Chapter 36: Crumbling Pyramid
As the enemies outside the barrier were whittled down, the battles on land seemed to be going at a similar pace.
Off the shore of Khemenu, the Wrath of Sparta was attempting to launch a cannonade at the port. Attempt was the keyword here.
"Green Star: Exploding Pine Cones!"
"AAGH!" One Demigod was sent crashing into the Mizzen Mast. "Shit! That's worse than getting hit by one of Vulcan's kids!" He groaned and cradled his burns.
"Get him some gauze!" the biggest Demigod shouted. "Rest of you, keep the pressure up! VOLLEY!"
Another cannonade was blasted towards their enemy.
"CRAP!" Usopp spun the wheel with one hand, the other clutching his Black Kabuto.
"BOOM!" The water exploded around the Cutty Sark.
"WHOOM!" Right on the shore another fire erupted seemingly out of nowhere.
"Come on guys!" Usopp mumbled under his breath.
The source of said flames pulled himself back along a Chakra String anchored on the nearest Temple's roof.
"RAH! Stay still, you little insect!" Driscoll Berci hollered as he stomped his way through the inferno.
Sasori, still inside Hiruko, reared his stinger-tail. At the same time, the Sternritter conjured the signature Quincy technique, Heilig Pfeil. With arrows halved in size, but still bigger than most Quincy's, Driscoll unleashed his barrage.
"HMM!" Sasori opened Hiruko's mouth, countering with a storm of senbon. 'So…the brute has range as well…because of course he does'. The ex-Akatsuki was honestly frustrated at how his duel was going seemingly nowhere. On the other hand, there was genuine excitement at fighting a Quincy for the first time…if only said Quincy wasn't a total ignoramus.
"You trying 'death by acupuncture'?!" Driscoll hollered as his spiritual arrows plowed on ahead through the needles. "Come on!"
They exploded as they hit the Ninja.
"WHOOSH!"
The Chakra Barrier Sasori learned from his grandmother barely held on, shattered arrows being flung about.
'Damn, and something tells me this is just him warming up,' Sasori yanked his Chakra strings, sending the 3rd Kazekage up high.
"Iron Sand Shower!"
The Quincy's Blut Vene activated on reflex.
"Che…is that it?"
The Iron pellets harmlessly bounced off, while Reiatsu formulated around the Sternritter's hand, into his signature javelin.
"I'd heard great tales of the Ninja bearing red clouds," Driscoll hurled his javelin underneath his opponent, shattering the building he stood on. "And you ain't living up to the hype."
"CRISH!"
Atop the rubble, Hiruko crouched, covered in soot and debris, but ready to go. His stinger shot forward.
Driscoll caught the stinger, clutching it at a blunt segment. The reinforced wood began to crack under his grip.
"Pathe…"
A pillar of Iron erupted from the ground behind the Sternritter.
At the last second, Driscoll crushed the connection between stinger and tail, and leapt into the air.
And the 3rd Kazekage was waiting for him.
"WHIR!"
The puppet's left hand retracted, a glowing buzzsaw taking its place. Down below, Sasori pumped Chakra into his prized possession, knowing his attacks would need more 'oomph' to have a prayer of getting past Blut Vene.
"Shit!"
A Reishi javelin materialized, slowing down the saw. Still, it powered its way through, too quick for the Quincy to get Blut Vene ready.
"Wha?"
The sound of tearing flesh echoed, and then the pain hit.
"AAAAHHHH!"
As the saw made it halfway to the bone in Driscoll's left forearm, he used his right to instantaneously materialize another Reiatsu javelin, obliterating the buzzsaw.
Sasori pulled his puppet back, smirking.
Glowering at how self-assured his opponent appeared, Driscoll glanced at his wound.
Wanting to test something out, he activated Blut Vene. He watched the blue glow of Reishi travel down his veins. Then, in a circle around the wound, the veins had turned a dark purple. And it was spreading.
"So that's it," Driscoll realized.
Without hesitation, the Quincy created a smaller arrow, and shaved off the skin over the contaminated veins.
"Splash!" A pool of rapidly darkening blood spewed onto the ground. Satisfied, he pressed his conjured arrow against his open wound, cauterizing it.
"Ransotengai." Connections of Reiatsu linked the limp left hand back. The Quincy opened and closed the palm. "There. I'm not as good at it as that know-it-all Quilge, but as long as it's just limbs, I should be fine."
Sasori's smirk vanished. "So…I really will have to bear down with brute force…or make an opening on his vitals specifically. How tedious."
