Neo Comet Swordsman Saizaki: War of Magics (part 12 of 13)

a Original Fiction fanfiction by Kaiser

Back to Part 11
Battle of the Cathedral

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Prasutagus Manor, Greenwashe, Cath Maige Tuired

Though she was only dressed in her girlfriend's bedclothes, Rhiannon 
ambled out of her room and walked straight down the corridor of the left 
wing of Prasutagus Manor. She took a turned down the long and winding 
flight of stairs at the end of the corridor, with Bonnie tagging along 
behind her. They came down to the first floor, where Prasutagus was. The 
older man sat on one of the many chairs in the circle of the room, 
thinking quietly to himself while his butler placed another cup of tea 
on the coffee table next to his chair. He was more than surprised to see 
Rhiannon up and about after what she had to tangle with just a short 
while ago. 

Rhiannon and Bonnie came to Prasutagus in the centre of the first floor 
living room and the Highland woman was quick to speak. "Is what Bonnie 
said true? Is the Quetzacoatl really absent from the shrine now?"

Prasutagus nodded to her in conformation. "Yes. The two attackers, the 
ones known as Gram and Ursula, have taken the staff. We have failed to 
protect it. And now I fear, those rogues will have a power that they can 
hardly grasp."

"What power?" Rhiannon questioned.

"That quarterstaff infects the user with a violent bloodlust, as you 
already know. Have you ever heard of a man called Setsuya Seisuji?"

Rhiannon bobbed her head. "Of course I have. He was great uncle's best 
friend. He was also the winner of that legendary tournament, Ten Sekai 
Sentou Kyousou."

"Well Setsuya was the one who defeated the man who wielded the 
Quetzacoatl. But the real power of the staff is this. It has the power 
to stand against even the strongest of all weapons. It is almost 
invincible. And now those lunatics have that ancient power all to 
themselves. I just know that their ignorance will cause problems for 
untold amounts of people."

"I'm not so sure Ursula's that arrogant," Bonnie spoke, "I know that 
she's a child and she's prepared to kill people to get her way. But she 
doesn't seem in the dark about the Quetzacoatl and its true nature. In 
fact... she was the one who called us ignorant."

"You spoke with her? What did she say?" Rhiannon asked frankly. 

Bonnie tried to think back. "Something about a new enemy. She said that 
I didn't have a future but that my power did. I'm not sure about the 
rest of it."

And that had Rhiannon puzzled. A new enemy? "...What could she have 
meant by that? When she said new enemy did she mean us? Or something 
else?"

"I doubt that she was speaking of us," Prasutagus offered, "If she were 
then I'm sure that she would have finished you off when she had the 
chance. No, I believe that she must have been speaking of someone... or 
something... else. But what could pose a threat to warriors as powerful 
as those two were?"

Rhiannon looked upwards. "I don't know. But I do know one thing. I was 
stationed here by the Order of Light to protect that weapon. If I don't 
get it back then I'll have failed my mission completely. And failure is 
something that is unacceptable to a Highland woman."

Prasutagus sighed with a smile. "You definitely are the granddaughter of 
Ingrid Highland."

"Wait a minute!" Bonnie yelled, yanking Rhiannon around to face her, 
"You were nearly killed in your last battle with them! Why would you 
want to go through that again!?"

Rhiannon shook her head slowly. "Because I have to. I am still a soldier 
after all. I was selected to do a mission and I won't give up after one 
mistake. I'll just have to figure out a way of becoming stronger. Then I 
will begin the hunt for Quetzacoatl."

"Leignitz already has," Prasutagus mentioned aloud, "He left the shrine 
just a short while ago in pursuit of Ursula and Gram. I have no idea 
what good it will do him. He has no idea where they will go or where 
they even came from."

