Our heroes had woken up early in the morning to continue their journey and followed Mokona in the direction of a large volcano. To cut down on travel time, Hotaru had suggested that the party would use Alcyone's teleportation spell to teleport over to the volcano. While Alcyone had been able to teleport to the volcano, she was unable to bring anyone else with her.
"Are you serious?" Umi whined in a disappointed voice, "We finally have people who can fly and teleport and we still need to walk!"
"Don't take that tone with me young lady!" Alcyone scolded her. "I tried my best, but I'm afraid the only person I know who can teleport groups of people is Master Mage Clef."
"I could probably fly us over there one at a time," Hotaru suggested, "but I doubt us splitting up at this point is such a good idea."
"Traveling together is always the best option," Fuu smiled cheerfully. "We should make the most of it."
"Pu-puu!" Mokona nodded.
"What do you mean, Fuu-chan?" Hikaru tilted her head.
"Because Ms. Hikaru, the next Mashin is going to be yours and the final one," Fuu reminded her. "That means our adventure will be over soon."
"Oh, right…"
"I had almost forgotten myself," Alcyone admitted, thinking back to when they first met. "I never thought I would see the day when you girls return home."
"Yeah, you almost made sure of that," Umi pointed out, causing Alcyone to smile awkwardly.
While there was a feeling of finality in the air, Hotaru smiled confidently, "I'm sure we will meet again another time."
As the party continued on forward, it was about two hours later that they realized the volcano was a lot further than expected. By their most generous estimates, they wouldn't make it to the mountain until the next morning, if they traveled all night. What's more, Cephiro itself had one last trick up its sleeve.
"Uwah!" Alcyone squealed suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Hotaru asked.
"Something just touched my shoulder!" she yelled out before wiping her exposed right shoulder. "Huh? What is this black stuff?"
Before anyone could take a closer look, rain started falling from the sky. It started off as a light drizzle, before quickly turning into heavy rainfall.
"Aaah! We're getting soaked!" Umi yelled out, trying to cover her hair.
"Everyone inside that cave!" Hikaru yelled out, spotting a small cave a short distance away.
As they all rushed towards the cave, those running at the back of the group could see the clothes of those in front getting darker. At first, they thought it was just their clothes getting wet, but the contrast was far too great.
"It is soot!" Fuu yelled out. "The volcano's ash must have mixed in with the clouds!"
"Is it dangerous?" Alcyone asked worriedly.
"No but it stains pretty badly," Hotaru said, pointing at Alcyone's white cape.
By the time they all reached the cave, all of their clothes were soaked and dirty. The cave itself wasn't too large, only about half of what Mokona's shelter was, and deeper than it was tall. Fortunately, it was situated on higher ground, so the rain didn't flow inwards.
Umi let out a disgusted whimper as she stroked her soaked hair, "Almost two weeks without a proper bathe and now this!"
"I'm sure it will be fine," Alcyone spoke calmly as she inspected her cape which now looked like a Rorschach test. "We just need to ask Mokona to conjure us something to wash up with."
"Pu-puh…"
There was an awkward silence before Hotaru grimaced. "Yeah… easier said than done."
"Huh?" Alcyone blinked.
"Sir Mokona does not have many options in regards to personal hygiene," Fuu tried to break it down gently. "Aside from a few toiletries, they are not capable of summoning anything related to washing oneself."
The atmosphere in the cave changed, as Alcyone let go of her cape and turned her head towards Mokona. The little white rabbit-like fay backed away into the corner of the cave nervously, as an icy blue aura surrounded the sorceress. The others watched from the side intensely, as Alcyone approached the white blob. As she picked up Mokona and stared into its slitted eyes, they wondered if they should stop her, but they were used to stuff like this with Umi.
With her voice full of malice and vitriol, Alcyone asked, "Did Clef not prepare you with any ways for us to wash ourselves or our clothes?"
"Pu-puu…" Mokona shook its head timidly.
"That damn dirty wizard…" Alcyone gritted her teeth as she dropped Mokona. "What was he thinking!? Did he expect you to wash your clothes and bodies in rivers and lakes?"
"That's what we've been doing," Hikaru sighed while leaning against the wall of the cave. "But now there's no water anywhere…"
As the black rain kept pouring outside, the group's mood was down the drain. They hadn't exactly been squeaky clean before, but now their clothes felt sticky and had a sulfuric smoky scent to them. As their clothes started drying, the scent only got stronger.
"We could prepare an ofuro bath," Fuu suggested. "We just need a big barrel and some fire."
"That would mean we'd have to bathe one at a time," Hikaru pointed out. "Plus, our clothes would still be dirty."
Making a mental list of things they had in hand, Hotaru suggested, "I might have a solution, but it will require mixed bathing."
The others blushed slightly, until Umi sighed exasperatedly, "At this point I'll take anything."
"Alright, Mokona, can you conjure up some lumber?"
"Pupu," Mokona nodded.
"What! Are you going to build a bathhouse or something?" Umi yelled, looking at him amazed.
"No, just a door."
Once the rain stopped, they all got to work. At Hotaru's request, Umi washed the ground outside the cave from soot with her water spells. In the meanwhile, Hotaru built a simple wooden door frame and door for the cave, using wooden logs Mokona conjured. To cut the logs, Hotaru had to use the chainsaw function of his giant sword. Once the door was finished, he used his sword and Steel Strength to dig a hole outside the cave on the rocky ground.
"Are you digging for a hot spring?" Hikaru asked.
"Fat chance of finding one of those," Hotaru grunted while digging. "Help me move these rocks inside the cave."
"Wait… you're not planning to build a sauna, are you?" Fuu asked.
"Correct. Try stacking the stones so that they form two stoves," Hotaru instructed them.
"Why two?" she tilted her head.
"We want to wash our clothes too, don't we?"
With all of them working together, it did not take long for the girls to make two stoves out of the largest rock pieces. Once Hotaru was done digging, he requested Umi and Alcyone to fill the hole with ice water. Using Hikaru's Flame Arrow, they heated the two stoves up till they were glowing red. With Mokona's magic, they conjured five towels, a large ladle, and two containers; a bucket and a large cauldron, which they filled with water.
When everything was set, they stripped their clothes into the cauldron and wrapped themselves in the towels. By placing the cauldron on top of one of the stoves while throwing water on the other, they were able to clean themselves and boil their clothes at once. As they had nowhere else to sit on, they used one of the leftover logs as a bench.
"It's so hot…" Umi whimpered.
"Pu pu puu…" Mokona wiggled its ears and feet.
"How is this supposed to clean us?" Alcyone asked, adjusting her towel while struggling with the heat.
"The steam and sweat allow for the grime to come off, after which we rinse ourselves in the water outside," Hotaru answered, leaning against the warm wall of the cave.
"You serious!?" she yelled out. "I like the cold but that sounds like torture!"
"It is very good for your health and circulation, Ms. Alcyone," Fuu explained, being familiar with this method. "Though shouldn't we have washed ourselves before getting inside the sauna, Mr. Hotaru?"
"That only matters if you plan on reusing the sauna over and over again," Hotaru answered, keeping his eyes closed to give the girls privacy. "This is a temporary set up at best."
"It's still too much to bear…" Alcyone let out an anguished sigh before reaching for the ladle. "Let me at least turn down the heat."
Seeing Alcyone grabbing the ladle, Hikaru yelled out, "Wait, that's not how—!"
