Discalimer: How long has it been since I started this thing?
[ ]: Thoughts
{" "}: Telepathic communication
Chapter 35
Fourth Trial
Showdown with the Demon Sisters
Ranma Blue sighed as he watched the sunset from the porch of the
guesthouse in the Amazon village. It had been rough so far, but he
and his brother had managed to weather their trials against the Dark
World. So far, the score was three to zero in favor for the Ranma
Twins. However, the Sharoka's realm needed only one victory and
Earth would become the new backyard for the evil denizens of that
reality.
"Hey bro."
The elemental Masaki looked to one side and saw his twin sibling
approaching. Gesturing for his brother to sit beside him, the two
began engaging in quiet conversation.
"Heck of a week so far, huh Red?"
"Yep. Three down and two to go. I have a feeling that these last
two are going to be the toughest, especially against Sharoka."
"Yeah, I've been thinking that too. And we've just turned
seventeen to boot."
Ranma Blue nodded. During all the excitement, with the special
training they had undergone, the weddings and their battles against
Sharoka's minions, the twins had very little time to celebrate the
anniversary of their birth. Things had been going so fast that they
had completely forgotten that they had become a year older. They
were given a small party when they returned from their victory over
Ekoja, but it was simple and relatively quiet. Now, with the sun
touching the horizon, the twins had nothing else to look forward to
except for a night of pleasure with their spouses and the fourth trial.
This particular trial unnerved them a bit, as their mentors had told
them who their next opponents were. They were quite familiar with
the demon sisters, Katoka and Makana, for they were responsible for
ruining the lives of the Ranma Twins' most frequent rivals. As of
now, Akane Tendo, correction, Akane Masaki now despised Ryoga
Hibiki for his deceit. As for Mousse, he had been permanently exiled
from his homeland for his violation of Amazon Law.
The twins did not know the whereabouts of their onetime rivals.
Ryoga had gotten hopelessly lost after leaving the Masaki home in
Japan and hadn't been heard from since. Mousse had bid his last
farewells after their party and Shampoo had given him a heartfelt
goodbye in the form of a tearful kiss on the cheek then went back to
the side of her husband. The mother of the myopic Hidden Weapons
Master had to be pried away from her son to allow him to leave the
village.
Though Ranma Red loved his Amazon wife dearly and would not
give her up for anyone, he did understand the pain that Mousse was
feeling as he left his home for the final time. His thoughts began to
drift back to the last time he spoke to Shampoo's unwanted suitor.
Flashback…
Mousse sighed as he walked through along the mountain path. It
had been an hour since he left the village and said goodbye to his
one and only reason for living, aside from his mother. The way he
figured it, he would be out of Amazon lands by the next morning.
However, as to where he would go, he had absolutely no clue. He
sighed again as he remembered the tearful expression on Shampoo's
face when she kissed him on the cheek and bid him good luck in the
future. He shook his head. His life had been nothing more than a long
run of bad luck. The humiliation he felt when his sight began to fail
him, making him an easy target for the other children to tease him. All
those times Shampoo had spurned and rejected him, whenever he
tried to win her heart. The countless times he tried to defeat Ranma
and failed miserably. Now, the final nails in the coffin had come. Not
only was his beloved out of his reach and married to his rival, but he
was to be forever denied his birthplace.
Mousse had always believed that he and Shampoo were destined
to be married, but it seemed that fate had other plans. Now the
nearsighted martial artist was an outcast to his own people. He could
never again step foot within the boundaries of his homeland on the
threat of immediate execution, which he had no doubt that the Elders
would enforce. He had no chance of ever winning Shampoo either as
he was forbidden against pursuing her. Not that it really mattered. He
had seen the look in her eyes when she held onto Ranma Red's arm.
She was deeply and truly in love with him. He had imagined himself in
his rival's position and had dreamed many times of Shampoo giving
him that look. However, it was nothing more than a fantasy and
Mousse knew that.
The only thing that he could console himself with was that
Shampoo would be happy. Ranma Red was definitely a better person
than he was before he had become twins. He would be able to give
Shampoo the happiness that Mousse had wanted to give, but was
now denied. Though it wasn't much, it was something.
"I hope you can make her happy Ranma." Mousse said to himself.
"Don't worry, I fully intend to."
Mousse whirled around at the sound of Ranma Red's voice but
could not see him anywhere.
"Up here."
Mousse looked up and saw the mystic Masaki casually hovering
fifteen feet off the ground. His arms were crossed and he had a bit of
a whimsical smile as he gazed down at Mousse.
The myopic teen scowled a bit. "What do you want? Have you
come to gloat?"
"Now why would I do something like that? It's not like I have
anything to gloat about." Ranma Red gently floated down to the
ground.
Mousse was still a bit unnerved at how easily his rival could defy
nature's laws, but his dislike of Ranma helped him overcome his
uneasiness. "What do you want?"
