The Great Crossover Crisis Disclaimer: Give the credit to Rumiko Takahashi and all the other people who created these characters. The people that I made up are just that; made up. < >: Thoughts (* *): Computer responses T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury Last episode: After destroying an entire mountain range from their unintentional battle with Lina Inverse and her party, the four Ranmas decided to travel to Sailoon in order to find the element they need to get back to their home dimensions. Little do they know that Lina Inverse and her company are also on a journey back to Amelia's home kingdom. An old enemy of Lina's is also heading their way with thoughts of vengeance. Chapter 3 Go Team Ranma! Part 1 "Hmmm, they're pretty good." T-Ranma commented as he watched two of his counterparts spar with each other. The four had landed on the outskirts of Sailoon in their cloaked ship the night before. Early the next morning, Kojiro and B-Ranma had woken early and decided to test each other's skills against one another. The other two Ranmas had found them trading blows outside of the ship. D-Ranma nodded as he analyzed Kojiro and B-Ranma's moves. They recognized the Saotome Anything Goes style in both of the combatants, but Kojiro seemed to be more proficient in using it than his sightless opponent. Then again, the Amazon Ranma had been raised by the Joketsuzoku for more than half his life, and had not been put through the same training sessions as the Cat Fist fighter after that horrid pit of cats. His Amazonian Wu Shu, shiatsu, and ki control were nothing to sneeze at though. As the two battled one another, the technological and mystical Ranmas could see that the two contrasted each other in both personality and fighting styles. Kojiro was like the saber-tooth. Ferocious and very strong-willed. He was independent and wasn't afraid to speak out his mind. He had the kind of street smarts that T-Ranma could relate to from living on his own and making his own choices in life, without the influence of their common relation, their idiot father Genma. He fought with fangs and claws bared, relying on savage strength and speed. Yet he did not lash out blindly, rather he used a primal instinct, like a predator on the hunt. In short, Ranma did not let the Cat Fist control him; rather he used that power to his best advantage. Like the tiger, as long as one didn't bother him, then he or she would have nothing to fear. Get him angry or irritated and Kojiro would make certain that the person would regret being foolish enough to tick him off. On the other hand, B-Ranma showed a kind of thoughtfulness that went beyond his years. He fought with uncanny precision and accuracy. His strikes were carefully measured and delivered only enough force to do the job. Though he had nowhere near Kojiro's inhuman strength and speed, the special senses and skills he had learned more than compensated for the wide margin in physical abilities. He moved with subtle grace and evaded many of Kojiro's blows by mere millimeters. It was almost as if he could read Kojiro's thoughts and moved only as much as was required. The Unseen Light fighter was far more aware of his environment than all of them and could detect some things that even high-tech scanners and mystical senses could not, such as the inner emotions of another person. His fighting style was basically defensive, using the attacker's own power against him, but he also attacked when it was necessary. All in all, both gave each other a run for his money. "RAGING TIGER BOLT!" Kojiro had thought he could distract B-Ranma with a ki blast, the follow through with a jump kick. However, he may as well have given his opponent an engraved invitation. Ranma's sixth sense had already detected the sudden buildup if ki and his seventh sense tracked Kojiro's radar image as he leapt toward him. Easily dodging the ki blast, the Unseen Light fighter ducked under the kick, then jabbed a finger into his friend's extended leg. The Cat Fist fighter winced as he felt his leg's muscles begin to lock up. He was then hit in the solar plexus as B-Ranma took out his staff and made it extend to its five-foot length, driving him back. He managed to roll away and then hit the side of his thigh to release the locking effect of the Amazon's shiatsu attack. Though his knowledge of manipulating power points was nowhere near B-Ranma's, he did know a fair amount about the effects of focusing one's ki to disrupt nerve impulses. "Not bad, Ranma. Didn't see that one coming." Kojiro said as he and his opponent circled one another. "You're pretty good yourself, Kojiro." B-Ranma remarked as he made a feint with his staff, and then launched a barrage of darts from out of nowhere with a wave of his free hand. Kojiro wasted no time and made a casual swipe with his claws, shredding the darts into confetti. "Well, so you know the Hidden Weapon style that idiot Mousse uses." "You're familiar with it?" B-Ranma stabbed forward with his staff. "I went up against Mousse in my dimension. He's become nothing more than a nuisance since I fought him." He slashed forward with his claws. He was very surprised when the staff didn't fall apart, then noticed a faint energy surrounding the weapon. He figured that the blind Amazon must have been focusing his own ki into the rod to deflect the cutting power of his claws. "Yeah, he's pretty much a pest in my world too. At least you were