"LET THEM GO" yelled Katsuke as he just arrived the scene. "Let...them..go!" he demanded once more. He knew that Thorne's plans did not go according to the Shadowists original plan. Thorne was acting for himself, and wiping out the all-powerfull mage's last monumentum would completle eliminate any future Aura users who would ever pose a threat. Katsuke drew his sword, and began chanting a spell. More and more did his Aura show, as Kaiyon's did previously in the gym. His was blue. It was as if there were a glowing tornado around him. He knew he couldn't do it alone....Athena and Tobias had already been freed, and he instructed them to come after him. Kaiyon's body is lying next to Tai-Kami's, as he would just slow everyone down by getting in the way. Now...Katsuke used his last resort to hold Thorne back....he asked the Shadow Lord for help. That same voice which Tai-Kami had heard, he now too could hear it. Although he secretly cut a deal with the powers of darkness, his Aura remained blue. He wasn't tainted. He jumped forward and attacked Thorne. Their weapons clashed, and it seemed as if Thorne was undefeatable. Katsuke was running out of time, and he needed the students of Sakeido High School to help him on this battle.....
"Katsuke!" Athena said, as she ran to his side. Realizing what he needed Athena nodded her head and concentrated on giving him her strength as well and she began to glow white and could feel it pulsating a tear rolled down her cheek as she thought, "for my love."
Taiyoko walked by Thorne and Bloom's room to see Akari, stuck in a web. "Damn...it has started." he thought. Akari saw him and was moving around violently. Bloom noticed this and looked behind her to see Taiyoko in the doorway. "Ah ha...so you've come to play, little half-demon?" she said with a smirk. "No...I came to finish you off you wench!" he said as his claws tore through the spider web that was surrounding Akari. She gasped for breath, in pain, and yelled, "TSUKI!!! She died...i-it...w-was Thorne! He killed her!!" Taiyoko felt such anger and his demonic powers grew along with it. "Aww...is the pathetic half-breed upset?" said Bloom cooly. All of a sudden, without notice, Taiyoko grabbed a hold of Bloom's neck lifting her off the ground...practically chocking her. "You will see what's funny once I'm through with you and your arrogant boyfriend of a bastard!!!" he yelled with outrage. He let her go and slashed at her with his claws, leaving deep wounds on her shoulders and neck. Taiyoko and Akari ran out of the room with Akari leading the way to Tsuki's corpse. They suddenly heard Bloom scream, "You will not get away...Thorne and I will kill you all!" "And I will never let that happen." he said growling. Soon, they came to the field where Akari, Tsuki, and Thorne had been fighting. There was blood everywhere around them and suddenly, Taiyoko saw what he feared most. He ran to Tsuki's lifeless body and collapsed to his knees. "No...this can't be happening. Not her...no..." he mumbled as he picked her up in his arms. "She will NOT DIE....NOT LIKE THIS!!!" he screamed. Akari felt his pain and laid one hand on his shoulder. Taiyoko is not one to show his emotions easily, but Tsuki's death greatly affected this. "Why her??? I've never felt this way about any other girl in my entire life! Why did she have to die!?!?!" he screamed. Akari sat down next to him and said, "You know, before she died...she told me to tell you that she loved you...very much and she always had. She wanted me to tell you that." "I will not have her life taken away from me...and I believe you would want the same." said Taiyoko. Akari nodded. "Use your ice arrow and aim it through that hole in her stomach." he said while standing up. He was now almost completely covered in her blood. He held his palms down in an angle pointing at Tsuki. "I'll tell you when to shoot, got that?" he asked. Akari nodded again. Whatever Taiyoko was doing, Akari didn't like it. Tsuki's body was trembling...something in her body was reacting to Taiyoko's powers. "SHOOT NOW!" he yelled. Akari did so and screamed, "ICE!" and let the arrow go. A pure white beam came from his hands which united with Akari's ice arrow. It intertwined and seemed to be purifying her wound...almost healing it. When the light ceased, Tsuki's stomach was back to normal, but a huge star-shaped scar was left on her stomach. Tsuki was breathing now...like huge gaspes of breaths. Her eyes widened tremendously and she saw her beloved Taiyoko and Akari above her. "My f-friends....you saved me..."said Tsuki. Taiyoko picked her up and kissed her softly on the lips. He then traced his fingers along her heart-shaped face. "Tsuki...I don't know I would do if Akari and I couln't save you."he said. "It's alright, my dear...I'm here now and I'm fine. Thank you...both of you." she said while smiling at the both of them. Tsuki tried to get up, but her weak body stumbled back down. Taiyoko got her and had to carry her on his back. She had lost a lot of blood...but now that she's back, they had a bigger challenge to face.