"From you, nothing." Ranma Red shrugged. "In fact, I'm here to
give you something."
"I want nothing from you!" Mousse hissed as his body tensed up.
Ranma Red shrugged his shoulders again and said nonchalantly,
"Too bad. You're going to get it anyway." With that, he suddenly
teleported behind Mousse and placed a palm on the back of his head.
A red light glowed from his hand and quickly enveloped the son of
Aloe.
Mousse felt his body stiffen as the energy washed through him
like a warm water. He tried to move but his limbs became
unresponsive, keeping him in place. His pack dropped to the ground
with a thud. Then he felt a cool breeze brush past his face and
realized that his glasses had been removed and a second later, he
heard the sounds of something being crushed.
"My glasses!" Mousse became angry as he tried to turn around.
Then suddenly, he found that he had control of his arms and legs
again. In a flash, he whirled around and reached into the folds of his
robe for one of his weapons. It was then that he REALLY saw Ranma
Red.
There he was, standing in front of him with his hands behind his
back and wearing that same whimsical grin. And unlike the regular
and partially indistinct blur that Mousse had seen him as, Ranma Red
was now clear to him in perfect, three-dimensional and realistic color
and detail.
Mousse held up his hands and beheld them for the first time since
he was five, when his vision had begun to degrade. He then looked
out over the landscape and saw the trees, mountains and streams. He
looked up and saw the blue sky and white clouds that dotted it.
Everything became crystal clear to him.
"I can see! I CAN SEE!!!" He cried out with joy at his new 20/20
vision. His expression then became one of confusion as he looked
back at Ranma Red. "B-But w-why? H-How did y-you? I-I don't
understand…?"
Soren's pupil nodded as he replied, "I figured that with everything
that's happened, you deserve that much. Maybe this will let you SEE
the truth this time!"
Mousse was unsure at what Ranma Red was referring to at first,
then he realized the meaning of his words. He slowly nodded as he
had already accepted the truth. "I know. Shampoo is… yours."
Ranma Red nodded. "She is my wife now and we love each
other…"
Mousse held up a hand and shook his head. "You don't have to
finish Saotome, I mean Masaki. I've… accepted that she's yours now.
I guess it's just as well. I could never have made her as happy as she
is when she's with you. Take care of her for me." The no longer
visually challenged teen picked up his pack and then began to walk
away.
Ranma Red called to him. "Mousse! Listen to me! I think there
might be a chance that I could convince the Elders to reverse their
decision!"
Mousse stopped for a moment, then shook his head. "Don't
bother. I could never go back, even if they did let me return."
Ranma Red teleported in front of him, startling him for an instant.
"Mousse, you don't have to go. Your mother hasn't stopped crying
ever since you left and I… well, I feel that after all that's happened
between us, you're really not a bad guy. I'd like to help you if I can."
"You can help me by leaving me be." Mousse growled. He tried to
step around Ranma Red, but the mystic martial artist wouldn't let him
pass. "Get out of my way!"
"Nope! Not until we settle a few things."
"What's there to settle? You're married to Shampoo and I'm not.
Do you think I can stay in the village and see the two of you together
every day? I've loved her ever since we were little, but now I see that
it was all a waste. For fourteen years, I tried to win her love, but never
succeeded. Now that she's given her love to you, there's no reason
for me to stay. It's time I broke my ties with that part of my life and
moved on."
"Mousse…"
Mousse shook his head. "No. I think I should be grateful that all
this has happened. I think that it was just what I needed to finally see
that I had been living a lie. Now that everything has been settled, I
have an opportunity to start over. I'll be damned if I'm gong to screw
that up, and you won't stop me!"
Ranma Red was about to say something else, but then saw the
look in Mousse's eyes. His onetime rival was serious and there was
nothing the Ranma Red could say to convince him otherwise. Ranma
Red didn't want Mousse to leave on these terms but the die was cast.
"So be it, Mousse. Take care of yourself." He stepped aside.
Mousse gave him a slight nod and then walked onward. He then
paused without looking back to say a few parting words to Ranma
Red "Masaki… you were my greatest opponent; the one that I could
never defeat decisively. I may not like you for taking Shampoo, but I
do respect you. I can see in your eyes that you truly love Shampoo
and at least I'll be happy in knowing that she'll be taken care of. I also
thank you for restoring my life and sight. However, the time has come
for us to part ways for good. The memories of the past should be left
in the past. Goodbye."
Ranma Red stood still for a long while as the figure disappeared
over the horizon. When he could no longer see him, Ranma Red
powered up his levitation powers and flew back to the village.
End of flashback…
Ranma Red sighed as he watched the sunset with his brother. He
had thought that restoring Mousse's sight would help ease the
tension between the two of them, but he now realized that it was just
an excuse to ease the guilt he still felt over the Hidden Weapons
fighter's exile, and all the tragedy that had befallen him.
A while later, Ranma Red was walking toward his home where his
wife awaited him. It was then that Soren appeared alongside him.
