Gen let out a joyous laugh as he saw Nikki rowing the boat that the distraction team were on. Magma was still heading for the Perseus. "Ha-ha! You came for me! Senku and the gang's all here! Get me off this wild ride!" He begged them, though they didn't even look in his direction. But for Sumi, her hair was flying as she had a dark aura around her, her eyes red as she looked right towards them. Everyone except Nikki and Senku looked at her in fear. "Ahhh! Why do you look like you're about to urder-may me, Mire-Chan?" Gen whined at her, unaware that she was pissed that they took the gun.
"Let's just say that you're both so lucky that I can't dedicate any time to pummel either of you right now," She pointed at them angrily.
"Ha ha!" Ryusui snapped out of it as Senku patted Sumi gently on the head to calm her down. She let out a small growl, but the aura around her fell at least. "We're sailing straight into the heart of the enemy!" He revealed to the two of them. Either Magma didn't register this, or he was too focused on using the gun to kill Ibara.
"You're kidding me!" Gen exclaimed in disbelief at this, as they were almost to the Perseus.
"Nope," Senku confirmed for the mentalist. "We're going on a rampage to slow down Ibara. The statue retrieval team needs some time, so it's up to us to buy them every millisecond that we can."
"And then we can finally end this battle between the Kingdom of Science and the people from this island," Sumi clenched a fist in determination.
"Huh?!" Gen screamed at the two, lines over his forehead. Pulling both of those off would take a lot of effort, especially since they didn't have everyone from the crew revived to even have a chance. "There's only 10 of us, though! And we're up against hundreds of hardened soldiers! Your plan's a bust!"
No one had time to comment as Magma fired the gun again, and missed. Ibara gasped at the shot, looking up at the smoke above his head. The blond let out a laugh, Gen turning around in utter horror at this.
"It looks like our futile fight's already begun...!" He murmured in fear of what he was getting into. He should've never helped Magma get a boat.
Magma jumped off the canoe and then landed on the ramp leading to the Perseus. Nikki crawled after him, Sumi gracefully jumping off from behind. She landed with a small thump as Magma laughed manically, heading for the top. Kinro followed after the only two women as Magma growled with a jump, laughing still as he was finally going to kill Ibara...or so he thought.
Magma raised the gun in the air, Gen looking on anxiously from the canoe. "It's sort of ironic, huh? Everyone waxed philosophical about the gravity of reinventing the gun, and was convinced we wouldn't use it to claim the lives of others..."
Magma then pointed the weapon right at the old man. "Time to die, Ibara!" He called out gleefully before shooting and hitting one of the sails. Everyone gasped while looking up, and the brute blond fired three more times, and missing every single time. One of them even ended up going through the pipes of the ship as they could hear the clanks of the bullet moving around.
"They're messing up the boat!" A guard shouted at this.
"How many sorcerers are there?" Another one of them cried out.
Gen could only stare from his spot, since he didn't feel confident going up there. Not when his life was in danger the second that they all arrived at the Perseus. "Those lofty ideals were shot out of the sky within mere seconds. Ruining plans is pretty much the only thing he's good for..." He commented towards Magma, who laughed again. He then pointed the gun again towards Ibara.
"Now just drop dead!" He declared just as Nikki and Sumi popped up from behind.
"How about you drop dead?!" The blonde slammed her fists into his head, causing him to drop the gun. Sumi reached out her leg and caught it with her foot, kicking it up into the air. The black-haired scientist held out her hand so the gun landed in it perfectly safe. She then hit her own fist against Magma's head for good measure.
"If anybody's dyin', it'll be you two!" Magma shouted towards the two women angrily, a bunch of head bumps on him.
"How are you standing after that?" Nikki asked him in disbelief, though she smirked. "I'm almost kinda impressed. Well, if you wanna dance, let's dance!"
"No freakin' way you'll be able to kill me since you've seen me fight," Sumi deadpanned at the blond, then her eyes turned white. "And that is just a taste of what I'm gonna do to you once we're off this ship for trying to kill someone and messing up our plan, you absolute dumbass!"
"Praise be to Nikki and Mire-Chan, the group's trusty big bros," Gen clasped his hands in relief as guards were jumping out of the ship because of the gunshots. Ibara got a closer look at Sumi, recognizing her as one of the women he picked for the inner selection.
"You! I know you..." He pointed at her, getting her attention. She then looked at him wide-eyed, realizing that he had seen her.
"Whoa-oh," She murmured to herself sheepishly; she had forgotten up until now that she was the only person in the group that was also from the spy team. So this was the first time any of them from the island had properly seen her ever since Kohaku and Ginro got petrified.
"Don't just stand there, grab her! She's with the intruder Kohaku!" The minister ordered the guards, who ran up to her.
Sumi narrowed her eyes and handed off the gun to Yo behind her. She then immediately flipped onto a rope net of the ship, letting herself fall towards the wood. Some of the guards let out a yell while climbing up towards her. She grabbed a stray rope to then swing around, kicking down people in the process. She then let go and backflipped back onto the deck, rolling to a stop. The guards who had climbed looked at her in shock as she smirked up at them, a hand on her hip. They all flinched as the realized that they weren't close enough to get down. "Heh. Too high to get down here on your own, huh? That's what you get for trying to team up on someone who's had training!" She pointed at them. Ibara stared at her intensely, as he had seen something similar when she and Kohaku smashed the statue. But he never would've thought that she'd be at this level...
Sumi then spun around in a kick to knock one down. She jumped onto the edge of the ship as another one approached and he swung his weapon at her. He yelled and jumped to land in front of her. She held up her wrist to block the wood of the weapon multiple times as he attacked. And she then swung down her head as he swung at her. He yelped in utter shock before she flipped to land back onto the deck, in the process knocking him into the water. He let out a scream as he landed and she heard another one approach. She extended her arm to punch him and then grabbed another one, tossing him to the side. He hit the wood so hard that it knocked him out. She then looked up at her friends, giving a small wave with a smile.
