Chapter One Hundred Sixteen: Last Dance

At Morino's house…

"Well, well. This is very touching!"

Kia and Marachii watched in horror as Ravos held up Dachii and Morino, his eyes blazing with excitement. Kia took a deep breath and immediately raised her voice.

"You…you let them go! Right now!"

Ravos tossed them both down to the ground. "Heh, you've got nerve, for a human! I like it!"

Dachii and Morino hurried up and scrambled to their feet as Ravos looked them over. "Besides, I'm already short on time. That just makes it more FUN!"

Meanwhile, in Batango…

Haruto watched as an army of Zharian soldiers advanced, weapons dangerously hanging at their sides.

"Is it just me or am I getting SERIOUS deja vú?"

Aoki struggled to stand up, collapsing onto Haruto's shoulder. "You're not alone…they're doing it again…we need to find Dachii…has anyone seen him?"

Mashimo pointed his rifle at a group of Zharians, firing, but they simply shrugged off the bullets. "That fire warrior took him and the General! I wasn't able to determine which direction, however!"

Nishiyama used her power to paralyze the first wave of Zharians. "Well, we need to find them! How long do you think they'll last against that man?"

In the middle, Eliza quickly attacked Atomu, her sword clashing with his glass spear. "Stand down, Prince! Surrender, and you and your allies will be granted a quick death!"

Atomu struck her across the face with his spear. "That's not an option, devil!"

Eliza chuckled and cracked her neck. "Right then. Your loss."

With ease, she punched him in his gut, before bashing him across the face with the butt of her sword. Mashimo's fist turned to metal, and he delivered a strong punch to her chest before she could attack Atomu again.

"Get back! I don't know what you've done with our leader, but you aren't leaving this district with his grandson!"

She sliced open a gash on his chest with her sword just as warriors behind her started lining up arrows at Mashimo.

"Vice-General, watch out!" Atomu called out.

The moment they released their arrows, both they and the arrows were hit by a giant rainbow beam, sending everything and everyone crashing to the ground.

"Nice shot, Saori!" Mashimo remarked.

Saori gave him a smile. "Thank you!"

Eliza scoffed. "Someone handle that girl, before she becomes more trouble than intended."

A bigger Zharian nodded and marched toward Saori. "On it."

He held one arm out, attempting to grab her, but she quickly threw out her hands. "Go away! I'll…I'll hurt you!"

"Hahaha. Child."

He made a move to grab her arm, but she quickly fired another rainbow beam out of her hands, causing him to drop to the floor, stunned.

"Take THAT!"

Behind her, Aoki tried to quickly regain her strength and make her way into the fight, but she wasn't able to move, still leaning on Haruto's shoulder.

"They…need…my…help…"

Haruto looked her over, noticing her injuries. "I think YOU need help. This is the worst shape I've seen you in after a fight, and I've seen you in a LOT of fights!"

"Idiot…he ran off with Dachii, that's their entire plan…they're stalling for their leader…."

They both watched as Nishiyama and Mina stood back to back, using their magic to fend off their attackers, they watched as Mashimo and Atomu engaged with Eliza, and they watched as Saori unleashed a barrage of rainbow blasts, keeping the attackers at bay. Tomoko simply stood in the middle, laughing.

"Haha! It always feels good to be in battle!"

A Zharian simply pushed Tomoko over, charging at Nishiyama, who paralyzed him. "You dumbass."

"Man, if only Ayana were here," Haruto thought. "She could handle this, no problem!"

Aoki began coughing, getting blood on Haruto's clothes. "Ew! Can't you do that somewhere else? These are new!"

"Shush…I'm dying."

Suddenly, more Zharian reinforcements started arriving, forcing the soldiers into a corner. Mashimo tried to attack, but the more he did, the more men arrived.

"It's like an endless wave of them! They aren't even fighting to win! Just to keep us at bay!"

"What of the other squad members?" Atomu asked. "Could we have them try and look for Dachii?"

Mashimo shook his head. "I've tried already. No response."

Eliza held up her sword, walking through her warriors. "Well. That sums up your little resistance right there. Now, who wants to be the first to die?"

"Piss off, you ugly freak!" Nishiyama spat.