lucky. I had to grow up in the same village with him for eight years. He's really making my cousin Shampoo annoyed with his stupid 'Oh my darling Shampoo!' speeches and stuff." B-Ranma mimicked Mousse's voice as he retracted his staff, then let loose with a fast triple-hit combo, followed by a sweep kick. "For someone who can still see, he's more blind than I am!" Kojiro evaded the attacks, then countered with some swipes, then used a roundhouse kick. "I take it, he sees you as an obstacle to his darling Shampoo." The Neko Ken martial artist winced as he remembered all those times Mousse attacked him for 'stealing' his intended bride. "Yeah, well they say love makes one blind (pardon the pun), and nobody's more blind to the truth than he is." The Unseen Light martial artist evaded the swipes, then countered the kick by grabbing the extended leg and using leverage to toss his opponent over his shoulder. Kojiro went flying, but simply turned in midair, used a nearby tree to rebound off and sent him hurtling back. He fired off his eye beams before landing lightly on his feet. B-Ranma sensed the attack, but he only had time bring up his arms in an X-block and focus his ki. He winced as his aura took the brunt of the attack, but some of its force still came through and he could feel the heat of the beams. Biting back the slight burns on his arms, he moved forward and threw a fast barrage of punches. "KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" Kojiro had experienced this technique before and countered with his own. "TIGER CLAW FRENZY!" The arms of both combatants blurred as they delivered their speed techniques. Though B-Ranma was a lot faster than Shampoo, Kojiro knew that he still had the advantage in overall speed. B-Ranma leapt back with numerous small cuts on his arms, like dozens of little paper cuts. The Cat Fist fighter smirked, and then his smile disappeared as he suddenly felt pain flaring up on his upper arms and some on his chest. B-Ranma smiled as he said, "Your speed technique is superior to the Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire, but that doesn't mean that I have to hit you many times to hurt you." Kojiro then realized that some of B-Ranma's shots had targeted pressure points on his arms and chest, instead of just punching. He could feel his hands begin to lock up and a series of stinging sensations along his upper torso. The few hits his opponent had managed to land were as effective as the many cuts that the Tiger Claw Frenzy had inflicted. Despite the raw power of the Neko Ken, B-Ranma's techniques made him just as lethal, and an opponent to be respected. "That's enough, guys." T-Ranma declared as he got between the two of them. "Remember, we still have a job to do. We still have to locate that Kerium." "Aw, but we were just getting warmed up!" Kojiro pouted. "I haven't had a good workout like that in a long while." B-Ranma concurred. "You guys will have plenty of time later to practice with each other and compare notes with your lives, but right now, we've got more important things to take care of. For now, let's have those wounds and cuts tended to and get ready to go into Sailoon." A few minutes later, the four ventured into the city. Kojiro and B-Ranma had been healed up, thanks to the medical technology of T-Ranma's ship. Though he was impressed at the advanced medical abilities of the devices, the blind Amazon healer still preferred his own methods, as he considered his world's modern doctors as too dependent on technology. Not that he anything against advances in helping the sick and injured, but machines were cold and unfeeling. He was taught to give the best of care in not only the physical sense, but also in the mental and emotional departments as well. An entire village of Amazon females all seemed to agree on this point, especially when he was the one giving treatment. "All right, you guys. According to what the compuguides are saying, the greatest concentration of Kerium seems to be in that big castle over there." T-Ranma pointed to the mentioned structure at the center of the city. "So we have to go in there? That shouldn't be too much of a problem." Kojiro remarked. "Now hold on a minute." T-Ranma said. "We don't know what's in there and we can't just walk up there without permission. And don't think we can just barge in throwing ki blasts and stuff. For all we know, there might be people in there who are like the ones we met back in that other town. I'd like to avoid another misunderstanding if you don't mind." The three other Ranmas nodded in agreement. Spotting a nearby café, they decided to stop for breakfast, while they thought up a plan to get into the castle and search for the element they needed. Some time earlier… In a small cavern near the ruins of the city once known as Sairaag, Sylphiel's birthplace, and an old enemy of Lina Inverse and her friends had been stirring. It had been a week after the release of the Giga Slave and the defeat of Hellmaster Phibrizzo. What was left of him had been festering in these caverns since then. He was less than a phantom of his former self after his near-obliteration from the dreaded Giga Slave. He had been under the presumption that he could wreak chaos over the world by forcing the sorceress into invoking that destructive magic, but his plan had backfired and he had become the victim of the Lord of Nightmares' power. It had only through sheer luck that he had