"We all make our own decisions Ranma Red. Mousse has chosen
the direction his life will take."
"You know about my going to see him?"
"Of course. It is Taron's and my job to keep an eye on you and
your brother. You shouldn't feel too bad about Mousse. He'll do fine.
It was a good gesture for you to restore his sight and offer to reverse
the Elders' decision."
"Yeah. For all the good it did." Ranma Red said dejectedly.
"Don't worry Ranma Red. It'll all work out. Trust me."
Ranma Red sighed and said, "Right now, that's all I can do."
The next morning, the twins prepared to face off against the Dark
World once again.
The twins reappeared in the Dark World near the foothills of a
mountain range. Before them stood the demonic sisters, Makana and
Katoka.
"So let's get started." Ranma Red said as he and his brother went
into battle stances.
Katoka chuckled as she replied, "My, my, my. Eager to die, aren't
we?" She then produced from her robes a silver medallion, which had
an image of twin females imprinted on it. "Is this what you want?"
"Yeah, and we'll give it to Soren and Taron after we beat you."
Ranma Blue stated.
"Well then…" Katoka smirked as the medallion began to glow with
a yellow light. It then floated up from her hands and went shooting
up toward the heavens like a rocket. When it reached an altitude of
over two thousand feet, it suddenly flared with a burst of energy and
broke apart into five pieces. Each piece went speeding off into five
different directions and scattered themselves across the realm.
"What was that?" Ranma Blue demanded.
Makana gave a short laugh and replied, "Like Ekoja, we had
decided to make our trial a bit more challenging than just a straight-
out battle. It will be a race."
"A race?" Ranma Red repeated with suspicion.
"Yes." Katoka produced an archaic-looking timepiece. It was an
hourglass that was decorated with stone gargoyles and human
skulls. She then turned the hourglass over and said with a
mischievous smile, "It will be a race against time. The medallion has
been split into five pieces and is now scattered across the Dark
World. In order to win the trial, you must reassemble the medallion
before the sand in this hourglass runs out. You have three hours to
do so."
"Is that it?" Ranma Blue asked.
"That's it, though it's not as easy as you think. Rest assured we
have made this trial quite lethal. Good luck, Chosen Twins. You are
going to need it!"
Both sisters laughed as they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Ranma Blue looked at the hourglass and then faced his twin.
"Well, where do we go first?"
Ranma Red focused his concentration into the Light Star Blade as
he ignited it. He then balanced the sword on his finger and held it
aloft. The sword began spinning on his index finger like compass
needle before pointing toward a forest some fifty miles away.
"The nearest piece is in that forest." Ranma Red replied as he and
his brother took off. The race had begun.
T-minus 2 hours, fifty-five minutes…
Both twins had landed in a clearing near the place where they
thought the medallion piece was. As they began exploring the
woods, they were constantly alert for any signs of danger.
Surprisingly enough, they had encountered no danger whatsoever as
they navigated the groves of dead trees and wilting foliage. When
they came to another clearing, they found themselves at the base of a
large structure that resembled a Mayan pyramid. At the top of the
pyramid, was a temple that had a stone statue of some demon-god. It
was then that Ranma Blue spotted a glint of silver being emitted from
the statue.
"There it is!"
Both boys flew up to the top and landed in front of the statue. The
statue looked like a twisted image of Sheeba. It was over twenty feet
tall and had six arms extended in various positions, each with either a
bladed or blunt weapon stained with blood. Its face was a grotesque
image with fangs and red eyes and had a crown of human skulls and
fingers on its head. Nestled in the front like a centerpiece, was the
first portion of the medallion.
"I don't know… it's too easy." Ranma Red said as he and his
brother cautiously approached the statue.
It was then that Ranma Blue's foot stepped on a hidden switch.
CLANG!
Without warning, the stones they were standing on suddenly
opened up and released chains and manacles that seemed alive.
Reacting like striking cobras, the chains wrapped themselves around
the twins before they could bring their weapons to bear. Both
Ranmas found their arms pinned to their sides and when the chains
tightened, identical martial artists screamed in pain. It was if their
bodies were on fire. They fell on their sides as their bonds increased
their agony, causing them to lose their grip on their weapons.
"Leech Chains can be rather painful, don't you agree?"
The twins looked up at the sound of Katoka's voice and saw the
demon sisters hovering above them.
Makana nodded with her sister and said, "And those chains won't
release you until they've drained you of every drop of energy from
your bodies, including your life forces."
"Sticky situation, isn't it?" Katoka smiled evilly as she watched
the twins writhe in agony.
"Don't worry Chosen Twins. We will not let you suffer. Our friend
there will only be too happy to end your pain. Of course, he would
also end your lives as well."
Both sisters cackled with glee as they disappeared. It was then
that the two Ranmas heard an ominous noise, which sounded like the
shifting of rock. When they looked over to where the statue was,
their faces turned white as the grotesque idol came to life. It let off a
roar of delight as it began advancing on the downed champions,
eagerly brandishing its weapons and drool dripping from its maw.
