Gwen: Halloween, one of the greatest times of the year. The day when I can become a zombie.
Varvula: It's also the time when Freddy plans his most terrifying and dangerous jump scare known to…well wizard history.
Shiho: How can it be wizard history when we just got here last month?
Varvula: Short fights, short history.
Shiho:...I'm not going to even bother.
Sanya: Do you guys like my black kitten costume?
Peace: You look so cute Sanya~!
Raven: Cute, but not enough to out scare that animatronic ninja.
Yang: I don't know about you guys, but I think Halloween is boring.
Gwen:...What did you just say?
Peace: P-Please put down the chainsaw Gwen~!
Yang: I mean it's just I can't get into the spirit of it. I'm a woo foo warrior. I face real monsters and tough opponents, like that mage that had some weird crystal ball magic.
Raven: For the last time, that was just a cutout standee~!
Yang: That's what it wants us to think.
Gwen: I think you and I need a little talk, about the true meaning of Halloween.
Shiho: Farewell Yang~! We hardly knew thee.
Yang: Don't kill me off~! OW~! Wait, how are you grabbing my ears?! And why did it hurt?!
Sanya: Gwen won't kill him…right?
Varvula: Cartoons like Gwen, Yang, Raven and I have the Toon Physic Hack. So she won't kill him. Torturing maybe.
Raven: In the meantime. Cue the Theme Song~!
Chapter 45: 0% Chance of Survival
"Don't look down…Don't look down,"
That's what Cure Coral was repeating multiple times in her head. While she's done some insane things after becoming a Pretty Cure, climbing up a tall and large beanstalk was a new one. Feeling of being millions of feet below ground, made her terrifying.
Not far ahead of her was Chopper who had his tongue out. While climbing he was deep into thought. 'I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they discover that we found the gold first~!'
The two were nearly there to the top to where the beanstalk vanished into the white island clouds. After what seems like a few minutes, the two push their head through the Island Cloud at the top of the beanstalk.
"W-We made it~!" Coral declared before dropping onto her stomach on some stone was relieved that they had made it to the top without looking down. Once her heart rate was back to normal, Coral got up and scanned the area. "There are ruins up here too?"
"Whoa~!" The second Chopper stepped onto the ruins, he almost lost his footing due to them being uneven. "Coral, be careful! The earth is completely slanted here."
"R-Right," Coral acknowledged. She pushed herself onto her feet, and caught up to Chopper who was already walking ahead. "Where should we start lo-."
"GRRRRR~!"
"Stay~! I said stay, Holly~!"
The two froze in place as soon as they heard growing and observed a shadow hovering over slowly cranked their heads and were met with the large open jaws of the beast dog.
Before the two could even scream, Holly dropped down onto the ground obediently. Chopper and Coral stared at the gigantic beast in front of them.
"YAHHHH~!" The duo hollered with their eyes comically extended out. Chopper was much louder and frightened than Coral.
"You two are the third to make it up here," The beast tamer Ohms declared. When the two looked up they saw the final Priest, sitting crossed legged on one of the ruins. "The spider head moron got too careless…"
"Who are you?!" Coral cried out.
"You two were the one who beat Gedatsu right?" Ohm called out.
'He's talking about that Priest?!' Chopper wondered.
"Y-Yes we did," Coral responded, trying to act tough.
"...Very nice," Coral was caught off guard by Ohm's reaction. "The world would be better off with one less imbecile like him gone…Don't you agree?"
"No, I don't," Coral muttered before speaking up, angrily. "...How could you say that to your own comrade~!?"
"He along with Satori, and Shura were mere rivals. Nothing more," Ohm answered calmly.
"..." Chopper stiffened and slowly backed away from Ohm. He suddenly bumped into something behind him, causing him to trip over it. "Huh? What did I trip over…AH~!"
Coral yanked her gaze away from Ohm the moment she heard Chopper cry. Her jaw froze in total fear in her eyes before she could inquire what was happening.
Apparently, the reindeer tripped over the dead body of a were multiple wounds on the man's body, as if he had been mutilated. Coral dropped onto her knees and covered her mouth as she saw the corpse. She felt like she was about to spew her meal she just ate.
"WAHHHHH~! AHHHHH~!" Chopper was frantically panicking. He switched his gaze at the body, and then at Holly who had somehow fallen asleep.