Driscoll's eyes wandered, looking for someone to use his 'Overkill' Schrift on for a quick power-up, settling on the nearest fight. He grinned as he prepared another Heilig Pfeil.
OoOoOoO
Hanataro didn't like this. It felt weird fighting people with an actual conscience. Due to this, he'd been focusing on restraining them with Kido. Still, the Soul Reaper had never been one to go for a killing blow anyway. So, this didn't really hinder his battlefield performance.
"CRISH! CLANG!"
The Soul Reaper exchanged blows with a burly Demigod, managing to match him, despite viewing himself as the 'wimp' of the 4th Division.
"WHOOM!" A clash from outside the dome echoed throughout all Khemenu.
"LET'S GO!" Another Demigod shouted as she lunged at Hanataro's side. "Our Father's going to break through any minute!"
"Wait a second…'our'?" Hanataro asked as his feet climbed the air to evade. He pointed his Zanpakuto at the fight in the sky. "You mean 'our father' figuratively…or literally?"
The two closest Demigods gave each other a look that seemed to say…'can you believe this guy?'.
"Literally, of course!"
"I…need a second to process that," Hanataro was blushing.
"Wow…what a prude," the burly Demigod shrugged before running back into the offense.
Sensing something massive incoming, Hanataro leaped to the side.
"WHOOSH!"
"SHIT!"
'That was the Sternritter!'
And that Reishi Javelin was now heading right toward the burly Demigod!
"Bakudo #4: Hainawa!"
At the last second, Hanataro bound the Demigod and yanked him out of the way.
The Demigods stood, jaws agape.
"You…saved him?"
At that point, the Demigods were finding it a bit more difficult to resume battle with the Soul Reaper.
From afar, after brief concern at the prospect of Friendly Fire, Driscoll narrowed his eyes at Hanataro.
"I don't remember him from the Daten. He wasn't a Captain, or even Lieutenant…he from after my time?"
The Sternritter's train of thought came to a screeching halt, courtesy of the Iron Sand Cylinder hurtling right for his face.
"BLUT ARTERIE!" Driscoll grabbed the Construct with both hands, and hurled it back like a Highland game of Cable Toss.
"Can't worry about that now! Got a doll to break!"
Another barrage of Heilig Pfeil.
"How tedious."
Sasori's eye twitched in annoyance.
OoOoOoO
Before any other action could be taken throughout Khemenu…
"WWWWHHHHHHOOOOOOOWWWWWW!"
A shockwave emanated from one of the six pyramids surrounding the Library. Cracks seemed to steadily spread on the outer layer of stone.
At that sight, two Straw Hats came to the same conclusion.
'I need to end this'
OoOoOoO
Sanji straightened his tie.
"Take this seriously! Mikazuki!"
Ezel roared as his four arms unleashed a barrage of slashing wind blades.
The cook simply took the time to raise his right foot, and ignite it, not even bothering to dodge.
Sure enough, the blades that hit Sanji had no effect at all.
"HOW?!" The Demon's eyes went wide.
Now, Sanji could've given an explanation on childhood experimentation, mad would-be conquerors, genetic enhancements, and power-ups. But…this moron didn't look like he'd sit around and listen…so whatever!
"Diable Jambe," the Pirate seemingly vanished, the words echoing around Ezel.
"The Hell…" the brute's eyes darted around, before his left cheek began to cave in. "Wha…"
"Joue Shot!"
"GAH!" Ezel went flying, carving a trench when he landed.
"You damned hu…"
"Flanchet Strike!"
In the time it took for Ezel to sit up and start cursing, Sanji had already Sky Walked for enough height to come down for another kick…right in the gut.
"UGH!"
In just two serious hits, Ezel was already bruising, wheezing as he clutched his chest with one arm.
"Onimaru!" His other three hands desperately swung out.
Ezel knew he was in trouble, despite his anti-Human bluster. He was already hurt, and his opponent was clearly not putting in maximum effort. Desperate times…
A burst of Curse Power erupted from Ezel.
Sanji hopped back, Sky Walking in the air, eyes narrowed.
"There it is."
With a burst of wind, Ezel revealed his enhanced form. All four arms had been replaced by swords beyond the elbow. Armor now adorned his neck and upper chest. His narrowed eyes darted after the Pirate.
"AGAIN! ONIMARU!"
The attack missed completely. Granted, it was clearly more powerful, but that didn't really affect anything except the ground.
"Above me!" Ezel realized.
"CONCASSE!"
"JUZUMARU!"
The Demon had reacted just in time, matching the downward kick.