Ranma Red's adrenaline was pumping like mad as he rolled over to
where his weapon had fallen. He managed to get his hand on the hilt,
when he saw that the monster was about to gut his brother with a
wicked-looking spear.
Getting on his back, he spied a chunk of rock at his feet and then
kicked at it with both feet. The sizable hunk of stone went flying
toward the monster and whacked it on the noggin. It didn't hurt the
golem, but it did make him turn around in surprise.
"SUNBURST EXPLOSION!"
The magic-using Masaki suddenly had his aura light up like solar
flare, temporarily blinding the creature. The pause was enough for
Ranma Red to ignite the Light Star Blade and use its energy blade to
cut himself free of the chains that were draining his power. He got to
his feet and charged at the monster, delivering a downward stroke.
The blade flashed and cleaved off two of the golem's arms.
The stone creature felt no pain as its severed limbs fell to the
ground and broke apart into smaller fragments. It continued to
advance on Ranma Red and started swinging its weapons at him.
Ranma Red was still a bit shaky from the Leech Chains and help up
his sword to parry the blows. The golem kept on slashing and
hacking away with tremendous speed, despite its massive weight and
size. It was then that the mystic twin stumbled over a loose rock and
fell down.
The golem advanced on its downed foe and was about to deliver a
deathblow when it suddenly found that it could not move its feet.
Looking down, it saw that the rock of the pyramid had somehow
merged with its feet, causing it to be stuck and immobile.
Ranma Red looked past the monster in surprise and saw that his
brother had gotten on his back and had a glowing hand on the stone
surface of the pyramid. Despite the pain he was feeling as the chains
slowly leeched off his energy, Ranma Blue was using his power over
the elements to fuse the stone golem to the pyramid roof.
"Take him down, bro!"
Ranma Red nodded as he charged at his opponent and executed a
reverse spin kick to the golem's head. The stone monster's block was
smashed off and then Ranma Blue's sibling rammed into the torso
with his shoulder, causing the body to snap off, leaving only the feet
still imbedded in the pyramid. The golem was knocked off the
pyramid roof and was sent plummeting to the ground below. The
upper portion of the monster shattered with the impact and became
nothing more than a pile of rubble. The rest of the body writhed for a
few moments before becoming lifeless stone.
After freeing his twin from the chains, Ranma Red retrieved the
medallion piece from the wreckage of the golem's head.
"One down, four to go."
Ranma Blue nodded at the comment as he picked up the fallen
Storm Striker and followed his brother into the air.
Meanwhile, from their place in the Realm of Oblivion, Makana
frowned as she and her sister watched the twins through their mystic
portal.
"That was too easy."
"Patience, sister." Katoka soothed. "That was just the warm-up."
T-minus 2 hours and 4 minutes…
"Are you sure that it's up there?" Ranma Blue asked as he and his
brother gazed up at a mountain before them.
"Positive. That's what my sword told me." Ranma Red replied as
he began floating upwards. His brother followed suit. It had been a
long flight toward the second piece and the journey there had not
been a pleasant one. The demon sisters had given explicit
instructions to their minions to hamper the twins search for the
medallion fragments and the creatures of Sharoka were more than
happy to oblige. Ogres, flying reptiles of various shapes and sizes,
shadow beings and other nasty denizens of the Dark World had
attacked the two. The twins had to expend a considerable amount of
energy to fight them off and had lost precious time in doing so. By
the time they reached the area where the second piece was, they were
a bit winded and their clothes showed several tears in them.
The twins were just about to reach the peak of the mountain, when
they heard a series of screeches coming from the distance. As they
turned, they saw a black cloud coming toward them. When it got
closer to them, the twins realized that it wasn't a cloud but a huge
flock of monstrous birds. They resembled ancient winged dinosaurs,
but something told them that they were a lot meaner. They each
displayed an impressive set of razor-sharp teeth and talons and had a
look in their eyes that told them that Ranma Twins were on their
menu.
Seeing that they were outnumbered by more than a thousand to
one, they decided to make a run for it. They had no time for a long
and drawn out battle. Spotting a large cavern near the top of the
mountaintop, Ranma Blue gestured for his brother to follow. Diving
down toward the opening, the two landed on a ridge and began
focusing their powers. Reaching into the knowledge contained within
their weapons, the two learned of a new technique they could use to
get rid of their unwanted pursuers. The two took a stance and began
concentrating. Suddenly, they both flared with power and cupped
their hands together. Drawing back their palms, they began saying in
the same breath.
"KA… ME… HA… ME… HA!!!"
Throwing their palms forward, the twins released two beams of
energy that made the Moko Takabisha and the Shi Shi Hokodan look
like firecrackers. The blasts struck the center of the flock, causing the
main portion of them to disintegrate like ashes in a blast furnace. The
remaining were scattered about as they were caught in the jetwash of
the double attacks. Seeing that that they had lost most of their flock,
the flying lizards decided to do the smart thing and beat a retreat.