Tobias had been freed. He looked to where Athena and Katsuke had gone too. He saw them. He grabbed his sword and ran towards them. When he reached them he saw Athena glowing white and chanting a spell. He could see Katsuke fighting the shadowist. Tobias was aware that Katsuke was strong, incredibly strong, but to defeat this shadowist, he would need more than just energy. He would need strength and power. He held out his sword and started chanting. He started to glow silver. But his energy wasnt being transfered to Katsuke. He was using it on himself. He was going to unlock the hidden power locked away inside himself. HIs eyes started glowing silver as he kept chanting. His sword began to glow as well. Then, using all the power he had, his body changed into a glowing silver orb, and shot at Katsuke, fusing with him. "Now, Katsuke, you have all my powers. Now, lets defeat this worm so you can save Kaiyon." he said as he fused. A cloud of silver and blue surrounded Katsuke. When the smoke cleared, someone new was standing there, and Tobias' body was lieing on the ground....motionless.
Taiyoko, Akari, and Tsuki arrived at the scene just in time. "Damn it..." said Taiyoko. "What's wrong, my love?" she asked sweetly. "I think that the the time for all of Sakeido's students to untite...is now." he replied. Tsuki hopped off of Taiyoko's back. "Tsuki!!! You're not ready to fight just yet!?" she said. "I may not have the strength to fight...but I have the heart and spirit. If we all help and protect eachother....there is nothing for us to worry about." she replied warmly. "I hope you're right...because I'm not about to lose you again." said Taiyoko.
Akari smiled and nodded at Tsuki's statement. "Yeah, we can make it through this together.". Akari took a look at her body, she had scratches and cuts all over her...her left wing had a small but painful hole in it...and her skin was a pale blue color from the all the choking she encountered. "Okay," she said, "i'm ready to do this!" she said. "....But they don't have enough bandages in the world for what what we'll look like after this." she said to herself. "Oh yeah...Tsuki, do you want your locket back now?" Akari asked.
Tsuki looked at Akari..."Keep it, for I have no need for it...because I see how loyal you are to me. Akari, since I have no brothers or sisters back at home...I welcome you in my family. Wear it...it shall give you the strength you need to go on." she said with a smile. Akari smiled back and put the locket on. Inside the locket as a blue stone...which was rumored to protect the weak, innocent, and loved from all harm's way. Tsuki stepped forward behind Katsuke and said, "I am ready to join you...to hell and back together!" Taiyoko and Akari walked up to and nodded in agreement. "Bring it on!" she said cooly as she whipped out her sun and wind blades. Her spirit made her heart and body feel stronger. "With my friends beside me...I shall not fail!" she thought. "THORNE!!! I will get my revenge!!!" she yelled.
Thorne had been rushed by the powerful young Katsuke and although Thorne was confident he could easily defeat this warrior, age had taught him never to underestimate his opponents. Katsuke had been infused with Tobias's powers and the small gang of students he had been spying on for so long were banding together against him. As Thorne stood in the shadow of the slowly crumbling school several claw marks appeared on his neck and shoulders as if they were inflicted by an invisible beast. Thorne dropped to one knee as a pain far greater than any physical wound struck at the very core of his mind and his heart; Bloom was dying, and he could feel the life force he had given to save her so many years ago slowly slipping back into his body. In an instant it was as if every goal and ambition in his mind switched gears. The only thing he cared about was getting to her and saving her like he did before and nothing and no one would stop him. They killed Tai-Kami, he didn't care; they revived Tsuki, he didn't care; they fatally wounded Bloom, they would die; even if it meant that Thorne would have to use extreme measures. Thorne reached into his torn robe and produced the many soul catcher seeds he had been carrying with him. "Now that the young master's power has been doubled and you all are fighting as one, I believe it is time to show you all MY real power." With that said he threw the seeds in all directions save for two. A few of them landed nearby to the students while the rest landed all around the surrounding terrain. "I will not give you enough time for any more of your tricks", yelled the now more powerful Katsuke as he shot forward with terrifying speed straight for Thorne with his sword at the ready. Thorne threw the two remaining Soul Catcher seeds into his robe and grasping both ends of his Manriki-Gusari charged straight at his attacker. Katsuke slashed his swordmaster's blade as Thorne dove fists and Manriki first into Katsuke. There was a blinding flash of light that dissappeared like a bolt of lightning. Katsuke and Thorne stood face to face. Katsuke's sword was mere inches from Thorne's chest but the Manriki-Gusari that Thorne held between his two hands was tightly wrapped around the powerful blade and the aura that had been emanating so strongly from the sword only a moment earlier was being absorbed into the vine-like chain's links. "Now you see the true purpose of my Manriki-Gusari, it is the polar opposite to the Swordmage's blade, a swordmaster's weapon designed to defend against the power of the elders." Thorne made a powerful twisting movement with his arms and his body that launched both his and Katsuke's weapons into the air, still entangled. Thorne then made a reaching movement with his right arm towards the weapons as they flew and a massive vine shot from one of his Soul Catcher seeds that had burrowed into the ground, snatched both weapons out of the air, and plummeted deep into the earth. Katsuke stood there looking at Thorne in a state of shock and confusion. "Your sword was the only weapon that even had a chance of permanently defeating me and now it is where only I can retrieve it. It would seem I did have enough time to perform a trick and now I would like to show you all two of my remaining trump cards." Thorne reached