5Don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.
Chapter 26
"They're challenging you for a fight or else they punish Tiffany?" Iris asked, disbelief in her voice after hearing Ryo's explanation.
Ryo nodded. "As I said, we got three hours or they'll do anything to her, and she even told us not to come." He sighed, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and the stress of what was going on was wearing down on him. He still couldn't believe this was happening; after two years of peace and not having to worry about protecting the world, this happens and the one he loves is being tortured by her own father, nonetheless.
Iris watched the stress and worry flash over Ryo's face and she reached her hand over towards him, laying it on top of his knee. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she gave him a small smile before answering, "I know it's hard, having all that burden on your shoulders. I remember when Kaos was unsure of having you and your friends bear this responsibility, thinking it would be too much for you five to handle. But he was proven wrong; he told me how you five progressed and how you've learned to work together as a team." She drew her hand back as she noticed Kayura walking up to them.
"Have you talked to those people?" Kayura asked and Iris nodded in response. "Good. I'm going to take them over now and start to help them. Contact me if anything happens." The woman nodded again and Kayura turned to Ryo, laying a hand on his shoulder who looked up at her from the action. Kayura stared into his eyes before saying, "Remember that Cale and Dais are trapped by spirits. I know it's going to be hard, especially after what they did to Tiffany, but remember that they are still the Warlords."
"I know," Ryo stated, nodding his head. "That's why Anubis and Sekhmet are coming with."
"They're ready for you by the way. I just finished talking with them and they said they were just waiting for you."
"Got it." Ryo stood up from his seat and Iris did the same.
"Good luck and be safe," Iris told him as he gave them a wave before he walked away.
Ryo headed over to the entrance of the mall, thinking of what to do and how he was going to control himself once he spotted Tiffany. Seeing her all banged up already pushed him over the edge, and he knew he would have a hard time seeing her in person. They had to get her back, no matter what it cost.
"Ryo!" He turned at his name being called, spotting Mika hurrying over to him. He noticed her eyes were red, figuring that she was still upset over Asami's death. "Let me help you." Taken back by her answer, Ryo only stared at her in confusion as Mika continued, "I can hold them for you, make it so they wouldn't hurt you while you rescue Tiffany."
"I think it would be better if you stayed here," Ryo answered as he turned away from her and continued to walk. Mika, however, walked alongside him. "Why won't you let me come help?! You know I have telekinesis and it can help you further!"
"I still want you to stay here."
"Is it because of Kento? Do the others still not trust me?"
Ryo spun to face her. "Because I don't trust you!" Mika froze, staring at Ryo with wide eyes. "I might have forgiven you, but I still can't forget what you did. When we met, you were helping Talpa before you started helping us and you're doing the same thing again! How do I know you won't do something different or go back to helping Sephiran again?" He leaned in closer to her until their faces were inches apart and said, "I want Tiffany to come back alive." Mia flinched at the sentence but Ryo ignored it, turning back around to continue on towards his destination.
Ryo walked a few more minutes before arriving at the east entrance of the mall, seeing everyone already there. "Ready?" he asked them and they nodded in reply.
"We got the Jewel of Life back," Rowen stated. "We thought since it helped with Sekhmet, it may help with the other two."
"All right, let's go." The group of seven headed out of the mall and Mika watched from afar as they left. Her gaze hardened after they left, standing there for a few minutes before coming to a decision.
"Two hours remaining, my dear," Karver told Tiffany, giving her a kiss on her uninjured cheek. "Then the real fun can begin."
Tiffany tried to speak, but only garbled words came out. Karver had stuffed a gag in her mouth after telling the guys not to come, and he made it worse by telling her he was slightly turned on by the sight of her tied up and gagged. She hoped her friends heeded her warning, hoping they won't come for her for she wasn't lying when she said it was a trap. The bond she was wrapped up in connected with Sephiran and if they succeed at getting Ryo to show his Inferno armor again, the powers will activate and will automatically send it to Sephiran instead of Ryo, making him take more energy from his friends than necessary.
Fuzen walked up to stand next to Karver. "I just heard word from Kai; the warriors are on their way here."
Karver turned to Tiffany and smirked at her. "I guess your little friends didn't heed your warning." He chuckled before turning back to Fuzen. "Everything ready?
"Yes, after today, the world will belong to Sephiran."
