Fragile Hearts (Book 1 - Complete)

"Crap!" Kyo said wide-eyed after he quickly turned around and seeing Max disappear. He quickly turned to Aryus and saw a huge wave of spikes suddenly launch forward, about to impale Aryus from behind.

"Look out!" Kyo shouted, darting forward, and leaping over Aryus' head. He quickly swung Longinus to the side, and swatted the black spikes to the side, but the immediately turned around and made their way back to the duo. This time, Aryus simultaneously turned around and punched the needles with his gauntlet, sending them flying away again. The two stood back to back, unusually calm, despite seeing thousands of needles in the air, surging toward them.

"Well, he isn't here anymore, so looks like we're going to have to survive for ten minutes." Aryus said, echoing the words that Max said. He was still angry that Max was able to fend off both of them at the same time, but he had no time to worry; he was going to be skewered if he lost concentration now.

"Agreed." Kyo said laughing. He wasn't sure if it was because they had both escaped with their lives, or if it was just the adrenaline rush, but he felt oddly elated. He raised Longinus, and Aryus readied Entropy. Then, the spikes surged forward. Despite coming in from every angle imaginable, they both rapidly attacked each set of needles as they flew in towards them, fully in synch with each other's motions.

Ying's sword reacted when Raz countered with an attack. The sword glowed and instantly threw up a barrier the moment Raz's attack hit, protecting Ying. The mana flowed over Ying like a vicious wave but she remained untouched, her robes and hair flying around her as she gazed back at Raz, her eyes glowing white and her aura still surging.

Talken stayed flying in circles overhead, unable to go near Ying with all the mana surging around her.

Eventually the fire, mana and dust had cleared and Ying was still standing. Before Raz could move again, Ying suddenly appeared in front of him, her sword at his throat. However, she didn't attack him for the time being.

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"So you were asleep for over a hundred years..." Chen mumbled as he sat across from Yang in his private carriage as they were on their way to a certain destination. Daiyu was keeping watch, walking outside following the carriage.

"You could say that...though I was more confined like a prisoner in that darkness.." Yang replied.

"And she...awakened you..." Chan muttered.

"Yes...she unlocked the seal with a strange power she never had before..."

"Then...how did she...remember?"

"I spoke to her through her dreams. Despite my body being locked away, I was able to reach into her mind. Besides...how could she ever forget her dear brother..." Yang answered. Chen thought about this and remained quiet a moment. He had been living for a very long time now as well, but he wasn't exactly human to say the least. Though he had known Ying and Yang from as far back as he could remember.

"But that day...I thought she was killed...I saw it, Yang...and the child..."

"I remember very well what happened that day. I cannot forgive myself for what I had done. She would never forgive me either, if she remembered..."

Raz smiled. "I let my guard down for the briefest second. Good work."He quickly brought his sword back and sheathed it. He suddenly felt Max's surge of energy. "It seems my time here has run out." He took a step back, then threw a small orb to Ying. "Touch it with mana and we'll be able to talk anytime." Then he vanished as Max attack rushed towards the area.

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With the uncountable spikes, the slightest mistake anyone made, would mean their death.

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Chaltor turned and smashed the Warlord's spear into the ground. "Now!"

Rikka ran up the spear and attack the giant Orc. None of her attacks that involved mana or any of her auras, worked. But she had quickly found out that Chi could still be used to it's full extent. Concentrating her Chi her body exploded with power. Nearing his head Rikka didn't pull back, she used the full force she had and attacked.

The warlord slid back, the barrier moving with him.

Chaltor barely kept up with the shift.

He came to a halt and swatted Rikka away.

She landed next to an Orc body that was on the edge of the barrier. Acting quickly, she pushed off the body and attack the Warlord. She slammed her blade into his knee. Stuck she let the blade stay there. Then jumping up she slammed a huge amount of Chi into his jaw.

The Warlord barely flinched and smacked Rikka away again. He grabbed another spear and charged.

Chaltor regretted that he couldn't use Mana or Chi. He now understood how he lost the first battle. He ran forward to meet him.

Rikka took off beside Chaltor.

In the Free Lands

The twilight barely was fading as the moon began lighting up the sky.

Smoke clearly covered the sky for miles. The huge jungle below was a blazing fury. The magical fire burned even the wettest of trees, through the vastness of it. Everything gave in to the flames. Animals scattered from the area as the fire dove them out of their homes.

