Draconis: Yawn
Rias: Is something wrong?
Draconis: Nah not rea- wait...what are you doing here?
Rias: Hm? Am I not supposed to be here?
Draconis: Ummmm, you're kind of...held captive right now...oh whatever, I guess it's fine.
Dragon of the Elements
Chapter 60
A Drastic Turn of Events.
Draconis: Begin!
(Start)
A day after Kenshin made it to the border between Noah and Natalia.
Issei stood next to a tree. With him was Tamamo, Kuroka, Irina, Bureijin, Sextum, Asia, Kiba, and Le Fay. "Alright, is everyone ready?" Issei asked.
"Yes." Tamamo, Kiba and Bureijin said.
"Yeah." Irina and Le Fay said.
"Yes Issei-San." Asia said.
"Yes-nya." Kuroka said.
"Whenever you are." Sextum nodded.
"Alright." Issei said.
(snap!)
"What was that? !" Sextum said.
"Relax." Tiamat came out flanked by the rest of Kenshin's peerage, Rasai, Serafall, Grayfia and Alice.
"Alice, what are you doing here?" Tamamo asked with narrowed eyes.
"..." Alice glanced away. "...I just wish to wait for Kenshin to return at Natalia. I want to see the result of their battle as soon as possible."
"And you?" Bureijin said to Tiamat.
"I felt Kenshin's presence leave the city a few days ago." Tiamat said closing her eyes. "So I slipped into the city to see what's going on. His sisters tell me he went to settle a grudge match."
"I see." Tamamo nodded. "Well then, we'll report to Port Natalia when we're done."
"What about you Serafall-Sama?" Asia asked.
"I want to see So-tan come back as soon as possible." Serafall said.
"I want to confirm Rias' safety, I trust Kenshin, but he would understand." Grayfia said.
"Escorting her." Yukari said jerking her thumb at Alice.
"Alright, well we'll see you in Natalia with Sheena-San in tow. Come on everyone." Issei said.
"Right, see you Alice." Tamamo said as they two groups split up.
Meanwhile Kenshin had just landed in the port town of the Masouen Continent. "..." Kenshin looked around. "It's abandoned..." He muttered.
"I believe I remember Granberia telling me that they cleared out the Masouen continent and moved their population to Sentora until the war's over." Salamander said. "Said if Forbesii sailed around the world and tried to attack from behind that Alice didn't want to give him any leverage."
"Isn't the other side of Makai the Deadlands? All left unfit for youkai life because of the Divine Wars?" Kenshin thought.
"It was Dad's job to fix that with his elemental powers, but..." Undine said.
"He was too far in grief." Kenshin thought. "I see..."
Kenshin proceeded south, soon leaving the port town. He closed his eyes. "..." He felt Luka's presence along with Sona's, but...he couldn't feel Rias' at all. As if something was masking it completely. "Balance...Break!"
"Balance Breaker! Elemental Overdrive! !"
Kenshin opened his eyes. "Sona, Rias...I'm coming for you, just wait for me." He thought as he took off.
"!" His eyes widened seeing a swarm of homunculi racing toward him. "...Rrgh!" He growled, uncasing his wings lifting off the ground and speeding toward them.
One of the homunculi took point and moved right at him. "Haa!" Kenshin roared stabbing the false demon through the face, breaking it's core. He slashed his sword downward. He was quickly surrounded. "Anyone who wants to die, step forward and face me!" Kenshin declared.
Kenshin quickly sidestepped one homunculi's attack and rammed his fist through their chest, throwing their disintegrating body at a crowd. "Gah? !" Kenshin gasped in pain as he was cut on his left leg. He turned and kicked the offender and held his hand out. "Katensou!" A spear pierced their chest.
Kenshin turned and slashed at another homunculus, but what surprised when they dodged and he was forced to jump back. He was cut across his back for his troubles. He raised his leg and put it through the offender's chest, jumping into a flip and flinging that withering body at another crowd.
"? !" Kenshin turned his head seeing flying harpy homunculi charging him from behind, then to his front where other homunculi were taking aim at him from a distance. "..." A smirk crawled up his face as he turned and flew at the harpy homunculi force and took out his naginata, going into a spin. As he cut into their formation, the ones on the ground moved from their current position.
"? !" Kenshin was slashed across the back multiple times while cutting through the thralls on the battlefield. "What's going on? ! I should be able to sense and evade these strikes!"
"Your sensory is being overloaded, and can you feel that?" Undine asked.
"..." Kenshin dove out of the formation, going right to the ground and using wind magic to make his naginata spin as the ranged attackers from before fired at him, hitting the buzzsaw. "Son of a bitch, some of these homunculi have the Serene Mind ability."
"Prioritize them!" Salamander said.
"Right!" Kenshin thought.
Kenshin dove through the ranks and found a mermaid type homunculi. "Flash Kill!"
"? !" Her eyes went wide as she was cut in half.
"!" Kenshin watched two homunculi charge in from his sides. He raised his blades and blocked their strikes. "!" He sensed more coming in, but they suddenly vanished. "What the? !" He saw a transparent disc whiz upward coated by flames and lightning.
"Saji-kun, I've got locks on all the homunculi with abnormal power!"
"Got it Reya!"
"? !" Kenshin rounded to find Saji who was in the process of tying up all the homunculi using Serene Mind with black flames. With him was the rest of Sona's peerage. "Go Tomoe!" Saji said.
"Right!" Tomoe shot forward cleaving apart homunculi.
"You as well Ruruko!" Tsubaki ordered.
"On it! Promotion Knight!" Ruruko said.
"Didn't you get the memo? ! I have to come and do this alone! The fuck are you all doing here? !" Kenshin said cutting apart any homunculi dumb enough to attack him.
"We were asked to come here by Serafall-Sama!" Tsubaki shouts.
"The hell? ! She doesn't trust me? !"
"It's not that Kenshin-San!" Momo said. "She just felt something like this would happen, and wanted to help you!"
"You could be putting Sona's life in danger just by being here!" Kenshin shouts
"Look you're not getting us to leave, Sona-Kaichou is our master and if you think you can force us to leave, then fuck you!" Saji said as his commanded his flames to incinerate the Serene Mind wielding homunculi.
"..." Kenshin stared back at him for a moment, holding back a rather large beast from attacking him.
"...U-Uhm..." Saji shirked, realizing what he said.
"...Heheheh...Hahahaha!" Kenshin laughed. "Someone's got guts! Very well!" He shoved the beast onto it's back and watch Ruruko cave it's chest in with a stomp, crushing the core. "I'll leave this bunch to you, no offense, but fighting Luka is like fighting me." Kenshin said.
"We know, now go!" Tsubaki said creating a mirror behind her to block an oncoming spell.
"Got it, good luck!" Kenshin said taking off for the south.
It didn't take him look to transverse the considerably smaller continent. He saw two figures fighting. "One of them is Sona!" He thought. "She woke up and got free? !"
He saw one of the figures disappear and reappear behind the other. "She's in trouble!" He thought picking up speed.
"Hm?" Luka said as Sona disappeared.
"Kenshin...?" Sona said breathlessly as Kenshin carried her in his arms.
"Hey." Kenshin smiled down at her. "This is starting to become a habit huh?" He asked.
"..." Sona's face flushed.
"Oh, Kenshin I see you got past the platoon I sent after you." Luka said. "You sure didn't waste any time getting here."
Kenshin set Sona down. "Get back." She nodded as Kenshin turned around.
"I was having a little fun with that one. She has great external water element control you know." Luka said. "But in the end I was just toying with her."
"Krh..." Sona scowled.
"So you let her get free then? So you'd have something to do to 'kill your boredom'?" Kenshin drawled. "Sona might not be an upfront fighter, but she's still a high class devil."