managed to transfer a small portion of his own being into the astral plane before the rest of him had been annihilated. Now that tiny shred was all that was left of him. To say that he wasn't happy would be an understatement. The dark lord had been slowly gathering energy in the hope of regaining his former self, but with his power depleted to nil, the villain realized that it would take eons before he could regain even a billionth of his old power. No, he needed some kind of catalyst and a huge amount of energy to jump-start him on the road to recovery. He could only manage the simplest of spells at the moment and without a physical form, he could not maintain his focus for very long. His gaseous state left him too unstable and it took most of Phibrizzo's concentration to keep his form from scattering like smoke. It wouldn't be long before the last shred of Phibrizzo's essence would be gone for good. Then, a once-in-a-billion-lifetimes opportunity appeared. No more than a day ago, a vagabond stumbled into the ruins, looking for a place to spend the night. Phibrizzo had leapt at the chance and phased his essence into the body of the unfortunate individual, driving the poor soul from its rightful place. The vagabond died that day, but Phibrizzo was reborn. He now had physical substance and a container to hold more power. Since that time, Phibrizzo had been secretly going around, stealing magical talismans and artifacts, and transferring his essence into other hosts, gathering more and more power with every new vessel. He went after sorcerers and wizards, adding their magic to his own and gaining ever stronger. Still it was not enough. Although by now, he inhabited the body of a very powerful black magic wizard, he still needed far more energy to regain the destructive power he once possessed. To that end, he heard rumors of mysterious stones that could dramatically increase a person's magical potential by at least four or five times. With those stones, Phibrizzo could become the dark lord once again. However, the problem was finding a host that had enough magical ability so that the stones could amplify those powers to that of his old self's. His current host was about the equal of Lina Inverse in the realm of black magic, but he needed more. He had considered seeking out Lina Inverse and taking over her body, but the idea was quickly discarded. He wanted Lina Inverse to live so that he could exact his revenge upon her. Taking over her body and forcing out her soul was too quick. It was then that he came across the ruins of laboratory that once belonged to Rezo, the Red Priest. He then used a scrying spell and discerned that this was the place where a copy of Rezo had been created. He also discovered that a few samples were still intact, including a few strands of hair from the Red Priest himself, and some hairs from another wizard. It was then that Phibrizzo had gotten an evil idea. If he could not find a suitable body, then he would simply make himself one. And why stop at just a copy of an inferior human priest or second-rate wizard? About a week after he started fashioning himself a new body, he suddenly sensed a huge surge of power emanating near the city of Sailoon. He paused in his work as he gauged the destructive energies being used. He recognized part of those energies as black magic. Judging by how it was focused, he came to the conclusion that someone had used a Dragon Slave recently. However, that other energy source was unknown to him. It seemed to consume the magic of the Dragon Slave and become ever more powerful. It wasn't magic that was for certain, as it did not draw upon the normal sources of power on this world. He began wondering just whom or what could cause such a huge imbalance of power and overcome the strongest spell in black magic without resorting to a counterspell. He decided to table this new discovery for later as he continued to work on his new form. He had been raiding magical archives and tombs of wizards in order to get the samples he needed. It wouldn't be long before he had all the ingredients he needed to exact his long-awaited revenge against a certain flat-cheasted witch. Present time… "It's great to back!" Amelia exclaimed, as she and her party were nearing the outskirts of Sailoon. For the most part, the group were getting along, except for Lina, who was still in 'that time of the month,' which would probably last until late the next day. Of course, with her being so cranky, the others tended to avoid her. Unknown to them however, a couple of shady characters were following them from a distance. Their intent was also to see the fabulous and mysterious stones that the Sailoon White Magic Priests had recently acquired. However, their intent was far from just research. Somewhere near the walls of the castle… "Okay, so knocking on the front door is out of the question." Kojiro commented as he and his companions looked at the heavily armed guards at the main gate. It wasn't that they feared their weapons or anything. Any one of the Ranmas could take them out, no problem. But as T-Ranma had said, they wanted to avoid drawing attention to themselves. "So now what?" B-Ranma asked. "They won't let us in to see the ruler, Prince what's-his-name." "Prince Philionel" D-Ranma supplied. "In any case, his name isn't important. Are you sure that the Kerium is in there?" T-Ranma nodded as he looked over the palace with the energy scanners built