But before she could finish, Alcyone had thrown a large amount of water on the stove. The water turned to steam almost instantly, raising the temperature by several degrees. Realizing her mistake, Alcyone, Umi, and Hikaru all rushed out of the sauna. Hotaru, who kept his eyes closed, heard the girls scream and throw the door open, before jumping into the water outside.
"Please tell me they took the towels off before getting in the water…" Hotaru sighed to himself.
"It appears so," Fuu replied, causing Hotaru to jump.
Realizing he still wasn't alone, he requested, "You mind going with them and closing the door? I will wait till they are ready to come back in."
"Sure," Fuu smiled, before getting out of the sauna.
Outside, Alcyone, Hikaru, and Umi were all soaking in the icy water. As they all seemed to have cooled down, Fuu threw her towel into a pile and got in as well.
"Refreshing, isn't it?" she giggled.
"Yeah, but after this we're going to be cold to the bone," Alcyone whimpered, washing her arms off.
"That's when you go back inside," Hikaru explained. "You keep swapping between cold and hot until you're all clean."
Alcyone stared at the three of them, almost waiting for them to admit to joking, "…What a barbaric way of washing up."
"I thought so too on my first time," Fuu admitted. "But once you get used to it, it becomes quite pleasant."
The group spent the rest of the afternoon washing themselves and doing the laundry. While they got used to bathing in sauna, boiling their laundry while having no change of clothes had its own fair share of problems. Namely they first had to hang their clothes up while wearing towels, and then wait for their clothes to dry. So that they didn't have to wait out in the open, Mokona had summoned the egg-shaped shelter. To preserve their modesty, Mokona had conjured them a new set of pajamas. To Hotaru's chagrin, there still was no pajama option for men, so he had to settle for the same pajama style Alcyone wore.
Once their clothes had dried, they had traveled until it became night time. Tomorrow, they would reach the final shrine.
Zagato was not having a great day. Only yesterday had he lost not only his strongest fighter, but also his best friend. His injuries had still not healed, forcing him to stay in his fortress. With Inouva, Alcyone, Ascot, Caldina, and Lafarga all now gone, there was no one else around. While he had not planned for any of them to survive his plans to the end, with the exception of Inouva, the loneliness was starting to get to him.
Furthermore, with Inouva now gone, he was all out of servants. While he could take care of himself, doing so with broken ribs and torn abdominal muscles was easier said than done. But the pain and hardships caused by his injuries were nothing compared to his growing anxiety. His enemies were approaching the final Mashin and he was all out of minions. He could try stopping them alone, but he had almost lost to Hotaru in single combat. Fighting him and the Magic Knights as well, was utter foolishness.
And yet, he couldn't give up. Giving up would mean losing Princess Emeraude and throwing away the past fifteen years of hard work and bloodshed. Even if those who had been loyal to him and had fought for him had all been expendable pawns, it wasn't like their sacrifices didn't weigh on his mind. While the freedom of Emeraude meant more to him than the lives of all of Cephiro's citizens, he still grieved for the children.
"I've already become a monster and as one I shall perish," Zagato steeled his nerves, before dragging himself deeper into the fortress.
The winding and labyrinthine corridors of his repurposed castle had never bothered him before, but now each corridor was like a stab to his stomach. Despite the pain, he kept moving forth, until he reached the innermost sanctum of the fortress. This used to have been Princess Emeraude's private chambers, but its bright and gentle atmosphere was long gone.
The room was cold and dark, with large crystal stalactites growing from the ceiling. The four walls of the room were made out of bluish glass-like marble and the floor was jade. A wide red carpet led to the center of the room, where there was a circular indentation.
As soon as Zagato stood next to the indentation, a see-through image appeared before his eyes. A young girl with blonde hair three times longer than she was tall, sat in the middle of a massive pink rose. It had been a few days since he had last seen her this close up. While seeing her brought Zagato great joy, seeing him brought Princess Emeraude nothing but anguish.
"Zagato…" Emeraude's eyes narrowed. "Your injuries…"
"Are irrelevant," Zagato interrupted her. "I came to inform you that Inouva has died."
Emeraude's expression saddened even further, her tears falling down onto her dress, "Yes, I knew. I sensed his death at the hands of Alcyone."
"Alcyone?" Zagato's eyes widened, as he gasped through his teeth. "How… there is no way she could defeat Inouva in his true form!"
"She finally found someone who responded to her love and affection," Emeraude clutched her chest, shedding a single tear of joy for an old ally.
"Hotaru…" Zagato clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger. "Why did you summon him to this world? Did seeing me mistreat Alcyone really hurt you so much that you had to ruin my plans?"
"…Yes," Emeraude groaned in pain, nodding. "But it wasn't just for Alcyone. It was for you. I want you to stop Zagato. Please, stop fighting like this. What is there to gain from freeing me? With Cephiro gone, where will we live? Where can we even find happiness anymore…"
These were questions Zagato had often asked himself in the past. To destroy Cephiro meant he would be freeing Emeraude, but Cephiro wasn't just their prison, but their home. Not only would the world of Cephiro crumble, but the magic of Cephiro would also disappear. While they would be free, they would be powerless, and left alone in the void. But, fifteen years ago, he had received the answer.
"I have family on another world," Zagato answered calmly. "Once Cephiro is destroyed, they will come to retrieve us. I had originally intended for Inouva to join us as well, but he saw it more important to see my wish come true."
"Lantis…" Emeraude gasped, her eyes widening, "did he agree to this?"
"He said that if I ever manage to break the pillar system, we would always be welcome at his home," Zagato answered, before forcing a wicked smile. "Who knew a little bit of brotherly love would have led to so much suffering…"
Emeraude's jaw hung agape, before she covered her face and started weeping into her hands, "I never knew… I never knew that's what started all this. Why must I be surrounded by people who care for me so much…"
Hearing Emeraude's heartfelt words, Zagato felt a stabbing pain in his heart, "…Are you unhappy about it?"
"No, I am glad," she wiped her tears. "While being treated as nothing more than a tool is more beneficial to a Pillar, I am happy I got to meet all the wonderful people who cared for me. I will remember you dearly, when I am gone…"
"That won't happen!" Zagato raised his voice, for the first time in many years. "Even if it means giving my life, I will not allow this unfair world to take you away from me!"
"You can't mean that you, Zagato, are going to…" Emeraude's eyes moistened once more. "Please! Not with your injuries! You won't make it!"
"Now that Inouva has been defeated, I am the only person who can defeat the Magic Knights," Zagato said solemnly, before turning around.
As he walked away from the projection, he could hear Emeraude praying behind him. It was a prayer he recognized from back when he was still the high priest. A prayer to help the injured and the sickly. She had already used it on him once, but the effect had only been enough to keep him alive.
"It's no use…" Zagato warned her with a heavy sigh. "With your remaining power— Hmph?"
As Emeraude's prayer finished, a powerful warmth spread from his back throughout his body. He could feel his broken bones and his posture realign themselves, and his torn muscles reconnecting. In fact, he felt like he was in better condition than before his previous battle. This was no ordinary healing magic.
"So… you've been holding back this entire time," Zagato smiled, feeling more confident now.
Holding back the tears so she could talk, Emeraude pleaded, "Please… just promise you come back alive."
"I promise," Zagato nodded, before leaving the inner sanctum.