"Calm yourself," Ohm called out over Chopper's screaming. "There's no reason to be afraid of Holly. He's merely a pet, he won't bite you."
"Then what about this guy!?" Chopper yelled out. "It looks like he's chewed up and spit out!"
"I assure you, Holly is a well trained dog," Ohm said. "He wouldn't bite anyone without my say so. It was I who attacked that man."
"You?" Coral asked as she took her eyes off the ground and looked up at Ohms. "You were the one who did that to him?"
"Are you crazy!? Why would you do something like that?!" Chopper exclaimed.
"Be quiet!," Ohm ordered. He put his hands over his glasses. "You think I don't feel saddened by these mortals?" Tears suddenly poured down his face. "I don't get it. Life is so precious. So why do these men choose to fight when they know how fragile life is!?"
"I don't know…" Chopper admitted quietly.
"Men were put in this world to find happiness. But they throw themselves into battle. Losing their lives along with their joy they struggled to search for," Ohm preached as he wiped his tears. "The only way for humans to be redeemed…is for all men to die."
"D-Die?!" Coral cried out in a panic.
"Please mister you don't mean that, do you?!" Chopper tried to reason.
"What is your business for climbing up here?" Ohm suddenly questioned.
"Coral and I were searching for the City of Gold," Chopper answered honestly.
"GREED WILL ONLY LEAD TO RUINS~!" Ohms yelled. "You two…must be rescued."
"You want to rescue us?" Chopper questioned.
"...What do you mean by that…?" Coral asked slowly. Ohm stood up and drew out his long iron cloud sword.
"By killing both of you, you'll be free from those worldly desires!" He declared while aiming his sword at them both.
"HE DOESN'T WANT TO HELP US AT ALL~!" Coral and Chopper thoughted in fear.
Laki speeds along the Milky Road on her Dial powered skis. She had a perplexing look on her face after witnessing the charred bodies of her comrades and enemies along the way.
'Why was everyone charred black, even the enforcers?' Laki wondered. 'It was as if they were all hit by a bolt of lightin-!'
She skidded to a stop when she recognized a body below her. Laki jumped off the Milky Road and landed near the body of one of her colleagues.
"KAMAKIRI~!" Laki called out.
"...Ugh…" Kamakiri groaned barely. He was somehow still alive despite his black charred body. "...Laki…is that…you?"
"Yes," Laki responded.
"Get…out of here…Laki," Kamakiri coughed.
"Why?"
"Wyper…he's heading to God Shrine…but…Eneru's not there…" Kamakiri weakly urged. "There's still time…You have…to stop Wyper…"
"I understand," Laki nodded in a whisper. "Save your strength…"
"Nobody…can beat Eneru…" Kamakiri said. The deranged man's laughter echoed in the once proud Shandian began to pour down from his glazed eyes, concerned that more of his comrades will be victims by his power.
"Listen Laki…He comes as lighting…" Kamakiri warned weakly. "An element…man has feared for centuries…There's no one…who's able to beat someone…with such power…"
"Don't worry," Laki assured him. "I'll stop Wyper. You remain here and rest for a while." She took out a brown bag and placed it beside Kamakiri. "I'll leave Asia's bag here with you."
Laki stood up and leapt back onto the Milky Road. Kamakiri's weak words echoed in her head, as she sped through the cloud canal. 'Kamakiri is , his will has been broken.'
"If what he said was true, then Eneru must've eaten the Rumble Rumble Fruit," Laki summarized, sweating a bit in fear. "The most dangerous kind of devil fruit. I have to warn Wyper quickly."
"Hmm, this place seems familiar…" Zoro mumbled to himself while gazing at the familiar Sea Cloud lake over the horizon. "Or…is it?...Probably not."
The swordsman's terrible sense of direction had led him back to where the Going Merry was set yesterday, the Sacrificial Altar. Cure Princess would've given Zoro an ear full if she were here.
"Joh…Joh," The South Bird couldn't help but snicker quietly.
WHAP~!
But it wasn't quiet enough as Zoro comically hurled his bag at the bird's face. "YOU LAUGHING AT ME PUNK!?"
"Joh Joh jooh joh~!" The South Bird cawed angrily. Almost as if it was calling Zoro an idiot for not even realizing that he's a South Bird.
"What the hell are you so worked up for?" Zoro questioned. "The only reason you've kept following me is because you wanted my food. My bad sense of direction shouldn't matter to you dumbass~!"
