappointing."
"I'm not done yet~!" Princess declared.
"Good...I'm waiting for you to punish me," Sinolia said quietly, moaning.
In a different section of the forest, Cure Papaya encountered one of Eneru's soldiers who had just killed a Shandian.
"Bah~!" The kami soldier called out, aiming his palm towards Papaya. "Taste my Ax Dial~!"
With precision timing, the orange Pretty Cure, ducked above the Ax Dial's trajectory. "I analyzed your Ax Dial power, when you were battling the Shandian."
Papaya then delivered an elbow jab into his guts. The Kami soldier let out a gasp before collapsing on his back KO'd. Papaya found herself breathing heavily. "Fighting humans feels so...off for me."
"How interesting,"
When Papaya heard that voice, she quickly turned around to see Moses approaching her from behind a tree. "To understand the theory behind the Ax Dial, you're a clever girl.
"You must be the God Slayer Tsubasa fought," Papaya declared calmly.
"So you heard," Moses said. "Let it be known that I was surpassing my powers against her. She is a skilled swordsman, but that won't help her against a God Slayer."
Cure Papaya felt an alarm in her head and quickly jumped back to avoid a stalagmite made of black ice emerging under her feet. "Black ice?"
"My apologies, but I never underestimate my opponent," Moses sternly declared. "You may not wish to fight, but I have to dwindle the numbers for the Shandorians invading the Upper Yard."
"Wait, you mean you're working with the Shandians?" Papaya questioned.
"Mainly an alliance since we both want to crush Eneru and his forces. While you pirates," Moses' gaze tightened. "Are searching for the gold no doubt."
"True, but it's mostly trying to survive," Papaya defended. "We were tricked into being punished."
"Well no matter your motive, I still have to compensate for your interference and dispose of you accordingly." Moses declared as his eyes turned red. He placed his arm out and unleashed a large beam of black flames towards Papaya who quickly went behind the ice, using it as cover. The black flames crash into the ice, causing it to explode.
'I'm no match for him currently,' Papaya declared in her head as she used the steam to escape from Moses. 'I need to escape and find som-.'
A narrow funnel of black wind hit Papaya's stomach, sending her back slamming into a tree trunk. The wind causes the steam and smoke to disburse, revealing Moses walking towards her.
"Ice God: Needle Shards," He snapped his fingers forming black shards of ice floating all around his body. The shards then turned towards Papaya and flew at a rapid pace at him. Despite the pain, the Pretty Cure was able to move out of the way from the ice shards pinned on the tree trunk.
'He won't let me leave without a fight,' Papaya told herself. 'I don't have a choice but to fight.'
Once she was at a safe distance, the Pretty Cure turned towards George with her signature earrings floating in front of her eyes. "Papaya Beam~!"
"Ice God: Sphere," Moses countered with a black sphere of ice. An explosion occurred when the beam struck the ice sphere, shattering it instantly. Papaya ran up the tree trunk and leapt over Moses using her momentum to execute an ax kick from above. Moses's eyes turned red and he raised his hand towards her, summoning a magic circle. "Flame God: Heat Arrows."
Before she could react, thousands of arrows made of black flames flew towards Papaya at a rapid pace. She had no choice but to cross her arms, wincing at the burnt marks, slowing her speed. Moses then used the flames on his feet to boost himself right above Papaya, and slammed his palm into her back, spiking her down into the ground, hard on her stomach.
Not giving the Pretty Cure any chance to recover, the god slayer unleashed multiple black fire arrows downwards towards Papaya. She was still winded from the blow, that she had no time to react as the flaming arrows rain down towards her, emitting a huge explosion.
Moses watched the dust cloud carefully as he landed on the ground. "If you feel you are still capable of fighting, get up."
When the dust cleared a bit, he noticed a battered Papaya was pushing herself up to her feet, breathing heavily from the attack. Her outfit had burn marks from the fire arrows.
"So you're still standing, good," Moses declared, eying her body. "Then let's continue our duel."
The sounds of the Upper Yard's battles could be heard throughout the forest. Zoro and Braham were waiting silently for one another to make a next move. It lasted a few seconds until Zoro took out his second sword known as Yubashiri starting the match.
Braham's skis whirred to life as he launched off the ground without even moving from his spot. He flipped over Zoro's head.
