Chapter 17: Breaking Through the Darkness, Baptism of Light
17-1
"Ah~ Ahhhh~ Ahhhhhh~ Ahhhh~ Ahhhh! Ahhhhh!" The three of us screamed furiously towards the sky, collapsing in despair. To witness our most cherished people die before our eyes was unbearable.
This was the deepest grief we had ever felt, despite our growth. It seemed like nothing had changed from before. We realized that our vow to "protect them at all costs no matter what" was nothing but rubbish.
"At the International Institute of Science,"
Ken, Professor Utonium, and Peach couldn't believe what they saw on the screen.
"This can't be true!"
"It's a lie, I don't believe it!" Peach and Ken tearfully denied the fact that the Powerpuff Girls Z had died.
"Why... Why did things turn out like this?!" After Professor Utonium finished speaking, he hugged Ken and Peach, crying bitterly with them.
"They're already dead... Such tragic fate for such beautiful women..." Jagu said mockingly.
"Even though my power as a fraction was only one-tenth of what it is now five years ago, I was still sealed by such weak little girls. It's embarrassing to think about it," he sighed, then looked at us. "Well, the sorrowful farewell is over. Next is the touching reunion. Don't be sad, I'll send you to them soon."
"Hahaha..." After saying this, Jagu continued his detestable laughter.
At this moment, the Treasures on the three of us emitted a powerful light.
"Shut up...!" I glared at Jagu, coldly uttering these two words in response to his contemptuous laughter.
"Hahaha, these three little girls are really pathetic! Feeling powerless, aren't you?" Jagu continued to mock the girls as if pretending not to hear.
"Shut the hell up!" I snarled, my face contorted in fury, and charged towards Jagu with lightning speed. With all my strength, I clenched my fist and struck his cheekbone hard.
"Urgh!" Several of Jagu's teeth were knocked out by my blow, and he was sent flying hundreds of meters away.
As Jagu was sent flying by me, Boomer dashed to his rear at sonic speed. With a powerful spin kick, he aimed for Jagu's head, sending him flying back towards us.
Butch rushed towards the airborne Jagu, viciously stomping on his abdomen with both feet. "Urgh!" Jagu grimaced in pain, vomiting blood after being stomped several times. Butch then grabbed Jagu's collar, his right fist gathering wind energy, and delivered a devastating uppercut to his chin.
The blow sent Jagu flying tens of meters high. "Hah!" Boomer leapt up with lightning speed, appearing in front of Jagu. Jagu tried to gather a black energy ball to shoot at Boomer, but Boomer deflected it with his right hand. Before Jagu could react, Boomer delivered a swift flying axe kick.
Jagu attempted to block the kick with crossed arms, only to end up with shattered bones in both arms. "Crash!" Several buildings collapsed from the force of the impact.
I flew beside him, grabbing his feet in mid-air and spinning him around before tossing him away.
Butch sprinted to the fallen Jagu's face, holding his head with both hands and delivering over a dozen earth-shattering headbutts to his forehead, then delivered an elbow strike to his head, slamming him into the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, I straddled Jagu, my fists engulfed in gold flames as I ruthlessly pounded his abdomen. "Urghh!" Jagu kept spitting blood, and the ground gradually cracked from the vibrations caused by my punches. "Take this!" With all my strength, I delivered a devastating punch that exploded upon impact on him, creating a large crater in the ground centered around us.
"Kyoto" Ogura Ike "
The Four Gods watched the scene on the crystal ball, their faces expressing astonishment.
"Where did you three get this kind of power?!" Byakko asked with widened eyes.
"Is it the power generated from excessive grief and anger...?" Genbu's tone was full of sorrow for the girls' deaths.
"Their current strength is completely different from when they fought us." Seiryuu said, sweating profusely.
Suzaku muttered to herself as she watched the scene on the crystal ball. "It would be great if they could defeat Jagu like this, but I have a bad feeling about it."
I grasped Jagu's neck with my right hand and lifted him high off the ground, causing him to hover in mid-air. Boomer and Butch stood behind me, glaring at him with resentment.
I increased the pressure with my right hand. "Urghh!" Jagu cried out in agony.
"It's time to end you!" I threw Jagu into the air, while my index finger condensed gold flames; Boomer gripped Kusanagi no Tsurugi enveloped in electricity, in his right hand; Butch's palm gathered air masses.