into his robe and held one of his two remaining Soul Catcher seeds in each hand. "I'd hoped I wouldn't have to do this but either way I planned for it as a backup." What none of the students had noticed except for Katsuke was the fact that Thorne's little stunt with the weapons had left a massive slash in both of his forearms. As his own blood drooled down his arms Thorne shoved one of his seeds into each arm and let out a bellow that sounded almost exactly like the vicious plant that was annihalating the school. Plants grew from his wounds and soon nearly his entire body, with the help of his outfit and hair, looked like a full fledged plant demon. Thorne slammed his right hand into the ground with the same terrifying bellow and all the seeds that he had scattered about the area burst to life and created a dense forrest surrounding the school. The forrest covered everything and due to the dense vegetation it would be difficult for anyone to move and fight in except for Thorne. "You have seen my first trump card, now let me show you my winning hand!!!!" Thorne mumble some words under his mask and stepped into the tree next to him. It was the middle of the day but the grenade that Thorne had used to signal Bloom's attack had also served a second purpose: it had created a cloud cover that blocked out the sun well enough for any shadowist to make use of his or her Shadow Spell. Thorne would be able to kill these pitiful students, destroy the last swordmage stronghold, and save the only person he cared about. "How can you possibly beat me now if the very ground on which you stand is under my total control," the very forrest bellowed at the students. "I..WILL..HAVE..MY..PARADISE!!!!"
As Thorne finished what he believed to be his victory move, an arrow of light shot a pathway through the plants and went straight through his shoulder. It was Kaiyon...but something was different. His eyes were glowing pure gold. Katsuke looked at him as he approached, and gasped at what he saw. Kaiyon was no foolish student....he shouldn't even have been on that school to begin with. He had used a trick the Elders themselves had taught him and his master alone. No one else could... "Sacrificius..." said Katsuke to himself. What Kaiyon had done was preety much suicide. He couldn't let this threat affect the world. As he walked, he drained whatever power was near him. Wether it was the students' or Thorne's plants, they were drained. This Sword Mage didnt have a sword....he was his own sword. He walked next to Katsuke, and aknowledged that he had lost his sword. Already dying, he looked at Thorne...and he didn't have much time, as the spell would soon wear out. Plants reached out to grab him, but when they were too close to him, they would burn. It was all simple tricks for him now. He streched his hand out, and lightning shot out of it. The immense glow was taking shape, until it finished looking like a sword. It was his ThunderSword once more...one last time. He began to run against Thorne, and the two duelists began fighting.....
Akari thought about what Thorne had said about him having control of the ground under their feet, as vines started to bloom from the seeds Thorne threw on the ground. Akari let the wings grow out of her back and lept into the air and continued to fly straight up into the air. She stopped when she was far up above the trees and lingered in the air just hovering. "Where's that Bloom girl?" Akari asked herself looking down at everyone. "Ah-Ha!" Akari said spotting Bloom. "Hmmm...mabey this will be easier for us if we just subtract one of those plants from hell." Akari said taking out her bow and a fire arrow. "I just need to get closer." Akari said softly to herself. Akari started to fly to a tree behind Bloom. Akari quietly landed on a branch and aimed the bow and fire arrow at Bloom. Akari was locked on her target which was in the middle of Bloom's back...and pulled the arrow back on the string and the arrow quickly started flaming but didn't hurt Akari. Akari shot the arrow and watched as it drawed closer and closer to Bloom...when finally it hit. Akari didn't stay in the tree because she knew Thorne and Bloom could make the tree do weird things and try to kill her. Akari flew into the air and smiled satisfiningly not looking back. She didn't fly as far up as she did before but far enough to see everyone.
Akari had hit her target, but the damage was just shrugged off. The two demons were at the peak of their powers, and were sustaining one another. If Kaiyon had to take Thorne out, he'd have to drag Bloom along too. As the fighters clahsed, Kaiyon looked back at Katsuke and nodded. Katsuke understood what he meant, and began getting anyone who wasn't dead out of the building. He knew that the school would turn into a battlefield for the both of them, and it was uselsess to try to throw off Thorne, since he had thrown in the Counterbalance Seeds. Whatever Shadowists were left outside knew that the battle was no longer about Shadowists and followers of Sakeido. Thorne was working for his own needs, and Kaiyon was meerly a defender Sword Mage. Whoever had made it out of the school, they decided not to attack. They were confused amongst themselves as of who to root for in the battle. Some hoped Thorne would succeed and bring about darkness and rule the world with Tyranny. Others hoped that Kaiyon would win since the school was already destroyed, and fighting would be usless as they were outnumbered. They knew Kaiyon wouldnt live after the battle anyways. Katsuke had barely made it out, and he first went for Tai-Kami's body. He inspected it and began to cry. Broken bones, deep cuts and already her blood drained, there was no hope for her anyways. She was running too fast, and he had no choice. Kaiyon looked at Thorne, and knew it was about to end. He said to him "What do you plan to do if you win anyways? Rule a world were even the Shadowists will despise you? What good is a world to you, if you're only gonna enjoy it with one person alone?" Everyone was forced to wait outside, as Thornes and Kaiyon's fight were causing major earthquakes, and the school was beginning to crummble down. All they could do was hope that Kaiyon could beat his opponents, and bring about the end to Thorne's twisted dreams . . . .