Deep within the jungle, at the heart of it. The Orc home was completely destroyed. Not a single being was left alive, even down to children. They were all dead.

In the chaos. Five beings regrouped.

"Then it is done." A girl with medium length purple hair stated. She wore a simple hooded white cloak, that cut off near the waist. After that was a unique pair of semi-puffed out shorts, that were also white. And all her clothing had purple trimmings.

"Not quite. Our last target is the port city. After that is gone, they are surely destroyed." A blonde male youth in white clothing replied.

The girl looked at her four companions. She hadn't known them very well. She was new in the organization after all.

"So newbie. How was your first taste of what we do?" A demon lady asked. She was the tallest of the five, and had large curled horns, above pointed ears. Her yellow eyes slightly hazed over. She had a collar with a large bell, and very revealing clothing.

"I do not like this kind of work." The girl's purple eyes examined her hands. While she didn't see any blood, she felt like she was smothered in it.

"That feeling will pass with time. And depending on who you are, you might lose the ability to feel for those we destroy." The blonde added, "But a true person won't lose that feeling, for it proves they can still be saved."

The other two didn't talk. One was a short girl, who hid beneath a plain piece of sheeting. Her eyes vacant and her black hair without uniqueness. She stood a little behind and to the right of the other person.

The other was a taller man in his early twenties. A large sword now rested in his sheath across his back. A silver medallion hung from his neck. His eyes constantly shifted from their surroundings, back to them, then to various other places, like he was searching for something.

The girl examined the blonde, and hesitated.

"Let's move on." The youth said, as he started walking. He was followed quickly by the demon breed, and the quiet girl.

The older man appeared before the girl and outstretched his hand to her. He still didn't say anything or show a facial expression beyond his neutral one.

The girl nodded took his hand briefly, before walking passed him, and after the others.

The man stayed where he was and took a looked back at the burning Orc stronghold. Then at the rest of the burning jungle. Then he took off after the others.

Ying let down her sword and caught the orb when Raz tossed it to her. She let it sit in her hand a moment, looking at it before she looked up to see Raz vanish. Her aura vanished, and she sank down to her knees a moment, not really paying attention to the rain of spikes coming toward her.

Seeing that the mana around Ying was gone, Talken dove down quickly toward his master. He saw the spikes coming, having seen what had happened to others that were struck by them.

Ying glanced up when she heard a hawk cry. She saw the oncoming wave of Max's spikes. She held up her sword and immediately threw up a barrier just as Talken came within her range. The hawk used some of his energy to support Ying's barrier as they both held off the spikes. Ying still felt distressed, after what she had seen from those flashes of memories.

Ying... came a familiar voice.

Eiji...?

I am here...be calm... the voice said. Ying glanced up and saw her necklace dangling from Talken's talons. The hawk let it drop to the ground while he continued to hold up a barrier. Ying still felt the barrage of spikes against the barrier but she bent down a moment to pick up the necklace. Then she slipped it back around her neck and closed her eyes a moment, slowly feeling at ease.

Thank you...

Ying opened her eyes again. She pushed more mana into her barrier to block the wave of spikes there were still spilling over. Glancing over her shoulder, she scanned the area for others who were trying to survive.

The spike barrage only continued to increase in intensity after nearing the five minute mark. By this time, the two were beginning to feel very restless and searched for any available moments that they could move out of their pinned down position. Finally, when they felt a brief moment of pause in the spike hailstorm, they quickly dashed and leaped away side by side. Swatting away all of the needles that were flying in from every angle, they both quickly leaped away from each other. Kyo quickly jumped off of the wall and twisted around, knocking away the needles that were still constantly homing in on him. Aryus flipped in the air and begin running along the wall, his body parallel to the ground. Spikes kept shooting forward after him, embedding themselves inches behind Aryus, leaving behind a trail of needles. The two were both keeping careful track of time. Kyo was concerned about the others and how they were faring with the attack. Aryus, on the other hand, was more concerned about finding the leader of the Orcs.

Three minutes to go... They both thought.

Kagura began feeling the heat of her own flames. But she thought, "Better to be burned then dead."

Terra also went the heat, but she just held her side and bared with it.

Kagura's fire shield was keeping the spikes at bay. But the weaker spikes had disappeared a few minutes ago, leaving stronger ones. She was forced to keep increasing the heat to keep them both alive.