"Die!" With my command, the three of us launched our attacks - a massive fireball, lightning-infused sword energy, and an air bomb - all merged into a powerful energy blast soaring towards the airborne Jagu.
Jagu didn't have time to react and was hit head-on. "Crack~ Boom~"
The powerful energy blast leveled all the buildings in front of us, and even stretched for dozens of kilometers over Tokyo Bay. The sea churned up waves tens of meters high, illustrating the magnitude of the attack's power.
"Takamagahara"
The Three Gods stared at the scene on the mirror, all dumbfounded.
"What a terrifying power, it even extends to the other end of the horizon." Tsukuyomi said with a trembling voice.
Susanoo also widened his eyes in disbelief and said, 'I never thought these three kids could unleash the power of the Treasures to such an extent!'"
表單的頂端表單的底部
"Why does it have to happen at this time... sob..." Amaterasu suddenly collapsed.
"Sister!" Susanoo and Tsukuyomi hurried forward to check on Amaterasu's condition.
"..." Even we were stunned by our own power. The road along the way was marked with horrifying traces, buildings reduced to rubble. The only relief was that all the city's residents had been evacuated, so only buildings and streets were destroyed. We finally came to our senses and rushed to where Jagu was defeated at the fastest speed.
To our surprise, he could still stand.
Although Jagu had various injuries on his body, he was floating in the air as if nothing had happened.
Pointing to the sky, Jagu said, "I thought I would die from that blow just now, but the timing was just right."
What does he mean by 'the timing was just right'?
The three of us looked up at the sky,Only to realize that the sun was completely obscured by the shadow, darkness extending infinitely towards the horizon. The entire sky resembled a huge curtain of night, filled with endless darkness.
"What's wrong, sister?!" Susanoo asked in surprise,
" What happened?!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed with widened eyes.
"It's an eclipse... My power almost disappeared because of the eclipse... And the complete form of Jagu is about to appear... That creature controlled by power, devoid of any autonomy!" Amaterasu covered her chest, her once rosy face turning pale.
"Darn it, let's go down and help them!" Susanoo suggested to Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.
"It's impossible. The rift in time has been sealed by him, we have no way to descend to the human world." Tsukuyomi firmly vetoed Susanoo's suggestion.
"For now... we can only trust them!" Amaterasu said with a pained expression.
"Ouch!" Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through my body. Muscles and blood vessels all over my body began to rupture and bleed, and both Boomer and Butch also showed signs of pain.
Darn it, is it because of the side effects caused by our recent use of the Treasures to strengthen our bodies? If we continue to use the Treasures without reservation, we will eventually cause our bodies to collapse and die!
"I'll show you the true power of the embodiment of darkness..." After saying this, Jagu's body gradually became surrounded by a black light. The wounds we inflicted on him just now began to heal and he began to grow larger. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a monstrous being with a human torso and a serpent-like lower body, covered in black scales, towering several dozen meters tall.
"..." We were dumbfounded. So, this is his final form...
Darn it! Powerful demons indeed have a second stage transformation, just like in video games, defeating the first form isn't enough, you have to defeat the second form!
Even though we haven't witnessed his power firsthand yet, we could already feel that the strength of this creature is incomparable to his humanoid form just now.
"Can we defeated this guy...?" I looked at my heavily wounded body and my companions, asking myself.
We can't worry about that now; we need to attack with all our might!
This is the only thought in my mind at the moment.
"Let's go, Boomer, Butch!" I shouted to my two brothers beside me.
"Got it!" They responded in unison, getting into battle stances.
"Why do you want to protect this world?" The transformed monster,Jagu, suddenly asked us as we prepared to attack.
"Huh?" Boomer, who was a bit slow-witted, was momentarily confused by the question.
"Because we like this world, is that a problem?!" I shouted back angrily.
"Hmph, don't make me laugh!"Jagu scoffed at our reasoning.
"What do you mean?" Butch demanded.
"I should have already shown you the corruption of the world and the true nature of humanity."
"!" Just thinking about those scenes filled with pain, despair, and evil made the three of us shiver.
"Destroying nature, famine, war, these are all products of human wickedness. Humans get into conflicts because of differing opinions. When they can't communicate properly, they resort to using force to settle disputes. That's why war never ends. The peace you live in is nothing but a facade!"