With his body now at peak performance, Zagato almost glided along the corridors of his fortress. He was confident of his victory and rejoiced in his new vigor. He felt his neglected appetite coming back and the thought of getting a full night's rest without excruciating pain sounded divine. But just as he was getting ready to prepare himself a meal before getting proper rest, he sensed something.
A sound, like a quiet chanting of voices, and a feeling, like something trying to scratch its way to freedom. As he sharpened his senses, Zagato could sense a presence far away from here.
"Someone is trying to break my spell…" he thought out loud, before smiling. "Interesting…"
The next morning, the skies were surprisingly clear, with small streaks of blue being visible through the black clouds. Feeling well rested and refreshed after yesterday, the party continued heading towards the volcano. As they reached the volcanic area, they could see forests around its vicinity that had not yet withered away. Fuu and Alcyone had a debate on whether this was due to volcanic ash keeping the ground fertile or due to the proximity of the Mashin.
Around three pm, Mokona started veering off the course. Instead of going towards the volcano, their guide started heading back towards the wasteland.
"Pup-pu puu!" Mokona chirped loudly, bouncing with increased vigor.
"Mokona!" Hikaru yelled, chasing after.
Following after the sacred beast, they watched as the white bunny blob bounced into a cave. The cave didn't look all that impressive, being about the same size as the one they had taken shelter in yesterday.
"Mokona went in!" Hikaru yelled to those following behind.
"Don't tell me it wants another sauna?" Umi raised her eyebrow.
"Maybe the third Mashin lies in here," Fuu suggested, catching up with the others.
Umi raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "The last Mashin? In a cave like this?"
"At this time of year? At this time of day? At this part of Cephiro?" Hotaru added dramatically. "In any case we should go check it out."
"But I feel like monsters are going to appear," Fuu said worriedly, looking into the cave.
"I feel that way too," Umi felt a cold shiver run down her spine. "You didn't have to say it out loud. It makes it harder to go in…"
"How are you girls still afraid of monsters at this point?" Alcyone asked, shaking her head lightly. "You are far more powerful than any beast Cephiro has seen at this point."
"Are you not afraid of monsters then, Ms. Alcyone?" Fuu asked.
She thought about it for a moment, before admitting, "When you've lived amongst Ascot's beasts for several years, they kind of lose their intimidation factor."
"…Wait, those things were roaming the castle freely?" Hotaru asked, shocked to hear this. "I always thought they were kept in like… spherical pocket-sized capsules, or something."
Alcyone shook her head, "No, monsters aren't like your weapons, dear. They don't just convert into energy and store inside little orbs. When summoning a beast, you are essentially teleporting it over from its current location."
While the others were having a conversation about summoning monsters, Hikaru was staring at the cave entrance. Memories of their times at the Water and Sky Shrines filled her mind. If this truly was where the third Mashin was, then her trial would soon begin. Looking back, she had never had any doubts about saving Cephiro. But now, the cave scared her more than any monster had.
Am I truly ready to be a Magic Knight? I wanted to protect people and help Princess Emeraude, but…
Hikaru jolted as she all of a sudden felt a pair of arms on her shoulders. As she looked back, she could see Umi and Fuu placing their hands on her shoulders.
"Don't worry Hikaru, we both felt apprehensive before seeing our Mashins," Umi encouraged her.
"It will be fine, we are here for you," Fuu smiled.
"Guys…" Hikaru whispered, before nodding and walking forth. "Let's go."
Mokona was already impatiently hopping at the entrance of the cave, hurrying them to come along. While the cave seemed small and unassuming from the outside, it was surprisingly deep. The walls of the winding tunnel were made out of green obsidian, which gave off slight luminescence. Despite the ominous atmosphere, Mokona didn't stop chirping during the entire journey. After ten minutes of walking, they could see orange light at the end of the tunnel.
"It's the exit!" Hikaru yelled out, before rushing ahead.
"Wait, Hikaru!" Umi yelled out, before running after her with Fuu.
"Is it me or is it getting hotter in here?" Alcyone asked, wiping sweat off of her brow.
"It is not just you," Hotaru said while walking forward at a steady pace.
As the three Magic Knights reached the end of the tunnel, they all gasped at what they saw. The tunnel had led to a narrow pathway that was surrounded by a lake of lava. From the lava rose several other small platforms of volcanic rock, with heavy volcanic gasses obscuring the molten rock between them. On the opposite side of the pathway, there were massive iron double doors. The doors were simple in design with minimal decorations. At the top of the door, there was a hexagonal magic circle, surrounded by flames, with a flaming symbol at the center of it.
"This is even hotter than yesterday," Umi fanned herself with her hand.
"A volcano shrine," Hikaru gasped. "We must be underneath the volcano."
"I think I am going to faint…" Alcyone panted, before turning to Hotaru. "How bad of an idea would it be to try and cool down the area?"
Giving it a quick consideration, he answered, "It would literally blow up in your face."
"The third Mashin must be here," Fuu stated, looking at the symbol above the door.
Hikaru gulped and nodded, "When we were first summoned to Cephiro from Tokyo Tower, we saw the ocean, the island in the sky, and the volcano. Each of them hid one Mashin each…"
"Pretty sure this is on an entirely different continent than the one we saw when we arrived here," Hotaru raised an eyebrow, remembering the map Mokona had shown them.
"In any case, we should give our thanks to Sir Mokona for getting us this far safely," Fuu smiled.
"Pu-puuu!" Mokona chirped happily, wiggling its ears fast enough to almost take flight.
"Not bad, Mokona," Umi congratulated it.
"Thank you for doing your best, Mokona," Alcyone smiled at the little creature.
"Thank you for the… hmmm," Hotaru started out, before drawing a blank. "For the food I guess."
"Puuu!" Mokona pouted at him angrily.
"Ho-ta-ru, you could be a bit more grateful to Mokona than that," Umi scolded him with her hands on her hips.
"You didn't have to sleep on the couch in your day clothes every night! Also, I am still not over it keeping the flying saucer hidden at the start."
"Mr. Hotaru, you insisted on doing all that since you didn't want to sleep on the heart bed in girls' pajamas," Fuu rectified him while pushing up her glasses. "Had you relented on your machismo, Mokona could have done more for you."
"…You got me there," he admitted reluctantly.
Before Hotaru had time to apologize to Mokona, the iron doors started opening up. The movement of the incredibly heavy doors caused the ground to shake, but this was the least of their concerns. For as the doors opened, a massive blast of scorching hot air blew out from behind them. With the white-hot glow behind the doors, it was as if they had stood before a blast furnace. Fuu, Umi, and Hotaru all screamed from the heat, as Alcyone took cover behind Hotaru.
The only one who seemed unaffected was Hikaru. The red-hot air coiled around the red Magic Knight, lifting her off the ground and slowly tilting her until she was laying on her back in the air.
"Ms. Hikaru!"
"Hikaru!"
The red-headed girl didn't react to her friends' words and appeared to stare into the distance. As her body floated through the double doors, the iron monoliths closed up once more.
Once the torrent of hot hair stopped, Alcyone peaked from behind Hotaru's back, "What just happened?"
"The pattern repeats," Hotaru answered matter-of-factly. "Something like this happened with Umi and Fuu as they reached the other shrines."
"Still, it wasn't this intense before," Umi said worriedly.