With the annoying human suspended in the air, Ezel slammed two tentacles into his left leg with all his might, crashing him back to the ground.
"How'd you like THAT?!" the ex-Tartaros member began to boast. "The full power of an Etherious Demon! You humans could never surpass this!"
"Hmm." From the dust, the cook lit up a fresh cigarette. His left knee seemed to have been dislocated.
"POP!"
The Straw Hat didn't even flinch as his body corrected itself.
"I think," the cook exhaled, "that I've seen enough."
In the blink of an eye, the flames around his legs transformed into a blazing white-blue, before he vanished.
"Ifrit Jambe: Collier!"
"UUHH!" Ezel gasped as he felt the back of his neck collapse.
"Basses Cote!"
And his left shoulder immediately screamed in agony, no longer functional.
"WHA…?!"
Ezel tried to move his blades back, but his left arms didn't even budge.
"Paleron Pound!"
And there goes the right shoulder.
"How can a human…?"
Ezel never got to finish.
"Jumeau a Bifteck!"
The Demon was in a near state of shock, not even registering his ribs beginning to give way.
"Tendron!"
Cracks seemed to echo in Ezel's ears.
"I can't even get a strike in, there's not a scratch on this human. There's no way I've fallen this far behind!"
Whatever conclusion the Demon was coming to, it wasn't to be.
"Flanchet FLAYER!"
With that, Ezel's ribcage shattered as he crashed into the ground. His transformation was undone, his eyes wide and blank. His mouth was still open in a silent scream.
Sanji, leg still up, inhaled from his cigarette, and began to 'Sky Walk' to the Library.
"Just a little longer, then I can be Nami-swan's Knight in Shining Armor!"
OoOoOoO
"Alright big man! Let's notch this up a level!"
Goto Imasuji, known as both 'Muscular' and 'Jailbreaker', brought both fists back. Covering both arms in double the muscle fiber, the supervillain slammed the ground, imitating an earthquake.
Hoping his opponent was off-balanced, Imasuji leapt forward.
Franky, however, was ready.
"Franky Fireball!"
"GAH!"
Imasuji's prosthetic eye was nailed, causing a stumble.
"And a Franky Cannon!"
The cyborg blasted off the muscle fibers covering the left arm.
"YAH!"
And slammed a black-coated oversized fist into the now-exposed limb.
That managed to send the Supervillain reeling.
"Oh," Imasuji rolled his shoulder, fibers growing to bolster the arm. "That stings. Don't know how many more of those I can take."
Franky simply continued his offense.
"Franky Iron Boxing!"
The Straw Hat repeatedly struck Imasuji's chest, beginning to break through.
"RAH!"
Feeling like switching things up, Imasuji pumped muscles into his left leg, and knocked Franky in the chin, sending the cyborg stumbling.
"You know…I barely use my legs, and yet they're naturally more muscular than the arms…kinda weird for a guy with 'Pump Up' for a Quirk."
Imasuji covered his arms and torso.
"But then again…does that really compare…to my two bare hands?!"
The Supervillain lunged forward, managing to cave in Franky's cannons, driving them back into his shoulders.
"Oh yeah?" Franky snarled.
The ruined top layer of his shoulder detached, revealing pure metal, and rocket launchers pointed right at the Supervillain.
"Oh," Imasuji actually frowned. "This is gonna suck."
"BOOM!"
"GAH!" Having fired point blank, the Straw Hat was pushed back from the explosion.
"Franky Rocket Launcher," the Cyborg grumbled after the fact.
"You know…don't think anyone from my world would launch artillery at me," Imasuji laughed.
Far away, a certain 1-A girl sneezed.
His protective shell crumbled away. The Supervillain was scorched all over his torso, and covering himself with another layer of muscle wouldn't change that. Still, it took Imasuji longer to replace it. He was starting to slow down.
"In for a penny…" Imasuji sneered. He bent down, and hurled the biggest piece of ground he could.
"Come on!" a frustrated Franky backhanded the rubble, only to see that Imasuji had run around and thrown more rubble from every angle.
"Huh…he's actually starting to think before hitting me," the cyborg couldn't help but remark.
"Weapons Left!" Franky quickly circled around, blowing the debris to bits.
"GOTCHA!" Imasuji had gone low, from behind, striking the back of Franky's knees.
"Urk! Strong Right!" Even as he lost his balance, the Straw Hat grabbed Imasuji's head with his chain-linked fist, and flung him back in front.
"And a Coup de VENT!"
Franky threw Imasuji up as far as his chain allowed, and then the blast of wind sent the Supervillain all the way up to Thoth's barrier.
