Those who witnessed what followed Ranma's realisation that the woman he loved was in danger could only say that Hida Ranma had somehow been possessed by no less than the great Osano-Wo himself. He raised his birth father's no-dachi in his right hand and took a giant tetsubo from a dead samurai in his left, unminding of their weight and the fact that these weapons are meant to be wielded two-handed. A great battle aura sprung from his body, making him look like an angry god. And then he charged.
Shrieking goblins tried to block his advance. A negligent swipe of his tetsubo sent them flying all over the battlefield. Those who managed to dodge were mercilessly cut down by Ranma's blade. Black arrows rained on him. Some hit but were stuck in his armor, the others were simply reduced into ashes by the burning aura Ranma was generating.
An ogre appeared in front of Ranma. He simply parried the huge creature's blow with his tetsubo like it was nothing and thrust his sword right through its heart. The creature fell but Ranma had already switched his attention to other targets. He could feel that others were following him but the only thing in his mind was to reach Kyoko. He pressed on, mowing down through the shadowlands' army.
The scorpion clanswoman was doing a good job of taking care of herself, dispatching goblins left and right with her bow. However she was tiring, her ninja training had not prepared her for such long, large-scale battles. She faltered for a second, the wounds she had taken catching up to her. Screaming bakemonos threw themselves at her. Bayushi Kyoko closed her eyes, knowing she would die today. She felt a sudden burst of wind and waited for the end.
Only the end didn't come. When she opened her eyes again, she gasped. The monsters had been cut down into pieces but no blade in Rokugan could have done this kind of clean cuts. Then she saw her Ranma standing in front of her, making sword strikes in the empty air. To her astonishment, his movements created crescent-shaped winds who slashed in two what they struck. *Kamaitachi !? It's supposed to be only a legend !* screamed Kyoko in her mind. She quickly put her questions away and strung her bow again, covering her beloved with her arrows. Answers would come after the battle.
Time passed and the shadowlands kept coming in never-ending waves of monsters. All realised it was a major offensive, intent on breaching the Wall. Swarms of arrows flew over the two armies. The Kaiu war machines fired relentlessly, sending rocky and explosive death in the shadowlands hordes. Shugenjas chanted all over the Wall, summoning the very Earth's wrath on the minions of the Dark One. And still they kept coming like a black and twisted flood.
Ranma had been joined by his father and siblings except Sukune who was coordinating the Wall's defenses. They stood in mountains of dead corpses and their armors were splattered with the foul blood of the Enemy. Their foes were starting to retreat, having failed to overwhelm the firce crab samurais. Then a mighty cry resonated through the battlefield.
"ONI !"
Ranma and the others could see it coming with yet again more enemy reinforcements. It was a large bipedal creature, standing about ten feet tall, its body almost skeletal but covered with an almost metallic hide. Three long tongues, burning with unholy fire,dangled from its tooth-filled maw. Its long bony arms ended in huge clawed hands and its three snake-like eyes spoke only of hatred and unbridled evil.
All present knew what it was. The dark legacy of the Phoenix's clan obsession for knowledge and arrogance...
Akuma no Oni, the front-line generals of Fu-Leng's army.
And it was heading straight for Ranma *Not again !*
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See other episodes by Jamil Nate
(Posted Tue, 29 Oct 2002 14:33)
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