"Don't worry, guys. I'll make sure no one gets hurt."
Nikki and Yo were both in awe since they hadn't seen her fight before. "Ha ha! Impressive!" Ryusui grinned at her. Senku then glanced at the duo knowingly.
"Oh yeah, you two never had the chance until now to see Sumi in full action," He commented at this. And this time, he was giving her a pass for fighting them off since the guards weren't nearly as strong as Moz. Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by even more guards.
"Oh no..." Sumi murmured at the bunch of men. Everyone was on edge now, since she didn't have her weapons, and there was only so much she could do with just her bare hands. Gen jumped while landing at the top of the ramp. Ryusui then turned to Yo.
"Don't waste ammunition."
"Got that, Yo?" Kaseki turned to the ex-cop checking the gun. "Wasting the bullets means wasting our secret weapon."
"Seriously?!" Yo gave a look of shock. "The cylinder just has three shots left!"
"Crap," Sumi gave a small sweat drop while glancing around. "Now what?"
Senku gave a hum of thought. He understood that Sumi had to defend them, but it would help her if the numbers were suddenly decreased from the amount of fighting she'd have to do. He reached into his pouch, getting the attention of everyone. "What is that, Senku?" Chrome wondered as Sumi bent down to get a closer look. "Another trump card?"
Senku was pouring black powder into a little pouch. "It's magnesium." Sumi blinked and then smiled in realization. "Get excited for some impromptu fireworks," He closed up the pouch and then took the gun from Yo. He twisted the pouch into the end of the gun. "Ready."
"Don't worry, we'll only waste one bullet so you'll still have some ammo," Sumi told him with a grin. "But I will say to prepare yourself, Yo."
Yo held up his gun to the sky, and a large beam of light came from it. "Oh-yo!" Yo's eyes shined at it in awe. The islanders were baffled by this.
"Spear of Light!" Gen suddenly announced with a big smile. "Unleash your fury!" They all gasped at this, falling for it...well, not Ibara. "There are sorcerers aboard this vessel and every last one's gonna go pew-pew and light up the place!" He stated with a crazy look in his eyes.
Lots of guards yelled in alarm and jumped off the ship, landing in the water. "Alright!" Chrome cheered at this as the light stopped. "That bluff worked wonders!"
Senku let out a chuckle. "Well, it kinda helps when it's not actually a bluff. That gun is legit."
"It's just that they don't need to know that," Sumi gave a sly smile. "All thanks to Gen, though that still doesn't make up for the stupidity earlier." He let out a small whine towards her in dismay, knowing that he was in for it later for not stopping Magma. However, a single canoe was heading their way instead of leaving. Chrome looked out to sea as he caught wind of this.
"Check it out. A boat is coming towards us instead of fleeing. But Sumi's got this one, right?" He told everyone and even if Sumi couldn't smell him, she felt a sudden familiar chill. She didn't even have to look to know that Moz was on his way over, and just like Sumi before, he looked PISSED. He gave an intense glare towards the ship as Sumi looked over her shoulder. "Or...maybe not," Chrome finished sheepishly as she stared up ahead.
Senku let out a chuckle again, though he did look a little nervous this time around. "Somebody's certainly punctual. Won't be escaping or talking our way outta this one," He murmured while glancing at his lover.
"It's a head-on battle with the biggest and baddest of them all," Ryusui commented as Sumi stepped up between him and Senku, hands on her hips.
"Someone that even Kohaku wasn't able to defeat either..." Sumi gritted her teeth as she didn't have much to defend herself with this time. If she wasn't able to stop him when he discovered them, there was no way she'd be able to win now. His look said it all: he was out for their blood and nothing was going to convince him of otherwise.
Moz jumped onto the ship, not even waiting for the smaller boat to land. He landed on the ramp with a thump. Nikki then turned around. "We're counting on you, sheriff!" She called out to him.
Yo ran up to the edge, pointing the gun right at Moz running up to them. He immediately noticed it and remembered what Senku did to activate the drone. It just takes the flick of a sorcerer's finger to work their strange enhancements. Yo had a big grin on his face, ready to save the day and climb the ranks like he wanted. Moz jumped off the ramp, holding his weapon right while heading for Yo. He saw the ex-cop moving his finger at the trigger. That one's casting the spell. I see your finger. It has to be you! He then grunted as he swung his weapon, knocking Yo right off of the ship! Sumi let out a sharp gasp as she ran to the edge to see him flying around right into the water.
"The gun! And just like that, we're done for!" Gen exclaimed before Moz leaped off the edge, Sumi turning around to him slowly with shaking eyes. He landed a few feet away from her, and she actually looked a bit terrified as she slowly backed away. Her back then hit Senku's chest, causing her to flinch a little. He noticed her reaction and realized that it was because hand-to-hand combat wasn't going to give her an advantage here.
"What's this? You're actually a scared little rabbit now? Heh...that's almost disappointing of you, I must say," Moz commented and she glared. She then kicked a guard heading right for her and he went flying backwards into the water.
"Do I really look that scared to you?" She retorted back confidently; just because she was hesitant to fight him this time didn't mean she had to show it. Though she could tell that because of no weapons, that she might not win or even have it be a tie like last time.
Before Moz could comment, Kinro growled while approaching the warrior, golden spear ready. He thrusted it forward, but Moz knocked it away with ease and then attacked Kinro moved his head to the side before the warrior swung and he stepped back. He blocked several hits from Moz while the others ran to get further away. Nikki and Sumi watched from up front. Kinro had to run around him just to avoid the fast movements. He hit the wall briefly from a strike and Moz spun his weapon around. He then jabbed it hard against Kinro's stomach, knocking him into Nikki.
"Kinro!" Sumi bent down to him in concern, growling towards Moz. She then stood in front of the others, gesturing to the door nearby. "Get him inside, hurry!"