"AAUUGGHH!" Imasuji howled in agony before gravity took effect.
"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Imasuji covered himself in a ball of muscle, crashing down in front of his foe.
"CRA-KOOM!"
But the Supervillain didn't stop, ricocheting off the ground, right at Franky. His ball of muscle opened up,retreating to his limbs and chest, revealing a deranged grin.
"You're mine!"
Imasuji managed to land both fists on Franky's chest.
"Tch!" Only to feel his own fingers begin to give, not even scratching the black-covered pectorals.
"Wha.."
"Franky Southland Suplex!"
"UMPH!"
The supervillain was completely flipped over, head-first into the ground. Whatever taunt or curse came next was muffled by the metric ton of dirt in Imasuji's mouth.
Still, he wasn't done. The supervillain covered a leg, and drove a heel between his opponent's legs.
"You know," Franky casually pulled out Imasuji, not even fazed. "There was a good friend that took a cheap shot down there. Made sure that would never happen again."
Momentarily stunned, Imasuji could only stare as he processed the words.
"Bullshit."
"HA! Kidding! Just some super Haki!"
Franky threw Imasuji back, seeing the layer of muscle returning, but much more slowly.
Never one for subtleties, the Supervillain put on as many layers as possible, putting everything left into the offense.
He began his charge, howling! "SHOW ME…YOUR BLOOD!"
"Franky…Radical…BEAM!"
Even as the beam hit, Imasuji just kept charging! Layer after layer were shredded, but he was not deterred.
"RRRAAAHHHH!" Imasuji roared as he powered through the agony of muscles being ripped and torn.
The beam ended in a massive flash of light, and a sonic boom.
When the dust settled, both were still standing.
Franky's hands were still raised.
Imasuji was scorched, with all his muscle layers burned away. His fist was a millimeter away from the cyborg's face.
"Blugh!"
Imasuji gasped out blood, eyes rolling back, collapsing.
Normally, Franky would've gone into a 'Super' pose, but it was not to be.
"SU…"
"HEY JACKASS!" a voice from the heavens yelled down. Oh wait, that's just Sanji.
"Get your metal rear in gear! I need to save Nami-SWAN!"
"BBBBWWWWWOOOOOOMMMMM!"
The roar echoed from within the Pyramids atop the mountains.
"Yeah," Franky pushed some buttons at a slightly hurried pace. "Let me call for back-up."
OoOoOoO
"I've got you now, Sniper!"
"Crap, a Demigod snuck on!" Usopp realized in horror. "Think quick!"
"HALT! Or be struck down by mechanical vengeance!" Usopp put on his most blusterous voice.
"HA! Like I'm gonna fall for…AAGGHH!"
And just like that, the General Franky shot up from below deck, knocking the Demigod back to the Wrath of Sparta.
"Oh Gods! He's a son of Apollo! An archer AND a Prophet!"
There was a second of utter silence.
"Roll with it."
"Yes…YES! FEAR MY DIVINE AIM!"
The Wrath of Sparta quieted down.
"Oh what does it matter?! We can ALWAYS beat up Apollo's kids up close!"
"Oh crapbaskets," Usopp gave the wheel a turn and got Black Kabuto ready again.
OoOoOoO
(Within the Library)
Uvogin was winding up.
"YAH!"
"Solid Script: Reverse!"
"What the…" the Phantom Troupe member felt like his own punch impacted his opposite hand.
"Hah-cha! Taste of your own medicine!" Uncle Chan cheered, off-handedly sending blasts of Chi at the Phalanx formation.
The Demigods were managing to deflect with their Celestial Bronze shields. Granted, more than a handful were already down, but they'd been moved to the center of the formation.
"Alright," Bell-mere decided as she holstered her rifle. Instead, she twirled the latest new thing, revolvers. After a couple of hip-shots, of course.
"AAH! My leg!"
"Think we should hold them down til we can sucker-punch the whole lot?" the ex-Marine wondered as she continued gun-slinging.
"Already on it Mom! Tornado Tempo!"
The Navigator sent a blast of wind between Uvogin and the Phalanx, broadening the distance between them.
"And a Thunderbolt Tempo!"
Uvogin was nailed in the small of his back, being brought down to a knee.
"Oh, you asked for it!" the Nen-User raised his right fist, red energy shimmering around it.
"Big Bang Impact!"
The floor of the library was utterly shattered, the books from the shelves tumbled all over. The girls and Uncle were instantly stumbling, unbalanced. The Phalanx had been more prepared, a bit more familiar with Uvogin's 'punch everything…profit' strategies.