"Humans are such insignificant creatures, yet their hearts harbor evil. Evolution gave them a power called 'science,' which led to the creation of 'nuclear weapons.' In the end, they will destroy this world and walk the path of annihilation."
"Before that happens, what's wrong with destroying humanity to cleanse the world?"Jagu's tone was firm, as if it were only natural that all humans should be exterminated in his view.
"You only see the evil side of humanity and claim that destruction is better? That's nonsense!" I shouted back at him.
Boomer clenched the Kusanagi Sword in his right hand and yelled, "This world doesn't belong to you; it's our home! How can we let you have you way?!"
"Hmph, the evil energy is continuously emerging," Jagu smirked coldly, as large black orbs of energy formed around him. "Humans destroy everything with their own hands. The only solution is their extinction!"
Just as he finished speaking, a massive meteorite, several kilometers in diameter, suddenly appeared in the sky, casting a shadow that covered the entire area!
If that thing were to fall, the casualties would be unimaginable. We dared not even think about it!
"Let me handle this!" Boomer's Kusanagi Sword in his right hand crackled with lightning, emitting a powerful glow. He swiftly flew towards the meteorite and unleashed several slashes!
In an instant, the gigantic meteorite developed a large "X"-shaped crack at its center, accompanied by countless lightning strikes, completely shattering it into powder!
"It's not over yet!" Jagu's palm gathered a huge black energy sphere, flying towards us!
"Brick, Boomer, get behind me!" Butch shouted, holding the Yata Mirror in his left hand while gathering wind in his right. A massive mirror shield formed before us, borne on a tempest. The black energy ball struck the shield, creating a tremendous shockwave, but the mirror reflected the attack back towards the sea. The explosion generated a tsunami that engulfed much of the city, but at least it stopped these two attacks!
"Ugh..." Butch's arm muscles started to tear and bleed severely from the strain, while Boomer's arm and fingers bled heavily from using the Kusanagi Sword just now."
"Both of you..." I couldn't find words seeing their horrifying wounds.
Enduring intense pain, Butch replied, "I'm fine... We need to defeat this monster now!"
Boomer gritted his teeth through the pain, "This pain is nothing!"
"You're right, let's focus on taking down this monster." I redirected my attention to the creature in front of us.
Still with a contemptuous tone, Jagu jeered, "Just got rid of so obediently a moment ago? How utterly foolish!"
"Shut up, this is... the end!" My right index finger once again ignited with gold flames; Boomer's Kusanagi sword glowed even more brightly with lightning; and Butch's hands summoned an even stronger tempest than before.
We launched our combined attack: my gold flames, Boomer's lightning slash, and Butch's powerful wind blast merged into a massive, swirling energy sphere. This time, we poured all our remaining strength into it, knowing it was our last chance.
"Take this!" We yelled in unison as the energy sphere hurtled towards Jagu.
The next second, a fireball, a blade of lightning, and an air bullet combined once again, forming an energy projectile several times larger than before, and it flew straight toward Jagu.
"Bang!" Our combined attack produced a deafening explosion on his body, and our vision was obscured by the smoke from the blast.
"Did we succeed?" Butch asked, staring at the smoke in front of us.
"What?!" We couldn't believe our eyes.
Jagu was enveloped in a black aura, and the wounds from our all-out attack were healing rapidly. "Did you think it would be as easy as before?
The ground is filled with evil energy—hatred, fear, anger, sadness, greed, jealousy. These negative emotions are the best nutrients for me. As long as there is evil, I can revive infinitely!"Jagu said to us triumphantly.
"Perish, you foolish kids!" Before he finished speaking,Jagu's enormous fist came crashing toward me. The powerful backlash from using the Treasures left us nearly immobile, and I was sent flying like a punching bag to the street below.
"Brick!" Boomer and Butch shouted my name loudly, but the next moment, they were swept away by Jagu's tail, landing beside me.
"Ugh!" I struggled to stand up, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood. Boomer and Butch weren't in much better condition; they knelt on the ground, vomiting a large amount of blood, both reaching their limits.
"It looks like you're almost at your limit. You can disappear along with those three little girls!"Jagu summoned a giant scythe with his right hand and swung it toward the three of us!
17-2
"Damn it, is this the end?!"
Just as the scythe was about to pierce through us, a red spherical barrier enveloped the three of us, blocking the scythe's strike.
"What?!" This time it was Jagu's turn to be shocked, and we were just as surprised.