Shinryu arrived home, for the first time since he had left for Sakeido, many months ago. The return trip had taken a mere fraction of the time, so great was his determination. He arrived just outside of the gates of his village. Eyes closed, he immediately knew he was home. However, there was something... wrong. Something had happened. It didn't feel "right." He breathed the first breath of air since he had flown away from the mountain peak. Smoke was the first thing to meet his senses. Smoke... and blood. Fresh blood. Opening his eyes, Shinryu saw that which he feared most. His town was in ruins, every home on fire, everyone he knew, everyone he grew up with either dying or dead... Takashi, his best friend, lay with his heart torn out of his chest and on the ground in front of him. Running through the village as fast as he could, ignoring the pain in his heart, Shinryu heard one sound above it all... above the screams of pain, the fires crackling at the timbers of the village he loved so dearly, he heard only one sound... The horrendous laugh of Karukai. He arrived at his family's home, to see it in shambles. The home of the greatest swordsman of Japan, nay, the world, burnt to the ground. Rage burned in his heart. In the ruins of his father's dojo, two beings still fought. One of them was Shinryu's father. The other was... Karukai. One of them glanced over at Shinryu... a fatal error. Karukai chose that moment to thrust his sword into Tokimune Sato's chest. A look of surprise crossed his face... "Tanizaki..." was the last thing he spoke. Removing his sword from it's fleshly sheath, Karukai turned to Shinryu. A tear rolled down Shinryu's face. Barely audible, Shinryu whispered "Father... no... no..." "He was a weakling. A coward and a weakling. it's no surprise that you're his son." Karukai chuckled quietly at this. The look of shock, of sadness on Shinryu's face disappeared, to be replaced by one of absolute rage. Eyes blazing, Shinryu spoke in a deadpan, "You... you are the coward. You destroyed my village, you killed my family. You have no right to even look upon him." Laughing, Karukai continued, in almost a mocking voice "I have no right to look upon him? Why should I even want to look at his disgusting face? I only killed him to get to you." "Why, I suppose you don't even know what I did to 'her.'" Eyes widening in fear, Shinryu could only again whisper, "no..." The light in his eyes intensified. "You want to fight me, don't you? You want to kill me. Go ahead and try. A soft-hearted fool like you could never hope to kill me." "Shinryu. You... are nothing." Choking down his sadness, his despair, Shinryu focused on his anger. Heu embraced it. Drawing the Dragon's Legacy, he told Karukai, "I will fight you... and I will not lose. I will not die until I've repaid you for every wound, every death, every loss you caused today. I will not die until your debt is repaid!" Sword blazing as though made of blue flame, eyes glowing bright in both sadness and anger, Shinryu screamed his pain, his anger, and his remorse as one. He held his sword ready, and attacked under the light of a dying sun...
Athena wanted to run back to Kaiyon... she loved him and couldn't bare the thought of him fighting alone. She knew that there was no way the others would let her get back near him but she could still give Kaiyon her strength, her courage, and send her love with them. Athena closed her eyes and once more glowed white as she sent all that she was and all of her knowledge to Kaiyon.