"Also, it isn't the only pattern that seems to be repeating," Fuu pointed out, looking at Hotaru.
Hotaru tilted his head, "What are you talking about?"
"In the Water Shrine, you got your arm broken. In the Sky Shrine, you were dropped off the floating island," Fuu reminded him, before turning her gaze. "And now…"
Seeing her stare at the lake of lava surrounding them, Hotaru gulped. If his memory served him right, the foe they would be facing today would be Zagato. While the former high priest was a great threat, they were now much better equipped than in the show. Not to mention, if there was someone who could pull things through, it would be Hikaru.
Despite the extreme temperatures of their surroundings, Alcyone felt a cold shiver run down her spine, "He's here…"
Right on cue
From a distance, they could all hear a deep and imposing voice, "I've been waiting for you, Magic Knights."
As they turned around, they could see Zagato standing on top of a tilted stone island that jutted out of the lava. He was quite some distance away, yet they could all feel the pressure he was exuding over the area.
"Zagato!" Fuu, Umi, and Alcyone all gasped together.
"Tungsten Defense!" Hotaru yelled out instinctively, before summoning his shield. "Back for round two I see. What took ya?"
Zagato smiled, amused by his confidence, "Bold words for someone who fled our last battle."
"Oh please, I spared your life," Hotaru bragged, smirking back. "I just needed you alive to spill the beans for Alcyone."
"Eh?" the three women looked at him shocked.
Despite his cocky attitude, Hotaru wasn't playing around. After having faced Lafarga and Inouva both at once, he had been dreading this day. His influence had caused Zagato to see the Magic Knights as an even greater threat than before. Hence, if he was going to face them all today, he would surely have something new up his sleeve.
Please tell me he didn't bring THAT thing along early…
Hearing Hotaru's words, Zagato's expression turned more serious, "If that is true then you wasted your one chance at killing me."
"Zagato!" Alcyone yelled out angrily, pointing her bident-like staff at him. "Today you will pay for your crimes against Cephiro and all those who trusted in you!"
Zagato looked at Alcyone with great abhorrence, "You truly have grown stronger, I admit that. But how do you of all people dare to accuse me of my crimes?"
"Silver Speed…" Hotaru muttered under his breath angrily.
Before others could defend Alcyone, she spoke out, "…I will pay for my crimes in due time. But before that, as the last living member of the noble house of Subaru, I will oversee your execution!"
While the others were impressed by Alcyone's conviction, Zagato only let out a soft smile and chuckle, "So, you are claiming the highest authority around besides mine. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but it isn't you. It's him."
Before anyone could ask what Zagato meant, Hotaru saw a blue light in the corner of his eye. Using Silver Speed and his shield, he quickly moved to block the light. A blue blast of energy struck his shield, causing a powerful explosion that blew away the volcanic gasses. While his shield absorbed most of the shock, the others were almost blown away by the shockwave.
As the dust settled, Hotaru peaked from behind his shield. What he saw horrified him beyond any possible outcome he had imagined for today.
"Clef…" He uttered.
"…Presea and Sierra," Alcyone whispered, seeing her old acquaintances.
"Caldina!" Fuu called out for her.
"Ascot!" Umi gasped. "…Have you grown taller?"
Indeed, five of their closest friends were standing on the opposite end of the pathway they stood upon. They were blocking the exit completely, preventing them from escaping. Their expressions were blank, their eyes soulless, and there were familiar blue markings on their faces.
[Fifteen hours earlier]
It was a dark stormy night at a mountainous region near the area where the Magic Knights had started their journey at. There was no rainfall, but blue flashes of lightning lit up the cloud covered sky from time to time. The area was on the verge of collapse and all animals and humans had evacuated the nearby region ages ago. Despite this, there were four highly respected and or feared people gathered around in one of the valleys of the region. Two blonde women with long ponytails who looked identical aside from their clothes. A pink-haired woman in a dark revealing dancer's outfit and a red cape. A twelve-year-old looking boy in a big black hat, white robes, green pointy shoes, and black baggy pants.
"Are you sure this will work?" Presea asked in a worried voice.
"Trust me doll, Ascot is a smart and talented kid," Caldina reassured her.
While drawing a magic circle on the ground, Ascot promised, "I will try my best. I managed to break Alcyone out of her prison once, but that was simple containment magic."
"And that's what you need us for, right?" Sierra tried to keep up with the explanations.
Once the magic circle was complete, it resembled an eight-pointed star made out of two squares, inside two large circles. Between the circles, there were four squares in the directions of the compass. At the very center of the circle, stood a stone statue about four feet tall, that perfectly resembled Master Mage Clef.
"Everyone, stand in the corners," Ascot instructed the others.
Once everyone was in position, Ascot released two glowing green orbs from his hands. They traced the patterns of the magic circle, causing it to glow verdant green as well. Ascot, Caldina, Presea, and Sierra all chanted together, syncing up their magical powers. As Ascot continued casting his spell, the three women could feel their magical power being drained into the circle. The experience wasn't painful, but they knew the spell was requiring a lot from them.
Once the magic circle had drawn enough power, it slowly turned blue, after which dozens of wisps of light started rising from it. At this point, Ascot moved his arms around and summoned a smaller golden, hexagram magic circle in the air. Dozens of golden three-eyed beetles appeared from it, which after touching the wisps turned into glowing blue butterflies. As the butterflies landed on the statue, they began to pop in blue flashes of light, slowly chipping away at the stone.
"Please work…" Presea prayed nervously.
As the stone cracked, they could see small glints of white underneath it. Once enough of the stone had chipped away, the master mage's jewelry and skin became visible. As Clef's eyes became visible, they blinked, after which the remaining stone began to glow. At a much more rapid pace, the stone reverted back into flesh, as Clef finished freeing himself.
"Clef!" Presea and Sierra yelled happily.
The short mage who looked only twelve years old and held a staff twice as long as him, smiled widely at them, but staggered. He was still dizzy after being trapped for so long and his feet had fallen asleep. As he looked around, he could see two familiar blonde women, as well as a darker skinned pink-haired woman and a brunette preteen.
"Presea, Sierra, so good to see you two again," Clef smiled, trying to get his bearings. "And you two are?"
"Caldina, dancer and illusionist, nice to meet ya," Caldina greeted the mage, before whispering. "He looks even smaller when not made out of stone…"
"Umm, I-I'm Ascot, a summoner!" he introduced himself.
"Caldina, Ascot…" Clef repeated their names, before remembering. "You two work for Zagato!"
"They used to!" Presea interrupted Clef. "They've met with the Magic Knights and joined us in freeing you by Hotaru's suggestion."
"Yeah, we don't really feel like working for Zagato anymore, seeing as to what he has done to the world," Caldina informed, keeping her arms crossed around her chest. "We're sorry about what we've done, but you could be at least a little grateful."
The situation was tense, but eventually Clef sighed, "Very well, if Prese-AAAAAAGH!"
Out of nowhere, Clef was engulfed in blue flames before everyone's eyes. The master mage yelled out in pain, dropping his staff and clutched his head. The others gasped and tried to help him out, until four more bursts of blue fire struck them. As the fire spread over the others, Clef looked around, only to spot Zagato hiding in the darkness far too late.
"Curse you… Zagato!"
Hotaru was shaking with anger, amazement, and fear. He was amazed that Zagato had come up with such a dastardly plan to defeat them. While most of his new minions were weaker than them, each of them presented their own threat for Hotaru's side. His anger however, was purely focused on himself.