"Well sitting here won't bring the staff back any faster," Rhiannon 
answered, "Besides. I have a more personal reason to seek them out. I 
need to get revenge for my fallen comrades. That being said, I must to 
kill Gram. Even if it breaks orders... I'll pay him back for all of 
this. I swear it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

St. Paul's Cathedral, Ruins of London, Neo-England

Saizaki, Lilia and Rainhande all stood transfixed before Al Gul Jehed. 
Saizaki had actually heard stories about this man but for the first time 
he was actually seeing the King of Warlocks face-to-face. It was a 
little strange in a way. To see the one man who brings so much misery to 
the world. He looked so incapable of doing anything. The wizard, clearly 
of Arabic descent, sat poised on his mighty black and gold throne. It 
complemented the black and gold of his  Middle-Eastern inspired robes. 
His face was thin, wrinkled, an elongated beard of grey hair passing 
down from his chin. His withered, bony fingers clutched to the armrests 
of his throne, and his small eyes looked down on the three soldiers that 
stood across from him. 

His lips parted as he spoke, his age quite telling as he spoke, 
"Welcome, welcome, young warriors. I am quite honoured to meet with the 
three remaining members of the Special Mission Corps. Your forces have 
given me much difficulty in seizing Neo-Germany."

Rainhande scowled, the first to speak at him. "You seem awfully calm for 
someone who is about to meet with the Grim Reaper."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" He laughed, "...So you three have come here as my 
executioners, have you? Arrogance is a trait that the Order of Light 
will carry into their graves. Those who hold power have no need for 
fear. But those who lack it... they have everything to fear. The real 
question is... do you insignificant toddlers have any idea as to what 
you have gotten yourselves into?"

Lilia withdrew Wind Soul from the sheath at her waist. "We are not 
defenceless!"

"Ah, the swords," Al Gul said mockingly, "Mankind's only clear way to 
combat the forces of magic. By using that of their own. Those swords 
were enough to see you this far. But how much power do they really give 
you? I am vastly different to the magic-users you may have come into 
contact with so far."

"Enough!" Saizaki shouted, his voice resonating in this large hall, "I 
don't wanna listen to you masturbating your twisted ego. I don't wanna 
bother with witty pleasantries and bold threats. I came here for one 
reason and one reason only. To kill you. And I don't give a damn whether 
you like it or not."

Al Gul grinned, tapping his bony fingers against his arm rest. "Heh, 
heh, heh. You amuse me, young one. Then so be it. Comply with your 
yearning. Kill me."  

"Yaaah!" Saizaki didn't have to be asked a second time. The young man 
withdrew the Fire Cutter from its scabbard, then ran across the hall. 
Rainhande could sense that was a mistake, but Saizaki was unaware. He 
charged at the throne and jumped into the air, shrieking a powerful 
battle cry. As the Fire Cutter descended towards him, Al Gul cast a 
sneaky smile in its direction. And a magical barrier appeared there. The 
sword clashed with the barrier, but did not break it. Saizaki grit his 
teeth as he now remembered that elite magic-users such as Diana and Al 
Gul Jehed have these kinds of defences. Al Gul flicked his hand at 
Saizaki as he would do to a fly, and Saizaki was sent sailing away with 
a flash of dark black energy. 

"Aaaah!" The Japanese youth crashed into the dusty floor of the derelict 
Cathedral, metres away from Al Gul Jehed's throne. Rainhande and Lilia 
watched this with caution. Al Gul was apparently very powerful. Maybe 
even stronger than Diana was at her best. And he didn't even seem to be 
trying. Al Gul stood upright from his throne. 

His voice still held that nonchalant egotism. "I was not feeding my self 
esteem when I warned you of the dangers in opposing my crusade. This 
world needs order. It has grown foul and stagnant due to the landing of 
the Genesis Comet. Corrupted politicians used us magic-borne humans as 
tools for the Safe-Zone Project. Our powers were used to erect these 
monstrosities. And now that technology is beginning to revive, the Neo 
World Federation wishes to destroy those of magical lineage with that 
cursed Anti-Magic Law? It is preposterous. I will not be used or denied 
for my gifts. Magic is the backbone of this ruined world. Magic-users 
are superior to normal human beings. And I am the most powerful 
magic-user on earth. I am unrivalled. That makes me the single most 
important person on the planet. Therefore it is my right to rule over 
that which is below me. I will sweep away humankind and build a new 
world where magic-users are respected. And where normal humans are cast 
aside into dirt from whence they came."