Moz hummed proudly at possibly getting a rematch with her, but he also wasn't stupid as he narrowed his eyes. His battle with her was enough to show that if he let his guard down even for a second, she'd use that to win. And he knew this because he had seen her quick reflexes. He then signaled to a guard waiting above them and one right behind him.
Sumi and Kohaku share similarities when it comes to combat skills...her reaction time was instant as soon as I had revealed myself to them. So the only way to stop her...
Two guards suddenly approached from in front and behind the group. Both sets of men were ready to strike, the group flinching at them as they couldn't fight them off at the same time. Sumi gasped and then turned around to the ones from behind, kicking the weapon upwards quickly out of his hands. It spun around above their heads as the four guards looked up in shock. She leapt into the air, using the distraction to her advantage as she held her skirt down. She then let herself fall, her leg outstretched to the ones from behind. Once she was close enough, she kicked them backwards with as much force as she could. They slid backwards in pain as she landed. She then grabbed one of the guards by the hand in front with her cloak from her waist, knocking the weapon out of his hands as well. Moz looked up in shock as the two weapons were still flying up into the air. Sumi then swung down while still holding the cloak, sliding underneath the first guard's arm to kick the second one away from them. And finally, she threw the first one into a barrel.
Sumi spun around, catching both weapons by the blade. She swiftly flicked her wrists so that she was holding them both by the handle. She gritted her teeth in anger for what they just tried to do, her hands trembling. The others were all staring at her in utter disbelief from how fast that was, as that was less than 2 minutes to already stop the plan and then some.
Moz let out a smirk at this, anticipating her next move. Heh. I knew it. She'll snap and that'll give me the chance I've been waiting for...to slaughter them all without anything stopping me. I honestly don't know if I should still kill Sumire, she is certainly entertaining. But...should I even let her live at this point either?
Senku turned to his lover in alarm for what she was about to do. If she tried to attack them right now, it would be a game over for them. He held out a hand to her, a panicked look on his face. "Sumire, wa-"
Before he could stop her, she threw the weapons right towards Moz and they spun around in rapid fashion. He smirked and gripped his weapon, ready to stop it and then murder them. However, instead of hitting him, they flew right past the man and he gasped as he watched. The two weapons then landed right into the mast, shocking everyone. Moz stood there in utter disbelief for her reaction, a small cut now appearing on his cheek thanks to what she did. Ibara twitched in shock at the woman as her body was hunched over, so no one could see her reaction just yet. And not only that, there was a shadow over her eyes anyway.
How is that possible?! Is this part of her attack? No... Moz turned around to her and gave her a deep frown. If it was, she would've already made another move, nothing's stopping her now. So throwing them like that...was a warning.
Ibara let out a small growl as he came to the same conclusion. He knew that if they took one step further...then nothing would stop Sumi from fighting back and probably winning if her warning was any indication. Not having her whip was still a disadvantage...but that was until she actually had a reason to forget that. She finally reacted by twitching slowly, her body finally relaxing only a little so she could look their enemies into the eye. And she looked extremely pissed off looking at them.
"Our objective isn't needless violence, and I had no intention until now of taking a life by my own hands," She finally spoke up to them with an edge to her voice. "All of my friends and my loved one aren't dying on my watch. So if you wanna keep standing up, you won't be leaving a scratch on any of them. I honestly don't care if I have to fight all of you. Because I'll have to send you all straight to hell with no mercy!" She growled out before throwing the door open to push Magma inside first. "I thought I told you guys to get Kinro in!"
Ryusui immediately helped him up, dragging him over to the door. Nikki prepared herself and then ran forward. She swung her fist to attack, but he ducked. He was about to slam her to the ground when Sumi threw her cloak between them to catch him off guard. The force of the cloak was enough to send Nikki flying towards them.
"Ah! Nikki!" Sumi exclaimed while she, Senku, and Gen remained outside of the door still. They then moved her over to the door. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Don't worry about me," Nikki glanced up at her. "Just like you said, no scratches, right?"
Sumi flinched as she saw that she had protected her and then nodded sharply. Moz stared at the trio, slowly stepping forward. She glanced back at him with a small gasp. "Well, Senku, Sumi?" Gen looked at the warrior in fear. "Any tricks left? Some scientific trump card or some powerful moves...?"
"Played all our cards from every suit, including Sumi herself," Senku informed while holding the door handle. "Guess them's the breaks."
"Let's not waste any time," Sumi urged as she ran off and he closed the door. They ran down the stairs as fast as they could. Moz then opened it a few seconds later.
"After this if we survive, you deserve a round of applause, Mire-chan!" Gen called out to her as she was in front of them, practically hopping down the stairs as fast as possible.
"I have to say, I commend you keeping your cool by not attacking them," Ryusui glanced back at Sumi.
"That was for them petrifying Kohaku and Ginro!" She revealed while panting next to Senku. "Plus Moz is genuinely a bastard that I know I can't fight off forever. So I had to prioritize my friends' lives over fighting back. Besides, I could've broken my promise to Senku if I did let myself get carried away back there," She gave him a small giggle since their promise was still active.
"Heh heh," Senku let out a small chuckle, giving a small smile that she was still content with it and not letting herself get killed. "Ten billion points to you! I guess I gotta stop calling you a dummy from now on, huh? You might actually start rising in maturity levels at this rate."
She flinched in alarm upon hearing this. "Uh? So you're saying that you're taking me seriously...?" She slowly turned to him with an open mouth. And then she blushed as her eyes glistened, as there were even sparkles around her. Sumi was really happy to hear that he was finally seeing her as a partner that could be on his level—at least in terms of maturity because when it came to science, there wasn't really a need for comparison.
"What the hell?" Senku gave a bewildered look at her reaction. "I never said I didn't take you seriously. Why wouldn't I? Come on, no time to stand there and be adorable!" He grabbed her hand and ran off down the steps again with her. Although part of him was satisfied that complimenting her was still helping their relationship, even though right now was definitely not the time for it.