Eliza quickly moved and grabbed her by her neck. "There's quite a mouth on you. You'll be first—-"

"ANNIHILATE!"

BOOM.

A wave of ice spiraled from behind her, instantly freezing the entire back row of soldiers in a mountain of ice. When she turned around, she got hit with a giant boomerang, coupled with a pair of fans.

"Who dares—-?"

One by one, six Generals landed on the battlefield, each with their signature weapons in hand. The other soldiers watched in awe as Kenshi Fujii stepped forward.

"Well, well, well," Fujii remarked. "Can't even leave my own soldiers alone for a single day without all hell breaking loose. Aoki, you look TERRIBLE."

Aoki groaned.

"And Saori, you look AWESOME!"

"Thanks!" she replied.

Shinjii cracked his knuckles. "Come on, you disfigured scumbags! Someone throw a punch!"

Toru rolled his eyes. "These creatures don't use such straightforward methods. They're like slimy snakes, unable to be predicted or trapped."

Himeka shuddered. "Eek! I don't like snakes!"

Fujii cracked a bright smile. "There's only one way to kill a snake."

And without a second thought, he lunged at Eliza. "CUT OFF ITS HEAD!"

He brought his blade down, instantly trapping Eliza and her remaining soldiers in a large wave of ice up to their necks. Eliza tried to break free, but she found herself stuck.

"Trickery, all you bastards know."

Nakada walked up to Mashimo, shaking his hand. "Mashimo, I'm glad you're alright. I know fighting in a battle you didn't expect can be draining."

"Just like on the island," he laughed. "Good to see you all too!"

She surveyed the area. "Where's Morino and his family? Are they safe?"

"These guys have a Fire Element user as their enforcer, like those Zharians we faced on the island!"

"One of the Obsidian Order," Aoki muttered.

"The guy's crazy strong, and he nabbed Morino and Dachii right in front of us!"

Nakada gasped. "What?"

"I think they're still in the area," Mashimo noted. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered taking the General with him, it's just extra weight!"

From up above them, Eliza began to cackle at Fujii. "You thought *I* was the head of the snake? Think again, you fool! It seems age doesn't equate to wisdom with a Voltian!"

Fujii's face turned serious. "Alright, Generals! We need to scour this place and find their Captain before it's too late! Mashimo, you and your soldiers cover for each other and watch the enemy! Make sure they don't break out!"

"On it, Sir!" Mashimo acknowledged.

Fujii prepared to leave, but not before turning back one more time. "Also, watch my squad members as well. The tiny one, she's a bit naive. The big one, she's…she."

Aoki's face turned red, but Mashimo simply shrugged. "Will do, sir."

"May the battle turn in your favor," Nakada stated, before she and the other Generals took off.

"They're in a class of their own," Atomu murmured. "What will it take to finally rise to their level?"

Nishiyama snapped her fingers in his face. "Hey, Prince! Stop daydreaming!"

"Right. Sorry."

From above them, Eliza continued to laugh. "You all don't know the trouble you're in. When an Elite strikes, nothing with stop them from their mission. NOTHING."

"An Elite?" Nishiyama repeated. "Whatever he is, he's not good news. I pray Dachii and Sir Morino will be okay…"

"So do we all, Nishiyama," Atomu agreed. "So do we all."

Mina formed a few chairs out of slime, bringing them over to Atomu and Nishiyama. "Here guys, wanna sit?"

They both stared at her. "What? Can't watch enemies on tired legs, can you?"

Meanwhile, at Morino's house…

Ravos carefully walked towards the Jones family, his sword leaving a trail of fire behind him. "You know, you guys are an interesting case."

He briefly studied them. "A human serving as a Voltian General, two humans who can use Elements, and a human mother unafraid to defend her kids, even in the face of death? I've never met such a rare combination as you all. What could it be? Can any of you tell me?"

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Marachii. "Can YOU tell me?"

Marachii gulped, thinking back on what Morino told him. "Maybe…it's because our mom is the daughter of a Voltian Royal?"

Kia covered her mouth in shock. "Marachii!"

Ravos appeared confused, and then he leaned in close to Marachii, seemingly taking a deeper look. "Impossible. You look human, you smell human, and your presence gives off the aura of a human being. There's not a single drop of magic, a single drop of their blood inside of you. I would know instantly."