"I cannot thank you enough Hotaru," Zagato smiled from a distance. "Without you asking Ascot and Caldina to help in releasing Clef, I would probably never have been able to find them all again."
"To use our friends as soldiers against us… how terrible," Fuu trembled.
Furious, Umi summoned her rapier and pointed it at Zagato, "We will never forgive you for this, Zagato!"
Instead of a retort, Zagato simply snapped his fingers. Hearing the signal, Presea and Sierra drew their swords and charged towards Umi and the others. Despite Hotaru standing before them to block them, the twin sisters simply ran past him without care. Instead, the two blonde women attacked Umi and Fuu, who easily parried with their Escudo weapons.
"We're clearly stronger," Fuu said, while pushing Presea back, "but what are we supposed to do?"
Before Hotaru could answer, he was getting pelted by Ascot's magical attacks. The young boy was firing energy beams from his finger, while summoning exploding insects with his other hand. While he wanted to knock Ascot off of his platform, he knew this could risk injuring the boy.
In the meanwhile, Alcyone was exchanging spells with Clef. The master mage was as powerful as ever and his multitudes of elemental spells were pushing Alcyone's ice spells back. Though her powers had increased, she didn't want to use her most powerful spells against her old teacher. Not anymore.
"We need fire in order to break Zagato's spell!" Alcyone yelled out.
"But all our fire floated through the doors!" Umi yelled out, trying to block Sierra's reckless attacks.
"We just need to… god dammit," Hotaru swore before throwing his spear at Ascot.
The spear struck the floating rock the preteen was standing on, shattering it to pieces. Without even reacting to this, Ascot fell down onto his back on the platform underneath, falling with a thud. While this only stopped the summoner momentarily, it was enough for Hotaru.
"We just need to hold out until our resident fire starter comes back! Fuu, Alcyone, restrain them!"
"Roger!" they both yelled.
"Winds of Admonishment!"
"Black Binding!"
In no time, Presea and Sierra were wrapped up by emerald twisters, as Ascot and Caldina were bound by black rubber rings. As Hotaru had no way of binding enemies and he still had Zagato to worry about, he charged towards Clef with Silver Speed.
I'm sure Fuu can heal his arms if I break them.
Before Hotaru could reach Clef, the short mage fired a ball of blue lightning his way. With little effort, Hotaru managed to backhand the spell away with his shield. But as he moved the shield out of the way of his view, he saw another projectile in a blind spot. For just a moment he could see a black, almost invisible projectile strike the pathway just ahead of him.
"Hotaru, look out!" Alcyone yelled, but it was too late.
As the side of the pathway exploded violently, Hotaru lost his footing as the ground crumbled. He tried grabbing hold of the rocky edge, but thanks to Tungsten Defense, the pathway's remains couldn't hold his weight. As he turned around, he could see Zagato waving him goodbye from afar. He only managed a quick yell before the hot magma swallowed him up.
"HOTARU!" The three women yelled.
On the other side of the giant iron doors, things were both calmer and more heated up. Hikaru was floating through the air on her back, carried by hot currents of air, over a seemingly never-ending sea of yellow-hot lava. Despite the scorching hot air that would normally set her clothes on fire, she felt calm and at peace. And yet, in spite of her trance-like state, there was a feeling of unease in her heart.
Eventually her body was repositioned vertically once more. She was still floating above lava and was staring at a massive, reddish orange, roaring flame in front of her. In the flames, she could see two glowing eyes staring into her soul.
What is this? It feels like something's here…
Without hesitation, Hikaru walked towards the flame. As she walked closer, her feet touched solid ground once more, and she could spot a figure cloaked in fire. It was a flaming quadrupedal creature, about the size of a rhinoceros. It had long brown canine ears, and a beige wolf-like face. From its forehead, grew a large brass horn.
A mane of flames? Red eyes… A lion? Or a wolf?
As she stared at the monster, Hikaru's senses began to sharpen. The haze in her mind disappeared and she could feel an overbearing presence from the fiery wolf. The hot air exuded from its flames caused her hair to flow in the wind.
"What is… thy name?" the wolf asked in a slow but deep voice.
"Hikaru. Shidou Hikaru," she answered, her eyes clued on the beast.
With a slightly more passion in its voice, the wolf introduced itself, "My name is Rayearth. A legendary Mashin that awaits the Magic Knight in this Fire Shrine over the ages."
"Mashin?" Hikaru repeated, her eyes wide. "A legendary Mashin?"
He is smaller than the other two… and kind of reminds me of Inouva.
The wolf laid down on the ground, inside a red magic circle, "Girl summoned here from another world by the Pillar of Cephiro… Dost thou wish to become a true Magic Knight?"
"I…" Hikaru's words got stuck in her throat, as a cold shiver ran down her spine.
…Do I want to be a Magic Knight? I've been wanting to save Cephiro all this time, but if it means killing Princess Emeraude and Zagato…
The feeling of doubt she had been holding back all day was resurfacing. For several weeks now, becoming a full-fledged Magic Knight had been her one and only goal. To help people, to save this world, and to rescue the lives of her friends. But could she truly do it?
Zagato and Emeraude… They only wanted to love one another, but now they must die for it? It just isn't fair! And even if I do it, and the world is set free, what about Hotaru? Alcyone? Clef, Presea, Ferio, and others! Will… will I ever be able to see them again?
Hikaru tried her best to come up with a different solution to saving Cephiro. Would it be possible to change the way the Pillar operated? Could the people of Cephiro be evacuated to Earth? Could she, as a Magic Knight, save everyone if she tried?
I wish Hotaru and Fuu were here, they would surely come up with something…
"Dost thou wish to become a true Magic Knight?" Rayearth asked again, his voice now sounding impatient.
While Hikaru was still hesitant, she remembered what she had promised Hotaru a few days ago. Though she didn't like it, she would save Cephiro so that her friend could live in this world with Alcyone. So that all of her friends in this world could live.
"…I do," Hikaru answered, clenching her fists. "I want to become a Magic Knight and save my friends. I want to grant the wishes of all the people who helped us here."
"Then show before me the proof that makes thee worthy of donning me," Rayearth requested. "Show before me the strength of thine heart that makes thee worthy of donning me and becoming a Magic Knight."
With Hikaru giving Rayearth a nod, the wolf stood up all of a sudden, and charged at her. With the Mashin's horn barely missing her, Rayearth headbutted her, sending her flying back. Her small body flew backwards across the air, over the lava, all the way back to the door in a few seconds. Despite not feeling pain from this, she screamed loudly from the shock of it all.
"Barrier Circle!" Alcyone yelled, creating a black magical barrier around her.
Being targeted by spells from both Zagato and Clef, she had to put all she had into the protective spell. In the meanwhile, Fuu and Umi were doing their best holding back Presea, Sierra, Ascot, and Caldina. After Hotaru had sunken in lava, Clef had cancelled their binding spells on their other brainwashed friends. While their foes were nowhere near as dangerous, they were outnumbered and had to hold back, lest they would harm their friends.
Watching the three women struggle, Zagato let out a singular cruel chuckle, "Fufu, it is just a matter of time till this is over. But enough games…"
Zagato extended out his hands, his palms facing each other, before conjuring a huge white ball of energy. Black energy rings pulsed out of the ball as it charged up, which formed into a tunnel of white rings in front of Zagato.