Ranma Blue shook his head while smiling. Ranma Red waved it off
as he gestured for his brother to follow him into the cavern as he
consulted his sword to show him where the medallion fragment was.
On Earth…
"What was that?! Akane Masaki said as she stared at the viewing
portal. "Never heard of that one before!"
Taron smiled as he explained. "There are many alternative
universes out there that have developed ki techniques different from
what you are aware of. The Light Star Blade and Storm Striker have
access to all of them and simply gave the information to the twins."
Akane nodded wordlessly as she continued to watch the portal.
T-minus 1 hour, 46 minutes…
It had been some time since the Masaki Twins had entered the
mountain and nothing seemed to be happening. At the foot of the
mountain, a small village was going about its own business as the
citizens wearily strived to make ends meet. The humans were quite
pitiful in the Dark World and were constantly tortured by Sharoka's
followers. For them, life in the Dark World was a dreary existence and
hope for salvation was next to nothing. Then suddenly, the villagers
stopped in their daily chores when an ominous rumbling began. They
looked up toward the mountain and trembled in fear it began to shake
and quiver, as if some hidden power within it was struggling to erupt.
Then the people of the village all screamed and began to scramble
like ants as the top of the mountain suddenly exploded. Huge
boulders and large amounts of debris went flying, causing several
houses to be crushed when they landed. The villagers had thought
that their end had come and the blessed peace of death had arrived to
claim them. They were not that far off.
A huge column of fire spewed out from the newly formed volcano
and lava began to flow down from the opening. It was then that huge
roar was heard and tremendous, leathery black wings emerged from
the top. A head and neck, and then the rest of the body soon
followed the appendages. The people let loose another collective
scream of terror as they beheld what had been slumbering in the
mountain for centuries. The gigantic dragon was awake and it was
not happy. It had sound reason as it sported a huge gash on the right
side of its massive head. Looking down at the village below, it
decided to take out its rage and pain on the helpless people below.
Spreading its wings wide, it took off, causing a massive windstorm to
be swept up. It then dived down to wreak havoc on the village.
Emerging from a side fissure in the mountain, the Ranma Twins
looked up at the flying lizard as they staggered forward. Their clothes
sported numerous burns and their bodies were slightly rare. In Ranma
Red's hand was the second piece of the medallion.
"Okay… so that wasn't one of my better ideas. But at least we got
the second fragment."
"Yeah, but look!" Ranma Blue gestured down at the village, which
the dragon was now torching with its fiery breath. "We gotta stop
that thing!"
"No problem. One Dragon Slave should…"
"No! We can't risk it with that thing near the village! We have to
draw it away from the village."
"Aw, man!" The mystic Ranma shook his head while pinching the
bridge of his nose. "We don't have time for this!"
"We don't have a choice! It's our fault that happened!" Ranma
Blue began swinging Storm Striker by its thong, building up
momentum. It began crackling with power and then when it had
gained enough speed, he threw the elemental weapon at the dragon.
THOOM!
The hammer struck the monster in the temple, causing it to scream
out in pain. Turning back toward where the hammer was returning to
its master, the dragon let off another roar and abandoned its attack
on the village, taking off to destroy the ones who had awakened it
from its slumber.
"I think you got its attention." Ranma Red remarked.
"Gee, what was your first clue?"
The twins took off with the dragon in hot pursuit, literally. The
beast was launching huge fireballs at the two, intent on roasting
them.
The villagers, those that were still alive, looked in awe as the beast
suddenly stopped in its attack and flew off. They were all relieved
that the gigantic lizard no longer held any interest in them as they
watched it disappear into the distance. When it vanished over the
horizon, they all breathed a sigh of relief. It was over.
Then suddenly, they began seeing bright bursts of light coming
from over the horizon. They became entranced by the series of
explosions that rocked the distant countryside. After several minutes
of this, they heard a voice that seemed to convey over the vast
distances between them. Although they were several miles away,
they still heard the shout as if the person was nearby.
"DRAGON SLAVE!!!"
A blast that resembled a nuclear explosion went off in the
distance, causing the surrounding area to quake in the aftershocks.
The villagers scurried for cover as the explosion sent a seismic tremor
through the ground, making the earthquake that recently hit Japan
look like a slight quiver.
T-minus 1 hour, 5 minutes…
"You went a little overboard, don't you think?" Ranma Blue
commented as they flew toward their next destination.
"Stupid dragon. Stupid lizards. Stupid monsters." Ranma Red
growled as he winced at the new burns he had acquired while
dispatching the beast. The giant fire-breather had been
uncooperative and had given a hard fight before Ranma Red was able
to kill the thing. Things had not gotten any better as the twins had
inadvertently run into those flying lizards again, not to mention more
of the demon sister's flunkies. More time and energy was used up in
battling them all. Ranma Red couldn't use any of his healing spells,
as they didn't have the time or the energy to waste.