Kaiyon looked at Thorne, and knew it was about to end. He said to him "What do you plan to do if you win anyways? Rule a world were even the Shadowists will despise you? What good is a world to you, if you're only gonna enjoy it with one person alone?" Thorne's resolve had not changed. The wound he had received from Kaiyon had already healed itself and all Thorne had to do was stall if he truly wanted to win but at the same time he knew that if he delayed too long then the only thing that mattered in his life would probably die. He couldn't just wait for Kaiyon's life force to die out like the last Swordmage he had fought that used this spell. He had to be quick, so he actually had to better the young swordmage in this powerful form, something he had never been forced to do before. Thorne's seeds and demonic forrest were causing the ground to break up and the aura being emmitted from Kaiyon's body wasn't helping the landscape either. Thorne turned to his enemy with a cold determination in his eyes, he had learned not to rely totally on emotion as it sometimes led a warrior to make mistakes, but at the same time his urgent need to get to Bloom was making him slip from his usual calm focus. Kaiyon and Thorne shot through the forrest that Thorne had created, Kaiyon doing most of the attacking while Thorne used his control of the surrounding vegetation to avoid and strike at Kaiyon's power little by little. It was in this moment, as Thorne lashed out at Kaiyon continuously with the very roots and vines of the forrest, that Thorne felt a burn in the middle of his back. It was excrutiating but quickly changed from pain to dread as he realized the truth...someone had just shot Bloom. A new determination shot through his soul as his sense of urgency ignited like a bomb. Thorne suddenly burst forward, through the vegetation he had just spawned to block Kaiyon's view, and thrust his right knee directly into Kaiyon's face. Kaiyon was stunned for only a second as some spit flew from his mouth but it was all Thorne needed to spin his body around and deliver a palm hand strike to the center of Kaiyon's chest with his right hand. Kaiyon flew back into a massive tree and before he could regroup himself he was smashed in the chest by the tree's two lowest branches. Before the branches could wail on him again however, his qura flared itself and reduced them to burnt ash. Thorne ran straight at Kaiyon with a new fire in his eyes. Kaiyon made a forward thrust with his sword that could've removed Thorne's head if he hadn't jumped to the side right into a tree. Kaiyon received a vicious slash across the back by a thorned vine from behind him and as he turned around he caught sight of Thorne stepping into the trunk of another tree. Kaiyon was worried, he believed he had the power to defeat Thorne but how could he defeat an enemy that could attack him from one side and half a second later strike at him from the other, all while he had to watch every plant around him for suspicious movement. Thorne had Kaiyon's number. Time wasn't on either of their sides but Thorne was winning. His Shadow Spell gave him the advantage he needed to outmanuever the Swordmage. Bloom's lifeforce made a quicker than normal drop and Thorne's heart became worried. Kaiyon's question repeated in Thorne's head just as he delivered another massive slash to Kaiyon with a thorned vine. "You ask what I plan to do once I take over the world? I never wanted to take over the world. All I wanted was a sanctuary for myself and the only person I cared about to live out our ungodly long lives on this planet. Away from all the corrupt leaders, laws, and especially away from the cursed Elders and their swordmages. I sided with the shadowists because they were willing to give me that sanctuary if they managed to take over. Something the Elders would never have let me have. And as for having only one person in the world, she is all I need...and all I ever will need! If she dies now then it was all for nothing, it's pointless if she isn't there with me. You're the only thing standing in my way of saving her and claiming my prize and I wont let you stop me." Thorne threw his vine whip at Kaiyon which attempted to wrap around him like a snake. Kaiyon's sword destroyed the attempt but not before Thorne had the chance to grab two more of his seeds imbedded in the ground. They sprouted in each of his hands and coupled with the seeds already leeching off his arms Thorne's body took a turn for the worst. All of Thorne's muscles were pumped full of powerful plant venoms that increased their size. His skin had turned the same color of his gruesome trap's seed and his eyes now shifted from glowing green to glowing red depending on the angle at which they were seen. Thorne jumped into the closest tree but rather than appearing out of another plant the same tree exploded int a thousand splinters revealing a massive creature of trunk, root, and vine. Its hair was comprised of long moss covered vines that hung across its back. Its legs and torso were made of twisted tree trunk and root, and its arms were two gigantic vines that lay sprawled across the ground. It's face was the perfect shape of a human head minus the fact that it was perfectly smooth and without a face except for the same glowing eyes and the more slender jaw profile. "How do you like my Wrath's Armor, swordmage? You're only the second person in the world to ever see it, and the first one didn't get to see it for very long." Thorne let out a bellow as he leapt into the air and let his trunk-like legs smash the ground were Kaiyon had been standing only a moment earlier. The shockwave caused Kaiyon to stumble back a step but he quickly regained his footing as Thorne charged at his now somewhat smaller adversary.
Tsuki stood in shock of what Thorne had said. "He's willing to risk everything for her...just like Taiyoko would risk anything for me....that is love." she thought with a smile. She spotted Akari attack Bloom. "NO!!!! DON"T KILL HER!!!" screamed Tsuki. "Thorne listen to me!!!" she yelled while running towards the area where him and Katsuke were fighting. Thorne stopped in his tracks and looked at her with anger. "Why should I listen to you? Bloom is dying...and it's because of all of YOU!!!" he yelled. He suddenly stopped and took a look at Tsuki. His eyes grew in horror. Her eyes were determined to do anything...and in her arms...was Bloom...in tears. "YOU...LET HER GO!!!" Thorne yelled. Tsuki held out her sun blade. "Do you know what my blades can do?" she asked. "The Wind blade could knock someone out or worse of course...but my Sun Blade can penetrate the skin by burning it till there is nothing left of you, but ash." she said. "No...don't..." mumbled Thorne. "No...you listen...now. If you want your paradise...you can have it. Why do you have to kill everyone just to acheive that. There is no need for fighting." He just looked at her in anger. "Why do you have to kill innocent people to get your paradise???" she screamed. "How can you live with yourself knowing that you can never wash the blood off your hands after everything you have done?" With this, Taiyoko stood by Tsuki's side. "How can you sacrifice the world...for only one person? How can you risk her dying just to achieve this 'sanctuary'?" he said calmly. He pushed his sun glasses up. "I love Tsuki more than anything in the world. She's the only person I've ever felt this way about. If you feel the same way for Bloom, you can achieve your Sanctuary." Thorne looked slightly taken aback. "If I were you...I'd be living in paradise knowing she's here by my side, safe in my arms. Why do you have to kill innocent people?" Tsuki stepped towards Thorne, carrying Bloom with her, while Taiyoko watched her catiously. "Doing all of this makes me see that you're so foolish. You'll do anything to be with her...so why risk her life when you got paradise now?" she said.