"Oh Kenshin, I think you and I both know that's just a title." Luka said. "We've both beaten high class devils in the past, losing to one on a whim, but...they don't really stack up to us, I mean the only one that did was Sairaorg Bael." Luka finished.
"...?" Kenshin narrowed his eyes curiously. "What do you mean? When did you fight Sairaorg or anyone else for that matter? The only devils you've fought so far have been in my peerage."
"The same time you did." Luka said.
"?" Sona stared at him, visibly perturbed.
"You see Kenshin, when I took the Spirit of Destruction from you, I also gained your memories from the time you were brought to the Underworld, to the time I took the orb." Luka said.
"That doesn't mean you were there-aah? !" Sona was hit with a wave of intimidation.
"Oh, but it does Sitri. Kenshin and I are two sides of the same coin. How else do you think I was able to play Kenshin's role with that Rias girl to perfection up until the very end? We have the same instincts both in and out of battle, our memories are the same now, it's our thoughts that are different." Luka said with a smirk.
"Grrh!" Kenshin growled waving off Luka's wave of intimidation with his own.
"!" Sona took a hesitant step back. "The sheer pressure in the area, it's so thick, so oppressive!" She thought. "Is this how Kenshin is when he finally fights seriously? !"
"Where...Is...Rias? !" Kenshin shouts.
"Heheheh, beat me, and I might just tell you." Luka said.
The waves of intimidation dissipated. Kenshin and Luka leveled each other with even glares. They suddenly disappeared and clashed.
"Aah? !" Sona brought out her wings and flew backward as the earth tore beneath them.
"Hrn...Touki and elemental magic on par with my Balance Breaker." Kenshin grunted.
"That's right, except I don't have to wear such tacky armor!" Luka said kicking Kenshin's leg out from under him. He then twisted his blade around and rammed his hand through Kenshin's chest.
"Kensh-? !" Sona stopped when she noticed Kenshin grab Luka's arm in a death grip.
"Heh." Kenshin smirked as his body glew and exploded.
Luka leapt out of the smoke, coughing. "!" He turned to find Kenshin bearing down on him.
"Flash Kill!" Kenshin shouted cutting into him. "!" His eyes widened as his sword was stuck in Luka's abdomen.
"Got you." Luka said as his body glew and exploded.
"Shit!" Kenshin said jumping back out of the smoke. He back flipped and kicked Luka into the dirt as he tried to slash Kenshin from behind. "Haa!" He stabbed Kuroi Jigoku downward, but hit nothing. "..." He held his left hand behind his back and his naginata reappeared in his hand, blocking Luka's slash. Kenshin turned, roundhouse kicking at Luka's head. "!" His eyes went wide as Luka's heel hit his head at the same time as he made contact with Luka's head.
The two were knocked away from each other. "Heh..." Luka wiped the spit off his lip and smirked. "I told you Kenshin, two sides...same coin."
"Ninefold Rakshasa!" Kenshin shouts slashing his sword nine times at Luka.
Luka slashed his sword back at Kenshin, diverting all of his slashes. "There's a reason that Yukari couldn't beat me you know, and it wasn't what I said, although that had something to do with it." Luka said as the two traded unsuccessful blow after unsuccessful blow. "No, it's merely because if you were to take her completely seriously, in other words, to consider her an enemy like I did...she wouldn't be able to beat you."
Kenshin slammed their swords to the ground and punched at Luka's face, however Luka mirrored his attack and their only hit each other. "Grh!" Kenshin growled and held his naginata at the ready.
"..." Luka held his sword up high and started spinning it around in hand, gathering the elements around in a spinning circle.
"..." Kenshin scowled. "Elemental..." They both said.
"Cataclysm!" They both shout launching their attacks forward.
(boom!)
"Aaah!" Sona shielded her eyes as a bright flash of light and elemental magic went off between them.
"Ouugh? !" Kenshin and Luka both grunted as they were blasted back into trees.
"Damn...really misjudged how much force that was gonna put out..." Kenshin grunted.
"No kidding..." Luka said cracking his neck from side to side.
"I'll ask you again Luka." Kenshin said before appearing above him. "Was it worth it? !" He shouts slashing Kuroi Jigoku downward.
"Grh!" Luka held his sword over head to block Kenshin's attack.
"Your friend Alma, pleaded with me to spare your life you know." Kenshin lined the top of his blade with wind magic and made it propulse outward.
"Grrhhh! !" Luka growled.
"And Alice has been torn up about your betrayal since I told her about it!" Kenshin shouts. Luka angled his blade, allowing Kenshin's to slide off harmlessly and decked him in the face. Kenshin shook his head around and blocked slashes from Luka. "What I don't understand is...how is someone who is essentially me...be such a coward? !" Kenshin said knocking both their swords skyward.
"!" Luka's eyes went wide as Kenshin already had his fist cocked back.
"Crushing Flame Profusion!" Kenshin shouts.
"Grrhh? !" Luka grunted as Kenshin's fist impacted his chest sending him into a painful tumble across the ground.
Kenshin got over the top of him and grabbed Luka by the throat. "Now, tell me...Where...is...Rias? ! Tell me and I won't kill you!"
"Heh...Fine...you want her...you can have her." Luka said.
"? !" Kenshin's eyes widened as Luka vanished.
"Where did he go? !" Sona said frantically looking around.
"Screw him for now, where's Rias?" Kenshin said doing the same.
A teleportation circle flare to life, and Rias stood in it's place when it vanished. "Rias." Sona said. "Thank goodness you're OK." Sona said stepping toward her.
"!" Kenshin quickly threw a charm and activated it, blowing Sona to the side as Rias fired a volley of destruction magic at her. It whizzed by his head.
"R...Rias?" Sona said with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Is this a fake Rias?" Kenshin asked staring at Rias, ready to act if she made a move.
"...I-It isn't, but why did she attack me?" Sona said.
"!" Kenshin dodged to the left as Rias fired at him. He kept his eyes on her, but his conflict showed easily. "Rias! Snap out of it!" He shouts.
"Rias, it's us! Sona and Kenshin! The real Kenshin!" Sona said. "What's wrong with her?"
"She's being controlled somehow." Kenshin said. "...I'm guessing homunculus core, but I can't tell where it is." He walked up to Rias. "Rias, it's me. It's Kenshin, you have to fight it the impulses that thing is sending you!"
"..." Rias' brow twitched, but she still sent another volley at him, gazing at him with the same impassive gaze she had worn since she appeared.
"!" Kenshin couldn't react in time and took the blast to the face.
"Kenshin!" Sona shouts in worry.
"..." Kenshin emerged from the blast, his face scuffed up, but still conscious. He kept staring at Rias.
"Kenshin?" Sona said. "...He can't do it...he can't raise his hand against her like this." Sona thought.
"Gah!" Kenshin spat out blood.
"Hmn!" Sona condensed the water in the air around Rias and used it to pull her arm down as she charged up another blast to fire at Kenshin.
Kenshin looked down at his sword before sheathing it. "Dammit!" He threw several charms out and weaved through handsigns. "Shadow Binds!" He shouted.
"We have to incapacitate her somehow, could you use your Serene Conqueror on her?" Sona asked.
"No." Kenshin shook his head. "She has no control of what she's doing. She wouldn't be able to acknowledge the intimidation."
"!" Sona's eyes widened. "Oh no!"
"? !" Kenshin jumped in front of Sona. "Yume Shouheki!" He shouts.
Kenshin's barrier blocked the destruction magic as it exploded out at them. "Grrhhh! !" He growled in pain as some sharp arcs of the magic cut through his barrier and into his right arm. Once the power died down Kenshin hacked off his arm and threw it away as it turned to dust. "What...the hell? !"