"Heartless butcher!" Lilia retorted, "You think yourself superior to 
humanity because of your magic? I will not stand for it! Your war will 
end with us, once and for all!"

Lilia face tightened in turn as she prepared herself. The young woman 
crossed her arms over her body, then spread them out again with a 
slashing technique and she bellowed, 

"Whirlwind Slash!"

The motion created a small twister. The gust of violent passed through 
the air and over to Al Gul Jehed, standing beside his throne. The old 
man snorted at this magical attack, then opened his palm. A stream of 
glowing black enchanting energy was released from his hand. It shot 
through the Whirlwind Slash like hot coals through paper. Lilia gasped, 
then jumped out of the way as those shots came straight for her. She 
tumbled to the left, rolling away, as the black energy bolts passed her 
and smashed a statue that happened to be behind her. The whole thing was 
shattered into tiny fragments, some chipping Lilia across the shoulder. 

Rainhande followed up. He ran for Al Gul, holding the hilt of his sword 
in a double grip. He knew that magic-users were weaker at close range, 
it was just a matter of breaking those defences. 

Al Gul Jehed watched Rainhande charge him with casual eyes. He was 
clearly the least impulsive of the group; and therefore he was probably 
the most skilled. Al Gul remained indifferent but took Rainhande's 
charge more seriously. He pointed his finger toward the ground, and made 
an ancient Arabic chant. The ground began to rumble beneath the 
Neo-German boy's feet. The floor broke open in small holes around his 
legs, and up came vines, covered in moss and as thick as bark. Rainhande 
slashed at them, trying to keep those vines at bay, but it was no use. 
They acted like tentacles, dodging and avoiding each swipe. They went 
for his wrists at first. Rainhande dropped the Lightning Tooth as a 
result. The other vines went for his ankles, binding him in place. 
Rainhande shook his body as hard as he possibly could to get free; but 
it was ineffective. He was trapped.

"Damn you!" The Captain swore.

Al Gul Jehed grinned, brandishing his clear pearly whites. "Do not be 
resentful. For I am simply superior to you."

Saizaki rolled onto his front, still holding the Fire Cutter. Lilia ran 
up to him, checking his condition. "Saizaki! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah!" He said, "But this guy's pretty tough! Cover me while I 
attack!"

Lilia nodded as Saizaki stood up and began running in a circular way, 
towards the throne of the King of Warlocks. The young woman gathered 
more momentum into herself, then crossed her arms over her chest as she 
had done before. This was obviously ineffective against Al Gul, but 
wasn't intended to kill him, just necessary for cover. "Whirlwind 
Slash!"

A second burst of distorted wind magic tore through the atmosphere as it 
zeroed in on Al Gul Jehed. The old necromancer gave a throaty chuckle, 
then whipped his fist around his body. 
What was created was a brief and invisible wave. One that shattered the 
Whirlwind Slash like it was nothing. Al Gul then looked to his left as 
Saizaki was running towards him. Saizaki knew his cover was blown, but 
didn't gave a damn. He leapt off his feet and jumped skyward at that 
point. Flames created by the Fire Cutter circled his leg in a swirling 
coat, and the boy projected his leg at the wizard, in a flame-imbued 
kick. 

"Dragon's Fang!"

Al Gul sneered at that, and gave another apathetic wave of his hand. 
Saizaki's foot collided with a sheet of ice, brought forth by Al Gul's 
magics. This blocked the kick and also quelled the flames that had once 
adorned his boot. But this ice broke, and Al Gul's eyes darkened from 
it. The shards of ice instantly froze in place, then reformed into the 
shape of a fist. That fist worked like lightning and grabbed Saizaki by 
the leg. 

"Aaaah!" The ice fist began to spin. Saizaki was spun around and around 
in a disorienting whirl by that large fist made purely of ice. It 
released him moments later. Saizaki was sent careening forwards. Lilia 
gasped as Saizaki was knocked against her, the two falling into each 
other. Both soldiers went down with that action. Al Gul laughed to 
himself as the magical ice fist faded away. 