"Ha...ha...ha...ha...foolish? You have the nerve to call me foolish." "Do you see the power I have, young ones? Do you see the epitimy of power that stands before you?!" "Are you all so naive that you could think that in my 200 years on this Earth that I haven't tried to find my happiness the right way." "Your beloved Elders, your great leaders that rule with wisdom and mercy...ha! They sought me out when I was a young boy, when my powers hadn't fully matured and I didn't have the control I do now. They killed my family and entire village wanting to destroy any bloodline that possesed powers that could rival their own. No, you are the fools, to believe that I ever had a chance at happiness while the Elders rule. The only chance I ever had was if the leadership of this world changed and it was almost at its turning point, until now. She is the only thing I have left and if I can't have her and our paradise, then I'll just have to have her and the heads of those that destroyed my plans! The water in Bloom's eyes had stopped flowing about halfway through Thorne's words, but the blood from her wounds had not. She could see the images of her village being burned to the ground and the group of warriors that cut down anyone that tried to escape the burning buildings. She had escaped her home only to be struck by a small barrage of arrows. As she laid in the village's streets watching the fires around her rise a mysterious shadow appeared through the smoke. This one warrior ambushed the entire battalion and slaughtered them all single handed. Her blood pooled around her and before she lost consciousness she felt two powerful arms lift her from the ground. She opened her eyes to the sight of a young man with dark brown hair and eyes. His face was covered by a torn green scarf but she slid it down from his face when she could feel something growing into the wounds in her back from the warriors arms. When she awoke her body had been completely healed and her new identity as Bloom had been born. Thorne had saved her before and she knew all too well the corrupt nature of the Elders, Thorne was who she needed and he needed her. Thorne did want their happiness but the one thing he didn't mention was his desire for justice. Justice for all the crimes that the Elders committed for their positions of power in the world. Justice for all the crimes done against those that held the potential to be stronger than them. She trusted him and these immature students weren't going to be able to stop him in his search for justice and a haven. <I'll fight beside him till the end, I love him too much not to.> Thorne spun his body like a top for only a few revolutions but with his massive vine-like arms stretched out to their fullest length, he was a spiral of destruction. Several of his own demonic trees were toppled by his mighty vines and as dirt and foliage flew into the air around him Bloom made her move. She rolled out of Tsuki's arms and, while moving behind Taiyoko, spawned one of her poisonous rose thorn daggers. Taiyoko had pushed his glasses up close to his eyes to shield them from the flying dirt, but dirt was the least of his problems when Bloom glided her dagger across the length of Taiyoko's chest and then across his stomach. The two massive cuts began bleeding profusely as Taiyoko fell to his knees in agony. Tsuki heard his sudden screams but was unable to get to her love after the same dagger merged with her left shoulder just as Taiyoko's claws had with Bloom's earlier. "Now while he is concerned with his own injuries he can watch as you die again, just as my Thorne was being forced to do." "Now, I think I'll kill her"; came Akari's voice from above the cloud of dust and debry. Another fire arrow impacted with Bloom's chest that set Bloom's clothing ablaze. Bloom let out a bloodcurtling scream as her mind was flooded with the images of her burning home. Thorne could see his angel through the cloud of destruction he had created. He could also see the arrow in her chest, the flames on her body, and the winged archer in the sky above her. His right arm acted almost on its own as it flew straight up towards the little harpy. A few of her fire arrows impacted his arm on the way up but the moisture in his plant-like armor kept him from igniting. His tentacle of an arm wrapped around Akari, breaking both of her arms and wings in its grasp. She screamed as she was pulled down, and slammed, to Earth. The school's outer walls were not too far away and that was more than enough to finish her. "You've fired your last arrow you little wretch!" Thorne threw Akari through the air where she slammed into one of the school's outer walls. Some of the stone cracked but before Akari could slide to the ground, dozens of thin red tendrils extended from the cracks in the wall and engulfed her. Akari was pulled further into the indentation in the wall until it collapsed away revealing a writhing, dripping, red tube. "I believe my little trap has gotten a taste for pests, goodbye!" Akari was swallowed into the trap's throat with a sickening swallow like that of an anaconda that then retracted back, deep into the wall. Thorne knelt next to Bloom whose clothes continued to burn despite her continued rolling on the ground. Verticle slits opened in the face of Thorne's armor and he let out a gust of air that instantly doused the flames. Bloom's faded eyes met with Thorne's glowing ones just as they had so many years ago. Kaiyon apparently was running out of power and didn't want to waste anymore time because he took that moment to cut Thorne from the base of his armored spine all the way up to his right collar branch. Green liquid splashed from the cut and evaporated before coming into contact with Kaiyon. Thorne turned to his attacker his eyes blazing, "Akari is food for my trap, Tsuki lies gashed and poisoned, and Taiyoko shares her fate. Three allies down and you just lost your greatest advantage Kaiyon, I no longer have to kill you to reach my angel, now I can wait you out." The armor's vine-like hair extended down until it had wrapped up Bloom. It then lifted her up and held her in front of Thorne's massive wound. Plant fibers extended from te wound and pulled Bloom deep into the armor's body where the wound sealed after her. "Bloom is with me now, in this body, where she is safe and recooperating. Together we are strong and you no longer have a chance little swordmage." <But why hasn't your power already failed? How has he sustained it so long at this kind of level?> Thorne could literally see his enemy's aura in his Wrath's armor but a thin tail of energy was flowing into Kaiyon's. Thorne's eyes followed the tail to its source and they cam e to rest on Athena far off in the distance near to Katsuke. "Our beloved little pawn is why you can still fight is it? Well we can fix that." Thorne began pushing Kaiyon back with his attacks as they slowly moved closer to Athena.