into his eyes. "Definitely in there, but I can't pinpoint it. Too much magical interference from various artifacts and people. Guess the only way we'll be able to find it is if we search the place." "You're suggesting that we sneak in there?" Kojiro asked. "Why don't we wait until tomorrow?" D-Ranma asked. "I mean, the posters in town said that the stones will be on display to the public. Maybe we could…" T-Ranma shook his head. "No. We can't risk trying to get it then. It's too open. In any case, I don't think they'll believe us if we tried to explain why we need that stone. Besides, the longer we stay in this world, the greater the chance of our unintentionally disrupting it. No, I would prefer it if we got the Kerium quickly and quietly, and get out here as soon as possible with as little disruption as we can muster. We don't belong in this world and it would be best for everyone to limit our contact with this place. Besides, I know anxious you guys are to get back to your own worlds, right?" The other three Ranmas nodded. "Okay, so here's what we'll do…" Meanwhile, Amelia and her party arrived at the main gate and were greeted by the royal guards. Once escorted into the castle, Amelia's father happily greeted them. "Oh my dear Amelia!" The giant, so-called pacifist ruler cried out as he swept up his daughter in a giant bear hug. "I see that you had gotten my message." "Yes, Daddy." Amelia replied as she hugged her father back, and was then set back down. "Daddy, you remember my friends?" She gestured over to the group behind her. "Ah yes, it is good to see you all again." Philionel replied as he shook hands and gave polite bows. He then gestured to some servants to show them to the guest quarters. Later that evening… D-Ranma and T-Ranma stood on a high rooftop near the west side of the castle walls. The nanotech soldier was speaking into his pin communicator to the other two Ranmas, who were planning to make their way in through the east side. "Okay guys. Remember the plan. Once you're inside, try to keep using your energies to a minimum. I'm not sure what kind of detection devices they have in there, but it would be best if we didn't draw any attention to ourselves. Go in there and find that Kerium. We don't need very much. One fistful should be plenty. If you're not sure, then check your compuguides. Be sure to keep your communicators open in case you get into any trouble. Got it?" "Got it." All the other Ranmas replied as they prepared to enter the castle in their own unique way. T-Ranma nodded as he looked at his dragon counterpart. "How about you? You probably have the biggest amount of magic of the four of us. You'd stick out like a sore thumb in there." "Don't worry about it. I've learned how to mask my energies back in the Dragon World. In any case, shall we get started?" The intergalactic bounty hunter nodded as he looked at their first obstacle, the high wall. "I could use my anti-grav system to get us both up there and…" "Hold on a minute. Wouldn't your energies be detected as well? Like you said before, we don't exactly know how their detection methods work." "Hmmm, you're right. Looks like we're going to have to scale the wall." "That's a big place we've got to search for something the size of an apple. We don't have time to waste. I'll fly us both in." "But…" "Don't worry about it. I have another way of flying that doesn't emit very much energy." D-Ranma assured as he took off his shirt and then began concentrating. T-Ranma was about to ask what he was talking about when suddenly, a pair of huge, leathery wings sprouted out from his back. The huge appendages measured a little more than twice the length of his body. The dragon warrior gave his wings a few practice flaps as he spread them wide. "H-How did you…?" D-Ranma smiled as he said, "I'm part-dragon, remember? I prefer using my ki to fly, since it doesn't take as much effort as flapping my wings and it's a lot faster. One major drawback is that chaotic energy surges can disrupt my flying field. Flying over such a large concentration of magic like that castle there would have certainly caused me difficulty. Hang on." Without another word, D-Ranma took a deep breath, then gave his wings a powerful downward thrust. He was soon airborne, then swooped down to pick up his technological counterpart. Once he had his passenger firmly in hand, he then winged his way toward a dark and seemingly deserted part on the inner courtyard. On the other side, B-Ranma and Kojiro had easily broken into the east side and were now sneaking their way into the castle. They were at a great advantage in the darkness as Kojiro possessed extraordinary night vision, thanks to his feline side, and you wouldn't have to be a genius to figure out that B-Ranma would have no trouble maneuvering in the dark. B-Ranma motioned for his friend to follow him as he snuck up behind a couple of guards without a sound. A couple of quick jabs applied to their sleeper points and they were sent to dreamland. He then crept up at the door and used his senses to probe the bolted door in front of him. He smiled as he discerned the inner mechanism of the lock. He then began focusing his ki into the lock and a moment later, the heavy metal bar dissolved into powder with no more sound than sand pouring down between one's fingers. "That's pretty handy." Kojiro remarked quietly as he and his companion silently made their way inside. In one of the guest