"It's Rias' Power of Destruction. Usually it would be released whenever she felt a surge of emotions, but...it's not at full strength."
"What?" Kenshin asked. "Yet it was still able to cut through and ash one of my arms? I've tanked her magic before."
"You're distracted, I'm sorry Kenshin, but your mind is reeling from what's happening right now. You thought the Dream Barrier would be enough, but it wasn't." Sona said. "You told me once that the Yonseirei's power is given to you subconsciously. I think that's causing your powers to weaken."
"I see..." Kenshin said. "What did you mean by her power isn't at full strength?" Kenshin asked, keeping an eye on Rias who's magic was swirling around her.
"If Rias' power were allow to run wild to it's fullest extent...you and I would both die." Sona said. "...given Rias' lack of experience with it, she would probably die as well."
"..." Kenshin turned toward her. "Rias! !" He shouts. Please, you have to take control of yourself and stop this!" Kenshin shouts. "Please! I...I don't want to lose you!"
"...!" Rias' eyes twitched.
"...That's what I thought." Sona said. "Kenshin, I think Rias saw Luka for what he really was at the end, but she was tied to the core before she could resist. I think you can reach her."
"..." Kenshin stared at Sona for a moment before nodding before turning to Rias, who was now looking directly at him, a morose expression on her face. "Remember! It's not just me who can't lose you!"
Rias kept staring at him, words of the past going through her head.
"Chief Rias, you gave me my new name, I won't forget that as long as I live." -Koneko
"Rias-Oneesama took me in and gave me a home when I had nothing, I will always be thankful. You're the best sister I never had!" -Asia.
"You saved my life, for that I will always be grateful, that is why I serve you." Kiba
"If you hadn't met me all those years ago, I would have kept wandering the world as a pariah, I don't care how long it takes, I will repay you for that!" -Gasper
"You took me in, when my family tried to kill me, because of their hatred of my father, we may butt heads from time to time, but I will always be your friend." -Akeno.
"There's not a whole lot I can say, but if you or Kenshin hadn't taken me in, I would have been doomed to walk the earth without a purpose...you gave me that...Thank you." -Xenovia
"Chief is Chief. She's the best master a perverted idiot like me could ever ask for! I know you love Kenshin, but that won't stop me from being close with her, and trying to catch a glimpse of her wonderfully large Oppai!" -Issei.
"Rias, Kenshin's been alone for a long time, never letting anyone get close except for us, and we couldn't bring much stability to his unstable life. He needed someone that could...he needed someone like you to bring stability to him, and you gave that to him. I will always be thankful to you for that." -Yukari
"Onii-Chan loves you, and if you're good enough for him you're good enough for me." -Miyuki
"You're like the third daughter I always wanted." -Hikari
"Kenshin was in a bad place when Negi died, and you healed his heart. It takes a special person to do what you did." -Evangeline.
"Kenshin values you as much as he did Negi-Sensei, maybe even more." -Chachamaru.
"We don't know each other too well, but you're the nicest person I've ever met. I can see why everyone likes you, and why Kenshin loves you." -Kazumi.
"Honestly Rias, looking at you two together, sometimes reminds me of the days Ragnarok and the Dark Goddess were around and that's saying something." -Tamamo( 1)
"Rias! If you weren't around. I don't know where I'd be! You're my best friend and I don't want to think about life without someone like that!" Sona shouts.
"Wake up! !" Kenshin shouts.
"..." A tear rolled down Rias' face.
"Rias?" Kenshin said.
"Kenshin, Sona...?" Rias said.
"We're here!" Sona said as the two ran toward her. They were repelled. "What?" Sona said.
"...Aaaa...aaahhhh! !" Rias screamed as four cards flew out of her body before her magic coated them and her body. When it died down, she was revealed, wearing the female variation of Kenshin's Balance Breaker armor, but the jewels in the armor were crimson and over the armguards she wore removeable sleeves, black in color with crimson lines running toward her hands.
"? !" Kenshin let out a gasp.
"No way..." Sona said in disbelief.
"M...My...Balance Breaker?" Kenshin said.
"...I see.." Undine said. "They found that and tapped into it huh?"
"That?" Kenshin thought.
"Kenshin...when Ragnarok got a better handle of his elemental powers he gave some of them to his surrogate brother Draco, to be used in an emergency. When you died...we sent a measure of it to her, because we thought that's what you might want." Salamander said.
"That measure of it gives her the Balance Breaker? !" Kenshin thought.
"It's mostly her power, but now with the elements' aspects mixed in...simply put you won't be able to use our power to give you an advantage here." Undine said.
"..." Kenshin stared grimly at Rias who continued to stare back at him impassively. "!" Kenshin saw her raise her hand at Sona and moved in front of the Sitri heiress blocking an arc of destruction magic from hitting her.
"Kenshin!" Sona said.
"Sona." Kenshin said emerging from the dust kicked up from Rias' attack unharmed. "Your peerage is fighting a horde of homunculi to the north of here. I think knowing you're safe will boost their morale."
"...Kenshin, you know what you have to do, right?" Sona asked.
"..." Kenshin narrowed his eyes, a gaze of anguish directed at Rias. "Yeah...I do, and I also know you'll only be in the way here, I'd be too concerned trying to protect you here."
Sona nodded and took off. Kenshin gritted his teeth. "I say this...but...I...I don't know if I can...I'm supposed to fight Rias...for real...potentially for keeps?"
"Don't think of it like that Kenshin." Undine said. "You are fighting to free her from that bastard's control."
"Yes. Only you can do this Kenshin." Salamander said.
"Yeah, she can't express it, but she wants you to save her, to be her hero again!" Sylph said.
"Come on Rias..." Kenshin said. "I'll set you free."
The two clashed, an explosion of wind and arcs of destruction magic tearing the earth beneath them, uprooting the trees. Rias' free hand was pulled back, an orb of destruction magic ready to blast Kenshin's head off his shoulders. "Dammit!" Kenshin cursed, his free hand going into her stomach, knocking her skyward. He put his knee into her chest as he jumped into the air and finally slashed his arm out going into a spin, flames driving her back. The orb of destruction however fired off small arcs of itself at Kenshin, forcing him to weave in and out of their path.
"..." Kenshin stared at her as she got back up, before clashing over and over again in the sky. "Rias...remember when we first met? I was just a lost demon that you reincarnated with that pervert I now call brother...and yes...I was lost. A shiftless, purposeless demon, with so much pain in his heart." Kenshin thought.
Kenshin extended his arms outward and pointed his palms at Rias, the air gathered in front of him and sparked into flames. "Mini Katensho Barrage!" Kenshin shouted countering Rias' barrage attack with one of his own. However when the dust settled she was nowhere to be found. "? !" He looked around frantically until he heard a twig snap directly behind him. "..." He slowly turned his head, finding Rias behind him. Her magic circle already flared to life. "Earth Guard!" Kenshin shouted as multiple sharp tendrils of destruction magic struck him.
"!" Kenshin's eyes widened as a large arc of her magic roared toward him. "Katensho!" Kenshin roared as he fired off his signature attack to cancel hers out. "You helped give me a meaning to my life...that I could take pride in, though I never truly said it out loud." Kenshin thought as he and Rias flew in parallel directions, firing bursts of magic at each other. "Then...before I knew it...before I could even realize it was happening, Rias...I fell in love with you." Kenshin thought. "I realized it too late to do anything about it like I was trying to do with Negi before I just accepted it...that night under the gazebo where we shared our first kiss. I realized I was in love with you, madly...maybe it was your charms, maybe it was...my own need to be loved by someone, even someone as lonely as I...it was one of my heart's only desires, but..." He trailed off as he dodged bursts of magic from Rias "I was prepared to die the next day against Raiser, when my heart acted up, if it meant you would be free, but you stopped me, I knew then...what you felt for me wasn't just an attraction, or a want to get out of the arranged marriage with him...I knew then...that you loved me too."