"Foolish children," He said confidently, "Those toys may make you 
stronger, but compared to me... they are useless twigs that stand for 
human frailty. For an entire race to rely on four weapons as their 
salvation; it is ludicrous. But, in honour of your bravery, I shall show 
you another glimpse of my power."

There were many statues around the Cathedral's Grand Hall. Most of them 
were put there after the landing of the Genesis Comet. Al Gul Jehed 
focussed his powers then brought his hand up. He pointed at three of 
those statues. Each time he did, they smashed into bits and reformed. 
Reformed into larger, more hulking and menacing forms. Rainhande, Lilia 
and Saizaki watched this in disbelief. The floating stone shards began 
taking on humanoid forms. Each one had two arms, two legs, a torso and a 
head. Most curiously, a sword of stone for each of them. They looked 
dangerous. And Lilia couldn't hide the racing of her heart as those 
stone entities began moving in accordance to Al Gul's magic. 

The Arabic wizard smiled deviously once more. "Kill them."

Those stone strange stone beasts began ambling over to a respective 
soldier. There footsteps made loud banging sounds, their drone-like 
march was in reality, relatively frightening. Rainhande was the one who 
was most worried as a stone beast neared him. The Lightning Tooth had 
been knocked from his hand and the vines, though inactive, were still 
holding him in place. The Neo-German boy thrashed about with zeal. He 
had to get loose. Otherwise... 

The rock 'ogre' lifted its stone sword into the air slowly, the weapon 
hanging above with quite frightening awe. But before that stone blade 
could land a blow which was bound to be a killing one...

"Burn Flow!"

The rock creature was not only wrapped in flame, it was sent off its 
malformed feet and hurled into the far wall, breaking apart into the 
dust of its former creation. Saizaki ran for Rainhande and violently 
slashed at the grassy vines, freeing the Captain from his predicament. 

"Consider that payback for saving me from Diana!" Saizaki claimed, just 
before challenging the rock beast that was attacking Lilia. 

Rainhande grabbed the Lightning Tooth, then beamed a defiant smile at 
his rival. "Thanks."

There was a third rock creature that had set its sights on Saizaki. 
Rainhande saw that one first, and acted for its destruction. The boy 
with the silvery-hair grasped the hilt of his divine blade. He 
concentrated, lightning energy passing over the edge of the sword. It 
ran up and down it in streaks, till it burst open around the sword in a 
field of electro-magnetism. 

Rainhande screamed the name of his attack. "Gungnir Surge!"

The youth stabbed his sword into the ground. The lightning power passed 
from the sword to the ground in a current, the energy shaped into the 
form of a slithering, belly-crawling dragon. The lightning dragon 
travelled across the ground in a zigzag way until it came to the rock 
demon's feet. This contact made an explosion. An explosion that blew 
apart the rocky apparition. 

Lilia narrowed down on the last of the rock creatures. It swung its 
sword at her. The girl dodged this with the speed and grace of the wind. 
She span around the creature then drew her sword around her waist as 
Saizaki approached them. The two both released battle cries, and both 
slashed at the 'stomach' of the stone creature. The two swords in unison 
cut through the body, and the upper torso crashed to the ground. The 
lower half of its body followed the same fate. It tumbled to the ground 
and broke. All three of Al Gul's stone abominations had been killed. The 
three soldiers of the light narrowed down on Al Gul Jehed, their swords 
at the ready.

The power-hungry necromancer chuckled, clapping his hands mockingly, 
"Very good."

"If we wanna beat this guy," Saizaki started, "Then we're gonna have to 
go all out..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You stupid loser!"

Esperanza screamed at Aarin as she swung her quarterstaff at him. Aarin 
dodged the light steel staff and hopped away, his Double Cleaver swung 
with him in a single hand. The girl attacked him once more, thrusting 
her staff straight on. Aarin zipped to one side and avoided that attack 
as though it were nothing. Esperanza's staff hit the carpeted steps of 
the stairwell leading up to the Grand Hall. A burn mark was left there 
by the sheer friction. Aarin smiled at this capable young fighter. 
Though her skills with the staff were in no way exempt from improvement, 
Esperanza was one of the most talented staff-fighters he had seen in 
years. He wondered why she wasted her time serving Al Gul Jehed. 