rooms… Sylphiel awoke with a start as her psychic senses detected the presence of someone. She felt several controlled energy sources and one source seemed somewhat familiar. She began wondering as to who it could be, then she remembered just where she had felt him before. Her thoughts went back to that battle a few days earlier and the person she went up against. Whoever that stranger was, he was quite powerful and drew on a kind of magic that she had never seen before. Though for some reason, she thought that there was something, not quite right about him. As a white priestess, she had been trained to use her magical talents to probe the human body in order to assess any damage and heal it, but something about him did not seem quite normal. Furthermore, he had used a skill that she had only heard about in legend. There were ancient stories of great clerics and shamans that could heal with just a simple touch of the finger without any magic whatsoever. That knowledge, if it ever existed, was lost over the centuries as white magic became the principal tool for healing the sick and injured. Sylphiel, like all white priestesses and sages, were more used to letting their magic do their work for them in healing. They did know some basics of first aid and a rudimentary knowledge of CPR. She had used such techniques to help revive Lina during their battle with Copy Rezo. However, in the end, she was forced to use her resurrection spell in order to bring her back. The stranger however, had used no such spells. That much she was sure of. That illusion he did was certainly not magic and he had put Amelia to sleep just by pressing a spot on her neck. Then he amazed her even further by paralyzing all of her skeletal muscles and her larynx, effectively preventing her from casting any spells. That alone got her interest piqued. She had since been trying to duplicate his techniques, but with no success. Now she felt his presence again, as he probed the surrounding areas with a subtlety that was almost undetectable by even well trained espers. Then again, her teachers did tell her that her psychic sensitivity seemed to be a little higher than most. She just had to investigate. She just had to find out just who this man was and why he affected her the way he did. Somewhere in the inner areas, B-Ranma and Kojiro were quietly sneaking about, looking for any place that the stones might be stored in. They had reasoned that they might be kept in some kind of vault. They began looking for any place that might be well--guarded. It was then that B-Ranma suddenly stopped. "What's the matter?" B-Ranma cocked his head to one side and reached out with his enhanced senses while listening with his ears. "I'm… not sure. For a few moments, I thought that I felt something or someone at the edge of my perception range. We… may have been detected." Kojiro cocked his head and listen with his own extraordinary hearing. "I don't hear anyone. Whoa, check that. Someone's coming!" B-Ranma also heard the footsteps and both leapt up toward the ceiling and clung to the rafters above. They tensed up as two guards passed by on their nightly rounds. They both sighed in relief as the sentries went off and disappeared around the corner. After quietly returning to the floor, they pressed on in search of the element they needed. In another part of the castle, D-Ranma and T-Ranma were also making their way toward the main vault where they believed the Kerium was being stored. They had encountered a few of the guards, but a few knockout pellets from T-Ranma's mini dart launcher took care of them. D-Ranma didn't dare try to use his magical senses to probe the rooms as he relied on his compuguide and his technological counterpart to scan ahead of them. Unbeknownst to the four Ranmas, a couple of people were already in the vault, admiring Sailoon's newest treasures. Also, another uninvited guest was about to drop in. In the vault… "Wow! So these are the stones?" Lina Inverse asked as she gazed upon the glittering gems contained within a protective magical case. There were a dozen or so of the stones and each were about the size of an apple. She could feel their energies emanating from the container and could estimate that their power were far greater than the mystical amplifiers she had purchased from Xellos. "Yes." Amelia said with pride. "The temple priests had discovered them inside a large rock that fell from the sky. From what they've been able to determine, one gem alone could increase a person's magical ability at least ten times over." "Ten times? I thought you said four or five times?" "That's what they thought initially. After doing more research, it was found out that they're much more powerful. We're not sure exactly how far a person can be boosted with these gems. It was also discovered that they seemed to be partially connected to another plane of existence, actually bridging the gap between our world and another. It seems to be automatic. No invoking of any spirits or anything." "You mean these things can allow a person to travel to another world?" "That's the theory. There seems to be some kind of dimensional warping ability in these stones and it could be possible to draw on more power from those other places too." Lina's mind reeled at the possibilities. To able to draw on untapped potential from other worlds, as well as boost her own abilities past their already extraordinary levels. She's got to have