"So where's the next fragment?" Ranma Blue asked.
Ranma Red smiled a bit as he replied, "We're in luck. According to
what the sword is telling me, TWO of the fragments are down in that
swamp! We lucked out!"
Ranma Blue smiled as he and his brother dived down toward the
murky and very unpleasant mire. For a long while, there was silence.
Then the eternal quiet was shattered with a shout.
"HOLY… THIS THING'S HUGE!!!!"
T-minus 34 minutes…
A bedraggled, bruised, bloody and totally exhausted pair dragged
themselves out of the swamp. Their bodies were a sorry mess and
still had globs of slime clinging to them and pulsating. The twins fell
flat on their faces and let out a sigh of relief after enduring the long
and very unpleasant experience of being engulfed inside a giant
ameba. To their dismay, the two fragments had been absorbed inside
the gelatinous creature and they had no choice but to go in after
them. Their auras had protected them and their powers did allow them
to breathe in that cytoplasm, but it wasn't an easy trip to the thing's
nucleus. Especially when the thing was larger than ten square blocks.
The ameba's defenses were quite painful and the two had to fight
off vacuoles of digestive juices and dozens of creatures that had
been engulfed as well. It didn't help matters that the cytoplasm of the
creature hampered their movements as well as drained their energies.
It was like swimming through gelatin. By the time they reached the
nucleus, their energies were just barely adequate to keep them from
being absorbed. Using the Light Star Blade, Ranma Red managed to
cut it free from the body. Bursting free from the goop, Ranma Blue
avoided the numerous flagellates and such being emitted from the
nucleus and delivered a final blow with Storm Striker, causing the
nucleus to be splattered all over the place. Without its control center,
the rest of the ameba fell apart and Ranma Red was able to free
himself from the slimy mess. Of course, this also freed the monsters
that had been engulfed and they still wanted a piece of them.
T-minus 19 minutes…
Ranma Blue and his brother staggered in flight, then knew that
they were too weak to maintain their altitude. They landed about six
miles from where the final piece was, and leaned against a boulder to
take a breather.
"That's it. I can't fly any farther." Ranma Red gasped as held up
the nearly completed medallion. The four pieces magically joined
together when they came into contact with each other, forming a
metallic disc with its center missing."
"C'mon bro, just one more piece to find." Ranma Blue went over to
support his brother and with their arms slung over each other's
shoulders, they began staggering toward their final destination.
T-minus 8 minutes…
In a small valley, Katoka and Makana were standing in front of the
ruins of an ancient temple and waited patiently. Behind them, the
hourglass was steadily running out of sand. It wouldn't be long now.
Their vigilance was rewarded when they heard the sounds of battle
being waged at the entrance.
"Ah, the Twins must have met up with the guards." Katoka
remarked as she leaned a bit to listen to the noises of heated combat.
She and her sister were feeling euphoria as their magical senses
indicated that the energies of the Ranma Twins were at dangerously
low levels.
A final blast was heard and the demon sisters began powering up
their magics for the final confrontation.
T-minus 5 minutes…
Ranma Blue winced as he felt a stinging pain in his side. That ogre
had dealt him a wicked blow with that spiked club before he was able
to smash in his head. As of now, he was barely able to hold onto to
Storm Striker.
Ranma Red was no better as he was now limping and his left leg
sported a huge gash on the thigh. Behind him, a Chimera's body had
been sliced to pieces.
Both brothers nodded as they willed themselves forward, their
battle auras just barely flickering now.
T-minus 3 minutes…
"Congratulations, Chosen Twins. You've actually made it to the
fifth and final piece." Katoka smiled as she caught sight of the two
Ranmas as they entered the clearing. She held up the last fragment,
then deposited it in one of the folds in her robe.
"We kind of figured that you'd… have the last piece." Ranma Blue
growled.
"Indeed." Makana nodded as she prepared to strike. "Now all you
have to do is to fight us to get it. And you have less than three
minutes to do so." She gestured to the hourglass behind them.
"Now… die!"
Makana let loose with a sizzling bolt of magical power at Ranma
Red.
Ranma Red was far too injured to dodge and called up his
remaining reserves. "POWER REFLECTOR!"
The magical shield appeared before him, but only held out for a
moment before it shattered like a frail mirror. The mystic twin
screamed out in agony as he took the full brunt of the blast. He was
tossed aside like a leaf and he landed hard on the ground. His vision
was swimming and realized that he should be dead by now. The
sisters were toying with them and they were at their mercy.
Makana let loose with another blast and he was just barely able to
evade by rolling away. The demoness smiled as she advanced on her
injured prey.
Katoka was also dealing out massive pain as she tortured Ranma
Blue. She called forth shadow beings that attacked the elemental twin
mercilessly. He felt a numbing cold each time they hit him and passed
through his body. It only by sheer willpower that he stayed
conscious.