Alcyone gasped in horror as she recognized the spell. She had seen it being used on multiple occasions, with countless lives being swallowed by black flames. The only one who had ever survived it, now laid at the bottom of the lava basin.
Eventually the white ball turned pitch black, at which point Zagato spoke out, "Darkness Burst Death Strike…!"
"ZAGATO!"
"Huh?!" Zagato gasped, as a white light approached him.
Zagato managed to teleport out of the way to another rocky outcropping, before the rock he stood upon was crushed. As he looked around, he could spot a warrior in blue standing atop one of many pillars.
"Lafarga!" the others yelled out.
Seeing they were distracted; Clef raised his staff towards Alcyone and the others. A bright purple glow lit up in the gems of his staff, as he started gathering up magical power. However, he was interrupted by a blow from the back.
"Don't forget about me!" an impudent young voice spoke out, as Clef was knocked over.
"Ferio!" Fuu yelled out, seeing the green-haired swordsman.
While Ferio started helping out the Magic Knights, Lafarga stared at Zagato silently, holding his sword in both hands. As he looked around, he counted the number of combatants around. While he only recognized Clef, he could tell that him and many others around were under the same spell he had been. In addition, he could not see the red Magic Knight who had freed him, or their bodyguard.
"I see you have been freed from my spell, Lafarga," Zagato spoke in a calm voice. "You do realize you still cannot win against me."
"Perhaps, but neither can you," Lafarga said calmly, before jumping high into the air.
Having reached the zenith of his jump, Lafarga swung his sword down, sending a powerful pressure wave of wind at Zagato. The wave cleaved the lava underneath, before reaching the stone pillar the former high priest stood on. Zagato teleported once more, attempting to appear behind Lafarga. However, as he reappeared, Lafarga was nowhere to be seen. It was only as another booming flash of light sounded off, Zagato realized Lafarga was standing besides Alcyone and the others.
"Ferio, Lafarga, what are you doing here?" Umi yelled, surprised to see the two swordsmen.
"I ran into the young man in the wasteland and brought him with me," Lafarga explained. "He said he had something important to tell you all."
"That's right," Ferio spoke directly, "the truth is that— huh?
As Ferio tried telling others what he had learnt, the large doors behind the group opened up. A geyser of lava flew out from behind the doors, before splashing on the ground. The lava disappeared almost immediately, leaving behind only a short girl in red armor laying on the ground.
"Ms. Hikaru!" Fuu yelled out.
"Hikaru-chan!" Umi rushed over to her.
Seeing what was going on, Hikaru quickly got up, "Umi! Fuu! What happened?"
"No time to explain! Astra!" Alcyone yelled, keeping Zagato at bay with Lafarga. "Bunch of people brainwashed, need fire now!"
Alcyone and Lafarga were firing off their spells and sword slashes at Zagato. The high priest was easily able to evade their attacks, but didn't have time to cast large scale spells of his own.
"Winds of Protection!" Fuu yelled out, blocking another devastating spell from Clef.
"Hurry up Hikaru!" Ferio yelled, defending against Caldina, Presea, and Sierra with Umi.
Seeing how dire things had gone, Hikaru nodded quickly, "Right! Flame Arr—!"
As Hikaru was about to cast, she noticed something. Despite all of her friends being here fighting each other, something was missing. With almost a dozen fighters in flashy outfits, casting colorful spells, something seemed to be missing. Counting everyone present, her heart sank.
"Where is Hotaru?" she yelled out, not seeing the familiar brunette in the sea of colors.
"He…" Alcyone choked on her words. "He has fallen…"
"That… that can't be…" Hikaru gasped, unable to believe her ears.
The idea of Hotaru being dead felt unreal for both Alcyone and Hikaru, like a bad joke. They had all seen the young man pull through the most incredible injuries and perils. Every time they thought he was dead, he seemed to come back from beyond the veil.
Seeing that his enemies had doubled in number, Zagato was getting a bit cautious. However, with some of them being distracted, he saw this as a good opportunity for one of his aces. With the snap of his fingers, Caldina jumped back from the front-line with several backflips.
As Lafarga saw the pink-haired dancer taking off her red cape, he was taken aback by her beauty. However, his warrior senses told him something was up. As Caldina began dancing, the combatants all stopped for a moment, as they heard rhythmic jingling of bells. They couldn't help but stare, as the red round gems on Caldina's gloves, shoes, and earrings shone in pink pulses.
"W-What is going on?" Lafarga grunted, holding his head.
"Caldina's hypnosis!" Alcyone warned others, covering her ears while trying to look away. "Anyone with a weaker will than hers gets taken over by it almost instantly!"
"Everyone, try to hold on!" Hikaru yelled out, doing all she could to resist the bells.
As they all struggled to resist Caldina's hypnosis, the Magic Knights could feel the effects on them slowly peter out.
"Alcyone, are you okay?" Umi asked, yelling over the bells.
"I'm fine!"
"Lafarga, how about you?" Hikaru asked, holding her ears.
"I will not lose my mind again…" he gritted his teeth.
"Ferio, what about— HUH?" Fuu yelped.
Fuu managed to evade only in a nick of time, as a large curved sword swung past her face, cutting an inch off of her bangs. As she stepped back, she could see that Ferio's golden eyes were glazed over. As the young swordsman attacked again, Fuu was forced to defend herself with her own sword.
"Ferio! Snap out of it!" Fuu yelled desperately.
Seeing that the person he had escorted was under Caldina's spell, Lafarga swung his sword towards the dancer. The flashing blade of wind flew straight at her, but Caldina managed to evade it with a sideways cartwheel.
"Clever girl," he grunted, before avoiding a spell cast by Clef.
"Lafarga! Do you know what Ferio was going to tell us?" Fuu yelled, trying to push him back with her sword.
"He said something about having a message from Princess Emeraude!" he yelled before launching an attack at Clef, "but before that he rambled something about the princess being his sister!"
"His sister!?" Fuu yelled out in shock, before parrying another one of Ferio's attacks.
Seeing their numerical advantage was gone, Umi yelled out, "Hikaru! You must snap them out of it! Hikaru…"
As Umi looked at her friend, she couldn't believe her eyes. Hikaru was frozen in place, her hand shaking in the air, as she breathed irregularly. This was the first time Umi had seen her freeze up like this. She was about to ask what was going on, until she was interrupted by Presea and Sierra's swordsmanship.
Despite seeing that her friends were in trouble, Hikaru couldn't find it in her heart to act.
If Hotaru could fall here, anyone can. I was able to release Lafarga with Flame Arrow, but can others take it? I have become so much more powerful than at the start... I might kill them outright. And if not, I might push them into the lava! I want to save the world, but I don't want to lose my friends!
With Clef and Caldina drawing the attention of Alcyone and Lafarga, Zagato mused, "It's time to put an end to this. Farewell, Magic Knights!"
Zagato charged up a huge ball of purple energy into his arms, before firing a spiraling purple energy beam, "Ebony Annihilation!
Seeing the spell approaching, Hikaru snapped out of it and yelled out, "LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!"
Just as Ebony Annihilation was about to hit, a large pillar of Magma rose up between the Magic Knights and the spell. There was a powerful shockwave as the entire cave was lit up by an explosion, which spewed the lava everywhere. As the lava came off, everyone saw a gigantic, red, armored figure standing atop the lava.