He called me adorable! Sumi blushed even deeper and then snapped out of it. She'd have time to gush about that later.
Meanwhile, Moz slowly stepped down, not even running since he knew that he'd find them. Chrome held open the door for the others as they rushed inside. He closed it and turned the handle, Moz's footsteps being the only thing heard. Sumi stepped backwards to stop in front of Kinro, a fist clenched.
"Oh, man! We're trapped like ship rats!" Gen exclaimed at this.
"Now I know why they call it a dead end," Chrome spoke up anxiously and then it was silence for a couple of seconds. The door was then kicked open by Moz.
"Mm. You tried, but failed," He revealed while stepping inside. They all stared at him quietly, Senku sweating a little while backing away. Sumi shook off her own fear and was about to charge in when he held up a hand in front of her. He didn't have to say anything to her as she gritted her teeth, not liking this at all...because she knew exactly where he was going with this.
"Well, well, well!" Ibara stepped inside, ducking his head so he could get in without hitting his head. "At last we meet, invaders," He then chuckled as he gave a slow clap. "You gave a valiant effort, especially your strongest fighter," Ibara glanced right at Sumi. "If she wasn't one of you, I'd ask her to join me in a heartbeat! I confess, I was left in a state of awe! However...the time has come to put an end to this."
"Tch," Senku simply scoffed as Sumi let out a deep breath. "You didn't corner us. We backed ourselves into this room...cause it's right where we need to be."
"Huh?" Ibara raised a brow in confusion.
"If you really thought the Kingdom of Science would go down like this, you're wrong," Sumi spoke up with her eyes closed, though was still not pleased with what she and Senku were about to do. "I don't really know if I can call myself the strongest fighter...when there's someone else I know with much more years of experience under his belt to even the playing field even for just a little bit."
As soon as she said that, she and Senku lightly tossed a bottle of revival fluid into a cage behind him. It then broke apart into pieces, releasing the revival fluid. "Inside the storage room?" Gen asked the two in confusion.
"We actually do have one remaining card, Gen," Senku revealed with a small smirk. "The one violet and I didn't wanna use. The Joker."
"Not exactly what I had in mind, but it's probably the only chance we have now," Sumi stated while keeping her eyes on Moz and Ibara. "As flimsy as the Joker is, it's also one that could very well backfire as much as benefit us..."
Gen then glanced towards the cell. I see. Ibara and his army of cronies weren't able to get through this metal gate of science when they had the chance. He then plucked a hair pun from Sumi to use it on the lock from the door.
"Very well, then," Kinro murmured knowingly as the others realized what Senku and Sumi had just done. "What choice do we have?"
The lock then fell to the ground, the pin on the door following. The door also fell to the floor, Gen giving a nervous sound. He pressed his back against the wall, turning away. Two feet stepped out into the open...revealing Hyoga! "Ha ha! No going back...the wildest of wild cards is free," He spoke up hesitantly, since he had no idea what was going through Hyoga's mind right about now. And the last time anyone interacted with him, it wasn't exactly pleasant as he thought that Tsukasa was dead at that point. Plus, he was the one behind said injury, and he almost murdered Sumi, and then wanted to take over...there were hundreds of reasons not to revive him, but he was very strong from what they had seen of him. And so he was the possibly the only person now that could fend off Moz from killing them all.
"Hyoga!" Kinro held out his spear to him. Hyoga silently turned to the man. "Take my spear. Our fate's in your hands."
He took it and then looked up towards Moz and Ibara. "But we lost the gun," Nikki reminded them with an anxious look. She hadn't interacted with Hyoga much with the Tsukasa Empire, but she knew enough to never mess with him. "The only weapon that could put this guy back in his cage. We know how insanely strong he is, so how are we going to stop him?"
Senku gave a chuckle with a wide smirk. Sumi had a small frown on her face. "That's a problem for the future Kingdom of Science. We don't even know if the great Hyoga will team up with the people who caged him to begin with. But if we want any hope of winning against their powerful ace, our one and only option is putting the joker into play. Our own ace, Sumi, is at a disadvantage since I took her weapons," He dug his pinky into his ear.
"And because of your bad luck, of course I wouldn't be able to defeat him on the one time you wanted to confiscate them," Sumi deadpanned a little. "Anyway, we'll worry about his possible grudge when it's relevant. I don't like it either, but we don't have much of a choice in the grand scheme of things. Not when we still need to buy some more time."
Ibara eyed Hyoga suspiciously as something came to mind. The kid with the mask they're calling 'Hyoga'...I could've sworn he was a statue when we checked this room. And sure enough, when the whole ship was petrified by Kirisame not too long ago, Hyoga and Homura weren't immune either from this. Actually, so was that one in the fancy hat over there. He turned to Ryusui, remembering that he had brought him over to the inner palace to be smashed. His eyes turned dark for a few seconds before scoffing, backing away. He then turned around and ran off without another word.
"Where the hell do you think you're going, you old-" Magma was about to chase him, only to be knocked into the wall thanks to Moz. Yes, he wanted Ibara dead, but he also couldn't let the man get suspicious if he let Magma catch up to Ibara.
Moz then gave a small evil smirk. That swing was quite telling. He's on an entirely different level Hyoga immediately noticed of him. Just like with Sumi and Kohaku, he could tell Moz's power level right away. "This Moz person," He finally spoke up to Senku and Sumi. "I take he's the reason you both revived me?"
"Yeah. Good job on piecing it together yourself," Senku looked over his shoulder.
"At least we don't have to waste time for a recap," Sumi spoke up, still not looking at Hyoga.
"Did you forget the fact that I'm your enemy?" He questioned the duo.
"Nope, not for a millisecond," The green-haired scientist answered without a doubt.