'How did he jump!? I didn't see him move his feet!' Zoro asked himself shocked.
From behind, Braham fired his guns at him while upside-down in mid-air. A bright flash erupted from the guns of Braham as he fired at Zoro again unleashing deadly bullets. As a result of instinct, the swordsman made a quick retreat to escape the gunfire. After landing, Braham launched himself all the way across the clearing.
'Pagaya mentions something about various kinds of dials,' Zoro thought. 'Which means he's using jet dials on his feet, and two more on his pistols to make that annoying light.'
Zoro noticed the Shandian vanished. 'Where did he go now?'
Braham sprang out of the bushes and fired at Zoro who twisted his body to avoid the bullets. He quickly placed Wado Ichimonji in his mouth as he drew out his third and last blade named Kitetsu III. He then charged towards Braham while out speeding his bullets. Once he got close he brought his hand swords over his mouth sword.
"He's using three swords?" Braham questioned in shock.
"Tiger Hunt~!" Zoro lashed out all three swords, but the Shandian launched himself up into the air dodging his strike.
"Damn, aren't you a hot shot," Zoro grilled, annoyed.
Braham twirled his firearms on his fingertips until he approached the peak of his jump then pointed his guns downward and shot at Zoro again. He lunged to the side to escape the projectiles while Braham landed on a section of the Milky Road that had been going through the trees up above their clearing. Zoro immediately ran up the trunk of a gigantic tree until he was up higher than the Milky Road then he launched himself off at Braham.
"As if a crappy swordsman of the Blue Sea could outmatch an opponent wielding dials," Braham scoffed. He withdrew a white shell from his pocket and pressed the apex button on it. He then tossed it, producing a white cloud forming into a bridge.
"Hey, swordsman! Guess what this is!" Braham called out as he raced along the bridge he'd created to meet Zoro in midair.
"Shit!" Zoro cursed, realizing his plan.
"It's called a Milky Dial!" Braham concluded as he flew straight up to Zoro and aimed his guns at Zoro's head.
BANG~!
Zoro immediately flipped his head back to avoid the bullets. Performing an awkward midair backflip
"You know aerial combat isn't just hopping around out of desperation," Braham advised Zoro.
Suddenly, a massive eel shot up out of the Milky Road and lunged at the dropping swordsman. Zoro quickly slash his swords, effortlessly cleaving the creature in half. Luckily the eel's body floated making a platform for him to land on.
"A ton of lumber and these things would make for a killer barbecue," Zoro commented while staring at the eel. Braham flew back up over the Milky Road on the clouds he was creating with his Milky Dial and opened fire on Zoro.
Zoro made a desperate leap to avoid Braham's bullets but one of the projectiles struck his leg. He grunted in pain but quickly leapt down the eel's long body and launched himself off of it onto a tree, then jumped around it so he could avoid Braham and gain some momentary coverage. The shandian stopped his Milky Dial and landed on the Milky Road, searching for Zoro.
"That was so stupid!" Zoro gasped as he leaned back against a tree trunk and hid from Braham. "This guy is already faster than me, and I let myself out like an easy target. Now I've got a bullet in my leg due to it. I need to do something about those stupid flashing guns."
An idea sprang up in Zoro's head. "Wait a minute..."
Braham remained to wait quietly on the Milky Road until he heard a voice.
"Those guns of yours have a fairly nice accessory," Standing atop a branch above him, Zoro emerged from his hiding spot. He smirked as he pulled the goggles down over his eyes. "How unfortunate for you that your little lightshow won't work on me anymore, now that I have my lucky goggles on! Don't waste your time!"
"...Those just look like regular goggles," Braham deadpanned.
'He found out!' Zoro comically cursed.
"You're not a big fan of my Flash Guns, are you?" Braham asked as he crossed his two guns in front of him. "Being a swordsman you need close quarters to fight, but I won't allow that. I don't understand your motives for being here and I don't care. But I will say that your mere presence here identifies you as an enemy of the Shandians. Now I'm telling you: surrender or die – which might happen quicker if we keep standing here. Your leg isn't getting any better."
"It doesn't hurt too bad, barely made a dent," Zoro said back. 'Making a dumb comment about the eel cost me my leg. Proves that I lack concentration.'