As the entire library became the epicenter of an earthquake, the Demigods powered through. One half split off, and ran into the hall Carmilla had flown down. The other half did their best imitation of a porcupine, marching towards their four opponents.
"SHIT!" Bell-mere cursed as she managed to nail a parting shot.
"AH! Just like Achilles! Why…why…WHY DO THEY ALWAYS SHOOT THERE?!" one poor Demigod moaned on the ground.
"Guys, I'll handle that group!" the ex-Marine dashed out, guns blazing down the tunnel. "Be right back, sweetie!"
"Wha…MOM!" Nami made to follow, only for Levy to tackle her out of the way of a punch from behind.
"You know…I'd rather do things face-to-face, but if a cheap shot does the job…" Uvogin shrugged, before leaping for another punch.
"Ai-YAH!" Uncle drew a dried newt from his pocket, and slammed two blasts of Chi into his opponent. Now, with Uvogin in midair, there was nothing stopping the man's momentum, even as he crossed his arms to tank the blasts. That is, nothing until the Phalanx.
"OOF!"
"All in one place! I'll keep it that way! Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao! Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao! Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao!
Uncle ran around the disoriented enemy, encircling them in a green barrier.
"Quickly! Before stinky man breaks out!"
The only way out for the Phalanx was up, but something not from Uncle was in the way.
"Alright…might not have Zeus to help, but I think I can pull this off! Weather Eggs!"
A particularly dark thundercloud began to form, thanks to the obscene amount Nami poured into it..
"Solid Script: Hurricane!" Levy threw magic into her new friend's conjured storm.
"Thunderbolt Tempo: Raitei!"
KRA-KOOM!
The entire building shook, the condensed force of the attack shattering Uncle's barrier.
"Ugh!"
"Oh great!" Nami rolled her eyes at Uvogin getting back up. Still, he was hurting, as indicated by his scorched, swaying stand.
At the very least, the present Demigods were out of action. The few conscious ones were groaning and slow to move.
"Solid Script: Binding!"
The literal magic letters broke apart into glowing ropes, wrapped around the Phalanx, and dragged them into a corner.
"Just to let you know," Levy muttered to Nami and Uncle. "I won't be able to do anything too big while keeping Binding up."
"That won't be a problem," Nami brought her Clima-Tact back up, eager to finish this.
"Ugh!" Uvogin slicked his hair back. "So damn annoying to fight snipers and long-range wimps!"
BOOM! BOOM! KRA-KOOM!
"BBBBWWWWWOOOOOHHHHHH!"
A spine-chilling, inhuman roar emanated from the passage.
"MOM!"
OoOoOoO
(Earlier)
"YAH!" Carmilla went on the offensive, wings flapping as she grasped at Brook.
"Soul Parade!"
The Vampire Noble's nails rang as she hit Soul Solid. She briefly winced as unbearably cold ice crawled up her arm.
Then, the ice burst apart as shrapnel, fire roaring from Carmilla's palm.
"GIVE IT TO ME!"
As Brook was backing off from the flame as it took the form of a hand, Mirajane came from the side, still in Satan Soul, bringing her armored hand down.
The Vampire retreated, just barely avoiding the Wizard. Then, she slammed her foot into Mirajane's side, crashing her into the wall.
"YAH!" Apacci slid on the floor beneath, managing a gash on the leg with her Chakram.
Carmilla hissed, flying back for distance. Then, once back on earth, she folded her wings in. It was rather cramped.
She slit open her right palm with a nail, and placed it on the side of her dress. With that, a very familiar symbol appeared with a glow.
"Oh come on!" Apacci groaned. "Do Ninjas just give Storage Seals to everyone?!"
In a puff of smoke, Carmilla was now holding a glowing ruby-red scimitar.
They blinked, and she was already bearing down.
Mirajane crossed her arms to intercept, only to cry out as the scimitar began to dig deep.
"Back off, Bitch!" Apacci went under Mirajane's legs and shot a point-blank Bala at Carmilla's stomach.
"Urgh!" The Vampire was barely forced back, removing the scimitar from the Wizard.
Mirajane powered through the pain, and landed both palms on Carmilla's shoulders.
"Evil Spark!"
"GAH!" Electricity surged through the Vampire.
Mirajane and Apacci began to hop back, but Carmilla wasn't through. In the midst of the Magic, the Vampire slashed her scimitar, managing to deeply hit both in the torso.
"AAH!"
"Mira! Apacci!" Brook began to set the Book of the Dead down, as to join full-force.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Apacci roared at him.