Esperanza levelled out her staff, and sneered at Aarin. "Do you have any 
idea what you've just done?!"

Aarin watched her anger in curiosity. "What have I done?"

"You've sent Saizaki to his deathbed!" She yelled back, "Al Gul Jehed 
will kill him!"

"So why waste your time following such a self-indulgent man?" Aarin 
enquired. 

The American girl's disposition faded from anger to nostalgia. Her staff 
lowered along with her fiery temperament. It seemed like so long ago. 
"Al Gul... is my adoptive father. He hates normal human beings... but 
for some reason he took a shine to me. He absorbed me into the Covenant 
of Sorcerers, gave me a home, and helped train me in my ability with the 
staff. I owe him my life. But he'll kill Saizaki... I know it. I wanted 
to keep him away from Al Gul. Now Saizaki will be killed! All thanks to 
you!"

Aarin chuckled to himself. "Call me crazy, but it sounds like your 
feelings for Saizaki run deeper than you realize. It was obviously 
enough to make you question your father."

"Shut up!" Esperanza charged him again, spinning her staff to strike, 
"I'll kill you!"

The Neo-English fighter swerved and dodged Esperanza's attacks, not even 
bothering to counter them with a couple of his own. She continued her 
attempts, thrusting and darting, then darting and thrusting. Aarin 
watched the girl with an unhidden smile, then whispered to her as she 
missed him in a following strike, saying, 

"...You could become a great person if you choose the right path..."

Esperanza blinked. "Wha...?"

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was no holding back. Not this time. It had become time for the 
sword's real power to shine through. Each of the three warriors nodded 
to each other in acceptance of what they should do. And they all 
prepared themselves respectively. Saizaki closed his eyes, then brought 
his sword to his face, the blade positioned upright so that it was 
nestled comfortably between his shut eyes. There was a tenseness within 
him. A sort of fear of losing, of being killed. But as he prepared for 
his next attack, he let all that go. And with the death of his fear, 
came the rebirth of his body. His muscles tightened, his joints 
loosened, his brain began running at a faster pace, rivalling that of 
his heartbeat. The magic of the sword affected him as well as the blade 
itself. This was not exclusive to Saizaki, however, as Rainhande and 
Lilia also felt the effects of unleashing the sword's true powers. 

Al Gul Jehed watched the three as they stood there. He could feel their 
power growing, but was unsure of what was happening. Or what was to 
come. The three soldiers of the Order grew in strength, and sweat passed 
down their faces. This was not an offshoot of the magic. This was the 
kind of power one acquires by learning to controlling it. In unison, all 
three swords burst open with flames of their respective colour. The 
Lightning Tooth held blue flames, the Wind Soul held green flames, and 
the Fire Cutter held red ones. The swords all resonated with each other, 
feeling their shared presence.

And in those few moments, Lilia, Rainhande and Saizaki were in 
readiness. 

Lilia was the first to act. The girl stepped forwards, one foot first, 
the other behind it. Al Gul was confused... it looked almost like a... 
dance? But that was what it was. With the Wind Soul held tightly in one 
hand, Lilia began an elegant French dance, something she had never done 
before, but inexplicably, she could perform it. Her footwork was like 
that of an angel, but the beauty of it did not hide the terrible 
underlying power, which was to be unleashed. Lilia pointed her sword 
towards Al Gul as her dance reached a climax. 

"Tornado Dance!"

Al Gul looked surprised as his robes began to rise. Soon his entire body 
was engulfed in a huge whirling tornado. The winds were violent and 
vicious,  booming their screams into the echoing vastness of the Great 
Hall. The remaining statues were all sucked up into the bowls of that 
tornado, along with the crosses, broken sheets of glass and Al Gul's 
throne. As all these items were sucked into the tornado, the slashing 
winds tore them apart. For a normal person walk into that... it would 
have been suicide. Al Gul gritted his teeth as his hair and clothes were 
all blown around in the tornado. It was only through his magical shields 
that he was spared any damage. But Lilia was not the only one he had to 
worry about...