"Haa!" Kenshin said driving Rias back with a burst of wind. However she quickly caught her bearings and flew like a bullet at him, twin orbs of destruction magic. "Fuck!" Kenshin said unsheathing his sword to block the attack. However Rias twisted her body around and kicked Kenshin in the left temple with earth magic infusing her leg. "Gaah...!" He staggered backward. He caught her by the wrist and pinned her against a tree. Rias' circle flare to life again and blew him backward.
"To be honest...I felt happy...and sad at this at the time." Kenshin thought. "Happy, for obvious reasons, but...sad...because I knew then, that unless something unexpected happened. You and I couldn't be together. "
"Are you glad you met me?" Kenshin recalled Rias asking him.
"Honestly in hindsight...meeting you was one of the best days of my entire life. I had finally found someone I could love, without feeling like I was dragging them down. Even if I didn't realize it at the time." Kenshin thought as he dodged blast after blast of destruction magic while countering with his own blasts. "And the elation I felt...when you said you felt the same...words cannot describe how happy I was."
Rias appeared in front of him and quicker than Kenshin could react, ripped Kuroi Jigoku from his grasp. "Guh! Gaah! Aaah! Graahh!" Kenshin gasped and grunted in pain as Rias used his own sword to carve him up. He didn't care about the physical pain."You've told me before that I saved your life when I freed you from that arrangement, and other times after...well...you saved my life before I even knew you, when I broke down after killing my father again...and even against Hottan." He thought as he was knocked back and forced to catch himself.
Kenshin bowed his head. "So please...please wake up!" Kenshin shouts with tears streaming down his face. "Please don't make me do this!"
Rias moved in front of him and punched Kenshin dead in the face sending him crashing into a tree. "Gaaahhh!" Kenshin cried out.
"You're my servant now. Is that OK?"
"You're the man I will marry."
"Kenshin, I want to be with you forever."
"Guuuaaahhhh! !" Kenshin roared in pain as a massive swath of destruction magic slammed into his back. Rias appeared in front of him and drove her foot into his chin, letting it slide off and set on his shoulder which she used to send him crashing into the ground. She landed, hovering over him and grabbed Kenshin by the throat.
Kenshin clenched hold of her wrist and threw her off of him. He got to his feet and called for his naginata. "Wake up, Rias! !" Kenshin shouted. "Aaaauuugghhh! ! !" He all but screamed in pain as the elements gathered around his spinning naginata that he hesitated to throw. "I get what I have to do...I know what it might take to free you from their grasp, but...I don't want to kill you!" Kenshin said. "Dad, Negi...my fallen kinsmen...I REFUSE TO ADD YOU TO THAT LIST! !" He shouts.
Rias charged forward, her earth and destruction magic infused fist caving in his chest. "Guah? !" Kenshin gasped out blood. He tumbled across the ground painfully and got up slowly. Rias hovered over him in the sky, her destructive aura flaring to life at full strength. Kenshin stared up at her. "Rias!" Kenshin shouts. "If this keeps up, it will end just like Luka and Forbesii want it to!" Kenshin thought.
"...!" Rias' eyes twitched as she looked down at him.
"I told you before that whatever it took...that I would always be there to save you! That wasn't just some flowery phrase I spat out to make you happy! It's what a man does for the woman he loves, when she needs him to do so!" Kenshin shouts flying right at her.
"!" Rias' destruction magic shot out at Kenshin, impacting him, but he cut through it and reached out for her. His scale mail beginning to break apart from the damage as it entered her aura.
"Wake up! !" Kenshin shouts.
"!" A gasp was heard as the aura dissipated. "Kenshin!"
Kenshin felt her arms wrap around him. "Rias, are you...yourself again" Kenshin said.
"Yes, I don't know what happened, but I can resist their control now." Rias said.
"I see...that's good." Kenshin said holding her tightly.
""A-Are you...OK?" Rias asked.
"Yeah..." Kenshin said. "This is nothing..."
"Di-Did I...do this to you?" Rias asked.
"No, you didn't. Don't even think like that." Kenshin said.
"...I heard your thoughts...Kenshin.." Rias said.
"Then you know...how I truly feel." Kenshin said.
"...Yes..." Rias said.
"I may have a harem now, Rias and I care about them all...but all I've ever wanted to do is be a good,person to you so you wouldn't feel regret over being married to me." Kenshin said.
"...I could never feel regret over that. You're the best thing that ever happened to me Kenshin." Rias said pulling back, smiling radiantly.
"!" Kenshin couldn't help the gasp that escaped him.
"And that's the truth..." Rias said setting her forehead against his chin.
"...I am so sorry..." Kenshin said wrapping his arms around her.
"You have nothing to apologize for Kenshin." Rias said shaking her head. "You were doing your job."
"Well, I'll have time when we get back. We'll spend a day together." Kenshin said.
"I'd like that." Rias said with a smile.
"Oh? Making post battle plans before the battle is over. Bad move." The two looked ahead and saw Luka standing across from them.
Kenshin moved in front of Rias. "Luka. You use my identity to pit Rias and I against each other like this." Kenshin said. "You bastard." He growled.
"You don't even have what it takes to hold Kenshin's sword, much less take over his identity!" Rias shouts.
"Funny, I don't recall you saying that before." Luka drawled. "I had you pretty damn convinced till the end."
"Grh!" Rias growled.
"Kenshin, it's time we finished this." Luka said dropping all the pretenses of humor.
"Indeed." Kenshin said as he called for Kuroi Jigoku to fly into his hand.
"..." Luka stared hard at Kenshin. "Just a little longer now Kenshin." The two rushed each other and exchanged furious blows. "Until the time comes, fight me! Fight to kill and destroy me!"
"..." Kenshin stabbed repeatedly at Luka. "Something's wrong..."
"You felt it too huh." Salamander said. "There's...nothing coming from his attacks."
"It's strange." Undine said.
Luka diverted all of Kenshin's strikes and kicked him in the stomach. Kenshin created platforms of wind magic under his feet to stop himself and lunged at Luka throwing a charm. "Brilliant Flash!"
"Gh!" Luka grunted shielding his eyes.
"Gruah!" Kenshin shouts driving his knee into Luka's stomach.
"Oough!" Luka groaned as the air was driven out of him. "Grrrhhh!" He brought his hands together and slammed them into Kenshin's back sending him falling to the ground. However Kenshin had a clone ready to activate, and used it as a platform and jumped back at Luka. The clone threw it's sword at Luka and flew through handsigns.
"? !" Luka watched as the thrown sword became encased in flames that roared toward him, shaping into the head of a lion. "Flame Lion Bullet!"
"Damn!" Luka swatted the sword away, but was unable to then counter the real Kenshin. "Guoh!" Luka gasped out blood as Kenshin's fist slammed into his gut.
"Flash Bullet Fist!" Kenshin said cocking his other fist back and punching Luka in the face.
"Guah!" Luka shouts, as he was sent flying back.
"Luka! You might have my memories and my power, but there are things that you don't have that I do!" Kenshin said as he clashed swords with Luka, quickly over powering him and pushing him back.
"Grh? !" Luka grunted.
"You don't have the connection I do with the spirits, nor the physical experience with using their power!" Kenshin said slashing his sword downward, breaking the clash and using the momentum to drop his heel on Luka's head.
"Damn it!" Luka shouts as he crashed into the ground. He got up only to find Kenshin charging right at him. Luka raised his sword overhead and slashed downward.
Kenshin extended his left hand out at his side and an explosion of wind forced him out of the path. "You don't have my strength either! Your base power doesn't even compare to Yukari's!" He said driving his fist into Luka's chin.