The magic knights stared at it with their jaws agape, as Hikaru spoke out in shock, "H-Hotaru?!"
Standing several stories tall, the young man groaned with a pained expression on his face. His clothes, armor, and skin were all glowing red-hot from having been in the lava for several minutes by now. His hair seemed to be on fire and he was missing his right gauntlet. His bloodshot lime-green eyes stared at all the people around him, before turning around to face Zagato.
Speaking with a voice that sounded like steam escaping from a kettle, Hotaru spat out lava, "Compared to Inouva's lightning, this magma is but a hot bath."
Seeing his longtime foe standing before him once more, Zagato yelled angrily, "You… bastard son of a bitch!"
Just as Zagato started charging up another spell, Hotaru quickly reached into the lava, picking up his lost gauntlet. He grabbed hold of the gauntlet's wrist and swung its opening towards Zagato. Thousands of cubic feet of molten lava were thrown out of the gauntlet, all over the dark lord.
"Barrier Circle!" Zagato yelled out, protecting himself from the magma.
As the lava flowed down Zagato's barrier, Hotaru knew he had to act quickly. He put his gauntlet back on, turned around once again, and stretched his massive arm forward.
"Come here, Ascot!" he roared angrily.
The short summoner quickly ran away from the giant red-hot hand, but this was what Hotaru had intended. With his arm extended out most of the way, he quickly swapped targets, grabbing hold of Clef instead. The master mage dressed in a white robe screamed in agony, as the searing hot fingers closed around him.
Standing right next to Clef, Caldina was overcome by the massive hot object in front of her. As she recoiled from the heat, her hold over Ferio's hypnosis was broken. As Ferio came to, he was immediately overcome by the shock of seeing a gigantic red Hotaru.
While others watched in abject horror at what was happening, Hotaru observed carefully, as the blue markings on Clef's face were burnt off.
Letting go of Clef, Hotaru yelled out, "Clef, can you hear me!"
With his robes still smoldering, Clef's eyes widened, "Hotaru… is that you?"
"No time to explain! Get everyone but me, Alcyone, and the Magic Knights out of here!"
Clef looked around him quickly, recognizing Lafarga and noticing that many others were still under mind control. Remembering how Zagato had taken over his mind, he knew Hotaru was right.
"Right! Mass…"
"Wait, I still can fight!" Lafarga yelled.
"Ferio! Is what he said true!"
"Fuu! Take this!" Ferio yelled, throwing a red orb to her.
"…Teleportation!"
Just as Fuu caught Ferio's magical communication device, Clef and everyone else once under mind control were teleported away. With all of their friends away from Zagato's sphere of influence, Hotaru took a sigh of relief, before slumping over. The red-hot giant collapsed over the rocky pathway, the pain of the lava finally getting to him.
"S-Steel S-Strength…" he muttered in pain, before shrinking back to normal size.
"Hotaru!" Alcyone yelled, before rushing over to him, "Frozen Finale!"
As Alcyone focused on cooling off Hotaru, a bright blue light was cast down upon them both. Zagato had freed himself and was hoping to take down Hotaru and Alcyone out together. But before his spell could reach them, Hikaru jumped in the way of the attack.
"AAAAAAH!" Hikaru yelled, as the blast blew over her body.
As she screamed in pain, her red armor slowly eroded away as it took the attack. By the time the light faded, Hikaru was standing in nothing but her school uniform, badly hurt.
"T-The armor…" she stuttered, barely able to stand up.
"Hikaru…" Alcyone gasped; her eyes widening.
She was about to stand up and help Hikaru, as she felt a warm hand wrap around her wrist. As she looked down, she saw Hotaru holding one of his eyes open. With great strain, Hotaru moved his finger to his lips, and hushed her, before shaking his head. Unsure what he meant by this, Alcyone just nodded and sat still.
"Magic Knight, it is impossible for you to defeat me," Zagato spoke down on the small girl. "You are too weak to shield your friends. Move aside!"
"No!" Hikaru refused, spreading her arms out. "I will not let you touch them!"
Zagato chuckled, amused by the red-head's gusto, "You, a human with no armor, are going to protect your past enemy and bodyguard?"
"Yes, just as Hotaru has protected me this entire journey and how Alcyone protected my friends while I was gone!" Hikaru spoke out passionately.
"…I admire your fortitude, so I will give you and your friends the same offer as I did to him," Zagato spoke calmly, touched by Hikaru's passion. "If you give up and back away, I will send you back to your world."
Hearing this, Hikaru turned towards the still unconscious Hotaru. The idea he hadn't taken Zagato's offer, and had chosen to fight and protect instead, shook her to her very core. She lowered her arms and looked down, looking deep into her heart.
"I refuse…" she answered determinedly, before staring Zagato in the eye. "I will not break the promises I have made! To Hotaru, to Clef, to everyone we have met! I will save Cephiro and bring peace to this land!"
Having already charged up another spell, Zagato spoke disappointedly, "Then die…"
"Emerald Typhoon!"
"Water Dragon!"
Hearing the other two Magic Knights' spells, Zagato pointed his arm towards them and fired off his spell. Another blast of blue light wiped out the green winds and the water jet, before blowing over the Magic Knights. Umi and Fuu screamed out, as they were knocked back against the giant iron door, their armors stripped off as well.
"Umi! Fuu!" Hikaru yelled out in shock.
With them out of the way, Zagato pointed his arm at Hikaru, Alcyone, and Hotaru once more, "I told you it was useless. I am giving you one last chance; leave this world or perish."
Hikaru took one look at her surroundings, before yelling out furiously, "I will not give up!"
"…Goodbye, Magic Knights," Zagato sighed.
A massive blast of white and blue magical energy erupted out from Zagato's hand, this time much larger and brighter than before. Its power caused the entire volcanic cave to shake as it spread out to wipe out all of his enemies at once. But despite staring certain death straight in the eye, the red Magic Knight didn't budge. For if need be, she was ready to protect others to the last of her breath.
Just as the wave of destruction was about to hit, a pillar of fire erupted from the magma in front of Hikaru. It spiraled upwards, splitting Zagato's spell in half and dissipating it.
"Flames?" Hikaru blinked.
Zagato gritted his teeth impatiently, "What is it this time!"
The flames coalesced together, forming the shape of a quadruped beast, before a canine face and a horn emerged from the flames. Its presence caused the heat of the volcano to dissipate, making the lava filled cavern feel temperate. It stared directly at Hikaru, ignoring Zagato completely.
"Rayearth…" Hikaru gasped, staring at the Mashin eyes wide.
"Legendary Magic Knight," the fire fox spoke calmly, congratulating her. "I have seen proof of the strength of thine heart that cares for thy friends and others, and that remains firm in thy beliefs."
(AN: Oh, have I dreaded for these transformation sequences…)
As the Mashin finished speaking, a quadruple helix of fire surrounded Hikaru, lifting her off the ground. A carmine light surrounded Hikaru's school uniform, stretching it out and transforming it into a new shape. Her shirt and skirt formed into a sleeveless, single-piece, red and white armored dress, with golden armored trims on her hips and chest. On her shoulders, broad red and white pauldrons formed that had golden, layered edges. She gained wrist-length gloves and knee-high boots, with golden hand- and knee guards. A tiara with seven horns appeared on her head, with two golden horns on each side, a red horn in the middle, and white horns in between. Finally, a billowing red cape materialized onto her back that was attached to her pauldrons. The gloves and boots had round pink gems of them, while the tiara, skirt, and chest had oval ones.