Tiffany lowered her head, muffled whimpers coming out of her. She then felt fingers grab hold of her chin, lifting her head back up to face Karver. "Don't fret, my dear. I'm sure Sephiran will let you be with your friends. Of course, after I'm done with you" He leaned in and kissed her cheek, running his tongue over it.
"Karver." Footsteps were heard in the distance, coming closer with each second. Karver moved to stand beside Tiffany as he wrapped his arm around her waist, putting pressure on the wound he created as to warn her not to do anything.
It wasn't long before the five Ronin Warriors appeared before them, already in their full armor. They wasted no time brandishing their weapons once they saw the generals, pointing it at them.
"Not even a simple 'hello,' huh?" Karver tsked. "Right to the point it seems."
"You have ten seconds to release her," Ryo warned as he tightened his hold on his katanas. He glanced over Tiffany, his eyes filled with rage at seeing Karver's arm around her waist.
"Do you think you're in the position to give demands?" asked Fuzen and then gestured towards Tiffany. "I mean, if you think she's a liability, we can easily get rid of her."
"You lay another hand on her and you'll see what happens," Kento threatened, shifting into a fighting stance as he held his naginata out towards the generals.
"You'll really risk hurting her to get us?" Karver moved to stand behind Tiffany, revealing only half of his body towards the warriors. "Go ahead, show that awesome power of yours. Or, better yet, take out the Inferno armor again."
Muffled protests escaped from Tiffany's mouth, but released a strained cry when Karver's fingers dug into her wound.
"That's a good idea, Karver," commented Fuzen, smirking at the group. "Go ahead, show us the Inferno armor. I never got a good look at it last time."
The group turned to Ryo, waiting to hear his decision on the matter, but he was focused on Tiffany. He saw her slightly shaking her head, her eye pleading with him not to. He knew coming here that Sephiran wanted something from him and the way Tiffany was acting now, he realized it was about Inferno. Ryo turned his attention back to the general and narrowed his eyes. "No."
The answer stunned the generals at first, but Karver was quick to recover, smirking at the Ronin in a challenging way. "Or really?" He raised his hand, his fingers wiggling in a taunting manner before going underneath the toga. Tiffany whimpered, squeezing her eye shut as she felt his fingers prod between her legs. Karver enjoyed the way the warriors glared at him with hatred in their eyes and moved to place his head on Tiffany's shoulder. "Then I call your bluff. I believe you won't hold that armor back for long. Besides, I think you'll be changing your answer once you find out what I'm going to do with her."
"What do you mean?" Sage demanded. "We got here before our time was up. You said you wouldn't touch her!"
"I never said that, Ronin. Besides, haven't you learned better not to trust your enemy's word." Karver glanced Tiffany over before looking at her garment. An idea came to him and a twisted smile spread across his face as he turned back to the warriors, staring right at Ryo. With his other hand, he grabbed a fistful of the toga and then ripped it off Tiffany's body, letting the garment fall to the ground.
The warriors gasped, staring the horror that marked Tiffany. Claw marks slashed across Tiffany's stomach and chest mixed in with purple and black bruises. Her side was covered in blood which was running down her leg and onto the ground below. It only added to the number of slashes and cuts on her arms and legs and seeing her like this, it made it ten times worse.
"I just realized that I think only that one," Karver pointed at Ryo. "was the only one that got to see her like this so why not show her off to the rest of you? Which makes me wonder, boy, did you share her?" Ryo stilled at the question, his eyes wide with anger. "I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you did. If I had this sweet piece of ass," he grabbed Tiffany's butt, "I wouldn't mind showing her off to my friends. Wouldn't you agree, Fuzen?"
The other general chuckled, watching the way the warriors were shaking in rage at Karver's comments. "I agree with you, Karver, actually," he glanced back at the general. "Do you mind letting me have a go with her when you're finished?"
"Stop," Ryo demanded but the generals ignored him.
"Of course not. I bet Kai would love a round with her as well."
"Stop."
"Who knows, maybe Sephiran will want to have her as well."
"I said stop!"
The generals turned back to the warriors, wide smiles on his face. "Why should we?" Fuzen wondered. "It seems like you don't want to fight us."
"To think, this all could have been avoided if they just brought out the Inferno armor," commented Karver, running his hand over Tiffany's chest.