"Bastard!" Luka shouts flying down at him.
Kenshin raised his sword and blocked Luka's sword. "Most importantly...you and I might be the same person, but you do not have my willpower! Not anymore!" He shouts.
Luka crashed into the ground as Kenshin backstepped. "Haa...haa...haa..." Luka panted.
"Despite what you've done, I don't want to kill you." Kenshin said closing his eyes. "You need to face Alice yourself, and she will decide your fate. What you've done to my family, Rias and I pales to what you did to her."
"...Heheheh, as much as I would love to, Kenshin. I'm not done yet." Luka said with a small smirk. "Funny you brought up things that are different between us now...well I have something that you don't have."
"?" Kenshin narrowed his eyes at Luka. "...!" His eyes widened as Luka reached behind his neck and pulled a tendril out of his shirt that was connected to his neck. He jumped back and swept Rias up and took off.
"What's wrong? !" Rias said.
"He's already activated the Juggernaut Drive! He's calling forth the Black Dragon of Destruction!" Kenshin said.
Sona and her peerage had just finished mopping up the last of the homunculus horde when Rias and Kenshin landed in front of them. "Rias! Kenshin. I knew you could do it." Sona said in relief.
"How did things go back there?" Saji asked.
"They're still going. You all need to take off." Kenshin said.
"What? !" Rias said. "I'm not leaving you here to fight him alone now that he's using that!"
"You will and you must!" Kenshin said. "You have no idea how powerful the spirit is that controls the dragon actually is!"
"Hi Partner." Yuurei said.
"Hi Yuurei." Kenshin said not noticing Luka and Yuurei with his armor on the dragon. He turned and stared. "...Ugh..." Kenshin groaned. "Too late...guess if I'm charging full core into the abyss...might as well have some company...fuck me."
"Oh I'm sure the Gremory babe will do so if you make it out of this, might even be able to work out a three way with that slender glasses wearing beaut." Yuurei said.
"Could you be fucking serious for one second? !" Kenshin snapped as Rias laughed awkwardly while Sona sputtered.
"Yeah, that's like the one problem I have with him. He will drive you up a fucking wall." Luka sweatdropped.
"Trust me Luka...I know that better than anyone..." Kenshin sighed.
"Is he really that strong? He doesn't feel that much more powerful than Vritra to be frank." Saji said.
"Oh ho? Well, find out for yourself Prison Bitch!" Yuurei said throwing one of the destruction lances in his hands at Saji.
"Take cover!" Tsubaki said putting her Mirror Alice in front of him. However Kenshin appeared between the mirror and the lance and kicked it toward the mountains in the west. "What are you doing? ! I had that!"
"You had that like a nail in a coffin!" Kenshin said.
"Wait for it..." Yuurei said as it neared contact with the mountains.
(booooommmm!)
"? !" Everyone except Kenshin and Yukari glanced over at the mountain range in shock.
"Well there goes the Irina Mountains." Luka said. (2 )
"S-So...wait a moment, if I blocked that with my mirror..." Tsubaki said.
"You'd be dead." Kenshin said. "The lance would have shattered the mirror and you would have died screaming in agony from pain sensory overload. Don't waste your life. I don't want to have to be the one to tell Kiba his girlfriend died."
"Hm?" Yuurei said glancing at Rias. "Yo Partner why's your squeeze wearing your Balance Breaker?"
"Huh?" Rias and Kenshin said. "Hey...why ARE you still in my Balance Breaker armor?" Kenshin asked.
"I-I don't know! I don't know how to turn it off!" Rias said defensively before lashing out at Yuurei. "And you quit addressing me so casually!" She said blasting him in the face with a wide arc of her destruction magic.
"Agh? !" Yuurei growled in pain.
"What the? !" Kenshin said.
"I won't be left out of this!" Sona said condensing the water in the air in front of her and compressing it. Her eyes snapped open as the water shot outward in a pressurized stream.
"Gah!" Yuurei said as it tore through his armor and cut into his arm. "You little!"
"..." Kenshin narrowed his eyes in thought before turning to Reya. "You, scan the dragon for any weakpoints other than the tendril in Luka's neck." He turned to Ruruko, Tsubaki and Momo. "You three protect her." He turned to Saji and Yura. "You two on me. We're going to attack Yuurei and Luka with Sona and Rias."
Saji turned to Kenshin as they made their way toward Rias and Sona. "Why don't you know the weaknesses?"
"It's the Juggernaut Drive, I was told not to use it if I could help it, and Yuurei and I don't exactly like each other." Kenshin said.
"Ah, so you're looking forward to wailing on him." Yura said.
"Yes I am." Kenshin said with a small smirk.
Yuurei reached with both hands toward Rias and Sona. "Shadow Prison!" Saji shouts.
"Hhn? !" Yuurei said.
"Vritra's Shadow Prison." Luka said.
"Thanks Saji!" Kenshin said throwing a charm under Yuurei's head. He flew through handsigns and interlocked his hands before extending one outward. "Stone Vicegrip!"
"Huh? Guah? !" Yuurei said as a long arm of stone shot out of the ground and gripped him by the throat and sent him hurtling upward.
"Keep him going like that!" Yura said sending Twinkle Aegis spinning at Yuurei and Luka.
"I don't think so!" Luka came shooting out of the barrier. "Katensho!" He shouts knocking the spinning barrier back.
"Just what I wanted." Kenshin said appearing behind Luka.
"...Heh." Luka smirked. "You might want to move."
"!" Kenshin looked up seeing the fist of the earth arm screaming right at them. "Fuck!" He kicked off of Luka's back sending them both out of range.
"Nice try Partner." Yuurei said diving toward him.
"? !" Kenshin raised his sword to block Yuurei's teeth as he tried to bite his arm off.
"Remember what I told you before about gaining control of my power?" Yuurei growled lowly. "I bet you don't have the guts to do it!"
"? !" Luka almost lost his balance as Yuurei pulled his head back and reached for Kenshin. "The hell you doing? ! He's my damn target!"
"Shaddap you!" Yuurei said as his hand enclosed around Kenshin.
"!" Kenshin's eyes widened as he was yanked backward by his chest armor.
"You're welcome!" Sona shouts.
Kenshin narrowed his eyes thinking back to the particular conversation. However, he kept fighting on as he did.
(Flashback)
After the Pincer attack on Gold.
Kenshin was poking a fire with a stick, most everyone was either sleeping, or in Granberia and Inutora's cases, training. "Come on Partner, talk to me! I'm Boooorrreeeddd!" Yuurei whined.
"Why is it you're so fixated on me? According to the memories I got from Ragnarok, you hopped and skipped along with his reincarnating soul, why didn't you ever reveal yourself to Heinrich, Shin Tatsu or my Dad?" Kenshin thought, rolling his eyes at Yuurei's petulant whining.
"Your old man's soul was earmarked by that Nisemono Shinigami. Shin Tatsu's soul was earmarked by that shard of Ophis-Chan and Heinrich was usually using that glowing white sword." Yuurei said.
"Glowing White Sword?" Kenshin thought. "You mean Heinrich used the Tsurugi no Kami?"
"Yep." Yuurei said. "It eventually caused his death. Burning his body away, turning him into a Holy Sentinel, and getting killed soon after by the Goddess of Light, Ilias."
"Hmn..." Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "Speaking of primordial goddesses, your body had Holy Cancel, was that intended by Alipheese or did you acquire it?"
"Alipheese-Sama." Yuurei said.
"Ah huh...and the Ragnarok kicked your ass and used the mineral your body turned into to forge Kuroi Jigoku." Kenshin thought.
"Aah...that's not very nice..." Yuurei pouted.