Kaiyon could barely hold Thorne's attacks now. He had full confidence, and Kaiyon's power was barely sustaining thanks to his former teacher and his love. Still...he trusted that their powers would be strong enough in the end. He was almost out of time. "Thorne...." he said.”....the power you rely on is yours and yours alone now. Your love is not helping you, but slowing you down. She can't sustain you as she once did..." continued as he was intending to buy time and diminish Thorne's confidence. "The strength I gain, is not only from my love...but from my friends...and even though you're too blinded to see it by now....their support is what keeps me fighting.." Anyone who had heard these few words of encouragement, began believing in Kaiyon. Whether it was the band of students that had miraculously survived the attack, or those he had formed close friends with. Still barely visible, but more and more auras began to replenish Kaiyon's remaining powers. Although it was not enough to beat him, he could hold Thorne from attacking his friends. And it was he who was pushing him back. Kaiyon was strategizing how he could beat him...but there seemed no way possible. Fending him off was useless as he was slowly dying, and it was just a matter of time. But then Kaiyon remembered the earlier events. Why he wasn't so strong...or his teacher wasn't fighting with him. He turned around, and stretched his hand out to the Sakeido statue...the same one who had drained his power and nearly killed him. Thorne took the chance of his foolish drop of defenses and attacked him. But before his attack could reach, a beam of Kaiyon's old aura had blasted back to him and formed a shield around him. Kaiyon was once again completely replenished, but since there was too much power to sustain, it was being used too much, and dropping down sharply. He had but a few minutes to finish Thorne off. "I’m sorry Thorne" he began. "I'll have to take an innocent life from this planet......you and Bloom...will have to go together...." he finished. He pointed his sword at him, and began chanting his final spell and charging all the energy he could. Thorne was no fool....and he began to do the same. Though for only a few minutes, what Kaiyon though it was his energy alone sustaining him, he was wrong. Thorne knew that inside that statue...was Sakeido's staff. Although it would make no difference, a few minutes could still endanger him. Thorne faced Kaiyon, and said...
Tsuki laid there in Taiyoko's arms. She was crying in pain as he held her. Akari's arms and wings were borken so she was lying helplessly on the floor...able to do nothing. However, Tsuki and Taiyoko were both dying. "I will not give up..."said Tsuki as she proped herself up. "Don't move around...the poison will only flow and kill you faster." he said. "I know...but I won't die without trying!!!" she said. She bent down and kissed him. She leaned in more to deepen the kiss. She started to cry again. She suddenly saw something run down Taiyoko's cheek. "Taiyoko....are you crying?" she asked sweetly. He was not one to easily show his emotions. "I am...for it seems that this will be the last time for me to hold you like this my dear." he said painfully. "I know....i know..." she whispered back. They kissed again...as she held his hands close to her heart. "My love...we will meet again in heaven...so you could hold me until time is forgotten." she said. Tsuki got up and limped over to Thorne with the Sun Blade in hand. His back was towards her so he had not noticed her yet. Suddenly, Thorne turned around just in time to see Tsuki forcing the blade into his stomach. He had fallen to his knees for he was in great pain. "I warned you...your poison will not stop me..."she said while trying to catch her breath. She twisted the blade inside him while activating it's powers. He was igniting from the inside...flames were bursting everywhere...turning him ablaze. "If Akari couldn't burn you from the outside...then I'll do it from the inside." Thorne's eyes widened in terror. He quickly tore away from Tsuki's blade, but that did not stop it. The fire was spreading quickly and he could not do anything about it. "Quickly Kaiyon...kill him off...you're our last hope." she said. And she tumbled to the ground with one lst breath.