One massive blast from each sister sent the Ranmas flying in the
air. However, they did not fly far. Their battered and torn bodies
stopped suddenly in midair as the demon sisters. They hovered in
the grip of the telekinetic powers of the sisters and began feeling
immense pressure being forced upon them. It would only take a
minute before their bodies would be crushed.
T-minus 60 seconds…
Both twins screamed out in agony as they were subjected to
enough force to have crushed a normal person like grapes.
"My, you're still resisting? Very impressive!" Katoka remarked.
"Indeed. You both have been worthy adversaries. What a pity that
you cannot provide us with more of a fight." Makana added as she
looked at the hourglass. "Not that it matters. In one minute, it will be
all over and the Dark World shall be victorious!"
Ranma Red managed to get his larynx working as he gasped out,
"That gives us plenty of time…"
Katoka snorted in amusement. "For what?"
"This!" {"Let 'em have it, bro!"} With that telepathic message,
Ranma Red suddenly exploded with new energies. His brother also
became infused with new power, which took both sisters, by surprise.
"What?!" Makana and Katoka were blasted back as Ranma Red
and his brother let loose with magical and elemental power, throwing
the demon siblings off their feet. In addition to learning new ki
techniques, the twins had learned to hide their power levels, thereby
fooling the sisters into thinking that they were weaker than they
actually were. With the Light Star Blade and Storm Striker giving false
information to confuse Makana and Katoka's senses, the twins were
able to keep a considerable amount of energy in reserve.
"SKYFIRE BLADE BARRAGE!"
"THUNDERBLAST WAVE!"
Makana and Katoka were knocked back even further from the
unexpected counter attack. Before they had a chance to recover, the
Chosen Twins both rushed forward.
T-minus 30 seconds…
"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN FURY!"
Both Ranmas began raining a mind-boggling series of punches
and kicks that defied description. The sound barrier was broken
every second, releasing a constant symphony of sonic booms that
echoed throughout the lands. The sisters were pummeled to a level
that would have pulverized a mountain into gravel.
T-minus 25 seconds…
Makana and Katoka became enraged at being struck with such a
crude tactic as they teleported out of range of the Ranma Twins
hypersonic assaults and reappeared about twenty feet away. They let
loose with purple bolts of dark energies at their foes, which almost
caught them off guard and sent them ducking for cover.
"Surrender Chosen Twins! You have lost!" Makana sneered.
"Who says we have?" Ranma Blue retorted.
T-minus 20 seconds…
"You have failed to reassemble the medallion!" Katoka stated.
"We still retain the FINAL PIECE!"
The sisters launched another barrage at the twins.
"WE know that." Ranma Red stated as he and his brother dodged.
"That's why we had used our secret technique on you."
"What secret technique?" Makana said as she and her sister
paused in their attacks.
"There is no secret technique!" Katoka scoffed. "You are just
grasping at empty straws! We have won!"
T-minus 15 seconds…
Ranma Blue smirked as he held up the medallion that was still
missing the center portion. "It is true, that the medallion isn't
complete without the final piece."
Ranma Red then stood beside his brother and held up a hand that
was holding… the last piece! "It's a good thing that we got the last
piece!"
T-minus 10 seconds…
"WHAT?!" Both sisters gasped as they stared at the last
fragment. Makana then frantically searched her robe and realized the
truth. When Ranma Red had used those superspeed moves on her,
he must have…
"YOU THIEF! YOU PICKED MY POCKET!"
Ranma Red nodded as he said, "This is probably the only time
something that Genma Saotome had taught me was useful."
As if in slow motion, the two sisters began powering up as they
charged at the twins. At the same time, Ranma Red moved the
fragment toward the medallion.
Three…
The sisters were about to release their energies.
Two…
Ranma Blue smiled at his brother, as the fragment was about to fit
into the medallion.
One…
The sisters fired off with their attack.
Zero.
Just as the energies were about to strike the twins, Ranma Blue
held out the completed medallion in front of them. Ranma Red
grasped the medallion as well and the two of them focused their
power through it. A large barrier of light appeared which then
deflected the attack away from them. When the evil energies
dispersed, the Champions of Earth smirked and said at the same time.
"You lose."
Both sisters bellowed out in rage as they realized that the fourth
challenge had been lost. No longer caring that they had missed their
opportunity to achieve victory, they began gathering energy for one
last, suicidal attack against the twins. If they cannot win, then they
would take their enemies with them.
Both Ranmas backed away at the pair as they realized what was
going on.
"Man, what a pair of sore losers!" Ranma Blue remarked.
"They can't do that! We already won!" Ranma Red exclaimed.
"Yeah, well it looks like they don't care any more!"