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Kodi had lost two more men, and had a rather large gash on his arm. But he kept his men down, and made sure they didn't wipe off the dirt. After all, the two men that had died were trying to clean themselves off. One had a whole through his chest, and the other was a puddle. Such raw power. Kodi stated to himself.

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Kalne dug her Shurikan into the ground then formed a barrier of foxfire. "That should hold for awhile." She turned to Aerus. "Long time no see."

"Kalne. It's been 15 years, and you still haven't changed." He smiled.

She smiled back. "Yep, you were just a kid back then." He looked at him and examined. "You still mad at me about that day?"

"No. I've had time to think, and I saw that you did that for a reason." He looked passed her and at the spectrum of colours. "What is this?"

"That's right, you have no fighting experience. This is an attack made of billions of spikes. I don't the exact details, but you would have died if I didn't intervene."

"Then thank you. Again for saving my life."

"You don't owe me anything you know. I do this because I want to." Kalne gazed, and seem to see through the attack to watch were Rikka was, but no one could be sure she could see them.

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Chaltor was badly hurt. He knew he didn't have much time. But seeing the Warlord's power, he wasn't gonna leave a girl alone to fight him. And the colours around them, prevented any back up. He rushed forward again.

As the peak of Max's Spectrum Tsunami continued, Ying kept holding up her barrier though she began to feel that the spikes were becoming stronger and wearing her down. Talken continued to support yet in his current state as a hawk he was straining to hold up to support Ying.

"Hold on, my friend..." Ying said, as she looked a the hawk. She looked over toward the bridge, but it was hard to see much of anything through the rain of spikes. She could catch a glimpse of Rikka and Chaltor fighting the Orc warlord.

If I could just move closer to the bridge...but these spikes...how longer will they last... Ying thought, wondering what to do. Talken let out a cry, dropping his support and sinking to the ground. Ying reached out and pulled the hawk close to her, cradling him in her arms as she continued to hold up her barrier. She knew that if she tried to move she'd have to let down her barrier and she wouldn't be able to protect herself much with the constant spikes coming down.

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Shin's mind

Shin sat huddled in darkness. He looked up when he heard someone laughing. Then he saw Evan and the old man.

"Stop mocking me...all you've done is cause me to fail..." he mumbled. He felt a spasm of pain in his chest and his hand instantly went to clutch at his body, and he glanced down to see a hole.

"Didn't we warn you? Some fighter you are..." the image of Evan said.

"What would your father think of you now..."

"Leave me alone!" Shin cried. He stood up to move toward them but he clutched at his chest again when he felt the pain. He slowly sank to his hands and knees.

"Father...I'm sorry..." Shin mumbled. He looked up when he saw a blue light. Then there was a vague image of a dragon-like creature.

Shin...you must avenge me...I will not have my son give up and call himself a failure...

"But I can't...I'm not strong enough..."

You have the power, my son...you just need to know where it comes from..

The blue light grew brighter and Shin held up his arm to shield his eyes until he was engulfed in the light.

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Mai glanced at Shin who was still unconscious. She walked beside Kyuu slowly who was still carrying Shin upon his back. Not only was she worried for Shin, she was worried about Ying who had gone off a long while ago.

Everyone, please be all right... Mai thought. Her hand moved up to touch her amulet, barely noticing that it glowed lightly.

Nearing the final two minutes of the Tsunami, Kyo and Aryus both regrouped and stood back to back with each other once more. Several of the spikes had managed to hit both of them, and they carried minor cuts all over their arms, legs, and face. Despite the blood leaking out of their bodies, they both knew that they just had to hold on a bit longer.

"I can't fall now, there are people waiting for me..." Kyo said grunting, his arms burning as blood dripped out of his hands.

"Lucky you." Aryus said bluntly, swatting away the spikes. Oddly enough, larger and more quicker spikes were all that remained of the Tsunami now. But they both expected that. Being in the climax of the attack, they both forced themselves to persevere. A cut above Aryus' eye was causing blood to leak out of it, interfering with vision from his right eye, and causing him to get cut by spikes when he otherwise would've been able to block them. He also was beginning to feel somewhat dizzy. The noise all around him was beginning to sound more and more distant.

"Last minute..." He heard Kyo's voice echo. His vision blurring, he felt Kyo reach down and grab his arm, holding him up, fighting back all the spikes that were now surging in from every direction.