"We can heal by transforming," Mirajane reassured the Straw Hat. "Your job is to keep that book away from her."
"Still let me buy you a moment!" Brook was at the ready, eyeing the panting Vampire, the Magic wearing off.
"Ice Wall!"
Carmilla was immediately separated from the others. Frustrated, she howled skyward, her eyes becoming totally red.
"Alright ladies, I trust you," Brook gave them a salute with his sword, before backing off.
"Satan Soul: Sitri!"
"Thrust, Cierva!"
The second they finished, Carmilla had shattered the wall. She slashed, stronger than before.
With Apacci putting everything into Hierro, and this being Mirajane's most armored form, their combined strength was able to cancel out Carmilla's.
Not wasting a moment, Apacci formed a Bala on the point of her foot, and kicked it between Carmilla's legs.
"AUGH!"
At the very least, it got her to back off.
Furious, Carmilla vanished from sight, reappearing in front of Brook.
"Eisbahn!"
The icy floor slipped the Vampire up just enough for Mirajane to grab one leg, and Apacci the other.
Shouting as one, they hurtled Carmilla back the other way.
"WHAM!" The Vampire had been slammed into the door ending the passageway. Surprisingly, it held on, with another crack or two of course.
Spitting out blood, Carmilla unpeeled herself from the wall, running back full speed like nothing happened.
"Evil Shower!" Bullets of darkness rained down on the Vampire. And yet, she was determined, quickly healing every single bruise.
Once again, Carmilla slashed the scimitar at Mirajane. As the Wizard withdrew, Carmilla knew the Hollow would strike from her blind spot.
"THERE!" One wing extended in an instant, the pointed tip digging into Apacci's shoulder.
"Bad move, Bitch!" Apacci grinned. She grabbed the wing. "You're pinned down."
Not wasting a second, Mirajane brought both fists back, covered in fire of her own, propelling herself like a rocket.
Knowing what would happen, Carmilla brought her scimitar down on her foe's left shoulder.
The Wizard didn't slow down, landing both fists on Carmilla's stomach. At the exact same time, Apacci yanked.
"SQUELCH!"
The Vampire's wing was torn off as she was launched back into the door again.
"GAH! Huff-huff-huff…" Carmilla panted heavily, her scimitar still at the ready.
Mirajane and Apacci tested out their wounded limbs, the latter yanking out and throwing the wing back at Brook, who squealed like a baby at the gore.
The ladies were gearing up for another round.
"RREEEE!"
From down the hallway, something screeched. Voices seemed to make it sound like a fight was happening. Then, in a single second, everything was silent.
Neither Carmilla, nor her opponents, dared to move.
For one dreadful minute, they waited.
Then, they heard running. Someone was running towards them. There was something fainter besides it. The sound of something being dragged.
Into the light, one of the Phalanx came sprinting in. He didn't look good. His eyes were wide and darting about. His skin was pale, and he was shivering. He was also dragging an unconscious Bell-mere, blood leaking from a head wound.
The Demigod put his short sword to Bell-mere's throat. "Drop them!" he screeched in a panicked voice.
As Brook slowly did put his sword and book down, he turned to the Vampire. "Lady Carmilla! We need to get out! Do what you came for, and fly us out!"
"What happened?" Carmilla asked, a touch of impatience masking her confusion.
"I don't know. It…it…it…it ate their skins."
Carmilla's eyes widened, a cold sweat breaking out. This did not go unnoticed by the others.
"And her?" the Vampire desperately trying to sound calm.
"She'd pursued us after we split from Uvogin. We beat her…but then it…it…it…"
"How are you still alive?" Carmilla still stood ready.
"It…was busy…there were 20 of us to…eat. I barely…"
PEW!
A coin-sized fireball had shot from Carmilla's pointer finger, right through the Demigod's head.
"No…there's no way any mere Demigod could get away from…that," Carmilla's voice was now obviously shaking.
BANG!
Carmilla watched as her finger fell off, then shrieked in pain.
To everyone else's shock, Bell-mere was wide awake. A revolver smoked from a black-covered hand.
"Hehe," the ex-Marine slowly began to stand. "Give it up sister. Party's over."
"Oh Bell-mere," Brook instantly picked up Soul Solid and the Book of the Dead. "What a relief. Still…was the soldier telling the truth?"
"Oh yeah," Bell-mere shuddered. "Some nasty shit's back there. Went with playing dead."
"So let's finish her," Apacci eyed Carmilla, "then we…"
GAH!
Without warning, Apacci, Brook, and Mirajane all hollered in pain. Electricity surged into them, beyond anything they'd experienced in any life.