one of these stones! "Hey Amelia. Do you think your father can let me have one of these stones? If not, I'll buy it for say… one thousand silver pieces? How about it?" "Miss Lina, I'm shocked! These stones are to be used for the good of all! We were hoping to use them to help our white magic priests with healing others. They aren't for sale!" "Aw, c'mon Amelia! Just one stone! It's not like your father would miss it! He's got plenty more." "No, Miss Lina. These stones are the property of the Kingdom of Sailoon and I'm afraid that you can't have one! Besides, after seeing you use those magic amplifiers of yours to power up that Dragon Slave, I shudder to think what would happen if you got your hands on one of these stones!" "Hey, I saved Sailoon from being crushed from that floating castle, didn't I?" It was true. Lina's amplified Dragon Slave had destroyed the floating landmass before it had crushed the city. "Yes, but you also ended up destroying the entire east side! It took us five months to rebuild it!" "Well, I saved MOST of Sailoon. C'mon Amelia, just one little stone. Please, pretty please, with sugar on top?" "No Miss Lina, and that is final! These stones have too much potential for destruction!" "I certainly agree!" Both girls were a bit surprised at the voice and turned toward the entrance to the vault. Standing at the doorway was a guard who was smiling devilishly at them. "I can think of a much better use for these stones." "Who are you, and why aren't you at your post?" Amelia demanded. The guard smiled as he walked toward them. "Who am I? Why I would think that you would both know me. It's only been a few weeks since we last faced off." "Sorry, but I can't place the face." Lina replied. "Well, now, why I don't give you another hint?" The guard chuckled as he cast aside his spear and began glowing with red energies. Before the startled eyes of Lina and Amelia, the tall man shrunk down and took on the form of a small boy with black hair and wearing a blue tunic. Lina's face went pale as she beheld the person she had thought the Giga Slave had completely destroyed. "Hellmaster Phibrizzo?! It can't be! Y-Y-ou're supposed to be dead!" Phibrizzo nodded as he replied, "Yes, well right now, I am just a mere shadow of my former self. When the Giga Slave tore my physical form apart, I was just barely able to escape total obliteration. Just as I had done when you and that white priestess used that Double Dragon on me, I was able to send my essence into the Spirit Realm. However, I was only successful in transferring a small portion of my being. It wasn't enough for me to reform into the physical plane and I would have remained a shapeless wraith, had I not been able to possess the body of convinint host. I then begin rebuilding my power, by taking the forms of others as well. Then I came across a copy cultivator and some samples of magic users, including some hairs from Rezo, the Red Priest! It wasn't long before I possessed the combined abilities of the some of the strongest magic users in the world! But that is nowhere enough! In order to regain my true power, and take my place as ruler of this world, I will need a catalyst to unlock my potential. These stones shall suffice! Now, surrender the stones and I promise that you won't suffer too much before you die!" Phibrizzo's hands began to glow with an ominous light. Lina didn't need anyone telling her that this was bad. Even though Phibrizzo's power wasn't anywhere near what it had been, if he had been telling the truth that he possessed the combined powers of some of the greatest magic users in the world, including Rezo, then she was in trouble! It was made even worse as her powers had not fully returned. She was just getting over 'that time of the month' and she wouldn't be back up to snuff until the next day. Phibrizzo had a clear advantage in this case. Amelia wasted no time into going into her 'Defender of Justice' routine as she struck a pose and said, "You will not have these stones! Not while I, Amelia of Sailoon draws breath to stop your evil and nefarious plans! It is time for you to be smited by the Hammer of Justice!" "Oh please, spare me!" Phibrizzo sneered as he raised a hand and fired off a huge blast of elderitch energy. The girls were just able to dodge that blast, which smashed into the crystal container that contained the stones. The crystal did not shatter as it had been protected by the strongest white and shamanist magics available in Sailoon. The explosion the blast caused, hadn't gone unnoticed. The four Ranmas were instantly alerted to the explosion and began running toward the scene of the commotion. The sounds also awoke Zelgadis and Gourry and after throwing on their clothes, they too began racing toward the vault, along with the palace guards. They ran into Syphiel, who had been wandering around the halls after detecting B-Ranma's presence. "FIREBALL!" Phibrizzo simply swatted away Lina's projectile as if he were swatting away a fly. "Is that the best you can do?" The fireball exploded against a wall, causing another massive explosion. "I didn't even feel that one and that was nowhere near as stong as what you are capable of." "Why… you!" Lina snarled as she really hated to be reminded at how weak her spells were in her present condition. "ELMEKIA LANCE!"Amelia shouted as she attacked from one side. However, Phibrizzo simply faded from view just as the blast reached him. It missed him