The South Bird slowly eyed the bag lying on the ground next to it. "Jooh." The bird began to drool while gazing at the bags.
"AHH NO~!" Realizing too late, Zoro lunged at the bag.
Why was it too late you ask? Because the South Bird has already taken the bag and flown away…while carrying Zoro with it.
"AHHH~! LET GO OF IT YOU FEATHER-BRAIN JERK~!" Zoro yelled. The bird ignored him and continued flying high up. "I TOLD YOU THERE'S NO MORE FOOD! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TAKING ME?! THIS IS WHY I HATE BIRDS~!"
Misaka, Luffy, Wendy, Charla and Cynthia continued their journey inside the long cave. "How far does this cave go on for?" Cynthia wondered a bit tired of walking.
"Of all the places to end up in…" Luffy added. He had still worn the golden crown on top of his hat. "Exit! Exit! Where is the Exit~!?"
The five had arrived at the end of the long strange cave. But there was no opening or exit to let them out.
"You've got to be kidding!" Misaka said in disbelief. "We've walked all this way for a dead end?!"
"Did we go in the wrong direction or something?" Luffy wondered.
"Impossible, we've been going on a straight path," Charla said.
"Maybe it's a trick door," Luffy suggested. "I can always try busting through this stupid cave."
"That's a reckless idea," Charla scolded. "You might cause a cave i-
Not listening to Charla, Luffy stretched his arms far back. "Gum Gum~! Bazooka~!" He reeled his arms forward and struck his palms into the dead end exit with all his strength. Despite his strength, the wall didn't break. "Huh? It didn't even budge?"
"Let me give it a shot," Cynthia said with her fist enlightened with dark red flames. She then copied Luffy's action as she pulled her arms back. Since Cynthia wasn't rubber, she rushed towards the blocked exit. "Omega Fire Dragon: Crimson Cannon~!"
Once she got close, Cynthia smashed her flaming fists in the cave wall, which resulted in an explosion due to the flames. Charla, Luffy, Wendy, and Misaka had to cover their eyes with the dust explosion. When the dust cleared up, Cynthia along with the other noticed no change on the wall.
"Nothing?! How tough is this cave?!" Cynthia asked, a bit annoyed.
RUMBLING~!
Before Charla could chastise Cynthia and Luffy, the cave suddenly started moving. Its rear end began to rear up quickly, catching the five off guard as they all fell down into the long cave.
"AHHHH~! NOT AGAIN~!" Luffy screamed.
"I REALLY HATE THIS STINKIN CAVE~!" Misaka yelled out.
Coral and Chopper raced across the Upper Ruins, attempting to flee from the bald Priest. The reindeer was more terrified screaming out of his lunges, while Coral was more paranoid and high alert.
After a good distance, the two were breathing heavily with both their backs touching the stone wall. "Is…he…still…following us…Chopper?"
Being the closet, Chopper cautiously peered around the corner. "...No, I don't see him or his dog anywhere."
"That's a relief," Coral said with an escaped sigh. Her mind races back to Ohm's words, which made her clench her fist. "...He's much more dangerous than Gedatsu. Him and his dog."
"Yeah, good thing there are lots of places to hide here," Chopper informed. "It's best if we stay here and wait for the others to get up here…"
Coral slowly backed away from the wall, and made her way towards the end of the ruins with Chopper following behind her. "He did look like a swordsman. So as long as we keep our distance we should be fi-"
SHOOM~! SLASH~!
The two had little time to react as a white blade sped towards them and cut through them.
"Gah~!" Coral gasped in unexpecting pain with her eyes widened in shock. She collapsed onto her side withering in pain. The girl paced herself to lift her body off the ground, then she turned around, utter horror filled her face.
Not too far from her was Chopper's motionless body. The once cheerful young reindeer was now a bloody heep with a long gash going down his chest. His eyes become pure white staring back at her.
"CHOPPER!" Ignoring all the pain in her body, Coral rushed towards her fallen friend and lifted him gently. "J-Just hang in there Chopper! Please don't die!"
"Escaping from salvation is futile," Ohm's voice made Coral quiver, but she kept her attention fixed on Chopper. The priest was a few distance away from her, with the tip of his sword tainted with blood. "Your friend has been saved from being attached from evil desires."