Rikka unleashed a huge combo, but like usual, the Warlord just slapped her away. She slid to a halt. Breathing heavily, she took a step forward.

"You two aren't even a fun fight." The Warlord brought his arm back and hurled his spear.

Rikka didn't have enough time to block or dodge, she braced for impact.

There was a loud thud as something heavy landed of Rikka. Wetness leaked down.

Rikka opened her eyes and saw Chaltor. A spear straight through his chest.

Chaltor felt his energy drain, he looked up and saw Rikka, he tried to smile. Suddenly he coughed up blood and went limp.

Rikka quickly rolled him off her and checked his pulse, or lack there of. She had a few blood splatters on her. She closed her eyes. "Rest now."

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Max's attack suddenly dispersed, giving off a moderate amount of energy then disappeared.

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Kodi fended off the quick dispersal of energy with his demon magic. The rest of his men were unharmed. He looked over to the last figures battling. His saw the spear through Chaltor. Taking a quick moment to mourn, he then rallied his men.

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Kagura's heat fell, as she fell to her knee. Her hair and clothes were singed. She was breathing heavily at the mana loss.

Terra fell forward and faded into unconsciousness.

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Kalne let her foxfire burn out and turned back into her regular form. Her shurikan also disappeared. She left Aerus, and started walking.

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Ran was clutching the massive wound in his side. He still wasn't sure what had happened. His head throbbed, and he was dizzy. He was sitting against something, then fell to his side, unconscious.

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Rikka stood up as she heard the Warlord pick up another spear. She wiped her eyes. Then glanced at him with determination.

"You still won't be able to defeat me." He boomed.

Rikka suddenly shot forward, getting a gash on her side as the Warlord blocked, she came down and kicked his leg out from under him. She jumped back then surged forward smacking with all her might into the heart region of his chest. She knew that she'd lose if the attack didn't work.

The Warlord quickly regained balance then with speed, he smacked her hard with the flat side of his spear.

Rikka flew back, and tumbled across the ground. She rolled a few times, before coming to a halt. Exhausted, she could no longer move.

The Warlord stood over her and got ready to skewer her. "No mortal can defeat me." He attacked.

Dragging Aryus, Kyo limped over behind a pile of Orc bodies, clutching his side. Blood was dripping out of his side, leaving behind a red trail behind him. He sat Aryus down, leaning his back against the pile of Orc bodies, and with a deep breath, he sat down next to him, still grasping his side. He stabbed Longinus into the ground next to him, his vision suddenly beginning to whiten. Kyo had an extremely difficult time fending off the last minute of the Tsunami when Aryus went unconscious, and received wounds as a result of the spikes. That, and the final burst of mana that it had released, left Kyo completely drained of all of his energy. His arms going weak, he collapsed on his side, sprawled on the ground. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Aryus shifting slightly.

Aryus turned his head, opening his eyes slowly. He thought he had died for a moment, there couldn't have been any way he could have survived the attack while he was unconscious. But then he looked down at the unmoving Kyo, and realized what had happened. He hated the thought of someone else saving him, but there was no way he could just ignore it either.

I don't owe you anything but... Aryus thought, sighing angrily. He pointed his palm at Kyo, and he was enveloped in a field of darkness. Leaning his head against the wall of piled up bodies, he closed his eyes, and let himself rest. The sounds of metal clashing against each other in the distance was still very loud, even though they were at they outskirts of the battlefield.

As soon as all the spikes had faded away, Ying's barrier fell and she felt the extreme weight and strain lifted from her as she fell to one knee, her sword dropping to the ground though her hand still held it. Her other arm still held Talken. She glanced at the hawk, then concentrated a moment to give some aid to him.

"Are you all right?" Ying asked. Talken blinked his bird eyes at her a few times in response and let out a soft chirp. Ying slowly got up on her feet before she gently lifted Talken up into the air and he opened up his wings and flapped them, hovering a moment before moving up higher and showing that he was fine now.

Looking around, Ying saw that most of the Orcs had been dissolved from the spikes. Very few remained on the battlefield now. Ying didn't see where Kyo and Aryus had gone, but then her eyes caught sight of Rikka still fighting the Warlord. She watched them a moment, studying the Warlord's moves, calculating his weight, height, power, and movement speed and how he compared to Rikka.

That girl is quite strong... Ying thought. Then she saw how the Warlord hit Rikka with his spear and sent her flying. It took Ying a moment to realize that the Warlord was about to kill Rikka.