It was enough damage and pain to knock them out in seconds.
Carmilla's eyes never left Bell-mere.
"What do you want?" the Vampire hoarsely asked.
With a twitch, Bell-mere's feet vibrated.
And from the ground, a massive worm unearthed itself, five pincers twitching around a circular mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. Bristles had extended from its back, and were still touching the feet of the skeleton, Wizard, and Hollow.
Making a show of it, Bell-mere raised her own foot up, where the worm was sprouting from. Squelching and shrieking, the worm was sucked back in, the woman shivering.
"That…was the Olgoi Khorkhoi," Carmilla muttered in horror.
"Oh yes…our most recent addition to the Congregation," Bell-mere giggled. "Oh dear, I technically wasn't supposed to mention that. Then again, the little tyke is wanting infamy."
As the woman giggled, her skin seemed to melt. Then, like wax, all the features seemed to be shuffled and recolored.
Now, one of the Phalanx stood before Carmilla.
"Oh…it's such a delight to indulge again," the Skinwalker moaned at its new form. "You cannot imagine the sheer boredom from sticking to one image for weeks!
"Now then," the abomination tossed the shot Demigod to Carmilla, along with her wing, Haki-covered revolver still pointing at her. "Make yourself presentable. And bring out one of those mirrors your species are so fond of."
As the Vampire bent down, she saw the Skinwalker's other hand morph into a collection of snakes, extending out and wrapping around the Book of the Dead.
Finally taking her eyes off the creature, she drank Demigod blood again. Holding her wing to her open wound, it quickly reattached. Her finger grew back. All the burns, bruises, and cuts vanished.
Carmilla stood up, and shards of glass flew out from a pocket within her garment, halting to float midair.
As this happened, one of the Skinwalker's snakes began curling in on itself, wrapping and wrapping into a new form. Now, a Transponder Snail sat in the Skinwalker's palm.
"Call your Lord," the Nightmare of the Navajo ordered.
Carmilla clapped, and the shards coalesced. Carmilla's reflection faded away, and Count Dracula gazed back.
"What is it?" the King of Vampires spoke, and his own presence began to ease Carmilla.
"Oh Count!"
And Carmilla's nerves went right back up.
The mirror turned, and Dracula saw his own face grinning back at him.
"Camazotz said he's the 'Blooddrinker King', and that you're some scrawny, jumped-up noble too afraid to die."
The sound of something shattering echoed from the mirror. Now, whether it was because of the insult itself, the mention of Camazotz, or all the above being done with Dracula's own face…no one knew.
"Tepes, stand aside."
Dracula's expression schooled itself into the picture of dignity as he bowed and withdrew.
The Morrigan smirked from the mirror. "Well, you certainly did well to mask your presence from me, ye who walks on all fours."
"It's my job," the Skinwalker grinned and shrugged. "Now then, I find myself in an interesting situation, my Lady. But first, I must make this worth your time."
The Transponder Snail shivered. Then, its eyes shot open, revealing slitted glowing green eyes.
The Skinwalker bowed.
"Lord Cipactli, I seek guidance. I wish to inform you of the situation, and then await your orders."
"...Proceed. Tell me everything."
OoOoOoO
Omake: Nami's great rival! (And Valentine's Plans!)
"What are we doing here again?" Tsuyu seemed at a loss.
"We're here," Nami fumed, "to right a wrong!"
"Look Nami," Jinbe began to plead. "There's always going to be someone better than you when it comes to what you're good at. That's just a fact of life."
"NO JINBE!" the woman shrieked, her teeth getting sharp. "We're gonna find the son of a bitch that dares call himself the 'greatest weatherman of all time'!"
"Think you're taking this a bit far," Juvia commented.
"I'm gonna find this man," Nami promised. "Then I'll show him some real meteorology!"
The Clima-Tact began to hum and sparkle, as if it wanted to zap someone.
"Hey, crowd's forming up," Apacci pointed ahead.
"Alrighty…" Nami smiled an evil smile. "Just a little longer…then I'LL BE THE FAIREST IN THE LAND!"
"Heeheehee," Mirajane giggled. "I think she's broken."
In the center of the crowd, there was a stand. Beside it, a miniature house sat above a raised mound.
From the house, a groundhog walked out.
If one listened close enough to Nami, one would hear the sound of glass shattering.
"Hear ye, hear ye!" The Groundhog proclaimed in a deep, resonating voice that one wouldn't expect from a rodent. "I have seen the signs!"
"AMEN!" the crowd roared.