Tiffany kept her eye shut throughout the conversation, trying not to let the words affect her, but she knew they were affecting her friends. She opened her eye, glancing over at them to find they were seething in rage and Ryo looked about ready to bring out Inferno. Her hands grasped the thread binding her wrists and an idea flew into her head. She ran her fingers over the material, estimating how much force would be needed to cut it and figured just a sure-kill from one of them would be enough, but she needed someone with precision. Her eye immediately locked on Rowen and she prayed he would glance over at her.
As if hearing her prays, Rowen glanced over at Tiffany and she had to keep herself focused, she couldn't let Karver know she had a plan. She quickly glanced up at the thread, her fingers tapping it to get him to understand. He only stared at her, and she thought he wasn't going to get it until he took out an arrow and pointed it at herself and Karver.
"I'm warning you now," Rowen started. "Leave her alone or I will fire."
Karver burst out laughing and his friends stared at him in shock and fear.
"Rowen, what are you doing?" Cye whispered to him but he ignored it.
"Fine, go ahead." Karver moved his hands to Tiffany's waist, fingers digging into her skin. "Let's see how good of a marksman you are, boy. See if you can hit me without hurting her."
Rowen pulled the arrow back, energy slowly gathering at the tip of the arrow. He could hear the guys telling him to stop but he kept his concentration. He only had one shot and he had to make it count. "Arrow Shock Wave!" Before releasing his sure-kill, Rowen adjusted his aim a few inches higher before launching it. The arrow turned comment flew into the air and it was only when the attack got closer Fuzen realized where it was actually heading. "Karver!"
The sure-kill cut through the thread, releasing Tiffany from her bonds. Karver felt Tiffany's weight lean into him and he staggered back as he let her fall to the ground. He glared at Rowen, slowly taking out his blade. "You mother-"
A loud growl ripped through the air and Karver found himself on the ground as Kalana pinned him down, teeth and claws lashing out at him.
Fuzen turned to him before a blast of light hit him in the chest, sending him flying into the building behind him.
Karver pushed the beast off him and had enough time to take out his sword and deflect Ryo's oncoming attack. The warrior's face displayed nothing but rage and Kento stood next to him, backing his friend up but also making sure he didn't go too far. Karver glanced off to the side to see Fuzen fighting with Rowen and Sage while Cye was attending Tiffany with White Blaze and Kalana watching over. The general seethed at this before throwing himself at the warriors. "Get out of my way!"
Kento blocked his attack, pushing Karver back. "You're not going anywhere near her. Besides, we haven't gotten to the best part yet." He smirked and next thing Karver knew, a chain wrapped around his neck and yanked him back before throwing him into a building.
"About time."
Anubis landed next to Ryo. "Sorry, we didn't have a good shot."
Karver slowly got up, glaring at the three warriors in front of him.
"Snake Fang Strike!" A sure-kill launched at him, knocking him back into the building again.
Sekhmet stood next to Anubis, katanas raised to launch another attack at Karver.
"Go help Sage and Rowen," Ryo ordered, not taking his eyes off the general. "Anubis, Kento, and I got this one."
Sekhmet nodded and hurried over to the other two warriors who were currently in a battle with Fuzen. Kento, Ryo, and Anubis prepared themselves as Karver stumbled out of the building, rage practically spilling out of him. He raised his blade above his head, the weapon turning black as energy built up inside. "Punishing Wave!" He slashed his weapon across his body, sending a wave of black energy past the three warriors.
"Were you even trying?" taunted Kento, spinning his weapon to release his own sure-kill when he realized a smile was on the general's face.
"Who said I was aiming at you?"
Ryo froze as he glanced back, watching as the attack got closer to Cye and Tiffany. "Cye!"
Cye glanced up from untieing Tiffany and stood in shock at the rapidly approaching attack. He knew they wouldn't have time to get out of the way so he moved himself to cover Tiffany, bracing himself for the impact. But it never came. He slowly looked up, shocked to see Mika standing over him as she held out her hand, stopping the attack.
Mika glared at Karver who was staring at her in disbelief. She smirked at him and, with a flick of her wrist, sent the attack right back at him. Karver managed to evade that one but was then put on the defense by the other warriors attacking him. Mika turned to Cye and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You ok?"
He nodded, sitting back up. "Thanks." Turning his attention back to Tiffany, Cye carefully removed the bonds around Tiffany as Mika gently took the gag out of Tiffany's mouth. Mika stayed beside Cye as she watched, helping when he asked to lift a part of Tiffany's body so he could get the thread off her. She would glance up every time she heard a long bang to see what was happening, but also to deflect any attacks coming towards them.