"How could I not forget our little scuffle when we first met?" Sumi pointed out with a serious look on her face. "If it wasn't for Senku, you would've killed me that day."
"How astute of you, Sumire. Which means I could either join forces with you and we can reign over the Kingdom of Science together," Sumi gave herself a silent scoff at this. No way would she want Hyoga to take charge, not when he could be calculating his strategy right about now. "Or I could join Moz and we can annihilate the lot of you. Decisions, decisions. Regardless of what you want, the choice is solely mine to make in this situation." Gen, Ryusui, Senku, and Sumi all stared at him.
Ibara then ran up the steps as he couldn't help but question about the master's statue. If Hyoga and Ryusui could be alive again thanks to the Kingdom of Science... Those sorcerers have magic that brings petrified people back to life! Even if they've been shattered to bits! Taiju carefully placed glue onto a piece of the master's statue. Yuzuriha then placed two pieces together in concentration. This is bad. What if they revive him? Soyuz and Ukyo were hard at work as well as they had gotten about halfway there. Ibara stepped up to the edge of the ship, panting as he could still see the smoke from the island.
"The smashed remains of the master's statue still pose a threat!" He muttered in disbelief that no matter what he did, the master was still putting his plans to a halt in any state that the statue was in.
Gen groaned nervously while looking at Hyoga, a shadow over his eyes. He then glanced around in a panic. We need to get Hyoga to declare Moz his mortal enemy somehow! He put his hands into his sleeves while trying to think. Surely there's an oolproof-fay means to make that happen. You're a mentalist, Gen, so think! His eyes twitched while sweat dripped down everywhere, because if he made the wrong choice, all of them would die. Now he knew how Sumi felt when she had to stop herself from fighting off Tsukasa when he held Yuzuriha hostage. Maybe if I can convince Moz that Hyoga's our sworn ally and will die to defend us, the latter will be forced to fight the former. But wait, he's already seen and done that with Mire-Chan, so would that even work a second time?
He then got an idea, remembering that Sumi herself attempted flirting to get Moz to not kill them. So maybe a similar approach would work, even though her flirting almost fooled the warrior. He grinned towards Nikki. "Proposition for you," She turned to him in confusion, and he leaned in to whisper. "Pretend you're madly in love with Hyoga, okay?"
She gasped sharply as she flinched, a light blush over her face. She then towered over him and he held up his hands nervously. "Um, hello?! Amaryllis is the one who's good at faking like she's in love with someone, not me, Gen!"
"Yes, but you and Sumi are the only women here now," He reminded the blonde, flinching in realization and turning to her. "Mire-Chan, maybe you and Nikki together could—"
"I will kill you," Sumi declared in a scary voice as her eyes turned white at being asked even.
"You know what, I was just checking to see if you were up for it, and turns out you're not, ha ha! Please don't hurt me," Gen laughed in fear at her; she had made it very clear this time around that she had no interest in partaking in this. "Anyway, you can't be any worse than Kohaku or Sumi, and even if you are, who cares? Pucker your lips like this and say those three small words! Easy as pie!"
"Thank god I didn't have to do that," Sumi murmured while looking away. "Because I wouldn't have been able to go through with it if I was asked." And if Moz exposing her breasts was something that happened without even saying those words, she didn't wanna know what would happen if she had said them.
Nikki whined as she looked to the ground, having to suck it up...her face turned red as she gritted her teeth, her eyes white. "Alright. I'll say it if it'll really help...there's just one issue. Those three small words, well...they aren't so small to me," She held her cheeks, her face still red. "I won't say I love you unless I'm genuinely in love with them. That rite of passage is special..."
"Aww, Nikki," Sumi's eyes shined a little at her explanation.
Gen recoiled back in alarm, tears flying from his eyes. Ahh, I forgot! She and Sumi are the purest romantics of us all!
Suddenly the golden spear was plunged into his cloak, Hyoga lifting him up. "Shut that silmy, deceptive mouth of yours, Gen," He ordered and Sumi growled at him.
"And if you don't let him go right now, I'll permanently smash yours," She warned him and he huffed from her demand. He moved away the spear to release Gen. He fell to the floor and bowed repeatedly to Hyoga. Sumi had her arms crossed staring down at him. She was still pissed at him, but also didn't want his life threatened.
"Consider it shut and locked! I beg you to spare me!" He cried out in cowardice, clasping his hands. Nikki blushed while pressing her fingers together, trying to get the courage to say it if she had to...
"You don't have to beg," Hyoga spoke up while staring down at the mentalist. "I value your silver tongue as it were made of solid gold. You've been given a task in this world and you excel in it," Gen gave a shocked sound looking up at him for the compliment. "The same goes for you two as well, Nikki and Sumi." They both turned to him with equally shocked expressions on their faces. "You were quick to act, despite how hard it would be for you to go through with his request. Meanwhile, Sumi immediately reacted to my handling of Gen, even though she knows I could attack her at any time. Yes, you are indeed proper." He then closed his eyes while still thinking it over. If I ally myself with this formidable Moz, I would have to kill almost everyone here behind me. He then stared down the two scientists. You both still want to save all of humanity, don't you, Sumire and Senku? Pity you both put stock in that short-sighted goal.
"Quite simply," He spoke up again, getting their attention. "I believe humans should be culled. Leave the countless fools of the petrified to their slumber and only pass on superior genes. Through evolution, we will give rise to the apex of our kind. Moz, what are your thoughts regarding this matter?"
Sumi let out a sharp gasp from this, Ryusui staring at him. He's evaluating us. His answer will determine who he sides with.
"Huh..." Moz gave a smile of interest. "Have to say I agree. Hyoga is your name, isn't it? Well then, Hyoga, you're right. This culling of yours sounds great," He then gave a big smirk, though he was staring down Hyoga as if evaluating him himself with his eyes. I can gauge his strength about as well as I can see his masked face, but that's the answer he wants to hear, right? "In fact, we already put your beliefs into practice on this island. The prettiest women are selected from the herd. If you're as strong as I take you for, you too could have a harem of your own. Sumire's a top one in my book."