There was a rush of wind, and a clash of metal as Ying suddenly appeared inbetween Rikka and the Warlord, her sword stopping the huge orc's spear by inches. She held strong against the Warlord a moment, gazing sternly at him.

Quickly gathering up a large amount of mana in her free hand, Ying shot it at the Warlord, pushing him back a bit. Then she saw it didn't have much of an affect on him.

He is obviously unlike the other Orcs... she thought. Ying glanced back at Rikka.

"You've fought well...and extremely strong for someone so young. I am here to help...on behalf of Mai..." Ying said, smiling lightly at Rikka before she turned back to the Warlord, who was already running toward her full on.

Ying quickly concentrated her mana to protect herself then stopped the Warlord's spear from coming down on her. She did all she could to block the Warlord's powerful attacks. She realized that he was a lot tougher than Raz, more raw power and strength. Ying felt herself being pushed back as she continued to block the Warlord's attacks.

He's so strong...how long can I keep up against him...

Rikka felt so weak that she couldn't reply. Though she didn't pass out either. She kept trying to move her body, but to no success. Eventually her eyes drifted to Chaltor, before she looked away. She watched Ying's fight from the corner of her eyes.

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The Warlord gauged his new enemy's power. Then he laughed. "I find it amusing so many want to die by my spears." He attacked Ying with a variety of right side attacks, with the last two directed at the left side. Then he raised his spear and brought it's full weight upon her.

Ying tried her best to keep up with the Warlord, but his attacks were so vicious she barely managed to dodge the last few attacks, which caught her in the side. She held back a cry of pain through grit teeth as she stumbled back. Then she brought up her sword as the Warlord brought his spear down on her again, and she struggled to hold him back. Unable to hold the weight she quickly ducked down and rolled over on the ground before she got up again but was hard with the flat side of the Warlord's spear and she was sent flying back.

Moving up on her feet, Ying quickly pulled out a scroll to cast a fire spell and directed it toward the Warlord. She watched in surprise as he cancelled the attack, watching the ball of fire dissolve and barely touching the Warlord as he rammed straight into her, throwing her back again.

Talken tried to swoop down and help but before he could do much the Warlord swatted him away.

Ying sat up, her hand moving to the wound in her side as she struggled to get up. She felt her body trembling slightly from the aftershock of the Warlord hitting her so hard.

My body is too frail against his power...but I must do what I can to stop him... Ying thought, though she realized by now that her magic spells weren't working against the Warlord.

But what do I do...?

The Warlord stretched a bit, and grabbed a second spear. He took a few steps to Ying's right. "That's a fine weapon, if it can handle such pressure. I'm gonna test it some more." The Warlord rushed forward and attacked with one spear then the other. He weaved his attacks as he never seemed to tire.

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Kalne leaned down over Rikka. "You okay?"

Barely being able to speak she replied in a croaky voice. "Yea." But Rikka kept her eyes on Ying as she fought.

Kalne pulled out a vial of green liquid and poured it into Rikka's mouth.

After a few seconds Rikka sat up. She felt her strength returning, but she knew she couldn't fight again for awhile. "Why won't you help Ying?" She asked Kalne.

Without looking back at Rikka, Kalne replied. "I promised someone I wouldn't go after him."

Rikka stayed sitting, to regain her strength faster.

Kalne stood in front of her, and watched the battle.

Aryus felt a small vibration in his healing field, so he dropped it and limped over to Kyo, whom was beginning to stir. He turned over on his back, and slowly opened his eyes, his hand automatically reaching for his sides. His eyes widened when he found that his wounds were no longer there, and looked up at Aryus. He understood immediately what the Demon had done for him.

"Thanks Aryus." Kyo said, his entire body still sore from Max's final attack. But he was beginning to regain more and more of his stamina as he continued to stand still. He wondered if that was Longinus' doing.

"Think nothing of it." Aryus said turning his back to him. He squinted in the distance and saw a familiar face in the distance, fighting against an Orc who Aryus remembered was the Orc leader. He clenched his fist as he continued watching the Orc unleash a barrage of attacks on Ying, who seemed to be doing just fine by herself, but the Orc Warlord showed no signs of become exhausted. Aryus considered going in and joining the fight, but he realized that him and Kyo still needed some time to recover. Gritting his teeth angrily, he turned back to Kyo. Kyo looked curiously over his shoulder, and saw Ying fighting the Orc Warlord in the distance. He also saw Rikka, whom was being tended to by Kalne. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing while his comrades were fighting in the distance.