"...Save?" Cure Coral felt her teeth clenching. She slowly rose up and looked at Ohms with venom in her eyes. "You call what you did to Chopper saving him?!"
"It's the only way for the young person to repent for their greed," Ohm preached as he placed his hand on his hilt. "Don't be concerned, you shall join him very soon!"
Cure Coral quickly brought up her shield, successfully blocking the Iron cloud sword. However, just hitting her shield pushed the girl back a bit. Coral gritted her teeth as exhaustion crept up on her, but she held on, blocking every one of Ohm's sword strikes, without moving from his spot.
'What do I do? I can't keep guarding forever…' Coral thought, while trying to keep her shield up. 'Chopper needs medical attention, and I can't fight him all by myself.'
Coral was so deep into thought, that she didn't realize that Ohm's been attacking the same spot multiple times before it shattered. Hearing it Coral had little time to react as she jumped back.
SLASH~!
Unfortunately, the purple precure wasn't fast enough as the iron sword left a large gash on her chest. Her eyes were glassy before they closed as she collapsed on her back. She was still breathing but unconscious with a large wound across her chest. Her Precure outfit vanished in a flash of light, regaining her normal clothes.
"This is the Ordeal of Iron," Ohm declared, as he turned away from the two fallen opponents. "The rate of survival is 0%."
"AHHHH~!" The vanishing voices of Chopper and Coral made Asia scream. "TWO VOICES JUST DISAPPEARED~!"
"Asia?" Nami glanced in concern.
"I CAN'T JUST SIT HERE!" The young shandian girl shouted. She ducked under the railings and jumped off the ship. "I GOTTA GO FIND LAKI!"
"Wait Asia!" Lucy called out, but Asia already landed in the sea of clouds.
"I'll go get her!" Nami declared as she took off her yellow t-shirt revealing her bikini. She then dove off the ship after Aisa. She was able to swim towards Aisa and caught her before she could swim away. "Get back here~!"
"LET GO OF ME! I HAVE TO GO AND SAVE LAKI~!" Aisa yelled while trying to struggle from Nami's grip. "LEAVE ME ALONE~! THIS ISN'T ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS~!"
"You're right it's not my business," Nami admitted. "But there's no way I'm gonna sit back and let a little girl get killed~!"
"I'm a warrior~!" Aisa corrected.
"Yeah, Yeah, I get it kid warrior," Nami rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Those dirty looks don't scare, so knock it off."
"Wow," Yozura was a bit surprised by Nami's actions. "I didn't expect her to actually stop her from going off on her own."
"Honestly, I thought the orange head cares only for money and gold," Laura added. "But she does have a soft spot most of the time."
"Nami, are you okay?" Pagaya asked.
"Yeah we're fine~!" The navigator replied while dragging the struggling Aisa over to her Waver. "Now would you stop messing around and get in the waver."
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I HAVE TO GO AND RESCUE MY FRIEND!" Aisa yelled, still trying to break herself free from her grip.
"KNOCK IT OFF OR I'LL SLUG YOU~!" Nami comically warned.
"...She's still scary though," Index, Laura and Yozura were trembling.
"Listen, there are dangerous people in the forest minus Eneru," Nami explained, recalling how many strong fighters were injured and beaten. "You saw the condition of some of my friends, you want to end up like that do you?!"
".." Aisa stopped struggling after hearing her words. She caught a glimpse of Ussop, Manatsu, Kuroko and Sanji's charred bodies earlier, and didn't want to end up like them. She sniffled a bit, quietly sobbing.
Nami's demeanor softened a bit, when Aisa stopped resisting. "Come on," She lifted her off the sea cloud as she swam towards the Waver. "I'll help you in the boat."
The heartwarming segment didn't last long when a ginormous green head with whiskers, broke the surface of the Milky Road, blocking the Going Merry's pathway.
"AHHHH~! G-GIANT MONSTER~!" Index, Last Order, Laura and Awatsuki screamed comically in fear.
"I-It's so huge," Juvia spluttered.
"Crap!" Tsuchimikado cursed with a shaky grin. "What a reunion."
"You know what that beast is?" Gray asked the blonde.
"We've met before," Tsuchimikado replied. "The snake is the reason why my team got split up."
"WAHHH~!" Aisa screamed at the sight of the snake. Nami took a second to pull up from the Waver before she looked up.
Nami's eyes widened in terror was met with the yellow slit eyes staring right back at her.