Both Ranmas braced themselves for the impending onslaught,
powering up what remaining energies they had. However, it was
unnecessary as a bright flare of energy appeared behind the sisters
and struck them down. The twin demonesses howled in pain as their
flesh was burned under very intense heat. Makana and Katoka fell to
their knees in agony, then looked up to see who had attacked them.
Their eyes widened in fear as they beheld Sharoka standing over
them with a look of disgust.
"M-Master…" Katoka stuttered.
"Silence!" Sharoka boomed. "You two have made me very
disappointed! The Chosen Twins have met your challenge and have
won the fourth challenge! You will accept your defeat or I shall have
you destroyed for violating the terms of the Contract! Am I making
myself clear?"
Makana and her sister were about to protest, but then decided that
getting their ruler even angrier was not wise. With the most reluctant
of nods, they acknowledged their defeat.
"I will discuss with you two later on this." With a wave of his
hand, the twin sisters suddenly vanished. The ruler of the Dark
World then addressed the two Ranmas. "Those two shall be
punished for their breach of the Contract. Take the medallion as proof
of your victory, but beware Chosen Twins. When next we meet, I
shall be the victor and you shall know true pain before I obliterate
you and your world! THIS I promise you."
With these words, Sharoka disappeared from sight. Both Ranmas
looked at each other with a bit apprehension and weariness as they
were transported back to Earth.
At Shaoroka's Castle…
Both sisters were kneeing in front of their master as he sat on his
throne.
"Forgive us, Master." Katoka said with deep regret. "Our anger
had clouded our judgment."
Sharoka regarded his two servants for a long time, then gave them
a small smile before replying. "You two are… forgiven for your
momentary disobedience, so long as you continue to serve me
faithfully."
"Thank you, Master!" Both sisters rose and went over toward the
glowing sphere which was now almost ready to explode from all the
condensed power and soul energies within it.
"And so the final phase of my Master Plan is at hand."
"Yes, Master. "Katoka agreed as she caressed the sphere's surface
with a finger. "All the power that had been used before and during
the trials have now been harnessed within this sphere. Soon, the
ultimate power of all existence shall be within our… er, your grasp."
"Indeed." Makana concurred. "The trials themselves held the key
and the Chosen Twins will provide us with the catalyst to seize it."
Sharoka nodded as he regarded the crystal. "Yes, the trials had
provided us with the fundamentals we needed. Barada provided us
with Power. Gaizera was for the Soul. Ekoja for the Mind, Reality and
Space. And you two had been for Time. The six key elements for
existence. And I now have the life energies I need to bind the
collected energies I need to obtain the greatest prize of all!"
Both demon sisters became puzzled at this. "Master? Do you not
need SIX life essences to break the spiritual barrier, as well as the
energies that represent the SIX elements of existence?" Katoka
asked.
"Yes, I do." Sharoka affirmed.
"But, you've only collected five such life essences." Makana
began counting them off. "Barada, Gaizera, Ekoja, Arcados and
Zuruka." She had been a bit surprised that the emperor had bothered
to collect the life essences of their predecessors, but thenunderstood
after Sharoka had revealed his plan to them. Apparently, he had
planned for their demise in order to use their life forces as
instruments in his bid for ultimate power.
"You are correct, save for one detail. I have FOUR life essences
contained within that globe." Sharoka chuckled. "You forget that
Barada was UNDEAD and did not have any soul for me to use."
"Then, whose life essences are you going to…" Makana and
Katoka paled as they realized what Sharoka was planning.
"No, Master! You can't mean…"
Before the sisters had any time to react, Sharoka raised a hand and
let loose with twin bolts of dark energy, which pierced through the
twins like daggers. Makana and Katoka staggered for several
moments, clutching at their chests as their eyes widened in absolute
horror and shock. Foul-smelling liquid began pouring out of their
bodies as they fell onto the floor of the throneroom and began
convulsing. A few moments later, they stopped twitching and felt
their forms beginning to crumble into dust. Then, as they felt their life
essences being pulled away from their bodies and into the crystal
orb, they cried out in anguish and screamed out one final curse.
"DAMN YOU, SHAROKA!"
Sharoka laughed as he watched their essences being sucked into
the orb. When the last of their life forces had been absorbed, the
physical forms of the demon sisters disappeared into nothingness.
He then got up, walked toward the orb and said to it, "And now my
potent beauty, you shall become my means to become ruler of all
creation! Beware Chosen Twins, for tomorrow shall not only be the
end of your existence, but it will be the day in which I will become
master of all! Not even Kami-sama can stop me now!"
Sharoka's laughter echoed throughout the halls of the castle, an
ominous sign for the dark times ahead.
To be continued…
Author's Notes
Well, the last three chapters are in sight and it's been some
experience. I'd like to thank all my readers for staying with me for so
long and I am now gearing up to finish the story that started me on
the road to fanfiction writing. I'd like to apologize for all the times I've
delayed finishing this as my other stories seem to have gotten me so
wrapped up. Once again, I'd like to thank you all for your support.