He placed his goggles back onto his forehead. "Alright, looks like this is the perfect situation to use my new technique again, let's give it a try."
Braham discharged his Flash Guns at Zoro again but the swordsman quickly ran along the branch he was on to avoid them. Braham continued shooting and Zoro ran until he approached the end of the branch and jumped off it. When he fell over twenty feet from the tree branch and landed on the ground, blood squirted out of a bullet hole in his leg.
"UUGGGHHH!" Zoro grimaced. He bit his bottom lip as pain shot through his leg.
Braham took advantage of Zoro's hesitation and bombarded him with bullets. Zoro lunged to the side and dove into the bush to avert getting shot again.
"Think you can run away?" Braham questioned.
"Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought," Zoro announced as he walked out of the bushes. "These six roots ground us by way of good, evil and peace."
"What are you talking about?" Braham questioned.
"And of course," Zoro proceeded, "Each of these can be pure or impure. These are the thirty-six worldly desires."
Zoro turned and held one of his blades parallel with the ground. "I've got a barrel of a cannon aimed at your head, and all you have are a pair of guns. In both distance and power my weapons are superior. You've done very well, but you're still gonna die."
Braham pushed down on his Milky Dial and hurled it down at Zoro. The dial generated another bridge of clouds that went from the Milky Road to the ground in front of Zoro. He then sped down on his skis towards him.
"What cannons?" Braham scoffed. "You're out of your mind! All I see is a sword."
"Have you ever seen a flying blade attack?" Zoro asked.
"ATTACK THIS!" Braham shouted as he pointed his Flash Guns.
"One Sword Style..."
"RAHH~!" Braham roared, firing all the remaining bullets he had at Zoro.
"36 Caliber Phoenix~!" Zoro slashed his sword and transmitted a spiral air blade flying up to meet Braham. Blasting the gun-wielding Shandian away and destroying the cloud bridge he created. Braham was launched in the air, almost hitting the high branch but fell back down, landing on his back with a large yet non-fatal wound on his stomach.
Zoro sheathed his swords and stood over him as the victor. "That must've hurt," Zoro remarked as he picked up his backpack and put it back on. A bullet grazed his right cheek, leaving a small cut, but it wasn't fatal. "Nothing personal, being natural enemies and all, but you're in the dirt because I hate being told what to do. No other reason."
Before Zoro defeated Braham
"ACK~!" Princess staggered back after Sinolia's foot landed on her face. While she was trying to gain her surroundings, Sinolia appeared behind her punching the Precure on the back, launching her a bit. Luckily, Princess quickly handsprings back on her feet.
"This is so irritating!" Cure Princess angrily remarked. "How am I expected to beat someone who's made of mist! It's unfair~!"
A shadow case over Princess suddenly. She looked up and gawked in shock to find Sinolia hovering above her with a large fist directed towards her.
"AH~!" Panicking Princess leaped out of the way in a nick of time of the area. The moment the fist made contact with the ground, it burst into mists. Cure Princess flew up to Sinolia right after she dodged her attack.
"Now let's see how you like it! Princess Twin Magnum Fists," With her right arm engulfed in blue energy, she formed a massive fist and hurled it at Sinolia. The attack made contact and launched her across until she hit the tree. "Gotcha~!"
"Bzzzt! Wrong," Sinolia said from behind. She began to thrust her blade into Princess's back. On instinct, she flipped her torso to escape the rapier.
"Why you," Princess growled and used the momentum in the air to perform a roundhouse kick, only for it to phase through Sinolia's body again.
"How many times will you continue this tantrum display?" Sinaloa asked motionless. She swung her sword again.
"Princess Tornado~!" Instantly a light blue orb appeared in front of Princess and unleashed a large blue funnel of wind. Sinolia's eyes widen as she quickly takes flight by turning into mist, but the funnel overpowers her, propelling her away from Princess and causing her to crash into a tree. The funnel also cleared up all the mists surrounding the two of them.
Sinolia winced while attempting to pull herself from the tree. "She was able to harm me with that wind attack…" She then pouted annoyed. "If she knew my vulnerability from the start, then why didn't she use it on me earlier?"