"No I'm not!" Sumi called out nonchalantly while Hyoga stared at her. "You sliced open my top without warning, you douche!"
But...I'll still kill you. Moz thought to himself, ignoring her remark.
Ryusui then snapped his fingers, letting out a laugh. This alarmed Moz as he opened his mouth. "What a childish mindset, Moz! All women are beauties in their own right. To think you're blind to such eye-candy. I desire every woman in the whole world!"
"They're all beauties?" Moz couldn't help but question. Looks were a big deciding factor for him for the inner selection, so he never stopped to think that beauty was only skin-deep. Gen and Sumi gave them deadpanned looks.
Well, I suppose it would be more surprising to hear that there was something he didn't want.
I honestly can't say I'm shocked given how his efforts were with me when we revived him. Although I really hope he doesn't go back to that after telling them this... Sumi pinched her nose at the thought.
"In fact, from what I've seen and been told..." Ryusui glanced over to the black-haired scientist with a smile. "Both of you seem to be attentive to Sumi, aren't you?"
"Huh?!" Sumi gasped as she flinched, blushing a little at suddenly being a topic.
"Well, she doesn't disappoint..." Moz looked at her chest, and she covered it up with a pout. "She is very curvaceous, and quite strong as well. After all, even when injured, she still keeps on fighting...I really admire that in a woman."
"Ugh," Senku groaned at this, closing his eyes. This was the last thing he wanted to hear right now.
"And she is rather...interesting," Hyoga pointed out while staring at the back of Sumi's head.
"You think she's interesting? Are we talking about the same Sumi?" The green-haired scientist deadpanned while crossing his arms.
"Mm!" Sumi grunted at him, grinding her fist into his arm with a red mark near her forehead. "Thanks for making it so much easier, Sen. Really what I need right now."
"Ha ha! I knew it! She's a beauty to all!" Ryusui laughed proudly, hands on his hips.
"Ahhhhh!" She cried out while waving her arms around rapidly. "Can we stop it, this is getting so embarrassing...!" She whined out while covering her mouth with her hands, a dusty blush over her face. She felt the same feeling before they froze Tsukasa, actually.
"Hmm," Moz turned to Nikki, who noticed him staring at her. He then gave a small smile, which she returned.
"So if I'm reading you correctly, the lone factor that determines a person's worth to you is how physically attractive they are?" Hyoga asked the warrior curiously, and he turned to the spearman with a small hum.
"Of course. When it comes to ladies. Doesn't every man alive?" He wondered and Sumi rolled her eyes. Her own lover was a perfect example of the exact opposite of what he just said. Senku didn't give a crap about physical appearances for anything, just skills.
"Ah, I see," Hyoga replied after a few seconds, looking towards the ground. It was anyone's guess whose side I choose. I wasn't leaning one way or the other. Both have pros and cons. He then opened his eyes slowly towards Moz. "But I've made up my mind," He spoke up again, and Sumi bit her lip nervously, sweating while glancing at him over her shoulder.
"Wow..." Yuzuriha breathed out a sigh of relief while looking at the sight in front of her. "It's done!"
The master's statue was finally back to pieces...well, as much as they could do for him since the right side of his face was still damaged. "Father..." Soyuz spoke up with an intense look on his face. "Took 20 years, but I finally returned to you. And now, we return you to all of your people."
Another canoe was heading towards the Perseus. "What's this?" Ibara got a closer look to see that it was Kirisame heading for them. "Kirisame! What're the odds? She came exactly when I needed her to!"
Hyoga jumped up, about to attack with the golden spear. He seemed to be heading right for Senku and Sumi, though she made no move to strike back. Which she would...if he had decided to attack them, which wasn't his intention. "Senku, Sumire, stand aside!"
"Uh-huh," Senku grabbed Sumi's hand as they both stepped backwards. Sumi had a hesitant yet proud smirk on her face from his decision. He then swung the spear right at Moz, who blocked it with his own weapon. Moz let out a yell as both of them started to fight each other. Senku, Gen, Nikki, and Sumi were in the doorway. "He'll fight better without us in his way. Let's move out!"
"And let's make it quick, too! Ryusui, you take Kinro, Nikki and Chrome, you help Magma!" Sumi looked over her shoulder while the others started running up the stairs.
Taiju let out a yell as he and Syouz carried the master's statue wrapped up in a blanket. Ukyo and Amaryllis led the way while Suika and Yuzuriha were behind them. "Hang on, everybody, because the retrieval team is just about there!"
Hyoga knocked Moz down and then reached out to his mask. "See?" He removed it with a smirk, revealing no petrification scars on his face. "Setting me free was the correct call. My allies have done quite well."
"Shazam!" Gen released golden confetti in front of a guard.
"Don't hurt me!" The guard cried out in fear, thinking that it was sorcery again.
"Best stay down! Dangerous sorcerers coming through! And our leaders are the most feared of them all!" He grinned as he ran off, followed by Senku and Sumi. She gave a sheepish smile to herself; when things got resolved and Ibara was stopped, they definitely needed to clarify the whole sorcery thing...the 9 continued running up the stairs as quick as they could.
Moz was about to go after them, not wanting to let them get away. However, Hyoga threw his spear into the wall right next to him, getting his attention. He then turned around to the spearman curiously. "Though I'm sure you'd love to chase after them, you can't simply turn your back on me. You don't win battles by ignoring them. Let's have a proper fight."
Moz gave a small chuckle at his statement, admiring him a little for his perseverance. He silently took the spear and pulled it out. He then tossed it back into Hyoga's hand, showing the spearman that Moz was at least being fair when it came to fighting. He could've easily made Hyoga defenseless by getting rid of the spear and taking an advantage. But no, instead he willingly gave the spear back. Moz then charged forward with a yell.