"Koff Koff~!" Wendy coughed, sprawled on her stomach. She slowly pushed herself up with her body soaked. "Is everyone alright!?"
"Y-Yeah," Misaka choked a bit, as she gathered her thoughts."This freakin cave is getting on my last nerves."
After barely surviving the cave's unexpected changes, the five trapped victims were then washed away by a wave of sea clouds. The wave settled down which left them all soaked and tired.
"Okay that was scary," Luffy wheezed while regaining his footing."What the heck is wrong with this lame cave anyway?"
"Tell me about it. First there was an earthquake, and then a flood of Sea Clouds?" Cynthia exhaled. "Is this one of the Priest's Ordeals or something?"
"Maybe it's the Swamp Ordeal?" Luffy wondered. He then stood up and began winding his fist. "No matter, I'm breaking this dumb cave up, and escaping~!"
"Good idea Luffy," Cynthia nodded as she stretched her arms a bit. "The sooner we destroy this cave the sooner we get to the city of Gold."
"Haven't you two learned anything!?" Charla comically snapped at the two. "The only reason why we're in this mess is because you two dolts attacked the cave!"
"You make it sound like the cave is alive or something," Misaka considered. "Either way, if the sea clouds are similar to the normal water below, I can't recklessly shoot bolts around here without harming all of you."
"Something does feel a bit weird about this place though," Wendy pondered, a bit confused. "I can't quite put my finger on it. But…I don't think this is a cave."
Without even considering Charla's warning, Luffy stretched out his leg while Cynthia's dark red flames engulfed both of her legs. "LET US OUT~!" The two yelled as they drove their feet into the wall.
"MORONS~!" Misaka and Charla barked with shark teeth.
"ROOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRR~!"
Everyone on the Going Merry had to cover their ears from the loud snake's sudden roar.
"AHHHHH~!" Pagaya, Conis, Index, Awatsuki, Last Order, Juvia, Lucy and Yozura screamed.
"What the hell is wrong with this snake?!" Gray exclaimed, startled.
"That's odd," Tsuchimikado said a bit calmly. "It didn't react like that when it attacked our group."
"Why is it going crazy?!" Nami asked.
"RAAHHH~!" Luffy roared inside the cave. "GUM GUM: GATLING~!" Luffy unleashed a storm of fists into the cave walls over and over again.
"OMEGA FIRE DRAGON: TWIN IRON FIST~!" With both of her fists burst into flames, Cynthia unleashed a barrel of punches on the wall in rapid secessions.
"ROOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRR~!" The snake howled in pain as it took a crazed dive, which rocked the Going Merry and tossed Nami and Aisa off the Milky Road.
"AHHH~!" Nami screamed with Aisa clinging onto her. Panicking, Nami veered the Waver to the side, avoiding the snake's body, turning towards the Upper Yard ground.
"Nami no~!" Pagaya called out. "That way leads to the forest!"
"AHH~!" The second Nami looked back over the shoulder, she screamed when she saw the snake tailing after her.
"Nami~!" Connis yelled. She and her father watched in alarm as Nami, Aisa, and the snake chasing them disappeared into the forest.
"And thus the snake has claimed another set of victims," Tsuchimikado announced.
"Don't say it like that~!" Lucy scolded.
"What do we do father?" Connis glanced at Pagaya with worry. "They've gone deeper into the forest."
Elsewhere in a section of the Upper Yard, a shandian warrior had avoided Eneru's soldier's Ax Dial. The two men looked exhausted and injured, but they didn't waver glaring at each other.
"Ha you miss~!" The Shandian taunted.
"You just got lucky~!" The enforcer retorted.
"E-Excuse me gentlemen," Upon hearing a third voice, the two men turned to spot Shervan jumping down from the tree branch. "Have you two seen a woman with red eyes, and long brown hair?"
"A Blue Sea Dweller," The Enforcer gritted his teeth. He then answered. "No, I haven't seen the woman you described."
"...That's a shame. Oh well," Shervan muttered. There was a very dispersed atmosphere around the boy as dark green air could be seen surrounding him. His glowing eyes were visible to the men.
The second spoke, the two warriors froze in fear. "...Would you mind if I used you two as practice dummies?"
"You dare look down on us warriors, you brat?!" The Shandian roared. He along with the Enforcer forgot their feud with each other and charged towards the boy, with their weapons Dials ready to attack him.