She drifted down towards Cure Princess who still had her eyes shut trembling in fear. Sinolia slowly clapped, grabbing her attention as she opened her eyes. "Eh?"
"Congratulations," Sinolia deadpanned while clapping sarcastically. "You've managed to injure me with that last attack."
"Eh? I did?" Princess blinked dumbfounded. It took a second to realize what she meant and quickly got into character. "I-I mean, that's right~! You fell for my master plan!"
Sinolia pouted at Cure Princess's pride. "Don't get cocky, Dimanu still outmatches you when it comes to providing me pain."
"...Wait what?" Princess questioned with a sweatdropped."
"36 Caliber Phoenix~!"
Cure Princess was startled by the large sound of a cannon going off. While Sinolia looked unphased and noticed Zoro's final attack. "It appears that Braham was no match for the swordsman."
"He did?" Princess gawked in awe as she noticed Braham collapsed. "He actually did it...He must've used the same technique he did with the bird."
"I'll leave you two alone now," Sinolia said before walking away.
"Hey, wait a sec~!" Princess cried out but Sinolia was already out of sight of her. She pouted annoyed. "That girl is so awkward."
"Who were you talking to?" Zoro asked, walking over to her.
"Just some weird girl I fought," Princess answered. She noticed his cut cheeks. "Y-You're cheek is bleeding?"
"Oh, the gun-slinging bastard grazed me a bit with his bullet," Zoro replied nonchalantly. "He also got me in the foot."
"Y-You're still able to walk with an injury like that!?" Cure Princess said bewildered.
"I dealt with worse," Zoro answered bluntly.
"I find it intriguing that a girl like you has the stamina to resist me," Moses held the battered and bruised orange Precure dangling by the neck. Although the area around the two had significant damages, he showed no signs of injury. "Nonetheless, I won this duel."
"..." Papaya's slow breathing was her only response. She was too weak to fight back from his grip.
"No final words? That's fine," Moses declared as he covered his right arm with a black ice knife. "I'll make your death sw-!"
He was cut off when a certain pink yo-yo flew between Moses and Papaya, cutting his ice shard in half. Moses was startled for a brief moment before quickly letting go of Papaya and jumping back to avoid a green sickle blade flying towards his neck.
Those attacks came from Kirika and Shirabe, who came to Papaya's aid immediately. Kirika got in front of Papaya with her weapon ready while Shirabe checked for a pulse.
"You'll pay for trying to kill her!" Kirika yelled out.
"This is a battlefield, children like you should know that dead bodies are inevitable," Moses scoffed back.
"That doesn't give you the right to end someone's life!" Shirabe snapped back. "Let alone one of our comrades!"
"Your morals mean nothing to me," The God Slayer retorted, before turning his back on them. "If you don't want me to kill her, then I'll be on my way...unless..."
Kirika and Shirabe froze as Moses released a bit of his magic power. He glanced at the two with a cold demeanor stare. "You two can kill me here and now."
'W-What is he?' Shirabe thought, stunned by his demeanor. She faced off multiple enemies in their world either alone or with the others. However the man in front of them gave off a vicious aura that cause the two gear user to trembled in fear. 'We may be able to injure him a bit, but he can kill us so easily. He was able to beat Tsubasa while holding back...'
Kirika felt terrified that she dropped her scythe. Moses acknowledged their answer and left the two. Once he was gone, Kirika collapsed onto her knees. "H-He's terrifying."
"At least we got here just in time before he could kill her," Shirabe said in relief. She quickly picked up Papaya piggyback styles "We could bring her along to the hideout."
"This is so irritating,"
"Well make it less irritating by using your legs,"
"Not until you get these cuffs off of me!"
"Luffy maybe dumb enough to do it, but I'm not. I still don't trust you!"
Fortune and Jackal argue constantly throughout the trip. They are both annoyed at having to travel with each other.
"Well no duh, you can't trust me, I'm a demon after all," Jackal remarked.
"Honestly, you're making that same excuse every time," Fortune rolled her eyes expressly. "I get it you're a demon. You hate humans, and you'll kill all of us for treating you like a pet. You sound like a broken record."
"Only because you morons look down on my kind," Jackal spat out.
"Well that's what you get for trying to blow us all up at the resort," Fortune retorted, sighing annoyed.
"Oh and you heroes of hope are true justice?!"