"We're heading back to the island?" Kinro wondered as he, Kaseki, and Ryusui were on one canoe. The other had Gen, Nikki, Chrome, Sumi, and Senku. Magma was just about to board the other canoe.
"Yeah," Senku answered as Ryusui held out his hand.
"Which is a really bad idea!" Chrome made it clear while in front, his arms crossed. Ryusui then pulled Magma into the boat. "The entire island's gonna get blasted by the petri-beam thing! So why go back?" He frowned a little towards the two scientists.
"Well, for starters, we definitely need to abandon ship," Senku started off to him. "I was talking out of my ass when I said he'd fight better if we left. Hyoga ain't soft, and he'd easily kill us."
"Well, yeah!" The others all agreed in unison with him. Gen let out a small laugh as Nikki started rowing.
"That was in perfect harmony," He commented at this.
"Even if we stay behind, we can't outsmart every single one of them. We don't know what Ibara has up his sleeve, and I definitely don't wanna stick around to find out," Sumi spoke up, hands on her hips. "Besides, just because Moz is the biggest obstacle doesn't mean we're relying on our Joker card to defeat him," She gave a small smirk. "He'll need a little present in order to defeat the island's ace. Not to mention we still need the statue retrieval team."
"Yup," Senku smirked, giving her a light kiss on the forehead. "Truth be told, there's a little something we gotta go pick up on the island. If we can make what Sumi and I are hoping for, it's over. We win," He then looked back towards their destination, Sumi doing the same with a small smile on her face.
Hyoga and Moz at this point had ran over to the far end of the Perseus. Both of them turned around to face each other again. A few seagulls flew in as it was silence between the two for a bit, before Moz let out a chuckle. "Heh. Alright, Hyoga. If you really want a proper fight, then let's have at it. I'm even focusing, because I know you're a strong one," He narrowed his eyes, as it was a similar feeling he had when facing Sumi. But the two fighters were on much different wavelengths, because Sumi was all about grace while Hyoga was about strength. Not to mention the two had widely different personalities, so facing Hyoga he was going to be a whole other experience.
"Heh. Then he's finally going to stop holding back," Hyoga remarked at this.
"So sorry," Moz closed his eyes. "I feel like I gave you the impression that you stood a chance when you never did!" He yelled and struck Hyoga so hard that he left a dent in one of the structures of the Perseus. And it was also enough to leave him on the ground, struggling to catch his breath. Moz then lookde up with a glare towards him, hovering over the spearman.
Kirisame gave the petrification weapon back to Ibara. He examined it with a hum, and it was the real thing this time because of the etchings all around it. He then waved Oarashi forward. "Hey, Oarashi!" He chuckled as the man approached, and then held out the weapon to him. "Take this trinket here and run it up to the island's center, quickly!"
"Hm?" Oarashi blinked in confusion from this task, but Kirisame knew exactly what was happening here.
"That means you're petrifying the entire island?" She asked the minister in alarm, as the whole island wouldn't be able to escape it if it was dead front and center. "You can't! If Oarashi is holding the device when it's activated, he'll be caught in the light! There's no way to escape it!"
"And?" Ibara glanced down at her, his face suggesting he didn't give a single care about what would happen. "How exactly does his fate affect me? Come to think of it, though. Petrification's not a death sentence. The sorcerers have a way to revive stone people," Even then, his tone of voice already suggested that he didn't have a shred of interest in reviving Oarashi. Despite that he already knew that some sort of sorcery existed to bring people back to life. "But even so, you're staying here with me, and you'll do a much better job than Oarashi. And besides, he's just a disposable pawn. Right?"
Kirisame was definitely more...easily swayed to do what he wanted rather than Moz, which was why Ibara wasn't trusting him for this. Just because they worked together didn't mean they cared for one another. At least with Kirisame, he didn't have to worry about a possible betrayal. He didn't have confirmation that Moz was working with the enemy, but his suspicion over the warrior was too great to ignore.
"You're writing off your loyal guard?!" Kirisame exclaimed at him in protest. "Either way, not all of the islanders are safe yet!"
"This is the master's will," Ibara tried to compel her, his eyebrow twitching. "You would dare to defy him?"
She blinked slowly after hearing this. "It's the master's will?" There had been many times that Ibara would say something like this to get anyone to do what he had asked of them. And she herself was no stranger to this, since she was the one who suggested they destroy everything on the ship. But she didn't push it further once Ibara brought up the master. However...this was certainly the one thing she couldn't believe that the master would want this. And that was because...
A few children, including a younger Kirisame, were looking up at the master, before he was petrified. "Hey! Master!" A boy looked up in fear as they all looked unhappy. Everyone except her let out a few shouts.
"Pretty please?" A boy up in front gave a small frown. "Will you turn the mountain to solid rock?"
"The whole thing!" Kirisame held out her arms in front of them. "Bam!"
He gave them a small smile. The petrification weapons themselves they had held onto, but the master himself had no interest in using them. It was no different here. "Just for a little fun?"
"We heard there's a monster up there now. We're scared. Really scared!" Another boy explained from the back.
The master gave a small hum and they all turned to each other. They led him over to where they saw the monster, and he moved away the leaves. A figure in shadow and red eyes was staring them down. All of the children yelped, Kirisame gripping the master's robe in terror. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up. The monster was only a scarecrow and nothing more.
"It's a scarecrow. One that's seen better days, so someone must've discarded it here," He informed the children, who all gasped in realization. He then looked at the group of children. "I want you to understand something. The petrification light mustn't be used over a whole mountain, or any broad area for that matter." They all listened to him attentively. "Though we're a blessed species, the world doesn't exist merely to serve us humans. It belongs to all living creatures, both great and small. May this be a lesson you'll always remember."