"There," Cye stated, moving the last of the thread wrapped around Tiffany's ankles.
"T…" Cye glanced up at Tiffany who was struggling to speak. She then started coughing, leaning her head to the side as dots of blood sprayed on the ground. She slowly turned back to him, opening her mouth to speak. "Th…than…"
"Shh, don't try to talk," Mika gently ordered as she laid her hand on top of the woman's head.
Tiffany glanced over at her and gave Mika a small smile. She started to raise her hand, but couldn't find the strength to lift her arm. Mika saw this and grasped Tiffany's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Come on, let's get you to Iris."
"You're not going anywhere. Demon Blade!" The sure-kill struck Cye, knocking him away from Tiffany and Mika.
"Cye!" Mika screamed, quickly turning around to see Sephiran and Kai standing there with Sephiran glaring at them. He started walking up to them and White Blaze and Kalana growled at him. They both jumped at him, but Sephiran easily swatted them away like they were nothing but flies. Mika moved to stand in front of Tiffany, focusing her attention on Sephiran. He stopped moving for a second, his body twitching before he took a shaky step forward and then another one. Mika's eyes widen as Sephiran overcame her telekinesis and was slowly advancing on them. "Stay back!" she threatened, spreading her arms out.
Sephiran stood in front of her, not saying anything before reaching out and wrapping his hand around Mika's throat, lifting her a foot from the ground. Mika gasped for air, her fingers clawing at the hand around her throat as her vision became blurred by tears. "You have no power here, girl. Besides, you're not who I'm looking for." He threw her to the side and Kai latched on to her, holding her arms behind her back as Mika coughed to gain much-needed air back.
Sephiran glanced down at Tiffany who hadn't moved from her position. She only stared up at him, taking shallow breaths every now and then. Sephiran glanced back up at the fight, watching his generals lose the fight with the warriors.
"Shouldn't we assist them, my Lord?" Kai asked.
"No." Sephiran shook his head as he turned toward his advisor. "I have a better idea."
Fuzen dodged another one of Sage's attacks, rolling out of the way before getting back up. He smirked at the warriors, drawing back his weapon. The blades filled with red matter and then threw them at the warriors, screaming, "Nightmare Assault!" The blades pierced Sage and Rowen, surrounding them in the red aura and they started screaming, sinking to their knees as their nightmares played out in their heads.
Sekhmet appeared behind Fuzen, katanas raised. "You missed. Snake Fang Strike!" He launched his sure-kill at the general, making him release his weapon. Fuzen glared at Sekhmet, not realizing he had dropped his weapon nor Sage and Rowen recovering from the attack.
"Thunder Bolt Cut!"
"Arrow Shock Wave!"
Fuzen glanced over just as the two sure-kills struck him head on, knocking him into a building and himself out as well.
Karver saw his comrade go down and he growled, raised his sword once more, but Anubis jumped into the air, spinning his chain in the air. "Quake with Fear!" He launched the sure-kill at Karver and next thing the general knew, he was wrapped up in chains. "Now!"
Ryo and Kento powered up their sure-kills as Karver struggled to release himself from the chains.
"Flare Up Now!"
"Iron Rock Crusher!"
The attacks struck Karver, making him scream in pain at the sheer force of them. His body went limp in his bonds, not having the strength to move as Anubis walked up to him, Jewel of Life in his hand. Karver glanced behind the warriors and saw Sephiran standing next to Kai and it looked like he was absorbing the man. Karver chuckled, staring back at the warriors. "You will die." Anubis placed the jewel over Karver and light filled his body, feeling his essence leave as the owner of the body came forth.
"What did he mean by that?" Kento wondered, watching as Karver slumped in the chains. Anubis took the jewel and hurried over to Fuzen to do the same thing.
Ryo felt a chill go down his back and he slowly turned around, his eyes widening. "Oh no."
Kento turned towards Ryo, wondering what was wrong when he saw what was going on. Sage and Rowen felt it as well and turned around along with Sekhmet and Anubis. Cye slowly got to his feet and glanced over at Tiffany and Mika, seeing what was going on with Sephiran.
Sephiran released a satisfying sigh as he felt power build up in his body. He didn't know why he didn't do this in the first place, but sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures. A black aura surrounded him and he smiled, clenching his fists before turning towards the warriors. They knew this was it, their final battle.