"Aryus, come here and grab a hold of Longinus, it should help regain your stamina." Kyo said, turning his head to Aryus. The Demon looked at the cross shaped spear skeptically, as though not believing what he was hearing, but he had no better ideas. He walked over and grabbed Longinus around the neck of the spear, and to his surprise, he slowly felt his soreness in his limbs begin to fade away. At this rate, they may be able to recover quickly enough to enter the fray again. But they had to be more prepared first; they had enough trouble with Max, whom wasn't even fighting at his full strength. They would have more help against the Warlord, but they still weren't going to take any chances. Still keeping his grip on Longinus, he focused his mana and began a summoning contract spell.

"Divinity of observance and obedience, hear my call, and answer my pleas. Cross the Bridge of Judgement, and guide me through my ordeal. Sraosha!" Kyo chanted, a seal bursting out from underneath him. The seal shone brightly and caused a huge wall of light to surge around the two. When the light finally died out, a small winged figure hovered in front of Kyo.

"You called?" Sraosha said taking a look around the battlefield. "Pretty gloomy place this is." The two laughed.



Aryus rolled his eyes angrily. Great, now there's two thorns in my side... Aryus suddenly recalled awhile back when he made a pact with one of the entities in the Lower Plane. He cursed at himself for being so foolish in not making use of him when he was fighting Cas and Max. Focusing his own mana, a seal appeared below him as well, releasing a black foggy mist from the seal. Sraosha turned and looked at it, suddenly on guard.

"He who resides in the 7th heaven, I stop you from your task of alienating humanity from the spiritual plane to serve under my name. Gather the souls of the condemned and judge them as you see fit. I call upon thee, the Poison of God, Samael!" Aryus shouted, black flames exploding out of his own seal. Kyo and Sraosha shielded their face from the black flames, and when the fire disappeared, a serpent-like creature around Aryus' height stood.

"I'll follow your commandsss for now, but don't expect it to happen too much." Samael hissed, glaring at Sraosha for a moment.


The two entities stared down each other for a few moments, before Kyo and Aryus stepped in between them.

"Listen, we're going to go stop the Orc Warlord, so we're going to need you to cooperate. We're not saying for you guys to become best friends; we just need your help, that's all." Kyo said hastily, shooting a glance over his shoulder to make sure Ying was okay. She was still fending the Orc Warlord off pretty well. The two summons were quiet for a moment before they both nodded. They avoided eye contact from that moment on.

"Let's go." Aryus said, letting go of Longinus. Most of his stamina had returned and he was ready to return to the battle.

Shockwave after shockwave went through Ying's body each time she tried to block the Warlord's attack. The might behind his spears pushed her back each time, and while her sword was holding up, her own body was straining against the force. As she kept her eyes on the Warlord, she realized he didn't seem to be tiring at all, but each time he struck her she felt a bit of her strength draining. She couldn't even have time to cast anymore spells since he continued to send a barrage of attacks, and the fact she now knew that he could cancel her magic attacks.

Eiji...I can't go on... she thought desperately.

While she blocked one of the Warlord's spears the other one jabbed into her other side without warning and she was thrown aside again. She cried out, rolling over on the ground, trying to get up before the Warlord could come near but it was too late as his large hand grasped her throat and lifted her from the ground.

Ying gasped for air, her left hand weakly grabbing onto the Warlord's hand while her right still held tightly to her sword. She felt herself slowly fading in and out as she could hear the Warlord laughing.

All of a sudden Talken flew in out of nowhere and hit the Warlord sharply in the back with supersonic quick attack. This caused the Warlord to drop Ying and she fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Talken tried his best to distract the Warlord, trying to scratch out his eyes with his talons but one of the orc's spears slashed him by the wing and he flew back to the ground.

Getting up again, Ying grasped her sword with both hands.

I may have learned much from Master Tao....but you still seem to be much too powerful for me to handle...I just hope I can continue...if I die here...what will it be for? I can't....no...I must not...Mai...and Shin...they need me...Yang...I need to stop Yang....but if I cannot even defeat this Orc...how can I even come close to defeating Yang? she thought as she saw the Warlord running toward her. Her hand went up to grasp her necklace.