We realized that the source of the barrier was the Yasakani no Magatama around my neck, which was emitting a strong red glow. I took the magatama off my neck and held it in my hand.
Was this the power of the Yasakani no Magatama?
An idea flashed in my mind. Maybe a miracle could happen!
"Yasakani no Magatama, give me power! Lend me everyone's power!"
I gripped the magatama tightly in my right hand, raised it high, and shouted towards the sky.
"Tokyo Shelter"
"Sons?! MOJO?" Mojo suddenly heard a voice.
"All monsters in Tokyo, listen up! Give all of your black light power to my sons!" Mojo shouted to the group of monsters.
"I may hate them, but if the world is destroyed, there's no point in us doing bad things anymore. So everyone in the The Gangreen Gang, hand over your black light!" Ace ordered the rest of the gang.
"Count me in too!" Fuzzy Lumpkins raised his hand.
"We still want to keep doing bad things!" said three liquid-like creatures.
All the monsters followed suit. Many tiny black beams of light flew into the Tokyo sky...
"Kyoto"
Genbu, Seiryu, Byakko, and Suzaku were focusing intently, transferring their power to the Rowdyruff Boys. Four beams of black, blue, white, and red light flew from Kyoto to Tokyo.
"Takamagahara"
"Even if we can't go there ourselves, at least we can send them our power!" Tsukuyomi said, clenching his fists.
Susanoo raised his right hand high: "Go ahead and use our power, boys!"
Amaterasu, with a determined look on her face, said, "You must defeat him!"
Three brilliant golden beams flew from Takamagahara to Tokyo.
"International Science Research Institute"
At this moment, Ken wiped away his tears and tried to hold back his sorrow. He said, "Dad, is there any of the chemical substance γ left?! There must be something we can still do!"
Professor Utonium nodded and said, "You mean you want to launch all the remaining chemical substance γ?! But we only have one chance!"
Ken nodded and ran toward the launch device, saying, "I understand, I won't miss the shot!"
Numerous energies converged into the magatama in my hand, and its glow transformed from red to a dazzling gold. Our bodies were enveloped in a warm, golden light.
"What is this blinding light? Disappear!" Jagu gathered a massive amount of dark energy in front of him, shooting a giant black beam toward us.
This was our all-or-nothing attack!
Even if we were shattered into pieces, even if we died, we had to completely defeat him!
"Let's go, Boomer, Butch!" I said to them. We each gathered a golden energy sphere in our hands and hurled them towards Jagu.
The three energy spheres merged into a gigantic golden beam, clashing with the black beam, causing everything nearby to be obliterated.
However, after a stalemate of over ten seconds, the golden light began to falter against the black light, gradually being pushed back!
Our bodies couldn't withstand such immense power, and parts of us started to break down. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before we were annihilated!
"It seems this world has chosen humanity's destruction!" Jagu laughed smugly.
Damn it, just a little more, just a tiny bit more energy!
Just as we were falling into despair, three familiar voices suddenly spoke in our ears:
"Don't give up, Brick!"
"Hang in there, Boomer!"
"Don't lose hope, Butch!"
In that moment, our vision blurred with tears. The girls, who had died, were speaking to us in their spiritual forms.
Warmth filled my eyes, and Boomer and Butch were also streaming with tears.
"We will always be with you!" the girls said in unison.
With that, their three figures turned into three beams of white light merging into a golden beam.
The golden light began to reverse the black energy!
At that moment, a golden beam shot towards the back of Jagu. It turned out that the chemical substance γ, launched from the research facility a few seconds earlier by Ken, was responsible for this. Jagu was momentarily distracted by the golden light attack. "Damn humans!" Jagu roared in anger.
"Now's the time! Go!" The three of us seized the fleeting moment and pushed the golden light forward with all our strength.
"Light... Aaaah~ Aah~ Aah~ Aah~ Aah~!" Jagu was completely engulfed by the golden light, his body instantly petrified and shattered into countless fragments. These fragments then passed through the atmosphere, creating a straight golden beam in outer space that shot towards the Sun.
"It should be over now..." We watched as the black shadow on the sun gradually retreated, the dark clouds dissipating like after a storm, and the once dark sky began to radiate with dawn's light.
We breathed a sigh of relief, and with our energy completely spent, the three of us fell from the sky to the street , our consciousness began to fade, our eyes slowly closing, and everything went dark.