to explode harmlessly off to the other side. To her horror, Phibrizzo reappeared behind Lina! "Miss Lina! Look out!" "Huh? Arrgggghhhhh!" Lina was caught off guard and her reflexes were still under par in her condition. She was unable to move fast enough as Phibrizzo raised a hand an pointed with his index finger. A ribbon of light shot forward like a snake and coiled around Lina's neck and tightened. It felt like a hangman's noose as Lina began gasping for air. She felt her body being levitated of the ground she struggled to get free. Phibrizzo merely tightened his spell's grip around her neck as he began to slowly squeeze the life out odf her. "I'll save you! FLARE…" Phibrizzo smiled as he simply levitated Lina in front of him and said, "Uh uh! Sure you want to do that?" Amelia halted in her attack as she saw that Lina was in her direct line of fire. Phibrizzo smiled as he looked up at the struggling sorceress. "Now why is it that you can't free yourself from such a simple spell, Lina Inverse? And why is it that your fireball was much weaker than before?" He grinned as he scanned her body as her face began to turn blue. "Oh, I see. It must be 'that time of the month!' No wonder! Oh well, all the better for me!" Lina was mortified at Phibrizzo's discovery as she began to see her life flash before her eyes. She tried to focus and initiate a spell to get her out of this predicament, but Phibrizzo wasn't letting up. "I made the mistake of toying with you the last time we met, Lina Inverse. Although it would be more amusing to torture you slowly and very painfully, I really do not have the time, so I'm going to do this quck!" He gestured over to where the crystal had fallen and levitated it to his side. "It's the not the revenge I wanted, but it'll have to suffice. Goodbye, Lina Inverse!" "MISS LINA!" Amelia was about to take a chance and cast a spell as Phibrizzo was about to command his noose to squeeze until Lina's head popped like a champagne cork. At that moment, Zelgadis, Gourry, and Syphiel burst into the vault, but were stopped short at the sight of Lina's imminent death. "RAGING TIGER BOLT!" Phibrizzo was distracted when he heard that voice and saw an oval-shaped blast of energy streak toward him. He was a bit mystified as the blast was not of any magic he knew. He then used a free hand to bat the thing away, but winced as it actually made his hand sting. Then he was suddenly shot in the chest and arms by strange beams of power, making him lose his concentration of his hold on Lina. The energy noose disappeared and Lina dropped to the floor, gasping for breath while rubbing her neck. She looked behind her and saw Phibrizzo's body jerking under the impact of power beams as they shot at him repeatedly. She then looked in the direction of where those attacks were coming from. Her eyes widened as she saw T-Ranma blasting away with a pair M-940 particle beam rifles. She then saw B-Ranma rush forward and make a thrity-foot leap upwards while cupping his hands and drawing them back. An orb of blue energy appeared between his palms with white swirls as he locked onto Phibrizzo's energy. Kojiro raced forward and swept her into his arms to get her out of the way. "SPIRIT SEEKER!" The blue ball streaked forward and elongated into a comet that streaked toward him. He had to raise a barrier to deflect T-Ranma's assualt and thought that it would be enough to stop the blind fighter's technique as well. However, to his surprise, the projectile simply made a sharp turn to avoid the barrier completely and then made a wide turn before aiming at his unprotected back. Phibrizzo changed tactics and disappered again. T-Ranma's particle beams passed though empty air and B-Ranma's attack went flying as it had no target. Or so it seemed. It then looped toward an area on the right near the ceiling, just as Phibrizzo reappeared. He gave a yelp of surprise as he saw the missle heading toward him again. He repeated his vainishing trick and then reappeared somewhere else. However, the projectile relentlessly pursued him each time he disappeared and reappeared. He tried shooting it down, but the dammned ki blast just evaded each counterblast and defense tactic he used. Soon it became a deadly game of tag in the air. B-Ranma frowned. This was taking too long. Then he got an idea. "All of you, start firing at him! Keep him moving!" The other three Ranmas wondered just what he was talking about as B-Ranma drew back his cupped hands and launched yet another Spirit Seeker. Followed by another, and then another. "SPIRIT SEEKER! SPIRIT SEEKER! SPIRIT SEEKER!" Three more homing ki blasts went upward, adding to the first one and Phibrizzo became hard-pressed to evade them all. He sufficiently getting mad as he weaved in and out. T-Ranma nodded as his scanners began to read the blazing heat aura being emitted by an enraged Hellmaster. He then saw B-Ranma starting to move in a sprial and emitting a kind of calmness that made him seem as cold as ice. He smiled as he got the idea. "Do as he says guys! Let's turn up the heat!" He then made a pair of shoulder- mounted plasma cannons appear and started blasting away. The other two Ranmas followed suit with Raging Tiger Bolts, Cat's Eye Beams and Dragon Fire attacks. "What are they doing?" Lina asked as she was being tended to by Sylphiel. The others were all standing by in amazement as the four Ranmas took Hellmaster head on. By now, Phibrizzo was so enraged