Eiji...you have calmed my soul...shielded me from the terrors of my memories...and yet...you cannot protect me...and it is only by fate that it is so...and if I must die...I must die saving others... Ying thought as she closed her eyes a moment. She opened then again before she summoned up the rest of her power, her aura surging like before with her fight with Raz. However, it was her last resort. She knew she would only have a few minutes to use that energy to fight the Warlord. She readied her sword, then let out a cry as she rushed toward the large Orc.

A rush of wind and mana exploded out as Ying's power clashed with the Warlord. They held up against each other a moment before Ying pushed back then rushed forward again and swung and slashed at the huge Orc with all the force and agility she could muster. She saw him swing both spears toward her, and she twisted on her foot as she spun up into the air sideways, just barely moving between the two spears. Then she landed before ramming into the Warlord's abdomen hard, pushing him back a bit. She flipped backward, then moved forward again before her sword was caught in a clash between the two spears again.

Eventually, Ying felt her power draining from her.

Not enough.... Ying thought. The Warlord brought his two spears down on her again and Ying held up her sword to block them. She felt her strength breaking and the last of her energy faded out before the Warlord's might pushed her down and she finally fell.

It wasn't...enough....

Ying fell, and the Warlord took his chance, he quickly stepped forward and raised one of his spears.

Rikka tried to get up again as she saw Ying fall, but she fell down clutching her side. Dam medicine hasn't kicked in fully.

Kalne didn't move to intercede. I'm sorry Ying.

A brief second passed. Then suddenly the Warlord's spear ripped through Ying's chest and impaled her onto the ground. He then twisted his weapon, making sure to cause as much pain as possible before death.

Rikka's eyes went wide. She didn't know Ying. But for all intents and purposes, she had been willing to defend both Rikka and Kalne. Rikka punched the ground, causing a small crack.

Laughing he pulled his spear back up. Looking around he saw no one left to stand against him. Then suddenly he felt a small pulse of energy, and turned to see Kyo and Aryus.

With their mana auras surging around them, they all prepared to immediately charge and attack the Orc Warlord. Despite being summoned only recently, Sraosha and Samael knew the threat that the Warlord was, and was prepared to not make any mistakes. Kyo saw Ying get impaled by the Warlord's spear, and he quickly darted forward before the others, Longinus raised behind head. He immediately came crashing down to the ground, expecting the mana stored within Longinus to explode outward. But the mana never came out. Kyo's aura suddenly vanished when he began to descend to the ground, and his spear was blocked by one of the Warlord's own spears. Longinus was no longer covered in its aura. Aryus and the others saw this and immediately stopped charging forward, letting their mana disperse and return to their body.

"Hold on, I think there's some kind of mana interference field here!" Kyo shouted to the others, immediately jumping away from the Warlord before he could capitalize.

"Cursssessss." Samael hissed.

"I don't remember being told about this." Sraosha said skeptically.

"Mana or no mana, we can't just withdraw. This war will not end until the Warlord falls." Aryus said, stepping forward. Kyo nodded, his eyes focused. The two stood side by side, and were soon followed by their Espers. As the Warlord stepped slowly towards them, they tried their best to keep their anxiety in check.

The Warlord rushed forward. His massive body moving faster then it should have. Both spear in hand he attacked all four of them.

Driving his spear through the center, he then went into the gap and did a massive spin. Attacking all four at once. Then he rushed at the one who had gotten the furthest away from the others.

Everything seemed to move in silent, slow motion as Ying watched the Warlord's spear come down upon her. For a brief second she couldn't feel anything, but the moment the spear passed through her she cried out in sheer agony, feeling her insides twisting painfully as the metal ripped through her flesh. Her free hand, soaked with blood, twitched and trembled before falling limp, though her other still kept a grip on her sword, as if she didn't want to let it go or let anyone take it, nor would the sword ever leave her hand if someone tried to.

Then after that excruciatingly painful moment, and feeling the blood pouring out of her, Ying slowly drifted into darkness, and the light slipped from her as she blanked out, her eyes still gazing lifelessly into the sky.

Eiji....

----------

Yang let out a muffled choking cry as he clutched at his chest and leaned over a moment. He had been following Chen as they walked along a mountain path when the sudden surge of pain hit him. It wasn't terribly strong, but he still felt it.

"Master, what's wrong" Daiyu asked as she moved beside him. Chen paused and looked at Yang with a concerned expression as well.

"Was it her..." Chen asked. Yang was silent a moment before he straightened up.