As the other women stared in awe of this, Umi gasped, "That's new armor…"
Hikaru summoned her escudo broadsword from the gem of her left glove, at which point it glowed a carmine light. As it solidified, its intricately designed guard spread out as its many prongs moved to the sides. The golden strut above the guard expanded, gaining an extra gem, and opening two beast-like gem eyes.
Zagato was taken aback by this transformation, realizing he was now faced with a full-fledged Magic Knight. But before he could think of retreating, Rayearth transformed into a roaring flame once more. As the fire touched the lava below, the entire cavern shook, as a gigantic red mechanical warrior rose up from the lava.
Rayearth resembled a heavily armored hoplite in a full-body crimson and gold armor. Its knees, forearms, wrists, chest, shoulders, and crotch had intricate decorative golden armor pieces. Its armored tassets were large and had golden trims. It had three silver clawed toes on each foot; one at the back, two in front, as well as a shorter, golden claw between the silver ones. Its pauldrons were asymmetrical, with the left one formed of several red plates stacked on top of each other that pointed down, while the right one had a rim of upwards pointing gold plates. Its red five-fingered hands had silver claws. A massive, spiked shield that resembled the claws of a beast was attached to its left arm. It had a red and gold helmet that had a golden mane of a lion, red ears of a wolf, and green eyes. Above it, there was a silver crest that resembled an axe-blade. Rayearth's face was silver in color and had red eyes. The giant mech had red orbs on its: knee pads, crotch plate, tassets, pauldrons, and chest. Instead of wings, a massive flame flared out from the back of its neck.
"The third Mashin…" Zagato cursed under his breath.
Grabbing hold of her fully evolved sword with both hands, Hikaru roared out as she brought her greatsword down. A spiraling flame erupted from the edge of the sword, as she swung towards Zagato. The high priest managed to duck out of the way at the very last moment, as the lava behind him was split and exploded like a geyser.
Despite having evaded most of the attack, Zagato could feel his shoulder had been cut. Soon after, his cloak started to turn red from his own blood. While reluctant, Zagato knew he had to keep his promise to Emeraude, and teleported back to his lair.
As Zagato disappeared and she could no longer sense him, Hikaru stored away her sword and rushed over to Alcyone. The black-haired sorceress was sitting on the ground, holding Hotaru in her arms. Having had time to cool down, Hotaru's complexion was back to normal, but his eyes were still closed.
"Hotaru! Are you okay?" Hikaru yelled out worriedly.
"Shhh," Alcyone hushed her calmly. "He is just sleeping after sauna. You girls finally did it, he will be so proud of you all."
"Right… I finally did it! I was finally able to revive a Mashin!" Hikaru cheered, before turning around. "Umi! Fuu! The third Mashin…!"
Before she could continue, Hikaru was interrupted by the sight of her friends. The beauty of their new armors left her silent and breathless. They both had capes in their corresponding colors, similar to Hikaru, but that's where the similarities ended.
Umi's armor consisted of a black leotard with blue two-layered pauldrons, a blue chest plate, and long blue hip skirts with golden trims, on top of it. She had three white armored belts around her waist that together formed the scale pattern of the underside of a dragon's belly. She had white arm-length gloves and thigh-high boots, and bare upper thighs. The boots had golden decorations at the top and the gloves had blue gems at the backs of the hands. Her blue hair band had a golden trim, from which four white dragon horns jutted out, and a huge hexagonal blue gem was fixed on. On her chest plate, there was a large round blue gem with golden fittings, and three golden lines below it.
Fuu's armor resembled a green dress with a golden corset and a white collar with gold trims. She had golden pauldrons with white, gold studded, downwards hanging ornaments around their edges. Fuu had white forearm length gloves with golden cuffs and ankle length boots with overturned collars. Her red hair band had turned green with golden decorations on the sides of her head, with small, white feathered wings sprouting out of them. Her boots, gloves, collar, corset, hair band, and pauldrons were decorated with oval emerald green gems.
"Amazing…" Hikaru gasped, just before their weapons started evolving.
Umi's rapier became longer and its one-winged dragon-shaped guard spread out. The dragon spread out its wings fully into a cross guard, with the dragon's head maturing into that of an adult dragon. In its mouth, it held a large blue gem.
Fuu's sword's blade grew even longer and its handle doubled in length. While it looked the same in terms of decorations, its size had gone from a longsword to a zweihänder.
As soon as the swords had finished evolving, blue and green lights erupted from the gems on Fuu's and Umi's chests. The girls gasped as from the light rose up an cobalt blue and emerald green giant mechs. Soon, all three Mashins stood before them, their heads almost reaching the ceiling of the cavern.
"Now we have all three…" Umi gasped.
"I am so proud of you three," a familiar voice spoke up behind them.
"Hotaru! You're awake!" Hikaru cried out happily, rushing to hug him.
As Hikaru rushed over to him, Hotaru grabbed the short girl into a headlock, before giving her a noogie, "You think anyone can sleep with you yelling all the time?"
"Ow! Cut that out!" Hikaru whined, struggling in his arms.
As Alcyone watched the two of them wrestle like siblings, she let out an amused chuckle. Though she had spent years preparing to prevent the emergence of the Magic Knights, she was glad she had failed. Whether she liked it or not, the fate of the world now rested on these three girls.
"We're all glad you are fine, Mr. Hotaru," Fuu smiled, before offering, "Do you need any healing?"
Hotaru let go of Hikaru, before wrapping his arm around Alcyone and pulling her close, "Yeah, but let's make it quick. We still got a world to save and we shouldn't dawdle!"
Alcyone blushed slightly, before leaning against Hotaru, "Right, the sooner we take down Zagato, the sooner you girls can return to your world."
Umi narrowed her eyes and smirked, "And the sooner you two can…"
"LET'S GO EVERYONE!" Hikaru yelled out at the top of her lungs. "To save Cephiro!"
Author's Afterword: Finally managed to write a shorter chapter. Much like episode 10, episode 18 doesn't have too much happening in it, aside from the Rune-God stuff. But I certainly did not have that problem!
Yes, Hotaru's good intentions finally came to bite him in the ass. Since the final two episodes of season one only include like five characters (seven if counting Mokona and Alcyone), I decided to bring everyone back for one last group battle. I also decided to start early on Ascot's growth spurt and the reveal of Ferio's royal blood.
As much as things change, the more they have to stay the same, though. While I was able to change some parts of Hikaru obtaining Rayearth, the Magic Knights' evolving armors had to be destroyed. I first thought these final forms were just their armors evolved, but in the anime, it seems this isn't the case. Their school uniforms have always been underneath their armor, but now those clothes turned into the new outfits.
And speaking of the outfits. While I am willing to go into great detail about the appearances of everyone's armors, weapons, and mechs, it doesn't mean I enjoy it. Describing some of these designs really stretches one's vocabulary and, in this chapter, we had three distinct designs for armor and weapons, plus a Rune God! I was this close to just typing "just google image search them."
As always, reviews and speculations are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you to TheMotivatedOne and the anonymous Guest for your reviews on the last chapter! Let me know how you all enjoyed this chapter, and prepare yourselves for the next one!