Saizaki grinned as he watched a flustered Al Gul Jehed deal with that 
tearing wind. But he was in store for more. The Japanese youth spread 
his feet and span his sword around until the tip was pointing downwards, 
wrapped with fire.

His spirit was like solid iron. "Prepare to meet Nirvana, old man! 
Dimension Seven!!!"

Saizaki instantly stabbed the Fire Cutter into the stone of St. Paul's 
Cathedral, straight through that solid material. Though it was 
impossible to see, volcanic fire was surging under the ground as a 
result of that movement. But this did not remain unhidden, as the ground 
around Al Gul Jehed began to shake. It broke into cracks, that were 
tinted with a fiery red. Then those cracks burst open in compact 
fissures as towering pillars of flame surged up from under his feet. Al 
Gul gasped as the Dimension-7 attack was revealed to him. The rising 
fire he could not hold back; not while defending against the Tornado 
Dance at the same time

"Gaaah!" Al Gul screamed, as he was scorched at the waist, a stray ember 
of flame burning it. Finally his defences were down. Which gave a 
perfect opportunity for Rainhande to act. The young Neo-German boy swung 
his sword around so that its tip pointed at Al Gul Jehed from the side 
of his face. His throat howled out, 

"Hammer of Thor!" 

Rainhande had to exert great will to control himself as a vast beam of 
lightning energy was sent straight for Al Gul Jehed. It was gargantuan, 
with little streaks passing along the beam each second after its firing. 
The thunderous blast of pure luminous cobalt hit its mark with almost 
demonic effortlessness. Another scream, this one more painful, came from 
Al Gul's throat. He coughed up blood, unable to hold the attack back, 
and was thrown all the way back to the rear wall. Al Gul Jehed slammed 
against it, then collapsed to the ground with a banging thud. The Hammer 
of Thor dissolved, and Rainhande lowered the Lightning Tooth upon 
watching the necromancer go down. He lowered himself to one knee, and 
caught breath as quickly as he could. The Hammer of Thor was a lot more 
taxing on Rainhande than the super attacks of the others were on them. 

Saizaki grinned happily, while Lilia wiped up the sweat from her face. 
The Tornado Dance, Dimension-7 and Hammer of Thor aren't usually that 
powerful; but when the swords are used in unison, there is nothing they 
cannot do. 

"Alright," Saizaki said confidently, "We did it!"

Lilia was a bit more concerned with their Captain. "Rainhande... are you 
okay?"

It took him a second to answer. "... I will be fine... in a moment. 
Besides, we must not... be worried... about that. Al Gul Jehed has been 
defeated..."

"...Think again, Children."

His actions were too fast for them to even react. The moment Saizaki, 
Lilia and Rainhande looked over at the downed magician, he was on the 
attack. Al Gul, his clothes shredded and his mouth bleeding, was 
furious. He acted instantly. The wizard brought up his hand, and 
shrieked erratically. A twisting wave of dark energy began swirling 
around his hand. Seconds later it was swirling around the room. The 
soldiers of the light were too disoriented by the strain of their 
attacks to attempt a defence, aside from Saizaki. The man managed to 
erect a wall of fire magic to reflect that dark wave. He was successful, 
but it took every ounce of strength that he had. Lilia and Rainhande 
were not so lucky. Rainhande slammed against the wall and was instantly 
knocked unconscious. Lilia was closer to Al Gul so she had more time to 
prepare before she hit the wall. The Neo-French woman tried to twirl her 
body as she was blown back, but ended up slamming into the wall with her 
arm.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

Bone cracked as Lilia released a heart-wrenching scream, and landed to 
the floor, Al Gul Jehed ending his dark energy assault. Saizaki looked 
back at his two allies with concern, dropping the fire barrier he 
created to protect himself. "Lilia, Rainhande! Are you alright?"