The flames spread like nothing Thorne had ever seen. The pain shot through his body forcing him to fall to his knees. The strange vertical slits appeared in the face of his plant-like body and great gusts of air and vapor began to rush from his face. Thorne's gusts of breath were dousing any of the flames that began to lick across his body but he couldn't douse the flames that were burning Bloom and himself inside the armor. The gusts stopped and as Thorne's eyes fell upon the dying Tsuki, they burned far greater than any of the flames that were scorching his body. "Blast you, you wretched little witch!!" Thorne swept his left arm tentacle behind him and launched it forward again towards Tsuki's body. As Thorne's tentacle descended upon Tsuki; dozens of Thorns, just like the ones Bloom fought with, sprouted along its length. "Now die!" Thorne yelled as his massive arm kicked up a cloud of dust as it impacted the ground were Tsuki had been lying. Thorne's final act of cruelty must have been too much for Kaiyon to stand, for as Thorne redirected his gaze toward Kaiyon a sudden flash of light blinded him and and he let out a scream as he felt his left arm tentacle be severed from the rest of his Wrath armor. Kaiyon's form landed about seven yards off to Thorne's left and Thorne's left arm now lay on the ground like a fallen tree that bled green. "Curse you...Kaiyon." Kaiyon turned to face Thorne. "Forgive me...but I must end your evil existence." Kaiyon shot forth like a comet and before Thorne could counterattack, Kaiyon sent a blast of white energy across Thorne's chest with a quick slash of his sword through the air. Thorne's armor began to disintegrate around him. For a brief moment that lasted only a few second but seemed like forever to Thorne, he could hear Bloom's thoughts inside his head. "I have no regrets if we go together my love." Thorne could feel her arms wrap around his chest and her head come to rest in between his shoulder blades. Thorne could feel her body against his and felt her life force disappearing, she had purposefully blocked as much of Tsuki’s flames as she could from effecting Thorne so he would be able to fight and as a result was closer to death now than she had been when she was outside the armor. Thorne’s eyes widened and with a shockwave of his power caused his armor to explode off his body instantly extinguishing the remaining flames and sending wood shrapnel straight towards Kaiyon. The entire upper body of the Wrath armor had disappeared, revealing Thorne's upper body, attached to the lower half of the armor by various roots and vines, and Bloom holding him from behind. Kaiyon shot through the shrapnel receiving numerous cuts and stabs from the many jagged plant pieces, but before his sword pierced Thorne's chest, Thorne's right arm shot out, unfurling his Manriki-Gusari which wrapped around the sword. With a downward thrust, Thorne changed the path of the sword away from his heart and down into his left thigh instead. Thorne’s leg burned and then went numb as blood began to rush from the wound. With a quick circular movement, and most of his chain still wrapped around the sword that had pierced his leg, Thorne wrapped the remaining length of chain around Kaiyon’s neck and pulled the Manriki-Gusari tight. Thorne’s knuckles turned white as he pulled with all his might in an attempt to break Kaiyon’s neck or strangle him, but Thorne felt Kaiyon’s sword slip within his leg and Thorne’s blood began to spray across his own chest from the wound. Kaiyon’s sword must have cut Thorne’s Femoral artery and if that was so, Thorne could die in less than two minutes. Thorne could literally feel the life draining out of him and as his strength began to disappear his Manriki-Gusari began to loosen around Kaiyon’s neck. “It would seem Bloom…that I don’t have the strength to secure our paradise, I’m sorry.” Bloom spoke to Thorne more with her mind and heart rather than her voice although Kaiyon could make out what she was saying. “It’s alright…if we die now…at least we’ll die together rather than separated by battle.” Thorne’s scarf that usually covered the lower half of his face had been burned off by Tsuki’s sun blade revealing Thorne’s very human looking face. Thorne could only guess what went through his enemy’s mind when tears began to run down his face. “I love you Bloom”, Thorne whispered as his Manriki-Gusari became slack around Kaiyon’s neck. Kaiyon’s aura was beginning to fade and as he prepared to finally end the gruesome battle, Bloom pulled something out of Thorne’s burnt cloak. Kaiyon didn’t have a chance to react before Bloom caused the Soul Catcher seed in her hand to sprout into a full-fledged Demon Soul Catcher plant. The plant began to draw in the auras of all three of them at such an accelerated pace that their very spirits were being devoured. Kaiyon’s aura acted like one side of a magnet placed to another and his energy caused a massive backlash within the plant. It was as if a black hole appeared right next to a shining white sun. A light began to emanate from the two conflicting powers. A massive flash of light flooded the battlefield followed by Kaiyon’s scream and an explosion of dust and earth. Silence fell across the battlefield as the cloud of dust and debris slowly began to clear. All that remained was a large circular crater filled with ashes and scorched earth marks all around its edge. Kaiyon, Thorne, and Bloom were gone. [I](no one can bring them back or find remains or anything, they are vanished.)
Meanwhile, in the ruins of Shinryu's village, a lone figure stood against the light of the twilight. Standing still a moment, the figure sheathed his sword and turned toward the fading sun. The night was greeted with silence from the lost village.