So she was killed... he thought a moment, but it didn't affect him that much.

"It's nothing...let's continue" Yang mumbled as he moved along again. Chen and Daiyu gazed at him a moment. Daiyu said nothing more and followed. Chen was lost in thought a moment before he also went to catch up.

They must still be linked to each other...

The group was suddenly split up as the Warlord charged into their ranks and knocked them all away. Kyo skidded to a stop, isolated from the others. Aryus and Samael managed to stay together, but Sraosha was nowhere to be seen. Kyo didn't have any time to think as the Warlord suddenly appeared in front of him, stabbing at him several times, forcing Kyo to continuously twist Longinus from side to side, barely managing to repel each attack. Every attack he blocked sent a surge of pain through his arm, but he gritted his teeth and beared with it. He saw Aryus start to charge forward and attack the Warlord from behind, but Kyo quickly motioned at the unmoving Ying, indicating that Aryus go check on her. Aryus glared at Kyo for a moment, then changed direction and ran toward Ying.

He's gotten a bit more obedient. Kyo thought approvingly, his thoughts immediately getting interrupted by the relentless Warlord.

Aryus averted his eyes from Ying's body, and the large gaping hole that was a result of the Warlord's spear. It was sickening sight that Aryus was unusually affected by.

"Thisss is normal, many are killed every sssecond." Samael said, floating upward and gazing over Aryus' soldier. He couldn't really describe what he was feeling. He didn't even know that woman. But Ying was fighting a battle that she was not forced to, and Aryus couldn't quite understand what her intention was fighting such a powerful enemy alone. He wouldn't have done it. Turning away from the bloody sight, he gazed at the Warlord as he began to slowly overpower Kyo. Clenching his fist, his charged forward, being closely followed by Samael.

Even though the Warlord had already fought three people, and won. He didn't seem to tire. If anything it looked like he was getting stronger. He roared. "I'm the scourge of the jungle. Annihilator of species. I am Warlord!" He rushed forward, bearing down on Kyo with all his might.

------------------

Kodi saw that the bridge was under control, all of the Orcs had died during the coloured assault. He saw Rikka be saved by Ying, then saw as she was beaten and impaled. He watched as two of them summoned weird creatures and they too, went after the warlord.

His eyes drifted to that of his dead comrade. "Chaltor." He whispered to himself. "Men, rest. The monster cannot be beaten by normal humans. Live, so you can fight again." Kodi ordered his men.

He then took hold of his axe and started across the bridge, which now looked torn apart.

The Warlord raised both of his spears high above his head and brought them both down on Kyo, forcing him to jump quickly out of the way or otherwise be crushed by the impact. He immediately stepped forward and twisting diagonally, swung Longinus at the Warlord several times, causing sparks to shoot out of the clashing weapons. He then immediately begin a series of thrusts, trying to push the Warlord back on put him on the defensive. But the final attack in Kyo's combo caused him to lose his balance and the Warlord immediately capitalized. He grabbed Kyo with one hand, lifting him into the air. Choking, Kyo's hands grasped the Warlord's wrist and tried to break his wrist, but to no avail. Just as the Warlord was about to spear Kyo through the chest, the spear was stopped. In front of Kyo was Aryus blocking the spear with his gauntlet, Samael biting the handle of the spear holding it back, and Sraosha grabbing onto the other spear, keeping the Warlord from attacking with the other spear.

"You guys..." Kyo managed to gasp after releasing himself from the Warlord's grip with Aryus' help. But he didn't get to say anything more, as the Warlord suddenly threw Samael off of his left spear, and flinging Sraosha away with his second spear.

"Kyo, the woman is dead." Aryus said quietly to Kyo without looking at him. His eyes widened when he received this shocking news and gritted his teeth. He knew how strong Ying was and for anyone to be able to defeat her was no doubt an impressive feat. But even if they wanted to, Kyo doubted that they could escape now that they were so deep into the duel. Aryus rushed before Kyo this time, his gauntlet raised, unleashing several midair attacks on the Warlord, scattering sparks through the air as their weapons clashed against each other.

The Warlord easily parried the attacks. Roaring he rushed Aryus, with one spear he attacked Aryus, the other went for any other who tried to help him.

He twisted his spear and shot it forward, trying to do a spinning impalement into Aryus. If his attack failed he then dug his spear into the ground, then tried to fling dig into eyes on everyone near him.