Almost a week ago, Kirisame stared down the group of Ginro, Kohaku, Amaryllis, and Sumi. All of them were carrying pouches, and yet no one else was. She then saw them sneak into the forest and decided to follow them, just to make sure she could ease her suspicions. Especially since she had overheard the teacher for the ladies complain about Sumi's special treatment requested by Moz. She saw them sending pieces of Ryusui using the mini-mice mobiles and let out a small gasp. She then reached into her petrification weapon, about to attack them right then and there. This was because she recognized the pieces, so already fiddling with them was enough to tip her off.
Sumi then smiled with a hand on her hip towards the trio. "This island...this whole world. You'd think we'd be doing them a favor by all this...but no," She stated and Kirisame blinked in surprise, dropping her hand. "This world stands to help all of us...even those who abuse that power in some shape or form."
Kirisame's hand shook as something was screaming at her to petrify them...but she ultimately couldn't do it after hearing Sumi's explanation. Because...she couldn't disagree with the black-haired scientist at all. And it was the same sentiment that she had heard her master share all those years ago...
Kirisame clenched a fist while staring down Ibara. The master's lesson was something she always kept in mind, as well as Sumi's words. Because it showed her that Sumi at least wasn't the enemy. And if she had known Sumi was at the cliff of the howling seas, she might've not even thrown the petrification weapon to begin with. Here and now...she knew that this was wrong. If Ibara really knew the master's intentions, he wouldn't even suggest petrifying the whole island. Especially since they were in apparent constant communication.
"Petrifying the island's not only unheard of...it's without a doubt an abuse of that power," Kirisame finally spoke up bravely. "An ideal that one of the intruders shared!" Ibara let out a small gasp hearing this, gritting his teeth. He could take a guess which one. "Minister Ibara. I'll ask you one time, is this idea truly the master's will?"
Ibara's eyes widened as it was in black. And before he could lie to her and say that it was, or even threaten her, a loud scream was heard.
"HEY!" Everyone glanced to the screaming Taiju. "Check it out, everybody!" He shouted from a cliff overlooking the water. "We brought the master! Hey, do you see?!" He screamed loudly as he, Ukyo, Yuzuriha, and Soyuz surrounded the restored statue. "Your master's here! Or what's left of him, cause he's nothing but a stone statue now!"
Amaryllis covered her ears in pain as she and Suika were sitting nearby. "Wow, I bet everyone can hear him, even from way up here," The little girl commented at this.
"He certainly projects," Amaryllis agreed with her.
"We have to show them up close," Soyuz frowned towards the ship. From this distance, it wasn't like the islanders could see anything. So without a visual of the master, swaying them against Ibara wasn't 100 percent likely. Maybe a few like Oarashi would believe without face value, but others like Kirisame would probably just write it off. "Hearing it doesn't mean they believe it's true."
Kirisame looked at Taiju with wide eyes, as she certainly seemed to believe it. Or at least, it was enough to make her even more suspicious. "He was turned into stone? What's going on? Explain now!" She demanded the minister.
He didn't say anything, and instead held up the petrification weapon. "Just one meter...and one single second!" A glow came from the petrification weapon and she gritted her teeth, jumping forward to try and stop him. He then threw the weapon away as he turned, causing her to jump past him as she held out her hand. She was just about to grab it when the weapon activated, a green glow coming from it. Oarashi then jumped off the ship.
"No!" She cried out in horror at the glow in front of her. "Why, Minister?!" Her arm then started to turn into stone. "You...you're pure scum! Ibara!" She screamed with tears falling from her eyes. And that was the last words she said as seconds later, she was now petrified. The tears were still streaming down from her stoned eyes.
Ibara smirked at her, holding the weapon close from what he just did. It was the only thing he could've done now that she had heard the truth. And eventually, she would've pieced things together on her own, and then lead everyone into a coup against him. So he couldn't have that.
"Farewell, my dear. Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and above all else, your gullible nature! Shame it turned out this way, but what could I do? You're guilty of knowing my secret..." The statue of Kirisame then fell from the boat and landed in the water. And all she could do was sink towards the bottom, bubbles flying from the statue.
"They might attack!" Yuzuriha cried out after the statue retrieval team noticed the green glow, but didn't know what happened. Not to mention, someone might catch on to where they were and they could get ambushed.
"Let's go!" Ukyo pointed in the opposite direction. "Run as far as you can!"
Everyone turned around and took off. Ibara then held up the Medusa, the rope around his wrist. "Well, it's almost done. Only thing left is to turn these invading rats into crumbling piles of rock." As soon as he said this, another gunshot was heard, and very close by too. Ibara didn't think much of it...until blood started to seep onto the weapon from his hand. He gasped, his eyes wide as the blood was coming from him.
The others on the cliff had stopped after hearing the gunshot, but they couldn't tell what was going on. "Um, what was that noise?" Suika couldn't help but wonder.
Ibara let out a small groan. "It's sorcery..." He grunted out as down below, the gun was being pointed towards the ship.
"Ibara, you have the right to remain silent!" Yo called out from the water. Ibara's hand shook as the gunshot had hit the back of his hand, leaving a hole in it. The ex-cop grinned from down below, giggling in glee. "I've been dying to say that for years!" Because of his reputation, he never was allowed to read people their rights. I shot one bullet in the air and a second at Moz, but I saved the last one for the big bad. "Crap you say will be used against you. How'd the rest go?" He glanced away in thought as it couldn't come to mind for him. "And is this battery? Obstruction of somethin'-or-other. Ah, whatever," He looked back up at Ibara, who wouldn't know the context of what he would say anyway. "The point is, you're under arrest for being a jerk!"
Ibara grasped his wounded hand, and in the process, the rope holding the Medusa slipped from his hand. He gasped in shock as it fell towards the water. Yo swam forward and reached out his hand, and then splashed into the water. The old minister then let out a scream as he looked to see Yo surfacing.
He let out a joyous laugh. "Sweet victory! Snatched the Medusa!" He held it up proudly in front of him.