that he decided to finish off the little gnats that dared to attack him. He would start with the one who sent those dammed energy torpedoes at him. Diving down toward B-Ranma with a blazing aura, he saw that his opponent had suddenly stopped in his maneuvers and was now standing at the center of a spiral. He wondered just why the Unseen Light fighter was just standing there, but he wasn't going to look a sitting duck in the mouth. He was about to release a blast of pure dark magic to totally incinerate him, when it happened… "HIRYU SHOTEN HA!!!!" Phibrizzo was totally caught off guard as B-Ranma demonstrated one of the most powerful techniques of the Joketsuzoku; the Rising Dragon Ascension Wave. He was caught in a huge cyclone as his blazing aura had made contact with B-Ranma's Soul of Ice uppercut. As he was tossed about in the winds like a leaf, he found out that the mnore he used his power, the more it was drained. His host body was being sapped of its strength and then he saw something that made him whimper a bit. B-Ranma's homing blasts came right at him. All four detonated against him, making him scream out as they exploded, causing both physical and spiritual damage. They hurt a lot worse than the Raging Tiger Bolt. The others had to duck for cover as the winds buffeted the vault room and blasted through the roof. Treasures were scattered around and the entire room shook so hard, that it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment. However, it held on until the winds finally died down. When it was all over, they picked themselves off the floor and stared in a mazement at B-Ranma, who had been standing the middle of that tornado. Aside from a few rips in his shirt, he was relatively unscathed. Phibrizzo's battered and beaten body landed off to one side with a heavy thump. He seemed to be no longer a threat as he moaned in pain and was barely able to move. B-Ranma's technique had almost drained him to almost nothing. It was then that fate decided to deal our heroes a bad hand. The Hiryu Shoten Ha had swept up a lot of objects in its winds, including a certain crystal box. All the pounding it took had taxed its protective magic to the limit and it smashed open right on top of Phibrizzo's body. The fragile crystals within were reduced to tiny shards which coated the villain's body. He began to glow with renewed energy and began to chuckle ominously. "No! The stones!" Amelia cried out. T-Ranma blanched as his scanners began reading Phibrizzo's new power levels. "Damn! That was pure Kerium! He's absorbed the ore into his system and now he's tapping into extra-dimensional energies!" "Such… power… unbelievable!" Phibrizzo rose as the wounds he sustained suddenly disappeared. He began emitting power at a fantastic rate that T-Ranma's scanners were in danger of overloading. "The power I… had before my demise was nothing… compared to this! I am no longer just Hellmaster Phibrizzo… I… am… Phibrizzo, the Ultimate Lord of Chaos! Let this world… tremble at my might! Let all bow down before me before I give them the sweet kiss of oblivion! The Giga Slave is as nothing to me now! I am DESTRUCTION INCARNATE!" With these words, he blasted upward into the sky, making the ground tremble for hundreds of miles around with a massive shockwave. Buildings began to collapse under the sudden earthquake and the citizens of Sailoon and the countryside were roused from their slumber. As they looked into the sky, they saw a huge flash of white light as Hellmaster streaked overhead, totally insane with power. A feeling of foreboding doom washed over them and they weren't very far off. Armageddon was close at hand. Down at the ruins of the castle, Prince Philionel and his royal guards rushed to where the mighty treasure vault had once stood. He caught sight of his daughter and her friends and rushed toward them. "Amelia, just WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Amelia could just shake her head in total disbelief as she stared at the huge ball of light in the sky. "Ranma, just what is going on?" Kojiro asked. T-Ranma sighed as he relayed the results of his biocomputer's analysis. "That Phibrizzo character has just absorbed enough unstable Kerium to become a walking time bomb! There's enough raw power in him to destroy this world and a fair amount of its system ten times over!" Lina and her crew didn't understand most of T-Ranma's exlanation, but they did get the part about world destruction. "Unstable?" D-Ranma said. "Yes. Not only is the Kerium allowing him to draw on extra- dimensional sources to repower himself, but it's also generating his energies toward infinite capacity. It won't long before his body can no longer contain that power. Usually, refined Kerium is stable and will decrystallize if overtaxed, like the one in my ship did. This Kerium however, will destabilize and cause a super-massive explosion! Hell, a single crystal the size of a pebble could take out an entire mountain range! With all the energies that he's siphoning off from subspace, the explosion will be multiplied a thousand times! By my estimates, he'll blow in five minutes." "So we got five minutes before saying hello to oblivion." B-Ranma said simply as he and his comrades looked up toward the power- maddened Hellmaster. To be continued… Author's Notes Well, the four Ranmas are about to leave this Slayers World with a bang! Let's hope there will be something left when it's all over.