"Wait, what?"

Kia stood in front of Marachii. "It's none of your business! Tell your Master to leave my family alone!"

"Haha! I like you more and more with every word!"

He suddenly shifted his attention to her, grabbing her arm in his hand and holding her up. "But you also don't have any of their blood in your veins. Good. You're as human as you act. Perfect!"

She appeared taken aback. "I—-"

"Get off of her!" Morino demanded, throwing an axe at Ravos, who grinned and avoided it. The next time he could be seen, he was standing in front of the door to the mansion, taking in the sights of the house.

"I always like to find out more about the opponents I face! Is this your childhood home?"

"Is he treating this like a game?" Morino thought. "So casual, so comfortable, so unfazed…how strong IS this man? WHAT is this man?"

Ravos yawned. "Plenty of time to do that another day. Back to what we started!"

He unleashed a wave of fiery slashes from his sword, and Morino quickly sprang into action to block them from hitting the rest of his family.

"You're fast! Now move faster!"

Ravos came at him in a blur, and Morino just barely managed to block the strike, but his axes began to feel the effects of Ravos's heat.

"Hahahaha!"

They both began rapidly attacking each other, weapons clashing with one another. Kia stepped forward, trying to get in between the fight.

"Father, no!"

The wind created by the two sent her flying backward, leading to her children catching her.

"Mom! We have to help Morino!" Dachii pleaded.

"You can't jump between them!" Kia insisted. "It's too dangerous!"

"Then who will?" Dachii asked. "He's already worn down!"

"I…I don't know! I…where's everyone else?"

Marachii's eyes followed the intense battle, which caused loud explosions and wind to erupt from the strikes. "Grandfather…I'm coming to help!"

Despite his better judgment, he immediately took off after the two, shocking Kia and Dachii.

"Marachii!" Kia yelled out. "What are you doing?"

Dachii noticed too, and he immediately broke from Kia's side to chase after Ravos and Morino, who were clashing every which way.

"HAHAHAHA! THIS IS IT, MORINO! THE FINAL DANCE!"

A shockwave of fire burst out, shattering a wave of buildings. Morino jumped over it, continuing to clash blades with his opponent.

"That's fine! Even if I die, I'll make sure you don't win!"

"A TRUE WARRIOR! I RESPECT IT!"

Morino managed to create space between himself and Ravos, but he noticed too late that his grandchildren jumped into the fight.

"What are you two doing?"

"We're helping you!" Dachii answered.

Marachii closed his eyes. "Elara! Activate Advanced Combat Mode, 1000%!"

"Activating. Please be careful."

Marachii's body ached as he fired a massive cannon blast at Ravos, while Dachii delivered a punch with his new gauntlet to Ravos's jaw. Despite the attacks, Ravos appeared unfazed.

"Yes, YES! You two finally decided to join the fight! Well then, that just means I need to use an attack WORTH THE OCCASION! FLAMING SWORD OF HELL!"

His sword grew bigger and brighter, and he lifted it up, the pure flames suffocating the air. "LET US END THIS!"

Marachii and Dachii stared in horror as Ravos swung the blade at them, the heat of the attack burning their eyes and faces. And then…

…the attack never landed.

When they opened their eyes, they found Morino in front of them, stopping the bottom of the blade with his axes…

…while the front was impaled through his chest.

Dachii, Marachii, and Kia's eyes all widened.

"Gr…andfather?" Marachii called.

"No…no…no…" Kia stammered, tearfully.

Morino looked down at the wound to his chest. "Got me pretty good. Strong weapon, for a strong man."

Then he fell to the ground, and Dachii and Marachii immediately flanked him, with Dachii, horrified, looking between Ravos and Morino.

"Morino? Grandfather! Say something! Are you okay? Grandfather!"

Ravos watched the scene. "A respectable man. He took an honorable defeat."

Dachii blankly stared at Ravos, his eyes turning black. And Ravos realized just too late what was happening.

"What…" Dachii murmured. "What have you DONE…?"

In an instant, a large barrage of dark orange tendrils erupted from Dachii's body, reaching high into the sky and causing mass destruction all around.

—-