"I'm a prick, what did you expect?" Kenshin thought. "Now, if we were fighting the Almighty it would be a different story, and I would expect to get waxed, but against a single piece of his physical grace...shouldn't your power inhabiting my body and Kuroi Jigoku be able to cancel the holy aura of the Tsurugi no Kami?"
"Normally, yeah. Kuroi Jigoku would be able to fight against the Tsurugi no Kami, separate from it's true master." Yuurei said. "It's like there's more than just the Almighty's grace in there these days."
"Huh?" Kenshin thought. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"No idea." Yuurei said. "But you get no benefits from having me in here, other than my commentary."
"That's not a benefit." Kenshin grunted mentally.
"So mean!" Yuurei whined.
"Will you get on with it!" Kenshin thought.
"You have to beat me in battle, but that's not the only thing you must do." Yuurei said.
"Oh really?" Kenshin thought.
"You must..."
(flashback end)
"I must sacrifice something of mine in proportion to Yuurei's power." Kenshin thought. "But what? If I still had Yama's power I'd gladly can that, but..."
"Kenshin, Look out!"
"? !" Kenshin didn't react in time as Yuurei's fist slammed into him, sending him tumbling and crashing headfirst into a tree.
"Kenshin!" Rias said moving up next to him.
"Guh..." Kenshin grunted. "I'm fine...Look out!" He shouts calling for his naginata.
"Haa!" Rias shouts firing off an orb of her magic into an oncoming blast and making it go off prematurely.
"Nice work!" Kenshin got up and ran forward with Rias flying behind him. He threw his spinning naginata, wreathed in the elements at Luka and Yuurei. "Haa...haa...haa...haa..." Kenshin panted after it impacted, sweat dripping off his face.
"Kenshin, what's wrong?" Saji said.
"I've been using too much power...I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold this form much longer..." Kenshin grunted. "We can't keep this up..."
"Looking exhausted there Kenshin! Too bad the same can't be said for me!" Luka mocked.
"Well no shit! You're using a dragon!" Saji said.
"Ha!" Luka laughed.
"Saji ignore him." Kenshin said. "I need your help with something, tell Vritra to set up a mental link with me."
"Already done." Vritra said.
"Kenshin, I finished the scan, but I'm sorry I didn't find any weaknesses." Reya said. "Only weak spots."
"That's fine Reya, thank you." Kenshin said. "You, Momo and Ruruko help Rias, Sona and the others pepper them with attacks and keep Saji's ass covered. I got a plan."
"What is it?" Sona asked.
"I think it's better if you don't know." Kenshin said taking off, running circles around Yuurei and Luka.
"Hn? !" Luka grunted.
"The fuck is he doing?" Yuurei said.
"What do you want us to do?" Vritra asked.
"It's not a weakness, but more a hunch I'm going on." Kenshin thought. "Yuurei's technique that he named after himself, the Tenrai Sesshou Yuurei...is part of his power. If we don't get rid of it, we won't be able to beat either one of them."
"Is the spirit really that powerful?" Vritra asked.
"Using Yuurei's power with his dragon form allowed Ragnarok to hang with the Heavenly Dragons." Kenshin thought. "Anyway. I'm placing down charms, while I'm doing this. I want you and Saji to pour everything you got into Delete Field."
"Hmn...I see where you're going with this. I don't see what else we could do. So you heard him Saji!" Vritra said.
"Leave it to me!" Saji thought.
"Though I should warn you. Whatever it is you're planning will have to be done quick." Vritra said. "In this...dismembered state I won't be able to hold the Delete Field for more than thirty seconds." Vritra said.
"That's plenty, just be ready on my mark." Kenshin thought.
"Damn it! Stop moving around!" Luka said diving at Kenshin, cutting him off.
"!" Kenshin watched as he was blown to the side by a pressurized stream of water. He glanced at Sona who nodded. He nodded back and took off.
"Get him!" Sona ordered pointing at Luka.
"...!" Luka's eyes widened seeing multiple volley's of magic rushing toward him. He dodged out of the way, but had to raise his sword to defend against Tomoe's sword swinging down at him. "!" He felt the earth fracture under his feet. "That's a powerful sword you got there girlie!"
"It's a Sacred Gear, made by the Grigori!" Tomoe shouted, driving Luka into the armor. However Yura's Twinkle Aegis appeared between them and drove Tomoe back as Yuurei's fist crashed in between them. "Haa! Thank you!" She said.
"Of course." Yura said turning her Sacred Gear into attack mode and sending it at Yuurei's face.
"Get that weak shit out my face!" Yuurei said batting it to the side before exhaling a breath attack at them.
"Haaaa!" Rias shouted, powering up her barrier. "Ghh!" She already noticed it breaking apart.
"Grrh!" Tsubaki raised her own barrier to reinforce it. "My lord, this power...it's almost too strong!"
"Here! Applause Wall!" Momo shouts, using her Sacred Gear to the help reinforce the barrier. "Gaahh!"
"You wanna move on them now? !" Yuurei shouts.
"Yeah Yeah!" Luka said shooting toward Saji.
"!" Saji's eyes widened.
Kenshin stopped in front of Yuurei and jumped up, kicking his mouth shut. "I don't think so!"
"Grah!" Yuurei swung a lance at Kenshin who disappeared.
At the same time Ruruko appeared at Luka's side and swung her leg into Luka's face. Her Sacred Gear Procellarum Phantom greatly increasing the strength of the kick while promoting to Knight made it nearly impossible for Luka to react in time.
"Haa! Thanks Ruruko!" Saji said.
"Yes!" Ruruko nodded.
Kenshin appeared next to Rias who was hunched over, panting heavily. "Are you OK?" Kenshin asked.
"I'm...fine...just...out of breath..." Rias said.
"Well take five." Kenshin said. "Why is that armor still on her? It should have went away by now." Kenshin thought.
"She's physically exhausted, but she's still got just enough mana to sustain it. She doesn't know how to turn it off, remember?" Undine said.
"...I guess." Kenshin thought as he walked forward.
"Hn?" Yuurei grunted as Luka took his place back on his head, both seeing Kenshin calmly approaching him. "So Kenshin, how do you plan to defeat me, you can't break my armor enough to strike a decent blow." Yuurei goaded.
"Your armor...means nothing to me." Kenshin said as he formed handsigns. "Bakahatsu Aikyou...Flame Dome."
"? !" Luka looked around as flames encompassed him and Yuurei.
"Hahahaha! Nice try partner, but this won't work!" Yuurei laughed.
"Sensatsu Katensou!" Kenshin shouts as the flame dome compressed into one thousand flame spears.
"This? Really?" Yuurei said.
"..." Luka stared at Kenshin wide eyed. "No...he isn't...!" Luka glanced at Saji. "...Oh no, this is bad!"
Kenshin extended his hands outward. "Saji, get ready."
"On it! When do I do it?" Saji asked.
"After I do what I'm about to do." Kenshin said turning his attention to Yuurei and Luka. "...Shatter." He intoned.
"!" All of the spears broke apart.
"What is he doing?" Sona said.
"It's...as beautiful as it is potentially deadly..." Rias said seeing the fragments dancing in the wind.
"Delete Field!" Saji shouts.
"? !" Luka's eyes widened again as Yuurei's armor completely vanished.
"What the? !" Yuurei said.
The fragments began to swirl around Yuurei and Luka, obscuring them from view. "I told you Yuurei. Your armor...meant nothing to me. One way or another I was going to get past it. Whether I destroyed it, or had it removed...it didn't matter. Now tell me...Luka...Yuurei...how exactly do you plan to defend against these innumerable spear fragments?" Kenshin asked.
"Damn it! The first state of the Thousand Killing Flame Spears! The Knives of Heavenly Fire!" Luka thought. "There's no way we can escape!"