"...Slow," They muttered unimpressed. Within a moment of taking a step, the boy was gone from their sight.
"GAH~!" The Shandian and the Kami soldier screamed in pain when their chests were suddenly cleaved, leaving a diagonal dragon-like claw mark on their stomachs. A dark wind trailed in Shervan's fingers as he reappeared behind them with arms crossed.
"Sky Coffin," The second Shervan clenched his fist. The defeated Shandian and Enforcer were each encased by a whirled of dark green wind. The men screamed in agony from the wind coffin slashing their bodies before it went silent.
Upon feeling satisfied, the young dragon slayer relaxed his hands, scattering the wind coffin, which left no trace of the two warrior's bodies. Only the Ax Dial from Eneru's enforcer remained unscratched.
"That was a satisfying kick ass warm up," Whoever was talking wasn't glanced at his hand, flexing his fingers a bit. "I'm still a bit rusty since I haven't taken control for quite some time, but we've still got it."
They then looked ahead. The war cries and explosions were dying down a bit, indicating that there were less fighters than before. "Ready or not, Harukawa~!" They announced with a devilish maniac grin on the innocent boy's face. "Here I come~!"
"JOOH~!"
A familiar South Bird flew high over the forests with a bag clutched in its talons, with Zoro clinging onto the bag for dear life.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Zoro yelled out to the bird. "Hey are you listening?!"
"JOH~!" The South Bird cawed.
"Once I get my hands on you, I'm going to pluck your feathers and cook you into a stew," Zoro threatened.
The bird ignored the angry swordsman, focusing on a sound it heard from down below it. A split second later, the massive python emerged from the forest snapping its fangs at the two.
"YAHH~!" Zoro screamed as he swung his lower body to avoid getting bitten. The South Bird crowded in alarmed, noticing the snake.
"COME ON YOU YA DUMB BIRD FLY HIGHER~!" Zoro ordered the bird. The snake noticed them and began to slither into the forest, pursuing them. He noticed the snake weaving through the trees with ease. "CRAP~! IT'S STILL AFTER US!? Someone must've really pissed it off or something."
The South Bird suddenly had a realization.
It had to deal with an annoying passenger because it wanted lunch in his bag. But the snake was after it because it wanted to eat the human. However since the stupid human was clinging onto the bag, the snake would eat both of them in one fell swoop. In contrast, if the bird wasn't holding the human, then the snake will go after him and will ignore it completely.
Thus, without hesitation, the bird let go of Zoro's bag.
"WHY YOU~!" Zoro comically roared like a duck with teeth. He was falling seemingly to him doom, while the bird flew past the giant beanstalk. "WAHHHH~!"
Wyper had finally made it to the giant beanstalk and wasted no time skiing up there. "To make it to God Shrine, I have to climb to the top of Giant Jack." Wyper reminded himself. "And if Eneru is there, we'll settle this horrible history once and for all."
"Hey, looks like we've made it~!" Wyper turned to his left to find Eguchi flying beside him with his white flames resembling wings. On his right side, was Terra with her own sets of wings made out of earth with Simon riding on top of it.
"This is a lot better and efficient than using a pickaxe!" Simon admits while clinging onto Terra's back.
The second the four burst out of the cloud that led to the Upper Ruins, they were immediately attacked by a wavy long white blade.
"SCATTER~!" Simon, Eguchi, and Wyper quickly split avoiding the sudden attack. The three landed on the clouds, facing Ohms.
"So you all want to go up to God's Shrine," Ohms declared. "However, I won't let you progress any furth-."
Ohm stopped himself mid sentence to jump back avoiding an incoming stream of flames aimed ato him. "Until the rest of the competitors arrived."
"I recognized those flames," Simon said as he and the other turned and spotted Natsu landing on the clouds after his attack. Not too far behind him were Erza, Cure Princess, Happy, and Todd.
"Finally I get the chance to pummel those Priests!" Natsu grinned despite his surprised attack being dodged.
"Erza…" Simon whispered. The last time they met was at Angel Beach, and seeing her again made him glad that she's alright.
"Hey look it's Simon," Happy announced in glee. "He really is alive~!"
"Yeah he is," Natsu said, a bit surprised.
"Terra~!" Todd wasted no time running towards his group. He gave his sister a big hug. "I'm glad that you're alright."