Rainhande could not respond. Only Lilia did. "...M-My arm... I think 
it's broken..."

"...Dammit!" Saizaki cursed under his breath. He then looked back at Al 
Gul with a clear hatred, reflected in the flames that gathered around 
Fire Cutter. "Goddamn son of a bitch!"

He had to act fast. Saizaki spun his sword around, and focussed the 
flames that were spinning the blade. He started the downwards motion, 
screaming, "Burn... huh?!" 

Saizaki was stopped in his tracks. A claw-shaped flash of energy, sent 
by Al Gul Jehed, latched onto his arms. The Japanese man's limb were 
bound to his sides, and the grip got tighter and tighter the more he 
tried to wriggle free. The strain of his bonds were so great that he 
couldn't move. When his hand became numb, Saizaki involuntarily dropped 
Fire Cutter. He then gasped as Al Gul Magic began to draw him forwards. 
Not only was Saizaki trapped, he was powerless to defend himself. Moment 
later he was face to face with the dark sorcerer. 

"Congratulations," Al Gul declared, blood staining his lips, "You and 
your friends are the only people in existence who have been able to draw 
blood from me. It is impressive. But sadly it is not enough to kill 
someone of my lineage. The new world will begin at my hand."

The Arabic wizard took his hand and pressed it into the wound he 
suffered from the three super attacks that been cast at him. Al Gul 
pulled his hand away, then smeared his blood over a disgusted Saizaki's 
face.

However, the smile on Al Gul's face was short-lived..."This is the end 
of.. GAAAH!" 

Al Gul Jehed dropped Saizaki suddenly. He fell to the ground, still 
bound by the man's dark magical energy. Saizaki looked up at him, and 
gasped as he saw a sword sticking out from the middle of Al Gul Jehed's 
chest. It was of a dark material, with unreadable runic symbols carved 
into it... the Shadow Edge. Blood came down from the wound and Al Gul's 
mouth, as he was impaled by the last of the four swords. 

He looked back at the wielder. "...D-Diana...?"

Diana ignored Al Gul, but gave a reassuring nod to Saizaki. "I am sorry 
I took so long. I had to put a stop to the fighting on the front line 
before I came back to the Cathedral and captured the Shadow Edge. It was 
the best way forward."

Saizaki nodded back. He understood perfectly. "...No problem..."

"D-Diana!" Al Gul Jehed toiled to simply speak, "You dare to strike... 
your master...? I made you... my apprentice... heir to my legacy... and 
now... you betray me...?"

Diana looked at him with pity. "You used me. You used my hatred for 
mankind and myself, as a tool to manipulate my powers. And you started 
this accursed war through your reckless and blind ambition. A foul man 
such as yourself should never hold power... I was just too embroiled in 
my own sadness to realize this. 38 years of warfare will end... with 
your death."

And then the Shadow Edge was ripped from his living carcass. Al Gul 
Jehed stumbled forward with startled eyes, and collapsed when the pain 
grew to be too much for him to handle. He fell to the ground in heap, 
his blood spilling from both the mouth and wound. He was dead. Seconds 
after the death of Al Gul Jehed, his body began to dissolve. All the 
flesh, blood, muscles and hair simply melted away like ice in heat. Soon 
nothing was left of him but a pile of bones in shredded robes. The dark 
energy trapping Saizaki also faded, freeing him completely. Saizaki 
stood up, then watched Diana. She walked up to the large podium from 
which the throne once sat. She kneeled down at the podium, and stabbed 
the Shadow Edge into the ground, the blade smeared with Al Gul's blood. 
It was the weapon that Zephaniah had used in his time; so it was fitting 
that she used it to end their saga on this day. She then clutched her 
hands together, as if in prayer, the light from the stain-glass window 
spilling onto her body. Call it the light of God or light from the sun; 
it did not matter. It all equated to the same thing. The image of a 
woman climbing up from the throws of darkness, ascending into a happier 
life. Free from the stigma of death. 

"I have killed Al Gul Jehed," She said serenely, "and he is the last 
person I will ever kill."

Onwards to Part 13


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