"Hmph...so...am I to assume that this dragon body is your sacrifice then?" Yuurei asked.
"That's right. This Dragon body, shared between Luka and I...will be eradicated." Kenshin said.
"You won't ever be able to use it again. You're basically casting aside your Kuroshi heritage." Yuurei said.
"That's fine. I've gotten this far without it." Kenshin said. "I'll continue on without it as well...now...Knives of Heavenly Fire...Blazing Twister."
The flames began to compress and compress until it exploded outward. Kenshin tettered, falling forward, but was caught by Sona. She slung his arm over her shoulders. "Whew...thanks..." Kenshin said with a weary grin.
"Of course, but why are you so exhausted?" Sona asked.
"The charms make the fire, but from there my external mastery helps me control it like I did. It's still not up to snuff." Kenshin said. "It's a real strain on my mind and body."
"I see." Sona said. "Well it's over now. So I think you've earned a rest."
"Heh! If only that was actually true." Kenshin said.
"What are you talking...!" Sona looked forward seeing a figure coming through the dust. "...No way..."
"Tch!" Kenshin grunted, standing back up as he saw Luka come out of the dust. "So you forced Yuurei's mouth open and jumped in eh?"
"Something like that." Luka shrugged. "In any case...the Black Dragon of Destruction is just a corpse now. Even if you were to summon it again, it would still be a corpse. So here." He threw the black orb he had stolen from Kenshin to him. "I'm sick of the headache."
"What a dick." Yuurei said. "I mean you're a dick too, but with you it's more lighthearted."
"..." Kenshin unsheathed Kuroi Jigoku. "If you want to keep going, fine. I'll make this quick."
"!" Reya's head snapped upward. "There's someone above us!"
"? !" Kenshin, Rias, Sona and her peerage, even Luka's heads all snapped upward.
"My oh my...you've finally taken notice of me."
"! ! !" Kenshin's eyes widened banefully.
"..." Luka's eyes narrowed.
"No..." Kenshin said.
The dust above them swirled around and dissipated. When it settled. A man with ashy tanned skin, long silver hair, black eyes with yellow irises, wearing a black sweater and tan combat pants was lowering himself to the ground. In his hands...was a sword of white, with a luminous glow.
"...Demon King Forbesii..." Kenshin scowled. "So that's your game is it? You have Luka here tire me out and you swoop in and finish me off. There's a sex joke in there somewhere, but neither of the sex demon monarchs are here so..." Kenshin trailed off.
"Hmhmhm..." Forbesii chuckled.
"This is the Demon King..." Sona said. "I'm not sure what I was expecting..."
"He's pretty unassuming, but it's that sword in his hands you need to watch out for." Rias said.
"Indeed, I am much more threatening in looks in my old form." Forbesii said. "The heiress of the Sitri Devils and of the Gremory Devils. If I were to kill you, it would draw your Satan siblings here soon enough, and I'd kill them too."
"..." Kenshin glared at him. "You have to get by me first."
"That won't be much of an issue." Forbesii said. "You've never been able to defeat me Kenshin-kun. I don't see any reason to believe that's changed."
"Well, before we begin. Answer me one question then. How did you increase the amount of holy magic in that sword? A piece of the Almighty though it is. It still should be in the bounds of Kuroi Jigoku's Holy Cancel." Kenshin said.
"Hm?" Forbesii lifted up the Tsurugi no Kami and gazed at it for a few moments. "You wish to know that? Well then, that's simple enough..." Forbesii held it horizontally out in front of him. "It is true, the Tsurugi no Kami's aura, separate from the Almighty himself should have been a non factor against your Kuroi Jigoku's opposing aura of pure darkness, however..." Forbesii smiled demurely. "The Almighty's grace isn't the only thing inhabiting this sword any more."
"..." Kenshin narrowed his eyes.
"You see, during the ceasefire. After defeating Tamamo, I decided I needed more firepower. Her true form was indeed a terror to deal with. I barely got out with my core intact. So, after recovering I decided that more power was needed, as I knew it was only a matter of time before you would run me down with her help. I may have Alipheese intimidated, and unwilling to face me herself...but someone like you, someone fearless and powerful as you, with the ability to acquire great power relatively quickly. This sword would not be that much help unless I mortally wounded you with it, like I did in the Dimensional Gap." Forbesii said.
"Will you get on with it?" Kenshin grunted.
"So, after recovering I went up to the Divine Realms above Makai and met with, and imprisoned the Goddess of Light, Ilias in this blade." Forbesii said with a smirk.
"? !" Kenshin's eyes widened. "Guh!" He growled.
"Huhuhuhuhu...yes, Demonkind's greatest enemy, is now my greatest source of strength." Forbesii said.
"How...in the hell? !" Kenshin shouts. "The only person who could stand against the Goddess of Light was the Goddess of Darkness! You expect me to believe that your fake demon ass was able to beat her? !"
"Beat her? Oh no no...I conducted myself as a potential ally, until I was able to get in close and ram the blade through her heart." Forbesii said. "Now, it's time to say goodb-ulgh? !"
"? ! !" Kenshin, Rias, Sona and her peerage all widened their eyes in shock as a familiar blade tore through Forbesii's chest.
"...What in the hell do you think you're doing, Luka?" Forbesii glared behind him, were Luka was standing, holding his sword.
"Something I've wanted to do for a fucking long time." Luka said with a scowl. "Why do you think you're the only one who can use people, Forbesii? What makes you so special?"
"Guh? !" Forbesii gasped out as Luka dug the sword further in and Luka threw him against the rock wall behind him.
Luka raised his hands and flew through handsigns. "Gekietsu Kumori no Mai! Shadow Binds!"
"Grh! Guuh! Aagh!" Forbesii grunted as many bindings wrapped around him, focusing on his arms and legs, forcing him to let go of the Tsurugi no Kami.
Luka walked over and retrieved the Tsurugi no Kami. Luka then smacked the Demon King a couple of times on the right cheek. "Stay there for a bit and look pretty."
"What...the hell? !" Kenshin said.
"What is going on here? !" Rias asked.
"What's going on here is I've been working the long con on this asshole." Luka said walking over to them with the Tsurugi no Kami in hand. "I apologize for stringing you all along like I did."
"..." Kenshin stared at him.
"As a gesture of good will, here." Luka said extending the Tsurugi no Kami, hilt first toward Kenshin.
"..." Kenshin hesitantly took the hilt in hand and pulled the Sword of God away.
"Luka...are you trying to take my throne from me?" Forbesii asked with an angry smirk.
"No!" Luka shouts rounding on Forbesii. "I'M NOT!" He pointed his sword at the bounded Demon King. "Forbesii! I never joined you to help you! I joined you to lie in wait for the opportune moment to destroy you!"
"What? !" Kenshin said. "Luka are you serious? !"
"What is going on here? !" Saji shouts. "None of us understand!"
"I had questions I needed answering." Luka said. "The only place I could get those answers was in Maouzyou. So I had to join forces with this filth temporarily."
"Questions like?" Sona asked.
"Were Kenshin and I still truly connected, further details on the Homunculus Project which I left in the Research Facility in Sentora just in time for the Fallen Angel, Azazel to happen onto it, and finally...just how involved was Forbesii in the dealings in the past...was he the reason Kenshin and I even ended up there in the first place? Once I found out all of these it was merely a matter of biding my time."
"Hmhmhmhm, your resolve is admirable." Forbesii said. "But you are still a traitor, twice over now."
"If what I have done makes me a villain then I embrace it gladly like my other self once did." Luka said with a scowl. "Any means are necessary for bringing down a tyrant like you!"
"You say that, but your beloved Alipheese may never forgive you, no matter what you do." Forbesii said.