"Good people, I regret to inform you that we are facing six more weeks of cold," Punxsutawney Phil revealed.
"HACK! LIAR!"
Nami pointed at what she believed to be a reprehensible rodent.
"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, PEOPLE THINK A GROUNDHOG'S A BETTER WEATHERMAN THAN ME?! THIS MOUND OF DISEASED RODENT FILTH…WHO'S NOT FIT TO LICK THE DIRT FROM MY HEELS?!"
"Young Lady," the Groundhog implored. "Please calm down, and share your own prediction and evidence."
"Gladly! This changing wind means that the coming days will be more of a spring storm…"
Then, a blizzard dropped its snow on the island.
"OH COME ON!" Nami burst forth from beneath the snow.
"Ma'am, please…" Phil tried to de-escalate the one-sided argument, but to no avail.
"This is your fault," Nami's tone had switched to eerily serene. "You need to be stopped, and I'm the only one who can do it."
"Oh dear," Jinbe began pinching his nose in resignation.
The Clima-Tact was raised. "Now, take this!"
Lightning shot out, but the Groundhog raised his paw, caught the lightning, and threw it back.
"WAH?!" Nami dodged at the last second, flailing in panic.
"You still have much to learn," the rodent shook his head.
Looking on, the rest of the group could only sweat-drop.
"I feel like we should be stopping this," Tsuyu commented. "This is just sad."
"Umm…is no one going to question the Groundhog having abilities?" Juvia piped up.
"Oh…he's my cousin."
"THE HELL?!" Apacci jumped at the white…vaguely mammal…now in their midst. "What ARE you?!"
"Oh," Tsuyu answered. "He's the principal."
Nezu laughed and laughed, and drank his tea, and laughed.
"Hold on," Sasori perked up. "There's a disturbing lack of laughter at our navigator's suffering. Where's Kisame?"
"Oh," Jinbe spoke up. "He and Halibel are shopping. It's February."
"...what…"
"Oh yeah, they don't just spend Valentine's together," Jinbe explained. "No, they spend two weeks preparing…and two weeks recovering."
Apacci's eyes went wide. "Oh God…"
(Meanwhile…)
"Water Beds, massage chairs, lotion, first aid kits, handcuffs, a bartender, and the Kama Sutra." Kisame read off their list, glancing at their shopping cart, complete with a sharply-dressed woman mixing a Mojito, sitting in the child seat.
"Don't forget we need to create a self-sustaining population of king crabs in our pool," Halibel reminded him, also adding a metric ton of chocolate to the shopping cart.
"Ooh…and some nice music for the background," Kisame put a guitar player in the cart.
"You know," Halibel started applying her new lipstick. "We don't need to wait for Valentine's to get started."
"Now, now," Kisame tucked her hair behind her ear. "No need to rush things."
"If you keep tantalizing me," Halibel pointed to the cart, "those handcuffs will be used tonight."
"That'll be 30 million beris," the cashier said. "And before you complain about the price…don't you think your time of passion is worth more than an Arlong?"
"Your logic is sound," Kisame admitted, unsealing a full treasure chest. "Keep the change."
"WOO-HOO!"
"Do we get treasure too?" the bartender asked.
"When you're done, in March," Halibel offhandedly answered.
"YES!" said bartender high-fived the musician.
"Now…let's find some blindfolds and whips," Kisame led the way.
"...Oh my!"
OoOoOoO
A.N. Okay…been a long time. It has been a year for me. Quitting my job, getting into student teaching, getting into Master's classes, new computer, my dad getting injured (he's improving) and now I'm gonna be a Substitute Teacher. Anywho, despite the delays and real life, I want to make it clear that I'm not giving up on this story...or a certain other crossover I've planned. To all readers who endured the wait, and are eager for more, thank you and welcome back.
Now…the chapter itself. It was rough doing fight after fight, especially after such climactic fights like Kisame vs. Hody, and Jinbe vs. Nnoitra. Probably do need to scrape off my rust. But I hope they all at least made sense while keeping the action quick. Giving everyone time to shine and all that. Plus, once Oda revealed the 'End-of-Wano' power-ups, I just had to start bringing it in, starting with our cook. Still, I admit there was a sense for me to just power through these…so I could get to 'PLOT'! Maybe I could've had Muscular and Ezel put up better fights, but the clock is ticking.
And oh boy…I've been DYING for the Skinwalker to finally start showing its Villain cred! And I just realized the Shark Trio didn't make a single appearance…oops. Guess that's what Omakes are for!
Til Next Time…Have Fun! And Stay Safe!