Cure Fortune quickly leapt back dragging Jackal to avoid a large purple shard aimed at her position. She looked up and noticed Jayden above them standing on the branch before jumping down.
"Oh it's him," Jackal said in a bored tone.
"You know him?" Fortune asked.
"He's one of Luminous Tail's lackeys," Jackal answered.
"I'll make this swift," Jayden made a finger pistol with his right hand. "Venom Demon: Snipe Shot!"
A magic circle formed in front of him, and shot out a small light purple crystal in the shape of an arrow. Jackal and Fortune were unable to react as it flew directly between them with such speed.
'That was so fast that I couldn't even react…' Fortune thought, looking terrified. 'It's like he's really trying to kill me.'
"I miss on purpose to strike fear in your hearts," Jayden claimed. "I want to see you suffer just like I did."
"What are you talk-" The purple Precure was cut off as she quickly dashed to the left on instinct to avoid another venom arrow aimed at her head. Jackal had no choice but to get dragged along by her.
"Shut up!" Jayden snarled as he continued firing his venom arrows towards her. "I'm not going to fall for your words anymore Pretty Cure!"
Fortune continued to avoid the quick arrow, while Jackal was getting dragged like a rag doll. Little did they know that one of the arrows grazed the sea prism stone handcuffs. The two quickly hid behind the tree, which was able to block against the arrows temporarily.
"If one of those touches us, then we're as good as dead," Fortune quietly said to herself, while trying to catch her breath.
"I'm getting so damn tired of being dragged around," Jackal muffled with his face on the ground. Fortune ignored the demon's comment to notice that it was suddenly quiet.
"Venom Demon…!"
On instinct, Fortune grabbed Jackal by the collar and tossed to one side while dashing on the other side.
"RAGE~!"
Fortune instincts were right as Jayden unleashed a large blast of crystalized shards at the tree they were hiding behind. The force of the roar caused the trunk of the tree to be eaten away, leaving a hole through it.
The purple precure skidded back her witnessing the aftermath of her roar. "His magic is so destructive...just one hit and it will be all over."
Before she could think of her next move, Fortune's body was blown back by an unexpected explosion. Cure Fortune cried out in pain but quickly back flipped and indeed on her feet. "What was that?"
"Finally," Jackal announced as he jumped between Fortune and Jayden. His arms were in front of him, revealing that he was freed from the prism stone hand cuffs. "After all the hell you guys gave me, I can finally let loose and end all of you~!"
"Is now really the time for your little temper tantrum?!" Fortune yelled annoyed.
"Shut up, and quit treating me like some kind of pet~!" Jackal snapped back.
"If you two are done quarreling like a married couple, let me kill her," Jayden ordered, annoyed.
"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE~!" The two retorted quickly with shark teeth.
"Listen here you fake demon~!" Jackal pointed towards Jayden. "Stay out of my way! I'll be the one to kill her~!
"Fake demon?" Jayden repeated dumbfounded, but shook it off.
"Great, like a Demon Slayer wasn't enough to deal with," Fortune groaned, she stood glaring at the two of them.
Not far from the three, Akita was hiding behind a tree. She stared at the three with a worried expression.
Sanya: Ugh…What just happened?
Freddy: Oh, you're awake…you fainted when Gwen mentioned the accordion.
Sanya: Right I remember…where is your head?
Freddy: It's inside my body…I have no idea how it got inside there and I can't get it out.
Varvula: Why does it feel like we've just listened to Ibuki's music? And why am I covered in pickle juice?
Gwen: You guys were hilarious…You don't remember anything you all did when I played the accordion.
Raven: How does accordion playing get me tied into a pole?
Yang: The same accordion that turns Shiho into a baby! Gold for blackmailing~!
Shiho:...Do you want your balls crushed or ripped off~?
Peace: Um guys…where are you?
Raven: We're in the same room as…why do you have a beehive on your head?
Peace: Beehive? That would explain the goop on my head?
Next Chapter: The Path of a Demon: Jackal vs Fortune vs Jayden.
Yang: Okay does anyone understand what I just wrote on the wall?
Peace:...Did playing the accordion make Yang smart? Because he just discovered something new and complicated.
Gwen: No, it's how to make a perfect custard pie.