'You too,' Terra wrote with a smile, while hugging him back. 'Did you manage to take down Shiz-?'
CAW CAW~!
Someone was yet again interrupted by the sound of a certain bird. Cure Honey flew out of the forest with Touma wrapped in her yellow ribbons.
"Honey~!? Touma~!?" Princess hollered. Not too far behind the two were Dimanu riding on Fuza, and Sinolia tailing them. "AH~! It's the mist girl again~!"
"Hey guys~!" Dimanu waved to his team. He ignored chasing Touma and Honey and jumped off of Fuwa, landing near his comrades. "Looks like half of us are here."
"Yeah, honestly I kind of surprised that Moses isn't here," Eguchi said, scratching his head in confusion. "He may not show it in his face, but he has much more of a grudge against Eneru than you did Wyper."
Meanwhile, Honey landed with the others, she released the ribbon off of Touma who collapsed on his knees instantly. "That…was too close…"
"What's wrong with you?" Princess asked the boy.
"Long…story," Touma responded, trying to catch his breath.
"It involved his misfortune luck," Honey chimed in with a hint of teasing.
"That's Touma for you~!" Happy announced.
"Don't say that like it's a catchphrase~!" Touma barked.
"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!"
A new voice joined in the fray as a certain wandering swordsman was somehow falling from the sky.
"Z-ZORO~!?" Happy, Princess, Natsu, Erza, Honey, and Touma yelled out in utter disbelief. The man then crashed into a huge heep.
"You all managed to defeat Shura and Shizuka," Ohm said to the Luminous Tail and Wyper. "If you keep climbing Giant Jack, you get to God's Shrine. What makes you think that you have permission to pass?"
"Damn you~!" Wyper growled, glaring at Ohm who made his way back to Holly.
"It doesn't matter!" Announced another new voice. Luminous Tail, Wyper and the Priests looked up to find Gan Fall and Pierre, perched on the ruins, close to where Zoro had landed. "Heading there will be pointless."
"PIERRE~!" Pierre cawed.
"Gan Fall's here too?!" Touma asked in shock. He was the first to notice while they ran to where Zoro was.
"What business do you have here old man!?" Wyper roared angrily at the former God. "Can't let go of your position?!"
"No, but I still have responsibilities to fulfill," Gan Fall said with a hint of anger. "I thought you find it interesting to noting, that I just came from God's Shrine. It's tragic, the entire area has been utterly destroyed. Naturally, Eneru was nowhere to be found, it appears he no longer has any need for it!"
"Hold on~!" Wyper yelled at Gan Fall. "You're saying Eneru's not up there?"
"Why would he destroy his own place like that?" Simon pondered, trying to figure out God's motive. "He and Priest's been seizing the Upper Yard for years. Why would he suddenly just destroy God's Shrine?"
"I DEMAND TO KNOW OHMS!" Gan Fall lashed out at the final Priest. "WHAT IS IT THAT YOU AND YOUR MASTER SEEK TO DO!?"
"Damn, I really fricking hate birds," Zoro grumbled. He's able to get up on his feet despite falling from so high. "Huh? Where am I-"
"PRECURE MORON PUNISHER KICK~!" The swordsman was met with a foot in his face, by a very pissed off Precure. Zoro comically crashed into the ruin while Princess landed on her feet, with the others catching up to the two.
"Zoro must've done something really terrible to piss her off," Happy commented with a sweetdrop.
"No kidding," Natsu added.
"Why you…" Zoro peeled himself off of the broken ruins. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"
"Consider that payback for wandering off on your own," Princess retorted, feeling satisfied for her action.
"How did you get high up there anyway?" Touma asked, helping the swordsman up.
"Two words; Stupid bird," Zoro grumbled.
"I'm more surprised that you're still in one piece after a fall from that high," Natsu grinned.
"Not to mention that you just received a kick from a Pretty Cure," Touma added with a sweetdrop.
"It's going to take more than that to kill me," Zoro declared. He got to his feet, and eyed his surroundings. "Ruins huh? Where are we?"
"According to what Ohm said, we're in the Upper Ruins," Erza informed. She glanced at the Luminous Tail, Shandians, and Ohm. "It appears as though we're going to have to fight our way to the top."
Zoro drew out his sword and glanced at the other contenders. He then announced it to the others. "Hey~! Hand over the gold!"
"Look what we have here, more greedy infidels," Ohm declared.