"..." Luka closed his eyes. "As long as she is alive, and returned to her rightful place..." His eyes snapped open and he appeared above Forbesii. "Then I will be satisfied! Heavenly Demon Revival!" He shouts slashing his sword down at Forbesii
(snap!)
Forbesii ripped himself free and a black blade appeared in his hand which he used to block Luka. "Fool...did you really think I would shirk back because you momentarily disarmed me?"
"You think me to be attacking alone? !" Luka smirked.
"? !" Forbesii lowered his sight and saw Kenshin charging at him.
"Back away!" Kenshin said moving his hand to his sheathed Kuroi Jigoku. "Katensho Iai!" Kenshin said slashing his sword outward, the blast impacting Forbesii as Luka cleared the blast raidus.
"Nice!" Luka said pumping his fist.
"Ok, let's get something straight here." Kenshin said. "I get why you've been doing what you've been doing, but I am still very pissed off at you."
Luka laughed awkwardly. "Yeah Yeah I know. I'll make it up to you and them. I promise."
"That being said. Now's not the time to be pissed at you." Kenshin said. "And what you know, I want to know after this."
"Of course." Luka said with a nod as the dust settled to reveal Forbesii was unharmed. "Say, where did you put the Tsurugi no Kami anyway?" Luka asked.
"I left it with my real body." Kenshin said.
"You're a clone? !" Luka shouts.
"My main body is worn out, what did you expect?" Kenshin said. (3 )
"Oh...r-right." Luka winced.
"That said, he will be able to defend himself in a pinch, he just didn't feel it was wise to use the Tsurugi no Kami against someone who has been waving it around all this time." Kenshin said.
"I get it. So let's just keep this asshole in front of us." Luka said.
"Zylphe, Gnomaren, Grandine, Gigamander." Forbesii said as the elements spiraled around him. "Hmhmhmhm...you two think yourselves to be kingslayers...a nameless youkai and a pariah from the World of Magic? Well, let's put your ambition to the test!"
"? !" Luka and Kenshin turned as Forbesii got in between them. They slashed down at Forbesii who blocked with his sword held behind his back. Forbesii arched his body and kicked Luka in the head before turning to Kenshin and driving him back.
Sona turned to the main Kenshin. "While you have that sword, he's not as threatening, right?"
"No, but I still wouldn't attack him." Kenshin said. "He had the Tsurugi no Kami all this time, but that doesn't mean his position as Sixteenth Demon King is for looks."
Forbesii drove the clone Kenshin into a tree and knocked the clone's sword from it's hand and was poised to slash it's throat when the Demon King was forced to dodge as Luka nearly cut him in half. Clone Kenshin grabbed Luka's arm and flung him in front of Forbesii as he made a beeline for the real Kenshin. "Well well well, nameless youkai. Your teamwork with your pariah brother is superb." Forbesii said clashing his blade against Luka's.
"We're the same person! What did you expect? !" Luka said, slashing downward, knocking Forbesii's sword arm to the side. Luka and the clone Kenshin slashed Forbesii in the front and back as the Demon King couldn't defend himself.
"...Heh." Forbesii reached forward with his hands and gripped them both by the throat. "You two just don't seem to get it. I'm not destroying Makai. My imprisoning of Ilias would serve to suggest that I am trying to save it."
"Through a reign of terror. Don't give me that story again. I can only vomit so much." Luka grunted.
"Well, believe what you want. What I say is truth." Forbesii said as he turned to Luka.
"Luka, protect yourself!" Clone Kenshin said slicing Forbesii's arm off as a seal glyph flashed to life on his chest.
"Shit!" Luka said as he took off.
"Hn? !" Forbesii grunted as Clone Kenshin grabbed his arm in a deathgrip.
"You aren't going anywhere." He said in with a smirk as he exploded.
Kenshin shielded his eyes with a smirk of his own. "I loaded a lot of explosion charms on that one." He said.
"Yeah Yeah, but that didn't take him down. No friggin' way." Luka said. "We can't fight him like this. We should make tracks while we can."
"You expect us to trust you? !" Sona asked.
"Sona, not now! He's right. We need to amscray while we still can." Kenshin said.
"Hey get down!" Luka said tackling Sona to the ground as a dark red beam shot over her head.
"Shit..." Kenshin grunted.
"Nice shot Shinta-kun. I heard that hit someone." Forbesii said as he emerged from the smoke with the hooded figure Shinta.
"!" Luka glanced to his right. "Damn it...!"
"No...!" Saji said.
"..." Kenshin shakily began turning his head to look behind him, silently praying that the Demon King was lying.
"No...Rias! ! !" Sona screamed.
"Aaah...?" Rias looked down, to see the armor she was wearing falling apart and a roughly dime sized hole through the center of her chest. She coughed out blood and her back hit the ground the next moment.
Luka moved out of the way as Sona sprung up and ran to her best friend's side. Her peerage joined her and her bishops started trying to heal the Gremory heiress. He turned his head to Kenshin, who stared in numb horror.
"Oh no, she's losing a lot of blood! We have to heal this wound, fast!" Momo said.
"..." Luka got up and appeared next to them. He placed a charm on Rias' wound and flew through handsigns. "Healing Light!" He shouts.
"Haa..." Rias let out a weak gasp.
"That should stymie the bleeding, but you need to close the wound quickly." Luka said. "It won't hold forever."
"Well we have one Phoenix tear left from taking on those homunculi, but that doesn't solve her blood loss." Tsubaki said.
"Figure something out!" Luka said taking off.
Kenshin still stared at Rias. "Rias...I...I promised I would always be there to protect you...and when the moment came...I...I failed...not once, but twice!" He squeezed his eyes shut.
"You're wide open." Shinta said appearing behind Kenshin with a blood red zanbatou in hand, slashing at Kenshin's waist.
"Hey look ou-? !" Luka was cut off as Kenshin turned and punched through the blade, shattering it to pieces and driving Shinta back to Forbesii.
"Haa...haaa...haaa...haaa...haaa...!" Kenshin panted, not from exhaustion, but because his heart would not stop racing.
(crack!)
"Hm? !" Forbesii looked on in interest as the Scale Mail Kenshin was wearing began to fracture.
(boom! !)
The elements exploded out of his body and swirled around him in a violent vortex. Kenshin took a step forward, the earth cratering under his feet. "Luka. Forbesii is all yours." Kenshin said walking toward Shinta who was using his youki to repair his sword.
"He was never anyone else's to begin with." Luka said turning to Forbesii.
"How boring...I wanted to see this Vessel of the Elements first hand." Forbesii said.
"Well that's too fucking bad." Luka said. "I won't make the same mistakes I did before."
"Well, let's just see about that, nameless youkai!" Forbesii said.
"You won't find me as easy to defeat at the homunculi hordes you've dealt with. I am almost as strong as he is." Shinta said referring to Forbesii.
"Shinta was it?" Kenshin asked.
"That's right." Shinta said.
"Very well...I like to know the names of those I kill." Kenshin said as he took off right at Shinta. "NOW PREPARE YOURSELF! SHINTAAAAA! ! !"
(chapter end)
Draconis: I kinda feel like I went too fast with this chapter. The events in it anyway.
Luka: Doin' too much?
Draconis: I guess, but it's alright I suppose.
Kenshin: Yeahyeahyeah! Whatever just let me at 'em!
Draconis: You're awfully eager for someone who's supposed to be tired.
Anyway. There are footnotes.
(1 ) Don't bother looking for the points in my story where these things are said. They're all off script so to speak.
(2 ) The name of these mountains are purely a coincidence.
(3 ) I mentioned in the last chapter or one before it that the weariness of Kenshin's main body is carried by his clones as well. This was just Luka lying to cover his ass.
Anyway, I'm sorry if the events in this chapter progressed too quickly, I'll see you all next time.
Draconis678 out.