"Pot calling the kettle black~!" Dimanu sanged in a mocking tone.
"We're taking down all of you~!" Natsu roared, pumping his fist together.
"Enough~!" Wyper roared, reading his cannon. "We'll destroy every one of you~!"
"Let's shed some blood in these ruins~!" Eguchi yelled. He along with Todd, Terra, Sinolia, and DImanu were readying themselves to fight alongside Wyper. Simon was hesitant since he had to face off with Erza and her friends , but didn't show it since he dedicated his alliance with the Shandians.
"The time has come Ohms~!" Gan Fall addressed the Priest. "Tell me where Eneru and the Divine Squad are!?"
Seven members of the Luminous Tail/ Shandian alliance. Eight pirates, one Priest and his dog, and the previous God.
And finally the large snake that burst through the clouds, looming over the remaining fighters in the Upper Ruins.
Shirabe had gone through half of the chambers in the rebel's lair. She was astonished at how nice and tidy parts of the rooms were, as well as how adaptive Luminous Tail was when they were fighting Eneru and his men.
She still had one more room to enter and was at the far end from the remaining two parallel doors. In front of her was a silver door with five Dials affixed to it in a vertical line. She wouldn't have seen any of it if it hadn't been for the two light dials illuminating the space.
"Are these Dials some sort of security mechanism?" Shirabe pondered as she examined the enormous entrance. She then gently stroked the bottom blue Dial, causing it to shift slightly left and right. She attempted to slide the pink Dial over the blue, but it became stuck. "Or perhaps a puzzle?"
Shirabe slowly moved the blue shell all the way to the left side of the slot.
CLICK~! BOOM~!
Mere seconds after hearing a click, Shirabe was blasted back by an unseen force. She crashed on her back, a few meters away from the door.
"Ghk~!" Shirabe coughed as she lifted her back off the ground. "What was that? I felt like something punched me in the stomach!" She was relieved that her armor had buffered some of the blow, but it still ached.
Once she got to her feet, Shirabe weary glanced at the Dial. "D-Did I move the Dial wrong?" She asked herself as she slowly tried to move the blue dial, but to her surprise the dial was stuck. Shirabe then tried moving the pink Dial again, causing it to move similar to the blue Dial.
"So I did get it right?" Shirabe asked uncertainty. As she tried to move the pink dial in the same direction as the blue dial, it didn't click like the one below.
She blinked, realizing the gimmick of the puzzle. "D-Don't tell me I have to trigger all the dials to unlock it?" She groaned as she facepalms. Shirabe's first thought was to cut through the door with her saws, but the ore layers were too thick for her buzzsaw to cut. "I never expect it to be easy, but they are really punishing thieves for sneaking in…"
Taking a deep breath, Shirabe moved the pink dial to the right, preparing for the worst.
CLICK!...FRAAPP~!
The last thing she expected was the Dial to release a stored fart odor right into her face.
"GAH~! IT REEKS~!" Shirabe comically gagged as she plugged her nose instantly. "I-IT GOT IN MY EYES~! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER STORES A FART IN A FLAVOR DIAL~!"
Two Dials down, and three to go.
Outside Luminous Tail's den, a familiar female silhouette landed on their feet. Her fingers were long and wavy and her hair was hovering like it was alive.
"Kill….Kill…Kill," Shizuka Aoi muttered in a haunted chant. Despite losing to Gonta, the Ultimate Torturer somehow managed to escape from him. "I'm going to kill that stain once and for all."
Yang: I-Is it just me…Or you've been pretty aggressive with the jump scares lately.
Freddy: For the last time, it wasn't me. I was with Kiba and Oda in the McDonalds Playhouse area to practice my transformation.
Peace: Wait, we have a playhouse?
Shiho: Of course we do. Ever since we found a pocket dimension close to the restaurant, those two have been going there nonstop.
Varvula: So if it wasn't Freddy then…W-We have an army of animatronic bears jump scaring us?!
Peace: I-If that were the case, then someone must've cloned Freddy or something.
Yang: Cowardly wizards~! They're trying to blame him for scaring us all!
Sanya: You were the one who accused him first.
Raven: Next Chapter: Upper Ruin Battle Royal.
Gwen: Boo~! [She suddenly appeared looking like a zombie.]
Shiho: GAH~! [She fainted.]
Gwen: Happy Halloween~!